Page 11 of Tamed By the Lion Freak

The roar of the crowd challenged him, and he roared back at them. Their excitement, their fear, their morbid anticipation, it all crashed over him in a wave that threatened to drown the last shreds of his humanity. He thrashed in the cage, claws raking against metal bars, fangs bared in a rictus of fury.

"Ladies and gentlemen," The ringmaster's voice boomed, cutting through the chaos in Leo's mind. "Prepare yourselves for a spectacle of danger and desire. Kitty Wylde will tame the lion freak."

The cage door swung open, and Leo exploded into the ring, muscles coiled and ready to spring. He scanned the crowd. So much prey, so close. The beast in him screamed to attack, to rend and tear and feast on their terror.

But then a new scent cut through the miasma of the crowd. Lavender and fear, yes, but underneath it all, something special. It made both man and beast take notice.

A crack split the air. Leo's head whipped around, nostrils flaring. Kitty stood at the edge of the ring, whip in hand. She dared...

The swell of her breasts caught his attention as they rose and fell with each nervous breath she took. The crowd was equally captivated. Leo's hackles rose. The beast in him didn't like the humans looking at Kitty with such naked lust. He growled at them, low and menacing.

His attention wandered to her lovely face. Framed by wild, dark curls, her features were a study in contrasts. Full lips painted a deep, enticing red. Eyes lined with kohl, making the green of her irises even more striking. He roared, but it wasn't the usual bellow of aggression or warning. This was something different, something he hadn't felt in years. Desire.

The rational part of his mind recoiled. He was a cursed thing trapped between two worlds. He had no business feeling such things. But the beast in him wanted her. It recognized in Kitty a worthy mate, strong and fierce despite her fear. The impulse to claim, to mark, to possess rose within him with shocking intensity.

Kitty's eyes locked with his, and for a moment, the crowd faded into the background. There was only her, only him, and the electric current that seemed to arc between them.

Then she began to move, and Leo's world narrowed to the sway of her hips, the flex of her muscles as she circled him. He matched her movements, step by step. They danced around each other, neither willing to break eye contact.

His instincts screamed at him to pounce, to pin Kitty beneath him and... what? The man and the beast warred within him, desires tangling until he could no longer distinguish between them.

Kitty stepped forward, her movements deliberate and controlled despite the fear Leo could smell rolling off her in waves. She flicked the whip again, not striking him but creating a sharp report that made the audience gasp.

"Back," Kitty commanded, her voice carrying across the ring.

Leo's ears flattened against his skull. Part of him wanted to charge, to call her bluff. But something in her stance gave him pause. She stood tall, chin raised, exuding an authority that tugged at deeply ingrained instincts.

Slowly, reluctantly, Leo took a step back. He remembered Madame Noir’s ridiculous demands for this act.

A ripple of excitement went through the crowd. Kitty capitalized on it, striding forward with newfound confidence. She cracked the whip in a complex pattern, creating a wall of sound that Leo instinctively shied away from.

"Sit," Kitty ordered, gesturing with her free hand.

For a moment, Leo resisted. The beast within raged against following commands, against submitting to this human female. But Kitty's gaze held firm, and almost against his will, Leo found himself sinking into a seated position. He would have to find a way to even the power dynamics between them. The beast faded a bit in his mind as more human thoughts of passion and sex pulsed through him.

The audience broke into applause. Leo could taste their excitement on the air, mingling with their underlying anticipation. It was intoxicating, fueling the dark energy that pulsed through the carnival.

Kitty didn't pause to acknowledge the crowd. She moved closer, her steps measured and careful. Leo tensed. He could smell her sweat, hear the rapid beat of her heart. She was terrified, yet she kept advancing.

"Easy," Kitty murmured, pitched low for Leo's ears alone. "Easy, big guy."

She extended her hand, palm down, fingers slightly curled. It was an invitation, not a threat. Leo's nostrils flared, taking in her scent.

Mine.

Mate.

Slowly, fighting against every instinct to pounce and claim, Leo leaned forward. His whiskers brushed Kitty's palm, sending a jolt through both of them. The crowd held its collective breath.

Then, in a move that drew gasps from the audience, Kitty tossed aside her whip. She stood before Leo, unarmed and vulnerable.

“I hope this works,” she muttered.

Then, in a move that drew a collective gasp from the crowd, Kitty dropped to her knees before Leo. She tilted her head back, exposing the vulnerable line of her throat. It was an act of submission that struck Leo to his core.

He reared up on his hind legs, then came down, resting his massive paws on her bare shoulders. He kept his weight on his back legs so as not to crush her. She trembled beneath him but didn't flinch away. Leo could feel her rapid heartbeat, could sense the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

He pushed her on her back, careful not to scratch her.

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