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

Mason

Mason woke to find Skyler asleep in his arms. Afraid he was only dreaming, he didn’t move except to put his face a little closer to her head.

She always smelled like honey. Normally, he only got a whiff of it as they walked next to each other or on the rare occasion she wanted a comforting hug.

In this position, he could breathe in her sweet scent at his leisure.

Unlike wolf or lion shifters, gargoyles didn’t have a superior sense of smell. His senses weren't any better than an average human. That made this moment even more important.

He tried to remember how they ended up in her bed together.

It was almost impossible for him to get drunk, so that wasn’t a possibility.

Being tired though, that could lead him to fall asleep in the strangest places.

When a gargoyle's body decided it was time to sleep, there wasn’t much they could do about it.

That’s where the belief that gargoyles slept as stone came from. If they needed to sleep and didn’t feel like they were in a safe place, they could sleep in their gargoyle form. He’d never done that, but he heard it was common in the past.

He must’ve been so tired he took the bed and hadn’t realized it.

Poor Skyler was forced to share the bed with him because no one in their right mind slept on the torture device pretending to be a bed. The only people who made the deliberate choice to use an air mattress was because they wanted to sleep on the floor, but not right away.

Skyler moved a little, wiggling her butt against his crotch.

Normally, he slept naked but while sharing an apartment with Skyler, he’d kept his boxers on.

It was good his sleepy mind remembered to keep them on, but unfortunately, the thin cotton material didn’t do much to shield his dick from Skyler’s luscious ass.

Shit, he was getting hard! He didn’t want to wake her up because his cock was poking her in the back.

Mason did his best to pull the covers off himself and slide backwards off the other side of the bed without disturbing Skyler. She didn’t move except when he tucked the covers around her. She mumbled something and tried to tuck his arm under the covers with her.

He smiled, wishing she was aware and doing it because she wanted him. The vampire who won her affection would be the luckiest bastard alive.

The thought of her snuggled up against some vampire that would never deserve her quickly killed his erection. Extracting his hand, he straightened and stretched. For the first time since meeting Skyler and assigning himself as her protector, he felt rested.

Rested and eager to take Skyler out for the day.

He might not remember going to bed, but he had a clear memory of their conversation. She needed more time with the earth, and he was going to give it to her.

Heading into the bathroom, he cleaned up and pulled on some clothes.

Skyler was still asleep so he brewed some coffee.

Rissa had fulfilled her promise and filled the fridge.

He ate several apples as he waited for the coffee maker.

Staring at the food gave him an idea for the day.

They could hike out and have a picnic. He knew a spot the shifters liked to go because it was easy to find privacy so they could shift and run in their animal forms. It was deep in east county but there was even a small artificial lake.

Nymphs didn’t shift, but they did like to lay on the ground naked. He was sure Skyler would love it!

With the plan set, he found his phone and texted Jesse over at the Pack House with a food order. Jesse responded within seconds, giving him an estimated delivery time. Mason texted back quickly.

I’ll pick it up. I’m taking Skyler on a picnic. Could you pack extra of that jam she likes?

He wasn’t surprised by Jesse’s response.

Oh, a picnic? How romantic! We’ll pack all her favorites.

Mason smiled. That response told him that his order was being ignored, and he was going to get whatever Jesse and the cook decided would be the most romantic food for him and Skyler.

Everyone wanted the two of them to get together, but that was because they were being willfully ignorant of how much danger Skyler was in.

They probably thought his magic would take care of her if the two of them got together.

It was sweet but deadly. Skyler needed land or a vampire to bond with or she was dead.

As much as he loved her, he would never be enough.

“Mason?”

He looked up to see Skyler sitting up on the bed and rubbing her eyes. She was fully dressed except for her shoes. Had she been so tired she went to sleep in her clothes?

It was probably another sign that she wasn’t feeling well. That only made him more determined to get her into nature for the day.

Or at least as much of the day that was left. A look at the time on his phone revealed that it was almost noon!

“Good morning!” he said cheerfully. “Do you want a shower before we leave?”

“Uh, yes?” she said, standing up and looking at him blearily, eyes puffy from sleep. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” he declared. “But I promise you’ll like it.”

