1. Hop

(This story is being rewritten, though the first chapter or two are very similar. It is bxbxb)

Welcome to Flora’s Pet Shop!

Through our doors you will find the most adorable bunny rabbits!

The most incredibly gorgeous birds.

And don’t forget the reptiles! Any pet you’d want, we’ve got it!

Just come on down and pick out your new best friend today!

You’ve got to be kidding me. Warden thought as he read the paper his little sister shoved in his face during their ritualistic Saturday morning breakfast. It was the only day he was consistently off work, so he’d made a deal with her that he’d at least take her to breakfast each morning. After that, however, was always up in the air. He was on call, but at that moment he felt like calling a certain someone. If he had to be dragged to the new giant pet shop that opened up downtown, then his friend would be going, too.

With a slight grin he told his sister to finish up her meal and dialed his phone. Drake picked up on the first ring, telling Warden that he was either bored out of his mind, or trying to dodge a woman he’d slept with last night. When a muffled female shout came through the phone, Warden figured that it was the latter.

“I’ve got an out for you. Lay wants to go to the new pet store that just opened up. Care to join us?”

Drake didn’t even wait a second after Warden had finished speaking to chime in an ecstatic “Yes!”

Shaking his head, Warden chuckled into the phone. Drake already knew what he was thinking though, and quickly spoke before he could chastise him. “Don’t even, War. You know the only reason you don’t get laid nearly as much as I do is because you spend so much of your time at that house with your little sister. If you would just use your apartment penthouse I know you’d wake up with a woman every morning, just like me.”

Warden rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t argue. He barely got any with how busy he was, and considering he’d spent the last week sleeping at the mansion his sister lived in with their four maids and butlers, he was stretched pretty thin.

“Yeah yeah. You wanna drive or me?” Warden asked.

“You. I just need to tell this woman that I don’t do commitment for the fifteenth time, shove her out the door, and then hop in the shower. I should be ready by the time you pull up.”

“Roger, we’ll head over in a few minutes.”

Drake acknowledged and quickly hung up, likely to deal with the woman who wanted a ring on her finger after a one night stand that he’d likely not remember tomorrow.

Yup. Definitely Drake.

They’d known each other since high school, and to say that they had literally slept through the entire junior, senior, and even a bit of the sophomore class’s females would not have been an understatement. Most of the time they’d shared the girl between themselves, but after graduating and taking spots in his father’s company, Warden as Vice CEO and Drake as a high level manager, they had both been too busy to return to their former ways.

“War? Let’s go! Let’s go! I wanna get a bunny!”

Uh oh. Another one?

She’d had several over the years but for some reason they never quite lasted. He knew that the first one was poisoned after Layla had fed it chocolate and peanut butter. A lot of chocolate and peanut butter. The second, well, that one bit her. So it was returned immediately. She kind of brought it upon herself by tugging its ears, but either way, he couldn’t have an animal biting his little sister. The last two passed when he had been spending some time away at his penthouse, so he wasn’t really sure what had happened to them, though he had a feeling that she might have let them go outside by mistake thinking that they would just come back. There would have been a lot more tears if they had actually died like the first one.

“Alright, let’s go.” Warden said as he slid from the diner booth and took his sister’s little hand. She was only seven. The perfect age to want everything as soon as she sees it, then to want something else the next second after she got it. Shaking his head, he got her buckled into her seat before sliding into his side and getting them headed toward Drake’s place.

I really don’t want to get her another…

Pets weren’t his thing, but he didn’t like the fact that his sister tended to get them killed or make them go missing. He’d tried to get her one of those electronic dogs that barked and flipped and even pooped after you fed it some weird plastic play-dough stuff, but she’d lost interest after only a few days. 

Drake was waiting outside when they pulled up and swiftly slid into the front seat, gave Lay a grin and a wink, then turned and buckled his seatbelt.

“We goin’ to get a new bunny for the rabbit in the back?” He said cheerfully, smiling back at Lay again as she giggled in the back seat. Warden nodded, driving the short two blocks to the new store. Getting there was easy, but finding a parking spot took an extra five minutes. By the time they finally stepped into the large pet shop Lay was literally bouncing. The second she spotted the sign for bunnies in the far back? Yup, gone.

“Don’t run!” Warden yelled after her, making his little sister slam on the brakes, only to speed-walk until she disappeared around a corner to start running again. He began walking in her direction, looking around briefly as Drake’s arm came around his shoulders and tugged him into a slight hug.

“So glad my mom stopped with me. And only me.”

Warden rolled his eyes, nudging Drake in the ribs with an elbow. “You love my sister.”

“Too young.” Drake muttered, almost sounding heartbroken. Warden gave him a glare, making the guy remove his arm and raise his hands in surrender. 

“She will always be too young for you.” Warden growled. Of course, he knew Drake was just joking. He trusted him with Layla’s life. He was the only person besides their house staff that he’d leave his sister with. The man might be a whore when it came to how many women he slept with, but he was extremely protective when it came to his sister, and him.

“I hear ya loud and clear, War. Come on, let’s go see what trouble your little angel has gotten into now.”

She is my angel. Literally and figuratively.

Both Warden and Lay were angels, while Drake was a lycan. They had never been at odds, though, like most humans would have figured. Both of their kind weren’t exactly known to be friendly, either, but they didn’t care. Angels were tricksters while lycan were just plain aggressive. It didn’t take much to set Drake off, and Warden prided himself on being able to get under the man’s skin. If he weren’t so sexually active it might have been another story, though. He put a lot of energy into getting laid each night. 

Over the past several years Drake had learned how to control his temper better than in high school, too. He’d been the best fighting partner then, but now that they both had important jobs and appearances to upkeep, they had to tone down their raucousness. They also tended to keep what they were out of their daily lives, like most supernatural beings. It wasn’t worth the annoying publicity.

“War! Look at this one!”

Hearing his sister’s shout, he walked over to a large ring of small wire fencing that was about two feet tall. Just high enough to keep the rabbits in, but allow him and Drake to easily step over. An associate with a black cap was sitting down next to several rabbits while Lay carried a rather large brown and white one with floppy ears towards them.

“He’s really cute. What’s his name?” Warden said as he got himself seated and turned his attention to the associate with a small smile. The employee kept their head down but quickly answered. “His name is Thumper. He’s a great boy. Already fixed and litter box trained.”

I can’t tell if they sound like a boy or girl.

Tilting his head slightly, he tried to get a better look at their face but they quickly ducked their head further, and even pulled one of the bunnies from their lap up against their face in an awkward hug.

Shy. Very shy.

“How is he with kids?” Drake asked, obviously noting that Warden was trying to get a look at the person and make them look up. The person didn’t. Not even when they replied, “He’s great with kids. I worked with him a lot when we got him from animal control. He doesn’t bite even when his ears are pulled.”

Animal control? They didn’t get it from a breeder?

“Which are the ones from breeders? I’d prefer one without any possible problems.”

Suddenly the person jerked his head up. He wasn’t glaring, but Warden could tell that he was angry by the look in his… Wow. Those eyes. He looked sideways at Drake, who stared back at him, seemingly just as dumbstruck. When they looked back at the young man, his head was ducked again, the rabbit back in place to hide his face even more. To hide his faded, soft grayish-blue eyes. Gorgeous eyes. The irises were so pale, almost blending into the white that surrounded them.

I want to see them again.

Warden knew that Drake was likely thinking the same thing but they couldn’t just walk over and start harassing the guy. Eh, I’ll just get over it. It was just an odd eye color, and it wasn’t like him or Drake were into guys, anyways. So, he pushed aside the thought to look again and quickly returned his attention to what the young man was now saying.

“There is nothing wrong with a pet that has gone through a shelter. His history is that someone bought him for their child as a pet and she decided she didn’t want to take care of it, and neither did they. So, they dumped him at a shelter. He’s a very sweet rabbit and in good health.”

Warden was about to ask if any of the other rabbits where from breeders, again, more out of curiosity now, when the young man answered his unasked question. “We do not stock rabbits from breeders. We believe that it is only fair to give these ones a second chance. If we manage to adopt them all out, then we may consider associating with a reputable breeder.”

Nodding, Warden eyed his sister, who was already snuggling with the poor bunny. For once though, the rabbit didn’t seem to mind. Well, it might not be a pedigree rabbit, but it is really gentle and if it is in fact litter box trained… “Alright, we’ll take him.”

The boy’s head whipped up again, this time his eyes were wide and a smile lit his face. Hm. Cute. Getting up, Warden waited for the young man to stand before offering his hand. They shook, though the man seemed a bit hesitant.

“I’m very glad. He will be perfect for her, I promise.”

Warden grinned and nodded as Drake stepped up next to him and stole the man’s hand right out of his for a second shake. “Good. She loves bunnies.”

The young man’s lips pursed nervously as he felt Drake squeeze his hand. The moment it was released Warden could tell that he was fighting to keep from putting it in the pocket of his light blue sweatshirt or behind his back.

“Um, here. For adopting you guys get some extra stuff.” He said, turning and stepping out of the ring keeping the rabbits inside. He walked over to a nearby wall where a bunch of stuff was neatly stacked. With a bit of effort, he picked up the large box sitting on top of the others and walked over to offer it to Drake, since he had stepped forward.

“There is a big bag of rabbit food in there, as well as some treats, a water bottle, a litter box, litter, and several chew toys.”

Warden and Drake’s brows rose in surprise, bringing another small smile out of the young man. “Don’t worry, his adoption fee is only twenty dollars. All of these things are donated so that new owners don’t have to worry about getting stuff right away if you already have somewhere to keep him.”

“That’s awesome. We already have a big cage,” Drake said, grinning from ear to ear. The young man nodded and then nervously looked toward the front of the store. “If you don’t need anything else, I can get your rabbit boxed-up, then Flora will be glad to get you guys checked out.”

Warden bit his lip as Drake replied, knowing that it was coming. “Check us out, hm?”

The employee’s cheeks reddened under his cap as he turned and grabbed a large foldable box. “I-I’ll just get him ready to go home…”

Drake snickered and leaned over to whisper in Warden’s ear while the young man was turned around, building the small take-home box for the rabbit. “Is it just me or is he cute?”

“Down boy,” Warden whispered right back, knowing that they couldn’t mess with the poor guy in the middle of the store. Or at all, really. His face was ridiculously red and Warden was worried that he might pass out if they tried anything.

“Here we go,” the young man said, returning to stand beside them, though his attention was on Warden’s sister. Understanding, Warden called Lay over and gently helped her fit the rabbit into the carrier. The employee hurried to shut it, making sure that the rabbit didn’t manage to slip out. Lay carefully lifted the big box in her arms once it was closed and started for the register up front. Drake hurried after her, leaving Warden a chance to talk to the young man one more time.

“Thanks again, um…?”

The man seemed a little confused at first, but then quickly fumbled out his name. “Cerat.”

What an odd name. Immediately the word carrot came to mind, but he knew better than to say it out loud. No doubt the guy had heard it plenty of times already. At least it sounded like Serat instead of carrot.

“Nice to meet you, Cerat. I’m Warden. Thank you for your help, it’s appreciated. We’ll take good care of Thumper.”

The guy’s lips turned up again and he actually tilted his head back just enough for Warden to glance a few strands of hair that had slipped free of his cap. Silver and white. Damn. It was a good thing that Drake went with Lay. He wouldn’t have been able to hide his shock. Warden was even having trouble, but he was used to schooling his expression and dipped into that experience as he nodded and turned away, heading to the front to pay. When he got there Drake was just taking out his wallet. Guess he didn’t need to pay then.

“Thanks, Dray.” He said as he picked up the large box of extra stuff they’d received. To the cashier and he would assume, owner, considering what Cerat had told them, he said,  “Your employee, Cerat, was a great help.”

The woman, who looked to be in her early thirties, lit up. “I’m so glad! He is an absolute animal lover! Can never leave them alone if they were in trouble. He’s the reason we do rabbit adoptions instead of get them from breeders and he makes sure every single one is well trained to be handled and friendly.”

Warden nodded, glad that the rabbit was at least trained well. “He’s also adorable. How much is he?” Drake asked with a chuckle, making the woman blush. “I’m afraid we can’t resell. He’s one of a kind and I’m a greedy lady when it comes to him. He’s quiet but an absolute sweetheart. You can see it when he’s working with the rabbits, or really any animal we have.”

“Hm, so he’s good with all animals?” Drake drawled, making Warden glance at him warily. He knew that voice. That sickeningly sweet sound. When the woman smiled and nodded, Drake looked over at him and winked, then followed Lay out to the car. Warden knew what he was planning, and in all honestly, he wasn’t going to bother trying to talk him out of it. They hadn’t had any fun together in awhile… maybe sniffing around Cerat a little might sate their curiosity.

Or just make it that much worse.

Shaking his head, Warden followed them outside, knowing that they’d be back soon. Or at least, he’d be back soon. With his pet dog .

2. Crawl

“Hey War, let’s go shopping for a new collar for your dog !” Drake yelled too loudly as he barged into Warden’s office. He’d just come out of a very long, very boring meeting with some of his father’s business partners and had a headache raging the size of Drake’s ego. 

“I’m going to skin my dog if he doesn’t shut up, now.” He growled, making Drake huff as he took a seat on the edge of Warden’s giant desk.

“What’s got your feathers in a ruffle, War? Oh! Did you have that ridiculously long monthly meeting you hate today?” He chimed, making Warden want to punch him in the face. 

When he just grunted in response and leaned back in his leather chair, throwing an arm over his eyes, Drake seemed to figure out that he’d guessed right.

“Come on, now you definitely need to get out of here. You know your father is going to try and ask you to stay late and work on the paperwork for whatever deals they’ve decided if you don’t, even though it’s his responsibility.”

He had a point. More work after a four hour meeting about stuff he already knew like the back of his hand was not something he was looking forward to. Not that he wanted to mess around with Drake at that moment either, but he knew blowing off his friend for the fourth day since they’d visited that pet store would start irking his more fluffy side. 

Sighing, he sat back up again and dropped his arm to his desk. “Fine, but no humping women’s legs like last time or I swear I’m going to sign you up for one of those neutering programs. That vet, who’s leg you avidly molested with your privates, will have the pleasure of removing some specific pieces.”

Drake’s face reddened with anger, but as quickly as it had appeared, he shoved it aside and smirked. “Deal. I’ll behave mum, promise!”

Rolling his eyes, Warden couldn’t help but grin as he got up and tugged on his suit jacket. He wanted to go back to the house, or at least his penthouse, and change, but judging from the eager look in Drake’s eyes, that wasn’t going to happen.

Oh well. As long as I don’t hold anything I shouldn’t get my suit dirty.

“Alright, let’s go. You can shift in the car since the windows are heavily tinted.”

Drake cheered, making Warden wince as the sound reverberated through his skull, making his headache flare up. Darn hyper lycan. Must not have had sex last night considering how wound up he is right now. 

Warden followed him out to the lobby, then elevator as he thought about the poor guy they were going to likely cause a scene with. Well, Drake will. He couldn’t afford to have his name in the papers for getting kicked out of a pet store.

“Come on,” Drake grumbled as he suddenly appeared in front of him and grabbed his arm, pulling him over to his black Corvette. He was sure it was some special model with a bunch of random extra features, but he really couldn’t care less about the thing as long as it got him from point A to point B. He’d let Drake pick it out when he mentioned he didn’t care what he got.

As he slid inside, he noted Drake already in the back, tugging off his clothing as he began sprouting fur. “You are the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen,” Warden mumbled as he got the car started and began backing out of his personal parking spot in the huge garage. Drake just growled at his words, making him glance in the rear-view mirror with a smirk.

“I like you that way. Less words.” He said.

A heavy paw smacked the right side of his face, making him swerve slightly. “Be careful, you idiot!”

All he got in response was another growl.

Stupid mutt. 

Even though he thought that, he could never stay mad at Drake. Sure the guy had been the cause of his first crash, first broken bone, and first detention, but there was no way he could have asked for a more loyal, and fluffy, friend. 

The fluffy part came into play when he shifted. There were several different breeds of lycan, surprisingly. Short-haired versions, long-haired versions, as well as small and large. While most of the top dogs were short-haired and giant, some of the smaller wolves did sometimes slip into the city’s pack order. Drake was one of the few long-haired wolves that held some power in the city, but he never took it very seriously when he wasn’t hunting a vampire or using his status to sniff up the wrong tree for some tail.

“Alright, we’re here. Please behave. If we get kicked out of here I’m going to cut your pay.” Warden warned. 

Drake hopped into the front seat, his large wolf barely able to balance on the fabric as he tried to sit, obviously eager to get out of the car but lacking the hands to let himself out right then.

Of course. Don’t listen to me or anything.

Warden slid out after checking traffic on the road, then shut his door and ran around to the other side. Before actually letting Drake out he made sure to grab the leash they kept in his glove box and slipped it over his head. It was one of those simple ones that acted like a noose because the last few times they had tried something involving Drake’s wolf he’d chewed up the expensive ones, so he got the cheapest thing since Warden didn’t feel like paying for stuff the guy was just going to shred.

With a firm grip on the leash, Warden stepped back, letting Drake jump to the curb before shutting the door and locking it with the key fob. He let Drake lead him inside the electronic double doors, glad that he had extra strength over a human, as he had to pull Drake back several times to keep him from literally charging through the store. Warden figured the guy was following his nose considering how he was zigzagging a bit, but when he looked confused and then started for the rabbit area, he realized that Cerat’s scent was likely everywhere and picking out where he was at that moment would be nearly impossible.

When they finally stopped near the rabbit area, however, a different employee was holding a bunny as she spoke with a customer. Drake glanced up at Warden, ears pinned and a glare on his face as if to say that it was his fault for not going the immediate next day to find the guy instead of waiting.

“Don’t give me that look. Let’s just go ask if he’s working.” Warden said. He stopped talking after that, realizing that people were beginning to stare at him. 

Nothing to look at here… except for a disturbingly large dog and his owner talking to him like he understands. And correction, mutt.

Grinning, Warden was glad that his friend couldn’t hear his thoughts as he was lead up to the front. They waited in the line for several minutes before finally getting to talk to the owner. She evidently recognized him because her face immediately lit up with a warm smile… which was promptly scared off her face when Drake decided to jump up on the counter, his giant front paws easily covering a good portion of the space.

“Oh my, what a big boy you are!” Flora cooed, though he could hear a bit of awkward worry in her voice from being scared at his sudden partial jump.

“What can I do for you?” She asked Warden, finally looking up from Drake as she pet his thick fur.

“I just wanted to know if Ceret was working today? I have a few questions I’d like to ask him about the rabbit we bought.”

“Oh! Why yes, he is. If he’s not with the rabbits then he should be over in the back by the reptiles.” She said. 

Warden was going to thank her as he smiled, but Drake didn’t give him a chance as he threw his bulk off of the counter and started trying to bound to the back of the store. It took all of Warden’s strength to keep him from doing just that, though not even the tightening of the noose-like leash around his neck seemed to bother him enough to hit the brakes. 

As they turned the corner below a large sign that read REPTILES, Warden heard a loud yelp. It was too late to try and grab Cerat as he stumbled backwards and dropped to the hard tile floor, Drake on top of him, licking his face as the young man’s hood fell away.

Drake stopped licking abruptly when he noticed the man’s hair. Everything seemed to pause, actually, because Warden was actually at a loss, too. He remembered that the guy had whitish-silver hair and faded blue eyes, but to actually see him again face to face and without his sweatshirt’s hood up?

Wow.

Snapping himself out of his stupor, he walked around Drake and hurried to offer Cerat a hand up. The guy looked spooked as he pushed himself slowly up into a sitting position, then began fumbling with his hood until it obscured his face once more. Once he was seemingly content, he finally took Warden’s proffered hand, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

He’s really light… and his hand is freezing.

The cold temperature and his features finally had Warden’s brain working. His hand hadn’t been cold the last time they’d touched, but there could have been reasons for that.  He’s definitely not human. It wasn’t usually a big deal, but he would have definitely recognized a fae or shapeshifter that had his description. Drake would have told him if he had been notified, too, since that was part of his job with the city’s lycan pack. When Drake glanced up at him, he knew that they were likely thinking the same thing.

He’s trying to hide something. 

“Um… Can I help you, Sir?”

Lifting his gaze back to Cerat, he noticed the guy awkwardly standing in front of him, trying to do his best to sidestep Drake whenever he got closer to sniff at his clothing.

“Ah, yes. Sorry. Got caught by surprise when he ran into you.” Warden said.

Cerat licked his lips and nervously nodded. “It’s okay. That happens sometimes with bigger dogs.”

The way he was staring at Drake while still trying to keep eye contact with him, darting his eyes between the two of them, had Warden quickly figuring out that he understood what they were. Or at least what Drake was. Warden was about to question him about the dog collar they had originally planned on, but then realized that that would give Cerat an out to send them to another employee in the dog section.

“Well, my sister loves her rabbit so much, I believe his name was Thumper? But she doesn’t like to share… So uh, I was wondering if you had any reptiles you recommended as a pet for a beginner?”

Dammit, I don’t want another pet!

The look Drake shot Warden as Cerat seemed to think over his words told him just that. He was insane for even considering another pet, let alone a reptile. He hated cold blooded things. Frogs, fish, lizards, vampires…

“I think I know the perfect thing, but first, could I suggest perhaps a collar and leash for your friend? The noose leashes are useful in a pinch, but they can cause damage to your dog’s throat if used often.” Cerat said, making Warden and Drake look at each other for a moment before Warden shrugged. 

“Sure. Show me what you recommend?” He asked, earning a small nod from Cerat before gesturing for them to follow him toward the dog section of the store. 

Warden was a bit shocked by the amount of collars, harnesses, and general restraint gadgets the store carried. The isle they were lead to was completely full of them. 

“These should be fine once you get him trained up a bit more, but if you’d like much better control over him…” Cerat sort of mumbled to himself as he inched down the isle, stopping in front of a display of head halters. 

Reaching up to their largest size, Cerat took down a package and opened it to take out the halter. Holding it up slightly, he nodded to Drake. “This is a really simple halter that goes around their head like a normal collar, but also has a strap for their muzzle. It won’t keep him from being able to open his mouth at all, but it does feel a bit annoying to them if they pull against it much, so it’s great for hyper dogs or ones that might pull.” He said, finally looking back up at Warden with a hopeful smile. 

He’s not even trying to really sell it to me. He said all of that while looking at the noose leash on Drake. He just wants to help him. 

Stealing a glance at his friend, Warden had to fight not to smirk at the look Drake was giving him. He wanted nothing to do with the head halter. 

“Can you put it on him so I can see how it works?” Warden asked, smiling and kneeling as Cerat nodded and did the same. 

“Of course. It’s really easy to take on and off.” He said, slipping the collar portion around Drake’s fluffy neck before taking the nose strap and tugging it up, then over his muzzle until it rested on the upper bridge. He then snapped a small piece beneath his jaw, keeping just enough pressure on the strap to keep Drake from easily getting it off. 

Warden faced away to snicker quietly for a second before looking back at Drake, appreciating his friend’s frustration. “I like it. I think I’ll take it and the collar and leash you recommended.” He said, earning a huff from Drake. 

Cerat stood and hurried to retrieve the leash and collar, returning a few moments later to clip the leash onto the small ring that controlled the head halter. He tugged it a little, making Drake move his head even though Warden could tell that he clearly didn’t want to. 

“Wow, I like it. He’s always so stubborn. This will make walking him so much easier.” He said as a grin stretched across his face. 

Cerat offered him the leash. “He’ll try to mess with it at first, but it works wonders and is much safer than normal leashes, prongs, or nooses.” He said as Warden took the leash, shortening it in his hand so that Drake only had a foot or two to walk with instead of the full length. 

“Perfect.” He said, honestly pleased that his arms wouldn’t be pulled out of their sockets anymore when they decided to do their little charade. 

When Cerat met his eyes and gave an honest closed-mouth smile, Warden felt his face heat slightly. 

“About that reptile…” He mumbled, trying to break one-sided awkward situation he found himself in. 

“Oh, right. Follow me, please.” Cerat finally said as he turned. Warden slowly followed after him, Drake sauntering lazily beside him, tail swishing in frustration at the halter. 

“Here we go, this big guy would definitely be my suggestion for a good starter pet, though he does cost a bit. The smaller ones are also nice but they will need to be held a lot more.” Cerat said as Warden stopped next to stacked glass cages built into a wall that seemed to be visible through the other side of the cages.

Probably for employees to remove the animals.

When he focused his attention on the pet Cerat was motioning towards, his eyes went wide and he stepped back, getting a gruff snicker from Drake that he not-so-cleverly disguised as a bark.

“Isn’t that thing dangerous? Doesn’t it bite?” Warden fumbled. He’d never seen a… he leaned over, reading the creature’s information.

Bearded dragon.

“Well, if you intentionally bother him then he will puff up like a blow fish and his spikes can hurt some, but this guy has never shown any aggression to me since we’ve had him. He’s an adult, several pounds, and shouldn’t grow much bigger.”

Wonderful. It’s already as big as my lower arm. Glad to know that it won’t get any bigger.

Of course, that was a slight exaggeration, but it was pretty big for a lizard. 

“Would you like to pet him? Or one of the smaller ones?” Cerat asked, glancing up at him for just a brief moment before dropping his gaze. 

No, he wouldn’t like to pet anything, but he knew that Drake would be on him later if he chickened out when it was just a lizard.

“Uh, sure. Um, if he’s the tamest then I’ll try him.”

Cerat grinned and hurried into the back area. They watched him through the glass cages, though Drake did take a few moments to scare some of the animals in the lower ones before Cerat stepped out with the gigantic lizard. Seriously? Is he sure it’s not some sort of alligator? Before he could voice his concern Cerat walked closer and held the lizard close enough to touch.

If this thing kills me, I’m haunting you for the rest of your fluffy life, Drake. Warden thought, even though he knew the idiot couldn’t hear him. 

Taking a deep, calming breath, he carefully reached out his right hand and placed it on the lizard’s back. He had to bite his tongue to keep from jerking his hand away from the odd feeling of its rough skin.

Huh… this isn’t so bad.

The lizard was doing exactly what he’d prayed it would, too. Which was absolutely nothing.

“He’s actually not bad,” Warden mumbled as Drake lifted his head to sniff. He didn’t look impressed, but at least he knew better than to try and bite it with all of its spikes.

“He’s my favorite reptile here. Super calm and he only eats a small salad and some worms or crickets each week, which you can just get already dead.”

Ew.

“Wait, can he actually catch a live cricket? No offense to him, but he looks a bit, uh… chubby?”

Cerat actually laughed at that, and boy did it have Warden feeling weird. Not bad, but definitely not the way he expected to feel hearing a guy laughing. Just nervous about the lizard. He told himself as Cerat set the large creature down in a display cage that sat a few feet away from them on a table. It was probably used for showing off different reptiles during little store talks, or in their situation, evidently, showing how one eats. 

Cerat was all too happy to set the big lizard in the tank and then disappear back into the back area for a moment, before returning with his fist clenched.

“Watch this,” he said, his voice enthusiastic as he reached into the tank and opened his hand, allowing three big crickets free. They didn’t last long. The lizard mauled one after the other, chewing like a starved child after having been given their favorite cereal… with no manners.

Without meaning to, Warden burst out laughing at the funny reptile. “Well, he definitely showed me. He’s not a slow mover when food is involved.”

“Nope! But he’ll usually only move for them, so he is a bit plump.” Cerat replied with a quiet laugh of his own.

Remembering the price tag on the reptile, he was a bit hesitant to put down so much for something he really didn’t want, but for some reason he really wanted to make Cerat happy. Surely buying the lizard would, wouldn’t it?

Pull yourself together. You don’t want a darn lizard that just sits around, eats, and poops.  Drake does that enough at work.

“I think I’ll take him. What do I need to get for his cage?”

The look on Cerat’s face was just as surprised as Drake’s, as they both stared up at him in surprise. However, while Cerat’s expression began to morph into excitement, Drake just huffed and stood from his sitting position, then whipped his tail to the side.

Shut up, you idiot. I’m not whipped!

He gave Warden a look that they both knew meant that he was being stupid, but he couldn’t help himself. 

“Um, we actually have tanks with a lot of stuff they need as a bundle if you want to look at them. It pretty much has everything but food, and you can just get a small can of freeze-dried crickets or worms so you don’t have to deal with anything live if you want.”

Warden forced another smile and nodded, following Cerat as he lead him over to different tanks and set ups for reptiles.

By the time Cerat was helping them out of the store, pushing the cart with all of their things since Drake was making a fuss and causing him to use both hands on the leash, even with the head halter, Warden had spent upwards of five hundred dollars.

This store is a trap.

Cerat is a trap.

Speaking of trap, he had a feeling that getting Cerat out to where they’d parked was Drake’s version of a trap, because they still had to figure out exactly what he was. It was just really odd that neither of them could smell his species, especially with Drake’s sharp nose. Lycan were pretty obvious, as well as vampires and some fae. If he wasn’t either of those, that left a few more options, but they were much more rare.

Once Cerat had everything in the backseat of the car, Warden thought that he’d have to force the topic, but when the guy eyed the clothing on the floor and stared at Drake with a frown, Warden knew that he’d figured out their slight trap.

Of course he would. It’s kind of obvious and he probably realized what Drake was back in the store, but got distracted.

“So, Cerat?” He finally asked, a brow raised as he leaned against the open passenger side of his car.

“What are you?”

What little of the guy’s face that he could see immediately turned pale. Or, well, more pale, as he jerked his head down. Unfortunately for him, Drake was right there, sniffing with slightly-bared teeth. Cerat hurried to take a step back, but Drake darted behind him, easily blocking his escape route back to the store. When he realized that he was stuck, he hesitantly lifted his head back up and met Warden’s eyes with his wary, faded blue ones.

“V-vegetarian?” He answered awkwardly. 

Cerat jumped as Drake nipped him from behind… likely on the behind. It was clear that he was getting stressed by their pressuring, but someone couldn’t just come into the city being supernatural and not register. It was a simple piece of paper stating what they were, age, and what not. And it was mandatory, like most cities. Crossing his arms over his chest, Warden narrowed his eyes on Cerat and pursed his lips in thought.

“You aren’t a lycan. We would have been able to smell it on you. You’re also not a fae, because those are pretty easy to pick out, too, though I did think that at first when I saw your features and how you were with animals. Now then, that doesn’t leave much else that’s fairly common…”

The guy was shaking then, making Warden think that he might just be what they thought he wasn’t.

“I’m a v-vegetarian.” He stuttered again, hugging his arms around himself in his large sweatshirt.

Drake paced around him, panting with his eyes locked firmly on Cerat’s, even though he tried to hide under his hood.

“I think you’re something that starts with a V, alright, but they’re definitely not know for being vegetarians.” Warden noted.

Stepping forward, he reached out, sliding his fingers gently against Cerat’s neck. The chill of his skin was unmistakable now. It wasn’t just his hand that had been cold from the air conditioning. His whole body was icy.

He must have just had a slightly warm hand before because he had been handling the rabbits.

“Vampire.”

“Cerat, honey?” Came a shout right as he spoke, making Cerat flinch, and at the same time whirl around as a sigh of relief left his lips.

“We need you inside! We’ve got a rush of customers!” Flora shouted, waving him over. He hurried forward, stumbling once before darting inside the building a few moments later.

“I couldn’t smell a single trace of blood on him…” Drake said from inside the car after jumping in and changing back.

“It doesn’t matter. He needs to leave the city or we’ll need to kill him.” Warden said quietly as he slid into the driver’s seat.

“It’s unfortunate. He’s really interesting.” Drake replied as he tugged on his clothing.

Warden couldn’t argue that, but rules were rules. And vampires were extremely dangerous to not just humans, but also to other creatures. They weren’t allowed.

“Don’t mention him to anyone for now. We’ll come back tomorrow and deal with him on our own. I doubt it will take much convincing to get him to leave.” Warden replied as he  got the car started.

“Yeah. I could smell the fear coming off of him. He won’t be difficult to get rid of.”

Hopefully.

3. Walk

Having called off work, Warden headed over to the pet store first thing in the morning. It was closed since it was only eight, but he wasn’t there at that moment to go inside. He walked past the building and moved down the small alley beside it. 

Ah ha.

The emergency exit sign flickered above a steel door that clearly opened from the store. With a slight grin, he turned on his heels and walked back out, then down the street to a small diner. Drake was already seated and scarfing down a plate of artery-clogging bacon, sausage, ham, and eggs. Needless to say, the portion alone, even while half-eaten, was more than most humans would be able to intake during a full day. Let alone the heart problems that might occur afterward if they somehow managed to.

Shaking his head, Warden slid into the booth, ordering an orange juice and the pancake breakfast special when a waitress walked over. When his food came out minutes later and he’d taken a few bites, he set his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“Alright. I found one emergency exit in the alley on the side of the building.”

Drake nodded after finishing the last few bites of egg on his place, then focused his attention on the remaining bacon. Warden took a bite of his pancake, then a sip of his drink before continuing.

“The store should be open in about thirty minutes or so. I want to get this over with quickly. Let’s get him in the break room after checking inside that there are no cameras. If he refuses to leave, we just snap his neck and leave the dust.”

For some reason, his stomach twisted slightly at the idea, unsettling the food he’d already eaten and making him push his plate toward Drake. The lycan didn’t seem to catch his discomfort, however, because he hurriedly dug into the remaining pancakes with vigor.

He’s just a young vampire. Don’t get emotional because of his interesting looks.

“You ready, War?” Drake said, snapping him out of his thoughts. The food he’d pushed in front of the lycan was already gone, the plate licked clean.

I don’t know where he puts it. Warden mused to himself as he stood, tossing a twenty and a ten on the table before following Drake out. It was a nice overcast day and the temperature felt like it was hovering somewhere around seventy, perhaps even a bit lower.

“Here we are. You ready?” Drake asked. 

Warden gave a slight nod before they stepped inside. Only one other shopper seemed to be visible as they headed for the back area. At first they didn’t see more than one employee, a girl getting the rabbits ready and in their little pen, but then Drake froze near a small door in the back corner by the restrooms. His head tilted back slightly and he sniffed, then smirked.

The break room then. He thought as Drake pressed an ear to the door. When he leaned back up and nodded, Warden grabbed the handle and shoved the door open. They stepped inside quickly, then shut and locked the door before turning. Cerat stood behind a small circular table, a large container of spinach sitting in front of him. He had a fistful of it in his hand, which he promptly let drop to the floor when he saw them. 

After a brief glance around, Drake nodded to Warden. There were no cameras.

“Hello again, Cerat.” Warden said, stepping forward nonchalantly. 

Cerat didn’t bother moving, Warden figured it was mainly because Drake was approaching from the other side. There was no getting away.

When they stopped in front of him, Drake grabbed his arms and forced them behind his back, holding him still. Warden waited until he was restrained completely, then leaned over and carefully slid his finger between Cerat’s slightly shivering lips. Pressing down on his lower teeth, he forced Cerat to open his mouth. He reached in with his other hand once there was enough space, he gently massaged one of Cerat’s upper incisors, watching with a grin as it began to slowly lengthen to a sharp point.

He heard the young man whimper, but he had a job to do. Licking his lower lip as he focused, Warden pressed his thumb against the fang, waiting until he felt it puncture his skin. Then he watched. He knew the reaction a vampire had to blood like the back of his hand, so when Cerat’s eyes began to dilate and a low growl sounded from his throat, he grinned. He removed his hands, allowing Cerat to close his mouth as Warden licked his bloody finger, eyes narrowed on the guy.

“You have two choices. Leave this city now, or die. We don’t accept your kind.” Warden said as Drake tightened his hold, hoping to add a little incentive. It definitely scared the guy, who hadn’t gotten the chance to slip on the hoodie draped over the back of a chair to his left yet, leaving his ghostly features completely exposed. That easily allowed them to read his expressions.

“But I don’t drink blood!” He tried to shout, but ended up sounding more like a mouse trying to stand up to a lion. Warden just lifted his pricked finger and raised an eyebrow.

“You shoved your finger in my mouth. I don’t want blood.” Cerat tried, sounding desperate as he struggled against Drake, but it was futile. He was easily strong enough to hold him.

