Page 16 of Help Wanted, Vampires Inquire Within (Ours Evermore #6)

Jack

When Skyler passed out, Mason panicked.

“She’s dying!” he cried out, gathering her in his arms. He looked up at Jack with tears falling freely down his face. “I can’t lose her, Jack. I can’t!”

Jack knew it wasn’t nice to smile in the face of Mason’s fear, but he couldn’t help it. He was so damn happy he couldn’t contain it. He had a flock!

“She’s not dying,” he assured Mason.

“How can you tell?” Mason asked, obviously desperate to believe him.

Jack put one hand on Skyler and one on Mason. “Close your eyes, let me guide you.”

Mason obediently closed his eyes and Jack pressed on their soul bonds. “That’s me. Can you feel my happiness?”

“Yes, it’s beautiful.”

“Good, now feel for the soft humming,” Jack said. “It reminds me a little of insects flying around on a summer day.”

“Yes, I can feel it,” Mason said, his brows scrunched up in concentration.

“That’s Skyler,” Jack said. “She’s resting. I feel no pain, no fading of her life force. She’s asleep, that’s all.”

Mason opened his eyes and stared intently at Jack. “You’re sure?”

Jack gave Mason a reassuring smile and pushed love and joy through their soul bond. Mason sucked in a breath, his expression turning surprised.

“I felt that,” he murmured. “It’s almost too intense.”

“The best bonds are,” Jack assured him.

“Looks like you guys took care of everything,” Anatoly said. He stepped over to McConnell's dead body and shook his head. “We all warned you. It wasn’t because we worried about Skyler’s life, but yours. I guess you got the fate you deserved.”

Jack looked down at the vampire's body. Before Mason joined the fight, Jack was sure he was going to lose. Then Mason was free and fighting at his side. Everything fell into place, and they’d worked in perfect concert to kill the powerful vampire.

“What the hell killed this asshole?” Rissa said, nudging Sampson’s dead body with a toe.

All the rats that had been eating him were gone.

Probably scared off when Mason and Jack got close.

Once Sampson had died, all the durmin were decimated, leaving piles of little bones everywhere. It was a strange sight!

Mason chuckled. “Rats.”

Rissa’s nose wrinkled. “Rats? You mean real rats?”

“As opposed to rubber rats?” Zan teased.

“Hey, I’m still learning,” she said, slapping him playfully on his shoulder. “Maybe there are rat shifters out there.”

Zan shook his head. “No, no rat shifters.”

“Are you sure?” Rissa asked. “Maybe there are, and you don’t know about them.”

Zan rolled his eyes. “Sure, maybe there are rat shifters. But I can tell you they’d be a lot bigger than what made all those little bites.” He looked at Mason. “Why would rats suddenly attack a man in enough numbers to actually kill him?”

“Skyler did it,” Mason said. “I don’t know how, but she put her hand on the ground and then hundreds of rats charged at him. It was an amazing sight. She had one of the rats grab the talisman that was keeping me trapped against the ground and broke it.”

“For such an innocent face, she sure has an evil streak,” Rissa chortled. “I couldn’t be more proud.”

“We’ll take care of the bodies,” Anatoly said, then pointed in the direction of Joy. “All three of you need to rest.”

Zan nodded and gave them a broad grin. “I think you’ll appreciate the surprise Rissa had installed in the studio while you were gone.”

“Thanks,” Mason said, hugging Skyler tight to his chest as he turned. Jack was quick to go with Mason. He didn’t care where he went, as long as he was with Mason and Skyler.

“You’re so happy,” Mason murmured as they walked.

“So are you,” Jack retorted with a little skip in his step. He was starving and hurt, but who cared about that? Not when he’d found his flock!

Skyler

Skyler woke up feeling a little fuzzy. It reminded her of the time she’d helped her mother with their land and overtaxed her power. She’d woken up confused then too.

She remembered the wonderful date with Jack, and exploring the property with the Clover Pack. Now she was wrapped around a large body that had to be Mason and felt Jack spooning her from behind. She’d never felt so warm or content before.

She couldn’t remember how they all ended up in bed together. It felt too delicious to worry about though.

“Are you hungry?”

She opened her eyes to see Mason staring down at her. It took her a moment to understand what he said. Was she hungry? She wasn’t sure. She felt a little floaty. She thought about it and then decided she was hungry, but not enough to bother moving.

“No.” Wow, her voice was hoarse, like she’d been screaming. Now that she’d spoken, she noticed her chest was a little sore. Weird.

“Rissa dropped off some food a few hours ago. We can heat it up whenever.” He started running his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp. “You know, it’s funny. I could tell the moment you woke up. Your humming changed.”

She closed her eyes to enjoy the feel of Mason’s fingers in her hair. “Humming?”

