Bound To One

Chapter Five

"Lilly, are you in here?" Lizzy called out.

"I'm here," I said as I went to the opening of the door. I smiled when I saw her. She was head to toe in black leather, her top was a leather corset, her pants were black leather, the entire ensemble molded to her body perfectly.

On the way to the tent, she explained that the outfit was fireproof. Since she worked so closely with it, and she had burned herself really badly a few years ago, she designed an outfit that would keep that from happening again.

"Well, I think it fits you perfectly, and it's cool looking," I said with a smile. I wish I could pull something like that off, but not at my height. Lizzy was almost six foot and thin with an athletic swimmer's body.

"Are you ready to see Tony?" she asked as she wiggled her eyebrows at me. I had to laugh.

"Why are you doing that with your eyebrows when you mention his name?"

"Because Tony hasn't had a girl like him since I've been here, and here you come along, you brighten right up when you look at him. Hell, he does the same thing when he looks at you," she said, laughing.

"I hadn't really thought about what I look like when I'm around him, I just like being around him, he relaxes me," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

That stopped Lizzy in her tracks.

"Tony, our Tony relaxes you when you are near him?" she asked in a very serious tone.

"Yeah, why? Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

"No, not at all, it's just new for me to hear that's all, but I know he has something special planned tonight just for you," she said with the biggest smile on her face.

She grabbed my hand, and we ran along the pathway until we reached the tent.

We walked in and there were tons of people sitting on the benches that went around the whole tent. Lizzy looked around for a moment, then she spotted what she was looking for.

"Come over here, he wanted you to sit here," she said and sat me down in the very front row where no one else was sitting.

"Enjoy the show Lilly, and I'm glad you are part of our family," she said and took off behind the curtain.

Sitting there, I looked around, and the place was darker than I thought it would be. The people were whispering about the "freaks" that they would be seeing.

Just hearing that word bothered me, but Tony said it was all part of the show.

I still had to bite my tongue when I heard them talk about my new family saying that they were nothing more than sideshow freaks.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the freak show.

Now, don't be scared of what you are going to see here tonight. Everyone is trained and no one will be harmed if you stay where you are seated"

I didn't know that voice, but I also knew I hadn't met everyone yet.

Lizzy came out with her fire and swords. Her arrows and hoops that she swung around her waist were all on fire. That girl was talented.

At the end of her show, she looked at me and smiled when I gave her a thumbs up. Next was Arnold. He could walk around on his hands, but when he went to his feet, that is when his tail came out.

At the end of his show, I clapped, which made him smile.

There were a few more acts that I found enjoyable. There was the reptilian man, and the dragon man. They looked so real.

Next up was Tony. I was at the edge of my seat, waiting to see what he would do. The lights went out and candles appeared around the ring.

A fire was lit in the center of the ring, and a man walked out. He stood almost over the fire.

He had horns on the side of his head, his face was reddish black, and he had piercing yellow eyes that seemed to glow with the firelight.

"Welcome to my world, where few dare to tread. This is where I now take your souls. You entered my home. This is the price you pay."

I noticed the fire grew brighter as the candles died out. There was a slight breeze in the tent now. I kept looking at this man that was in front of me. Was it Tony?

"You see, dear people, I am the demon that you are afraid of. Some might call me the boogeyman; some might call me the soul taker.

All those are names I go by. So, when you are asleep tonight, look in the shadows, I will be there."

The fire grew larger as he started chanting in a language I didn't know.

He stalked towards the edges of the ring. I could see people move away from where he was until he stood before me.

I didn't back away, but instead I moved closer to where he was at.

"Ah, a mortal woman, that isn't a mortal at all. For she is the only one drawn to the demon prince." Everyone turned and looked at me.

I didn't care; I was too busy watching Tony. His makeup and effects were stunning. He definitely was a showman and a damn good one at that.

He held out his hand and I placed mine in his.

He chanted more in a language that I couldn't understand, but it seemed fitting with him.

I smiled at him; he smiled back at me, then the fire went out. I felt the softest of kisses on my lips. When the lights turned back on, no one was there.

Everyone stood up and clapped. Everyone left the tent, but I still sat there, with my fingers touching my lips, where I was kissed but only for a second.

Everyone came out from behind the curtain. Lizzy ran over to me.

"What did you think?" she asked and everyone, but Tony came over to me.

"I absolutely loved it," I said, laughing. Everyone thanked me and I looked around for Tony.

"He is changing. Let's go get our table and wait for him," Lizzy said as she looped my arm with hers. Taking me out of the tent, I thought I spotted him watching me from the shadows.

Sitting at the table, everyone went to grab their food, but I wanted to wait for Tony. Once he walked in, everyone clapped. He did a mock bow and when he stood up, he looked right at me and winked.

He walked over and put his hand out for mine. I placed mine in his and we went to grab our food.

Once we sat down, I looked at him.

"You were perfect," I whispered as I looked down at my food.

"Thank you. I was hoping you liked it," he said as he reached for my hand.

"I did more than that. I loved it," I said with a shy smile. For the next while, we ate and talked with everyone. At the end of the night Tony walked me to my wagon.

"Good night, dear sweet Lilly, I shall see you tomorrow," he said as he kissed the back of my hand. I stood there watching him walk towards his wagon.

Tony turned around and looked at me before he went inside. I waved. He waved back and smiled his sweet smile. Then he went into his wagon as I went into mine.

Shutting the doors, I changed and laid in bed.

I couldn't stop thinking about Tony, and I fell asleep with his name on my lips.

I stood in the shadows, watching her. My facial expression is indescribable. Never in a thousand lifetimes had I found a woman who could complete me and who liked my other side, my darker side.

I stepped closer to her to see her face. "She is one I will keep and cherish and love. I will not let another come after her. For you, my sweet Lilly will be mine," I whispered as I disappeared back into the shadows.