A heartbeat passed before Shaney comprehended that last sentence. “What?”
Caleb pointed a slender, bony finger toward Shaney’s midsection, right below the Zeppelin image on his faded T-shirt. “You can’t possibly appreciate the technical complications in drawing exacting angles and sharp lines on an irregular, moving canvas of skin.” Caleb’s mouth quirked at the corners.
Shaney grabbed the hem of his shirt, and yanked the fabric up to his neck. Lines, arcs, and strange hieroglyphic-like symbols crisscrossed in stark black across his stomach and chest. The designs were reminiscent of the graffiti at the cabin. He reeled back a step as if he could escape the unorthodox emblem that camouflaged his skin. “Get it off of me.”
“I could do that, however, this symbol is the block holding the whole tower. Pull that block and the tower crumbles. In simplest terms, you die.” His matter-of-fact tone chilled Shaney to the bone.
“I-I don’t believe you.”
“Faith, Shaney. But, as is true with most of humanity who continually leech blind faith and belief, proof is required. As a scientist, I can respect that.” Caleb hummed in approval.
Caleb turned his chin toward Maximus and gave a nod. The giant advanced so swiftly that Shaney only had time to lift his hands in defense. With a painful grip on his bicep, Maximus yanked Shaney forward and stepped behind him. Shaney flailed as a tree trunk of an arm wrapped securely across his collarbone and the other heavy arm pinned his waist. Shaney’s back was plastered along the length of the giant’s hard front. His heart seized in his chest.
“He sure is a sweet thing, Caleb.” Hot, fetid breath skated across Shaney’s neck. “Just a taste?” Maximus asked, his voice a low, husky drawl.
Caleb chuckled with delight, stepping into Shaney’s personal bubble. “Max, you do have a penchant for the pretty, young ones. Okay, just one.”
Oh, shit. Vampire!
The vise-like grip on Shaney’s chest tightened as and he struggled to no avail. A hand grabbed his hair and painfully yanked his head to the side, exposing his neck. Shaney squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the piercing stab. Instead, a wet tongue left a cooling trail of slobber from Shaney’s shoulder and up across his cheek.
“Ugh!” Shaney bent his head, trying to wipe the man’s spit on anything his cheek touched.
Laughter rumbled from the mountain currently squeezing the oxygen from Shaney’s body. “Sweet.”
Caleb reached out and slid his thumb across Shaney’s bottom lip. Shaney reared his head back, hitting the solid chest. Caleb’s action swamped Shaney with an aching déjà vu and his heart squeezed with the unbearable longing to see Hudson once more.
“Yes, this one is special. Sadly, too special to play with,” Caleb said almost regretfully.
Shaney’s relief was tangible until Caleb reached his hand into the pocket of his khakis and pulled out a large Swiss army knife and opened the blade.
“No,” Shaney pleaded, squirming to slip from Maximus’ iron grip.
With his other hand, Caleb lifted Shaney’s shirt and pinned it to his chest. He raised the knife and locked his gaze with Shaney.
“Go ahead and kill me, you psycho!” Shaney spat.
With complete earnestness, Caleb said, “I’m not going to kill you. I have to save you, but for that to happen, you must give me your complete trust. Without that faith, you will perish and your death will be horrible.”
“I believe you! I fucking believe you!” Shaney’s eyes were glued to the steel blade. He didn’t want to die.
“Not yet. But you will,” Caleb said, raising the blade and slashing across Shaney’s chest.
The searing burn morphed into a sharp, twisting ache in Shaney’s gut that would have doubled him over if not for Maximus’ tight hold. Vibrations raced along Shaney’s nerves and his skin couldn't contain the buzz as his atoms collided together. Spasms racked every muscle and Shaney’s jaw clamped tight. Liquid heat filled his veins, searing him from the inside. Shaney’s head thrashed on the hard chest behind him as his body seized with agony.
With a groan, Shaney let his head fall forward. The monstrous pain darkened the edges of his vision. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead, stinging his eyes. The deep gash ran through the perfect black lines on his chest, painted trails of red over the planes of his stomach, and soaked into the waistband of his jeans.
Caleb’s hand pushed Shaney’s chin up and his head fell back. Caleb observed his reactions with the nonchalance of a scientist. “Hurts like hell, I imagine. With that one cut, I have negated the protection properties of the symbol. The unfettered energy is free to alter the core constructs of your matter.”