Page 76 of Out of My Flocking Mind

“So how can you blame me for what I’m doing?”

“Because I grew up. I look around me now and, well, it’s not so bad. Is my life the one I thought I’d have? Fuck, no. I thought I’d have more money, more orgasms and far fewer annoying men in my life. That’s not what happened, though. By clinging onto what I thought I was supposed to have, it only dragged me down, it only made me angry. Now, though, when I see what my life is like, it isn’t that bad. I have friends, I have family, I have things that I would have never had if that hadn’t happened.”

“Sounds a lot like putting lipstick on a pig.”

“Maybe it is, but if you have to kiss that pig, you can’t tell me lipstick won’t help. Look, we all end up in the position we end up in. You can stomp your feet and act like a victim or you can just fucking get on with it. Instead of you still getting a good life, you ruin the rest of your days yourself. I’m a huge fan of self-sabotage, but is that really what you want?”

Ryder pressed his lips together, his gaze hard. Clearly, the boy didn’t much like getting a taste of reality. Then again, I’d found a lot of Minds tended to not like arguments since they were so used to being able to influence those around them. “You don’t understand,” he said finally, his tone was lower than before. “You can’t understand. You were turned into something more, not something less. Harrison was taken for training to become the next Clan leader. Me? I got shipped off to a human boarding school because they saw no use for me. I didn’t even get to be raised with my family because of Harrison. I wasn’t welcomed in the Spirit world, but I wasn’t human, either. I became a person unwanted everywhere. You got a second world—I lost mine. We are not the same.”

I shook my head. “You’re just comfortable in your anger. You feel safe there, hating everyone, blaming Harrison for everything. Life is a lot simpler when you’re never at fault for anything, isn’t it? When you’re able to point your finger and make it all someone else’s problem? That’s the coward’s way, and I won’t pretend like I haven’t done it a hundred fucking times myself, but at least I can admit it. I don’t hurt others just because it makes my life easier.”

“You really are stupid, aren’t you? Calling me a coward when I’m in charge of you?”

I laughed, the sound bouncing off the interior of the truck cab. “You’re going to do what you want to do with me. I know I don’t have long left—why the fuck would I spend it kissing your ass? Please, bitch. If I’m going to kiss a man’s ass, it’ll be one who’s a lot fucking better than you.”

I barely got the words out before pain echoed through my skull, a blast of power that was sickeningly familiar. It hit me so fast, I nearly missed Ryder’s words. “You don’t seem to understand your position, but you will. I’ll take your mind apart bit by bit until you realize who the better man really is.”

“It’ll always be Harrison,” I forced past my lips despite the pain. “He isn’t better because of his power, but because he doesn’t abuse that power!” I turned my face from his, to look out of the windshield, the darkness of the back road lit only by the glow of Ryder’s headlights. I still had no idea where we were headed, but I had a sinking suspicion we wouldn’t make it that far.

Good riddance.

There, in the center of the headlights, something appeared. I couldn’t make sense of the dark shape at first, but Ryder must have noticed it as well. He slammed the brakes, sending me forward, catching myself on the dashboard. The pain in my head, at least, disappeared. It seemed Ryder had bigger problems to deal with.

The truck came to a hard stop, metal groaning around us. I looked forward, where golden eyes met mine.

Trey?

How the fuck had he gotten here? His huge paws were against the hood of the truck, the metal dented to show that between him and a truck, he easily won. He had his teeth bared, and I really couldn’t tell if he was any saner than he’d been before.

“Fuck,” Ryder muttered, and a glance toward him showed red streaking down his face. He must have hit his head on the steering wheel. As he peered out of the windshield, spotting Trey, he narrowed his eyes, a sure sign that he planned to undo any work he’d done to fix him.

Not on my watch, asshole.

I pressed my back against the door and brought my legs up, then kicked as hard as I could, aiming for Ryder’s head. I made myself a nuisance for him, which was enough to distract him from focusing on Trey.

I’d sacrificed enough—I wasn’t going to let that go to waste by allowing Trey to get brain-fucked now.

Ryder turned his attention on me, grabbing my ankle just as I went to kick him again. Before he could do anything else, the door behind me opened, and I toppled backward. I expected to hit the ground, but to my amazement, that didn’t happen. Instead, someone caught me.

I craned my neck to find Harrison there, relief all over his perfectly crafted face as he stared at me. However, as though all he needed was to find out I was okay, he tore his gaze away from me and focused instead on Ryder.

And fuck if that wasn’t one nasty look. I didn’t see it much from Harrison, but that expression held so much anger. It seemed he’d hit a point where he wasn’t as able to control himself anymore.

Ryder stared back, the two of them looking so damn similar that it threw me. How could two people be so much the same, even share DNA, and yet end up entirely different?

Ryder’s door opened, and Trey reached in—still fully shifted—and yanked him out.

Harrison helped me backward, until I got my feet under me.

“Trey—” I started to say, pulling away to ensure Ryder didn’t attack him again.

“He can’t do anything, not while I’m here,” Harrison assured me. “My powers are far stronger than his, so with me here, even his Cloud isn’t enough to overcome.”

His words reassured me, and before I knew what happened, my knees gave out. Harrison’s hands were still on me, which kept me upright yet again. I let him hold me, thrown by the fact that I’d just been ready to die but now…it didn’t seem that would happen. I’d just been tumbling over a cliff, certain of my own end, but now I had Harrison’s arms around me.

“How are you here?” I asked. “You can’t track me.”

“Galen called me and told me the location of the car. I went there and sensed Trey nearby. I found him at the shop and woke him.”

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