She screams, sharp and panicked, cutting through the air as I reach for her, but she’s too quick. She slips out of reach, and I stumble forward, nearly falling.
By the time I gather myself and lift my head, she’s already halfway through the corridor, slipping behind the curtains again.
“Little fucking rascal,” I mutter under my breath.
My teeth clench, frustration rising like bile before I take off, chasing her into the dark, not willing to let her disappear again.
I yank back the curtain and find myself in one of the prop rooms.
Reaching up, I grab the cord hanging from the ceiling and pull. The single bulb flickers once before buzzing to life.. It swings slightly from the force, sending shadows dancing across the red and white fabric swathed along the walls.
My red spirals sweep across the room, searching for her, but all I see is circus equipment.
Painted masks, throwing axes and juggling pins line against the walls on a table, cracked and peeling. A large, warped mirror leans on a rusted stand against the back wall, the glass bending my reflection in all the wrong ways.
In the corner, a black cannon, painted with white, red and green swirls rests on splintered wooden wheels, chains spilling from the barrel like guts.
But she’s not here.
As I turn to leave, a faint noise behind me stops me cold. Then I spin on my heel, eyes wild, scanning the room again.
Something moved, I know it did.
I rush forward, heartbeat climbing into my throat, every muscle coiled as I search the room frantically, like a beast gone mad.
I grab the edge of the warped mirror and start to pull it aside—
Zap.
White hot currents tear through me, engulfing my body in a violent surge. My jaw locks tight, teeth grinding as the pain snaps down my spine and lights up my skull.
Then, just as suddenly as it came, it stops.
I stagger back, chest heaving, ears ringing and I watch as Aurelia steps out from behind the mirror, slow and careful, a sheepish little smile tugging at her lips.
“Sorry…” she mumbles, voice small, hands fiddling nervously. “You… you just scared me.”
I growl low in my throat, then curl my finger at her—beckoning her forward.
She hesitates, eyes glancing to the door, then back to me. Step by slow step, she comes closer, cautious, like she’s approaching a cage with something dangerous inside.
I don’t move. Not until she’s within reach, then I pounce.
My fingers fist in her hair, yanking her forward with a brutal pull. She crashes into me, breath knocked out of her, and my other hand is already at her throat, gripping tight, tilting her head back so she has no choice but to look up at me.
“You better hold onto that little button like your fucking life depends on it, Allure,” I hiss, voice seething. “Don’t you dare let me kill you.”
She stares at me, gold eyes wide, but steady.
“Okay,” she whispers in agreement.
And the second the word leaves her mouth, my lips slam into hers, hard and consuming, like I’m already trying to steal the breath she’s barely holding onto.
I walk her backward, lips still locked, until her ass hits the edge of a table with a soft thud.
Shrugging off my leather jacket, I let it fall to the floor. Her fingers find my belt, tugging it loose with urgency before pulling my zipper down. I lean over her, reaching out with one arm and sweeping everything off the table in a violent motion.
Props crash to the floor, wood, metal, glass, all of it hitting the ground in a loud, chaotic mess that echoes through the space.
