Page 50 of Flock This

Smart puppy.

It shook as if it had gotten wet, then retreated a few steps and paced. Clearly, it would love to maul me. Poor thing knew it didn’t have a way to me, though, and the frustration was clear.

“Poor creature.” I recognized Porter’s almost lyrical voice immediately, even before he appeared from nothing outside the fence.

“I wouldn’t poor creature something that will take your throat,” I warned as the wolf turned its head toward Porter. “In fact, I’d suggest you take yourself on in here.”

Porter didn’t do as I said—no one ever did—and instead crouched down as the wolf started to go closer.

“Right, sure, put your defenseless face at better biting level. Brilliant choice.” Even as I joked, my chest tightened. After all the blood I’d seen, the way the memories of that room clung to me, I really didn’t want to watch Porter get torn apart right before my eyes.

He didn’t seem to take notice of my panic, though. Even as the wolf neared him, each step kicking up a tiny bit of dust, he didn’t move. They were face to face, the wolf snarling and growling and Porter not reacting.

“Be at ease,” Porter said, his voice impossibly sweet and soft. It was like every bit of aggression the wolf gave, Porter answered with nothing but calm.

The wolf lunged forward, crossing the last bit of space, and I closed my eyes. I didn’t want that image in my head forever, didn’t want to see Porter torn apart.

No screams echoed through the desert, however, and when I finally forced my eyes open, the sight had my mouth dropping open.

The wolf had pressed its head against Porter’s chest and all but crawled into his lap like some pampered, well-trained pet rather than the vicious animal it had been before.

And Porter reacted the same way. Even with how sweet the animal was acting now, I didn’t think I could ever erase those teeth it had flashed earlier. It was hard to trust something after recognizing just how dangerous it could be.

Porter patted the wolf once more on its flank. “Go on, now. You’re free.” The wolf huffed once more, then did as Porter said, loping off toward the open desert.

“Impressive,” I said.

Porter rose from the ground and dusted himself off. His hair looked strange under the desert sun. It fit in much better in the greenery of that oasis than here. “I don’t like to see creatures in that state,” he said. “They should be free and wild as intended.”

“So you can break a vampire bond? I didn’t think that was possible.”

“I can remove the stain of a vampire bond from a lesser creature. Humans are far more difficult, because their soul is involved. For animals, however, it is a weaker bond that I can break. Before I leave, I’ll free the other wolves under his control.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’s going to love that.”

“I don’t care how he feels about it. If I worried about Kelvin’s reaction to what I did, I would do nothing at all.”

That brought me up short. “So you know Kelvin?”

“Our world is smaller than people recognize, especially this portion of it. Kelvin may live in the shadows, but he has peeked his head out enough to come to my attention. If he wishes to lodge a complaint personally to me, he is welcome to do so.”

Wasn’t that a fancy way of saying ‘fuck around and find out?’

“What are you doing here?”

“Ignis hadn’t heard from you and asked me to find you.”

“How did you? I can’t be tracked—”

“You can’t, no, but as a druid, I’m connected with many living creatures. It wasn’t difficult to ask them and wait until one returned with information. I didn’t expect to find you here, with Kelvin, however. I thought you smarter than that.”

“Oh, never underestimate how stupid I can be.”

“Are you trapped?”

Talk about a loaded question.

Was I trapped? Fuck, yes, I really was. But Kelvin hadn’t trapped me.

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