“What? You think spinach will sustain you? You are a vampire, not a rabbit, Cerat.” Warden replied with a glare at the container of spinach. That at least answered why they hadn’t smelled blood on him, but spinach? It could not keep him healthy forever.

Wait. Realization hit him like a truck as he stared openly at the young man.

His hair and his eyes. And his extremely cold skin and overall pale complexion…

“You’re already dying.” Warden whispered, drawing a surprised look from Drake. When Cerat just pursed his lips and looked down, Warden knew that he was right.

“Fuck.” He spat as he turned and stalked out of the room suddenly. After a minute he heard Drake running after him, but didn’t stop until he was outside.

“War! What the hell, man? We can’t just leave him in there.” Drake said, panting quietly as they started walking down the street at a fast pace. When Warden didn’t respond Drake grabbed his arm and yanked him into an alley near the end of the block.

“Dude! Pull yourself together! So he’s killing himself, that doesn’t change our job!” Drake growled, obviously frustrated. 

Warden shook his head, stalking in a circle before he turned back to his friend.

“I know! Dammit. What the hell kind of vampire chooses a slow, likely painful death, over drinking blood?” He grumbled, unable to understand it. He hardly ever had trouble understanding something, yet here was a vampire that went against the basic rule of all vampires. They drank blood. They were dangerous. They didn’t eat a container of fucking spinach for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

“While it’s interesting to see your in-control self frustrated for once instead of me, you need to get a grip. If you can’t kill him, I will. Or we can call the higher-ups and they can take care of him.”

The thought of getting someone else involved, someone that would have no qualms about removing Cerat, made Warden’s stomach protest.

“No. No, let’s just… let’s go back. He’ll leave. I know he’ll leave if we tell him to.” He stated, nodding as if it would make what he said automatically come true. Shrugging, Drake followed him as Warden walked back to the store. They both were surprised to see that Cerat hadn’t left the break room to  try and get away from them before they returned. But then again, Warden wasn’t even sure the guy was healthy enough to run much.

Cerat was sitting at the table and a good portion of the spinach that had been remaining before they’d left was now gone. He was chewing a good mouthful of it as they walked in, too. His faded ice-grey eyes met Warden’s and all he could see in them was worry.

“Get up, Cerat. You’re leaving this city.” He said, grabbing the young man’s sweatshirt and tugging it over his head. Cerat got his arms into the sleeves but left the hood up to cover some of his face.

“We’re going to walk out of here, and a couple of minutes later, you’re going to do the exact same thing. I don’t care what excuse you give, but if we don’t see you outside in five minutes, we’ll kill you in here.”

Without another word Warden turned and walked out, Drake following him. He could tell by the man’s quiet grumbles that he was mad at him, but he couldn’t help what he’d done. They waited near the alley by the store, Drake’s eyes flicking to his watch every couple of seconds. Time ticked by slowly and all Warden could think about was how Cerat needed to step out of the shop doors, for his own sake, and leave town. The young man’s five minutes were almost up when he hesitantly walked out of the building and turned toward them. His head hung as he walked over, stopping only a foot or so from them.

Warden felt a knot in his stomach relax slightly as he settled a hand on Cerat’s shoulder and guided him over to his car. Once he was in the back, Warden and Drake got in and Warden got it started. He pulled out into traffic and they headed for the outskirts, only a few blocks away to the west. The entire ride Cerat remained quiet, fiddling with his fingers in his lap, even though they were covered by the overextended cuffs of his too-big hoodie. 

When the car finally stopped near a large forest in an empty cul-de-sac, Warden and Drake got out. Cerat took a few moments longer before he appeared from the back and looked around warily. His eyes had a light sheen to them, but Warden refused to pay it any mind as he pointed to the woods.

“Go. If you come back, you will be killed.”

They stood, watching as Cerat slowly backed away from them toward the forest. He didn’t look like he was afraid of Warden’s threat, but more of leaving the city behind.

“There is another town fifty miles to the west. They may let you stay there.” Warden offered, though he wasn’t sure if he was right or not. Last he checked they allowed a few vampires in, but their rules could have changed.

Instead of turning and walking into the forest like the other vampires that they’d evicted had done, Cerat just frowned and sat down near the line of trees. 

W

hat the hell are you doing? Warden though as he looked sideways at Drake. The man wore a similarly confused expression as he eyed the guy, then looked at Warden. Without voicing a word to each other, they walked over to Cerat. The young man’s eyes widened and he shrank back against the tree behind him. 

Just get him to move out of our sight, then we can leave. Warden told himself as he knelt down, intent on telling Cerat to do just that. Drake, however, spoke first, cutting off Warden’s thoughts and making him refocus on what his best friend was saying.

“Why aren’t you heading toward the other city?”

It was a simple question, and likely one he should have asked if he wasn’t stressing out so badly about getting the guy out of sight. Cerat hugged his legs, which he’d drawn up in front of him. His forehead also dropped to rest on top of his knees, leaving them to stare at the hood of his sweatshirt.

“I can’t walk for very long. I pass out.” He said just loud enough for them to hear.

Drake’s jaw fell slightly, and Warden’s wasn’t far behind. A vampire who couldn’t walk? Shaking his head, Drake leaned forward, slipping a hand beneath the hood of Cerat’s sweatshirt to rest against his cheek.

“How long have you been a vampire?” Drake asked as Warden watched the interaction carefully. It looked like Cerat was actually leaning into the touch. Not that Warden could blame him. He had to be several degrees colder than a normal vampire judging from the few times they’d touched, yet he was still walking around. It was honestly amazing, though he clearly craved Drake’s above-average lycan temperature.

“Three months,” Cerat finally answered, already sounding tired.

Three months? That can’t be right.

“You mean three years, right? Newborns aren’t let out of their sire’s sight until at least three years old. They’re uncontrollable.” Warden said, sure that Cerat had just made a mistake and meant years instead of months.

“I almost killed someone when he first left me alone… four days after changing me.”

Drake flinched, darting a glance sideways at Warden. He had nothing to say to his friend, though. He was just as shocked. Four days. His sire left after four damn days?  It was unfathomable. Cerat should be dead, or at least blood-crazed. He should be a serial killer, unable to control himself.

“Yet you’re here… eating iron-rich spinach to try and stay alive.” Drake said quietly as he slipped his free hand beneath Cerat’s hood to press against his other cheek, warming his chilled skin slightly. The young man immediately sighed with relief, but Drake fidgeted, obvious disturbed by the extreme cold seeping into his palms.

“My friend. I almost killed her that night. I don’t know how, but I managed to stop. To get her to a hospital just in time. I waited in the area for several days until I saw her being wheeled out in a chair. It hurt to see her looking so weak. It hurt so much. And to think that I had done it…”

He paused for a moment, taking a shaky breath. It caught Warden’s attention, but considering Cerat didn’t drink blood and therefore didn’t get oxygen from it, he obviously would have to breathe at some point.

“I couldn’t stomach blood after that. I knew that I needed it. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what I’d become. But each time I fed on something like a stray cat or deer, I’d lose myself and accidentally kill it, then throw up everything I’d drank.”

His arms tightened around his knees and his shoulders drooped.

“I honestly didn’t think I would live on spinach for long, and I’ve been feeling worse and worse. I lost my hair color and my eyes are almost completely grey. No longer as blue as the sky… as dad used to say.”

When neither of them replied, Cerat lifted his head, allowing them to finally see his fading eyes and pale complexion.

“Can you make it stop? Please?” He begged, tears slowly trickling down to leave wet paths against his pale skin. 

His eyes showed so much pain. He had somehow managed to hide it beforehand, but not any longer. It was all Warden could see in them. There was no more excitement about adopted bunnies and interesting lizards.

“Yes.” Warden finally whispered, sitting himself down on the grass before he opened his arms to Cerat. The young man didn’t hesitate to fall into his embrace, clearly eager for some kind of relief. Even if it ended his life.

“I’ve got you.” Warden whispered as soothingly as he could manage as he gently pushed Cerat’s hood back, revealing his chalk-white hair and thin, pale neck. Drake appeared behind Cerat a moment later, his strong hands gently settling against either side of the young man’s neck.

“We’ll take away the pain.” He said quietly.

While Warden knew that Drake meant to break Cerat’s neck, or, in all honesty, completely decapitate him so that he couldn’t heal from the injury and would dissolve into dust, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of his own way to end Cerat’s pain… in a non-fatal fashion. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something he should do, yet his hand refused to stop on its route to his own neck. His nails slowly sharpened enough so that the small scratch he gave himself a moment later drew blood.  

Immediately Drake snarled and Cerat stilled. Warden quickly wrapped his arms back around the young man just in time to keep him from being able to retreat.

“I can’t!” Cerat half-cried as he struggled uselessly in Warden’s arms.

You aren’t even as strong as a human right now.

“We can control you.” He said, instead of what he was thinking. 

Lifting one hand, Warden gently slid his fingers into Cerat’s soft hair and pressed against the back of his head until it began to lower toward the slight injury.

“It will help you with your pain, and I promise you that you will not cause me any harm.” Warden said calmly, trying to ease Cerat’s clear hesitance.

“I-I’ll throw up. I can’t drink blood.” He said, but Warden refused to listen.

“Try. Just once. If you can’t stomach it, then I’ll let Drake take your life the most painless way possible.”

He had no idea what he was honestly doing trying to goad a vampire into biting him, let alone a newborn three month old one, yet he didn’t relax his pressure on the back of Cerat’s head until he felt the young man’s fangs awkwardly puncture his skin. It hurt, which was to be expected considering Cerat hadn’t been given any kind of help from his sire in learning how to control the numbing agent in his saliva that normally came with practice, but what made Warden far more nervous than the little bit of throbbing pain as Cerat began to drink, was the look of frustration and anger that was clear as day on Drake’s face. There was also another emotion mixed between the two, but Warden was too focused on making sure that Cerat was comfortable, and rubbing his back in slow soothing circles, to bother trying to decipher it.

4. Fly

It didn’t take long for Cerat to begin growling and jerking his head, trying to get the blood to flow faster. Warden winced as the wound on his neck opened a little wider. He forced himself to remain still for nearly a full minute before he let out a pained groan and Drake suddenly yanked Cerat off of him. The guy quickly tried to fight to get himself free, but there was no getting out of a lycan’s grasp unless you were damn strong. And Cerat was far from it considering he was practically dying.

“Calm down,” Warden said as he got to his feet and stepped back, out of reach of the claws that were struggling to reach him. He hurried to lick his hand, then rub his neck, healing the wound.

“He thinks he can fight me off. Cute.” Drake said with a cocky smirk as he easily kept Cerat right where he was. It didn’t even look like Drake was putting much effort into it, either. 

It was no wonder that Cerat calmed down after about five minutes, clearly understanding that he wasn’t going to get anywhere. Sure he still looked like he wanted to attack, but he also probably realized that he was wasting precious energy.

“You done throwing your temper tantrum, Broccoli?” Drake asked as he leaned over slightly to try and meet Cerat’s faded eyes. The guy snarled and snapped his teeth near Drake’s nose, but missed actually biting him by a mile.

“Who put Brussel sprouts in your spinach, man.” Drake mumbled, rolling his eyes as Warden shook his head at the vegetable puns.

“You wouldn’t be making fun of him if he ate only cats.” Warden noted, making Drake’s face pale.

“I love cats! They are too delicious to let anyone else eat.”

Warden just rubbed his fingers against his forehead and sighed.

“So, what the hell are we gonna do with this guy, War? There’s no way we can’t report him, and I don’t know what the higher-ups are gonna say about us keeping a vampire.”

Keeping?

“We aren’t keeping it, Drake.” Warden said, his tone matter-o-fact and stern. His friend, however, didn’t seem to think he was being serious judging from the scowl he was now receiving.

“What?” Warden asked awkwardly.

“Seriously dude? You just fed him when he said that he can’t handle himself when he feeds on blood. He also said that he’ll throw up, which will likely happen soon. I’m not cleaning that up by the way. But yeah, you want me to just let him go and tell him to just scurry off into the forest and go hunt some bunnies or something?”

Before Warden could even respond, Drake was growling out more words.

“News flash. Either he dies, or you just got yourself a pet vegan vampire.”

Vegetarian. Warden thought, but bit back the urge to correct him. Don’t need to piss off the lycan any further. Instead, he shrugged off his jacket and walked back to his car, tossing it in the back before removing his shirt and doing the same. He also left his keys. When he returned, Drake was staring at him funny.

“I’ll take him to headquarters and see what I can do for him, I need you to get my car home eventually.” Warden said before he jerked his arm forward and landed a solid blow to Cerat’s stomach. Normally that wouldn’t have knocked a vampire out, but considering the young man’s poor health, he dropped immediately.

“They’ll likely not let him go, you know.” Drake said, his posture statue-straight as he carefully lifted Cerat’s body from the ground.

Warden nodded, taking Cerat into his arms as feathers began to unfurl from between his shoulderblades. “I know, but we can’t just leave him here… or in the forest.”

The look in Drake’s eyes told him that he was lying, but Warden quickly looked away as his wings finally extended fully.

“Whatever. Take him there if you want, but just know that when he’s killed or locked up, it’s going to be your fault.”

With that, Drake was off, darting into the woods after he abruptly stripped out of his clothing. His heavy paws dug into the soft grass, sending the soil spraying in arcs behind him as he moved. 

Not waiting for him to start tearing up trees, like he normally did when he was mad about something, Warden carefully spread his wings and took off with an easy downward thrust. It had been quite awhile since he’d flown, and with Cerat in his arms, his balance was slightly off. He ended up fighting against the wind as his body tilted forward, then sideways and back as each gust hit him harder the higher he went.

When he finally settled down on top of the roof of a tall building, Warden was panting quietly and had Cerat clutched tightly against his chest. He had managed to get the hang of flying with the young vampire decently enough. 

A young angel named Ramos met him a few moments later, nodding when Warden approached.

“I have a vampire I’m bringing in.” He said, making the guy’s eyes widen slightly.

“Is there a reason why it wasn’t released into the forest or killed, Warden?” The man asked, even as he opened the door, allowing him access to the building.

“Yes. But I’ll discuss that with Bradeson, Palles or the others.” Warden said as he stepped inside, getting a grunt from the other man before the door was closed behind him.

He never liked going into the headquarters building. It was always too clean. Too quiet. Too, everything. Sighing, he headed down several flights of stairs before stopping on a landing and shifting Cerat a bit in his arms, then opening the double doors before him. The area he stepped into was expertly cleaned, which was to be expected, but the man who stopped walking toward a large office to turn toward him, wasn’t.

“Dad…?”

He hardly ever came to the headquarters, too busy with his company to bother with supernatural issues. Forcing a smile, Warden stood still as his father walked over, assessing Cerat with a curious glance. It turned disapproving, however, when he noticed a bit of blood at the corner of the young man’s mouth.

“Why did you bring a vampire here, son?”

Warden fought himself to not fidget and meet his father’s gaze. He was not afraid of the man, but any person would be wary around an archangel. In most stories humans have made archangels out to be sent from heaven, or hell. They also sometimes thought that they were made by God to fight. All of that was utter nonsense, though. Archangels were just extremely powerful angels who had a few extra abilities that set them apart. 

There was nothing religious or heavenly about them besides their looks. It was hard to find an ugly angel, but an archangel? Nearly impossible. Even in age they hardly appeared older than thirty or so.

“I have a request of the current counsel. Whoever might be in.” Warden said, knowing that the members who made decisions switched based on the day and year. It was kind of like a voluntary jury, but a lot of people usually came willingly and even put in extra hours.

After another glance down at Cerat, his father gave a slow nod and turned to head back toward the office he kept in the building. Warden let out a breath when the man disappeared behind a closed door, allowing his body to relax a little. Unfortunately, Cerat began to stir a moment later, forcing him to move fast in order to get to the counsel’s room before he completely awoke.

“Mr. Caste?” A voice boomed over the voices in the new room he’d just stepped into. Warden came to a stop in front of several people sitting a foot or so off the ground in raised, large, fancy chairs behind a large desk that reached across half of the room, giving them space to fill out documents and write as needed.

“Hello, Mr. Bradeson. I have a request of the counsel, if you would hear me out.” Warden replied calmly as he split his attention between the six people before him and the now-squirming sleepy Cerat in his arms.

The man was just opening his mouth to speak when Cerat slipped from Warden’s arms and dropped to the floor, a second before he vomited blood everywhere. There were several people surrounding them in moments, wooden blades, sharpened to dangerous points, drawn and pointed straight at Cerat. The poor guy didn’t even seem to notice as he continued to void his body of all of the blood he’d recently consumed. Warden tried his best to keep a hand beneath Cerat’s heaving chest, holding him up, while at the same time keeping his attention on the men closing in around them.

“What is the meaning of this, Warden? You brought a vampire here!” Mr. Bradeson said, his plump face turning red as he stared down at them. Warden opened his mouth to speak, but that was when he realized that he really didn’t know what he had intended to say. He just, for some reason, didn’t want Cerat to die for another vampire’s selfish actions.

“He… can’t drink blood. I forced him to try.” Warden finally said in a quiet voice. He was only heard because everyone in the room, including the guards and some passerby’s, had gone completely silent when Mr. Bradeson had spoken previously.

“So you thought that just because he can’t, he isn’t a danger and shouldn’t be killed? Have you lost your mind, Mr. Caste?” The man said, making Warden frown as he gently tugged a shivering Cerat into his arms. The young man’s nose was running and his eyes leaked tears from his bout of sickness, but there was nothing Warden could do about it right then.

“I just thought. I mean, he hasn’t hurt anyone. He’s been eating spinach to try and stay alive.”

He would have continued speaking, but laughter erupted around them, drowning out any possibility until Mr. Bradeson quieted them with a frustrated growl. He was one of the higher ranking lycan.

“Listen, Mr. Caste. We have a very important issue coming up this afternoon and do not have time to waste on a vampire who should already be dead. Either you return it to the forest, kill it, or sign the forms so that it is under your protection and collared, or we will kill it for you.”

Sign him to my protection? Warden thought, baffled. No one had ever dared take on a vampire in such a way. There were other creatures that were much easier to manage that have had another take over their care in order to save their lives or keep them from exile, but a vampire? Never.

“I thought so. Give it here, Mr. Caste. We haven’t got all day. We’ll dispose of it for you.” The man said, reaching down to pull Cerat out of his arms. Warden immediately jumped to his feet, taking Cerat’s too-light body with him.

“No. I’ll sign the papers.” He said before he even realized what words were coming out of his mouth.

The room went quiet again, but when Mr. Bradeson just narrowed his eyes and turned to stalk back toward the desk, Warden followed. His heart was beating a mile a minute as he carried Cerat, switching him to his left arm so that he could take the pen offered to him, and sign the papers placed in front of him on the desk.

He had the forms memorized from former curiosity. They were strict. Especially for vampires. They had three extra pages and as he signed each page, his heart dropped a little more into his acidic stomach as he glanced over certain sentences.

Vampires under protection laws are to be kept in specific confinement by high-voltage shock collars.

He signed shakily.

Vampires under protection may only be fed by donated blood via a local hospital or from its master. If either are unavailable for an extended period of time, the vampire will be executed immediately.

His fingers moved the pen, adding his name to the spot below the words.

Vampires under protection must be microchipped within five days of the order being approved. A medical exam and fang grinding is also mandatory.

His hold tightened on Cerat as he signed again, then added a few more signatures to finish up the documents. When he finally handed them back to Mr. Bradeson, the man walked further down the desk and grabbed a large stamp. He stamped each page with a large APPROVED mark, then brought the papers back to Warden.

“These are yours. They prove that you are now responsible for the vampire. I suggest making copies as soon as possible and storing one set in a safe place. If you ever cannot provide these papers over a twenty four hour period, your protection will be revoked and your vampire will be killed. Understood?”

Warden swallowed and nodded. When the man turned and walked away, Warden figured that he was okay to leave. He did just that, not wanting to stay and remain the focus of everyone’s attention.

“Don’t feel good…”

The quiet groan caught him off guard as he stepped back into the stairwell and began heading toward the roof. When he got to the door, he stopped for a moment and set Cerat down. He quickly folded the papers up and put them in his pocket, then picked up his vampire and hugged him tight, sighing into his soft silver hair.

“I’m sorry, Cerat. We’re gonna go home now and I’ll get you some greens, okay?”

When he didn’t receive an answer, Warden looked down to see that Cerat had passed out again. Shaking his head slightly, he stepped back out onto the roof and unfurled his wings. He knew that Ramos would bug him with questions, so he didn’t hesitate to take off immediately, needing to feel the wind beneath his wings as he slowly felt his tense body relax into flight.

5. Cry

Stress was something Warden was accustomed to, but the amount that he was suddenly under as landed on his balcony was hurting his chest. Cerat was squirming his arms, nearly awake after having dozed off a few times while he’d been flying. 

He dropped down into one of the chairs he had set out, bringing Cerat with him. Since the guy wasn’t quite awake yet, he hurried to slip his fingers into his back pocket and pull out the wallet he’d felt there earlier while shifting his weight around. 

Warden found a few useless pieces of paper inside and a twenty dollar bill, but no real identification. He probably got rid of it since he is practically killing himself.. He thought as he pulled out one last folded piece of paper from the back of the wallet and opened it to read. 

“Oh… it’s for the pet shop.” 

Leaning over a little, he glanced at Cerat’s face where his head rested against his chest. Still asleep. He took his phone from his own pocket and quickly dialed the number, then lifted it to his ear as it began ringing. 

“Hello, this is Flora, of Flora’s Pet Shop. How may I help you today?” Cerat’s manager, and the owner of the store, answered. 

“I’m going to cut to the chase. Did you know that your employee was a vampire?” He said, trying to hold back at least some of his frustration about the situation. 

There was a long pause on the end of the phone that told him that he’d guessed right, but when she replied, it wasn’t to deny or confirm his suspicions. 

“You are one of those men that came in earlier, aren’t you? You were with that werewolf pretending to be a dog.” She said, making him purse his lips. She was pretty good for a human.

“That doesn’t matter. Do you know that it’s illegal to harbor a vampire in this city?” He asked, getting another long bout of silence before her response came. 

“Is he alright?” 

Sighing, Warden looked up at the sky, then back down to see Cerat staring sleepily up at him. 

“Yes, he’s alright. I’ve got him.” He said, holding the guy a little closer to his chest to make it clear that he shouldn’t try to fight him right then. 

He could hear her give a relieved sound on the other end of the line. “That’s good. I was very worried. When are you bringing him back?” She asked, earning a raised eyebrow from him, even though she couldn’t see it. 

“He’s not coming back. I signed a contract to save his life. He has to stay with me.” Warden said, the enormity of what he’d actually done slowly sinking in with his words. 

Flora made a frustrated noise and replied. “He has to stay where he lives, and he lives here.” She said haughtily. 

Warden could almost see her crossing her arms, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear as she spoke. 

“I’ve read that paperwork because I was considering doing the same thing. I wish you hadn’t beaten me to it, but it does state in the fine print that he must remain confined to his residence, and if you look on his employee application form, that would be here.” 

Please tell me that’s not true. 

“You can’t tell me that he lives in your pet shop. He’s not an animal.” Warden said, even though he technically owned him now. 

She scoffed, making him pull his phone away to stare at it for a moment before putting it back against his ear to hear what she was saying. 

“Don’t you smart mouth me, young man. He lives upstairs. It’s a small apartment I decided to let him borrow. I live with my nephew, and it’s on Cerat’s contract, so you best bring him back here.”   

Why is this getting more complicated by the second? 

“Fine, I’ll have him over there before it gets dark.” He said before hanging up, not wanting to be badgered any further. 

Feeling Cerat move in his arms, he hesitantly let him climb out of his lap. They both stood right after the other, their eyes locking for a moment before he gestured him inside. 

Having no other choice, Cerat allowed himself to be lead through the sliding glass door. The moment Warden followed him inside and slid the door closed, the front one opened and Drake stormed in. He threw Warden’s keys on the counter, then turned to them.

“I brought your car back.” He said before turning his attention to Cerat. 

“One of the council members contacted me, since he knew that I was your friend and you wouldn’t pick up your phone. They already ordered a farrier to come out here soon and grind his teeth down, as well as check that you’re doing everything you should be.”

Warden shook his head slowly, but knew that Drake was right. No one liked vampires, including themselves, but most people absolutely hated them. The council will likely do everything they can to make him mess up so that they can just kill Cerat. 

“You know he’s not going to be okay with this. He’s already killing himself by not drinking blood. I wouldn’t be surprised if he refuses to drink it or eat his usual spinach now. Not that you’ll be able to feed him spinach much longer. The papers you signed specifically state blood, and blood only.”

The sound of the doorbell chime cut off whatever Warden had planned to say in response. Instead, he grumbled under his breath and walked to the front door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see the supernatural farrier standing there with an intrigued expression on his face.

“Here for a vampire.” The man said, making Warden already dislike him.

“Cerat. He has a name.” Warden growled as he slowly stepped out of the way so that he could enter. 

“One of you will need to hold him.” The man said as he moved to stand in front of Cerat, clearly not worried in the least that he was right next to a vampire. 

Warden stared at Drake for a moment before his friend glared at the man beside him and growled. “I’ll do it.” 

“Yes, well… just so you know, vampires have extremely sensitive nerves in their fangs. You will need to be really careful.”

Drake snarled loudly, drawing everyone’s wide eyes to him abruptly.

“I’ll hold the damn guy, just make it fast.”

The farrier flinched and stepped back as Drake reached over and grabbed Cerat by the shoulder and tugged him against his chest. The guy didn’t fight at all, letting himself be restrained without a word. 

“Tilt his head to the side slightly, so that the shavings don’t fall into his mouth.” The man said as he knelt down and set his bag to the side. He then began to press a finger between Cerat’s lips, lowering his bottom jaw. When he seemed pleased after a glance inside, he fished out a small metal device and slid it between Cerat’s tongue and upper jaw, the item effectively keeping his mouth from closing.

When the farrier began to massage Cerat’s gums, he blinked a few times and tried to shake his head to get the man’s hand out of his mouth, but Drake easily held him still as he moved one of his hands to grasp his hair tightly. He calmed down for a few seconds before the farrier started filing his left fang. Drake managed to still hold him, but no one was able to stop the screams and whimpers that tore from Cerat’s throat.

Warden hadn’t even noticed that he’d walked closer until his hands gripped onto one of Cerat’s cold ones. He stared down at him, each scream twisting the knot in his stomach tighter and tighter. When the farrier finally leaned back, Warden noticed that Cerat was limp in Drake’s arms. His eyes were closed and a sheen of sweat shone on his pale skin.

“There. Unfortunately, those grow back somewhat quickly, so I’ll be back in about a month.” The man said, making Warden tense even further as the farrier removed the little piece of metal he’d placed in Cerat’s mouth, then took a step back.

“Have a nice day, gentlemen.” He said as he began to turn toward the door to let himself out.

“Wait! Where are the pain meds? Infection ones, too?” Warden asked with a shaky voice.

Come to think of it. Why hadn’t he given him a numbing shot like the dentist does?

“He’s a vampire. He’ll get over it.” The farrier said with a laugh, before walking himself right out of the penthouse door.

Warden couldn’t believe what he’d heard. He’ll get over it? It hurt like a bitch to get any kind of work on your teeth done at the dentist. Even a little bit of drilling for a cavity hurt like hell, and Cerat had just had half of his most sensitive teeth ground off! Anger flared in him, but he withheld hitting anything, knowing that it would do nothing but ruin a wall or door.

Fucking idiot. He thought as he turned back toward Cerat. 

“Next time that has to happen I’m going to make them use a numbing shot and bring pain medication.” Warden said quietly.

If they could get the good stuff with a prescription he would have already left to pick it up, but the guy hadn’t even left them that.

“Here. Take him.” Drake barked, obviously just as frustrated as he was as he shoved Cerat into his arms.

“Wait, where are you going?” Warden asked as he carefully tugged Cerat against his bare chest.

“To get him some ice packs, since you don’t seem to be thinking much right now. And I told you not to take him there.” Drake replied as he disappeared into the kitchen, only to return a minute later with three blue ice packs wrapped in dish cloths.

“What the hell was I supposed to do then? Leave him to die in the forest?” Warden huffed as he took a seat at the small dinner table he had.

“Yes.” Drake replied immediately as he held out one of the packs to Warden. He took it and gently pressed it against one of the spots around Cerat’s mouth that was beginning to swell up.

“I doubt he’s going to be able to chew for a long while, and he gets sick when he drinks blood.” Drake said.

Warden fidgeted, pursing his lips as he felt Cerat stir slightly in his arms.

“I’ll just use the blender and make smoothies for him or something…” He mumbled, frowning.

“That’s all fine and dandy, but did you ever think that he wouldn’t eat it?” Drake said as he leaned against the wall next to Warden.

“What?”

Drake rolled his eyes and reached over, pressing the second ice pack to the other side of Cerat’s mouth.

“He wanted to die, War. Now he’s going to wake up in excruciating pain. He won’t be a pet. I can tell you that much right now. He’ll likely try to starve himself by refusing to eat anything you give him… And I don’t think that it will take long for his body to give out, either, considering how bad his health already is.”

Drake’s eyes turned dark and narrowed. “You are basically just torturing him until he dies, now.”

Warden opened his mouth, but when Cerat’s faded greyish-blue eyes opened, his words caught in his throat and he stuttered until he managed a simple “H-hey.”

Recognition began to show in Cerat’s eyes at the same time a cloud of pain washed over his face and he shivered, then began to whimper. Warden hugged him tighter, making sure to keep the ice pack on his mouth. When Cerat just started to cry and his whimpers turned to screams, Warden looked up… only to realize that Drake had left. Grinding his teeth together, he did his best to comfort the poor guy in his arms, but no matter how much he tried to get his attention away from the pain with simple questions or gentle touches, Cerat remained completely oblivious.

“Here, idiot.” Drake growled as a small tube of something clattered to the table and he hurried to pick it up.

Numbing gel.

Warden hurriedly unscrewed the cap and squeezed a good amount out onto his finger. He couldn’t care less if it numbed part of it as he slipped his finger between Cerat’s slightly parted lips and began rubbing the gel over his gums. At first Cerat tried to fight him, but Drake was holding him easily so that Warden could keep applying more and more gel. He didn’t stop until Cerat sagged against him and his face relaxed ever so slightly.

“I’m sorry, Cerat.” He finally said after letting the half-empty tube drop from his hand. He wanted to hug the guy. Tell him that everything would eventually be okay, somehow, but didn’t get the chance because Drake yanked Cerat into his own arms with a gruff growl after he’d dropped into the chair beside him.

“Go get the damn collar they require. They’ll probably send a vet to inject the microchip tonight or tomorrow, so don’t think about taking him anywhere.”

Warden sighed and got up, but then realized something. 

“His place of residence is already established… he can’t stay here.” He said, frustrated. 

“He lives at that pet store. If I don’t have him there they  might kill him…” 

Fur began to sprout along Drake’s extending muzzle as he snarled his response. “Get the fuck out of here and get the damn collar. Now!”

Knowing that he was seconds from being mauled by his best friend, Warden bolted  after swiping his keys from the counter. 

He picked up the most expensive collar he could find after arriving at the pet store, that wasn’t Flora’s. One, because it looked the most comfortable, and two, it also had the lowest possible setting out of all of them. He hated that it also had the highest, but he would never shock Cerat with it. 

It was a relief when he finally returned to his penthouse. When he walked into his room, he noticed right away that one of his thick dark comforters was missing from the bed, and had been stolen by a bundled-up Cerat in the far corner. 

Deciding to just get it over with, he retrieved the collar from the bag and got it out of its packaging. He took his time reading the small manual that came with it, not wanting to risk making a mistake and hurting Cerat. When he finally lowered the small booklet and yawned, finished, he realized that there were faded, tired eyes watching him from the corner. The moment Cerat noticed he’d garnered his attention, however, he ducked back under the comforter.

Warden silently wondered how he should get the collar onto Cerat. He could just force it. That would be the easiest way, but just the thought of doing that made him feel queasy.

“Cerat? I need you to push that blanket down a bit for me, please.” He asked as he walked over.

To his surprise, the young vampire slowly tugged the thick blanket down around his shoulders. Warden’s heart jerked at the sight of his swollen upper jaw, but he bit back any words that tried to leave his mouth. He knew that Cerat didn’t want to hear them considering the look he was getting. So instead, he carefully unbuckled the shock collar and leaned forward, easily clasping it firmly around his neck and turning it on. He put it on the lowest setting, which would just vibrate the collar slightly when the button was pushed. Which it never will be. Warden assured himself as he leaned back with a half-hearted smile.

“If I bring you some spinach, will you eat?” Warden asked, keeping himself from adding ‘hun’ at the end of his sentence. Cerat just looked so miserable. He might hate vampires, but he’d never met one so… soft. There was nothing aggressive about Cerat besides the one time that Warden had forced him to feed from him.

All he had wanted was to be left alone in that pet shop. Left alone to die.

When Cerat gave him a pained look and ducked back under the thick blanket, Warden frowned.

“I’ll make a smoothie. You can drink it until your mouth is feeling better.”

When he didn’t get any kind of answer, Warden sighed and got up. He went and made a small smoothie with a tiny bit of blood from a cut he made on his wrist, then brought it back. 

Cerat refused to even move from beneath the blanket, however, making Warden eventually give up. He left the cup beside him and stripped out of his work clothes, then changed into a pair of comfortable sweatpants and a light sweater. 

He took the next thirty minutes to pack up a good amount of clothing, toiletries, and whatever else he might need to bring with him to the little apartment above the pet store until he could get Cerat’s place of residence changed. 

“We need to get going.” He said as he knelt beside a blanket-covered Cerat. “You can bring that if you’d like, but we need to get back to your apartment.” He said, earning a curious stare from Cerat as the guy poked his head just barely above the edge of the blanket he’d been hiding in. 

Warden couldn’t help but smile a little. “You want to go home, right?” He said as stood, offering Cerat a hand. When the guy didn’t immediately take it, he wiggled his fingers. 

“No more torture today. Just a quick drive back to your home where you can rest for the night.” He said. 

After a few more moments of hesitation, Cerat carefully pushed himself up, bringing the comforter with him. “Let’s go.” Warden said as he grabbed his bag, phone, and keys, then headed for the door with Cerat following slowly behind him. 

He paused for a moment to send a text to Drake that he could eat whatever he wanted in the fridge if he got them some groceries later for the apartment. As an afterthought, he also asked him to head over to his house and pick up the rabbit and its stuff. And to not eat on the way over. 

The drive across town was silent, but when he stepped inside of the apartment, having been let in by a glaring Flora, he noticed the scent of something cooking.

She wouldn’t have made us food, would she have?

Coming around the corner that lead into an absolutely tiny kitchen that was faded white on top of faded white, he was surprised to see Drake standing at the oven with a spatula in his hand. 

“How…?” He asked, looking behind himself, only to see Cerat stumble to the corner of the small living room and drop to his knees as he scooped the rabbit Drake had brought into his arms. 

“You drive like an old lady, that’s how.” Drake stated simply. “I even packed my stuff and brought it, too.” 

Turning back to Drake, he ran his fingers through his hair and paused in the entryway. Drake was just finishing piling way more food than he should have cooked onto two plates. One clearly had double that of the other, making Warden smile slightly and shake his head. He took his plate when Drake walked over and offered it a moment later, and they both headed toward the two-person circular table in the small dining area, which was really just part of the entryway. 

Once they were seated, their eyes went to Cerat. He’d shifted a little and gotten under the blanket, then lifted himself up onto his arms just enough to see the rabbit. It was sniffing at his nose, giving it little kisses with its tiny pink tongue. The blanket remained on his head like a hood, letting them see just enough of his face to figure out his expressions. When the faintest ghost of a smile slid onto Cerat’s lips, Warden finally felt like he just might have done the right thing. At least considering the rabbit. The rest…

I’ve got a long way to go to fix everything else.

He was just glad that Cerat hadn’t turned into a ghost of himself. If he had to buy every damn animal at that darn pet shop he worked at to make him feel even a little bit okay, he would.

6. Settle

Warden had planned to take the entire day off, having called in earlier, but he unfortunately found himself back at work around noon to deal with a situation that had gotten out of control. It had just been a money issue, specifically one about money missing from a certain fund. Of course, the analyst for that particular company had forgotten to check the emergency account, where any money is sent when a hacker tries to sneak into their systems. Warden didn’t think it would be a big deal when he first started the job, but to his surprise, he’d already had to deal with it four different times.

