Raph X Leo Novels & Stories

Leo looked up at me and grinned, his mouth ringed in purple from a grape Popsicle he’d snuck earlier. “Mommy, did you know T-Rexes can’t hug?” I blinked, caught off guard. “They can’t?” He held up the book proudly. “Too short arms.” I laughed. The sound came out thin, but it was real. “Poor T-Rex. Maybe they blow kisses instead.” Leo giggled. “Like this?” He puckered and blew a dramatic kiss across the room. I caught it midair and pressed it to my heart. Somehow, in all the chaos and fear, this boy reminded me what love looked like. Unfiltered. Unafraid. Completely untainted by the cruelty I once mistook for affection.

He had a hint of a moustache sprouting on his top lip and the kindest, eager puppy eyes. I looked away from him. The last thing I want right now is to encourage him into thinking that I am interested in romance. “Thank you for helping me with my desk this morning. You didn’t have to.” “Oh, please,” Lea said with a wave of her hand. “No need to be so kind. Leo loves to help. Also, he thinks that going out of his way to be kind is going to get him a girlfriend.” “Lea!” Leo said, his face and ears turning red.

When I open my eyes, I see Leo approaching me with a small stack of papers extended to me. “Rhian as you know I am to transfer the title of Alpha to Xavier in just a couple of short weeks. I want you to see everything on this list. It all needs to be ready for next Saturday. I don’t have time to deal with it, make sure that it’s perfect, or else.”

To create. Léo lies down on the worn wooden floor, arms outstretched, eyes fixed on the ceiling where cobwebs cling. An offering. A blank canvas. "Show me," he says simply. I grab the charcoal lying near the old stove, the one he uses to sketch set ideas. I kneel beside him. The first touch of charcoal on his sternum is a dry scratch, an affirmation. He holds his breath.

"Nice to meet you too, Rain. I like your name." "I like yours too!" Rain exclaimed, her eyes shining and forgetting about the chastising just now. "It sounds like a lion!" Leo's chest puffed out even further with a grin splitting his face from ear to ear. "It is named after a lion! A big, strong lion." River gave up and watched the interaction with a smile. It had been a long time since she'd seen Rain this excited She, however, forced herself to act neutral. “It seems Rain has made a new friend, Finn. This must be Leo."

Even simple things like breakfast or sleep now felt secondary to whatever crisis arrived next. Leo sat beside me at the kitchen table working on a drawing when Dylan entered. For the first time in days, the sight immediately softened his expression. It wasn't a dramatic change. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed it. But I did. No matter how much pressure surrounded him, Leo still managed to reach the part of Dylan untouched by business, investigations, and violence. Watching that happen always reminded me of the man beneath everything else. "Look," Leo announced proudly. He held up a piece of paper covered in colorful marker drawings. Three stick figures stood beneath a bright blue s

“Dad, look!” Leo exclaimed, his voice clear but still small. I turned, stunned, to the doctor. "What is that? I thought the gift was a piece of candy." "It's a charcoal sketch I did of the Catskills. I have a small portfolio here. When I saw him with his coloring pencils, I thought he might appreciate the focus on structure and line," Frederick confessed with a wide, genuine grin. His explanation finally clicked and proved how thoughtful he was. “Thank you for being so considerate, Frederick.”

Emilia and Jasmine where still seated but glaring at each other while poor Leo in between as though trying to prevent a fight from breaking out. “We better go before he loses it.” Raphael got up extending his hand to me. Blushing, I took his hand and we headed back to the rest of the group. “I didn’t know getting drink,” Leo glared at Raphael and I before shooting the same look at Pedro. “or Going to the bathroom took fucking hours.” “Sorry dude.” Raphael told him. “On the bright side, I got your favorite drink.” He smile sheepishly while waving the canned energy drink in front of his friend.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about what they could do for Leah. Francesca noticed that Ray had turned his right hand over and was absently running his thumb over the back of the three-headed dragon tattoo that had been inked on his wrist since he was sixteen. Francesca looked at Ray contemplatively. “What would you do if you were Leah?” She asked Ray quietly. Ray’s head snapped in Francesca’s direction. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then he quietly asked, “What do you mean?”

Quinn's eyes fell and never left me the whole time until I reached him. "It is a pleasure to join you in this trip, Alpha. May the moon goddess bless us in this journey." I smiled, followed with a respectful bow. Though his face remain stoic, his eyes showered interest and caution on my every word and actions as though he's trying to figure me out. "Unfortunately, your presence is not necessary, Leaxandra." Ouch, snappy as always. "That's the opposite of what this letter told me." I showed him the envelope having the Lycan's imperial seal with a pout. "The contents of this invite proves my very right to enter the Lycan's kingdom where the contract renewal is bound to be held."