I stared at the phone for four buzzes more, and then the fear that he wouldn't call again overwhelmed me and I picked up.

"Hello?"

It was 7AM.

"You up?" The voice on the other end sounded tired.

"I am now."

"Wanna meet me?"

I hated that question the moment he asked.

"Don't you think it's a little early?"

My treacherous heart was already hammering.

"It's late for some of us," Leon said, his voice lacking any of his usual smugness.

I knew I shouldn't. I knew it. Hell, if there was a demon present in my room, he was probably laughing at me, too.

"Where?"

If he said his room, I'd say no. No.

"Outside."

Fuck.

"I'm downstairs." He added.

Damn him straight to hell. Damn me.

"Okay." I whispered. "I'll be there in a second."

I put on my sweatpants and a hoodie, and finger combed my hair. I looked like absolute shit, but while I could cover the dark circles under my eyes, I could do nothing about the existential dread glinting inside them. I took my phone and dropped it in my pocket, then rushed down.

Leon was leaning against the wall outside the building. To my surprise, he was also wearing grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He changed since the party. I took in the half-drunk bottle of vodka and the cigarette in his hand. His tussled hair. His murky grey eyes.

I folded my hands on my chest, suddenly cold, "Party's over, I see."

"Party's been over for a while now." He inhaled.

"You're drinking alone, then."

Leon looked at me, "Wanna take a walk with me?"

I shouldn't. He was a demon. Worse, he was a manwhore and he's been playing hot and cold with me for months now. Worse than that, I had no idea how much he had to drink and how alcohol affected demons.

"Sure you don't wanna take a walk with one of those girls hanging on your arm earlier tonight?"

Leon's smile didn't reach his eyes, "Don't worry, they're all safe."

It was a weird answer, but it gave me an opening.

"Am I?"

A shadow passed over his face, and his lips pursed for a second.

Quickly, he brushed it off and offered a hand, "Cross my heart and hope to die."

A shiver ran down my spine at the memory those words brought back.

I wanted to walk away. I wanted to tell him I didn't want him in my life anymore. But I just couldn't do it tonight.

"Lead the way." I nodded, but didn't take his hand.

It dropped by his side, and he left the porch. The bottle swung back and forth in his hand, and the cigarette basically smoked itself. The morning was foggy, cold and dark. If Leon was cold, he didn't let it show, but I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering. I followed him down the path regardless. Questions interchanged in my head, but I couldn't bring myself to ask them.

We walked all the way to the edge of the forest, and my gut clenched at the thought of crossing the line and ending up on the other side of the shields. But a few feet into the naked trees, and Leon stopped and leaned against one of them. The trees cast a shadow, preventing the faint morning light from reaching us.

He slid on the cold, wet ground and took a swig of vodka, grimacing.

"What are we doing here?" I kept my distance.

Leon grabbed the bottle by its throat and drew a line with the bottom in the dirt, "The shields are here."

I looked around, "Really?"

Indeed, when I squinted hard enough, I could see the shimmers between Leon and me. Like a wall. I just couldn't feel it. Then, I realised it.

"It's affecting you."

"It's not terrible." He lit another cigarette. "But I needed a break."

"You're a demon." My breath formed steam.

Leon looked at me, the murky grey dancing with the clear blue in his eyes. I wondered what I'd feel if I had my magic, because right now, all I felt was the need to throw a blanket over his bare arms.

"You better stay within the shields."

"I don't-" Words caught on my tongue. Care. "How did you figure it out?"

"I get all feverish if I'm not around magic." Leon inhaled smoke and exhaled before continuing. "I can feel it everywhere around me, and I want to devour it."

"Like the ooze." I whispered.

"I scared off my staff." He ashed the cigarette and took a swig from the bottle. "The chef didn't have magic for weeks after an encounter with me."

My heart started to beat faster, "What...?"

"It came back." His gaze was full of tension. "Turns out you can't quite stop the witch from being a witch. Unless you kill them."

Yesterday, he was reluctant to touch me before he figured out I didn't have magic. Before he figured out he had nothing to devour.

"Why did you come here then?" I asked. "If you knew you could hurt someone. What did you even do to them?"

Leon shrugged, "Figured I could take the lust charm and not hurt anyone. Guess I was right."

His words filled me with unease. It was so much like him, to not think his actions through and just hope there wouldn't be consequences.

"Why didn't you answer my calls?"

I didn't even think the question through.

Leon looked at me, the cigarette forgotten in his hand. He said nothing for a long time, and I tried to read his expression, but deciphered nothing.