He had just hung up the phone explaining everything to the manager, who had only been on the job for about a month, when he pushed himself up and grabbed his coat. Slipping it on over his suit, he hurried out of his office, and the building. He’d intended to go straight to the apartment to check on Cerat, but when he started heading there i his car, a sign for a vitamin store caught his eye. Without much thought, he pulled into the parking lot and after getting out and locking his car, headed inside.

The shop was quite small compared to the ones on either side of it, but when his eyes landed on a bottle of iron pills, he couldn’t help but smile. An associate was heading over to him, likely to help with any questions he had, but Warden was in no mood to deal with salesmen. He walked right over to the supplements section and grabbed the largest bottle of iron ones he could find. They were surprisingly expensive, being around sixty dollars, but as money wasn’t an issue, he quickly turned and set them on the counter. The employee hurried behind it and rung up the purchase, taking Warden’s credit card when he offered it.

He didn’t even wait for his receipt before stalking out the door, feeling almost like he imagined Drake did when he hadn’t had enough sex. His body ached to hit something, but as he sped toward Cerat’s apartment, the only person he could really think of that deserved the aggression, was himself.

Pulling into the small parking lot, he made himself calmly walk over and take out the small key the owner had texted him would be glued to the underside of the plant by the door, then unlocked the shop. He hurried to shut and lock it, too, not wanting anyone to think that it was open and to come in. When he finally got upstairs and stepped inside, he could hear movement coming from the single bedroom. He expected Drake to be doing something, or possibly Cerat, but when he stepped into the room, his eyes bugged.

The woman from the pet shop?

Shocked, he let the bag with the bottle of iron pills drop to the floor, drawing the woman’s attention to him. He had also garnered Cerat’s, but instead of staring, he quickly ducked under the blanket he’d been sharing with Thumper in the corner of the living room area. 

“I am not happy with you right now, young man.” The woman said, her face turning into a scowl.

Warden sighed, leaning over to pick up the bag with the bottle of pills in it before straightening back up.

“Join the club, Ma’am. How did you get in here, by the way?”

The woman rolled her eyes at his question, making Warden almost regret asking.

“I own this building and have a spare key… but I didn’t use it.”

Warden’s eyes narrowed on the woman, his feathers slightly ruffled at her statement. 

“So then how did you get in?” He asked.

“I knocked and Cerat opened the door for me.”

Warden grumbled as he turned and headed toward the minuscule kitchen. She soon joined him, ignoring his glare as she got down an ancient-looking blender and took a large container of spinach out of the refrigerator.

“I hope that you intend to care for him seriously until I can get this situation resolved and have him handed over to me to look after. He isn’t a pet.” She said as she filled the blender and snapped the lid on, only to remove it and grab the bottle Warden held out after having removed it from the bag. Once she’d fished out two pills and added them to the blender, she stared over at him and pointed to the opening.

“They wanted me to remind you that he must drink blood now, too, so be quick about it. Bleed.”

This woman…

Forcing his lips to remain closed to keep back a good bit of cussing, Warden walked over and removed his coat, suit jacket, and shirt. Setting them aside on the counter, he unfurled his tense wings with a stressed sigh, then plucked a small feather from the plumage. Without waiting for the woman’s questions, he slid the feather across his wrist as he held it above the blender. A perfect cut sliced across his skin, then welled up with blood before it began to overflow. It continued dripping for about ten seconds before the injury healed enough to stop the flow.

He snapped the lid on, then started the blender. It made easy work of the spinach, mixing it with his blood into a thick liquid. Stopping it after just a few moments, he grabbed a cup down from the cabinet and filled it with the mixture. He thought about just bringing it to Cerat then, but decided to slip it into the microwave to warm it for a few seconds.

“Here, put this in it too, god knows I wouldn’t want to try drinking with my mouth the way his is right now.” The woman said as she grabbed a straw from a container he had sitting out on the corner of the counter.

Warden took it without a word and set it in the cup, then walked over to where Cerat was currently hiding beneath the blanket with Thumper.

“Cerat, I’ve got some food for you.” He said, watching the young man’s form beneath the comforter with baited breath. When he got no response, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Move, you.” The woman suddenly said as she sat down, taking the cup from Warden and shooing him away with her other hand. He growled but relented after a moment and retreated back a few steps.

Since he was clearly not wanted, he tried to focus on something else, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away from Cerat for more than a few seconds at a time. He had hoped that the woman, as annoying as she was, would be able to get him to eat. So, when an hour had passed and she’d only managed to coax Cerat to sit up and eye the cup from beneath the blanket, Warden felt his body sag against the faded wall he was leaning against.

Drake’s words echoed in his mind at that moment, loud and clear in the dead silent room. He’s going to starve himself. I’m just fucking torturing him. He thought angrily, wanting to hit something all over again.

When Flora had to leave an hour later, the drink left untouched, Warden heaved an exhausted sigh and took a few steps closer before sitting down on the old worn carpet. Cerat hadn’t retreated completely back under the blanket, so he figured that he’d be willing to talk a little.

“Hey, um…”

He wanted to ask what it would take to get him to take a sip from the drink near him, but he had a feeling that that wasn’t what needed to be said right then. What did, however, he wasn’t sure. When the rabbit caught his eyes, though, he focused on it before looking back to Cerat.

“Does he need anything? I’m not really used to taking care of him, as he was at my sister’s house and the maids were doing it…”

Cerat just stared at him for several quiet moments, making Warden think that his tactic to use the animal to get some type of reaction, was fruitless. After nearly a minute passed, however, Cerat actually cautiously crawled over to where the rabbit’s water bottle was tied to the cage Drake had set up and slid it from the zip tie. It was clearly light in his hand as he hesitantly offered it to Warden.

It needs refilled then. He thought to himself as he fought back a smile and nodded. He took the bottle and got up, then walked to the kitchen, scrubbing it thoroughly before rinsing and refilling it. When he returned to the corner Cerat seemed to have claimed, Warden carefully knelt in the same spot and offered the bottle to Cerat. He could have just put it back himself, but since the young man hadn’t moved from the spot where he’d given Warden the bottle, he figured he might want to return it to its previous place.

When Cerat reached out and took it eagerly, Warden forced back a sigh of relief. He sat down as Cerat futzed with the zip tie, his wings ruffling slightly as he watched. He thought that would be it, but when the young man carefully retrieved Thumper from a few feet away and set him in front of his water, Warden couldn’t help smiling a little. The rabbit hurried to begin drinking, draining a good portion of the bottle right before his eyes.

“I didn’t know that he drank so much. I’ll try to remember to fill the bottle more. If I forget, just get my attention and I’ll be sure to do it.” He said.

Their eyes met as Cerat settled back to sit on the blanket again. Neither looked away, but as Warden leaned back on his hands, he couldn’t really feel any kind of dominance threat. Cerat’s eyes just looked tired and sad. It almost seemed like he was reaching out to Warden without actually doing so physically.

He hoped that whatever was occurring, it would push Cerat to want to try and drink a little. Unfortunately, after nearly twenty minutes, when the young man finally moved, it was just to curl up on his side, back to Warden.

He wanted to growl and quite literally, throw a tantrum. He had thought that they were somehow getting somewhere, yet it seems that he had gotten absolutely nowhere. His head throbbed as his mind started worrying. Thoughts of how many days Cerat had left before his body began to shut down made Warden squeeze his eyes shut and grit his teeth together. His whole life he’d been able to get things done. To get people to do as he said, whether it be by threat, trickery, or money.

Yet here is a vampire I cannot threaten. Cannot trick. And certainly cannot buy.

Shaking his head slowly, Warden allowed his resolve to dissipate for the moment and just shifted until he was lying on the floor. Not really thinking beyond that, he allowed himself to do whatever it is his body felt like. His eyes began to close, a nap the easiest thing his tired body seemed to want. His right wing, however, appeared to have a different idea. It unfurled slowly, forcing Warden to move onto his belly and rest his head on his folded arms to keep it from the carpet.

The feeling of several pinions being bent and one snapping, made him wince, but when his wing straightened partially back out and then settled over Cerat’s curled-up form, Warden couldn’t help but stare. He expected the vampire to freak out and duck back under the blanket, but when he just nuzzled a little against the feathers gently caressing his face, Warden rubbed his own face against his arms sleepily and allowed his eyes to finally close. He wasn’t worried about him trying to leave since he would likely die just as quickly in the apartment if he didn’t eat.

Perhaps we have gotten somewhere today.

It wasn’t a big step like drinking the mixture he’d made, but surely it was something. And something was far better than nothing.

7. Think

Slowing to a calm walk, Drake panted heavily as he watched his large paws move along the edge of the forest. He’d needed to leave when the old woman had come. She had clearly never dealt with a werewolf before, because she seemed to think that it was wise to try and boss one around.

Hmph. Not even my boss bosses me around. I’d kill him and piss on his corpse. Love you, War.

Grumbling, he turned and began a light jog down the sidewalk. Humans were staring at him, and several supernatural things were glaring, but he didn’t care. Hell, he almost wished they’d try something so he could finish blowing off steam.

I’ll just go after Warden. He needs a good beating, anyways. He thought as he turned onto another street a few moments later. When he finally stepped into the pet shop after having managed to bite and turn the alley side door handle, of which he’d left unlocked, he shifted and headed up to the apartment.

And the idiot left this unlocked. Perfect. 

“Hey, War!” He yelled as he stomped inside. Drake looked around for a moment before his eyes stopped on Warden. Surprise made his eyebrows raise ever so slightly. His friend sat up and tucked his wings against his back, making them disappear. The hand that wasn’t holding him up rubbed at his pale forehead.

“Dude. You look like someone hit you on the back of the head, repeatedly. Did that grandma pet shop owner lady do it? Cause I need to go pay her if she did.” He said as he sauntered in, watching as Warden forced himself to his feet and stumbled toward the kitchen.

He could tell that the guy wanted to cuss at him or take a swing for mocking his headache, but clearly his head hurt too much to do either. Instead, Warden disappeared into the kitchen and began banging around.

“Make me something, too!” Drake yelled before he set his attention on the rabbit huddling next to a lump of blanket in the corner that had to be Cerat. Mm, rabbit.

“Hey there, C. Please tell me you or your old lady friend hit War.” He said as he squatted down in front of him. When he got no answer he licked his lips and stared down at the carpet. He knew they needed to get through to Cerat somehow, but the guy had completely shut down besides taking care of the rabbit.

And I can’t turn into a rabbit. Just a horny wolf with no morals and a taste for cats.

Deciding against shifting, Drake stood and walked over to Warden’s suitcase, not interested in his own. Removing a pair of pajama pants, he tugged them on, then leaned over and picked up the drink Warden had made Cerat earlier. It was untouched, unsurprisingly.

Staring at the cup in his hand, he caught Cerat glancing up at him from just beneath the blanket. You’re starving, hun. Yet you hate what you become when you drink blood and I don’t blame you one bit. Shaking his head, Drake made his way to the kitchen. Setting the cup down in the sink, he went to the fridge and pulled out the container of spinach. He thought about taking the iron pills he saw sitting on the counter, but decided against it. Baby steps.

Ignoring what Warden was currently cooking, he headed back over to Cerat and sat down in front of him, but faced away. After counting to twenty in his head, Drake carefully opened the plastic container he held and took out a single leaf of spinach. He hated the stuff with a passion since it tasted like the chalk he’d eaten in second grade, but if Cerat would eat it…

You. Leaf. You better make him eat you or I’ll murder you and all your friends.

Satisfied by his threat, Drake slowly reached back until his hand rested against the soft comforter, palm up with the single leaf in it. The wait really bothered him. Being a werewolf and still quite upset with his best friend, Drake would have given almost anything to have something to do while he sat there. Even plucking his friend’s stupid feathers would have been better than nothing.

When he finally felt something nudge against his palm, his spirits shot up, but then dropped abruptly when he realized that it was the rabbit after a quick peak behind himself. He had to bite back a snarl as the thing sniffed at the spinach. Go away or I swear I’m gonna eat you when he’s not paying attention and just tell him you got adopted! By my stomach…  

Drake was about to let a warning growl slip anyway as he faced forward again but froze when he felt hesitant, cold fingers brush against his palm softly. A second later he realized that the leaf was gone and hurried to replace it with another.

Progress was extremely slow at first. He felt Cerat take each leaf, but didn’t hear chewing until several minutes had passed. Everything in him screamed to turn around and confirm what he knew was happening, but instead, he forced himself to remain calm and just added a new leaf to his hand.

The process repeated for about ten minutes before Warden walked in with two plates of food. Drake would have bared his teeth, silently telling him not to enter, but it had been almost a minute since Cerat had taken any spinach, so he figured that he had had enough for the time being.

Withdrawing his hand, Drake returned the leaf of spinach to its container and snapped it shut, then got to his feet. Thankfully, Warden seemed to know better than to discuss what had happened, considering the fact that they weren’t allowed to not feed him blood, and just silently handed over the extra plate of food after he’d run the spinach back to the fridge. 

Drake took the plate and dropped down into one of the rickety chairs near the tiny dining table. He didn’t hesitate a second before digging into the chicken drumsticks and potato. The potato had been clearly nuked in the microwave and the chicken was dry, but he couldn’t care less. And his wolf, couldn’t care even lesser.

When they both finished their meals, Drake took the plates to the kitchen and rinsed them, then loaded them into the dishwasher. The sound of someone knocking met his ears not a moment after he started the appliance. Okay, it’s either grandma again or the microchip person. As luck would have it, when he swung the door open, it was the latter.

I’d like to hit him with a ladder. Surely there’s one around here somewhere.

“I’m a telepath, Drake. And I would not appreciate being attacked with a ladder for just doing my job.” The man grumbled as he stalked past him.

A telepath, huh?

Smirking, Drake started bringing up images of the scenes from his last bout of sex. It had been quite eventful and brought out some of his darker side with chains and a blindfold. Mr. Telepath’s face remained stony at first, but when they all stopped in front of where Cerat was hiding in the large comforter, Drake could see the red splotches on the man’s cheeks.

Lesson one, Mr. Telepath. Never tell an angry horndog that you can read his mind.

The man grunted and removed a small item from his coat pocket, then knelt beside Cerat.  He gave the rabbit that ran over to greet him a disgusted look and quickly nudged it away. Not wanting something bad to happen; Or, well, worse, Drake hurried forward and  wrapped his arms around Cerat.

When the man pulled the top of the blanket down and started feeling around Cerat’s neck, seemingly looking for loose skin, Drake had to grind his teeth together and focus to keep the nervous vampire in his arms calm. The guy might have lost a good deal of his strength over the three months since he’d been changed, but he was still a vampire. When the injection came, Cerat yelped as the plunger forced the tiny microchip into his cold skin.

Immediately, Drake began to lick the small wound as blood slowly ran from it. A low growl also escaped his parted lips, telling the man that he had better get the hell away from him, or else. Wisely, Mr. Telepath hurried to his feet and darted for the door, and of course, left no pain medication or antibiotics. Drake pursed his lips and looked down at the guy in his arms, realizing that Cerat was shaking quite a bit. Especially his jaw.

Aw baby.

Quieting his growl, Drake dug under the blankets until he found the small tube of numbing medicine they’d used earlier, having a feeling that it would be there. He undid the cap and carefully added a small amount to his finger, then gently slid it between Cerat’s lips. Thankfully, Cerat seemed a bit more understanding, or was at least in a good deal of pain, and didn’t fight Drake as he applied the gel. He had no doubt that actually chewing the spinach had hurt, but he was extremely glad that Cerat had eaten the small amount anyway.

“Better?” He asked when Cerat relaxed against his chest with a quiet sigh.

Instead of answering verbally, Drake watched the little vampire scoop up the bunny near his legs and snuggle it against his chest. The scene brought a smile to his face and Drake squeezed Cerat in his arms a bit, then leaned over and licked his cheek.

“I’m glad.”

8. Hurt

Dropping down onto the roof, Warden stretched out his wings and heaved a frustrated sigh. He wasn’t used to the kind of stress he was currently dealing with. Cerat had not been planned, and he sure as hell hadn’t been expected to not act like a vampire. At least a little bit. Reaching back, he plucked a feather from his plumage and ran it through his warm fingers. His eyes focused on the city lights before him as he felt the sharp feather slit his skin.

After walking in on Drake holding Cerat the other night after he’d made dinner, Warden had told him to watch him for the next day and that all of his work would be taken care. It was basically a day off, and Drake agreed without argument. Warden had needed the chance to breathe and regroup himself, yet even after an entire day of work, then a visit to play with his sister, which was usually relaxing to a point, he still felt exactly the same.

I thought I was doing something great. Saving someone who couldn’t save themselves. 

He sighed, running his free hand through his light hair, streaking it with blood.

What more can I do? I can’t feed him the spinach, I signed that I wouldn’t without blood.  

Thankfully Drake hadn’t signed the release form, thus, he couldn’t get in trouble for feeding Cerat whatever he wanted. That didn’t help Warden’s worry, though. The vampire was still dying. Just a little slower than he had been when he’d stopped eating completely. It was only a matter of time.

I need to figure out a way to get him to drink blood, but not go insane from it.

It was an easy thing to think about, but much harder to actually manage. He would have thought that if he fed on a supernatural being, it might not have the same affect, but that had not been the case. Cerat had gone crazy from just a quick drink from him.

Wait. Wait a damn minute.

Excited, Warden unfurled his wings and released the feather he had plucked to the wind. With a small leap he took off, easily gliding down to the sidewalk below on the gentle evening currents. The moment his feet touched the ground he folded his wings against his back and allowed them to sink back into his skin. He then ran to the side door and inside the pet shop. As he headed up the stairs, Warden went through his plan repeatedly in his head. It was foolproof, but if he asked Drake, he’d call him a fool for even suggesting it, he’d bet.

Who cares. If it works, then Cerat can start getting better! 

The moment he was up the stairs, Warden stepped forward and unlocked the door to the little apartment. The smell of cooking meat met his nose when he walked inside, telling him that Drake was likely in the kitchen. Good. Heading straight for where Cerat was, Warden knelt down in front of him and smiled when he saw him glance nervously up at him with Thumper in his lap.

“I’ve got an idea to help you, Cerat.” He said, unable to keep his smile from growing wider.

A scoff sounded behind him, drawing Warden’s grin into a frown as Drake began to talk from the entryway to the kitchen. “He doesn’t need anymore of your help. It’s already screwed him over royally. If you haven’t noticed.”

Turning his attention back to Cerat, Warden’s excitement dwindled as he saw the young vampire huddle into the blankets more.

“Wait. I have a new idea that might help. I’m serious. At least hear me out, Cerat.” Warden begged.

Surprisingly, Cerat was still watching him. Of course, he didn’t look too thrilled, but at least he had his attention. Not wanting to waste that gift, Warden settled down against the wall next to him and hurried to begin explaining his idea.

“I think I found a way that can eventually let you drink blood without the aggressive side-effects you’ve been avoiding.”

Cerat’s brow furrowed and a look of disgust came over his face. Drake was soon to copy the expression, but Warden pursed his lips, clearly determined. “You really need to listen. You’re not.” He said as Cerat just held the rabbit closer, almost like he was using it as a shield.

“Vampires teach those they change how to control themselves. Most don’t care if their offspring kill people, but they can care. They have the control and can make them care if they really wanted to. Your sire left you all alone… but I won’t.”

Before either Cerat or Drake could respond, Warden reached over his shoulder as his wings unfurled slightly, and plucked a large feather. He then allowed his wings to return to his back as he held the feather up between himself and Cerat.

“I may have messed this whole situation up, doing exactly the opposite of what I had hoped, but I refuse to let it get worse. I refuse to let you get worse.” He said sternly, watching Cerat the entire time he spoke. When he got no response, he looked down at the feather and slowly brought it across his left wrist. 

He could already see the hunger growing in his pained, faded eyes. He was trying to fight it, but Warden refused to let him this time. Instead, he slowly moved back away from the wall, leaving his left arm up so that Cerat could see the blood welling to the surface. 

“Come here, Cerat. I want you to move closer, slowly.”

His voice was deep and brooked no argument. He wasn’t sure if it would work on a starving vampire, but Cerat did move forward. It was much faster than he’d anticipated, too, and he had an urge to back away further, but he held his ground. Warden had just wanted Cerat out of his corner. His safe spot. When he stopped mere inches from him on his hands and knees in a predatory stance, Warden took a deep, steadying breath and nodded.

“It’s okay, Cerat. Things are going to be different from now on. We’re going to start from the very beginning. From the moment you lost your human life, and were forced into the one you currently struggle with. I’ll teach you to control your hunger. To feed safely. You won’t have to worry about killing anyone anymore.” Warden soothed quietly as Cerat began to growl and bare his filed fangs.

With a reassuring smile Warden patted the blanket right in front of him, signaling Cerat to move to that spot. Surprisingly, he did as told, but couldn’t hold himself back from grabbing Warden’s bleeding wrist and bringing it to his lips. He repeatedly tried to bite it between licking and sucking at the crimson liquid, but each time his fangs touched Warden’s skin, he whimpered and shrank back for a second.

That’s it. Warden thought as he watched Cerat eventually decide to just lap at the injury.

“You can’t hurt me right now.” He said quietly as he reached forward, gently sifting the fingers of his right hand through Cerat’s soft white hair. “You don’t have to worry about hurting anyone right now. Your filed fangs won’t let you.”

When Cerat looked up at him from where he still suckled against the cut, Warden could tell that he was still wild. Yet he had stopped trying to bite. He wasn’t attacking him, either. He was just drinking what he desperately needed as it became available from the cut Warden had given himself.

“You need to bite him.”

Looking over his shoulder, Warden’s eyes widened when he saw Drake walking over. He hadn’t even noticed he’d gone and grabbed a tablet, then evidently looked something up online.

“If you bite him like a sire would have, the vampire part of him may begin to identify you as his true master. It will likely take awhile and may require several bites, but it may also help with his control.” Drake said as he tossed the tablet aside on the floor and sat down next to them.

The idea of biting Cerat didn’t exactly sit well with him, but it was just a bite. He could do it. Would do it, if it would help Cerat take his life back.

Adjusting his sitting position some, Warden tilted his wrist and lifted it above his head a little, drawing Cerat closer until the vampire was practically in his lap. He then slowly moved his free arm around his torso, then waited. Instead of shying away, Cerat settled in, grasping Warden’s arm with both hands as he lost himself further in feeding.

Taking his chance, Warden leaned forward and placed his lips on Cerat’s cold skin, then closed his eyes. Just do it. He told himself as he slowly opened his mouth. He was about to bite down when he felt a sudden shove against his chest, forcing his eyes open. Drake? Warden thought, startled to see his friend’s shoulder in his line of site as he leaned in on the other side of Cerat’s neck. A low growl emanated from the werewolf’s chest and as he felt Drake’s arms wrap around his back and squeeze both him and Cerat against him. The moment Cerat flinched, likely indicating that Drake had bitten him, Warden bit down, too.

9. Snarl

He doesn’t quite taste like cat, but I think I could get used to the flavor. Drake thought as he finally released Cerat… then watched the vampire tackle Warden to the blankets. “Ferocious little bugger. Well, I’m gonna leave him to you now that I’ve had a nibble. Let me know if you don’t need me!” Drake said as he stood up and returned to the food he had been cooking on the stove. 

The hamburger was perfect, so he took it off of the burner and got down two plates. After loading them up with burger, then smothering them in ketchup, he began to dig in. Loud snarls and yelps were heard from the living room area, but eh, he knew that Warden could manage… or at least Cerat couldn’t drink him dry. The guy’s belly would get too full or he’d have to throw up. He was kinda surprised he hadn’t yet, actually.

Glancing in the room from where he was leaning against the counter, Drake saw Warden pin Cerat down against the blankets. The angel was panting hard and his wings were unfurled. 

Something caught his attention to the left of them as it blurred toward Warden, then latched onto his bottom lip.  Oh my god. That rabbit is awesome. Maybe I won’t eat it after all. Drake thought as he watched the rodent dig its buck teeth into Warden’s lip. Blood began to run down the animal’s fur as Warden snarled. Drake could tell that he wanted to jerk his head and get free of the beast, but at the same time he knew that it would rip his lip badly if he did so. 

Pursing his own lips, Drake sighed and set his food down, then walked over. The rabbit wisely dropped from Warden’s lip and bolted, leaving several pellets in its wake all the way across the room. Gross. He thought before redirecting his attention to Cerat and grabbing the back of the guy’s head. Shoving it into the blankets, he watched as Warden darted out of range, then Drake released the vampire.

Of course, Cerat tried to bite and grab him, but Drake just slapped him hard across the face, then stood up and backed away. “Bitch, no one bites this dog unless he wants them to.” He paused for a moment after saying that, then added. “And you’re not a bitch.”

Cerat sat back on his heels and glared, baring his teeth with a hiss.

“Tsk. That’s a cat. I eat cats. Do you want me to eat you, little Carrot?” Drake asked as he leaned closer but made sure to remain out of reach.

“Fuck you.” Cerat growled back, clearly still feeling the effects of the blood coursing through his veins.

Drake just chuckled and straightened back up. “We just went over that. Unless you grow a tail and an extra hole, I don’t think we’re gonna get together. So sorry.”

“Stop instigating, Drake. He’s got it hard enough as it is right now.” Warden returned as he stalked past Drake and into the kitchen.

Drake followed, a smirk on his face as he watched Warden begin to clean blood from his lip. “He’s not hard at all, though that biting thing kinda got me twitching down there.”

That had his friend pausing, a paper-towel pressed against his mouth as he scowled. Drake just snickered and finished off his plate of food, then went for Warden’s, since the guy didn’t grab it yet. He only had so much nice in him. And after the food went away, usually the nice did, too.

“I’m assuming that was my portion?” Warden asked as he walked to the fridge after tossing the soiled paper-towel in the trash and pulling out a protein shake he’d brought over from the cafe at work.

As he turned, Drake walked over and snagged the drink, unscrewing the lid and taking a long swig. Before he could down the whole thing, however, the sound of ruffling feathers sounded, then a weight settled on his shoulder. You’re lucky your bone sare hollow and you weigh half of what a normal person your size would. He thought.

“Oy. Chicken. Off my shoulder or I’m gonna eat you and take your boy-toy.” Drake warned. 

Warden shifted where he crouched on Drake’s shoulder, his lighter weight nothing to the werewolf. “The last thing Cerat is to me is a toy, Drake.” He noted, though still didn’t move.

“Oh? Aren’t there little angel and demon people on your shoulders telling you to deflower or save him? Granted, I guess you already tried to save him, so now you just have to hump him till you find a better personality, and you’ll be good.”

Drake ducked out from under Warden right before Warden could smack him. He ran into the single bedroom, laughing maniacally the entire way. He was about to jump on the guy’s bed and maybe tear up a few pillows, like any good

bad dog would, when he felt claws dig into his left arm and yank him backward to the floor.

The reaction he gave was instant, and aggressive. Drake felt his wolf break from of his skin as it jerked its head back and forth, shredding skin and cracking bones in the process. It fucking hurt, but he was so used to it that it didn’t phase him anymore. Thankfully, his skin was reabsorbed by his body during the change… or Warden’s bedroom floor would be disgusting.

When his body was fully formed he whirled around on Cerat and let out a roaring snarl, standing on his hind legs. The vampire wisely backed away, grabbing the rabbit and holding it up like a shield. It was literally crapping itself repeatedly. Nasty brown pinball dispenser. That’s what you are. Drake thought as he snapped his oversized teeth at the two.

He couldn’t talk while in his wolf form, except to other werewolves, but he sure as hell seemed to have gotten his point across. Unfortunately, until he calmed down completely, he was stuck being fluffy. At least he didn’t challenge me after I growled at him. Drake thought, glad that something was already showing from their feeding and biting the vampire. Of course, they had a while to go, but something was better than nothing.

“I ate the rest of your food… since it was mine, anyways.” Warden said as he walked in and began stripping out of his clothing.

He’s not going back to work?

As if he’d heard his thoughts, Warden looked over at him. Drake lowered himself back to four paws and grinned as Warden tossed his expensive shirt in the laundry basket Drake had brought over and set in the corner. “I’m not going back tonight. Dad has stuff covered, so I’m going to pass the hell out and enjoy every second of it.”

You’re lucky I actually did some stuff, like bring over a bed, blankets, and all the shit you forgot.  Drake thought as hopped up on the bed. There wasn’t even an box spring under it, but he didn’t give a damn. 

“Hey! You know I don’t want fur up here. Go sleep on the floor or with Cerat.” Warden grumbled as he shucked his pants, then crawled under the blankets with just boxers on.

Shut up, Tweety. Drake thought as he got up, then ran over the length of the large bed until he found a nice white pillow. Plopping his ass down on it, he made sure to rub on it a bit, then flopped over. His head landed on the pillow right next to the one Warden’s was resting on, making his cold nose brush against the angel’s.

The look he got was absolutely priceless. Drake felt his wolfish lips pull back into a smirk, then just to rub in the butthurt a little bit more, he ran his tongue from Warden’s jaw to his forehead. He thought the gesture would get him punched, and he kind of deserved it, but when Warden just got up and switched off the light, then flopped back down in the bed, Drake huffed out a snort.

“I’m going to shave you in your sleep.” Warden finally said as he snuggled into his blankets and closed his eyes on a yawn.

Then there would be a whole lot more fur in your bed, bud. Drake thought as he stood up, then leaned over and lifted the edge of the blanket with his nose. When there was enough space, he maneuvered himself beneath the blankets and pressed himself up against Warden. The guy grumbled, but he was out cold moments later.

You’ve always been a softy. He thought as he stifled a yawn, then closed his own eyes. He didn’t go to sleep right away, though. Instead, he kept his ears perked up and listened as Cerat moved about the small apartment. He made his way to the kitchen and stayed there for a few minutes, but then wandered slowly into the bedroom. 

Drake considered growling at him as he heard the guy get closer, but when the bed dipped near his feet, then he felt a light weight press up against them, he made himself stay quiet. It wasn’t until fifteen minutes or so passed before he heard Cerat’s quiet even breathing at the bottom of the bed. 

I guess that’s okay. He’s not trying to bite us and he could definitely use some rest. 

Satisfied, Drake nudged his head a bit more against Warden, earning a grunt, then relaxed his body, drifting off to sleep in seconds.

10. Sigh

Waking up to morning breath and wolf breath together, was not pleasant. Forcing down a gag, Warden pushed himself up and looked toward the living room, only to see Cerat curled up at the bottom of the bed.

Feeling something move beside him, Warden turned his attention to Drake just in time to see the man finish shifting back to his human form, then sit himself up. He didn’t seem quite awake yet, though, as he just kind of leaned over against his shoulder.

“You don’t look nearly as ferocious or annoying as you normally do when you’re half asleep and naked in my bed.” Warden mumbled sarcastically. It was true, though. Drake actually looked pretty calm with his eyes closed and features relaxed.

“Start fantasizing about me… n’ I’ll bite yer dick off.” Drake whispered as he slowly slid his weight from Warden’s shoulder until he was resting the upper half of his body in his lap, which was thankfully covered by the blanket.

Rolling his eyes, Warden grinned and set his right hand on top of Drake’s soft hair. “Good morning to you, too.” He said before moving his hand to poke Drake’s cheek.

The gesture got a growl out of the werewolf, but it was clear that he wasn’t going to respond with anything physical.

“I have to get to work, Drake. Need my lap back, if you don’t mind.” Warden finally said. He knew that Drake usually went in later than him, so he couldn’t care less if he slept for a bit longer, but he really needed to get a shower and possibly feed Cerat.

Glancing back over to the vampire, he noticed that Cerat was awake but hadn’t moved yet. Perhaps he won’t be hungry until later. Warden thought as he decided to just shove Drake off his lap, then stand. Of course, he knew that Cerat was starving but likely wouldn’t ask for food. I’ll think of something. 

Stepping into the bathroom, Warden let his boxers drop to the floor, then started the shower. While it warmed up, since it took a minute, he brushed his teeth. When he turned back to the shower after rinsing out his mouth, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped open.

“Told you he was your boy-toy. You’re practically drooling and I haven’t even stripped him yet.” Drake said as he set Cerat down on his feet and began removing his clothing, even though it was clear that the vampire wasn’t happy about it.

“There. You sure you don’t wanna do him before I wash him? Stuff can be a pain to get off if it’s left to sit for awhile…” Drake said with a wolfish grin.

Groaning, Warden shook his head and walked past Drake. Grabbing Cerat’s hand, he was about to turn back toward the room, where he should be waiting, but he then realized that he probably could use a shower. Dammit. Whirling back around, he tugged the guy into the shower and slid the door shut behind them before Drake could come in.

“You can shower after or go use the one at my penthouse.” He said as he turned and grabbed the shampoo.

Handing the bottle to Cerat, he started washing his own body with a light citrus-smelling soap. He wasn’t a fan of most scents, but it was just strong enough to clean well and leave a reasonably fresh smell. At that moment, it was actually quite relaxing just to stand partially under the water and clean himself up.

He might have also been glancing over at Cerat every few seconds out of curiosity, though of what, he likely couldn’t say. The guy was too thin and far too pale.

When he noticed Cerat waiting to rinse out his hair, he stepped to the back of the shower. Since the soap would just rinse off his body when he did his hair, Warden grabbed the shampoo and began to lather it in his own hair.

“You perverted miscreant!”

Oh come on. Warden thought as he let his wings unfurl and cover his front right as he heard the shower door being shoved to the side.

“I wasn’t doing anything but showering, ma’am.” He growled out as he tried to swipe at the soap around his eyes so that he could open them. “What are you doing in here again, anyways?” Not to mention that it couldn’t be later than seven in the morning, too.

There was silence for a moment, so Warden hurried to rinse his hair, then wipe his eyes so that he could see the woman glaring at him just beyond the shower doors. She was wearing her name tag on her shirt, so Warden figured she had come up right before she intended to start work.

“Ma’am, I have to get to work soon and was just letting Cerat wash. Drake shoved him in here and I didn’t think it would matter, but I didn’t touch him or anything.” He said, feeling more and more uncomfortable as the woman stared, even with his wings covering his middle.

She held up a small packet of stapled papers, a smirk growing on her face as Warden leaned forward to read the bold print near the top. The vampire, Cerat, is permitted to continue working at Flora’s Pet Shop under the contract he had previously signed with the owner of the store for six months of employment. Once those months have passed, the employment will be terminated.

What. The. Hell?

“This is an official document from the supernatural counsel.” Warden said to himself as he hurried to step out of the shower and wrap a towel around his waist.

Instead of replying, the woman reached forward and grabbed Cerat’s wrist, then tugged him from the shower and headed for the door to Warden’s room. “I’m taking him, since he clearly belongs to me between the hours of seven A.M. and six P.M.” She stated after passing through the bedroom door and heading for the front one.

“Wait! You can’t just take him!” And definitely not while he was naked!

The woman turned around, slowing Warden’s steps as he approached. When he got close enough she handed him the stapled papers. “Those say I can. And I will drag him out of here in his birthday suit if you don’t get him some clothing right now. I have a business to run, and I need my employee.”

Rubbing a hand down his face, Warden sighed and turned, making his way back into the bedroom. It took him a minute to find some clothes, including a large sweatshirt to hide the electric collar, that would fit Cerat. He handed them to the vampire to change while he turned his attention back to the woman.

“Do these papers say anything about him being watched? You aren’t going to be able to control a vampire, even one who’s weakened, if he gets triggered by blood.” He said, confused about the whole situation and what it would mean for him.

Flora just laughed and shook her head. “He still needs to be watched twenty-four hours a day. That’s why I’ve taken the liberty of converting the break room into an office. Well, actually, I just added wifi, since my other employees were asking for it, but you can just use that and work on your laptop.”

That’s not how my job works! Why does everyone think it’s that simple? Warden growled in his mind as he turned around and blew out a frustrated breath, trying to keep his cool.

“Grandma!” Drake yelled as he came barreling past him in a pair of black dress pants, his hair damp and a shirt in hand. Evidently, he’d stepped into the shower after they had gotten out. Fastest shower I think he’s even taken.  “Come to throw another wrench at our soggy chicken here?” Drake asked, making Warden frown as he remembered his soaked feathers dripping water all over the floor.

