Leon.

Somehow, he made his way back to the palace, bloody and torn up from his fight with the Mirrors. The cover of darkness enabled him to slip through the palace’s blind spots and defenses till he got back to his chambers.

This time, he didn’t return to the cell. After all there wasn’t anyone to ensure he actually stayed in the place.

The first thing he did was lock himself in the bathroom, turn the shower on the hottest setting, and stand under it, watching the water turn pink and eventually run clear.

Unsoothed, his corrupted mind replayed the illusions from the Dream Weaver.

In the steam filled space, his skin burned hotter than the water.

Anna. He pictured her, the Anna shown to him by the Dream Weaver. Her soft skin. Her inviting lips. The curves of her body that drive him mad with want.

Anna.

He grabbed the wall, his head ducked low, his fists clenched to the point of his claws elongating and cutting into his palms, fresh blood dripping into the wet floor.

Anna...will she ever look at him that way? With alluring eyes and a seductive mile? Will she ever call him "Leon" like she couldn’t breathe without him. Will she ever submit herself to him, all soft and innocent and willing.

Heat stirred through his body, blood rushing to his lower half.

His hand moved down. Lower. He caught himself, caught what he was about to do. But her voice echoing in his head, the sight of her dress strap slipping off her shoulder.

Leon groaned, his entire body shuddering. He was hard, just one touch was enough to make his legs stiffen. He bit his lower lip hard enough to tear skin and taste blood. Pleasure coursed through his body, his quiet groans trapped in the air.

Anna...

When he was done, he stood under the stream of now cold water, the evidence of his act splattered on the wall, dripping down slowly.

Disgust washed through him, hot and bitter.

This is all her fault. All of it. She’s the one that made him this way.

He left the shower and got dressed.

He knew he needed to stay away. He needed to do something, anything at all, to get Anna out of his mind.

Instead, he went back to the cell.

Bottle after bottle of spores, he used them all. Throwing them all on the ground, setting the calming yellow spores free. He stood in the middle, letting the spores saturate his body.

It wasn’t enough.

If anything it only made matters worse.

The voices got louder. Whispering, telling him to go out and get what he wants. Leon was usually level headed, perhaps the corruption brought out the worst parts in him. Or maybe he has always been like this.

In all the years he’d known Anna, from their childhood when they were barely ten, till eight years later when she dig her claws into him via a marriage alliance, never had he thought of her this way.

Never.

Until now.

What changed? Is it the way she looks at him now, her eyes lacking the cold malice he was used to and instead being filled with...disgust?

Since when did she become disgusted with him?

He looked around the cell, wondering what made him stay in this wretched place for so long.

The spores dissipated into the air, their effect barely felt.

Leon was weak, still injured, exhausted. He knew he should rest. Even if his strenght and stamina were higher than normal thanks to his trainings, he still had a limit.

He concluded he hadn’t reached that limit yet.

He should stay away. Avoid Anna at all costs. Manipulate and pull strings so he can be assigned to a garrison far from the palace.

Instead, he turned and left the palace.

Once he was a safe distance away from the palace gates, he shifted into his beast form.

Tracking her scent, he raced down the roads.

I’m coming for you, Anna.

****

Back at the inn, Anna screamed as a massive lion beast lunged at her.

Stumbling back, she fell flat on her backside, her arms raised in front of her protectively. "Get away from me! Get—"

The lion beast turned into a man before it reached her. His head, full of wild black hair, landed on her stomach, heavy and glitching.

"L-Leon?" Anna squeaked, her eyes wider than the moon. She looked down at his face just to be sure. "Leon?! What the fuck?! What are you doing here?!"

"Is this happening right now?" Ray muttered quietly.

"He’s naked, cutie." Kai commented dryly.

"That’s beside the point! He’s bleeding! Oh my...what the actual fuck?!" Anna looked at his body, and he was covered in deep injuries and dripping blood. "Kai help me get him up!"

