Chapter 14

Oz

The night was a dark canvas stretched over the world. The river"s gentle murmurs were a constant backdrop to my restless thoughts. Stella had drifted into sleep cocooned in my jacket. My scent surrounded her, and the panther approved.

She fell asleep almost instantly, as though she didn"t have a care in the world. Even though a portal had just opened miles away, spilling gods knew what onto this planet. There were men after her, itching to imprison her—or something worse. I didn"t even ask. Didn"t really care. They"d never get their hands on her so long as I lived and breathed. And even after that, I"d turn hell upside down so that my spirit could haunt them.

Stella"s breathing was deep and even. She rested like someone who felt safe and secure. Like she trusted that I would do all that for her and more.

Just like my king.

Dion had no fear walking into negotiations in Blood and Beryl. Not when I did the security sweep. If I said it was safe, he did not doubt it. Though at the same time, Dion could take down half a dozen adversaries with his bare claws without breaking much of a sweat.

I remembered the first time I'd walked back into the palace after years in the wild. The way people stared got to me. Not because I minded, but because they were right. I was more beast than boy then. More comfortable in the shadows of trees than under the chandeliers of the palace. That fact was still true today.

Back then, I jerked at each sound of laughter, certain it was a predator closing in to snap my bones. That first day after catching squirrels with Dion, I followed him into the courtyard. I saw a bunch of cubs playing, tumbling around like they owned the place. A couple were messing with yarn, another group was all over a laser light, failing miserably at catching it but having a blast all the same. I just watched from the sidelines, feeling like I was on another planet. I couldn"t help but think about my own brother, how we"d never get to play like that. That was on me.

Out of nowhere, something smacked me right in the face. I looked up, claws extended, teeth bared, ready for the attack. All I saw was Dion.

The prince grinned like we were in on some private joke. He"d tossed a ball my way. That"s what had hit me. It rolled to a stop at my bare feet.

Looking back up, Dion was making a motion with his hand. It wasn"t a challenge. It was an invitation. To play.

The realization took me a minute to understand. He wasn"t looking to put me in my place. He was just... playing.

But by then, one of the females had caught his eye. Even at a young age, Dion was a flirt. He abandoned the game before I had my turn to go and chase tail.

He came back moments later. Did the hand motion again for the ball. This time I kicked it to him. He kicked it back. It went on like that, back and forth between us. Soon, others joined in, which annoyed me. But we formed teams, and Dion put me by his side. I"d liked that. From that day on, I was always by his side.

Looking down, I saw that my claws were out. Taking a deep breath, I retracted them. Then I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the phone.

Dion had handed it to me at the same time as he"d given me the witch"s portal potions. I"d scoffed, believing this mission to only take a couple of hours. There would be no need for communication. He"d smirked and winked. Of course, he"d known it wouldn"t be so simple. Had he also known that my panther would lose its mind and hunger to claim his mate?

Looking down at the blank screen, I guessed the device wouldn"t work with the portal magic still spewing across the land. The moment my thumb brushed across the surface, the screen illuminated, casting a pale glow in the shadowed interior of the cabin. I scratched my nail over the protective screen. There was only one number programmed in the device. All I had to do was press the call button.

Stella shifted in her sleep. Her lips parted, and she let out a soft moan. A crease formed in her brow.

I moved closer to her, crouching over her form protectively. I could scent fear on her. My ears perked, searching for signs of any foe coming near.

I heard nothing. Her fear must be from dreams.

For a few moments, I warred with whether or not to wake her. I couldn"t protect her from the visions in her head. Dion probably could. He saw visions just like she did. The two of them could probably meet each other on the psychic plane.

I crab-walked backwards until my back hit the wall. The rusty end of a nail pierced my shirt and broke skin. It would serve me right to catch some form of bacteria. What the nail did do was clarify the lines between duty and desire.

Even if there was no Dion, a woman like Stella was not meant for a man like me. I had a future queen sleeping on the floor, for fuck"s sake, her soft skin wrapped in my rough jacket. She was covered in dirt and grime. It was no wonder she was having a nightmare. I needed to get her to my king, and fast.

I pressed the call button. The phone rang. And then rang again.

It was night. I knew what my king liked to do at night. The thought of him wrapped around a woman or two while his mate was in danger had me growling into the receiver.

There was a click from the other end. But as I pressed the phone to my ear, all I was greeted with was a hiss of static. The portal"s turmoil had woven a web of chaos through the magic currents, rendering this lifeline useless. The silence on the other end was a reminder of our isolation, of the distance that lay between me and my king, between me and clarity.

The phone"s glow dimmed. I set it aside, my gaze lingering on Stella"s sleeping form. I barely blinked through the night as I watched her. The sight and scent of her comforted me. So much so that I must have drifted off to sleep.

The sudden shake on my arm snapped me awake. Every inch of me was ready for a fight—claws unsheathed, teeth bared, every muscle coiled tight.

But then my eyes focused, and there was Stella. She was so close I felt her breath on my bottom lip. A surge of panic hit me—I'd almost hurt her. I did hurt her.

My hand was around her throat. A tiny stream of blood trickled from where the tip of one claw punctured her swan"s neck. My hand wasn"t even tight around her, but I'd still caused the damage.

I released her instantly. My eyes struggled to meet hers. There was fear there in her gaze. Her golden eyes were wide open and scared, reflecting the dying firelight like she"d caught every spark inside them.

But it wasn"t me she was scared of. I could tell. It was something else, something beyond us both.

I pulled her close. Iron was at the edge of my senses as my nose rested above the place where I"d broken her skin. I smelled something else in the air. Something wild.

A branch broke. Leaves rustled. There was a small change in the wind that let me know something was out there, and it was coming for us.