26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Kimble

Cora had a far off look on her face and was silent the entire ride home. Pike tried to get her to talk several times, but she would hum or nod instead of answering. Kimble didn’t like it. What was she thinking about that had her basically ignoring Pike, especially after visiting his family?

It wasn’t possible that Cora didn’t like Pike’s parents. They were incredibly generous and loving people, even by black bear shifter standards.

Was it Lucy?

Cora hadn’t seemed intimidated by Pike’s volatile sister, but then again, Pike hadn’t reprimanded Lucy either. Maybe Cora feared Lucy would hurt her when Pike wasn’t around. Kimble would have no problem popping the woman’s head from her body.

She used to call Pike all the time, demanding money or asking him to call in favors. He’d burned a lot of bridges to get her jobs or out of trouble and only stopped giving her all his cash when Kimble’s life was at stake.

Cora might not realize Kimble had no problem with ending Lucy’s life to protect his flock, even if it would upset Pike. He needed her to know she was safe from Lucy but couldn’t say those words within Pike’s hearing.

“You're safe, always,” Kimble murmured, hoping she’d get the hidden meaning.

She hummed again and snuggled closer to him but didn’t take her eyes off the passing scenery. She probably hadn’t even heard what he’d said. Should he try again?

No, he’d wait until Pike wasn’t within hearing range and then bluntly tell her Lucy wasn’t a problem.

Maybe he should slip out one night and take care of her. It would be days or even weeks before anyone realized she was missing, and he could make sure there wasn’t a body left to find.

It would be impossible to lie if Pike asked him directly, but it was unlikely sweet Pike would think to ask out right if Kimble had killed his sister. Their bond allowed for lies of omission.

The idea was gaining traction in his head when Pike pulled up to Cora’s little house. Kimble was pleased to see the place. Pike’s apartment had been a shelter but not a home. Cora’s house felt like a home to him.

As Cora slowly climbed from the car with an oddly serene expression on her face, Pike exchanged a confused look with Kimble. It was good to know Pike noticed Cora’s strange mood also.

“Anyone interested in an evening stroll?” Pike asked. “It’s a pretty night.”

Cora didn’t say anything. She took their hands in hers and led the two of them into the house. Normally, she liked a short walk in the evenings, so what was going on?

Once inside, she walked them to the middle of the living room. They still hadn’t replaced the coffee table he’d broken so there was a good amount of room for the three of them to stand in a small circle.

Finally her expression changed. A slow, confident smile curled her lips as she looked from one to the other. “I’m ready.”

“Ready?” Pike repeated, as puzzled as Kimble was.

Before Cora could answer, it dawned on Kimble what she was saying. “Souls?” he questioned.

She looked at him, her gaze bold and confident. “Yes.”

On the rare occasions he’d thought about this moment, he’d expected to feel jubilant. Instead he felt cautious and even a little insecure.

“Because of Pike’s family?”

She tilted her head and regarded him curiously. “They’re part of it, but also you. ”

A small hint of excitement filtered through his worry. “Me?”

“You got better without me,” she explained. “I mean, I was here helping to keep you alive when you did something dumb, but after that, you focused hard on remembering how to talk and keeping control of your protective instincts. I don’t need jewelry or shit like that. I need people I can depend on. People who aren’t going to use me to prop them up.”

Pike made a pained sound. “No, never.”

“Meeting your family made me realize how dysfunctional my family is,” she whispered, a frown breaking through her serene happiness. “It was the final piece I needed. Eventually, I’m going to start talking to my dad and brothers again, but you can help me keep perspective when they start spewing crap. At some point, or many points, they’re going to need my help, and I’ll have to help because they’re family. With Kimble getting so much better, I can trust him not to massacre one of my brothers when he acts like a colossal dick.”

“Still might bite them,” Kimble murmured, relief at Cora’s words making him feel lighthearted.

“A few bites are fine,” Cora agreed, then an evil grin took over her face. “Hell, some blood loss might make them easier to deal with.”

A bark of laughter came out of him. Cora and Pike chuckled at his laugh, then she spoke again.

“My fear is gone, and my heart wants this. I promise I’m ready.”

“No pain,” Kimble promised. He was far more controlled now than when he’d first found Pike and knew he could do this exchange without causing her any discomfort. He let go of their hands and moved Pike and Cora until they were facing each other, hands clasped between them.

“Be still and focus on Pike. Breathe together.”

Kimble could see a little worry in Cora’s face, but also confidence. Kimble moved to stand behind Cora and drape his arms over her shoulders so he could join his hands to theirs but also press his front to her back.