“Hello, sweetheart. Yes, I’m just taking back what’s mine.” She stated simply, then looked back to Warden. “Hurry up and get dressed. I don’t appreciate tardiness.”

Unable to think of anything to say in response, Warden stomped away and pulled on a pair of boxers and pants, socks and shoes, then grabbed several towels and a shirt. Since he wasn’t going into the office, thanks to grandma, he got a casual shirt. Tossing the towels and shirt over his left shoulder, he then grabbed his laptop bag he’d left near the bed and walked back out to see that the old woman was munching on a waffle and Cerat had some spinach he was hungrily shoving into his mouth.

“Oh, he’s finally ready. Well, I’ll see you later, sweetheart. Thank you for the breakfast.” She called to Drake as she turned and headed out the door.

“Stop eating my food!” Warden yelled back at Drake as he ran out the door, knowing full-well that the werewolf would likely have half of the small fridge cleared out and in his stomach just for saying that by the time he got back.

Where did I go wrong? I’m so confused. He thought as they headed down the stairs to the first floor shop.

As soon as the woman got the door open he stalked to the back and went into the break room. Of course. There was a sign in the corner written in Sharpie and held up with duct tape that read POULTRY OFFICE, DO NOT DISTURB. DISTURBED ENOUGH ALREADY, with an arrow pointing to the corner beside the vending machine.

Fuck my life. He thought angrily as he got his laptop set up after wrapping the towels around his wet wings and setting down his shirt, glad that she at least put a small stained coffee table in the corner so that he had somewhere to set it down that wasn’t the floor.

“The employee bathroom is in the back left corner.”

Hearing the woman’s voice, Warden looked up, grunting in response before sitting down in the small metal folding chair he’d need to replace later.

“Lunch is taken around one, though it depends on how busy we are.”

Warden nodded, already pulling up the work he was behind in. When he heard the door to the room shut, he relaxed slightly and decided to just make do with what he had at that moment.

At least Cerat gets to be out of that apartment for awhile. 

The thought brought a small smile to his face. Perhaps the situation could work. At least until the contract ended. Or he’d get fired for getting too far behind, though, it was much more likely that the pet shop owner would drive him insane long before then.

Wonderful.

11. Work

(Pretty much the second half of the previous chapter)

Working at the pet shop was surprisingly less stressful than he’d thought. Well, in some aspects. Warden still had to make constant phone calls and was going insane with the amount of emails he was getting about his sudden disappearance from the office, but at least the employees at the pet shop didn’t bother him much. 

Glancing up at the clock hanging above the tilted vending machine, Warden noted that it was getting close to one. I wonder if he’ll even want anything… probably just spinach. He thought, knowing that he couldn’t buy him any. Of course, that didn’t mean the crazy store owner wouldn’t.

Leaning back in his chair, Warden pressed his cool fingers to his forehead and sighed, closing his eyes. He’d gotten work done, which was good. And he was technically watching Cerat so the vampire was safe. It was all just extremely tiring after thinking he would have a nice easy day at his office.

Feeling an odd sensation in the back of his mind, Warden opened his eyes and moved his hand right as he heard something click on the other side of the small room.

“Oh. Hey Cerat. How is work going?” He asked, giving the young man a small smile.

When the action wasn’t returned, Warden sat up a bit straighter, curious. He waited quietly as Cerat walked over, stopping only a foot or so away from where he sat.

“I’ve been thinking.” Cerat finally said, his voice quiet. Almost a whisper.

Warden couldn’t help but widen his smile a little as he leaned forward. “Oh? Is that why you’ve been so quiet the last few days?” He asked. He knew that part of it was probably because of the situation and what he’d had to deal with involving it, but if even a little bit of Cerat’s distance was created by him being lost in thought, he might feel a little better about everything.

When Cerat finally smiled, blunted fangs peeking out from beneath his upper lip, Warden felt a nervous twitch in his stomach.  They grow back faster than I thought. “Kind of.” He replied as he stepped forward, pressing his legs against Warden’s as he stared down at him.

“So… what have you been thinking about?” Warden prompted, feeling awkward all of a sudden.

Instead of answering, Cerat slowly slid into his lap, straddling him as he leaned forward to nuzzle the collar of his shirt away from his skin. His tongue quickly began lapping at the warm skin when it was accessible as his arms snaked up Warden’s back. One wrapped around his neck while the other dug claws into the back of his shirt.

“When you two bit me, I could suddenly think without all of the darkness blinding my mind.” Cerat finally said, his cool breath ghosting over Warden’s skin and making him shiver. “I need a sire who will help me gain control.” He said as he scraped his fangs along Warden’s neck.

“We want to help you learn control.” Warden stuttered as he reached up and grabbed Cerat around the middle to try and tug him back gently. He didn’t budge.

“I’m glad someone finally does. I’m going to try and change things, but right now, I can’t think straight enough to continue working around so many humans…” Cerat said as a quiet growl left his throat.

Warden swallowed, the sound strangely audible in the quiet room.

“You want to save me? Bite me.” Cerat whispered before he sank his fangs into Warden’s neck, needing to use some extra force since they weren’t their normal length, nor sharp. A ferocious snarl followed the action as his control clearly began to slip.

Warden was still going through all of what Cerat had told him as he struggled to keep from pushing him away. Since the guy was normally quiet and never really talked much, even when they’d first met, he hadn’t expected to hear so much. But he knew that he needed to regain control of the situation, and the only way he could think to do that was to bite him, then order him to stop. He did just that, though, when he went to lean away after having bitten him, Cerat moved his hand up and forced his head down firmly, making him unable to withdraw.

Anger welled in Warden’s chest as he struggled to remove Cerat from his lap and neck. He could feel his wings beginning to break free of his back after having tucked them away once they’d dried, and was about to let them, when Cerat finally retracted his fangs and leaned back, licking his lips.

“Do not do that again.” Warden growled as he strengthened his grip on Cerat’s middle. 

Cerat just smiled and turned his neck from side to side slightly, likely feeling the bite Warden had given him. Warden could definitely feel the one he’d gotten. It ached pretty badly, even with his healing abilities, fueling his frustration.

“If you needed food, you should have asked. Don’t try to take it that way again or I will find a way to terminate this arrangement at the store.” He said.

Frowning, Cerat slowly moved off of Warden and stepped back. He was surprised that he wasn’t losing control or throwing up. Perhaps the biting really does help him. Of course, he was still skeptical about it, but Cerat seemed a lot more in control of himself at the moment. Seemingly having restored the peace, Warden took a deep breath and straightened back up in his seat, eyes narrowing on Cerat. “Go back to work, now.” He said, not wanting the vampire around while he was mad at him.

Thankfully, Cerat didn’t argue and just nodded, turning before walking over to the refrigerator the other workers stored their food in. After a moment of digging around in it, he pulled out a container of fresh spinach and smiled over at Warden. “Wouldn’t want to scare any of the humans into thinking that I can stomach blood a little better now.” He said before unlocking the door and stepping out of the room. 

Shit. What just happened? Warden thought as he hurried to type out an email to Drake. The guy usually silenced his phone during work hours since most of his correspondence was done with a handheld radio and computer emails. When he’d finished updating him on what had just happened, Warden returned to his own work. There was little he could do about Cerat right then, and if he got too far behind, he wouldn’t have any time to try and figure out the vampire.

His mind kept wandering throughout the remainder of the day, always finding its way back to what had happened. Every time, he felt the bite he had covered with his shirt collar begin to ache again. You just have to be more careful tomorrow. Tell him exactly what he can and can’t do. He told himself when he decided to close his laptop for the day and get ready to leave, as it was time for the store to close.

When he stepped out of the office, he walked around the store looking for Cerat. It wasn’t until he went back to the bird department that he found him. A large macaw, one of the few the store had for sale, as they wanted the birds to have adequate space and could only comfortably house three, the sign near their enclosures said, was perched on Cerat’s shoulder. It was nibbling at strands of his hair, clearly tugging hard enough to cause pain, but Cerat was just laughing quietly as he ruffled the feathers atop the bird’s head playfully.

Warden leaned against the wall beside him and watched, curious as to where the aggressive Cerat from earlier had gone. He was being sweet and gentle with the bird, yet he’d pretty much attacked him in the back office. I know that when he gets hungry for blood, he becomes aggressive or forces himself to starve, but that doesn’t explain his sudden change unless the bites were helping… but if they were, then he should be wanting to please us more as his sires, not make us mad.

“Seems like your guard dog is here to get you, Cerat. You’re free to go for the night once you put Maximus away.” The owner said as she stuck her head around a corner, calling to him.

Cerat jumped and turned his attention to Warden as the woman left. He seemed confused, or even worried, for a moment before putting the bird back in its enclosure and locking it. When he finally walked over to stand in front of him, quiet as normal, Warden gestured for Cerat to follow him out of the store. The vampire did as told without a word, making Warden even more curious as they ascended the stairs up to the apartment.

For once, I hope Drake is here. We definitely need to talk about Cerat. He thought as he hurried up the stairs, Cerat on his heels.

12. Sense

(Galapagos tortoise, Winston, 83yrs old and 500+ pounds.) 

After finishing cleaning his beautifully groomed fur, Drake shifted into his human form and languidly climbed out of the bed. Well, it was Warden’s, technically, but he didn’t care.

The guy has less friends over than I have orgasms in a week, and I doubt that he’s going to be using this bed for anything but sleeping with his pet vampire here. He thought as he sauntered into the bathroom and stepped into the shower.

His sensitive hearing easily caught when Warden returned home. The lighter sounding footsteps that followed his before the door shut could only be Cerat’s. Mm, my little carrot.

Remembering what Warden had told him earlier in the day, he eagerly finished washing up, dried off, and tugged on a pair of silver shorts. Moments later he was heading for the living room, lips stretching into a grin as Warden came into view. From the look on his face and slouching posture, the day had been quite interesting.

“Hey Tweety. You look like you had a blast with my carrot. Should I be jealous?” Drake asked as he followed Warden into the kitchen, intent on stealing whatever he planned to cook after noting Cerat getting comfortable in his now-trademark blanket in the corner.

When Warden just pulled out a container of orange juice and began sipping at it, straight from the carton, Drake frowned. He didn’t like being ignored, but Warden didn’t normally do it unless he was exhausted or overly-stressed.

“What happened? You said he seemed to be acting weird in the email you sent me.” Drake said as he hopped up on the counter, letting his legs hang over the edge as he stared down at Warden.

It wasn’t until Warden took several more sips from the juice carton that he straightened and leaned his back against the counter, then turned his head to meet Drake’s eyes. “It’s almost like he’s decided to change who he is now. The Cerat we’ve had wasn’t the one I saw for a few minutes at the pet shop today. He was… different. Not a different person or a split personality, but he seemed so much stronger than the Cerat we know”

Drake nodded silently, his eyes staring past Warden as he thought about his words. It wasn’t too surprising to him, mainly because werewolves could technically change similarly if there’s an upheaval in the pecking order. The temperament could change depending on the situation and, in Cerat’s case, he finally seemed to be growing a backbone. 

“I think it’s actually something normal. To a point.” He said as he refocused his attention on Warden.

The angel raised a brow, his expression changing to one of confusion. Knowing that he’d likely just stare for awhile, as Warden wasn’t the best with words when he was stressed, Drake just continued on.

“Werewolves that have to deal with sudden changes in their pack tend to evolve their personalities depending on what is best for them. Cerat’s vampire, after being suppressed for so long by him refusing to drink blood, is likely just beginning to learn that it is actually allowed to exist and can have a say in what Cerat does, as long as he’s willing to agree with it.”

When Warden still didn’t respond, just lowered his eyes, Drake rolled his own and leaned forward. Bumping the other man’s forehead with his own, Drake gave out a quiet growl and chuckled, the mixture of sounds making his voice deep and rough when he spoke. “Cheer up, War. He’s still Cerat. In fact, seeing the evolution of his personality tells us that the vampire part of him is still there and that we aren’t just trying to help half of him. We need to support him as a whole. When the vampire is comfortable with who Cerat is, and Cerat is comfortable being a vampire, his personality will likely even out. So, if he’s just being a bit more a brat right now, I think we should welcome it. He’s still our carrot.” 

He knew it sounded crazy, but after seeing so many young werewolves, most of them strays, with rapidly changing personalities, he was pretty sure that his hunch was correct.

Putting on a rare honest smile, Drake moved to the fridge and removed a package of hamburger. Setting it on the counter, he got down a box of pasta and winked as Warden looked up. “I’ve got dinner. You look exhausted, why don’t you go take a bath and relax for a bit?”

The stunned look on Warden’s face made Drake scowl. He wasn’t an ass all the time! Just most of it… Okay. All of it. He thought as he grabbed Warden’s arm and tossed him out of the kitchen.

“I already cleaned up a bit earlier cause I got bored, so go take a bath. You smell like chicken from one of those shitty Chinese places.” He growled at the man’s back before returning to what he had been doing.

He wasn’t exactly a chef… or even someone who could follow directions, but he could unwrap beef and put it in a pan. He could also manage basic pasta. Nothing was going to be seasoned, but considering that Warden was almost as bad as he was when it came to cooking, neither of them would give a damn.

He made sure that the meat wouldn’t burn, paying extra attention to it and the pasta. As he worked, a thought kept trying to sneak into his mind. He didn’t want to acknowledge it, but when it finally managed to slip through his defenses, he knew that he’d have to give it some serious thought.

I need to go with Cerat to the store sometimes. War needs to work in a quiet place more than I do. Hell, I rarely work, too.  

Drake felt odd thinking about trying to help someone. He was never one to stick his neck out for anyone, not even War. It just wasn’t his personality and his wolf’s? Hell no. But War deserves a break. He’s been going crazy with Cerat and I’ve just been sitting back enjoying the show.

Sighing, Drake shook his head and began plating up the food. He didn’t bother mixing the meat in with the pasta and instead just dropped two spoonfuls on top of the noodles on each plate. After tossing the pot and pan he’d used in the sink, he added two forks to the plates and carried them into the bedroom.

He wasn’t surprised to see Cerat cuddled up with Thumper in the corner with his blanket, as he thought he’d heard him moving while he was cooking. He also wasn’t surprised to see that Warden still wasn’t out of the bathroom. Drake walked over to the old nightstand and set the plates down, then turned and headed for the bathroom. He would have yelled through the door, but Cerat needed to rest since he was working again and dealing with his personality changes.

So, he quietly slipped inside of the steamy bathroom and slid the door shut before turning around and opening his mouth to tell Warden he needed to get his ass out of the tub before the food he worked hard to make got cold… but instead of words coming out of his mouth, he sighed out a silent breath as his lips closed together.

Warden was still in the bathtub, but Drake hadn’t expected him to have his arms crossed over the outer corner, the side of his head resting on the crook of his left arm, eyes closed. His shoulders rose and fell in a slow rhythm as quiet breaths slipped from his parted lips.

“…Hey Drake?”

“Drake?”

Blinking, Drake swallowed and stepped back, looking down at Warden as he sat up in the tub and yawned.

when did he wake up? He thought as he took another awkward step back and reached up to rub at the back of his neck. “I made dinner. Get your ass out of the tub.” He mumbled before turning and walking out, leaving the door wide open as he stalked toward his food.

By the time Warden was out of the bathroom Drake had disappeared, having needed to go for a walk for some reason. His food remained untouched on the nightstand he’d set it down on after entering the room. He was starving, but the idea of eating didn’t sit well with his stomach at all. He had no idea what had happened to his mind when he was in the bathroom.

Sure, he knew his wolf had been part of his nervousness, but his wolf never had full control over him… so half of it had to be him. But why the fuck would I be nervous about being near Warden? We grew up together and I could take him easily in a fight.

Closing his eyes, Drake began running toward the forest as a frustrated growl left his lips. 

You’re just tired. Go to sleep when you get back, then eat whatever he has left in the fridge tomorrow. He told himself. After a moment of thought, he decided to do just that… of course, after he finished the meal he’d worked so hard to make, and so help War if it wasn’t where he’d left it when he got back.

13. Stare

(Baby rhinos sound like kittens… and are very soft.)

Waking up to the feeling of being watched is always unsettling. As Warden blinked open his eyes, he could actually feel a heavy weight in the air. He struggled to sit up, pulling thick breaths into his lungs like his room had filled with humidity.

When his eyes cleared from sleep and settled at the foot of his bed, he felt uneasy. Stumbling out of bed, Warden pushed himself up off the floor. It was clear that Cerat wasn’t there, but he could still feel his presence in the room.

Where is he?  He asked himself seconds before his movements stopped abruptly at the sight of something in his peripheral vision. Cerat. The vampire was perched in a predatory crouch on one of the chairs pushed slightly away from the tiny dining table, narrowed eyes a soft red as they remained pinpointed on him. 

“I’m hungry, Warden.”

Shifting warily, Warden slowly made his way out of the room. Cerat hopped down from where he had been crouching and made his way toward Warden, meeting him halfway. Warden noticed that Cerat’s electric collar was clearly damaged as he got closer. Carefully-placed claw marks sliced at the small electrical box on its side, likely removing any future possibility of it being of any actual use.

“You’re hungry? Why didn’t you wake me up?” He asked as Cerat continued to stare, a quiet rumble starting from his chest that easily unnerved Warden.

The vampire smiled after a moment, then chuckled. “I don’t like causing trouble, but for some reason, I kind of want to now. If you want to go back to sleep, I’d be glad to wake you up, but you said that you would get mad if I bit you again like I had last time.”

When Warden didn’t reply right away, Cerat leaned forward and gestured with his finger for Warden to come closer. Instead of doing what he wanted, Warden stepped back and straightened his shoulders, eyes narrowing defiantly.

“I told you that I wasn’t yours to just take blood from whenever you want.” He stated with his serious, boss voice. He wasn’t a walking blood bag for the vampire.

Cerat seemed to find his words funny, because he threw his head back, off balancing his body to flop over on the carpet and laughed quietly. The sound echoed in Warden’s head, making him fidget.

“Oh. You are, Angel.” Cerat said as he sat up abruptly, a lopsided smirk on his face. “You need to feed me whenever I need blood, because I’m starving.” He said as he stood and stepped up to Warden. He had to look up at him, but not enough to dissolve the worry building in Warden’s gut.

“And that’s all. Your. Fault.”

The words hurt, because Warden knew that they were true. He’d put Cerat in a situation where he had to rely on others for everything. Of course his personality is starting to change now. I’d let myself change and adapt as quickly ass possible in his situation, too.

“Let me drink.” Cerat mumbled, his words slurring as he allowed his fangs to extend. They still weren’t completely back to points, making Warden’s stomach turn. It would hurt… but he deserved it for what he’d done to the guy.

Unable to quell the unsettling feeling in his belly, Warden let his knees drop to the carpet. His body tensed and he shivered as he felt Cerat’s frigid hands on his shoulders as he knelt down. “Good Angel.” He whispered as he leaned over, fangs scraping against the right side of Warden’s neck.

Warden squeezed his eyes shut and balled his fists, waiting for the pain to start. His heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest with each new scrape. With each non-bite. When he finally heard Cerat growl and the sharp sting of his fangs breaking his skin, he stiffened, ready to ride out the pain. Except, a roaring snarl broke through his thoughts and then Cerat’s fangs were gone. Warden jerked his left hand up to cover the wound the abrupt removal of the vampire’s teeth had caused, as his eyes located Cerat to his left, slammed against the wall, held there by Drake’s snarling, half-formed wolf.

Fur sprouted from his skin, along with claws and a blunt, fanged muzzle, but it was clear that he was still more in his human form than anything as he leaned into Cerat’s face. “Someone’s getting cocky.” Drake rumbled, his words almost not intelligible through his partially transformed muzzle.

With a grunt of annoyance, he tossed Cerat away. It only took Warden a moment to realize that Cerat’s personality had changed a few moments after he’d landed over in the corner when he hurried to cower under the blankets he’d left there. 

“He doesn’t need anymore food, Warden!”

Hearing Drake’s angry, yet human voice, Warden snapped his attention up to the man. He had already moved in front of him and was dropping to his knees. “Move your hand.” He growled, making Warden hesitate with a scowl.

“Don’t start shit. Move your fucking hand or I’ll break it!” Drake snarled.

Warden started doing as told, awkwardly slowly. It wasn’t fast enough for Drake, though. He reached over and yanked Warden’s arm down by the wrist, then leaned over fast enough to make Warden lean backward out of instinct.

“Fucking stupid chicken. He’s had more than enough blood!” Drake snarled as he leaned forward, putting himself between Warden’s legs. He lifted his bare right leg slightly and rested it on Warden’s pajama-clothed left one, pinning it to the floor with his weight as he began sniffing at the blood flowing from the injury Cerat had made.

“He would have fucking drained you if he lost control, which would have likely happened. Stupid, idiot, dumbass bird.” Drake growled angrily. 

Most of Drake’s fur vanished as he spoke, leaving only small bits of color just barely-there on the surface of his skin. His muzzle had also retracted, though Warden doubted his fangs had disappeared considering the anger in his voice.

Heat that could have been considered scalding in comparison to Cerat’s cold hands suddenly warmed his injury, making Warden flinch and hiss in a breath. A deep growl echoed him, a warning not to move as Drake continued to slowly clean away the blood as he moved his right hand to rest on Warden’s bare shoulder. It was hot, too, and strong. There would definitely be a bruise, but Warden knew better than to go against the man when he was so furious.

“I’m going with him today. You’re going to work at the office.” He growled after several tense minutes.

Warden didn’t dare argue, even if it was his responsibility to go with Cerat. He gave a stiff nod, expecting Drake to withdraw from his neck since he’d stopped licking when he’d accepted his words. Instead of moving away, Drake began to nip at Warden’s already-injured skin. A low rumble echoed from his chest, the sound almost like a deep purring growl.

“Drake…?”

His friend’s head jerked into his abruptly, making Warden yelp and reach up to grasp his head as he felt Drake jump away from him. Before he could even look up, the sound of the man’s footsteps quieted as he ran from the room.

The hell?

14. Devour

After shredding two expensive outfits and biting a toothbrush in half, Drake was dressed and ready for the morning to begin. Fuck, I wanna go back to sleep. He growled in his mind.. 

By the time he made the short trip to the bedroom, having slept in the living room, he had cooled off enough to keep his wolf from tearing through a third set of clothing. When he realized that Warden had already left, he felt relief flood his body.

“I’m hungry.”

Hearing Cerat’s voice, Drake rolled his eyes until they landed on the vampire. He was grinning, but Drake could actually hear his stomach growling, too.

“Tough shit, carrot.” He replied with a shrug as he walked over.

It wasn’t a surprise when Cerat growled and launched himself at him. Stepping back, Drake snapped his right arm to the left and snagged Cerat’s neck, then slammed him into the floor. The vampire yelped, but instead of struggling or whining, he just gave a quiet cough.

“You’re mean.” Cerat said after a few moments, earning a tighter squeeze around his neck as Drake leaned closer.

“You’re just now learning this?”

Cerat’s face pinched in frustration but he kept back his retort. Drake could see it in his eyes, but smirked when the vampire refused to respond. “Smart shit. Get in the shower.” He growled as he released Cerat and stood up, gesturing to the door to the bathroom.

Wisely, Cerat remained silent as he got up and started for the bathroom, shedding his clothing as he walked. He tried to shut the door, likely intending to lock it, but Drake wasn’t an idiot. At least he wasn’t being one at that moment, because he had quickly followed the vampire and easily stopped him from closing himself inside.

“Not interested in males, now get your pale ass in the shower or you’re going to work without it… and trust me, you need one.” He said. 

Even as he spoke the words, his wolf flashed an image of Warden behind his eyes and made Drake unintentionally bare his fangs at Cerat. While he hadn’t meant to do it, it certainly got the vampire into the shower.

“You have three minutes.” He said as he turned his attention to Warden’s medicine cabinet.

Inside were the basics; pain reliever, headache reliever, band-aids, antibiotic cream, contacts, and… pulling out the small bottle of cologne, Drake sniffed the top and nearly groaned. He’d made Warden switch several times over the years, especially when he got something strong. The current one he had, Drake had picked out himself. His nose was sensitive and it was just strong enough for humans to pick up, without killing his sense of smell.

“What are you doing?”

Blinking out of a daze, Drake glared sideways at a fully-clothed, showered Cerat. Stupid dog, why’d you get caught up in his scent? He growled to his wolf as he gestured for Cerat to follow him out of the room. He knew that the electric collar was broken, but he also knew that it would cause more problems to report that then it was worth. Well, at least for Warden. And for some reason, he didn’t want to cause the guy even more stress just yet.

When they both had their shoes on and Drake had grabbed his keys and wallet, they headed out. 

“Welcome back to work, Carrot. Let’s go.” Drake said as he pushed the back doors to the store open and nudged Cerat inside. 

Instead of going to the back office area Warden had told him about the previous night, he stayed on Cerat’s heels until he stopped in the bird department. Cerat went straight for the macaws, taking each one out and checking that their wings were still clipped, then setting them on their perches. He made sure that each one was out of reach of curious customers, too, but still visible.

He then began cleaning their cages, and Drake noticed as he watched Cerat work, that he was smiling the entire time.

Scrubbing bird shit with a grin on his face.

Drake stared at him for several more minutes, or more likely, close to half an hour, before he began to help. He set down his laptop in the staff area and ignored the nice outfit he was wearing.

Cerat had finished with the birds, including the smaller parakeets, finches, and what not, by the time Drake had done one macaw cage, so they both moved onto the small mammals. After an initial cleaning, they began getting the rabbits out after setting up their little play area fence. Drake’s inner wolf, by that time, was dying to sink his teeth into them. All of the delicious fluffy screams as he chewed their bodies into yummy morsels… 

“Drake…?”

Hearing Cerat’s voice, Drake looked up from where he was crouched on the floor, holding a tan and brown rabbit a bit too tightly.

“Yeah?” He ground out, feeling his wolf just beneath the surface.

Cerat frowned, but then quickly turned it up into a slight smile and moved his hands toward Drake’s. “Can I have him?” He asked, making Drake narrow his eyes.

No. I want to eat him.

Instead of listening to his thoughts, Drake pursed his lips in a pout and handed over the squirming rabbit. When Cerat set the rabbit down on the floor, Drake’s eyes followed it. That’s when he noticed the other four rabbits in the ring cowering as far away from him as they could.

That’s right. Fear me you little appetizers. I shall have you soon enough.

“Hello, Sir. I’d like to meet some of your rabbits please.” A young woman said as she leaned over the small foot-high fence they set up around the bunnies.

When did the store open? 

Not knowing what to say, Drake glanced at Cerat. The young man’s previously stoic expressions had suddenly disappeared, leaving a cautiously excited guy.

“Hello! We have a few males and females. All of them are fixed and litter box trained,” he said as he hurried over to the frightened rabbits and picked up a brown one.

Drake scooted away, allowing the worried rabbit to calm slightly as it was presented to the woman after she stepped inside of the small fence. When Cerat began speaking, Drake couldn’t help but pay attention. The vampire’s excitement was like a drug. Even though he was only speaking about how to take care of the rabbit properly and what the woman would need to buy, he just sounded so… happy.

Turning his attention to one of the other rabbits, Drake scooted over to it and before it could dart away, grabbed it. The thing struggled at first, but when it realized that it couldn’t get away, it relented after landing a few good scratches.

Narrowing his eyes on the bunny held out in his hands, Drake tilted his head slightly, then frowned. “Rabbit. Make me happy.”

The rabbit twitched an ear, then a pellet slowly slid from its backside to bounce onto Drake’s expensive jeans, then drop to the floor. After staring at the turd for three seconds, Drake narrowed his eyes on the rabbit again and bared his teeth. “I’m going to eat you and your children.”

“Drake?”

Glaring over the rabbit at Cerat, Drake realized that the woman had already left and he had the vampire’s full attention. “Please don’t eat Fop.” He said, making Drake wrinkle his nose as he set the terrified rabbit down. It ran away immediately to huddle with the others on the far side of the fenced area.

“Who the hell names a rabbit, Fop?”

Cerat pursed his lips and shrugged, looking down at his pants. Of course. You named it. Stupid Drake. He chastised himself mentally before reaching over and tapping the guy on the head.

“It’s a great name. Epic. I can totally see him as a uh… gladiator bunny. Stabbing all the other bunnies.”

That didn’t sound right.

Rubbing his palms into his eyes, Drake heaved a frustrated sigh and got up, trudging to the back break room he’d left his laptop in earlier. Inside, he got himself a bottle of water, glancing around the small room as he sipped. He was right in the middle of taking a large drink when he saw the sign that could only have been for Warden.

Choking, he coughed several times as he beat his chest, trying to not inhale anymore water while getting what went down the wrong tube, up. When he was finally able to breathe again, he turned to face back toward the door, only to see Cerat standing there. Drake grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as he noticed the temperament change in the young man’s expression.

He expected the vampire to ask for food again, but he didn’t. Instead, he slowly stepped forward until they were practically toe to toe. Cerat met his eyes for a moment, but then looked down, only to have him look back up a moment later.

Come to think of it, he does look really pale.

“You’re really hungry, aren’t you?” Drake asked as he dropped into a seat a step behind him.

Cerat looked like he was going to say no, but when Drake growled quietly, the vampire jumped and nodded. He had thought that he’d gotten enough, but evidently, he hadn’t. Patting his knee, he waited until Cerat was awkwardly perched on his leg before pressing his palm into his back and making him lean in.

“No arguing. Just drink before some stupid human comes in.” He stated when he felt Cerat hesitate.

After a moment the vampire gave up and scraped his fangs over Drake’s neck until he had a decent amount of blood running. He sipped a little, but it didn’t take more than a minute before Cerat threw up all over Drake.

I did not sign up for baby vampire duty… damn you, Warden. He thought as he awkwardly set Cerat on his feet, then stood and stripped his gross shirt off.

“I’m sorry.” Cerat said as Drake finished tugging the ruined clothing over his head.

He’d honestly been surprised that Cerat hadn’t lost control while drinking, but he couldn’t be mad at him for throwing up when he looked so upset already. 

“We’re going home early.” He stated as he strode out of the room, Cerat on his heels without him needing to tell the guy to follow.

Drake knew that he had to work as part of his deal to remain alive, but he couldn’t watch him with a bloody shirt all day and he probably wasn’t feeling very good now. I could totally kill a rabbit now and no one would know the difference, though… Grinning, he waved to the owner, who had been quite busy all morning, then walked out with Cerat. 

I’ll have some explaining to do with Warden when he gets home tonight. Drake thought as he headed up the stairs to the apartment, blocking what his wolf wanted to push into his mind about Warden’s bed as he pulled open the front door. Silence, horny dog. I’m going to have enough problems later. 

(This is a rewrite so if there are any bad mistakes just note them kindly please and I’ll try to get them fixed)

15. Dodge

Working overtime was never fun. Working, in general, was never fun. It wasn’t until nearly nine o’clock that Warden was finally able to leave his office and head back to the tiny apartment above the pet shop. 

On his way up the stairs Warden shrugged off his jacket and took a deep breath, blowing it out along with a good deal of stress. He just wanted to throw something in the microwave, drop onto a chair by the table, since they hadn’t gotten a sofa yet, and eat before he passed out.

I’ve got Cerat tomorrow. He thought, a little more upbeat. Sure, he was still unsure of how to deal with him, but he would figure it out. After a meal and a good night of sleep.

The second he stepped into the apartment, his nose wrinkled at the smell of smoke. He hurried into his kitchen, surprised to see that it wasn’t on fire. He was also surprised to see Drake standing over the sink, washing… dishes?

“I’m afraid to ask.” He said as he walked past the man to take a slice of triple meat pizza from the box on the counter.

Seeing Drake doing the dishes, though he could have sworn that he had barely cooked anything in the past few days, and not having to pay for the pizza he ordered?

“You left a twenty sitting out.” Drake mumbled as he finished drying a pan, then pulled the drain on the sink.

Shaking his head, Warden hopped up onto the counter and nudged off his work shoes. “Why am I not surprised.” He said before taking a big bite of the pizza.

If he ordered pizza, and it’s not burnt, then why do I still smell smoke? Warden thought as he eyed Drake. The man turned and returned the stare for a moment, before reaching for the pizza box, only to stop when his fingers opened the lid and there were only two slices left.

“I uh, am full.” He mumbled to himself as he let the lid drop back into place.

Now I know something’’s up. Warden thought with narrowing eyes. Drake never got full. He could eat two pizzas easily. One? He should have had it gone by the time Warden had gotten home from work.

“Alright, Drake. What’s up?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

The other man shifted awkwardly, then ran a hand through his hair and stared up at the ceiling. He was silent for a moment before lowering his gaze back to Warden’s and shrugging. “I tried to feed Cerat earlier, because he was hungry, but he threw up on me almost right away. And I tried to uh, cook.”

That’s it? Warden thought, confused.

“You aren’t telling me something. Is Cerat okay? Did he do something bad to get your blood?” Warden pushed, leaning forward where he sat on the counter. He knew he could just go check on Cerat since he had seen him in huddled in his corner in the living room, so he had a feeling that the young man throwing up wasn’t causing Drake’s stress.

As he watched him, Drake paced around the kitchen, running his fingers through his hair and tugging at the short strands repeatedly. When he wouldn’t stop walking and actually speak, Warden blew out a breath and slid from the counter. “Fine. Don’t tell me, darn dog.” He grumbled as he stomped past him.

He could feel Drake’s eyes on him as he headed for the bedroom and heard him take in a deep breath, but if he wouldn’t talk to him, he wasn’t going to waste his time watching him pace.

Seeing Cerat actually out from under his blankets was a welcome surprise as he passed through the livingn room. Warden gave him a smile. It wasn’t returned, but at least the vampire didn’t try to hide.

“Are you still hungry, Cerat? Or did you manage to feed again?” He asked as he stopped near the bedroom door and tugged his shirt from where it was tucked into the waistband of his pants, then undid its buttons.

“Careful.” Cerat mumbled quietly, glancing sideways toward the kitchen.

Warden raised a brow as he tossed his shirt into the hamper just inside the bedroom door, then began turning toward where Cerat was staring. He barely moved a couple of inches before he felt something hard slam against his back. The hit made him gasp, and if there weren’t two familiar, muscled arms holding him tightly, pinning his arms to his sides, he would have stumbled forward.

“Drake?” Warden rasped out, his voice suddenly scratchy from shock.

Instead of answering, Drake nuzzled against his neck and growled. The sound was deep and dangerous. His wolf is nearly out. Warden thought as he felt claws inch their way out of Drake’s fingertips, where they curled against his abs.

He had no idea why his best friend was losing control of his wolf so suddenly. Sure, it was always just beneath the surface, but he hadn’t done anything to provoke it, and Cerat didn’t seem to be worried until just before Drake grabbed him.

“Drake, I’m sorry for whatever I did, but please let me go.” Warden said, trying to keep his voice steady. He didn’t need the wolf thinking that he was begging. He wasn’t weak, but he didn’t have Drake’s muscles or his strength. He was agile and did have a good bit of muscle, but against a wolf that already had him disabled? Resisting would be useless.

“Shut up.” Drake growled after several tense seconds.

Warden did. He could feel the man’s heavy breathing against his back as his chest rose and fell. He could tell that Drake was trying to gain control back, but even so, Warden knew that he was having trouble. There was a muzzle slowly growing from his jaws and the claws on his fingers were already fully formed.

It could come to a fight, and that realization made Warden’s stomach twist into knots. They’d fought before. Several times, in fact. He’d lost every single time, though, and got hurt pretty badly if he couldn’t fly away fast enough.

“Hey dog!”

Cerat’s voice was like a balm to Warden’s stress. He stood a few feet in front of them, baring his fangs at Drake.

Drake clearly wasn’t happy about the interruption and returned Cerat’s gesture with his own snarl and a snap of his jaws. Cerat didn’t back down, and that was what Warden had hoped for. A wolf couldn’t back away from a challenge. They were too proud and too cocky.

When Drake’s claws slowly disappeared from Warden’s belly, he dropped to the floor, leaning forward onto his arms as he panted. His eyes were on the carpet, but his focus was completely on what he could hear of the other two.

