Page 48 of Flock This

He didn’t wait for me to respond, taking my wrist in his and pulling me toward the elevator, more gently than before but no less demanding.

And even if I should have argued, should have told him to fuck off, I couldn’t. The truth was that I wanted to get as far away from that room as possible.

I couldn’t run from my problems forever, but I sure as fuck could for one day.

* * * *

I dried my hair, sighing as I stared into the mirror at the blue. We hadn’t had time to get any of my things, which had included my shampoo with the dye in it. It meant between the shower and the time, all that brown had mostly disappeared.

At least it was okay because I was away from the Castle and here—wherever exactly here was. We’d taken one of Kelvin’s cars—an expensive imported sports car—and he’d driven to just outside the boundary of town. The drive had taken around an hour, but my brain felt like such mush that I couldn’t follow exactly where I was.

I also didn’t think I cared. The memory of that room, the thick copper scent in the room, the feathers, the hair, the blood—all of it haunted my thoughts until I’d forced Kelvin to pull over so I could throw up during the trip.

We’d made it to his house when the sun was already up, but he’d driven into the connected garage to avoid the light, then pointed me toward the bathroom.

A spare toothbrush let me fix the gross aftertaste of puke, but the dazed feeling in my head wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t seem to get my head in the game.

By the time I’d finished washing up, the sun had fully risen. I expected Kelvin to be asleep already—or dead, whatever—but I found him seated at the kitchen table instead.

He glanced my way, raking his gaze over me. I wore a shirt of his that reached to my mid-thighs while my clothing was in the washer. However, I saw it as no different than a dress, given the length, so I refused to feel uncomfortable with it.

Instead, I took the seat across from him. “I thought you’d be asleep already.”

“It’d be pretty rude to just go to sleep while I had a guest, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

“If anyone needs a babysitter, it’s you.” He pushed a drink across the table toward me.

I twisted it, trying to figure out what he’d given me. “This is a nutrient shake for old people.”

“It’s a nutrient shake for people with vitamin deficiencies—which according to your check-up, you have. It happens when you eat nothing but junk.”

“I’m not drinking that.” I pushed it back toward him, knowing I was being stubborn for no good reason.

It didn’t shake him, though. He dropped his gaze to the drink, then brought it back to me. “I had a dog once who needed medicine and who didn’t care to take it. Trust me when I say I have no problem forcing that down your throat if you want to fight me on it.” He said the words so easily, without the tiniest bit of shame or hesitation.

“Didn’t know that was a kink of yours.”

“It isn’t, though training you to obey would be fun.”

I pressed my lips together while I decided if this was a hill I wanted to die on. Or, in this case, a shake I wanted to choke on.

And, as it turned out, it wasn’t.

So I begrudgingly took the shake and twisted the cap off. It wasn’t bad. In fact, I’d have probably enjoyed it if I hadn’t been forced to drink it. I didn’t plan on giving Kelvin the satisfaction of knowing it was good, so I kept a grimace on my face as I gulped the thick chocolate drink.

When I finished, I tossed the empty bottle at him, wanting to strike him with it. Instead, the agile bastard caught it mid-air and offered an amused, “good girl.”

“So, now that I’ve drunk that, you can go die.”

He smirked as he rose. “You’re worried about me? That’s so sweet. But, yes, I should get some rest before we head back at nightfall. The property here is fenced, so you’re welcome to roam but stay inside the fence line.”

“What am I, a pet?”

“No, but the pets will keep you here. Wolves patrol the land just outside of that electric fence. They’re bound to me, and they’ll tear anything apart that they find near that fence. I’d suggest you stay on this side of it.”

“So I’m trapped here? Lovely.”

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