Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
“A fucking monster,” Seth spits out. “Cody and Luke had visions of it escaping, and we used those visions to find it, hunt it, and destroy it. Alexei was there that night, but we thought he didn’t remember. Apparently, he was lying.”
“You knew they unleashed a monster with this stuff?” Matteo asks me.
“Yes,” I confess.
“Why didn’t you mention that before we did the spell?”
“At first because I knew you were worried about me, and then when you said you wanted to help, I didn’t think it’d be an issue because I wasn’t using the dark magic these guys used that set that thing loose.”
“Dark magic?” Luke asks.
“You know damn well what you’re playing with here. I was just doing one thing from a source I trusted, knowing once we did it, I would get what I needed and then we’d both move on and never have to deal with it again.”
“What did you need?” Luke asks. “And who is this trusted source?”
“My fucking head,” Matteo says, resting his face in his hands. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take right now.”
“Yeah, this is a lot,” I say. “Can we focus on Matteo and Cody tonight and sort this mess out tomorrow?”
“He’s right,” Seth says. “I need to get Cody back to the dorms and into bed.”
“I have my car nearby,” I tell him.
Seth considers it, clearly not thrilled, but finally says, “Fine. Whatever.”
“What are we gonna do about Matteo?” Brad asks. “We don’t know if that thing in him is gone for good. Maybe we should put a spell on him to make sure he can’t leave the circle. Keep him confined to bed just to be sure.”
“Maybe you should ask him,” I say.
“Brad’s right,” Matteo says before groaning. “I would rather be cautious.”
“And then I can watch him for the rest of the night,” Brad goes on.
“Fuck that,” I tell him. “You and Luke stay in our room, and I’ll stay with Matteo.”
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 the Saints 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
I wake in Brad’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 so they 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.