“You have no right to try and force him to let you claim him, Drake.” Cerat hissed, making Warden’s head whip up in a blur. Claim?

He wasn’t stupid. He knew about wolves claiming their mates. It wasn’t pretty. Lots of blood and possible broken bones, especially around the shoulder and neck area, were involved and it sure as hell wasn’t something he expected to have to worry about from his best friend!

“You’ve got to be joking.” He said quietly in disbelief.

Cerat just glared at Warden while Drake eyed him from over his shoulder before returning his attention to Cerat.

“I’ll do what I want with him.” Drake finally growled to the vampire. His voice was extremely deep and hard to understand. His wolf is talking. How is that even possible? Warden thought as he gaped at his best friend.

While the two eyed each other up, Warden quietly began backing away on his hands and knees. It looked like Drake was about to lunge when Warden finally got close enough to the entry door to make a run for it.

He must have made some sort of sound that he hadn’t noticed because in less than a second, Drake was darting after him, running on his hands and feet. His wolf was mostly out, but a small bit of Drake’s human form still remained. Half transformed. I need to get out, now. Warden thought as he scrambled through the door as his wings unfurled from panic.

When he finally got them straightened out, he was stumbling outside. The air currents int he alley where the side exit was located weren’t nearly strong enough, making him run as quickly as he could manage toward the entrance. He just barely made it and picked up enough wind to lift his body before Drake was able to make a grab for him. Once at a safe height, Warden turned his attention back down to Drake, only to watch the man turn around and run back into the building.

Worried, Warden let himself descend in a circular pattern. He was surprised to see Cerat running outside a few minutes later. Drake was hot on his heels, but when the vampire leaped up, Warden dove, snagging him just in time to pull away from Drake’s attack. 

He could feel Cerat laughing against his chest as he wrapped his arms around his neck and then locked his legs around his waist.

Warden was about to tell him something but paused when he felt Cerat’s slightly blunt fangs tear into his neck. He winced, then scowled as he continued to fly. It wasn’t like he could remove the vampire without killing him with a fall, so he just kept his mouth shut and let the man feed.

At least I still have my wallet on me. He thought as his stomach growled, needing its own food.

He would give Drake some time to regain control and find some dinner for himself, then return and figure out what the hell had gotten into him.

16. Wonder

Get him back! Get him back now! 

Drake snarled at his reflection in Warden’s bathroom. He still had tufts of fur receding back into his skin and some of his wolf’s fangs out. He’d never gotten so out of control so suddenly. Especially not over a girl, let alone a guy. He thought, shaking his head to try and dispel his wolf.

It was rare that he disagreed with the beast, but it had been years since the last time he’d chased Warden off so aggressively. You didn’t chase him off, you made him run away from you. He reminded himself, growling at the thought.

“Well, there’s not a damn thing I can do about it right now.” He grumbled as he turned from the mirror and stalked into the kitchen. It only took him a few minutes to finish cleaning the dishes, but he needed something to keep distracting himself, so he searched the apartment for the vacuum cleaner they had brought over.

It took him fifteen minutes after finding the thing to figure out how to turn it on and move it correctly. He immediately hated the repetitive gestures, noise, and frustrating contraption that never seemed to want to move in a straight line, but it thankfully did get his mind off of Warden.

When he finished, he did their laundry with the ancient machine he’d found, then switched over to the dryer when it had finished.

He heard his phone ring from where he’d left it in the kitchen as he stood debating whether to vacuum again or clean the bathroom. Eager for an excuse to stop being useful, Drake hurried to the kitchen, answering the device on the last ring.

“Hello, Drake?”

Shit, of course it’s him.

“What do you need this time, Merlin?” He asked, already frustrated that it wasn’t Warden, even though he knew the man’s cell phone was sitting on the floor in his bedroom.

Seemingly sensing Drake’s anger, the man on the other end stuttered for a moment before replying. “We need Warden to come back for a little while. There’s a, uh, problem with some numbers.”

That’s my job.

“And why are you not asking me to come in?” Drake growled.

There was shuffling on the other end, then the man responded as if he had a knife held to his throat. “I, you always tell me to ask Warden.”

Thinking back on his words, Drake couldn’t find a single time where he actually went in to work when he was called. He never worked enough to qualify for overtime, either.

“Well I’m your boss, and you better ask me every single damn time from now on, got it? And I’m coming in. Have everything ready for me to go through when I get there.” Drake snarled out before hanging up.

He tossed on the jacket Warden had removed, buttoning it just enough over his bare chest to seem presentable. After a quick glance in the mirror, he finished getting dressed, then grabbed his keys and headed out. Instead of driving, he decided to run.

Stupid mutt. He growled into his mind as he stepped outside and began jogging down the street. His wolf growled back at him, but he just ignored it. It had already gotten him into enough trouble with Warden. He didn’t want to deal with it anymore that night.

Once finally at work, Drake was greeted by several laptops open on his cluttered desk. He always did the bare minimum at work, but he knew that as soon as he agreed to come in, he would have a ton of shit on his plate to deal with. He’d heard horror stories from Warden.

And yet you still signed up for this.

Shaking his head, Drake dropped down into the chair behind his desk and began reading the sticky notes posted on each laptop’s keyboard. He knew that Merlin was too afraid of him to talk to him face to face. He’d gone off on him more than a few times, and it hadn’t been pretty.

“Alright. Might as well get started.”

Cracking his knuckles, Drake began with the first computer of information. It took him nearly half an hour to go through it all, then another twenty minutes to go back and make notes on what he thought was off or important.

He then moved on to the second of the three, finding that there was a lot more going on with the marketing department’s finances than the other parts of the company. Almost twenty-one percent of the funds were disappearing.

How did I not catch this before? He wondered as he chewed on the end of his pen. Of course, he knew the answer to that, and it made his stomach turn with a rare feeling of guilt. It’s my job to catch this stuff, yet I let whoever was doing this get away with it long enough to cause so much damage.

A grin slowly began creeping across his face as Drake dug further into where exactly the money was being withdrawn from. What projects they were. Who had a hand in them. And specifically, who had a hand in every single one of them.

“Got ya.” He said right before yawning.

It was nearly midnight, but he’d found who the person was. The man had been a recent hire a few months back, and had seemingly done a very good job of managing the money for the projects in his department. Very good handling, indeed.

After scheduling an appointment with the man first thing in the morning in Warden’s office and sending Warden an email about it, he shut down each laptop, then leaned back in his chair with a tired sigh.

“Working sucks… but dammit if I’m not glad that I came in. At least the damage is manageable and shouldn’t affect the rest of the company’s budget by more than a percent or two. It was still a lot of money, but he knew that he could get a good portion of it back from the sneaky bastard with one of the company’s lawyers.

Time for a quick nap before I head back to War’s. Hopefully he’s home…

Drake’s eyes were closed before he even finished his thought. His mind went blank a few moments later, not even giving him a second to set the alarm on his phone.

The strong smell of bacon and sausage woke Drake several hours later. He hadn’t eaten much the night before, so he was immediately reaching for the box of food he knew would be on his desk. Thank god I always tell that receptionist to get me breakfast when I’m scheduled to work. He thought as he began shredding the paper, only to realize that there was something off about the meal.

“She… didn’t get it wrong?”

She always got it wrong. Always.

“Hey.”

Jerking his head up, Drake’s mouth dropped open, only to snap shut again. Mine! His wolf shouted in his mind, making Drake bite his lip to fight the beast’s sudden urge to tackle the man. After several deep breaths, he was able to force himself to carefully set the box of food down on his desk and stand.

Warden flinched when he got up, making Drake’s chest tighten. He stayed where he was, knowing that Warden might run if he got the slightest hint that he still couldn’t control himself. It took an excruciating five full minutes before Warden took a step closer… then another, and another.

When hethe man was nearly toe to toe with him, Drake realized that he hadn’t put shoes on. Also, he couldn’t help leaning forward and tugging his best friend into his arms. At first, Warden’s body was stiff, but when nothing else happened, he slowly relaxed and returned the hug.

“I vacuumed.” Drake mumbled as he held himself back from nuzzling Warden’s neck, even though his wolf was wanting him to. 

Warden nodded, but when he didn’t speak, Drake hurried to continue. “I came into work last night and actually worked. I figured out who was taking the money.”

When Warden chuckled, but still didn’t say anything, Drake gave out a quiet whine. “I didn’t eat the rabbit…” He tried one last time, sniffling as he blinked back a tear he refused to shed.

“I accept your apology, Drake.” Warden finally said as he gave his head a soft pat, then backed out of the hug. “I’m going to take care of things with the meeting you emailed me about. Is it okay if you take Cerat again today? I already called in and told his boss that he’d be a bit late.”

Drake had been looking forward to chewing the thief a new asshole, but Warden was probably right. It would be better if he took Cerat for the day and let him deal with the guy. Shrugging, Drake nodded and grabbed his box of food, not wanting to waste it. Before he could make it to the door, however, he felt Warden grab his free hand, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

“Is everything okay, Drake? Is something bothering you, because you know I care about you a lot. You’re my best friend.” Warden said, making Drake purse his lips to keep from baring his teeth. His wolf didn’t like the friend title anymore.

“Drake?”

Feeling a growl build up in his chest, Drake tried to pull free, but Warden had a damn good hold on him. Fuck it. He whirled around, startling Warden enough that he finally released him, but Drake had already been reaching forward, and when Warden tried to step back, he grabbed the man’s hair in a tight grip and yanked him forward. Their lips met for only a brief moment before Drake snarled loud enough to vibrate the walls, then turned and stormed out of the office before he did something even more idiotic.

17. Huff

Warden shook as he leaned back in the chair Drake had recently vacated and closed his eyes. He wanted to tell himself that Drake just hadn’t had enough time to cool off yet, or maybe hadn’t gotten laid recently, but he wasn’t fooling himself. There was no way Drake would kiss someone he didn’t want to screw into his bed repeatedly. He wasn’t that kind of wolf, horny or not.

“Fuck.”

Deciding to push aside his worry for the immediate moment, he leaned forward and began going through what Drake had gotten done. To his surprise, his friend had done a very thorough job of going through the accounts and separating the issues from the normal reports.

I knew I gave you your position for a reason… glad to see that you can still do a solid job.

Reaching to his right, Warden pressed the speaker button, then waited two seconds before talking.

“Hello, please send my scheduled meeting to Drake’s office when it’s time.”

His assistant hurried to acknowledge him with a “Yes sir!”

About thirty minutes later, Warden looked up when he heard a knock on his door. He had read back through the reports, much more slowly and carefully, so that he was ready. “Come in.” He said, folding his hands together on the desk before him as he placed a fake smile on his face.

The meeting went exactly how he wanted it to. He got the account numbers to where the man had been stashing the stolen money. Then, after giving those numbers directly over to the other financial employee working that day, he promptly fired him. To his surprise, most of the money was easily recoverable, and the rest, he had no doubt, would be acquired after he got one of their lawyers involved.

With that issue taken care of, Warden set to work on his own job. Since he was already at a computer, he quickly logged out of Drake’s account, then logged in with his own information. It was convenient that most of the computers, at least in the higher up management, could all be used by everyone. All they needed was their username and password to log in and out. It wasn’t recommended, but he’d be damned if Drake ever did more than change his screensaver to a graphic porn photo when he accidentally left his account signed in.

The memory made him chuckle, because Drake had done just that three times in the past month already. Once, Warden had forgotten to check it, too, and it came on right in the middle of a board meeting.

That had not been fun to talk my way out of.

Going through his files for the day, he quickly got his basic duties finished after only two hours. Since he had worked so much overtime recently, there wasn’t too much to weigh him down. The idea of getting home to see Cerat… and perhaps his perverted wolf, made him eager to hasten his pace.

Unfortunately, when he finally clocked out and headed home, a whole two hours early at around six in the evening, he was surprised to walk into the apartment and not have Drake immediately greeting him with either the smell of food, or himself. After setting his briefcase down by the door and hanging up his suitcoat in the bedroom, he glanced around.

Cerat’s not here?

Warden quickly realized that Cerat and Drake were definitely not there. 

Wait. The bathroom? 

Granted, there was no reason why both of them would be in there together, but Drake did get a bit dominant when his wolf was frustrated. He might have shoved Cerat in the shower again… 

Hoping that they were both just out for a logical reason, Warden put his hand on the bathroom door, then gave it a gentle shove. It easily slid open, revealing a scene he was not prepared for. At. All. Cerat sat on the floor, a new electric collar fastened around his neck. He wore a pair of Drake’s old black basketball shorts with a white tank top that was clearly too big. In front of him, Layla sat, her hand full of playing cards and a wide grin on her face. After a hesitant glance around the small room, he found Drake, but not human Drake. He changed? And he’s still sane? And in the bathtub?  Warden wondered in absolute confusion as he watched the canine obsessively clean its large front right paw.

“You’re going to cause hair loss if you keep messing with that paw.” Warden said awkwardly as from where he stood by the door.

With the sound of his voice, Drake’s head jerked up, then he tilted his head and whined at the same time his stomach gave out a loud rumble. “You’ve had all this time to get food and you waited in the bathroom for me to get home?” Warden asked, not sure if he should be more annoyed than confused at that moment. 

Both.

Either way, he leaned over to scoop up Layla, getting a squeal from his little sister as he carried her out of the bathroom. He could hear Cerat following after a moment, then the heavyset sound of Drake’s paws on the carpet.

“Did uncle Drake come pick you up from school?” He asked Layla as he set her down on the counter and began getting dinner ready. He hadn’t changed out of his dress shirt or slacks yet, but he didn’t really mind. The one thing he did do, however, was nudge off his shoes.

“He did!” Lay said with excitement as she kicked her feet a little over the edge of the old counter.

She always did really enjoy Drake’s company, but he was always too busy pretending to work or with women, to want to deal with his little sister. Seeing that he had gone and picked her up was a very nice gesture… even if he had a feeling that he’d only done it to make up for the way he acted.

Don’t dwell on it right now. He told himself as he took out two packages of hamburger meat, vegetables, and two beers. When he turned around, a smile crossed his face at seeing Drake back in his human form, a pair of his grey sweatpants hanging off his waist. They were a little tight on him since they were borrowed, but Warden wasn’t going to point that out and give the guy a bigger ego.

Tossing the beer to him, Warden turned and picked out a small juice pouch for his sister. She took it when he offered it, giving him a quiet “Thank you,” before she opened it to begin sipping at the sweet juice inside. Turning his attention back to dinner, Warden busied himself making burgers and getting them started in a frying pan. He knew that Drake really enjoyed him using a lot of butter, though it wasn’t something he tended to like.

Don’t need to gain anymore weight.

Jumping slightly, Warden felt his muscles flex suddenly where Drake’s fingers gently settled on his lower torso from behind. He could tell that Drake wanted to say something, because he kept taking in deep breaths, but after a few silent moments of just listening to the sound of the meat sizzling and Cerat quietly speaking with Lay, Drake stepped away with a sigh.

When Warden heard his footsteps leave the kitchen, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He wanted to talk to him. To figure out a way that they could still be friends, but he could tell that Drake was still fighting with himself, and it was never a good idea to push a werewolf that wasn’t ready to handle a situation.

So, instead of dwelling on him, Warden focused on making the burgers, butter and all as he sipped on his drink. When he had finished plating them all, he handed the large plate to his sister to bring to the table, then followed with plates and glasses of water.

Cerat excused himself to rest, having said he already fed on Drake earlier. Warden was a bit surprised Drake let him. When Lay sat down at the table, yet Drake was nowhere to be seen, Warden pursed his lips. He knew that Drake was hungry. He was Drake. There was no sated when it came to the lycan.

He decided, however, to let him be until he sent Lay off with the butler that came to pick her up. It was later than he would have liked, but he hadn’t seen her in awhile and it felt good to catch up over dinner. It was also nice to know that the maid was taking very good care of the bearded dragon he had bought her. Cerat will be glad to hear about that. She was also okay with them keeping the rabbit there because he told her that Cerat very much missed the bunny. 

When he had finished loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, Warden grabbed the spare burgers, which happened to be the six he had made for Drake, and carried the plate they sat on into his bedroom. It was no surprise to see the wolf curled up in his thick comforter. Changed again.  With a tired smile, he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Before he even considered trying to actually give the food to Drake, he heard the wolf’s nose start up. “Come on, you. I know you want the meat.” Warden said, being careful with his words. When Drake gave a coughing-laugh sound, Warden felt his face warm. Meat. Of course he’d think that sounded perverted. He thought as he slid the plate back behind him.

In seconds he could hear the burgers disappearing. When a wet, hot tongue swiped across the entire right side of his face a minute later, Warden rolled his eyes. “Thanks for that. Now I need a shower.” The look in Drake’s wolf’s eyes had Warden’s narrowing as he promptly shoved the lycan right off the bed.

“If I’m not mistaken, you stole something from me earlier, and I still haven’t heard an apology for that yet.” Warden said as he stood up and started for his bathroom. He was just stepping inside the small room when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It easily swung him around, and before he could open his mouth, Drake’s was covering it.

The kiss ended almost as fast as it had begun, with Drake whispering a promise in Warden’s ear before walking out of his bedroom.

“I’ll never apologize for that.”

Warden stood frozen in place for nearly two minutes before Cerat peeked inside the room, a smirk on his face. “Looks like there’s a chicken about to be eaten by a wolf.” 

Don’t start now. 

Even as he thought that, Cerat was stepping inside the room, nudging the door shut as he did so. 

“Go get ready for bed. I need to shower, without an audience.” Warden said as he started unbuttoning his dress shirt, his fingers fumbling because of his frustration. 

Cerat watched him for a moment before stepping closer, drawing Warden’s eyes up to his before the vampire leaned in and stole a faint kiss. 

“I don’t mind sharing, I suppose.” He said before nicking Warden’s lip with a slightly blunt fang and stepping back. 

The glare Warden gave him didn’t seem to affect his smile at all. 

“Get out!” He yelled when Cerat didn’t move. 

The guy lifted his eyebrows, but thankfully left after a snicker and wave. 

Warden hurried to lock the door. Hopefully Drake wouldn’t try to open it and break the door down, but he needed some damn peace for at least a few minutes… or an hour.

18. Like

So hungry. 

Rolling around on the small, dingy sofa, Drake felt his tired eyes crack open for the fifth time. With a blurry look at the clock on his phone, he groaned and moved onto his stomach. Perfect. Three hours of sleep. Shitty sleep, at that. 

Pushing himself up to a sloppy sitting position, he leaned back against the sofa and glanced around the dark room. He never needed the light, as his eyes were perfectly good in the darkness when he let his wolf move a little closer to the surface. It had thankfully calmed down, but Drake knew that if he went into the bedroom again, it would probably end unfavorably. 

“So then what are you going to do?” He asked himself in a gruff whisper. 

Flexing his fingers in his lap, he eventually decided that a nice long run was the perfect solution… or at least, the one that didn’t lose him a friend. The words echoed in his head as if he had shouted it out loud. 

He is a friend. There’s no reason why I’m feeling so… horny, towards him. 

Running shaky fingers through his messy hair, Drake blew out a breath and stood. After a slight tug on the strands, he strode over to the door and jerked it open. 

“Let’s get the hell outta here and actually think about something.” He said to himself with a smirk. 

Drake allowed his wolf to take control as soon as he got outside, for the most part. He kept himself at the forefront of it’s mind, making sure that it didn’t just turn right around and run back into the building. 

After he got into a decent lope, Drake turned his attention to just settling his the jumbled emotions in his head. He hardly ever thought so hard about anything, yet Warden was now nagging at his mind constantly. He wasn’t used to caring about anyone he wanted to screw. Why the hell did you pick Warden this time, mutt? He asked his wolf, getting a gruff grunt in response as he allowed his beast to decide on their course. 

He knew that he was being watched by several people, and possibly an angel or two upon a rooftop, but he wasn’t in the mood to deal with any of them. Even his wolf, who hated being stared at, ignored the added pressure that came along with others’ eyes. Ducking into a familiar alleyway, he took his time to mark his territory before sauntering out the other way. 

He was in the part of town that his last hookup lived. I could just go get it out of my system… she only cost me a decent dinner and some pretending to care. 

The idea hit him a second later, making his wolf give an awkward grin as it immediately turned on its heels and started back towards Warden’s place. Drake honestly wasn’t sure what his actual plan was, but he knew better than to try and dissuade his wolf when it had its mind set to something. 

He’s calmed down, at least, so maybe this won’t end too badly.

Drake wasn’t exactly confident, but as he allowed his wolf to shift into his lycan form, granting it arms and legs to open the side door to the back of the shop, he knew that he was better off just trying to focus on keeping the wolf calm enough so that it would allow him to shift back. The climb up the stairs was quick, and soon he was back inside of Warden’s apartment. The sudden hit of his scent made Drake’s wolf groan, but he was ready for it and reassured the animal. 

After sitting in the entryway for a few moments, Drake was able to take control back. His wolf was reluctant to hand it over, but it seemed to know that Drake needed to be the one to handle the situation from there on. It did, however, have a plan B. Always. Drake hoped it wouldn’t come to that, though. Plan B with a werewolf was never a good plan… especially because plan A was usually bad enough as it was. 

When he was sure he had full control, Drake carefully began to move. He peeked out and around the corner toward the dark kitchen, then chastised himself mentally for thinking that Warden or Cerat would be up so illogically early. He’s probably not even bothered by what I did… or at least not in the same way I am. He had no doubt that being kissed by his best friend of too many years was worrying, or at least scarring, but he didn’t think Warden was ready to throw himself at him and skip work to learn each others’ bodies. 

The idea of getting to touch the angel everywhere he never had was not what Drake needed running through his mind right then. His wolf enjoyed the images, though, and continued replaying them as Drake forced himself to move. He took each footstep one at a time. He thought that he could handle his wolf easily after it allowed him back in control, but the darn mutt was doing its best to both make him harder than a brick and distracted enough to lose his ability to hold back. 

I swear you’re going to go to obedience class at Cerat’s pet shop if you don’t back the hell off for five minutes! 

The reprimand seemed to fall on deaf ears at first, but when Drake’s feet finally stopped outside of the bedroom, his wolf allowed the perverted images to fade. Thank you. He thought to it, grateful to have a few moment’s reprieve. 

“Drake?” 

Fuck. Nuggets. 

Biting his tongue, Drake looked toward the kitchen. Warden was there, a mug of what smelled like hot chocolate grasped between his hands. How in the hell did I not actually look in there or smell that!  There was just enough light coming from the little night light plugged in by the stove for Warden to likely have been able to see without needing to turn on a light.

“Hey.” Drake eventually said after realizing that he hadn’t replied for almost a full minute. 

Not my fault. He’s shirtless and I’m horny as hell because of my damn mutt half. 

“You went for a run really early, or technically, late.” Warden stated quietly before taking a sip of his drink.  

Drake knew what he wasn’t saying, and was glad that he didn’t voice it. There was so much tension between them, even though they didn’t show it. When neither of them spoke again for too long, according to Drake’s wolf, it nudged his mind and growled. It was a warning that it was going to come out if he didn’t do something about the situation. Swallowing down his nerves, Drake took a small step forward and cleared his throat. 

The sound had Warden lowering his cup from his lips before his tongue swiped along them to clean the leftover liquid. I’m gonna die. Drake thought to himself as he hurried to force words from his mouth. 

“Will you go out on a date with me!” 

He meant to ask it as a question, but it was more of a shout. Or threat. There was a bit of a growl towards the end. Drake felt like he should run back out the door and just wake up tomorrow in some alleyway pretending that it was a dream, but when he heard Warden chuckle quietly, his eyebrows went up and a questioning look formed on his face. 

What’s funny? I’m not humping the air or drooling… I think.

“Alright, Drake. I’m taking Cerat to work tomorrow, but would you like to meet us at the little restaurant down the street after that?” 

Drake couldn’t shut his mouth. He actually agreed? A whirl of confusion and surprise swam through his tired mind until he felt something warm being pressed into his hand. Looking down, he hurried to grasp the cup of barely drunk hot chocolate, then let his eyes lift to Warden. 

“Go get some rest. You’re going to be dealing with the lawyers tomorrow about that person I just fired in your department.” Warden said, adding a smirk in before walking back into the bedroom and shutting the door. 

Fuck me. And he meant it, too. But he didn’t want the being fucked to involve actually working at his job again! That’s what he thought, but as he downed the drink in a few gulps, rinsed it, then set the cup in the dishwasher, he knew that he would work his ass off tomorrow, because making Warden happy suddenly mattered more to him than having some random chick beneath him every other night. 

That third wheel is going to be a bit annoying, though. I’ve seen him try to sneak in on Warden. Guy’s getting too cocky. He thought as he dropped down onto the sofa and yawned. Surprisingly, as he began drifting off again, his wolf didn’t seem nearly as bothered by the information as he thought it would be.

19. Begin

(When you edit at midnight… and I ran out of dog pictures on my laptop so, say hi to a bird.) 

Work was stressful, even though being with Cerat didn’t exactly help him relax, it wasn’t as tough as Drake being around him right then.  Stop thinking about Drake and focus. You have to do your job or shit hits the fan and the whole office is going to smell terrible. Of course, he knew that wasn’t literally going to happen, but the idea brought a slight grin to his lips as he typed out and sent the rest of an email he’d been picking at for the last thirty minutes. 

“Alright, fifth one down. Too many to go.” He said as the door to his makeshift office opened. 

Cerat slipped in, a cautious smile on his face as he approached. Good to see you are still a little hesitant. Warden couldn’t explain it, but he could still see the vampire in Cerat’s eyes, almost as if it were watching.

We’ll figure you out eventually. Warden thought as he took a calming breath and nodded to Cerat, signalling that he could come forward if he wanted. Cerat did so, taking the seat next to Warden before bringing his legs up to hug them against his chest. 

“What’s wrong?” Warden asked. He knew what was generally wrong. The whole situation he was stuck in, but there was nothing he could do about that, and Cerat knew it. So then why is he upset and not trying to instigate me? 

At first, he wasn’t sure Cerat would answer, as the young man was quiet for a long time. When he did finally speak, though, it wasn’t what Warden expected to hear, especially after just having to deal with aggressive mood swings for so many days. 

“One of the mice died…” 

Cerat’s voice was so quiet that Warden had to repeat the words in his head to make sense of them. He wouldn’t have felt bad about a mouse dying, as he knew that they didn’t live very long, but just seeing Cerat so depressed about the animal’s passing made Warden set his laptop carefully aside on the floor and pull the vampire into his lap. He half expected him to still try something, but when Cerat just wrapped his arms around his neck in a hug, Warden returned the gesture and pressed a kiss to his hair. 

“I’m sorry that happened. You take very good care of everything here, and I’m sure that it was just the little guy’s time to go.” 

Did he know that for sure? Absolutely not, but Warden did know that Cerat made sure that every single animal in the store, even ones not assigned to him for the day, were impeccably cared for. 

When Cerat didn’t respond, Warden gave him a gentle squeeze, then leaned back in his seat and looked up at one of the surprisingly clean ceiling tiles. 

“Hey Cer?” 

He felt the young man fidget a little in his arms, and figured that he wasn’t going to get much more of a response. He understood, as Cerat was still sniffling quietly. 

“Drake asked me out on a date tonight.” 

Warden wasn’t sure why he decided to tell him. He could have brought Cerat with the guy being none the wiser. You want input, and with how he was acting before, springing it on him might not be the best idea. He told himself with a roll of his eyes before looking down. He hadn’t noticed, but Cerat had shifted more and was looking right up at him then. His eyes gleamed, but Warden couldn’t read his emotions any longer. 

“I didn’t know that you liked him that way.” Cerat said after several long moments of silence. 

Warden had nearly given up on getting a reply, so when it finally came, he had to take a few seconds to put together a response. “I… we grew up together.” 

That hadn’t been the response he’d wanted to give, but Warden couldn’t exactly take it back, so he hurried to continue as Cerat’s expression became confused. 

“What I mean is, we don’t. Or didn’t. I don’t know. Drake has never shown interest in me. Not even when he was really horny, unless we were sharing a girl. Now, all of a sudden, it feels like he wants to put a ring on my finger.” 

Cerat slid from his lap, then cocked his head to one side. Pursing his lips, he leaned back against one of the lunch tables his boss had put in the room for her employees recently. “Well, do you like him that way?” He asked. 

Warden could have sworn that he saw a grin starting on Cerat’s face, but didn’t dwell on it as he felt his cheeks warm the slightest amount. “I don’t know.” 

“Well, I guess tonight’s your chance to figure that part out.” Cerat said with a raised eyebrow.

The look he’s getting on his face is telling me that there’s going to be trouble. 

“Um, perhaps you should get back to work…” He said awkwardly, sitting back down but not daring to reach for his laptop yet. 

When Cerat leaned forward, Warden unintentionally leaned back until the backrest of the chair stopped him from going any further. 

“Let’s hope you figure out quite a few things tonight.” He said before stealing a quick kiss and turning on his heels, disappearing from the room before Warden could say anything. 

I can’t say that I wasn’t expecting something like that. 

Shaking his head, Warden decided to let the matter drop. If it came back up later, which was highly likely, he’d deal with it then. As he got back to work, he was mildly surprised that he was actually able to concentrate for the few remaining hours Cerat had to stay at the pet shop. He got through most of the basic duties he needed to do that were accessible from his laptop by the time Cerat returned, including most of the emails. 

“How was work?” He asked as he packed up his computer and slung the carrying case over his shoulder. 

Cerat seemed a lot happier as Warden walked over to him, and his slightly predatory glances from earlier were nowhere to be seen. He even held the door open for him, nodding as he fell into step next to him. “It was good. All of the small mammals got a check up, just in case, but they all did great.” 

Warden set a hand on Cerat’s hair and mussed it up slightly. “That’s a relief. I’m glad they’re all doing well.” He said as they exited the store and headed for the car. The restaurant was right down the street, but it looked like it was going to rain. Better safe than soaked. He thought with a small smile as he got them on their way. 

He figured that Drake would be late, as he was hardly ever on time for anything, so he got him and Cerat seated at a table for three. Knowing Drake’s normal order, he got them drinks, Cokes for him and Drake, and a water, per Cerat’s request. 

Leaning back in the booth, Warden heaved a tried sigh and just let himself relax for a few minutes. Cerat seemed to realize that he wanted to be left alone, and remained silent. When the waitress came back asking if they were ready to order, Warden checked his phone. He’s really late. He probably forgot or got distracted. 

Warden didn’t want to think that Drake had just lost interest. Not that he was sure about the situation himself, but he didn’t want to think that Drake hadn’t been serious about something that he knew Warden would take seriously. 

Oh well. Not much I can do about it. He thought, honestly a bit upset, as he told the waitress to give them a few more minutes. When ten more had passed, Warden accepted that Drake wasn’t going to show up.

“Hey?” 

Warden looked up from the menu he still had lying in front of him on the table when he heard Cerat’s voice. 

“Yeah? What’s up?” He asked, clearly trying to hide his disappointment. He didn’t want Cerat to think that he was upset about being stood up. 

Thankfully, Cerat didn’t comment on his attitude and instead pointed across the table at his menu, tapping one of the options with his finger. 

“I’d really like to try this, if you still want to stay for a bit?” 

Glancing down at the menu, Warden couldn’t help but smile as he read over the description for what he’d chosen. Of course. Spinach stuffed ravioli. 

“Sure. I’m not that hungry, so do you want to just split it?” Warden asked. 

Cerat nodded right away, a smile on his face. “Sure.” 

When the waitress returned, they handed her their menus and gave her their order. While they waited for it to be brought out, they talked about how things were going at the pet store and with Warden working in the back room. Cerat had figured that he’d get behind being cooped up in that little area most of the day without any of his normal workers around, but Warden had told him that he actually did get quite a bit done. It was likely because he was left alone, for the most part. 

The store had been picking up a pretty good customer base, according to Cerat. They sold a few pets here and there but the real money was in the supplies for them. He had been kept quite busy helping people find different things and stocking shelves. 

Warden was about to ask him if he had any new favorite animals at the store when their plate of food was set in front of them. Since Cerat had been the one who had wanted it, Warden waited until he had taken a huge bite, then tried a small piece himself. 

He wasn’t a huge fan of anything green, but the dish was absolutely delicious. The garlic and fresh Parmesan cheese went unbelievably well with the spinach. Warden had to hold himself back from eating more than his share, and it seemed like Cerat was easily keeping up with him, even though they’d been feeding him blood somewhat regularly. 

Halfway through their meal the waitress returned, asking how it was and if they needed anything else. He knew that he shouldn’t have, but Warden ended up ordering something to go for Drake, though he told himself that it was strictly out of habit. 

It was pretty late by the time they decided to finally leave, having ended up splitting a desert and talking a bit more. Cerat had been very happy to know that Warden’s maids, and surprisingly, his sister, had been taking very good care of the bearded dragon he’d bought. It turned out that Lay had much more interest in the chubby reptile than she did the rabbit and didn’t mind Cerat keeping Thumper. 

When they finally stepped back inside the apartment, Warden set his bag by the door and took one step forward before realizing what had happened. You’ve got to be shitting me. 

“Drake!” He shouted as he handed Cerat the bag of food to put away and stomped over a shredded pillow. A lamp lay a few feet away in the living room, the glass bulb shattered. Next to it, the coffee table he’d just bought was chewed to pieces. 

Warden was familiar with Drake’s wolf’s fits, but the man hadn’t had a serious one in years, and he hadn’t been expecting to walk into the destruction one caused. I seriously don’t need this tonight. He thought sourly as he headed toward the bedroom. The carpet was scratched up a bit, but at least it wasn’t something that would need fixed immediately. 

He fully intended to scold him the second he found him, and probably throw him out, too. But what he found in the bedroom got him every single damn time Drake had done the same thing in the past. 

His wolf sat facing the corner, its tail tucked tightly beneath it as it hunched with its ears pinned to the side of its head. When Warden took a step into the room, the wolf hunched further, even going as far as to shake a little. It was pathetic. It was totally not Drake. Yet, at the same time, it brought back the memories he had of the younger version of his best friend. Back when he used to get in trouble and do stupid shit all the time. But he only ever got like this when he had trouble controlling his wolf in very stressful situations. 

It hit him, then. What had happened earlier and why Drake hadn’t come. And also, why he had changed. He hadn’t lost interest. He’d just stressed himself out too much about it.  Shaking his head, Warden took a seat on the thankfully not shredded bed and waited. Drake had always come to him after one of his panic shifts, if he didn’t change when at his place already. It had been a very long time since then, but he knew that he just needed to stay calm and wait for the wolf to decide what it wanted to do. He never pushed it. Not when it was so stressed. Any other time, yeah, he’d tell it exactly what he thought about it destroying his property, but he knew that Drake would pay for whatever he broke, and that it hadn’t been intentional. 

Thankfully, Cerat had occupied himself taking care of the rabbit and messing about in the kitchen, likely doing the dishes or cleaning up a bit from what he could hear. 

It took nearly an hour for Drake’s wolf to finally relax enough to do something. He didn’t expect it to let Drake have control again so quickly, but when his best friend appeared after a painful transformation and fell against the wall to his left, Warden got up and hurried to his side. 

“Fuck.” Drake growled out, his voice rough and scratchy. Exhausted. 

“Not right now. Thanks for asking, though.” Warden replied, trying to keep his tone light as he lifted his naked friend into his arms. It took a good deal of effort, because Drake was definitely not built like an angel. No light bones or lean figure. He was all muscle.  

When he managed to get him up on the bed, Warden flopped over onto the other half with a tired sigh. He knew that he shouldn’t sleep in the same bed as Drake, especially after what had recently transpired between them, but he didn’t give a damn right then. He was tired and knowing that he’d have a heck of a mess to clean up the next day was enough incentive not to move. He noticed the bed dipping near his feet a few minutes later and knew that Cerat had finished whatever it was that he’d been doing and was intent on going to sleep, too. Without a second thought, he tossed his shirt somewhere to the side and found his way beneath the blankets. 

He felt heat press against his back some time later, but his mind was too tired to bother waking up for more than a brief moment to notice the temperature change, then another slightly cool one against his chest, before turning off again.

