"When are the vampires coming?" I asked while drawing small circles on Abel's chest.

He opened his eyes slightly, revealing all black ones still, and smiled. "Soon. They wanted it to be summer and nice weather."

"Which is soon," I noted.

Abel nodded, having closed his eyes again. He loved cuddle time, and it always seemed like this was the most content he could be. Under a blanket, me on top of him, both of us still naked. I hadn't even thought about putting on a shirt. I was starting to get very comfortable with him too.

"Are you excited?"

He snorted. "I don't know if 'excited' is the right word. But I can't lie and say I'm not looking forward to more vampires coming back again. Nice ones this time. I've known some of them since I was a kid, so it's kind of like having family here."

"I can't wait to meet them."

"I told some of them about you. They're excited to meet you too."

"Really?" I lifted my head up so I could see him.

"Hmm-mmh," he hummed, his eyes closed again.

"Do they know about how we do things here?"

"Yeah, that's why they're coming." His eyes opened but it looked like it was such a struggle. "They wanna engage in the community because they find it super interesting. One is doing her master's in psychology, focusing on community mentality and mental health, so she wants to use this community as an example for it. Lowkey obviously."

"That sounds cool," I murmured. I was just happy to hear Abel being excited about this. He deserved to have his community here too.

"So, what's the plan here?" River asked as he opened a box, peering inside it. Otto closed the lid on it, giving River a disapproving look.

"This goes to the kitchen. That's the plan," he said with that low humming voice. I wish my voice sounded like that. If I had ever felt any kind of gender envy, Otto was the source. He was so cool. Like he was quiet most of the time and super mysterious and then he also knew how to make things with his hands. And he always rocked these flannel shirts. Just looked so cool.

He was a werewolf too and had been one for years. Like Frank, he had been turned when he was young. Had roamed around alone for ages before he finally met Frank. Then it had been the two of them for a while in the valley, until more wolves just showed up on their doorstep. Rumour spread that two wolves would take in strays and care for them. Some of the wolves stayed, some ventured on. But Otto and Frank had built their community exactly like I had. I was happy to have them around here now. Being able to provide them with sanctuary for a bit.

"I meant, what's the plan with Dres? Are we doing anything?" River rolled his eyes dramatically and crossed his arms over his chest.

"There isn't really a plan," I chimed in and took the box from Otto, going to the kitchen. It was heavy and filled with plates. River followed, helping me with my balance and leaned against the counter.

"Because you haven't thought of one, or because you don't want to think of one?"

"Because right now it's about getting all the wolves settled. Not about revenge."

"But you want revenge?" River asked and handed me my new crutch as I wanted to make my way back to the living room, where Frank and Otto were sorting out all their boxes.

"I don't know how to answer that," I replied and sat down in a comfy green chair with River's help. The way he just kind of... Instinctively helped me out made me believe this wasn't his first time helping someone with a disability.

"Don't hold back for my sake," Frank said. "Revenge is tangible and a very natural urge."

"Thank you, Dr Frank," River muttered under his breath.

"How you haven't muzzled that one yet is a wonder to me," Otto said and shot another really unimpressed look River's way.

"Gael secretly likes it; he just pretends he doesn't." River sent Otto an air-kiss.

I sighed and pressed my lips together, meeting Frank's gaze. "To be honest, I don't know what to do. We could hit back, but what's the point? Abel pulled half his arm off. If he's at all smart, he'll know to stay away."

"Doesn't take away from the fact that he has killed one of ours. He is dangerous." Frank sat down on a three-legged stool. "We can't just let him run amok. He must be stopped."

I bit down on my lip and looked out the window. "And how do we stop someone like that? Supernatural prison?"

"You know there's no such thing," River said with a low voice.

"I'm not gonna condone killing someone. We have to draw a line somewhere and killing should definitely be it."

"While that sounds admirable, I also think you're forgetting we have the ability to turn into monsters. Not like we need to adhere to human moral code," River said.

"We don't have to be beasts, just because we're monsters," I said and struggled to my feet. "I'm not gonna condone murder. I'm not changing my mind on that."

"Like, am I wrong?" I asked and threw my hands out to the sides.

Creek shrugged a shoulder. "I don't personally think so, no. But what's the alternative?"

"I don't know, we've got vampires in the police, for crying out loud. We should be able to use that somehow?" I said and looked to Abel.

"They're there for protection from exposure. Their job isn't really law enforcement as it is evasion in general." Abel shrugged too.

I groaned and looked to Fred. Maybe she had a brilliant idea.

She shrugged too. "Don't look at me. I'd cast all the worst spells on this guy if he came near this town again."

"There really is only one way to permanently fix this issue, Gael, and if I had had the chance, I would've done it. But I didn't get the chance," Abel said.

"You did like... Rip his arm off though," I pointed out.

Abel snorted at that. "Yeah, and maybe the bastard is dead already. Honestly, I hope so."

I cringed. "That's really grim, Abel."

"Yeah, maybe, but look at what he did to you." The kind of light tone, his voice had carried earlier had disappeared entirely. "He stole so much from you."

