Page 21 of Help Wanted, Vampires Inquire Within
Marcel shook his head. “You let the girl go. The tooth-puller didn’t care if she died, but you couldn’t bring yourself to kill her.”
“She was an innocent.”
Marcel gave him a pitying look. “She wasn’t innocent. She had a collection of vampire fangs herself. This wasn’t the first time she was used as bait, but it’ll be the last time. She tried to shoot me. I did the same thing to her as I did to this guy.”
Jack groaned. “I’m an idiot.”
“Maybe,” Marcel said with a grin. “But you’ll be our idiot. My son is young, but he’s already displaying all the power and protective nature of a strong alpha. He’s going to grow up with you as a friend. The two of you will keep our little pack safe.”
It had been a long time since Jack had friends or family. The idea of having a pack appealed to him at every level. “I guess I need to change my name to Jack Clover.”
“It’s got a ring to it,” Marcel agreed, freeing him from the magical chains that held Jack immobile.
The moment he was free, Jack held his hand out to Marcel. “Thanks for saving me, Marcel.”
The alpha took his hand. “To quote my favorite movie, ‘I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.’”
As he said he would, Marcel had made sure the pack had a fierce reputation. Marcel and his mate had retired years ago, letting Remy take over the Clover Pack.
Remy had kept the pack's reputation but also made the pack rich.
Jack always felt like he was along for the ride and couldn’t be happier about it.
Now he had Mason. He didn’t want to lose the Clover Pack, but he couldn’t give up the gargoyle either. And hopefully gain a nymph. How did he explain to the pack that his future flock wasn’t a threat to them? They should have a pack meeting. It might take a lot of talking, but he’d convince them to accept Mason and Skyler.
“We need to buy property,” Remy said as he steered the car onto a freeway.
Jack was so preoccupied with worry that he wasn’t able to follow Remy’s logic. “We’ve been looking but nothing has appealed to everyone yet. It took four years before we bought the compound in Illinois. It might take that long here.”
Remy shook his head. “You don’t understand. If you want to win the nymph’s affection, then you’re going to need land. She’ll need dirt to play in and room to grow things. It’ll keep her healthy.”
“You saidwe,” Jack said, relief making him feel dizzy. “Does that mean we’re all staying together?”
Remy shot him a weird look. “Do you want us to leave now that you’ve found a flock?”
“No!” Jack shouted. He didn’t mean to be so loud, but he couldn’t help it. The Clover Pack was family. He hated the idea of living without them.
“We always knew you’d find a flock. This isn’t a shocking development,” Remy said. “All vampires need to find their soul bonds or they eventually go feral.”
“Oh, yeah,” Jack said. Honestly, he’d forgotten about the feral issue. He’d never really thought it would affect him because he had such a close relationship with the Clover Pack.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Remy said. “But we were never going to be enough. Family is great, but we couldn’t take the place of a soul bond. It was one of the reasons we all agreed to move to San Diego. The opportunity was good, but there was the added benefit that many vampires find their flocks here. There’s something about this place that helps.”
“I didn’t know that,” Jack said. “You guys never said anything to me.”
“We didn’t want you to say no,” Remy said simply. “I want you around to be part of my future kids’ and grandkids’ lives. That might not happen if you don’t find a flock. The math was simple. We all agreed.”
Jack felt mildly annoyed and very adored. “I can’t believe no one said anything to me. I’m not a young vampire anymore. I’m much stronger now! It's been a lot of years since Marcel had to rescue me from that tooth-puller.”
“You might be stronger, but your ability to sense danger is still shit,” Remy retorted. “You’re never getting rid of us, even if you have a gargoyle.”
“Harsh,” Jack grumbled. “And I love you too.”
Remy snorted out a laugh. “Focus, Jack. I think we should buy that piece of property with the orange grove on it. It’s a little far from town, but we could also buy a few condos for people to stay in when we have to physically show up at work.”
“Manny will hate that,” Jack said.
“Manny doesn’t like any change,” Remy retorted. “There were three houses on that property. If we give him the one at the back end of the property, he’ll be happy.”
