Flock (The Ravenhood, #1)

by Kate Stewart

That’s the novelty of fiction versus reality. You can’t re-live your own love story because, by the time you’ve realized you’re living it, it’s over. At least that was the case for me.

Most consider knowing all-consuming love a blessing, but I consider it a curse. A curse I’ll never be able to lift. I’ll never know love again as I did here all those years ago. And I don’t want to. I can’t. I’m still sick with it. There is no question in my mind that for me, it was love. What other pull could be so strong? What other feeling could addict me to the point of insanity? Of doing the things I did and living with these memories within this ghost story.

“Good, because we don’t want to let the wolf get a whiff.”

Time itself is just an invisible line, a measure people made up, right? You know that. And while it’s good for reference, it’s also a major stress trigger, because you’re letting it control you.”

Now is now, later will eventually be now. Don’t be a slave to the insanity of keeping time and keeping up. Now is the only thing you have control over, and even so, it’s an illusion.”

“Imagine a person born with an unparalleled gift of retaining knowledge. And in finding out they had this gift, they go straight to work, schooling themselves for years and years to hone that gift and turn it into a superpower, becoming a wealth of knowledge like no other, to the point they’re well respected, a reckoning force, someone to really listen to. You with me?” I nod again. “And maybe that person suffers a loss. Maybe someone close to them dies, and that death poses a question they have no answer to, and so they make it their mission to answer that question and refuse to quit until they have irrefutable proof of where their loved one went. So, they live, eat, breathe every minute of every day of their life for the answer to that one question. And one day it happens. They succeed, and in doing so, they transform their theory to fact, and if they share that proof, they know they could change life as we all know it. And say this person could not only prove there was a hereafter, but could prove the very existence of God, no more faith necessary. He’s real. So they have their proof, their life isn’t meaningless, the death they’ve grieved isn’t pointless, they have the answer, and they want to give it to others.” He takes another drag of his cigarette and exhales a steady stream before lifting hazel eyes to mine. “They post it on social media so the world will finally have the answer to a question that’s plagued people for endless centuries. What would happen?” “We wou...

Can you keep a secret?

“Cecelia, you wound me. Why’d you have to be so pretty?”

She is too beautiful. Too smart. But too young. This girl will be your undoing.

“You catchin’ feelings for me pup?”

“You catchin’ feelings for me, Pup?”

And for the record, I caught feelings the minute I laid eyes on you.”

“It’s okay to want his dick, baby, I’ll watch it go inside you and fucking love the view, and the savage it’ll make me.”

“Own it, fucking own it,” he says adamantly. “Own it and don’t let you or anyone else make you feel like it was wrong.”

But if you’re debating on a choice, on choosing, I’m telling you right now you don’t have to. Unless you want to, and in that case, I hope it’s me.”

“If you’re ever wondering what to do, that’s what you do. Whatever you fucking want, whenever you want, and you don’t apologize for it, not ever.”

Eggs, runny; coffee, black; beer, cold; music, loud; cars, fast; woman♥️

“Eggs—runny, coffee—black, beer—cold, music—loud, cars,” he floors the gas. “Fast,” I say through a laugh. “Woman,” he turns and rolls his mirror colored gaze over me.

“Can you keep a secret?”

Calmly, he says to me. “One more time, Cecelia. Can. You. Keep. A. Secret?”

“You know me,” the gentle timbre of his voice has my eyes watering. “You know my mind and my heart. You know me. I made sure of it. But this is my world, our world, and if you want in, you have another decision to make.”

“Coffee, black,” I say, and he takes it. I push the plate through. “Eggs, runny. Peas, ice cold.” I shove my hand through the door last. “Woman?” I leave both the question and my hand hanging in the air. “Woman?” I wave it back and forth, a smile on my face.

I know what I’m holding, I know her worth♥️

“I know what I’m holding, I know her worth,” he whispers, his words so intimate that for a second, I think I’ve imagined them.

My rainy days are yours, Dominic, if you want them

“My rainy days are yours, Dominic. If you want them.”

“I love you,” I whisper through a blur of tears. “And I don’t think you’re crazy at all. I got upset sitting here for hours romanticizing how I would say this to you, and that it would matter. Instead of admitting it, I got angry and said stupid things I didn’t mean. I t-trust you. I believe so much in what you’re doing. I think you’re brilliant.” He darts his eyes away and slams his beer on the counter, the suds spilling over the bottle. “I-I’m sorry. I’ll go.” Sliding on my sandals, I grab my purse from the table, my eyes sting as I try to hold myself together long enough to make it to my car. I make it just past the staircase to the entryway before I feel his chest at my back. A cry escapes me as he flips me around and cups my chin, lifting my eyes to his. “I take it back.” I burst in his arms, my sobs coming out in a rush as he pulls me to him leaving no space between us. “I’m so sorry, baby. Fuck, I regretted it the minute I said it.” He wraps strong arms around me. “You’re fucking crazier than you’re acting if you think I want to spend a minute away from you. I missed you too. Today was bad, and fuck, I’m sorry. You look so beautiful.”

“Shit, shit, I’m sorry,” he says softly. “I hate the idea of waking up and not hearing about your dreams in the morning. Hey, hey,” he whispers softly, “baby, please stop crying. You’re killing me. You mean so much to me, so much more than I ever thought possible,” he murmurs. “So much more.”

“When are you going to let me drive?” “Easy, never.”

“Seriously?” “Only one other person has a key to this car, and it won’t ever be used.” “You know I’ll be searching Sean’s room from top to bottom, right?” His chest bounces. “Good luck with that.” “I will drive this car someday, Dominic. Bet on it.”

“Dom?” “Yeah?” “What do you want, you know, for the future?” He’s silent for long seconds, and I assume he won’t answer. “It’s not a stupid question.” Another beat of silence. “Nothing.”

“You are in.”

Time to kick, Cecelia.

“I’m thinking I forgot who the fuck I am.”

He tracks the tear sliding down my cheek. “I have to let you go for now,” he grimaces, and for the first time since that night we spent alone, his emotion shines through. “But I don’t fucking want to.”

“Cecelia, you are the secret.”

“I love you. And I’ve been in love with you since this started, Cecelia. And you fucking know it.”