The screams of the dying monsters faded into the background, replaced by the heavy, wet sounds of butchery as the Blackfang Bandits finished their work.
In the center of the town square, atop the pile of corpses that had become his throne, Leo stood still. His chest heaved with exertion, his black tunic plastered to his skin with sweat and the blood of a hundred kills.
He felt a soft, cool touch on his cheek.
Belladonna, the Bandit Queen, stood before him. She had discarded her mask, revealing her striking, pale face to the world for the first time. She reached into her bodice and pulled out a silk handkerchief—one that smelled of her perfume and the heat of her skin.
"You are a mess, My King," she murmured, her voice a low purr that only he could hear.