"You came here without even thinking it through." Tears burned in my eyes. "And you threw a fucking party, but couldn't send one goddamn message-"

"I went somewhere." He cut me off, looking away. "When I was dead."

When he said the word, tears choked me, and I was taken right back to that day, feeling all the dreadful feelings as that day. I couldn't help myself: I took a step closer, crossing the shields. Leon glanced at me, and for a second, I thought I saw fear in his jumpy eyes.

But I didn't care what he was.

I sat on the ground next to him, hoping he'd feel warmer even though he didn't even seem cold. Leon was sitting very still next to me, eyes glued to me. I took the cigarette from his hand, my fingers grazing his knuckles, and brought it to my lips.

His eyes stayed on me as I inhaled the smoke. It didn't sit well with me, but it tasted like him.

Leon finally looked away and took another swig from the bottle.

"It was a dream." He continued. "Or a memory, but it was all scrambled up. My mother waving at me while she got on the plane. But I was never at the airport with her, I think. She always left me at home."

I glanced at him.

Goddess, he was beautiful. His thin lips were pale. A shade covered his jaw and his cheeks. His eyelashes were black and long. He smelled like booze and cologne and tobacco.

"Has something else happened?" I whispered.

"You'd think it would, right?" Leon took the cigarette from my hand and took a drag, then spoke as he inhaled. "You'd think there'd be more to dying than a vague image of one's mother that never even happened."

"I'm sorry."

I didn't know what else to say. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have-

"It must be a pretty stupid life for such a shitty death."

The sentence took me by surprise, and I looked at him, my mouth falling open. I glanced at the bottle and the cigarette then, wondering if he was way drunker than it seemed. What was he feeling? Was he lonely? Was he sad? Was the only love he's ever known the distant kind?

When had my heart decided to look for excuses when it came to him?

"Leon." I faced him fully. "Tell me how to help."

He glanced at me, a smile tugging at his lips, "You want to help me?"

Shivers that ran down my spine weren't from the cold. I swallowed hard and nodded.

Leon put out the cigarette and slid his gaze over me. Over my entire body. Suddenly, extremely aware of every inch of my body and the fact there was a demon next to me, I took in a sharp breath.

"Do you know that there's a demon following you?" Leon asked. "And it isn't me."

My heart hammered in my chest. The shadows in his eyes danced. The forest around us turned cold and quiet.

"Is it here?" My voice was a whisper.

"Not when you're with me." Leon said and put his palm over the back of my hand, his thumb drawing lazy circles on my skin. "I have lots of new crazy magic like that. For example, I can feel your magic now. It's still there."

Cold sweat washed over me, and the protective shield around the Academy seemed far away now, even though it was only a few feet.

Leon kneeled in front of me and put both of his hands on the tree trunk behind me, trapping me. I scooted closer to the tree, every inch of my body pounding with adrenaline. He looked down at me, and his eyes appeared blacker.

"Maybe I'll let you experiment on me." He leaned forward until his lips were a breath from mine. "Maybe I'll let you do whatever you want to me."

Something melancholic washed over me, like a dull, slow wave, and drowned me. Tears welled up in my eyes. Every time I was near him, my heart cracked a bit more.

The tension between us doubled when Leon saw the tears spilling down my cheeks. His hands dropped by his sides and he sat on the back of his legs. He pursed his lips, and his expression gave nothing away. I would have done anything to see something in those grey eyes. Regret. Guilt. Empathy. But there was nothing. Always nothing.

"Didn't Thar tell you to stay away from me?" Leon asked, and another wave of tears burned in the back of my throat.

"He did." I nodded quickly and wiped away tears. "I have to-"

I pulled myself up, taking a few steps away from him. Leon was kneeling on the ground for a few seconds longer, and we just stared at each other.

"I have to go now." I swallowed the pain. "I can't do this anymore."

Something flashed in his eyes, and he stood up, almost like he was about to stop me.

I folded my arms on my chest and met his gaze, letting truth seep out of me.

"Sometimes I think all you want to do is ruin me."

Leon's hands dropped by his sides. He nodded. Once. Twice.

Then, without another word, he just walked away from me. And for once, I couldn't cry anymore.

My mind was too scrambled with all questions and my heart ached from all confusing emotions, and I just couldn't handle it anymore. All I knew was that Thar was right.

I had to stay away from him. For my own good.

Arms folded and eyes dry, I walked back to my room, wishing I'd never left it in the first place. All I wanted was to help him. Keep him alive.

My gaze escaped to the window, and there, on the window sill, carved into the wood stood:

The path to hell is paved with good intentions.

Except all the Es were three strange vertical dots.