Page 7 of Help Wanted, Vampires Inquire Within (Ours Evermore #6)

“You’re not going to hear any arguments from me,” Mason said. He wasn’t a big reader, but he liked her theory of books. “Why add more stress when you could read something that takes away the stress?”

“Do you know anything about a book club?” Skyler asked. “I heard Tag talking about it.”

Mason winced. “I know of the book club. I wouldn’t go if I were you.”

“Because I might put people in danger?” Skyler's hurt expression made him want to take the words back.

“No!” he said, probably too loudly for the cab of the Bronco. He pulled in a breath and lowered his voice. “There’s a member of the book club that’s, uh, dangerous.”

She raised an eyebrow. “More dangerous than you?”

“Much,” Mason said with an emphatic nod of his head. He lowered his voice to a whisper, “One of the members is a hobgoblin!”

He expected Skyler to react with fear. Hobgoblins were one of the most powerful creatures in all the realms. They pulled from the void. Everyone else used magic that slowly trickled from the void because trying to draw directly from it meant madness and death.

Except for hobgoblins.

Skyler sat up, excited. “That means I have to join this book club! I love hobgoblins. They’re so interesting.”

Mason wasn’t sure how to react to her enthusiasm. “You do?”

“Sure,” she replied. “They’re so cute when they hyperfixate on something. We had a hobgoblin and his friend visit when I was about ten. I learned all about weaving and fiber arts. He even gave us a loom and asked if we could grow some flax for him.”

It took a moment for Mason’s brain to process Skyler’s words. Nymphs must be different from the rest of them. Everyone he knew would go running from a hobgoblin, not find them “cute.”

“Tell me more about your mom,” Skyler demanded. “And what it was like to grow up as a gargoyle in a family full of bruja.”

He talked about his mother, aunts, and cousins, enjoying the way she laughed at some of the funnier stories. Soon they were exiting the freeway. Within ten minutes, they had left paved roads.

The off-road part of their trip was only a few miles.

Mason was grateful to find that the road was in good condition, which wasn’t always the case.

He knew the route well. Every year he took his mom and her coven out here to perform a few ceremonies.

He parked when the road abruptly ended. There weren’t any other vehicles, giving him hope that no one else was hiking the little-known trail today.

“Are we here?” Syler asked, looking around as he shut off the Bronco.

“Not yet, we’ve got a little hike to go. Do you need to eat now, or do you think you can wait?”

“I can wait,” she said, jumping out of the vehicle with an excited bounce in her step.

She was wearing a pair of jeans that were a little big on her and the boots he’d bought her.

The shoes were the only item of clothing she’d let him purchase because none of the used clothes she was given had shoes that fit.

Opening up the back, he pulled out a backpack. Skyler tried to grab the bag of food, but he got it before her.

“I can carry something,” she grumbled, even as she fought a smile.

“Here,” he said, handing her a bag of skittles. She laughed, took the bag, and had them open before they were even on the trail.

It was only a mile up the trail before they got to the spot his mother’s coven used. It was on a slight rise and had a good view of the small lake below and a few trees to provide shade.

The moment he set the food down, she dropped to the ground. At first, he thought she was hurt, but no. She was tugging at her laces, desperate to get her boots off.

“Oh, this is so nice!” She sighed, digging her bare toes into the loose dirt. Mason chuckled as he pulled a blanket out of the backpack and spread it out on the ground next to her. If he hadn’t been there, she’d probably strip naked and lay on the ground.

“I hope you're hungry,” he said, pulling box after box of food out of the bag. This was way more than he’d ordered!

“Starving!” she announced, leaning forward to grab one of the boxes.

They talked and ate as the sun slowly sank down. As he’d hoped, they lingered long after they finished eating.

“Here, this is the other reason I wanted to bring you here,” Mason said, tugging her around so she could sit between his legs.

Her feet were still in the dirt and her back leaning against his chest. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but that would be too much like a lover and not a simple protector.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. The colors of the sunset made the mountainside look like it was on fire. Light gleamed off the lake below, giving the whole area a surreal quality, like something from a fantasy novel.

His hands were resting on his bent knees. Skyler grabbed both of them and wrapped them around her, snuggling against him. “This is the best.”

He had to agree. He tried to memorize everything. The feel of Skyler’s body tucked against him. The smell of honey that always emanated from her. The way her hair tickled his nose. The soft sighs that slid out of her as the sun sank below the horizon.

He was going to need all those memories to get him through a future without Skyler.