Chapter Nine

A whimper escaped me, the pain in my head having grown by the day. Tomorrow, Friday, marked five days of selling product—we'd even created another batch the day before. However, no matter how well my career as a dealer was going, my health had continued to deteriorate.

Something cool rested against my forehead, and I arched into the touch. It was heavenly, as though it pulled that heat right out of my body. Of course, I'd tumbled between freezing and overheating, bouncing back and forth like a fucking ping-pong ball.

"You're running a fever," Harrison said from beside me. Him there, in my bed, should have bothered me, but right now? I couldn't give less of a fuck. His palm against my head felt too fantastic to care where he was or what he was doing. Hell, he could have been masturbating beside me and so long as he didn't move his hand, I didn't care.

"It's probably your fault," I muttered, groaning at the end.

"My fault?"

"I don't think I've gotten sick since I turned into this. If I'm sick now, it's got to be because of you."

"I don't think that's the case." His words were calm and slow, and I got the sense he meant something more by them. I didn't know what it was, and I had a feeling he didn't intend to tell me, either. I also lacked the energy to care. "You should eat something."

"Why? Are you into cleaning up vomit, because I'm pretty sure that's what we'll get."

He sighed, then shifted, removing his hand. I whimpered, reaching out blindly, wanting nothing more than to feel him again.

"Easy," he whispered, his voice soft. His strong hands grasped my arms, pulling me closer. I forced my eyes open to find he'd removed his shirt, then tugged me against his now bare chest.

If I didn't feel like death warmed over, I might have enjoyed the sight more. It was worth drooling over, after all. His skin was impossibly pale, as though he never spent any time in the sun. He was lean, without a speck of fat on his body that I could see. Instead of his body feeling jagged, however, I molded against it, pressing my cheek to his left pec, his cool skin helping to cool the heat inside my body. He ran his fingers through my hair at the same time, easing me.

"This can't continue." His voice was so soft that I struggled to make it out at first. Was he even talking to me? Did I even care?

No, I really don't.

He shifted again, and his voice echoed in the quiet room. "Hello? Yes, trust me, I never intended to call you, either. She isn't doing well. Could it really be anything else?" His voice was soft and soothing, and I stopped trying to make sense of it. He wasn't talking to me after all. It went on, the back and forth, and I lost myself in the sound of it. "This is your fault. I don't care what the crystal said, you caused this—you need to resolve it. I expect to see you within the hour." Harrison moved again, but I just wrapped my arms around his torso, grasping him closer, clinging to him. He sighed, then went back to stroking his fingers through my hair. "I am not leaving, Grey. Just relax—you'll feel better soon."

I wanted to call him a liar, but even that felt like too much work. Maybe this was some weird drop from the attack? Maybe it was a reaction from being around Harrison so long? Whatever it was, his cool skin seemed to be the only thing that helped right now.

So, without another choice, I did as he said and let myself drift off, pressed against his skin, disappointed to waste this perfect opportunity. I'd always said I'd pick orgasms over rest, but fuck, maybe at my age, it wasn't as easy a choice as it used to be.

Voices roused me, but I lacked the energy to even open my eyes. It felt like far too much work. Fuck, I couldn't even tell who exactly spoke, only knowing that they'd made my headache somehow worse.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to fix this."

"I can't—assuming it is due to the bond."

"You can't be serious. Just look at her. That is clearly withdrawal."

I squeezed my eyes tightly closed, trying to block out the noise. The movement must have caught the attention of the two, because their voices lowered more.

"You can't just let her suffer like this."

"I can't do what you're asking me to. After everything that happened? How can you even ask me to?"

"Trust me, I wouldn't ask this if I had another option. Do you think I enjoyed having to call you? This is the last thing I wanted, but I can't just allow her to suffer. Who knows what stress this could put on her, how much it could harm her?"

A loud sigh answered those words a moment before the bed shifted beneath me. A delicious scent reached my nose, something sweet and heady, like caramelized sugar. I wanted to bury my face in it and breathe it into my lungs. Something touched my forehead, more of the smell surrounding me. "Grey, can you look at me?" The words coaxed me, as though they promised me so much more than I could possibly imagine.

Fuck, they silenced my crow, made me want to believe anything they said, to follow them wherever they went. Even still, the idea of opening my eyes felt far too difficult.

"Look at me." A tempting darkness in those words drew me in, and without resisting this time, I opened my eyes to find familiar bright blue eyes staring back at me.

