Page 45 of Forbid Me

Stella didn't argue. She moved into the bathroom, taking her clothes with her.

I positioned myself between Stella and the door. My muscles tensed. Whoever was on the other side wasn't making a strong play at stealth.

My hands curled into fists, claws pricking the center of my palms. But I didn't feel the pain.

Could it be Dion at the door? He had foresight. He'd seen Stella. Had he seen me with her, marking the mate that wassupposed to be his? Pleasuring her to within an inch of her life with my full attention? Not even a thought of entertaining another woman.

The panther within me growled with ferocious intensity. Its instincts urged me to protect what was mine. Stella was mine. The bond between us pulsed like an explosive charge, just waiting for a match strike.

I yanked the door open, and a body crashed in. In the darkness, I could barely make out the figure of the intruder. It didn't matter. With a snarl, I lunged forward.

I seized the idiot assailant by the collar, pinning him against the wall. With my claws at his throat, his body sagged in surrender. Needless to say, this wasn't the panther king.

A thin body dangled in the air. His youth was evident in the uncertainty that flickered across his face. His features were unremarkable. His appearance would have blended into the background of any bustling city street. His scent held no distinguishing markers, no traces of magic or supernatural essence. He was a human, the original inhabitants of this world who were near extinct these days.

"You picked the wrong room, kid."

"I... I didn't mean no harm, mister. I was just... trying to..."

"Steal from us?" I finished his sentence, my tone tinged with irritation.

"You were supposed to be asleep. Most of them are asleep after…" He waved his hand at the bed.

The rumpled sheets were evidence that something had happened there. Unlike other wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am men that must frequent this establishment, I had only been warming up my princess. I'd been waiting patiently for her to return to consciousness so that I could start the next round.

"I'm sorry, sir. I won't do it again, I swear."

He was lying, of course. But he wasn't my problem. The kid from the boat with the ball still had that fresh, just into the world smell. This kid stank of the streets and neglect. He wasn't going to change.

"Here," said Stella.

She walked up behind me, but I blocked her so that she couldn't get within arm's distance of this delinquent.

"Oz," she humphed.

I didn't move or loosen my hold on the kid.

"Fine." She held out her hand to me. "Will you give this to him, please?"

It was a wristband. I had no intention of handing it over to the thief. Not because I cared about his state of poverty. Because I didn't want anyone to have anything that belonged to my mate other than me.

"It was a gift from Ken."

I dropped the bracelet into the kid’s hand and shoved him out the door. I didn't miss his toothsome grin as he looked down at the bounty. It wasn't worth much, but it might get him something to eat and maybe a new shirt.

"We have to leave."

Stella didn't argue with me. In fact, she probably had foreseen it because she was fully dressed and had her bag slung over her shoulder. She was stunning, as always. Not a hair out of place. Not a wrinkle in the clothing she'd worn for three days now.

She handed me my shirt. I tugged it over my head. As I pulled the fabric down over my chest, I felt her hands on me, helping me.

I'd never had a woman dress me. Never had anyone make sure my collar was straight and the tails of my shirt tucked in. Stella did all of this for me. Then she smoothed the wrinkles, brushed away the smudges of dirt, even did something to the armpits that lifted the funk of three days off me.

When she was done, she smiled down at her handiwork, then up at me. I knew it was a kiss she wanted as payment for making me over. I was going to pay up. First I took a moment to admire the gift I'd been given in this woman.

I didn't have the right to say those three little words. If she listened closely, she would hear them coming from every pore in myskin. In the pounding of my fool heart. In the center of my eyes that refused to stay from her person.

I bent my head, brushing my lips against hers. The musky taste of her core was still on my tongue. Mixed with the sweetness of her lips, it was enough to bring a man to his knees.

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