chapter twelve

Carter was pulling Lexa through the crowd, as the girl looked around desperately, hoping someone would come and pull her out. That morning, Carter had been so excited when he heard about the carnival that Lexa couldn't resist and agreed to go with him. Of course, she had immediately regretted her decision, realizing that he intended to ride a roller coaster. She had even begun to think that faking a sudden migraine, or the untimely arrival of her period could be a good way to escape this torture. Carter exclaimed, snapping her out of her torpor :

- Come on, Lexa, don't tell me you're scared of a little ride! No, not you, not the big fearless alpha!

She stopped and crossed her arms over her chest, her cheekbones bright red:

- It's okay to be afraid of that. I've said it and I'll say it again: It's not natural It's - aaaaaah!

Carter had just pulled her into one of the seats and before she knew it, she was tied to the horrible attraction. But when the demonic contraption started, she found herself loving it. She screamed, laughed and even threw up her arms. When they were back on solid ground-much to Lexa's relief-Carter gave her a sidelong look, a big smile on his face.

-- Sooo? Was it really that terrible?

She hissed between her teeth:

- Nope ...

His smile widened:

- What ? I did not hear anything ...

She couldn't help but giggle.

- Yes, well, you were right! you're happy, that's it?

He laughs in turn, leading her by the hand:

- Come on, I offer you a cotton candy!

They spent the afternoon laughing, trying out different attractions, always failing to give poor Lexa a heart attack. That same evening, he blindfolded her and took her away, refusing to tell her where they were going as she protested, shouting:

- Carter! Let me see ! Go please ! Please ...

But no matter how much she begged, threatened, begged again, used her dominance, moaned, whined, he refused to tell her anything. After twenty interminable minutes of waiting, he removed the piece of fabric revealing: … nothing . They stood in the middle of the crowd, at the edge of the lake, facing the vastness of the night sky. She gave him a puzzled look, her amber eyes twinkling in the night.

- What is happening ?

He handed her hermetic earplugs, his enigmatic smile still glued to his face:

- You'll see, it's going to start in a few seconds.

He looked so excited that it seemed impossible for Lexa to break his enthusiasm. Suddenly, beautiful colors exploded in the sky. A firework . He had taken her to a fireworks display. It was... the cutest thing anyone had ever done for her. Her wolf was jumping for joy, wishing she could run after the colored sparkles. She tilted her head back, savoring the happiness she had been struggling to find lately, between Keith's death, her father's expectations... Jake. She burst out laughing and grabbed Carter's hand, lighter than ever.

The show continued above them, but Carter couldn't take his eyes off the girl. Her head thrown back, the fireworks reflecting in her whiskey-colored pupils, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Carter just couldn't remember being that happy.

That evening, as they were each going back to their room or cabin, Lexa grabbed him by the wrist and planted a kiss on the young man's cheek, making his heart race, and she walked away whispering:

- Thank you for everything . It was really a great day.

Smiling, neither of them noticed Jake who was watching them from the shelter of the forest, his teeth drawn back on his gums, growling.