She laughed. “Fine, I’m fabulous.”
“Well said,” I said, and grabbed her in another hug. When we pulled apart, more people had gathered around us.
“Did we move the party to the parking lot?” The question came from a young man with black hair and startling blue eyes.
“Hi, Jack,” Marduk said. “It’s been a while.”
Oh, this was Jack. He was Mason’s vampire mate. A startlingly delicate-looking woman emerged from behind Jack, also smiling broadly. That had to be Skyler the nymph, Jack and Mason's third.
“There’s a ton of food, and Mason would hate it if no one ate it,” Skyler said. “Let’s all migrate over to it.”
“Yes, Skyler,” several people chorused at once. Jack tangled his fingers with Skyler’s and the two walked away, the rest of us all following.
“I feel bad that I didn’t bring any pastries,” Mila whispered to me.
“You were told not to,” Gio reminded her. “Mason didn’t want anyone to have to do anything extra for his birthday except show up.”
“Next time I’m not listening to him,” she grumbled.
“I feel bad for not bringing a gift,” I whispered back. “We’ll coordinate what to do next year so neither of us has to feel guilty.”
She grinned at me and nodded. Gio didn’t say anything but I caught an indulgent expression on his face.
It was a short walk from the parking lot to a large grassy area between two houses. There were several tables set up and covered in all types of food. There were big speakers next to a DJ table, but no one was manning it yet. Lights were strung between the two houses and there were tables and chairs set up along the side of one of the houses.
It all felt so festive and welcoming.
“This is great,” I said, moving to the food table. I was suddenly starving.
“It’s nice,” someone said behind me. “But not like the parties we throw.”
I turned to the stranger. “Oh?”
The guy nodded emphatically “Lobo Gris parties are legendary!"
“Of course you’d say that. Pack pride is at stake,” the woman next to him said. She gave me a grin. “This is Mikey, alpha of the Lobo Gris Pack. I’m Maddy, and human.”
“I’ve heard so much about both of you!” I said, happy to finally meet the leader of the well-known and loved Lobo Gris Pack. I held my hand out to Maddy. “I’m Bec. This is Marduk and Danzig.”
“We all know each other,” Danzig said, reaching past me to grab a few plates. He handed one to me and one to Marduk. “I have to agree with Mikey; his pack puts on some amazing shindigs.”
“Hey now!” another woman said. She was standing on the other side of the table, already holding a plate heaping with food.“This party only just started. Give us a little time to show how good we are.”
“Don’t worry, Adele,” Mikey said. “I’m here to help.”
The two teased each other about parties, exaggerating more and more as we all filled our plates. All the banter helped me figure out who belonged to the Clover Pack and who was a member of Lobo Gris.
It had been a long time since I’d been surrounded by so many happy, friendly people who weren’t harboring hidden grudges or murmuring snide remarks. I’d grown up in a small community and my parents caused their share of drama among the upstanding Christian citizens of our area. I’d been constantly punished by the community for their odd lifestyle.
Even after I’d established myself as a responsible, hardworking adult, I was still subjected to pettiness. It made me wonder why I put up with it for so long.
“Are you okay?”
I looked up to find Danzig’s concerned gaze focused on me.
I nodded. “Why do you ask?”
“You went still and were staring at Adele, Remy, Maddy, and Mikey as if they were aliens,” he said.
