Two hours later I was dropped off at Dante’s Inferno, Lord sitting across my shoulders as I walked up to the door. The bouncer tried stopping me for a moment, and he had no sooner held up an arm to stop me when the intercom behind him said to let me in, cat included. I smiled at the man, pushing past into the mostly empty club lounge, and went to the elevator.

  I turned the fourth floor key Vergil had given me near a yearago, wondering how I was going to keep track of the now extremely busy key ring, and Lord jumped onto the floor next to me as the door closed. We stood in awkward silence, and I was about to speak up when the door opened.

  A blast of confetti filled the elevator, and I had to resist my claws growing as I pressed myself against the back of the container and the wolf let out a small growl. A cacophony of voices yelled something, and it took me too long to realize the words were “happy birthday” as my vision cleared.

  There were eight people gathered around a large cake in the center, much more than I’d been expecting and crowded together with surprisingly genuine smiles. The cake was a large sheet of white icing, and had an elaborately written Happy 21st Birthday Mary across its surface, with a few wolves (badly) done in icing. Around it stood Vergil and Calliope, Tara, Andrew, Basil and Knives, and slightly surprising me Elizabeth and Sigyn.

  I had the slight suspicion Calliope had interpreted “keep it small” to mean “ask everyone on short notice and see who came.”

  My mind was just finished processing the surprise when I stepped forward into the room, Scruffy the golden retriever running up to get his pets. He smiled up at me, wagging as he declared, more friends and then saw Lord, tilting his head as he asked, new friend?

  “Yeah, you two have fun,” I said, shaking my head with a laugh, “fucking hell, wasn’t expecting this many people.”

  “I went a little overboard,” Calliope admitted, floating around over to me to give an icy hug. “You deserve a big party though, so I don’t want to hear complaints.”

  The cake ended up getting wheeled back to a table for later, and a large stack of pizzas and two liters sat beside it were the first focus. Everyone stacked plates high while drinking from plastic cups, and I stayed back sitting on a couch in the room as I largely watched everyone socialize.

  I felt out of place, even at my own party, and in the mix of smells and noises I wasn’t exactly sure what I was supposed to do.

  I was actually considering sneaking out through the elevator, and abandoning the party entirely, when Knives walked over to me. They were dressed in a pair of jeans, and with a flannel shirt that had the top few buttons undone as they came over to me. The werewolf smiled, and I forced a smile back as they asked, “you not having fun?”

  “It’s just a lot,” I said, laughing awkwardly as I looked around, unsure of what I was supposed to do, “I…well, last time I had a party it went bad. There were never this many people there either.”

  “Yeah, there would have been more, but it got thinned out,” Knives chuckled, putting their hands in their pockets with a smile, “Calliope invited every werewolf in the covenant, but Samuel’s pack didn’t know you so they turned it down. Misha got some promotion, apparently he’s needing to get busy getting affairs in order, he showed up and asked me to bring your present earlier. The Lady apparently got an invitation, but turned it down for concerns of conflicts of interest or something corporate like that.”

  “That sounds about right,” I said, shaking my head at the list, “please tell me you all didn’t get a lot of gifts?”

  “Everyone got you something small I’m pretty sure. I do know there was a small group trip to the thrift store by a couple people,” the werewolf said, dashing all hopes, “they’re stacked up in Vergil’s office. If it makes you feel any better, I just fixed your stairs and shower after you left, since I heard you had some problems with that. Wasn’t that hard, just a few cuts of wood and a part in your wall I didn’t have much trouble getting to.”

  “You didn’t need to do that,” I said, shaking my head with a furrowed brow, “I mean, it’s too much. I don’t really deserve anything, we all just started talking recently.”

  “Eh, sure you do, we can make one birthday special,” the werewolf muttered, holding an arm down to me as they told me, “now get up, Vergil’s claiming you’re a good poker player and no one’s believing him. He’s getting the cards and chips out now, and let me tell you I need to see this.”

  I let myself get dragged to the center table, and before I knew it we were all playing a game with few exceptions. Calliope sat on Vergil’s lap not involving herself, and Lord and Scruffy paced the room talking to each other about types of treats. I started out strong, before eventually Tara realized Lord was using his regular pacing of the room to tell me who had a strong hand. A fact that only inconvenienced me a little, and forced me to admit to understanding animals to the group as a whole before Tara got any more weird looks.

  After that point Lord and Scruffy were forced to stay sitting in the kitchen watching from a distance. I was still winning, if just slower, and as we played the topic changed to actual conversation. People talking about work, someone asking someone about their plans, or asking me if I was ready for the game the next day I still needed to make a character for.

