"I don't see why she has to come along."
Leona rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time. "Be nice, Dorian. She's a friend. I've known her as long as I've known you."
Dorian waved dismissively. "It doesn't matter how long you've known her. She's still different. She's a human."
"As am I," Leona retorted. "Except during a full moon. Or when I'm craving a medium-rare steak."
"You say it like it's a disease, Dorian," said a silky voice from the backseat. "Many would argue that lycanthropy is the real illness."
"Fortunately, they're wrong, Thalia," Dorian said confidently. "We're superior in every aspect to those defects. Strength, speed, stamina, longevity, good looks… You name it. We trump them in every card."
"Now you're just making it personal," Leona said as she glanced out the window. "Stop at the driveway up ahead. She should be waiting there."
Dorian grunted but said nothing. Sure enough, a tall young lady stood at the entrance of a granite driveway, squinting her eyes at the approaching vehicle.
"Huh. She is pretty, though. That brown hair frames her face quite nicely."
Leona poked Dorian's muscled arm as she smiled mischievously. "I knew you'd like her. I'll happily introduce you."
Dorian looked star-struck for a moment, then he shook out of it. "Nah, I'm good. She looks acceptable, but I'm not about to taint my perfect genes with hers."
"What the hell does that mean?" Leona demanded with a raised eyebrow.
"I think you're asking the wrong question, Leona," Thaila pointed out as she moved forward for a closer look. "Why's she wearing a yellow sundress and brown boots? We're going to a nightclub, not a book club."
Leona shrugged. "I think it looks fantastic. Shows enough of her pretty legs."
The car slowed to a stop, and Leona leaned out of the window and waved her friend over. As she strode to the vehicle, Leona gave her friends a surprisingly stern look. "No funny business, especially from you, Dorian. Just play it cool and act normal."
Dorian gave her a questioning stare, and Thalia scooted to the left to leave space for the newcomer.
"Hey, Lily," Leona drawled playfully as she slid into the back seat. "You look like you might catch some strays looking in your direction, hot stuff."
"More like I'm the stray that needs direction," she said, chuckling nervously. "I had no idea what to wear, night outings aren't really my thing. So I just threw this on, now I'm afraid I look like the sun's representative."
"Heh!" Thalia snorted. "She's funny. I like that."
Another nervous chuckle. "Thanks. I'm Lily, by the way."
"Caught that the first time. I'm Thalia. Keep that dry sense of humor handy and we'll get along just fine."
"You got it, ma'am."
Leona glared at Thalia for a moment, then she tapped the shoulder of the blond-haired jock in the driver's seat. "And this is Dorian. He's on bodyguard duties tonight."
"Oh? I'm pretty sure no one would want to mess with us, then. Nice to meet you, Dorian."
"Your perfume," he replied without turning around. "It's a harsh combination that is disrupting my olfactory sensitivity."
The car went quiet for a moment, and the only thing Lily could utter was, "Oh."
"Olfactory sensitivity?" Thalia blinked repeatedly. "When did you start talking like that, you big goof?"
Dorian remained calm, his gray eyes glimmering as he peered into the rear-view mirror. "Whatever do you mean, dear Thalia?"
"Is that a British accent?" Thalia was dying at this point. Leona had to step in before her friends ruined her night.
"We should definitely hit the road, guy. The party isn't going to come to us. By the way, where's the venue again?"
"Just outside town," Thalia replied as Dorian got the car moving again.
"Outside West Grove?" Leona couldn't hide the subtle panic in her voice. "Isn't there a place in town we could go to?"
Lily scoffed. "You left the country for four years, yet you can't leave the town for two hours? Make it make sense, babe."
Thalia nodded, clearly impressed. "Yup. I like her."
About an hour later, they were surrounded by loud pop music, flashing lights of purple and blue, and an army of people—mostly teenagers—who wanted nothing more than to dance their troubles away. The group sat on comfortable cube chairs at one end of the large room, surrounding a small table carrying four cocktail glasses. Leona made sure Thalia and Dorian didn't drink too heavily, given that their werewolf genes prevented them from getting drunk easily, which would've made them look suspicious. Lily was satisfied with her tall glass of multi-colored liquid, sipping it slowly with a glass straw in between their discussions.
"You can't be serious," she said with a laugh. "Surely it wasn't that bad over there."
"I mean, it wasn't. But it was very different from what I was used to," Leona replied as she popped a cherry in her mouth. "From the climate to the food to the people… it was a massive change of environment for me. I thought I wouldn't survive the first year."
"Yet, here you are," Thalia said with her glass slightly raised. "A graduate of a business college in the Netherlands. That's a hell of an achievement, if you ask me."
