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“Lord give me strength,” said Chase, closing his eyes and rubbing his face.

“The thing is, Ma,” said Mom, “that Alec was abducted. He and Charlene were home last night when suddenly three men forced their way in and took Alec.”

“What?” said Gran, frowning. “What are you talking about?”

“Uncle Alec was taken, Gran,” said Odelia, crouching down in front of her grandmother and taking her hands in hers. “But we’re doing everything in our power to get him back, so please don’t worry, all right?”

“My son? Taken?” asked Gran, looking distinctly startled. “I don’t get it. What’s this gotta do with this wedding thing?”

“Well, one of the demands the kidnappers made was that Charlene had to announce the wedding in the local paper,” Mom explained.

“That makes no sense whatsoever,” said Scarlett, who’d also taken a seat and was rubbing her calves now. “Who are these kidnappers? Huey, Dewey and Louie?”

“It is a little unorthodox,” Odelia admitted.

“Unorthodox?” said Gran. “Unorthodox is when Father Reilly invites Morris dancers to liven up his service. This is just plain nuts.”

“How long have you known about this?” asked Scarlett.

“Well, since it happened,” said Mom, a little ruefully.

“And you didn’t think to tell us?” asked Gran.

“We didn’t want you to worry,” said Dad. “Your heart—”

“My heart is fine—better than yours!” Gran made to get up, but Mom sat her down again.

“Now promise me you won’t do anything stupid, Ma. Promise.”

“I never do anything stupid,” Gran growled. “It’s you that does all the stupid stuff, like not telling me my son has been kidnapped by Donald Duck’s nephews. Let’s get out of here, Scarlett. We’ve got a police chief to find.”

“Wait a minute,” said Odelia. “Have you seen the cats? I can’t seem to find them anywhere.”

“I gave them to Charlene as a wedding present,” said Gran, before walking out of the police station, leaving the rest of her family to stare after her.

“So much for not doing anything stupid,” murmured Odelia’s dad.

[Êàðòèíêà: img_3]

Wolf Moonblood stared out across his domain. Standing in the trailer he shared with his one true love Solange Moonblood, he’d built himself an empire: the biggest and most popular circus on the East Coast. The fact that he now saw the big top of Circus Moonblood rise above the rest of the fairground, dwarfing the many other stalls and trailers and attractions filled him with a distinct sense of pride.

He’d done all that. He’d made Circus Moonblood the success story it was today.

“Wolf?” asked a sleepy voice from the bed. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t sleep,” grunted the tall and imposing circus director.

“Come back to bed, sweetheart,” said Solange, patting the space beside her.

Wolf gazed out at the fairground, its lights twinkling invitingly in spite of the late hour, and drained the last of his herbal tea, then stomped through the trailer he and Solange shared and sat down on the edge of the bunk.

“What’s on your mind?” asked Solange, rubbing his broad back.

“Strange dreams,” he grunted. “Dreams of a life I didn’t even know existed.”

“What kind of life?” asked Solange, a tinge of worry in her melodious voice. With her long fair hair and her striking green eyes she was a remarkable appearance.

“I can’t recall,” said the circus owner. “Something about… cats.”

“That’s not so bad, is it? Cats are important.” Circus Moonblood prided itself in its collection of big cats: they had tigers, lions, and even a puma, whose roar could often be heard in the middle of the night.

Wolf nodded, and rubbed his rust-colored mustache. His rugged features and sizable bulk never failed to impress. He was a father figure to the group of entertainers the circus traveled with, but also a force to be reckoned with—a giant of a man.

“Go back to sleep,” said Solange. “Did you drink the tea my sister made you?”

“I did.”

“It’ll help you sleep. Just lie down and soon those dreams will be a thing of the past.”

“I hope so,” he said, stretching himself out on the bunk. “I don’t like these dreams, Solange. They make me feel… uneasy in my mind.”

Solange smiled and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek.“It’s this town,” she said. “I’ve told you from the beginning there’s something very strange about this town. Soon we’ll move on, and those dreams will disappear.”

“Good,” he growled, and soon was asleep once more.

[Êàðòèíêà: img_3]

Solange stared down at her partner, and as soon as he’d tumbled into a restless sleep, her smile disappeared and a frown appeared on her alabaster brow. The tea was working, but still she wasn’t satisfied. These dreams Wolf kept having troubled her. She vowed to talk to her sister again tomorrow, to see if nothing further could be done.

The circus depended on Wolf’s good health and untroubled state of mind, and frankly her own personal happiness depended on him, too.