Perhaps, but it wasn’t a designation Tony would ever use for him. The impersonation was off by just a few degrees. Something else to remember.

“And so’s the info on what destroyed the earlier minion,” he continued. “Not as much about this world’s tech as the boss’ll want, but the other stuff he knows, that’ll so make up for it. This guy . . .” An exaggerated tap to one temple. “. . . knows where that pesky wizard ended up. Who’d have thought she’d be stupid enough to stay so close to the gate?” The thing rolled Tony’s eyes. “Wizards, eh? Too stupid to keep running, too fucking freaked to save the world. Boss’ll be overjoyed to have found her after all this time. Unfinished business, you know how it is.”

Henry let the words wash over him as he circled around, looking for an opening. Although an opening to what, he wasn’t certain. Tony’s body turned with him, pivoting around on one heel.

“You’re making me dizzy. I’m going to hurl hamantaschen.” It glanced down at Tony’s watch. “10:02. A little more than an hour. What are we going to do with ourselves, Henry? You hungry?” Familiar fingers pulled the collar of the T-shirt down off Tony’s throat, exposing bruises rising along the ridge of his collarbone.

The sight of blood pooling under Tony’s skin, the knowledge of exactly what had to have been done to mark him so, pushed Henry back to the edge. He stopped circling. His lips pulled back off his teeth. He let the Hunger rise. Scavengers would not have what was his until he was done with it.

“Tony. Is. Mine.”

“I recognize your power, Nightwalker.” Tony’s cadences were gone. “But you cannot move me from this body until I am ready to leave.”

The thing’s words were drowned out under the song of Tony’s blood.

He felt a warm weight wrap around his legs and he ignored it. All that mattered was the life he had claimed, not once but countless times. “Mine.”

“Not right now, dude.”

“MINE!”

Sudden recognition flared behind the shadows in Tony’s eyes. Followed by a fear so primal all else fled before it. His heart began to pound. Faster. Faster.

Then his eyes rolled back and he doubled forward, retching.

Shadow poured from his mouth and nose, pooled on the concrete, moved toward Henry. He retained barely enough hold on self to realize this was not something he could fight and in the face of it, the Hunger began to fade. One step back. Two. He had no idea how to control the light they’d used the night before or even if it was still in place. Tony, who knew, was on his knees, arms wrapped around his body like he was trying to hold disparate pieces of flesh together.