  It was still somehow to my surprise when Andrew turned to me and asked, “Do you have any funny stories, Mary?”

  “Me?” I asked, laughing as I shook my head, “all my stories are from…well, before y’all knew me, there’s not really a lot to say.”

  “Oh, come on, there has to be something funny,” Sigyn muttered, fingering her few chips left.

  I nodded, a small smile crossing my lips as I started, trying to remember to leave out the Purist bits for Sigyn, “okay there was this one time, me and my pack were staying in this abandoned house we found. Had a pool in the back, was just like three miles from this pig farm nearby. Hunter, my…let’s go with boyfriend, at the time, we were out back in the pool making out, my shirt if off by this point we’re completely oblivious to anything around us. Suddenly our other couple pack mates just go and dump a bucket of pig’s blood on us, completely ruined the mood.” I laughed at the story, and no one else did as an awkward silence followed. My laughter died down, and I cleared my throat as I looked down and admitted, “it was funnier at the time.”

  A few people nodded and Vergil kept the game going as he placed a few cards down. Only Sigyn seemed to be still grasping at straws as she offered, “you know my friends used ice water when that happened to me.”

  “Had an ex use acid on me once. Hurt like a bitch,” Vergil admitted, stroking his beard in deep thought, “any stories without blood though, if you don’t mind me asking?”

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  “Well, one time I got really drunk, and Hunter and I woke up in a mor-” I stopped myself, realizing that that was still not the story to tell. Instead I cleared my throat and said, “actually, one time I got drunk and passed out in my wolf form. So, my pack pulled a prank on me by stealing this dog collar, made some tags and put them on me, broke me into an animal shelter and let me in one of the kennels. I knew they did it, and breaking out would have too many witnesses, so I fucking waited like a day and a half before Scout came to pick me up because Hunter was starting to get worried about me being gone.”

  That got a long laugh out of the group, and I smiled at the fact as I checked my cards. It almost felt weird for people to like my stories again, and Basil shook his head as he asked, “did no one fucking question a wolf being there?”

  “They put up a little paper on the cage door and everything, made it look like I was signed in,” I said, saying the words through my laughter, “said my name was Lassie, I was a wolf-dog hybrid. Staff were fucking muttering about it and thinking it was weird the whole time, and happy to have me gone by the end of it. Let me tell you, between the dog food and the whole kennel thing and getting walked out to the car on a leash? They were lucky I did not fucking kill them.”

  “See, that’s a funny story,” Tara said, covering her mouth as she tried controlling herself, “fuck, I’m fucking lucky none of you ever did that shit to me, especially not after last Halloween.”

  “I do feel like I’m going to need to be careful next time we’re all drinking,” Andrew muttered with a small smile at the thought. “I ever told you all about the first time I tried hunting in wolf form? Ended up charging straight off a fucking waterfall.”

  The stories continued like that for a while, everyone putting in some fact or the other among the werewolves. Elizabeth merely said witches didn’t defame themselves when asked, and Vergil and Calliope both claimed theirs were a little too dark. When the stories dried up, and it was obvious Vergil and I were the only winners of the night, the cards were put away again, and the cake brought back out.

  I was forced to sit there while tubs of ice cream were opened and twenty one candles were slowly put across the cake. Vergil was about to try and light them all with a cigarette lighter when Elizabeth pushed him aside. The witch chanted for a few seconds, tracing symbols in the air, and simultaneously all the candles burst to light, saving at least a little time.

  Everyone sang happy birthday, and I sat there in the horrid awkwardness until it was my cue to blow out the candles. I’d almost forgotten to make a wish until the last second, which I did with a little sadness as everyone cheered and clapped.

  Vergil cut the cake, and I ended up with a piece that was at least three servings and even more ice cream. We started eating, and before I knew it someone was wheeling out a large cart full of presents that made my heart drop.

  “Y’all didn’t need to do all this,” I said, giving a nervous laugh, “I mean, I didn’t want to do anything big or anything.”

  “Eh, your first birthday with us, your first party in a while, we needed to make it special,” Andrew said, slapping me on the shoulder, “we were already planning on throwing you something together when we found out your birthday was soon, but Calliope told us she was throwing one so we combined the ideas.”

  I nodded, realizing I was never escaping this, and barely had time to sit my plate down before someone handed me the first present.

  The first one was a moderate sized box apparently from Misha I unwrapped to reveal a few dozen well-loved paperback Gothic and fantasy novels that looked like they were older than me. Tara ended up giving me two large bottles of shampoo and conditioner with horses on the side she said she’d tell me how to use. Basil ended up giving me a few movies with faded covers he said I should try, demurely admitting he’d gotten the idea from Andrew.

