Chapter 25
Elira
The scent of antiseptic and iron hit me the second we stepped inside.
White stone walls. Harsh light. Rows of beds lined with tightly tucked sheets. The infirmary was a little too clean. A little too quiet. It hummed with sterile order that made my skin itch.
And the kicker? It was right next door to the Shade Tower.
I scowled.
“I spent days trying to find this place when Finn was sick,” I muttered. “Turns out it was here the whole damn time?”
“It’s warded against outsiders,” Leo said with a shrug. “No signage. No way in unless you’re brought here.”
Thorne didn’t look at me. He was focused on Kyra, who now lay unconscious on one of the cots, her head lolled to the side. Leo stood nearby, arms crossed, brows furrowed. Maddie lingered behind them, stiff with the aftershock of what she’d done.
Thorne raised his hand, fingers hovering just above Kyra’s temple. A flicker of power shimmered through the air like heat above a flame.
I watched the shimmer of magic around Thorne’s hand fade into her temple. Whatever memory he’d taken, it was gone now. Hopefully.
Something made the hairs on the back of my head stand on end, like I was being watched. I shifted awkwardly on the spot, casting my gaze around the room. Leo leaned back on the wall beside me.
“I’m sorry about Kyra,” Leo said finally.
“No biggie,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. When I pulled my hand away, I saw dried blood on my fingers.
“Are you sure you don’t need a bandage?” he asked, frowning.
“It’s just a scratch,” I replied, shifting in place. But a low ache pulsed behind my eyes, and my limbs still trembled faintly from earlier. I wasn’t okay—but I was alive. And that was enough for now.
Across the room, I noticed someone watching me. A boy with floppy brown hair and hazel eyes. When he realized I’d caught him, he quickly looked away and fumbled with a chart.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
Leo followed my gaze. “Don’t know. Think he’s a medic from the village. Some of the families send their best and brightest up here hoping the King’ll keep them on.”
“So, like a medical trainee?”
“Sure. I don’t keep track of everyone who walks through the infirmary,” he said, shrugging.
I laughed. “Right.”
“What?” he asked, elbowing me lightly in the side.
“I was just thinking—with your female fan club, you probably don’t notice anyone who doesn’t have boobs.”
Leo gasped. “Are you calling me a manwhore, Angel?”
“If the paw fits,” I grinned. “You’ve probably broken more hearts than Kyra’s got brain cells.”
He laughed, eyes lighting up. Then his gaze softened, settling on me for a beat too long.
“What?” I asked, squinting at him.
“I just like your smile,” he said simply.
I rolled my eyes, hard. “Yeah, right.”
“I’m being serious,” he protested, then perked up like he’d just remembered something. “And to show you how serious I am, I volunteered to be your cuddle buddy tonight.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“I know. But I want to. I want Elle-time too. Why should Slade get all the snuggles?”
“Elle-time?” I repeated with a snort.
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” he said, grinning as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tugged me into his warmth. His chest was solid and comforting, and I let my head fall against it, breathing him in.
Thorne stepped away from Kyra and crossed the room toward us, Maddie trailing just behind him.
“I have to go, but take care of yourself, okay?” Maddie said, her hand brushing my arm. Her lips twitched as her eyes flicked to Leo and me.
I caught her look and shook my head, pretending not to understand it.
“I’ll see you later?” I asked, more hopeful than I meant to sound.
“You’re damn right you will,” Maddie said with a grin. “You and I are besties now. That’s just the way of it.”
“Catch you later, then, bestie,” I said, smiling for real.
She winked and disappeared through the door.
Thorne stared at Leo with enough disapproval to make me step out of the basking warmth of his arms. I sighed and reached toward him—not with words, just a look and an outstretched hand.
Thorne nodded and squeezed my fingers once before letting go.
Relief hit me like a wave, and with it came exhaustion. My shoulders sagged.
“You should rest,” Thorne said, his voice gentler than usual. “It’s been a hell of a day.”
“What time is it?”
“Close to dinner,” Leo chimed in. “You missed lunch.”
I groaned. “Let’s go eat, then. If we don’t, Slade will kill me.”
Leo chuckled. “Tell you what—I’ll grab some food and bring it to your room.”
I blinked. “You’d do that for me?”
He grinned. “Of course I would.”
“Well… thanks. That would be amazing.”
He all but bounced away, clearly pleased. Thorne watched him go with something unreadable in his eyes. When it was just the two of us again, we started down the corridor toward my chamber.
After a moment, Thorne broke the silence. “He likes you, you know.”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “I’m starting to get that.”
“Elira—”
“Elle,” I corrected softly.
He sighed. “Alright. Elle. Just… be careful.”
I frowned. “About what?”
“Leo. Slade. Phoenix.”
I stopped walking. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re not planning to stay, are you?” he asked, voice low. “You still see this place as a prison. And maybe it is. But if you're thinking of running—don’t take them with you just to leave them behind.”
I stiffened. “You think I’d use them?”
“I think,” he said carefully, “not long ago you called us monsters. You didn’t trust us. Hell, you hated us. If you’re just pretending now, just to earn trust or protection—”
“I’m not,” I snapped, heat flaring in my chest. “I’m not playing anyone.”
