Page 40 of Out of My Flocking Mind

One? That meant I’d slept far longer than I’d realized, and it also meant we’d missed the last workday of the week. Not that I was all that sorry about it, especially since I felt like I wasn’t half dead for the first time in a while.

I considered turning back around and leaving, but the scent of food drew me in. I could handle the awkwardness if it meant getting to taste whatever was cooking.

I expected to find Harrison in front of the stove, which was why my steps faltered for a moment when instead, I found Kelvin there, spatula in hand, his broad back in a white button-up shirt. Harrison stood to the side, watching over the actions like some supervisor.

They both turned my way when I entered the kitchen, and even if nothing else had clued me in, their pause showed last night had happened. No one acted this awkward unless they’d had sex. Nothing quite threw people off like sex.

“Morning,” I said, forcing myself to sound cheery and unbothered. Fuck, maybe they’d let me pretend nothing had happened and we’d all move forward. That sounded like a fantastic idea to me, and any polite person would pick up on what I was putting down.

“Seems like orgies agree with you,” Kelvin said, before turning back to his task, stirring whatever was in the large skillet on the stove.

“Really?” I asked. “You couldn’t give me like ten minutes of pretending like nothing happened? You just had to blurt that out first thing?”

He shrugged. “Why pretend? We all remember last night. My venom might make you a bit drugged, but it doesn’t take away your memories.”

“Are you cold?” Harrison asked, his blond eyebrow lifted as he took in my outfit.

Kelvin snorted—loudly. “You really don’t know her that well yet, do you? That little ensemble is called armor. What, Grey, you think a parka and boots will somehow make last night not happen?”

“No—I’m hoping it’ll just keep it from happening again.”

“Nice try, but one little tear and you’d be buck naked again. It’s the benefit and downside to screwing with Spirits—clothing isn’t much of a deterrent. If it makes you feel better to dress like you’re going skiing, though, go for it.” Kelvin took stack of plates from the cabinet, setting out three of them on the counter beside the stove. He lifted the skillet and scooped what he’d been cooking between the plates.

After putting the skillet back on the stove, he balanced two of the plates on one arm and held one in the other hand, moving past me and to the dining table.

And me, like an idiot, followed, because who wouldn’t follow food that smelled that good? Kelvin set the plates down, then pulled one chair out for me, waiting until I sat. He sat across the table from me, and Harrison took the spot at the head of the table.

Talk about uncomfortable.

Just three fuck buddies eating eggs together like nothing had happened at all. I picked up my fork and plopped a bite into my mouth. If anyone could pretend—I could.

Of course, despite the fact I suspected the food was fantastic, I couldn’t taste any of it. It might have as well been raw and unseasoned for all I enjoyed it. Still, I shoveled more into my mouth, playing the part.

“You look to be feeling better,” Harrison said.

I nodded, swallowing the food in my mouth “Yeah, I guess I do.”

“So that proves my suspicion.”

I shifted my gaze over from Harrison to Kelvin, knowing exactly what he meant even if he didn’t say it. Given how shitty I’d felt before, and the way Kelvin’s bite had fixed it, it could only mean one thing—Kelvin had created a bond between us when he’d bitten me before.

“But the crystal…”

“You didn’t seem to lose your old place, probably because of what you are, but the withdrawal you went through and how quickly you recovered after Kelvin bit you again shows that that was the problem. Denying it would be pointless, don’t you think?” Harrison said.

I snapped my mouth shut because I couldn’t argue with his reasoning. I still felt a connection to Kelvin, no matter my anger with him, how he’d betrayed me. Pretending it wasn’t true wouldn’t change what happened or where I was now. I liked to fight against the inevitable, but even I wasn’t foolish enough to make myself suffer just to prove a point I knew was false.

“So I guess that means I’m your thrall.”

Kelvin stared back at me, then nodded, his motions slow as though testing the ground. “Seems that way.”

“That means I’ll go through this again?” The idea of being tied to someone else, dependent on them every day, it chafed. I didn’t like that idea in the least.

“You got so bad this time because you didn’t realize you needed him,” Harrison said, breaking into the conversation as though this weren’t in the least uncomfortable. “Since you understand that now, you should be able to remain on top of it so this doesn’t occur again.”

“Meaning…” I sighed, setting my fork down when even the wonderful, mouthwatering scent wasn’t enough to overcome my discomfort. “That I’m bound to you?”

Kelvin nodded. “I’ve never seen or heard of a bond like this, but we know that you’re different because of what you are. It seems like you’re my thrall, that you’ve got a bond with me, but it didn’t shift your clan to mine. Still, clearly you need my bite.”

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