Page 9 of Chaos Carnival (Cirque de Sanguine #2)

Chapter 8: Assembly of Shadows

Tess

My face flamed as I burrowed deeper into the blankets, wishing I could disappear. Maverick's chest shook with silent laughter against my back, and I resisted the urge to elbow him in the ribs. The ritual required skin contact, but this was not how I'd planned to maintain it in public.

Stone and Lux emerged from the other bedrooms, yawning and stretching. I tried to ignore the ache between my legs, the blanket tucked firmly around my waist.

“Seems no one's made coffee yet,” Cross called out, stalking into the kitchen.

Maverick took advantage of the distraction, shifting me in his lap. I stifled a gasp as he maneuvered us so we were lined up, then pushed into me. I gripped his arms, my knuckles white, and tried to muffle my sharp intake of breath as he filled me, stretching my insides so perfectly.

“Maverick!” I hissed, my eyes widening as he began to move within me.

He leaned close, his lips brushing my ear. “Don't worry, monstre. No one knows.” His hips pumped gently, and I had to grasp at the blanket to keep myself from reacting. My walls clenched around him, desperate to keep him inside, despite how wrong it felt.

I could only nod, panting to try to keep from making any sound. He moved with slow, subtle thrusts, careful to keep the blanket in place as Zara and Cross chatted in the kitchen.

“Here, let me help.” Lux bustled over to the coffee maker, keeping his back to us. “I need a strong cup myself.”

Zara pulled a crumpled flyer from her pocket, smoothing it out on the nearest flat surface, the coffee table next to the mattress. I held my breath, hoping the movement wouldn't draw their attention to us. I was pretty sure my wide eyes and flushed cheeks would be a dead giveaway. With every movement, I felt myself getting wetter, the friction between us creating a euphoric moment.

Bold letters proclaimed 'Cirque des Cauchemars' above an image of circus tents bathed in red light. “Found this plastered all over downtown,” Zara said, her voice cutting through the haze of desire fogging my brain. “Ivan's not exactly hiding. To mortal eyes, it'll look like just every other horror attraction that pops up in October…“

My eyes flicked to the flyer, taking in the ominous image, but Maverick's subtle movements had my attention divided. He pressed his hips up into mine, eliciting a soft moan that I quickly stifled. The room was full of our friends trying to help us solve our problems, but I could only focus on him filling me in a way that made me feel so alive. The room seemed to shrink around us as the anticipation built, the air crackling with tension.

“I must say,” Oscar chimed in, “rushing headlong into an obvious trap does seem rather ill-advised. It would make for excellent dramatic irony in a play, though. I have years of experience with tragic endings.”

Maverick's thumbs stroked the sensitive skin of my hips, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. I was lost in the maelstrom of sensation. His breath tickled my ear, sending a sense of foreboding coiling in my gut. I nodded as I tried to focus on the conversation., not on the pleasure Maverick was skillfully unraveling in me “We need a plan.”

“Don’t worry. This isn't going to be tragic,” said Zara. “The opening night is tonight. We'll get in, grab her and get out.”

My heart ached for Addie, but my traitorous body melted around Maverick's cock. The pleasure in me tightened like a coil, making it hard to think, hard to breathe, hard to do anything but feel.

“There's something else.” Cross's voice dropped low. His fingers drummed against the bedside table. “The hunters have been busy.”

My stomach clenched at his tone, and even Zara looked away, her usual confidence cracking. I was too lost in the moment to fully comprehend it.

“They've hit compounds worldwide.” Cross ran a hand through his hair, his usual composure cracking. “London's Twilight Market, burned to ash. The Prague Sanctum, every protection ward shattered, everyone inside either taken or...” He swallowed hard. “The Singapore Haven collapsed into shards. They're methodically destroying every supernatural sanctuary they can find.”

Maverick stilled.

His voice dropped lower. “The Midnight Menagerie in Berlin got hit last night. Most influential supernatural circus in Europe had protections that were centuries old. Half their performers are just... gone. The other half?” He shuddered. “They said the hunters didn't even break stride. Just walked right through every ward, every defense, like they were nothing.”

