Page 31 of Forbid Me

"I won't."

She looked up at me. That golden gaze was dull at the edges as she made her request. My heart raced as I pressed her hands firmly against my chest. I knew the moment I lost her touch, I'd be lost.

"I won't say this again," I said. "You do not dim that light inside of you for anyone. Do you hear me?"

She nodded, but her head wobbled.

"You are worth more than anyone on this godsforsaken world. You're worth more than all the gold in the palace. It pales next to you. Nothing is worth a single one of your tears."

The intensity of the moment hung between us, a tangible force that pushed the sounds and smells of the river to the background. I saw the conflict in Stella's eyes, the fear of being hurt again warring with her desire to believe in what could be. I swore I would gut Ken if ever I caught him in my sights again. Dion was now on my hit list if he didn't treat this goddess right.

“You have my heart, Stella. Sole possession of it for as long as it beats. And my loyalty. I would die for you.”

“I don’t want you to die. I want you to live. I want us to be together. Just the two of us." Stella glanced at my lips, her desires clear as the setting sun's rays on the murky waters.

I stood there, wrestling with a desire so strong it threatened to consume me whole. Kissing Stella was not only in direct contrast to my protection duties, it was a betrayal to my king, my best friend. I had said I was willing to die for her. As our faces drew dangerously close, I knew this would be the end of me.

The air crackled with a tension that was thick with unvoiced yearnings. There was an electric current that pulsed between us, urging us closer. We were inches apart, the space dwindling to nothing, our breaths mingling in the nearly nonexistent distance that remained. Anticipation wound tight within me, a coiled spring ready to snap, propelling us into the inevitability of our lips meeting.

I felt the warmth of her breath against my skin. Her fingers snaked around my neck, beckoning me closer. Her very presence was a siren call, enveloping me, drawing me in with an invisible thread that tugged at the core of my being. But if she was a siren, I was the snake offering the apple.

Every rational thought, every duty and obligation, faded into the background. The only truth that mattered, the only force that held any sway over me, was the pull I felt toward Stella. It was a pull I was powerless to resist, even if it meant facing the wrath of my king and the ruin of my own honor. I knew with a bone-deep certainty that no matter the consequences, this was my choice. Stella was my choice.

Her lips met mine, and I felt… nothing.

No, not nothing. A jolt ran through me. The electric shock seized my body. I couldn't move. Not a muscle, not an eyelash. Man and wolf alike had seized up. All because I'd chosen my will over my king's.

But as dark figures swarmed onto the boat, I realized this wasn't my conscious playing guilt tricks on me. This was an invasion.

CHAPTER 21

Stella

If the boat is a-rocking, don't come a-knocking. No, that's too corny.

Raise the sails cause we have liftoff. Hmm, too obscure.

When his lips met mine, the world fell away. Ugh, too purple prose Harlequin.

Yes, this was every thought that went through my brain in the split second before Oz's lips met mine for the first time. I was crafting a text message in my head to send to my girls. But I had no idea how to begin it. And then my brain short-circuited when my fated mate finally did kiss me. Because it was nothing like I'd ever experienced before.

Yeah, that would make a good email subject line: Nothing like I'd ever experienced before. It would definitely get Niamh and Tori clicking to read the rest of the story. But first I had to finish experiencing the kiss for myself.

It was gentle at first, a tentative exploration that quickly ignited into something more intense—and the color purple exploded all around me in flowery prose.

The moment our lips met, it was as if a dormant volcano within me erupted into life, its lava coursing through my veins, igniting every nerve in my body. His bottom lip was a soft, gentle brush that painted me in vivid colors, while his upper lip was a raging storm that had been gathering force ever since I'd laid eyes on him.

In truth, it was the kind of kiss a girl dreamed about. It was the kind of kiss grown women read about in paperback books from a bygone era. It was the kiss I knew I deserved after swapping spit with frogs for all of my teenage and adult life.

Oz's kiss consumed me as it left me starved for him. My heart raced as it skipped a beat. His hands, strong and tender, found their way to my back, pulling me closer, erasing any space that remained between us. And then he stopped and let me have control.

My tongue darted out. I tasted the dark spice of him. It spoke of wild, untamed places and whispered promises of protection and devotion. My hands traced the lines of his shoulders, feeling the power that lay beneath his skin. My body pressed against his, feeling the heat of him blanket me with a comforting warmth that enveloped me, making me feel cherished and safe.

It was the best kiss of my life. And it was only our first. There would be tens of thousands from this moment on.

I wanted to tell him that I took back everything I'd just said. I was not going to share him. He was my man. Mine.

Inside my belly, where my heart was climbing back up into my chest, I felt the panther inside me stir. She uncovered her eyes and blinked out at the man who was the other half to her soul.

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