His warning sends a chill through me and as I ponder the unsettling truth, the difference between Hell and Hellion becomes clear. Hell, for all his brutality, yet he still possesses a twisted form of passion, a dark allure that draws me in despite the danger, such as in this moment, but Hellion... There is something sinister lurking beneath the surface. In thewake of Hell's intoxicating dominance, the thought of facing his character leaves me worried and confused.
After touching me as much as he can while I am in my tired, freezing-cold state, I feel him shrug off his leather jacket before placing it over me, in an attempt to keep me warm. When he shifts, he scoops me up in his arms, effortlessly and before I know it, he is carrying me back to my trailer.
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.
