Page 26 of Slay Me

Chapter8

Liv

Apollo coughs as he sits up. I reach down and help pull him to his feet before slamming my palm into his chest. “What the hell were you thinking? You should have just told him it was my idea!”

“And miss that reaction? Why would I do that?” He laughs, which pisses me off even more. It’s no secret that Apollo is one of the Ringmaster’s least favorite. While he doesn’t seem to particularly like any of us, he goes out of his way to show Apollo how much he can’t stand him. One wrong move and my partner will be dead.

“You’re a fucking moron.”

“Why? Because I don’t cower to him?”

“He’s going to kill you one of these days, Apollo!” I slam my fist into his shoulder, and he sobers.

His golden gaze darkens. “You shouldn’t be expected to perform that way. You’re not a toy.”

“I know I’m not a toy,” I growl. “But it is not your place to defend me. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” I’d known the Ringmaster was going to be agitated, but borderline homicidal? That was not something I’d been counting on.

I’ve fallen like that before, granted, never from that high up, but it’s not as though the routine was completely unusual for us. Shifting my gaze, I look past Fiona to where he’d disappeared. The man never leaves the big top before the night is over, but he’d marched clear out of the tent this time.

“I told you to watch your mouth.” Fiona shakes her head. “You also know better than to change routines in the middle of a season. That was foolish. Of both of you,” she adds, her gaze shifting to me.

“Everyone here is so fucking uptight.” Apollo wraps an arm around my shoulders and tries to pull me away.

“I’m going to stay and watch the show.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Forcing a smile, I try to remain neutral even though I’m furious at myself for the mistakes made tonight. Fiona is right. We do know better. I’d purposely tried to piss off the Ringmaster, and Apollo paid for it. “I’m sorry,” I say to him. “I never should have suggested it.”

“No biggie.” He grins and then leaves.

“He’s going to get you killed one of these days,” Fiona warns. “The Ringmaster won’t tolerate his behavior much longer, and you’re going to get caught in the crossfire.”

“Apollo’s my partner,” I remind her. “Assigned by the Ringmaster. It’s not like I have much of an option.”

“I, for one, don’t see a problem with her death.” Valentina grins and takes flight, her wings fluttering far too quickly for my eyes to track. She takes off toward the tent flap that will take her to the big top, and the crowd cheers loudly when she erupts into the circle.

“Seriously, Liv.”

“It was my idea to change the routine. I won’t do it again.”

“That may be true, but you need to get Apollo to realize what a mistake he’s making by challenging him.” Fiona follows Valentina out into the center of the ring, daggers in hand.

While my thoughts remain on the Ringmaster’s furious expression, I step closer and peer through the flap. Valentina zips in front of Fiona as she flings her daggers. The performance is, without a doubt, the most dangerous any of us do, and yet I don’t see him here, getting angry that Valentina flew the wrong way or at the wrong speed.

In fact, I never see him watch anyone but me.

Is he seriously so worried I’m going to screw something up? Or is it Apollo he’s concerned with?

“You’re thinking so loudly I cannot hear my own thoughts.”

I turn to Harriss. He taps a black fingernail to his temple. “So you’re a mind reader now?”

“Of sorts,” he replies as he steps up closer to me. The tan robe he wears brushes the ground. Even outside of the ring, I never see him in anything but his robes, though Fiona assured me—much to my dismay—that what’s hidden beneath is well worth the anger she still carries. “They are both magnificent, are they not?”

“You would know.”

His expression shifts, brows furrowing as though he’s concentrating on something just out of reach. “Fiona took me back, but she has not forgiven me.”

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