Page 15 of Illusionist
Heat flares in my cheeks, but I refuse to back down. “I'm a fast learner. I'm sure Silas and I will find our rhythm quickly.”
The double entendre hangs in the air like smoke, and I watch as Silas's pupils dilate slightly. Got him.
“Alright,” Elias says, cutting through the tension with obvious amusement. “Before you all combust from sexual frustration, why don't you actually go practice? The equipment trailer should have everything you need.”
Silas practically herds me toward the door, his hand now firmly gripping my elbow. “Gentlemen. Ladies. We'll be... rehearsing.”
“Try not to get too tangled up,” Cole calls after us, and I hear Logan's laughter following us out the door.
The equipment trailer sits at the far edge of the carnival grounds, isolated from the main cluster of living spaces. Silas unlocks it and gestures me inside, and I'm impressed by the professional setup. Chains, handcuffs, rope, and various restraint devices hang from hooks along the walls. A padded mat covers most of the floor space, and mirrors line one wall.
“Impressive collection,” I say, running my fingers along a set of particularly intricate shackles. “Some of these look antique.”
“Collected over the years.” Silas closes the door behind us, and suddenly the trailer feels much smaller. “We take our craft seriously.”
“I can see that.” I pick up a coil of silk rope, testing its strength. “This is high-quality stuff. Not cheap carnival props.”
“Nothing about this operation is cheap.”
I turn to face him, rope still in my hands, and find him watching me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle. In the confined space, his height seems more pronounced, his presence more overwhelming. The easy banter from the group trailer feels heavier here, weighted with possibility.
“So,” I say, forcing my voice to stay steady. “What did you have in mind for this act?”
He moves closer, ostensibly to select chains from the wall, but his arm brushes mine as he reaches past me. “I was thinking we start with something simple. Basic chain restraint, then work our way up to more... complex scenarios.”
“Define complex.”
Instead of answering directly, he lifts a set of chains that look like they could anchor a ship. “Turn around.”
Every self-preservation instinct I possess screams at me to refuse, but I find myself complying. His fingers brush the nape of my neck as he moves my hair aside, and I have to bite back a gasp at the contact.
“Hands behind your back,” he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear.
The chains are even heavier than I expected, and the weight of them around my wrists sends an unexpected thrill through my system. Silas's fingers linger as he secures the locks, each touch deliberate and maddeningly brief.
“Too tight?” His voice is lower now, rougher.
“I've had tighter.” The words slip out before I can stop them, and I feel him go still behind me.
“Have you now?”
I test the restraints, feeling for weak points and escape routes. “Nothing I couldn't handle.”
His laugh is dark, promising. “We'll see about that.”
He moves around to face me, and the heat in his eyes makes my mouth go dry. This was supposed to be practice, professional development, but the way he's looking at me now suggests he has other ideas entirely.
“The key to a good escape,” he says, circling me slowly, “is understanding the restraint completely. Every weakness, every angle.”
“I'm aware of the fundamentals.”
“Are you?” He stops in front of me, close enough that I can smell his cologne—something expensive and masculine that makes me want to lean closer. “Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're trapped.”
The challenge in his voice sparks something defiant in my chest. I dislocate my thumb just enough to create the slack I need, then begin working the chains. But instead of the usual thirty seconds, the process takes longer—partly because these chains are more complex than the ones from last night, but mostly because Silas is watching my every movement with predatory focus.
“Having trouble?” he asks when I fumble slightly with the second lock.
“Just... taking my time.”