Closing his eyes, he focused on finding her soul. It was bright and lively, full of yellow, orange, and red hues. She was so beautiful it took his breath away. Slowly and with great care, he tugged a piece free but didn’t pull it from her body. He left it there and focused on his soul.

“I feel weird,” Cora murmured. “Like something is loose inside me.”

“It’s part of the process,” Pike assured her. Kimble ignored their conversation as he separated a piece from his soul and moved it into Cora. The moment it was near her pulsing soul, his piece sped ahead of him, like a magnet near another magnet. It hit with a little more force than he wanted, but Cora didn’t wince or cry out in pain.

Pulling in a sharp breath, she looked around the room. “Oh, wow, everything seems brighter.”

Pike explained that the process gave the flock some advantages they didn’t have before. He helped distract Cora as Kimble did the most dangerous part of the process: pulling the piece of Cora’s soul out. Like their bodies, human souls were more fragile than vampires or shifters.

He took his time teasing her soul from her body and into his own. When he pressed it into the pulsing red of his soul, the colors mixed and melted until his entire soul was a slightly lighter shade.

He only got a moment to enjoy the feeling of being whole with both his flock’s souls secured to him when a tidal wave of memories hit him. He was pulled under. Unable to speak, he felt his entire body jerk, then go numb. He lost all control of his body, and the last thing he was aware of was Cora screaming and the sensation of falling.

***

“You exchanged souls and then he fainted?” a familiar voice asked. Kimble lay still, unsure how long he’d been unconscious. His brain was a mess of memories that weren’t layering themselves in any specific order. The screaming face of a woman dressed in clothing three centuries out of date felt as fresh as the memory of Cora wearing the glittering gold dress Mama Monroe bought for her.

He heard Cora make an aggressive sound and then declare loudly, “I said that already! ”

“Then there’s nothing I can do,” Tobias answered. The way his voice sounded off told Kimble he wasn’t in the room but on speaker phone.

“Are you sure?” Pike asked. “This isn’t like when he passed out exchanging souls with me. He’s fed and strong now. Shouldn’t he be able to do this without going limp?”

“Theoretically, yes,” Tobias agreed. Then he sighed, long and heavy. “Most vampires don't recover from going feral, so I don’t know what is or isn’t common.”

“But he isn’t feral anymore,” Cora argued. “He talks and everything now.”

“Don’t lie to yourself, Cora,” Tobias cautioned. “He’s still in the recovery phase. Until he has his memories back, he’s considered feral. At least now that he’s got a flock, it’s unlikely anyone would bother hunting him down. Flocks stabilize even feral vampires.”

Kimble listened with half an ear as he let the jumble of memories settle into a semblance of order. When he had a basic time frame for them, he opened his eyes to find Cora and Pike kneeling on either side of him. It was both a familiar and disheartening position. He hated that he’d caused them worry again.

“I’m fine,” he said, sitting up and rubbing his face.

“Kimble!” Cora cried and launched into him. She wrapped her arms and legs around his body and squeezed tightly. “Fuck, I thought you were dying again. Don’t ever scare me like that! Ever! ”

Kimble hugged her back and looked up at Pike. The bear’s face was pale, and his eyes were round with worry. “Are you still you?”

“I’m fully me,” he assured the shifter and let go of Cora with one hand, holding it out to Pike. His bear grasped his hand with both of his large ones and pressed it to his cheek. Pike’s slight stubble felt good against his palm.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” Kimble whispered. He regretted the way everything came back to him, but it felt good to no longer need to hunt down every word he wanted to say. There were so many languages he knew, modern English being the most current one he’d learned, so it was the hardest to remember while he was feral. Now all the words simply flowed to his mouth without the need to concentrate. “I didn’t know that was going to happen.”

“What happened?” Pike asked. “Why did you fall down like that?”

“I know who I am,” Kimble said and felt Cora jolt in his arms at the same time Pike’s eyes blinked in surprise.

“Your memories are back?” Pike asked.

“They are, sloneczko . If it’s not too late, there’s a place I’d like to go,” Kimble said. “Would both of you please take me there?”

As both Pike and Cora made sounds of agreement, he noticed a phone still lit up with an active call.

“It seems I’m no longer needed,” the dry voice of Tobias commented.

“No my friend, you’re not,” Kimble agreed.

“Good luck to you,” Tobias said, and the phone went blank.

Kimble didn’t think he needed luck anymore, which was probably a good thing. He must have used up his allotment of luck while he’d been feral. Now it was time to rely on his cunning and power as a good vampire should.