Page 119 of It All Started with a Bite

“Thanks.” I leaned against him and tried not to think too hard about the fact that his torn clothes exposed parts of his anatomy my wolf and I very much wanted to explore. “Though I could have done without Arthur Holt emerging from the ley lines stark naked.”

The bond between us hummed with his irritation.

“Everyone could have done without that.”

It was wellafter midnight when we arrived at the Hawthorne mansion with the Holts, tired and disheveled. Caroline and Kent had gone home to check on their kids. Since Lauren had insisted on accompanying the Holts, the Luptons tagged along. Despite the hour, Bernard arranged beverages and snacks for everyone in the formal sitting room.

“I still can’t believe you were trapped in the ley lines all this time.” Priscilla clutched Arthur’s hand where they sat on a couch.

Marcus had fetched his father’s old clothes before we’d left the Holt mansion. Despite his hair and beard, Arthur looked remarkably well for someone who’d spent ten years in magical limbo.

“It was my own fault.” Arthur grimaced. “I’d forgotten I was carrying a magical artifact in my pocket when I returned from leaving the crystal skull at Mystical Moments that night.”

“Why did Camilla claim she’d killed you?” I asked where I sat beside Samuel.

Marcus pressed close to his father at the question, his face turning ashen again as he no doubt recalled the awful revelation Camilla had made in the library.

“I have no idea.” Arthur gently squeezed his son’s shoulders. “That woman is crazy. Who knows what goes on inside her head?”

He had a point. Camilla had looked decidedly unhinged while she’d been wielding the crystal skull.

“Only a werewolf would forget about a magical artifact in his pocket,” Pearl scoffed. “This is why proper supernatural creatures use designer handbags.”

Victoria and Danielle nodded wisely. Priscilla sighed.

“What exactly happened the night you disappeared?” Samuel asked curiously.

Arthur’s expression darkened. “I’d discovered Camilla’s plans for the crystal skull the week before I got sucked into the ley lines. As you probably know, I’ve always been fascinated by the occult. When Camilla originally approached me and expressed an interest in similar matters, I presumed her enthusiasm was benign. She was the one who convinced me to track down the crystal skull at an auction and buy it.” A muscle jumped in his cheek. “We were at a luncheon organized by a society with a special interest in occult arts to discuss the artifact I’d purchased when I overheard Camilla talking to a witch about how to access the ley lines beneath our mansion. I confronted her about it later that afternoon. She got upset and let it slip that she was obsessed with the idea of controlling supernatural creatures.” He hesitated and looked at Victoria. “There’s something else. Before I disappeared, I found evidence suggesting she might have been behind the attempts on Alexander’s life.”

Victoria paled. Samuel exchanged a frown with Hugh.

“It’s just a theory,” Arthur added hastily in the fraught silence.

Pearl’s eyes shrank to slits. “It would explain many things. Though I still think the attempts behind Alexander’s life originated from several sources.”

Samuel’s jaw tightened. “We may never know the full truth.”

“And I doubt Camilla will cooperate with the supernatural task force’s interrogation,” Victoria murmured, her knuckles white where she clasped her cup.

“By the way, why exactly did you want to be here?” Hugh asked Lauren.

Lauren arched an eyebrow at Marcus. “It’s now or never.”

I stared between them, puzzled.

Marcus cleared his throat in the expectant hush. “Father, Mother, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Priscilla wrinkled her brow at her son’s nervous tone. “What is it?”

“Lauren and I are—are together.”

Priscilla froze. Bernard’s monocle fell out of his eye.

Danielle choked on her tea. “What?!”

“Oh boy,” Beatrice muttered.

Pearl swished her tail languidly, her eyes sparkling with fascination. “What an unlikely pairing.”

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