Rex moved with the slow, deliberate gait of a predator who knew his prey had nowhere left to run. Every step he took toward Valentina seemed to compress the air in the room, making it harder for her to breathe.
He reached down and seized the crown of her head again, but this time there was no tenderness, only raw, unadulterated cruelty. With a violent jerk, he yanked her skull backward, forcing her neck to arch at an unnatural angle.
CRACK.
A small vertebrae popped audibly as her head was forced up to meet the gaze of the ghost.
"Look at him, Valentina," Rex hissed, his breath hot against her ear. "Look at the man who couldn't protect you."
"Look at the man who died leaving you alone to be claimed by someone real."
Valentina's eyes locked onto Borius. The ghost was convulsing, the crimson chains wrapped around his spectral throat tightening every time he tried to speak.
