Page 52 of Forbid Me

Ken must have heard it, too. He let go of my arm. His eyes went huge as he took a step back from me.

The other vamps jerked like they’d heard a dog whistle. All of their gazes snapped to Ken, and then to me. I was elated, as this would give Oz the advantage. But Oz held still, his gaze transfixed on me as well.

It was then I thought it prudent to focus on myself as well. Because something was happening to me.

It began with a sensation of nausea swirling in the pit of mybelly. I heaved, my body convulsing with the effort to vomit up the overwhelming force building within me. I regained my composure, only to be struck by another wave of intense discomfort. Doubling over, I clutched my stomach.

Through the haze of pain, I felt more than heard Oz's growl of concern behind me. I tried to open my mouth to reassure him, but the words caught in my throat. Something was happening to my mouth. Something was happening to my hands, to my legs, to my whole body.

"Let it happen, goddess."

That was Oz's voice in my head. I heard him clearly. Logically, I knew he hadn't spoken those words out loud. He was in his panther form.

My bones broke and bent. Muscles twisted and reformed. Each movement was accompanied by an agony that threatened to consume me whole. It was as if my very essence was being torn apart and remolded into something new, something wild.

The pain reached a fever pitch. And then, as swiftly as it had begun, it was over. In its wake, I was disoriented. I lifted my gaze, and the world didn't look the same.

The forest was no longer green. Everything looked gray. Except for the tops of the wildflowers sprinkled around the clearing. Those were the most vibrant yellow I'd ever seen in my life. The sky above was bluer than I had ever known it to be, even though it was the moon that was high and not the sun. The canopy of trees was all shadows and light, its intricate patterns woven in shades of charcoal and slate. The ground beneath my paws was a patchwork of earthy browns and soft, sandy yellows, punctuated by the occasional splash of gray from fallen leaves and branches.

Wait. Paws? Yup, those were paws on my feet. My hands, too. All around me, my pink outfit lay in tattered shreds. I doubted my magic could put that back together.

She was finally here. My cat. I saw the golden sheen of my fur. But I couldn't make out any spots. Shouldn't I have black spots? Mymother had told me my father's animal form had both gold and black spots.

I wanted a mirror. I wanted to run to the lake I could scent in the distance. I wanted to see all of me. Of course I did. I was still vain when it came to appearances. But there was still the matter of the battle going on around me.

It had paused for my transformation. Now that my jaguar was out, the vamps were shaking off their shock and reforming their ranks.

I wasn't a fighter. At least I hadn't been before that portal had opened and wreaked havoc on my world. Ken had taken my self-worth from me, but I'd be damned if he would take my fated mate.

I sprang forward, testing my new form. All I felt was strength and power coursing through my muscles as I easily took down one of the vamps who had been moving in on Oz. My second kill was done with the same fluid grace, each movement instinctual and precise. This was easy, the fighting as well as the killing.

From my peripheral, I saw that Oz had stepped back, letting me take down each and every vamp. His maw looked like it was stretched into a feline grin of pride as he watched. Then his paw struck out. He caught Ken by the shirt tails as he tried to run. With one massive paw, Oz pinned the coward in place until I was ready for him.

The forest, once filled with the sounds of confrontation, now echoed with their retreating footsteps and panicked breaths of the one who got away. That one was not Ken.

I prowled up to my former lover. He pleaded with his eyes, with his voice. None of it penetrated to the woman inside my beast's belly.

In the end, I did show mercy. I made it quick.

CHAPTER 36

Oz

The smell of Ken's blood was foul. The sight of it made me grin. My girl looked fearsome standing over his decapitated carcass. The blood on her mouth made her far more beautiful than any of the cosmetics she painted on her face. I wanted to wipe the vamp’s blood off and replace it with mine, then kiss her senseless.

I took a step toward her… and promptly crashed into the forest floor.

My nose fell into the armpit of a dismembered vamp. I couldn't remember if the limb had been torn by my canines or Stella's. The battle was all a blur. And now that she was safe, my injuries caught up with me.

Lying there on the forest floor, battered and bruised from the fight, my gaze fixed on her. In her jaguar form, Stellawas a sight to behold, a breathtaking blend of power and grace. The moonlight filtered through the canopy of trees, casting her sleek, spotless fur in a luminescent glow. The golden highlights of her fur danced and shimmered with a life of their own.

I must be dying. I didn't notice things like shimmering light. I did notice everything about this woman, both in her human and animal forms. The undeniable fact about my fated mate was the uniqueness of her spots, or rather lack thereof. Her coat was identical to Dion's. Their royal spotless coat was a mark of lineage and destiny. It was irrefutable proof that she was more than just a witch with rare powers; she was destined for the throne, born to be a queen.

Stella padded over to me, her movements graceful despite the traces of vampire blood marring her fur. The same blood matted my fur. It was her animal's first time meeting mine. I wondered if she'd recognize me in this state. Even if she didn't and decided to take me out, I'd go willingly. I was dead serious when I said I would die for this woman.

She bent her head toward me. I wanted to tell her that she was a queen, a goddess among our kind, that she bowed to no one.

She nuzzled the side of my face, clearly sniffing me to see who I was. Decision made that I meant her no harm, she licked at the blood on my maw. Her face crumbled and puckered, much like in her human form when something displeased her. In a very human gesture, she spat out Ken's blood, her rejection of her ex complete.

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