“Nah.” Daze waved a hand flippantly. “Zero will probably get a say regardless; he’s in charge any time Hallow isn’t.”
Of course he is.
As much as I would have loved to avoid the clown, if what Daze said was true, there was no getting around him. I’d have to face him eventually, whether I liked it or not.
“Fine.” I sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”
With a nod, Daze led us back into the hall that wrapped around the outside of the event hall.
Every step closer to the ringleader made my chest tighten with anticipation, and my mind wandered. What was I even nervous about? It wasn’t like this had been my plan from the start; I’d only just decided I wanted to join. It wasn’t some lifelong dream that hung in the balance.
Still, that didn’t make the thought of rejection any easier.
If they turned me away, I was back to square one. And, as crazy as this plan was, it wassomething.
I barely noticed the walk over because I was too focused on my racing heart. My throat was tight, my palms sweaty. I tried slow, steady breaths to no avail.
“Don’t freak out on me now,” Daze said and laughed, as though sensing my discomfort.
“I’m not freaking out,” I lied.
He tossed me a sympathetic look. “Zero won't be completely horrible when he’s around Hallow. Besides, the worst they can say is no.”
His words should have comforted me, but they didn’t.
We stepped through an open doorway a few feet away from Hallow and Zero, and panic lit up my veins. They weren’t facing us, instead looking down at the open performance area below, but their auras slammed into me as we approached. Zero’s was powerful, radiating, overwhelming. Very clearly an alpha.
Hallow’s was more muted, but still there, beneath Zero’s. They were an alpha—at least, I was pretty sure they were—though their aura seemed to come and go like ocean waves.
“Do you need something, Daze?”
The figure on the right, who must have been Hallow, turned to look at us. They were tall and slender, dressed in a pressed black suit. A black top hat was perched on their dark hair, and black, elaborate makeup framed their eyes. Their features were sharp, angular, and perfectly androgynous.Spookywas the best word I could conjure to describe them.
“Not a need, but I wanted to introduce you to someone,” Daze said, suddenly sounding less sure than he had before. “This is Arina. She’d like to join the Knotty Sideshow.”
“Would she?” Hallow’s expression didn’t change at all. I felt like their cold, calculated gaze was scrutinizing every part of me.
Daze nudged me with his elbow, and I winced.
“Y-yes,” I said quickly. “Yes, I would.”
“Arina?” The other figure turned to face me, and my chest clenched. Even without his elaborate clown makeup, the alpha’s face was unmistakable.
Zero had the same dark look in his eyes and the same sinister smile curling his lips from the circus poster. He had blinding white hair and golden eyes that nearly glowed in the limited lighting. His T-shirt showed off every inch of his broad, muscular torso, and my gaze caught on the hard line of his jaw. The fucker was stunning, a beautiful nightmare in the flesh.
And he was staring straight at me.
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Yes, like a circus arena. I’ve heard it already.” It was more forceful than I intended, but I was suddenly more nervous than I had been moments ago. Under the weight of his gaze, I could feel my panic spiking, despite my attempts to keep it under control.
He chuckled dryly. “Coincidence or irony?”
His voice was low and deep, sinking through me with warmth that settled between my thighs. My mind melted as he watched me, but I managed a reply.
“Both.”
The corner of his mouth hiked in a smirk, and he exchanged a glance with Hallow. They said nothing.
Zero stepped closer, looming over me, staring me down. The closer he got, the more his scent bloomed around us, filling the air.
