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

3- Lies

*****Enjoy!!*****

RIVER—

"Mine," the man growled through the bars, his eyes huge, wet, and so brown they were nearly black. They weren't the eyes of the man I normally saw, but the eyes of something much larger. Something primal. Something...

He had half-shifted, though I wasn't sure how that was possible, with the magic-binding collar around his neck. Both Cain and Lady Sera had assured the Emperor, and all of the guards tasked with his care, that Griffin would be completely unable to even access his magic, much less use it to shift. But here was the proof they were both wrong. Somehow, he had fought past the anti-magic qualities in the collar and was glaring out at me, nearly a foot taller than he normally was, his hands around the bars turned into claws each larger than my head, his eyes dark and furious.

I had been Griffin's guard for nearly six weeks, but I had never seen him anything less than calm and completely controlled, even if he was a righteous prick to pretty much anyone he came into contact with. He seemed to have a soft spot for me, for some reason. He always returned my greetings, never glared me down as he did the others if they came too close to his cell, and he was ever polite when he asked me for things. With the others, he demanded, bit out his words, was sarcastic, caustic, and rude. With me, he seemed to soften, his eyes warming, sometimes a smile even gracing his lips if I was careful enough and he found what I said amusing.

I tried to get him to laugh. He was a prisoner, yes, but I wasn't a torturer, I was a guard. He was allowed to talk, to read, even to go out and stretch his legs in the sun every couple of days. He was a man, no matter what he had done, and I would treat him that way.

"Mine," he snarled again, his claws tightening on the bars around his cell. His face was a rictus of fury, his shoulders tense, his teeth bared. They, too, were half-shifted, sharp and huge in a mouth that looked too small to hold them. The effect was horrifying, but I kept my breathing under control and my face passive as I met his eyes.

"What's wrong, Griffin? What has you so—"

"You are mine," he barked, his words bitten out through clenched teeth, his words snarling. "You're mine and you don't let others touch you. I'll kill him. I'll fucking kill him if he touches you again."

Flummoxed. I was completely, wholly, and unabashedly flummoxed.

"Griffin...?"

"You let him fuck you, didn't you? Get over here. Open this door. Now, mate. Now. You're mine, and no one touches what's mine."

I took a step back and his entire body tensed. He opened his mouth and roared so loudly my breath caught in my throat and my heartbeat kicked up. I slammed my hands over my ears and stared at him in shock, horror, and fear.

Had he heard us? I had only just come into the dungeon from speaking with Argon, another of the guards in the palace. Yes, we'd had sex the day before— really good sex, if I was being honest— and he had wanted to see me again the next morning when my shift in the dungeons was over. I had agreed, but laughed when he tried to drag me over into the weapons room.

"I have to get into the cell room, Argon, c'mon, don't tease. You're going to leave me hard all day."

"Good. Think of me while you're in there, bored all day."

I laughed and shoved him back, blowing him a kiss before ducking through the doorway and into the dark room that housed the cells. All empty now but for the one with the large, imposing bear shifter who now watched me as if he wanted to rip me apart with his teeth.