The town they had pulled into looked very much like a small town spurred to life by the oil fields, a lot of single-family housing made from manufactured homes. Quick to go up for workers and their families who needed housing. It looked nice enough. The town had been around long enough to have an elementary school and some shops for essentials in the small downtown area they had passed through to reach Sofia's place.
This was also obviously a cow town, as Doc thought of them. Sofia's place backed up to a field, and cows grazed in the distance. The house was manufactured. The two-acre lot had a barn and some other outbuildings on the far end.
Several pickups sat parked off the dirt driveway, and Doc pulled in near them. He let the truck run for a minute while he clenched the steering wheel.
Sofia put her hand on his and squeezed. "We'll survive this."
"The Andersons are easier to deal with. At least I can kill them."
After not hearing the sound for forever, Sofia's laugh lifted his spirits enough to fortify himself so he could deal with her dad.
He shut off the truck, and they both got out. Sofia's mother came out of the house and wrapped her arms around Sofia.
"It's so good to see you, honey."
"You, too, Mom."
Sofia sounded like she might cry, and Doc knew she expected this to be the last time she saw her parents. He had to believe Nikolai would come through for them. The mage was close.
Her mother came around and gave Doc a quick hug.
"Hello, Doc."
"Hi, Mrs. Collins."
"Please, call me Beth. Come inside. Thank you for driving her down here. You must be exhausted."
Doc nodded, grabbed both of their bags, and followed them inside.
Sofia went over and hugged her dad, but the look she gave him was full of warning instead of affection. Doc winced internally at that.
"Who else is here?" Sofia glanced around.
"Rick and Donna and their kids. Their pipes burst in the last storm, and they're staying with us until it can get repaired. George is here too for a few days. His heat is out. Half the town had issues with the last storm, and it's taking a while to get everyone fixed up. We're in for another storm, if you couldn't tell." Sofia's mom glanced at Doc, who nodded. They both knew.
"They're all out with George's cows right now, getting ready for the storm."
"Here." Sofia's dad held out his hand, and Doc hesitantly handed over their bags.
He took them and went down a hallway. A minute later, he headed outside.
"It's going to be a little crowded," her mom continued. "We figured you and Doc could share your room. The guest rooms are taken."
Sofia raised her eyebrows. "That's awfully progressive of you."
Doc could hear a hint of the demon in her phrasing, but he didn't think Beth noticed.
Beth shrugged. "You're both adults. If you don't want to share, we can figure something else out."
"No, that's fine," Sofia replied.
"Come in, why don't you show Doc around. We already ate, but there's leftovers in the fridge." Beth gestured for them to enter.
They had a coat rack in the front entry way, and he took Sofia's coat and hung it before taking off his. He hesitated by the coats, inhaling and trying not to be too obvious about it. Over the scent of oil, grease, cow, and hay, he caught a scent he was well familiar with. Werewolf. Great. They really should have tried to put this off until Christmas.
His phone chimed, and he pulled it out after he hung up his jacket. He left his boots on when no one else took off theirs and followed them into the house. The text was a group text from Nikolai. One of the guys must have taught him how or done it for him. Sofia wasn't on the chat. His chest tightened, but he understood why.
Nikolai:Make it safely?
Doc: Yes, we're here.
Allan: Kill anyone yet?
Doc: We literally just got here. Give it time.
Ed: LOL
Nikolai: Would be easier to deal with her parents in the future if you refrain.
Doc: I'll do my best. One of Dan's oil field friends is a werewolf. They have a few people staying with them. Haven't met them yet. Could get interesting.
Ed: Keep us posted.
Doc: Will do.
Sofia glanced at him, so he handed her the phone. She scrolled through the messages, eyes shining with amusement.
"Tell them I said hi." She returned his phone.
"Cell reception isn't great around here," Beth cautioned. "It's good at the house, but drops off pretty fast. We do have a landline if you need it."
"Thank you," Doc replied. "Just friends of ours checking to see if we made it safely."
"Ed and Allan?" Beth reminded him that she knew the werewolves, though not necessarily that they were werewolves.
"Yes, and Nik," Sofia said. "Victoria also texted me."
"How is Victoria?"
"Doing good. Enjoying her family time this week," Sofia answered.
"Who's Nik?"
"A friend from out of town who's visiting," Doc answered.
"Oh, I didn't realize we were dragging you away from company." Beth sounded concerned.
"No. He's in town for a while. Ed and Allan can keep him entertained for a few days. He came to visit all of us." It was close enough to the truth.
"Oh, well, thank him for me, for sharing his time with you."
"I will."
Sofia's amused smile almost made Doc blush. He managed to keep his expression neutral despite her mirth.
He sent another quick message and put his phone in his pocket.
Beth continued to give the tour. The house was nice, two guest rooms, Sofia's room, and the master bedroom. The guests all had to share a bathroom, and the living room would be crowded with everyone in it. The tour didn't take long, and they ended up back in the kitchen.
Beth insisted on fixing Sofia food and acted disappointed when Doc didn't want anything. That, more than anything else, was going to be the hardest part of the whole week, Doc thought. He didn't eat solid food and had
