Page 1 of Flock Around and Find Out (Flocking It Up #3)

Sex toys got the job done, but times like now, I had to admit an actual cock—and the man attached to it—could still prove itself useful.

I didn’t love giving blood, but somehow the sensation of fangs in my skin never failed to get me off. Did I have some weird kink?

If so, I really didn’t give a fuck, at least not right now. It felt too damn good to care. And from the grinding of a hard cock against my lower back when he rolled his hips, I had to guess that Kelvin felt exactly the same.

He had his lips latched on my throat, the suction rushing shivers through my body, the swallowing sound far sexier than it had any right to be.

I arched backward against him, losing myself in so many competing sensations. It was always like this, though—always overwhelming and too much and not enough at once. No matter how many times we found ourselves like this, our bodies intertwined, our breaths a tangled, panting mess, it never failed to surprise me just how deeply I felt every last touch of his.

Kelvin withdrew his fangs and licked my neck, his saliva cool compared to my heated skin, a way of showing that he’d sealed the wound. It soothed the pain from the bite but didn’t douse the flames inside me. If anything, it made me want him more.

My brain had turned into a mess—nothing but need and desire and heat. I dug my nails into his back, through his shirt, desperate to yank the fabric from him. I wanted him bare to me, without a stitch hiding him.

“Please,” I begged, the word ragged and broken. Any other time, my wanton pleas would have humiliated me, but I was too far gone.

He grasped my chin and kissed me, his tongue still coated in blood, but I didn’t give a fuck. I sought the warmth of his mouth, teased his agile tongue, anything to have just a little more.

“This is enough.” The words came out rough through his panting breaths. They made me lightheaded, made me want to hear him say far filthier things in that same tone of voice.

Except, I knew better. Even as far gone as I felt, I knew better. This was his line, the one he always drew.

I might like it any other time, but right now?

Right now, I was horny and his self-control sucked.

I’m not the sort of girl who has to rely on a reach-around. It was great when I got one, don’t get me wrong, but if I didn’t? I could handle my own shit just fine.

So I reached down, between our bodies, and slipped my hand beneath my skirt. The flowy fabric hadn’t been the reason I’d picked this outfit, but it sure proved a benefit. I snaked my fingers into my panties to find my already-soaked cunt.

It reminded me that it had been far too long since I’d had someone stretch me just right, since I’d experienced that slight burn when a hard cock filled me. I had plenty of toys, but they didn’t do the job the same way.

It hadn’t been for weeks, not since…

A momentary vision of Harrison hit me, and I shoved it away.

I’d be damned if that mess fucked with my orgasm. It had hung around in my head for far too long, ruining my mood time and time again—I wasn’t about to let it ruin this, too.

“You’re killing me,” Kelvin whispered, his words harsh, but he didn’t stop me. “How do you expect me to hold back when you do things like this?”

“So don’t hold back.” I nipped his full bottom lip, biting it in retaliation for him denying me what I wanted.

“I already told you. If you want me, you have to tell me before I bite you. I won’t do it, not when my bite has already fucked with your head.”

Which he had told me, and somehow, he’d stuck to it no matter the temptation. No matter what I did, how badly I wanted him, he never crossed that line. He never touched me beyond the needed to make sure I didn’t go through withdrawal from the venom in his bite.

It really was annoying how he could hold himself back and I had all but zero control.

Pathetic.

Thankfully, that remained at the back of my mind, hidden behind the waves of want that filled me. I teased my clit, the hardened nub begging for attention.

What wouldn’t I give to feel Kelvin’s lips on it?

I pulled back enough to stare at his mouth, the fantasy so real and reality so close but unattainable.

“I can’t,” he whispered, the words upset and thin. “You have no idea how much I want to push you back, spread your thighs, and lick you until you scream, Grey, but I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve already told you why—because I’ve already seen you stare at me like you hate me. I can’t have that again. I’ll wait until you’re sure you want it, that you want me. Until then? I’ll just suffer.” He dropped his gaze, but the folds of my skirt hid the way my fingers teased my slit. “Fuck, am I suffering… This is why I don’t usually do noble, because it’s unpleasant. A hedonist like myself prefers enjoying life to the fullest.”

“So why are you resisting?”

He lifted his gaze to mine, staring into my eyes in a way that shook loose my thoughts, that felt far more personal than the intimate way we sat, than anything else we’d done. “Because you’re about the only thing in the world worth doing this right for.”

And just like that, the asshole got me off with that declaration like I was some love-struck virgin.

This really is sad.