Kelvin. I had every reason to pull away, to reject him, but something in his voice and his eyes kept me from doing it.

Or maybe it was that mouthwatering smell that kept me docile.

He smiled, the look tense. "You're not doing so hot, are you?"

I shook my head, answering without thinking.

"Do you want me to help? I don't know if it will work, but I can try."

"Look at her—she's in no condition to refuse," the other voice said. It took a moment for me to recognize it as Harrison.

Kelvin turned his head the other way. "I've fucked this up once already. I'm not about to make it worse by doing anything else against her will."

"So you'll let her suffer?"

Kelvin had a pained expression, as though stuck between two equally horrible paths. I couldn't seem to keep up with what he meant, with what we should do, but I knew one thing. I needed Kelvin. Whatever was wrong with me, he was both the cause and the cure. It meant no matter what the risks, the consequences, I knew I needed him.

I grasped Kelvin's wrist, holding it tight, pleading with my expression.

It drew his attention back to me, his look softening. "You really aren't doing good, are you? Okay, Grey, I'll help." He turned his gaze on Harrison, then. "You know what this will do, right? You understand the reaction that will happen, and you're prepared for that?" Whatever Harrison said must have been enough, because Kelvin nodded.

He shifted on the bed, moving so his back was to the headboard. Before I even had to do anything, his firm hands moved me, pulling me against his chest, my back to him. His body was strong, his arms unyielding around me. It surrounded me with more of the amazing scent, made my head fuzzy and eased the pain between my temples, the soreness of my body. It felt like sliding into a hot bath.

He grasped my chin, tilting my head and exposing the side of my throat. My messy brain couldn't keep up with the actions, even now, so I gave in. "Don't hate me," came an agonized whisper from Kelvin, so close and quiet that I doubted anyone else could have heard it. It happened only a split second before a sharp pain ran through my neck. Just like that, I knew exactly what was going on.

He'd bitten me.

As quickly as I'd understood that, however, the same heat from before rushed through me. Just like the first and only time he'd bitten me, that heat burned, igniting something deep and primal inside me. It moved through my body, racing from my neck to my clit and hitting every erogenous area between the two.

I arched my back, even the brush of my shirt against my nipples too fucking much, as though someone held a vibrator against me. Was this how it had felt before? Maybe I'd just forgotten, maybe I'd blocked it out since I didn't want everything that went with it.

A low growl left Kelvin, and something familiar and hard pressed against my back. Even in my lust-addled brain, I knew exactly what that was. And fuck, because it was everything I wanted right now.

I reached for my own clothes, needing to strip out of them, to douse the fire inside me. Strong hands caught my wrists, holding me still. Even then, Kelvin didn't pull away, sucking gently at the wounds at my throat.

"Please," I begged, my pride gone, not giving a fuck if I sounded pathetic. "Just touch me, please. It hurts so much."

His ragged breath told me how close to the edge he walked. "I can't," he whispered, releasing my throat only long enough to get the words out. "Harrison?"

I didn't understand what he meant until the mattress moved, pulling my focus in front of me. There, kneeling on the bed between my thighs, was Harrison. He was shirtless, and from his pants—unbuttoned but on—I could tell he had every bit as much interest as I did.

Or, maybe not just as much, but his hard cock told me he wasn't sad about being there, either.

He leaned in, and I expected something soft, something gentle. Harrison was always careful, a man who held himself in control at all times. That wasn't how he touched me, though. Instead, he kissed me with a hunger that shocked me, one that felt every bit as deep as my own. He moved closer until he trapped my body between his and Kelvin's, sliding into the space between my thighs.

I hooked one leg around him, then rolled my hips, rubbing myself against him. Had I ever felt so much like some animal in heat? Had I ever needed something this badly? The first time Kelvin had bitten me, I recalled a similar rush, but it wasn't anything like this. Maybe because I'd gone so long without?

Whatever it was, I allowed Harrison to quench that desire with his kiss, with his hard body.

But I needed more. This was good, sure, but it wasn't enough. I felt empty, hollowed out by need. However, no matter how much I yanked at the hands that held me still, I couldn't get free, couldn't grab for Harrison, couldn't force him to give me more.

He must have known, though, because he grasped the front of my pajama top and yanked, the tearing of fabric loud in the room, even over my panting moans and the noisy sucking from Kelvin's lips at my throat. Harrison slid his hands over my bare skin, and I was so fucking thankful I'd forgone a bra. Hell, I'd burn every scrap if it meant getting what I needed sooner, if it meant enjoying this moment and quieting the noise in my head a little faster.

