Arrow Inferno
Chapter 30: Stanley ‘STAN’ Norris vs. Ian ‘WILL’ Williams ~ Danger and charm… The supernatural!

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Stan, Will, and Gaia fell into a simple but thrilling routine in the days that followed. After every training, Stan and Will would go for their runs, then the three of them would go out to have fun before they go to bed. To say Will was surprised at the level of partying they got down to would be an understatement. The feisty fun-loving knife combat instructor was simply fun to be around. She loved to party and wouldn't take any excuse not to party, from anyone. And as both Stan and Will loved to party as well, there was never a dull moment.

The parties they usually went to in town were classy, fun, and exciting. Will was pleasantly surprised to know that there was an exclusive club in town. The owner and some of the locals were pals of Gaia. Not only did they look very well to do, but they also threw the best parties. Anytime they went to the club, Will couldn't help but notice how much they seemed to respect Gaia. And the way they treated him always made him laugh. They treated Stan like an old friend but they seem to be a bit cautious around him. He noticed that they seemed to silently seek permission from Gaia before they came close to him or even talk to him. Both males and females. It surprised and amused Will so much he asked Gaia why her friends acted that way.

"Because I told them you are taken and to stay away from you." She giggled. "Just keeping an eye on you for my Stan. Most of these guys are into men."

"That's a lie, Gaia." Will snorted. "Almost all of them have female dates."

"Well, nothing wrong with being bi is there?" She shot back. "If any of them even attempt to proposition you, I'll slap them so hard into oblivion even google won't be able to find them." "Jesus, you're crazy."

Will thought it was funny how protective Gaia was of him but he did enjoy the special treatment they all gave him. He developed an easy friendship with Gaia and spent a lot of time with her whenever Stan was occupied with work. Sometimes they simply hung out in their suite or Gaia's. But days that all three of them hang out together in their suites were even more exciting. What made it exciting was that Gaia knew about them so they didn't have to hide anything from her. They could, therefore, throw caution to the wind and freely do whatever they wanted to, in her presence. In fact, she encouraged them to ignore her and be naughty whenever they felt like it. If she felt like a third wheel, she never complained. What Gaia complained about, and that was to just Stan, was how wrong she thought it was to keep Will in the dark about who he was to him.

"You know I can't tell him."

"And why not? I still don't get it to be honest." She sighed. "Can't you just explain what you are to him?"

"And have him think I'm nuts?"

"But you're just wasting time as it stands." She groaned. "You can't mark him unless you turn him, you can't have sex with him like you're both dying to because you can't risk biting him, you can't make him yours because he doesn't even know what you are. Everything is on hold. Is that what you want?"

"Of course not but..."

"Maybe you should just go ahead and turn him." The vampire looked dead serious.

"That will be a grievous mistake, Gaia." Stan sighed.

"Because Jeremy said you shouldn't?"

"He had a good reason for saying that. This is not about me following orders. It's about me averting chaos." He nodded when the vampire raised a brow in confusion. "A freshly turned wolf is not a beast anyone would want to contend with. I won't be able to contain him if I turn him. People in this town will not be safe, Gaia. And that's why I'm hell-bent on waiting. I can't have any deaths or injuries on my conscience. Hell, I don't want that on Will's conscience. It would kill him to know he's harmed innocent people. He needs to be in the pack-house for his premier shift."

"I can help. I can compel..."

"No, I can't allow that. Jeremy did that to Ryan when he turned him. It didn't end well." "Ugh... Prepare him them."

"How do you mean?"

"Drop hints about the possibility of the existence of a supernatural world. After all, he's going to become part. Getting him to understand and hopefully accept it is like seventy percent of the work done. Why can't you do that now? I'm sorry but I'm used to my people making it known immediately after a soulmate is found. Why keep it a secret?"

"Drop hints. How the fuck do you drop hints about something like this?" Stan rasped, drawing a helpless sigh from the vampire.

Their conversation on the subject always ended with no quick solution in sight because Stan wasn't ready to jeopardize his relationship with his mate by doing anything rash.

For Will, Gaia's presence had rather surprisingly helped him get freer and closer to Stan which he liked. He also enjoyed the times he spent with the gorgeous lady. She seemed to have a vast knowledge about everything which surprised Will. She was only twenty-five just like he was for goodness sake. She did have a crazy imagination though, Will couldn't help but notice. Even though she seemed very intelligent and well-read, some beliefs she had surprised Will because he expected teens to have such beliefs and not twenty-five-year-old sophisticated ladies. For example, he'd been surprised and amused to realize just the day before that Gaia strangely believed that stories about werewolves and vampires might be true. She'd dropped that bombshell whilst the two of them were watching an old movie, Van Helsing, on television in his and Stan's suite. Stan had been in his room working.

"Tell me you are kidding, Gaia." Will had laughed at the absurdity of that notion. "These are mere folklore for fuck's sake. How old are you again?"

"You're never too old to learn something stupid." Gaia had scoffed. "But think about it." She'd sat up and turned to face him. "In all of these stories, these vampires and werewolves do not want humans to know of their existence. So maybe they really do exist. We just don't believe it because we don't see them."

"These silly stories started when one idiot who had probably smoked a little too much weed decided to try his hands at writing stories. Of course, there's nothing like that."

"All I'm saying is that it could be real. I mean I think about it sometimes." She'd looked thoughtful. "What if there really are such creatures with superior strength?"

"Then I'd love to meet one and interrogate it."

"It?" Gaia had screeched. "Don't call them it."

"They're supposed to be weird creatures, Gaia," He'd given the word air quotes, even more amused at Gaia. "More like animals. They are definitely it!" Gaia's groan had made him laugh because it was almost as if she couldn't believe he was being disrespectful. "Bottom line; they're not real!"

"Which would you rather be? A vampire or a werewolf?" She'd asked with eyes filled with curiosity.

"None, thank you very much."