Third Book:
The Next Day

"Hey, Dylan, could I have a word with you?" Tom sounded nervous as he watched Karen going into the house.

"You're not afraid of me are you?" Dylan sat up, dangling his feet in the pool. "You seem nervous." He looked over at Tom. "I'm very tame, there's nothing to worry about."

Tom shook his head, appearing to be amused. "No, I'm not afraid." He grinned. "I was just thinking about something."

"What's on your mind?" Dylan asked.

"Well, it's about Karen." Tom began. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you should back off a little."

"Pardon?" Dylan asked for clarity, though he understood enough.

"Karen's my girl now, I don't think she should be hanging around too many guys." Tom explained. "Just promise me you'll keep your distance."

"I can't promise that Tom." Dylan said sternly "That controlling attitude isn't healthy for you or Karen."

"Look, I know you're her friend, but I'm her boyfriend, don't forget that." Tom's tone turned harsh. "If you get too close, somebody could get hurt."

"I don't hurt easily." Dylan stood up, slinging his towel over his shoulder. "And trust me, if you hurt Karen, it'll be the last thing you ever do to her." He turned his back to Tom sharply. "I may be tame, but make no mistake Tom, I won't let anyone bully me, and I won't stand by and let anyone hurt my friends." He strode away with commanding force, meeting Karen at the pool's gate.

"Dylan, you look flustered. Is everything okay?" Karen stopped him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going home." Dylan replied sternly, then slipped by Karen and hurried away.

"Tom, what did you say to him?" Karen demanded. "He was giving you his loyalty speech, and he only does that when someone says the wrong thing to him."

"I didn't say anything, honest." Tom lied. "Maybe he took something the wrong way."

"It's possible, he does misunderstand some things." Karen thought out loud. "Here's an iced tea." She handed Tom a glass.

"My goodness, you are an affectionate creature aren't you?" Karen's mother reacted to Dylan's greeting her with a hug. "It's kind of cute actually."

"Thank you Ma'am." Dylan smiled.

"Dylan?" Karen's voice called into his room from the cracked open doorway. She could see lights on, but knew that didn't mean he was awake. Gently she pushed the door open and peeked into the room. "Dylan, are you awake?"

"He came home really upset dear, he might have exhausted himself." Dylan's foster mother, a human woman with brown hair stood in the hallway behind Karen. "Be careful." she cautioned.

"Aw, I forgot how cute he looks when he sleeps." Karen reacted to seeing Dylan stretched out on his bed, laying under heat and sunlight lamps, having flopped into the bed without even changing out of his swim trunks. "I'll come back later, I don't want to wake him up." She started to back out of the room.

"Don't go." Dylan's voice mumbled. Karen stopped, not sure if he was talking in his sleep until he sat up and looked right at her. "Please come in."

"Are you sure Dylan?" Karen stepped into the room hesitatingly.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Dylan shifted on the bed, making a spot for Karen to sit. "Sorry, I'm not dressed, but it's nothing you haven't seen before."

"Right." Karen didn't know how to react. "I just came over to find out why you were upset today. Did Tom say something to you?"

"I don't like him." Dylan asserted. "Your boyfriend, I don't like him at all."

"Why?" Karen looked Dylan right in the eyes. "I know you're not jealous of him, that's not like you, so what bothers you about Tom?"

"He told me to stay away from you." Dylan answered.

"He what?" Karen was annoyed. "Don't worry about him, you don't answer to Tom. You're my friend, you can talk to be or be around me whenever."

"Karen, thanks." Dylan put his arm around Karen's shoulder, gave her a quick squeeze then released her.

"Just being a good friend like you're always doing for me." Karen stood up and patted Dylan's shoulder. "I've got to go practice my clarinet, come over for dinner later, okay?"

"Sure." Dylan promised.

Later

"You again?" Tom stated with annoyance. "I thought you ran under a rock."

"Karen invited me." Dylan kept his comment short.

"Really?" Tom wasn't interested. "I'll have to talk with her about that."

"Talk with me about what Tom?" Karen entered the room casually.

"It's not important, it can wait." Tom dismissed.

"It wouldn't have to do with you telling Dylan to hit the road, would it?" Karen was direct.

"He told you that?" Tom acted innocent. "No, no I never said that." He lied. "He must have misunderstood me." He concealed a glare at Dylan.

"We can sort that out later, dinner's ready." Karen left the living room again.

"You told her?" Tom demanded when he was sure Karen was gone. "You son of a-" He punched Dylan firmly. "I'm not going to tell you again, stay away from my girl."

"Your girl?" Karen huffed, coming back into the living room. "Get out Tom."

"But, Karen?" Tom was surprised by Karen's forceful tone.

"No buts Tom, I'm no one's property, and you hit my best friend." Karen was angry. "If you can't get along with my friends, you're not going to get along with me either."

"You'd take that over this?" Tom asked indicating Dylan then himself. "You'd prefer a big, dumb, filthy animal to me?"

"Dylan may be big, but he's smart, and very clean." Karen shot Tom a look that would have send chills down a hardened criminal's spine. "Now get out of my house."

Tom bowed his head, giving up. "Okay, okay, I'm going." He said softly. "And don't you grin at me you SOB, I'll take care of you, just wait and see." He left in a hurry, and Karen followed him to the door. There was a muffled exchange, then the sound of a slap and the front door slam shut.

"Of all the nerve!" Karen muttered under her breath as she passed by the living room doorway. Dylan just blinked, then headed back toward the dining room.