Wild Magic Four: The Light Beyond Constellations- a M/M fantasy romance

12- The Mate Bond

*****Last chapter, then the two epilogues. I hope you guys have liked this one :)<3*****

RIVER—

I froze, but Griffin's hand in mine tightening and his body moving infinitesimally to fit itself between me and Cain had my hackles raising and my stomach swooping with fear and worry.

Gods, they had caught us. Caught him. They would bring him back to Swyer, and surely, now that he had escaped, he wouldn't escape the death penalty I had begun to fear with a visceral, physical kind of terror as I fell in love with him before we ran away together.

"Cain," I gasped out, my voice nearly only a breath rather than any kind of sound. "Please, Cain," I whimpered, trying to push myself up, though Griffin's hands held me down with tender stubbornness. "Please, I'm so sorry, Cain."

"Hey, kid, it's—"

Cain held his hands up placatingly, his eyes moving from me to Griffin and back again as he took a few steps forward. My panic rose and I yanked Griffin back, trying and failing miserably to force him behind me.

"I'm sorry I betrayed you, but I love him, Cain," I begged, pleaded, trying to see some semblance of mercy in the eyes of the man I had once loved and still respected and admired a great deal. A man I figured probably hated me and wanted me as dead as he wanted Griffin. But I had to try. I had to, to protect my mate. "I love him... I love him so much." My voice, much to my utter embarrassment, cracked, and I had to take in a deep breath and swallow the huge lump in my throat to continue, but I did, cutting both Griffin and Cain off as they both began to speak again. "Please, please, if I ever meant anything to you. If I was ever a good soldier, or someone you liked even a little, please just let us go. We'll just go. Please, don't... Please don't hurt him, Cain. Please, just let us go."

Cain's expression was indiscernible as I pleaded with him, and Griffin was too busy trying to shove me back against the pillows to react to my words. But I kept my eyes on Cain, screaming prayers to any gods within reach that they would soften the man's heart.

Finally, after a few moments of studying me and the way I continually pushed an irate Griffin to put myself between him and Cain, Cain chuckled and shook his head.

I honestly couldn't remember a time I had heard the man laugh, and I couldn't help the thrill of... something that went through me at the deep, masculine, rumbling sound.

The man was gorgeous and I was only human. I couldn't help it. Though I would never tell Griffin my reaction, because I knew it would likely end in one of their deaths, and I wouldn't be the reason an idiot man tried to kill the Emperor's consort.

"Gods," Cain laughed, moving towards me and sitting beside me on the bed. Only then did I let Griffin move, not pushing him anymore, but letting him straighten and press himself against my back, supporting me as I watched Cain in wonder. "And to think," Cain finished with a roll of his eyes, "that I never used to believe in the matebond. Everything is alright, kid."

I bit my lip, confused and my heart still hammering, but Cain merely shrugged as his next words tore my world apart. In the best of ways.

"Did you notice the proti collar is gone from about his neck? Your mate has been pardoned for his involvement in the mercenary band that attacked my husband," he said with a sort of official tone that had me almost laughing at how forced it sounded coming from him. "And, to top that off, you're both heroes for your actions here in Aqer. They're wanting to give you gold and jewels, though your mate is being stubbornly... stubborn about the whole thing. I'll let you go over that with him. I think..."