Page 22 of Maison De Fous

I’m the king, and she’s my queen. He knows he’s here, touching what’s mine, for one night, and nothing more.

Indie’s hands slide down Johnny’s chest, her fingers tracing the lines of his muscles as she grinds harder against me. Her body is soft, supple, and the feeling of her pressed so tightly between us has my cock throbbing. My hands tighten on her hips, guiding her movements as we fall deeper into the rhythm of the music.

Around us, people are screaming, laughing, moaning. Some are fighting, others fucking, their bodies tangled in a mess of blood and flesh, of raw, animalistic desire. It’s fucking anarchy, pure and unbridled, and it’s exactly what I wanted. Whatwewanted.

She turns her head slightly, her lips brushing against my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. “Lux...” she whispers, her voice breathy, slurred from the drugs but still full of need.

I tilt her chin up, forcing her eyes to mine. They’re glazed over, pupils blown wide, but there’s a clarity in them that makes my heart race. She’s fucking mine. Every inch of her belongs to me, and tonight, despite me letting Johnny so close to her, she’s proven to me in every way that I’m the only one she wants. That there’s only one king who can rule her dark heart, and it’s me.

Johnny leans in, his lips ghosting over her collarbone, his hands sliding down her waist to rest on her hips, just above where mine grip her. It’s a careful, deliberate touch, one that acknowledges the lines he knows he cannot cross. I watch him intensely, my grip on her tightening, but I don’t stop him. Right now, I don’t care if he tastes her, because I know that at the end of the night, she’ll still be mine. All fucking mine.

“I don’t know what that guy put in my drink, but I feel fucking amazing,” Indie breathes, her voice thick with the haze of drugs and euphoria. She’s enjoying the high, but Dario will still get what’s coming to him. Stupid fucker. Thought he could fuck with her, with something that belongs to me. Not a fucking chance.

Indie’s hand reaches back to grip my thigh, and the simple touch sends a jolt right to my cock, pulling me back from my dark thoughts of revenge.

I slide my fingers along her neck, feeling the rapid pulse beneath her skin. “You look amazing,” I whisper in her ear, inhaling the sweet, almost vanilla-like scent that clings to her.It’s her scent, the one I can’t get enough of, even here in the midst of all this madness. “All of this, the chaos, the violence—it’s nothing compared to you.”

Around us, the world is falling apart. Two cirkies nearby are dragging a limp body into the shadows, the dull thud of their movements barely cutting through the pounding music. A few feet away, a man with wild eyes and blood dripping from his chin grins as he watches his partner carve her name into his chest with a gleaming knife. They laugh, their eyes gleaming with twisted joy as the blood flows freely, the crowd cheering them on like animals in a pit.

Across the tent, one of the fire-breathers throws another puff of flames into the air, sending sparks raining down on the crowd. People scream, but it’s not fear—it’s excitement, an adrenaline rush as it lights up the night. The havoc is spreading, the energy of the crowd growing more dangerous with every passing second.

Indie’s body continues to sway between us, but as my eyes scan the people beneath my big top, I can’t help but feel the tension building around us. The crowd is growing wilder, more unpredictable. I spot a few customers across the way, pulling a struggling man into one of the tents, blood staining the ground beneath them. It’s getting out of control faster than I expected, and I know it’s only a matter of time before things turn violent.

I tighten my grip on Indie, pressing my lips to her ear. “Stay close, Indie,” I murmur, my voice low but firm. “Things are getting a little bit wild.”

She looks up at me, her eyes glassy but filled with a wild gleam. “I can handle it,” she says, her voice soft but sure. She leans into Johnny, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw. “You both worry too much.”

Johnny chuckles, his hands resting on her hips. “She’s got a point,” he says, his voice thick with amusement. “She can takecare of herself. Besides, this shit is just starting to pop off! This is the shit we wanted!”

But even as he says it, I see the shift in the crowd. More cirkies are dragging bodies off the dance floor, and the fights that were once playful are turning vicious. Blood is starting to pool on the ground, and the screams are getting louder. My instincts are on high alert, every nerve in my body screaming that something’s about to go very, very wrong.

Before I can say anything, someone taps me on the shoulder. Giselle, one of my most loyal cirkies, slips up beside me, her expression grim. “Lux,” she says, her voice urgent, “there’s a problem out back. You need to come now. Johnny, you should probably come too.”

I glance down at Indie, still lost in the high, her body swaying to the beat as if nothing in the world could touch her. She looks up at me, her lips curving into a soft smile. “Go,” she says, her voice smooth. “I’ll be fine. I can handle myself.”

I shake my head. “You should come with us,” I tell her, not liking the idea of leaving her here alone. “Things could get worse, and I’d rather you be with us.”

Indie laughs, light and carefree, her eyes gleaming under the haze of whatever’s coursing through her. “I’m not going anywhere,” she insists, her body still moving to the rhythm. “I want to stay here, dance a little longer. I can handle myself, Lux. I’ve done it before.”

Johnny frowns, his hand tightening on her waist as his eyes meet mine.

“I’m fine, really,” Indie interrupts, pressing a kiss to Johnny’s jaw. Then she leans into me, her arms winding around my neck as she ghosts her lips over mine. “Go take care of what you need to. I’ve got this.”

I grit my teeth, torn between the instinct to protect her and the logic that she’s right. Indie has handled herself in worsesituations. Still, I hesitate. “You’re sure?” I ask again, my voice low. “Stay in the center. Don’t wander off. The cirkies need someone here just in case.”

She nods, her eyes soft but determined. “I won’t wander. I promise.”

Johnny lingers for a moment longer before pulling away reluctantly. “We’ll be back soon,” he says, his hand trailing off her hip as we turn to follow Giselle into the shadows. I glance back one last time, watching Indie move to the music, fully immersed in her world. She’s in her element, but I can’t shake the growing tension in the air.

Whatever’s happening out back, I need to deal with it fast. You never know how something will progress in this business. A problem could simmer down in a few minutes, or it could turn into a shit show. However, there is one thing I am certain about as Johnny and I follow Giselle through the crowd, whoever the fuck is pulling me away from my girl right now, is going to pay.

With their fucking life.

chapter eleven

johnny

Gravewalker’s Anthem - MOSSBACK, Saliva Grey

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