Harrison's fingers lacked callouses, nothing but cool, smooth skin. He didn't tease, didn't go slowly, instead cupping my breasts to thumb over the pointed tips of my nipples. I shuddered, desperate for more, for everything. I lifted my hips, grinding against his erection through the fabric of our pants.

Through all of it, Kelvin didn't let up, his tongue teasing the sensitive skin of my neck, each pull drawing that fire further through me. It was like I'd taken a bunch of shots, like the alcohol clouded my head, but I didn't give a fuck. All I knew was I needed more, that I was horribly empty.

"More," I begged. "Please, fuck me. I need it so bad." I spoke the words between the kisses, whispering them against Harrison's lips.

Harrison broke the kiss and groaned, pressing his forehead to my collarbone as though he had to collect himself, like he needed a moment to gather his wits.

But I didn't want him to do that. If he thought, he might say no. I wanted him as drunk as I felt, as out of control. I didn't think it mattered who was in front of me, I just needed to be filled. Kelvin, Harrison, fuck, I was pretty sure I'd take a stranger right then if they had a cock worth a damn.

"You said you were ready for this," Kelvin said, pulling away from my throat for a moment.

"I've never actually felt this from someone," Harrison snapped, his warm breath sliding along my bare chest. It made me arch my back, begging him with that action to put those lips to good use. "I can feel the desire from you both. I can't normally feel her emotions, but I can right now. It's…overwhelming."

"Well, I warned you," Kelvin said, groaning when I tried to shift back, rubbing his hard cock trapped between us. "Now, you said you would do what needed to be done. I suggest you get to it. If any girl would make you pay for not living up to expectations, Grey would."

Kelvin's words should have embarrassed me. Fuck, I should have wanted to haul off and hit him for saying such things. Instead, however, I nodded, as though he needed someone to agree with him. It was obvious I was this far gone, the way his bite had stolen all my senses and enslaved me to the same lust he had.

And later, I could get mad about it. Later, I could hate him and myself for this moment, for letting him get this far, for allowing him to see me this way. For now? For now, I only knew I needed more of this.

Harrison lifted his head, his eyes hard and ravenous. In that look, I knew he wouldn't reject me. It wasn't possible, not when he wanted this as badly as I did.

The fact that this was a bad idea didn't matter to me either. Harrison and I were…well, we were something. Not romantic, that was for sure, but I'd be a liar if I said it was entirely platonic.

He reached down and slipped his long, agile fingers into the waist of my shorts, tugging them down my legs with no finesse. He didn't strip me slowly, carefully, teasingly. Instead, he rushed, like he needed to see me without a stitch of clothing as fast as possible. Once bare, I let my knees fall open, not giving a fuck about embarrassment or how I looked. A cunt was a cunt, and I'd bet mine wasn't the first or last he'd ever seen. Really, so long as he touched me, he could look at whatever the fuck he wanted.

Harrison ran the flats of his large palms up my inner thighs, the touch forcing my legs wider. He brushed his thumbs up my slit when he reached the juncture of my legs, the touch not nearly enough for me.

"I swear, if you keep teasing me, I'll kill you." I barely recognized the darkness in my own voice, each word dripping with desperate need.

"Easy, Grey," Kelvin whispered into my ear before dragging the flat of his tongue along the side of my throat, the action causing that desire inside me to grow yet again. "You'll get what you want if you just be a good girl."

Good girl? I laughed at the words, at the stupidity of them. I was never a good girl, had no desire to be one, either.

It also seemed to wake my crow from its slumber, rousing it.

Before I knew what I'd done, before I could think about it or consider, I moved forward. Kelvin's hands slipped free of my arms—probably due to a mix of surprise and my crow's ability to keep me from being trapped. I shoved Harrison backward, crawling on top of him, feeling like a beast pushed too far.

I wasn't prey, even if it felt like that sometimes. I yanked at Harrison's pants, getting them down just enough to free his hard cock, then wrapped my hand around it. It was solid and thick and just as pale as the rest of his skin. The head was wet with pre-cum, and he twitched against my palm as I stroked him just because I couldn't not do it.

