Page 35 of House of Clowns

A door clicked, and instantly I felt panic race through my veins. I looked frantically around for somewhere to hide and then slid down onto the floor and under the bed like some monster lurking in the shadows.

I heard the soft patter of her bare feet on the floor as she dried herself with a towel, and then the pad toward the bed. A shrillscream came forth as the towel fell to the floor, and I heard the dull thud of a body falling in shock.

"Pussy,"I whispered to myself—the word was phony, even as I was uttering it—and wriggled out from beneath the bed. She lay very still, her face waxen, the shock frozen in her face. I just took the eyeballs and tucked them in her drawer along with the note so that they weren't visible. Then I gathered her up and back onto the bed, yanking the blanket up and tucking it in around her.

Her eyes fluttered open and took in my form. They screwed up in horror and another scream ripped free of her mouth. Her hand shot up, and before I could react, her palm cracked across my cheek with all the force she could muster.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she shouted, her voice thick with incredulity. "Was that Hypno?"

"What's left of him," I said, my tone even.

A tear had escaped down her cheek, catching the shine from off her skin. "What have you become?" she whispered. "A monster?"

I climbed over her, my hands pinning her wrists above her head. "I was always a monster," I said, my voice dark. "You were the one who saw me as human."

The pull was just too strong, the urge that had haunted me for six long months. My lips pressed against hers—hard, rough. She didn't resist; her lips parted, allowing me deeper, but then her teeth bit down, the metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth.

I leaned back, wiping my lip with a smile. "It's still me, Chiara," I whispered, my voice low. "Just this time, you're seeing all of me."

"By showing me you can kill people?" she snapped, her voice cracking with emotion. "Congratulations, Rio. You did it."

"I only took his eyes," I growled. "He stole years of my life, my humanity when he controlled my mind."

"What are you talking about?" Her eyes searched mine, confusion and anger swirling. "You killed him. That was your choice, not his."

"He made me kill others," I spat, my anger rising; "made me do things I never wanted to do. I did the world a favor."

"You disgust me." She turned her face away. Her voice was cold and brittle. "Just let go."

"No, you want me," I whispered, holding her gaze, my face very near. "Pretty good memories of the big cat, woods, first night?"

"I want to forget." Her voice was a whisper; her tears slid down her face.

I let her loose, straightening up, something acrid settling in my chest. "I never thought you'd care more for him than me."

She sat up and started hitting my back with her fists. "No, you idiot, I want to forget the eyeballs you left on my bed."

A low, dark laugh escaped me. "Didn't like the gift?" I said, raising one eyebrow in a smirk.

She shook her head, but something in her eyes, when they met mine, shifted it. There was a reciprocal tension to our face-to-face proximity that seemed almost palpable—a pull neither of us could explain or resist. Slowly, the anger softened in her eyes, and as I moved in—close breaths mingling—the chaos between us faded away into nothing else but the silence holding us together.

TWENTY

JOKER

Ilooked at her, the weight of unspoken words hanging between us. I wasn't ready to leave her again.

We lay side by side on the bed, the soft sheets cradling our bodies. Her presence was a lifeline, and I wanted to imprint the sight of her into my memory, the way her hair fell softly across her face. With each passing minute, I felt the tension between us easing, as if she were slowly forgiving me for the pain I had caused.

"I missed you," I murmured, my lips brushing against her ear as she nestled against my chest, her breath warm against my skin.

"And I missed all your toxic traits and red flags," she replied, a playful edge in her voice, her eyes sparkling with a mix of affection and mischief.

I leaned back into the pillow, a smile tugging at my lips. "Do you ever see yourself far away from here?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I dream about it often, actually."

"I missed this place. I've missed you." I pulled her closer, savoring the warmth of her body, but she shifted away, rising from the bed.

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