Chapter 26 · Then you'll be a puddle by next Tuesday

"Then you'll be a puddle by next Tuesday," Bax shrugged. "Your choice, shadow-man. But if you want to walk through the front doors of the Tower as a human, you need the Anchor. Otherwise, you're just a very talented pet."

I looked at him—this little rat who thought he had the upper hand because he knew the price of a drug. I stepped forward again, my shadow expanding, swallowing the light in the hallway until we were encased in a void.

Bax froze. The smugness vanished, replaced by a raw, primal terror. He could feel the temperature drop. He could feel the hunger radiating off me.

"Here's the new deal, Bax," I said, my voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere. "You're going to introduce me to the Broker. You're going to make sure I get a fair price. And in exchange, I won't eat your liver right here in this hallway."

He trembled, his knees knocking together. "I... I can do that. I can!"

"Good boy," I whispered, the darkness snapping back into my body. The light returned, and Bax was panting, drenched in cold sweat.

"When do we go?" he wheezed.

"Now," I said.