The Delta's Daughter Chapter 282

TAWNY

Caught in the heat of the moment, with his large and thick erection pushing into my back, Juniper lets out a purr that rumbles through my chest. She relishes in the feel of her male’s hard muscle and masculinity.

Crimson’s whispered words vibrate through me, making my sex pulse at the thought of being filled by him. I want to forgive him, should I forgive him?

‘Yes’, my feline’s thoughts tumble through my mind, her energy pushing me to couple with my mate. ‘We want him, claim him’ I feel her encouragement.

The sound of the Alpha team approaching has me coming to my senses and I break away from Crimson. Embarrassment replaces the tingling shivers of where his hands touched me - heated my skin.

The scent of my arousal lingers thickly in the air, and I know the team can smell it when Mason emerges from the line of trees, casting me a disappointed look. I look away, glancing at Crimson who is now covered up much my disappointment.

I clear my throat, and head, of the lustful thoughts. Remembering where we are. “Come look at this view Mason!” I smile at my friend, beckoning him with a head nod.

Mason stands next to me. Silenced by the awe of the enormity of the ravine. The width of the gap between the rock shelves has to be over 15 miles wide, surely? Its length - so long, I see no end when I look either way.

‘Kolby felt big and long’ Juniper’s thoughts bled into mine. And I had to agree. Kolby felt very long and… hard. I shifted my feet, trying to hide the excitement that wracked my body in the form of a rolling shiver. Fully aware of Mason standing next to me and knowing he scented how hot I was for Crimson.

“Whoa” Mason lets out a low whistle as he steps toward the edge and looks down. If he noticed my actions, he gratefully ignored them.

“Careful!” I scald his fearlessness, his toes touching the edge. “We may live nine lives, but I don’t think you can recover if you fell,” I wasn’t ready to lose him, certainly not to fucking loose rocks that have him tumbling down to the bottom of the ravine. To his death.

“How far down do you think it is?” Mason asks, still peering over the ledge dangerously so. My heart beats wildly for him so I lay a hand on his arm and pull him back to a slightly safer distance.

“Over a mile down.” Crimson chimes in. “There is a hidden path that weaves down through the gorge all the way to the river a few miles west.”

“A trip for another time?” Mason asks Crimson.

“Definitely,” Crimson replies, excitement dancing through his eyes. “How about you princess, would you come back here with me to explore the trail into the valley?”

It’s an invitation to spend time alone with him. With the glint in his eyes and the smirk on his lips, it can’t be mistaken for anything but an invitation.

I cross my arms and turn my face away from him, hiding the ghost of a smile that touches my lips. “Maybe,” I shrug. Knowing full well I would jump at the chance to be all alone in the wilds of the jungle with this male.

His words are meaningless without action and despite rejecting Crimson, I still feel the pull of the bond. The male is a wonder, and his secrets draw me in wanting to know everything about him. Driving me to pull back his layers and find out what he is.

Not forgetting the way his fur shimmered and changed color from a beautiful spotted yellow, to a deep shade of red, as we ran and teased each other in our were-forms. The feel of his fur when he rubbed up against my feline was hypnotic and alluring. As if he was coated in an invisible layer of magic that sparked through my fur and deep into my bones.

When he touched me, my body resonated to match his. Becoming one without joining.

My hands dip under my shirt, finding the ring. Fingers rubbing over the blue stone. The action calmed my erratic heartbeat and damped down my arousal. The effect startled my inner thoughts - at how quickly my heated state became subdued.

I frown and look down at the heavy ring, I have worn it close to me for some time now. The sliver swirls, centered in the bright blue of the stone, swirl like a pool of whirling water in the middle of an ocean.

I dismiss the thought immediately. There is no way this object, as curious as it, could be the reason for keeping my heat at bay. Yet, each time I touch it, it blankets me with a sense of calm and lends me thoughts of feeling strong. I’ve been wearing the ring, on its chain against my skin, for months.

Surely my imagination is being overreactive?

I shake the silly thought from my head.

Now I’m just buying into all those fairytales I believed in long ago.

I meander over to the Alpha team, deciding it would be better to lend a hand in organizing the campsite. We only brought two tents; in case it rains. Otherwise, we will just slum it on the ground or find a branch to perch on for the night.

*****

The fire crackled, the campsite being lit by the two fires we built and the pale glow of moonlight, that shone down upon us.

Easy chatter and shared jokes with the team, filled the heated night air against the backdrop of nature’s sounds. Somewhere, deep in the jungle, an owl hooted. The scampering of small animals’ feet could be heard every now and then as the jungle came to life under the ever-watchful eye of the moon.

