Page 59 of Out of My Flocking Mind

A line appeared between his eyebrows, as though those were the last words he’d expected me to say. After a breath, he reached out and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. The action was so quick and unexpected, I let out an embarrassingly loud yelp.

“Sorry,” he whispered, despite not releasing me. “I just never expected you to say that, to willingly remain after you knew everything. Every day that you have been with me, I have feared you discovering the truth and what would happen at that point. I was certain that you would walk out the moment you understood my past, that you realized it was my flesh and blood who had caused you harm. I never thought you would choose to stay.” His breath warmed the side of my neck, and as much as I felt as though I should hate the way he held me…I didn’t.

In fact, I actually rather enjoyed it. What the fuck was wrong with me? Maybe it was just good old-fashioned Stockholm syndrome—I’d been with him so long that I thought we had a connection we didn’t really have. Whatever it was, I let myself savor it, the way his fingers clutched around me, the way he held me so tight, the fact it chased away the chill inside me after my fight with Ryder.

A knock on the door came a moment before it opened, and it happened so fast that despite me jumping backward, I didn’t quite clear the crime scene.

Ignis seeing it would have been embarrassing enough, but it was nothing compared to the heat that rose on my cheeks at the sight of my brother standing there, a clipboard in his arms, his eyes narrowed like he’d just caught me with some boy’s hand down my pants in high school.

Ignis broke the uncomfortable moment by barging in past Joshua, a smile on her face. “Looks like you’ll live,” she said before slapping Harrison on the arm. Seeing her with her brother was a bit strange for me, since she treated him as any sibling would, rather than the reverence others treated him with.

Joshua tore his gaze away from me, then looked down at the clipboard. He opened a file on it and started to read the information printed out. It was one of those times I found myself impressed by him and his whole doctor thing. It was a far cry from the kid who had nearly broken his arm when he fell out of a tree, then hid it from our parents because he didn’t want to get in trouble. It was weird to think of him as an adult.

Hell, I often still thought about making him sit in the backseat if we drove anywhere together.

“If you experience any lingering headaches, if you lose consciousness or if you have any signs of infection, you should go to the hospital immediately. Otherwise, you are welcome to return here in a week and I will check it once more.”

Harrison nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate you spending the time on this—I know it isn’t your normal hours.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens with sisters, I guess. Speaking of…” Joshua gave me a look loaded with a lot of annoyance, then nodded toward the door. “I think I need to have a moment with my sister. If you can excuse us.”

“Of course. We’ll wait here,” Harrison said.

And just like that, I knew I’d get one hell of a lecture.

A few minutes later I sat across the desk from Joshua. Despite me being the older sibling, I sure as fuck felt like the little sister waiting for my older brother to tell me off.

Though I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d done. Yeah, I’d woken him up in the middle of the night so he could tend to my buddy for free, but that was hardly something out of the ordinary for me. Maybe it was what he’d walked in on?

“How do you know that person?” Joshua asked.

So yeah, it’s about what he walked in on.

“He’s a friend,” I hedged.

“And just how did you meet him? What do you know about him?”

I furrowed my brows. “You’ve never given a damn about my friends before. What’s this sudden brotherly concern you’re showing?”

He pressed his lips together, signs of stress all over his face. He wasn’t foolish enough to think I was some blushing maiden who needed his protection, so what the fuck was with this attitude? When he spoke again, he did so slower, like he grappled with his temper. “You should be careful around him.”

“Do you know Harrison or something?”

“So you at least know his name? That’s something, I suppose. I’m serious, though, Grey. I’ve never put my nose into your business before. I’ve always known you were a free spirit and were going to do whatever you want, but this is different. This is serious. For once, just listen to me, please.”

I waved him off, slouching in the chair. “Please. This is hardly the worst thing I’ve done, and out of all the people in my life, Harrison is probably the least likely to be a problem. I mean, come on, I hit him in the temple with a stick and he wasn’t even mad at me! At least, not that mad.”

Joshua pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, then folded his hands on the desk. “You don’t understand. The man in there, he isn’t what he appears to be. Even if he makes you feel a certain way, you can’t trust that.”

His words made my eyebrow lift. “Wait…are you telling me you know what he is?”

Joshua’s eyes widened. Guess that answered it, right? I’d worked so hard to keep my family out of the Spirit world, away from dangers, but from Joshua’s comments, he had to know about it. “How do you know?”

I pointed my finger at him. “That isn’t the point. How the hell do you know about any of that?”

Joshua waved his hands around his office. “How do you think? I run a well-known urgent care clinic here—you really think we wouldn’t get our fair share of Spirits in here? That I wouldn’t figure that out? Spirits have people everywhere to keep their truth a secret, so people like me, we’re made aware of the truth and expected to keep it secret.”

“How long have you known?”

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