Page 24

Chapter

Twenty

D elilah brushed the wet strands of hair off her face.

The further south their journey had taken them, the hotter it had become.

Although the Atlavans seemed unbothered by it, she was unaccustomed to it and felt like she was suffocating in her clothing that was currently damp with sweat and sticking to her body.

At least the mountains were getting closer and, according to Gehj, they would soon be in the foothills where he promised her that she would find some relief from the heat as they made their way higher. Blessed Mother, she hoped so.

It was so hot that she wasn’t even attempting to ride in the wagon during the day.

The wagon ran several degrees hotter than it was outside and she just wasn’t built for the misery.

Nor could she subject Lily to it with a good conscience.

Which meant that she was going to have to put all her faith in the protection of her mates…

and that didn’t bother her. She trusted them.

She didn’t think it would be possible to trust a man again, but the two Atlavan males had worn down her defenses with their kindness, loyalty, and unshakable love that she couldn’t help but to trust them with everything.

Hell, she didn’t even freak out when they burst out into a column of flames while taking her together in mid-air. It was in the aftermath of their love-making that she’d come to realize just how much she trusted them. And loved them.

She loved them. Her eyes trailed over to where Gehj was patiently carrying Lily while Zemb took his place at the wagon.

She was actually in love with aliens. A private smile curled on her lips as she watched them.

Her daughter’s head lolled against his chest, clearly exhausted from walking in the heat, but her face was still animated as she chattered up at him.

Lily had been right. They had found a new family in the males who not only loved her but loved both of them.

If they had just been chasing after Delilah, she would have known how to handle them, but their tenderness and ceaseless patience and care of Lily had chinked away at her defenses.

They had understood that they came as a package and not only accepted it but were truly delighted in it.

It hadn’t all been an act. And now… now she had it all.

If only there wasn’t this ominous shadow that seemed to follow them, as if something was just lying in wait to upset their found happiness.

Her smile faded. So why couldn’t she just have this? Why couldn’t whatever it was out there—whoever it was out there—just let her have her happiness?

But she knew. The Order would never let her be happy if they discovered her wandering with aliens in the Great Forest, and as the days passed and the ominous feeling increased, the more certain she was that they were being stalked by at least one huntsman.

And yet, still, he had not made an appearance.

The uncertainty of when he might strike frayed her nerves that were already strained from heat exhaustion.

Why wouldn’t the bastard just do something? Either quit messing around and attack already or leave them alone. She sighed heavily, drawing Agrel’s gaze to her.

He gave her a compassionate smile. “Not much longer, swiya . Another hour and we will be in the foothills, and it will be cooling off by the time we make camp tonight.”

That soon? Maybe the Mother was listening after all.

Surely the huntsman would not pursue too far into the mountains.

That was terrain with which they were not generally trained to deal with, from what she recalled.

They would be safe once they began climbing into the mountains.

At least, as far as she figured, anyway.

“Good. When all is said and done, I don’t think I’m going to want to travel anywhere ever again,” she groaned. “The blisters on my feet have blisters.”

He glanced at her boots with concern. “Your feet hurt? Why did you not say so?”

Agrel shifted the weight of the wagon’s pole, preparing to drop it, but she held her hand up and laughed. “Hold on, Zemb needs your help. And that, right there, is why I didn’t tell you. Because you will want to rescue me and abandon either Zemb or Gehj to handle the wagon alone.”

“Oh… right!” A look of embarrassment came to his face, and he readjusted to his grip to a firmer hold as he grinned sheepishly at her. “You cannot blame a male for wishing to care for his mate.”

And that was another reason why she loved him. He would have shamelessly ditched the wagon altogether to carry her if he thought she was in pain. And though Gehj was glancing back at him with exasperation, she knew that he would also do the same.

“I can make it for a little while yet,” she assured him. Long enough to give the wagon some time to cool off, anyway.

“Are we almost there?” Lily asked plaintively. “I’m hot and I’m bored. I want to swim in the big lake again.”

“You and me both,” she mumbled, a blush rising in her cheeks as she recalled the activity that she had done at the lake just hours before taking Lily down there to cool off and bathe in the water.

Agrel—damn his sharp ears—grinned at her slyly. It didn’t help that he also seemed to see everything and was no doubt taking note of her flustered state.

“I do as well,” he said aloud, making her cheeks burn even hotter, though it took some effort not to grin like a crazy person over just how pleased he sound.

Tonight. I will tell them my decision tonight.

Anticipation filled her as some of her worry receded.

True to his word, they arrived in the foothills a short time later.

The sun beat down on them mercilessly as the forest began to thin out as they moved up into the higher elevations, but she was grateful to catch the first cool breeze she’d felt in days.

Sighing happilyy, she loosened her hair from the braid she had it in, allowing the breeze to cool her scalp.

She shook her hair out and from the corner of her eye, she caught Gehj watching her.

He had slid into Agrel’s place, giving the male a break, though her mate had promptly used it to chase Lily around until she got good and tired, only for him to carry her back to the wagon and hop effortlessly into it with her daughter in his arms.

Knowing him, he probably wouldn’t leave her side until Lily was asleep. He was a good father… they both were good fathers and mates in their own unique ways, fulfilling different things that she and Lily needed.

Picking up her pace, she fell into step beside Gehj and craned her neck to look over at the Ragoru on the other side of him. “How are you doing with the incline, Zemb? Not too much, is it?”

The young male shook his head and grinned. “Not at all, though I do not think your wagon will make it very far up into the mountain.”