Her face transformed as she smiled at him. “I’ll be quick.”

She grabbed clothes from the pile of donated items that had flooded in since she’d been living above Joy.

She’d lost everything but her purse when McConnell’s goons had tried to capture her that first night.

After so much traveling, she was low on funds, but the community had stepped up and soon she had more than she could store in the small studio's closet.

Mason drank half the pot of coffee while she was in the bathroom.

He stood near the apartment window and stared down at the little potted plant someone had gifted Skyler.

It was a sage plant that had already doubled in size since being given to Skyler.

She would stroke a leaf and talk to it sometimes.

Remembering the times he’d walked in to see her sitting with the pot nearby made him wince.

She’d been trying to do the best with what she had but one little plant wasn’t nearly enough.

He was going to fix this. He’d fix everything for her, even if it meant losing her.

She emerged from the bathroom with wet hair and an eager expression. “Can we get a latte on our way to wherever we’re going?”

“Of course!” he agreed. “We’re stopping by The Pack House first, then we can go to that coffee shop you like.”

She nodded her head and tugged on a hoodie and tucked her phone into her small purse. She was so happy it was like she was vibrating. “Ready.”

Mason led her out of the studio and down the stairs.

He paused at the front door. Before they left the safety of the wards, he took a good look around.

He didn’t see the human or the durmin. That didn’t mean they weren’t lurking somewhere, but he wasn’t too worried.

It would be easy enough for him to shift and fly Skyler to safety if they appeared.

“I don’t see him,” she whispered behind him, eyes darting up and down the street.

“Hopefully he’s given up after that last encounter,” Mason said, although he didn’t believe it. Now that McConnell was aware that Skyler had a full-time gargoyle protector, he was probably trying to figure out another way to get Skyler.

Mason didn’t care. Let the vampire plot. No one was getting to Skyler as long as he was around.

He held out an elbow, and Skyler wrapped her long fingers around his arm. She looked happy even being outside, even though there wasn’t bare earth under her feet yet. The Pack House wasn’t far away, and they were soon stepping inside the popular diner.

“Mason, Skyler!” someone shouted as they walked in. Living above Joy and spending so much time hanging out in the bar meant there were a lot of familiar faces in the diner. Even Rissa and Zan were there having lunch.

When Mason caught Rissa raising an eyebrow, he felt obligated to explain. “I’m taking Skyler out to east county for a hike and picnic.”

Rissa gave him an approving smile. “Perfect!”

Even though Jesse had their food ready, it took a while to leave with everyone who wanted to talk to them.

Once they were back out on the street, it was a quick trip to the coffee shop and then to the Bronco. He didn’t relax until they were on the freeway heading east.

Skyler sat in the passenger seat, smiling widely as she sipped her sweet latte. “Tell me about your mom,” she said.

He hadn't told Skyler much about Elena except that she was a powerful bruja. “What do you want to know?”

“I know you were born in San Diego,” she said. “Was your mom?”

“No, she was born in the Yucatan Peninsula. She moved up here to be close to her aunt.”

Skyler tilted her head. “Why her aunt?”

“Great Aunt Nella didn’t have any girls, only boys,” Mason explained. “Nella and my mom’s mother, Akna, agreed that Elena would move north to learn from Nella.”

“Nella couldn’t teach one of the boys?” Skyler asked.

“Boys can’t be bruja, they don’t have the gift,” Mason said, then shook his head. “No, that’s not accurate. Occasionally, a boy will inherit the gift, but it’s rare.”

Skyler frowned. “Your mom wasn’t sad to leave her family behind?”

“It wasn’t like she was cast out of the family,” Mason said with a laugh. “They visited each other and there were plenty of summers spent down in Mexico. I think Mom was happy to move up here. She always said she liked big cities better than rural areas.”

Skyler gave a happy little sigh. “I love stories that have happy endings.”

“That explains all the books you like to read,” Mason said.

“Exactly,” she agreed. “I know people look down on romance novels, but the world is full of uncertainty and anxiety already. I don’t need more of it in the stories I read. I want a guaranteed happily ever after!”