Reese

ChapterTwenty-Seven

“Incoming,” Graves warns, just before I hear the telltale sound of keys jangling.

I slip my feet back into my sneakers and yank my hoodie on, wanting to be prepared for anything.

I watch the others out of the corner of my eye do the same thing, except for Law. With a nod of his head, he slips into the bedroom area.

I walk around the half-wall that hides the gate from view and bite back a curse when I see it’s that asshole from before. He looks up at me as he opens the gate. I watch as his free hand slips to the back of his pants.

The asshole is armed. Huh.

I keep my arms loose in front of me and my hands in his view.

“Titus has requested an audience with you.”

“One of our team is sick. Looks like a stomach bug. He’s in the bathroom hugging the toilet, but I can grab him too if you want.”

The asshole’s face scrunches up in distaste. “The invitation is just for you and Deity. The others can stay here. As for your sick teammate, the rules only require four of you to fight,” he says this part with a smile that makes me feel like taking a shower.

We were always only going to fight as a team of four, but his reaction makes me feel like he’s up to something. Why would he care either way how many of us fought?

I change the subject. “Who is Deity?”

“The female from the opposing team. Hurry up. We don’t have all day.”

Must not punch. Must not punch.

“Sorry, what’s your name?”

“Philip.” He scowls as if offended that I have no idea who he is. But why would I?

“Philip, right. Let me just tell the guys.” I spin and see Vega, Graves, and Blink watching me with pissed-off expressions.

“You heard?”

“Yeah, and I don’t like it.”

“Luckily, it’s not up to you,” Philip crows from behind me.

A snarl has me looking up just in time to grab for Graves before he launches himself at Philip.

“Hey, it’s fine. I can handle myself, remember?” I tell him quietly, cupping his jaw right around the time I realize I’m dealing with Glitch.

“Hey, big guy. I was wondering when you’d make an appearance. I need you to go over everything with the guys before Graves comes back, so everything is fresh in both of your minds.”

His breathing is heavy, his eyes burning into Philip’s skull. Gradually, after a minute or two, he looks down at me, his jaw tight and his eyes wild.

“I know what’s happening.”

“Then it won’t take you long to go over it one last time, will it? Besides, you might think of something the others missed.”

I’m amazed by Glitch and how self-aware he is. In theory, he makes a more suitable host than Graves. He’s aware of each of the alters past and present, more so than Graves, but Glitch retreats, and I can go days without seeing him.

He nods and presses a hard, quick kiss to my lips before stepping back.

Vega and Blink close in on him in case they need to grab him, but Glitch keeps his cool for now.

“If she gets hurt, I’ll remove each of your organs with a spoon and feed them to you,” he snarls at Philip. Wisely, Philip stumbles back through the gate and away from him.