Page 1 of Welcome to Carnage

AVINA

“Are you fucking serious?” I ask, glaring at my best friend. “Another blind date?”

Luna chuckles. “Come on, Av, you’ve got to get back on the horse.” She purses her lips. “What happened to Darren was…”

“Fucked up?” I add.

She nods. “Right, but it was a freak coincidence. You can’t let an accident—”

“It wasn’t an accident, Luna. He was murdered in cold blood after our date. Literally on his way home! What if I’d...” I trail off, a shudder racing through me. “I’m not feeling it, alright?”

She walks over to me. “At least check out James’s photo.”

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Fine, let’s see.”

She passes her cell phone, and my heart skips a beat. The guy is hot. I’ll give her that. Hotter than Darren, the last guy she set me up with, God rest his soul.

“What do you think?” she asks.

I purse my lips, studying the picture for a moment longer before returning the phone to her. “He’s nice,” I reply.

“That’s it? Just ‘nice’? Come on, Av, he’s gorgeous!” Luna exclaims, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I want to tell her to date him then, but before I can respond, the door swings open, and my brother, Pierce, walks in. He’s got his ever-present shadow, Nyx, trailing behind him. Nxy’s dark eyes meet mine for a split second before he looks away, but that brief eye contact makes my heart flutter.

“Are we interrupting something?” Pierce asks, his voice filled with amusement.

“No, nothing at all,” I reply, trying to control my blush. “Just discussing my upcoming date.” I haven’t even agreed to go on it yet, but a part of me wants to get a reaction from Nyx. Ever since I met him, I’ve had a crush on him, but trying to get a reaction out of him is like trying to get blood from a stone.

Pierce’s face hardens at the worddate, but Nyx’s reaction is subtler. A tightening of his jaw, a flicker in his eyes. But I notice. And something about his reaction makes my stomach flutter with butterflies.

“Is that a good idea after what happened last time?” Pierce asks.

“Pierce, no,” Luna interjects, rolling her eyes. “She can’t stop living her life because of what happened.”

Pierce crosses his arms over his chest, his gaze never leaving mine. “It’s not about stopping living, Luna. It’s about being safe. And right now, her last blind date ending up dead doesn’t exactly scream ‘safe’ to me.”

Nyx never has much to say, but on this, he nods. “Agreed. Best to take a break.” He’s an enigma. Most people find him creepy and intense. I can’t understand why I’ve always felt drawn to him when he hardly speaks.

He’s six foot five of pure muscle covered in ink and rides a motorcycle. His hair is dark and medium length on the top with shorter sides. The kind of man your mom tells you to stay the fuck away from, but then my mom’s no longer here to tell me that.

I’ve never understood why Pierce is friends with him, but Pierce insists he’s a good guy. He may be easy on the eyes, but everyone says he’s not right in the head. There are rumors about his parents dying mysteriously and him surviving, but it’s all just gossip.

The room falls into a tense silence, the air thick. My gaze flutters to Nyx, and for a moment, I see a flicker of something in his dark eyes. But it’s gone before I can decipher it.

Trying to relieve the tense atmosphere, Luna suddenly says, “Are you guys going to the Halloween carnival? I heard they’re setting up a haunted maze this year.”

Pierce grins and says, “Yeah, it should be fun. I’ve heard they’re also having a pumpkin carving contest. Honestly, it’s been a while since we’ve done things together. It could be a good change of pace. We can invite everyone.”

Great.

While I love my friends, I prefer not to be in a big group. I always feel left out. Luna knows that thought and always tries to include me. I’ve just never been outspoken, unlike Pierce.

Nyx leans against the doorway in silence. He doesn’t confirm whether he wants to go, assessing us instead. It’s not often he speaks. I’m sure if it weren’t for my brother being best friends with him, then we wouldn’t have him hanging around with us.

The Halloween Carnival is fun, though. Although the last few times I’ve been, it calls into question my dark fascination with men in masks. Especially after what happened two years ago...

A shudder races through me. A masked stranger cornered me two years ago in the House of Mirrors. I still need to find out who he was. He not only wore a mask but had a voice distorter. And he touched me in ways I’ve never been touched before.

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