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The entire tent was flooded with gasps as the symbols continued up the raised platforms. Once they reached the top, a burst of black smoke burst from both ends. It only took a moment for it to clear before we were allowed to see two men now perched on them with pride.
I sucked in a sharp breath as they started walking straight onto the wire without an ounce of hesitation. I didn’t realize I had flung a hand down to seize Asher’s until he shifted to cover mine. Granted, I was in the process of digging my nails into his skin - only now they were going into mine. I gritted my teeth, unable to break myself out of this haze in order to stop inflicting pain upon myself.
My mind was struggling to process where this act was heading while they simply sauntered across the wire until they were on the verge of being able to touch the other. The brunette on the right whipped his arm up, bringing a pole in front of him that I didn’t realize he was holding. As soon as that was horizontal in front of him, his redheaded companion grabbed the pole.
Shock tore through my veins as the brunette jerked back, using enough force to fling his companion straight over him. It didn’t matter that the redhead landed on the wire without stumbling. All I could think about was what would happen if he went over the edge. There was no net below to catch him. Judging from the way gasps sprung up around me in sync with my panic, I wasn’t the only one who feared for his safety.
Asher seemed to be one of the few that knew there was nothing to worry about. He simply gazed up at the men with his expression shifting into one mixed with pride and a hint of sorrow.
I studied him in my peripheral view. From the moment we had arrived in Vegas and he had been content taking me around to see some of the hidden gems, I had noticed a hint of a deeply buried pain within those piercing eyes. It had only gotten stronger with every place we went to, yet coming here seemed to break any will he had to keep it concealed. Pressing my lips together, I simply turned my hand over so I could curl my fingers through his.
It was the only way I could reveal that I knew - and I understood - what he was enduring in silence.
The slight twitch to his own lips hinted he was grateful.
Despite the initial scare with the two wire walkers, which had been revived with a young blonde woman who had appeared out of nowhere to balance on their shoulders and perform her own little dance all while the men inched toward the podiums, the next few acts were a little tamer. A large rusted trunk had been brought out and then left without any indication as to why it was there.
None of it made a lick of sense until the box started moving. It wasn’t long until the lid popped open and a set of fingers squeezed out. By the time I managed to recover my breathing, the lid had been tossed back and a slender young man maneuvered his way out. The panicked gasps didn’t deter him at all as he moved his body, straightening one limb at a time.
My hand tightened around Asher’s, but it wasn’t an iron grip like it had been with the wire walkers. I continued to relax during the rest of the show and I found myself lost in all the unique talents for every single one of them. Although none of them came close to those that brought live animals into the act. I could feel my jaw hitting my lap as three young women performed tricks as their white steeds ran along the edge of the ring.
As if that wasn’t enough, two men strolled out to the center. Their looks were close enough to the other’s that there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that they were siblings - if not twins. It just didn’t dawn on me what they were until one of them opened his mouth and spewed fire at the other.
I sucked in a sharp breath as the other man managed to deflect the flames. Every time he responded with a flick of his hand, a chunk of the fire would be redirected at the women still doing their own thing. It quickly became clear that it was a delicate dance they were performing where the timing was absolutely critical. The flames would narrowly miss the steeds every single time.
Still, I could detect a change in the energy hovering in the air when all of the animals filed out. There was a part of me that was worried the show had come to an end and I just hadn’t realized it yet. It wasn’t until I spotted long silk ribbons being lowered from the top of the tent that I finally understood we’d simply reached the final act.
A sense of awe descended on the entire crowd as a man came down with the ribbon, his leg already tangled within the material. He slowly released it so that his body tumbled down to align with the ground, bringing out a few more gasps from the crowd.
Asher leaned forward slightly with his golden eyes narrowing into thin slits, but his attention wasn’t glued on the male hanging from the ribbon. He was focused on the young woman strolling out onto the sand and peering up at the man. His gaze didn’t stray in the slightest bit as the couple started performing their angelic dance that quickly took to the sky.
With the prince now completely relaxed beside me, I was able to focus on the act. There was a peaceful edge to how they were taking such a simple dance high up. While one single wrong move would certainly result in great injury, just like with the wire walkers. Still, I got so entranced that horror wasn’t through my veins when the pair of them started rolling down the ribbon.
My heart pounded in my chest. They’re getting too close to the ground! I was on the verge of rising from my seat when they suddenly came to a halt with the male’s legs tightly wrapped while the female held onto his hands. Judging from the smiles on their faces, it had been an intentional fall.
The rest of the crowd lunged from their seats, crumbling into a fit of pleased roars and relieved cheers. Although Asher wasn’t quite over the top about how much he enjoyed the show, he did rise and offer some applause of his own.
The male released the woman, allowing her to land on the sand safely before he finished climbing down the ribbon to join her. Tucking an arm behind her back, the duo offered a bow for every direction.
Aydin yawned. “I like the show better when they let Braixon shift into his dragon form.”
“You can only put horses through that so many times before they refuse to behave,” Asher countered. He took my hand, prompting me to wrap my arm around his before he started leading me around the ring.
Now that the show was over and there was nothing left to distract the crowd, it didn’t take the others long to realize who the ringmaster had referred to as their special guests. They succumbed to a mixture of shocked pointing and stunned whispers that couldn’t even reach our ears from the rest of the conversation.
Still, Asher didn’t take notice. He simply led the way toward the back of the tent where a sole open doorway stood between the main piece and the smaller ones concealing personal areas for the circus staff.
One of the tall men swung around, his eyes narrowing into thin slits. “Hey, you can’t-” The agitation dissipated the moment he recognized Asher. It shifted into a brief surge of shock before absolute delight settled in. “Well! If it isn’t Brielle’s boy.” Turning his head, he roared over his shoulder, “Ey, Prim! We’ve got company!”
That was all he had to do in order to attract the attention of every single person around him. All of the conversations ceased as their eyes strayed toward us. While there were a few people that didn’t look happy to see Asher at all, most of them offered excited greetings.
My stomach twisted into a painful knot. The fact there were a few that seemed to prefer him nowhere near their circus left me with the uneasy feeling that something had happened to create this rift. Whether it extended to the rest of the staff remained to be seen. Nibbling my lower lip, I focused on the way they parted to allow the same duo from the final act to stroll toward us.
As soon as the man was the only one left in their way, the young redhead beamed. “Asher, il mio ragazzo! You are a sight for sore eyes.”
The prince gently pulled his arm from mine, taking a step forward to greet her. Although he towered over her by two full feet, he had no problem with the woman throwing her arms around him to engulf him in a hug. “You look like you’re doing well, zia. From that crowd, it looks like you’re still selling out shows. Mother would be happy.”
One of the grumpy grinches in the back responded with a loud snarl. “Yes, our shows are still doing fine, prince. No thanks to you and your father.”
