Forever Entranced ~Book Two Of The Soul Bound Series

Chapter Eleven ~ Carnival Horrors

"You," I gulped.

He came to stand again, replacing his hat on his head. He twirled his baton as the carnival music played on, "How do you like my circus so far?" He chuckled, a deeply disturbing sound.

"Get out of my head," I growled, my hands clenching into fists.

He made a fake pouty face, pushing his bottom lip out, "Oh, come now sweetie. The show is just starting and you're the main attraction!" His hand suddenly burst out from the glass of the mirror as he gripped my wrist, yanking me through the rippling surface of the mirror. I was suddenly standing in the center of a ring inside of a huge circus tent, striped with red and gold as it spanned across, forming a high ceiling. Stands circled around the edge of the tent, filled to the brim with screaming crowds. I looked down at myself, I wore a long sleeved, white dress shirt tucked into a pair of black shorts with a gold vest on top and over that a red coat that hung in the back below my bottom, the collar and sleeve decorated with black and grey stripes. A black, loose bow tie decorating my neck. My legs were covered in a pair of black and grey striped stockings and a pair of high-heeled, black boots reached just below my knees. I could feel the weight of a top hat on my head and I fought to compose myself, my stomach doing front flips. The man with obsidian eyes and a wicked grin appeared at my side, he extended his arms, baton in hand and the crowd went wild. He slammed the end of the baton onto the floor of a small, silver stand we were positioned on, sending a deafening ringing sound throughout the whole tent, silencing the people, "Welcome to the Circus Of Hell!" He exclaimed, his voice roaring, "I, your humble Maestro, would like to present the lovely, the captivating, the enchanting Lion Tamer, Ava Meyer!" 

I froze, did he just say Lion Tamer? My blood seemed to run cold as a ferocious roar filled the circus tent and I slowly turned to face a cage that seemed to have materialize out of thin air, sitting at the edge of the ring. Inside, was a male lion, his proud mane shaking as he paced back and forth, his wild eyes glancing around at the crowd, who screamed in approval. His enormous muscles rippled with every movement, his claws digging into the dirt where his monstrous paws stood.

The "Maestro," slipped a whip into my hands, "You're going to need this," He winked before hopping off the platform, a spring in his step as he strode towards the lion's cage. He turned to face me, his eyes glinting with mischief, and reached for the latch. It twisted and the cage door burst open as the lion shoved through, his mouth opening in a threatening roar, showing off his rows of deathly sharp teeth. His snout curled up as he let out a low growl in the back of his throat, his untamed eyes landing on me. The maestro leapt up and onto the top of the cage and raised his arms as the crowd applauded. His dark eyes slid to mine and he grinned, pointing his baton harshly in my direction, "Tame him!" He shouted.

The lion slowly prowled towards me as I stood on the platform, gripped with terror. I could barely swallow as my hand tightened around the whip, "Nice kitty." I breathed, taking a few steps back away from the hunting giant of a cat. The lion watched me like a predator watching his prey, and I was undoubtedly the prey. My breath hitched as we stood frozen, staring into each other's eyes, waiting. As if in slow motion, the lion's muscles rippled as he pushed from the dirt ground, leaping towards me. I fell to the floor of the platform, covering my head with my hands, whip still in hand as the lion soared over me, landing on the other side. My head craned back and our eyes met once more. I stood, adrenaline pulsating through my veins, my hand curling around the handle of the whip, beast against beast.

Again my aunt's words rung into my mind. Was I a gazelle or a lion? And again I made my decision, I am a lion. I lifted my hand and brought the whip down with force, it made a cracking sound as it snapped in the air. I challenged him, warning him. He let out a low, threatening growl before charging. I snapped the whip, leaping from the platform and landed on the dirt in a crouched position. My eyes flicked towards the lion who stood on the opposite side of the ring, a freshly cut wound running down across one of his eyes.