Rich, sweet caramel wrapped around salted, buttery popcorn. I inhaled deeply, unable to stop myself, and the aroma filled me. Not just my lungs, but my entire being. Another inhale, and I could taste him, my mouth watering at the sweet-and-salty scent. It gripped my marrow like a vise, and a piercing realization shot through me.
It lit up my veins.
It sparked in my chest.
It consumed me until there was no sliver of doubt in my mind.
This psychotic fucking clown was my scent match.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ZERO
I blinked several times, wondering if my eyes were deceiving me.
This is who Revel wants to keep out of the circus?
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Arina wasn’t what I imagined. There wasn’t a single special thing about her.
She was pretty, sure, but not a bombshell like Revel normally chased after. She was soft, but not delicate, with plump lips, a round face, and wide gray eyes that observed me with a familiar terror.
She was afraid of me.Good.
Most people were.
I thrived on their fear, letting their pure, raw emotions fuel me. Their screams, their plights—they were all delicious.
While Arina didn’t seem delicate, I could tell it wouldn’t be hard to break her.
What a spectacle she could be on stage.The audience could watch her shatter over and over again.
I liked the sound of that, but I immediately stuffed down the thought.
I can’t pop wheelies on Revvy’s motorcycleandhave my way with her in the ring.I had to pick one, and I wasn’t giving up the crotch rocket.
The beta would have to leave.
“What’s your act?” I asked, before I indulged in the fantasy further. “What would you bring to the Knotty Sideshow?”
I expected a little hesitation, but not the deadpan stare that followed.
“I—” Her voice trailed off.
Daze answered instead, swishing his rainbow hair out of his eyes. “She doesn’t have one yet, but I told her that didn’t matter. I didn’t have an act when I came to the sideshow either.”
That was true. Very few troupe members showed up well-trained and ready to perform. Night was one of the exceptions; he’d already been practicing magic for years when we took him in.
Others came to the show with their hearts set on one act, only to discover a different passion beneath the big top.
That was me.
I came in thinking I would be an extra or one of the crew members behind the scenes, but once I realized how many people were terrified of clowns—especially ones with demented cackles and throwing knives—I found my calling. I wanted to entertain, to terrify. And, one day, if everything went according to plan, I’d succeed Hallow as ringleader and turn this whimsical sideshow into a true display of horror.
The thought alone had a wicked smile curling my mouth. I just had to bide my time, be patient, and do whatever the fuck Hallow said in the meantime.
Easier said than done.
Hallow stepped up next to me, their shadow morphing with mine and falling over Arina. They were several inches shorter than me but carried themselves with every ounce of confidencethat an alpha would. They were an alpha—at least, that was what we believed—despite their wonky pheromones that seemed to bleed in and out of existence outside of their control.
