Chapter Nine
ARINA
The travel trailer Revel led me to was hooked up to a black pickup truck.
It looked newer than most of the other Knotty Sideshow vehicles, gleaming in the sunlight, but there were no logos on it.
Nothing about it hinted that it belonged to a circus performer, but it had to belong to Daze.
That, or Revel had foregone his plan and dragged me straight to the ringleader.
I didn’t know which was worse.
“Let me go,” I said, finally finding my voice. I pulled against his iron-clad grip to no avail. My panic spiked, and I fought harder, my wrist aching against his bruising strength. “Please, let go. You’re hurting me.”
He stopped abruptly and met my gaze with enough icy fury to make me catch my breath. His features were the same, but I barely recognized him. Gone was the glimmer of kindness I’d witnessed when he gave me a ride on the back of his motorcycle.
He really was just an asshole.
Like every other alpha.
“I could hurt you more if I wanted to, beta.” His low voice had a shiver skittering down my back. “I could make you fucking beg for it.”
A heartbeat throbbed to life between my thighs, and slick seeped into the thin material of my leggings. I stared up at him, open-mouthed, while I internally warred with myself.
How could I be this afraid and this fucking turned on at the same time? It didn't make sense. Did I unintentionally unlock a new kink, or was it just this alpha driving me crazy?
He hated me, at least I was pretty sure he did. And I was pretty sure I hated him. But as he stared down at me with his crystal-blue eyes, silently tearing me apart piece by piece, my skin heated from the inferno blazing through me.
This man was dangerous, and that danger called to something in me. It flipped a switch, appealing to a primal part of my brain that had been dormant until now. My omega instincts, despite being dulled by the suppressants, urged me to submit to him. To beg for him, to please him…
I swallowed hard.
This wasn't good.
Before I could reply, he was dragging me behind him again. When we reached the sleek black trailer, he banged on the door so loudly I was sure everyone in the parking lot could hear it. My heart was beating in my throat, my head swimming as the seconds dragged by, and my cheeks heated.
Was death by embarrassment a thing?
Because if so, I was close.
Revel banged on the door again, and I wanted to disappear. What would I do when Daze had no idea what was going on? When he told Revel I was lying? My stomach turned, and I swallowed down a whine.
Impossibly long seconds dragged by, and I was almost convinced the trailer was empty, until the door swung open. A very disgruntled, still half-naked Daze filled the doorway. He hadn’t bothered to change out of his sweatpants from last night, and his rainbow hair was a mess.
“What the hell, dude?” he groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“You want to explain this?” Revel growled, jerking me to stand in front of the aerialist. His strong fingers were still wrapped around my wrist.
Daze’s eyes widened when they landed on me, confusion flashing over his face.
I froze, unsure of what to do or say.
“What’s there to explain?” He cocked a dark eyebrow at Revel.
“She said you told her she could ride here with us,” the stuntman said, his voice full of condescension. “But I think she stowed away on one of the trailers and was trying to make a break for it. Thought about searching her bag, but I might just call the cops instead.”
My stomach sank, and I jerked against his hold again. This time, he let go, and I took a desperate step away from him. His aura was thickening the air around him, threatening to choke me.
It was too much; he was too much, and my omega instincts wanted to pacify him. They hated seeing him so upset, especially because of me. They urged me to submit.
And they can fucking suck it.
I refused to let the Stone pack own me, and I wouldn’t let this alpha have any power over me either.
Dragging my eyes away from Revel, I looked at Daze again.
Please, tell him it was your idea . I wished he could read my mind. Please, please, please.
Begging silently felt insane, but I was too close to Revel to mouth anything without him seeing. I could only hope that every shred of desperation I felt was conveyed in my eyes.
Truthfully, I didn't care what they did to me. I didn't care if they let me go and told me they never wanted to see me again. I didn’t care if they made me get on my knees and beg. I didn’t care. As long as they didn’t call the cops.
Everything would be over then.
It would be the end of the line.
“He didn't believe me,” I said, clearing my throat and steeling my nerves. “So I told him to ask you.”
Please, please, please.
I chewed the corner of my mouth, waiting.
Daze looked between Revel and me, curiosity lighting behind his eyes. Finally, he settled on the alpha beside me.
“You really think someone would break into one of the trailers and ride all the way to Dallas?” Daze pursed his lips. “Especially when they had no plans to come here beforehand?”