The crystal skull's surface rippled, painting dancing umbra across the peeling wallpaper. “Well,” Oscar's voice held that particular theatrical tone I'd come to associate with his most biting observations. “If we're going to discuss the systematic destruction of supernatural safe havens, perhaps I should remind everyone of a rather pertinent historical parallel. The burning of the Library of Alexandria. Though in this case, our modern hunters seem to possess considerably more efficiency than those ancient barbarians. At least the Library had the courtesy to smolder for days.”

“Not helping, Oscar,” I muttered, pulling off Maverick's cock and parting from his embrace. The emptiness and need I felt at the loss doubled my guilt, and I hoped no one noticed me blush. Maverick must have sensed the shift in my mood and attempted to pull me closer again. But I twisted out of his hold, careful not to break skin contact, and turned to face him, my expression conveying the gravity of the situation. Shit was too serious for his games right now. He smiled, a knowing glint in his eye, but gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“My dear, I rarely intend to help,” Oscar added. “I aim to illuminate. And right now, I'm illuminating the fact that we're witnessing the supernatural equivalent of Rome's fall. Though I must say, the hunters have managed to skip the tedious decades of political decay and jumped straight to the sacking.”

“Fifteen more minutes,” he whispered with a tender kiss to my forehead as his arms tightened around my waist.

The skull's eye sockets flickered with an eerie blue light. “But then again, who am I to judge? I'm merely a disembodied consciousness trapped in a crystal skull, watching history repeat itself with notably less style than the first time around. At least the Romans had the decency to wear proper togas while they burned everything down.”

I swallowed, the taste of ash lingering on my tongue. “Great,” I managed to get out, my voice scratchy and raw. Maverick traced shapes on my thighs, drawing out goosebumps all over my skin. His tender touch felt almost sacred in the discordantly intimate but public moment.

Cross shook his head, his eyes dark and serious. “That's not even the half of it. They've captured sixteen seraphim so far and taken them back. Some put up a fight, but it was no use. The hunters are relentless—just like Zara's sources warned us they'd be when Brok took over as Guard General. He's turned them into something entirely new.”

My stomach balled into a knot as I imagined what those poor seraphim were facing. Being dragged back to Ivan was a fate worse than death. Hell had to be worse.

Stone's fist crashed into the wall, and we all turned to see what he’d done. The cheap plaster crumbled, leaving a crater. He was red, veins popping out of his neck. “I didn't know there were that many seraphim here. Do we know them?”

“Marcus. Elena. The twins from Barcelona.” Cross's voice cracked. “And Rex.”

“Fuck.” Lux leaned against the window sill.

“How?” I asked. “How are they taking them down?”

“New weapons. New alchemy.” Cross shook his head. “Whatever they're using, it's not from our playbook. They've evolved. Brok's made good on his promise to crack down harder than Alpin ever did. These hunters aren't just following orders—they're on a crusade.”

“Once we have Addie, we need to keep moving.” Stone pulled his fist from the wall, flexing bloody knuckles.

“And go where?” Zara challenged. “They've infested every state from here to California.”

“Why are they always after you?” I asked, looking at Lux and Stone across from me.

Lux glanced at Maverick. Maverick sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It's not a pretty tale.”

“Few of ours are,” Stone added grimly.

Zara perched on the couch. “Go on,” she encouraged.

Maverick sighed and gathered himself first. “The Seraphim Sector,” he began, his golden eyes darkening with old pain, “isn't the heavenly realm humans imagine. It's oppression masked by beauty. We were born into it, groomed to serve the system.”

“But we saw the corruption,” Lux added. “We tried to fight it from within for a long time. That’s how we met. When we discovered our own families were involved in the conspiracy...” He trailed off, jaw tight.

“We chose freedom,” Maverick finished. “Spent centuries in the demon sector first. Complete anarchy there—too much even for me.” His attempt at humor fell flat.

“And the seraphim guard?” I asked.

“They were created to hunt rogues like us,” Stone said flatly. “Make examples of us.”

“Ah, supernatural fascists,” Oscar chimed in. “Dreadfully efficient ones at that. I must say, my trials for 'gross indecency' pale in comparison.”

