Saving His Mate(7)
He waited another thirty seconds before moving from the tree and crouching next to the pile of ash. Three sharp branches stuck straight up in the air like blades. One of them must have punctured Stanley’s heart.
Talk about an unlucky fall. Shaking his head at the irony of Stanley basically killing himself by trying to escape, he gathered the male’s clothes and weapons. He’d send them back to the vamp who’d hired him and receive eighty percent of his payment. Normally he’d be pissed when one of his hunted died because he didn’t receive the full payment. Now…he didn’t need to leave anytime soon. Which meant he could spend all his time courting Margery.
Chapter 3
Rex tried to appear casual as he sat on Grant’s couch, waiting for the alpha to get off the phone with whatever packmate he was talking to. All he wanted to do was go see Margery, but knew he needed to speak with Grant first. There always seemed to be a crisis, which was pretty normal for shifter packs or vampire covens. If he agreed to join Grant’s pack—and he couldn’t believe that he was actually contemplating it—he figured that was something he’d have to get used to.
As he leaned back against the leather couch, Talia walked into the room smelling like sand and salt. Her hair was damp and her black bathing suit straps were visible. “Hey, Rex. How long have you been here?”
“Just a few minutes.”
“He shouldn’t be too long.” She stood there watching him curiously but didn’t say anything.
He shifted against the seat. “Are you working tonight?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not at the bar anymore anyway.”
“Right.” He knew that. She’d been in school for marine sciences or something before. She must have finished her Master’s degree by now. “What do you do now?”
“Aquarium curator,” she said almost absently before continuing. “So, what’s up with you and Margery?”
He wasn’t taking the bait. “An aquarium curator? That sounds interesting.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and flopped down on the couch across from him. “Come on. Sarah said you two were hot for each other. I want details. We haven’t had anything exciting happen around here for almost three months.”
“I’m surprised Sarah can remember any of last night.”
“Oh, she does and she said you two stunk with an overdose of hormones. She also—”
“Talia.” Grant sounded mildly annoyed as he strode into the room, phone-free. “I need to talk to Rex. You can stay, but no pack gossip talk.”
She let out an over-exaggerated sigh as she stood and brushed her lips over Grant’s. “See ya later, Rex,” she tossed over her shoulder as she left the room.
Once she was upstairs and Rex could hear the shower running, Grant finally sat across from him. The room was definitely masculine, with furniture made of leather and sturdy wood. Some of it Rex recognized as being antique and worth a fortune. He could also see Talia’s feminine touches. And not just in the décor. He could see it in his friend. The alpha was still tough as hell but he didn’t seem as edgy. Or lonely.
“She’s good for you,” Rex murmured, glad for his friend.
Grant’s eyebrows rose a fraction in clear surprise. He nodded, but didn’t comment. “Have you given my offer any thought?”
Rex liked that he didn’t have to bullshit with the alpha. The male always got straight to the point. “What exactly are you offering, because I’m not a beta.” And he never would be. It just wasn’t his personality.
Grant snorted. “You think Max and Asher have beta personalities?”
The corners of Rex’s mouth lifted. Grant’s second-in-command and cousin were definitely not beta males. “No, but…yeah, okay. I get what you’re saying.” He’d never say it, but Rex believed Asher was strong enough to have his own pack. But from what he knew of the male, he didn’t think Asher wanted the responsibility. “So why me? Why a vampire? And…why now?”
Grant leaned forward a fraction, his expression unreadable. “First, I trust you. And the fact that you’re a vampire is a plus. As far as the timing…” He paused and Rex could tell he was searching for the right words. The alpha wasn’t known for being delicate so he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Finally he let out a small sigh. “Times are changing. Over the last year we’ve seen more rogue vampires entering our territory. Their stay is short-lived.” He gave a dark smile, his wolf clear in his gaze for a moment. “But sooner or later the shit will hit the fan and the wrong vamp will end up getting killed in my territory. Whether it’s a justified kill or not, you know as well as I do that if a coven leader is looking for a war, anything could set it off. But if you’re part of my pack and either mete out the kill or support us…” He trailed off, shrugging, letting Rex fill in the rest.