Page 42 of Vicious Kingdom

Not right now!I gulped a shallow, stilted breath.

“What are you doing?” Leo intercepted me, cutting me off.

Something inside me snapped. “And I thought I was the stalker.”

With a snort, Leo stepped closer.

I tried to push past him, but my ankle twisted painfully in my stiletto. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as I stumbled. The pulsing adrenaline couldn’t hide the agony.

“Shit,” Leo muttered, catching me before I could fall. His hands were warm and steady against my waist, a stark contrast to the cold, toxic grip I’d escaped minutes before.

“Let me go,” I hissed, though without conviction. The throbbing in my ankle intensified, making me wince.

The monster’s expression soften with concern. “You’re hurting.”

“I’m fine,” I lied, attempting to put weight on my foot only to bite back another cry of pain.

Without warning, he scooped me up and deposited me carefully on a nearby stone bench. “Sit.”

The commanding tone in his voice should have irritated me, but I was too exhausted to fight. I collapsed onto the bench, watching warily as Leo knelt before me.

His scab was dark against his hand as he undid the strap of my shoe.

“What are you doing?” I snapped.

Leo grunted.

His strong fingers dug into the soft tissue of my arch.

His touch was gentle yet firm, his thumbs working methodically over the tender spot where I’d twisted my ankle. I flinched at first, bracing for pain, but instead found relief spreading through my foot.

“Relax,” he murmured, eyes focused on his task. “You’re wound tighter than a violin string.”

I was.

I had a reason to be.

But he could never know.

I wanted to pull away, but the steady pressure of his hands was drawing the tension from my body like poison from a wound. My breathing slowed as his fingers moved in circular motions, each pass easing not just the physical ache but the frantic drumming of my heart.

“Better?” Leo asked, his voice lower than before.

I nodded, surprised to find my shoulders had dropped from their defensive position near my ears. The night air suddenly felt less suffocating, the shadows less threatening. For the first time since the Tormentor had cornered me, I was able to breathe.

“How’s your hand?” I managed to ask.

The harsh exhale was my only answer.

The other night…. Did I kiss that hand? Did I call him a lion? Geesh, I’d been so plastered. The memories twisted and knotted. But it didn’t matter.

He was one. A strong, fierce protector.

But he wouldn’t fight to save me. No, that had been a dream.

Because that was what Leonardo was…a dream.

But, given the chance, I would move heaven and earth to make that come true. He might be the only place I would be able to hide, using his presence as a shield, and if I wanted that, I couldn’t let him know how much trouble I was in.