* * * *

Why was dressing in front of someone so much more embarrassing than undressing? I could strip down and not think twice about it, but somehow, standing here, in the center of the hotel room, putting my skirt back on felt like being on full display.

Kelvin made it no easier, sitting in the chair in front of the desk, staring right at me.

“We don’t have to meet at places like this.” He gestured at the hotel room.

“What? You think I’m going to invite you over to my house like some guest?”

He didn’t react, and that made me feel worse. Had he pretended to be hurt, it would have been a sign the words hadn’t hit. Him not snarking back suggested they’d stung.

“You could come to my place.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. My last time at your place wasn’t that pleasant.” I recalled staying there, with him, after I’d gotten framed for a murder I for sure didn’t commit. It hadn’t been a good time.

He pressed his lips together, then sighed. “I could rent a place, if you’d prefer.”

The idea had me shaking my head. My headache and body pains had disappeared since Kelvin’s bite, but the muscles in the back of my neck tightened, suggesting one was still coming.

“You want to play house?”

“It doesn’t have to be playing house.”

“It would be, though. We aren’t anything like that.”

“Why can’t we be? I know you’re angry still. I know you aren’t happy about how things have gone, but can’t we get past that? I’ve come to help you every time you’ve called for months, but you still can’t even consider something more between us?” He stared straight at me, not breaking eye contact, not giving me a moment of space to think.

And it was far more terrifying than had he snarled and shown his fangs. Kelvin mad—that I could take. I could handle him yelling and cursing at me, wouldn’t so much as flinch at that.

This, though? A moment of him being so fucking vulnerable?

Fuck this.

He let out a broken laugh, one dark and desperate. “I guess I put myself in this position. This is the finding out after fucking around, isn’t it?” He got to his feet, then went to the closet and took out his jacket, sliding it on and buttoning the front.

“That’s it?”

“I’ve waited this long. I have little choice but to continue until you understand. Are you ready to go?”

“I don’t need an escort.”

“I’ve never been much of a gentleman, but I’m not about to let you walk alone out of a hotel room that we used together.”

And fuck, how was I supposed to argue with that?

I didn’t have an answer, which was exactly why, fifteen minutes later, I found myself in the lobby of the hotel, Kelvin to my side.

The reason was obvious. No one came to a hotel in pairs at this hour for anything other than sex. With him all dressed in his suit, it probably appeared he was cheating on his wife, meeting some girl in the middle of the workday.

In reality, the middle of the day meant fewer chances that other vampires would see us, and this place had a good underground garage. That had been his only real requirement for the place, though he’d wanted to pick far better amenities than I did.

I would have been fine with something that charged by the hour, since I didn’t plan to spend all that much time here and the ambiance didn’t matter. Kelvin had fancier taste, though, so he wanted something nicer.

This place had been our compromise—something that probably didn’t have bedbugs but also didn’t cost a small fortune. In the end, I’d picked it, probably because Kelvin was still trying to win me over.

Good luck.

Turned out that no matter how nice someone seemed, how kind their actions, I just couldn’t forget being forcefully bound to them—even if they’d done it for my own good.

My crow screeched in my head at the very reminder of the indignity. It valued freedom above all else, and Kelvin had snatched that from me, making me his thrall—or at least some twisted version of it.

It meant that even when I thought for a moment that I might be able to forgive him, that I might rethink how angry I was, that he could slip beneath my walls again, my crow reminded me, no fucking way.

The lobby had that old world money feel, with metal detail on the ceiling and over-the-top trim on everything. I held the key card between two fingers, then headed for the reception desk.

Somehow, checking out was always the worst part. It felt like they could see what we’d just been doing, since not many people checked out only a few hours after checking in.

Not that I cared all that much. What did it matter if they suspected we’d been having steamy, forbidden sex just before?

Jealous much?

I turned in the key, suffered through the suggestive stares— they probably figure I’m a working girl —then headed away from the prying eyes of the staff.

“Should we meet here next week again?”

I shook my head. “No. I’ll just call you when it’s time.”

“Why? We end up meeting at the same time every week, anyway. It makes more sense to expect it at this point.”

Except, I couldn’t. Sure, I understood his reasoning, and yeah, it made more sense. If we knew we needed to see each other at this time, why not plan it ahead? It’d end up easier on us both.

I couldn’t, though. “This way is better.”

He sighed, the same sound as before, full of the same frustrations. “You can’t even stand the idea of a planned time with me, can you? Is it me, or is it the schedule of it?” He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing the locks from his face.

It made me question, for just a moment, if he’d grow sick of this. So far, he’d focused on getting what he wanted, on winning me over, but what would happen if he changed his mind? If he decided this was too much?

