Page 62 of Bonded to the Beast

I know how silly I look. These demons dwarf me, I’m still clutching the grimoire, but I couldn’t care less. This is my mate. If they want us to go back to the shadows, that’s fine. We can do that. We were happy there before, and we can be happy there again.

Butexecuted?

“You can’t do that.”

Glaine gives me a look of barely concealed annoyance. “Who are you?”

I wave wildly behind me, gesturing at the tattoo of my name on his chest. “His mate.”

“Impossible. Rogues cannot take mates. Once lost, there’s no essence for the exchange.”

“Bullshit,” I cry. “I have his essence,Glaine. How else would I know who you are? Or that Sammael is Loki’s former teacher? I have his essence and I made the mate’s promise. If that means he’s not rogue, he’s not rogue. Now let him go!”

“The duke—”

Screw the duke. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Uh, Kennedy—”

I whirl on Shannon. I can only imagine what my face looks like because she holds up her hands. “Never mind.”

Okay, so maybe Loki attacked her mate. But Mal is immortal, and my mate was upset after I walked away from him, and he got the idea that they were here to take me away from him. All of that pops right into my head at the same time, more proof that Loki’s essence floods my vein.

In my fiercest voice, I say, “Take those chains off of him.”

Glaine sticks out his chin. “And if I don’t?”

I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’m saved from having to bluff when I hear another familiar voice.

“This is ridiculous,” calls out Lilith. She appears on the edge of the square, walking regally toward us as she addresses Apollyon. “Mate, what is going on here? Why are these Sombran guards in our village? There’s no need for this.”

“There’s a worry that Loki might go fully demonic again, Lilith, my love. He challenged Malphas. He started to turn. I have to protect the rest of Nuit.”

She scoffs. “Turn? Are you going blind in your old age, my mate? Because he has a mage’s eyes, not the white of a rogue.”

Lilith is right. Peering up at him, his eyes are still purple.

“They’ve been purple since the night he gave me his essence,” I blurt out.

“See? And unless demons butting horns in a chain offense, I cannot imagine why the poor soul is still wearing them. Glaine, take them off.”

“Lilith—”

“Glaine. Remove them.”

To my absolute amazement, he nods at Sammael. “You heard the clanmother. The charge is that Loki is a rogue. He might have been once. He’s not now. Remove the chains, Sammael.”

The mage doesn’t make any visible reaction. Expression guarded, he waves his hand.

The moment that cuffs are off, Loki bounds over to me. He wraps me up in his arms, lifting me off the ground as he rubs his cheek against mine. Love floods me, love for my mate, love my mate has for me.

“My heart, my mate, my Kennedy.” His voice is a hot whisper in my ear. “If I had known you didn’t, I would’ve told you. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

I already have. “It’s okay, my mate. Everything’s going to be okay.”

At least, it better be.

Once Loki sets me back down, reluctantly releasing me, I glare at the crowd gathered. Apollyon has the good sense to look sheepish, Lilith is proud, Glaine is sneaking peeks at the Soleil demoness, Shannon is clinging to Mal, and Sammael just looks bored now.

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