The comfort of mother nature reminded me of nights in the forest back in the Moon Kingdom. When Lamia and I first met, it was apparent immediately how much she loved to be outside. Her mother had decorated her room, painting the walls to resemble the forest. We would camp out most weekends if time permitted us. The sad thing was, we only had a few months to be young and dumb. Before shit went sideways.

Quite often my thoughts drifted to those unsavory times. The day Mike and I pulled her from the dungeons of MacTire, is a memory that will plague me for years to come. In the beginning, I would have nightmares, the blood, the death, the horrors of war, and of course, the first time I killed someone.

That’s how Damon happened. He took my mind off things.

At the battle of Riocht, I didn’t feel like I was robbing life. Crawlers are neither ‘were’ nor human. They were unholy creatures made with evil intent, so dispersing of them didn’t play on my conscious. Not like the lives we took at MacTire.

One, in particular, stood out from the rest. Kira. A she-wolf, who disguised herself as Lamia’s best friend. Deranged and mental, her mind long twisted before I met her. The things she did to Lamia and the things she allowed, even coerced, to be done to her mate, were unforgivable.

Cambiador, for all its faults and strange laws, was different. Sure, the werecat kingdom was full of greedy and selfish shifters, but if you looked close enough, you would find a longing for peace and tranquility among the citizens.

They weren’t afraid of war; I witnessed the strength of the Clowders firsthand. But war, would not be their first choice.

Mason handed me a piece of meat from the antelope they had hunted earlier. I thanked him and bit into the sweet meat that had been roasted to perfection over the fire. Juniper stirred, wishing we were eating raw meat after I took my first bite.

Silly kitty. We had such different taste buds.

Crimson handed me a bottle of water from one of the coolers, taking up residence on the upturned stump I was perched on.

“Good?” He asked gesturing to the meat,

“Mmm,” I replied around a mouthful “Did you have some?” I say offering my share to him. Red orbs blinked back at me, and I saw the heat in his stare. Without thinking of the meaning behind feeding your mate. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks and lifted a piece to his mouth.

“I did but thank you,” His lips close around my fingers as he takes the piece. Lightly sucking and the action has heat pooling low in my belly. “Eat, because you will need your strength if we are going to climb down part of the ravine tomorrow.” He winks, pulling back.

That was so freakin’ hot!

I nervously chuckle like a kid with a crush because, well… fuck I want him. And also - I was so not looking forward to that. I had a little secret – I was afraid to fall. I could climb trees and bounce from one to the other, but climbing down a rocky face? Um, no thank you. One little slip and that would be the end of little ole Tawny.

I was stronger than most felines, bigger too. I was fast and ample, but I was the biggest fraidy cat ever when it came to dangerous heights.

“Walk with me?” Crimson leaned in and whispered into the shell of my ear, lips grazing my lobe before he pulled away. His yellow eyes, changed to a red hue as we locked gazes. His pupils dilating and changing shape. This close I could clearly see the shape of crescent moons.

So strange, so ethereal, so magnetic, so mystical like… magic.

I nod, letting him take my hand and pull me to my feet. Tingles erupt where our hands touch, spreading upwards through my arm.

My heart stuttered as he led me away from the camp until the sounds of the men were distant, but not too far, and we were completely alone.

*Are you ok princess?* Mason’s voice filtered through my head.

*I’m good,* I reply cutting the link and placing up a mental block.

My eyes adjust to Juniper’s night vision as we step under the cover of the jungle trees.

A woosh of breath exhales from my lungs when Crimson unexpectantly pins me against a tree. The soft moss cushioning my back. “Crimson…” I pant out when his thick muscular thigh presses between my legs.

“Kolby,” he mutters. I peer up, into his magnetic red eyes, glowing with a desperate fire. “Say my name kitten,” He rasps out, his breath fanning my face. Desire pools between my legs as I’m enveloped in his scent.

“Kolby,” I manage in a whisper.

“I want to kiss you, Tawny.” His face slowly moved in, his lips a breath from my own.

“Kiss me, Kolby,” I barely get his name out before his mouth slants over mine with a groan and claims my lips in a passionate kiss.

I lift on my toes, arms wrapping around his neck and my fingers finding their way into his soft curls. I gasp when he nips, mouth parting and his tongue sweeps over mine. Our chests heave as the kiss gains fever. My hips buck and I grind my pussy against his thigh, seeking the friction I desperately need. My stomach churning with excitement.

Masculine hands caress my body, down my sides, thumbs brushing the pebbled nipples hidden under my tank. Stroking over my stomach and hips, sliding further down and around until they palm my cotton-covered ass.

In one swift move, Crimson lifts me from the ground, wrapping my legs around his waist. I can feel his arousal jutting into me, thick and hard, pulsing with the same need I feel coursing through my veins. He grinds, rocking against me, rubbing my clit beneath my pants. So erotic… my hips begin to undulate.