I tried to picture a future where Kelvin wasn’t there. Where I couldn’t just call him up if I wanted. The truth was, if I couldn’t see him, I’d suffer—not him.

It was a terrifying future I hadn’t realized was possible before.

He set his hand on my cheek, his skin flushed and warm—probably from my blood. “Don’t worry about that,” he said, his voice sweeter than I usually heard from him, as though trying to make up for worrying me. “I’ll be here no matter how long it takes.”

I went to answer—though what I’d say, I had no idea—when a shout echoed through the lobby. Not a ‘you cheated on me, you asshole’ yell of a woman who found her husband her with some woman, but instead one full of real fear.

I twisted to find someone barreling from the elevator just as the doors opened—a woman whose eyes were bloodshot and full of madness. Blood coated her hands and stained her shirt. She must have gotten hurt unless she was just a really messy eater.

Or both…

The woman was small, only an inch or two taller than me, but she rushed with the confidence of a football player going in for a tackle.

She’d have slammed right into me if not for Kelvin yanking me aside and out of the way with less than a second to spare. It left me falling against his chest.

Funny, he could have leveled the person if he wanted to, but instead chose to save me.

Probably since we were in public, and he didn’t care for leaving evidence that might bite him in the ass later. It was best to keep a low profile at such times, after all. No one wanted humans getting a whiff of the real world.

The woman ran forward, toward the door, but before she reached it, a familiar figure stepped inside and before of her.

Galen.

It was hard not to notice him. Not because of his looks—he actually looked a bit like a computer nerd, someone who might get glanced over at any time. Instead, a glance at his face showed the immense power at his disposal, the incredible will of his wolf, that he became so impossible to ignore.

“Wonderful,” Kelvin muttered, the word so soft that I doubted he’d intended for me to hear.

The woman skidded to a stop just before Galen, who stood as though entirely unworried. He didn’t prepare for a fight, didn’t appear any different from a man walking up to a stranger.

I took a step that way, wanting to warn him, but Kelvin held me tight. “Stay out of it.”

Sure enough, Galen’s voice rang across the lobby despite how quietly he spoke. “Stop this.”

The amount of power in that voice sank into me, demanding even I obey. I rarely heard him use his powers, rarely saw this side of him. It reminded me that he did in fact rule over all the Weres in this area of the country, that he could force any of them to his will.

And the immediate reaction from the woman told me something else—she was a Were.

She dropped to her knees, tears filling her eyes, the anger draining away, fear replacing it. She sobbed out broken words and I could only catch sorry among them.

Galen crouched before her, balancing on the balls of his feet without effort. “You’re tired, aren’t you?”

She nodded.

“You knew you shouldn’t run. There is no help out there, not for people like you.” His words struck me as vicious, yet he said them without venom. Instead, there almost seemed a strange kindness in them, an acceptance, a truth.

“I don’t want to die,” she said.

“Do you want to harm others? Do you want to hurt those you care about? No? Then you know that the only place for you is in the pack.”

His brows inched toward each other before he lifted his gaze, finding me so fast it felt as though he knew I was there. A new tension entered his body, different from before. He’d shown no fear or worry before, yet now? Now he seemed on edge. He moved his gaze over me—was he checking for injuries?—and when he seemed satisfied, he returned his focus to the woman.

This time when he spoke, a sharp edge rested in his words. “You could have done serious damage. This proves your lack of control, that I can’t allow you to roam free.”

“Not the cage,” the woman pled.

He rose, then gestured toward her. For the first time, I noticed others behind him—three men in police uniforms—who came forward. Funny that he made it impossible to pay attention to anyone else. They grabbed the woman, who had started to fight, and hauled her out despite her screams. Another officer went to speak to a hotel employee, no doubt to smooth that over.

I’d known, of course, that Spirits had people in different positions of power to help keep our secret, but seeing it always unnerved me. I wasn’t foolish enough to not recognize how dangerous too much power was, so the idea that we could affect law enforcement concerned me.

Galen didn’t leave. He headed our way, his shoulders pulled back, his steps sure. Then again, he’d just faced off against a Were—he wasn’t that worried about me, and he knew Kelvin wouldn’t do anything here.

“Your strays are becoming a problem,” Kelvin said, skipping pleasantries. “You should keep them on a leash.”

“I’m taking care of my own. Last I heard, no Grave has gotten hurt by a stray.”

“Yet that one nearly mowed over this crow, and I doubt either of us would have liked that.”

Galen’s nostrils flared, the only show of temper.