"Let me handle it." Tristan said. He stepped forward and easily lifted Leon off Anna and carried him inside the inn.

Kai and Ray helped Anna to her feet, Kai mumbling something about how that lion’s blood ruined Anna’s pretty clothes.

Anna’s mind was far away. What was Leon doing here? Did he run all the way from the palace in his beast form? That would have taken a long and tedious amount of time.

Eager to get answers, she stormed into the inn, Ray and Kai following closely behind. Ignoring the curious looks of the other guests, she made her way upstairs.

Tristan had placed Leon in their room.

"He’s losing a lot of blood," Tristan said, turning to Anna. In such a small amount of time, he’d thrown some clothes on Leon. "He needs a doctor. And his corruption has gotten bad, he risks going mad."

"If he goes mad here people will be hurt." Anna hissed, carding her fingers through her hair. She took a step forward and Ray grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to heal him."

"No you don’t."

"He’ll die if I don’t!"

Ray’s eyes widened and he looked hurt. He slowly let go of her.

Anna didn’t understand why she was acting this way. One thing on her mind was sure, even though she wanted Leon to fall off a cliff and turn to strawberry jam, she would never push him herself.

She walked closer to him, sat beside the bed and focused her spores on him. Turning them yellow and sustaining it was easier now.

As she healed him, she watched his face closely for any signs of him waking up.

Aside a few flinches and him groaning, there was now.

Slowly, the traces of corruption on his face vanished. His tortured expression became peaceful. But most of his injuries were still there. Anna noticed how oddly twisted his right arm was.

Her heart snagged and an unknown emotion took root.

That looks painful...

Wait, why do I care? This is Leon. He tried to kill me thrice!

"Fuck. His hand is broken too? Talk about bad luck." She muttered.

"He deserves it." Kai leaned over her shoulder and chuckled. "Should I rip it off clean? That looks like it’ll take a while to heal."

Anna didn’t know if her spores could heal physical injuries. But it didn’t hurt to try?

"Bring him to my room, I’ll try and use my spores. Hopefully we can find a doctor, heal him and send him back." She got to her feet and stepped away from the bed.

"No way," Kai jumped in front of her, his eyes mistrustful. "You want him in your room? So he’ll try and hurt you again?"

Anna sighed. "Look, I don’t want this either. But the three of you own this room and it’s barely fine as it is. He should be fine before evening and then he’ll get out."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "No. I’ll throw him out myself. Why does he have to ruin everything?"

"Dream Weavers..." a throaty and exhausted voice spoke from behind.

All eyes turned to Leon who was now awake and struggling to sit up. He coughed violently, and no one moved to his side. After a few seconds, he looked up and met Anna’s eyes.

"What about Dream Weavers?" She asked.

"I saw them. They’re heading here. With an Empath."

Cold flooded Anna’s guts. Her eyes trembled as she gasped. "What?"

"That’s impossible." Tristan spoke, standing between Anna and Leon. "What will an Empath be doing on its way here? They don’t show up unless absolutely necessary. Are you sure you saw an Empath?"

"I’m confident I know what one looks like, Tristan," Leon said sarcastically. Even wounded and losing half his blood, he still had his razor sharp tongue. "I killed some of the Dream Weavers, couldn’t get all of them. They seemed to be searching for something."

"What on earth could they be searching for?!" Anna shoved Tristan aside and stormed up to Leon’s bedside. "You did something, didn’t you?! Who am I fucking kidding. Of course you did! You always ruin everything!"

Leon stared up at her with dark interested eyes, a smile curling up his bloody lips. "I missed your anger, Princess."

Anna jerked back, caught off guard by his sudden admission and the low, gravely tone of his voice. "Is that...is that all you came here to tell me?" She asked. Ray and Kai stood behind her, one on each side, glowering at Leon.

Meanwhile, Leon remained focused on Anna. "I told you, your bottles were ineffective."

Anna scoffed. "You’re here so I can heal you in person?!"