The creature, covered entirely in black fur and so grotesquely shaped it was hard to tell where its neck ended and its torso began, opened its enormous jaws. The jagged yellow fangs—long and needle-sharp—lined its mouth.
Fargo's upper body vanished between those jaws. As the monster's teeth clamped shut, a sickening crunch accompanied a gush of blood pouring from its mouth. The rest of Fargo's body soon followed, disappearing inside. A thick, blue tongue licked around its lips, slurping up the blood smeared across them.
While the monster turned its hideous face toward the bear-eared bodyguards, Wilde leapt back onto the driver's seat.
He snapped the reins hard, driving the horses into motion. In the back of the wagon, Bao Bei clutched Judy's limp, blood-soaked body tightly. He didn't know whether Judy was alive or dead—but he refused to let go.
Behind them, the sounds of battle erupted—the blades clashing, roars, and cries as the monster engaged the bear-eared guards.
