Chapter 8
“Anything new?” Grant asked, seated across from Rex at his desk.
Rex scanned the newest email he’d received from Pascal, the male who’d hired him to hunt down Stanley. Rex had contacted him, making it clear he wanted every single bit of information on the dead vampire. A week had passed since Margery had been kidnapped and they were still trying to hunt down the male who’d gotten away.
It was after sunset, but Rex had been up working for hours before coming over to see the alpha at his home. Talia was at work and Margery was downstairs with a couple of her packmates eating. He shook his head. “Not really. Just more trivial background information on Daria and Franz.” Daria was the female Rex had killed; they were ninety-nine percent certain Franz was the male who had escaped.
According to Pascal, the two had left the coven about a month before Stanley stole from him. Pascal hadn’t connected the three of them as working together, but a couple of his coven members had confirmed the three of them had been close. It appeared that they’d wanted to start their own coven—with money stolen from Pascal.
Stupid and greedy. Unfortunately Franz didn’t have any credit cards and hadn’t left a paper trail anywhere. Not exactly surprising if he was on the run.
“We will find him.” Grant’s voice held a deadly promise.
Rex nodded, trying to leash his anger. He knew they would. Both he and the alpha had put out enough feelers in the supernatural community that someone would turn Franz in. But Rex wanted the male eliminated now. He needed to know the threat to Margery was completely gone. And that male was going to suffer for daring to take her. “Not soon enough.”
“Margery’s going back to work tomorrow,” Grant said, changing the subject.
Rex gritted his teeth. This was a conversation he’d already had with the stubborn female. “I know.”
A ghost of a smile touched Grant’s mouth. “You want to keep her locked down twenty-four-seven.” The statement was laced with mild amusement.
“Of course not…Maybe.” It was his own issue and he knew he had to deal with it. She was incredibly capable and able to protect herself. He just experienced the strongest need to keep her safe from all harm. Which he knew was impossible. The female was over two hundred years old. Clearly she knew how to take care of herself and he couldn’t be with her every moment of every day anyway. That knowledge didn’t lessen the steady need to protect that hummed through him, a constant maddening beat. “I’m not used to feeling like this.” Like he would die if anything happened to her.
Grant full-on smiled then. “Welcome to my world. Now…what’s your answer?”
It had only been a week since the alpha asked him to join the pack, but Rex knew without a doubt what he wanted. “I’m in.”
The alpha nodded once, not surprised. “Good. I’ve never seen her so happy.” Continuing in a lower voice, he said, “What about living arrangements? We have more than one condo open, but…” Grant trailed off, his unspoken question clear.
“I don’t know yet.” Rex knew what he wanted; to move in with Margery permanently. After almost two hundred and fifty years of living virtually alone, the thought of sharing space with someone should scare him. Instead he embraced it like he’d never done with anything else. He wanted to wake up to Margery’s face every evening and to hold her tight every time they went to sleep.
Grant’s gaze narrowed a fraction, his eyes going wolf as he assessed Rex. “You don’t know?”
“I know, I just don’t know what she wants,” he muttered.
He earned another smile from the alpha, taking Rex off guard again. He’d never seen Grant so relaxed. “Why haven’t you asked her?”
“There’s been a lot going on.” He couldn’t keep the defensive note out of his voice even though his answer was total bullshit. They hadn’t left the bedroom much, which was fine with him.
The alpha snorted. “Or you’re just too much of a pussy to tell her what you want.”
Yeah, or that. What if she said no? The thought made something dark and uncomfortable settle in his chest. He didn’t respond because he heard light footsteps on the stairs. A moment later Margery’s subtle lavender scent invaded his senses.
Grant stood and rounded the desk. “I’ll let you tell her in case you haven’t. I already knew your answer, so tonight we’re celebrating on the beach. Party starts in an hour.” As he pulled the door open they found Margery standing there. The alpha grunted something before moving past her, clearly giving them privacy.