Chapter 34 · Apex Loop: Glitch Evolution - Chapter 34: Broken Allies

"Do not bite me, Kane." Grimm's claws locked around my throat and drove me into the dome wall. "You promised."

The glass behind my back shuddered. Red light spilled across Grimm's long, plated face. His teeth hovered inches from my jaw, wet and sharp enough to make promises of their own.

I hooked one arm under his elbow and shoved. He did not move.

"I promised not to kill you," I rasped. "I did not promise to let you strangle me."

"You broke the first promise three loops ago."

"You tried to sell me to Vivian."

"I tried to survive."

His grip tightened. Something in my neck clicked. Pain flashed white, then turned hot. The dome floor trembled under our feet as another sealed gate slammed shut behind us.

Grimm leaned closer. His breath came out in rough, furnace bursts against my face.

"We are trapped," he said. "The walls are closing. The scavengers are already inside. If you split from me, you die. If I split from you, I die. So stop acting like you have a choice."

I bared my teeth. "You always talk this much when you're scared?"

"You always joke when you are about to lose?"