2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Pike

Pike hadn’t cried since he was young, but then Kimble had come into his life and tearing up became a more common thing. This moment was only one in many evenings where he felt the urge to weep.

The last nine months had been stressful and turbulent, but things had finally started looking up. Kimble was starting to talk, giving Pike hope the vampire was finally getting better. Then Pike met Cora and his inner bear went ecstatic because she was their mate.

Knowing Cora was human and didn’t know anything about the magical world that existed alongside her own, he’d planned to introduce her slowly. It helped that he’d found out her best friend wasn’t only a vampire but had claimed one of Pike’s good friends as part of her flock.

He was sure Imani would help him ease Cora into their world, only to have her kidnapped and almost killed. He would never forget the terror and helplessness he’d felt watching Vincent bearing down on Cora, intent on murder. Only Kimble’s timely arrival had saved her life. All their lives really.

Then Kimble had undone his good deed by shifting into a griffin and flying off with Cora clutched in his talons. It wasn’t the first impression Pike wanted to make, but the damage was done. There was nothing to do but try to talk Cora into giving him and Kimble another chance.

But where to begin?

He wanted to touch her so badly but worried she’d reject him so he greedily ran his gaze over her while waiting for inspiration to hit.

The purple highlights in her long black hair gleamed in the kitchen's harsh light. The dirt and dust covering most of her didn’t detract from her beauty. She had an adorable button nose sitting in the center of her heart-shaped face, but Pike was most fascinated by her eyes. He hadn’t known humans could have gray eyes until he met Cora.

He could gaze into her eyes for ages.

“Is that vampire your family?” Cora asked, breaking the silence and pulling Pike out of his admiring thoughts.

Pike blinked at her, unsure how to answer that question. “I’m his flock.”

Now it was her turn to look confused. “Flock?”

Right, she knew Kimble was a vampire, but probably not much else. “Let me start at the beginning, okay?”

She picked up her bottle and leaned back in her chair. “Sure, go for it.”

“Eight months ago, I got a flat tire down on 12th street, near Kimball Park,” Pike started. “I was in naga territory at about three in the morning. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was, so instead of leaving on foot and coming back for my car later, I got out and started changing the tire.”

“What’s a naga?” Cora asked.

“Snake shifters. Most of us shifters aren’t very territorial, but nagas were almost hunted to extinction about a thousand years ago. They claim territories, mark clear boundaries, and get violent if you cross them.”

Cora tilted her head. “What are you?”

“I’m a shifter too, black bear,” he answered. “I come from a long line of West Coast black bear shifters.”

She nodded her head. “And the snakes didn’t want a bear in their territory?”

“It wasn’t that I was a bear, it was that I was anything. The only species they don’t care about are pure humans who don’t smell like any magic. ”

Cora leaned forward with an intrigued look. “You can smell magic?”

“Um yeah,” Pike said. It must be weird for humans who couldn’t smell magic. “Even in my human form, I have almost as good a sense of smell as my bear. Vampires can’t smell it, but they can see it. They can read what you are by looking at your aura.”

“Does that mean you knew what Imani was the moment you met her?” Cora asked.

“It would’ve been hard to miss,” Pike said. “The magic that comes off vampires is really distinct.”

“I have more questions about that, but later. I need to know what happened after you got stranded in naga territory.”

“I’d gotten as far as getting the flat tire off when a dozen shifted nagas showed up.” He gave her a rueful smile. “I’m big and strong, but I’m not hold-off-twelve-adult-nagas strong.”

“Don’t stop there,” she said, making a keep-going motion with her hand. “What happened?”

“Kimble,” he said simply. “It was like he appeared out of nowhere, completely naked and covered in dirt. I thought he might be a golem at first. He killed two of the nagas and the rest ran away. Then he turned to me. By then, I knew he was a vampire, and I figured I was dead. My back was against the car and when he got close, I closed my eyes and asked him to make it fast.”

“But he didn’t kill you,” Cora stated. “Why?”

“I’m his flock,” Pike reminded her, then remembered she wouldn’t know what that was. “A flock keeps a vampire sane. Vampires can live for a long time. Age makes them more powerful, but it can also cause them to lose their mind. Kimble can’t tell me his name or anything about himself or his past. I named him after the park near where he saved me.”

Cora glanced back at the closed bedroom door with a pitying look before returning her gaze to him. “This almost sounds like a soap opera plot line but for magical creatures.”

“It’s so much worse than some fictional daytime TV show,” Pike pointed out. “When vampires get as bad as Kimble, they’re declared feral and hunted down by other vampires. It’s the only thing that vampires agree on. They worry a feral vampire with no control will expose their existence.”

“Does this mean all vampires need shifters to keep them sane?” Cora asked .

“Eventually, yes. If a vampire can’t find their flock, they will slowly lose their minds,” Pike said. “But the flock doesn't need to be shifters. A vampire could pick a human, pixie, naga, or anything to be in their flock. Do you remember those two men with your friend Imani?”

“You mean her boyfriends, Mac and Lex?”

“Yeah, them. They aren’t simply her boyfriends, they’re her flock. She has shared a piece of her soul with them and taken a piece of their souls inside herself. They’re bound for life. She’ll keep them from aging, Mac and Lex will keep her sane, and they’ll all get more powerful.”

“That doesn't make sense,” Cora said with a slight frown. “Why didn’t Kimble pick someone to be in his flock before he went feral?”

Pike shook his head. “Finding your flock for a vampire is like finding your mate for a shifter. They’re special and precious. They are the ones chosen by magic to match with you. It’s one of the reasons why there are a surprising number of vampires in San Diego. There’s a belief that it’s a lucky place.”

