Page 8 of Tamed By the Lion Freak

“Not unless you want to.”

“I don’t,” Kitty said quickly. She had no desire to see what people said about her.

“Your days are free to do whatever you want. You must be back on property three hours before the carnival opens, however.”

“I can do that,” Kitty said breathlessly. She couldn’t believe her luck.

“What I want from you is to thrill the audience, use your notoriety to install fear or hatred in them.”

“I’m not sure...”

“I am,” Madame Noir said with finality in her voice. “Now, do we have a deal?”

Kitty opened her mouth to argue against stirring up hate in the crowd, but the look in Madame Noir's eyes stopped her cold. There was something there, something dark and hungry that made Kitty's skin crawl.

"Of course," Kitty said instead. "I'll do my best to attract a crowd."

"See that you do," Madame Noir replied, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Now, why don't you go familiarize yourself with the grounds? You’ll start tonight."

“Tonight?” she asked. Her mind flipped back to Leo’s show the night before. He hadn’t attacked any of his handlers, but he was used to them. He wasn’t used to her.

Madame Noir waved her hand. “Go.”

Dismissed, Kitty stumbled out of the office, her mind reeling. What had she gotten herself into? The act Madame Noir proposed was suicide at best, and yet Kitty couldn't shake the feeling that refusing wasn't an option. What she was describing could only be possible with a lion cub who had been raised among humans, who trusted her like she was part of his pack—and as an alpha at that.

But Madame Noir hadn’t seemed concerned that Leo would harm her. Unless, she was setting her up to be eaten in front of the audience. But that didn’t seem likely. Kitty couldn’t draw in a crowd with her past mistakes if she were dead. She had hoped to fade into obscurity, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards.

Lost in thought, Kitty wandered the carnival grounds. The afternoon sun had burned away the morning mist. In the harsh light of day, the tattered tents and rusted rides looked even more decrepit than they had in the shadows. How would she even convey to Leo what he needed to do? There must be specific hand or voice commands that he was trained to do this scene with. But even backed up by years of practice, Leo couldn’t possibly be trusted to do them. And yet, Madame Noir seemed confident he would.

She headed to the big top. The massive tent loomed before her, its once-bright stripes now faded to a sickly yellow. The show wouldn't start until tonight, but she could hear the sounds of preparation from within – the clash of metal, muffled curses, the occasional growl that made her heart skip a beat. There were other animal acts rehearsing right now.

Slipping inside, Kitty made her way to the shadows at the edge of the ring. The smell of animal musk was overwhelming, bringing back a flood of memories – both sweet and bitter. She wanted another look at Leo and test the level of training that Madame Noir hinted at. Would Leo take a swipe at her or try to bite her? Or was he a big pussy cat and only performed the King of Beasts routine when he was in front of the crowd? Still, he was a wild animal, and she needed to see for herself what kind of lion he was. She wasn’t even sure she could have done this proposed act with Brutus.

The center ring was empty save for a single figure – a man, shirtless and muscular, working on what looked like a trapdoor in the floor. Kitty watched, mesmerized by the play of muscles under tanned skin as the man worked. There was something familiar about the way he moved, a sinuous grace that nagged at her memory.

Did he remind her of Marco? No. Marco was dark and this man was fair. Marco was built like a gymnast, all long rangy muscles. This man looked like a weight lifter. Kitty swallowed hard. And Marco didn’t make her shake with anticipation to see his face.

What was going on with her?

The man stiffened and slowly turned towards her. When their eyes met, Kitty's breath caught in her throat. She knew him, but she was sure they had never seen each other before. There was something in his face, his eyes that were hauntingly familiar. And she was surprised that she wanted him. She wanted to feel his arms around her, feel his lips against hers. Did his hair feel as silky as it looked?

She took a step forward towards him, drawn by an irresistible force.

"You," the man snarled, rising to his feet with a predator's swiftness. "What are you doing here?"

Kitty took an involuntary step back, her heel catching on the edge of the ring. She stumbled, catching herself against a support pole. The rough wood bit into her palm. The heady desire fled with a flash of fear.

What the hell was wrong with her?

"I... I'm sorry," she stammered, hating the tremor in her voice. "I was just looking around. I didn't mean to disturb you."

The man advanced on her, his face twisted in a scowl that sent Kitty's heart racing. "Didn't Madame Noir warn you to stay out of here during the day?"

"No. Why would she?”

The man's eyes... She’d seen them recently. She couldn’t place where.

“Stay away from me, then,” he gritted out.

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