Leo lay in the back, his head resting against a sack of grain, his legs stretched out. But he wasn't alone.

Belladonna, the Bandit Queen, was draped over him like a heavy, expensive blanket. Her head rested on his chest, her raven hair spilling over his shirt.

Her arm was thrown across his waist, holding him tight, as if she expected him to vanish into thin air if she let go.

She wasn't wearing her bandit leathers or the regal gown from the feast.

She was dressed in a simple traveler's cloak, but beneath it, Leo could feel the soft curves of her body pressing against him.

Walking alongside the cart, silent as a ghost, was Shadow. She wasn't wearing her usual black leather armor. Instead, she wore a simple grey tunic that did nothing to hide the athletic, tight body underneath.

Her veil was in place, hiding her scar, but her eyes darted around, scanning for threats.

Every few seconds, her gaze would flicker to the cart, watching Leo and Belladonna with a mix of jealousy and longing.

"We are almost there," Leo murmured, running his hand down Belladonna's back.

"I don't care," Belladonna mumbled into his shirt. She tightened her grip. "I don't want to get up. Your chest is warm."

"You have to," Leo said, tapping her hip. "We're entering the city. Unless you want the City Watch to arrest the Bandit Queen for public indecency, you need to sit up and look respectable."

Belladonna groaned, a sound of pure annoyance. She lifted her head, pouting. It was a strange look on a woman who had flayed men alive, but on her, it looked dangerously cute.

"Fine," she hissed. "But I expect compensation later."

"You'll get it," Leo promised.

Reluctantly, she sat up. She pulled a heavy veil from her pocket and wrapped it around her face, hiding her striking features.

But even the veil couldn't hide the voluptuous figure that the cloak struggled to contain.

The cart rolled up to the gate.

Two guards stood there, leaning on their spears. They looked bored, tired, and honestly, a little horny. It was a slow day.

When they saw the cart, they straightened up. Their eyes didn't go to Grendel, who was driving. They went straight to the two women.

Even veiled, Belladonna and Shadow radiated a kind of beauty that made men stupid. The way Belladonna sat, chest out, hips wide. The way Shadow moved, lithe and tight.

One of the guards nudged the other. He licked his lips, a sleazy grin spreading across his face.

"Well, well," the guard leered, stepping forward to block the path, "What do we have here? Two lovely ladies entering the city all alone? That's dangerous."

The other guard chuckled. "Maybe we should search them. Make sure they aren't smuggling... dangerous weapons." His eyes dropped to Belladonna's chest, "Looks like you are carrying something very destructive."

Belladonna's eyes flashed behind her veil. Her hand drifted toward where her whip would usually be. Shadow frowned, ready to snap necks.

But Leo moved, before they could kill the poor beings

He sat up from the back of the cart. He had been hidden by the sideboards.

"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" Leo asked.

His voice wasn't loud. It was calm. Bored. But it carried a weight that froze the air in the gateway.

The guards looked up.

They saw the black adventurer's coat. They saw the handsome, arrogant face. They saw the cold, dead eyes of the man who had turned the Lord's Great Hall into a slaughterhouse just a few days ago.

The "Bandit Slayer." The "Ironblood Bastard."

The guard's sleazy grin vanished instantly. The blood drained from his face, leaving him pale as a sheet. His knees actually knocked together.

"M-M-Mr. Leo!" the guard stammered, taking a stumbling step back. "I... We didn't see you! We were just... standard procedure!"

"Standard procedure involves staring at my companions' tits?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow. "I must have missed that in the handbook."

"No! No sir!" The guard was sweating now. "Please! Go right ahead! The gate is open! Wide open!"

They scrambled out of the way, practically saluting as Grendel flicked the reins and the cart rolled through.

Leo smirked, settling back down.

"Nice," Belladonna whispered, leaning close to him. "I like it when you scare them."

"I know you do," Leo said.

They rode through the streets until they reached the busy market square. Grendel pulled the cart to a halt near a large, expensive-looking inn called The Gilded Griffin.

Leo hopped down. He offered a hand to Belladonna, helping her down. She took it, pressing her body against his for a brief second before stepping back.

Leo reached into his inventory. He pulled out a heavy, jingling pouch.

He tossed it to Belladonna. She caught it with one hand, the weight of it surprising her.

"One thousand gold coins," Leo said.

Belladonna looked confused, "I have money, Leo. You don't have to waste your money."

"It's not wasting money," Leo corrected her. "It's spoiling my woman."

He stepped closer, fixing the collar of her cloak.

"Check into this inn. Book the entire top floor. I don't want you sleeping near commoners."

"Leo..."

"And go shopping," Leo continued, grinning. "Buy clothes. Buy jewelry. Buy the best food in the city. Buy some of those lacy things I like."

He reached down and gave her ass a firm, loud smack.

THWACK.

Belladonna yelped, jumping slightly. Her face flushed red behind the veil.

"Consider it a down payment," Leo winked. "I expect a fashion show later."

