Page 59 of The Circus

We gather our things and stand, and Eden breezes past me, icing me out in her fear. I’m not worried.

Because the gift I have planned for her…well, she’ll have to forgive me.

I hope.

THIRTY-FOUR

EDEN

The massive mansionbefore me is surrounded by a stone wall and wrought iron gate, not unlike the derelict one of St. Ignatius. It’s dusk, and heavy storm clouds rumble in the distance, like fluffy, gray cotton balls filled with static and rain. The car rolls to a stop, and though the silence within the cab is unnerving, I’d rather stare at my impending doom than glance at Daniel.

He drove me, wanting to ensure no funny business would occur between now and the time I’m raped for twenty thousand dollars. When we’d left the circus, Teddy’s perceptive eyes had followed me, Vic yammering at him to pay attention as he taught him how to swallow fire. Ever since our little spat in literature yesterday, I haven’t talked to him, too keyed up and nervous for whatever he’s planning.

I know he’s a killer, that much is obvious. It should frighten me, but it doesn’t, because he’s had every opportunity to end me and he’s never come close. I speak with the dead, and he creates them. We’re twistedly perfect for one another, but if he wants a future with me, he needs to keep himself in check and leave this entire situation alone. There’s too much at stake for the two of us, and I won’t have him risking his life for me.

“Ride the bus home when you’re done. I have work to do,” Daniel snaps. Jumping at the sound of his voice, I turn and glance at him, fingers gracing the handle of his car door. A nice car, to be sure. A brand new BMW that I have a feeling this transaction helped pay for.

Sick fuck.

Popping the door handle, I don’t give him a backwards glance as I exit and slam the door a lot harder than necessary, treading up the driveway to the little box with the keypad near the gate. Shakily, my finger presses the call button as Daniel speeds away. Releasing a deep breath, I glare through the bars of the gate and to the dozens of windows beyond that spill golden light onto the immaculate front lawn. There’s even a damn fountain right in the center of the driveway, and I have to wonder…

If this scumbag can afford a home like the one I’m standing in front of, he couldn’t fork over more money to sleep with me?

The speaker box crackles, and I jump at the intrusive noise, heart pounding as the gates slowly begin to open with a heavy groan.

“You may enter,” says an androgynous voice, and I stare at the box for a moment, summoning my courage and giving my eyes one final lap around the foreboding mansion.

Teddy? My heart whispers longingly, that wistful part of me praying he does come to the rescue, my knight in shining armor. I’ve thrown up everything in my stomach today, both dreading this moment and fearing that hewillcome and do something stupid and get himself killed for it.

There’s no way he can leave the circus though, right? There’s too many people keeping an eye on him, and they’d know of his absence?

My feet propel me forward, my body numb and my mind buzzing as it has been all day. Even Cash’s jokes during gym couldn’t make me smile, and Teddy knew better than to try.

Swallowing down my fear, I raise my chin and calm my soul. If this is what I have to do to keep Teddy and my father safe, then so be it. I’d do much worse if the need ever arose. It’s just…scary, that’s all. Just something new, and a little intimidating, but I can do it.

I can do anything for those I love.

“Soon as Ilaid eyes on you,” the man says sloppily around a mouthful of steak and potatoes. My plate sits untouched, a luxury I hadn’t been expecting. He reaches for his glass of wine, some of it sloshing over the sides of the crystalline glass, dribbling down in crimson rivulets and staining the starched white tablecloth below. “I knew. I knew I had to have you.”

His home is just as spectacular on the inside as it is on the outside, and I can’t keep my eyes from wandering over all the gaudy decor. His dining room is huge, hues of blood red and crimson layered against heavy curtains and an ostentatious fireplace. My eyes sweep back to his, a steady tremble thrumming through my chest. He’s horrible, at least in his mid-sixties, with long, yellowed teeth and a turkey neck. His tuft of white hair sticks up against a balding head filled with dander, and his watery brown eyes keep dipping to my chest. I don’t have big boobs, so I’m not sure what the fuck he finds so interesting about them.

A sinking feeling hits my gut. I’m barely legal, and childish still in my appearance. This must be his way of circumnavigatinga child molestation charge. Find someone who looks the part, and take from them like the greedy, sick bastard he is.

The butler in the corner remains stoic and still, but there’s a firm set to his jaw and a rather annoyed glint in his eye. He’s easy to ignore, as insignificant as the wallpaper. What I can’t ignore, however, is the old woman dressed in black that stands behind the man who paid for me, her eye sockets empty, her hair nothing more than wispy tendrils, her skin wrinkled and worn and decomposing.

She doesn’t frighten me, because her wrath isn’t meant for me. She’s rather intent on the man, and I think she’s been haunting him for a while. Perhaps a deceased wife, or even his mother, judging by the dress. Even with the blazing fire in the hearth, there’s a constant undercurrent chill in the room. She wavers in and out of my view, leering over his shoulder like a vulture waiting its turn for a bite of rotten flesh.

I have to fight my smile, because as disgusted and terrified as I am to be in the presence of him, I’m just as comforted, knowing the dead feel the same.

Something thumps against the floor above us, rattling the chandelier and splintering the thick silence like an ax sinking into wood. Everyone’s eyes jump to the ceiling, and the man grunts, stabbing at more red potatoes and shoveling them down his gullet.

Behind him, the woman’s head cocks to the side at an unnatural angle, and a sick smile splits her face, nothing but a gaping hole where her mouth should be.

“Go take that mongrel outside to the kennels, Anders, and leave us be for the rest of the evening.”

“Of course, sir,” the butler says softly, exiting in long strides. Alone, the man points his knife to my plate.

“You’ll need your energy. Richard promised me a virgin, and I don’t go easy on virgins.”

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