Page 45 of Flock This

“It does to me.”

Roger stared at me then, and I got the sense he was far smarter than people gave him credit for. Perhaps he’d learned it from William, gaining the ability to manipulate those around him just as he’d seen William do? “You’re the clanless one, aren’t you?”

I laughed, though I’d bet it came across as rather hysterical. “What? Me? No, obviously, I’m a thrall.” I pointed at my collar as though to prove it.

Roger narrowed his eyes as he read the collar. “Kelvin’s, huh? That explains a lot. That vampire has always been a problem, always wanting to rise above his station and willing to bury anyone who stood in his way. Still, last I knew, Kelvin had no thralls, which means you’re new. You’re clearly the clanless courier, and if you’re Kelvin’s thrall, but you didn’t kill William, it means Kelvin must not have killed William. That’s a surprise. I’d figured he had something to do with it.”

“Why would Kelvin want to kill William?”

“Because William held on to the old ways, the ones that restricted Kelvin to his station. If he ever wanted to move up further than he has, he’d need someone else in charge rather than William.” Roger shrugged, as though what he spoke about had nothing to do with him.

Then again, it sort of didn’t anymore. It was like living out a person’s last few days while worrying about who would become president.

“So if it wasn’t Kelvin, who was it?”

“I don’t know. I know that William saw it coming, though.”

“How do you know that?”

“William got paranoid over the last few months. He used to have me sleep at his place, always, but he set up quarters for us about six months ago and had us sleep there. At first, I assumed he’d just found a new interest—vampires get bored easily, after all, so that isn’t unusual.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

Roger gave me a sad smile, one that about broke my heart. “No, not anymore. You can get used to anything, and the truth is that loving a vampire is like loving a star. You’ll never get close enough for it to matter, so you take what you can get. Don’t get me wrong—I loved William and he had a special fondness for me. He always took care of me, always protected me, ensured I could want for nothing. I was never foolish enough to think I could be his only, though, and after so many years together, I had faith in what we had. If he wanted to indulge in others, that was fine with me. This time it was different, though. He was distracted, stressed, and he didn’t tell me what was going on. He always spoke to me before, and the only reason he’d keep secrets from me was for my own good.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“People like to think bonds go one way, but that’s not true. The more closely bonded a vampire and thrall are, the more the vampire feels the need to protect and care for the thrall. In fact, in some ways, the vampire is more trapped than the thrall. So if William was keeping it from me, it was because he was afraid I’d get caught up in something or harmed by whatever was going on.”

I frowned, not sure how that helped me at all.

Good thing I never tried to become a private eye—I’d suck at it.

“You’re trying to find the killer to clear your name, right?”

I didn’t answer, but I had a feeling he could easily read my face and see the truth.

“You’re the only one who cares about finding his killer, then. Everyone else has written it off. Even people who don’t think you did it don’t care about finding the truth. If I could tell you more, I would.”

I sighed, slouching down when it didn’t seem that this trip was going to do much for me. “So you’re just going to stay locked in here until the end?”

His gaze moved from me to the door I’d come through, as though he could see past that and to the outside world. “I’m not actually trapped in here. I have time before I lose my mind, so I could leave if I wanted to. Why, though? The world out there isn’t for me, anymore. I’m nothing more than an echo waiting to go silent.”

I opened my mouth to tell him that was stupid, that people should fight until they had nothing left. I couldn’t imagine just giving in, just lying down and accepting my own death. Then again, I was the type to fight everything no matter how pointless.

Before I could say that, however, he interrupted me. “I don’t need a pep-talk. You should go,” Roger said before crumpling the wrapper of the candy bar and tossing it into the wastebasket. “It’s almost time for our medication, and I have a feeling you aren’t supposed to be here.”

I rushed to my feet, reminded of my situation. “Right. Thanks.”

He nodded but didn’t stand as well. Instead, he sat back and stared at me. “I should probably be the one to thank you. I thought I’d be in this room with nothing but the cries of my sibling thralls until they went silent, then just quiet until I met the same fate. I feel better after having spoken to you, like maybe things will be okay if you find the truth. I didn’t think there was a chance for justice for William, but now?”

He shrugged. “Maybe there is. Of course, for that to happen, you need to get out of here unseen. You should take the last door in the hallway. It opens to the back side of these cells, and it isn’t the way people enter to give food and medication, so it should be clear. Take it to the end, then make a right at the dead end. You’ll find an elevator that will take you to the upper floors.”

I nodded, then took off. I followed his directions, slipping through the door he’d mentioned just as voices floated down from the way I’d come in. They’d find the lock broken, but they wouldn’t think twice about it. My skills always made it look like a natural fuck-up rather than something done intentionally.

Well, almost always.

The back hallway wasn’t nearly as nice as the front space. It was darker, narrower, and scratches on the walls showed that some very unhappy people had gotten dragged through here in the past. The doors to the cells had bars rather than the clear plastic, and as I passed on, a hand shot out and caught my arm.

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