20. Hassle

Waking up next to Warden was exactly what Drake had been dreaming about before his eyes slowly cracked open around six in the morning. His body was sore, but that was to be expected after he’d lost control. He lifted his arms above his head and felt his back muscles ache as they were pulled taut. He paused mid-stretch when he felt Warden move against him, then roll over and nuzzle into his chest. 

Fuck this chicken…  He thought as he lowered his arms, using his right one to greedily wrap around Warden and pull him closer, away from Cerat’s still-sleeping form. Is fucking adorable. 

A quiet groan left his lips as he fought to keep his hand from going any lower on Warden’s smooth back. The guy just had to take his shirt off. Of course, he knew right away that he was in Warden’s bed, and granted that he was in his apartment, too, he had every right to have his shirt off. 

“I’m really hungry…” 

Thankful for the distraction, for once, Drake slowly made his way out of the large bed. It took him a bit of extra effort, but he made it over to the other side where Cerat was sleepily sitting up, rubbing at his eyes. When he offered his wrist through, the vampire frowned and looked toward the kitchen briefly before turning back to him. 

“Spinach then?” Drake asked as he stood from the crouch he’d settled into. 

Cerat nodded and stood up after Drake, then followed him quietly from the room, neither of them wanting to wake Warden. There was plenty of spinach in the fridge and Drake and he didn’t have to care about giving it to Cerat, since he wasn’t the one who signed the contract to only feed him blood. Grinning at the council’s stupid rules, he grabbed a full container and tossed it to Cerat. 

Cerat raised a brow at him as he took the container, then settled into one of the blankets he’d pushed into the corner of the living room with the rabbit on his lap. Turning his attention away from the guy, Drake noticed the ring tone for his phone going off in the kitchen somewhere. 

No idea where I actually put that darn thing. He thought as he followed the noise.  Instead of answering it when he found it on top of the microwave, as he didn’t recognize the number, he let it go to voicemail, then picked it up once the message had been recorded. 

“Hello, Drake. This is Jonson, one of the council’s clerks. I’m calling to ask you to inform Warden that we will be sending someone over to do a welfare check on the vampire this afternoon, as we have been unable to contact him.”

The message ended abruptly after that and Drake rolled his eyes, tossing the thing back on the counter before sauntering into Warden’s room. He noticed the guy’s phone on the nightstand beside him and checked it for messages, but it wouldn’t even turn on. 

Idiot let his phone die. 

“Hey chicken, time to get up and at em.” Drake said in a sarcastic, sing-song voice. They were all surprisingly off for the day, except Warden might be called in, but still. Now’s not the time to sleep in. 

He shook the guy’s shoulder after he didn’t respond for a moment. When he still got no response, he thought of two other ways he could wake him up. One would probably get him permanently kicked out, but solve his current horny yearning toward the guy, and the other would just likely get him smacked. 

Two, then. Damn. 

Reaching forward, he grabbed Warden’s arm and yanked him abruptly out of bed and onto the floor. His wings were out and he was immediately smacking his back against the ceiling after one abrupt downward thrust. Oops. Forgot he sometimes freaked out when I do that. Even with that thought, Drake couldn’t help but crack a mischievous smile as Warden dropped to the floor, groaning and rubbing the back of his head. He was also glaring up at him, but Drake knew that it had been worth it. 

“Morning, sunshine.” 

Warden scowled, then slowly got himself to his feet. “Funny thing hearing that from you.” He grumbled as he turned to grab his phone. When he noticed that it was dead, he hurried to plug it into its charger. 

“I’ll save you the trouble of checking that message.” Drake said as he glanced over Warden’s shoulder at the phone. 

“The council is sending someone to check on your pet today.” 

Warden nearly dropped his phone at that information. He then set it down on the nightstand and whirled around. Cerat was watching them from the doorway. 

Drake followed Warden over to him and watched as his angel checked the electric collar, then gestured for Cerat to follow him and help him clean up the rabbit cage. As Cerat finished that up, Warden grabbed the blankets Cerat normally used when he wanted to sit alone, usually in the corner of the living room, and tossed them in the washer. Drake could have helped, but he was enjoying the show too much from where he sat on the edge of the bed.  

“You could have helped, you know?” Warden said when he finally turned off the vacuum cleaner.  

“I could have.” Drake stated matter-o-factly. Warden rolled his eyes, then headed for the kitchen as he replied. “But you’re Drake, and I already made you do way too much work this week.” 

“Exactly!” Drake chimed as he followed after Warden. 

It took some effort, but he waited until the man had some bacon and eggs sizzling away in a pan before he wrapped his arms comfortably around the his middle and rested his chin on his shoulder. “I’m really sorry about what happened yesterday. I threw you a big curveball, and then just let it hit you in the face without even saying why.” 

Warden began replying, but Drake knew what he was going to say before it even left his mouth. And he really didn’t want to hear the guy tell him that it was okay. Because it wasn’t. 

“Shut up, darn chicken. I fucked up. At least let me pretend to be a nice werewolf and accept my stupid apology.” Drake growled. 

Silence fell over them for several moments before Drake’s stomach growled loudly, making Warden chuckle. “Alright. I got it, Drake. I accept your apology, but if you stand me up again, we’re going to have trouble with this relationship thing.” 

Drake cocked his head to the side, a smirk growing on his face that had Warden’s eyes narrowing. “I’m not saying that we’re dating.” Warden said in a slow, deliberate tone. 

“Your food’s about to burn.” Drake growled out before making himself release Warden and take several steps away. 

He silently watched as Warden returned his attention to the food. He made a good bit of it, so when the first large plate was done cooling, Drake grabbed a fork and began filling his mouth. His wolf was right beneath the surface, but the food helped calm it. Of course, it took eight eggs and twelve pieces of bacon, but the thing was becoming manageable again. 

Right when they were both finishing their meals, still standing in the kitchen, the doorbell chime went off. “I’ll give you one guess that you don’t need.” Warden said with a sarcasm that Drake rarely heard from the angel. 

With his own grin, Drake shook his head and walked into the living room to drop onto the sofa as Warden got the door. When the same person who did Cerat’s teeth filing came inside, Drake couldn’t help but snicker. The man looked over at him and Drake could have sworn that his face turned white in less than three seconds. 

Hey love. Come to finally suck me off? I know you’ve been dreaming about it. 

To say that the man was quite unthorough with his check after that, would have been an understatement. He glanced at Cerat’s collar. Asked if they were just giving him blood, like Warden was supposed to. Drake cleared his mind at that question and let Warden answer. They both seemed to pass, since the guy didn’t question them on it and instead knelt in front of Cerat and tried to open his mouth.

“Do his teeth need filed again? I brought the file if they do.” He stated as Cerat fought to keep his mouth shut. 

The teeth definitely would need filed again, but Drake sure as hell wasn’t going to help the guy torture the vampire. They might not like each other, but he wasn’t interested in getting on Warden’s bad side by causing Cerat unnecessary pain. When the man realized that he would receive no help from either of them, he tried to force Cerat’s mouth open in frustration, but even for a small vampire, Cerat was strong. 

That’s what you get for making us feed him blood, buddy. Get the hell out if you’re not gonna pleasure me like I know you want to. Drake growled mentally, making the man flinch. 

“I’ll be back in two weeks to file his teeth. If neither of you help at that time, I will make sure to get this pathetic situation voided.” The man said as he stood.

If Warden hadn’t been sending him warning glances, Drake would have let his wolf take a few good bites of the guy. As it were, he let him go, but sent a few mental images the man would surely be seeing in the back of his mind for at least a few days. 

After he heard the front door shut and lock, Drake flopped over onto his back and heaved a sigh. He wasn’t that tired, but he was still definitely sore. 

“Hey Drake, come take a bath. I know how your body aches after you change like that.” 

Hearing Warden invite him to bathe had Drake jumping out of the sofa in a blur, only to see the man still fully dressed, holding a towel out to him. “Um. You’re bathing by yourself. I’m still a bit miffed at you for standing me up, even if your wolf is to blame. Still you.” 

Drake glared at the carpet and snatched the towel, grumbling as he stomped into the bathroom. Warden said he wouldn’t bathe with him, but Drake left the door open anyways as he quickly stripped. Stupid  angel is gonna beg me to bathe with him soon. Only a matter of darn time. 

“Gotta admit, you don’t look half bad, but thanks for giving me an opening yesterday. I enjoyed my date with Warden.” Cerat said from the doorway. 

Drake had to drop the shirt he held in his hand to keep himself from ripping it apart with his claws. 

“That was the only shot you were ever going to get.” He growled before walking over and slamming the door shut in Cerat’s face. 

He’d been ready to finally relax a little in the bathtub, but as he got the water running, he couldn’t stop his mind from imagining Cerat with War. His wolf was livid by the time he sank into the hot water, making him grumble every few seconds at the unwanted thoughts. 

“Better watch out ya little leech. This dog has a nasty bite.”

21. Relax

(Just a quick chapter cause It’s my bday and Snowman’s, and we both decided we wanna go to bed XD Also, Daxxy says hello. He was feeling quite smug for tripping both the dogs earlier.)

Warden had been watching and listening, but he knew that he shouldn’t have. He inwardly groaned when the door was slammed in Cerat’s face. When the guy turned to face him with a raised eyebrow, Warden pursed his lips, trying to think of a way out of the awkward conversation that was likely about to happen. 

“You like him…” Cerat mumbled more to himself than to Warden, though his eyes were locked on his after he finished speaking. 

 Warden dropped down onto the edge of his bed and shrugged. 

“I don’t know what the heck is going on, honestly.” He replied. 

Cerat leaned back against the wall after retrieving the container of spinach Warden hadn’t noticed he had before. After he took a few bites, then swallowed, he tossed the empty plastic aside and continued their conversation. 

“You do realize that the next time they come, they’ll try to file my teeth.” 

Warden had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he slowly nodded. There was no way they could get around that next time the man came. 

“I don’t believe I have to spell this out to the werewolf, but just in case you think I’m going to let that happen now that I’m getting stronger, I won’t.” 

Hearing such words from Cerat wasn’t surprising considering how much he’d already changed since he’d started holding down blood, somewhat. Running his fingers through his hair, Warden tugged at the strands for a few moments, until he thought he had a decent idea to present to Cerat. 

“Maybe we can get some pain meds this time. That way it won’t hurt as much. They have some really good ones… I just have to get approved. I could call them now.”

The look on Cerat’s face had his words drifting off to near silence as he finished speaking. When the vampire just rolled his eyes, Warden knew that his idea was being dismissed. 

Not good. Really not good. 

Standing up, Warden stalked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him before turning to Drake, intent on telling the guy that they were in big trouble with Cerat. Or, at least he was. Drake had nothing to do with it in a legal sense. He could get off scotch free, and probably would when everything went down, but Warden was stuck. And Cerat would be dead if he went against what was written in the contract. He had to get his fangs ground. 

“Drake, we have a proble-oh my god!” 

Whirling around, Warden glared at the door as he felt his face heat up to the point where he began sweating in the humid room. Drake had evidently taken a very fast bath. 

“We’re out of bodywash… I’ll just grab the extra you leave over here on the sink.” Drake said, his voice deepening as he got closer. Warden watched him in the mirror, trying to keep his eyes above his waist. Thankfully, the glass was decently fogged up from how hot Drake made the water.

He had to bite his lip to keep from flinching as Drake’s wet arm brushed against his right one as he grasped the bottle of bodywash. Instead of going back to the bath, however, Drake got even closer. When his chest pressed up against Warden’s back, he felt his wings fidget just beneath his skin. His fight or flight senses were getting close to triggering, but he forced himself to take a deep breath in order to keep himself from overreacting. 

“He’s not going to let them hurt him anymore… and I don’t blame him.” Drake said near Warden’s ear, making him turn his head so that he could partially see him without pressing his cheek to Drake’s lips. 

He’s too close. 

“You look surprised. I’m a werewolf, remember? Or if you prefer, lycan. Either way, I have good hearing and you were just in your room. I heard everything you two said.” 

Rolling his eyes, Warden returned his glare to the door as he grumbled back. “He’s going to get killed. We need to figure out a way to get him to listen to reason. A little pain isn’t worth losing his life for.” 

Instead of replying right away, Drake leaned forward and after giving a rumbling growl, took hold of Warden’s left ear with a strong bite. Warden jumped at first, but he couldn’t exactly pull away without injuring his ear further. When Drake loosened his grip slightly, Warden gave a quiet sigh and tried to tilt his head away. Unfortunately, his friend refused to release him completely. 

“He won’t listen to you after we only bit him once. Especially not when so much pain is involved.” Drake said, his words slightly slurred because he was still holding onto Warden’s ear. 

What he said made sense, but he wasn’t sure how to deal with the information. He just didn’t feel like it was right to bite Cerat again, and for some reason, he didn’t want Drake to bite him, either. 

I also don’t want him biting me right now. 

Feeling arms suddenly snake around his middle, Warden blinked out of his thoughts with a gasp. When he was suddenly dragged backward, he began to struggle, trying to shove Drake’s arms away. 

“You came in here with me. Taunting the big bad wolf.” Drake purred.

Worry settled in the pit of his stomach as he was pulled back toward the tub with little effort from Drake. It was unfair how much stronger he was than him. He was used to it, as it had always been that way, but still. He wished that just for one day, he could be the stronger one. 

He expected Drake to just shove him into the bath water, and he could tell that the idea wasn’t far from his mind when his grip tightened and he started lifting him, but at the last second Drake seemed to change his mind. Instead, Warden was set down for a moment, then suddenly hoisted easily up into Drake’s arms. The abrupt action had his wings springing forth from his back, the right one went straight into the water as the other slapped against the tile floor. 

“Sorry, Babe. Didn’t mean to startle you that much.” Drake said, a chuckle to his voice that made Warden scowl. 

“Don’t call me babe.” Warden grumbled. 

Drake’s left eyebrow rose, then he cocked his head to the side and smirked. “Sweetheart? Love? KFC?” 

Warden rolled his eyes as Drake spoke and began to step into the bathtub. His wing was already wet, so he didn’t bother fighting the guy, but he wouldn’t be taking his pajama pants off. 

“Fine, fine. War, then.” Drake finally said when Warden still hadn’t replied to his nickname choices. 

Neither of them spoke until they were settled in the bathtub a few moments later. A bit of water splashed over the edge as they got comfortable, but eventually Warden ended up leaning back against Drake. The werewolf’s firm chest didn’t make the best pillow, but it wasn’t as bad as Warden would have guessed, either. He had moved onto his side, leaving part of his body out of the water. His wings were a lost cause, though, so he didn’t bother trying to lift them over the edge. All of the water they’d soaked up would just cause a huge mess as it dripped onto the floor.

“You’re going to have to help me dry my wings…” He eventually murmured on a sigh. The water did feel good, and since he was still wearing his pants, it wasn’t too much of a contact overload. 

He felt gentle fingers begin to run through each soft pinion as Drake seemed to silently contemplate his words. His chest rose and fell in a constant rhythm and Warden found himself counting the beats in his head as he relaxed. 

It’s a little faster than mine. He noted, remembering that dog heartbeats were indeed faster. It was a bit of a surprise to see it applied to a werewolf, but it did make sense. He was also a lot warmer than normal humans or angels, but Warden was already used to that. 

“I’m okay with that. And I know that we need to figure out something for Cerat… but right now, we’re going to just lay here in lukewarm water and accept the fact that we both need a break.”

Warden wanted to argue that right then definitely wasn’t the time for a break, but when he went to open his mouth to retort, firm yet gentle lips were already sealing it shut. 

  I suppose it could wait… only for a short time, though. 

With that thought Warden let his worries go and after hesitantly returning the kiss, nuzzled a little more against Drake’s chest before letting his eyes close, promising to open them and return to his hectic life again in just a few moments.

22. Antagonize

Warden felt something gently sift through the damp plumes of his left wing, enticing him to stretch the appendage. After a few moments of that attention he was able to figure out that someone was running a cloth slowly through the pinions. 

Cerat? 

Drake had run out to get dinner, and unless he came back silently, which was impossible, he would have woken up. He felt a hand rustle against his hair at the thought, then a cool puff of air blew over his ear. A shiver involuntarily ran through his body, earning a quiet chuckle from Cerat.  

“You’re awake.” 

Guess there’s no way I can hide that fact now. 

Blinking sleep from his eyes, Warden yawned and began rubbing at his left one. He realized at that moment that he had a blanket over most of himself, and Cerat was sitting on the edge of the bed. 

“Hey, what are you doing?” Warden asked quietly as he pushed himself up, flexing his damp wings. 

Cerat shrugged and tugged on a pinion. “Just helping a bit. I was bored.” 

“You were bored… so you decided to dry my feathers while I was taking a nap?” Warden asked, an unenthused expression on his face. 

When Cerat grinned, fangs and all, Warden rolled eyes and fell back against the pillow, letting his wings splay out on either side of him. The left one dipped slightly to the floor while the other took up the entire right side of the small bed, then hung over a little. 

“You’re hungry, yeah? You could have just woken me up the normal way.” He said as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, giving a clear signal that Cerat could drink. 

He didn’t hear anything for a few moments and was about to open his eyes back up when he felt the bed shift from Cerat’s weight. He did his best not to tense, expecting the bite at his throat at any second. When, instead, his mouth was covered by cool lips, Warden jerked his eyes open and reached up, grasping Cerat’s shoulders. 

He tried to gently push him away, but Cerat grabbed onto his right shoulder with one hand and tangled his other hand in Warden’s hair. The actual kiss was surprisingly gentle considering how strong Cerat was holding him. 

A few slow, light knocks against the wooden frame by the door had Cerat leaning back and glancing over his shoulder, allowing Warden to see Drake standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. 

“Hey leech, let’s have a chat, yeah?” 

Warden could here the anger in his voice, but was shocked about how well he was holding back. He wasn’t even trying to pull Cerat off the bed or anything. Thankfully, Cerat didn’t challenge him and got off right away, then walked over to stand in front of Drake. 

They watched each other for several moments before Drake glanced over at him and lifted one hand to point. “Stay there, War. I won’t kill him… yet.” 

Drake turned after that warning and walked out of the room, Cerat following and closing the door behind them. They walked out into the living room and as Drake pointed to the sofa, Cerat sat. He then pulled up one of the old chairs from the table and put it a foot or so away from the vampire before dropping down into it. 

“Alright, for some reason, my wolf doesn’t want to tear you apart, but he sure as hell isn’t happy about you trying to encroach on something he wants. So, why are you after my chicken? There are plenty of poultry in this city.” Drake said, crossing his arms back over his chest as he leaned back in the chair. 

Cerat leaned back, too, but just settled his hands on either side of him as he shrugged. “I like him. He’s sweet, in a frustrating way. I didn’t think that when I first met him that I’d become attached.” 

Drake rolled his eyes. “The only time you’re attached to him is when you’re sucking on his neck.” 

His words actually got a chuckle from Cerat. “Yeah, I suppose.” He replied before leaning forward a little to sit up straight. “What about sharing?” He asked. 

The question drew Drake’s eyebrows downward and added a scowl to his face, but he didn’t reply right away. His wolf was actually thinking about the idea. 

What’s gotten into you? Why are you even considering this? Where did my ferocious nut job go? 

His wolf snorted in his mind in response, but still seemed content with the offered situation. Rubbing a hand down his face, he sighed and shook his head. 

“Why should I share with you?” He asked as he removed his hand to lock gazes. 

Cerat leaned forward, a small smile on his face. “Because, weather he realizes it or not, he likes me, at least a little bit. He also thinks that I’m his responsibility, which technically, I am, whether I like that information or not.”

Drake bared his teeth, but when the gesture got no rise out of Cerat, he grumbled and looked away for a moment before glaring at him. “I could always get rid of you. With the blood you’ve been drinking, you’ve gotten stronger, but that doesn’t make you a match for me.” He said. 

“No, it doesn’t. But do you think that Warden will be happy if you kill me just because you want him to yourself?” Cerat asked, looking a tiny bit uncomfortable. 

Normally, Drake would take advantage of the slip up, but he bit his tongue and thought over his words before replying. “No, he’d find a way to neuter me.” 

Cerat nodded. “And he would never forgive me for trying to hurt you for such a reason, too, even though we both know that it’s very unlikely that I’d win in a fight.” 

Drake started nodding, but then caught himself and growled. “For such a reason.” He repeated. “Nice catch there, leech. Sadly, you’re probably right.” 

They stared at each other for several long minutes before their attention turned to the bedroom door as it was opened and Warden stepped out. He hadn’t changed, and Drake didn’t hesitate to stare at his bare chest, and everywhere else. 

Should have taken your pants off. 

Standing up, he walked right up to him and reached around to grab the back of his head, then pulled him forward into a hungry kiss. He could tell that Warden was hesitant to reciprocate it, especially with Cerat there. After a few moments Drake felt a certain vampire nudge his way halfway between them so that he could get to Warden’s neck. 

A growl echoed around the room from Drake, but besides that, neither of them reacted. Warden was the one to disengage them both after a minute when he carefully detached Cerat’s mouth from his neck, then stepped away from him and Drake. 

“I don’t know what you two discussed, but please, enlighten me, because I can’t believe that your wolf isn’t doing anything about Cerat getting in your way. You two almost seem like you made a deal or something, and I have an awkward feeling that it involves me… and was without my permission.” Warden said as he took another step back, inciting Drake’s wolf to try and get him to stalk forward. It took a lot of effort to stay where he was standing, especially because Cerat took a step forward right away. 

“You’re right, we were discussing you, War.” Drake said as he forced himself to take a step back. “I think you’ve grown on your little leech a bit, and for some reason, my wolf doesn’t want his innards displayed on the sidewalk for looking at you that way.” 

The look on Warden’s face was one of utter disbelief. Drake definitely understood. He couldn’t figure out what his wolf was thinking, either. 

“Let’s just accept that my wolf has temporarily gone more insane than usual and I agreed to let Cerat sniff around you a bit, to a point…” He sighed, looking down at the floor before returning his attention to Warden. “What do you think about it?” 

Warden looked like he needed to sit down, but when Drake started forward, he lifted a hand, immediately stopping his advance. 

“Just, give me a second. Both of you.” He said as he backed up until he hit a wall, then slid down it to the old carpeted floor. 

Warden tucked his wings behind him as best he could, then took a deep breath in, then out. He was mumbling to himself off and on over the next few minutes and the stress of not having an answer quickly brought Drake’s wolf out to pace back and forth on the carpet. 

Cerat squatted down, relaxing in that position without a single issue concerning balancing. Drake wanted to run up and headbutt him, just to knock him over because he was staying so still and he couldn’t do such a thing himself. 

“Alright, let me get this completely straight.” Warden said finally, drawing both of their gazes to him immediately. 

“You two discussed sharing me in a sexual way, without me being present? And made decisions behind my back?” He asked, his tone more than a little unhappy. 

Drake flicked his furry ears and glanced at Cerat as he glanced back at him and pursed his lips, neither of them wanting to open their mouths. 

Warden stood up and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at both of them, waiting for a response. 

I want to lick his chest. 

“I’m not going to be some bottom in your two’s orgy fantasies.” He growled, impressing Drake’s wolf with how animalistic it sounded. 

When he replayed what he’d said in his head, however, Drake shoved his wolf back and shifted. “Hell no you won’t!” He nearly shouted. He wanted to get up and run over to Warden, but forced himself to stay seated. He doubted he wanted him near him at that moment, and definitely not while completely naked. 

“I’m not sharing you that way with him.” Drake growled, glaring at Cerat as he spoke. 

Cerat returned the stare with a raised eyebrow, and when Drake returned his attention to Warden, he looked just as confused. 

“I want you to belong to me… I just, possibly, wouldn’t mind him around you slightly physical, sometimes. That is, if you want him to be… or I mean, if you want me to be, too.” He mumbled quickly, rubbing a hand through his messy hair. “Fuck, I don’t know what the hell I’m saying.”

There was an awkward silence for several unsettling minutes before Warden shook his head and headed for the door. Drake shifted back to his wolf form and hurried to follow him as he left the apartment and jogged down the stairs, then exited the building into the alleyway. 

Drake had to skid to a stop abruptly when Warden then turned on him, pointing down at him with narrowed eyes. “I need some time alone. You’re watching Cerat until I’m back.” 

Unable to verbally decline, and knowing that he shouldn’t anyways, Drake nodded his fluffy head, then sat down as Warden turned and lifted his wings, then thrust them downward. He shot upward, but only for a brief moment before stumbling back down to the ground and nearly falling into a giant puddle of rain water and muck. 

“Dammit, really? He only dried one section of one of my wings?” He shouted, making Drake’s wolf’s nose twitch with humor. 

When Warden spun around to glare at him, he glanced away, pretending that he had seen nothing. 

“Just watch him Drake, please.” Warden sighed. 

Looking back at his best friend, Drake nodded slowly, then watched as Warden tucked his wings against his back and turned, then walked away, disappearing from his view moments later.

I hope I did the right thing… but, fuck. It’s me. I did the worst thing. He thought before turning and solemnly trudging back inside.

23. Annoy

The moment he stepped back into the apartment Drake felt his wolf slip away, leaving him naked as he turned and shut the door, then turned again to face Cerat. He was perched on the arm of the sofa like a cat, watching him with a slight head tilt. 

“What? Clearly you’ve got something to say.” Drake growled, more than a bit frustrated that Warden had just literally run from him. 

“Bite me.” Cerat replied, earning a frustrated grumble from Drake as he stomped up to him. 

“You’re asking for it, leech. I only have so much restraint.” He hissed angrily. 

To his surprise, though, Cerat just shrugged and tilted his head. “I’m serious. Bite me. You both only did it once, and while I don’t want Warden to do it anymore since I don’t want him to be able to influence me, I do want you to do it.” 

Drake took a step back, putting some space between them so that he could think. Warden had not wanted to do that whole sire thing again, but he had no qualms with getting more control over Cerat… although, he was curious as to why he wanted to do it. 

“What’s the deal with wanting to continue that, by the way? Aren’t you already meshing better with your vampiric side? Do you really need to be bitten again?” He asked. 

Cerat nodded, licking a bit of blood away from his lips that he’d missed earlier. 

“I think I need it more, until a bond is formed, at least. I sometimes feel like my old self, but at the same time, my new personality revolving more around my vampire takes over. It’s frustrating to feel like my mind is sometimes split in two.” 

I can understand that. Drake thought as his wolf growled inside his head. 

“Fine, you just want me to take a nibble?” He asked. Drake knew that Warden wouldn’t be too happy, but he doubted that Cerat would intentionally tell him about it. 

Hopefully the mark heals before War gets back. 

Licking his lips once, Drake stepped forward and leaned over, reaching around Cerat’s head to pull his hair aside. 

“Don’t cry, cause I’m not gonna care.” He said before abruptly snapping his teeth down, and through, Cerat’s cold skin. 

He definitely wasn’t the best tasting thing he’d ever bitten into, but Drake forced himself to hold on for a few seconds before releasing Cerat and running to the kitchen to rinse his mouth out. 

“You taste like roadkill by the way.” He grumbled after he spat out another mouthful of red-tinged water. 

Cerat walked over and took a few paper towels, pressing them against the injury he’d just been given. “Comes with the whole undead thing.” He said with a half smile. 

“Whatever. You feel less like two people and more like one now, or no?” Drake asked, eyeing Cerat with concealed interest. 

“Not sure if it’s that simple… but, tell me to do something.” Cerat said, then quickly added. “That doesn’t involve anything perverted.” 

Rolling his eyes, Drake lifted a hand to his chin and thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers and grinned. 

“Go make the bed, please. We all seem to forget to do that.” 

Of course, they never really forgot, they just chose not to do it, but it was a pretty simple command to try out. He expected Cerat to mouth off to him, or at least give him a decent glare, but surprisingly, he just shrugged and did as he was told. 

Following him, Drake was shocked to see the bed completely made in all of three minutes. It looked like it was professionally done… until Cerat jumped right in the middle of it and rolled around for a few seconds. 

“Hey, I told you to make the bed, not destroy it afterward.” Drake chided, though he couldn’t help but smile slightly. 

When Cerat stopped rolling, lying on his belly, he looked up at Drake and grinned. “You only said to make it, not keep it made.” 

“Smart ass.” Drake said before tugging on a pair of loose shorts, then dropping down onto his back on the bed. 

They were both silent for several minutes before Drake patted the spot next to him and nodded toward Cerat. 

“Come here.” 

Cerat only seemed to consider the order for a moment before moving toward him on his hands and knees. When he was close enough, Drake reached forward and tugged him up against his chest. 

The cold chill from Cerat’s skin drew an uncomfortable shiver down Drake’s spine, yet he refused to push him away. Cerat, surprisingly enough, didn’t try to put space between them, either. Instead, he just gave a quiet sigh and turned his body so that he fit a little better and could rest his head on Drake’s shoulder. 

“This is a little closer than I wanted to get… especially because you really smell like wet dog right now.” Cerat said, a hint of humor in his voice. 

Drake chuckled and shoved him away, letting him roll to the other side of the bed. 

“I thought about taking a shower.” He said. 

Cerat stretched out, dropping his head onto the other spare pillow before turning to look at Drake. “Thought about, huh? I know you took a bath, so does stress-shifting into your wolf bring out his less than pleasant scent?” 

Drake nodded. “Yeah. Usually only when it’s forced out of stress, and not all the time.” 

“Thanks, by the way.” Cerat said, drawing a raised eyebrow from Drake. 

“For agreeing to bite me again. I don’t think it will be the last time I’ll ask you, but it definitely helps. Even your simple orders are helping my harder to control side, because he wants me to listen to you. He’s starting to consider you a possible sire.” 

Drake grunted a sarcastic laugh in response. “Aren’t I just a lucky mutt.” 

The next bout of silence was interrupted after only a few moments by a strong knock at the front door. Drake immediately thought that it was Warden, but he knew that he wouldn’t lock him… most times. Getting up, he wandered through the small apartment until he came to a stop in front of the door. He didn’t open it quite yet, though, because a familiar scent met his nose at that moment that just about made him gag. Casius. 

Baring his teeth, he snapped them once toward the closed door before forcing himself to clamp his mouth closed and open the door partway. 

“Hello, Drakesh. It has been quite a long time, my friend.” 

Drake lifted his upper lip at the use of his given name. He hadn’t used it in years, and quite disliked it. Of course, that’s why Casius used it every chance he got. Focusing on where the angel was suddenly looking, Drake scowled. 

I’m not a piece of meat.   

They had been almost-friends in high school, but Drake had slept with Casius’s whore, err, girlfriend, at the time, and that had basically torn apart their meager friendship. Casius had never forgiven him, not even when Drake had explained that she had asked him first, and he’d slept with her to prove to him what she was… and also because his wolf could never pass up humping anything with boobs. 

Warden doesn’t have any. He thought to the animal. It snarled in his mind, warning him not to pick at the topic of Warden. If he wasn’t distracted by Casius standing before him, Drake would have done it just to have something to piss it off. As it were, he had Casius, so he’d use the angel. 

First though… Narrowing his eyes, he tried to imagine the blond haired, blue eyed angel beneath him like he’d seen Warden in his dreams. Okay. Gross. Nope. Not my War. The test had been to try and see if he would be attracted to another man, or if his wolf only had eyes for Warden. 

At least I’m not drooling over this scumbag of feathers. 

“What can I help you with, Cassy?” He asked, loving the annoyance that sparked in Casius’s eyes with the use of the nickname. 

Trying not to appear that he had his feathers ruffled, Casius crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. Instead of feeling embarrassed, Drake mirrored his pose, then lifted an eyebrow. “My eyes are up here, poultry. And I suggest you hurry up and say what you need to say, as I prefer to not let people who don’t deserve to look upon my amazing body see it for long.” 

When Casius rolled his eyes, Drake felt his wolf snicker in his mind. He also felt an emotion he was surprised to sense coming from his dog. Unease. He could tell that it wasn’t happy with him being half naked in front of Casius, but he couldn’t even come close to guessing why. 

“I came to check up on the little special case you’ve got glaring at me behind you. Call it curiosity.” Casius replied. 

Drake’s body stiffened, and not even in a good way. “We’ve got it under control.” He said, hoping that Casius would just leave it at that. Of course, he knew darn well that the man wouldn’t. 

“Do you? One of my dear  friends told me that it wouldn’t even let him file its teeth down, though. That was part of the agreement, and yet it refused…” 

Drake bared his teeth, but couldn’t argue the fact. 

“What? No snarky comment?” Casius replied as his eyes dropped from his eyes, again, making Drake smirk. 

“I always knew you were too interested in my lower half. Sorry, the dick’s taken, but maybe you can just go fuck yourself.”

Casius was just opening his mouth to reply when he was tugged backwards, making him stumble to catch his balance as Warden slipped past him into the apartment, then turned and shut the door in his face. 

“I want to be mad at you right now, Drake.” He said as he locked it, ignoring Casius’s banging on the aged wood in the hall. He wasn’t technically an enforcer, so he couldn’t really do anything to them, even if they weren’t following the rules.

Warden’s hurt whisper tore apart Drake’s heart, but he knew he had to stay put. When Warden took a deep breath, then turned around and shook his head, Drake feared that he was going to be kicked out… possibly for good. The apartment might be junk compared to his own place, that he rarely stayed in, but it wasn’t the apartment he needed, just the person in it. 

But then Warden shocked him by stepping forward and taking his hand, then silently leading him into the bathroom. 

Drake didn’t argue when Warden motioned toward the tub and grabbed a large bottle of shampoo. Shifting back into his wolf form, Drake climbed into the bathtub, then sat with his head down and shoulders drooped. He didn’t even think that he deserved the bath, but he stayed put and cooperated the entire time Warden scrubbed the musty scent from his thick fur. 

When he had finally finished, Drake was ready to fall asleep. When a towel was draped over his head, he was eager to get out of the tub, but instead of backing away, Warden leaned in and wrapped his arms tightly around his wolf’s damp neck and buried his face in his fur. 

“You’re an idiot. You both are.” 

Tilting his head, Drake noticed Cerat sitting on the edge of the closed toilet seat, his fingers gently playing with the feathers of Warden’s left wing. 

Drake snorted and nuzzled his face against Warden’s as his tail gave a wet thump on the bottom of the bathtub. After a few moments he felt his body slowly begin to shift. The hug was a bit awkward since he was leaning over the edge of the bathtub, but Drake made it work. He’d make everything work again, somehow… Even with the little leech that was currently stealing a side hug, having slipped in under the wing he’d been playing with.    

Rolling his eyes, Drake moved his right arm and swung it around Cerat, pulling the annoyingly cold vampire closer as he leaned back slightly and pressed his lips to Warden’s. 

(Stares at clock. Oh, it’s midnight. glances up and starts rereading to edit… pushes Publish button right away and passes out.)

24. R

“Your hand is going too low, Drake.” Warden grumbled as he leaned back out of the hug they were sharing. 

Drake sat back in the tub, a cocky smirk on his lips. 

“Don’t worry, War. One day soon you’ll be telling me that I’m not touching low enough… or going fast en-” A hand over his mouth stopped what he was saying, but Drake just winked and licked Warden’s palm in response. 

War jerked his hand away as Drake snickered and stood up. Warden turned immediately, his face bright red in seconds. 

“Oh come on, War. We’ve bathed together naked before.” Drake said as he stepped out of the bath tub and grabbed one of the towels hanging up to start drying off. 

“When we were five!” 

A faint ringtone came from the bedroom not a moment later, making Warden get up and run over to the nightstand where he left his phone. He picked it up on the last ring and lifted it to his ear. 

“Hello?” 

The voice that answered him on the other side of the phone wasn’t one he had wanted to hear. 

“Hello, son. The counsel has decided to just have a trial to decide what to do with your vampire. We’ve been getting mixed reports from the people we’ve sent over to check on him and from you, so we believe that a trial would be the best way to figure this whole thing out.” 

They just want him dead. I’m sure they wrote down that he refused to get his teeth ground and we refused to help, among other things. 

“When is it?” He asked, trying to keep his voice from sounding anymore frustrated. 

“In two days at seven P.M.. Have whatever positive evidence you want to present ready by then.” His father stated before abruptly ending the call. 

“Doesn’t look like that phone call was any fun. I could hear it, by the way, but if you want to pretend that I couldn’t and would like to accept a free blow job to make you feel better about whatever bad news you just received concerning our little leech friend…” Drake said as he crawled onto the bed and over to Warden. 

