Page 105 of Chaos Carnival

“Sweet Addie,” Tess sang, and I felt her move in my arms, reaching toward our friend. “Your humanity was such a pretty light. But look how it burns now, all tangled up with shadow and hunger.” Her eyes sparkled with sadness. “Oh, my loves, what have you done?”

“We're all connected now,” Stone growled, pacing like a caged animal. His hunger echoed my own, amplified by our new bond.

“Spinning such jagged wheels of hunger,” Tess interrupted, her voice taking on that distant quality. “‘Round and ‘round we'll go, until the stars grow cold.”

I felt Addie's emptiness sharpen as she swayed on her feet. Stone steadied her with a gentle hand, and I watched power and sin changing, becoming something new and inauspicious together.

“We need to get moving,” Stone grumbled. “Before this gets worse.”

“Is that possible?” Addie whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. “I can feel all of you, inside my head...”

“Well, this is all delightfully gothic.” Oscar's voice cut through the tension from a nearby table. “Though I must say, watching you all wrestle with existential hunger pangs is far less entertaining than my own experiences with desire.”

I shot the skull a dark look, but Tess's quiet laugh stopped me. She traced her fingers through the air near Oscar's skull.

“Such pretty webs of wit you weave, Oscar,” she murmured. “All golden and sharp, cutting through the darkness like knives dipped in honey.”

“My dear, if you're going to compliment my devastating charm, at least do it in proper English rather than cosmic riddles,” Oscar replied, though there was genuine affection beneath his usual dry tone.

“Family tastes stronger than fear, doesn't it?” Tess murmured, trailing her fingers through the air. Her smile was razor-sharp as she looked up at each of us. “Oh, such dangerous love you have for me.”

I felt the truth of her words resonating through our shared connection. Whatever we had become, we were in it together. Family, bound by something darker and deeper than blood.

Stone made a sound of frustration.

“Patience tastes like thorns, doesn't it?” Tess observed, watching him with otherworldly sympathy.

I felt it then—the shift in our shared consciousness, the way our collective hunger sharpened at her words. The need to perform, to create, to feed... it wasn't just survival anymore. It was becoming something else. Something darker. Somethingnecessary.

“Together,” Lux said firmly, his hand still steady on Addie's shoulder. “Whatever comes next, we face it together.”

“As family,” Addie agreed, and I felt the truth of it settle into our collective bones.

Tess's laugh echoed through space. She turned in my arms, her infinite gaze meeting mine. “Are you ready to dance in the darkness, my love?”

I tightened my hold on her, the power curling through us like electricity. “Always,” I answered, surprising myself with the fierce possession in my voice. “Whatever you need, whatever it takes.”

The shared bond roared its approval, and we prepared to embrace our new existence. Whatever we had become, whatever price we had paid, we would face it together.

The show, after all, must go on.

Chapter 49: Karma’s Vow

Maverick

IheldTessagainstmy chest, breathing in her scent as she slept. The moonlight filtering through the window cast a shifting darkness across her face, peaceful in sleep despite the weight we'd forced upon her. My fingers traced across her skin, memorizing every inch of her new form.

It should've been me. I was the one who first dragged her into this mess, who bound her life to mine. And now, when she'd tried to sacrifice herself to spare us all, we'd gone and disfigured fate itself to keep her. The hunger that bound us all coursed through our shared connection.

Her power thrummed beneath her skin, so different now from what it had been. Gone was the sharp-tongued witch who'd firstcaught my eye. In her place lay something splendid and wrecked in ways none of us had foreseen.

Tess stirred in her sleep, a small whimper escaping her lips. I tightened my arms around her, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“I've got you, sweetheart.”

The bond between us vibrated with her distress, echoing through the darker connection we now all shared. Even in sleep, she couldn't escape the visions that threatened to tear her mind apart. I'd give anything to take this from her, to bear it myself. But I was useless—nothing more than a fallen seraph who'd helped bind his mate to an existence she'd never wanted.

Her fingers clutched at my chest, seeking purchase in whatever nightmare plagued her. I stroked her hair, pouring all my love through our connection, willing it to chase away the suffering our choices had wrought.

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