Page 115 of Circus From Hell

Micha accepts my hand, but I don’t miss the warning glare he shoots at Spiral as we rejoin Karma and Soren on the floor.

“We need to think about what we’re going to do next,” he sighs as he cuddles me close and tucks my head under his chin.

“I know. We could bring them back to the apartment?”

“It’s not big enough for all of us in the long run. And Karma and Soren would have to hide away in a cramped space for the rest of their lives.”

“True. Maybe we could disappear. And does this ‘us’ include Spiral?”

He blows out a breath. “We’ll talk about it in the morning, Pipsqueak.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

KARMA

Adistant feminine scream jerks me awake.

My eyes connect with Spiral’s across the room. They are wide, concerned, staring back at me like he’s been waiting for me to wake.

“What wassss that?” I ask quickly, standing up from the floor and stepping away from the three sleeping men.

For the first time in my life, I don’t feel needy for human flesh or dick. I feel… slightly normal? I could eat, I could fuck, but it’s not an overwhelming desperation that makes my legs buckle beneath me.

“Dolly,” Spiral rasps out, tugging at the rope around his neck and trying to get free. He has his jumpsuit pulled up over his legs, the arms tied around his waist.

I approach him and stop, staring down at him on his knees.

“It’s Dolly. Don’t just stand there. Let me go. I need to help her.”

I look at the exit of the tent. It’s still dark, but there’s a faint light that suggests the sun is close to rising. I pass a glance at the men on the floor in an awkward, unconscious tangle of limbs. I’m going against all three of them by letting Spiral go, but Dolly has never harmed me.

Am I gaining morals?

I pull off his muzzle and untie the rope, expecting him to lash out any second. Instead, he grabs my hand and tugs me after him. I’m significantly quicker, so I barely feel like I’m running as I follow. I don’t miss the fact he doesn’t let go of my hand as he dashes outside.

The stars are still bright in the sky, the colour somewhere between the disappearing black and the lightening blue.

There’s another high-pitched scream, and it forces Spiral to barrel on quicker.

“How do you know that’s Dolly?”

“I’ve only ever heard Dolly scream once. If she’s screaming, it’s bad news.”

“It’s coming from the forest.”

I try to pull my hand away from his, but he doesn’t let me, squeezing it tightly.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he mutters as we break through the treeline, and the surrounding forest immediately darkens.

I hear the distant yelling of male voices.

I drag Spiral in that direction, and my heightened sight allows me to see the group of people before he does.

“There!” I whisper-shout, pointing to a clearing, deeper in the woods, but I root my feet to the floor when he tries to pull me. I don’t recognise the other voices I can hear, and I’m not supposed to let the general public see me.

“Come on,” he spits, pulling at me and slipping out of my hand when I don’t follow. His eyes plead in a way I’ve never seen. “Karma, please. I-I care about Dolly.”

“Like a girlfriend?”