He’d pulled on a pair of boxer shorts, but that was it. 

“It’s shockingly tempting.” Warden said as he sat down on the edge of the bed and let his head fall into his hands with a sigh. He really hadn’t needed that call right then. He was already dealing with enough considering his best friend and his… whatever Cerat was, were both suddenly after his backside. 

“I could always escape .” Cerat said from in front of him, drawing Warden’s head back up so that he could look at him. 

“Can you drink blood without throwing up, and do you want to?” He asked, already seeing a frown on Cerat’s face before he had finished speaking. 

“Yours and most times, Drake’s… but I probably wouldn’t be able to keep control of myself if I tried it on someone else.” He said, staring at Drake for a moment before returning his attention to Warden. 

“We need to think of a way to get through the trial.” He said as he fell back on the bed, stretching until he felt a warm hand slip beneath his shirt. 

“I don’t think that’s going to help us focus, Drake.” Warden said while rolling his eyes up at the ceiling. 

“On the contrary, I’ll be completely focused.” He said as he promptly rolled onto Warden, easily pinning him with his body. 

Warden scowled up at him, but Drake just grinned, even when Cerat scooted onto the bed to sit near Warden’s head, seemingly intent on playing with a few soft strands of his hair. 

“This really isn’t what we should be doing right now.” Warden said before Drake leaned back slightly, giving Cerat enough room to lean down and press a brief kiss to Warden’s lips. 

“Oh nice. I can even think things to you now and you listen.” Drake said with a twinkle in his eyes as Cerat leaned back up, licking a little blood from his lips. 

“Eh?” Drake mumbled as he looked down to see Warden’s lips bleeding slightly. 

“Really, Carrot? You had to bite him?” He asked, lifting a brow as Cerat glanced away. 

“It was just a nibble…” He mumbled awkwardly, seemingly having done it completely unintentionally. 

“We need to figure out what we’re going to do, guys. We barely have anything to present as positive evidence.” Warden said after licking at his slightly bleeding lip. 

“I say we wing it.” Drake replied with a shrug and roll of his hips. 

Warden fidgeted, trying, but failing, to shift out from underneath Drake. 

“What good would that do? We can’t just go in there and pat his head and say he’s a good blood-sucking boy.” Warden said, clearly exasperated. 

Cerat chuckled at that. “I mean, we don’t have much else, do we?” 

He really couldn’t argue, which made his heart ache in his chest. 

“Cerat hasn’t done anything bad since we got him. Sure, he’s taking a few unwanted nibbles, but neither of us really minded.”

Cerat chimed in as he tugged lightly on a strand of Warden’s hair. “My collar has been broken for a while, but we can just grab a new one from downstairs before the trial.” 

It didn’t feel like enough. They would all be out to get Cerat just because of what he was, and not who he was. 

“My head hurts.” Warden said as he pressed his hands to his face. 

“My head is aching pretty badly, too, but it’s not the one on my shoulders.” Drake replied as he leaned back down, making Warden squirm from the feeling of his obvious hard on pressing against his belly. 

“I know you haven’t had any in a long time, War. Let me help you relax…” He whispered as he tugged at his ear, a low growl ending his words. 

Warden tried to bite back a moan, but his ears had always been pretty sensitive. He felt Drake shift on him again, then he was suddenly on his belly, turning his head so that he could see him move over his shoulder. 

“I don’t think that’s the kind of relaxing I need.” Warden said as he started pushing himself up, only to see Cerat lean over him again and claim his lips. 

The action was only a momentary distraction, but it gave Drake enough time to slip his hand beneath Warden’s shirt again, easily pushing it up before grabbing the waistband of his pants. 

“I’ll be as gentle as possible… let me have you, War.” Drake said as he tugged at Warden’s pants, but didn’t slide them off. He was more than ready to go, but he wasn’t going to just take. 

Warden pursed his lips after Cerat released them, licking away another small bit of blood. 

“I can’t do this with both of you.” He said, his voice shaky with nerves. 

Drake tilted his head, glancing up at Cerat before returning his attention to Warden. 

“Only me this time… but maybe let him have a little bite?” He asked, not minding the idea if Warden was okay with it. 

His wolf was all but ready to ravish him, but he was managing to just barely hold himself in check. 

“You know, if this is going to be a thing, I’d rather be the one putting something somewhere.” Warden replied quietly. 

To his surprise, Drake leaned back and gave him a soft smile as he lifted a hand to brush away some of the bangs that had fallen into Warden’s eyes.

“I don’t know if I can do that this time, but I’m not opposed to trying the idea.” He said honestly. His wolf was a bit hesitant, but if it would consider sharing its angel with a vampire, he figured that it could come around to them bottoming… once in a while. 

There was a long instance of silence after he spoke, making Drake’s already-frantic heart-rate double its pace. When Warden did finally respond, it was a simple sigh and a slight lift to his backside. 

“I… can have you?” Drake asked, his hand fidgeting with its grip at Warden’s waist. 

When his friend nodded slowly, then mumbled a muffled “Yes,” into the blankets, Drake didn’t hesitate a second longer. 

“Distract him, my little pet leech.” He purred as he leaned over, reaching into the small nightstand where he’d stashed a tube of lube. 

He knew that he was clean, since he got checked after every single girl he slept with, and considering Warden rarely slept with anyone anymore, and he knew that he was clean since he’d seen the results from his last pathetic fling, he wasn’t worried. 

The boxers he’d pulled on were off and on the floor in less than two seconds. Warden’s pants would have joined them, but Drake had absolutely no more patience. So, he just yanked them, and Warden’s underwear, down just enough to gain easy access, then applied more than enough lube. 

Warden squirmed from the chill of the gel, but Cerat was being a great distraction as he sucked carefully on his bared neck. 

Not a fan of that hand reaching under his shirt, but at least it’s definitely distracting him. Drake thought as he lined himself up and began pushing inside. He didn’t do that whole finger garbage, mainly because he was an asshole with no patience. 

He knew War would probably kill him for it later, but at least he’d remembered the lubrication. The moment he actually felt the heat from Warden’s body surround his length Warden started dropping his hips. 

“I’m sorry, it’s going to hurt some but I’ll be quick.” He said as he grabbed his sides and lifted him back up, pushing inside much faster than he had been. 

Warden gave out a quiet cry, but it quickly changed to a moan, spurring Drake on to start humping as rhythmically as he could manage… which wasn’t very well. His wolf wasn’t used to being careful or pacing itself. He got in and got the job done, then went in for more later, then more, then even more. He probably would have been able to have his own movie about one hundred and one wolf pups if he didn’t buy out half the drug store’s supply of condoms on a monthly basis. 

Feeling Warden’s body react and tighten around him each time he buried himself inside, soon had Drake growling and speeding up. He noticed right before he let himself come that Cerat had moved onto his back, situating himself beneath Warden just well enough to seal his lips. 

He had wanted to hear the sound his angel made when he came, but the muffled groan he got was plenty for his hungry wolf. When his body had finally come down from its high, he gently lowered Warden’s hips down to rest on the blankets, but refused to pull out of him. 

“Again soon.” He growled as his hips slowly moved, already wanting to pick back up where they left off, even if he needed a bit to recover enough to really do it. 

Warden shook his head, pushing himself up on his elbows as he panted heavily. 

“Not a chance. Out, my ass hurts like hell now.” He rasped. 

Cerat had backed off to let him move, but now moved back in to seal the small puncture wounds he’d made with a few quick licks. The gesture brought a shiver through Warden’s body and a quiet moan to his lips. 

Keep distracting him. 

After ten or so minutes of pestering Warden for permission to go again, he finally relented… but only because Cerat had been playing with his neck and kissing him nonstop. 

He was unintentionally rougher the second go around, and it earned him a damn hard smack from a rolled up newspaper he hadn’t noticed sitting on top of the nightstand. 

Needless to say, he was still quite relaxed when they were finally done… but Warden ended up locking himself in the bathroom to take the world’s longest bath. 

“He’s going to kill you when he finally goes to sleep, then wakes up tomorrow morning feeling much worse.” Cerat said as he stretched out on the bed and yawned. 

Drake glanced sideways at him and shrugged, lifting his hands to rest beneath his head on the pillow. 

“I’ll die happily, then.” 

Cerat lifted an eyebrow at him, but Drake just grinned. 

“You like him that much? He might beat you to within an inch of your life.” Cerat said with a slight smirk. 

Drake just gave a quiet chuckle and looked toward the closed bathroom door. 

“I guess I do… and is it strange that the mental image of him doing that is making me hard again?” He asked. 

Cerat’s smirk dropped to an immediate from as he rolled onto his side to face away from Drake. 

“Yes, it absolutely does.”

25. Decide

(The second half of the last chapter, partially edited) 

Rolling over, Warden reached forward, expecting to find Drake’s too-warm body beside him, but when his fingers touched cold sheets, his eyes blinked open. 

“He left to go for a long run. He said it was that, or get hit by another rolled up newspaper several times… which he said hurt quite a lot more than he thought it would.” Cerat said from behind him, making Warden roll onto his other side and smile sleepily at the vampire. 

They were quiet for a few moments before Warden sat up. “It was a smart move. I’m going to go take a shower, then I’ll feed you if you’re hungry.” He said as he got up, not really waiting for a response. 

He heard the blankets shift after he was already up, but didn’t look back until he felt arms gently wrap around his middle as he stepped inside the bathroom. 

“Can I not eat now?” Cerat asked as he ran his cold tongue along Warden’s neck. 

He probably thought that it was a turn-on, and it did make him fidget a bit, but it also seemed a little forced, and hesitant. Like a lot of what he had been doing lately. 

Turning in Cerat’s arms, Warden reached up and nudged his chin, closing his mouth gently. 

“Tell me, Cerat. Did Drake bite you again after we both did?” 

The brief shocked look on the vampire’s face made Warden shake his head. “No wonder you’re acting more like him.” 

Cerat frowned before replying, “I don’t act that much like him.” 

Warden chuckled and reached up, messing with Cerat’s already mussed bed-head. 

“Thank god for that. He did give it away when he was… preoccupied with me last night, though. Werewolves can’t normally have telepathic communication with others that aren’t in their packs.” Warden said, making Cerat glance away for a moment before shrugging. 

“I was having trouble and asked him to do it since I knew that you wouldn’t want to.” He mumbled sheepishly, not lifting his eyes to Warden’s. 

He knew that it would probably happen at some point, since he did notice Cerat’s personality shifting a bit, but he had hoped that he’d ask him instead of Drake. He might have been able to be talked into it. 

“You changed after we did that together the first time, too. I think that Drake might have had a bigger influence on you.” 

Cerat did lift his head then, clearly confused judging from the look on his face. 

“We both bit you to try and make your vampiric side consider us as sires, but it seems that Drake made the biggest impression.” Warden said quietly as he lifted a hand and gently brushed it against Cerat’s cheek, making the vampire lean into the touch without even seeming to think about it. 

When Cerat’s eyes closed a moment later, Warden shook his head and smiled, letting his thumb stroke along the vampire’s cool skin. 

“You aren’t him, and while he is my best friend, I’m glad that you two are nothing alike.” He said before tilting Cerat’s head up just enough so that when he leaned in, their lips could meet. 

It was a few minutes before Cerat finally took an awkward step backward into the bedroom and dropped his gaze again. 

“What’s wrong? Did you not want me to do that?” Warden asked, having thought that he’d read the situation pretty well. 

Cerat fidgeted, running a hand through his messy hair, but he didn’t reply. 

“Are you worried that Drake will get mad because of the deal you made?” He asked, getting an immediate nod in response. 

That mutt. 

“Listen, it’s my choice who I spend my time with, intimately or not.” Warden said as he stepped forward and reached up to take Cerat’s hand. 

Pulling him closer, he wrapped his other arm around his waist and finished moving him against his own body. 

“If Drake ever bothers you because I decide to give you attention over him sometimes, let me know. I won’t let you get bullied because you’re quieter… so stop trying so hard to be like him. He might be considered your sire now, but he’s not you.” 

Cerat looked like he was about to argue, but Warden just leaned down again and silenced him with his mouth. There was a moment of hesitation from Cerat before he folded against Warden like a kitten seeking attention. 

I knew something was up when you started trying to act more dominant. 

Of course, he didn’t doubt that some of it was his vampire’s personality clashing with his human one, but the rest? Definitely Drake’s influence. 

Speaking of said werewolf, Warden could hear him coming through the front door as he began to deepen the kiss. 

Not going to risk it. 

He stepped back, pulling Cerat with him into the bathroom before releasing him just long enough to shut and lock the door. 

The pounding of Drake’s first against the worn wood not a minute later had a shiver running through Cerat, making Warden pause in taking off the vampire’s shirt. 

Alright, you can do this. Tell him. 

Swallowing down his nerves, Warden released Cerat’s shirt and turned to the door. After a few deep breaths he unlocked it and stepped out. 

Someone looks slightly unhappy. 

Drake appeared to be close to shifting, but Warden wasn’t going to let himself be scared. If they were going to be together in some way or another, there would be no bullying anymore. He would have to control himself. 

“Can I help you, Drake?” He asked calmly. 

When his friend didn’t immediately respond, and instead glared over his shoulder, Warden stepped forward and poked him hard in the chest. 

“Excuse me, Drake, but I’m talking to you. Don’t ignore me to chastise him when he doesn’t deserve it.” 

It took a moment, but Drake finally seemed to focus back on him. 

“We had made a deal.” He growled. 

Warden rolled his eyes and put a hand on his chest, pushing him backward until he dropped to sit on the edge of the bed. 

“Listen, Drake. For some insane reason, I like you, but that doesn’t mean that you get to call all of the shots. You said that you didn’t mind Cerat around me, and I want him around me right now… without you interrupting.” 

He could see Drake’s wolf right beneath his eyes, contemplating how he’d actually found the balls to stand up to him. There had never really been an even foothold between them. It was always Drake at sixty percent and Warden at forty. He always bowed to what Drake wanted to do because he knew that his short fuse would cause more trouble than it was worth… but things were going to be different now. 

Reaching forward, Warden pet Drake’s head a few times before offering a gentle smile. 

“I like you a lot, Drake, but I want a fair share of control over this situation. I think that’s something that shouldn’t be too hard to give if you really want a relationship, right?” 

Drake grumbled and rolled over on the bed, shifting mid-motion. He stayed facing the wall for a full minute, just growing as his hackles lifted and fell. Then, when Warden thought he might just whirl around on him and try to force him away from Cerat, Drake actually slowly trudged off the bed, then disappeared out the bedroom door. 

Heart thrumming like a hummingbird in his chest, Warden stepped back into the bathroom and slowly shut, then locked the door before looking up at Cerat. 

“That was pretty hot.” Cerat said with a hesitant smile that Warden mirrored after a few tense seconds. 

By the time he had his and Cerat’s clothing off, he could smell something cooking in the kitchen. At least he’s not destroying things. It was a very good sign. That, and he had shifted back almost right away, which meant that he hadn’t stress-shifted. 

“Maybe this thing can actually work.” He mumbled, more to himself than to Cerat as he stepped beneath the water.

“They have pills if you have trouble.” Cerat replied, drawing a startled laugh from Warden. “I don’t think I’ll need them.” War replied as he gently pushed Cerat back against the tile wall. 

He wanted to take his time, but that wasn’t really on his side that day so he made sure to be gentle, but didn’t draw anything out except for some extra kisses and allowing Cerat to feed while they were busy . 

When they finally turned the cooled water off, Warden stepped out first. He dried off quickly, then offered Cerat a clean towel as he ducked out of the room to get changed. He had decided to do as Drake had suggested the previous evening and to just deal with the trial when it came. There was little they could do about it until it happened and they had a chance to explain their situation. 

“What’s for breakfast?” He asked as he stepped into the kitchen a few minutes later. He was dressed in a light suit and slacks, even though they didn’t have to leave for hours. 

“If I say you, can I have a taste?” Drake replied, seemingly back to his snarky self. 

I knew you wouldn’t mind me with Cerat too much. 

Sitting down at the small table that had several different basic breakfast dishes already waiting on it, Warden shrugged and smiled as Drake sat across from him. 

“If we somehow make it through this trial with Cerat’s life, then afterward, you can enjoy yourself… to a point.” 

The look in Drake’s eyes made Warden squirm as he began piling burnt eggs onto his plate, but he’d keep the promise he made. If they could save Cerat with a little extra motivated thinking from Drake, even if it would cost him being able to get out of bed the next morning, he’d do it.

26. Look

“This feels like a hormone graveyard… I bet none of these guys has had a good lay in years that doesn’t include Mr. Lefty or Righty.” Drake whispered against Warden’s ear after they took their seats. 

“You do realize most of them can hear you, right?” He hissed back, though the question already had an obvious answer. 

“Duh.” Drake replied, drawing a sigh from Warden as he turned his attention to the judge, who had just taken his own seat. 

The proceedings went on just the way he thought they might. He gave his best testimony about how Cerat wasn’t some bloodthirsty monster out to kill people, but the jury seemed less than impressed by the few examples he’d chosen to use. 

His father, who was sitting on the panel of jurors, seemed the most sympathetic, which wasn’t much, and sympathy didn’t win cases. 

When it was finally Drake’s turn to go on the stand, Warden was about ready to throw up the meager lunch he’d eaten. He had no idea what the guy had up his sleeve, but his earlier comment hadn’t settled Warden’s nerves, in the least. 

Drake sauntered up to the stand and dropped down into the seat, seemingly without a care in the world. 

The prosecutor walked up to him with the same list of questions he’d hammered him and Cerat with already. It was hard to lie when surrounded by angels, and a few archangels, so they’d had to tell the truth, which had definitely hurt them. Even though letting Cerat eat spinach, and leaving his shock collar broken, as well as not letting his teeth be filed, didn’t hurt anyone at all, it still counted against them. 

“Hello, Drake. I’d like to ask you some questions, if I may?” The man said, knowing damn well that he could. Of course, Drake could decide not to answer them, or reply to them like his normal smart ass self, but not being honest would probably just make things even worse. 

When Drake raised an eyebrow, the man frowned. 

“You know what, I believe this trial should come to an end, don’t you?” Drake said, drawing a few confused murmurs from the large group that had gathered to observe the proceedings. 

The prosecutor, who happened to be one of the archangels present, seemed almost relieved. Not likely because the trial was ending, but more so because he didn’t have to deal with Drake’s attitude. It evidently preceded him.

“I agree… we have more than enough evidence to show that the agreed-upon rules were not followed in many instances.” He said quietly, as if his words might get a rebuttal from Drake. 

When Drake slowly nodded, but didn’t move his gaze from the prosecutor, the man turned toward the judge. 

“Hold on.” Drake said suddenly, snapping his fingers as if he had just remembered something. 

Leaning forward, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled. “Hey granny! Get your ass in here!” 

Granny? 

Brow furrowed, Warden slowly turned in his seat, with the rest of the people watching the trial. His jaw dropped open when the owner of the pet shop walked in, her arms crossed over her chest and several pieces of paper in her hand. 

“You said that you would call for me in a respectable manner, Drake.” She said, clearly unhappy with being called granny. 

Drake just waved her off as he stood up and hopped down from the stand to walk over. When Flora was close enough, he bowed dramatically toward the judge. 

“Madam granny-ma.” 

Flora sighed and stopped, moving the sheets of paper in front of her. “This is the contract for that vampire, Cerat. The paper states that he must complete a minimum of one hundred and eighty days at the store. There are no exceptions stated and he has signed it.” She said as she held up the paper. 

The judge gestured for her to bring him the documents and she stepped forward, handing them up to him with a determined stare. 

“Do you understand that the normal probationary period for workers in ninety days, and that they may quit at any time, no matter what is stated in a contract?” He said, setting the papers in front of him after he’d skimmed them over. 

Flora nodded. “Of course I do, but has he decided to quit? I know that your laws extend toward supernatural creatures, but because vampires have generally not been allowed into this city, they are not included, correct?” 

The judge pursed his lips in frustration and shook his head. “That does not excuse him for breaking the law.” 

When a smirk found its way onto Flora and Drake’s faces at the same time, Warden knew that they had planned this out far more than him just calling her to bring the papers. 

“Of course it doesn’t… but it does keep you from killing my employee before he fulfills the agreement he signed.” She stated, making the judge glare. 

“Why would it? I can just void the contract, ma’am.” He said. 

Flora walked closer and nodded toward the papers. 

“No you can’t, you are the one that approved it last night. Your signature is even at the bottom of the last page, and it even states that the contract is legally binding unless the employee has committed an egregious crime, which would basically be considered as murder, rape, etcetera.” 

Well… damn. 

The judge quickly flipped back through the contract, paying much closer attention to it as he read. His face began to change colors as he got toward the end, then finally, likely, saw his signature at the bottom. 

“How dare you trick me in such a way!” He roared at them as he slammed the papers down on the desk before him. 

Flora managed to keep her composure, and Drake just shrugged. 

“I did no such thing. I brought you the contract for one of my employees that wanted something a little more solid, since he was new to the city. He signed it, which you saw last night if you were paying attention, so all we needed was for someone involved with the department of labor to sign it.” 

He shoved himself up and leaned nearly too far over the surface in front of him. 

“I will not stand for this! You came to me when I was clearly busy and insisted that I look over some silly, illogical contract that should have obviously been denied!” He yelled before Drake stepped up onto the bench and leaned close to him, baring his teeth, though it might have looked like a simple smile to a normal person. 

“Doesn’t it fuckin’ suck that you can’t read, then? Because you signed it, grandpa. That leech is ours until that contract is up, and then you all can just leave him the hell alone, cause there was also a clause in the back that stated that if he behaved himself, and didn’t maim or kill anyone during this time period, that he would be freed from any previous accusations against him.” 

I didn’t think he knew about half of what he’s talking about… I thought all he had in his brain was sex and food. Warden thought, honestly shocked by his friend. 

“There are still ways to override this.” The judge snarled, only to get one back from Drake. 

“You think his life is something so goddamn worthless that you should kill him now instead of giving him a chance for a few more months? What has he done to you, or anyone else, that warrants him dying!” Drake roared, making the angel shrink back slightly. 

“Laws are laws, wolf!” The man tried to yell back, but his words decreased in volume as Drake took a step closer. 

“Your laws are flawed. You are trying to kill someone who did nothing  to anyone in this city! How about you idiotic arch-chickens go back and take a little look at those laws, because clearly, they’re what’s wrong. Cerat doesn’t deserve to die, and he’s proven it.” 

The judge looked toward the jury, but when Drake shifted his glare to them, they all looked away except for Warden’s father. 

“You know what, how about we settle this.” The judge said as he sat down and picked up the contract. 

His knuckles were still white as he read through it again, then set it back down on the desk before him. 

“If your little leech can survive, on his own after today, without harming anyone during the remaining period of time that this contract requires, he may be granted citizenship and his past issues will be dismissed.” 

Bastard, he knows that Cerat needs us for blood or he’ll kill himself or attack someone. 

Warden was just opening his mouth to respond when Flora stepped forward. 

“That is fine, right Cerat?” She asked, looking over to where he sat next to a lawyer Warden had gotten him. 

When he nodded, Warden felt his heart speed up in his chest. 

They must have something planned. They have to. 

When the judge nodded and slammed his gavel down to signal the end of the case, Warden jumped up and hurried out of the room to wait for Drake, Cerat and Flora outside. 

The three appeared after the majority of the courtroom had cleared out of the building, and their happy expressions baffled him. Running over, he stopped before them, only to be side-hugged tightly against Drake. 

“Is your butt ready for me? Cause we’re going to be very busy tonight. I might even skip dinner… or eat it off of you.” Drake purred as he bit his ear, pulling enough to hurt, and earn a swat to get him to release it.

“Down, boy. I’m trying to be serious. Why did you guys agree to that stipulation?” He asked. 

Flora smiled as she began explaining. “Well, there is a company online that delivers blood to vampires. They weren’t sure about bringing it to this city, since vampires aren’t allowed, but after calling them and explaining things, they gladly agreed.” 

Warden frowned. 

“How much does that cost?” 

When Flora told him the numbers, he shook his head. “There’s no way that he can afford that, and we aren’t allowed to help him. If we get caught, he really will die… permanently.” 

“Well, that’s why I think that I should give him a decent raise .” She said, narrowing her eyes on him. 

Warden couldn’t figure out what she was getting at. Even a raise wouldn’t help him. He had no doubt that Flora would just give him the apartment they currently lived in and he and Drake would return to his penthouse so he wouldn’t have to pay for housing, but the blood was still bound to be extremely expensive. 

“Oh, for god’s sake, chicken, use that head of yours. The one on your shoulders.” Drake grumbled as he reached up and poked Warden’s forehead. 

“Pay Flora a damn good bit of money for a special  pet mouse or something, then she can give Cerat a high enough raise to be able to afford the blood.” 

Oh. 

“I knew that.” He mumbled as he turned to head back toward the car they’d come in. 

The ride back to the apartment was awkwardly silent. Flora had left on her own, since she’d brought her own car. He expected Drake to talk about their upcoming sex session nonstop, but the guy was shockingly silent, along with Cerat. 

When they finally got up to the apartment, Cerat disappeared to go pack up his meager things. Drake, surprisingly, went to help, leaving Warden to prepare a quick meal by himself. 

By the time he was done making eight peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and had brought them out on a plate to set on the dinner table, there were two big boxes sitting by the door. 

“I smell food.” Drake said, appearing from around the corner to swipe one of the sandwiches. 

“I didn’t cook anything.” Warden said as he watched the first sandwich disappear in moments, followed by a second and third. 

When Drake had downed six, he licked his lips and walked over, kissing Warden hard before leaning back. “This nose knows when there is food, War.” 

Of course, he knew that. 

“Hey Warden?” Came Cerat’s voice from somewhere in the bedroom. 

“Yeah?” He replied as he headed inside, only to hear the door shut behind him, then lock. 

How did I not see this trap coming. 

Granted, he’d said that he would give himself to Drake for a night, but there was no Cerat clause in there, yet the guy was sitting on the bed with just a pair of loose boxers on. 

Drake’s arms suddenly settled over his shoulders and pulled him back against his chest… that was also lacking clothing that he knew he’d had on seconds ago. 

“Hello, War.” Drake growled as he started biting the same ear he’d nipped earlier. 

Pretty soon he was having trouble catching his breath. If it was just Drake, he might have been okay, but Cerat had, at some point, slipped off the bed and gotten his pants and boxers down to his ankles. His mouth might have been cold on his length at first, but the contrast between Cerat’s and Drake’s temperatures somehow evened out. 

Thank god he’s not using his teeth, or fangs. 

When he felt something poking at his backside, Warden fidgeted, but bit his tongue on saying anything as Drake slipped a finger inside. 

“I’m getting some first… but since our little leech is going to be away for a while, perhaps I’ll share. Maybe.” Drake rasped as he added another finger, then quickly removed them to start pushing himself inside. 

Thanks for that five seconds of prep, mutt. 

Warden ground his teeth and leaned his head back against Drake’s shoulder as he was taken. It wasn’t long before they were both shaking with release, but he knew that Drake was far from done. 

He found himself tossed on the bed a moment later. Another second and Drake was crawling overtop him, with Cerat right beside him. 

“Cerat, I can do it for you later…” He said hesitantly, hoping that the guy was a complete bottom. 

Drake snickered and leaned to the side, pressing a light peck on Cerat’s cheek before smirking back down at Warden. 

“He wants to top you, little chicken. Surely you’ll let the poor guy enjoy himself before he’s forced away from the chicken that he loves?” He said in a fake mushy voice. 

Warden looked up at them both with an uneasy feeling in his chest. 

“If he does it, too… not all night.” He said, hoping that he’d get some sort of break in their deal. 

Drake tilted his head and licked his lips slowly, contemplating the idea. When he finally seemed to decide, he looked back at Cerat. 

That puppy dog look on Cerat’s face. No way will Drake fall for that. 

“Alright, leech. You can have a few goes, too. That will give me a chance to rest.” 

The hell? Do I get to rest? Warden thought as Drake turned back to him. 

To his surprise, he slowly lowered himself until they were chest to chest, then leaned down to kiss him softly before pulling away, giving him just enough room to speak. “Two hours. You belong to us until eleven.” He breathed against Warden’s lips before claiming them again.

He could feel Cerat sneak in beneath Drake after a few minutes of kissing, making him lean back so that Cerat could get at his neck to drink. Warden thought that Drake would get annoyed, but he just chuckled and got himself lined up before pushing himself back inside his body. 

“A little warning would be great.” He hissed as Drake started speeding up quickly. 

“I thought we already went over that, my bad. Gonna fuck you until I’m dead tired, then Cerat will take a turn. I’ll finish up the deal until eleven, then take care of you until you’re feeling better.” 

You’ll… take care of me? 

That was hard to believe, but as Drake continued to drive into him, he could see something in his eyes. The guy was an absolute horny bastard, but there was something in his eyes right then that told Warden that he wasn’t lying. That he wouldn’t sneak out like he did to all of his one-night stands in the past when they probably could have used some attention the next morning. 

“You’ll actually help me tomorrow?” He asked, needing to hear it again. 

Drake ignored him for a moment to let himself release with a loud groan, then sighed as he returned his attention to Warden. 

“Yes, Warden. I will be your stupid slave tomorrow, minus any sexual favors, unless you want me in you again.” He growled before backing out of him and sitting down on the blanket next to him. 

“Have at, leech. I feel like watching.” He said as he nudged Cerat. 

The guy didn’t hesitate much, but it was clear that he was less confident than Drake. When Cerat got his boxers off and started climbing over Warden, Drake leaned down and covered Warden’s mouth with his own. 

The moment Warden felt Cerat slip inside of him, Drake reached down between his legs and grabbed him. The contrast of cold and hot inside and out of him had Warden shivering as his body was jerked with each thrust as Cerat gained more confidence. 

He found himself wrapping Cerat in a tight hug as they made love, though his mouth was completely taken by Drake’s aggressive one. He’d definitely be sore in more than one place come morning, but he was surprisingly enjoying both of them. They were so different, but at the same time, they didn’t clash. 

This is such a ridiculous story. A mutt, a chicken, and a leech falling in love… 

Perhaps, if he edited it correctly and was extremely careful with the characters, especially the werewolf, it might just be able to work, somehow. 

Hah. What a ridiculous thought… maybe.

27. Try

(Quick short chapter)

Leaning back in his chair, Drake typed away at his laptop steadily. He’d been working regular hours for the past two months, and sometimes, even overtime. He’d intended to stay as he was, a lazy, nearly-useless wolf, but when he saw Warden start to struggle to keep up with their normal spending, as well as pay for Cerat’s raise so that he could afford his blood… He couldn’t be that terrible.

“Working late again, Drake?”

Glancing up, it took Drake a moment to blink his blurry vision back to normal in order to see Warden smiling at him from where he was leaning against the doorjamb.

“Just finishing up, hun.” Drake said as he looked back down at his computer screen and typed the last couple of sentences for the group email he’d been working on, then sent it.

The sound of the door clicking shut brought his eyes up again once he’d shutdown his computer.

“How has your sister been? You took half the day off to go see her, right?” Drake asked as he set the laptop on top of his desk and stood up.

Warden was already there, wrapping his arms gently around his waist to pull him into a hug. Drake returned it, not using as much strength as he normally would. Without Cerat around, his wolf had calmed down a bit and didn’t display nearly as much possessiveness when it came to Warden.

“She’s doing really well and also taking good care of that lizard we got from Cerat a while ago. The maids have barely needed to bother it.” He said as he tilted his head to steal a soft kiss.

“I’m glad. It was actually pretty fun babysitting her last week, so if you need me again for a few days while you go away for business and the maids need a break, I’m game.” Drake said as he tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips to Warden’s warm neck. “Just don’t go away too often. I already miss that too-quiet leech, so don’t leave me alone for too long… I don’t want to get in trouble for marking your place again.”

They’d moved back into Warden’s penthouse and Drake had discontinued his rental since they were currently dating and he practically lived where Warden was for the past several months anyways. It was also going surprisingly well. His wolf was content with their physical activities and once it realized that Warden wasn’t going to leave them after a few nights together, Drake’s urges had also calmed down some.

“I talked to Flora yesterday. She said that Cerat was doing well at the shop and she makes sure that he takes breaks to drink alone. She said he hasn’t had any issues with control, though he’s being extra careful about it, just in case.” Warden said as he returned Drake’s affections with a nuzzle into the crook of his neck.

“And I miss him, too.”

Drake felt his wolf grumble at Warden’s words but just chuckled.

Hush, you. I know you miss him, too.

“I really appreciate your help with all the work that’s piled up, by the way.” Warden said as he finally leaned away, making Drake want to pull him right back into his arms.

Damn restraint is hard.

It was his own fault that the work had gotten so far behind, so he couldn’t really take much credit for helping.

“I’m glad I could help fix the problems I created. It’s the least I can do.” He said with a half-smile as he took Warden’s hand and tugged him toward the door.

They left at nearly eight P.M., and if he hadn’t reminded Warden, twice, that they didn’t live at the pet shop anymore, then he would have driven straight there.

When they finally got back to Warden’s penthouse, they parked the car in the underground garage and turned it off, but neither of them moved to get out.

“I’m hungry.” Drake finally said to break the awkward silence that had built up.

He heard a quiet laugh from Warden and turned his head on the headrest to smirk at him in the darkness.

“You’re always hungry, you mutt. Come on, I’ll make you dinner.” Warden said after a few more moments of silence.

Drake got out and walked around to Warden’s side, offering him a hand up after he opened his door.

“I’m not sure what you’re trying to do, Drake. We’ve already slept together almost every night since we started going out…” Warden said with a hint of worry in his voice as he took Drake’s proffered hand.

Was I really that bad before?

“I just wanted to hold your hand again.” He mumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck with his free one.

Warden stayed quiet as they stepped into the elevator and it began heading up. He looked down in the dim light at their hands, then slowly grasped them with his other one. Bringing them up to his lips, he pressed a light kiss to Drake’s knuckles as the doors opened.

“I’ll make you some chicken and steak.” He said as he stepped off the elevator, gently tugging Drake along with him. 

Drake headed for the shower while Warden went to start dinner in the kitchen when they got inside. It was their normal routine now, and mainly because he was still awful at cooking so Warden refused to let him use the stove or oven. It probably had something to do with werewolves being able to eat raw meat just fine, so their patience when messing with ingredients just wasn’t up to par. 

How ya doing, leech? He thought to Cerat as his lips stretched into a grin beneath the spray of the water. He knew that he couldn’t reply because their bond wasn’t that strong, but he could feel emotions if Cerat wanted him to. 

He waited calmly for a response, washing his body as he did so. When it finally came, he couldn’t help but snicker. You’re that happy? Did you miss me that much? Drake asked as he turned off the water and grabbed a towel, taking his time drying his body off. 

When he felt annoyance and humor through their bond he laughed harder, nearly snorting at the guy’s response. Yeah, right. You love me you little blood sucking shit. He replied, getting more humor from Cerat at the same time he realized Warden standing in the doorway to the bathroom. 

“Enjoying that conversation with your mutt?” Warden asked with a grin as he nonchalantly looked over Drake’s naked body. 

Being the last person to get embarrassed about how amazing they looked naked, Drake sauntered over and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Warden’s briefly. 

“I was communicating with our little leech.” He said. 

Warden’s eyes widened at that realization. Clearly, he’d forgotten that they had their odd little bond still. With a giddy grin he leaned forward, whispering in Drake’s ear. 

“Hey Cerat, we miss you.” 

This guy…

Taking a step back, Drake crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. “I’m not a telephone, War.” He said, scowling for only a brief moment before turning his attention inward. 

The chicken says hello. He thought to Cerat. 

When he got an overwhelming wave of happiness and excitement back, he just about growled. 

Prick. Why didn’t I get any excitement? Just a little happy? He grumbled, earning humor back in response before Warden poked his shoulder, bringing his mind back into focus. 

“Sorry, we can’t really talk to each other, but I can sense his emotions and he can understand what I’m saying.” Drake said. “I told him that you say hello and he flooded my mind with disgustingly happy feelings.” 

Grinning, Warden wrapped his arms around Drake’s middle, no longer worried about him being naked. They’ve been aggressively intimate more than enough times to get the hesitation out of his system. And, surprisingly, Drake could control himself fairly well with Warden right in front of him while he was lacking clothing. 