“Our bond feels like you're humming,” Mason explained.

Bond?

Memories flooded into her.

McConnell attacking them.

Calling to the rats.

Breaking the spell restraining Mason.

Both men holding her hands. It was the first time all three of them touched.

She’d soul bonded them without asking!

“I’m so sorry!” she gasped. Struggling out of Jack’s embrace and the sheets, she sat up. “I can’t believe I did that. I didn’t know I could, I swear! I can find a bruja to remove it. I promise, I’ll fix this!”

“Fix what?” Jack asked, sitting up with a yawn. His dark hair was standing up in all directions, making him look even cuter than usual.

“The bond I forced on both of you!” Skyler cried, stumbling out of the bed. She was wearing her pants and shirt from yesterday. She accidentally pulled the blankets off with her, revealing both men wearing nothing but boxers.

They were both so gorgeous, all thought left her head for a brief moment. Mason was nothing but bulging muscles with thick legs and wide shoulders. Jack’s body was lean and muscled. The way they contrasted with each other made both of them look that much more beautiful.

“Skyler, you didn’t force anything on me,” Jack said, reminding her that she shouldn’t be staring at these men. She had a serious problem to deal with!

“I did!” she insisted.

Jack put his arms behind him and sat back; Mason moved until his back was resting on the bed’s headboard. That’s when Skyler noticed the bed was very large. Much bigger than the small bed she’d been sleeping in since Anatoly offered her sanctuary.

The bed was so large it took up a quarter of the studio apartment and left little room on either side to get out.

“I wanted to bond with you and Mason,” Jack explained.

“I don’t care that you did it instead of me.

If anything, I feel lucky as hell. I’ve got something no other vampire has, a flock that claimed him instead of the other way around.

Does this mean you’re going to carry me over the threshold later? ”

Skyler couldn’t believe Jack was making jokes. “This isn’t funny! I stole a piece of your soul.”

For the first time, Jack frowned. “Not stolen, accepted. Big difference, Skyler.”

“You should be at least a little angry.” Skyler looked from Jack to Mason. “I stole a piece from you too!”

Mason shook his head. “Mates can’t steal from each other.”

“I’m not your mate, Jack is,” Skyler reminded him. “I messed all this up. You two were supposed to live a happy life without me to make this complicated.”

Mason scowled. “I’m not even gonna ask what you mean by that,” he growled. “You’re both my mates, Skyler. I said that we are mates. You and me, Skyler. I knew from the beginning. You must believe me now because the magic pushed you to bond to us.”

Skyler blinked. “I thought you were trying to protect me. I didn't think we were real mates.”

“What?” Mason asked, sounding offended. “Am I not good enough for you?”

She flew at him. Mason made an oomph sound when she landed on him. She laid quick kisses all over his face as she talked.

“I wanted to be with you so bad! I love you, but I was scared that all you felt for me was obligation. Then there was Jack, and I thought that was it. You’d found your mate, and we were over!”

Mason started laughing. “You love me, and I love you, but neither of us were saying anything because we wanted what was best for the other person. That’s right out of a romance novel!”

“Where do I fit into this novel?” Jack asked, moving closer to the two of them. Now that she’d accepted the bonds between them, she could feel both his love and a slight insecurity.

Sitting up, she put a hand behind Jack’s head and guided his face close. “You fit in right here.”

She only meant to give him a quick kiss on the lips, but the moment they touched, he opened his mouth and demanded more.

Moaning, she let him deepen the kiss. Lust flooded the bonds. She couldn’t tell who it was coming from. Probably all of them.

When the kiss ended, they were both panting a little. “We need to do more of that and often,” he whispered.

“You’re really not mad?” she asked. Waves of love from Mason and Jack flowed through the bonds.

Jack’s eyes flashed with magic. “Never. I feel privileged to be your land.”

“Same here,” Mason said. “Except for the unfortunate fight, this couldn’t have ended any better.”

Skyler pulled back and noticed she’d left a smudge of dirt on Jack’s face. Looking down, she saw her hands were covered in filth. So were her clothes.

“I’m disgusting!” she exclaimed.

“But only in the best way,” Mason joked.

Skyler shook her head. “Not funny. I’m going to shower.”

“No!” Jack whined. “We were about to have hot, raunchy sex. Or at least more kissing.”

“We will, after I shower,” Skyler promised, rushing to the tiny studio's small bathroom. “You two can entertain each other. I’ll be quick.”

Skyler felt their amusement and excitement as she shut the bathroom door. She looked at her dirty and disheveled appearance in the bathroom mirror.

“You’re a very lucky nymph,” she whispered to her reflection.

“We’re the lucky ones!” Jack yelled, making Skyler giggle and press adoration through their bond. She heard the men gasp. Very soon she’d make them gasp for other reasons.