I hadn't even thought about what he had actually done to me. Like I had thought loads of what he had done to River. To Frank's group. Even to Meera, despite her complicity in it all. But not once had I really considered what role he had to play in my own situation. In my pain. And it felt so weird to think about it. I didn't wanna think about it because it took it all from a tragic accident to someone having actually targeted me. It was easier to deal with if it had just been an accident. Then I was the only player in it all and it was just me, myself and I having to think about it. But I had been targeted. Someone had made a choice to do this to me. And that someone was Dres. He was real, he had a name.

I clenched my jaw and Abel grabbed my hand. "Wouldn't you feel the same if he had done something like this to me?" His voice was much softer this time.

"Probably," I muttered, dodging his gaze, keeping my eyes fastened on our intertwined hands. I couldn't properly answer that because at my very core I knew murder wouldn't be right. Killing someone wasn't right. But if what had happened to me, had happened to Abel I wasn't so sure anymore. I wish I could say I'd still hold on to my humanity so much I would never even consider hurting anyone.

Creek shifted a little in their seat, clearing their throat. "Maybe we don't have to kill anyone. We could do some things differently."

"How?" River asked, finally breaking his silent streak. He'd just been sitting there, silently, next to Creek, tapping away at his phone. Apparently, he had gotten bored of that now.

"I don't know. We could make like a supernatural prison?"

"And who'd be the judge of who goes there? The jury? Who'd be the prison guards?" Abel asked, sighing.

"I don't know, man, I'm just trying to prevent all of yous getting haunted to death by maniacal ghosts." He threw his hands out to the sides, accidentally hitting River in the face. River grunted and grabbed Creek's hand, pulling it down and kept a hold of it. I arched a brow at him, and his cheeks reddened. It looked like he almost let go of Creek's hand, but they held on, stopping River's hand from going anywhere.

Cute.

"What do you do in the vampire community? I know ex-communication is one punishment, but I don't really believe you're only freezing people out," I said, looking to Abel.

"Well, one guy got thrown into a coffin and they dropped him off into the ocean. So basically, the death penalty until someone finds him. I think someone did write down the coordinates, but no one can find them. So, he's out there somewhere." Abel shrugged a little and grimaced, showing off his fangs. "You're asking someone who comes a from community where we basically can't die but thrive off of death all the time. It's so natural for everyone but us."

"Also imprisoning a werewolf smells like the old times," Cal chimed in. "Like old vampires used to catch shifters and get them to fight in cages. The proper way is death. A clean one. Even Dres will tell you so."

"Okay but I still don't wanna do that? I don't know how that is so hard for everyone to understand." I struggled to my feet but couldn't get the proper energy going so I ended up back on my ass. "I wanna dramatically storm off, can someone fucking help me?" I growled.

River was the first to be by my side and more or less dragged me up and out onto the porch of Cal and Fred's house. He parked me in a chair and handed me a fag. I tried saying no but he said; "Just fucking take it."

I took it. I had been a bit of a party smoker when I was younger but hadn't had a fag in ages.

It did feel good once I got it going, handing River back his pink lighter.

"Better?" River asked.

I nodded a little reluctantly.

"You need to calm the fuck down, mate."

"Pretty hard to do that while everyone's planning a murder." I blew out a cloud of smoke straight in River's dumb face.

"Gael, they will never understand where you and I come from. We were human before. Our morals are still human. The code we abide by is not like theirs. They have their own cultures, their own sense of morality, right or wrong. They won't get it. A lot of wolves forget too, and they won't get it either."

"I don't wanna be the reason someone dies." I took a long drag of my fag and slowly let the smoke out.

"Then tell everyone to butt the fuck out." River tilted his head to the side, smoke coming out his nostrils. "Tell them it's werewolf business."

"But that's also not how I wanna run things. We can't be all 'everyone's in the community' one minute and then when no one agrees with me, then we're back to segregation."

"Why not? Sounds good to me." He smirked, obviously being an obnoxious little asshole.

"Be serious for just a second."

"Nah, no need. You suck the fun out of everything all the time. Relax, Gael. Maybe it won't even come to you having to make a decision. Maybe Dres is okay with being a one-armed twat and then that's that. Then we'll all live happily ever after, us with two arms, him with one."

"You're so hung up on that arm thing. It's getting weird," I pointed out.

"Hey, I'm gonna take every win I can. He hit me in my favourite head. I don't like getting hit there."

"I thought your favourite head would be the smaller of the two."

It took a second before River got it, but when he did, he broke out in a wide smile. "You're right. Gotta look at the bright side. I didn't get punched in the dick."

"Yeah, thank the creators," I muttered, fighting down a laugh.

"Creek is very thankful too."

If I had had a drink, I would've spit it out all over the place. It took me so off guard; I couldn't even pretend to pull myself together when the others joined us on the porch.

"Better now?" Abel asked and sat down next to me, kissing my cheek. I turned my face and quickly pressed my lips to his.

"Much," I murmured as Abel stole my fag.

"Probably shouldn't be doing any of that, love," he said and took a drag before putting it out in a small ashtray on the armrest of my chair.

"But you should?" I chuckled and leaned against him.

"Willing to make that sacrifice for you."

"Righto," Fred said and rolled her eyes. "Does anyone want pizza? I'm famished and I want pizza."

I was so grateful she didn't pick the discussion back up, because frankly, I'd rather tear my own skin off with a stale cheese grater, than talk more about this. I needed to think, and I needed to do that another day that didn't include pizza with my friends.