Ourbus? I eyed the twisted clown face, whose pupil-less eyes seemed locked on me. It matched the one on Zero’s shirt from earlier.
“Am I going to be a clown?”
“Yes and no.” She tugged open the door and led the way up three steps with me on her heels.
My eyes bulged when I saw bunk beds on either side of the aisle leading to the back of the bus; I’d never seen anything likeit. Each was covered with a black curtain for privacy, which was nice, but how much privacy could you really get when you were traveling with eleven other performers?
“Most of the performers who don’t have a specific talent get lumped with the clowns. We have the broadest roles, and sometimes our jobs change from show to show,” Bobbitt explained while I took in the bus. “Hallow is bringing you on as an assistant; you’re going to help the Big Three with their performances, and anyone else who can use you. So you’ll be staying here, with the clowns.”
“Zero has his own trailer, right?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Bobbitt shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. He rides with us.”
Fuck.
I’d be traveling with the clowns.
I’ll be traveling with Zero.
How the hell would I survive being stuck in close quarters with him? I’d be choking on his scent for hours on end, and there wouldn’t be anything I could do except suffer through it.
At the thought of his rich, caramel-covered popcorn, I inhaled and picked up on a faint whisper of it lingering in the air. My mouth watered, and my eyes darted around the bunks, wondering which one belonged to him. If Bobbitt wasn’t standing next to me, I’d probably start sniffing mattresses trying to figure out where my scent match slept.
Gross.
“Don’t worry,” Bobbitt said when she noticed the look on my face. Did I look as nervous as I felt? “I’m technically a clown, so I’m on this bus too.”
I exhaled a small sigh of relief. That was something. At least I wouldn’t be stuck alone on a bus with a bunch of strangers and a psychotic alpha who played with knives for fun.
“Are you also an assistant?” I asked.
She shook her head, sending her blonde curls flying. “I’m a balloon-animal artist. But sometimes I work concessions or security.”
I snorted a laugh, looking her up and down. There was no way this tiny woman worked circus security when there were alphas running around the arena. The idea was absurd.
However, she cocked a slender eyebrow at me with a smirk. “Zero isn’t the only one who’s a fan of knives.” She lifted the hem of her shirt, and I caught a glimpse of a sheathed dagger tucked into her pants. My eyebrows shot up. “For the most part customers behave, but on the off chance they get unruly, the last thing they expect is to get their ass kicked by a clown with balloon animals.”
Holy shit.She was serious.
That was extra incentive not to get on her bad side. I didn’t want my ass kicked by a balloon-animal artist either.
Maybe with Bobbitt in my corner, I might actually stand a chance at surviving the sideshow and the alphas who seemed intent on keeping me out of it.
“Your bunk is in the back left corner. On the bottom.” Bobbitt gestured for me to lead the way. “It’s the only vacant one right now. Otherwise, you’d get to pick.”
Following instructions, I marched down the aisle between the bunk beds. With every step, the caramel popcorn scent got a little stronger. By the time I got to my bunk, the scent was overwhelming, making my thoughts foggy. I took several deep breaths, clinging to it as much as I could without her noticing.
All I wanted was to drown in the sticky-sweet caramel-popcorn smell of my scent match. To crawl in his bed and roll around in his sheets, so the scent would cling to my skin. Which was insane, considering the fucker would probably skin me alive if he found me in his bed.
I looked around curiously, wondering which one belonged to Zero. It had to be one of the ones with the curtain drawn. My eyes landed on the top one across the aisle from mine, and I froze, my heart skipping a beat. A half-step closer gave me the answer I was so desperate for; that bunk belonged to him.
Will he really be sleeping so close to me?
“Everyone gets their own cabinet for their belongings,” Bobbitt said, oblivious to my internal conflict. I tore my eyes from Zero’s bunk in time to see her point to the cabinet next to my bed. It had a little knob handle, and when I tugged it open, I found an empty space with two shelves and plenty of room for my backpack. “Bathroom with a shower is back there.”
I was barely listening, my heart rate accelerating at the thought of leaving my backpack on the bus. There was no lock on the cabinet, just a magnet to keep the door closed when the bus was in motion, and no way to keep the suppressants completely safe. Anyone could open the door and go through my things.
I swallowed hard.
