Fuck.
“Alexei?”
I’m relieved to hear Matteo’s voice. I push to my feet, sniffling before opening the stall door, finding him standing outside.
“I’m never gonna find out, am I?” I can’t bring myself to say more than that.
I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around him, and he pulls me close. My body erupts into a feverish tremble as I sob against him. This is so fucking painful, tearing me apart, but in his arms, I feel safe. And like no matter how bad it gets, somehow I’ll survive this pain.
25
MATTEO
Preston sits cross-leggedin the church cellar, a few feet from the pentagram, levitating five pebbles off the ground. He keeps most frozen in the air with his powers, orbiting one around the others.
The Saints are gathered on one side, closer to the door, and I stand with the Sinners on the other side, watching Preston perform his trick. Alexei’s the only one missing—he went to pick up food for everyone, which is why we’re not broaching more substantial topics.
Yet.
It’s been less than a week since our encounter with Syphor, the entity that controlled the Saints and the other guys at Alpha Alpha Mu. Since Finnegan and Cody were released from the hospital, some members of the Saints and the Sinners have been communicating more, but everyone agreed we needed time to process what happened before regrouping the following Wednesday. Now the Saints and Sinners are swapping secrets and tips about their powers.
As Preston continues displaying his talent, sweat slides down his face, trickling from his jaw. His expression twists up, and he grits his teeth before dropping the pebbles, whichrattle as they hit the cement floor. He catches his breath as if he’s been doing bench-press reps at the gym. It’s clearly not as effortless as when he was using his powers at the frat house.
“See?” Preston says. “It’s more of a strain to concentrate on keeping the others up and then moving just one. Also requires more focus. But it helps me do things that used to take a lot more concentration.”
“But this doesn’t account for what we saw you do that day,” Luke tells him.
“Cody and I were texting about this,” Preston says. “Syphor had a better understanding of how to use my powers because he’s from the Rift, which we always called the Other Side…that’s how it’s written in the Manual.”
The Manual is their version of the Sinners’ Bible, which, as he said, they discovered in the wall at Alpha Alpha Mu. Unlike the Sinners, they don’t know where this mysterious notebook came from, but given what’s happened since it’s been in their hands, it can’t be anything good.
“That’s how I was with Kysar,” Cody says. “He could heal Alexei through me, pretty effortlessly, in a way I can’t without him.”
“So Pres can’t just hoist one of us into the air again right now?” I ask. “Like you did with Alexei?”
“I could get some of you up for a bit. Cody’d be a breeze,” he says with a smile. “But not without using up a ton of energy. It would take me out for a week or so.”
“From our conversations,” Cody says, addressing the Sinners, “and just knowing what Luke is capable of, if Syphor thought I was the strongest, I can’t even imagine the kind ofpower possessing me would have given him.”
“Who knew our little Cody would be the most powerful of the group,” Brad says playfully.
“I knew how powerful you were,” Seth says without hesitation, and he and Cody share a glance. Their eyes are lit up, their lips curled into subtle smiles in a way that leaves me wondering if there isn’t more going on between them than they let on.
“So clearly, we have a lot to learn from each other,” Brad tells the Saints.
“Eh, well, we clearly have a lot to show you,” Preston says, “but you haven’t really shown us whatyoucan teach us.” His delivery is particularly cocky, something I’m more familiar with than what he was like right after they escaped Syphor’s grasp. “Kidding,” he adds. “I definitely think there’s a lot to gain by teaming up. And we’re happy to share what we’ve learned if you are willing to do the same.”
There’s been talk from Brad and Cody about how I need to start training with them. I haven’t had a chance to really get my head around what that looks like or even to grasp what I can do outside of what happened with Syphor. I can’t exactly start jumping into people’s heads all over the place, but knowing that something even worse than Syphor could be coming, I’m willing to try.
A sound from upstairs catches my attention, and excitement pulses through me. “I’ll be right back.” I have to keep myself from taking off at a sprint, trying to play it cool as I head upstairs.
Alexei approaches with two bags in his hands. He’s lessthan a foot from me when his gaze catches mine, and I close the distance for a kiss. Placing my hands on his cheeks, I slide my tongue in his mouth.
We’re shameless with our licks and nibbles, and I squat with him as he sets the bags down before I urge him against the wall, pushing the thick erection beneath my fly against him, offering a thrust he reciprocates. Makes me think of the many fucks we’ve shared since last week. The fucks we might never have had another chance to share if Syphor had followed through with his plan.
I finally pry away from Alexei and inspect his expression. After Preston delivered the news that the Saints won’t be able to help him with information about his brother, he struggled for a few days, but there’s that light in his eyes again. My Alexei’s coming back to me, slowly but surely. However long it takes, I’m here for him.
“I’ve only been gone fifteen minutes,” he says.
