Gael has always been an outcast and a weirdo - but when he moves to the small town of Imperium, he finds himself in the middle of a supernatural community, he didn't know he needed, or existed. It only becomes more interesting when the local hot vam...
"Sure." He was barely paying attention to me. Dave had turned on his back, letting Abel really get a good scratch on his belly. I couldn't blame Abel. Dave would win any attention contest any day.
"He's so cute," Abel said and looked back at me over his shoulder.
"The cutest."
"I've always wanted a dog. My parents would never let me. They said their lifespans are too short and I'd be too broken up about it every time they die."
"I mean, some breeds live until they're twenty."
"And I'll probably live until I'm like... Hundreds of years old." He shrugged a shoulder. "My parents are old. They don't consider time the same as you and me anymore. Twenty years is nothing to them."
"But you're only twenty-four. So, they don't consider that..."
"A grown-up? No. I'm barely above toddler age for them." He snorted and sat down on the floor, leaning against the couch. Dave put his head on his shoulder and Abel scratched his ear again.
I sat down next to him, keeping Dave's head between us. Dave licked my cheek, and I scratched him under his chin.
"Do you talk to them?"
"Not really. They don't live here, and I moved out to be more independent. They're used to it though. Sometimes they've gone like ten years without speaking to each other even." He shrugged a shoulder and turned his head, looking at me. "They love each other but sometimes they lose track of time. And when you've been with the same person for literal centuries, you might need a break sometimes."
"I guess."
"What about you? Parents? Family?"
I shook my head. "Mum's out of the picture, my dad died some years ago. Left town when I was bitten, then left that town to come here."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." He cringed a little.
"No, that's alright. My dad's life insurance got me this house. He would've been happy with this development."
Abel nodded a bit and looked around the living room. "You definitely need some decorations though. There's this antique shop not far from here. We should go."
"You like antiquing?" I snorted.
"Hell yeah. Vintage is awesome." He scooted his aviators up on his forehead, exposing those cartoon eyes again. They were cute. At first, I had thought they were a bit odd, but the more used to them I got, the more I actually liked them.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked with a low voice.
"Sure."
"Your sunglasses. Do you wear them for a specific reason?"
"My eyes are little sensitive, and they freak most people out. I got tired of explaining I have an eye condition, and instead went full douchebag-wearing-sunglasses-inside." He shrugged again. "I can put them on again if my eyes freak you out."
"You don't have to. Whatever is the most comfortable for you."
The doorbell rang before Abel could reply and I rose to my feet to get the pizzas. I came back to him still not wearing the aviators, now having them hang from the collar on his shirt. I smiled and jerked my head at the small dinner table separating the kitchen and the living room.
"Do you need to eat?" I asked.
"Actually no. But I really love pizza." He scooped out a slice and hovered the tip over his mouth before taking a big bite. He had fangs too. I hadn't noticed before, as he didn't really open his mouth when he spoke. He was one of those people who spoke through his teeth. Which made sense. I mean, he probably didn't want questions about having fangs.
"So, blood?" I grabbed a slice for myself.
"Yeah. I don't drink live though. Having human friends, kind of made me a vampire vegetarian. Unless the other party is willing. So, I don't go out and maul people."
I cringed and poked at my pizza with my fork.
"You've... mauled people," he muttered and put his pizza on the plate.
"I think, I have. I have varying levels of consciousness during the shift. Usually, I wake up with like a half a rabbit in my mouth. And a couple of times..." I stopped and grabbed my knife, cutting a piece of the pizza off, shoving it in my mouth.
"Well, you're a weirdo for sure." I looked up, feeling my stomach drop.
"You're eating pizza with a knife and fork, dude. Messed up."
I burst out laughing and Abel smiled.
"Okay, another question," I said as I tried to sober up. "What is exactly out there?"
He tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"Vampires, witches, werewolves, banshees... What else is there?"
"Well, Fred's girlfriend is a griffon. And then there's dryads, warlocks, different shifters who can like... Shift into different animals. Selkies and mermaids. Pond people..."
"Pond people?" I asked and arched a brow.
"Yeah, they'd be referred to as 'elves' in the olden times, but really, it's just really cranky people living in ponds who gets supper pissy if you swim in them. Like they'd definitely drown you. Also, why banshees go in a huge circle around them. Because of the drowning and all."
I grimaced a little. This was all too weird, and I had a very hard time wrapping my head around it all. I was hoping it'd come with time? But honestly, I doubted it. I had been living in a world where first, there was no magic. Then I became a freak of nature. And now I was not the only one? There was a whole community?
It was weird.
It was all so very weird.
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