Page 26 of Tamed By the Lion Freak

As the words faded, Kitty felt different. The world around her seemed muted, as if a vital part of her had been switched off. She thought of Leo, of the passion they'd shared, and felt... nothing. No warmth, no affection. Just a cold, empty space where those feelings should have been. It made her sick to her stomach.

Madame Noir released her hand, and Kitty stumbled to her feet.

"What have I done?" Kitty whispered.

Madame Noir guided her to the door. "I suggest you prepare yourself. Brutus will need a strong hand to guide him back to the world of the living."

Kitty staggered out of the office. Everything was so gloomy and dismal. She made her way back to her trailer in a daze, ignoring the concerned looks from the other performers.

Once inside, she sank onto her bed, staring at her hands. They looked the same, but everything felt different. She thought of Leo, of their kiss in the town, of their steamy lovemaking. But where there should have been desire or anticipation, there was only a cold, empty void.

"Brutus," she whispered, trying to summon the love she'd felt for her lion. But even that was gone, replaced by a clinical sort of interest. She knew, intellectually, that she should be excited about his return. But she felt nothing.

A knock at the door startled her. "Kitty?" Leo's voice called. "Are you all right?"

Kitty froze. How could she face him now? How could she explain what she'd done?

"I'm fine," she called back, her voice sounding hollow even to her own ears. "I just need some time alone."

There was a pause. "Okay," Leo said finally. "But if you need anything..."

"I know," Kitty said. But she didn't need anything. Not anymore.

As Leo's footsteps faded away, Kitty curled up on her bed, wrapping her arms around herself. She should have felt grief, or regret, or fear. But there was nothing. Just a vast, empty space where her emotions used to be.

"What have I done?" she whispered again to the empty room. But even as she said it, she knew it was too late. The deal was struck, the price paid. In the morning, Brutus would be back.

And she would never love again.

Chapter Nine

Leo's bones crackedand shifted as dawn broke, his body contorting from feline to human form. He gasped, the familiar pain of transformation washing over him as he regained his human shape. Blinking away the disorientation, he let himself out of his cage. One time, he would have dreaded returning to his human form, would not have seen the point. But Kitty had changed all that. Their performance last night had been off from the previous ones, but they were still getting the bugs out of it and in the end, the dark carnival and Madame Noir seemed satisfied.

A coughing snarl caught his attention, and his head swiveled to the impossible sound. More lions? Then, he saw them. Three lions in three separate cages. The cages had their names on them: Brutus, Nala and Sarabi.

"Oh no. Kitty, what have you done?" He went looking for her, but she didn’t answer his knock on her trailer.

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