Within their dreams (Reverse Harem)

Chapter 32

Leo's POV

She looks different. Has she lost weight? I glance at her once more, memorising every inch of her as she talks to Owen, her smile brightening the garden we're sitting in. Flowers surround us on all sides, giving us the illusion of privacy, but I'm aware of the elders pacing behind us. She's perching on a bench along a wall of roses, giggling at one of Owen's stories. The wind is blowing her hair around her face, dancing in the breeze. She looks as beautiful as ever but I've spent months studying every feature, every minor change in her expression. And something feels off.

Her smile is not as wide, her body is stiff and I notice her eyes darting to the edges of the garden each time she hears the crunch of leaves. Her eyes drift to me as I sit across from them and her smile fades slightly. It's my own doing, for allowing Simon to take her but my heart squeezes painfully all the same. I suppose it's the punishment I deserve. Her mate bond has also been shut off to me since she got here, but I don't blame her when I shut off my part of the bond first. I've been trying to get time with her for days to explain why I agreed to Simon's demands, knowing he could keep her indefinitely, but he's refused, stating that she was too unstable. But I assume he grew tired of our constant demands to speak to her, hence our visit today.

He's aware of the power he holds over us by keeping her here and will no doubt use that to his advantage. But even his position on the council doesn't make him untouchable. Withholding one's mate, let alone a royal one goes against all our rules. Sure, you can encourage one partner not to go through the full mating bond, hell you can even blackmail them if you find the right loophole, but you can't hold them prisoner. Eventually, he has to return her to us. The problem is, there's no time limit to keep him to. Even as future king of the realm, he's made us feel utterly powerless, and I despise him for it. But I've been around him and the other council members long enough to know how they play the game, and this is one that I'm determined to win. So if I must be patient so be it. I just hope it doesn't cost me Ivy in the process.

I tune back into Ivy and Owen's conversation, watching the sun hit her pale skin. Was she always this pale? She shuffles uncomfortably, glancing at me from under her lashes before sitting up straighter. I finally stand and make my way over to her. I watch the way her body responds to me as I get closer, the quickness of her breath, her hands bunched in her lap. While she looks everywhere but at me, her entire body is tuned to mine.

I take the seat next to her, brushing my fingers through her hair and resting it along one shoulder, letting her pretty neck come into view. She gasps quietly, her body suppressing a shudder.

"What are you doing?" She murmurs softly as my knuckles graze her bare shoulder. She shifts closer to Owen but I follow her, moving my hand up to her cheek.

"Leo," she whispers, her voice catching.

"I'm sorry," I whisper back, running my hand down her arm until our fingers intertwine. I watch her eyes flutter closed, taking her bottom lip into her mouth. Her face crumples, making my heart burn.

"Let me explain."

She shakes her head, pulling her fingers free.

"Gorgeous, look at me."

She sighs, turning towards him and finally opening her eyes again.

"We want you back home with us, both of us." My eyes catch his.

"Simon put us in a corner, but we're going to bring you back home. We just need a little time."

"Fine."

"Baby-"

"I don't want to talk about this," she shakes her head, balling her fists in her lap.

"I don't want to talk about how you traded me off to someone horrible, or the fact that you both stood there, the so-called princes and did nothing while Simon treated me like something that needed to be trained."

I open my mouth to argue, but nothing comes out. She's right, and as I look over to Owen, he knows it too.

I reach out to grasp her hands in mine, unfolding them gently and laying them flat, massaging her fingers until they start to relax.

"You're right little one," I murmur, finally catching her gaze. "If you don't want to talk about it that's okay. And if you want to be mad at me then I deserve it. But we're doing everything we can to get you back." She gives me a tight smile, nodding.

"How are you though?"

She casts her eyes down, shrugging.

"I'm fine, everyone's a bit glum here but I'm doing okay." I note the way she shifts and avoids our eyes but stay silent.

"How's your magic?" Owen asks. "Can you show me any cool tricks?"

She giggles, finally relaxing and lifting some of the weight that's been pushing down on my chest.

She raises her hands, gliding them across the grass in front of us. Roses bloom at our feet, covering the ground in vibrant red. They grow upwards until they're grazing our knees, petals spread and open towards the sun. Then, she lowers her hand and they grow small, disappearing back into the ground as if they were never there.

"That's so cool," Owen breathes leaning down to run his hand over the grass where the roses were.

"I'm learning how to make little spells for better control, so my magic doesn't overwhelm me."

She shrugs again.

"At least there's something positive about this," Owen mutters.

"I get to see where my parents grew up. Where I would've if I wasn't..."

"How is it?" I ask.

"It's...gloomy. And cold." She sighs, a sad smile on her face. "I'm glad I didn't grow up here. But I wish I had been able to know them."

"I wish you had too little one."

The crunch of leaves gets our attention. Two elders make their way towards us, their faces blank.

"Your Highnesses," they bow. "Ivy must attend her lesson with Simon now."

Ivy stiffens but relaxes her face, standing. Owen and I follow her starting towards the coven entrance until one of the elders stops us.

"Simon instructed us to escort you to your car."

"You mean, Simon told you not to let us in," Owen scoffs. "In case you need a reminder, this is our realm, and we can go where we please."

She says nothing, remaining stoic. I tug on his arm, pulling him further away from her. There's no use in arguing, so I pull him to the car and shove him in, despite his efforts to get out of my grasp.

"You're the one that trashed your office the other day because you couldn't see her, why are you giving up so easily?"

"I'm not," I say.

A few beats of silence pass as we drive.

"She was withdrawn."

"We abandoned her, of course she was."

"It wasn't just that and you know it," Owen says, turning towards me.

"I know. But if something is going on, she's not going to tell us in front of the elders spying on us."

"So what then? We wait and hope Simon lets us see her again? How long will we go before then?"

"We're seeing her tonight."

"How exactly are you going to do that?"

"I have experience sneaking in," I grin.

He rolls his eyes, laughing.

"Seriously? How many girls did you have sex with here?"

"Not many, but enough to know how to get in and out without being seen."

"And you waited until now, why?"

"I was biding my time. But seeing the way she was today, I don't want to go any longer without seeing her."

"Agreed."