He turned and started walking away, heading toward the Lord's Keep.

"Where are you going?" Belladonna called out, her voice a mix of irritation and need.

Leo paused. He looked back over his shoulder.

"A damsel is waiting for me," he said.

Belladonna scoffed. She stomped her foot. "Damsel? Hmph. You just want to play hero."

She turned to Shadow, who was standing silently by the cart.

"Well?" Belladonna snapped, acting coquettish and spoiled to hide her jealousy. "Come on. It's just the two of us now. Let's go spend his money."

Shadow looked at Leo's retreating back, then at Belladonna. She didn't say a word. She just turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd without a backward glance.

"Hey!" Belladonna shouted. "Where are you going? I didn't dismiss you!"

Shadow was gone.

Belladonna huffed, shaking her head in disappointment. "Useless. Everyone is useless except him."

Grendel cleared his throat loudly from the driver's seat. "Ahem. I'm still here, My Lady. If you need a carrying—"

"Shut up, old man," Belladonna snapped, turning and marching into the inn. "Go find your whore."

~~~~~~

The guest chambers in the Lord's Keep were silent. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn, blocking out the afternoon sun and leaving the room in a state of perpetual twilight.

Lady Seraphine Dargan lay on the massive bed.

She wasn't sleeping. She was staring at the ceiling, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy.

She was wearing a silk nightgown, but clutched tightly in her hands, pressed against her nose, was a man's shirt. It was a simple white shirt, stained slightly with sweat and travel, but to her, it smelled like heaven.

It smelled like Leo.

"Two days," she mumbled into the fabric, her voice thick with misery. "He said he would come back. Why hasn't he come back?"

She rolled over, burying her face in the pillow he had used.

"Is he hurt? Did he find someone else?"

The thought made her chest ache. What if he found a younger woman? A woman without a husband? A woman without the baggage of a noble house?

"I hate him," she whispered, a fresh tear sliding down her cheek. "I hate him for making me feel like this. I hate him for leaving."

She sounded pathetic, and she knew it. She was the Lady of Auravale. She was a killer who had slaughtered a village. And here she was, moping in bed like a lovesick teenager because a commoner hadn't returned from a quest.

Knock. Knock.

The sound was sharp in the quiet room.

Seraphine didn't move. She didn't want to see anyone. She didn't want to put on the mask of the Lady.

"Go away," she croaked. "I am unwell."

The door handle turned. The heavy oak door creaked open.

"That's not very polite," a voice said. "Is that how you greet your guests?"

Seraphine froze.

Her heart skipped a beat, then hammered against her ribs like it was trying to break out.

She knew that voice. It was the voice that had commanded her. The voice that had whispered dark promises in her ear.

She sat up slowly, clutching the shirt to her chest.

Leo was standing in the doorway.

He looked tired. His clothes were dusty, his boots covered in mud. His hair was messy. But he was there. He was whole. And he was smiling that same arrogant, infuriating, beautiful smirk.

He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms.

"You look terrible, my Lady," Leo teased softly. "Have you been crying over little old me?"

Seraphine stared at him. She blinked, making sure he wasn't a hallucination.

"Leo?" she whispered.

"In the flesh."

He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

The moment the latch clicked, Seraphine moved.

She didn't walk. She scrambled off the bed, her bare feet hitting the carpet. She ran.

She threw herself at him.

"LEO!"

She jumped, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. The momentum nearly knocked him over, but he caught her. He braced his back against the door and held her tight.

"You're back!" she sobbed, burying her face in his neck. "You came back! You promised and you came back!"

"I told you I would," Leo said, his arms squeezing her waist. "I always keep my word."

She pulled back, framing his face with her hands. She looked him over frantically. "Are you hurt? Did you fight? You smell like blood."

"Just a scratch," Leo said. "Nothing I can't handle."

She kissed him.

It wasn't a noble kiss. It was hungry. Desperate. She devoured his mouth, tasting him, reassuring herself that he was real. She bit his lip, sucking on his tongue, pouring days of anxiety and longing into the contact.

Leo kissed her back, walking them towards the bed without breaking the connection.

He lowered her onto the mattress, following her down. He hovered over her, looking at her face.

"I missed you," Seraphine admitted, her voice trembling. "I thought... I thought you left me."

"Never," Leo said. "You're mine, remember?"

She nodded, tears leaking from her eyes. "Yours. I'm yours."

She reached out. She took his hand. It was large, calloused, and rough.

She guided it.

She placed his hand on her breast.

The silk of her nightgown was thin. He could feel the heat of her skin, the heavy weight of her flesh, and the rapid, pounding beat of her heart beneath his palm.

"Feel that?" she whispered. "It only beats for you."

Leo's eyes darkened. He squeezed her breast, feeling the nipple harden instantly under his thumb. He leaned down, his lips brushing against hers.

"Good," Leo smirked. "Because I intend to make it beat a lot faster."

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