Secret Society of Paranormal Spouses

George checked the address on the letter again.

We know the truth about your wife and want to meet you. Come to 1897 Harker Lane on Sunday at 7pm. Don't be late or you'll miss the fun.

"'Fun'," he spat as, not for the first time, he wanted to rip the letter to shreds, along with whoever had dared to write it, but he couldn't, not with his wife's secret hanging in the balance.

I can't risk the world finding out that vampires are not only real, but that Victoria is one of them. Even if they don't drive a stake into her heart she'll never know peace. Not with every scientist want to experiment on her and every accursed teenager wanting their perverted fantasy realized, he thought in disgust.

He reach into the breast pocket of his coat and checked his pistol again, making sure it was loaded and ready for action before he raised his hand and, with thundering heart, knocked on the door.

Each second felt like a century as he waited for the door and he swore it felt like his heart was crashing against his ribcage over and over and over again like a battering ram. However, he was completely unprepared for what happened when it at last did finally swing open.

"Welcome!" a giant man greeted with a bright smile and a party hat.

George jumped back in surprise, making the man chuckle.

"Did I startle you? Sorry about that, I've just been so excited for you to come. This is the first time I was allowed to plan the party and I made sure to pull out all the stops for it!"

"Party?" George asked as his mind reeled.

"John, you're confusing the poor man," a feminine voice called a moment before a much smaller woman in gothic attire appeared, a more restrained, but still warm smile playing upon her lips. "Sorry about that. John really means no harm, he just has a hard time restraining himself. But where are my manners? Here I am making you wait out in the dark like a vampire waiting for an invitation."

George tensed at her choice of words, but allowed himself to be pulled inside, only to be surprised all over again when he discovered that half a dozen other people were inside the well-lit space, along with a remarkable amount of food, drinks, and what appeared to be party games.

"Our guest has arrived everyone," the gothic woman declared before turning back to George. "We'll start with introductions. You already know our big, loveable host, John. My name is Morgana. The blonde gentleman is Tim. Next to him is Xavier, then Ashley, Kyle, Rachel, and Lizzy."

"Heya!" Lizzy declared with an energetic wave while Tim and Kyle raised a beer.

George blinked and stared at the group, his confusion growing with each passing second.

"You weren't expecting there to be this many paranormal spouses, huh?" Morgana teased with a smile.

"Paranormal...what?" he asked.

"Paranormal spouses," Morgana repeated, gaining her own confused expression. "That's why you're here, isn't it? To check out our little secret society?"

"No, I'm here, because I thought someone," George pulled out the letter, "was threatening my wife, and I was fully prepared to end whoever dared to do so," he affirmed, revealing his firearm.

The entire group quickly became alarmed and most even backed away from George, the exception being Morgana who, after a moment to collect herself, grabbed the letter and quickly read it. Immediately, her smoldering eyes turned towards John.

"What the hell kind of an invitation is this?! It reads like a blackmail letter!" she yelled.

John fidgeted.

"That wasn't my intention, I just wanted it to be a fun little surprise."

Morgana sighed.

"I am so...so sorry. Please be assured that we are not blackmailing you and that have no ill-will against your wife. It's actually through her that we found out about you."

"What?" George asked, his anger turning back into shock.

"She told my husband, who by the way is also a vampire," Morgana informed him, causing George's jaw to drop, "and he let me know. I then told the others and bestowed John the honor of hosting this introductory party to our group. Though from now on we'll be sure to check the invitation first," she avowed, sending one final glare towards John.

"And what is this...group? " George asked, gesturing towards everyone. "You mentioned your husband was a vampire too. Is this some sort of...mortal coven?"

"Oh no, nothing like that well...not really. We," she gestured towards others. "are The Secret Society of Paranormal Spouses. We're a group of friends who all have one thing in common, our significant others aren't human."

"You're...you're joking...right?" George questioned, unable to believe his ears.

"Nope, every one of us is in same ballpark as you...to an extent anyway. My hubby's a vampire, like your wife, Tim's wife is a werewolf, John's got an oni missus, Xavier's married to a mermaid. Ashley and Rachel married a pair of incubus brothers, and Lizzy won't stop bragging about how she bagged a centaur."

"Damn straight I won't!" Lizzy beamed.

"So you see," Morgana turned back to George, "we're not threatening your wife, or any other paranormal being, we're just a gaggle of people lucky enough and crazy enough to fall in love with truly extra-ordinary individuals," she finished with a big smile.

George held her gaze for a long time, then turned his unsure eyes towards the rest of the group, each one giving him a reassuring smile and nod before he turned back to Morgana.

"The Secret Society of Paranormal Spouses?" he questioned.

She laughed and shrugged.

"Seemed fitting and if anyone asks it's easy to pretend we're just a DnD group these days."

"Thank you Baldur's Gate III!" Tim joked, making the others laugh.

Despite his still reeling mind, George found himself chuckling too.

"This...is a bit much to take it...though I will admit it's a pleasant surprise in comparison to what I was expecting."

"I can imagine. Still, the night doesn't have to be ruined because of a misunderstanding, right?"

"I suppose not. I will admit you all have my curiosity," George admitted.

"Glad to hear it," Morgana replied. "I know even under the best of circumstances, this would be a lot to take in, especially since it appears you weren't aware of just how common paranormal beings are. That said, I'm confident we'll all become fast friends after, we all take a drink to calm down our fried nerves," Morgana stated. "Then, after we're all a bit more relaxed, we can get to the real fun and start sharing all the wonderfully odd stories that only those who have a paranormal spouse can experience."

George smiled.

"I certainly have a few of those stashed away...and the bite marks to prove them," he said, pulling his collar to the side to display a neck covered in bite marks.

"Oh, I never knew that Victoria was so affectionate," Morgana smirked. "My husband's going to tease her mercilessly once I tell him. But first drinks!" she declared going over to the table and grabbing herself and George a glass of wine. "To new friends and new, embarrassing stories!"

The members of the Secret Society of Paranormal Spouses all cheered and took a drink.

"Fair warning though," Morgana whispered to George after her sip, "Lizzy loves to brag about her hubby and their love life in excruciating detail, so you might want to limit your food and drink until she's finished."

"Duly noted," George replied as his wary eyes turned to Lizzy, who seemed ready to explode with braggadocios excitement.