“Hallow is nonbinary,” he answered. “They use they/them pronouns.”
“Ah, ok.” That made sense. “So they just hide from everyone between shows?”
He nodded. “Pretty much. They keep to themselves. Bobbitt is the only person they spend any time with besides Zero. Probably because she’s madly in love with them.”
The circus trailers came into view, and my anxiety shot through the roof. I didn’t say a word as I followed Daze across the lot, even though dozens of questions burned on my tongue.
My eyes flitted around, searching for Revel. I expected him to appear any moment like he had earlier, eager to dissuade us from finding the ringleader.
To my surprise, he didn’t.
We passed the rows of trucks and headed for the event center, an enormous beige and black building with a wall of windows looking in on the lobby. The name, Dallas Park Convention Center, stretched across the front wall in large white letters. It was enormous, the kind where they held concerts and truck shows. Really any event that drew a large crowd. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t an actual circus tent like I’d seen in movies.
What was the Big Top without… the Big Top?
I cocked a brow at Daze but said nothing, wondering if Hallow really would be hiding out in such a public place. If I were a recluse ringleader, I would probably hermit in my trailer. But what did I know?
Maybe that was exactly the reason Hallowwasn’tin their trailer; everyone would look there first.
Daze moved like he knew exactly where he was going, holding the glass-paned door for me as we stepped inside. He led the way up an elegant set of marble stairs, then down a long hall. I followed along, wishing I’d taken him up on the offer to leave my backpack in his trailer. The straps were eating into my shoulders, and my back hurt.
We reached a doorway leading into the main concert hall and stepped inside. I immediately scanned the enormous room with thousands of empty seats. They ran around the entire perimeter of the long, oval space, stretching from the lower level all the way up to the ceiling. The middle of the hall was wide open andundecorated, but crew members were beginning to filter in with equipment.
I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of someone who looked like a ringleader but came up short.
“There.” Daze pointed to the opposite side of the stadium, and I followed his line of sight. It was a spot several rows higher than where we stood, cast almost entirely in shadows. At first, I didn’t see what he was talking about, but then I blinked, and two figures materialized in the darkness. I couldn’t make out any more than their outlines.
One thing was certain: Hallow wasn’t alone.
“Who are they with?” I asked, dragging my eyes away to look at Daze.
He squinted, and then his face twisted in annoyance. “Zero. He’s normally lodged directly in Hallow’s ass. At least, when Bobbitt isn’t there.”
Zero.
I thought about his malicious expression on the circus flyer hidden in my backpack, and dread prickled up my spine. Of the three faces splayed on the paper, Zero’s was the one I was least excited to see in person. It was like his aura radiated off the page, and it left me unsettled.
“He’s one of the headliners, right?” I asked.
Daze nodded. “Him, Revel, and Night. They’re the Big Three.”
“Are they all?—”
“—alphas?” Daze knew what I was going to ask before I’d finished the question. “Yeah.”
Of course they were. They were the knots behind the Knotty Sideshow, and they probably had their entire female audience pining like omegas in heat.
I shifted uncomfortably on the spot.
“Is Zero worse than Revel?” I asked, dropping my voice even though there was no one around. Something told me I already knew the answer.
To my surprise, he laughed. “Worse? Depends on your definition of the word. If you mean more psychotic, more entitled, and cockier… then, yeah, he’s worse.”
I didn’t like the sound of him at all.
“Maybe we should wait until Hallow is alone,” I suggested. My gaze jumped back to the shadowed figures, and my insides turned. The thought of meeting one person had me anxious enough, but having to convincetwowhy they should let me join?
I groaned. Why did I think I could perform for a packed stadium if I couldn’t even buck up the courage to talk to the ringleader and his lapdog?
