Free Trouble Comes in Threes by M.A. Church

brain if you can do all that. Here, take mine, and I’ll fix another.”
    Startled, I glanced at the food. “Oh, I didn’t mean for you to give up your meal.”
    Dolf stood, poured me my own glass of water, and brought it to me. Then he gathered what he needed to make another sandwich. “You need to take it easy, and I certainly don’t mind seeing you eat something I fixed. It pleases me, so eat.”
    “Um, all right. Well, thanks.”
    Tal reached over and took my hand. “Did you really mean it? You’re okay with living with us?”
    “Want to live here?” I asked.
    Tal blushed and shook his head.
    “Are you going to let me stay here alone?”
    “I can answer that, and the answer is no. Once we mate with you, none of us will want to be too far from one other because of the mate pull,” Dolf said. “That’s just the way it is.”
    “I kind of figured my staying alone was not an option.” I sipped the water in front of me. “I’ll admit living with you makes me nervous. I mean, I don’t really know either of you.”
    “What better way to get to know Tal and me than by living with us? Kirk, eat your dinner.”
    “I’m….” I shrugged as I ate another bite. “I’m not used to anyone waiting on me, I guess. Feels a little weird.”
    Tal leaned a little closer and waggled his eyebrows. “It’s a dominance thing.”
    “Ah, about that.” I took a bite and swallowed. “I’m not what you’d call submissive. I don’t take orders very well. Ah, let me amend that. I don’t take orders blindly. From what I remember reading about wolf packs, that’s kind of required.”
    Tal shook his head as he ate. “First, we share some of the same principles as wolf packs, but we are feline, not wolves. There are differences.”
    “Actually, the more important thing to remember is that our Alpha doesn’t expect blind obedience. If people have questions, they make an appointment with him and ask. The key is to be respectful.” Dolf brought his food to the table and sat. “We’re still testing the waters here too, so we all need to remember to ask questions of each other.”
    I took another bite of my sandwich. “Sounds like you’re used to giving your fair share of orders too.”
    Tal used his plastic cup to point at Dolf. “Oh, he is, and he’s good at it. Or he will be when he takes over from his dad.”
    “So, you’re next in line to rule, or however you say it? How does that work?” I asked.
    Dolf ate some of his sandwich, then answered. “Think of it like retirement. When Dad’s ready, he’ll step down, and I’ll take over. He’s not ready yet, and I’m still learning from him, so it’s all good.”
    “So, no infighting, huh?”
    Tal’s cackle bounced all over the kitchen. “Dolf’s mom would kick both their asses.”
    “Got it.” I laughed. “What’s your dad’s name, Dolf?”
    “Armonty Hoyer. Family calls Dad Monty. Mom’s name is June.”
    “Interesting name.” Very telling, too, that I had no idea. “Shit, man, I don’t even know you guys’ last names, and here I’m talking about living with you? What the hell am I thinking?”
    “No, no, don’t think that way,” Tal said. “My full name is Talise Martin. I own my own construction company. Most of the work I do is for our clowder, though. We number about thirty, and we live in and around West Falls. Um, I like all kinds of food, but I love hamburgers. My favorite color is black.”
    “My name is Dolfoon Hoyer. I handle the business end of the company for Tal. I like steak and potatoes, and my favorite color is red.”
    My lips twitched. “Do I get a resume too?”
    Tal snickered.
    Dolf raised an eyebrow. “If it helps get you riding my cock faster, I’ll send one right on over.”
    My mouth fell open.
    The guffaws from Tal echoed around the kitchen. “Oh, this is going to be interesting. I may have to takes bets as to which one of you gets the last word.”
    Dolf suddenly smiled at me. “The winner gets Tal’s