“I’m glad. He does seem like he’s doing well. I won’t bother you with asking you to talk to him for me, but could you just let him know that I’m proud of him and to keep it up.” 

Drake raised an eyebrow at that message, earning a nudge to his ribs in response. 

“Don’t turn that into an innuendo and just tell him for me, please.” Warden said before stepping out of the bathroom. 

“Your dinner is ready, by the way. So cover up, at least a little, and get your butt to the table.” He called from around the corner, making Drake lick his lips. 

Hey leech, the chicken says he’s glad you are doing good and keep your dick up. Drake thought to Cerat quickly as he hurried into their room and got himself a pair of drawstring pajama pants that happened to be Warden’s. 

The lackluster sense of sarcasm he got from Cerat in return brought a smile to his face as he walked into the little dining area and dropped down into his seat across from his boyfriend. 

“Did I mention how much I love you today?” He said, drawing a raised eyebrow from Warden, who was just lifting a piece of lemon braised chicken to his mouth. 

“No…?” Warden replied right before Drake grabbed the fork from his hand and ate the piece of chicken on it. 

“Damn, you are getting really good at cooking.” He said as he twirled the fork around his fingers, earning himself a grumble from his chicken. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t eat you right now. I’m saving my favorite chicken for the bedroom.” He purred as he handed Warden his fork back. 

“And don’t worry, I don’t mind talking to our leech for you sometimes.” 

Warden shook his head, but he couldn’t hide his smile as they ate their meal in comfortable silence. He could still feel some faint emotions from Cerat, but it was clear that they weren’t directed at him intentionally. Drake didn’t really mind them, though. None were bad, so he was actually glad that Cerat was, indeed, doing fine. 

(I think Cerat actually wants a chapter, so I’ll see if I can get him to talk to me for the next one lol)

28. Care

(Quick bit from Cerat… and I just adopted another dog, cause I’m crazy. She’s heartworm positive, but I couldn’t leave her there. This was her last day if no interest x.x)

The last couple of days were more uplifting than Cerat had hoped. He’d been doing very well with his new diet of strictly blood. Flora had sent him a couple pictures of Drake and Warden she’d taken on her phone after meeting them away from the store earlier in the week. She’d also given them a new photo of him, his hair partially back to its original sandy brown color and his eyes just barely starting to recover their blue hue. But the biggest thing that drew a smile onto his face as he set his key on the counter and grabbed a fresh bag of blood from the fridge were the new nightly messages he got from Drake. 

He’d never really seen many nice things come from the werewolf because of his attitude and aggression, especially towards him and Warden, but the guy seemed to have mellowed out quite a bit over the past few months, as if he finally realized that things weren’t going to go to hell if he wasn’t an asshole. 

The now-familiar itch at the back of his mind told Cerat that Drake was considering contacting him. You’ve been bugging me more now than you used to when we were actually living together, dog. He thought with a grin as he let his emotions flow toward their connection. 

Hey punk. Did you miss your fluffy daddy? 

Cerat nearly spat out his blood at Drake’s comment, needing to smack his chest a few times to not cough it back up. 

I felt that, you little bastard. Drake grumbled in his mind, making Cerat roll his eyes before taking a few more sips from his blood pouch, trying to clear the tickle in his throat from having nearly thrown up. 

Not my fault you grossed me out to the point of nearly puking. Cerat grumbled, getting a wave of frustration back from Drake. It was quite funny. The guy thought that he could only hear what he thought to him intentionally, but the emotions worked both ways. 

Grinning, he dropped down onto the old sofa and leaned his head back against the cushion. He kind of missed verbally sparring with the frustrating werewolf. I miss Warden a lot, too. He might have topped him, but he’d also enjoyed when the man took him in the shower, too. I just want to cuddle with him. He thought as a wave of loneliness slipped away from him. 

Hey leech, it’ll be okay. I’ll bang you first thing when we can be together again. Drake said, clearly trying to cheer him up considering the emotions Cerat felt him transfer to him with his words. 

Cerat pursed his lips and sniffed, suddenly noticing that a tear was making its way down his left cheek. He quickly swiped it away and shook his head, unsure of why he was even crying. He was okay. His job was going great and he had more than enough blood to never even think about trying to take it by force again. He could control himself and he didn’t have anyone around trying to kill him. 

Hey, we’re here, Cerat. Even the chicken, but he can’t talk to you through my god damn ears, though he keeps trying. 

Cerat set his drink aside as he coughed out a tired laugh, then sniffed again. 

Aw, we love you, too, you frigid bloodsucker. Drake said, responding to the longing he accidentally sent to him. 

Cerat sighed and flopped over, his head dropping onto the faded armrest. He stretched out, his toes digging into a small hole at the other end of the sofa he’d seen Drake picking at before. 

I miss you guys. I never thought that I’d actually want to try living again after what had happened to me, but every time I climb into bed alone, I just remember you two being there. 

I remember you letting me have spinach because you didn’t give a damn about the contract, but I think you actually wanted to help me, just a little, at least. 

He could sense Drake trying to piece together the emotions he was letting drift to him, the guy’s confusion was pretty entertaining. Giggling to himself, Cerat thought about one of the children he’d seen come into the store the other day. The girl was so excited about getting a reptile, but her mother couldn’t understand why she didn’t want a fluffy hamster or bunny rabbit. 

She had begged and pleaded for that lizard, and when he’d come over to offer them assistance, the little girl had gone on and on about how to care for different lizards and what they ate. He had actually been pretty impressed, so he let her hold one, even though he knew that her mother was likely not going to cave and actually buy it for her. 

The girl was ecstatic and she handled the lizard almost like a professional… until it pooped all the way down her arm. He’d heard a lot of children yell in the store before for a number of illogical reasons, but when that iguana had relieved itself on her… 

What the hell are you thinking about? Drake asked, even more confused now, which just made Cerat smile. 

He waited a few moments for Drake’s frustration to simmer before nudging him with all of the emotion he desperately wanted to show them face to face. Drake’s response was immediate as Cerat felt him relax slightly, then feel relieved, along with a strong sense of longing. 

Get some rest, little leech. We’ll wait for you, so don’t go thinking that you’re alone. 

Cerat nodded, though he knew that they couldn’t see it. 

“I’ll wait for you guys, too. I want to live now, and I’m not afraid to be what I am thanks to you two and that crazy pet shop lady.” He said before yawning and letting his eyes close.

Right before he drifted off right there on the sofa, Drake sent him one final message. 

Maybe I’ll have that aggressive shop owner take a few more pictures of us, but lower, to send to you. I’ll just have to make sure she deletes them after she sends them… don’t need her thinking that we’re offering her anything. 

Cerat couldn’t even bring himself to shake his head at that. He was glad to know that Drake was stil Drake, even if he was finally working and being somewhat nice.

29+30

(This is last night’s chapter and today’s. I realized splitting this in half wasn’t the best idea, especially at the part where I did it XD) 

“Hey War, are you ready yet?” Drake called from upstairs, his feet already taking the steps two at a time before he’d even finished speaking. 

He found Warden in the kitchen, a piece of toast halfway to his mouth that Drake happily bit into as he reached up, buttoning Warden’s open shirt without even needing to look. 

All of those one night stands removing clothing without paying attention finally come in handy. 

Granted, he’d love to strip him of the shirt, and the rest of his clothing, but they had things to do for once. Even his wolf was excited about the little party they were planning. Their leech was finally coming home that evening, or really, at midnight, and they were going to make it the best homecoming ever. 

“I still say we get a pinata and fill it with blood.” He said before leaning in and pressing his lips to Warden’s, then stealing the last bite of his toast. “Or get those gummie dicks from online, only with blood in them instead of red food coloring.” 

He could hear Warden smack his face behind him as he sauntered to the door, holding it open for his boyfriend with a crooked grin. 

“First of all.” Warden said as he tugged on a light jacket and slid on his shoes. “You have to special order those gummies, so that’s out.” 

He stepped out the door as Drake huffed, locking it behind himself before running a few steps to catch up and grab one of Warden’s hands. 

“What about the pinata? That’s a good idea, right?” He asked, seemingly thinking that spraying blood all over the penthouse would be a wise decision.

“It’s more doable than the dicks, but I still think it’s a bit too… stain-inducing.” Warden said as they stepped into the elevator and headed down to the garage. 

Drake slipped into the driver’s seat after snagging the keys from Warden’s other hand, his tongue sticking out after he added a wink. Warden simply rolled his eyes and walked around, sliding into the passenger’s seat and buckling up a second before Drake pressed his lead foot to the gas pedal. 

He’d thought that they’d go to the party store, as originally planned, but perhaps because he said that the pinata wasn’t going to be the greatest idea, Drake decided to skip that trip entirely. They ended up at the grocery store, though Warden was a bit confused as to why. 

Knowing that Drake would buy things they definitely didn’t need if he didn’t follow him inside, Warden gave a quiet sigh and followed, grabbing the cart Drake pulled from the line up before he could start running through the store, only to hop up on the metal bar near the bottom and crash it into some poor elderly lady… again. 

I really should invest in a leash and collar for him… but with my luck, it would somehow end up on me, instead. 

“Hey chicken, what do you want for dinner?” Drake asked as he tossed a large container of spinach in the cart, then moved on to get a bag of carrots. 

Drake had a pretty nervous habit when he actually did a lot of work and tended to come home with his finger nails all bit up, or having emptied one of the vending machines near his office, so, he’d suggested that he find something that won’t gain him a ton of weight and will give his nails a chance to heal back up. 

A lot of the junk and snack foods they’d gone through hadn’t done much, since they disappeared in seconds and just left him with a craving for more. The carrots had kind of come along by accident with them having been in one of his employee’s salads from a fast food restaurant. They hadn’t wanted them and were going to throw them out, but Drake, being the living garbage disposal that he was, took them back to his desk to munch on while he worked. 

“How about we get some bloody steaks?” Warden offered, getting a quick nod from Drake as he followed the guy toward the butcher’s counter. 

They usually drained a decent amount of the blood from the cuts they put in the case, so Drake made sure that the butcher knew they wanted some dripping ones. The butcher added extra, previously drained blood at Drake’s request, filling the packages almost to the point of leaking. It definitely didn’t look appetizing to him, but Warden knew that Drake wouldn’t mind tearing apart the meat, and Cerat would probably love the treat. 

“Hey, Drake?” 

His boyfriend looked up, a smirk on his face. “Finally wanna do it in the supermarket?” 

Rolling his eyes, Warden said, “Let’s make him a smoothie with the spinach and blood.” 

Drake raised an eyebrow as he set the cuts of beef in the cart, then followed Warden as he began moving again. “That’s not a bad idea. Kind of reminds me of what we were doing at the beginning. Man, that guy was a stubborn pain the ass… or, well, at least in your ass.” Drake said as they rounded a corner. A lady was standing there staring at them, her eyes wide, the box of crackers in her hand completely forgotten. 

He needs to lower his volume when we’re out.

Of course, that would never happen. It was Drake, after all. The guy had no volume control unless he was asleep, and even then, sometimes when he worked really late, he snored like a train. 

“War, you with me, KFC?” Drake asked, waving a hand in front of Warden’s face, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah. Did you want anything to go with the steaks after we use the blood for Cerat, or want anything else in general?” He asked, getting a shake of Drake’s head in response. 

“We have enough stuff for side dishes back at home.” He said, making Warden grin as he watched Drake head toward the check out area. Of course, he grabbed a few things and tossed them into the cart as they made their way through the snack isle, but he didn’t comment. He was too busy thinking about what he had said. It was still a little odd to hear Drake refer to his place as home , because, even when he was over there more often than not, he rarely called it his own home. 

He was just reaching for his wallet to pay, out of habit, when Drake grabbed his own and took care of the small bill. “I got it, War. Besides, I’ll gladly pay the bill each time you look at me like you were.” 

I really need to watch myself. Warden thought as he quickly took the last bag that Drake hadn’t gotten and hurried outside, his head down except to watch for cars. Thankfully, Drake opened the behicle with the fob before he got there, giving Warden a chance to duck inside and cool his burning cheeks. 

“If I wouldn’t get in trouble for embarrassing you more than that, I absolutely would every chance I got.” Drake said as he set the bag he had in Warden’s lap, then got them on their way back to the penthouse. 

Warden scowled out the window the first few minutes of the ride, but his attention slowly drifted back to Drake when the guy didn’t say anything else. Is he talking to Cerat again? He wondered as he glanced sideways at his boyfriend several times when he wasn’t paying attention to him. 

“Yes, I’m talking to our leech.” Drake said as they pulled into the parking garage area of the penthouse. 

Warden couldn’t help the smile that slipped onto his lips at Drake’s statement. Of course, Drake could read him like a book, so once the car was put in park, he reached over and grabbed the two bags in Warden’s lap, then leaned in for a kiss. 

“He’s very excited to be coming back. I bet you he’ll be here one minute after midnight.” He said before exiting the car and heading toward the elevator. 

Warden hurried to catch up, snagging his keys back from where they hung on Drake’s belt loop so that he could lock the car, then unlock the penthouse once they were there. 

The moment he reached for the handle and found it unlocked, Warden frowned and leaned back, meeting Drake’s curious eyes. 

“I didn’t give anyone else a key…” He said at the same time Drake shrugged and shook his head, indicating that he, too, hadn’t given anyone else access to their home. 

Right as they both started reaching for the handle again, the door was pulled open, drawing their eyes up to a young man with light, sandy-brown hair, blue eyes, and a slightly cocky grin. 

Drake was the first to react as he grabbed Warden’s wrist and shoved Cerat hard, sending him stumbling back into the penthouse before following him in, then spinning back around to slam the door shut and lock it. 

“The hell are you doing here, Cerat?” He yelled as he turned back around. 

Warden was trying not to wince at the strength Drake was displaying unintentionally where he still gripped his wrist. It surprised him, though, that he actually used Cerat’s name for once instead of just calling him leech. 

He definitely doesn’t look the same, but not in a bad way. 

Pulling away from Drake’s grasp, Warden knelt down beside Cerat and helped him back to his feet before pulling him into a tight hug. He was freaked out about him being there before midnight, but he also couldn’t not hug him. 

“You look amazing, Cer.” He mumbled against his soft hair before pulling away to look at him. 

Cerat smiled and leaned up slightly, stealing a quick kiss before wrapping his arms around Warden’s middle and looking over his shoulder at Drake with a smirk. 

“Hey horndog. I got to come home a little early, for good behavior. A whole half day.” He said before turning his head and placing a kiss against Warden’s neck, making him shiver at the feeling of his cold lips. 

“Ready to share your chicken?” He asked right before Drake grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him backwards away from Warden. 

It looked like Drake’s attitude was about to return with a vengeance, but after a few seconds of glaring silence, he reached forward and took Cerat’s face in his hands, then leaned in. 

The kiss lasted nearly a full minute before Drake finally stepped away, licking his lips as Cerat pursed his and looked away, a slight bit of extra color dotting his cheeks. 

“I know you missed me, too, you darn leech.” Drake grumbled as he grabbed both of the bags they’d forgotten by the door and took them to the kitchen. 

Cerat turned to follow, but Warden wasn’t done. He wrapped his arms around him from behind and leaned over, pressing several kisses up and down his neck. “I missed you. You’re staying with us now, right?” He asked as Cerat turned in his arms, then hugged him. 

“Is Drake still moderately house trained?” Cerat asked, earning a growl from the kitchen as they heard stuff banging around. 

I better get in there soon or risk losing this place to a fire. 

“For the most part.” Warden said as he took Cerat’s hand and pulled him into the kitchen. 

Drake had just turned on the blender when they stepped inside. Judging from the two opened packages of steak on the counter, he was likely making Cerat’s welcome home treat. 

“That better have spinach in it. I haven’t had that stuff in forever and I’ve had a serious craving for it.” Cerat said as he walked over, sniffing at the blender before Drake stopped it and opened the lid. 

The smile on Cerat’s lips made Warden grin. He watched the two interact for the next few moments and felt himself finally relax. He’d heard of the phrase absence makes the heart grow fonder  but it seemed like it was actually true for them. 

When a strong knock sounded on the door, Warden snapped out of his thoughts and followed Drake and Cerat to it. He expected Drake to glance through the peephole first, but when he just bared his teeth and swung the door open, he realized that he likely knew who was on the other side. 

“Bitch. I thought we went through this last time. No dick for you.” Drake growled to the angel standing before them. 

Casius scowled and shoved a folder of papers against Drake’s chest. “I’m just here to give that disgusting leech his citizenship papers. If you hadn’t slammed the door on my face the last time we’d met, you’d have gotten them much sooner.” 

Wrong thing to say to Drake. 

“Is that so, Mr. Delivery cock?” Drake snarled as he quickly stepped into Casius’s personal space. 

“Don’t get blood on the rug. They charge a fortune to clean stains out of the hallway… remember the last time you attacked that pizza delivery boy because they put pineapple on your pizza by mistake?” Warden warned, making Drake growl even louder. 

They had been lucky that it had only been a few nips from his wolf or Drake would have likely spent some of his time in a not so nice place. 

“Drake, come on. He just wants to get a rise out of you, and that’s our job.” Cerat said as he reached forward, taking one of Drake’s hands and tugging. 

Drake didn’t move for a tense minute before lunging forward just enough to startle Casuis into forcing his wings out, shredding the fancy shirt that he’d been wearing. The look on Casius’s face as his shirt fell to the floor in pieces seemed good enough for Drake, because he bared his teeth one more time before turning and walking back inside, slamming the door shut behind himself and locking it. 

Warden was actually pretty proud until Drake grabbed his chin with one hand and Cerat’s with the other. “I believe there was talk about making something rise ?” He asked. 

“I want to drink my smoothie…” Cerat mumbled, a blush coming to his cheeks. 

He really is doing much better after having a good source of blood for so long. Warden thought before he was forced to focus when Drake’s mouth began devouring his. 

“I’ll eat my chicken first, then. You better not run away though, leech. You’ve been taunting me for months.” 

Warden turned his head in order to get in a decent breath of air before speaking. “We should cook our food, too.” He rasped, only for Drake to kiss him again. 

“Put it in the oven and set the timer. I bet we can beat it…” He growled, making Warden swallow hard and shiver. 

“I think I like this porn movie. Please, continue.” Cerat said, his smoothie suddenly in his hand as he sipped at it, seemingly content to watch them go at each other. 

Drake scowled at him, then pulled Warden into the bedroom and kicked the door shut, leaving a frustrated Cerat banging on the other side after he flicked the lock. 

“You bastard! I wait for you guys for a year and you lock me out of our first threesome?” He yelled. 

Warden shrugged Drake off and nonchalantly began undressing, rolling his eyes as Drake nearly tore his own clothing off. 

“I know you did that just to pick on him. You must actually like him a lot now. What exactly have you two been talking about through your connection?” He asked before Drake pounced on him. 

They just barely landed on the bed, with Warden almost falling off the far corner.

“He’ll get his turn.” Drake grumbled as he began nipping at Warden’s neck, drawing a sigh from him. 

“You are ridiculous, dog.” 

There was silence for a moment before Cerat yelled through the door. 

“You forgot to even put your food in the oven!” 

Of course. The only thing that can distract Drake from food… sex. 

“We can cook after.” Drake said right before Warden rolled his eyes again and yelled back. “You can open the door using a penny!” 

Drake scowled at him for that, but when Cerat stalked inside a few moments later, leaving the door open behind him, Warden knew that he’d done the right thing. It didn’t take Drake more than a few moments of staring at Cerat’s now-bare chest before he was reaching for him. 

Cerat, deciding to return the jab Drake had given him when he’d locked him out of the bedroom, stepped just out of reach and flashed a partial grin, showing just enough fang to look pretty damn cute. 

Never thought I’d think that fangs were cute. 

“Come here, Cerat. You wanted to play with us.” Drake said, an authoritative tone to his voice that had Cerat looking down and licking his lips. 

When he didn’t move, Drake turned his attention back to Warden and leaned down, kissing him until he was panting hard, then winked and slid from the bed. Turning his head to the side to see what Drake was doing, Warden found him pinning Cerat against the wall beside the large dresser, his left hand resting against Cerat’s right cheek while his right one had a firm grasp on his waist. 

“You’ve been taunting me for months, little leech. Now that you finally have my physical attention, you’re getting all embarrassed?” Drake rasped, his voice a partial growl from his internal wolf. 

Warden pushed himself up on the bed, trying to decide whether he should intervene or not. Drake wasn’t forcing anything inappropriate, though the atmosphere was getting more and more tense by the second and one of them was definitely going to break soon. 

To his surprise, Cerat was the one to make the first move. He got up on his toes and leaned forward, brushing a kiss against Drake’s lips for barely a second before ducking his head to the side and pressing his lips against the warm skin at his neck. 

Instead of reacting negatively, like Warden thought might happen, Drake just gave a deep chuckle and easily lifted Cerat up, letting the guy wrap his legs around his bare waist at the same time he did the same with his arms around his neck before he turned toward the bed. 

“Bite away, I’m going to enjoy sinking things into you soon, too.” Drake growled. 

Warden watched Cerat’s face color as he bit down with his own hungry growl. After scooting back to give them both room, Warden didn’t hesitate to look over Cerat’s naked upper half. He looked a thousand times better than he had. His ribs were no longer visible unless he flexed his back slightly. His skin was clear and a soft tan color, as opposed to its previous sickly faded grey or white. 

When he met Cerat’s eyes over Drake’s shoulder, Warden felt his throat dry up instantly, making him swallow hard. He looks like he wants to eat me. The idea didn’t bother him in the least, though. 

As Drake slowly worked Cerat’s pants off while he fed, Warden crawled forward and settled beside them. He only had to wait a few moments before Cerat retracted his fangs from Drake’s neck and unwrapped his arms, clearly intent on switching to him. 

“Does he taste as good as you remember?” Warden teased as he happily opened his arms for Cerat. 

He got an immediate nod as Cerat wrapped his arms around his shoulders and leaned in for a kiss. Warden could taste the copper remnants from Drake’s blood, but it didn’t bother him much. He let his attention turn away from the feeling of fangs slipping into his neck a few moments later and began rubbing his hands along the cool expanse of Cerat’s naked body. 

I’ve had him once before, but I hadn’t had much time to really enjoy touching. He thought as his left hand slid along Cerat’s backside and gave a gentle squeeze, immediately eliciting a quiet moan to vibrate from Cerat’s lips pressed firmly against his skin. 

He let his hands wander greedily for another several minutes before lifting his eyes to Drake, who was watching without an ounce of embarrassment. 

“Might be able to get used to this easier than I thought.” He said gruffly as he slowly moved toward them like a predator stalking prey. 

Drake lifted a hand to press against Cerat’s back, gently guiding him and Warden to lie down on the blankets. There was a tense silence as Drake settled himself on his hands and knees over them both, but when Warden met his eyes, he realized that he was speaking with Cerat through their connection. 

A smirk slid across Drake’s lips a few moments after his eyes refocused. Warden was just opening his mouth to ask him what he was going to do when he noticed Drake adjust the position of his hips after stealing a bit of lube from a bottle laying on the blankets nearby, then wrapping his arms partially around him and Cerat as he pressed his lips to Warden’s. 

He began to feel a growing rocking sensation against him as Cerat tensed and untensed a few times in his arms. When it started getting rougher, Cerat released his neck, panting hard as he began to moan in unison with Drake’s thrusts. 

They continued for a few moments before Drake suddenly stopped and leaned up on his arms, glaring down at Cerat, who was slowly turning his attention over his shoulder with a partial smirk. 

“The hell are you thinking with that emotion, you cocky little leech?” Drake growled. 

Cerat chuckled quietly before replying roughly. “A grandma could do better.” 

Oh. Shit. This is not the time to stab at his ego! 

And that was exactly what it was, too. Drake was damn good at sex, Warden could attest to that, so he knew that Cerat was messing with him right then. 

When Drake met his eyes, Warden gave a very slight shake of his head, but he could already hear Drake’s wolf growling through his human form. Needless to say, there was nothing he could do when Drake dragged Cerat off of him, then pounced. 

Warden knew that he wouldn’t have been able to take it, but his eyes widened in surprise when Cerat rolled onto his back and wrapped his arms and legs around Drake as his hips worked feverishly. 

I’m almost jealous of that kind of stamina, but I know someone who’s backside is going to need iced tonight. 

When they both finished with a loud growl from Drake and a shuddering moan from Cerat, Warden’s own length was quite uncomfortably hard. He was just inching beneath one of the blankets to take care of himself when Drake slowly pulled out of Cerat and looked toward him. He was panting hard and sweating from exertion, but there was no way of hiding the look in his eyes. 

Shit. He’s still hungry. 

Granted, Warden could hear Drake’s stomach growl loudly, but he knew that food wasn’t on his mind as he hurried to pin him down against the pillows, blocking his view of Cerat still panting where he lay against the blankets. 

It did give him a good view of Drake, though… and of the item between his legs that clearly wasn’t quite ready to go again. He seemed to realize that too after a few moments, because he suddenly turned and dropped down onto his back beside him, his face showing that he wasn’t exactly pleased, but there was another emotion there he couldn’t quite pinpoint as he made himself sit up. 

“I’ll be fine, I can just use my hands.” Warden said right before Drake rolled onto him, pushing him back down against the pillows, only to roll over, leaving Warden on top of him, his eyes wide and confused. 

“I promised that one day you’d get to do it…” Drake grumbled as he yanked some of the blankets over them at the sound of Cerat’s snicker. 

Warden couldn’t process his words, but when Drake reached between them after grabbing another tube of lube from the nightstand and slipping it beneath the blankets, then grasped Warden’s length and guided it until the tip brushed against Drake’s too-warm entrance, he realized what he was offering. 

“Fuck.” He rasped, drawing a snort from Drake. 

“About time you got it.” He growled as Warden began to slowly push inside, clearly unsure about what he was doing. He was so used to Drake topping him that it took him a few awkward minutes and a couple strong jerks from Drake’s hips before he finally got himself into a decent rhythm. 

“Are you okay?” Warden asked as he kept working, being extra careful not to unintentionally hurt him. 

Drake looked like he was partially enjoying it, but it was clear that he wasn’t normally a bottom, if he’d ever let anyone do it at all. When he forced a tense smile and pulled Warden down for a rough kiss, though, he realized that it would be okay. He hurried to finish as their tongues danced together, then gently pulled out before dropping down right next to him with a content sigh. He’d liked making love to Drake for once, but he probably wouldn’t request to do it again for a long time. It was definitely a sweet gesture, though, and he really appreciated it. 

It wasn’t five seconds later before Cerat was snuggled in between them, his chest firmly pressed against Warden’s back as Drake’s arms pulled them both into a strong hug. They still needed to make dinner and probably call a few people for work, but Warden decided to just relax for a little while longer. Besides, considering how much energy Drake had just expended, he didn’t doubt that he’d just eat the meat raw, thawed or not. 

Rolling over at the sound of quiet snores, Warden grinned as he saw Cerat out cold between them. It was no surprise since he’d fed from them both, then took part in quite voracious physical activity. 

Glancing over Cerat’s shoulder, he noticed Drake roll his eyes, then reach up and across Cerat’s sleeping form to brush a strand of hair from in front of Warden’s left eye. 

“We’ll get up soon and rinse off, then make dinner.” 

Warden smiled and nodded against the pillow his head rested on, closing his eyes as he felt Drake’s hand settle against his messy hair. In that exact moment, he couldn’t have been happier.

31. Fin.

I can feel you’re awake, Cer. Drake thought to him, making Cerat scowl at the back of Warden’s head. They’d moved at some point during the night and now he was squirming slightly in Drake’s too-warm arms. It also didn’t help that his butt was throbbing quite badly. 

“Pretty sure that was all you. Well, me in you, but you goaded me.” Drake said, quieting his words toward the end of his sentence when Cerat glared over his shoulder at him. 

Shutting up now. Drake thought to him right before Warden rolled over and pulled Cerat into a hug, stealing him from Drake’s arms with a sleepy smirk. 

“Hey, I was using that ice cube. It’s hot in here.” Drake said, his tone mischievous as he sat up. 

Cerat let himself enjoy the attention for a few moments before pushing himself up and yawning. He didn’t even get five seconds of peace before Drake’s hand was on his head, ruffling his already-messy bed-head. 

“You’re actually pretty cute when you aren’t hissing or sucking on someone.” Drake noted, then added. “Unless it’s me, and there’s no fangs involved.” 

Cerat leaned in when Drake swiped his tongue along his bottom lip, nipping the tip just enough to make it bleed. It got him a growl in response, but instead of any other action, Drake just rolled his eyes and leaned down, stealing a rough kiss from Warden. 

“This chicken’s not for breakfast.” Warden mumbled once he was able to get in a decent gasp of air. 

Drake pouted, but Warden just shoved his shoulder and got out of bed. His naked body drew, and held, their attention without fail until he disappeared into the bathroom. 

 “Dibs!” Drake yelled as he leaped from the bed, only to have the bathroom door shut in and locked in his face. 

Cerat raised an eyebrow at the abrupt cock block and grinned. “You got dibs alright. Great job landing that bird.” 

Instead of the scowl he expected, Cerat’s eyes widened when Drake suddenly pounced on him, pinning him easily to the blankets even though he was baring his fangs at him. 

“You really enjoy taunting predators, don’t you, you little carrot?” Drake grumbled. 

Cerat knew that he wouldn’t hurt him, even with the narrowed eyes and tightening grip on his arms. Drake’s emotions were flowing through his mind, the guy having likely forgotten to keep the connection in check since he was clearly distracted. 

“Your emotions are making me nauseous. I’m not a cuddler, and that’s exactly what your mind is screaming at me right now.” Cerat said with a straight face, making Drake’s mouth slip open slightly from surprise. 

“This damn bond thing is going to make me look like a pansy.” Drake grumbled right before Cerat chuckled. “It’s a pretty flower at least?” 

The glare he got in response just made his smile grow as he reached up and grabbed Drake’s face, pulling him down for a quick kiss. 

“I’m going to go eat before we head back to finish all this stuff up for good.” Cerat said, drawing a raised eyebrow from Drake as he leaned back, letting him get off the bed. 

“I’ll come with you.” He said abruptly, making Cerat pause as he tugged up a pair shorts that were clearly a bit too big on him.

At that moment Warden stepped out of the bathroom with a white towel around his waist. Cerat licked his lips, his eyes locking on Warden’s neck before he forced himself to take a few steps out of the room. 

“Going to go drown myself in blood.” He mumbled as he turned and hurried to the kitchen. 

He was not looking forward to dealing with Bradeson and or the elder Caste, Warden’s father, but he knew that he had to deal with it. 

“If you’re trying to be quiet about jerking our chicken off, it’s not working, because your mind is definitely not being quiet about it.” Cerat yelled tauntingly to the other room as he opened the fridge and got himself a pouch of blood. 

Not bothering with the straw, he nipped the bag, then took a long drink. Thankfully, Drake was quick, and the two finished their little fun and emerged from the room fully dressed and just a little short of breath. 

“We’re ready.” Drake said as he walked over, slinging an arm around Cerat’s shoulders and guiding him toward the front door where War stood with his keys in his hands as he slipped on his shoes. 

Cerat shrugged away from Drake’s arm and tossed his empty bag of blood before heading into the bedroom to shower and change quickly. 

When he straightened back up by the door after returning and slipping on his own shoes, Warden reached over and rustled his hair, earning a scowl as Cerat swatted at his hand, only to receive a quick peck on the cheek from Drake before being nudged out the door with both of the frustrating guys. 

The drive took a bit due to traffic, but all of their thoughts seemed to be on other things because no one really spoke much until they were parked outside of the too-big building and stepping out of the car. 

“Just a quick check in, then you’re free for a while, right?” Warden asked, even though he’d told him a few times already. It was cute that he was so worried, but after dealing with the counsel several times during his one year probation away from Drake and Warden, Cerat wasn’t nearly as nervous as he used to be. 

“Yeah, and I have something I want to say to your dad.” He said as he lead the way inside. 

Warden walked on his left while Drake stalked behind them, no doubt glaring at anyone who dared to stare for too long. 

You guys probably shouldn’t have been fooling around right before leaving… but I bet you just wanted your sent on him after he washed it away in the shower. Cerat thought, fighting a sigh as they stepped into the elevator that would take them up to the counsel’s floor. 

“This should only take a moment so please let me do all the talking.” Cerat said as he glanced over his shoulder at Drake, raising an eyebrow to earn himself an eye roll in response. 

Luckily, Warden’s father and Bradeson were both present in the large hall, though at least half of the seats were empty. 

Darn. 

When they walked in, all eyes lifted to them. Cerat was used to it, but he could feel Drake’s aggression levels jump a bit through their bond. 

Down Fido. 

Drake growled quietly at him in response to the emotion he sent but Cerat just shrugged it off and walked forward, stepping up to the large desk that spanned a good portion of the far side of the room. 

“Here for my final check in. I got my papers the other night.” Cerat said as he looked both men in the eye, no longer anywhere near as nervous as he used to be to interact with others. 

It was obvious that neither of them were that thrilled to see him, but to their credit, they hid it somewhat well. 

“Have things been going well? It seems that you have moved into my son’s home for the time being?” The elder Caste replied, making Cerat nod. 

The man frowned, but quickly covered it with an indifferent look. 

“Your blood supply is all set and your work is doing well? There are no issues we should know about?” Bradeson asked, leaning forward slightly on the desk. 

Cerat nodded again, then grinned. 

“Everything is going fine.” 

Bradeson and Warden’s father glanced at each other, then shrugged. 

“It seems that you are good to go. We expect you back here at the regular intervals we discussed, and for you not to cause any trouble.” Mr. Caste said. 

“Of course. Before I leave, though, I just wanted to let you know one thing.” Cerat said as he took a step back, grabbing Drake’s right wrist and Warden’s left. 

The two elders looked at each other again, then back to him. Cerat’s smile widened as he looked at Warden’s father. 

“I fucked your son and he tastes like candy.” 

Before either man could break free of the stupor his words had caused, Cerat took a few quick steps backward, tugging both of his men with him, then turned and yelled. “Run!” 

Without thinking, Warden and Drake followed. He couldn’t sense Warden’s thoughts, though the dark red blush on his face was pretty telling. Drake’s mind, however, was flying every which way. Cerat was particularly happy, when they got to the elevator and started heading down, that the most prevalent emotion Drake was unintentionally sending out to him was something along the lines of being proud or overjoyed. 

They weren’t stopped by anyone as they darted out the front doors on the first floor, which seemed surprising to Warden and Drake. 

“They can’t do anything to me for that kind of thing. I’m a legal citizen, and even screwing their beloved son and sucking on him isn’t grounds for punishment. I just can’t snack on anyone who doesn’t want it.” 

When he’d finished speaking, Drake burst out laughing, catching quite a few eyes, though no one dared to stare for long. Warden didn’t seem to get the joke, but he did shake his head and grin as he tugged Cerat into his arms for a light hug. 

“Well, what shall we do now with your newfound, official freedom… before my dad calls and verbally murders me for my poor life choices over the phone?” 

Drake swung the keys to the car around his finger and gave them a look that screamed duh!  

“Obviously, we’re going to go home together and eat a hell of a lot of food, fill up that annoying rabbits water bottle, since it drinks more than I do in a week, then enjoy some real shit to tell your dad when he calls that he can preach about at church… but hopefully not tell your little sister by accident while listening to that sermon on seamen.” 

Cerat chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Warden as he leaned forward, stealing a quick kiss. 

“Want this leech and dog to treat you right, our chicken?” He asked.

It took Warden a few moments to nudge aside his clear embarrassment that had been building to slowly nod and lean into the attention. 

“Sounds like some kind of disturbing farm orgy, but yeah, I think I can handle you both.” Warden replied in a whisper against Cerat’s lips. 

Of course, Drake had easily heard him, even though he had clearly been trying to keep his voice down and couldn’t not reply with an excited howl. 

“Challenge fucking accepted!” 

(Hmm, think this one is pretty much done :3)

(I’ll be putting my Ko-fi link at the bottom of the final chapters of my books from here on. It’s totally optional, of course :) See you guys on the next story!)

Tips always appreciated :) https://ko-fi.com/theorykierei