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I walk into the bedroom, stripping off my oversized T-shirt and pulling a black fishnet sweater over my head. I swap my sweatpants for dark denim jeans and lace up my combat boots. My hands are shaking. A fine, violent tremor vibrates through my fingers as I tie the laces, pulling the loops tight.

I’m walking into an ambush of my own making.

I step out of the trailer and into the crisp night air. The carnival lot is mostly silent, the distant hum of the generators providing a low, mechanical heartbeat to the sleeping grounds. The midway sits dark, the neon lights of the game booths extinguished hours ago.

The towering structure of the Ferris wheel looms at the far end of the dirt path, a massive skeleton of white steel silhouetted against the dark sky.

I walk toward it, my boots crunching a steady rhythm into the gravel.

Cole stands at the base of the ride.

He’s wearing a faded black Henley, the sleeves pushed up over his forearms, exposing the dark ink creeping up his skin. He’s pacing a tight circle near the operator’s booth, running a hand through his messy black hair. The second his eyes lock onto me, the tension bleeds out of his shoulders.

He crosses the dirt, closing the distance between us in three long strides.

“Wren said it was urgent.” His hands hover over my hips, his gaze sweeping my face, scanning for threats. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Nothing is wrong.” I swallow the massive knot lodged in my throat. “I just… wanted to see the view.”

Cole blinks. He looks past my shoulder at the towering steel wheel, then back at me. “The view. From the ride.”

“Yes.”

A slow, confused grin touches the corners of his mouth. “Archer, it’s midnight. The park is closed. Ben is packing up the control booth.”

“Ben owes Jules a favor,” I lie smoothly.

Right on cue, the generator powering the Ferris wheel kicks to life with a deep, vibrating roar. A string of warm, golden bulbs illuminates the perimeter of the ride, casting long, twisting shadows across the dirt. Ben steps out of the operator’s booth and unlatches the metal gate to the loading platform.

He doesn’t say a word. He just holds the gate open, staring firmly at the toes of his boots.

Cole stares at Ben. He stares at the glowing lights. He looks down at me, his dark eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“You planned a date,” he murmurs.

“You say that like it’s the first time.” I step past him, walking through the open gate and climbing the metal stairs to the loading platform.

I slide into the rocking metal gondola. The bench seat is cold, and I move to the far edge, leaving enough space for his broad shoulders.

Cole doesn’t hesitate. He steps onto the platform, his heavy boots making the carriage sway violently as he drops onto the bench beside me. Ben immediately slams the safety bar down, locking it into place with a sharp metallic clang.

“Have a good ride,” he calls out, his voice entirely devoid of inflection. He retreats to the booth and slams his hand down on the control lever.

The gondola jerks.

We lift off the ground, the massive steel wheel rotating with a slow, grinding hum. The dirt lot shrinks beneath our feet. We pass the top of the game booths. We clear the canvas peaks of the Big Top. The night air turns sharper, whipping loose strands of blonde hair across my cheek.

Cole rests his arm along the back of the bench, his hand hovering inches from my shoulder. He watches the horizon expand, the dark tree line of the surrounding woods bleeding into the black sky.

“I have to admit,” Cole says, his voice carrying over the mechanical groan of the ride. “This is infinitely better than the petting zoo. No risk of getting headbutted.”

I grip the cold metal of the safety bar. “Give it time.”

He chuckles, the sound vibrating in his chest.

The wheel continues its slow, steady climb. The higher we go, the quieter the world becomes. The noise of the haulers and the generators fades into a dull, distant whisper. We reach the absolute peak, suspended eighty feet above the earth, staring out over the sleeping kingdom of shadows we built.

Then, the grinding hum of the engine cuts out.