Page 117 of It All Started with a Bite

Several werewolves whined in agreement.

“I totally meant to do that,” Pearl sniffed, somehow maintaining her dignity despite having plopped down in the middle of clawing Gregory’s face.

Victoria was squatting on the vampire, her expression stringent.

“Can you get off me now?” Gregory groaned.

“Does it look like I can get off you?!” Victoria snapped. “Just shut up and stay put until whatever the hell this is wears off.”

Constantia looked murderous where she sat obediently a few feet away.

Beatrice shifted back into her human form and began filming with the phone she’d somehow managed to recover from her mother. “This is totally going viral!”

Danielle’s eyes rounded at the sight of the device. She patted her purse urgently before squinting at her daughter. “Beatrice, put that darn thing awayright now!”

“What and miss the cream of Amberford society making complete fools of themselves?!” Beatrice protested.

“Hey, you’re infringing on our supernatural rights!” a witch complained.

A group of dwarves and dragon newts groused in agreement.

Lauren smirked at Samuel’s wolf where she was sitting seiza style next to her sister. “Not so high and mighty now, are you?”

Samuel’s wolf scowled.

My gaze found Camilla. She had her butt firmly planted on the ground and was glaring daggers at me. I was about to say something sharp and pithy when the ground shook violently beneath my feet.

Now what?!

Dazzling light flashed through the crack the witch’s artifact had made in the dais. It grew until it blinded the entire ballroom, me included. I grunted when something heavy fell on top of me.

I landed on my front with a curse and barely managed to keep hold of the skull. It took a moment to blink away the black spots swarming my vision.

The ballroom came into view. Everyone was gaping at me.

“Holy crap,” someone mumbled.

I squeezed my eyes shut briefly and prayed Camilla’s evil scheme hadn’t just dragged some kind of demon from the depths of Hell before cautiously turning my head.

A man with long hair and an unkempt beard was blinking at me. He smelled like a werewolf and looked bewildered.

He was also very naked.

My wolf wentUh-ohas the mate bond heated up.

Samuel changed into his human form and glared at the stranger.

“Get off Abby, you lout!”

“Fa-Father?!” Marcus stammered in a trembling voice.

Priscilla gasped and pressed her fingers to her mouth, her face crumbling. “Arthur!”

I did not see that one coming.

37

Aftermath (with Extra Awkward)

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