Chapter 47

Stella

It was a fast walk and hasty mend kinda interlude as I magicked my clothes back into order. I wasn"t sure where Oz got clothing from, but he didn"t look at all put together. I stopped myself from reaching back and fitting the low slung trousers he"d pulled on. He hadn"t even bothered to cover up his chest—which had numerous scratches over his old wounds that if they were DNA traced would lead right back to me.

Try as I might, I couldn"t bring up a single hint of shame about what we"d done. What I"d allowed to happen. What I"d insisted should happen.

Oz was mine. I hadn"t decided if I was still his. My heart was still trepidatious at his ownership. Regardless of his intentions, he had broken it. I had the cracks and fissures to prove it.

When it came to Dion… well, I wasn"t sure what my future was with him. My visions had been pretty quiet since I"d come to Panthera. Mostly because I"d turned a blind eye to them all day. Surprisingly, I wasn"t plagued with nightmares here. Possibly because I had barely slept every night with thoughts of Oz swirling around my head.

Stepping into the grandeur of the throne room, I saw it was crowded with the people of the realm, all eager to welcome home their king. Dion was a beacon at the center of the room. That golden mane of his would draw any woman"s eye. Likely a man"s, too. The panther king radiated power, commanded respect.

Just like before, I felt pulled to him. Not a pull of desire. That same voice inside my head insisted that he was safe. That I could unburden myself to him and all would be well.

I wasn"t so sure about that. I"d been fucking his best friend. I still wasn"t sure if Dion was aware of it or not. If he was in on the seduction or had been played for a fool. I wasn"t so sure I cared one way or the other.

Oz was right behind me, dogging my every step. If he feared retribution, he didn"t show it. Clad only in pants, his chest and feet bare, he caught many a woman"s gaze.

That irked me. I might have hissed at one raven-haired woman who licked her lips at him. She gulped at my censure. Oz didn"t even glance at her. His gaze stayed on me, occasionally lifting to meet his king"s. Meanwhile the king"s gaze turned to me.

Dion stopped mid-sentence in conversation and strode forward, his arms open, his grin toothsome. "Stella, there you are."

The man greeted me like I was a long-lost sibling. But I"d learned he had none. His mother had passed when he was young. His father had died in battle during the Call of the Wild. Dion had become a young king, but there was still a youthfulness about him. That was likely why I didn"t hesitate to go into his arms when he opened them to me.

That sense of safety and security of rightness engulfed me once I was in his embrace. What I didn"t feel was an ounce of desire for this admittedly viral and sexy man.

"Looks like you and Oz have been enjoying the gardens. A roll in the hay, perhaps?" he teased, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

My cheeks flushed with heat. It wasn"t shame, maybe embarrassment due to my station. I was meant to be his queen, and I"d been caught with the help. Why wasn"t the king upset? Maybe it was his intention to share me after all?

"You and I have a lot of catching up to do." Dion brought his face close to mine until our noses were almost touching.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some women press their hands to their hearts at the gesture. Others eyed me with pure jealousy. I felt nothing but a growing affection for the king who had been responsible for plucking me out of my provincial existence and plopping me down into the seat of luxury.

My ears perked at the low growl that came from just over my right shoulder. I didn"t need to turn to know it came from the man who had done the actual physical work of plucking me. What would Dion do when he learned that wasn't the only kind of plucking that Oz had done? What would he do when I told him I wanted Oz to pluck me some more?

Was I seriously about to give up a throne? I threw an annoyed glance over my shoulder at Oz. He was glaring at the hand Dion had on my shoulder.

"I need to speak to Stella alone," announced the king. "And then, Oz, I"d like a word with you. Afterwards."

The throne room emptied quickly at that pronouncement. It was only Oz who lingered. No, lingered was the wrong word. He stayed put.

"That was an order, soldier."

With those words, Oz"s glare softened. Only marginally. His throat worked as he unrooted first one bare foot, then another from his spot behind me. He dragged his feet all the way to the exit. The door closed with a soft snick behind him that reverberated through my whole body.

Dion"s chuckle bounced off the walls of the empty hall when we were alone. "I knew this day was coming, but it still tickles the funny bone. Did you know cats don"t have funny bones? The humerus doesn"t tingle in the same way that it does in humans. I still find that humorous—get it?"

He chuckled again as he turned and walked to his throne. The man moved like the big cat he was. He was all feline grace, as though nothing could knock him down. Though as he lowered himself, he suddenly straightened and peered down at the throne as though he wasn"t sure if he belonged there.

"I suppose this is your seat now," he said.

"Mine?"

"Your great uncle, the king, was lost to us during Pan"s Insanity. Your father was the heir to the throne, but he slipped through the cracks between realms before I was born. My father took over the crown, but as a direct descendant of your uncle"s line, you have a stronger claim to the throne than I do."

This was not the conversation starter I"d assumed we"d be having. Dion waved his hand toward the seat of the throne. I starred at it numbly. I"d wanted the title of queen, but could I handle the responsibility to lead all these people I didn"t know in a world I'd just arrived in? Doubtful.

"I knew you would say that," Dion said, taking a seat on the throne and crossing one leg over the other.

"I didn"t say anything."

Dion tapped at his temple. Because he had the sight, just like me.

"So does that mean... we need to get married?"

A crease formed in his brow. "Now that question I did not foresee. Why would you ask about marriage to me when you"re mated to Oz?"

"I rejected Oz."

There had been a jovialness about the panther king. That melted away with each word I spoke. "Why would you reject your fated mate, Stella?"

"I thought... I thought you sent Oz to bring me to you because I was supposed to be your queen. Your fated mate. Not his." The words tumbled out in a rush of honesty.

"Where would you get that idea?"

Yeah? Where did I get that idea? I"d known Oz was mine the moment he brought me into his arms. I hadn"t had a single doubt. Not until the conversation I"d overheard between him and Oz.

"You told him to take care of me. That I was important to you."

"You are important to me. You"re my cousin. The only blood family I have left in the universe."

"Did you tell him that?"

"No." Dion shrugged. "I knew at first glance he"d figure out that you were his fated mate, and he would protect you with his life. Why else do you think I sent him instead of coming myself? But had I seen all that the two of you would get up to, I would"ve come, too."

"You saw what we got up to?"

Dion leaned in conspiratorially, as though he was about to confide a huge secret to me. I"d never used my powers to spy on people"s intimate lives. I wouldn"t know how. What had he seen? Our time in the pleasure hotel? On the train? Just now in the gardens?

"Tell me," he said, "was the kelpie"s skin scaly or slimy?"