Chapter 33: "Who is Leo Ashton?"

Ivy

I stood frozen by the window, my breath caught in my throat. There, in the shadows just beyond the tall wrought-iron gates, stood a figure. Its silhouette was vague, but the glimmer of pale eyes staring directly at me sent a chill down my spine. I couldn’t make out the details, but the feeling was unmistakable—it has to be the Keeper.

Did I scream? I couldn't tell anymore. I thought Leo said I was safe here? How is the keeper here as well?

The figure’s gaze didn’t falter, and my heart began to pound in my chest. ‘What does it want? Why is it here?’ I reached for my phone, but my hands were shaking too much to type. Without thinking, I rushed to the door, my instincts pulling me away from the dark figure outside.  

Before I could step into the hallway, a heavy knock echoed through the door. Startled, I spun around, my pulse quickening. I hesitated, staring at the door for a long moment, debating whether to answer. Another knock followed, more insistent.  

"Ivy, it’s Leo," came his voice, muffled through the door.  

My heart skipped a beat. ‘Leo?’ I rushed to the door, opening it without a second thought.  

Leo stood on the other side, his expression serious. His eyes scanned my face with a concerned frown, but the energy in the room felt different. The tension was thick, a strange stillness hanging between them.

"I saw it," I whispered, my voice trembling. "The Keeper... outside the window." I could feel my chest tightening as the words left my lips. But as I met Leo’s gaze, something shifted. 

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but it wasn’t one of comfort. No, it was chilling, predatory—a smile that made my blood run cold.  

He stepped inside without saying another word. I took a step back, unease blossoming in my chest. Something isn’t right. Something’s off about this.

"Leo...?" My voice cracked, desperately trying to shake the feeling of dread crawling up her spine. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He didn’t respond, just kept moving toward me, his presence overwhelming, suffocating. "Leo!" I called out again, but my words were swallowed up in the growing silence. He was too focused on something I couldn't comprehend. The smile didn’t fade. Instead, it grew darker, more sinister.  

With each step he took toward me, I felt my heart race faster, my breath shortening. I wanted to run, to scream, to push him away, but my body refused to obey. There was a force around him, a magnetic pull drawing me in.  

Finally, we were inches apart. I looked up at him, but the warmth I’d always seen in his eyes was gone. Instead, they were pitch black—deep, endless voids that seemed to swallow everything.  

His hands moved slowly, deliberately, toward my face, and I could see his claws extend, glinting in the dim light. My throat went dry, and my skin prickled with fear. ‘No. This can’t be happening’. 

Then, the sight that made my stomach churn—his teeth. They weren’t the teeth of a werewolf. No. These were fangs, sharp, long, and glistening, with an unnatural thirst to them. A vampire?

I gasped, stepping backward, my body reacting before my mind could catch up. ‘Leo... is a vampire?’  

But before I could process anything further, Leo lunged, his fangs sinking deep into my neck, the cold pressure of his teeth sending shockwaves through my body. The pain was sharp, terrifying. I screamed, feeling his fangs tear into my flesh, and in that instant, everything around me seemed to blur and vanish.  

With all my might, I screamed. I jolted awake, stumbling backward as I got out of the bed. The room spun, my vision swimming with terror. Just then, the door flew open with a violent crash.  

Leo stood in the doorway, a fury in his eyes that burned through the air. He was like a storm unleashed, his entire presence crackling with power, his body tense, his hands balled into fists. He looked like he was ready to tear something apart.  

"Ivy!" He snapped my name like a command, and I felt my knees nearly give way. The horror, the confusion—it was too much for me to process. 

Before I could speak, he rushed to my side, his arms enveloping me, his warmth flooding me with an unspoken reassurance. He pulled me close, holding me as if I might disappear if he let go.  

"It’s okay. You’re okay," he whispered into my ears, but I could barely feel the comfort in his words.  

My heart was still pounding, the taste of fear lingering in my mouth. ‘Was that just a nightmare or a vision?’ I didn’t trust the questions swirling in my head. Was Leo really the one to hurt me? Would he ever have the need to attack me?  

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I trembled in his arms, shaking from the nightmare and the reality of the situation. I felt small, fragile, vulnerable in a way I hadn’t before.  

Why are all these happening now? What am I supposed to do? How do I fight back the nightmares? Can nightmares be defeated?

“I heard you scream. What happened?” he asked softly, his voice soothing.

"Leo," I whispered hoarsely, pushing him away just slightly. "I—I had a nightmare. It was just a nightmare."  

His brow furrowed as he looked at me, clearly unconvinced, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he cupped my face gently with one hand, his thumb brushing her cheek. "I’ll stay with you, Ivy. If you need me, I’m not going anywhere."  

I pulled back, shaking my head, my chest tightening. No way am I letting a man who nearly sucked me dry sleep beside me. ‘What if it wasn’t just a nightmare?’

"I need to be alone for a while," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. "I’ll be fine."  

Leo hesitated, his eyes searching mine for something, for a sign that I wasn’t lying. But when he saw my determination, he nodded slowly. "Alright. I’m next door if you need anything."  

With one last longing look at my direction, he left the room, shutting the door behind him. As the sound of his retreating footsteps faded, I stood there in the silence of the room, my heart still racing.

I could feel the weight of the moment pressing in on me—’Who is Leo Ashton?’ 

‘What am I getting myself into?’

I walked to the door, locking it behind me as though it could keep him out. As I leaned against it, my mind swirled with questions that I couldn’t even begin to answer. I needed time, space, to figure it all out. Leo—the man I thought I knew—was slipping away from me, with hidden parts I wasn’t sure I could trust.  

And then it hit me. ‘What if this isn’t just a nightmare? What if it’s really a vision? What if Leo ends up killing me?

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop trembling. The world outside the door felt cold, uncertain, and I wasn’t sure I could face whatever came next.

Who is Leo Ashton? And was he the same person I thought I knew? Or was there something darker hiding behind his charm, his power, and his affection for me?  

I didn’t know if I could find the answer, but I knew one thing for sure: I couldn’t trust him anymore—not fully. And that, in itself, was terrifying.

But there is one person I could at least trust.