Chapter Six

T he crowd noise still echoed in Kitty's ears as she rode Leo out of the center ring. Sweat glistened on her brow. Her heart raced from the adrenaline of their performance. She could feel the audience's energy pulsing through the air. It was a potent mixture of fear, excitement, and something darker.

Disappointment. Anger.

They had come expecting blood, thirsting for danger. Instead after a week of working together, night after night, and enjoying each other’s bodies during the day, Kitty and Leo had given them grace, power, and beauty. It was everything Kitty had dreamed of in a performance, yet she could sense the crowd's frustration simmering beneath their applause.

As they reached the backstage area, hidden from prying eyes, Kitty turned to Leo. His golden eyes met hers, calm and at peace despite his fearsome lion form. She reached out, running her fingers through his thick mane.

"You were magnificent out there," she murmured.

Leo leaned into her touch, a low rumble of contentment emanating from his chest. For a moment, Kitty forgot about the restless crowd, lost in the connection she felt with Leo.

It was so different from what she'd had with Marco. Where her ex had been manipulative and cruel, Leo was... well, she wasn't quite sure what Leo was yet. But she felt safe with him, understood in a way she never had been before.

A stagehand appeared, ready to escort Leo back to his enclosure for the night. Kitty gave him one last affectionate pat before stepping back. "Rest well," she said softly. "You've earned it. I’ll see you in the morning." They had made plans to get away from the carnival for a little while. She was hoping that their attraction would still hold when they weren’t at the center of the needy carnival that fed off emotions.

As Leo padded away, Kitty became aware once more of the carnival's frenetic energy. The crowd was dispersing, their chatter a mix of excitement and dissatisfaction. But there was a current of dark pleasure that pulsed through the very air of the carnival grounds.

Madame Noir appeared beside her, materializing from the shadows as she so often did. "An interesting addition to the act." Her voice was like silk over steel. "Normally, I don’t like improvisation, but in this case I’ll make an allowance."

Kitty inclined her head, uncertain how to respond. There was approval in Madame Noir's tone, but also something hungry.

"The audience wanted blood," Kitty said. "I could feel their disappointment."

Madame Noir's lips curved into a secretive smile. "Ah, but disappointment is such a delicious emotion, isn't it? So close to anger, to bitterness. The carnival feeds on all of it."

Before Kitty could ask more about the nature of the carnival, Madame Noir had melted back into the shadows, leaving Kitty alone with her thoughts.

She made her way to her small trailer, her mind whirling. The performance had been exhilarating, unlike anything she'd experienced before. Working with Leo felt as natural as breathing. Yet there was an undercurrent of darkness that put her on edge.

Once inside, Kitty peeled off her sweat-soaked costume and stuffed it into the small washer dryer unit. She should have been exhausted, ready to collapse into bed. Instead, she felt wired. Sleep would be impossible. She felt like dancing on air. Had she’d ever been this happy? This satisfied?

It won’t last.

She hushed that little voice in her head. Just because it never had lasted before, didn’t mean this time it wouldn’t.

Or was she kidding herself?

Kitty pulled on a pair of worn jeans and a simple black top, then slipped outside. The carnival was still in full swing, lights blazing and music blaring. Perfect for a bit of covert exploration.

She wove through the crowd, observing the mix of wonder and unease on the faces around her. Children shrieked with delight on garish rides while their parents watched with nervous smiles. Everywhere, carnival barkers called out promises of amazement and horror in equal measure.

Kitty was drawn to the outskirts of the midway, where the tents of the other performers were clustered. Maybe here, away from the prying eyes of the public, she might learn more about this strange, intoxicating world she'd entered.

As she approached, she caught snippets of conversation drifting on the night air.

"I hate this..."

Kitty peered around the corner of a tent to see Clio, one of the acrobats, sprawled out on the ground. She rolled over and cradled her bruised knee. “This is just ridiculous.”

"It's the price we pay," said a voice Kitty recognized as belonging to Vladimir, the knife-thrower. "But you have to admit, your act has never been more spectacular."

Clio laughed bitterly. "True enough. I guess it’s fortunate the audience can’t see me now."

Kitty's brow furrowed. Clio looked fine to her. But as she watched, Clio moved clumsily as she slowly pulled herself to a standing position. Her arms wheeling, she fought for balance until finally dropping down gracelessly into a foldable chair.

Kitty crept closer, careful to stay hidden in the shadows.

"At least you don't have to deal with this," Vladimir was saying. He held out his hand, which trembled violently.

How could he throw a knife if he shook like that? But Kitty remembered seeing his act. His aim had been perfect.

"Madame Noir's bargains are cruel," Clio murmured. "But effective."

She wondered what they bargained for, wished they could tell her. If Leo had been cursed to be a lion during the night, had Vladimir and Clio been cursed to be clumsy and shaky when they weren’t performing?

And what about her? As far as she knew, she only accepted a job offer. She didn’t feel any different. Or rather, she didn’t feel cursed. Was her insta-lust with Leo part of the bargain or just a by product of the carnival’s hunger? She had wanted her heart to heal over Marco’s betrayal and she had wanted to find a home again. Was that the bargain she had struck with Madame Noir?

