Page 74 of Forged Bonds

Caspian stayed quiet, but pulled me closer. I’d given him something to think about. My poor mate still struggled with his insecurities, no matter how often we told him we loved him dearly. Turning so I could give him a quick kiss on the cheek, I smiled softly. “I love you.”

He flushed and nodded. “I know. I love you too, Freya.”

By the time we tidied ourselves up, we were all too bone tired to do anything but sleep.

TWENTY-ONE

Shan

“What are the chances I can convince you to stay behind and let us handle Kylan?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest as Freya packed a bag full of clothes and weapons.

She snorted, not bothering to look at me. Through our new bond, her answer was clear. She was feeling annoyed with a hint of affection. At least my protectiveness was endearing. “Not a chance in all four realms,” she said firmly.

About what I’d expected.

“You’re the target. It’s dangerous for you to go.”

“Are you forgetting how your picture is almost as big on the wanted posters? Kylan wants you dead.”

“At least he doesn’t want me to become his Omega slave. That’s his goal for you.”

“His goals are foiled slightly since he didn’t manage to catch me before I had mate bonds. It’s illegal for him to mark me against my will now, not to mention how he would incur the wrath of the gods.”

“I can’t imagine Kylan cares much about the legality of it.”

If he did it in Zemterra, there would be no legal consequences anyway. The AEA held no sway in the demon realm. The wrath of the gods could be an issue, but there was no proof the gods gave a single fuck about Omegas being forcibly claimed. It was an old wives tale. People preferred to kidnap and enslave unmated Omegas because there was some belief in the curse, but I couldn’t imagine no one ever force bonded a mated Omega.

And yet, we hadn’t heard about the consequences, not really.

It had to be fake, and Kylan would know it.

“The gods will curse him,” Freya said.

“Since when do you believe in the gods?”

She finally glanced up from her packing, a smirk on her lips. I groaned. She was fucking playing me, antagonizing me on purpose. Why did I always fall for this? Altair, Nolan, Oswald, her. I walked right into these fucking traps.

“He’s not going to catch me, so this is all irrelevant,” she said.

I wanted to continue arguing, but gave up instead. Stepping closer to her, I rifled through the weapons she had packed. All short blades, as expected. There was an extra wand, too, in addition to the one she kept strapped to the belt around her hips. “Are you going to be able to lift this bag with this much steel in it?” I asked incredulously, glancing over at her slim form.

She muttered a spell and I was proven to be a dumbass, yet again. Magic. I wasn’t quite used to her using it freely in front of me, considering she’d spent all our time together at Club Chaos hiding as much as possible.

The bag floated over to rest by the front door to the suite, ready for us to leave. Amabella was going to create us a portal to the other side of the country from the training room, so Freya didn’t have to waste her magic on travel.

“It’s weird being in your head.” Freya stepped up to me and placed her slim arms on my shoulders. “I always thought you were just a dick, but I’m learning that you’re ridiculously worried at all times. Why do you let Cas go out in the field with you, but don’t want me to?”

She sounded curious, and not like she was trying to start a fight with the question. I tempered the urge to go on the defensive, and thought about my answer. “I’m desensitized to it,” I said after a pause. “We’ve been working together so long, I’ve gotten used to him being in harm’s way. I was super protective at first, from what I remember. Plus, he listens to me. Without question, he does everything I tell him to do so I know I can keep him safe. You seem adamant to do the opposite of what I suggest.”

Her chest pressed to mine when she stepped closer, and she rested her cheek against my chest. Hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around her. Casual affection was another thing I was still getting used to from her. Sometimes, in moments like these, she actually seemed like a normal Omega.

It was fucking weird.

“That’s because all your suggestions are dumb,” she murmured.

Ah, she was back.

“You’re a brat.”

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