Chapter 245

“I’m pretty sure this welcoming committee is not here for me,” Bradley said, smiling.

Leesa dropped down onto one knee and wrapped her right arm around Max’s shoulder, using her other hand to give the golden retriever his favorite greeting, a vigorous chest rub. His tail wagged furiously as he panted into Leesa’s ear.

Finally, she stood up. Her mom was waiting for her, arms outstretched. Leesa melted into her mother’s embrace, certain she would never tire of hugging her. For most of her life Leesa had received nothing more than perfunctory hugs from her withdrawn mom, but that had all changed since Professor Clerval, with some help from Rave, had injected her mom with the blood of a grafhym, a one-fanged vampire.

Her mom was pretty much back to normal now, and Leesa was enjoying it immensely. As she stepped out of her mother’s embrace into an almost equally warm hug from Aunt Janet, Leesa marveled at how much her family life had changed. For most of her child