Carnival of Darkness (FaeTAL Series Book 1) Read Free Page A

falling gracefully with the movement of the powerful beast between his legs. The flannel shirt he is wearing flows behind him with the slight breeze his ride forms. His abdominal muscles contracting and releasing with each rise and fall. Powerful thighs wrapped snuggly around the horse.
    My mind immediately slides into the gutter. Easily picturing my body making the very same movements. Only, instead of a horse, I’m riding his delectable body.
    What the heck? I seriously need to get myself under control. I haven’t had dirty thoughts about anyone since I lost Will. But if anything was ever going to make me want to get back on that horse, so to speak, it would be the perfection that is this man.
    He grins to the women in the stands, clearly in his element in the ring. His devastating smile leaves me drooling.
    Coming to a stop in the center of the ring, he jumps from the horse and pulls a microphone from the back of his oh-so-deliciously tight and torn Wranglers.
    “Welcome y’all! We’ll be doing a few of the traditional tricks and rides for ya tonight, but don’t go gettin’ disappointed just yet. Y’all know we here at the Carnival of Darkness don’t do anything half-way. We add a twist or two and keep things interesting. Now, there are a few rules ya need to keep in mind during the show. Only workers in the rodeo ring, don’t throw ya trash where it don’t belong, and have fun! Y’all ready for some fun? Let me hear ya yell!”
     

 
    Charlee
     
    The uproar of the crowd leaves my ears ringing. Grinning at Rick, I join in on the ruckus. The rodeo is something else! The energy level never once dropped, and the crowd stayed on their feet for the majority of the show. Seeing the man doing tricks on his horse had my heart pounding so hard I thought I would break a rib. Thankful that part of the show is over, I watch with bated breath as he rides around the ring, sweat dripping down his chest, one more time. A woman suddenly appears in the ring.
    Her eyes huge in her porcelain face. Chest rising and falling rapidly with each gasp for breath. She stares aimlessly around the ring, looking for what I’m not sure. Tears stream down her cheeks when her eyes freeze on the far side of the ring. A blood covered clown wearing jeans and a ripped white t-shirt walks out. The maniacal grin beneath his big red nose will surely play a part in my nightmares later tonight.
    The woman’s eyes somehow manage to grow wider and her complexion pales even more. The terror pouring off of her is so intense, so real that the crowd goes silent in anticipation.
    The clown pulls a large butcher knife from behind his back and my eyes join the woman’s in size. I hold my breath waiting to see what will happen next.
    Surely, the cowboy will rescue the girl from the clown. Right?
    The clown stalks slowly, dangerously, towards the defenseless woman who is now openly sobbing.
    Run! You have to run! I don’t know if I spoke aloud or through my mind. All I know for sure is that the woman’s eyes bounce between the cowboy, the clown, the stands and the exit.
    The one and only means of escape.
    That just so happens to be the same way the clown entered the ring.
    Her arms and legs tremble so strongly that I can see it from my seat. Her entire body is shaking in fear.
    The clown is within a few feet of her now. The woman turns and sprints in the opposite direction of the exit.
    The cowboy sits still as a statue atop his mount. His knuckles white, his jaw clenched, he looks pissed. He looks like a man on the verge of breaking. A man with a decision to make. A decision he clearly doesn’t like the answer to.
    The woman runs fast. But the clown is faster. He cuts her off, tripping her in the process. A scream erupts so loudly I’m not sure I will ever be able to erase it from my memory. Instead of going after her he backs away laughing while slashing his knife through the air. He’s toying with her.
    The cowboy still sits in the exact same