Chapter 9 · Apex Loop: Glitch Evolution - Chapter 9: Blood Pact Price

"You eat with me or you starve to death. Pick."

Grimm's forearm slammed across my throat and pinned me to the wet concrete. His claws were an inch from my eye. Hot breath right in my face. Smelled like rot and copper.

"Get off me," I snarled.

"No." He pressed harder. "You think I'm asking? I'm not asking."

I kneed him. Hard. He didn't even flinch. Just grinned with that split jaw.

"Still got that human pride, huh?" he said. "Cute. It's gonna kill you."

"Better than begging you for scraps."

"You will beg." His claws clicked against the floor next to my head. "We both will if we don't do this together."

The lights above us buzzed. Harsh white. The pit stank like old blood and disinfectant. And up there, behind the glass — her.

Dr. Vivian tapped one nail against the observation window. Slow. Patient. Like she had all day.

"Boys," she said, her voice sweet through the speaker. "Play nice. You're ruining my experiment."

I couldn't get air. Grimm's weight was too much. My claws scraped uselessly against his arm. This new body — still weak, still glitching.

"Let him breathe, Grimm," Vivian said.