Page 56 of Grabbed By the Guard

The portal closes behind me, but I don’t care. If we’re right back where we started, that’s fine.

We’re together and that’s all that matters.

“Glaine?”

At the sounds of his name in my voice, his head jerks up. “Billie. No. What are you… you’re supposed to be in the human world. Not here.”

Forget where I’m supposed to be… “What are you doing here? In the dungeon. In chains? I thought the duke dropped all the charges.” Wait. A terrible idea pops into my head. Supposed to be in the human world… “Did you think I was leaving with Sierra? I just wanted to talk to her, Glaine. That’s all. I wouldn’t leave without you.”

He blinks. “But I thought?—”

“You thought wrong. And, baby, you shouldn’t think without me there to help you out. What happened? You got the idea that I was leaving, and what? Since that breaks the first law, Duke Haures threw you back in the cell?”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Then why are you?”

“The duke’s first law is that no human should know of Sombra.”

“Unless they’re a mate.” I gesture at myself. “Mate.”

Smart demon. He doesn’t remind me that, technically, we’re not fully bonded yet so it wouldn’t count in the duke’s eyes. It should, though. We got in trouble in the first place because I pointedly refuse to accept that I was a Sombra demon’s mate.

That was last month Billie. This month Billie? I’m proud to call Glaine mine.

“There are more laws than that,” Glaine admits. “I was sent to put a clan artist in chains and take him to the dungeon once when it became clear that his human mate did not want to choose him. He kept the bond open and unfulfilled as long as Duke Haures allowed, but us demons have to accept when Fate and the gods get it wrong. Lilith denied me because she knew Apollyon was her male. And you… I’d wait forever for your acceptance, my mortal. But I won’t put you through that now that you can leave me behind.”

Is he… is he serious? The self-centered demon who stole me before he even said ‘hi’ is trying to be noble and let me go all because he got the wrong idea in his head?

“Oh, no, you don’t.”

The flash of obvious anger in my voice has Glaine’s familiar scowl returning. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Glaine.”

He pretends as though he didn’t. “Why did you send… Loki. It had to have been Loki. Why did you send him away? You know I don’t have the power for shadow travel. I am a… was a soldier. Not a mage. There won’t be any guards willing to leave the cell open for me now. You should’ve left while you still could.”

“And leave you in the dungeon?”

“Don’t worry about me. We’re not bonded,” he says, and it’s true. “No matter what’s passed between us… I can release you from our mate bond. You no longer have to be tied to me.”

“And that’ll get you out of the dungeon again? You’ll dump me to get free from the chains, that it?”

Was I wrong in believing that he honestly chose me? Not because of Fate, but because?—

“No. Because I love you too much to keep you here when you don’t want to be kept, my Billie. I love you enough to grant you the one thing you desire above all us.” He gulps, and I know he’s remembering the prophecy from the doppelseers when he says: “Your freedom.”

I never wanted freedom, unless he’s talking about the freedom to choose. And guess what, Glaine?

“We’re not bonded,” I say, and he shudders out a breath to hear that I’ve agreed with him. I moved closer to where he’s still crouched. “At least, not yet.”

His eyes brighten. “Billie?”

“You’re not falling on your sword for me, Glaine.”

A look of confusion flashes across his face as he slowly rises. “My sword? Would you like to take it for protection in the mortal realm? Without me there to keep you safe and your mortal body so fragile… I cannot retrieve now because of the chains, but later?—”

“Don’t be an idiot. I’m not trying to stab you, I’m trying to keep you from sacrificing yourself for me.”

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