I was going to break into Leon's house.

What was a girl supposed to do when a boy wasn't answering her calls?

In a way, I didn't even care how crazy it made me seem. I brought the man back to life, for fuck's sake, I was allowed to check up on him.

I stood in front of the Lind property – a boxy, grey house surrounded with acres of grass and privet hedges and fountains and fancy cars. The place was huge and cold and grey. The chilly February air and the cloudy sky weren't helping.

The house looked abandoned.

I've noticed it the first time I was here. The lawns hadn't been mown in a while, and the privet hedges desperately needed trimming. The windows were all jammed closed, just like the door. There was no light inside even though darkness ruled the world.

I descended down the stony path to the door with a rock in my hand.

Because I wasn't just a common criminal, I called him first, my eyes glued to cold metal of his front door.

Who lived like this?

The Linds were crazy rich, that much I found out when I finally looked up Leon's family tree. They weren't that influential in our world, but they had real estate and lots of money in stocks. Still, there was something detached and cold about the exterior of their huge lot. Emotionless.

The phone rang in my ear, and when Leon didn't answer, I simply left another message.

"I'm in front of your house." My voice shook as I spoke. "If you don't want me to break your expensive windows with a rock, I suggest you open the door. Because I will break in, I swear to Goddess."

I sent the message and waited, my heart hammering like a war drum. A few seconds later, my phone buzzed.

Have you tried walking in? It's unlocked.

The rock slipped from my hand, almost falling on my foot. I cursed, tears flooding my eyes out of nowhere. Hands shaking, I turned the handle and opened the door.

He was alive. He texted me.

Warmth came from inside, but not the comfortable, soothing kind. It was a hundred degrees inside, and unbearable heat made me sweat. The door opened to a grey, dusty lobby. The furniture was covered with white sheets.

This was weird.

Was he living here alone?

I swallowed my heartbeat and walked in.

The heat inside made me nauseous. It made the air feel moist. It wasn't normal. It also eerily reminded me of the black ooze. Almost stumbling over my feet, I walked up the stony steps to the second floor.

Everything in the house was clean-cut. Glass railings. Marble steps. White and grey and black. Sleek. It would look modern and chick with some colour, but the emptiness and silence made it feel like an abandoned office. I walked through the hallway.

"I wondered when you'd try breaking in."

I turned on my heel and faced the direction the voice came from. The door to my left was wide open, and I glanced inside.

My stomach clenched at the sight of him.

He sat on a pulled-out couch, bare-chested with grey sweatpants on, smoking a cigarette. His hair was longer than the last time I saw him, and the black sweat-soaked strands now tickled his naked neck.

The blinds were down, and darkness mingled with heat and smoke in the air. Blankets and pillows lay scattered on the couch and the floor. An empty bottle of gin and bags of chips were on the glass table in front of him. The ashtray was full of cigarette butts.

"I haven't heard from you in three months." My voice sounded choked.

Leon took a drag. His lips were pale and cracked, nails bitten. His muscles kept straining, almost like he had spasms, like his body wanted to jump out of itself. When he didn't answer, I took a step forward-

"Don't." He raised his hand, stopping me.

"You don't look okay." I whispered, heart in my mouth. "Where are your parents?"

Leon looked at me for the first time. His eyes were a murky grey intertwining with his usual icy blue, looking as if something battled inside him. The need to walk over to him thudded through me.

"Dead." He answered.

"What?"

"Yeah." Leon chuckled. "Have been for a few years now."

"But- but-"

"Shh." He put his finger on his lips. "My uncle and I keep it a secret, for the good of the business."

"Don't you have staff?" I glanced around, trying to ignore his words and what they meant.

Leon inhaled more smoke and ashed the cigarette, "They left."

I took a step closer-

"Stop." He raised his hand, eyes slightly widening.

"Oh, quit fucking around." I shook my head and continued towards him.

"Jade-" He threw the cigarette in the ashtray.

I kneeled in front of him and grabbed both of his hands.

"Don't!" He shook me off and scooted deeper into the couch.

I looked up at him, trying to read his expression. For a second, he just seemed scared.

"Don't be a fucking baby." I murmured, pulled myself up on the couch, right between his legs, and threw my hands around his neck.

He was alive. He was himself. Sort of.

Leon's tense muscles relaxed and he put his arms around me. I buried my face in his neck and the hug tightened. His skin was terribly hot and sweaty. I felt his breaths in my hair and his fingers digging into my skin. Then, just as quickly as he pulled me closer, he pushed me away.

"Stop."

I landed on my butt on the couch, and Leon buried his face in his hands.

"Leon..."

He side-eyed me, "Where is your magic, Jade?"

I gaped like he punched me in the face, "What?"

A chuckle turned into chattering of his teeth and he pulled the blanket over himself. Goddess, he was fucked up. He had a fever and his eyes weren't their usual colour.

"I can feel magic now." He said and leaned his head against the backrest. "And you don't have it."

I swallowed. Hard.

