As the current Master of the Mage Tower and the kingdom's strongest Archmage, Elric had complete confidence in his own abilities. If they truly fought, he wasn't convinced he would lose so easily.
But...
Strength wasn't what unsettled him.
It was the way Leon was looking at him.
Those burning golden feline eyes remained locked onto him without blinking, so intensely focused that Elric felt an inexplicable chill crawl down his spine.
For some bizarre reason, he suddenly had the absurd feeling that he wasn't being looked at as a fellow powerhouse...
He was being looked at as a prized possession.
No...
As Leon's personal ticket straight to his mate.
That frighteningly eager gaze made Archmage Elric instinctively take half a step backward, clutching his staff a little tighter as every instinct screamed that, somehow, he had just become the target of a very dangerous predator.
