Page 3 of Ensnared By the Stone Freak

Terror wafted from their stone shapes, thick tendrils curling into the air. It was a power source for the Carnival;everything here fed on that kind of fear. Even I felt the jolt of it as it thrummed through the air between us. Oddly enough, my beautiful brunette was beginning to look calmer by the minute, as ifshe weregetting used to being at my side—to being in the spotlight with me.

“Come on, anyone else think they can move these men—these statues of mine? Or shall I release them from my grasp?” I asked the crowd. Several young adults leaped eagerly into the ring at that challenge, but they soon admitted defeat with laughter and slaps on the shoulders. By the time they had returned to their seats, the effects of my gaze finally began to wear off, and first one,then the other spluttered back to life and bolted from the ringas ifthe hounds of hell were on their heels.

That was my cue to let my woman go, but I couldn’t let her slip from my grasp without so much as knowing her name. “Around ofapplause for my volunteers,” Icalled to the crowd, and they supplied it eagerly—thrilled to have been entertained, and glad to laugh at the fear I’d instilled in my victims. I used the cover of that noise to glance at her from the corner of my eye. “What’s your name, darling?” I asked. She did not reply, only staring at me with wide eyes and her pink mouth slightly open. “Why don’t you meet me at the side entrance, and I’ll show you around? Would you like that? I am Halvard, at your service.” I dipped into a bow, as much for the audience as for her, but she slipped from my grasp like water.

I watched her go with regret in my heart, but I knew this wouldn’t be the last I’d see of her. I had tasted her blood;that was enough to tieus together. All I had to do to find her was close my eyes and search for her. I did just that, still standing in the ring as the ringmaster’s disembodied voice shouted accolades and announced the next act. Dipping into a bow by instinct, my focus was entirely on the pull I felt inside my chest.

***

Camryn

I sank low in my seat the moment I reached it, my face on fireandmy heart pounding. Thrilled, excited, wowed by these acts? Yeah, no kidding. I was all of those things—but meeting Halvard the Stone Freak was inaleagueall its own. Not only was his act pretty cool(it really had felt like he’d turned people to stone somehow), buthe was also potently hot. And he’d asked me to come see him, to meet him at the side gate for a private tour. If Lis knew, she’d make me go, so I was going to keep my mouth shut and make up my mind in private first.

Did I want to see him again? Did I want to feel that kind of crazy desire at first sight? I had done that once, and it hadn’t turned out so great for me. The attractiontoThorne had soured so fast when we’d proven to be wholly incompatible in virtually every way. Fear crawled up my spine, and it had nothing to do with the creepy act an illusionist was putting on right now. Remembering Thorne always made me feel that way—sick to my stomach, ashamed. Lis didn’t know how bad it was—just that we’d broken up, that he was an ass, and that I didn’t want to date.

Considering my past experience, my risk-averse nature wanted to tell me to stay the hell away from Halvard. He was a Stone Freak in a carnival, a traveling performerwhowould leave as soon as the carnival left. There was no future in a relationship with a man like that. My mind latched onto that:no future. It was quick, harmless, just fun. Maybe that was exactly what I needed—a rebound guy, a stranger to shake things up. I was certain that was a plan Lis would approve of.

“So,” my friend whispered, leaning close to make herself heard over the sounds of the act and the audience,“did that sexy man talk to you? Did he say anything? You sure got close. Come on! Spill the beans, I’m dying here…” It was a miracle she’d lasted this long without asking, asshe’d practically been bouncing in her seat the entire time. Patience was not a virtue Lis had in spades, and it made me smile, the weird fog of fear falling away.

“Yeah, he invited me to go see him after the show… Private tour…” I said. My friend squealed, loud enough to make several people around us hush us with angry stares. Thankfully,the illusionist ignored us, though I was certain it had disrupted his concentration. “Yes, I am going,” I agreed. When Lis opened her mouth, it tilted into a very satisfied grin instead—wide and smug,like the CheshireCat.

“Good,” was all she said. I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good;it was going to be spectacular.

Chapter 4??

Camryn

Lis had her arm looped through mine and was steering me through the busy crowd with a firm grip. I knew what she was up to—she did not want me to lose my nerve and back out. She might be right about the urge; it was very hard to keep going and not start voicing all the reasons why this was a bad idea. The stack of paperwork on my desk was starting to look tempting, and that, more than anything, made me bite my lip and keep walking. I wasnotletting that asshole turn me into my father, the workaholic.

The carnival grounds were even more crowded than before, though most of the visitors now were of the adult variety. Darkness clung to everything, but torches, neon lights, and candles gaveita mysterious ambiance. It was starting to look less spooky and more cozy to me, but maybe that was just me getting used to the place.

We stepped around a hand-painted wagon that boldly proclaimed itselfto be the apothecary. Herbs, jars of spices, and all kinds of strange,magical-looking items were displayed. Scented candles with strange nameswerebeing sold by the bushel. I nearly bumped into a man hurrying off while surreptitiously tucking a bag of herbs labeled “aphrodisiac” into his pocket. That made my nerves vanish, and I was smiling, telling Lis about it, when I saw him.

He stepped out from between two attractions:the strong man on a small stage showing off and a tent selling concessions. The scent of corn dogs, caramel, and spun sugar filled the air—scents so incongruous with him that my brain struggled for a long moment to figure out if he was real or not. “Ah, fuck,” Lis exclaimed. “Why is he here?”

