“So...” Cam shook his head. “Whatever.”
Alexei rolled his eyes. “Is okay, wingman. My car is outside and it’s fast enough that I can reach you if you need me.”
That wasn’t what I’d meant, was it? Fuck. I had no idea. It was a rare thing that words fell out of me by accident, but it happened with Cam. Always with Cam. And now Alexei too.
You are so fucked.
Cam pulled Alexei close and whispered something in his ear. Alexei smiled; then he opened the door.
He glanced at me.
I didn’t move or speak, and he slipped outside, shutting the door behind him.
The air he left in his wake was heavy.
Suffocating.
I clenched my fists, choking on the rock that settled in my throat, unable to decipher why him leaving hurt so much.
Go after him.
But why? What was I going to do? Drag him back to my cave?
No. But I couldn’t let him go. Not like this.
I ripped the door open and darted out of the house.
Alexei was at his car, door open, about to slide behind the wheel.
I caught his shoulder.
He let me.
Then I gripped his chin and kissed him. The chaos inside me settled, and it dawned on me that maybe, just maybe, this strange new world was fucking real.
2
Cam
I took my awkward one-armed turn in the shower while Saint prowled around like a caged animal. Though I knew him well enough to figure it was because he’d been inside too long, I wondered if kissing Alexei had riled him up as much as it had me.
If he knew I’d watched every second of it from the open door, just barely resisting the urge to take my dick in my hand.
Dirty sod.
Yup. But even banged up, who could blame me? Saint and Alexei. Alexei and Saint. They were my wildest wet dreams as separate entities. Together? Fuck. A bullet hadn’t killed me, but that just might.
Or the effort of not wanking in the shower.
Saint was nowhere in sight when I got out. I sat on the edge of my bed and baulked at the avalanche of texts and missed calls on the new phone Nash had loaded with my rescued SIM card. I’d missed it going batshit while I’d slept, trusting Nash to raise Saint if he needed me, and knowing that he wouldn’t unless the apocalypse returned.
I called Nash now. He didn’t answer. I left him alone, hoping he was sleeping, and moved on to the next brother.
Embry.
My heart pinched. He’d been hurt far worse than me—a blade to the gut. I remembered Alexei’s words when he’d told Mateo.“There is not much time if you want him to live.” And a shudder rattled through me.We nearly lost him. Embry. Our youngest brother. Our guiding fucking light.
Jesus.