“I don't put anything past strangers, especially her.” Revel cut his eyes at me, and a flicker of anger sparked in my chest.
“If I'm so untrustworthy, why did you give me a ride in the first place?” I glared at him and took a quick step away before he could grab me again.
Revel opened his mouth, but Daze cut him off. “Yeah, I told her she could tag along. What are you gonna do? Tattle to Hallow?”
Sticky, sweet, candied apples threatened to choke me, thickening in my lungs with every breath I took. Revel's expression turned murderous.
“Fucking one of the headliners seems to have gone to your head, Daze,” he snapped, violence in his tone. “Remember who you're talking to.”
“Yeah, well go tell on me if it's such a big deal.” Daze shrugged, then stepped aside, his eyes shifting to me. He gestured inside with a jerk of his head. “Come in and I'll get dressed. Then we'll eat lunch.”
Relief crashed over me, and I fought to keep my expression under control. I scrambled up the steps and into the trailer, eager to get away from Revel. I barely had a chance to look back over my shoulder and catch his furious expression when Daze slammed the door closed behind him.
As soon as Revel's sweet, sticky scent disappeared, so did the spell he had over me. My head cleared, and my omega instincts settled, but a deep breath made me stop short.
The smell of rich, salty pretzels filled the space, clinging to every surface. My mind spun as the freshly baked aroma wrapped around me, assaulting my senses.
This trailer didn't belong to just Daze.
It belonged to another alpha.
My pulse lurched as my eyes whipped around the space, but he appeared to be alone.
Be unaffected, unbothered , I told myself over and over again. I had to keep calm or risk blowing my secret, but my skin was already itching at the closeness of another alpha. How many more were lurking among the circus performers?
Daze walked past me without a word, toward the back of the trailer, and I watched him go.
I quietly took in the clutter around me, doing my best to ignore the delicious pretzel scent; it was a wonder that so much stuff could fit in such a small space.
Boxes, books, clothes, trinkets. It was everywhere.
“Thanks for that, I?—”
“Shhh,” Daze cut me off.
My eyes flicked in his direction where he was snatching a discarded shirt off a bunk bed. After pulling it on, he marched over to the only window in the trailer and peered through a tiny gap in the burgundy curtains. My guess was that he was looking for Revel.
A second later, he wheeled around to face me, and my stomach fluttered.
“What are you doing here?” he asked softly.
“Umm... it's a funny story actually.” I twirled a lock of dark brown hair around my finger, nerves eating me from the inside. “Do you want the long version or the short version?”
To my surprise, he chuckled. “Short now. Long when we get lunch.”
I wanted to object and tell him that I didn't need lunch, but my stomach grumbled painfully. I hadn't eaten since the hot dog last night, but I needed to save my money.
I also needed to eat…
I’ll get something small and drink water.
It’ll be fine.
“Okay,” I sighed. “It was an accident.”
He laughed in earnest. “You accidentally made it to Dallas instead of Houston?”
I nodded. “Yep. Told you it was funny.” I looked around the space again as he put on a pair of tennis shoes and knelt to tie them. “Who do you share this trailer with?”
I couldn’t help myself. Curiosity was getting the best of me, despite my attempts to ignore it. The alpha's scent was constricting around me the longer I stood there, and I found myself wanting more with every inhale.
I needed to get out of here.
“His name’s Night, and it’s complicated.” He grinned up at me from his kneeling position. “Not sure lunch is long enough to get into that one.”
I forced a polite smile. I could barely believe that Daze had just saved my ass. He lied for me and basically told Revel to fuck off, and now we were going to get food. A bit of my nerves melted away as he stood and grabbed a set of keys off the counter.
“Do you want to leave your bag here while we’re gone?” he asked, gesturing to a mostly tidy couch. He ran his fingers through his hair, which did little to tame the rainbow strands.
The idea was tempting—the thing was getting heavy after hauling it around for a day and a half—but the thought of being away from my only possessions, and the suppressants, sent panic through my system.
What if someone came snooping? What if Daze’s roommate decided to poke through it and found them?
I shook my head. “I’m okay, thanks.”
He didn’t argue.
“Then, after you,” he said, pointing to the trailer door. “Hope you’re okay with walking.”
I chuckled dryly and led the way outside, pausing for Daze to lock up behind us. “After everything I’ve been through, walking a few blocks will be a breeze.”