Chapter 35

Thirty-Five

Afew nights later, things in the cirque are running as they should. Despite the attack and lost lives, we've managed to repair what we can and replaced what we couldn't. There's still a permeating sadness due to losing friends and family, but not even that can dispel the excitement for the show tonight.

The cirque is full of families and curious townspeople who are eager to see the show and the freaks they were warned about. They always look down upon us, but they flock to come see us perform in waves. I think most people yearn for what we have, and because they can't have it themselves, they call us freaks, but if they had the opportunity, they'd drop everything in a second and join us. Cirque Obscurum isn't for everyone, and joining this circus isn't like joining others, but they don't know that. They are still curious. They still split their hearts open every night and briefly forget that we're supposed to be the outcasts.

Tonight is no different. The stands hold more children than normal, only because the kids have been allowed to watch. I spy Melvin among them, his expression just as excited as everyone else's as the stands fill. Tonight, I'm just as eager to see the show. Heart promised there was something I needed to watch, so here I am, excited to see what new act one of them has come up with. They never stop adding acts to their show, always practicing. Just the other week, Club brought out his spinning wheel and put someone up there from the crowd after I denied acting in it for him. There was no way I could handle that in public, I had however had to rub my thighs together as he threw the knives and she screamed, the scene reminding me of when I'd been on the wheel. The woman hadn't looked anything less than aroused when he helped her off, but he only directed her back into the crowd with a knowing look my way. Later that night, he strapped me to the wheel and performed the same act, though it had some adjustments.

Perhaps Club has added new knives to his act, or maybe Heart has choreographed another dangerous, high-flying act. Spade could have taught Freedom a magnificent new trick. Regardless, I'm eager to see it, sitting on the edge of my seat. When Diamond comes out to begin the show, I vibrate with the same excitement as the crowd, my fingers clenched in the loose skirt around my thighs.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," Diamond coos, "freaks and rebels, sinners and saints, to Cirque Obscurum. Tonight, we have a very special show for you, one that will have you shifting in your seats—either in discomfort or desire, it's your choice."

There's a murmur that shoots through the crowd as he smiles, the look saccharine and sinister, but then he meets my eyes, and I know I'm in for a real show. Diamond has something up his sleeve, and it's for me and me alone. I straighten, my fingers clenching my skirt harder. What secret have they been keeping, and how did they manage to keep it?

The show continues. Club goes through his sword swallowing act and then picks someone from the crowd to be on the wheel. It's no less arousing this time, but this isn't new. This isn't what's meant for me.

Spade comes out with his animals and puts on such an incredible show, I clap with everyone else. His interactions with Freedom are always my favorite. There's respect between them, a connection that I've never seen anyone have with a wild animal. They might as well be family. The crowd is equally as impressed as I am, oohing and aahing at every trick.

When Heart comes out with the other trapeze artists, I think this must be it, but although Heart does a few new moves I haven't seen before, it doesn't seem to be the surprise. It isn't until they start pushing out a great stage that I lean forward. I've never seen the contraption before. It's huge and round around the bottom with large metal petals coming out like a flower. When Diamond steps out without his ringmaster jacket on, my eyebrows shoot up.

What is this?

"Are you enjoying the darkness?" Diamond asks into the microphone.

The crowd erupts in cheers and whistles. A few women scream in shrill excitement that hurts my ears. My eyes remain on Diamond.

"Good," he purrs. "Because we're about to dive deeper into your sins. I'm going to need someone from the crowd."

The crowd immediately erupts in shouts of "Pick me!" and "Over here!" as he hands the microphone to Club and starts to unbutton his shirt. He shrugs it down his shoulders and tosses it off the stage, leaving him in his leather pants and boots. His eyes sweep over the crowd, searching for someone to use in this new act, but when his gaze finds me, I know it was all for show. This trick is meant for me. Still, I don't immediately stand up. This is entertainment, so I stay in my seat until he steps down from the stage and starts stalking along the audience. The women scream louder when he comes close, reaching for him, but when he shakes his head, they sit back down in their seats with a pout. He reaches me and offers me his hand, and I look up into his eyes.

"Join me," he purrs, his long fingers gesturing toward my hand.

I reach up and slide my hand into his. He yanks me from my seat before I can stand and then starts pulling me toward the strange stage.

"What is this?" I whisper, but Diamond doesn't answer. Instead, he looks back at me and grins without giving me a hint. He drags me into the center of the stage with an order of, "Stay," then he turns back to the crowd.

Club brings the microphone up, but Diamond doesn't take it. He only leans forward to speak.

"The devil is a heathen and a dangerous threat to our souls, so it's no wonder that we call people who can perform extraordinary feats daredevils, right?" he says as Spade brings a dirt bike onto the curved stage. I stare at it in surprise. "My lovely assistant here will make things even more exciting, isn't that right, Ember?"

I nod, afraid my voice won't work in front of so many people.

He walks around me before he tips my chin up and forces me to meet his eyes, his expression serious.

"Don't move from this spot, Ember," he warns. "If you do, we'll both die."

My eyes widen, but I can't ask questions, not in front of the crowd. Instead, I make sure my feet are planted precisely where the marks are, and I watch as Club steps away from the stage.