I knew why. There was only one reason Thorne would deign to step onto a muddy field and minglewith the common folk here to be thrilled: me. That might sound conceited—and considering he’d been so… negative throughout our brief time dating—surprising too. But it was the truth:Thorne did not want to let me move on. He did not want me to forget our timetogether.

Blind panic struck me when Lis confirmed that he wasn’t a figment of my overzealous imagination. The crowd was huge, but Thorne stood out—tall and commanding. As he started walking toward us, his eyes locked on my face, and everyone scurried out of his path. They slipped away like water, fearing his wrath without even knowing why. He was simplythatintimidating.

“You go that way. I’ll distract him,” Lis said with a snarl, her beautiful facecontorted intoa killing look. I was very glad I wasn’t on the receiving end of her glare, but I also knew it wasn’t enough to do more than delay Thorne. With a nod, I ducked around a wide-shouldered man in a long black coat, nearly tripped over a tent rope, and then I was off. My low heels made running on the muddy grounddifficult, as did the crowd, but all that mattered was getting out of Thorne’s sight. After that, I needed to find a good hiding place and hope hegave up before I did.I ducked intoa narrow passage between two tentsandfound myself behind the main thoroughfare, standingnext to the sickly yellow-and-white-striped side of the big top once again.“Side entrance,” my brain yelled at me, and I sprinted along the tent, hoping I could find it.

A stack of barrels and crates blocked my circuitous path around the tent, and I was forced to turn back toward the crowd, stepping around a tent featuring a BB gun shooting game. The bang and pop from the players, along with their cheers as they struck their targets, drowned out every other sound in the vicinity. Confused and a little disoriented, I spun in place and tried to figure out which way I should go. Everything looked the same now—glaring lights, flames, so many faces, and impossibly long shadows.

Shouting drew my attention, yanking my eyes away from the big top to the crowded carnival. The carnival-goers parted like theRedSea,exposingThorne as he strode down the path in my direction. How he’d known which way to go, I wasn’t sure, but there was no mistaking his purpose. He saw me;he knew exactly where I was. Lis wasthe one shouting, hanging from his armandoblivious to the stares of the crowd. “Stop,you bastard! Leave her alone! She doesn’t want to see you!” Ah, my friend was such a brave, loyal soul.

“Seems we’re not the only show in town, are we?” a low male voice drawled from nearby. My eyes jerkedawayfrom the distressing approach of my ex and landed on the man who’d suddenly popped up at my side. He wore leather pants and a leather jacket over his otherwise bare chest. Sunglassesperchedon his straight nose, silky black hair slicked back intoa neatstyle, and a smirk curled his lush mouth—Halvard the Stone Freak; the very man I’d been trying to meet. Except Lis and I had gotten a little turned aroundwhiletrying to find the big top’s side entrance.

“He’s here for me,” I said to him, surprising myself with how candidly I spoke. Only Lis knew of my issues with my ex—and she only knew the bare minimum—but I was willing to ask this total and bizarre stranger for help. That’s how dire it was. “I was coming to see you, I swear. Right now,I’d settle for a quick getaway to the exit…” I glanced from Halvard’s sexy, stubborn chin and intriguing smirk back to Thorne and winced when I realized he was getting closer. Lis had given up on physically holding him back, but she was trying to incite the carnival-goers to stop him, sadly to no avail.

“I’ll do you one better, darling,” my leather-clad, sunglasses-wearing companion said. His voice sounded anything but amused now—it sounded deadly, sinister. A shiver shot down my spine that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with attraction. I was nuts. Halvard stuck his fingers between his teeth and whistled, the sound loud and shocking as it cut through the noise of the carnival. He jerked his chin toward Thorne once the sound died out, but if it was a signal to others, I could not tellto whom.

A noisy snuffle came from behind me.“Groink?!” Something brushed past my leg, and I sidesteppedreflexively, colliding with my handsome Stone Freak. Halvard immediately slid his arm around my middle and hauled me closer, nearly lifting my heels out of the muddy grass. A huge, dark brown,and extremely hairy pig trundled past me on thick, stumpy legs. A spiked leather collar around its thick neck madeit clearitwas someone’s pet.

“A whole basket of apples, Hogzy. How does that sound? Seems like a fair deal for some mayhem. You like mayhem.” Halvard’s words made the pig—or rather, thehog—snort again, and thenitcharged.Shockingly fast for such a big, chunky animal, itraced straight at Thorne. Lisbarely hadenough time to get out of the way, but Thorne wasn’t as fortunate. The animal’stwo sharp tusksnarrowly missed him, but he went sprawling backward into the mud, ruining his expensive suit. It was immensely satisfying to watch him stuck in the muck he sodespised.

“Come on, this way, darling,” my impromptu hero said at the same time,spinningus around and brisklystarting towalk. I felt like I was floating above the muddy grass rather thanbeingstuck in it with every step. My heels skimmedthe ground, my weight supported by that snug arm looped around my waist. I shouldhave felttrapped—this manmadeit seem like we were strolling, whenreally, he was practically carrying me whereverhe wanted me to go. It didn’t even cross my mind to protest;all I felt was lightandrelieved.

He ducked us around the side of a tent, out of the carnival-goers’ paths,and then around several trailers and old-fashioned traveling wagons. There was a gleaming silverAirstream with several conspicuous dents along one side that he approached. It was dark inside, but fairy lights had been strung along the outside,glitteringlike the rest of the Twisted Carnival. Glitteringbut also castingshade, I noticed. Here, in the camp’s private area, where the performers lived, the shadows were even more pronounced.

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