Page 19 of Reveal Me (Immortal Vices and Virtues: All Hallows’ Eve #2)
Dion
I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to speak to Niamh. To tell her that I had no intentions of letting her go. Not now, not ever. The tension between us, the unfinished business—it had to end tonight.
Her scent hit me before I even reached her door.
Rich, intoxicating, like a rare flower blooming in the darkest part of the woods, sweet and alluring, but underneath it—underneath that sweetness was that sharp hint of danger.
It was the kind of fragrance that beckoned you closer, promising pleasure but warning you with every breath.
A subtle, toxic bite hid beneath the delicate petals of the scent, something that made my instincts stir, setting my muscles tight and my mind alert.
It was the scent of a sweet poison—a flower that could lull you in with its beauty, then kill you with its bite. Just like her.
I didn’t bother knocking. This was my castle. I was her fated mate. Permission was implied.
She was there, covered in the blankets, her breathing soft and steady.
I stepped closer, my heart racing, and as I did, that lush, lethal scent of her grew stronger.
Yet it wasn’t quite right. It tasted… different on my tongue.
Her body seemed softer, fuller than I remembered. Maybe it was the sheets?
A slight frown tugged at my lips as I reached down and peeled the covers back. My breath stalled in my chest. A low growl rumbled deep in my throat. It wasn’t Niamh.
The curve of this woman’s body, the slight rise of her chest with every exhale—it was all wrong. Stella lay in the bed, her face peaceful, unaware of my presence. What the hell?
Before I could process it, I heard the sound of footsteps—heavy, urgent. I didn’t need to turn to know it was my best friend. Aside from scenting him, Oz had never been able to sneak up on me.
I turned just in time to see him at the door. His nostrils flared as he took in the scene. His dark gaze narrowed in disbelief. A murderous rage flashed across his face. His fists clenched at his sides.
“What the hell is this?”
I held up my hands. “I thought it was Niamh. This is her bedroom.”
Stella stirred in her sleep, her body twitching restlessly under the covers.
A soft mumble escaped her lips, words too quiet for me to make out.
A deep sense of unease settled in my chest. I knew exactly what this was—the night visions.
The kind that always came when I was still in the heavy haze of sleep.
These visions were never the pleasant kind. Never the ones that brought news of something good—like a new cub or a friend arriving. No, these were the kind that twisted and gnawed at me, leaving a sickening ache in my gut once I woke up from them.
Stella’s body trembled again. Her brow furrowed with distress. Her lips parted, and she shouted a single word: “Niamh!”
Oz rushed to Stella’s side, his earlier fury evaporating into concern as he reached for her.
His arms wrapped around her, pulling her securely against his chest. The moment she inhaled his scent, the tension drained from her body.
She stopped struggling, her breath steadying with the simple presence of her mate beside her.
It was the effect mates had on one another—just their scent, their touch, could ease the worst of the pain, the deepest of fears.
I’d witnessed it countless times with my parents.
But now, watching them, I couldn’t help but feel the pull.
The sharp pang of jealousy twisted in my chest. It was overpowered by something else: fear.
“What did you see, Stella?”
“It’s just a nightmare,” she said as Oz rocked her. “Just a nightmare.”
“Tell me what you saw,” I demanded, ignoring Oz’s growl of warning.
“I saw Niamh. She was in the Forbidden Forest... facing down a wild panther.”
A chill shot through me. That scene had happened already. But that wasn’t the only wild panther left in the forest. And I hadn’t dispensed of that panther after Niamh had put it to sleep.
I didn’t wait for any more answers or questions. The tension in my gut, the rising panic, forced me to move. I turned and bolted from the room. My feet hit the floor hard, echoing through the halls of the palace.
The Forbidden Forest was a few miles away, but it felt like a lifetime as I raced toward it. The urgency in my steps grew. The cold air bit at my face as I rushed through the corridors and out the door. I didn’t look back.
All my life I’d seen the future. I’d seen a particular future for myself. One where I was shackled to a woman I didn’t want. Now I did want the woman fate had chosen for me. I just needed to get to her, take her in my arms, and never let her go—whether she wanted me to or not.
I realized I had never seen past Oz and Stella’s wedding. I had always assumed my happiness was a given. But I’d also never considered that my fated mate would reject me. I’d also never assumed she wouldn’t survive for me to claim her as mine.