If so, what would be the cost of that bargain? To be hated by the crowds for all eternity? Or would it be that once she and Leo were away from the carnival, all these magic happy feelings would end. Was she only happy because the carnival was feeding off her lust?

The sound of approaching footsteps sent her scurrying deeper into the maze of tents. She found herself near the tarot reader's booth, where Sally sat alone, her eyes staring down at her cards.

"I know you're there, Kitty," Sally called. "No use hiding from a seer, even one as limited as myself."

Hesitantly, Kitty stepped into view. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

Sally waved a hand dismissively. "No need for apologies. I imagine you have questions."

Kitty moved closer, drawn by the enigmatic smile on Sally's face. "I overheard some of the others talking about their curses. I know about Leo’s, a little of it anyway. Some of the others also seem to have made a bargain with Madame Noir. I was wondering if you knew why?”

For a long moment, Sally was silent. "The ones who have bargained with Madame Noir are unable to talk about it," she finally said. "I can say, she granted our desires—for a price. If there were consequences to be paid, we paid it.” She shrugged.

“Leo said as much. Was it a formal contract? Were the terms spelled out? Or were you all taken by surprise by the curse?”

“It was very clear to us what the payment for our miracle would be.”

“Miracles?”

“Magic. Miracles.” Sally shrugged. “I paid her price gladly.”

"Was it worth it?"

A sad smile played across Sally's lips. "That is the question we all ask ourselves, isn't it? For me... yes. Even knowing what I know now, I would make the same choice again."

Leo said he would do it again, as well.

An image flashed unbidden through Kitty’s mind, her beloved lions, alive and well, performing alongside her and Leo. Her family would be complete. But at what cost? Would she also be turned into a lion at night?

"Thank you, Sally," Kitty said, her voice unsteady. " I should go."

“It’s not as bad as you think it is. But power always exacts a price.”

If it wasn’t for Leo being a lion during the night, Kitty would never have believed this was possible. She wandered the carnival grounds, only half-aware of her surroundings. Everywhere she looked, she saw hints of the bargains that had been struck. The strongman who lifted impossible weights with ease, yet winced at the slightest touch of someone’s hand. And then there were other creatures that resided in the carnival that made the hairs on her arms stand out: a mermaid, a fire eater and a fortune teller. All of them seemed the real deal and none of them appeared to be cursed. Logic told her this was all an elaborate ruse, but she couldn’t doubt the very proof she saw with her own eyes.

If she had been an attendee at the carnival, Kitty would probably explain away all the creatures and shows as just a well rehearsed group of actors providing chills and thrills for a price. But standing here as the people rushed by her from exhibit to exhibit, she felt the pulse of the crowd's emotions—fear, excitement, anger, desire. The air buzzed with it. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could almost see the carnival itself drink it in, growing stronger with each passing moment. The colors on the tents had become more vibrant in the last few days. The carousel and the Ferris wheel were bright and shiny like they were brand new. Had the carnival fixed itself with the emotions it was feeding off of?

Almost without realizing it, Kitty found herself near the animal enclosures. She could hear the soft growls and rustling movements of the carnival's menagerie. How many of these beasts were also shapeshifters? She went over to Leo, wishing they didn’t have to be apart at night.

His massive form was curled up on a bed of straw, his sides rising and falling with each breath. In sleep, he looked just like Brutus, a large alpha male lion. But Kitty knew the truth, that somewhere inside that powerful body was a man, trapped and bound by magic she was only beginning to understand.

She pressed a hand against the bars of the cage, feeling the cool metal beneath her fingers. She wished he could talk to her and tell her everything. She wanted to know why he agreed to perform in this circus. What miracle had Madame Noir performed for him that he thought being half man, half lion was worth it?

She thought of her lions, of the betrayal that had cost her everything. Of Marco, and the life she had left behind. The smart thing, the safe thing, would be to walk away now. To leave this strange, seductive world behind before she was in too deep. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew it was impossible. No one would hire her. She would never be able to make the salary Madame Noir agreed to pay her anywhere else.

And she didn’t want to leave Leo and their newly awakened romance, even if it was all a fake to feed the carnival. It was still better than being alone. The Twisted Carnival could be her home. Kitty could start a new life here with new friends and a new lover. And if Madame Noir truly had the power to make the impossible possible—bring the dead back to life—Brutus wouldn’t have to pay for her mistake in getting involved with Marco.

The carnival's music drifted off as the last of the patrons left. It was a haunting melody whispered of secrets and desires. Of bargains struck in the dark of night, and the intoxicating allure of the impossible made real.

Kitty closed her eyes, letting the fetid darkness wash over her. She saw herself in the center ring, Leo by her side, and her lions all around her. The crowd screamed their approval, their emotions a heady mixture of awe and fear and exhilaration.

And standing in the shadows, watching it all with a knowing smile, was Madame Noir.