Page 27 of Help Wanted, Vampires Inquire Within
Jack nodded. “Yes, but why are there gophers all over the place?"
She looked around to see at least a dozen gophers and one very confused ground squirrel scurrying around. The expression on the sleepy squirrel’s face made her giggle.
Standing up, Skyler clapped the dirt off her hands. “They were annoying the trees.”
“Skyler!” one of the wolves called. “What are these bushes over here?”
That started a game of “ask Skyler” where the wolves wanted her to identify every plant they came across. It was fun, and she knew most of them.
They walked almost the entire property. She got to see into the two smaller houses, the barn, and inside the large main house. She could easily picture the pack living here. The entire place would be lively and happy.
“We should go,” Mason said, interrupting an animated dialogue between her and Toby. The wolf was excited to start an herb garden, even as the other wolves groaned.
The wolves made unhappy sounds until Remy shushed them and turned to Skyler. “We’re working out a special arrangement with the seller so we can move in before the escrow closes. That means you can come back any time you like. Stay for an hour or forever.”
Even though she knew the offer was limited to being with Jack, she still smiled up at the wolf. “Thank you. It’s nice here.”
“With your help, we’ll make it perfect” Kayla sang out from somewhere in the dark.
Skyler nodded and let Mason and Jack walk her back to the cars. Before they could get in, Jack faced the pack.
“We do not need an escort!” he declared. “All of you go home and get some sleep. There’s a lot to do tomorrow.”
There was grumbling but also a lot of yawns. Skyler was on a high from interacting with the land so she wasn’t tired at all. Poor Mason was yawning as much as the wolves and tomorrow, he had to go back to work. Looking after her had messed his life up so much and now it was keeping him from joining Jack and living with the Clover Pack.
That made her choice for her. She would not soul bond from obligation. An eternity spent with people who didn’t love her had no appeal.
Blinking away tears, she kept up with Jack and Mason’s lively conversation, forcing herself to push away her unhappiness. She needed tonight to be perfect. She’d cherish these memories. They would need to be enough to get her through the agonizing death coming to her.
At least she’d live long enough to see Mason and Jack happy.
Chapter 9
Mason
It was obvious Skyler wasn’t happy. She tried to keep a smile on her face and her responses cheerful, but it was easy for Mason to see through her act.
He didn’t understand. She’d been genuinely joyous earlier, especially after she communed with the orange grove. He’d never witnessed a nymph using their powers. He could’ve sworn the trees perked up, and she’d glowed a little.
Part of being a gargoyle and immune to most magic had the downside of making him insensitive to magic. Despite that, he’d felt a faint hum in his feet when Skyler sank her fingers into the ground.
The way a bunch of rodents had emerged from the ground and ran around in all directions had been startling at first, then hilarious.
Her cheerful disposition changed the moment they all got into the car and started driving away. He hoped it was because she was already missing the land, but he didn’t think that was it.
He didn’t want to end the night like this. They needed to know what she was thinking so they could face whatever had destroyed her smile.
“I’m going to pull into the parking garage,” Mason said, driving past Joy without taking any of the many empty spots on the street. No one argued with him as he used the code to enter the parking garage. He parked Jack’s car behind his Bronco and shut it down.
“Are you hungry, Jack?” Mason asked as everyone got out of the car. “Zan put some bags of blood in our fridge.”
“Not right now, but thank him for me,” Jack said. Mason would need to think of a reason for Jack to stay until the sun came up so there was a logical excuse for him to spend the day with them. He was sure Skyler simply needed more time with Jack. That would solve everything.
“I think I’ll skip work Monday,” Mason said. “I don’t have any major projects right now so it would be easy to take tomorrow off.”
Jack nodded “Tomorrow night, we could visit another shifter owned bar. I’ve heard the Dapper Dog is nice. I could pick you both up again.”
It was clear by his suggestion that he didn’t realize Mason was trying to tell him he wanted them to spend the day together. Which would require Jack spending the night.
