Page 41 of Flock This

“So how was your day?” he asked me.

“We aren’t dating—you know that, right?”

“Of course. Dating is foolish and temporary. That’s what humans do with their short, frantic little lives.” He reached out and dragged his finger across my collar. “What we have is far more lasting, don’t you think?”

“A fake bond isn’t lasting.”

“I may not have bitten you yet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t already have a bond.” He pulled back and smiled. “But I can wait. I have nothing if not time, after all. Who gave you that book?”

“Mary Anne Louise.”

“The Henderson thrall? Be careful with that one. She seems sweet, but she loves her master enough to betray anyone else for her sake.”

“Well, she’s told me more than you have.”

“To be fair, you haven’t asked me anything.”

“Would you tell me the truth if I did?”

“Probably not, but you won’t know if you don’t try. Besides, even when I lie, it’s always for your best interests.”

I rolled my eyes, then flipped the page to keep reading about William. There was so much information about him, going back over a thousand years when he was first made into a vampire. It seemed he’d taken over for his family a hundred years ago, and that through his work, his family had risen to the top spot. He’d gotten the council seat fifty years ago, and since then had ruled, crushing any who stood against him.

Talk about a vicious man. I wasn’t sorry he wasn’t around anymore, but I had a feeling saying that out loud wouldn’t help my case at all, so I kept it to myself.

“I want to talk to William’s thralls,” I said instead.

“Not possible.”

“Why not?”

“When a vampire dies, as I said, the thralls suffer and eventually die as well. They’re taken to isolation for that, since some can become violent and deranged from the pain. The only ones allowed access are those who care for them.”

“You’re telling me that even you can’t get in there?”

Kelvin sat back and tapped his finger against the table. “I didn’t say that. Could I speak to them? Yes, I could, but why would I?”

“They might know something about what happened. They might have seen someone around or know about someone following him. If they’re going to die anyway, why not at least try to talk to them?”

“I told you before—keep your head down. You’re going to end up getting yourself into trouble you can’t handle.”

“You say that, but you haven’t done anything. I still have a price on my head. The meeting where the vampires will officially ask for a trial is tomorrow. Why should I trust you to do anything when you haven’t yet?”

“You have no idea what I have or haven’t done. Have patience, Grey.”

I blew out an angry breath, frustrating eating away at me. Sitting still and doing nothing wasn’t something I did well. Worse, everything smelled slightly sweet here and it was getting to me. I rubbed my eyes, exhaustion playing with annoyance, making it that much harder to think anything through and stay calm.

And now Kelvin didn’t even want to help with the one thing I’d asked him for.

I got up, ready to storm out. I’d done what I’d said I would and checked in. Now I wanted to sleep.

Kelvin caught my wrist to stop me from fleeing.

I leveled him a hard look. “I want to go to sleep.”

“You don’t look well.” He rose, then set his other hand on my forehead. “You feel a little warm, and you have dark circles under your eyes. Are you not sleeping well?”

“It’s hard to sleep here,” I admitted. “I’m used to sleeping where I can see the sky, but my room has no window. It feels like a cave, and even though I know I’m not trapped, it feels like it.”

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