Page 22 of Help Wanted, Vampires Inquire Within
“He might even smile if we offer to help him set up all his bookshelves and unpack his books.”
Remy chuckled. “Only if we promise to leave right after everything is done and not bother him for at least two days.”
“That’s Manny taken care of,” Jack murmured. “But I want to make sure everyone else is okay with it. I don’t want to disregard a single pack member.”
“I’m the alpha here,” Remy reminded him. “It’s my privilege to make sure the pack is happy. Your job is to convince Mason and Skyler to be your flock.”
“That might not be easy,” Jack admitted. “When I touched Skyler, there wasn’t a spark, and I don't think Mason will soul bond with me without Skyler.”
Remy’s eyes went wide. “But that’s impossible. A gargoyle can’t resist the call of his mate.”
Jack shrugged, making Remy wince.
“That makes things more complicated,” Remy murmured. “But you’ve got a whole pack backing you. And I think Mikey’s pack would back you too. They’re good people.”
“I heard that from Kayla and Toby. They wouldn’t stop talking about Mikey and Maddy that day after they met them last week,” Jack said with a wry smile. “I get the feeling I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
“Don’t worry, Jack. We’ll make sure everything works out, no matter how much candy or plants we need to buy the nymph!"
Jack wished it was all that simple.
Jack and Remy got home before the others. Marcel and his mate Adelle had already gone to bed, along with the pack members who’d stayed home. That meant the large house they were renting was quiet.
Jack retreated to his small room. Grabbing a tablet, he flopped down on the bed and got himself comfy against the mound of fluffy pillows. He hoarded soft pillows. It probably came from a childhood where the great depression stole any soft things from his family.
He searched for unique gifts, but even as he scrolled through colorful images, he knew nothing here was going to work. Anything he gave Mason and Skyler needed to be special. It needed to be perfect.
The door to his room burst open and most of the pack flooded into his room. Jack wasn’t startled by the pack’s sudden anduninvited entrance into his room. This was what it was like to live with a pack. Privacy could be hard to come by.
Because there wasn’t enough floor space to accommodate everyone, Kayla and Toby perched on his desk, Marcel and Adelle joined him in the bed, and several wolves climbed on top of each other. Manny stood in the doorway with only his toes in the room.
If even the introverted Manny was here, the pack had something important to discuss with him.
“Shouldn’t all of you be sleeping?”
Chuckles came from a few of the pack, but most of their expressions didn’t change.
“Remy told us about the gargoyle and the nymph,” Adelle said. She sat to his right while Marcel made himself comfortable on his left. The couple might be in their seventies, but they still had a commanding presence.
Jack shot the alpha an annoyed look. “Thanks, Remy.”
Remy shrugged. “Mama woke up when we were getting a snack and decided to find out why we were eating so late.”
“It wasn’t the snacking that woke us up,” Marcel said. “It was how loud Remy was on the phone.”
“I might’ve forgotten how late it was and called the real estate agent,” Remy said, rubbing a hand over his face.
“I’m amazed we don’t need a new real estate agent,” Jack said.
“Only because the property we’re buying is going to make her a really good commission,” Remy said.
“Enough about that, we need to talk about your flock,” Adelle insisted.
Jack shook his head. “They aren’t mine yet.”
Adelle patted his knee. “Don’t worry, the Clover Pack never fails.”
“Except for Toby’s herb garden,” Jack said. Toby rolled his eyes as the rest of the pack laughed. No one would ever letToby forget the hundreds of dollars he’d spent to create an herb garden that only produced about two dollars’ worth of herbs.
