Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Lila
The morning was spent hiring crew to handle the concession and souvenir stands.
It didn’t take long, and the ones we hired had previously done the same job at other times for the circus, so thankfully, interviews weren’t needed.
I ran around supervising the unloading and displaying of the merchandise, as well as the setup of the food vendors and equipment in the catering kitchen.
The grandpas kind of just threw me on headfirst with very little instruction, and even if it’s tooting my own horn just a little, I think I did an amazing job.
I was originally worried I’d have to stop people from trying to sneak backstage, but they were all professional and knew the drill.
I deflected a few questions from one or two newbies, but the majority were just happy to get on with the job.
The newbies realized that their questions weren’t going to be answered, so they gave up after a while too.
Our merchandise ranges from stylish shirts and hoodies to plush lightning cats and ridiculous tentacle plushies that doubled as scarves.
I can’t deny that one of the latter may have found its way around my neck, but I plan on hiding it from Cas later so he won’t tease me.
It’s nothing like the real thing, but it helps ease the ache I feel from not seeing him all that much over the last few days.
The sun starts to sink, headlights begin to pull into the parking lot, and the arena starts to fill up slowly.
I take that as my cue to get out of the way.
The excited buzz of the patrons was enough to get my own adrenaline pumping, and when I took my seat between Eric and John, I couldn’t wait for it to start.
“I’m so excited to see the rest of the show,” I tell Eric as I hand them both a beer that I grabbed on my way down.
Our seats are in the front row, and I have an up close and personal view of the performances.
Although I wish I could be watching strictly for pleasure, my future role as owner of the circus requires this to also be a business meeting.
“The beginning looks a little different now too,” he replies, taking it from me. “Caspian has worked hard to revise it, and both of the new shifters have integrated well. I’ll make sure that you get a chance to meet them later.”
“Yes, although it is still juggling, fire breathing, and knife throwing, they added another element to it. It’s a fake fight between the two new shifters. Anyway, you’ll see. I think the audience will like it.” John sounds just as eager as I am about their new performance.
Like before, my new senses kick in, but this time it’s easy enough for me to block out the scents and sounds of the excited crowd. Instead of being overwhelmed by it all, I find it fun to people watch as they take their seats and wait for the show to start.
The lights dim and the show begins with William appearing in a flash of smoke and lights in the middle of the arena. Eric sighs.
“He just doesn’t have the same pizzazz I do.
I keep telling him he needs to be showier.
” Eric gestures wildly with his hands like he’s putting on his own performance in the crowd.
He’s not wrong though. Unlike Eric’s sparkly outfit, William’s is more sedate, missing the sequins and glitter, but he still looks the part of ringmaster.
He does the opening spiel, getting the crowd hyped up even more than they already are, and Caspian’s troupe comes running out to start their show.
This time instead of Dylan and Caspian wandering through the crowd, it’s Cas and two other men.
One of them breaks off from the group as Cas and the other do their juggling acts.
He starts to pace around the ring, looking at all of the audience members.
I’m so busy watching what he’s doing I miss Cas’s transformation, but I hear the gasp of the crowd when it happens and quickly turn back to see my gorgeous mate juggling a whole crap load of knives.
I clench my hands into my pants as I watch, holding my breath until he’s finished and unharmed.
In fact, I’m so distracted with worry, I don’t notice that the other performer has stopped right in front of me. Cas puts down his knives, the dragon blows out his fire batons, and they both stand and watch.
“What are you doing, Silac?” Cas calls, and Silac paces back and forth in front of the audience.
“I am hungry,” he calls back.
“But you can’t eat our audience. I won’t allow it,” the man standing next to Caspian tells him. He’s Dylan’s dragon replacement, but so far, he’s holding his human form.
The audience rumbles at his words, a bit of unease and curiosity rippling through the tent.
“Eat us?”
“Why would he want to eat us?”
“Maybe he means he wants a snack from the concession stand.”
“Damn, he’s hot. I volunteer as tribute for him to eat me.”
