Chapter 32: [32] Leverage
Hardy’s arms constricted around Pierre’s ribs like steel cables. The air rushed from Pierre’s lungs in a sharp wheeze, his feet dangling inches above the shattered cobblestones. The captain’s face loomed close, sweat streaming down his weathered features, his breath hot against Pierre’s cheek, reeking of stale tobacco and rum.
"Feel that?" Hardy’s voice was a low growl, thick with satisfaction. "This is what real strength looks like. Not your little tricks and dodging. Raw. Power." His arms tightened further, the muscles in his forearms bulging beneath his weathered Navy uniform.
Pierre’s vision blurred at the edges, dark spots dancing before his eyes. His ribs creaked under the pressure, each heartbeat sending spikes of agony through his compressed chest like white-hot needles. The pipe hung loose in his grip, useless at this range—a pathetic piece of metal that might as well have been a child’s toy. Hardy’s prosthetic leg anchored them both, the metal joint hissing softly as it adjusted to support their combined weight.
Then Pierre felt it.
The hunger.
It started as a whisper in the back of his mind, a familiar itch beneath his skin that quickly grew into an insistent throb. The Essence Drain ability stirred, responding to the physical contact, to the life force pulsing just inches away. One touch. Just one touch and Pierre could drain the captain’s strength, turn that crushing grip into weakness, flip their positions in an instant.
Do it, the voice urged. He’s killing you. He’s hurt innocent people. He deserves it. Take his power.
Win.
Pierre’s fingers twitched involuntarily, his skin prickling. The ability called to him like a drug, promising relief from the pain, promising victory, promising dominance—everything he needed to survive this encounter. The temptation was a siren song in his blood, a sweet, insistent current that promised relief if he would only let it drag him under.
A flash of memory struck him with startling clarity. Diana’s face, twisted in that strange ecstasy as he drained her essence. The way her strength had flowed into him like liquid fire, filling him with exhilarating power, but there had been something else, something darker riding beneath the raw energy. Her emotions, her thoughts, fragments of who she was bleeding into him—fear, confusion, violation. The memory left a bitter taste in his mouth.