He’s—
Just a man.
A strikingly handsome man, albeit rather grimy. Though he’s clearly made efforts to keep his face clean. But the rest of him...
His arms are bound with chains from elbow to wrist, and his legs are similarly restrained from knee to ankle. Heavy, oppressive chains wrapped multiple times. At the wrist and ankle, thick iron shackles secure everything, similar to what Beast first placed around my neck.
He’s wearing tattered clothing so filthy I can’t determine its original color.
“Jesus Christ,” I step forward despite the disgusting stone floor beneath my bare feet.
He raises one shackled hand. The metal links clatter ominously, and I trace the chain’s length to where it’s anchored in the wall.
He’s standing, but I notice a crude bench, and in the corner, what appears to be a rudimentary toilet—essentially a seat with a hole leading to God knows where.
“You must be the consort,” he says in lightly accented English. His facial features remain remarkably composed, hand still extended in astopgesture.
Then he stretches and clenches his jaw like he’s experiencing neck pain. His eyes bulge slightly and dart toward the corner.
He sighs as if mildly inconvenienced, still grinding his teeth, then looks back at me.
“You need to run. Right now.”
“What?” I ask, not sure I heard correctly.
His neck swells as he continues stretching it at what appears to be an impossible angle. His eyes bulge further.
“RUN!” he shouts desperately.
I stumble backward several steps.
Just as his head rotates completely around like something fromThe Exorcist.
And there’sanother goddamn faceon the opposite side!
I fall backward so fast I land hard on my tailbone.
This face isn’t refined or clean. It still looks human, but the expression is... unhinged. Genuinely evil, I swear. Behind him, a tail rises, lashing back and forth through the air.
I scream involuntarily. I’ve never witnessed anything like?—
But my cry awakens something else lurking in the darkness I hadn’t noticed until now.
In the corner I’d overlooked because nothing had been moving in it is another... another...creature.
Initially, when it raises its head, I assume it might be similar to my Beast. It has some kind of animal-like skull. Eyes that fix on me.
And human arms.
But then there’s a second set of arms.
And a third.
Each is bound with heavy chains like the... other one.
It opens its maw and releases a sound that makes my blood freeze, and I realize this is the source of those screams and howls that have been carried on the wind up to our chambers.
When I scream again, unable to contain it, the multi-armed creature comes charging at me. Moving on legs and one set of arms in a grotesque gallop.