However, that wasn't enough. It wasn't what I really wanted. I rose, angling his cock so the thick head nestled against my drenched pussy, then lowered myself. He spread me, the burn enough to make me hiss in response even if it didn't stop or slow me at all. Instead, I took that burn, let it add to the fire that roared inside me, shivering until my body met his and not an inch of him remained outside of me.

I set my hands flat on his stomach, his muscles shifting beneath his skin under my touch.

Kelvin ran his hand up my spine, the action making my back arch. "That's good, sweet," he said. "You aren't the passive type, the sort to wait until you're given what you want. So go on, take him, fuck him exactly the way you need right now."

His words broke any leash I had on my actions, like the permission I'd really wanted, someone telling me it was okay to be selfish, to take, to own. So I rose until Harrison's cock was barely inside me before coming down again, riding Harrison hard, the action rough and fast but exactly what I needed. My fingers curled against Harrison's stomach, my nails biting into him, but if he cared, he said nothing.

A glance at his face showed his gaze locked on me, his focus absolute. I was pretty sure there could have been a fire roaring around us and he would have taken no notice. It could have burned us all to a crisp before any of us gave a fuck about it.

And burning was exactly how I felt, consumed entirely by the sensation of Harrison's hard cock filling me, the power as I rode him, the touch of Kelvin's hands on my back and the searing need from his venom inside me. It all melted together until it was bigger and stronger and more overwhelming than anything else.

Kelvin slid his hand from my back, around my ribcage, to cup my breast. "I told myself I wouldn't touch you like this, but how can I resist? I won't fuck you, not until you tell me you want me to when you're in your right mind, but this much?" He dragged his fingers along the curve of my breast, circling closer and closer to the pebbled tip like the worst sort of tease. "This much I think we can allow, don't you?"

The word no danced on my tongue, but instead, I nodded. It seemed, like often, my body and my brain were not anywhere on the same page.

Fuck, I doubted they read the same book.

And during it all, I didn't stop riding Harrison. I didn't slow, couldn't, not when the sensation of him filling me was so fucking perfect. Harrison reached up, grasping my thighs, then lifted his hips just as I lowered myself. It made him slam into me harder, and it didn't stop at just the one time. Harrison didn't look that strong, especially because I knew that, as a Mind, he wasn't physically much stronger than a human, but he proved he wasn't weak right then. He fucked me hard and fast, taking over so I leaned backward, falling against Kelvin's broad chest.

It should have been painful, even, so rough that I'd have slapped a man for even thinking about it. Instead, all I could do was accept the treatment, basking in the pleasure that bordered on pain, the wonderfully freeing feeling.

Kelvin slipped his hand down my front, over my stomach, to my cunt. He ran his fingers along my pussy, where Harrison's cock was buried. "I would ask if it feels good when he fucks you, but I don't need to ask, do I? I can tell from the sounds you're making, from just how wet you are. I remember how your cunt feels, how tight you squeeze down. Your pussy is heaven, Grey. Do you have any idea how much control it takes not to push you forward and push in beside him? Could you take that, sweet? Could your pretty little pussy handle that?" He ground his palm against my clit as he teased my cunt, pressing in at the edges, as if threatening to force his fingers inside along with Harrison's cock.

And somehow, Kelvin's words made me want that. I wanted to be used, to think of nothing, to be nothing but passion and feeling and this. It was like he weaved a spell with his words, his promises, and I wanted so badly to never stop this.

So I nodded, reached behind me, looping my arms behind Kelvin's neck to hold him tight.

He took his other hand, the one torturing my cunt, and moved it behind me. He traced my spine, following the curve of my lower back, then ran along my ass. "If that's too much, how about here? Do you think you would let me slide myself into you here? To claim something on you I doubt you've ever allowed another?" He swiped wetness up from my cunt before pressing his finger against my ass, not pushing enough to enter but enough to tease me.

He'd made a similar threat before, and just like that time, I didn't think I could resist. Once was a joke, but twice made for a kink.

A kink that I amazingly was all up for trying…

I pushed my ass backward, the action causing his finger to grind harder, to nearly enter me.

Kelvin groaned lowly, the sound going straight to my clit. "You are like a fucking drug, Grey," he growled into my ear. "No matter how much I think I can handle you, that I can resist anything you say or do, you are always proving me wrong."

The words felt like a strange win, like I knew he was right and I was rather proud of it. Kelvin, who was so much older and more powerful than me, felt like putty against me right then.

