Elle

I grip the edge of the metal chair and watch the Blotter warily.

His jaw is clenched, and his hands are in fists. There's a thin layer of sweat on his body and it makes his tattoos shine in the dim light. He says he isn't scared. He is. He must be.

'Not knowing isn't a bad thing.' I talk to him as if I'm coaxing a wild animal, and his eyes narrow.

'You don't fucking get it. You don't understand anything.' He looks at the exposed pipes beneath the metal sink but seems to be focusing on something faraway.

I open my mouth—

'Shut it. I'm thinking.'

I cross my arms. 'A Blotter thinking. I thought I'd never see the day.'

His head snaps up, and a vein throbs in his thick neck. My heartbeat races. I've pushed him too far. Adrenaline floods my system, and I prepare to run.

Then he surprises me.

He laughs.

It's a low, throaty sound that seems to come from somewhere deep inside. He looks almost innocent. It's as if the darkness has lifted. No amount of laughter could undo the ink that marks his skin and soul, but still, it is a nice sound. Unexpected.

There are cracks in everything.

After a moment, it makes me laugh too.

He pinches his bottom lip before dropping his arms to his sides. 'You really do have a death wish, little Twist. Why are you trying so fucking hard to antagonise me?'

'Maybe for the same reason you brought me here.'

'And what reason is that?'

'Curiosity.'

The smile falls from his lips. 'Curiosity is a sin. And I'm a Blotter. Do you understand?'

He stares at me, and his breathing is heavy. It's as if he's containing a storm in his chest. His face flushes, and his whole body is taut. He puts his head in his hands.

'Fuck. I can't do this. I can't do this . . .'

I catch the words 'Creators,' and 'repent,' and 'forgiveness.' He's starting to think if he killed me it might make everything okay. I don't have time for him to decide it won't. More Blotters will come. They'll be here for both of us soon.

I glance at the door. He's not going to let me leave. He will overpower me if I try. He is bigger than me, stronger. He was created that way. A physical fight won't end well for me.

My strength does not lie in muscle.

Nonsense tumbles from his lips as his hunched shoulders rise and fall. I have to do something. I have to provoke him into making a decision, one way or another, before it's too late.

He has a storm inside him. But I created the hurricane.

I grip the bottom of my chair and hope I am right about him.

'Hey,' I say softly. 'Look at me.'

His eyes are bloodshot when he does. With all my force, I kick him in the chest.

He grunts as he falls back onto the mattress. I knock over the chair in my haste to get to the exit of his bedsit. My heart pounds because I know it isn't a good idea to turn my back on a predator.

His hand slams against the door by my face as I pull it open, and it clicks shut.

The Blotter's scent floods me: masculine sweat and salt. His breaths are hot and angry on the back of my neck.

'You're not going anywhere.'

'I'm not staying here while you decide whether or not you're going to kill me.'

'Turn around. Now.'

I flatten my back against the door. His body cages me, traps me.

'Do you really think I'm going to let you walk out of here?' he says.

'Do you really think you can make me stay?'

His lips twist into a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. 'I can make you do whatever I want, little Twist.'

I swallow. His hand is by my face, and I can see the Sacred Stylus tattooed on his forearm. It reminds me of what he is. A soldier for the Creators. A killer.

What if I was wrong about him?

I struggle to keep my breathing steady. 'I know what you're trying to do.'

'Yeah? And what's that then?'

'You're trying to scare me. Because you're afraid.'

'Blotters don't fear anything.'

'Blotters don't deviate from the path that was written for them. But you did.'

His hand curls into a fist against the door. 'Careful, little Twist.'

'No. You're not going to hurt me. You would have done so already.'

'You don't know that.'

'You want me to do as you say. You think if I do, you will gain the control you lost when you deviated from the path that was written for you.'

His jaw twitches, and I know I'm right. 'Shut it.'

I grab the front of his vest, and his hand snaps to my throat. I breathe in sharply, but he doesn't squeeze like a part of him wants to—he just leaves it there, the top his thumb pressing the underside of my chin.

'I cannot be controlled. Tell me why you brought me here.'

He brings his face closer to mine. 'I don't know.'

'Yes, you do. You're afraid. You're afraid because you didn't follow the story the Creators wrote for you. But their story doesn't matter, because I have a story too. Tell me why you brought me here.'

His skin is damp with sweat, and I smell the slightly acrid note of fear on it. 'You'd be wise not to provoke me, little Twist. I've killed people far more dangerous than you. And you're naïve if you think you're safe with me.'

'No. You're naïve. You've lived your whole life serving the Creators, thinking there's a point to everything you've done, every life you've taken.'

He slides his hand from my neck into my hair. 'Shut it.'

'But you've wondered,' I say. 'I see it in your eyes.' I grab his wrist as his grip tightens.

'Blotters. Don't. Wonder.'

'But you do. Tell me why you brought me here.'

'No.'

I need him to say it. I need him to admit it to himself so we can move forwards. 'Tell me.'

'No!'

I pull on his vest, and he slides his thigh between my legs, holding me against the door. The air feels too hot. 'Tell me!'

He cries out in exasperation. 'What the fuck do you want me to say, Elle? I did it because I wanted to.'

'And . . .?'

'Because . . . because I don't want to kill you.' He sighs and then rests his forehead against mine. 'I'm not going to kill you.'

I touch his heart. The dandelion seed is inked just above it. 'Why?'

His breathing begins to steady, but his eyes burn with intensity. 'Because I'm curious.'

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AUTHOR NOTE: In case you missed the author notes at the start, this is just a sample of A Circus of Ink. A Circus of Ink is now published! You can get your copy from Amazon. It's also available in ebook format on Kindle, and you can read it for free on Kindle Unlimited!