“Honestly… no.” She shrugged. “I’ll try anything,doanything. I’m not the biggest fan of heights, but at this point, I’ll swing on a rope if that’s what you need. My only request—it’s a bit silly—is for my face to be covered. I can wear a mask or a lot of makeup. I just don’t want anyone to recognize me.”
My ears perked up, and my eyes finally flicked to her again. I canted my head to the side.
Interesting.
Most of our performers wore makeup of some kind but, even so, it was an odd request. She didn’t want anyone to recognize her. That could only mean one thing: she was hiding.
Ironic considering she wanted to be center stage.
And clearly, Revel wasn’t who she was hiding from.Could he have something to do with her running away?
I hated how quickly more questions formed, but I hated my curiosity even more. I wanted answers.
“Hmm,” Hallow hummed and paced a half-circle around Arina. “I’m afraid all of our performance acts are full. I don’t have a place for you on my stage.”
Her face fell, and her eyes flicked to me briefly before snapping back to the ringleader.
“Please,” she begged, and the desperate word made my cock twitch.
Fuck.
I stared, wondering how a single word could ignite such a feral fire within me, and wished she was begging me instead of Hallow. She could beg me for anything—my approval, my knives, my knot. As long as her voice kept that pitiful, desperate lilt that made my knees weak.
“I can be an extra you stick in a corner,” she offered. “I can be someone’s assistant.”
“Assistant?” Hallow repeated, then looked back at me over their shoulder. “Could you use an assistant, Zero?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure. What about Night? He keeps scaring off Syxx and Sevyn.” My eyes met Arina’s, and I grinned with malice. “He gets a little crazy with a saw sometimes.”
The mention of a saw made her shift uncomfortably, and a giddy wave washed over me.
She was so easy to scare. So innocent, so weak. It was such a shame she couldn’t stay. I could have so much fun with her, in so many ways. My fingers were already itching to pull out my throwing knives, which were tucked into my belt.
“I’m not afraid of a blade,” she said, directed straight at me.
I laughed out loud, the sound echoing through the empty hall.
She was afraid—that much was obvious—but somehow still managed to run that bratty little mouth. If there was one thing I got off on, it was a stubborn attitude. That and knife play.
I wanted to show her, to prove to her just how terrifying my blades could be.
I wanted to break her, ruin her.
If we couldn’t convince her that she wasn’t made for the circus, I’d show her, along with everyone else.
“I don’t know, Hallow,” I said, pushing off the rail and slowly making my way back over. “Why don’t we see what she’s made of? If she can hold her own with me, maybe we can fit her in somewhere.”
“That’s not fair, and you know it, Zero,” Daze snapped, but I ignored him. There was only one person’s opinion that mattered, and that was Hallow’s.
The ringleader smirked at me, their dark eyes glinting with intrigue. It was a bluff, and they knew it, but I could tell they were up for a little excitement.
There was no way Arina would survive my knife throwing routine—no one ever had. They always bowed out before we got to the good part. And, if well-seasoned circus performers who’d seen me throw a thousand times wouldn’t stand in front of my target, neither would she.
“That’s a good idea,” Hallow said with a nod. Then, they locked eyes with Arina again. “If you can survive Zero’s act, I’ll consider it. Otherwise, my answer is no.”
Daze looked stunned, Arina skeptical.
“What exactly do I have to do?” She cocked an eyebrow, her gaze bouncing between Hallow and me.
