Page 16 of Forbid Me

Her voice was breathless. I could listen to her talk all day. I'd only barely heard her voice back inside the club. Now it rang just for me. And in that moment, everything else faded away.

The chaos, the noise, the fear—it all receded into a distant blur, leaving only her in a husky voice, the feel of her fingertips brushing the hairs at the nape of my neck, that golden gaze looking at me like I was ten feet tall.

The beast within me stirred again. It stopped pawing at my gut to get out, to have its own introduction to her. Instead, it sat down on its haunches, its tongue lolling out of its mouth.

Standing in a storm as the world fell apart around us, basking in the brilliance of her gaze was a calmness that I've never known. The beast wanted to lie on its belly, to flatten its ears in submission and devotion. An itch tickled at the base of my spine, an odd sensation that I soon realized was the wagging of an ethereal tail—a manifestation of the beast's contentment.

It was ludicrous, absurd even, to think that this princess, this goddess, could be my mate. She was meant for the king, meant to be queen. The only thing a scarred warrior like me could do was lay down his life for her.

My loyalty to the king was unwavering, a bond forged in the fires of gratitude and indebtedness. Dion had saved me, given me purpose when I had none. To even entertain the thought of claiming his destined mate was madness, a betrayal of everything I stood for.

The ground continued to shudder, a relentless reminder of the world falling apart around us. The air was heavy with the scent ofdanger and desperation. Behind us, a familiar shout sliced through the chaos.

"You fucker. Like hell you'll get away with stealing my meal ticket."

The words hit me like a physical blow because of how they impacted her. Her response was visceral. Her body went slack in my hold. Her chest caved in. That proud forehead dropped. She reminded me of prey being cornered. Didn't she know she was being held by a vicious predator?

I could already taste that blond-haired excuse for a man's blood on my tongue. I was already spitting out the rancid taste of him. Every fiber of my being wanted to turn and confront the rat who dared threaten the goddess in my arms. My claws ached to show him the true wrath of a panther shifter defending what's his.

On my own, I would have done it. But the feel of fear in my future queen's body, the sight of her despair, reminded me of the stakes. I couldn't risk her safety, not for my pride or my anger.

And, as much as I hated to admit it, looking over my shoulder, I saw that I was out-manned. Only in numbers. That teething excuse of a baby vamp didn't know how lucky he was.

Putting my precious cargo on the ground, I pulled her along as I took off at a breakneck pace. I was acutely aware of her struggles to keep pace. She was no warrior. Her steps were hurried and clumsy. Frustration was a burning thing inside me, an anger at our helplessness, at her vulnerability, and at my inability to simply fight our way out of this.

When she stumbled again, I felt the weight of the witch's potion in my pocket. It was a dangerous gamble, but it seemed like our only chance. My fingers closed around the vial, its surface slick with the sweat of my apprehension.

I pulled it out, the potion that would open a portal back to Portland. A flicker of doubt crossed my mind—portals were unpredictable, risky in the best of times. The sound of footsteps growingcloser banished any hesitation. I hurled the glass to the ground. It shattered with a sound that was quickly swallowed by the night.

A cloud of purple smoke erupted from the broken vial, swirling and coalescing into a shimmering gateway. It was now or never. I pulled her toward the portal, and it was just in time.

The blond vamp's hand reached out, grasping just inches from her back. A sense of impending doom clenched my gut, but we were already stepping into the cloud. The world around us blurred, reality bending and twisting in ways that defied comprehension.

There was a sensation of being stretched and compressed all at once, a disorienting tug that made my head spin. Sounds and smells warped around us, the stench of the city's decay giving way to something fresher, cleaner. The chaotic noise of our pursuers faded into a distant echo, replaced by the quieter, more mundane sounds of Portland.

And then, just like that, we were through. The portal closed behind us with a soft whoosh, cutting off the baby vamp's enraged howl mid-crescendo. It was a howl of rage loud enough to follow us through the portal.

When I looked up, it wasn't the House of Blood and Beryl I saw. I could still see the jagged skyline of the Crossroads. I could still see the clouds of the opening portal. We'd gotten away, but we hadn't gotten far. Maybe a few miles out of the city at best.

It wasn't far enough. They could be on us in no time, and I was all out of quick travel magic. We were going to have to run.

"Shift!"

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Stella

Awave of nausea hit me like a bear shifter after a pot of honey. I doubled over, dry-heaving the buttered avocado toast I'd had for breakfast. I've always hated portal travel. It was like being churned inside a cosmic blender. The world spun and tilted in impossible ways, leaving my stomach lurching in protest.

This time it wasn't so bad, though. Likely because of the strong arms that were circled around me, holding the world together as I almost fell apart. I'd thought the portal opening was going to snatch my dreams from me. That had almost been my miscreant of an ex. Neither had managed to snatch me from my man's arms.

And oh boy, did my man have a set of arms on him. They were strong and reassuring, steadying me as the world slowly righted itself. Thank God I didn't heave on his boots. That would not have been a good look.

I leaned into his warmth, grateful for the solidity of his presence.His scent, a mix of forest and something distinctly him, enveloped me. It was a grounding force in the middle of my disorientation.

Finally, the world stopped spinning. We were somewhere new, safe from the immediate threats that had chased us. I gasped for air, my heart pounding not just from the portal's disorienting effects but from the sheer exertion of running.

I was never one for physical activity. A laughable thought, considering I’d once used magic to cheat on a fitness challenge, making a treadmill seem like I was running on it while I wasn't. My running shoes were probably still collecting dust somewhere in the back of my closet. My body, built for comfort and not for speed, had somehow carried me through life-or-death sprints.

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