Thaddeus is still watching me when I remember I wanted to ask how old they are. I quickly take a sip of my drink to drown the bite of food and ask. “How old are you?”
Orion chuckles, “I am surprised you haven’t asked already. Honestly, I wonder if it will weird you out,” he says, biting into his taco. I shake my head, not really caring, but also curious.
“I am a hundred and one, but I stopped aging at thirty,” Thaddeus answers, which isn’t as old as I thought he would say.
Then, I look at Ryland and he answers without me asking. “A hundred and seventy-two.”
I snicker; that is old, considering he looks older than Thaddeus.
“What age did you stop aging?”
“Thirty-five,” he answers, and I nod.
As I look at Orion, he snickers and shakes his head. “What?” I ask.
“Nothing. I can’t remember exactly; I only know the century.”
“Century?” I squeak. Exactly how old is he if he can’t remember?
“Time wasn’t as easy to mark back then. I was born in the fourteen hundreds and changed when I was… I think, twenty-seven.”
I choke on my taco at his answer. “So, you’re like 700 years old?” My eyes widen as the words leave me.
“I think so; maybe a little less,” he says, and I sip my Coke, trying to wash down the taco that nearly choked me to death.
“What was that like?”
Orion chuckles. “Definitely different than now: no electricity, everything by horse and carriage, kings and queens.” I nod, trying to imagine what it would have been like back then to live. “Do our ages bother you?”
“No, but it would have been handy to know you in school. I sucked at history and geography; you would have been handy back then.” I laugh, and Orion nods.
“That’s one way to look at it,” he states.
I finish my taco when Thaddeus passes me one of his. “Does food taste the same to you guys?”
“Yes and no. Some things taste the same, but everything tastes bland to me except blood,” Orion responds.
“Tastes the same to me, but I was born, not changed, and same for Ryland, so I can’t really compare,” Thaddeus answers.
When we finish eating, we end up watching TV. Everything is fine until Ryland suddenly gets up. “Where are you going?” I ask, as he walks past the couch where I am lying with Orion.
“To go for a run,” he says, bending over and kissing me. When I instantly hop up, he raises a suspicious eyebrow at me. “What are you doing? It’s a little chilly outside.”
“I want to see you turn into a fluffy poodle.”
My answer makes Ryland huff. “I am no poodle,” he states, but holds his hand out for me and I grab it. Thaddeus and Orion follow behind us. We walk out back, and I sit on the step. Ryland starts removing his clothes and dumps them on my lap.
“Does it hurt?” I ask as he stretches, wearing nothing but his briefs.
He shakes his head. “Not anymore; used to, but now I can shift fast. It doesn’t hurt, just a strange sensation.”
“Do you have to worry about fleas?” I ask, curious exactly how much like a dog werewolves are. Orion laughs and snorts at my question. “What? I actually want to know,” I tell him.
“No, Evelyn, I don’t get fleas,” Ryland states dryly.
“What about…”
“Do you want to watch me shift or ask a million questions?” he asks, cutting me off.
“Both,” I state. The silly grin on my face fades as a breeze picks up and makes me shiver. Thaddeus grabs me, pulling me onto his lap and wrapping his arms around me, trying to keep me warm from the breeze. It is chilly here tonight. Kind of odd, considering it is usually warm even at night.
I watch as Ryland crouches on the ground and then, the sound of bones snapping and moving fills the air around us. For some reason, I can’t watch anymore so I clench my eyes shut. The sound alone is horrendous. When I hear no more snapping, I open my eyes and see a black wolf, but his fur looks blue under the moonlight. I jump out of Thaddeus’ lap and walk over to him to run my fingers through his fur. He rubs himself against me like a cat, making me laugh and nearly knocking me over. Even in this form, he is nearly bigger than me.
“So, the whole tale about werewolves and the moon is a load of shit?” I ask, looking at Thaddeus. He shakes his head. “But it’s not a full moon?” I tell him and look up at the sky to make sure I’m not mistaken.
“No, but full moons make werewolves stronger; they harness the moon’s energy, making them faster and a little crazed if they’re not careful.”
“What about you? You’re part werewolf, right? Can you shift?” I ask him, raising an eyebrow.
Ryland takes off and heads for the trees. I walk back and sit on the step between Thaddeus’ legs.
“I can, but a little differently than Ryland; for one, I remain on two feet, not four, and I get fur, but my face doesn’t really change, and I also don’t like shifting. I prefer this form,” he explains.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, I just never liked shifting. I have more vampire DNA than Lycan, so it feels a little unnatural, if that makes sense.”
After a few minutes of silence, Thaddeus gets up and walks back inside. Orion and I follow him; no one knows if Ryland will be back anytime soon or if he wants us to wait for him outside.
“When will he be back?” I ask, yawning. To be honest, it is getting pretty late, and I want to go to bed soon.
“Probably not till morning. Come, you should sleep,” Orion says, following Thaddeus upstairs.