Page 4 of Help Wanted, Vampires Inquire Within (Ours Evermore #6)

Skyler

It was hard, but Skyler resisted the urge to slip her hands under Mason’s shirt. Not touching Mason inappropriately was growing more difficult by the day. How much worse would it be when she couldn’t even hug him like this anymore?

“I brought you some stuff,” Mason said, pulling out of the hug.

Skyler bit her lip to keep from whimpering in distress. She never wanted the embrace to end. Hugging herself, she watched Mason dump the contents of his backpack. When he was done, there was a mound of all her favorite candy on the table.

Her stomach was too knotted to eat, but she was overjoyed at the gift. It was a reminder of how much Mason paid attention to her.

“You wanted to tell me something on the roof, but I was too much of an asshole to listen to you,” Mason said, keeping his eyes on the candy. “Would you say it now?”

“You were right, I was an idiot to leave without waking you up,” she whispered, staring down at her shoes.

“No,” Mason said sharply. “You have every right to live your life as you want to. It wasn’t my place to shout at you.”

“But I put myself in danger,” she reminded him, guilt making her unable to meet his eyes.

“Tell me why,” Mason urged gently. “Why did you leave? I want to understand.”

“I wasn’t feeling well. I needed to be outside. I needed to touch the earth. I wasn’t thinking straight because it’d been so long since I had been outside.”

Mason cursed under his breath, making her flinch. Before she could start apologizing again, he pulled her into his arms.

“I’m not angry at you, I’m pissed as hell at myself. I’m an idiot! You needed to go outside; you’re a nymph. Please forgive me!”

“Nothing to forgive,” she answered, clinging to him.

“Tomorrow is Saturday, we can go for a hike or a picnic,” he offered.

“After you sleep in,” she said, determined to take care of him too.

“After I sleep in,” he murmured, stifling a yawn. “Is there coffee?”

Reluctantly, she ended the embrace and rushed to pull out one of the cans of iced coffee she’d asked Zan for. She was proud of herself for thinking of it and presented the drink to Mason with a bright smile.

“Thanks, mi cielo ,” he murmured, popping open the top and drinking the entire can down in a few swallows. Tossing the can in the recycle bin, he grinned down at her. “I’m ready to talk to a vampire and eat some pizza. How about you?”

She forced an enthusiastic expression on her face. “Absolutely!” She grabbed a few of the candy bars from the pile and led him out of the studio and down the stairs.

It was clear to Skyler who was here for the interview. The vampire sat alone, not engaging with any of the gaiety going on around him. The moment she stepped out from around a crowd of pixies, his eyes snapped to her like a predator focusing in on prey.

Vampires could see auras, so he could tell she was an unbound nymph.

As she drew closer, he stood up and offered her the seat next to him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Mason was quick to step around her and take the spot he offered. The chair across the table from the vampire was the last one left.

“Thanks,” Mason said, his deep voice lacking any of his normal warmth. “I’m Mason, and this is Skyler. If you try to touch her without permission, I will shift and rip you apart. I’m descended from the original German gargoyles, so you know I’m not to be fucked with.”

Skyler knew Mason was lying. He didn’t know what lineage of gargoyle his father was, but it sounded good.

All gargoyles were immune to vampire thrall, but German gargoyles had the added reputation for being the biggest, strongest, and most ferocious gargoyles on earth. Not even vampires messed with them.

The vampire's expression didn’t change. “As I said to Anatoly, I’m not interested in an unwilling bond. I’m here to learn about Skyler. I don’t want to be bound to someone insufferable for the rest of my long life either.”

“That’s good,” Skyler said, trying to give the vampire a bright smile. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name.”

The vampire gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, Skyler. My full name is Arthur Ashton Bancroft III. At least for the next fifty or sixty years.”

“Uh, do I call you Arthur or Mr. Bancroft?” she asked, unsure if she should give him her full name also.

“I prefer you call me Cutie.”

He said it so blandly, it took her a moment to realize he was making a joke. When she started laughing, his smile turned real.

“There it is,” he said.

“What?” she asked, still chuckling.

“The real you,” he said. “When you sat down, you looked like a rabbit hoping the coyote didn’t notice her. Now you’re more relaxed. Tell me about the land you grew up on.”

He must’ve done his research because that was the exact right question to ask a nymph. They liked nothing more than talking about their land. Even though her bond to the land was through her parents, and she grew out of it by the time she was seventeen, it was a happy topic to discuss.

