My phone chimed that it had a text.
"So, Sofia, how's Colorado treating you?" Donna glanced between me and Doc for a moment.
Oh, how to answer that question. Hopefully, George wouldn't be able to smell any of my lies.
The demon was keeping herself buried deep right now.
I checked my phone while I answered.
Ed: How's it going?
"Colorado is great. Sunnyglade is great. The school is really good, and I like all my classes. I've made a few friends." I had no idea if my parents had mentioned the magic mafia to anyone or not, so I avoided talking about it.
Sofia: So far, we're surviving. No one has killed anyone yet. Pretty sure George is a werewolf.
Ed: That could be interesting. He isn't glaring daggers at Doc?
Interesting was an understatement.
Sofia: No. Snow has started. Wind is really howling.
Ed: We're supposed to get hit by that same storm later tomorrow. Or a related one anyway. Snow for a few days off and on.
Sofia: Be careful.
Ed: You too.
He sent a little heart icon. My cheeks heated as I put my phone back in my picket.
Doc glanced at me.
"Ed."
He smiled.
"I guess they're going to get hit with some snow, too."
Doc frowned, but nodded.
"Tell us about your friends," George asked.
My eyes widened slightly, though I tried to keep my nervousness in check. The demon exerted a little control, and my heart calmed. I mentally sent her a touch of gratitude. George didn't need to know I was nervous about talking about my friends.
"Victoria is my roommate. We get pizza most every Friday, and we go hiking and hang out. Ed and Allan are friends of Doc's, and they hike with us. Sometimes we all study together. Things like that." I left Nikolai out of it, in case they had forgotten about him.
"And how did you two meet?" Donna asked.
"Um, actually Ed introduced us. He and Allan, his brother, were helping us move in, and we just kind of clicked." I hoped that was a good enough answer.
Dad was watching George. George was still staring at Doc. Somehow, I thought Dad knew George was a werewolf. Him being here probably wasn't an accident, even with the story about his heat being out at his house.
"It's getting late, Bobby. Why don't you go to bed?" Donna said to her son.
"I don't want to, Mom."
"Bobby, go to bed."
"Matt and Eric are still up."
Rick sighed and got up. "Come on."
Bobby's eyes widened, and he shrunk back into the couch as if he could hide under the cushions.
Rick held out his hand, and Bobby took it and slid off the couch, looking resigned.
I didn't think he was afraid of his father, not the way he clung to Rick's hand. I wondered what was up.
With my heightened sense, I could hear the older boys argue with their father about going to bed, but shortly, Rick had returned and it sounded like the kids had settled down.
No one else spoke for a while, and the wind continued to howl. I really wanted to go to bed, though with George in the house, Doc and I wouldn't be able to really talk. I wasn't sure we needed to. I just wanted to be held.
"Are you a student, too?" George sounded like he knew Doc wasn't.
"No. I work at the college. Admin stuff. Nothing exciting."
"Where are you from?" Rick glanced at George then back at Doc, as if highly interested in Doc's reply. Far more than the question probably warranted.
"Arizona. Phoenix area."
"So, Doc as in like a doctor?" Donna took up the questioning.
I saw Doc's hands twitch where they rested on his knees. He wasn't happy about that question.
"No, it's a nickname. Ed gave it to me. He likes westerns and said I reminded him of Doc Holliday for some reason. It stuck." He sounded tired, or maybe resigned.
"Oh."
He didn't offer his name, though my parents knew it.
"So, you're good with a gun? Because I'm guessing you're not deathly ill or actually a doctor." Donna grinned. She'd obviously seen the movie once or twice herself.
"I'm not bad with a gun." Doc shrugged. "I think it was that, and my accent, and he'd never actually met a real cowboy before he ran across me."
Rick seized on the real cowboy thing and started questioning Doc about cows and his experience.
I knew enough to know Rick was really grilling Doc, but he didn't seem to mind these questions as much.
"What is your name, then?" Rick threw that out there at the end of the extensive cow conversation.
I was watching Doc more than Rick, and I saw his hands twitch again. He was outwardly calm, but I'd seen that coiled, ready to spring expression more than once. His jaw clenched slightly, but he answered smoothly. "Roy Cassidy."
Rick blinked, just staring at Doc for a moment before he slowly turned to look at George.
The name didn't seem to mean anything to George. He was giving Rick a curious look.
"Really?" Rick finally said, turning back to Doc.
Doc sighed quietly. I only heard because I was paying attention and sitting right next to him.
"Last I checked," he replied.
"That Roy Cassidy?"
"Probably." This time he just sounded resigned.
"You're sure?"
This time Doc actually laughed tiredly. "I am the only half Navajo Roy Cassidy that I know of. Admittedly, I don't know everyone."
"What?" George's gaze darted back and forth between Doc and Rick.
I wanted to do something to protect Doc, if I needed to, but I couldn't access my magic. He was on his own, and it pissed me off.
"He's a vampire hunter."
"Not really," Doc objected.
"That's not what I've heard."
"How?" George's voice lowered to not quite a growl. "You're not a mage like you've told Sofia."
"I'm not?" Doc held up his hand and the dark blue motes of Nikolai's magic formed into a spinning sphere above his hand.
Everyone stared at the open display of magic.
George continued to glare, but he backed down a little.
Rick shook his head. "Aren't you a little old for Sofia?"
Doc shrugged. "Maybe." The
