Page 9 of Flock This

“So the usual?”

“Pretty much.” I frowned, then glanced to the side at him. He always seemed to know more than he let on. He had to be something powerful, to have made me, to walk through the world so unencumbered. Only the strong could care as little as he did. It made me wonder just how high up he was, just how he connected to the rest of our world.

“Do you know much about vampires?”

He made a soft sound that implied whatever he knew wasn’t positive. “All of the Graves are obsessed with power and order. Vampires are the worst, but they’re all like that. They’re focused on creating a system that moves smoothly, that adheres to a logical and strict frame—with them at the top, of course. They’ll bend anyone and anything, even breaking it so it fits inside. I’d suggest you avoid them.”

“Wish I could,” I muttered. “That isn’t really an option for me.”

“You could come with me.”

The offer surprised me, one he’d never given me before.

He must have seen my expression, because he shrugged. “What? Wouldn’t it be better? You could travel with me, see things you’ve never seen, experience things you could never imagine. No Grave or Were or anything else could clip your wings.”

The offer was almost tempting. Except, the spirit inside me, the part that he’d placed there, it refused to bow or bend—not even for the one who made it. “I can’t do that,” I said.

His smile didn’t change, so he probably knew I wouldn’t accept. “Keep it in mind.”

A buzzing in my head meant the dream neared its end, that my body had started to wake, and a tugging pulled my spirit back toward my physical form.

I didn’t say goodbye—I never did. I just prepared myself for that jolting sensation when I filled my body again.

A moment before that happened, however, a hand caught my arm. I looked up to find the man staring at me, his smile gone, his eyes serious. He held me as though effortless, despite the intense pulling that demanded I return, like my body had a void sucking me in.

I couldn’t speak, the pressure too great, but even if I could have, his expression kept me silent.

“Be careful, Little Crow. Ravens circle and they have no problem plucking the feathers from one lone crow. Guard yourself well, because make no mistake—you are alone.”

He released my arm, causing me to snap back, thrown into my body with such force that I wondered if souls could bruise.

Leave it to that asshole to make everything worse.

Birds of a feather indeed…

Chapter Four

I pulled on the outfit I’d found in the closet of Galen’s guest room. He had lots of different clothing, many styles, sizes, and for both men and women. As this was a guest room with many different werewolves staying here, they’d need many different types.

Among the items, I found a basic sundress that fit well enough. There wasn’t quite enough space in the chest and due to my short stature, it hung longer than it would have on someone more average, but it covered what needed coverage.

I’d showered before falling asleep, which meant I didn’t stink of vampire blood anymore. Small miracles. The clock on the wall struck eleven when I finally headed out of the room and down the stairs.

The scent of coffee lured me into the kitchen, where I found not only the blessed drink but also two werewolves.

It felt like that should have been a joke, but really, most of my life was just a joke sans punchline.

Just as I was about to turn around—caffeine be damned—Galen held a cup out toward me. The light color said he’d filled it with more creamer than was in any way healthy—just the way I liked it.

I gave in and took the cup. No one spoke to me as I drank, as though they knew better. It gave me a chance to look over the rim of my cup at the guest.

Matt Kremlin. Galen’s second and my number-one hater.

Though, to be fair, my haters were a pretty big group, so the top spot was a highly contentious race, sort of like an employee-of-the-month situation. Maybe I should start hanging a picture on the wall for it.

Matt stared back at me, his dark eyes narrowed. He’d never cared for me, and I had no idea why. Sure, I’d done lots of things that could have pissed him off. No shortage of pranks had occurred because of me, after all, but he sure seemed to take it a bit too personally.

“Did you sleep well?” Galen shifted so he stood between Matt and me, breaking our little staring contest.

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