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“Now then, Bindi,” Laurent said as he led me toward the entrance of the tent. Rex skulked back into the shadows with the rest of the performers. “Why don’t I give you a tour of your new home?”
I caught Rex’s eye before we walked away in opposite directions. The heat of his stare on my back was a persistent force. When we turned the corner, my lungs strained as I heartily exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
***
The sky continued to darken during my time inside the big top.
Laurent, seeing the dwindling twilight, picked up his pace as we walked. I assumed I was a hiccup in his busy itinerary, with the show scheduled later that night. Nevertheless, he spoke jovially as we walked, directing me past two rows of caravans that comprised the rest of the circus.
“It all looks so much bigger from far away,” I noted.
“It always does,” Laurent chuckled.
“Did it take long to build Cirque du Noir to this size? And do you plan to make it even bigger?”
As far as circuses went, this one was on the small side. Not that I had much experience with which to compare it. Having been to barely a handful in my lifetime, all the circuses I’d attended were traveling circuses that stopped in my town.
Is this the first time I’ve been away from home? I puzzled over the question because I couldn’t answer it. Strangely, and I had no idea how or why, I didn’t know the answer.
Bizarre.
Laurent puckered his lips before he spoke. “Anything larger and I’d have far too much work on my hands.”
Fearing I might insult him, I didn’t reply. Instead, my gaze continued drifting around while I absentmindedly took in what he was saying. That’s when I saw it—a dark, ornate caravan constructed from what appeared to be ebony wood. Lavish carvings and curlicues swirled across the outer shell, looking like vines spiraling around tree branches. Even from this distance, it looked much more like a gypsy caravan than the rest of the circus props, as if it were much older than the other equipment and, strangely, as if it didn’t seem to fit.
Laurent caught the direction of my gaze. “That, my dear, is The Menagerie, The Hall of Oddities, and The Dark Room. You aren’t allowed to go in there without an escort, either Rex or myself,” Laurent finished.
“An escort? Why?”
“Our most… precious objects reside within those walls. Things you won’t find in any other circus.”
“What sort of precious objects?”
He raised an eyebrow at my question. “Ever hear about curiosity and the cat?”
“I’m sorry,” I answered on an embarrassed laugh as I shook my head. “I’m being nosy.”
He took a step closer to me and reached out, taking both of my hands. When I looked up at him, my breath caught in my throat because he was looking at me with that same intent stare he had earlier. I swallowed hard and had to fight the urge to step onto my tiptoes and lean forward, to kiss him. It just felt… natural, strangely enough. As if I’d kissed him a hundred times before. And the expression in his eyes—the way they glassed over as he was looking down at me, I could tell he felt it too.
I cleared my throat, forcing the ridiculous thoughts right out of my head. I’d just met this man so I had absolutely no business thinking about kissing him.
“There are a number of objects very dear to me inside those walls,” he said and his voice was raw, as if he was just coming out of the same dream that had just claimed me. He glaned down at my hands, which he still held in his own, and then looked at the caravan as he spoke, his gray eyes glazing with fond memories. “I’ve collected everything within those walls over many, many years and from just about every country and state we’ve visited.”
“Oh.” No wonder he kept it private.
“My collection may be a bit much for anyone with a… civilized mind.”
Before I could ask another question, a childish whine rang out and with it, two girls, identical twins, jogged over to us. Massive ropes of jet-black, braided hair bounced across their backs and freckles fanned across their button noses. Their large green eyes and small faces gave them the look of life-sized fairies. They were very pretty.
“Laurent! Laurent!” the first one called out and then immediately glanced down at our joined hands, immediately narrowing her gaze. Laurent very gently separated his hands from my own and placed them in his pockets.
“Rex said you wouldn’t let us practice without the net,” the second twin complained.
“It’s vital we practice without it!”
“Very vital. In order to really wow the audience, the danger needs to be more extreme!”
Laurent’s good mood seemed to suddenly evaporate. His face paled and his shoulders drooped. Not wanting to be rude, I looked at him, a silent question hanging between us. The corners of his mouth flicked up as he gestured toward the two young ladies.
