Page 26

He was inviting her to rest with them… alone. And here she was saying “oh” over and over as if she didn’t have a thought in her head. She didn’t even know why she was feeling all flustered. Wasn’t she the one who seduced them? Why did it now feel as if the tables were turned unexpectedly?

Because they wanted her. They didn’t make that a secret. She was the one faltering and uncertain ever since she was confronted with the possibility of forever. At first, the idea of being permanently tied to the aliens had frightened her as much as it had intrigued her. The intrigue she wrote off as a natural response to the allure of being cared for rather than struggle alone, but it hadn’t been worth giving up her freedom and the chance of a new life among humans to live among another species. Lily had the natural trust of a child eager for a better life. Delilah hadn’t had it in her to take that chance. But lately… she wasn’t so sure.

Would it be so bad?

She looked at the red hand that was held out to her. Although his fingertips bore sharp, black claws, and the flesh was a brilliant shade of ruby that should have seemed unnatural and repellent to her, his hand was large and inviting. Even the soft dusting of downy feathers that began just above his wrist and trailed up the side of his forearm reinforced the allusion of warmth and softness. Although they hadn’t been permitted many opportunities for intimacy since they left the village, she acutely remembered the heat of his touch from the nights in her bed. Heat curled within her belly, and she slid her hand in his.

A warm smile touching his lips, Agrel led her to the edge of the wagon. He released her hand long enough to drop from the edge with a faint flutter of his wings, but then he turned and scooped her up into his arms. Held tightly to his chest, Delilah rested her cheek on the warm feathers that extended from his collar and breathed in his scent as his heart beat a powerful and steady rhythm beneath her ear. The warmth of his wings closed around her, making her feel so cherished that tears unexpectedly sprung to her eyes. Thankfully, he didn’t see them, and she was able to privately dash them away as his entire body swayed with the rhythm of his steps as he carried her away from the wagon.

Delilah’s hand flattened against his chest, fingers playing absently with the tips of his feathers. A soft, sweet sound surrounded her, and she smiled. She’d noticed that both Gehj and Agrel cooed when they were exceptionally pleased, but this coo was so much smaller and more intimate and called to her in a long strain of sound that felt like he was singing to some corner of her soul.

He didn’t walk very long. As he had assured her, they only went a short distance from the wagon, weaving among the trees, before he stopped and opened his wings. She blinked against the sunlight suddenly hitting her face and her lips parted in surprise. It was… beautiful!

“Oh, Agrel,” she murmured in awe as he gently set her on her feet.

The forest opened up around a large, beautiful lake around which flowering trees grew and stretched out their branches, dropping pink and lavender flowers into water that shimmered like a sea of jewels beneath the sun. Gehj stood at the water’s edge, a light breeze teasing the long feathers of his crest so that the red and blue feathers danced lightly around his shoulders. His face lit up in a way she’d never experienced before. They were the only ones who looked at her as if she brought the sun, moon, and all the stars with her.

Her eyes lifted slowly to the tree line, and her heart quickened with surprise. “Are those mountains?” she whispered.

They were still some distance away from what she could tell, but seeing them… it was wonderous. She’d never seen mountains before. She’d grown up in a small citadel near the great waterways in the east and only had books to feed her imagination about the majestic mountains of their world. When the males told her that they were searching a new territory for their people within the mountains, it had seemed more like a far-off fantasy than anything she would catch a glimpse of. Shehad thought it would be longer and that they would come upon numerous citadels and villages first, and while it had taken them a great many days of traveling through the forest to get there, suddenly it seemed as if it was happening far too soon.

Gehj glanced over his shoulder at them and nodded. “It is,” he agreed with a content sigh. His head turned, and he looked at her, his expression softening. “Do not worry,swiya, we have not forgotten. Once we arrive at the mountains, we will need to notify the elders, but afterwards, if you do not wish to remain with us, we will locate a human citadel for you.”

She nodded mutely, uncertain of what to say. Her mind was panicking with the realization that her time was running out far quicker than she’d anticipated.

Agrel’s knuckles skimmed her arm. “Relax,swiya. Remember, you do not have to make any decisions until you are ready. We will not chase you from the mountains. There is no rush.”

