“How could they possibly get Nile crocodiles? I can’t believe they got permission to do this,” I breathed out.
“You’d be surprised what money will buy.” Kane shrugged. “Half a dozen major zoos in the states have them in captivity, some strings were pulled to get them for tonight. They’ll be replaced before the next show.”
“With what?” I put a palm against my chest, trying to keep my heart from bursting out.
“Oh, you’ll see,” Kane teased.
Before I could pry further, Xander revved his engine, the motorcycle's growl challenging the prehistoric bellowing from the pit and rolled forward. He made a slow circle, building momentum, and I realized I was holding my breath.
I closed my eyes.
“Open your eyes, Lucy,” Kane’s rough voice directed.
At first, I didn’t listen, but darkness wasn't better. In the blackness behind my eyelids, all I could see was Xander missing the jump, his body tumbling into that churning water, those jaws closing around?—
My eyes flew open. No. If this was happening, I wouldn't hide from it. After years of watching the world through a hospital window, I'd promised myself I would witness everything and feel everything, even fear.
The engine's howl reached a fever pitch as Xander launched forward. The motorcycle careened toward the ramp, his body bent low over the handlebars. Time lost all meaning. Each second felt endless, yet everything happened too quickly to process.
The front wheel hit the ramp.
The motorcycle soared.
My heart stopped.
He was airborne, silhouetted against the red-tinted lights. It was breathtaking, the way he was defying gravity, defying death. Below him, the crocodiles moved restlessly, the meat gone, the hope of another meal soaring above them.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd as Xander pushed off from the seat, his body separating from the motorcycle at the apex of the jump. The backflip didn’t seem humanly possible, nor did the way he somehow managed to grab the handlebars afterwards to rejoin with the bike. A few seconds later, he was out of the seat again, his lower body extending to the left while the bike went sideways, flattening to the right. For one breathless moment, it looked like Xander and the motorcycle were going to plummet into the dangerous waters below, but then he yanked the bike back to him, mounting to finish the jump.
God, he even waved. He waved, and he acted like what he was doing was the easiest thing in the world.
I didn't realize I was gripping Kane's arm until his hand covered mine, gently prying my fingers loose.
"Breathe, Lucy," he murmured, amusement coloring his tone.
I sucked in air, my aching lungs gratefully expanding. Moments later, Xander’s motorcycle was slamming down on the second ramp, the rear wheel touching down first, followed by the front in perfect sequence. When he hit the ground, the jump’s momentum carried him a hundred yards or more.
The crowd erupted. Relief flooded me so intensely that my knees nearly buckled, but Kane’s firm touch kept me upright.
Xander circled back, cutting a figure eight into the grass with practiced ease before racing toward where I stood with Kane. The bike skidded to a dramatic stop mere feet away, kicking up a cloud of dirt.
Xander yanked off his helmet, revealing flushed cheeks and sweat-dampened black hair. His eyes, wild with adrenaline, found mine immediately. The smile that spread across his face was victorious, fierce, and somehow just for me despite the thousands watching.
"That was for you, Venom!" he called over the continuing applause. “Only for you!”
I smiled and blew him a kiss, wishing I could give him the real thing, but we couldn’t step on the field. His responding grin was infectious, then he slammed on his helmet and zoomed back into the fray for his next stunt.
“Told you he’d make it,” Kane murmured, his face pressed close to mine.
I turned so I could look at him, my responding grin felt shaky but genuine. "Never doubted it for a second," I lied, and the knowing gleam in his eyes told me he wasn't fooled.
I love it here, I thought.At the Cirque. With my adrenaline-junkie Alphas.Even with my stomach still hurting and my pulse still pounding, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
XANDER.
The engine thrummed between my legs, a beast eager to be unleashed. I flexed my gloved fingers on the handlebars, feeling the vibration travel through my arms and into my chest. The world narrowed to a single point ahead: the ramp.
And the death pit I'd soon be sailing over.