However, he didn't give me what I wanted, either. After one more teasing push, he removed that finger without entering me. "I told you—I won't fuck you, not until you can tell me you want me when you're not high off my venom. So for now, get your fill with Harrison." He pressed a kiss to my throat, then latched his lips on the bite mark. The blood had slowed but not fully stopped, which meant he was able to feast. One hand on my back shoved me forward, so I was on top of Harrison, my chest against his. He fucked up into me just as roughly as before, the actions wild.

Meanwhile, Kelvin moved behind us, and a glance gave me one hell of a sight that I hadn't expected. He moved Harrison's legs so they were together, trapped by Kelvin's knees, then undid his own pants. He stroked his hard cock a few times, then leaned forward and fit his cock between Harrison's thighs. His thrusts were rough and fast, as though he were fucking something other than just the crease of Harrison's legs, and the pre-cum from his dripping cock made Harrison's thighs shiny.

And Harrison, who must have been fully aware of what was happening, didn't seem to care. If anything, he groaned louder, his body tense as he kept his thighs tight to provide the best friction.

The orgasm that hit me came out of nowhere—probably both because of the sight and the venom. I gasped, trapped between the two of them, as we all strove for our own releases, all lost to our own pleasures that only grew between us. I cried out, my body tightening, my breath locked in my lungs when I couldn't even breathe. The orgasm seemed to go on forever, drowning me, dragging me into a darkness that I feared I might never escape from.

Harrison tightened his hands on my thighs so much that I knew I'd wear finger-shaped bruises there the next day, using the grip to yank me down and fill me as deeply as possible. The sound he released was low and angry as he came, and a similar sound escaped Kelvin as well.

It left the room silent other than the rough panting of the three of us, my body too exhausted to even hope to think straight. It didn't matter to me, nothing did. I was tired and sore and yet that nagging pain from before had disappeared. It meant that when my eyes slid closed, when the muscles needed to keep me upright became far too troublesome, I slid into a blessed, wonderful sleep.

Covered in cum and sweat, pinned between the bodies of two men who I shouldn't trust, none of that was worth thinking too deeply about. Instead, I let myself sleep.

Tomorrow me could deal with the mess I'd just made.

Tomorrow me had always been one unlucky bitch.

* * * *

I should have woken in pain. Fucking two Spirits was the sort of work out only the experienced should ever try, and even they might not survive it. That was why, when I did finally open my eyes later, I'd braced for pain.

I'd expected soreness in my stomach, for my muscles to complain, for bruises to cover me. Imagine my surprise to find myself actually feeling well.

In fact, I wasn't sure of the last time I'd felt quite this good. A glance down my body showed bruises—I guess those wouldn't go away as fast as anything else—but they were the only proof that the night before hadn't just been some filthy dream of mine.

I was clean, which was strange because I sure as hell hadn't been clean at the end of our little tryst. Did that mean either Kelvin or Harrison had wiped me down? My hair wasn't stuck to my previously sweat-soaked forehead, and I didn't have anything dried on my thighs. It meant someone had to have cleaned me.

My cheeks flushed at that, the fact somehow even more embarrassing than anything else I'd done. The idea of being entirely passed out and having one of those two clean me?

It was the sort of thing I hoped they forgot, or that we could all possibly pretend had never happened.

Whoever it was, they hadn't dressed me, though. The sheets felt clean, and the idea of dressing now felt like a lot of fucking work. However, it seemed clothing was a very small barrier when it came to interacting with two men I'd just had crazy, drugged sex with, so I forced myself to go to the closet and pick something out.

I could have dressed in a few of the cute items there—the sun dresses or the pretty skirts or even the hoochy-mama shorts where the pockets fell longer than the bottom of the shorts. Instead, I picked something that hopefully would help me keep my head on straight.

I headed down the hallway after braiding my hair back and tossing it over my shoulder. The scent of food drifted from the kitchen, and my stomach growled in response.

An appetite was a good sign, right? After how horribly I'd felt recently, wanting to eat showed improvement. I'd take what I could get.

"We should check on her," Harrison said.

"No need. She's fine."

"So you say. Forgive me for not taking your word on the matter."

"I'm the one with experience in this area—unless you have some expertise in dealing with thralls that I don't know."

It seemed a night of sex hadn't fixed the issues between Harrison and Kelvin, judging from them sniping at each other at—I glanced at the clock on the wall—one in the afternoon.

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."

"How often?"

"That I can't tell you. When did you start feeling unwell?"

"Two weeks ago," Harrison said when I didn't answer. At my look, he shrugged. "You started rubbing your temples at that point."

