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)
How he blew my mind yet again?
How he sucked the cum out of me? And then, after I begged, let me drink his up?
Or does Seth want to hear about how Luke teased me with his ass and I shoved him against the door and started dry-humping him? How I could taste how much he wanted me as I licked his flesh? How I could hear the desire when he moaned, and how he ran his hand through my hair, like his entire body, his every move, was beckoning me to take what was rightfully mine?
Of course that’s not what Seth’s asking about, but it’s hard to think about much else, even when I know there are more important things to get to.
“I figured neither of you is planning to run away from St. Lawrence, so I didn’t see the harm in waiting a few hours.” I can’t disguise my irritation.
“Okay, okay,” Cody says. “We’re all stressed. Brad, I’m making chocolate shakes with espresso for Seth and me. How about I make you one too and then we’ll get into this?”
Unsurprisingly, Cody has a better grasp of what I need right now.
“I’m in,” I say, settling on the love seat in the main part of the dorm room.
Seth joins me, sitting on the arm.
Neither of us speaks as Cody runs the blender for a minute, but every time Seth glances my direction, I can feel his curiosity burning into my skin.
“He obviously couldn’t read most of the book,” I say, “so he came by to ask me what it said.”
“And you told him,” Seth says. It’s not a question; it’s an accusation.
“Of course I told him. He has a right to know.”
Seth spits out, “Maybe we should have discussed that or at least decided what you could tell him, you know, as a group.”
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s in the group already, whether he chose to be or not.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“Seth,” Cody says from the kitchenette. “What did we talk about?”
Seth grunts. “Brad, I’m sorry. I know it seems like I’m not listening to you right now, but it feels like you aren’t listening to us either.”
Sounds like Cody attempted to get ahead of a fight, but I doubt Seth is going along with whatever script Cody gave him, since Cody would have worded this in a way that didn’t leave me annoyed as fuck.
“My issue, Seth, is that you aren’t listening to Luke. Just because he wasn’t a member with us from the beginning doesn’t mean he doesn’t have feelings or that this isn’t affecting him.”
“Oh God. This is that stupid lust thing you’ve been dealing with.”
“And now you’re not listening to me. You can’t dismiss me every time I advocate for him. That’s not fair to either of us.”
Cody steps around the island with two travel mugs in hand and hands one to each of us. “You two make all men look like a bunch of antagonistic asshats. Seth, why don’t you tell him the concerns you shared with me earlier, without criticizing or accusing?”
Sometimes I find Cody using his psych courses annoying, but in this case, it might actually help.
“This is exactly what Luke’s dad and Josh Dobbers were concerned would happen,” Seth says. “The wrong person getting their hands on this stuff.”
“Luke isn’t the wrong person,” I insist.
“How could you possibly know that? How can you be sure when he’s the reason this thing has already killed at least one person? We don’t know Luke. We don’t know what he could do now that he knows he has this power.”
“But you said it yourself: as long as he has all this power and doesn’t realize it, he’s dangerous. If we explain this to him, help him control his powers, maybe he won’t be.”
Seth’s gaze wanders, like for the first time, he’s seriously considering something I’ve said. I’m sure it’s at least in part because of Cody’s intervention.
“So which is more dangerous?” I press. “Him doing this stuff without knowing what it is, or him doing it on purpose?”
“It’s not just that,” Cody says. “Luke can obviously see things without getting wiped out like I do. That could be an advantage against the Slasher.”
This is the first I’ve heard Cody give it a nickname. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
“It’s how the original Sinners referred to it. At least, I think this is similar to something else they encountered.”
“And you’re just telling us this now?” I ask.
“He doesn’t know for sure,” Seth says.
“After Luke mentioned the creature was feeding on blood and fear, I remembered some of the monsters the original Sinners profiled and checked my notes.”
Since discovering the Sinners’ bible, Cody has been working his way through it. He’s got a binder full of translations, which we’ve relied on as we learned how to use our powers and connect with the Guides. It’s also how we know about the history of the Sinners.