SPELLBOUND

Though shocked at the sudden movement, Zanya trustingly held onto him, already realizing that he must have had sensed someone coming and they had to hide now. He looked at her, then his lips came pressing against hers. She immediately kissed him back, smiling in her mind in disbelief on how the hell was she still being able to be so turned on and could not even refuse him in this situation.

When he broke their kiss, he swam towards a certain direction, pulling at her wrist. Their heads slowly emerged from the water behind a crystal stone.

They breathed as quietly as possible, while listening in to the voices that had appeared on the shore. Leon was glad he immediately jumped into the water with her. Had they stayed there for even a little longer on the shore, he was certain those people might have picked up on their scents.

"They're now here too. Do you think those idiots really went into the forest?"

"They can't stop thinking about that beautiful light fae. Knowing those two, they really might really go there to look for her."

"Tsk! How idiotic."

"And also… I think maybe because His Highness had ordered to stop the kidnapping of the light faes now."

"What? Already? We only got like so few of them!"

"I think it's because he had caught their Queen already."

"Really?! He already caught the light fae queen?! You mean she's here now?! Holy…!!"

"Yes. I saw him personally escorting her into the castle yesterday."

"Damn, our prince is amazing! Isn't the light fae queen supposed to be like crazy strong? No offense to His Highness, but how in blue blazes did our prince even manage to catch her so easily?"

"That could only mean one thing. Our prince is stronger and the light fae queen is not as powerful as rumours have it."

"Right."

The voices faded off as the dark faes left the area. But Zanya and Leon's face were now pale and stricken at the recent information they had just accidentally heard. They looked at each other with almost the same expression. Damn!

"The queen is caught? How?" worry etched immediately on Zanya's face and on Leon's too. Their emotions and focus were immediately diverted to the queen. They knew that this would only spell disaster.

"I don't know. When I found the portal, I immediately sent the light faes to go and report to her about the portal. And to think it wasn't even long since I myself entered the Under Land and she's already here?"

"What should we do? We must… we must save her!" Zanya's voice was shrill with worry.

Leon nodded at her without hesitation. "We will." He said and after looking around, he took her by the hand, and they left the water.

Looking at her again, Leon took off his wet shirt and handed it over to Zanya. She quickly received it, thanking him as she only now realized that it was only the cloak that was covering her nakedness. When she took the cloak, Leon suddenly turned around, causing Zanya to smile mischievously.

His shirt was so big it even reached below her knees. "You can look now," Zanya said. "Though… it's not like you haven't seen me naked already." Zanya could not help but tease Leon. She loved how he was so easily embarrassed and blushed at the littlest things.

Leon cleared his throat and look around. Seeing the bright flush on his face made Zanya thought that he was super adorable. Such a big man and still blushing like a kid.

"I am doing my best not to be seduced in this situation." He told her in a serious tone and Zanya could only chortle with glee. She used her magic to dry the both of them up."You stand out too much." Leon complained adoringly as he picked the dark cloak and put it on her, even pulling the hood over her silver head. "We need clothes. Preferably a dark fae soldier's clothes to enter the city. That would give us enough cover to slip in unnoticed."

Zanya agreed with him, and the duo then came up with a plan.

They both chased after the two dark faes they overheard talking a while ago and they found them near the forest again. And in just a matter of seconds, Zanya and Leon took the dark faes down with swift cat-like moves. They were so perfectly in sync that their single attack was just incredibly deadly.

Nodding at each other, they removed the dark faes clothes and then threw their bodies into the forest, confident that the evidence would be destroyed by the creatures of the forest that were starving for flesh.

In no time at all, the two of them headed back to the city, wearing similar all-black outfits and black cloaks covering them.

"No matter what happens, never show your wings." Leon reminded her in an urgent whisper. "And… don't ever get separated from me."

The intensity of his voice sent ripples through Zanya's body as she stared into those mesmerizing purple eyes.

"Are you listening to me?" he touched her cheek with the back of his hand and Zanya caught her lower lip between her teeth, realizing that he seemed to be more and more attractive to her by the minute. His gaze alone could immobilize her.

Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and bit two of his fingers, shocking Leon as he froze and became a statue. "I refuse to be the only one being rendered immobile like this." She muttered under her breath, then she smirked at him as she licked his fingers then let go.

"Now, now," she averted her face from him and looked at the towering castle from afar. "It's time for us to focus. No flirting from here on, Leon." She looked at him sideways, blatantly ignoring the fact that she was the one who initiated their little flirting stint just a few moments ago. "We must save our queen first."

Leon half bit his lower lip, barely stopping himself from biting her fingers back in retaliation, and faced the castle as well. He did not speak anymore knowing that she would retort again. But in his mind, he muttered the words 'prepare yourself once everything is over Zanya.'

He smiled for a moment then his smile faded. Both their gazes were more than serious now. They were gazes only found on warriors.

"Wait for us, Queen. We're coming to save you." They said and they finally moved forward.