Page 60 of Forbid Me

"It is what you deserve," King Dion was saying as I was fantasizing about bedsheet thread counts. "I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner. I didn't see you until we were here on Earth and the portal from Tartarus opened. Had I known where you were, Iwould've found a way to get to you. To bring you where you belonged."

Dion's gaze was so earnest. His words were so sincere. I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. When my fingertips brushed his bare skin, I felt… something. It was a connection, but it was faint. Like the power lines had been set, but never charged.

The hum between us grew louder. I felt the vibrations start low in my seat. The huff of air lifted the tendrils of my hair from the back of my neck. Dion glanced past me, a brow raised as he looked at Oz.

Instantly, I took my hand away. Belatedly, I remembered that newly mated males did not take kindly to others touching their woman.

King Dion was entirely unfazed. In fact, he looked amused. A mischievous glint tugged at the brow he had raised. "You are breathtaking. Too beautiful to be wearing rags like these. Let's see about getting you out of these clothes."

There went the rumbling again. Dion was playing with fire, and he knew it. Another time I would've gone along and roused my man. But Oz and I had just been through so much. The man's nerves couldn't take much more.

I sent Dion a look. He got it immediately. I knew he did. The look he sent me back was one of reluctant agreement, like I was asking him to give back a toy he wasn't done playing with. I couldn't help but grin at him. I'd never had such an easy connection to someone.

Well, except with Oz. But Oz's displays of affection were hard won. Dion's were easily given.

This king wasn't like the small leaders who ruled by fear. He was open and friendly. He was the kind of man that made his subjects want to lean in, not cower away in fear. But maybe I was reading him wrong. I'd always read men wrong.

Except for Oz.

Well, except for now. Oz seemed a shell of the man who had been prepared to run head first into danger to protect me just an hour ago. Now he couldn't seem to lift his head to even look at me.

Dion took my hand. There was a warmth there. It tingled like he was someone familiar to me. The way his eyes sparkled as he looked at me made me feel cozy inside. The way he smiled at me made me want to tell him my secrets and know that he would keep them all to himself.

Letting go of the king's hand, I turned to my mate. Oz's gaze was locked on my hand, on the spot where Dion had held it. I leaned into Oz and pressed a kiss on his cheek. He jerked as though I'd startled him back to life. His gaze connected with mine and, for a second, he was completely unguarded.

I saw all the love and longing, all the desire and yearning. It was all for me.

"Find me later?" I said to him.

Oz parted his lips. Nothing came out except a choking sound. I slipped out of the Jeep that had pulled up to a sprawling mansion. The kind that I'd only seen in old movies and books. Walking beyond the gates, I stared in awe at the manicured lawn and massive house. I never thought it real that people actually lived like this.

"You must be Stella."

The first thing I saw was the white wolf. The animal looked at me impassively with intelligent eyes. I should have been afraid, but once again, I wasn't. The animal inside of me was awake. It nudged at my belly, wanting to come out and play. I got the sense that that was what the wolf was sensing: a potential new running mate.

I got the sense that the woman standing beside the wolf was deciding if I might be a new friend as well. "Do I address you as my lady or your Highness?"

The snort that burst from her nose was very unladylike. "You can call me Dani. And this is Nova."

"Nice to meet you both."

"I'm glad you made it out of there safely. The portal opening is causing a bit of a diplomatic nightmare."

"What came out of it?"

Dani shrugged. "Nothing we can't manage. The House leaders are working to get it all under control."

"Will I be able to make a call to the Crossroads? I have friends there I want to check on."

"You should be able to reach them now. The magic that poured out is settling, and things are getting back into working order."

That was a relief. I wanted to check on Tori and Niamh before I sunk into a bath and wardrobe change.

"I spent a little time in No Man's Land when I left my house," Dani said as we entered the grand house.

I was so overtaken by the opulence of the place that I didn't watch my tongue when I spoke. "I heard about that. It was right after you rejected your first mate."

I scrunched up my face and balled my fists, wishing I could tailor the words I’d just said. A glance at Dani told me she was amused and not the least bit offended.

---