Page 24 of Maison De Fous

But surrender isn’t a fucking option. Not anymore.

Lux moves like a predator, his body a blur as he grabs the next one, slamming him to the ground with a force that makes the earth tremble. He doesn’t waste time. His knife flashes in the moonlight, and a second later, the man’s throat is a gaping red smile, blood spurting out in thick arcs as Lux steps back, letting the body twitch and convulse before going still.

The others try to run.

Stupid.

I lunge at the closest one, catching him by the back of his robe and yanking him off his feet. He hits the ground hard, butbefore he can react, I’m on him, my boot crashing down on his chest, cracking ribs. His scream is cut short as I kneel beside him, my hands finding his throat.

“You thought you’d walk away from this?” I growl, squeezing until his face turns red, then purple. The sight of his eyes wide with fear has my cock rock hard and ready. “No one touchesourpeople. No one.”

His hands claw at mine, his body thrashing beneath me, but it’s pointless. The life drains from his eyes, and when I’m satisfied, I let him drop. His body joins the pile of skin bags.

I stand, wiping the blood and dirt off my hands on my pants, glancing over at Lux. He’s already finished with the last of them, their bodies crumpled at his feet, lifeless.

Giselle steps forward, her face hard but satisfied. “Well shit,” she chuckles as she takes in the sight of what we’ve done. “You guys sure move quick, and you don’t fuck around.”

“Not when it comes to our people, no. Was that all of them?” I grunt with panted breath.

“Yeah I think so,” she replies, turning her attention back to Lux.

“Good,” Lux mutters, turning toward the cirkies who had been tied up. “Untie them. Get them out of here.”

I scan the area. The bodies of the cirkies who didn’t make it lie scattered near the fire pit, their blood mixing with the dirt. It’s a waste, but it’s part of the life we live. Not everyone survives the show. They know the risks in our line of work, shit we all do.

“Johnny,” Lux calls, his voice sharp. “Grab those shovels. We need to clean this mess up before it draws more attention.”

I nod, moving toward the pile of tools at the edge of the camp. There are already half-dug graves nearby—seems the cirkies were preparing for a burial before we even got here. Smart.

We drag the bodies—both the cirkies and the pieces of shit who killed them—into the shallow pits, the lifeless forms thudding against the earth as we toss them in one by one. The dirt is cold and damp under my hands as I shovel it over their corpses, each heave of earth making the world feel a little quieter, a little darker.

By the time we finish, the pit is full, the bodies hidden beneath layers of dirt and debris. Lux growls, voice low and filled with a simmering rage. “We’re going to send a fucking message so this shit, doesn’t happen again. Not in my fucking circus, and not with our fucking people.”

I nod, adrenaline coursing through me like wildfire. Shit, I love when Lux gets all murdery like he is right now. These bastards thought they could take us down? Well everyone else is about to learn just how wrong they are.

“Giselle,” Lux barks, his tone hard as steel, “make sure the others are on guard. There’s no fucking way this was random. They wanted us wiped out and we don’t know for sure if there is any more of their people creeping around.”

Giselle locks onto his gaze, a wild, frenzied excitement flickering in her eyes at the thought of finally having her chance to spill more blood. “Oh, I’ll handle it,” she breathes, her voice laced with manic energy. “But you two better watch your backs. I can’t wait to tear them apart.”

“Trust me, we’ll be fine,” I snap, anger bubbling beneath the surface. “They fucked with the wrong circus. They have no idea what’s coming for them. Let’s let them feel the heat of what happens when you touch what’s ours.”

We pivot away, urgency driving us forward, the weight of this attack pressing down on us. The night feels charged, like a coiled snake ready to strike, and I can’t shake the sense of dread creeping in. Indie is out there, dancing in the midst of this chaos, and I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to her.

“Let’s move,” Lux growls, his eyes scanning the crowd like a predator on the hunt. “We need to get back to Indie. I have a feeling there’s more of them lurking around, just waiting for the right moment to strike and I swear to fucking god, Johnny, I will kill them all.”

“Let them come,” I snarl, my fists tightening with bloodlust. “If they want a war, we’ll fucking give it to them. They’ll wish they’d never fucking dared to step foot in our circus.”

Lux’s grin twists into something feral, a glint of madness flickering in his eyes. “They don’t have a clue what they’ve unleashed. We’re not performers tonight—we’re fucking nightmares. Monsters, bred to protect our own. No one touches one of us and walks away. Not tonight. Not ever.”

The rage inside us flares, every step pounding with the promise of carnage. We’re not fighting for survival; we’re hunting. Hell-bent on tearing apart anyone who dares think they can take down this circus. Our bloodlust pulses in sync as we head back to the tent.

There will be no mercy. No fucking hesitation.

By the time the night ends, they’ll understand—crossing the cirkies is a death sentence, and we’re the fucking executioners.

chapter twelve

indie

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