When Joaquin and the ringmaster return to the circus tent, they're as giddy as two teenagers who have discovered their parent's forbidden liquor stash. The spells and counter spells, cast during their daylong adventure in love's nest, have left behind lingering side effects.

  Joaquin stops just inside the flap and grips the ringmaster's right forearm. He pulls her to him, tracing a finger down one side of her face.

  "I enjoyed myself today," Joaquin whispers, dropping his mouth to the level of the ringmaster's ear. "I cannot wait to celebrate another victory. Hopefully, it will be soon."

  The ringmaster politely turns her face as Joaquin attempts to kiss her on the mouth. She chuckles softly, rubbing the nape of his neck with her right hand.

  "I think we've had enough play for one day, Joaquin. I must rest. Tomorrow may bring us more adventure. We must wait and see."

  "Of course, Master," Joaquin says, acknowledging the distance the ringmaster now requires. "I will see you in the morning. No spells. Only breakfast."

  "Thank you, Joaquin," the ringmaster replies.

  Pecking Joaquin once on the cheek, the ringmaster heads for her bedchambers. Joaquin watches her with keen interest. At the doorway to her chambers, the ringmaster glances over her shoulder. Joaquin grins, hoping she will change her mind and invite him in.

  Instead, the entrance to the ringmaster's bedchamber disappears once she enters it. Her intentions are made very clear. She wishes to be alone. Alone with her thoughts and memories.

  ======================================

  The ringmaster strolls into her bedchamber and sits down in front of the wardrobe. She picks up her large purple brush from its usual spot, and begins brushing out her long wavy hair. A soft knock on the door causes the ringmaster to glance upward. Percy.

  "You may enter, Percy. But be brief," the ringmaster grumbles.

  Percy enters the chamber and crosses to where the ringmaster is brushing her hair in earnest. He stands a few feet behind her, observing her.

  "Master...Was it necessary to kill Harriet? She was very nice. And very beautiful. She would have been a good familiar. Her daughter...She will be without a mother. A child does not understand our games."

  The ringmaster's upper lip twitches and she lowers her brush to the top of the wardrobe. After a brief pause, she turns on her chair, staring at Percy with emotionless eyes.

  "It was you who made that necessary, Percy. With your bumbling of my spells and your constant interference. They wandered into my tent. They agreed to play the game. That is the way things are done."

  "I did everything the way you told me to, Master. I did not fail you. Perhaps it was something in them...The husband and wife. Something in their love which made your spells less potent. I am not to blame. You should not have killed Harriet, Master."

  The ringmaster jumps up from her seat and steps directly in front of Percy. Purple light dances in her eyes, and her voice is tinged with annoyance and fury.

  "How dare you tell me what I should and should not do! You...My servant...Dare order me?"

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  "No, Master," Percy says, lowering his head in a humble gesture.

  The ringmaster intently searches Percy's face. In truth, she had not wanted to kill Harriet. Harriet had indeed been very beautiful. She would have been wonderful to keep around. Either as a sultry familiar, to draw in more tasty lovers. Or as a fearsome pet, to use in her dangerous games. Harriet might have even served as a temporary vessel, if she had wished it.

  However, it was Harriet's natural splendor which had also been the cause of her death. Watching Percy and Melvin lust over Harriet's effortless beauty had caused envy to fester in the ringmaster's heart and mind. This is her tent, and her game. No woman may be permitted to outshine her. Not again.

  And so, she had killed Harriet. Plunging her sword into Harriet's beating heart. The frightened woman's final cry had been music to the ringmaster's ears. And the aggrieved look on Melvin's face, as he was hurled from the tent, had been utterly priceless. The loss of her Percival had been equally grievous. Why should Melvin's love fare any better than hers?

  "Oh, Percy," the ringmaster says, cupping one side of Percy's face and angling her head to kiss the flesh below his ear. "You cannot possibly understand...What I have lost."

  Percy closes his eyes as the ringmaster lightly kisses his neck. She presses her cheek against his and whispers softly.

  "What little remains of Percival lives inside of you. I could not bear to lose you too. I want you close to me. I need to know that my lover is nearby. Had there been another choice... But...There was not. I am sorry, Percy. It was for the best."

  Percy is unsure of the truth behind the ringmaster's words. However, he has no choice but to accept them as fact. She is his master, his occasional lover. As time has gone by, they have sought pleasure with each other more often. Every time they make love, Percy struggles to remember why he dares resist. Alice.

  The hold Alice has on Percy is equally as strong as that held over the master. The love of the mysterious Percival. The lover which the ringmaster has placed within his body. The essence which, even now, wrestles with Percy's very soul.

  The ringmaster kisses Percy's neck again, before withdrawing and staring deep into his eyes. It is as if she is reading his thoughts. He is sure she is. He is doubly sure of it when she kisses him tenderly. The master's turbulent moods are hard to predict. For now, they are lovers. Tomorrow may be another story.

  =======================================

  Sometime before that...??

  "Master, I wish to have a lover. The same as you. I would like to choose a lover from one who fails the test. You have plenty of familiars. And I have been a good servant to you. I only want one. To fill the hole in my heart. The hole left by my Alice. Since you will not reveal to me where she is."

  The ringmaster sits up on the bed. She glowers down at Percy, pulling the covers up to her chest. The irises of her eyes begin to glow and she points toward the door of her bedchamber.

  "Out!" the ringmaster yells. "Get out!"

  "But, Master...I only want--,"

  "Get out, Percy! I won't say it again."

  Percy reluctantly climbs from the bed, taking a sheet with him and wrapping it around his middle. The ringmaster also rises. She follows him across the room. Percy's heart thumps in his chest as the ringmaster grabs his forearm and turns him toward her. She kisses him intensely, raking a hand through his thick hair.

  "You ungrateful fool!" the ringmaster hisses as they separate. "I spared you...Because I wanted you to share in my love and my pleasure. But at every turn...You make me regret that decision. So now, you will look the part of a fool. Goodnight, Percy."

  The ringmaster releases Percy and storms back in the direction of her bed. Percy considers going to her and apologizing profusely. However, he doesn't dare. She has made her decision. He will apologize in the morning."

  Percy leaves the chamber with a heavy heart. He peers back over his shoulder. Only to discover that the ringmaster has sealed the entrance to her bedchambers.

  ===================================

  Turning over in his bed, Percy absently scratches his nose. Or tries to. Rubbing his face, Percy allows his eyes to draw open. His skin feels eerily tight and heavy. Climbing cautiously from the bed, Percy crosses to the mirror on his wall.

  "Noooo!" Percy cries, as he catches a glimpse of his reflection. "Noooo!"

  To be continued...............................