“Don’t worry, it happens a lot,” I say, some strange moment of bravado coming over me. That’s totally not something I would normally say. It’s more like something Dominic would say. It’s confident, overtly sexual, but seeing Ross’s reaction when they look at my legs only makes me feel more bold.

Ross just rolls their eyes. They’ll totally get along with Kavya. “Ooookay, let’s not get carried away with ourselves.” They smirk, then squeeze my arm. “But they are good. Let’s leave it at that.”

We continue to walk down Montana Avenue, the shops and cafés getting a lot of bustle, even for a Tuesday night. The sun is in that lazy moment before sunset, where the sky’s still light blue but it feels dull somehow, like the blue is relaxed and ready to let the oranges and reds and pinks of sunset take over. This is my favorite time of day. I love the energy when night takes over that seems to give everybody a little boost to put the workday behind them. It’s sort of like we’re all werewolves deep down, having our own transformations when the moon comes out, even if it is a little more subtle.

Wait a second.

“Are werewolves real too?” I blurt.

Ross does a double take. They even miss a step on their heels, but their hold on my arm lets me lift them back on their feet. Normally, this would be a classic rom-com move, saving someone from crashing and burning on the sidewalk, leading to a swooping kiss, but instead, Ross looks over their shoulder frantically. “Keep your voice down, will you?”

I look around the busy street, people totally engrossed in their own lives and giving zero shits about what we’re up to. “Seriously, no one is going to hear us. Even if they do, they’ll just think we’re writing the next big fantasy screenplay or something. There’s a movie lot only, like, ten minutes away. It’s not that big of a stretch.”

Ross gives a pointed glance at a toddler ogling teddy bears from some high-end baby store, but then sighs and says, “Okay, fine. Yes, they’re real. Dragons, elves, sprites, trolls, you name it.”

I can’t believe it. Well, actually, yes, I can, since I saw Ross with their fin out just last night, but it’s still so much for my brain to take.

“Why don’t we see them all the time?”

Ross scoffs. “No offense, but humans aren’t a bay full of baby belugas. You see something you don’t understand and you want to cage it or kill it or burn it to the ground. There’s a whole world out there that is purposely kept from your eyes so you can’t destroy it.”