Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“Nice to finally meet the guy who was fucking with my head,” Luke says as Cody reaches the bottom of the steps.
Cody’s expression twists up. “Sorry for our strange introduction.” He stops a few feet short of Luke. “I wanted to explain in person. I was trying to affect your mood, not tap into that particular incident in your life. It sort of sucked me in without warning. And then you really knocked me down after that.”
“From what I understand, you learned your lesson,” Luke says, “but I appreciate the apology.”
Cody inspects his own arms, then turns to me. “Ooh, this energy between the two of you is intense. You guys have been going at it like fucking dogs.”
“Fucking knew it,” Seth mutters, shooting me a look, his disapproval loud and clear.
But I’m too pissed about what Cody just did to give a damn. “Cody, the hell? Don’t read him without his consent! I don’t go around making you hard for me, so—”
“I’d have to be attracted to you for you to make me hard for you,” he says. “And you’re not really my type, beefcake. Maybe give me the benefit of the doubt. He’s practically shooting this at me right now.”
That makes more sense. There were a few times when Cody slipped into my head when he was first learning how to use his powers, but he’s always been respectful of boundaries.
Luke looks at me with wide eyes. “I’m not doing anything.”
“This is our issue,” Cody says. “You are, but you don’t realize it.”
Cody turns his palms to face Luke, who steps back, turning to me. “What’s he doing?”
“Relax,” Cody says. “You’re radiating energy. I’m just trying to get a feel for it.”
“You can trust him,” I assure Luke, who takes a breath, relaxing his shoulders.
Cody closes his eyes, moving his hands back and forth in the air, and I wish I could tell him to stop acting like a freak. We need Luke to trust us, but Cody doesn’t seem to give a shit how weird he looks as he persists until he opens his eyes and rests his arms at his sides. “I noticed it when I saw you at the field that day, before I tried to influence your mood. But it’s gotten stronger since then.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Have you heard of auras? It’s not exactly that, but this energy around you… I can’t see it, but I can feel it. It’s like the air is a little thicker here, harder for my hands to pass through. Sorry, I’m making you anxious. Would you like to sit down?”
“I’m fine standing.”
I don’t need Cody’s intuitive abilities to detect how defensive Luke sounds.
“Look, can we cut it with the bullshit?” Luke says. “I didn’t come here to hear about auras or talk about how thick the air is. I want answers.”
“Just show him,” I tell Cody, who glances between us, then nods.
“Okay,” he says. “I was trying to make this less awkward, but that’s obviously not working, so let’s get to it. Luke, you mind taking off your clothes?”
Luke’s jaw drops.
Hope he’s ready for shit to get weird.
11
LUKE
Take off my clothes?
The hell?
“Just do it,” Cody says. “I’m not perving on you, dude.”
An odd request, for sure, but now Cody and I are seated in the center of the pentagram, cross-legged and facing one another, in just our underwear. Part of me is convinced that any minute now one of their other buddies will jump out from somewhere, displaying a phone as they record the ridiculous bullshit I fell for. Brad will hunch over laughing that his little Straight Boy was such a fucking sucker, and I’ll go viral for what would go down in history as one of the most epic cases of bullying ever.
But maybe that’s wishful thinking—that I would prefer an ordinary explanation over an extraordinary one, even if it meant my complete and utter humiliation.
With his eyes closed, hands resting on his knees, Cody takes deep, steady breaths.
“Seth, if you could come here,” he says. “I might need to borrow some energy.”
Seth doesn’t question his friend, just moves closer before Cody goes on, “And, Brad—”
Brad starts toward us, but Cody raises his hand. “Back the fuck up because your energy is interfering.”
“Maybe he should leave,” Seth says.
“That’s not fucking happening,” Brad replies through his teeth, and he and Seth exchange tense looks.
For guys who seemed pretty damn chummy when I first arrived at St. Lawrence, now they seem a few choice words away from a fight. I’m sure I have plenty to do with that, but I’m glad Brad’s sticking around for whatever the hell Cody’s about to do. I’ve only just barely started to trust Brad since he opened up the other night. But I definitely trust him more than his two buddies, who I don’t know shit about.