CHAPTER30
VESPER
“Stryker,” I whisper, staring at him with wide eyes. We’d left him in the Red Bloom Court, but he’s caught up to us now, and he doesn’t look too pleased with us.
“You remember me,” he says brightly, his eyes crinkling.
“How could I not?” I ask, my fingers tightening around the Fang still in my hand. “You made quite an impression.”
“Did I?” he laughs. He takes a few deliberate steps closer. “I waited for you, you know?” he says. His eyes flick to Locke. “Both of you.”
“We . . . had an emergency,” I lie. “We had to leave quickly. I didn’t have time to let you know.”
He hums under his breath. “What an interesting lie you weave, Beastie,” he murmurs.
“Who says I’m lying?”
He grins, revealing sharp teeth, fangs that make me want to take a step back. “You asked me what my Glitch was before,” he murmurs, strolling closer.
“Run,” Cipher growls. “Do not stay here.”
But I can’t run. There’s only one way out of this section of the map and no cover. We’re going to have to disable him to get away from this alive.
“Feeling like sharing now?” I ask, tilting my head at him, playing the part. Locke is tense behind me. I can feel it. I can only hope he follows my lead.
“Perhaps,” Stryker says, coming to a stop right in front of me. His eyes trace my face, but it doesn’t feel like a caress. It feels more like he’s staking a claim.
My knuckles are white on my Fang. “You should let us go.”
His expression softens. “Should I?”
“You’re a higher Tier than us. We don’t pose much of a threat,” I point out. “Which makes us hardly a challenge. And you seem like you enjoy a challenge.”
His warm chuckle washes over me. “I do indeed, Beastie.”
Maybe we can get out of this without fighting. Maybe I can convince him to turn away. “So, you’ll let us go?”
He flashes those sharp teeth again. “I’m a Tier Five, Beastie. Do you know what that means?” I shake my head. “It means I’m the highest Tier you can be. Why do you think someone like me would be here in the Harrow, in the sections where players enter?”
I ready my blade. “Because you like helping them?”
He laughs again and reaches up a hand to touch my face. “No, Beastie,” he purrs. “Because I like to feed.”
The overwhelming depth of his power slams into me so suddenly, my knees buckle. His arms are around me, catching me before I can hit the ice. My body grows weak for two seconds and then disperses, leaving me breathless and my chest tight.
“Just a sip,” Stryker says. “I have plans for you, Beastie.” His eyes trail up to where Locke stands, his eyes wide, his hammer raised. “I cannot say the same for your friend.”
Cipher roars in my ears. I can’t hear the words he roars, but Stryker winces as if he can hear them, too.
“How interesting,” Stryker purrs, but it’s all the distraction I need.
I bring my Fang up, jamming it into his sternum and twisting. His eyes widen at the sudden burst of pain in his chest and he looks down at the sight of my blade buried there.
Immediately, I feel his power again and I shove away from him.
“Leech!” Svetlana screams. “He is a Leech! Run!”
I don’t ask what she means. The moment she says the word, I’m reminded of the menus I’d flipped through while picking my own Glitch. I don’t remember much, but I do remember the mention of power. Stryker has sipped from me, stealing just a bit of my life force, and being a Tier Five, he could take it all. He could kill us without any effort at all.
