Page 37

37

Aftermath (with Extra Awkward)

“Ma’am?”

I turned to find a sergeant from the supernatural task force hovering nervously next to me where I stood on the terrace outside the ballroom of the Holt mansion. He was one of the few officers who’d arrived with Nigel after I’d used the crystal skull’s power and therefore wasn’t currently stuck on his butt, unlike many of his unfortunate and very embarrassed colleagues.

“Yes?”

“It’s been two hours.” Sergeant Holmes grimaced. “Detective Johnson is getting tired of being under Officer Brigham. Also, half the guests are complaining about numbness in their nether regions.” He hesitated. “Any idea when this command of yours might wear off?”

I peered inside the ballroom. Most of the supernatural creatures were indeed still firmly planted on their backsides, their expressions ranging from mortified to possibly murderous. The Lincoln sisters had started a game of cards with Didi and Gavin. Helen was sulking in a corner. Gregory was attempting to maintain his dignity while Victoria used him as an ottoman and discussed pack matters with Caroline and Kent. The dragon newts and the dwarves were hurling insults at the vampire mercenaries and witch who’d assisted Camilla, the Council of Elders assisting with elegantly pointed barbs. The fae and the pixies were having some kind of lighting competition, which meant the place now looked like a chic club with a glitzy disco ball.

As for the officers who’d managed to get inside when the barrier fell, they were looking distinctively uncomfortable at being in such close proximity with Amberford’s supernatural elite.

“I’m sorry, I have no idea.” I made a face. “Using an ancient cursed artifact wasn’t top of my to-do list tonight, believe it or not.”

Samuel had broken free of the skull’s effect and was drinking a coffee beside me. Hugh had also emerged from the spell early, a fact we were attributing to the werewolf nip.

Sergeant Holmes sighed. “Right.”

“Look on the bright side.” Bo wagged his tail. “At least no one’s trying to kill each other anymore.”

“Word,” Pearl said stoically beside him.

Sergeant Holmes studied them warily. News of the pair had already circulated among the officers, not least because Pearl had spent a good part of an hour criticizing Amberford’s socialites about their unseeming behavior.

Pearl having extricated herself early from the humiliating spell I could put down to the fact that she wasn’t an ordinary cat. Plus there was that weird light she’d projected from her eyes to protect the Hawthornes and the Luptons from the skull’s curse.

As for Bo, the jury was still out on how he’d managed the feat.

Sergeant Holmes took off his hat and sighed. “Arresting the perpetrators is going to be interesting. We’ve cuffed the ones we found in the library.” He glanced at where Camilla sat scowling. “We’ll have to wait until the spell wears off before we can move any of them.” He scratched the back of his head. “Maybe we should order takeout.”

One of his colleagues overheard him.

“I want pizza,” the officer called out where he squatted atop a vampire mercenary. “And someone better expense this!”

The mercenary raised a hand shyly. “Could I have a type-O, garlic-free, pepperoni pizza?”

“May I remind everyone that I’m still in charge of this operation?” Detective Johnson said indignantly from under Officer Brigham. He waited until his officers stopped grousing before addressing Holmes as haughtily as a man who was being squatted on could. “Hawaiian for me, please.”

The whole ballroom quickly dissolved into an argument about why pineapple on pizza was the epitome of the devil’s work.

My gaze found the Holts. Someone had given Arthur clothes. He sat with his arms around Priscilla and Marcus, waiting for the spell to wear off. Priscilla looked like a different woman after their tearful reunion, her expression speaking volumes about her adoration for her husband.

Samuel and I went to check on the crystal skull after Sergeant Holmes left. It looked deceptively harmless where it sat in a velvet-lined box in the back of the forensics team van.

I was not fooled.

The magic it emitted still made my skin crawl.

“What will happen to it now?” I asked warily.

“The supernatural task force will take it to a secure facility. After that, we have to decide what to do with it.”

“We?”

Samuel’s face tightened. “The Amberford Alliance. I intend to take you to the next meeting.”

I liked the sound of that about as much as I liked the idea of waxing my boobs.

He sighed at my crestfallen expression. “It can’t be helped.” He pressed a kiss to my brow that made my skin tingle. “You did good tonight.”

“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 well after 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.”

“Not that unlikely.” Lauren sauntered over to Marcus and pulled him to his feet. “We’re perfect for each other.”

Marcus’s ears reddened.

This explained a lot of things.

“So Samuel really isn’t your type?” I hazarded.

Samuel scowled at me. “How could you think that?!”

Lauren grimaced. “Please. Like I want to bed that beast. I like my men soft and pliable.” She gazed fondly at Marcus. “It makes it easier to tie them up and?—”

Marcus hastily pressed a hand to her mouth, his face bright red. He yelped when Lauren bit his palm.

“Now, now, Pookie Bear, there’s no need to be shy,” Lauren crooned.

Beatrice and Hugh made identical gagging noises before exchanging a startled glance. They both looked away and blushed.

I stared. I’d evidently completely misread that situation too.

Danielle looked beseechingly at the ceiling and muttered under her breath. Victoria leaned over and patted her gently on the shoulder.

Arthur was trying to calm a spluttering Priscilla.

“But—but, you can’t!” Priscilla blurted out. “Marcus is going to be the next alpha of our pack! He can’t possibly marry into the Luptons!”

“I’m not intending him to marry into the Luptons,” Lauren drawled. “I will be marrying into the Holts and I’ll support Marcus in his role as the next alpha.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “After all, I’m the strongest enforcer in Connecticut.”

Arthur watched this unfold with surprising equanimity. “Well, at least the Holt pack will be in good hands.”

Danielle frowned at her eldest daughter. “Aren’t you forgetting your own pack?”

Lauren pointed at her younger sister. “You just have to have Beatrice marry Hugh.”

“What?!” Beatrice squealed.

“I don’t know what you mean!” Hugh protested.

Bo wagged his tail. “You’ve both gone beetroot red.”

“Oh God,” Victoria mumbled. “Bernard, can you pour some whiskey into my coffee?”

“You’re drinking tea, ma’am.”

“Then give it to me neat!” Victoria snapped.

I wished I could take up drinking too, but the last time I did that, I ended up becoming a werewolf.

It was at this point that Lauren dipped Marcus dramatically and proceeded to kiss him princess style. The whole room sucked in air, Bernard almost dropping the whiskey decanter.

I recovered first and stole a look at the couch where the Holts sat.

“Quick, Priscilla is foaming at the mouth!”