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Chapter Thirty-eight
Oliver
A rumble of thunder shook the train as rain hissed against the roof as it came down in sheets. Dried blood was caked into my clothes and hair, the stale metallic odor lingering in my nose. In front of me, Jules sat puffing on a cigar, and his hair lay in greasy strands on top of his head.
The lights shook with every crack of lightning. A thick fog of smoke filled the car, intertwining with the fragrance of Jules's top-tier bourbon. The ice in my glass clinked as I brought the amber liquid up to my lips. I let the warmth of the booze burn my throat as I tried to numb away the evening's events.
"So, what is going to happen to Pepper?" I finally asked the question that had loitered in my mind since I plunged the knife into John.
Jules blew out white wisps from his nostril and then knocked off the ashes in the tray in front of him before he spoke. "Pepper is with Birdie. She will be continuing her position in the troupe."
"She will?" My eye
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Cirque du Lune Chapter Thirty-nine
OliverI grunted as I rolled over onto my side and stared at the door. How many people knew they had moved me into August’s old room? Why couldn’t they just leave me alone for a little bit?“Coming,” I breathed out as I pried myself from the bed. Whoever it is better have a good reason for coming here so damn late. I swear if it was Jules, Eddie, or Grady, they might as well just red light me for real this time.You could have knocked me down with a feather when I opened that door. I think my jaw was on the ground somewhere.“Elsie,” before I even had a chance to ask what she was doing there, she shoved me back into my room. Immediately, she stepped in and shut my door behind her. With the flick of her wrist, the lock clicked into place.“What are you doing, Elsie?” My mouth was so dry I could have coughed up dust. I had to force myself to look at her face and focus on her eyes.“Do I nee
Cirque du Lune Chapter Forty
Elsie“You know I heard you guys going at it from my compartment again last night?” Shirley took a puff of her cigarette and blew it at me. I knew the mischief that lingered in those eyes of hers.“Think of it as payback for every time I have found you and Carl making whoopie all over the train.” I rolled my eyes at her before I let out a giggle.“You know I don’t mind. If anything, it’s kind of ginchy to know that we are both getting railed at the same time.” As soon as the words left Shirley’s mouth, a group of women and their children walked by. The mothers hurried to cover their children’s ears and shoot dirty looks at Shirley as they herded the kids away. “You would think that they would realize those bra
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Elsie “Oliver!” I hastily ran past Jules to follow Oliver, but Jules snagged my wrist, yanking me towards him. I willed myself not to spit in his face or stomp on his foot because the bastard would just get off on it. “Oh, did I forget to tell you that he was there?” Jules’s eyes gleamed with malice. He rolled his tongue between his lips, making me want to heave all over his perfectly fitted suit. “You piece of shit!” I hissed as I yanked my arm away from him. “What is wrong with you?!” I didn’t wait for a response as I bolted away from Jules, leaving him snickering. It was clear his goal was always to trip me up and trap me. He would never clip my wings, though I refused to let him.
Cirque du Lune Chapter Forty-two
Oliver The train rumbled down the tracks, horn blasting before the hiss of the brakes filled the air. The cars lurched forward as we came to a stop. The smell of smoke permeated the station, declaring our arrival as if anyone who was deaf or blind didn’t know we had arrived. I peeked out behind the flimsy aged curtain, examining the stop. I had never been to Baton Rouge, much less Louisiana in general. It was a different world compared to where I grew up. “You coming, kid?” Shirley asked as she came up behind me, causing me to jump. “Shit, you scared the piss out of me.” I hissed as I stumbled away from the train car door to face her. Her long black hair was loose curls, and her makeup accentuated her
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Elsie Branches whizzed past my head as Scarlet drove us into the wetlands on the outskirts of the city. I heard Oliver struggling to keep up with me, and I wished I could slow down for him to catch up, but I wasn’t in control. The city’s noise dissipated, leaving only the faint chirps of insects, splashing from something under the water, the twitters of a mixed-species feeding flock moving through the trees, and the kerplunk of a turtle dropping off a log. Something about this melody was so soothing that I wished to capture it for whenever I was stressed. A twig snapped from behind a tree, causing Scarlet to finally relinquish control as a man’s voice filled the air. “What are you doing here, rogue?” A man w
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ElsieThe words that had been so painful and heavy on my heart these past years felt lighter than they ever had as I told Everett about my past, how I lost Clyde and ran from my Alpha, how Shirley had found me and had taken me under her wing, how I became the star act in the circus. I told him everything, well, everything except about Oliver.I could feel Oliver’s eyes boring into the back of my head as he walked behind Everett and me. Wolves surrounded us from Everett’s pack. I expected Oliver to be scared or even hesitant, but instead, I felt like he just became more attentive to me.Cicadas buzzed around us, I used to find their buzzing annoying, but now it felt right. They were the most enthralling music I had ever heard, and I wanted to remember this moment
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OliverNelson dropped me off on the edge of town closest to Cirque du Lune’s setup but far enough away where no one would catch a whiff of his scent. As I went to slam the door shut behind me, Nelson cleared his throat.“Yeah?” I ducked my head down as I looked back into the car at him.“If I were you, kid, I would get the hell away from those rogues; the sooner, the better.” Nelson’s voice was gruff; the way he talked about the circus and the rogues was like someone had squeezed lemon juice in a cut in my mouth.“Isn’t your future Luna one of those rogues?” I glared at that sad excuse of a man. “Have a nice evening Nelson.”I slammed the car door and started towards the soft glow on the lights, beaconing me home to the circus. I was tense until I heard the roar of the automobile rumble away. Only when I was sure he was gone did the tension in my body leave.No matter how long I wa
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