Flock (The Ravenhood)

“She’s fond of you too. Don’t know why.”

“Sure, you don’t.” She smirks, and I see the subtle upturn of his lips. The air grows thick again and I get an inkling, and study them collectively.

“All done in there, Cee?” His eyes drift from me to Delphine and back again.

“Yeah.” I bob my head.

Tyler resumes his cleaning as I cross the living room to inspect his job on the kitchen. It’s sparkling and reeks of lemon disinfectant—Marine clean. Enough to eat off the floor.

Even if she doesn’t appreciate it, I’ll sleep better, selfish as it may be. I’m thinking Tyler will be sleeping better as well. He clearly has affection for her. I just can’t understand why Dominic wouldn’t try to do this for her himself.

Maybe he has, and gave up like she did.

Dom’s home is always spotless, and his room is as well. That she lives this way by choice is what’s so hard to accept.

Satisfied with our job, I write down an inventory of the groceries we bought for quick reference and leave the list on the counter for her. Delphine’s draining another drink when I reach her. Her Bible open on her lap before she lifts her eyes to mine. Her expression is full of hope.

I fight the emotion budding in my chest and manage to school my features as Tyler wipes the debris off the window ledge next to her. He reads the situation and glances back at the two of us in a stare off before he tosses the rag over his shoulder.

“I’m going to hit the other two rooms.” He excuses himself, his gaze lingering on Delphine before he disappears down the hall.

However, it’s Dominic’s aunt who keeps me captive because the fear in her eyes is real, and it makes me just as fearful for her.

Despite her flippant comments, she’s afraid to die.

If only that quack were real. The one who has proof of His existence, then she wouldn’t be so scared to take the journey. But all she has is faith. All she needs is to keep the faith of the book in her hands. And that has to be enough. This point right here is when faith becomes her burden and possible breaking point. I might have needed to sterilize her environment to feel better about her situation, but what she truly needs isn’t in plastic bags.

She doesn’t bother to ask, and she doesn’t have to. I kneel next to her as she flips through the pages and begins to read.

Back in Tyler’s truck, we collectively stare at the house. She’d thanked us and hugged Tyler for several seconds before she’d given me a slight smile and closed her door. I eye the plants on her porch as he turns the engine over.

“Shit, I forgot to water her porch plants.”

“You’ve done enough.” His whisper is covered in melancholy. I could have asked for directions because I’d forgotten the way, but I needed back-up. It’s a hard situation to deal with, especially letting a stranger in, and I needed that familiarity from Tyler to get through her door. But even with him there, it was still hard, and it’s just as hard now leaving her alone to waste away in that house, especially knowing how scared she is. She may have chosen to stop fighting and die alone, but she doesn’t want to be alone when she gets there.

“She needs to believe,” I look him over. “She’s terrified.”

“I know.” He turns and meets my gaze. “Do you believe in all that shit y’all were talking about?”

“I want to. And if I were told I might die, I damn sure would be praying for my salvation every day. I guess that makes me a hypocrite when it comes to religion. I am because I’m only faithful when it’s convenient.”

His nod is solemn as he peers back toward the house as we continue to idle. “She’s changed a lot, but I can still see her in there.” A reminiscing smile tickles his lips. “And you will never be the heathen she was.”

“You know I have secrets of my own.” I swallow and brave a glance his way. I see no judgment, which only endears him to me. He squeezes my knee briefly and winks.

“You’ve been corrupted.”

“Willingly corrupted.”

“You are good people, Cecelia.” His eyes drift back to the house. “Dominic’s tried for years to get her to start living right. They—” He clears his throat and darts his gaze away, “tried.” He’s in pain. Real pain. And that’s when I know I was right. His eyes light up when he speaks. “You might not see it now from the shape she’s in, but eight years ago, she was one of the most beautiful fucking women to walk this Earth. Her ex ruined her, and she let him.”

“She wasn’t just a crush, was she?”

He slowly shakes his head. “I was comfort for her, but she’s the one who crushed me. Despite being a punk-ass eighteen-year-old, I knew I loved her. He’d left her years before we hooked up. She was already heavy on the bottle and when she sobered up, she made it clear to me I was a mistake. I enlisted right after.”

“Oh my God, Tyler, I’m so sorry.”

He wipes his hand over his face. “It was never going to work anyway. The military was always my plan, and she was too far gone by the time we happened. I—” He shrugs, though I know the weight on his shoulders is too heavy to shake away. “Can’t help who you fall for, right?”