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Leon lowers his head, and his hands grip the countertop edge. His knuckles are going white from the force, and the countertop gives an audible crack.
“Woah – hey!” I reach over and take his hands before he snaps it. I have a damage deposit to reclaim someday. Leon’s eyes lift to mine. They’re back to shining the same blue as the lights that had come from my wrist.
“Like hell, she will.” He growls. The blue light in his eyes spreads down his skin, illuminating his swirling tattoos. My eyes are drawn to the tattoo around his neck, his collar.
Standing, I push aside my cereal bowl and climb onto the counter to kneel before him. “Hey, Leon. Leon, it’s okay, come back. It’s going to be alright. We’re going to stop them.”
I take his face in my hands and try to coax him back. I can’t be sure, but I have a feeling that his lighting up with power in my tiny kitchen is a bad idea. Bad for the entire building.
“Come back to me, Leon,” I repeat, looking into his glowing eyes.
Slowly, the light retreats from his tattoos and back into his body. Finally, Leon’s eyes clear as well. Letting go of his face, I move to ease myself back off the counter and onto my stool, but Leon’s hands come around me, gently settling me so I’m sitting in front of him on the counter’s edge. I consider pulling away to return to my buffer zone, but Leon is still faintly glowing, and I’m not sure what my prospects are for not getting barbequed.
His hands rest on my outer thighs, and I can feel them on me like a brand.
Swallowing, I continue. “Need doesn’t know if there’s more corruption in the council. That’s why I was chosen as your Keeper rather than one of them. We’re supposed to find Morgana and her Destroyer so that you can kill the other Destroyer.”
Leon looks shocked, but a dark smile spreads across his face a moment later. “Perfect.”
“Perfect?” I ask, taken aback that he would so happily kill one of his own kind. “Doesn’t it bother you? Killing another Destroyer?”
“Gods no.” Leon answers, disgust seeping into his tone. “Destroyers are dark creatures; they live to cause pain, loss, and sorrow. Theythriveoff it. To take one down would bring me nothing but the greatest satisfaction.”
I pause, frowning at his choice of words. “Don’t you meanwethrive off it? Aren’t you a Destroyer, too?”
Leon’s dark look disappears instantly, and he grins up at me. “That’s two questions, Vivian. My turn.”
I give a slight impatient sigh but nod. “Yes, alright.”
“You said earlier that you were going to give back your key. What did you mean by that?” Leon asks. His tone is mild, but his gaze is locked on me, and the unmistakable intensity of it is back.
I glance down at my wrist before answering him. “Need said that if we succeed on this mission, I can give back the key when we’re done.”
“That -” Leon starts. “I’ve never heard of that being done before. I didn’t even know it was possible. A key is imbued into your very energy. It doesn’t leave you until you die.”
It’s my turn to look confused. “That’s what she told me – I just assumed I could hand back the key when we’re done.”
“Hmm, we’ll see about that,” Leon answers, his tone once again dark. His hands tighten possessively on my thighs.
My body responds instantly to the touch, a warm heat spreading between my thighs yet again.
If no one has given their key back before, I’m just going to go ahead and assume it’s because of this crazy bond.
I won’t keep mine, though. I don’t want to spend my entire life bound to someone by a magical bond I have no say in.
I glance over at the oven clock to distract myself from Leon’s touch when I notice the time. “Oh crap, I have class today. I need to get to campus soon, or I’ll be late.”
I scoot out of Leon’s grip and jump off the counter, quickly moving around the room to grab my things.
Leon stands at the counter, his eyebrow cocked in curiosity. “You have… class?” he asks, a bit confused.
“Yes,” I answer, throwing my bag by the door before doubling back for my shoes. “College.”
“So, to be clear, you’re going to class rather than working on our mission. The mission to stop your world and the universe as we know it from being destroyed.” His tone is a tad incredulous, and I’m not too pleased with the slightly mocking tone.
“Yes, Leon,” I say, slipping on my shoes. “I have a life to return to when we finish our mission, and if I want it to be a good life, I need to keep up my GPA. Besides, it’s my last class before reading week. Then you have my undivided attention for the next ten days.”
Conceding, Leon moves from the kitchen and makes his way to the bedroom.