“Don’t do it, man. We can get you something to eat once the show is finished.
How about you come back here and finish our act so the next one can go on?
You’re supposed to be throwing knives at a member of our audience,” Cas reminds him, but Silac ignores him and steps in front of me, and I finally get a good look at the man.
Like Cas and the dragon, he’s only wearing a pair of sparkly black pants and his feet are bare.
His body is all sleek, lean muscle, much like Xavier’s physique, and he has a ring through each nipple.
He has short, tousled, emerald green hair and a bit of scruff around his jawline.
It’s his eyes, though, that have me staring.
They are reptilian, with a black pupil and orange sclera.
They look like Halloween contacts, but I’m almost a hundred percent sure they are not.
“No, I want this one!” he calls back to them without breaking our stare down, and with another flash of smoke and light, he shifts into a ten-foot-tall snake man.
From his waist down, he has the tail of a snake, and a hood like a cobra’s now flares out over his head, replacing his hair.
His scales are emerald green with orange, horizontal stripes running across his body and black diamonds lining the length of it intermittently.
His tail, which must be at least fifteen to twenty feet long, is thicker than my waist until it tapers daintily at the very end.
The audience gasps and screams, but they don’t run in fear. Caspian’s change has already prepared them.
Instead, it only amplifies their anticipation of what will happen next. I can see people beginning to stand, trying to get a closer look at Silac as he plays the rebel performer.
Silac slithers closer, his gaze locked on mine in a way that holds me hostage. His tail flicks out, and before I can say snake, it wraps around me. It feels cold and dry against my skin, and I try to struggle, but it just tightens until I can’t breathe, so I stop resisting and it eases slightly.
Fuck my life. This is what I get for sitting in the front row.
I’m being strangled by a snake, and although it would be a fascinating scenario in bed during most days that end in Y, it’s far from a turn-on right now.
My throbbing core and tight nipples probably make me a liar, but it’s not true unless I acknowledge it, and I’m not sure I’m ready to acknowledge that I’m turned on by a snake man.
Eric and John are on either side of me, beating furiously at the snake shifter’s tail, but he ignores them and lifts me into the air before slithering back into the middle of the circle.
I’m not ashamed to admit the scream that leaves my mouth is not at all dainty.
I go full serial killer victim and thrash my arms around, but with a quick flick of his tail, I’m suddenly face-to-face with this exotic, albeit terrifying, creature, and my frenzied movements stop.
He brings me closer to him, close enough that I can reach out and touch his naked torso.
Now that I’m closer, I see he has a tattoo all over his body that is the same pattern as his scales.
Unable to stop myself, I reach out to see if it is skin or actual scales, and his mouth drops open in surprise.
I snatch my hand back, kicking myself for my curiosity, as his fangs extend and he pulls me closer to him.
His pupils dilate and contract, and a forked tongue slithers out of his mouth and licks up my cheek.
A shudder runs through my body as he leans in and sniffs me.
“Who are you?” he asks, unable to hide the confusion in his voice. He sounds as surprised about his reaction to me as I am about my reaction to him.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you continue to lick our audience volunteer,” the dragon tells Silac.
“And what exactly are you going to do about it? Throw one of your puny knives at me?” the snake sneers at him while he holds me immobile.
I try to turn in his hold so I can see what is going on, but I’m well and truly wrapped up, and it’s actually not uncomfortable.
His scales have taken on the heat of my body, and it’s warm and cozy, so I stay still, waiting for this to play out.
I’m seriously hoping this is part of the show.
“No, but I can do this.” Unfortunately I’m facing the wrong way, but once more the crowd gasps and I listen to their responses to learn what’s happening.
“Holy shit, is that a dragon?”
“How are they doing this?”
“It’s got to be an illusion or special effects.”
“Maybe it’s animatronic, like the dinosaurs and other animals are.”
“You think your dragon is a match for me?” Silac bellows and loosens his tail. I start to fall, but he snatches me out of the air before I can go anywhere.