“Elle…” he started, voice low.
“What if he demands I have … sex with him?” The words caught in my throat. “I’ve never... I don’t want to…”
Leo’s jaw tensed. The warmth in his eyes flickered into something darker — something protective.
“I won’t let him touch you,” he said, a low growl in his throat. “Not ever.”
I gave a hollow laugh. “Even you can’t watch me all the time.”
“I can try.” His voice was solid, fierce with conviction.
“Leo…”
“We’ll figure this out,” he said, softer now. “In the meantime, Slade or I can stay here. One of us will be with you. You won’t be alone.”
“Why would you ever do that?” I whispered.
Leo stepped closer. His hand lifted, hesitating in the air for just a breath before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers brushed my cheek, gentle — reverent, almost.
“Because you matter,” he said. “To more people than you think.”
A knock sounded at the door then and I looked up to see Vasquez enter my room, holding a bottle of wine with two glasses. His eyes narrowed as soon as he saw Leo.
“Hello there, Elira. I didn’t know you liked animals enough to welcome them into your room. I hear he sheds, so maybe keep him off the furniture.”
Leo didn’t flinch either. He stood, his posture rigid, though there was a coldness in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before, a layer of ice just beneath the surface. His lips parted slightly, but before he could speak, I found my voice first, sharper than I intended.
“What do you want?”
Vasquez’s smile never faltered, though his eyes flicked between us, weighing the tension in the room with an almost predatory curiosity.
“Ah, a bit testy today, aren’t we?” He clicked his tongue and took a step closer, his boots making the wooden floor creak under his weight. “I came to check on you, Elira. Make sure you’re settling in nicely.” He placed the wine bottle down with a deliberate slowness, then poured the liquid into one of the glasses, his eyes never leaving mine. “I thought you might need a ... friend.”
His voice was thick with insinuation, and I could feel my stomach churn.
“No thanks, I’m good.” I said bluntly. “As you can see, I have all thefriendsI need, so you can show yourself out.”
He didn’t like that. I watched as his eyes narrowed with rage. He covered it in a millisecond, but I knew this man was dangerous.
“Indeed.” He sneered at Leo as he took a sip of his wine.
“We have a few more months, Vasquez.” Leo said firmly. “That was the deal.”
“True, but I’m not here to take her. This was purely a … social call. I’m just so anxious to get to know our newest addition, that’s all.”
I couldn’t suppress the shiver that crawled up my spine. Leo reached out and put his hand on my back, possessive in his touch.
“As you can clearly see, she’s a little busy,” he smirked, pulling me close. The warning was unmistakable. I sensed the thrumming energy coming from Leo’s chest. His lion was close to the surface. A sound behind Vasquez drew my gaze.
Slade stepped into the doorway, standing at attention. He spotted Leo and I and his gaze focussed.
“You called?”
Vasquez looked up at the metal slinger. I saw the calculation in his face as he took in his surroundings. He clearly realised he was outnumbered.
“Yes, I heard the keep needed some much better security upgrades. This room in particular needs some new locks. Thought you could help?” Leo said quietly.
Slade smirked and nodded at Leo. “Seems reasonable.”
