Page 80 of It All Started with a Bite

Bo wagged his tail enthusiastically. “That’s so cool!”

“He said it was for the supernatural appreciation of the arts.” Victoria’s eyes sparkled with humor. “It didn’t end well. Especially after someone let the tigers out.”

“Those tigers had it coming,” Pearl muttered darkly.

I was beginning to suspect there was more to Pearl’s history with the Hawthornes than met the eye.

“So what happened?” I asked. “With you and Alexander?”

Victoria’s face softened. “We fell in love. Much to everyone’s horror.” She took another sip of whiskey. “My father threatened to disown me. Alexander’s family on the other hand was thrilled to have me. They thought I might be able to tame him.” Her smile faded. “They were wrong about that, in the end.”

I decided to shift the conversation slightly. “What’s the beef between you and Helen?”

“She was Victoria’s love rival,” Pearl said with a sneer.

Victoria grimaced. “She tried to seduce Alexander several times before our marriage. He rejected her emphatically.”

“That crazy werewolf turned up in his room one night in a see-through negligee,” Pearl muttered in disgust.

We all shuddered.

The grandfather clock in the corner ticked quietly in the silence that followed.

“The first few years of our marriage were wonderful,” Victoria finally said. “Alexander was charming, brilliant, full of wild ideas. But he was also kind. He doted on the boys and treated his role as the pack alpha seriously.” Her voice caught. “Then the attempts on his life started.”

My scalp prickled. I suddenly recalled how Aunt Lucille had lost her teeth. “There was more than one attempt?”

“Yes. Someone wanted the Hawthornes gone. We never found out who it was.” Victoria’s knuckles whitened on her glass. “The attacks grew worse. More frequent. Alexander…” She paused and swallowed. “He changed. Started disappearing for longer and longer periods. He said he was trying to protect us by staying away.”

Though I could guess the answer, I still asked the question. “Did it work?”

“No.” Victoria’s voice turned bitter. “The attempts just shifted to the rest of us. Samuel was fifteen when he had to fight off an assassin who’d broken into the mansion. Hugh was twelve at the time.” She closed her eyes. “That’s when Alexander left for good.”

I was still digesting this shocking revelation when the study door opened.

Samuel stood in the doorway, his expression dark behind his glasses. “I see you’re telling Abby about Father.” His hair was all messed up, like he’d been running his hands through it all afternoon.

I resisted the urge to go over and smooth his wild locks down.

Boy did I have it bad.

Victoria’s face tightened. “She deserves to know.”

Samuel avoided my gaze and crossed the floor to grab a glass from the drinks cabinet. He poured himself a generous measure of whiskey from the decanter and headed over to a window overlooking the gardens.

“Did you tell her how he sends postcards? From Tibet, Hawaii, wherever the hell he is?” His voice grew hard. “How he thinks gifts and stories make up for not being here when we needed him?”

“Samuel—” Victoria started.

“Or how about how his absence affected Hugh?” Samuel knocked back his drink. “After all, watching our father run away from his responsibilities taught him it was okay to do the same.”

His bitter words rang in the silence. Bo whimpered.

My chest tightened. Even though I’d known Samuel and Victoria for less than a week, I found myself wanting to erase the pain in their eyes. I guessed that made me a member of the Hawthorne pack in every sense of the word now.

Victoria sighed and set her glass down with a quiet clink. “I should have known the Council would try something like this.”

Samuel’s head snapped around. “Why?” His expression turned dangerous. “What did they do?”

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