Page 66 of Out of My Flocking Mind

He lifted an eyebrow as though telling me to work that out myself.

Before I could, however, he turned his head toward the front door and narrowed his eyes. His expression was different from any I’d ever seen from him before. It wasn’t playful or amused, it was downright threatening. He stared as though fully ready to fuck up whoever had come in.

I turned to look at the door, but somehow my eyes couldn’t make sense of what I saw. It was too bright, too different, as though something I wasn’t meant to see at all.

Knot reached across and caught my chin, forcing my face back to his. “Go back. I’ll talk to you when it’s safe.”

I didn’t have time to ask him what he meant before I felt myself thrown back into my body with a force that made me bolt upright in bed. Normally returning to myself felt like waking from a dream, something simple and not stressful. There was no doubt that this time was different, however. I had a feeling it was Knot’s fault, as though he’d physically tossed me back into my own body.

But why? He’d never done that before.

His words swirled in my head, and the meaning hit me all at once. He hadn’t met with me not because he was afraid of drawing attention to himself, but because he didn’t want attention drawn to me.

When the fuck did he get all noble?

I sighed and rubbed my face, since it seemed unlikely I’d get back to sleep. My bed was empty, something I found oddly disappointing. Sure, I didn’t expect to find Kelvin or Harrison, but a part of me thought it might not be so bad to wake up and not be alone. Fuck, it might have even been sort of nice…

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, vibrating against the wood. I reached out and grabbed it, then brought it closer, squinting against the bright light in the dark room. I’d gotten a text message, and a few taps and swipes later, I’d brought it up.

If my heart wasn’t already going a mile a minute, it sure as fuck was now.

The words were short and to the point, as expected from a man like Galen, but they got across what I needed to know.

Trey is awake.

* * * *

Galen’s expression dampened my excitement when I arrived at his place. After his first text message, I’d gotten a second telling me to come over in the morning. I could have called him—was almost tempted to do so—but something held me back.

It was the fear of bad news. I didn’t want to call and find out things were worse than I thought, to find out it was bad news. Instead, I allowed myself the giddy few moments of believing everything would be okay.

The look on Galen’s face told me I’d been naïve.

Harrison got out of the passenger seat, having let me drive—I had stolen the car just a few days prior, so clearly he could trust me. He walked behind me, something I appreciated. Too often the men in my life liked to take the lead, liked to act as though I needed them to guide and protect me. Harrison never behaved that way. He always remained behind me, willing to step in if he thought I needed it, but quick to allow me to handle myself the rest of the time.

“You’re here early,” Galen said.

“You said to come at nine.”

“Sure, but you’re always late. You getting here at nine is unheard of.”

“So, you’re funny in the mornings, huh?” I paused at the front door, waiting for the first time before going in. Usually, I barged in—often completely uninvited. Things like social rules and expectations weren’t things I cared much about. However, this time, I hesitated at the threshold.

I didn’t want to go in. Up until now, I’d thought that Trey would wake up eventually, that he was just taking his sweet ass time. Now, though? Now that he had, I had no idea what exactly that meant. What if he wasn’t him anymore? What if Galen had to kill him?

Over my dead fucking body.

Harrison stopped a few steps back, as though giving me a moment of privacy. That was fair, though. This might be an issue with the Minds, but the victim was a Were. That put it strictly in Galen’s jurisdiction.

“You don’t have to do this,” Galen said, his voice low. “You don’t need to see him.”

“Guess that means I don’t need to ask how he is.”

“Harrison warned you that if he did wake up, it might not be good news.”

I nodded, trying to force myself to smile even if I didn’t feel like it at all. “Yeah, I guess he did. Still, I have to see him.”

“Why?”

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