Page 11 of Blood Lord

But none of them extend the invitation toward me. I don't expect them to. I know better than to think that any of them would want me there. In fact, I'd probably turn them down out of fear of it being laced or being framed for something that would upset Nielmor.

So, it's a good thing as they wander off toward the edge of the woods and I go toward my tent. Nielmor doesn't care if they get wasted out there. "As long as you can work, the rest is not my problem," he always says. "And if you don't return, you better be dead. Or you'll wish you were."

Knowing how everyone feels about me, I'd probably be strung up to a tree until I was late for rehearsal, and Nielmor would truly transform me into a harp when I had done nothing wrong.

I shake my head, pushing away all the thoughts.It doesn't matter, I remind myself.You have luxuries they don't. It's better to be lonely than broken and starved.

But then someone slams into me. I stumble, catching myself against one of the carts, and I turn to find Aaron leering at me.

A mostly empty bottle hangs from his hand, and he staggers as he comes closer. He drops the bottle, and it shatters against the ground, pulling his attention for a second. But then he looks back up at me with a malicious smile, slurring out, "Pity."

His hands slam into the cart on either side of my body, and I realize that I am trapped. There is no one around to help me—not that they would if they were here—and based on his behavior and the smell rolling off of Aaron, he's drunk.

I can tell from his hateful glare that he's still angry that I rejected him earlier. It's not the first time, but it seems that this one really stung him if he has come after me like this.

"This is the life you'd choose over me?" he growls. "Why? Are you some dark elf whore? Have you tricked Nielmor into believing your voice is a good enough act by choking on his cock after hours?"

I shiver as he leans in close, breathing in my scent along my neck. "Aaron," I whimper out, and he sighs.

"You are too stupid to run, but that's fine." He laughs manically, sounding too much like Nielmor as he stumbles back. His hands go to his waistband, and he starts to undo his pants. "If you love being a whore so much, I can treat you like one. I can make you feel right at home, on your knees, earning your freedom and safety just like you do for Nielmor."

I let out a sharp scream as he lunges for me, and I scramble backwards, halfway falling between him in the cart as I try to get away. I throw my hands up, trying to protect myself, but then a thud and a grunt are the only things I hear.

Nothing touches me, and I realize after a beat that there is nothing that should have kept Aaron off of me. I drop my hands, opening my eyes, and my jaw drops open.

Thick, black wings encircle me, and before me is the muscular back that they are attached to. I've never seen anything like it. The figure before me would almost look human if not for the wings as he straightens up, using his wings to block me from Aaron's view.

I push up into a crouch, curious to see what is going on, and then I hear a sound that is all too familiar—the slicing of skin.

"Hey, man, we can work this out," Aaron gasps out. "I wasn't going to touch her; I swear-"

His words are cut off in a sharp gurgle, and I am all too familiar with what it sounds like when blood splatters against dry grass. I don't need to see Aaron to know that his body slams into the ground, lifeless.

I can't piece together what I'm staring at—not the creature before me or the wings or even that Aaron is dead despite not being able to see him. How did my best performance night turn into this?

Shock ripples across my body, and suddenly, I feel sick. I can't make sense of it, and I'm starting to freak out. If this creature just lands out of nowhere and slices open the first person it sees, what is it going to do to me?

I should be screaming. I should be trying to tell someone that a beast has infiltrated our circus, that I am being kidnapped. Nielmor wouldn't let me go easily, and if I could just shout loud enough, he might still be sober enough to help me.

But the cry comes out a soft gurgle, and my knees go weak. "No," I whimper as my body gives out on me, and as the wings flex around me—impossibly large wings—my mind gives up trying to comprehend.

I faint, the world falling black instantly.

7

Raziel

Thanks to the crowded treeline, I never lost sight of my new interest. I bounced from branch to branch, alluding humans and dark elves alike. She—Selene, the ringmaster had called her—had no idea that I was following her the whole time.

And she was lucky I was.

As the others split away, I considered if I should actually reveal myself to her. It was the perfect opportunity to take her with no one being around. I'd avoid any sign that I had been here.

But then that drunken bastard had stumbled up to her, pinning her against the cart and threatening her. I couldn't stand for that.

It wasn't even a conscious decision. As soon as her voice reached me, panic laced on the shriek, I dropped down between them. I didn't think as I grabbed the fool who thought he could hurt her. It was purely instinctual when I ripped his throat clean out, and his body dropped onto the dry grass.

It was rage that moved my body, that told me what to do, and honestly, I wasn't satiated with just that. I would have rather taken my time with him, flaying him open until he died from the sheer pain of his skin being peeled away.

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