Page 11 of Grabbed By the Guard

I snarl, banishing the memory of another male pleasuring my mate. I shove the rest of her essence to the corner of my mind, no longer wanting to see. She is my female. My mate. I made no mistake. I knew from the moment I caught her scent and felt the echoes of her essence brush up against me that Billie was born to belong to me. Whether she’s had other males before, it matters not. I am her male now.

I open my eyes, ready to face her and, in her tongue, explain that I am her one true mate—and I roar.

She is gone.

She won’t get far. I have her essence, and even if I didn’t, we are mates. Our bond is not finalized, but it exists. I will follow her anywhere, and not only because—as a Sombra demon—my nature compels it.

I have no doubt that she believes she will find a portal to take her back to the human world if she goes off in search of one. She’s wrong. Only a mage can rip a hole between worlds to return her. And while there are plenty of mages inside of Mavro, she would have to know how to find her way to the capital city first—and survive the shadow beasts and rogue demons that lurk in the darkest of Sombra’s shadows.

In the distance, I see the silhouette of my wee mortal, illuminated by the orange glow from the fire pits. That’s another danger. She could fall into the fire, her mortal body burning away, just more ash for the fields.

No.

I sprint after her, and between my stride and my speed, I catch up to her almost immediately. Plus, I notice as I reach her, she has stopped running, making my pursuit of her all the easier.

I thought it was the fire pit that stopped her. When Billie yelps and, to my surprise, darts behind me, I see what did pause her in her flight.

Vorn. A guard two centuries my younger who I’ve known nearly as long.

His green eyes brighten when he sees me. “Glaine. You’ve found the trespasser.”

“Oh, no,” my mortal mutters behind me. “Can this get any worse?” A hollow laugh, followed by, “Really? I’ve already tempted fate once and got knocked on my ass for it. Do I really want to see how much worse things can get?”

Her words are not meant for me. Still, I move my hand behind me, gesturing to her that I am here, and I will protect her from my fellow guard.

“Trespasser? What trespasser?”

Vorn tilts his head, the flame from the fire pit reflecting off of his polished horn. “The creature tucked behind you, Glaine. She is small, but you must have seen her.” He lowers his voice. “She resembles the duchess.”

Yes. Because she is human. “That doesn’t make her a trespasser.”

I move forward so that the young demon knows better than to move toward my Billie. So that he understands I’m not here to help him apprehend her, but to keep her safe from him.

She doesn’t have my essence. She only knows that I’m speaking in Sombra—but then she gulps audibly, and when she moves closer, laying her hands on the small of my back, I’m resolved. Let Vorn attempt to reach for my mortal. I will shift to my shadows, retrieve my silver blade from the pocket where I keep it tucked out of sight, and wield it against him.

Does he know that I am one of the rare soldiers who have a sword given to them by Duke Haures himself? One that, with the perfect strike, will end even an immortal’s existence without being abandoned to the shadows first?

It was a gift and a duty from his grace when I accepted the post at the head of his personal guard. If a demon goes fully demonic, the silver blade will end him before he becomes a threat to the rest of Sombra. If he rises up against the duke, I have the authority to cut him down.

If Vorn attacks my Billie?—

He holds up his hands, a warding-off gesture. “I beg you forgiveness, sir. Duke Haures warned that there was a threat to the duchess’s safety on the grounds outside of the palace.”

I long to bare my fangs at him, but I restrain my anger. Instead, I gesture behind me. “She is a mortal. What kind of threat is she to demonkind?”

Vorn gulps, but I’ll give the lad credit. He doesn’t falter. “It doesn’t matter. The duke’s orders were clear.”

“What’s going on?” Her breath is cool on my skin as she whispers in English to me. I understand that she’s confused and possibly startled by Vorn’s sudden appearance, but my fellow soldier can only speak in Sombran. Unless I tell her what it is that he’s said—or who he is—then she cannot tell for herself, and she proves that when she edges closer, asking, “Who is he? What does he want?”

I don’t want to hurt Billie, but I act as if I don’t understand her human words. Only for a moment, though, because to know what Duke Haures has told Vorn about the ‘frightening’ female.

“And if she’s a mate?” I ask.

What I mean is: do you know that this mortal is mine? If I show to the other soldier that I understand her human tongue when I never have before this eve, it wouldn’t take the smartest of males to guess that I am hers.

Vorn is more clever than I thought. He glances to my side, peeking at Billie, then meets my gaze. His tone turns apologetic yet firm. “If she is, there is no bond. Duke Haures would have sensed it and known there was no threat. If there was no threat, I would not have been ordered to bring the female straight to him.”

Godsdamn it. Vorn is right. Just like the duke can tell when the portal between realms has been open, his specific magic makes it so that he can tell when a bond exists. Of course. He is a bondmaster.

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