Brad tilts his head. “You think I’m gonna do something to him if you’re not around?”
I’ve got so much shit racing through my brain, from things I’ve already seen with my own eyes, to things theSaints have told me about, to things that came up tonight. “I don’t trust you guys.”
Brad winces. “Yeah, you’ve been lying to us all this time, but we’re the bad guys here.”
“You haven’t exactly been upfront about what you’ve been up to,” Matteo spits out, which catches Brad’s attention.
“Sure,” Brad says, raising his hands in surrender. “I think we could benefit from a little time to think this through.”
“Well, let’s just get back,” Seth says. “Cody’s warm, and I want to get some washcloths on him.”
13
MATTEO
Iwake inBrad’s bed. The morning light filtering through the window is fucking bright, nearly blinding me. I groan. What a rough night. I’m drained, my muscles sore, this foul taste in my mouth, like I’ve been licking mud. I’m colder than normal—and not from the freezing temperature I was in half the night. It’s something deeper that hits me at my core.
My mind races through everything that happened: That man attacking me in bed. Biting Brad while he was restraining me. Vague impressions of being led out of the dorms and through the woods. A disembodied voice saying vile things to Alexei. Lying on the church floor as the guys fought around me.
I was seeing through my eyes, hearing through my ears, but in a detached way, watching all this as a viewer, not a participant.
When I first woke in the church cellar, surrounded by the guys, I couldn’t make sense of why I was there. I had some wild theories—that maybe Alexei was in on whatever fucked-up shit these guys were involved in, and his whole bit about needing me to help him with his spell was just some ritual sothey could offer me up as a sacrifice. Despite all the confusing shit that came up, I was relieved when it became clear they didn’t know what Alexei and I had done or what we know about their weird-ass magic club.
When we got back to the dorms, I had so many questions, but after my initial jolt of adrenaline, I came crashing down. Alexei brought up the monster shit again, but I was nauseous as fuck by that point. Some combination of what happened and all the information racing through my confused brain. I needed to lie down, even if just for a minute.
I somehow managed to brush my teeth and shower, and I vaguely remember getting back to the room and Alexei saying,“I’ve got you. I’ll keep you safe.”Then I passed the fuck out.
Now that I’m awake, I feel so dirty. I know it’s not just about being controlled physically, but from being violated in my own mind. I seal my eyes for a moment, bracing myself for the bright light before opening them again.
Alexei stands at the window, gazing out. I don’t imagine he got much sleep last night, if any.
When I sit up, I notice the salt circle surrounding the bed. I have a faint recollection of Brad and Luke being in here, setting this up to make sure I couldn’t get out if that thing took over my body again.
As I’m adjusting against the headboard, Alexei says, “Matteo?” and rushes toward me. I read the concern all over his expression, behind the black and blue where Seth hit him, poking at a fury within me.
“When I see Seth again, I’m gonna kick his goddamn ass,” I spit out.
“It’s fine,” he insists, though he looks like I feel.
Still, even with a few bad bruises, the guy’s sexy as hell.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, stopping short of the salt barrier.
“Maybe if COVID and a hangover had a baby, and that baby was crying inside me…does that make sense?”
His brow creases, but he smiles. “I’ve never had symptomatic COVID, so not really, but at least you sound like yourself.”
That small smile dissipates quickly, though, turning into a frown. Reminds me of how he looked after we left the church, like he’s been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Areyouokay?” I ask. “Do you need to put ice on that?”
“I’ve been putting ice on it, but thank you, doc,” he teases. “I’ll be fine.”
I know it’s true, but I still fucking hate Seth for going feral on his ass like that.
“And how’s Cody doing?”
“Luke texted that he’s still sleeping, but other than that, seems okay. Like something that’s happened to him before when he’s used his powers.”
