Page 61 of Out of My Flocking Mind

He started with a chuckle, but it grew quickly until it was loud enough that Harrison and Ignis must have heard it. I stared at him until the moment suddenly struck me as equally hilarious. All our years together and brother and sister and we’d both hidden so much.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised by this,” he said, breathless from the laughter. “If anyone was going to end up in the middle of something as messy as the Spirit Council, of course it would have been you. And after so many years of me being terrified that someone would find out about my family and use it against me, it turns out my sister has a Council seat.” He shook his head. “I bet Mom would be laughing if she knew about this.”

“Somehow it seems fitting that her kids would be here, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does,” he agreed, sitting back after catching his breath. “Are you really okay, though? I know you better than most people, and you look exhausted. You like to hide things, to keep it all to yourself, but I can see it wearing on you. I might not be a Spirit, but I’m always here to help you however I can.”

“Why do you think I’m here?”

“Because I’m the only doctor you know who would answer the phone at three in the morning?”

“That’s why you’re the best brother.”

“You won’t be saying that after you see my bill.”

“If I didn’t pay you when I lost your bike, I’m not paying for this, either. It’s called a sibling tax.”

“Lucky me.” He moved his gaze to the wall, toward where Harrison and Ignis were, as though he could see them there. “I’m serious, though. You need to be careful. I’ve seen what happens when people get mixed up in Spirit affairs. You might sort of be one of them, but that doesn’t mean you’re on the same level. It’s still their world. Don’t ever forget that, because I don’t want the next call I get in the middle of the night to be identifying your body.” The conversation felt far too personal, too serious. Joshua must have felt it as well, because he softened his expression and smiled. “If that happened, what would happen at the next family dinner? Who would we make fun of if you’re not there?”

And just like that, he eased the pressure in my chest, the fear that I’d lost my family.

He might be right that I didn’t really belong in the Spirit world, but he’d always reminded me of an important truth. No matter what happened, I had family and a place with them.

Chapter Fifteen

Kelvin didn’t seem to fit in at Harrison’s house. The last time he’d been here, I’d hardly noticed since I’d been so sick. The next morning it had been awkward, but I’d worked hard to pretend it hadn’t been.

Somehow, this time, it was all the more obvious.

He’d shown up as soon as the sun had set, just after I’d forced myself out of bed. After being out until the sun had risen the night before, Harrison and I had managed food and a shower before sleeping the entire day away. I hadn’t even gotten dressed yet, since somehow sleeping all day never made me feel quite rested enough.

“Where’s Harrison?” Kelvin asked as he peered around the living room. “He’s normally hanging all over you.”

I hiked my thumb toward the hallway. “Sleeping. We had a sort of long night.”

One corner of Kelvin’s lips curled up into a suggestive smirk. “Oh really?”

“Not like that.”

“Pity. That would have been more amusing. So if that wasn’t the case, why did you not get enough sleep? I can see by those dark circles you should probably be napping as well.”

“Well, we got a bit closer to the guy stalking me.”

“That’s good. Do you need help?”

Yes. Despite me wanting to say yes, I didn’t know what he could really do. Worse, I had no idea what Ryder might do to a vampire if he set his sights on him. The memory of Trey, who still had failed to wake, kept me from asking Kelvin. “No,” I said. “We’re getting closer—don’t worry.”

“So all you need is my bite?”

“Do you have to come right out and say that?”

He shrugged, somehow acting as if he were at home, as though he belonged here even when I knew damn well he didn’t. “I like the idea that we’re bound. It’s also nice to know that you have to deal with me. You can’t just ignore and avoid me anymore. It might not be what you wanted, but now that we can’t change it, I might as well enjoy it.” He sat on the couch, then put his feet up on the table the same way I often did. “Now, I told you last time, I won’t fuck you until you ask me when you’re still in your right mind. That means right now is the time you get to tell me if you want that or not.”

“Talk about being pushy.”

“It’s not pushy. Pushy would be to bite you, then listen to your venom-addled mind when you beg me. I’m being a gentleman, though, and letting you make the choice before I bite you. So the deal is, you have to tell me you want me to fuck you, out loud, before we start. Until you do that, I won’t do it.”

“Well, you better get used to disappointment, because I am never going to say that. I don’t have a choice about accepting your bite—because of you—but that doesn’t mean I’m ever going to trust you any further.”

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