Page 25 of Tamed By the Lion Freak

"It's my life to throw away!" Laura shouted back. "Do you think I can live with myself, knowing you're trapped here because of me?"

Kitty watched the siblings argue, their words stirring something deep within her. She could have Brutus back and be here for Leo as well. They’d both be bound to the Twisted Carnival then. Would it comfort Laura to know her brother wouldn’t be alone, that he’d have someone to love here at the carnival?

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if her thoughts were really her own or if the carnival was trying to manipulate her. No. Justice for Brutus. A new life for her and Leo. This is what she wanted. Kitty slipped away, unnoticed and headed towards Madame Noir's office. She paused for just a moment. But then Brutus's face flashed in her mind— his trusting eyes, his powerful presence. The injustice of his death burned in her chest.

Justice for Brutus.

Kitty knocked.

"Come in."

Taking a deep breath, she did.

"Sit." Madame Noir sat at a small table, her ageless face unreadable. She gestured to the empty chair across from her.

Kitty lowered herself into the chair, her mouth suddenly dry.

"You wish to make a deal?" Madame Noir asked.

“Am I currently bound by one?”

“Just your job offer.”

“So I don’t have a curse?”

“Not yet.”

Kitty nodded slowly. That was good to know. "I want to bring my lion Brutus back to life and have him and my other two lions, Nala and Sarabi, working with me at the Twisted Carnival," she said. "Brutus was killed as a way to hurt me, and I need to make it right."

Madame Noir's lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Resurrection doesn’t come easily or cheap." She leaned forward, her gaze piercing. "Are you prepared for the cost?"

Kitty's mind flashed to Leo, to the curse he bore. But the image of Brutus, probably confused and afraid in his final moments, overwhelmed everything else. "Yes," she said. "Whatever it takes."

"Very well. The price for bringing your lion back from the dead is your ability to love."

"What?"Was that even possible?

Madame Noir nodded. "All romantic love, all deep affection. For your lions, for any future pets. For Leo." Her eyes glittered as greedy shadows circled around them. "You will be able to function, to feel other emotions. But love, in all its forms, will be forever beyond your reach."

Kitty's mind reeled. She thought of Leo, of the connection they'd forged in such a short time. Of the joy she felt when working with her lions. Could she really give that up?

But then Brutus's face swam before her eyes again. His death, the injustice of it all, the guilt that gnawed at her constantly. Did she deserve happiness when Brutus had innocently paid his life for her mistakes? Didn't she owe him this chance at life?

"If I agree," Kitty said slowly, "what happens to the feelings of love I currently have?” Maybe, she couldn’t love again, but she’d be able to keep the love she had right now. If what she was feeling for Leo could be love this quickly.

"They will fade," Madame Noir replied. "Like a dream upon waking. You'll remember that you once cared for them, but you won't be able to feel it anymore."

Kitty closed her eyes, trying to imagine a world without love. She could pretend, though, couldn’t she? Maybe Leo wouldn’t notice. Maybe she didn’t deserve to feel love. Maybe if she couldn’t feel love, she couldn’t be hurt again.

Behind her closed eyelids, she could almost see the carnival as another figure in the room. It was poised on the edge of the desk, waiting for her decision. Her parents hadn’t loved her. Marcus hadn’t loved her. Brutus had loved her and now he was dead because of her. When she thought about it like that, the decision was easy. Love was more trouble than it was worth. It was fitting that her final act of love would be to save Brutus.

"I'll do it," she said, opening her eyes. "Bring Brutus back. Reunite me with my lions for good, and I'll pay your price."

"Very well," she said. She reached across the table, grasping Kitty's hand in her own. "The deal is struck."

A jolt of energy surged through Kitty. It felt like ice spreading through her veins, seeping into every part of her. She tried to pull away, but Madame Noir's grip was iron.

"It is done," Madame Noir intoned. "Brutus will be waiting for you in the ring tomorrow. And you, my dear, will never love again."

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