Steve Leonard is one of the main characters of the Saga, first appearing in the first book 'Cirque Du Freak' as a child and Darren's best friend. When he buys them tickets to the Cirque du Freak, the two of them go together, and Steve is shocked to recognize Larten Crepsley/Vur Horsten as a vampire whom he had seen in an ancient book of vampires previously. After the show, Steve leaves Darren to find Crepsley. Unbeknownst to Steve, Darren follows him and listens in as he hears Steve beg Crepsley to turn him into a vampire and take him on as his assistant. Crepsley initially agrees, but changes his mind when he tastes Steve's blood, which he accuses of being evil, and refuses to take Steve as his assistant. Steve leaves, swearing vengeance on the vampire. Darren is afraid of Steve and is disturbed by his desire to become a vampire, but after Darren has stolen Crepsley's spider, Madame Octa, the two reconcile and Darren shows Steve how he controls the spider. However, as the two are handling the creature, an unfortunate series of events results in Steve being bitten and poisoned by her. There appears to be no cure, and out of desperation, Darren goes to Crepsley for help, begging for a cure. Crepsley agrees, but only on the condition that Darren becomes a half-vampire and Crepsley's assistant. Darren reluctantly agrees, and successfully cures Steve, and then attempts to abandon Larten Crepsley. However, he cannot control his bloodlust and drinks from one of his friends, and then almost his sister. Steve realizes the truth after witnessing Darren trying to drink blood from the friend during soccer. Darren returns to Crepsley and agrees to becomes his assistant. After Darren fakes his death to his friends and family,after Crepsley dig him up and he takes a walk Steve attacks Darren by putting a stake against his heart and accusing Darren of instructing Madame Octa to attack him and conspiring with Crepsley against him. Steve cannot bring himself to kill Darren, however, but swears to become the world's greatest vampire hunter and return and kill both Darren and Larten Crepsley in the future.

Steve does not reappear, and is scarcely mentioned up until book 8 'Allies of the Night', where he has apparently changed his views and become a vampaneze hunter, rescuing Darren from a vicious vampaneze killer and assisting Darren, Harkat, Vancha, Crepsley and Debbie in fighting them. Although Darren, Harkat and Vancha trust him, Crepsley remains suspicious of him throughout the majority of the book. It is believed that Steve's actions are benevolent up until the climax of the book, when the vampires are ambushed by the vampaneze in the tunnel, where Steve takes Debbie hostage and reveals he is a half-vampaneze, having manipulated the Hunters the whole time. In the following battle, Debbie is taken by the vampaneze, but the Hunters manage to take Steve hostage.

In the following book Killers of the Dawn Steve eventually manages to escape and is not seen again until the end of the story, where he is with the vampaneze in the Cavern. Crepsley agrees to engage him, Gannen Harst and the apparent Lord of the Vampaneze in battle above a pit of flaming stakes. Crepsley successfully kills who appears to be the Lord of the Vampaneze, but is knocked over the edge by Steve and is killed. As the Vampaneze Lord is believed to be dead, the Hunters believe the War of the Scars to be over, until the final stages of the book where Steve reveals the truth to Darren: that he himself is in fact the true Lord of the Vampaneze and therefore potentially the Lord of the Shadows. Steve then leaves with his fellow vampaneze.

Steve does not appear in the following book The Lake of Souls albeit in a dream in which Darren is battling him in a nightmarish world.

Steve returns again in the penultimate book Lord of the Shadows with R.V., Gannen Harst, Morgan James and a new assistant, Darius, who is revealed to be his son. In the closing stages of the book, Evra's son Shancus is taken hostage by the vampaneze and taken to the stage area which was the former theatre of the Cirque du Freak. Steve appears at the theatre, where the Hunters arrive with Steve's son Darius as their hostage. Steve initially agrees to swap Shancus for Darius, but before the swap is made, he snaps Shancus' neck, killing him. In revenge, Darren prepares himself to kill Darius, before Steve reveals to him that Darius' mother is in fact Darren's sister, Annie.

In Sons of Destiny it is revealed that during Darren's absence, Steve returned to Darren's hometown after leaving, and befriended Annie Shan, and started a romantic relationship with her, impregnating her with Darius, before revealing to Annie that he has no love for her and leaving Annie with the baby, secretly meeting with Darius and converting him into a half-vampaneze, brainwashing him with propaganda. Darren and Vancha find Steve and the vampaneze at the Cirque du Freak, where they engage Steve and Gannen in battle. Vancha is wounded during the battle by Gannen and unable to fight any longer. Shortly afterwards, Gannen is knocked unconscious, leaving Steve and Darren alone to fight. During a long, vicious battle, Darren is eventually able to stab Steve fatally through the heart, apparently condemning him to become the tyrannical Lord of the Shadows, a monster worse than Steve himself. However, as Steve lies dying, Mr. Tiny reveals that he is in fact the actual father of both Steve and Darren, making the two of them brothers, and that their creation was part of his plot to gain control of the universe by siding with the Lord of the Shadows, whom he believes will join forces with him as his son. However, Darren sees a flaw in Tiny's plan, and prompts Steve into fatally stabbing him, resulting in the death of them both, and therefore, stopping the rise of the Lord of the Shadows.

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