Page 70 of Ruled By Magic

I left and ventured down the corridor. My nerves grew. Wouldn’t Leo need a few minutes to himself? But his dad knew him better than anyone. I pushed the door open.

Books lined the walls, stacked tall enough that a wheeled ladder stood in the corner. Two small sofas and a coffee table created a reading nook at the end where Leo sat, eyes closed, head leaned back.

“Leo?”

He looked at me. “Did my dad send you in here?”

“Yes. He said you’d want someone to cheer you up. So, here I am.”

Leo shook his head, but his lips held the ghost of a smile. “Of course he did. Come on, then.” He raised his arm, and I curled in next to him. We sat together in silence, my hand on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his breathing.

“It’s a lot to take in,” he said finally, shifting around on the sofa so we faced each other. “I’m questioning everything.” He looked down at his hands.

“Your dad loves you, anyone can see that.”

“I know, it’s just—Zantus, think who my real father is. What he did to my mother. Does my dad see him when he looks at me?”

I had no answer for that. “I think he just wants you to be happy,” I said instead. The platitude seemed inadequate.

Leo took my hand. His eyes searched my face. “What if I’m like him? The king? The things I do to you—hurting you, marking your skin, making you beg. Letting you feel every bit of the power I have over you. I crave it, Liv. It’s part of me. I tell myself it’s okay because you, by some miracle, enjoy it. But what does it say about me? Am I a monster like my father?”

I bit my lip. This aspect of our relationship wasn’t something we talked about. It was just something we did. I needed to find the words, though. For him.

“I crave it too.” Shame tried to stop my mouth, but I fought it back. I didn’t need to be ashamed, not with Leo. In this, we were one. “I’ve never known desire like it. Nowhere even close. You’re not a monster. You’re giving me what I need.”

He held my gaze. “You’re sure?”

I didn’t flinch. “Yes. I’m sure.”

He sighed a long, slow exhalation of relief. “It makes me feel better to hear you say it.” He kissed me on the forehead. “I love you.”

Those words. So new, so full of power. I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. “I love you, too.”

We headed back down the hall toward the kitchen. Leo paused at the door to the sitting room. Andrew rested on the ancient sofa, eyes downcast, a glass of red wine clutched in his hand. Leo gave my hand a squeeze. “I’ll talk to him. See you soon.”

I pushed open the kitchen door. Damien, Atalie, and Hex fell silent as I walked in. Empty plates lay in front of them.

“We left some for you.” Damien waved toward the oven. “Pig sausage, mashed garto roots—the full works. Andrew is so nice.” The big man’s face creased in a frown. “How’s he doing? Andrew gave us a rundown. Can’t have been easy for him to hear.”

“Not too bad. He’s talking with Andrew now.” I opened cupboards at random, foraging for coffee.

Hex stood up. “Sit down and eat, I’ll make you a coffee.”

“Thanks.” I loaded up a plate and sat. I watched Hex as she prepared the drink, and the silence grew tense. She was going to lecture me again. I could sense it.

Hex pulled out a chair beside me and handed over a steaming cup. Black with plenty of honeycomb, just how I liked it.

“So,” Hex said.

I braced myself.

“I’m informed by these two”—Hex waved a hand at Damien and Atalie—“that I’m wrong. They think your new”—she shook her head—“boyfriend, or whatever the fuck he is, deserves a chance. He’s nice, apparently. I don’t buy it. I’ll work with him if that’s what it takes to get Peter back. I won’t attack him unless he hurts you. But I’m not promising to be pleasant. Deal?”

I smiled. Better than I’d expected. “Deal.”

“And now he’s a prince.” Hex drained the remains of her coffee. “I don’t know where to start with that.”

Across the table, Atalie snorted. “You’re the most accidentally successful social climber in history, Liv.”

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