"Two weeks ago means you went three weeks without serious symptoms. You could probably go two weeks then, but I'd suggest you try not to go more than a one."

"That often?" I shuddered at the idea of being trapped like that, as though a noose tightened around my throat. "Why one week instead of two?"

"Just because you don't tell the effects right away doesn't mean they aren't there. You'll start feeling sick by week two, but your body will struggle before then. To feel your best, you'll need more venom each week."

"More venom, huh?" I laughed at the way he phrased it, how innocent it sounded. He made it seem so simple, like we weren't talking about him sinking his fangs into my neck.

And I tried very hard not to think about what would happen after that, because I sure as fuck couldn't imagine resisting the way his venom made me feel. It meant that every single time we had to do this—weekly it sounded, like some fucked-up therapy session—I'd end up in this same position?

It took me back to when he'd bit me, to the way I'd felt strangled by it.

"I'll give you a moment." Harrison rose from his seat, walking toward the backdoor. He headed outside, leaving Kelvin and me alone.

Fuck, that wasn't what I'd wanted. If anything, it made the tension between us even more overwhelming, more obvious. Every moment that passed, my heart pounded harder against my ribcage, so loud that I would have sworn Kelvin could easily hear it.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice soft. It was a far cry from the memory of last night, the filthy things he'd whispered into my ear. In the daylight, he seemed like a different person.

I leaned forward, resting my forehead against the table, trying to slow my breathing.

"What can I do?"

I shook my head, unsure of what to say. What I wanted was for him to fix this, to make it so it never happened, so I wasn't trapped. However, I knew better than most that there were some bells that couldn't get unrung. This was one of them. "It's funny—I didn't think this possible before. Even after you bit me, when I was waiting for the trial, I didn't think you could really form a bond."

"I'm not trying to cause you pain," he said. "I want to make this as easy as possible, but I don't know how to do that."

I snorted, my eyes closed, hating the way him speaking—even from across the table—still somehow sounded like him whispering right into my ear. It felt intimate, even more so since I wasn't looking at him. "How did we end up here?"

"Maybe we were always headed here. I'm not a man who believes in fate, but maybe there is something to be said about paths intertwining." He paused, then let out a soft sigh. "I met with a Nature Spirit one time, and they claimed that the entire world was formed out of a tree, that we were all just roots and branches and leaves on the same tree, bound together like vines. I thought he was an idiot back then, but when I look at you? I wonder if there wasn't some truth to that theory, because I've felt a pull toward you all the years that I've known you."

"Fate is bullshit."

"The fact you believe that doesn't surprise me. You aren't the type to want to believe in anything having control of your life."

"And yet here I am, bound to you. If there is such a thing as fate, she's a fucking bitch." I turned my head on the table so I could look over at him, resting my cheek against the smooth wood. I expected at first for him to argue, for him to tell me all about how I was wrong, that I should accept my place, that it wasn't so bad.

Whether Kelvin just knew better than to try to sell me that shit or if he truly understood how hollow those words would be, he didn't do it. Instead, he nodded. "Yeah, well, we're in agreement about that. She really is one mean bitch, and all we can try to do is survive her."

* * * *

I had needed the weekend to recover, but that didn't mean my brain was any less frazzled come Monday. Still, I forced myself to get up, get dressed, and drag my ass to school along with Harrison.

The man who, by the way, had failed to even mention what had happened with Kelvin. Whether he did that because he regretted it or he was just trying to be nice, I had no idea. Whatever the reasoning, I appreciated it. I didn't want to discuss that mess—even if the reality was that it had replayed in my head over and over again.

And yet again when I'd taken a leisurely bath. As it turned out, I was exceedingly good at remembering details at moments like that. I rather enjoyed the memory of the time, even if I'd never admit that to anyone.

So here we were, back and school, another pocket full of drugs to pawn off on other kids. I just had to hope that we'd find our supplier soon, because I had no idea how long I could keep this up. It wasn't the selling, or even the guilt, but more the eight in the morning start time and snotty kids.

And the slang. No cap? I still had no fucking idea what that meant, but I knew that by saying it, I annoyed the little fuckers here which was exactly why I said it so often.

I took a sip of the coffee, wondering just how a school could have a café on campus. The reasoning didn't matter that much—I planned to take full advantage of it. And I had. This was my third cup of the day. Even without the sexy memories from last week, my heart rate was in peak condition from all the caffeine I'd poured down my throat.

