Page 93 of It All Started with a Bite

I wondered once more if my dog was some kind of savant. He ruined the moment by sniffing a bush and cocking his leg against it.

“Noooo!” Victoria and I hissed in simultaneous horror.

Bo lowered his leg at our glares. “Sheesh.”

Pearl narrowed her eyes. “I see I have my work cut out for me. I shall make a gentleman out of you yet, mutt.”

Bo wagged his tail hesitantly. “Do gentlemen get to roll around in mud?”

“Only if they’re savages.”

Victoria ignored their conversation and directed a stern look at me as we crossed the forecourt. “Do you remember what I said?”

My shoulders slumped.

“Try not to embarrass the family name or start an interspecies war,” I replied morosely.

“And?” Victoria prompted.

I allowed myself a dramatic sigh. “And absolutely no punching anyone in the throat.”

“Even if they deserve it,” Victoria added with a sniff.

“Jesus, what happened at the Council of Elders?” Caroline muttered.

This was going to be another long afternoon.

“How come Samuel doesn’t have to attend these functions?” I complained as we neared the entrance.

“Because a roomful of werewolf alphas and the heads of vampire clans is bound to end in bloodshed,” Victoria said curtly.

“Victoria is right,” Pearl said. “They tried it once.”

I grimaced. “What happened?”

“Look up the Amberford Fire of 1872,” Caroline said.

A handsome doorman in a tailcoat bowed and opened the door as we approached, his scent marking him as fae.

We stepped inside a grand foyer with a checkered marble floor, crystal chandeliers, and gilt-framed mirrors. Uniformed staff stood behind an ancient, solid oak counter to the left, their voices quiet as they spoke on phones and to the smartly dressed guests checking in. Soft, classical music drifted from somewhere.

The air was thick with the scents of supernatural creatures, money, and expensive perfume.

A concierge with sharp canines came over, his face wreathed in a smile. “Mrs. Hawthorne, Caroline, it’s a pleasure to see you both.” He pressed his lips to the back of Victoria’s hand and air-kissed Caroline before beaming at Pearl. “You look spectacular.”

Pearl nodded regally. “Jean-Pierre.”

The vampire’s curious gaze landed on me. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your companion.”

Victoria made introductions. “This is Abigail West. She is the new Hawthorne luna and my future daughter-in-law.”

Caroline’s eyes widened fractionally. I nearly swallowed my tongue.

It was the first time Victoria had referred to me as her daughter-in-law.

Ears pricked around the foyer.

Curious fascination lit up the vampire’s eyes. It faded a little when he spotted Bo.

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