Chapter 138

My breaths plumed in front of me as familiar dread needled down my skin and scales. I didn't have to be afraid. I'd faced my terrors aboard the Vicious, and nothing could compare with those experiences. I steeled myself for what I needed to do in the very next moment - and turned the corner.

From around it, soulless black eyes tracked my movement. I skidded to a stop. A tall, emaciated man with a black suit and white gloves stood there waiting for me. A bloody gash slashed across his mouth.

"So...hungry." His voice sounded rusted out...and desperate.

I took a step backward, shriveling away from him.

"They...starved...me," he croaked.

Another step back.

"You know what I did?" A covered silver tray appeared in his white-gloved hands.

Another and another step, my heartbeat skipping.

His voice dropped to a low growl that rippled toward me from all directions. "I ate them."

The lights blinked out.