She exhaled slowly and nodded again, this time managing a smile. That didn’t seem fair to either the males or Lily. Delilah knew her daughter and knew that she would certainly not only become more attached to the two males, but also to the mountains and the Atlavan community. She needed to make the best choice for everyone. She couldn’t deny, however, that the gentle reminder eased some of her panic.

Her eyes drifted back to the lake and her smile grew, becoming more relaxed and genuine. “I can’t believe you found this place.”

Gehj nodded, the small amount of tension that he seemed to carry just moments early fleeing him as a wistful expression came to his face. “Agrel and I have been trading off with Zemb in pulling the wagon so that one of us can periodically scout ahead. I happened to see this spot from above the trees, and it reminded me of our time in the village.”

Delilah’s cheeks grew hot. She knew exactly what day he was referring to. It hadn’t been a lake though. The village pond had been beautiful but incomparable to the beauty of the lake that sprawled in front of her. The blooming wilderness lent a magical air to everything, whereas the water of the pond had been murkier and the flowering bushes planted around it had been overgrown and slowly dying.

Gehj’s wing brushed her opposite arm from the one Agrel stroked, and she shivered in reaction. She hadn’t even realized that he had come so close. She looked up and met his eyes.

“Whatever your decision, we will always love you,” he rasped. “We just want to enjoy this moment in time with you as something beautiful to have and remember. But only if you wish it, too. We can take you back to the wagon if that is your desire. Just tell us what you want.”

That was the problem… she was still terrified that she might not be sure what she wanted. She was afraid of making a mistake. But this… a beautiful moment with them was impossible to pass up.

“I want to stay,” she said quietly, and a smile hitched the corner of his mouth as both he and Agrel drew closer to her.

Between the two of them, they removed every single item of clothing from her and hung them in a nearby tree where they would be safe from becoming wet or dirty. They added their own clothing to it as boots were kicked off and set aside. With her males on either side of her, they stepped into the lake, the cool water lapping at their limbs. Both males turned and spread their wings and tail feathers and dropped back into the water. Floating side by side on the surface of the water, they drew her between them so that she drifted with them, held in place by an arm from each male curled around her. There they drifted together, side by side, the sun warming them with golden lightplaying over the water and their feathers, sending everything aglow.

It was beautiful, and their arms curled around her with warmth and adoration. They didn’t just move in to grope her now that they had her naked between them as experience had long taught her that men typically did. They held her, petting her skin and hair lovingly as they drifted together. On one side of the lake, a tangle of vines drifted. The fisherman’s lure was an aquatic plant that was a death trap to anything that happened to get tangled in its vines and yet she didn’t feel even a hint of apprehension. Instead, she marveled at their beauty as broad flowers with numerous petals opened beneath the sun in a dazzling display in a multitude of colors. The Great Forest was a place of danger, where one courted death, and yet with them, she felt safe and happy.

Maybe a chance at forever with them wasn’t so bad after all.

Chapter

Nineteen

Gehj smiled, his heart overflowing with love as he looked at the female floating between them. Such was a pastime that his species had often enjoyed, a symbol of true affection, devotion, and trust between ahakus and their mates before the water of the oases and mountain lakes began to dry up. To have this moment with Delilah was a memory that would always live within his heart.

His hand trailed from the small of her back to her hip before gently following along the shape of her bottom that, from her lack of a feathered tail, was so distinctly different from that of an Atlavan. He found the difference between them fascinating and alluring. Especially with how sensitive she appeared to be there. She shivered in reaction and embers of his lust sparked and grew in response to it. Softly cooing the depth of his love, he shifted his hold on her and drew her through the water until she was fully on top of him rather than floating, partially suspending on their wings. A little sigh of pleasure escaped her, and she shivered with arousal as their wet bodies slid against each other, and Agrel’s eyes heated with interest as he silently watched.

Pulling Delilah up onto his chest, he dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. She tasted sweet. His tongue stroked her bottom lip playfully. Her lips parted and his tongue slipped inside, tucking into that delicious little oasis. Like a male parched from hours flying over the desert, explored and savored her flavor, teasing her tongue to glide along his sensually as the seam of his sheath split around his aching cock. It pushed from his body aggressively, seeking the tight embrace of her cunt. His hips jerked reflexively, need hammering through him and blazing within his blood. Its head slipped against her bottom, and he hissed with frustration as a small explosion of pleasure lit through him at that briefest contact. Pleasure that skittered away like a spark dancing over a distance but failing to light.