Chapter 16

When I carry Noir back inside her trailer, she suddenly wriggles out of my arms, landing on her feet. I watch curiously as she speeds toward the bedroom, and I follow slowly behind. When I enter, she has her back to me, tossing my jacket onto the bed before heading to rummage through her wardrobe for something to wear, but she hasn't told me to leave.

I reach for my jacket, sliding it on while standing there, observing intently before drawing a cigarette out of my pocket, and biting one out of the packet. She strips completely naked, now not shy at all around me, and I raise an eyebrow while lighting the end. She spins around at the sound of the gas lighter's click, facing me completely nude, and I growl.

"Not in here!" she yells, panicked.

My cold eyes flash to hers as I take another long drag, the smoke curling from my nostrils and I ignore her stupid rules, probably set by Limp Dick, because they mean nothing to me.

She rolls her eyes, knowing I am not going to do as she asked and I continue to watch her as she dresses in a baggy black hoodie and jeans to match, finishing with leather platform boots. As she throws her hair into a messy bun, I start to wonder what the fuck she is doing.

"Going somewhere?" I finally ask, my tone cold. She doesn't answer until she's done looking in the mirror and then turns to face me. As she takes steps forward, my eyes rake down her beautiful figure.

"Will you take me to meet The Monster?" she asks, her voice steady.

I'm caught off guard by her question, but when I have thought about it, I give a small head shake, "He doesn't like people." I respond truthfully.

Her plump lips twitch into a smile. "And neither do you."

I sigh and look away, knowing it's not safe to take her there. If he breaks through those bars, she's fucking dead and then I'll have to kill him for taking my Dolly from me.

"Please," she pleads gently, placing her small hands on my chest in an attempt to sway me. I search her eyes, trying to think of a way to get around it without triggering him.

I inhale deeply, readying myself for what's to come. "If I take you, you need to listen to me," I say firmly. "If he starts kicking the fuck off, you need to leave right away. Don't try to act like a hero and think you can take him, because trust me, you can't."

Her eyes widen slightly, but she nods. "I understand," she whispers.

"No, you don't," I growl, taking her hand away from my chest and holding it. "This isn't a fucking game, Noir. One wrong move, and it's over."

She swallows hard, determination still on her face. "I won't make any wrong moves," she promises.

I let out a frustrated sigh, knowing there's no changing her mind and give a head gesture for her to follow me.

As we walk to where he is kept, the rain continues to pour down on us and Noir strides beside me, her curiosity evident in her voice. "What's his story? Has he always been here?"

I side-eye her, noting how much shorter she is compared to me even with her platformed boots. Gazing forward, I give a small headshake. "Nah, he was owned by another circus in another state around six years ago," I explain. "But when I visited for business to plan a possible joint horror performance, I saw how badly he was abused there during their show. It pissed me off." She listens carefully, her blue eyes wide with interest and I continue, "Instead of working with them, I burned the entire place down and fucking took him."

Her mouth opens slightly in surprise, the questions swirling in her mind, "So, you saved him?"

I snicker, the memory of that night still vivid. "I'm no fucking hero, pretty girl if that's what you want to hear. I'm the villain through and through. He is just better off here, but he's still a danger to everyone around him and to himself."

She nods in understanding. "And now you keep him locked up?"

"It's the only way to keep everyone safe," I reply, my voice hard. "He's a ticking fucking time bomb, and if he ever gets loose..." I don't finish the sentence, letting the threat hang between us.

We continue walking in silence, and as we approach the place where he is kept, I can see the nervousness in Noir's eyes, but she's made up her mind, and there's no turning back now.

When we get to the steel door on the outskirts of the trailer park grounds, I pull out the key and unlock the padlock before removing it and placing it in my pocket. I pull the heavy chain away, letting it fall to the floor with a loud thump before yanking open the door. I enter first, the candle lit area making it hard to see. Leaning over Noir, I bring my face close to hers as I reach for the handle, slamming it shut behind us. She gives me a small, shy smile from the close proximity between us and my gaze shifts to her lips briefly before I turn around.