“It was about fifty acres. Most of it was too rocky to grow anything, but Mom and Dad did amazing with the small patches of fertile area. They also did really well with bees. We had a magnificent apiary.”

Reminiscing about her happy childhood made the words flow out of her like they hadn’t done since she left home. She didn’t pause until Mason interrupted her.

“You need to eat,” he grumbled, pushing the pizza box at her. Rissa had set it down a little while ago, but she hadn’t reached for any yet. “I think Mr. Cutie should tell you about himself for a little while.”

Skyler felt her face get hot with embarrassment. “Sorry,” she said, ducking her head down.

“No, none of that,” Arthur said, reaching across the table to put a finger under her chin. “There is nothing to be sorry about. Your voice is melodic, and your stories entertaining. I swear I could almost feel the sun on my skin and the scent of blossoms in my nose.”

Mason scowled darkly at Arthur before turning to speak gently to Skyler. “He’s right. The way you talk makes me want to plant things. I didn’t mean anything bad. I'm worried that you're not eating enough, and I honestly think we need to ask Arthur more questions.”

Arthur withdrew his hand and gave Mason an approving look. “Very good.”

Mason’s expression turned even darker, but he didn’t say anything.

“Don’t you want some?” Skyler asked, opening up the box to see her favorite pizza.

“There’s too much pineapple and not enough jalapenos,” Mason said, turning a teasing smile on her. He pulled a box out from under hers and opened it to reveal a pizza covered in jalapenos. She couldn’t see anything underneath the spice topping!

She pretended to shudder. “I think they emptied out an entire jar on your pizza.”

“Hopefully,” he answered. “Now ask Lord Cutie a question.”

“Oh, right,” she said. Normally, she had a mental list of questions for the vampires, but her mind went blank. “Um, where did you grow up?”

“England,” he answered, pointing to the pizza. “I’ll keep talking if you eat.”

She nodded and picked up a slice. He told her about being one of ten children in 1700s London. His story was sad, and she put her slice down after only eating half.

“No, child,” he murmured, easily reading her expression.

“It was the best life anyone born in that time could have.

I know it seems horrific by today's standards, but my parents were kind and did their best for their surviving children. After I was turned and could control myself, I begged my maker to buy them land and animals. They were able to move to a small village north of London and got to live the rest of their lives in comfort.”

Most vampires she’d met were old enough to see massive changes in the world, including concepts of equality, family, and child rearing. She understood they had a very different scale to judge their lives by.

“I can still be sad that you lost six of your siblings,” she said. “And that you had to go to work at ten.”

“I suppose,” he said with a small smile. “But my ten-year-old self felt very proud for being a contributing member of the family. He wouldn’t have understood your sadness.”

“I guess,” she agreed. So far, Arthur was the easiest vampire to talk to. She was eager to learn more. “Tell me about London back then.”

The next thing she knew, hours had passed. The pizza was replaced with a sugary drink from Zan that he’d dubbed the Nymph Special.

Mason remained quiet the entire time. He ate his pizza, drank several beers, and another few coffees as she and Arthur talked.

His expression didn’t change, but she could tell he wasn’t happy.

He was never happy around vampires, except maybe Anatoly.

Not that Mason was fond of Anatoly, but that he claimed Anatoly was more tolerable than others.

“May I hold your hand?” Arthur asked during a lull in the conversation.

“My hand?” she asked, ignoring the way Mason jerked and eyed Arthur intensely. “Why?”

“I like you, Skyler,” he said. “But enjoying someone’s company isn’t enough for me. I want something real. I want the same love my parents felt. The same love my maker had for his flock. I won’t settle for less.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” she said, reaching across the table. He was quick to trap her hand with both of his. She felt warmth travel up her arm, but no spark of awareness. The magic didn’t see them as a match. They could force it, but all they’d ever feel for each other was mild affection.

“That’s too bad,” he murmured, letting go of her hand. “I’d hoped we would match better.”

“I know,” Skyler said. “But you’re always welcome to come back. A lot of people come to Joy, maybe you’ll meet your person.”

“Perhaps,” he said, standing up. “If you need help, please reach out to me. Anatoly is only one vampire; he might require assistance if a determined attacker manages to disable his wards.”

“That’s kind of you,” Skyler said.