Something inside me alters, like the universe itself just snapped into focus. A shiver licks up my spine as his blood-red, spiral eyes lock onto mine. Ican’tseem to pull myself away. It’s like he’s got me in some twisted trance, dragging me under without a single word.
He’s tall.So fucking tall.Broad-shouldered, towering over the others like some shadowed figure from a nightmare. Dark brown waves of hair fall messily over his forehead. His face paint is similar to Hell’s, but somehow darker,more unsettling.
Blackness bleeds from his eyes like dripping ink, hollowing out his stare. A jagged, stitch-like design stretches over his mouth, as if holding back something horrific, while swirling patterns curl along his cheeks, highlighting the sharpness of his features.
“This is my little sister, Arabella,” Harley says, introducing me to the guys, who I can only guess are Hell’s friends.
From the corner of my eye, I catch the one with green eyes barely glancing down and he gives a slight chin lift in acknowledgment before returning to his game. But I’m not paying much attention to him anyway.
Because I’m too locked in a silent, unblinking stare with thered-eyed one. And he isn’t looking away either. Neither of us will back down.
A strange heat prickles at my skin, my breath held as somethingdarkcrackles between us. Something about himdemandsmy attention, holds me in place like invisible chains.
My gaze moves before I can stop it, curiosity betraying my eyes. He’s wearing a black leather jacket, the hood pulled up, making shadows cling to his strangely handsome face like they belong there. But it’s unzipped just enough to show the sculpted, inked-up body beneath.
He looks like an experiment crafted by the devil himself. As if Satan went too fucking far with this one. A creation so dark even hell spat him out and refused to keep him. But it’s not just the way he looks; it’s his entireaura. I can feel it. Deadly and suffocating, even from this distance.
“This is Hollow Soul,” Harley continues, her hand gesturing to the green-eyed, blonde-haired guy.
“And that’s Hollow Wrath.” She finishes, finally naming the red-eyed man staring straight through me.
Hollow Wrath? That’s his name?
God, these guys have bizarre names.
“They’re performers here at Oddity. Known as The Hollows.”
That explains their names and horrific appearance then.
My eyes lower further, noticing how Wrath’s tatted fingers, adorned with a few silver rings, stretch out with a slight tremble before they clench into tight fists, as if he is holding onto something. Possibly himself.
Strange. Yeah, he’s definitely strange.
Suddenly, Harley is snatching my arm again, dragging me in the other direction, toward the circus.
“Noir, what are you doing?” Hell calls out, and when I look over my shoulder, I notice Wrath has now disappeared, but Hell is following behind us.
“Noir? Who’s Noir?” I ask before glancing at Harley.
“That’s my name here.”
“You work here?”
She smirks slightly before glancing at me.
“Didn’t I ever tell you I was a dancer?”
I vaguely remember, but there’s no chance to respond because I’minsidethe circus before I know it.
The atmosphere feels different in here. The red and white fabric hangs low, draping the area like a smothering veil. The heavy scent ofdampnessseeps into my nostrils, mixing with something else. Something old, something almostrotten beneath the surface.
Harley moves forward quickly as Hell’s heavy boots catch up behind us. She pulls back a curtain, revealing a hidden room within, and we step inside.
As soon as we enter, she releases me, but I barely notice. The air is thick withincense, a smoky, intoxicating smell. Crystals glisten under the dim, flickering candle light, lining cabinets along withstrange, mysterious objects. Things I don’t recognize but somehow feeldrawn to.
“Madame!” Harley yells, but I’m too mesmerized to pay attention.
Just as Hell steps inside from the corner of my eye, I take one forward, completely entranced by thebeautiful, hauntingartifacts surrounding me. My fingers hover over a delicate, antique-looking pendant, its deep red center twinkling against the glow of a nearby candle.