Our footsteps crunch over the hay-covered ground, and we move forward until he comes into view behind the bars to our left. He sits in his makeshift "bedroom," hunched on the floor in the corner, reading a book, his favorite thing to do. As he notices me, he lifts his head, unfazed by my presence, but as soon as Noir steps into view behind me, he bolts upright, charging straight for the bars with frightening speed.

"Fuck's sake," I mutter, knowing what's coming.

He collides with the bars, denting them, the entire building shaking from the impact. Dust rains down from the cracks above as he lets out a deafening roar, his blackened teeth exposed in a terrifying grimace. The force of his breath sends Noir's hair flying back, her face whitening at the raw power and fury emanating from him.

I step between her and the bars in a protective stance, my gaze locked on his wild eyes as he slams against them again.

"Easy, M," I say, my voice steady despite the chaos. "She's good."

Suddenly Noir walks around me, coming into his sight again and his face falls. "Good?" he asks, his deep, gruff voice now strangely curious by her. She holds out her shaking hand, slowly heading towards him, her eyes fixed and focused.

I'm ready to stop her until she speaks gently, "You're beautiful."

My eyes flash to M to see his reaction, and it's not what I was expecting at all. He shows no sign of wanting to hurt Noir anymore, which is shocking. Their eyes lock, mesmerized by each other as she continues her approach. When she is close enough, her hand sneaks through the bars, and before I know it, her palm is laid gently on his deeply scarred cheek. M's eyes widen in surprise, his rage seemingly dissipating under her touch, and he leans into her hand, a low, rumbling purr vibrating from his chest.

Noir's fear is replaced with a look of wonder as she strokes his face softly. "You're not a monster," she whispers, her voice trembling. "You're just... Misunderstood."

I watch, stunned, as M closes his eyes, savoring the gentle contact. It's as if, for a moment, the beast within him is tamed by her touch. I can't believe what I'm seeing. I've not even seen him like this with Madame. Her bravery, her kindness, it's doing something to him. It's fucking doing something to me.

When we're finished, we leave the chamber, and I padlock it shut behind me. As I turn around, Noir's eyes are already on mine and I set a cigarette between my lips, pulling my hoodie over my head to shield it from the rain, still bewildered by how the fuck she managed to do that.

"Maybe we can train him enough so that he can live closer to the circus and have freedom," she speaks up beside me quietly as we head back to her trailer.

"We?" I question coldly, not looking at her, the scepticism evident in my tone.

"Yes, we. I think he trusts me, and he definitely trusts you."

I take a long drag from my cigarette. "You think it's that fucking simple?" I say while exhaling. "He's dangerous, Noir."

"Aren't we all?" she murmurs.

As we stop by her trailer, we turn to face one another, and she continues. "We all have our demons, Hell. Some are just more visible than others. Maybe he's dangerous, but so are you. So am I. We all have a darkness inside us."

My brow raises at her words. "You're not dangerous, pretty girl," I growl, closing the gap until she's wedged between me and the trailer. As my big frame presses against hers, she sucks in a sharp breath and I bring my face down to hers, her head tilting back to meet my gaze. "You're my gentle Little Dolly."

I flick my cig away before slipping my cold hands under her wet hoodie, grabbing her bare waist roughly, and she exhales a breath against my lips, her skin breaking out in shivers under my touch.

"Aren't you?"

"No," she whispers, her heavy eyes shutting.

I hiss, baring my teeth against her lips at her stubbornness.

"Little. Fucking. Liar."

I plunge my tongue straight down her throat and she welcomes it this time. She wraps her arm around my shoulders and draws me in closer as she devours my mouth with a moan. It's clear after tasting the fires of Hell, she now craves the full fury of my inferno. My dick hardens as I push myself firmly against her, showing her exactly what she does to me.

My hands sneak upward, gripping her braless titties with a harsh grasp and she arches toward me, a seductive gasp escaping her lips, until suddenly, a male throat clears from behind us.

She pauses, her eyes snapping wide open before she pushes on my chest. I growl, wiping my thumb over my wet lips with my head down while I take a step back.

