“Sorry, I’m supposed to break the circle to let you out.”
“Couldn’t have given me a heads-up, at least?”
“I didn’t know what it was going to do. They didn’t explain how it would keep you in. Just that it would.”
“Fair enough.” And really, with how I’m feeling already, what does it matter if I pile on a little extra pain?
He breaks the circle with his shoe, and I move over it cautiously. Luke and Brad brought Alexei his toiletries and a change of clothes for the night, so we head to the showers. I take a quick rinse, then vigorously brush my teeth until I get that horrible taste out of my mouth. Once I manage that, I hop into my clothes, and Alexei and I head out to the diner, where we find a booth by the window. When the waiter comes by, we ask for coffees.
After Alexei orders a sandwich and fries, I say, “Can I get the stack of pancakes—the pecan ones? And can I get some peanut butter on the side with them? Some syrup too…maple. The hash browns Gone Bad with chili. Sausage links. And a cup of vanilla ice cream.”
“We’re out of ice cream,” the waiter says.
I groan. “Just seems to be my luck the past few days. In that case, a pecan pie.”
“Anything else?”
“No, we’re good,” I say, but as the waiter starts to walk away, I call him back. “Could you also bring a cup of espresso with my coffee?”
When the waiter finally escapes, Alexei’s eyes are wide, surely because of my monstrous order.
“Guess being possessed makes me a hungry boy.” I shrug, trying to make light of what was a truly horrific experience.
As Alexei cringes, I study his injuries. I lean over the table, rest my hand against his cheek as I assess them. When I touch his flesh, there’s that spark, reminding me of the nightwe shared for that first ritual.
The one that started all this trouble.
“The swelling’s not too bad,” I say, running my thumb across his cheek, not because of his injuries, but because it’s something I wanted to do. Feels good, feels right.
I pull my hand away and sit back in my seat.
“Seth’s got a good right hook,” he says. “But I think Cody’s…” He stops himself, searching around like he’s worried someone might be listening in.
“Really? I’m pretty sure I could say a serial killer possessed me last night, and even if someone overheard me, I’m not terribly concerned.”
“Good point. Whatever Cody did helped, but I still had to take some ibuprofen this morning. He can do a lot more than that, though. I’m sure you’ve noticed the scar on my stomach.” I nod, and he says, “The night that monster got out, it put a rod right through me there.”
That explains why he didn’t have it until recently.
He swallows, his expression tense. “I didn’t think I was gonna survive. I blacked out, but then I felt this sensation, like vibrating all over, and then I was coming in and out. I saw Cody had his hands on me. His eyes were black like they got last night. By the time I came to, the rod wasn’t in me, and in the spot where it had been, there was just this scar.”
“Guess we can ask him about it tonight.” Because God knows, I have plenty of questions for the guys.
“Yeah,” Alexei says as the waiter returns with coffees and my espresso.
I’m already drinking mine before he heads off.
“So…” I say, setting my cup down, “I’m assuming we’re in agreement that doing the ritual tonight is off.”
He glares at me. “It’s all off.” I can hear the disappointment in his voice as he runs his thumbs around the rim of his coffee mug. In this unguarded moment, I see the pain in his expression, the torment over his missing brother, and it tugs at something within me.
“I’m so sorry, Alexei. I really did want it to work.” As his gaze meets mine, a wave of emotion pulses through me.
“You have his face.”
A part of me wants to open up, to let him know he’s not alone in his pain, but this isn’t the place for it.
“It’s gonna be so fucking awkward when we see them later,” he says.
