Circus of the Dead Book Seven

After Samuel reveals a secret that is too much for Juliette, she attempts to extract herself from his job and go back to just enjoying her training to be a yoga instructor.

But knowing that she could help rid the island of monsters, keeps her returning to Samuel’s house anyway.

When a body shows up with no signs of a supernatural end, Juliette and Samuel must dig deep to find the monster.

And when they do, it might just mean death for Juliette…

“You’re still alive!” I bolt to standing. Mason is a vampire. Why are Samuel and Brent so calm? Even though it’s not a new or full moon, it doesn’t mean he won’t still try to kill someone.

“What are you doing here?” Mason shouldn’t be in Samuel’s house. He should be dead. “Get out!”

“Hey!” Brent grabs my arm and pulls me back. “That’s my son you’re talking to.”

“He tried to turn you into a vampire last night. He killed your ex-wife, his mother!” My fists clench at my sides, and a phantom pain runs up and down my arms as I remember what it was like to die from a vampire bite.

“He’s still my son.” Brent’s features soften. He looks past me to his boy.

A large hand gently touches my shoulder and takes me away from Brent. Samuel turns me around to face Mason, who looks like a terrified statue. Samuel’s voice is soothing, his breath warm on the back of my neck.

“I know it’s hard with all you’ve been through, Juliette, but Mason is a victim. Brent and Audrey tried to deal with his situation and managed to keep him from hurting anyone for a few months, but then the urge grew, and from what Mason explains, it sounds like he got stronger. He managed to break out of his basement and knew exactly where Audrey was that night.”

“How?” The word falls out of my mouth. His mom was in town, and he somehow tracked her down, bypassing other potential victims, and specifically targeted her. All of this sounds so eerily similar to the circus island. Where Samuel, and then Lorena, got to choose who was killed by influencing us.

Samuel rubs my arm and sighs. “I don’t know, but we need to find out. I also have a theory.” His warmth disappears as he stands next to Mason, who has yet to move or speak and still looks so small and scared. “What if we can teach them to get past those urges to kill? What if we can make them…” He pauses, thinking for the right words. “Humane creatures.”

My eyes narrow slightly at Mason, and guilt consumes me. He didn’t ask for this. He’s not luring vulnerable women into his bed and cheating on them. He’s not holding a woman’s heart in his hand and crushing it with the kiss of death.

He’s just a boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Why not try to find a way to change him back to human?” I ask. The image of the innocent boy before me shifts to black eyes, fangs out and ready for blood. When Samuel answers, my mind erases the picture from last night, leaving only Mason standing before me.

“We can try to figure out how to change them, but it’s a lot to take on. We’re already trying to figure out how to prevent deaths on the new and full moons.” He touches Mason’s shoulder. “We’re also trying to keep those in our custody safe and prevent them from hurting others. And also trying to hunt down those who want to kill.” Samuel runs a hand down his face and the back of his neck. Silence lies on us like a heavy blanket. Brent shifts but remains silent.

I replay Samuel’s words in my mind, feeling the weight of them. Then it clicks. “Those in our custody? Is there more than just Mason?” My breath gets shallow as I wait for his answer.

He grinds that strong jaw of his and nods slowly. “Follow me.”

What. The. Hell.

We wind through a few halls, and I glance over my shoulder to find Brent and Mason following us. Both appear confident with this maze through Samuel’s house.

“I thought we were partners.” We take another left and then head down a set of stairs. “Why are you hiding things from me?”

“Everything’s happened so fast, Juliette, and I didn’t want to overload you. I’m still trying to figure things out myself.” He flicks on the lights, and we’re in what looks like a typical man cave. Big screen TV on the wall with video games, a pool table, and a ping pong table. Plush leather furniture is placed in front of the big screen TV, and on the far wall is a long bar with stools under it. 

I follow Samuel to the bar. He rests his hat on the surface and pulls a hook on the wall toward him. A small portion of the wall swings open like a door to a long hallway with twenty or so rooms. Most have clear walls with nicely furnished rooms and beds. Some of the clear walls appear opaque, so I’m not able to see what’s inside.

A few rooms down on the right is a girl I recognize. The teenage girl who attacked me the first night I arrived on the island. The zombie.

I gasp. “You capture them and place them here?” 

He glances away, looking uncomfortable. He doesn’t have to answer. I know the truth.

He has a basement of monsters.