“And now they're getting bolder,” Zara mused, her fae features sharp with concern. “Pushing further into the mortal realm than ever before.”

The room fell into a heavy silence as we all absorbed this information. The depth of their experiences, the centuries of running and fighting and adapting, suddenly hit me full force.

“Impressive or not,” Cross interjected, his voice bringing us back to the gravity of the situation, “we're dealing with more than just Ivan's circus. The seraphim guard's increased activity could complicate things significantly.”

A sharp pain lanced through my temples. I pressed my fingers against my forehead, trying to massage away the growing headache.

Lux stepped closer, his expression grim. “The mate bond. It could be Maverick's poison spreading to you.”

“We need to move fast.” Maverick pushed himself up, swaying. “I know a shop in Paris. Old witch, specializes in celestial ailments—“

“No.” Stone's voice cut through the room. “You're not phasing anywhere.”

“He's right.” Cross stepped between Maverick and the door. “Phasing will accelerate the poison. And the hunters will track the energy signature in seconds.”

“And I'm not going anywhere until Addie is safe,” I said. “You stay here, Maverick, so that you don't have to use your powers and attract the hunt—“

“No.” Maverick's voice was steel. “Too dangerous. Ivan would kill you before you got within ten feet.”

“You got a better idea?” I challenged.

The crystal skull's surface rippled with a mysterious blue light. “Perhaps we're approaching this all wrong. In my experience, the best way to deal with megalomaniac villains is to appeal to their vanity.”

Cross spread out a map on the rickety motel table. “The circus is set up in an abandoned fairground outside town.” His finger traced a circle around the perimeter. “Ivan will have wards up, but they'll be focused on keeping people in, not out. He wants an audience.”

“We need to scout the location,” I said, pushing myself up from the bed. “See what we're dealing with.”

“I can do a perimeter sweep,” Stone offered.

“Not alone,” Lux countered. “We go in pairs. No one gets caught solo if the hunters show up.”

Maverick shifted beside me, his skin alarmingly cool where our arms touched. “The old storage buildings might still be standing. Perfect for stashing backup supplies or setting traps.”

“Or hiding bodies,” Oscar's voice echoed from the skull. “Though I suppose that's rather pessimistic of me. Perhaps he’s just storing cotton candy and shattered dreams.”

I studied the crude map Cross had drawn. Three main tents formed a triangle, with smaller attractions scattered between them. The maintenance tunnel entrances had been marked to create a web of potential escape routes, assuming they weren't blocked.

“Tomorrow at dawn,” Stone decided.

I nodded, trying to ignore the creeping terror in my veins.

“Dawn's cutting it close,” Cross said, frowning at Maverick. “You're all running on empty after the last few days.”

I glanced at Maverick, noting again how cool his skin felt. Stone looked equally drained, dark circles under his eyes that hadn't been there a week ago. Even Lux, who usually radiated energy, seemed subdued.

“The tattoo working for you?” I asked Lux.

He lay a hand on his chest where the dagger lay hidden under his shirt. “Looking promising, but hard to tell for sure. Haven't had much chance to absorb without immediately burning through it.” He gave me a sympathetic look. “Once we stop phasing everywhere and actually rest, I'll have a better idea.”

“We should do Stone next,” I said, earning surprised looks from everyone. “What? We were going to wait and see, but we don't have that luxury anymore. You're all exhausted.”

“With what equipment?” Stone asked. “Unless you've got a tattoo machine hidden in that backpack of yours?”

I hadn't thought of that. “There has to be a shop in town that—“

“Too risky,” Maverick cut in. “We're trying to stay under the radar, remember? Can't exactly walk into a tattoo parlor and ask to borrow their equipment.”

Zara straightened, her silver eyes gleaming. “Actually, I know someone. Works out of a basement studio, caters to some specific clientele. She doesn't ask questions.”

“Define specific clientele,” Stone said warily.

Zara's lips curved into a knowing smile. “Let's just say she's familiar with supernaturals. And she owes me a favor.”

I caught Maverick's eye. “I'd rather risk it than watch him go into stasis at the wrong moment.”