  Andrew ended up giving me a large stack of cookbooks and a knife with a wooden handle and broad head, claiming I had good use for both. I couldn’t argue, and the giving of presents had to actually be paused long enough for me to flip through the cookbooks and show off the knife for a few minutes.

  Sigyn surprised me by giving me a gift of any kind, a pair of cheap but nice looking pentacle shaped earrings, and I realized I was going to need to take up Tara’s offer to pierce my ears. Elizabeth had luckily forgotten to get me anything, before I felt overwhelmed with items, and Calliope and Vergil said mine were for later.

  The presents out of the way, the party slowly died down, and people began to take their leave. Lord went home with the pack, and I was left relatively alone as I slowly helped put the leftovers away. It was going on ten-thirty by then, and I was surprisingly awake for the day I’d had as we cleared everything.

  “Want some coffee?” Vergil asked, already starting up the pot as I agreed.

  He finished up the last of everything, and I walked over to lean on the breakfast counter where Calliope stood. She smiled at me, and I yawned a moment as I asked, “mind if I ask you a question?”

  “Gopher,” the ghost told me, nodding as she leaned on one of her hands.

  “You know anything about knitting or sewing?” I asked, frowning as I wondered if that was the right way to start a conversation.

  “Are you asking that just because I’m the ghost of a twenty year old cis woman who died in 1774?” Calliope asked, pointing to herself with a frown, “because the answer is yes, we needed something to do before pulp paper and streaming were invented, it was a terribly boring time. I never got kidnapped by dashing pirates or highwaymen once, despite what the books will make it sound like.”

  I laughed at the joke, hiding a half smile as I asked, “could you teach me a little bit about how to do it sometime? I’ve always wanted to, but like, my dad was very ‘be a man’ and so I didn’t really. I mean, I could probably learn on my own, but-”

  “I’ll help,” the ghost offered, smiling as she reached out and pat my cheek, “luckily for you, I think I remember enough to teach you a decent chunk. Just give me a few days to get some supplies found, make sure I remember everything I need to.”

  “Thank you so much,” I said, letting out a small sigh of relief, “I can pay you or like-”

  “Mary Cherry, no payment needed,” Calliope assured me, doing a dramatic flip in the air, “having something to help pass the time is good, but also you’re a friend. Besides, I genuinely forgot to get you a present while I was planning this party, so some knitting needles and yarn is a good last minute gift.”

  I laughed, shaking my head as I told her, “you don’t need to do that.”

  “Yeah, but I feel like it,” the ghost admitted with a shrug, “besides, the shit for it was cheap when I was alive. I imagine getting you started isn’t going to be that expensive, and it’s not like we don’t have the money; The Lady’s the only one bigger than us in the region.”

  “Alright, if you insist,” I muttered, even as Vergil walked over and handed me a cup of coffee. I took a long drink of it, before setting it aside as I sighed and told her, “let me drink this, and then you can borrow my body for a bit.”

  “Are you still sure about that, Mary?” Calliope asked, sounding genuinely surprised by the offer.

  “Not particularly, but I’m swearing off dating for a bit and was going to sleep here anyway, so someone might as well get something with it if I’m not,,” I admitted, chuckling with a shake of my head at the absurdity of this all. It might not have been the best display of mental health I’d had, but I could live with that, I was doing better. “I just need it back by noon tomorrow. I have someone meeting me here, and I’m apparently playing a magical nun gunslinger in a game at six. I…I might still need a ride home tomorrow though, if someone here could take me, or I can call and ask.”

  “I can take you,” Vergil offered with a shrug, sipping his own coffee as he read something on his phone, “I’m helping Catherine out with something in the mountains tomorrow, it’s nothing to drop you off on the way there.”

  “Yeah, that works with me,” I said, shaking my head with a small laugh as I sipped my drink, “just remember, my body heals fast, and will probably be good by the time I’m awake, but within reason. Nothing permanent, nothing that risks permanent, and at least get me a little sleep.”

  “Mary Cherry, this is not my first time borrowing a body, and I’m not doing anything I saw you and your guy doing,” Calliope said, rolling her eyes with a small laugh, “you ready though?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” I muttered, gulping down the last of my coffee as I turned to face her. This was apparently where my life choices brought me to, probably said something about me, but honestly at least it wasn’t the Purists and I wasn’t risking my life hunting people

  Calliope nodded, and the ghost flew into me, nearly knocking me off my feet as an intense cold spread through my body. I resisted it for a half moment, before remembering I needed to let her in, and I blinked once into a blissful nothing.