Page 27 of The Circus

“Fuck, sorry, man,” I say, skidding to a halt so I don’t smash into him.

But for the first time in my life, my heart stops from unrelenting fear alone. In the time it takes me to blink, the man is gone.

Somewhere upstairs, a woman screams.

I make it downtown with minutes to spare, grinning as I pull up to the sidewalk, Cash and Eden standing outside the door that leads into the circus. When Cash sees his car, his eyes widen, and his hands spear his hair, fingers tugging on the ends. Killing the engine, I get out and grin, winking at him as I toss him the keys. He purposely misses, letting them crash to the sidewalk with a metallicclank. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I rest my ass against the cherry red hood.

“You’re washing it,” he growls.

“I know,” I say, winking, unable to keep my eyes from assessing Eden. She stands in her uniform, her hair down and playing in the wind, arms crossed and cheeks pink. Her glare could melt the ice caps, and I have to wonder what they were chatting about as I pulled up. Quirking my brow at her, I say, “Yes, dear?”

“Where were you?” she demands icily. Her ire warms my cold heart, and I catch Cash’s coy smirk. She can play at being mad all she wants, but we both know she was concerned. I’d made sure Cash knew not to divulge my whereabouts.

“Were you worried about me, baby?”

Her eye twitches, and her alabaster cheeks turn as red as Cash’s Mustang. I have to bite my lip to prevent my smile from growing.

“I told her not to worry, but she wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone,” Cash jests, forgetting his muddy car for the time being. She glances between the two of us, stewing in her annoyance, that long, silky hair so shiny beneath the clouds. Imagining her exploring that place—St. Ignatius, I’d discovered—is fucking sexy as hell. To have no fear of the dead, to seek out refuge in what was once a place of nightmares? She’s damn near perfect.

“You asshole. I just asked where he was one time.”

Cash smirks at her, arms crossed. “Once every five minutes.”

She makes a disgusted sound, throwing her hands up and attempting to stomp past us, but my hand juts out, and I catch her bicep, spinning her toward me as I stand to my full height. Those alluring violet eyes clash with mine, and I melt beneath her enraged stare.

“Let go, asshole,” she growls through clenched teeth, a little black kitten ensnared by her wolf.

“Admit you were worried.”

She attempts to shake herself loose, a touch of worry appearing in the corners of her eyes when she realizes yet againhow strong I am. In the wind, her scent wafts to me, something akin to lavender and rosemary and rain. Earthy.Witchy.

“Not worried. Annoyed you had Cash following me everywhere. He threw me over his shoulder and forced me to get on the bus with him,” she seethes, reddening even more in her embarrassment at the memory. Cash laughs, the sound deep and rich, and I catch his playful eyes over the top of her head.

“Thanks, man,” I say. He nods with a proud grin.

“Of course. Sorry about the whole skirt thing, Edie.”

She stamps her foot and tries to twist away from me again, to no avail. When my eyes catch hers, she’s fuming. “Everyone saw my ass when he tossed me around like a damn rag doll, and now he thinks it’s okay to call meEdie.”

“Duh. You’re Teddy’s. Which, by proxy, means I’m your new big brother.”

Warmth floods me. I knew Cash would relent once he spent a few minutes with her. But my eyes search hers, resignation swimming in the depths of those amethysts, her body relaxing in my grip.

“I’m not Teddy’s,” she says, with far less ire and conviction in her tone this time. Cash snorts, swiping his keys from the dirty concrete.

“Yeah,” he says, striding by us to the driver’s side door, casting a long glance at Eden. “Good luck with that, Edie. When he wants something…” he trails off, and her eyes flick between mine and my best friend’s.

“Then I get it,” I whisper, her body trembling at my words.

“Fine. Whatever. Can we go now?”

“Only if you promise to be my pickleball partner again tomorrow,” Cash quips. I snort.

“Damn. Bummed I missed that.”

She rolls her eyes, and my fingers begrudgingly loosen their grip on her skinny arm. I keep my hand there all the same, forfeeling the warmth beneath her jacket after seeing that fucking ghost is helping to calm me. I’m not one to shy away from the dead, obviously, but…I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It’s chilling and confusing but also super fucking cool all at once. If we could ditch the circus tonight and go back out there, I would in a heartbeat.

Fuck, if we couldliveout there? My mind floods with the endless possibilities. I’d hunt her through those haunting halls, chase her through those wistful woods. The thought of catching her, both of us breathless as I forcefully take what’s mine, holding my knife to her slender throat as I fuck her?—

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