Page 11 of Dybbuk's Detritus

Rurik 9.

“Fucking Aleph!” I mumble to myself, my phone clutched tightly in my hand. He went off on his own, barking orders and looking sexy as fuck while he did it. Not fair.

“Aleph-Tav!” Chloe’s barking startles me, a manly chirp escaping my throat at her arrival. Magnus and Senka follow behind her, their small smiles pleasant, compared to Chloe who resembles The Joker.

“Don’t yell! I just about shit my pants.” I scold her, but she isn’t fazed in the least. She aims a sassy smirk at me.

“You probably could, being all stretched out by that big aleph cock!” Her winks and nudges are nauseating. And how right she is, boy is gifted.

I roll my eyes, directing my focus to Magnus and Senka. “We did as you asked, Aleph-Tav. The Family is under the protection of the net, Bronimir and the guards are preparing. Can you explain what Theo said?”

“Thank you, Magnus. Theo said the dybbuk was close, but it wasn’t to the village yet. He just took off to find it.” I say exasperatedly, my fingers running through my hair.

“Go on! Tell him, Maggie.” Chloe vibrates next to us with excitement.

“I hate when you call me that.” Magnus hisses. He takes a deep breath, but before he can speak, Chloe cuts him off. Apparently, she’s run out of patience.

“We did it! We found a way to make it human!” Luckily, I’m close to a wall, otherwise I would have been tackled to the ground by the force of her hug. Over her shoulder I catch Magnus’ eye.

“You did? Are you sure? It could be here anytime now; we have to be ready.”

He nods, sharing a quick glance with Senka. “We have, Aleph-Tav. We are sure of it. I spoke with Theo’s grandfather and the shaman of his convocation. Lovely fellows. We must get close to the dybbuk, in order to bind and corporealize, it needs to be feeding.” Closing his eyes on a wince, his implication washes over me painfully.

“Someone must die?” I can’t fathom risking the life of any member of our Family, let alone anyone else. “No, as Aleph-Tav, I cannot allow someone to take on that risk. It should be me.”

“Rurik!” Chloe shouts, nearly shattering my ear drum. “Don’t be fucking stupid! You are the Aleph-Tav, you cannot sacrifice yourself, our Family needs you.” She leans in close to me. “I need you. Theo needs you.”

Patting her back, I stand to my full height of not much and square my shoulders. “Chloe, it cannot be anyone else.”

“Chloe, Aleph-Tav is right.” She gasps and whirls on Magnus, fire burning in her eyes. No really, I see literal flames. He holds his hands up in a placating manner, “He is the strongest of us. Especially now that he is mated. No one else stands a chance of surviving the dybbuk while we cast. You know this.”

The fire in her eyes flame out, her body deflating. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” I chuckle at her grump, pulling her into my arms to comfort her.

“Chloe, I trust you, Senka and Maggie—” I ignore Magnus’ growl, “to take care of me. I trust Theo to be my anchor.” I don’t feel half as confident as my words imply. My heart pounds erratically in my chest as I think about facing the dybbuk and possibly losing my soul. Having it sucked right from my body. Being left a husk, a mummified version of myself. Gah, how unattractive would that be? No open casket funeral for me.

“You have to fight Rurik; the Family needs you. You and Theo both.” She pleads, her eyes wide and imploring like a little girl.

I scoff, pushing her away. “Well, I’m not just going to roll over and take it. I only do that for Theo.”

“Is sex the only thing you two think about?” Magnus grumbles.

“They aren’t the only ones. You should think about letting Minus out to play every once in a while.” Senka says with a pointed glance to Magnus’ crotch.

He splutters indignantly, while Chloe and I laugh. “Did you just refer to my penis as ‘Minus’?”

Senka pats Magnus on the shoulder as she walks closer to me. “Glad your hearing isn’t failing you in your old age.”

“I’m not that old!” Magnus yells. We ignore him.

Meeting Senka’s gaze, I ask, “How do we get it here?”

“Open a small section of the net, it will be here soon.” I jump.

“Holy shit! Theo! How the hell did you sneak up on me?” Clutching my chest above my heart, I glare at him, even as he saunters up to me with a sexy smirk. I release my chest to smack his. “And I’m mad at you! You just left, shouting orders. And it made me horny, seeing you embrace your role as Aleph.”

Theo wraps his arms around me, and I melt into his embrace. I can feel his pain, his sadness through our bond and it breaks my heart. “I was too late.” He murmurs in my ear. The anguish in his voice lances through me.

“Do you know what type of shifter the victim was?” Chloe questions softly from my side.

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