The King of Alphas
he asks in a whisper.
The three straight cuts throb, reminding me I am not. I finally pull back, looking up. His face is still covered under the strange looking mask I couldn't decipher in the darkness of the ballroom. But now, in the dim basement lights, I see it and instantly a chill runs down my body. It's an eerie black skull, gleaming ominously with shadowed eye sockets and delicate silver-highlighted cracks. Sharp cheekbones, a jagged nasal cavity and a chillingly realistic grin of teeth enhance its lifelike, unsettling texture. Only the azure of his eyes pokes out.
"Take off your mask," I say so, so softly that even I am surprised at my tone.