The others agreed, raising their glasses in unison as well. Leona wore an expression of profound gratitude at her friends' gesture. "Thanks so much, guys. Four years away from you rascals wasn't easy either. I'm so glad to be back. You all need to tell me what you've been up to."
"Oh." Thalia raised a hand like she was in a classroom. "For starters, Dorian has a girlfriend. I think."
Leona didn't take that as news. He was a young, athletic, attractive guy with the strength of a bull. Who wouldn't fall for that? Even Lily didn't seem fazed by Thalia's revelation. Dorian, on the other hand, was surprisingly quiet with his eyes angled towards the ground.
"You think?" Lily asked.
"I think," Thalia confirmed. "I'm not a hundred percent sure yet, but I've been watching him closely lately. He's more attentive to small details than usual, he can detect perfumes by smell alone, and the other day, he asked me the difference between woody and coffee brown. Definitely a girl that he's hiding."
Dorian held his head in his hands as the other ladies cooed and whistled.
"You might need another drink to survive the night," Lily said with a bright smile. "I'll bring you a shot. Be right back."
Dorian jerked back to life the moment Lily left. "You're beginning to know too much, Thalia. That's dangerous for you."
"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Knowledge is power, and I'm sneaky as hell. I'll find whoever it is you're stealing kisses with in secret. Just you wait."
For the first time, Dorian had no witty comebacks, no clever one-liners. His silence confirmed Thalia's claims, though Leona didn't think he felt comfortable disclosing the details. So she didn't probe further.
"How long did you say you've known Lily again?" he suddenly asked.
"Since childhood," Leone replied, happy to help him change the topic. "Right from when we first met at the library. I think we were only five then."
"Huh. And she doesn't know what you are?"
Leona froze, clearly taken aback by the question. Thalia, too. She frowned at the big guy. "This is what happens when someone tells you not to be weird. You go right ahead and be weird."
Dorian chuckled softly. "I think it's a pretty logical question. If you've known her that long, then she must've seen or heard something that probably left you no choice but to lay it all bare for her. I just want to know if that's the case."
Leona's eyes shifted from Dorian to Thalia, then settled on her half-empty cocktail on the glass table.
"When we were sixteen, Lily told me about a camping trip she made with her family. It was supposed to be a retreat for them. Fun, recreational, and special. But it all came to an abrupt, traumatizing end when their camp was attacked. Lily was the only survivor; both parents and a younger brother were mauled to death. She'd described the creature responsible like it were a monster from a horror story. But I knew what it was. I knew it was a werewolf that took her loved ones from her. Since that day, I never had the heart to tell her who I am. What I am."
"Damn," Thalia whistled. "That's a sick twist. A werewolf being best friends with a werewolf hater."
"She doesn't hate werewolves," Leona said defensively.
"Why? Because she said so? Do you think she'd love the creature that made her an orphan? Would she be able to stand you if she found out your true identity?"
"Easy, Thalia," Dorian spoke calmly. "Don't make it seem like it's Leona's fault. I'm ready to bet that a Bloodclaw was responsible for that act."
"We can't be so sure," Leona sighed. "We've had a few bad guys on our side, too. Regardless, I just don't think she's ready for the truth. Nor will she ever be. I can't stand the thought of her hating me."
Thalia stretched her hands and tapped Leona's knee affectionately. Then she turned to Dorian with a scowl. "Mind telling me why you suddenly asked that question?"
He nodded towards the bar at the opposite end of the room. "'Cause I wanted to know if Lily knows she's flirting with the enemy."
Thalia and Leona's heads whipped towards the bar, and they nearly leapt from their seats. Lily, with two small shots of alcohol in her hands, was listening and laughing to the words of a slightly shorter, but familiar guy. Leona emitted a low growl when she recognized the slick-haired rascal almost immediately—Oliver Peyton, a member of the Bloodclaws.
"How convenient," Thalia said with a grimace. "What's that cock sucker doing here now?"
"Seems like there's more from where that trash came from," Dorian pointed out.
Leona saw them, too. Three other Bloodclaws, sitting in their own section close enough to the bar. Leona's eyes focused on one of them, who was apparently staring back at her. Her blood boiled when she recognized the same eyes that carried so much scorn and arrogance earlier that day.
"Lucas Crisen," she muttered quietly. "He's here."
"The spoiled prince of the Trashclaws?" Thalia asked. "The one with daddy issues?"
"Yup. And I think he's spotted us as well." Dorian finished his drink in a single gulp and got to his feet. "Prepare yourselves, la
ssies. The night is about to get interesting. 'Cause he's on his way here