Page 87 of Shadowman

I’m usually rather well-versed in reading people. It’s something I learned from living on the streets as long as I did. I pride myself on rarely being surprised by the ways in which human beings behave, but this is throwing me for a loop.

Who is this peculiar, eccentric, well-dressed anime villain of a man?? Why is he here, and most importantly, what on earth does he want with me??

The Warden sits back a bit in his chair, crossing his ankle over his knee.His socks have little birds on them…“I’m sure you have many questions bouncing around in that pretty head of yours. Trust me, I have some of my own. So let us get the formalities out of the way before we move forward with the juicy bits. First of all, as I’m sure my men informed you, you are here to stay. Prisoners are sent to me from far and wide, for various reasons. But the one thing you all have in common is that youwere hand-selected to residehere, as opposed to, say, a federal prison, correctional facility, or rehabilitation center.

“Because of that, you have lost the right to certain freedoms, comforts, protections of the US Constitution, blah blah blah.” He waves his hand in the air flippantly. “Suffice it to say, living here may be a shock to your system, but I must ask that you accept it. Get onboard, Trevel, or things can get much worse than they need to be.”

Uh… What?!

My lips part to ask him a million questions, but he stares even harder at me, gaze narrowed as his own mouth sets into a firm line. And my voice dries right up.

He tilts his head. “Second of all, please know that I have eyes everywhere, and I don’t just mean the guards. But speaking of them, you’ll get to know my officers quite well during the course of your time here. They oversee everything…” His voice trails off, and he gets a contemplative darkness to his features. “There are rules to be followed, just like everywhere else. But on this island, the most important of them all is thatIownyou.”

Those last three words come out slowly pronounced.

Heownsme??

I think he can tell I want to counter this point, so he uncrosses his legs, sitting up straighter in his seat. “The way you behave has consequences, Trevel. There are repercussions for the things you do… and the people with whom you surround yourself. But I’m sure you’ve already figured that out…”

Who is he referring to? Dr. Love??

“Look, Mr.… Ivory,” I croak, shifting in my seat, the metal from my cuffs clinking behind my back. “I’m not one to claim innocence. In fact, far from it. But—”

The Warden clears his throat, and I stop abruptly. Both feet planted on the floor, he leans in closer to my face. “It is not your turn to speak yet, Trevel Fenwick.” I blink and shiver. “I knowyou think you’re here because of Dr. Lemuel Love. And while he was helpful in having you delivered, make no mistake, I could’ve just as easily gotten you here myself.”

“Butwhy…?” I manage to croak over the sandpaper in my throat.

He’s so close to me. I feel the warmth of his breath on my lips, see the depths of tenebrosity in his eyes; a cavern of black that feels like it could swallow me whole. This man is utterly terrifying, and my entire body is now sheeted in chills.

“The answer to that question is a complicated one, I’m afraid,” he whispers over my mouth. Eyes never once leaving mine. “But before I get into it, I need you to answer one for me.”

The tingles running through me have seemingly shifted. I can’t explain it, but I’m becoming warm beneath my skin, and my heart is racing at an abnormal rate. Something about howclosehe is, the chokehold of his irises and the reverberation of his low, raspy voice soaking into me through his mouth…

I gulp and nod. His eyes dip to my lips. Just a split second, but it causes a strange and confusing throb between my legs.

The Warden cocks his head to the side, like a curious animal. “The young lady you were dating…” he starts, quiet and intense. My brow furrows. “She was a twin, yes?” I’m gaping at him. “And her last name was…Alvarez?”

I’m so thrown off by the trajectory of this conversation, I physically can’t produce words. But he’s staring at me so hard it feels like I’m being strangled.

I nod.

“She had a twin brother…?” he asks, pressing further, voice almost nonexistent. I nod again. “What happened to him?”

My heart is thumping so fast, I’m quaking. I have no idea why he’s asking me this, how he knows these things, or why he seemssovery invested. But I know he’s requiring an actual answer on this one, so I manage to cough up the words.

“I killed him.”

The mound in his throat dips. As the only movement in the general vicinity, it catches my attention. But then something else moves… His right hand, squeezing into a fist, visibly tight.

Fuck…

When I glance back up at his face, he’s wearing the most severe look anyone’s ever given me. Agony and rage, anguish and fury, all a breath away from my face. A word away from unleashing.

He looks like he’s hanging on by a thread.

“Tell me his name,” The Ivory commands; the rumble of a deadly creature. One wrong move, and I’ll be torn to shreds. I’m blinking, frozen in baffled mute. He grabs me by the throat and hisses in my face, “Say it.”

“A-Andres,” I stutter, practically pissing my pants. “Andres Alvarez.”