Page 113 of It All Started with a Bite

Gregory opened his mouth in a wide snarl, his eyes glassy and his claws ripping Samuel’s tuxedo to shreds. The Hawthorne alpha slammed his shoulder into the vampire’s chest and sent him crashing into a pillar.

Relief made me weak when my gaze found the rest of the Hawthornes and the Luptons. They were defending themselves against vampire mercenaries and other supernatural creatures while protecting a group next to the terrace doors, the elderly Council members and Priscilla among them.

Kent picked up a vampire and slammed him into the marble floor, his eyes watering from wolfsbane exposure. Caroline kneed a werewolf in the balls and sent a group of pixies slamming into the barrier. Hugh was punching fae and witches in the throat. Lauren and Beatrice had transformed and were snapping their jaws at the dragon newts trying to attack.

I was wondering why the curse had not affected their minds when I spotted Pearl. The cat stood close to Victoria, her eyes glowing with a mystical light that made my pulse quicken. I knew instinctively she was the reason why Samuel and the others had not fallen under the influence of the curse.

“How are they keeping this barrier up?” Didi asked tensely, bringing my focus back to our most immediate problem. She touched the wall gingerly and winced when static burned her fingers. “This thing contains an insane amount of magic!”

“Camilla’s using the ley lines under the mansion,” Marcus said in a hard voice. “Look at her feet.”

A strange light pulsed through the marble floor beneath the Council secretary. The witch in the red dress had jabbed a weird-looking object into the dais next to her.

“Dammit!” Didi cursed. “That’s an artifact. They must be using it to tap into the magic beneath this place!”

I fisted my hands. “We need to get in there.” An idea came to me then. One born of my wolf’s instincts. I looked at the knife in Didi’s hand. “Give me that.”

“What?” Didi’s eyes rounded. “But—it will burn you!”

“I don’t think it will.” At least, I hoped it didn’t.

Didi hesitated.

I met the witch’s eyes steadily. “Trust me.”

An anxious whine escaped Bo as Didi carefully handed me the weapon.

I steeled myself and took it. The knife felt cool in my hand.

I swallowed. It seemed my suspicions were correct.

I was immune to silver and wolfsbane.

I listened to my wolf, jammed the knife in the base of the magic barrier, and carved an opening in the wall.

The others gasped.

“How the hell did you do that?!” Didi mumbled.

“Silver. And probably because I’m a white wolf.” I eyed them hesitantly. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to resist the spell, but there’s a chance you’ll fall under it the minute you step inside that ballroom.”

“We’re coming with you,” Marcus said adamantly. He glanced at Priscilla. “I have to protect Mother.”

“What he said,” Didi muttered while Gavin nodded.

I looked at Bo.

“You’re not leaving me out here,” my dog said mutinously.

“Alright. Just don’t blame me if I end up knocking you guys out.”

I grabbed the edges of the opening and stretched it so we could pass through.

The witch on the dais startled when she felt the break in the barrier. She looked over, narrowed her eyes, and said something to Camilla.

Camilla’s gaze found mine.

I bared my teeth, pointed at her and me, and made a deliberate throat-slicing motion with my thumb.

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