Page 64 of Forbid Me

"We'd thought Cyrus was lost to us forever."

Cyrus? I knew that name. I'd only heard one other person speak it when I was a little girl. "How do you know my father's name?"

Instead of answering, the elderly woman bowed. So did the small crowd gathered behind her. As people milling about the portal station watched the deference, eyes inevitably traveled to me. I saw flickers of surprise, of disbelief, of reverence. Then one by one, they all bowed as well.

Except Oz. He stood at my back, his eyes sweeping over the crowd as though assessing for danger. It was rich, because he was the only one that posed any real danger to me. And he'd already done his worse.

The journey to the palace was quick and silent. Oz opened his mouth a few times, but then seemed to think better of it and remained mute. I had no words to offer. I was still reeling from everything that had happened to me in just the last few hours.

I'd lost a fated mate. Gained a king as a mate. And was coming to the realization that my father had not been born on Earth. My mother had told me very little about him before she'd died. Only that he'd been killed because of what he was and that I should never let anybody know about the animal hidden inside of me.

So just like then, I stayed quiet.

Entering the palace, I was struck by its opulence. The grandeur was breathtaking, with high ceilings adorned with intricate frescoes. Walls lined with tapestries that told stories of valor and magic. Floors of polished stone that reflected the light from glittering chandeliers.

This was the home I had seen in my visions, when I'd seen myself standing with Oz. I realized that scene was playing out now. Had I been smiling the first time I'd imagined this? Had he?

I was shown to a suite of rooms that was to be mine, each space more luxurious than the last. The bedroom was vast, with a bed draped in silks and velvets, windows that looked out onto lush gardens and a fireplace that crackled with a welcoming warmth.

It felt like a gilded cage. But no key was turned in the lock. The attendant left the doors wide open as she left me alone with Oz.

The tension that had been building between us reached its breaking point. I wanted to scream at him, to behave coolly, as if he didn't matter, to throw myself in his arms and cry, to turn away from him as though I had never cared an iota for him.

"Where do you live?" I asked. Yes, that was my question. I wanted to know where he would be in this maze. To know where I would find him if I needed him. Not that I would ever use the knowledge.

"I have rooms near the king's suites. But I prefer to stay in a small cottage in the forests beyond the gates."

I nodded. Then there was more quiet between us. "Are you going to quit?"

Oz's brows raised, answering my question with his own.

"It's the only decent thing to do after you sampled the king's goods."

He made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. Instead of denying it, his eyes closed. He looked to me like a villain relieved to have finally been caught.

"Was it part of your duties? To sample the queen-to-be, to make sure she was ripe for your king? Or were you two planning to just pass me back and forth?"

"No, he'd never?—"

"Yeah, Dion doesn't seem the type. I could sense he was a decent guy the first time he touched me."

Oz looked strained at that pronouncement. He didn't open his mouth to deny my assessment of his king.

"You disgust me." I was so proud that my voice didn't tremble. Inside, I was breaking down, imploding like a building that had been demolished. Or an ancient structure finally giving way to centuries of neglect and ill use.

"Stella, let me explain."

"I reject you."

Inside my belly, the cat growled. I heard Oz's beast doing thesame. Why was there still a connection if none of the mating had been real?

"Leave."

He didn't argue. He didn't hesitate. His legs nearly gave way as he made his way out of the room.

His departure was a physical ache, a void that couldn't be filled. I was left standing in the middle of splendor and luxury, but all I felt was an overwhelming sense of loss.

CHAPTER 44

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