I'd sold a few bags thus far, mostly to regulars who had come to me the week before. It seemed that Harrison had done what he'd said, managing to create a product that people wanted to try again. It worked well enough for me.

Except…

I'd yet to spot Trey.

My phone rang, so I pulled it from my pocket and glanced at the screen.

Ignis ?

"Hello," I answered, holding the cell between my ear and my shoulder.

"Hey—where have you been?"

"Working."

"Really?" Her voice held an edge of suspicion. I couldn't blame her for that. I'd done plenty of deliveries in the past, but I rarely called them work and sure as fuck had never treated it as a job.

"Yes, really. I do work, you know?"

"Uh-huh. And here I'd started to believe the rumor I heard about people seeing you around with Harrison." The sly tone of her voice sounded like one hell of a gotcha. The bitch knew the truth to that, then, and she just wanted to catch me in the lie.

"Trust me—dealing with your brother is work." I sat on the edge of a planter, ignoring the dirty looks from a teacher as she walked by. "And who told you that? I swear, you Spirits are no better than teenage girls—and I know a lot more about teenagers than I did before, so I can say that."

Ignis chuckled. "Well, to be fair, no one sees other people with Harrison. If he even got a dog, I think it would start up the rumor mill. It's why hearing he was seen with some blue-haired girl was enough for me to take notice. What's that all about? Are you two besties now?"

A flash from the other night hit me, the sensation of Harrison's lips, the way his cock had sunk into me. No, not friends. Thankfully, our conversation occurring over the phone meant Ignis couldn't read my expression, the nosy bitch. "Not exactly," I hedged. "I'm helping him with a problem."

And there it was, the silence that screamed of disapproval. Why was it that no one seemed to believe that? Was it that they didn't think I could be helpful or just that they thought I must have caused the problem? "Please tell me this isn't about the Cloud…"

"How did you know about that?"

"I'm a Mind, Grey. I may stay out of clan business, but that doesn't mean I don't hear what's going on. Harrison has been tracking Cloud for months now. I just didn't think he'd be stupid enough to get you caught up in that mess."

"He didn't. I found my way into it all by myself. Trust me, I don't need any help to find trouble."

"Well, I can't deny that. At least tell me that you're safe."

"I'm as safe as I ever am," I answered. "And Harrison is keeping an eye out for me."

"That's the only reason I'm going to let this be. If it were anyone else, I'd try to haul you back by the nape of your neck. If there's anyone who can keep an eye on you, though, it would be Harrison."

"Really? He doesn't strike me as a real caretaker type." I thought about the cold way Harrison spoke, the way he seemed uninterested in the entire world around him.

"Yeah, that's how he wants to look. I've known him my entire life, though."

"Who's older?"

I could almost see Ignis smirking at the question, at the fact that I was curious about them—and because of that, curious about him. Still, I couldn't help it. Harrison was so tight-lipped, I felt like I knew almost nothing about him.

Well, I knew what his cock looked like—and felt like—but that wasn't something I planned to tell his sister.

"I am," she said. "I was five when he was born."

"Why is he the way he is, then, but not you?"

"Ouch. Are you really asking me why my brother is so much more powerful than I am? Don't you think that's a sort of rude question?"

"You know I don't mean it like that. It's just that you're normal, and he is very much not. Is it just random?"

Papers shuffled on the other side of the line, suggesting she was in her office, still working. Not that it shocked me—Ignis was one hell of a hard worker, after all. I could picture her at her desk, reviewing files while she made a call between clients. "The power that Minds hold follow bloodlines, but like anything, there's a lot that seems like random chance. Think of it like having good genes, but the mixture of those genes determine exactly how useful. Our parents are powerful, which set us up for being powerful as well. Believe it or not, I'm not considered weak. It's just that my skills are less obvious."

"But Harrison is on a whole different level."

She sighed, and I got the sense that the conversation wasn't all that pleasant for her. I got it, though. We were talking about her brother, after all, and I could imagine how she'd be compared to him at every turn.

I'd gone through that with my siblings as well. I was the fuck-up, and I couldn't have attended a single gathering without someone looking at me and treating me exactly that way.

"He is different," she admitted. "When his powers started to show, when the clan realized just how strong his powers were, they separated him. They even took him out of our household to be raised by the previous clan head."

"So he wasn't raised with you?"