Gehj tipped his head back to peer up the mountain and nodded.

“It will not, but the higher we get the wagon up, the better. It will be easier to guarantee that nothing will disturb you while we scout for our nesting ground, nor the wagon we are forced to leave your belongings behind to carry you up to the high ground.”

“I will not need to be carried,” Zemb scoffed, but Gehj merely smiled in reply.

“If you are certain,” he said cryptically.

Delilah glanced at him quizzically, but she didn’t get the opportunity to ask what he meant since Agrel chose that moment to jump from the back of the wagon and swoop over ahead before dropping beside her with a flurry of wings.

“Show off,” she teased.

Agrel grinned back at her, his crests lifting flirtatiously. “It is so good to be out of the forest and able to really stretch out my wings again. What male wants to walk everywhere?”

“Perhaps those born without wings,” she countered drily, and he laughed, directing an apologetic look toward the Ragoru.

“I would not wish to fly anyway,” Zemb pointed out. “I prefer my paws solidly on the ground where they belong.”

“You are going to live among Atlavans and you do not wish to fly?” Agrel sighed heavily when the younger male nodded in agreement. “What will you do when peers your age are flying over the tops of the mountains?”

“Walk,” Zemb rejoined, and Delilah muffled her laughter behind her hand, winning an amused smile from the young Ragoru.

“Walking is perfectly nice… and safe,” she added.

“Ah, but unlike the Ragoru, you won’t have much choice but to be carried. Your only option will be the one you fly with.”

“Right,” she scoffed, but his sly smile made the back of her neck prickle, and she discovered the reason for her mates’ commentary toward her and Zemb just as the sun was going to down and the wagon rolled to a stop at the side of a steep wall of stone.

Delilah’s eyes drifted upward over the sheer cliff side with shock. That wasn’t at all what she expected. Even Zemb looked aghast as he stepped closer to the rock and smoothed his hand over it.

“Here we are at last,” Agrel said cheerfully. “We will make camp here and then tomorrow we will ascend—after Gehj and I have a good look around.”

Her other mate narrowed his eyes as he peered up at the cliffs above them. “From this vantage point alone, I have a good idea of some spots to scout early in the morning. We can leave just before dawn so that we can make the most out of the morning light.”

Delilah followed their gaze to the cliffs and mountain peaks above. Try as she might, she couldn’t imagine an entire civilization of people living in those heights, even if they were winged Atlavans.

As Agrel walked away to tie down the wagon with several stakes, she sidled over to Gehj’s side to peer up at the mountaintops with him. “Are you certain it is safe living so high in the mountains?”

Her mate gave her a startled look, but then chuckled softly.

“Yes. I know it looks alarming here, but we do not roost off the side of the mountain. There are plenty of little valleys and flatter areas that our people make our home.” He nudged her gently with his wing before folding her under it.

“That we can worry about tomorrow. For now, we will enjoy our dinner. Prey will not be particularly plentiful here, but I am certain we can improvise something with what we brought with us.”

Nodding, Delilah fell into step with him and headed back to the wagon to pull out supplies.

Thankfully, because her mates were able to hunt fresh food nearly every day, they still had plenty of food.

For that reason alone, they were all able to go to bed with comfortably full stomachs.

But that didn’t help to quiet her mind as uneasiness crept through her.

They were literally trapped against the side of the mountain.

Although there was no good reason for the huntsman to pursue a Ragoru so far up, their current position, while defensible for Atlavans, made her feel like a sitting duck waiting to be taken out.

She drew a deep breath and slowly expelled it. That was just her paranoia talking. Everything would be fine. Her mates had just assured her not even an hour ago that she had no reason to be concerned, as they hadn’t caught sight of anyone following them. She just wished she could feel reassured.

Snuggled between her mates and daughter in the wagon, she listened as Zemb moved around a bit until he found a comfortable place to lie down.

She always felt guilty that he had to sleep outside, even though he told repeatedly not to be concerned about it because his pelt kept him comfortable and dry.

Still, she strained to listen, her anxiety keeping her awake, certain that she heard something—or someone—prowling out there.

And yet no one had reacted, and no alarm went up.

By degrees she relaxed until she finally drifted off, not even rousing entirely when her mates slipped from the bed with loving whispers that they would return quickly.

She smiled in her sleep and when she woke to birdsong in the morning, she felt exceptionally foolish about all the concerns and paranoia that had occupied her the night before.

Shaking her head in amusement at her overactive imagination, she pulled back the cloth that enclosed the back of the wagon and hopped down, only to immediately trip over something large in her path.

She teetered and stumbled, but her eyes fixed on it with a look of horror.

She’d tripped on a large mass of fur. Her anxiety threatening to overwhelm her, she bent and reached out with trembling fingers to check and make sure Zemb was still alive.

She pressed them cautiously against his throat and exhaled with relief when she felt a thready pulse beneath her fingers.

He was unconscious, but alive. But she had a bigger problem: the huntsman.

A throat cleared a short distance away. She froze, her gaze skittering over to the shadows as a tall, familiar shadow unfolded itself from where it was reclined and stalked toward her.

“Hello, Delilah.”

“Zack,” she whispered.

He smiled coldly at her as he approached.

She backed away, but she was neither quick enough nor had enough room to make an escape.

Striking fast, he twisted her arm behind her back and forced her belly-down to the ground.

He held her there, his stench rolling off him as he held her pinned in place.

“I do believe that you and I need to have a talk.”