Page 45 of Devour the Dark

“If I lose control in any way, you will kill me.”

I’m angry at him in an instant. “Don’t fucking say that.”

“I will not descend intomadness.”

Madness. The word is multifaceted for us. The Madd brothers with a mother who leapt off a cliff, a father who tried to overthrow the monarchy, and an uncle who?—

“Promise me.”

“I don’t have the blade,” I say too quickly.

“It’s in the loft.”

“I’m not going to kill you.”

He pushes away from the railing and straightens. He’s exactly two inches taller than I am and he’s never let me forget it. Now he’s trying to use it to his advantage, to show his authority over me, his little brother. I’ve always wondered what is stronger: the shadow or the monster. Perhaps we will soon find out.

“I can’t hurt them,” he admits and his voice catches.

Hook and Wendy.

Apparently not so in flux after all.

The ship’s crew calls out to one another, trimming the sails as we edge into the slip.

“It won’t come to that,” I tell him.

“But if it does?”

We’ve only ever seen one of our kind descend into madness, but we’ve never seen one get stuck in the monster, unable to turn back. But with the Myth Maker witch swirling around inside of him, anything is possible now.

He never should have devoured her. He knew better.

“Promise me,” he says again.

If I were in his place, I know I’d be asking him the same. If I were on the verge of losing control, putting Winnie in danger, I’d beg him to kill me just like he is now.

“I’ll promise under one condition.”

“All right.”

The crew tosses the mooring lines to the dockhands down below.

“We exhaust all options first. Including goinghometo look for our uncle.”

He’s the only one who’s descended into madness and the only one I’d trust to know how to claw back.

Roc narrows his eyes at me. “Home, huh? You’re not talking about Darkland.”

“No.”

“Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that then.”

“Let’s hope.”

The gangplank is hoisted down and secured to the wharf.

Roc holds out his hand to me and I reluctantly take it. We shake.

---