Page 11 of Kidnapping Their Third

Kimble’s eyes closed in pleasure when she voluntarily touched him. Cora was probably too tired to notice his reaction, but Pike could see the vampire was thrilled. He remained on the bed as Cora pulled her hand free from his grip and accepted the shirt from Pike. Her movements were slow, but she wasn’t stumbling.

Once he heard the door to the bathroom shut, Pike turned his attention to Kimble.

“She’s my mate and your flock,” he whispered to the vampire, unsure how good Cora’s human hearing was. “If we want her to stay with us, we’re going to have to prove ourselves. At some point, she’s going to want to go home, you need to let her. Don’t try to make her stay.”

Kimble’s mouth turned down into a mutinous frown. “Flock.”

“I know she’s flock, and we love her,” Pike agreed, plopping down on the bed next to Kimble. “But if we push too hard, we’re going to lose her. You need to trust me.”

Kimble kept up the frown for a full two seconds before sadness overtook his expression, and his shoulders slumped. “Flock.”

Pike wrapped both his arms around the vampire and held him tight. It was hard but both of them were going to have to control their natural instincts when it came to Cora.

***

Cora

Cora came halfway awake when she tried to roll over and found she couldn’t. When she opened her eyes, all she could see was darkness. Wiggling her arms free, she felt around until she figured out that she was under the covers with Pike and Kimble on either side of her laying on top of the covers, trapping her.

She couldn’t be upset at them wanting to sleep in the bed if the only alternatives were the couch or the floor. Pike's place was a total dump, but it was better than living in a car or on the street, especially since it kept Kimble safe from the sun. Cora could understand making tough choices to keep yourself and others safe.

Besides, after witnessing Pike and Kimble interact, she didn’t view him as an intimidating vampire anymore.

After a minute or so, her vision adjusted to the dark, and she was able to make out Pike’s hulking form on her right. Turning her head to the left, she found Kimble wide awake and watching her with intense red eyes.

“Um, hi,” she whispered. She didn’t want to wake Pike up, he had to be as exhausted, but she couldn’t remain silent in the face of Kimble's relentless gaze. “Are you okay?”

“Fed,” Kimble whispered back with a content expression. “Fed good.”

The blood she ordered must have shown up after she’d gone to bed. Once they’d tucked her in, she half remembered Pike closing the bedroom door and then nothing.

“Need fed?” Kimble asked. “Human fed?”

It took Cora a moment to understand that he was asking if she was hungry. “No. Do vampires sleep?”

“Sleep,” he agreed. “Sleep-night, dead-day.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” she responded. She was going to need Pike to interpret that one for her tomorrow. With the windows boarded up, she had no idea what time it was. She’d left her phone charging in the kitchen, and that was way too far away. One thing was certain: her body wasn't ready to get up yet.

“You sleep?” Kimble asked.

She yawned. “I was, but there are a lot of people in the bed.”

He grinned, showing off canines that were only a little too long. “Perfect number.”

He moved his face a little closer to nuzzle the top of her head. It should've been an innocent, comforting touch, but Cora's body didn't get the memo. She was suddenly very aware of Kimble’s hard body pressed against her. The smell of smoky sage filled her nose, making her pull in a deep breath. Shouldn't he smell like death or something?

But no, he smelled earthy. She wanted to rub her cheek against him like a cat. Or more accurately, she had the urge to rub her entire body against him. It was the same kind of instant desire she'd felt for Pike. It made her heart start beating faster, and her body felt overly warm under the covers.

“Need me?” he asked

Need him? Could he sense her desire? Was he asking for sex, or was she reading the situation all wrong?

“Need you for what?” she asked cautiously.

“Comfort,” he answered. His earnest expression made her smile; he sounded almost childlike as he spoke. “No bad sleep? No sleep images?”

She was pretty sure she knew what he was trying to say. “I wasn’t having a nightmare. I woke up because I needed to roll over, that’s all.” Her heart slowed and her body cooled, almost as if responding to Kimble’s desire to comfort her instead of becoming intimate.

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