Chapter 6

Oz

The world spun around me as I was unceremoniously spat out of a witch"s portal. The sensation was even worse than the turbulent ride through the portal from Arcadia to Portland. My head felt like it was wrapped in a thick fog. My thoughts were sluggish and muddled. The disorientation was pure torture.

Gulping in a breath, I choked on the thick air. It was laden with the untamed essence of wilderness that clawed at the fringes of this ravaged civilization. I found myself standing in a dense forest, the canopy overhead a tangled mass of branches that barely let the waning sunlight through. The ground was littered with fallen leaves and branches and… were those bones?

In the distance, I made out the skeletal remains of what may have once been a thriving metropolitan city. Many of its once towering structures were now ravaged by time and neglect. The skyline was a jagged outline against the horizon. Buildings that once touched the sky were now reduced to crumbling monuments of a forgotten era.

I was literally at a crossroads. The irony—that was the name of this place in No Man"s Land. A place where there were no rules, no protection offered by a House. It was in the center of the continent of what was once the most powerful union in this world. Now it was a place where survival of the fittest reigned supreme.

As the haze in my mind dissipated, I felt that a wild beast like me might just fit right in here. The instinctual part of me recognized the lawlessness of this land. I had been inside the palace for over two decades, but the feral creature in me was still very much alive.

I"d done my research to get the lay of the land before stepping into the portal. The Gateway Arch, once a symbol of hope and progress, stood as a corroded relic of a bygone era. Its stainless steel exterior had lost its luster, now tarnished and pitted with age. It loomed over the broken skyline like a sentinel of a forgotten time, its graceful curve in contrast to the surrounding decay.

The remnants of a sports stadium with a red bird were now reduced to crumbling concrete and overgrown vegetation. The roar of the crowd had been replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant howl of a wild creature.

The streets were winding, chaotic alleys where makeshift markets had sprung up. Traders peddled magical wares instead of conventional goods, their stalls decorated with enchanted trinkets and elixirs. Neon signs that had once advertised businesses now flickered with mystical runes, casting an eerie glow on the worn fa?ades of buildings.

Everywhere I looked, the city bore the scars of a world in upheaval. Magic flowed through its veins, powering the remnants of civilization in ways that were both awe-inspiring and unsettling. The Crossroads was a place where the past and the future collided, a city where the echoes of its former glory mingled with the enchantments of a new era.

I had arrived ahead of the House leaders, their voices still echoing in my ears as they debated the situation over comms. In my pocket, I carried a second portal potion, a lifeline, back to the House of Blood and Beryl to get there quickly before the portal opened. Portal magic had a tendency to make normal magic unpredictable. I had to find Dion"s woman and get her back to Portland before the portal opened.

As I made my way through the bustling streets, a parade of supernatural beings marched around. Witches, their aura of power visible even to my keen panther senses, walked with purpose, their eyes often focused on the unseen currents of magic that flowed through the air. Shifters of various kinds prowled the streets as well, their animal forms occasionally peeking through in their eyes or in subtle movements of their limbs. Some moved with the fluid grace of big cats, like myself, while others displayed the strength and agility of wolves, bears, and even rarer creatures.

Fae beings with their unnatural symmetry added another dimension to the crowd. They shimmered with an otherworldly glow, their eyes filled with secrets as old as time itself. I admired their grace and elegance, even as I remained vigilant, watching for threats. It was often the beautiful ones that were the deadliest, their looks masking just how lethal they were.

It was still light out, which drove the vampires into the shadows of shops and doorways, where they sought refuge from the setting sun"s harsh rays. Their pale skin and crimson eyes were unmistakable markers of their kind. They watched the world pass by with a mixture of resignation, forever creatures of the night.

And then I saw her. She was hard to miss. A vision of golden hair adorned with bold black spots, reminiscent of my king in his jaguar form. Even from a distance, her beauty was undeniable, her curves enticing and alluring. A primal desire stirred within me, a longing to protect and serve her, to become the fierce guardian this future queen deserved.

She was wrapped in pink, making me think she was more princess than queen. The outfit clung to her curves in a way that defied the laws of fabric. It was tailored precisely to accentuate her form—a form that was not that of a delicate princess but a comely goddess. A belt cinched at her waist, emphasizing her figure further.

Her heels, sharp and assertive, clicked against the ground with an authority that resonated in the air, marking her every step. It was as if she walked with an awareness of the power she wielded simply by being.

She turned to glance over her shoulder. Her gaze skated past me in her scan of her surroundings. For the fraction of an instant that her golden eyes touched mine, the entire world held its breath. Her face was utter perfection. Each feature was highlighted, from her full lips to her high cheekbones, to her eyes that sparkled with an intensity that did not belong on this godforsaken world. It made me wonder if there was fae blood running through her veins, lending her that ethereal glow that illuminated her from within.

And then, like a wisp of wind, she turned and was swallowed by the crowd, disappearing from my sight. But I"d already caught her scent. It lingered in the air, a delicate yet complex fragrance that wove itself around my senses like an imprint.

It was a blend of lavender and vanilla. The floral notes calmed the chaos around me, while the spice added a warmth and sweetness that felt like a comforting embrace. That wasn"t all I smelled.

There was another layer to her scent, something deeper, more elusive—a hint of something I recognized from my years inside the palace. It was a scent I had always associated with Dion, a unique marker of his royal lineage, a scent that spoke of ancient forests and the noble blood that flowed through his veins. It was as if the very air around her was imbued with the promise of her destiny, intertwining her fate with that of our king and the future of our people.

My steps got more urgent. I watched her from a distance, my instincts sharp and focused. It was clear this golden-haired beauty was on a mission. There was a part of me that wanted to give her the space to handle her business. But I knew what was coming. So I picked up my pace.

Neon signs flashed all around, providing illumination as the sun dipped. The distant hum of conversations and laughter mixed with the thumping bass of music, creating a sensory symphony that threatened to disorient me. My heart raced as I trailed behind my quarry, a silent predator lurking in the shadows.

She was my target, the key to our mission, and she was headed toward a club guarded by formidable muscle. My orders were to take her quietly, not alerting the people of the Crossroads to what was about to happen to their world. I needed to be stealthy, but time was running out. The portal would open soon, and I couldn"t afford to lose her in the chaos that would ensue if I went in fists blazing at the muscled men she approached.

When she disappeared into the club"s entrance, I knew I had no choice but to act swiftly. I prepared to make some noise. The muscles guarding the club entrance were no match for my panther. But there were still a lot of witnesses on the streets.

The air shifted, along with the ground. It was happening. The portal was about to open. My time was just about up.

I crouched low, ready to pounce, my muscles coiled like a spring. My senses heightened. I smelled the sweat and tension in the air, felt the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I lunged forward, a predator on the hunt, ready to confront the obstacles in my path and ensure that my king"s destiny unfolded as he commanded.