Mad As A Hatter (Completed 2015) [WATTY AWARD WINNER *Featured Story*]

Chapter thirty-two: GRIM

Unedited!! WARNING!!

Chapter thirty-two: GRIM

"Why," I said. I clamped both hands on the bar. "Why did you do it?"

Grim didn't even glance away. "I did what had to be done." He knew I wasn't buying it. "I had no say."

My arm shot through the cell and I caught his neck with my hand. "You had no say?" I gritted through my teeth. He rested both hands on the bar for support, not even trying to loosen the grip. "Well clearly someone else did." His blood ran hot under my fingers. His Adam's apple bobbed. "I'm going to ask you nicely. Who are you working for?"

This time he put a hand over mine—not to stop me from choking him but to make sure I was looking straight into his solid eyes. "No ones."

Disgusted, I ripped my hand away and took a step back. "You're hiding something. I thought I could trust you."

"You can," he said.

We had bigger things to worry about. But... I glimpsed at his skin. Blue veins were now prominent, bulging even, and his face was of purple, green and blue—he was bruising. Tired eyes and chapped lips. I tried my hardest to not look away. "Alice," he said.

"You're looking human," I casually said.

He looks drained, Isaac's thought said.

Like his body is fighting something, I agreed.

My realization a little late than usual, I noticed the connection between Isaac and I was growing. He could borrow my eyes as could I borrow his; he could see what I could see. We were becoming one.

"Let's look at the bright side," I told Grim. "At least with you weak, no one will want to kill since you seem to be no threat."

Not that he could die... Isaac thought.

Grim was immortal. Or did that change now that he was turning human?

His head lowered. "Sometimes I think a part me is already dead," he darkly said. His words slithered like cold snakes down my spine, wrapping around it and squeezing. I held in the shiver that tested me.

Quickly, I went upstairs.

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