“Jules,” I reply coolly. The corners of his lips twitch up, and he looks away.
“Over there, with the cards, that’s Marek. Silas’ half-brother,” Elias continues.
“I see a theme,” I mumble even as I wave at the man who gives me a serene smile in return.
“Pleasure to meet you, Juliane,” he says in a soothing voice.
I cringe. “No one calls me that. Not since… Never mind. Call me Jules.”
Marek nods. “Jules.”
Elias points at the knife thrower. “The smartass there is Cole. And the vicious pyromaniac is Logan.”
Both men only give me a curt nod, which I return in kind. Guess they’ll take some work to win over.
“Rowe is Logan’s twin.”
The animal tamer, the one with the scars, greets me with a quiet hello.
“And, last but not least, there’s Jonah.”
The dark-skinned, muscle-bound giant winks at me.
“And you’re all…” I leave the sentence hanging.
“Fucked in the head?” Logan asks, one eyebrow raised.
I scrunch my face up. “Cult survivors.”
Cole crosses his arms, the knives still in his hands glinting under the porch lights.
“We’re more than cult survivors, Blue.”
“We like to think of ourselves as avenging angels,” Logan adds with a cackle.
Elias pulls out an honest-to-goodness pocket watch and checks the time.
“Gotta get ready, boys. Almost showtime.”
“You mean k—killing the man?” I stutter, my voice low.
All seven of them burst into laughter.
“No, Little Sapphire,” Elias says, shaking his head fondly. “It’s time for the show in the Big Top. The torture comes after.”
“Right,” I breathe, a hysterical little laugh escaping my mouth. “That kind of show.”
“That kind of show,” he echoes with a grin. “Why don’t you come help me get ready? You should eat something.”
Silas scoffs as the brothers start getting up and turning to what I presume are their own trailers.
"Don’t be late,” the illusionist throws over his shoulder in a derisive voice.
“Why would he think you’ll be late?” I ask as Elias leads me back inside.
“Because he knows how you’ll be getting me ready,” he replies.
Oh.
