Page 63 of Forbid Me

I almost cracked a smile at his antics. But I couldn't. Not when I was about to steal his bride away. Because that's what I had to do to protect her heart.

I was going to take Stella to Panthera. But not to the palace. She said she'd live in a shack with me. That's what she would get as I took her into the outlands, where no one would find us.

I would miss my best friend. But I could not live without my mate. And I could not let him break her heart.

CHAPTER 43

Stella

My skin had been scrubbed clean. Not a speck of dirt remained beneath my fingernails, behind my ears, or between my toes. I'd been lathered in sweet smelling lotions until my skin glistened.

Gone was the dirty, man-funk silk shirt I'd donned when I arrived at Blood and Beryl. The Queen had procured me a sundress, a floral affair of pinks. A strappy pair of sandals completed the outfit.

I'd even gotten my hands on a cup of coffee. The dark elixir was the perfect temperature. Hot enough to warm me through, cool enough that I could gulp it down like the caffeine fiend I was.

Somehow, I still felt dirty beneath the layers of soap and sweet lotions. The power of pink that normally made me feel strong and in control when it covered my body left me feeling exposed, vulnerable, and weak. The coffee landed with a thud in my belly, which was too busy tying itself in knots to appreciate it.

"Papers?" the portal guard barked out at me.

I didn't have a stitch of paperwork on me. I'd left my purse back in that clearing where the massacred bodies of vampires had likely turned to dust. I had no way to prove who I was. I wasn't sure about the answer to that question any longer.

"She is a member of the Royal House of Panthera. Her passage is at the bequest of King Dion."

Just hours ago, Oz's voice had brought me comfort. It had been a safe place where I would not have hesitated to fall. Now his words caused a tension headache. I jerked as his hand came to rest at the small of my back as the guards waved us through.

The moment I stepped through the portal, I gave him my weight as a wave of disorientation washed over me. The sensation of traveling through the magical gateway left me feeling unmoored, untethered, like I was floating in a sea of nothingness. Much like how I felt when I was deep into a vision. Except the only thing I saw was Oz speaking with Dion earlier.

Oz's arms wrapped around me now. He was the anchor to my ship. But he was going to cause me to sink. Just like all of the men in my past. I needed to break free of him, but I was still hooked.

Portal travel happened in an instance. That moment stretched into forever. I let it.

I let Oz hold me to him. I let him breathe in my hair. I let his lips sneak behind my ear. I let his exhalation send a shiver down my back.

And then, once I left behind my old world and came into this new one, I broke free of his hold. The moment I did, the spinning stopped.

Before I opened my eyes to take my first look at Arcadia, I breathed deeply. The air in this new world was crisp and fresh. There was no smell of chemicals or toxins. There was an undercurrent offunk, but it smelled natural, not magical or technical. Here I was going to get a fresh new start. I was going to be a queen.

A queen to a cheating king. But would that be any different from being the unwitting mistress to nothing but cheaters in the past? At least now I'd have a tiara.

The world of Arcadia unfolded before me, a landscape imbued with magic and ancient power. The colors seemed more vivid here, the sky a deeper shade of blue and the grass underfoot a lush, vibrant green. The air carried the scent of burning sandalwood, a smell that had always soothed me. There was an undercurrent of energy pulsing through the very earth. It felt familiar. It felt like home. Not the house kind of home. This felt like a belonging deep in my veins.

Now that I was through the portal, my visions had returned. I didn't even have to close my eyes to see things clearly. The visions no longer felt like a tidal wave pulling me under. They simply rose from the back of my mind like photographs or a video playing out on a screen.

I saw myself standing beside King Dion, regal and commanding. Around us, a sea of people bowed in reverence, their gestures an acknowledgment of my newfound status as their queen. I saw Oz as well. He stood behind us both, decked out in military finery. His gaze was riveted on me, unblinking, filled with desire.

I turned to face him and saw the reality of what I'd seen in my head. How could he think that this would continue? That I would allow myself to be shared between two men? That I'd let them continue their game like I was a plaything?

I'd decided to be a queen. I would not be a pawn between them.

I'd have a serious talk with my king later. Right now I needed to talk with the man I'd thought I'd loved. The man who pretended to be my mate to get me to come with him.

The man who still held my heart in his paw.

I would be taking that back promptly.

"Can it be?" An elderly woman stepped forward, her hands outstretched towards me. "You are the spitting image of him."

Him? Who?

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