Leave it to Kelvin to get beneath Galen’s skin.

“What was wrong with her?” I asked to derail whatever they had going on between them.

Galen turned his gaze from Kelvin and focused instead on me, his expression softening. “She’s a stray. She can’t control her beast, so she has to stay with the pack. She didn’t listen to that and tried to run.”

“She seemed afraid.”

“No one likes to face reality when that reality isn’t what they want and isn’t likely to change.” He shrugged, though a certain discomfort said he didn’t like it.

Or perhaps he just didn’t like me to see it.

“What’ll happen to her?”

He didn’t answer, and that sure told me the answer.

I recalled Trey, the werebear who’d had his mind ruined by a Sprit, the way that they’d expected to have to kill him. No doubt this was the same sort of situation.

A Were who couldn’t control its beast was dangerous. In that state, the beast was agitated, vicious, reactive. I knew logically Weres like that couldn’t be allowed to just go along as they wanted—they were far too dangerous.

Knowing something logical and accepting it was a whole different matter, though.

“You won’t actually hurt her,” I said with a soft laugh, as though I knew he was kidding even if he wasn’t.

His gaze hardened, looking every bit the alpha he was. “If Kelvin hadn’t been here, she could have hurt you. She could have slammed into you, could have taken you apart right here in the lobby.”

“She wouldn’t have.”

“Did you see the blood on her? She injured three other people in this hotel alone, not to mention whoever else she ran into before that. She definitely could have hurt you, and that isn’t something I’ll allow. Don’t worry about it, though, it isn’t your problem.” His gaze moved between Kelvin and me, a question there.

Kelvin didn’t answer it and I sure didn’t plan on it. Galen knew something was going on between us, but the last thing I wanted was to have to explain it.

Not only was that awkward as fuck, but it took me back to Kelvin denying me—as he always did—and how pathetically I’d begged.

Nope, that was not the sort of thing anyone else needed to know. It was humiliating enough just having Kelvin, Harrison and me know.

“When do you plan to have this situation dealt with?” Kelvin pressed.

“I’m working on it.”

“Should we convene the council? If you can’t deal with it on your own, I’d be happy to offer my people to clean up your mess.”

I never knew that an offer of help could sound that threatening, but leave it to Kelvin to manage that little gem.

And of course, Galen took it exactly as intended. “No, thank you. I believe we can take care of it.” He looked at me once more, though his expression was more guarded this time. “Call me later, Grey. I’ll have to deal with this, but afterward, I’d like to see you.”

I nodded, unsure what else to say. Seeing Galen wasn’t uncommon, and it had been a few days. Still, agreeing with Kelvin behind me felt odd.

Especially when I drew such distinct lines with Kelvin.

Galen offered one more glare Kelvin’s way before turning on his heel and walking out, not glancing back. I had to admit, he managed to look pretty bad ass…

As soon as he left, Kelvin let out a soft snort. “Well, as fun as that was, I’m afraid I need to get back. I have work to take care of.”

Which, of course, reminded me that he did manage to drop everything for these little get-togethers, and I should probably be more thankful than I felt. He could have said no, after all.

So instead of causing more problems, I offered a smile. “Yeah, sure. I’ve got shit to do, too. Well, thanks.” I took a step back, ready to bypass the whole awkward goodbye thing. A walk of shame was bad enough, but the goodbye just before was downright painful.

Before I could shuffle away, though, Kelvin caught my wrist and pulled me in close. I expected a kiss, something passionate, the way he always did. His voice reached my ear, instead. “Be careful around Galen. The Weres aren’t in a good place, and their territory isn’t safe.”

With that, he released me and stepped away, then turned toward the elevator that went to the underground garage, his warning ringing in my ears.

The warning against the Weres didn’t feel personal, not like he just hated Galen—which he did—but instead like he knew things going on that I didn’t.

My phone rang, getting my attention. I pulled it from my pocket and looked at the screen to find the caller.

Porter.

I answered, wondering what weird and horrible luck had me talking to these three men one after another.

“Hello?”

“Can you meet me right now?”

So much for niceties.

I almost said no, just to play hard to get—and because it felt weird to see him while I still likely had Kelvin’s scent all over me—but Porter had never reached out like this. He’d helped me when I’d needed it, but he hadn’t ever been the one to make the first move. He was more aloof, less concerned with me or the rest of the real world. The curiosity was enough to get me to agree. “Sure. Where at?”

A quickie at a hotel, a feral Were, and now a druid asking for my help?

Well, wasn’t today shaping up to be one weird fucking day?