shoulder at her. “Would you enjoy it if I did?”
“No.”
“Then no.” He smirked and resumed walking. “Come, Contortionist. I have something to show you.”
This is a bad idea. This is a very bad, very stupid idea. But with a sigh, she realized it just was another stupid decision to add to the very long list of stupid decisions she had made recently. All starting with walking through the Dark Path.
After grabbing her thin coat and slinging it on, she followed Rudy, jogging a bit to catch up. She stayed out of his reach, though. She didn’t want to know what those black pointed nails would feel like ripping through her throat.
Then she realized they were claws. It looked like they could retract and extend. And it made her shudder. The resident were-whatever wants to show me something. Great. What could possibly go wrong?
“I’m not planning to harm you.” He glanced over at her, yellow eyes glinting again. “If I did, you would already be in pieces.”
“That’s not comforting.”
“I know.”
Cora shoved her hands in her coat pockets. She watched him silently for a long time. “Do you have a problem with me?”
“No.”
Silence.
“So…you’re…like this with everyone?”
“Like what?” Yellow eyes met hers again.
She gestured a hand at him. “Growly. Standoffish. Generally angry.”
“Yes.” He looked back ahead to the path.
And that was the end of their conversation. She tried not to laugh.
They were going toward the big top, but around the back of it. She hadn’t been back here before. There were a dozen support structures scattered around that were meant to be offices, changing rooms, and more. One large tent looked different from the rest. It wasn’t striped. It wasn’t meant to be flashy or garish. It was plain, aged cotton fabric, with a large flap in the front. It looked like it could be pulled open wide, as if something large was stored inside.
As they got closer, she heard the sound of animals from inside. Right. Rudy was the Zookeeper. He had animals…like Simon had puppets.
“Where do you get your animals?” She already knew the answer, but she cringed and waited for it anyway.
“I make them.”
Man, the guy was like talking to a brick. “How, Rudy?”
“Broken souls. They come to me. I make their lives…simple.” He shrugged. “Some people want to be wild things. Want to be a beast. I don’t eat them like your lover. They fade in their own time.” He cast her a glance. “Do not dare judge me, Contortionist.”
“My name is Cora.”
“I know.”
Another long pause. She sighed. “I’m not judging you. I’m still getting my feet under me. I’m not used to all this.”
“Good.” He pulled aside the flap of the tent and motioned for her to go inside.
She shouldn’t go in there. She knew she shouldn’t. But she wanted to know whatever it was that Rudy wanted to show her. “You sure you’re not going to eat me?”
“I considered it.” He smirked. “But I’ve already had my lunch.”
She couldn’t tell if he was joking. She figured she was happier not knowing. She stepped inside the darkness of the tent. It was dimly lit, and the smell of animals was strong in the air. It wasn’t overwhelming. But animals smelled like animals, no matter what.
The walls of the tent were made up of row after row of stalls. Some big, some small, some caged, some more open. Shapes were moving in the dim light. Shapes that weren’t animals she recognized. She expected horses. An elephant, maybe. Maybe even a tiger or a monkey.
She walked closer to one of the cages, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. It looked almost…bony. Not like it was malnourished. But like it was made out of bones.
The thing lurched toward the bars as she drew near, jumping at her and into the light.
It looked a little like a monkey or a gorilla, maybe. Twisted and warped, with long arm bones that jutted out at the joints like knives, sharp and deadly. It had no skin. Tendons connected the bones together, but in ways that shouldn’t work. It howled and screeched at her, baring sharp fangs. She could see its organs beneath its ribs and tucked inside its pelvis. She could see its lungs expand with air as it howled and screeched at her again. Eyes, lacking lids and bloodshot, stared at her from wide sockets.
Harrow Faire wasn’t a normal circus.
And this sure as shit wasn’t a normal zoo.
She was caught staring like a fool, not knowing what to do. Too