Despite the fear shaking his whole body, Zander decided to be a man and not give this dangerous stranger any impression that he was in any way intimidated by his actions, and even his beauty.
"Who the hell are you? And what gives you the right to act like you own my place?" Zander snapped. Somehow, luckily for him, his voice didn't tremble in fear as his heart was.
However, the man simply blinked at him, as if the question was totally unnecessary.
"I am Leroy Theron." he said calmly, as if that single name should explain everything that Zander needed to know.
Zander's jaw clenched. He let out a harsh breath through his nose.
"Leroy Theron," he repeated mockingly.
"What kind of ancient-ass name is that? And why the hell does someone with an ancient name want to kill me when I haven't done anything wrong?" His nostrils flared at the last part as he remembered how he had nearly lost his life from the man's grip on his throat.
At his statement, Leroy's expression shifted dramatically.
His eyebrows furrowed. His lips pressed into a line. The seriousness on his face melted away, replaced by something that looked almost childish...
A frown, like an actual pout.
"You... don't like my name?" Leroy asked, his voice dropping slightly, tinged with what sounded like genuine hurt.
Zander stared at him, completely baffled. He blinked severally, trying to make sense of what he meant.
"What? What does that even... why does that matter? You just tried to kill me!"
Leroy stood up from the couch in one smooth motion and began walking toward Zander, his expression morphing into something pained, vulnerable even.
Zander's heart kicked into overdrive.
"Stay back," Zander warned, stepping backward instinctively.
But Leroy kept coming.
Zander's back hit the wall with a soft thud and he became trapped.
Panic flared in his chest and his hands pressed flat against the wall behind him as if he could somehow push through it and escape.
Even though Leroy's expression was pained, almost sad, Zander couldn't forget what had just happened. The hand around his throat. The sword raised to kill him.
What if he brought it out again?
Leroy stopped directly in front of him, so close that Zander could feel the heat radiating from his body. Their height difference meant Leroy had to tilt his head down slightly to look into Zander's eyes.
And he did. He looked directly into them, holding Zander's gaze with an intensity that made it impossible to look away.
"Do you not like my name?" Leroy asked again, his voice softer now, almost pleading.
Zander's breath came in shallow bursts. His heart pounded.
"Must I like it?" Zander snapped back defensively, trying to sound braver than he felt.
"Yes," Leroy said immediately, his tone completely serious.
"And why the hell is that?" Zander's eyebrows shot up.
Leroy leaned in slightly, his eyes never leaving Zander's.
"Because that's the name you'll be screaming when I'm making love to you." Leroy muttered casually, as if it was the normal thing a killer should be saying to his victimized prey.
Zander's breath hitched sharply. He couldn't decide between being angry or shocked.
His eyes widened in shock, his lips parting but no words coming out.
And for a long moment, they just stood there, frozen. Zander staring at Leroy in utter disbelief, and Leroy staring back with complete sincerity.
Then, slowly, Leroy's gaze softened even more.
"Mine," he murmured, his voice low and possessive.
His eyes traced over Zander's face like he was memorizing every detail.
"Beautiful eyes," Leroy added quietly, almost reverently.
That snapped Zander out of his daze.
"Get off me!" Zander shoved at Leroy's chest with both hands.
But Leroy didn't budge, not even an inch.
It was like pushing against a brick wall. The man was solid muscle, completely immovable.
Zander's frustration boiled over.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he hissed, his voice shaking with anger and confusion. "You tried to kill me not even an hour ago, and now you're acting like... like you're obsessed with me or something! Are you insane?"
Leroy opened his mouth to respond, but then his expression changed abruptly.
His eyes lost focus. He stared blankly past Zander, as if looking at something far away that only he could see.
His ears twitched slightly.
Zander's eyebrows furrowed as he watched this strange shift as he wondered what was happening?
The silence stretched for several tense seconds.
Then, just as suddenly, Leroy snapped back into focus. His eyes locked onto Zander again, sharp and present.
Before Zander could say anything, Leroy lifted his hands and gently cupped Zander's face between his palms.
The touch was warm, very soft and completely tender.
"I need to go kill someone. I'll be back soon." Leroy said casually, as if discussing a delicacy to have for dinner.
Zander's brain almost froze.
"You—what?" He stared at Leroy like the man had just spoken in another language.
Leroy didn't elaborate.
Instead, he stepped back, releasing Zander's face, and turned toward the window...
In one fluid, impossibly fast motion, Leroy launched himself through the window. He jumped straight through it with inhuman speed.
Zander stood frozen against the wall, staring at the now-empty window frame in complete shock.
"What the hell just happened?"
His heart was still racing. His face felt warm where Leroy's hands had been. His mind was a chaotic mess of fear, confusion, and something else he didn't want to name.
That strange flutter in his chest when Leroy had cupped his face so gently.
"No... Of course,there's nothing warm about that dangerous, strange man." Zander muttered to himself, shaking his head violently.
He pushed off the wall and ran a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth in his small living room.
"He is a pyscho. I need to get out of here before he comes back to finish what he has started and kill me." He said into the empty room.
But before he could take even one step toward his bedroom to start packing his bags, the familiar translucent interface flickered to life before his eyes.
Zander jumped, his nerves already shot.
[SUCCUBUS SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[MISSION 2 UNLOCKED]
Zander's stomach dropped.
"No, not now." he breathed in exasperation.
But the System didn't care and instead, continued delivering its message:
[CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING MISSION 1, COLLECTOR ZANDER]
[ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR NEXT MISSION?]
Zander clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
He remembered the chaos that surrounded the first mission and hissed in annoyance.
And the fact that there was now a psychotic man, wanting to murder him, in the picture only infuriated Zander further.
"Am I ready?" Zander muttered bitterly to himself, staring at the glowing text.
Then he let out a harsh, humorless laugh.
"Am I ready for another ridiculous mission?"