"Lost it." I murmured. "When I... performed the ritual. It hasn't come back."

"Wow." Leon grabbed the blanket, his face turning even more pale. "Guess you got fucked, too."

"I think you need to go to a hospital." I scanned his lips, gradually becoming blue.

"Hi, doc, I've been brought back to life by magic." Leon's eyelids closed. "Can I have some ibuprofen?"

"How long have you had a fever?" My voice was a whisper.

"How long has it been since that night?"

I wrapped my hands around myself, "Three months."

"Then three months."

"Have you tried medication?"

"Only every kind."

This was all my fault. I just had to mess with something I didn't understand. But in those moments, those few moments when he was dead, my entire world shattered and I just couldn't handle those emotions. So I brought him back. Selfishly, stupidly. Irrevocably.

I slid off my jacket and dropped it on the sofa. Then, I unbuttoned my jeans and stepped out of them, my heart beating steadily in my chest.

Leon's eyelids fluttered, "Not really in the mood."

"Shut up." I grabbed another blanket from the floor and covered him with it.

Then, I got under the covers with him. His brows furrowed like he wanted to protest, but he was shaking so badly he couldn't get another word out. I pulled the blankets over us and pressed my body against his. I could feel the sweat pooling under my shirt, but didn't care. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.

Leon's teeth chattered, "Not the wisest decision on your part."

"Turns out I never make good decision when it comes to you." I put my arm over his bare chest and squeezed, thinking I could somehow transfer the heat between us.

Maybe I just felt guilty. Part of me knew I shouldn't have done what I did, and I've probably made life more difficult for him.

I laid my head on his shoulder.

Shadows from the blinds played on the white ceiling. Leon was shaking under me, but his skin was scorching hot. He felt fragile, as if walking the line between life and death. I didn't dare move, scared I'd somehow break him, push him off the edge. And despite his current fragility, I felt raw and exposed, as if I kept handing him something way too easy to break.

I couldn't believe I was here again.

I was either a masochist or an idiot.

Or maybe I'd become just as destructive as him in the short period when I had him every second of every day.

After a few minutes, his breathing evened out and his muscles relaxed. Words rolled on my tongue.

"I'm sorry." I said, blinking away a few stray tears. "I shouldn't have done it."

When Leon didn't react, I looked up. His eyes were closed and his breathing calm. He was asleep.

With a tired mind and a heavy heart, I drifted off to sleep, forgetting it was noon and I had to study Demonology.

When I opened my eyes, Leon wasn't next to me.

I sat upright, my head pounding like a bitch, and glanced around. Blinds were still down. The room was empty. Blankets were on the floor. I probably kicked them off.

"Leon?"

I reached for my jeans, stood up and put them on quickly.

"Is everything okay?" I called out, fearing he's fallen down the stairs or died on the way to the bathroom.

I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door-

He walked in.

The change was so blatant I took a step back.

Dressed in grey tweed pants and a black turtleneck, hair pushed back and eyes sharp and alert, he walked over to the coffee table and took the cigarette pack. He wasn't pale nor sweaty anymore. The murky grey in his eyes was now gone, replaced by clear icy blue.

"Forgot these." He waved with the pack and put it in his back pocket.

He felt different.

Even without magic, I could feel energy rolling off him in steady, rhythmical waves. He looked good. Healthy. Powerful. And when he looked at me, the corners of his lips twitched with condescension. Something was funny, and I wasn't in on the joke.

Fear surged through me.

"Going somewhere?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"To the Academy." Leon took the sunglasses off the table. "Classes started two weeks ago. I miss Darth, you know?"

My heart skipped a beat, "You can't go the school. If someone-"

He cocked his head to the side and I stopped talking.

The fever was real, but everything around it was a lie.

"You lied to me." I whispered. "You haven't been sick for the past three months."

Leon shrugged, "Sporadically."

"What does that mean?" I squeezed my fists.

He took out a cigarette, "You should come to the school, too. I'm sure they've missed you."

I cocked my head to the side. Wait. What?

"How do you know I've been expelled?" I raised my eyebrow.

His smile faltered, but he tightened it in a second, "Let's face it, Jade. You'd have already burst through my door with Thar Adara to burn me at the stake or something."

"So, you know I've been expelled, but you don't know Thar's been fired."

Leon's mouth stilled in a half-smirk, then dropped.

I nodded. "He's not our teacher anymore."

"Well, that's splendid for you." Leon remembered the unlit cigarette in his hand, put it between his teeth, and took out a lighter, "I'm off to school. Feel free to stop by. There's a party."

"You can't go to school." My heart skipped a beat. "We don't even know what's going on."

Leon inhaled the smoke, "Sure we do. I mean, I do."

"Leon-"

"You, on the other hand, have no idea what you've crawled into bed with." He looked up through the smoke. "Or you don't want to admit it."

Ice spread through my veins, "Care to enlighten me what I've crawled into bed with?"

Leon headed for the door, and added over his shoulder, "A demon."