He studied me for a long moment. “Then don’t give them hope unless you mean it. They’ve bled for you. They’d bleed again. That’s not something you just walk away from.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
So I said nothing.
**
When Thorne left me at my chamber, I found Leo already inside, fussing over the small table near the window.
He didn’t see me at first. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he straightened the tablecloth for the third time. It was oddly endearing—this fierce warrior trying to make a meal look perfect.
I watched him for a full minute before saying, “It looks fantastic.”
He jumped, spinning around. “You’re here!” His grin lit up the room. “I—I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a bit of everything.”
He stepped aside to reveal the spread: roast beef, roasted potatoes, buttered vegetables, fresh fruit, a tower of flaky pastries, and—of course—an entire loaf of crusty bread.
“That’s a lot of food,” I said, raising a brow.
Leo rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish. “Yeah, I panicked.”
I stared at him. The lion shifter who could knock a man down with one swing… looking nervous over a dinner setup. He was all lithe strength and golden charm, but right now, he looked vulnerable. Open.
And maybe Thorne’s warning had shaken something loose inside me. Or maybe I was just done pretending.
I crossed the room, took Leo’s hand, and led him to sit on the edge of the bed. He followed without protest.
“What are you doing?” he asked, voice low.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
But I did. I leaned in, closing the space between us until I could feel the warmth of his breath.
And then I kissed him.
I’d never really kissed a boy I liked before. For so many years, it had just been Finn and I and that had been enough for us. I had been approached before, but no one ever stirred the feelings in me like these four men did.
His lips stilled under mine for the barest second—like he couldn’t believe it was happening.
Then his hands moved. Slowly, reverently. One found the curve of my waist, fingers splaying wide, drawing me closer. The other rose to the back of my neck, his palm warm and sure as it cradled me like something precious.
He deepened the kiss—not greedy or demanding, just there, like he’d been waiting for it without knowing how badly until now. The heat of him wrapped around me, his body all golden strength and velvet control.
When we finally parted, his breath was shaky, his forehead resting lightly against mine.
“Gods, Elle,” he murmured. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”
I swallowed, the world narrowing to the sound of his heartbeat, the press of his chest against mine. “I might’ve had an idea,” I whispered.
His arms tightened, pulling me into the warmth of his embrace. Not just for heat. For comfort. For safety. For everything I hadn’t let myself want until this moment.
And for once, I didn’t pull away.
He kissed me again, pushing me back on the bed so he lay over me. He ran his fingers over my skin, worshipping every piece of me. I giggled as it tickled me.
He nuzzled into my neck. “Gods you smell good,”
“I smell horrible. I haven’t even bathed today.”
“Nope,” he took a deep breath. “You smell like a goddamn meal.”
He kissed me again, this one longer. I could feel my blood heat at his touch.
Then, slowly, gently, he pulled back.
His hand brushed down my arm, lingering at my wrist. “Elle…” he said softly, voice rough around the edges. “We should stop.”
I blinked, startled. “Why?”
He cupped my cheek with one calloused hand, his thumb stroking beneath my eye. “Because if we don’t, I won’t be able to.”
The confession left him raw, and it softened something in me.
He didn’t move away, not completely. He just let the moment settle, breathing with me until the heat cooled between us—until want was replaced with something quieter. Safer.
“Food, then?” I asked, with a crooked smile.
He laughed, grateful. “Food.”
We ate cross-legged on the bed, digging into the meal he’d gathered.
Leo made exaggerated faces at every bite, claiming each thing was definitely the best, only to change his mind on the next one.
I nearly choked on my wine when he described the mashed potatoes as “like a warm hug from a grandma who bakes spells into her cookies.”
By the time we finished, my stomach was full and aching from laughter.
When I leaned back against the pillows, Leo stood up, brushing crumbs from his hands. “Stay right there,” he said, then darted toward the corner of the room where he’d dropped his coat.
He pulled out a small, battered book—clearly well-read, its spine cracked and pages soft with age.
“You read?” I asked, surprised.
“Only the best smut,” he said with a wink. “But tonight? Tonight you get the good stuff.” He held the book up like it was treasure. “This was my little sister’s favourite. She used to make me read it out loud to her when she couldn’t sleep.”
“You have a sister?” I asked.
He paused. “I had one. Sort of. Her name was Allison.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault. But anyway, she used to read this one all the time, so I hope you like it.”
Leo sat beside me, one leg folded beneath him, his voice smooth and rich as he began to read.
It wasn’t a story I knew. Something old, lyrical. A tale about a girl who swallowed starlight and wandered the edge of the world looking for the place it came from. His voice lulled me, not just with the rhythm of the words, but the care in how he read them. Like the story mattered.
I drifted somewhere between sleep and waking, tucked beneath the blanket, watching the light catch the gold strands in his hair.
And when he finally looked over, thinking I’d fallen asleep, he smoothed a hand gently over my forehead and whispered, “Sleep, beautiful.”
I didn’t reply. I just let the warmth of him and the weight of those words carry me into the dark.