“It’s like a fated mates thing?” Cora asked.

Pike startled. “How do you know that term?”

Cora gave him a wicked grin. “You don’t read many romance novels, do you?”

Her relaxed posture and sexy smile made blood rush to his cock. The moment he’d stepped into the apartment, his inner bear had screamed at him to wrap his arms around her and rub his scent all over her. It was hard to constantly fight the urge to touch her, but this little exchange made it a thousand times worse.

Shifting uncomfortably, he cleared his throat. “Uh, I guess not. I don’t know if the fated mates in your books are accurate, but it’s a term we shifters use too.”

“If you’re his flock, then why isn’t he getting better?” she asked.

Pike sighed. “He was. When he rescued me, he couldn’t talk at all. Now he can say a few words.”

Cora asked the next question in a rush of words. “Do you guys have sex?”

He’d been expecting a question along these lines. “We fool around a little, but he can’t get an erection.”

“Why? ”

Pike shrugged. “Same reason he struggles to talk. Since he spent so much time being feral, it’ll take time for him to recover.” Suddenly, he felt tired. Slumping forward, he put his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands. “I’m not enough. I’ve never been enough to bring Kimble back.”

He felt a touch on the top of his head. Looking up, he found Cora stretched across the table, her expression full of kindness. “I know you’re doing everything you can because that's who you are. Tell me what else is going on.”

When he pulled her hand off his head to hold it in both of his, she didn’t try to pull away. The touch felt good and made his inner bear stop screaming so loudly.

“I can’t get him enough food,” Pike admitted.

Instead of her features twisting into disgust, she looked intrigued. “You mean blood? Can’t he take from you, or do vampires kill when they feed?”

“They don’t need to kill. The evil ones might murder people, but that's because they like it,” Pike said. “He won’t feed from me because he’s afraid he’ll hurt me. There’s a taboo among vampires about taking blood from their flock. They’ll bite for pleasure, but not to feed.”

“What about other people, or shifters?” she asked.

“Vampires have this ability called thrall that allows them to put people into a trance-like state. When someone’s under thrall, they’ll do anything the vampire wants. That way, the vampire can feed, and the victim doesn't remember anything. Kimble can’t use his thrall so the victim might fight and end up getting seriously injured. We can’t let that happen. He can’t hunt for his food, so I have to buy it.”

“You can buy blood?” Cora asked.

“Yeah, but it’s expensive,” Pike explained. “After rent, almost everything I earn goes to keeping Kimble fed, but it’s never enough. Nothing I do is enough. I called in an order on my way here and that wiped out everything I had. My credit cards are all maxed out, and I don’t even have enough to make rent next month. If I’m evicted, I don’t know how I’ll keep Kimble safe from the sun. I know my parents would be willing to help, but I don’t want to burden them any more than I already have. They do well, but they aren’t rich. ”

Cora nodded with sympathy, then glanced over at the closed bedroom door. Pike watched as her features hardened and she looked back at him.

“If you have Kimble, why’d you go out with me too? Was I someone to have fun with until your vampire boyfriend could get it up again?” her words sounded harsh, but her severe frown softened, and her lower lip quivered a little.

Pike shook his head violently, grasping her hand tighter. “You’re my mate. My bear knew the moment we met.”

“How can I be your mate if you’re already with Kimble?”

“It means you’re meant to be in his flock with me. It’s really common for vampires to have a flock of two or three.”

For a moment, Cora looked relieved, then schooled her features into skepticism. “So a flock is more than one person, and you think I’m both your mate and part of his flock?”

“Flocks are sacred to vampires. That’s why he killed Vincent and carried you away. He probably wanted to carry both of us, but he wouldn’t be able to fly with my weight yet. He only wants to protect both of us, but he’s so weak and struggling with his mind that there isn’t much he can do. You could be the key to bringing him back to his full self…” He let his sentence end in an implied question to see how Cora would take it.

“I’m not sure if I want to be in this flock, or even with you anymore.”

Her words made him want to howl with pain. His distress must have shown on his face because she was quick to keep talking.

“Fuck, you look like I told you I killed your puppy. I’m not saying no, okay? This is a lot. I need time to process.”

Pike tried to rein in his emotions. “I get that. It's overwhelming to find out about my world and almost be killed by it in one night.”

Cora suddenly looked tired. The tough, angry woman was gone. In her place was a vulnerable human pushed beyond endurance. “I’ve seen more death today than I have in my entire life. I’m glad it was only the bad guys who died, but it was still a lot.”

She shuddered and Pike couldn’t stand it any longer. “Can I hold you, please? I might be a shifter, but I’ve never been involved in a situation like today either. ”

Cora wrinkled her eyebrows as she considered. “It’s only hugging. It doesn't mean anything.”

“Only hugging,” he agreed.

“Then, yeah, I could use a hug.”

Letting go of her hand, he popped up and leaned over the table to grab her. She made a little gasp as he lifted her small body and sat back down on his chair with her on his lap.

“Warn me next time,” she grumbled even as she wiggled around and settled her right side against him as he wrapped his arms loosely around her. Her head fit perfectly under his chin, and he felt her relax into him with a small sigh.

Both he and his inner bear felt better now they were holding her. It settled something inside of them that had been unsettled for a long time. The only thing missing was Kimble, but hopefully Cora would let him in soon.

Cora was fiercely loyal. All he needed to do was prove to her that he and Kimble deserved her loyalty and love.