Page 5 of Reveal Me (Immortal Vices and Virtues: All Hallows’ Eve #2)

Dion

I needed to get out of the castle. Away from the chaos, the decisions I didn’t want to make, and the looming presence of my fated mate.

The very idea of Niamh showing up early gnawed at me, like a thread being pulled in the wrong direction.

Fate had an annoying way of sneaking up on me, and I wasn’t ready for this. Not yet.

I pushed my way through the trees, the cool air brushing past me. The crunch of leaves underfoot was a comforting rhythm, like the beat of my own pulse as I moved deeper into the woods. It was always like this. When I needed to think, to clear my head, this was where I came.

When I was a child, the Forbidden Forest had been dangerous.

I’d liked the adrenaline rush that came with sneaking out here.

In the years since, the forests had mostly been cleared of the mad monsters, but a few stragglers still lurked in the dark.

Not everyone came back from Pan’s madness.

Now I was the one wishing the madness would come and claim me.

I’d been a fool. A coward, really, running away from the inevitable. But no, I wasn’t running. I told myself this was just a strategic retreat, a way to gain some space, some time before the inevitable. Deep down, I knew better. What I was feeling was fear, plain and simple.

What was I afraid of? Niamh? The idea of being shackled to someone I hadn’t chosen? Maybe. But I saw how Stella and Oz were. That connection, that bond they shared, it was undeniable. I wanted that too, didn’t I?

But Niamh wasn’t Stella. And I wasn’t Oz. Could I have that with Niamh?

Was she kindhearted but would bust my balls, like Stella? Was she strong and capable but also a good listener, like Stella? I knew what she looked like. I didn’t know what she was like.

It didn’t matter what Niamh was like. Fate had already decided. She was my mate, whether I liked it or not. The resentment inside me welled up again, bitter and raw. I hated that my choices had been taken from me, that I didn’t have the chance to make my own decisions.

I took another step into the woods. A smell hit me. It was subtle at first, carried on the breeze. It wasn’t sweet, wasn’t floral. It was something wild. Something that made my mouth water at the same time as it made my nose burn. It smelled like sweet poison, like a nightshade flower.

Before I knew it, my feet were moving, my body driven by the scent.

My panther took over my mind but left me in charge of my body.

The beast guided me through the trees. I moved quickly, stealthily, a predator in my own right.

The scent grew stronger. The blood rushed in my veins, and my heart hammered in my chest.

Then I saw her.

She was lying on the ground, unconscious. I didn’t even have to see her face to know it was her. I’d never seen her before, but I knew. I knew what she smelled like. I knew the feel of her presence in the air, as if she was meant to be here, in my world.

She stirred, her eyes fluttering open. I watched from the shadows as she looked around, disoriented. She fumbled for something in her purse, pulling out a cellular phone. What good would that do her out here? This planet didn’t have her Earth’s technology.

She put the phone back, clearly frustrated, and closed her eyes.

I got a better look at her then. Her features were delicate but strong, her body lithe and graceful, and her eyes, when they opened again, were sharp and determined.

The plants around me seemed to shudder, vibrating with her presence, as if the earth itself responded to her.

She looked in the opposite direction of the castle. Was she about to head in the wrong direction? Deeper into the Forbidden Forest, where crazed beasts still prowled? My muscles tensed. My instincts screamed to step out and stop her.

The trees swayed as a sudden breeze rustled their leaves. There was a tension in the air that I could almost taste. The earth beneath me hummed, and I felt the familiar tug of nature shifting. The trees... they whispered, but she ignored them and turned her eyes to the ground.

The plants—poisonous ones—responded to her. The vines and the shrubs bent toward her. Her fingers grazed a dark vine. The vines twisted, as though showing her the way. The thorns leaned into her, eager for her touch.

I’d learned to recognize poisonous plants as a cub. Not much instruction had ever been given. My nose knew. With each poison ivy, each belladonna that leaned toward her, I wanted to growl. But the plants guided her out of danger and toward safety.

She might have been headed toward safety, but danger prowled behind her. A predator was slipping through the trees with the grace of a shadow. I spotted the panther just as it lunged for her. Its eyes were locked on her, intent on making her its prey.

I knew what I had to do. There wasn’t even a thought of hesitation. She was my mate, wasn’t she? I had to fight for her. I had to save her life. Even if in the next instance I’d give my life over to her.

But with a flick of her wrist, everything changed.

The plants around us came alive. Vines shot out from the ground, wrapping themselves around the panther, holding it in place. The beast growled and struggled. The vines were unyielding, tight, unrelenting.

Niamh snapped her fingers. A poisonous plant released a cloud of gas, sending the panther into unconsciousness.

I stood there, stunned, watching as the creature crumpled to the ground. She had done it—she had controlled the plants, had taken down the beast without lifting a finger. Well, except for those two elegant fingers that she snapped.

I blinked, barely believing what I’d just witnessed.

Her eyes met mine then, sharp, calculating. She didn’t flinch when she saw me. She didn’t back away. She simply raised her hand, flicking her fingers in my direction.

I froze, unsure of her intentions. I didn’t want to make any sudden moves.

“Who are you?”

I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it. What could I say? That I was the king of Panthera? That I was supposed to be her fated mate? Even after all that, I still wasn’t ready. So I gave her a different truth.

“I’m here for you.”

“You’re here for me? No one knows I was coming.”

“Stella knew. She had a vision. She went to the portal station to collect you.”

“I didn’t come via the right portal. You’re from the castle?”

I nodded.

“You work for the king?”

“Yes.”

Her face twisted as though she smelled something foul. That was not expected. Every woman who saw me, thought of me, or talked about me had worn nothing but an ecstatic look on her face. What was this about?

“Do you have a problem with the king of Panthera?”

She shrugged. “He’s supposed to be my fated mate.”

My brows raised at that. She knew. But she didn’t know. She didn’t know that I was King Dion.

“You don’t want a king as a fated mate?”

“What woman wouldn’t want to marry a king?” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t quite an insult. “I just don’t want to marry that king. No offense.”

Some taken. “Why?”

“He’s a fuck boy. No woman wants to marry the communal dick.”

Communal dick? More offense taken.

But she wasn’t wrong. I had never had any problems with sharing my dick.

“You don’t get to choose your fated mate,” I said.

“No, but you can reject him.”

Rejection? It hit me like a ton of bricks. I had never considered it. But here was my opportunity. I could tell Niamh that I was the king. She could reject me. Then I could go back to how things were… with my dick as community property.

“Well, let’s get this over with,” she said. “Take me to the castle so I can reject my fated mate, celebrate my bestie’s wedding, and then get on with my life.”