Page 45 of Out of My Flocking Mind

“You need to come over.”

“I’m working. Can I come later?”

Galen paused, as though he really didn’t want to keep talking, didn’t want to tell me whatever perched at the end of his tongue. He sighed, his voice softening in a way that suggested this was serious. “No, you can’t come later. It’s Trey.”

The phone fell from my hand, all the fears that had swamped me earlier rising again. I knew without hearing another word this was bad fucking news.

Just like I’d thought earlier—the moment I got close to anyone, I fucked their lives right up.

* * * *

I didn’t bother knocking on Galen’s door, twisting the handle and barreling inside like it was my own place. Then again, I’d broken in here often enough, and this time, he’d at least called me.

Harrison was on my heels, but he paused at the threshold.

Galen walked down the stairs, and the fact he didn’t look annoyed by my entry told me how serious the situation must have been. He glanced behind me, then nodded at Harrison, giving him permission to enter.

Later, I’d probably get myself a lecture about how, as a council seat, I needed to remember things like decorum more. However, if I caused a war with a little breaking and entering, it was only my problem. Plus, we were talking about Galen here—he was used to things like this.

“Where is he?” I rushed out, not waiting before heading toward the stairs. The bedrooms were all upstairs, so I had to guess that’s where they’d put an injured guest.

Galen caught my arm before I got past him, pulling me to a stop halfway up the staircase. “He’s resting.”

“So? I want to see him.”

“You need to calm down first. Do you really think he you’ll help anything half-cocked right now?”

I opened my mouth to tell him that he was welcome to kiss the whole of my ass, but snapped it shut before the insults went flying. He wasn’t wrong. This was my fault, and the last thing Trey needed was me making this all about me. I took a deep breath, trying to pull the scraps of my temper together into a patchwork version of self-control, to ignore the energy that soared around inside me, the desire to get up there and make sure Trey was alive.

Galen hadn’t given me much information, telling me to come and see for myself. All I knew for sure was that Trey had been brought here, and that wouldn’t have happened unless he’d gotten seriously hurt.

“Okay,” I admitted, trying to keep my voice steady. “See, I’m fine. Not acting crazy at all.”

Galen lifted one of his dark eyebrows from behind his glasses, the look saying he didn’t trust me a bit. I couldn’t really blame him for that, though. I could make the trip from sane to bat-shit-crazy in one little hop. It was the only cardio I ever did. Finally, he nodded and released me. “Third room on the left.”

I bolted past him, taking the steps two at a time, until I arrived at the door to the room he’d indicated. I didn’t bother knocking—if I wasn’t going to at the front door, I wouldn’t inside the house, either. I opened it, finding the room brighter than it ought to be. I’d expected some old Victorian room, something dim with stone walls and some wasting away sickly child. Maybe that was just the stupid part of my brain focusing on foolishness to make the situation less dire.

Instead, I found a brightly lit room, sun streaming in through the open window, and Trey stretched out on the bed. His eyes were closed, but I didn’t see any injuries on him. No black eyes, no broken bones, nothing like that.

“What’s wrong with him?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “I thought he’d gotten hurt, but he looks fine.”

“He’s a Werebear,” Galen said from just behind me. “And a strong one at that. There aren’t a lot of Spirits who could tangle with him physically.”

“So what’s wrong with him?”

“Cloud.” Harrison stood at the doorway, staring at the boy’s still body on the bed. “I can feel it from here. Someone used Cloud and invaded his mind.”

“That’s what I figured. He hasn’t regained consciousness, not since he was found on the side of a road.”

“The side of a road?” I drew my hands into tight fists. “You’re telling me someone just dropped him like trash?”

“Seems that way. A nurse at the hospital realized what he was, so she called me. I had him brought here because I have no idea what this might do to a Were, and the last thing we need is a crazed Werebear running amok. Seemed safer to have him here. We made sure the police weren’t involved and we already contacted his foster family to let them know.”

I turned back toward Harrison. “You saved me when I got attacked. Can’t you do something?”

Harrison pressed his lips together—a pretty obvious no—but moved past Galen and me to the side of the bed. He held his hand over Trey’s face, then set it against his forehead. A rush of power filled the room, but it wasn’t violent. Rather than a quick moving river that might sweep a person away, it felt like the ebb and flow of the waves in the ocean—undeniably powerful but not as volatile.

It again reminded me that while Harrison’s power might not be as obvious as other types of spirits, it was no less impressive.

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