"So I leave for one fucking night and you're already jumping on the next cock?" Limp Dick shouts at Noir drunkenly behind me.

I seethe as she walks around me, her hands out in surrender. "No... I..." she stutters out in protest.

He suddenly throws his bottle of beer, narrowly missing her head by an inch, shattering against the trailer, and I snap, whirling around. My angry eyes flash to him, and he seems startled that it's me. Murder floods through my veins at an alarming rate and before Noir can stop me, I pull my fist back, smashing him in the face with one sledgehammer punch. As soon as I connect with his nose, he's out cold, stiff, and falls back on the wet grass with a loud thud.

"Hell!" Noir screams out, but as she passes me to get to him, I quickly reach out, catching her throat, and I pin her against the trailer. I breathe heavily, fuming with rage, and press my face close to hers, squeezing her neck tight.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I grit out viciously. "I will fucking kill him!" She looks at me with broad eyes, and I continue. "He's fucking hurting you like that?"

She shakes her head frantically, "No, he has never... He's not usually like that. He's drunk. He just saw us kissing... He..."

I growl loudly, cutting her off. "So fucking what," I raise my voice. "He needed to know he is not allowed to hurt you!"

I see the defensiveness swirling in her icy blue eyes. "But you're allowed to, right?" she asks, her brows creasing with anger.

I squeeze her neck a little more, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "Yes. Yes, I fucking am. That's the whole point, Dolly."

She snickers in defiance. "So, you're allowed to force me to my knees in the woods, almost suffocate me with your dick in my throat, or maybe shove a knife in my ass? Hm? What did you think that shit doesn't hurt, Hell?" She tries to excuse his actions by turning them around on me.

I lean in closer, my breath against her ear. "The difference is, you want me to hurt you. You fucking crave it. He doesn't understand that, but I do."

When I draw back to meet her gaze, I notice her face has fallen at my words, and I seize the moment. "And I would never hurt you out of malice or fucking anger. I would never harm you intentionally. The only time you're ever allowed to shed tears is when the delivery of my pain and pleasure gets too intense. No one, and I mean fucking no one on this earth, is allowed to hurt your beautiful body or soul but me. Not even you."

She shakes her head once, disbelief etched on her features. "You're out of your fucking mind."

My jaw tightens, and I lean in closer. "Are you only just noticing, Noir? Because I don't think it's been much of a fucking secret that I am insane since the day we met."

Limp Dick stirs behind me, regaining consciousness, and Dolly tries to peek over my shoulder, but I grab her face, squeezing her cheeks, forcing her to look into my swirling eyes as I press my lips against hers.

"Either leave him, or I'll fucking kill him," I growl.

Her eyes widen in shock. "What?"

"You fucking heard me."

She shakes her head once. "I can't. He was there for me when no one else was," she admits.

I stare deep into her eyes, my grip tightening. "And now you have me. Get. Rid. Of. Him."

Her eyes glaze over with moisture. "I hate you," she chokes out.

I try not to roll my eyes as I respond, "Tell me something I don't know."

"You can't just control everyone and everything, Hell."

I lower my mouth to her ear, "Fucking watch me."

As Noir and I maintain intense eye contact for some time, it seems she is starting to calm down, as if a reluctant acceptance is stirring inside her. When Limp Dick stumbles past us, heading for the trailer, her eyes drift to follow him, but I quickly move her face back to mine, retaining her focus. "Come back to my place. I don't want you here."

She scans my gaze before giving a small head shake, pulling my wrist to release her. "I'll be fine," she murmurs. "Please just leave this to me, Hell."

I growl and look aside, dropping my hand, but she tiptoes, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek. "Don't ever underestimate me. I now say who is allowed to hurt me," she whispers close to my ear. I turn my head quickly confused by her words, our eyes connecting, and she continues expressionlessly, "I'll see you soon, I'm sure."

She slips past me, and I stand rooted to the spot, an internal battle raging within me—whether to let her handle this herself or to kidnap her and take her home with me.