"The devil's in the cirque tonight," Club coos into the microphone with that suave voice he uses. "You're getting a real treat. The ringmaster rarely strips his coat off and bares it all. Get on your feet and show him just how much you appreciate his sacrifice."

As if they have no choice, the crowd stands and starts to cheer, whistles and shouts filling the air, but Diamond only has eyes for me as he moves over to the dirt bike and climbs on. With a teasing grin, he kick-starts the bike, and it roars to life. He revs it, warming the engine, and I stiffen. No one explained what was going to happen. My only instructions are not to move so I won't, no matter what.

My eyes stay on him as he starts to slowly drive around me. This doesn't seem too bad, but just as I think it, the stage starts to move, lifting and closing. It's not a stage, it's a cage—a sphere. My eyes widen as he comes close when the bottom of the sphere comes together. A few others come forward to snap the petals into place, strengthening them as the top of the sphere closes around us. All the while, Diamond drives oh so slowly around me, giving the crew time to complete their tasks. The moment it's all locked into place, Diamond guns his engine and takes off, roaring fast circles around me. If I move, it'll throw his act off. He could crash into me, so I stand stiffly and watch as his speed starts to accelerate and he begins to climb the sides of the cage. The smell of gasoline fills the air around us as he burns the throttle, his eyes bright with excitement. Every time he comes around, our eyes meet, and I'm reminded that this is dangerous. Though Diamond makes it feel like we're having fun, this act is perilous enough that no one else performs it. I've never even heard of it before now.

He spins fast around me, his speed increasing as he circles me, driving sideways inside the sphere around me. The movement makes my hair dance around my shoulders and lift, and my skirt swirls around my legs, threatening to rise with the right burst of air. It isn't until he has his speed up and reaches out to me, however, that I lose the ability to breathe.

Diamond releases one of the handlebars and lifts his arm, his fingers touching my waist, dancing beneath the edge of my shirt and stroking my skin. He's moving fast, so it's an odd sensation. The urge to move is strong, but I remain still, desperate to keep my composure and not ruin his act. Distantly, I hear Club speaking to the crowd and their cheers as they watch, but in this cage, I'm only aware of the man currently stroking me and driving me insane. All I can truly hear is the roar of his motorcycle as he touches me. His fingers trail up and circle my rib cage, then my breasts, driving me insane with each stroke. When he drops back to my hips and then releases me, I'm finally able to take a breath, but he only moves from driving straight to a looping figure eight around me, coming extremely close to grazing me with his tire. The closer he gets, the more I tip my chin up, determined to remain steady. When he revs the engine and goes along the top, his hand reaches out and strokes a strand of my hair, driving me insane.

The dirt bike slows, and he comes to a stop before me, his grin wide and his eyes so dark, they absorb all the lights around us. I expect his praise. What I don't expect is for his hand to cradle the back of my neck before he pulls me in for a kiss. It curls my toes and stokes my arousal even higher. I'm so wet that I worry I'm dripping down my thighs. I throw my arms around his shoulders as the cage starts to lower. He continues to kiss me, his hand squeezing the back of my neck hard. The crowd roars with excitement as he drags me forward. He breaks the kiss long enough to lift me onto the dirt bike in front of him, facing him so I'm riding backward, then the moment the cage is lowered, he takes off down the ramp with me on the front of his bike, my body humming with pleasure.

Club works the crowd as we disappear. Once we're through the tent flaps, he stops and kisses me feverishly. His fingers wrap around my neck and squeeze, tilting me back against the motorcycle. When his other hand sweeps under my skirt and feels my wetness, his eyes flash.

"You were such a good girl," he purrs, stroking me.

"I know. I think I deserve a reward."

His grin is wicked. "Perhaps, but they expect their ringmaster back in there."

Diamond is covered in a fine sheen of sweat. I am too. The heat of the dirt bike filled the metal cage, but I don't care about anything except his hand between my thighs and his lips on my skin.

"Let them wait," I say, gyrating against his hand.

He chuckles. "It's you who will wait, Queen." He strokes me one last time and pulls away. "Makes it all the sweeter."

I mewl in protest, but his fingers on my neck remind me who's in control right now.

"Behave," he growls. "You're not ready for me yet."

"Says who?" I growl back, annoyed and aroused.

"Says me," he hisses before he captures my lips in a brutal kiss. He nips my bottom lip, making me bleed, and I moan into his mouth, desperate for more. "Now be a good girl and go sit back in the crowd."

"You really are a devil," I snarl as he helps me off the bike before dismounting himself.

His eyes meet mine, the black irises so dark, they seem to suck in all the light. "Did you forget, Queen?" he teases. "Just because it sometimes feels like heaven doesn't mean you're not very much in hell." He kisses me one last time as Club appears with his shirt and coat. "We're all devils here, even you, but especially me."

He winks and rushes into the ring to talk to the crowd again. I scowl after him, needy and desperate, and when Club smirks at me, my scowl deepens.

"One of you better fuck me as soon as the show's over," I warn him, "or else someone's going to bleed."

Club's grin widens. "I'll pass the message along."