"Nope. They didn't want anything to risk his powers or change his mind. They wanted to mold him into the perfect leader. I saw him every few months when he got to come home for a weekend, but it was different. He'd always been trying to live up to that standard, to the things that everyone expects from him. I don't think he's had a single real friend in all these years."

"And no one knows why he became the way he is?"

"Not exactly." She said the words slowly, giving me a sense that there was more to the story than she told me. Then again, I sure as fuck knew how that was. No one ever told the entire story, because it was usually far too painful.

Part of me wanted to ask, to know more. It felt like craving pieces of his past that he held close to him, like the little bits of information were shiny baubles my crow wanted to collect. However, in the same way, I really didn't think I wanted to know. Knowing would mean making it my problem, would mean seeing Harrison differently, and that was the sort of thing I couldn't put back afterward.

So I let it go, not pushing her. If I needed to know, later, I'd find out. Until then, I might as well ignore it and respect Harrison's right to privacy.

"The thing about Harrison," she said, her voice quiet as though she weren't sure she really wanted to say this next part. "He's never had anyone to take care of him, anyone who was there for him because of who he is, not because of what he is. Even his family handed him over to strangers to raise. Then, because of his powers, he's been isolated most of his life. He's used to people using him, to them not giving a damn about him, and I don't think he knows how to accept help. Even though he has no idea what it's like to have people behind him, people willing to help, he's always putting himself out to do that for others. He's pushing himself, working ungodly hours, ignoring anything for himself to take the load off of others. Maybe you staying with him isn't so bad, not for either of you…"

I swung my feet, tapping my heels against the brick of the planter. "Yeah, well, don't start planning the wedding just yet. I'm fun to have around for a few days—especially if someone has a reason to deal with me—but it gets old fast." That took me back to all the people who had walked away from me.

I'd learned one important lesson throughout my life, over and over again. A small amount of time with me was one thing, but once anyone stuck around for long, they ran in the other fucking direction. A little of me was fine, but more than that?

Too much.

Sure, I'd had fun the other night, and given that Harrison had come, I had to assume he had as well, but fun like that didn't mean much in the long run. It meant I needed to get this shit settled and out of here as soon as possible. The longer I stayed, the closer I got to Harrison walking away, and I had a feeling that would hurt. That strange fondness he had for me morphing into annoyance then hatred?

I didn't want to see it.

"Grey."

I jerked my gaze up, startled to find the same voice speaking to me that I'd just been thinking of. Harrison stood there, looking rather professional in the sports coat. Sure, he looked more like a model playing a teacher than an actual teacher, but I'd bet it helped keep the girls in line in his classes.

"Sorry, I've gotta go," I said to Ignis, not waiting for a response before ending the call. If I told Harrison who I'd spoken to, I felt like he'd figure out the content, too. He was far too observant to give him any additional chances at guessing my thoughts and feelings. If anything, I really needed a handicap. "What's up? Is it time to go already?"

"It's ten in the morning, Grey."

"Boring," I muttered and crossed my arms after sliding the phone into my pocket. "So what are you doing here now?"

He glanced toward my pocket, the curiosity obvious in his expression. Still, he didn't ask about who I'd been on the phone with. Maybe he didn't want to know, not really. I mean, I had fucked him with another man there, so maybe he knew better than to ask too many questions. "Trey didn't come to school today."

"Trey is a drug dealer. I don't think skipping school is really that crazy a thing for him."

Harrison shook his head. "I called his home, and I was told he never came home over the weekend."

"And his parents didn't call anyone?"

"He doesn't have parents anymore, Grey. He is a Were, infected young."

"So call Galen."

"He isn't a wolf—not all Weres have such pack structure. He is a Werebear, and they are solitary Spirits. Besides, it isn't the first time he's run off. I don't think the people he stays with are that concerned about him."

I frowned, a tension inside my chest. Could something have happened to him?

Could it be my fault? What if the supplier we were searching for found out I'd stolen his dealers and wanted to make an example out of Trey? What if he were suffering all because of what I'd asked him to do?

"It might be nothing," Harrison said, but even I could read the lie in his words. The timing was far too suspicious for it to be meaningless, for it to just be a coincidence.

I'd done this for the supplier to target me, but what if Trey paid the price? What if all I'd done was put a target on his back?

I silently cursed my crow, the source of all this mess, the magnet that drew trouble to me and made those around me suffer.

Why was it that I never got a chance to just live my life?

Because you have a cosmic debt that you're never gonna be finished paying…