I break the kiss, panting for breath. Crimson nips at my neck, still rolling his pelvis and erection against me. “I’m going to come, Crimson” If he keeps this up, penetration or not, I’m going to explode.

“When you come, I want you screaming my name, Kitten.” My hands slide down the plains of his pectorals, dipping down to his defined abs. He nips at my neck and I shudder at the sensation.

“Make me scream Crimson,” I beg shamefully.

He growls, low and sexy before claiming my mouth again. “I want you so much, kitten.”

His words are distant, the euphoric feeling all-consuming. “Fuck Crimson, my body is calling for you.”

“I can feel it… the vibrations from your feline.” He pants, kissing me across my jaw, down my neck, and along my collarbone.

“Fuck, kitten… you call to me. Like a siren’s song, irresistible. Every inch of me craves every inch of you.”

Crimson stills, making me ache, “Let me have you, kitten.”

His heavy and thick voice smoothly demands. I nod my head, It’s all I can manage, lost in the feel of my mate. My cat purring and my body thrumming with need, “Yes. Take me, Kolby.” I grind my hips against him seeking the friction again, as my words flutter out on a breath “Take me.”

A clawed finger tears my top down the center. My head lolls back and my eyes roll on a moan when he dips down and sucks in a hardened nipple.

Mother of the moon, if this shifter doesn’t fuck me now… “Oh my goddess, Kolby!” I groan when he moves to the other breast and bites my mound. The pleasurable pain causes an orgasm to peak, teetering on the edge of falling. “Please…” I beg for the release.

He sets me down on my feet, Yanking my pants down around my knees, and works on pulling his own down. The only sound is the drumming of our hearts and panting breaths.

This is really happening; my mate is going to claim me. But I haven’t forgiven him yet,

The sporadic thoughts are drowned out by the purring of my feline as she welcomes the idea of our male mating us.

Crimson’s body is upon mine once more, conflicting heat and sparks clash in passion. He takes me in a heated kiss and his hand finds the apex of my thighs.

“So wet for me little kitten. I want to taste you, again.” He drops to his knees.

“Yes please,” Anything he wants - as long as he doesn’t stop touching me.

I wait for the tantalizing touch of the tip of his tongue. When it doesn’t come my eyes peel open and roll down to where Crimson is on his knees grasping his neck, face pale and eyes wide with pain - begging. I frown, confused as to what the matter is with him.

“Crimson, what’s happening to you?” I ask, my hand reaching out to him.

He looks scared, unsure. His eyes bore into mine, trying to tell me something. But I don’t understand.

Faster than I could comprehend what was happening, a rope, that appears from the dark fucking depths of the trees, is flung over his shoulders and he’s whipped backward.

“KOLBY!” I scream in a shrilling voice as his body is yanked into the jungle.

For a fraction of a second, I am frozen, before instinct kicks in “Kolby!” I scream again and chase after his body.

Whatever has him picks up speed. Shifting as I give chase, my paws hit the ground and push my muscles, stretching them out. I can’t see what’s dragging him through the jungle, but it’s fast and creating a distance between us.

I hear nothing, except for Crimson’s limp form crashing through the jungle brush. I scent nothing except his fading scent of Cinnamon and bread.

In one last-ditch effort to not lose him my feline strains, pulling strength from deep within. We leap onto Crimson, our claws digging into his arms, and we hang on for dear life as we get swept away with him.

His skin shimmers and ripples, in a state of flux between skin and fur, as if he’s trying to shift while unconscious. Crimson is out cold, sedated, and unable to defend himself.

This is fucking insane!

I try to dig my back claws into the dirt, in an attempt to stop whatever is taking him. I’m dragged along with him, my resistance – futile.

I’m suddenly hit hard by something big barreling into my side and knocking me off Crimson. I roll to the side, slamming into a tree. I’m on my paws quickly ready to give chase again when something bites into my neck. I hiss at the sting and my body shifts into my skin form unwillingly.

What the fuck was that?

“Koby!” I try to yell out, but my voice is hoarse, and in the darkness, the jungle starts to spin.

‘Poison’ I hear Juniper growl. She lets out a Yowl, as loud as she can, in an effort to alert the team before the toxin takes us down and my body hits the ground with a thud.

My limbs and muscles are paralyzed. I see shadows move around me, pairs of feet. No not feet, paws?

“Take her too,” A gruff male’s voice says. One I have never heard, a stranger.

*Mason, help* I try to form a mind-link, unsure if I connected. Does the team know, did they hear? Were we too far from them?

It happened so fast. Who is this man, what do they want with us? Panic sets in but I’m helpless to defend myself, incapable of moving.

I blink rapidly unwilling to succumb to the darkness they are pulling me into. And all I can think is how fucking royally screwed I am at this moment.