Chapter 19 · What... what are you?

He didn't use a weapon. He didn't need one. He stepped into Kaelen's space, his hand blurring as he gripped the hunter's throat. He didn't just squeeze; he pulled. He felt the fear pouring out of Kaelen, a dark, viscous energy that flowed directly into Jace's veins.

Kaelen's eyes widened. He tried to struggle, his boots scraping uselessly against the floor, but Jace was a vacuum. Every ounce of dread, every flicker of panic, was being sucked out of the man's soul.

"What... what are you?" Kaelen gasped, his voice barely a wheeze.

"The guy who's going to take your map," Jace replied.

He slammed Kaelen into the floor, the impact shaking the room. Jace leaned in, his face inches from the hunter's. The power surge was making his vision swim with gold and black. He could feel his level ticking upward, the System humming in the back of his mind, rewarding the feast.

"Who's paying?" Jace demanded, his voice dropping an octave, vibrating with a power that made the floorboards tremble. "Who put the price on me?"

Kaelen's face was pale, his pupils dilated.