Chapter 2
“You…
you’re not with the Human Alliance anymore?” Caitlyn blinked at Leon, her voice dripping with disbelief.
Leon didn’t budge. Just sat there like a drowned stray, rainwater mixing with blood in puddles around his boots.
The stench of iron and wet leather hung thick in the air,
She clicked her tongue. “Let me get this straight–you annihilate my reign, wreck my rep, and now you’re here to… what? Switch teams?” A harsh laugh escaped her. “Newsflash, hero–the Demon Lord gig’s retired. Try the new guy down if you’re looking for a promotion.” Her fingers tapped impatiently against her thigh. “Unless…” The pieces clicked. “Holy hell. You actually won. You’re their golden boy now. would you-
So why the hell
“Unless he’s had a thing for me this whole time. Not that Caitlyn was narcissistic enough to actually buy that. Though she was stupidly gorgeous,
Silence.
Still nothing. The guy might as well have been a statue–if statues were made of rainwater and regret.
Caitlyn studied him, mind racing
After a decade of trying to murder each other, she knew one thing for sure: Leon didn’t do sudden betrayals. Not unless someone shoved him off the deep end first.
And another thing–Leon hated demons. If he wanted to join up, he would never overthrow her instead of just taking the throne for himself.
Human Alliance screwed him over, obviously. Leon was an ass, but not the backstabbing kind. Unless… they made him that way.
‘Hah. Bet they ditched him the second he stopped being useful. Classic, she thought.
“Hey. Hello?” She poked his shoulder, Hard
Leon’s body swayed–then face–planted straight into her chest.
“Oh, for–1” Caitlyn barely stopped herself from channeling demonic energy and blasting him through the nearest wall. Her hair flickered white at the roots before she reined it in.
“You better not be actually dead,” she growled, peeling him off her with two fingers like something sticky.
But when she got a proper look at his face, her grip faltered.
Even unconscious, Leon looked wrecked,
His stupidly perfect features were all twisted up–brows knotted, lips pressed thin, fingers digging into her sleeve like she was the last sold thing in the
world.
Pathetic. Like some abandoned kid who’d never learned how to ask for help.
Something hot and sharp clawed up Caitlyn’s throat
“The hell is this?“” She shook him, voice dropping to a snarl. “What, you think I’m your damn savior now? Stop giving me that look!”
She dumped him back onto the couch harder than necessary. Enemies. We’re enemies, got it?”
Then–against every instinct–she pressed two fingers to his pulse point.
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Chapter 21
Still alive.
She closed her eyes, took a slow breath, and let her hand drift down, gently brushing over his wound.
Without a second thought, Caitlyn pulled out her phone, found a number, and dialed it.
“Germaine, Get over here, now. I need your help,” she said.
After a brief pause, the phone erupted with a shrill scream from the other end. “Oh god! Lady Caitlyn”
Caitlyn quickly pulled the phone away from her ear, holding it at arm’s length until the screeching died down.
She couldn’t just let Leon die here. Bad karma, bad luck, whatever.
Not that it mattered to her.
‘Enemies stay enemies. Period, she told herself.
Even if his stupid face made her feel… something else.
“My lord! Your girl is here!” Germaine Lowrey hammered the door like she was auditioning for a siege, her voice practically vibrating with excitement.
Caitlyn ripped the door open, face blank as a tombstone. Before Germaine could squeak, Caitlyn yanked her inside and kicked the door shut with a thud.
“Smack my door like that again, and I’ll turn you into a doormat for the undead!” she said.
ermaine collapsed onto the floor, throwing Caitlyn a pouty, kicked–puppy glance over her shoulder.
Caitlyn crossed her arms, her expression colder than a frost giant’s glare..
Germaine, , undeterred, wiggled her way over, draping herself around Caitlyn’s leg like a clingy imp.
“I was losing it without you! It’s been, like, a million years since you hit me up!”
“Zip it and go see if that guy’s still got a pulse.” Caitlyn shook her leg, dislodging Germaine like a stubborn burr.
With a dramatic sigh, Germaine sulked over to Leon’s side.
One glance at him, and her face twisted like she’d sniffed spoiled mana.“Uh, who’s this dude? Your new chew toy?
“But, damn, why’s he look so unhinged? You playing that wild now?”
Caitlyn’s hand clamped onto Germaine’s shoulder, her voice a low, venomous purr. “Germaine, you wanna keep flapping your gums? Test me.”
The arctic chill at her back, paired with the bone–crushing grip, forced Germaine into a shaky grin. “My bad, my Lord, total oops!”
“I’m not your Demon Lord anymore. Drop the title and move your ass!”
“Alright, alright…”
Germaine clammed up, her eyes locking onto the bloodied wreck of a man before her. The more she studied his wounds, the tighter her brow knotted. She reached out to touch Lean–then bam. A blast of murderous intent roared from him.
It was like a volcano erupting in a heartbeat, raw power splitting the air with apocalyptic fury. The room choked on his aura, a storm of dread pouring from his broken body.
Germaine’s knees buckled, her throat squeezed shut. Her eyes quaked as gut–wrenching terror slammed into her, leaving her sprawled on the floor. She
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Chapter 2
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felt like she was staring into the maw of a world ending abyss, one second from being swallowed whole.
Caitlyn’s eyes flickered with a strange glint. As Leon’s hand shot toward Germaine’s throat, driven by blind instinct, Caitlyn snatched his wrist, pinning it in place.
His eyes were open now–deep as a void, swirling with visions of carnage and ruin. The feral storm in his gaze could’ve razed kingdoms, but the moment it grazed Caitlyn’s face, it softened, melting like frost under a dawn’s warmth.
“She’s here to fix you, dumbass. Wanna die? Just say so.C Caitlyn’s voice was sharp as a blade, her nerves fraying under Leon’s word, neody stare that made her skin crawl.
Leon blinked at her, then–thunk–his eyes rolled back, and he crumpled into unconsciousness again.
Germaine stared at the now still figure, gulping hard, her face pale as moonlight. “C Caitlyn, what the hell is this guy?”
“Leon. The bastard who took me down. You know, the so–called legendary hero,” Caitlyn replied.
“Hero? Well, that tracks…” Germaine’s voice faltered.
She spun toward Caitlyn, eyes bugging out like she’d seen a banshee. “You say who?!”
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