The Delta's Daughter Chapter 72

Lamia

It took me three weeks, almost a month, to track down my father’s last where-a-bout’s. I knew he was still alive, otherwise my mother would have felt it. Plus, Inanna said we would feel the break of a parental bond also.

I was feeling at a loss, it had taken me three and a half days to just get here, for any normal wolf it would have taken at least an extra day. I rode as far as I could on the dirt bike, then, had to make it the rest of the way to Lonely City in Wolf form. Dredging through the snow-topped mountains and valleys, the further north we went the colder it got and deeper the snow became. Needless to say, I stayed in my wolf form the whole way, and hunted along the way when we became hungry.

Inanna loved the cold terrain and was in her complete element. I have to disagree. I would take the pool and sunshine any day of the week over the wet and raw powder.

Finally, I was relieved when I saw the bright lights of the city, the scent of greed, lust, gluttony and every other putrid sin you could think of. The sounds of vehicles, honking horns, people shouting and shady shifters hanging in back alleys.

I shifted and clipped my suit in place.

A few bear shifters looked my way, as did other creeps when I strolled down the street looking for a half way decent motel. Preferably one without bugs. They looked at me like I was their next meal.

Fresh meat.

Little did they know, it wasn’t me who should fear them, I was the most dangerous thing on the streets tonight. It was they who should be fearing me. If they knew what or who I was they would look down and run in fear.

I was not here to make friends, or create new alliances. I was here for one thing only. My father. And come hell or high water, they would hand him over.

I will find him.

I checked into the cleanest motel that I could and was glad for the hot water the shower provided, even if it only lasted 15min. It was 15min warmer than I had been for the past three and a half days.

I lay on the bed, listening to the sounds of the city, not something I was used to. I let the noises occupy my brain, until I could finally find that darkness, only for it to be filled by illuminating and erotic steel eyes.

They were hard, yet sexy, mysterious and magnetic. How can a pair of imaginative eyes create the desire that was building inside me? Craving for something I have never touched.

I tried to imagine Zane, but sadly, images of Zane were getting harder and harder to remember. I could never forget him, but it felt like the memories of him were slipping away from me, day by day.

The first three days in Lonely City, I went to the places my father had named when he checked in with King Alexander. Uncle Al, had given the names to Kellen, reluctantly. He was not happy at all that I was here looking for Dad. I told Kellen to relay the message, ‘that if and when she finds him, don’t be surprised if she gets an earful. Marcus will have my balls for letting his daughter go after him’

I chuckled at the memory of Kellen telling me on the day I landed here and called him to check in. I also checked in with Hunji via text, giving him exact locations and names of establishments I have gone to ask questions in. So far it had been a miss, each person passing me off to the next. This carried on for two weeks.

Not one person owned up to seeing him, or remembering him, even when I forced them to take a look at his picture again.

It wasn’t until the end of the second week I had walked into a bar and asked the bar tender if he had seen him.

“Yah, I seen him, he was in here a little over a month ago.” The young man said, and tipped his head to the picture. “Friend of yours?” he asked.

“You could say that, so do you know where he went next?” I pressed.

“Yah, he was asking a bunch of strange questions, so I sent him over to the House of the Rising Moon. If anyone could answer his question, it would be ole Pete. He’s been around for a while.” He said, winking at me.

“Thanks.” I gave him and walked out.

The next night, I found myself standing outside the doors of an even seedier bar, located on the outskirts of town. Motor cycles were parked out front, and large lifted trucks, caked with dirt. A drunken couple tumbled out the doors, the sounds of heavy rock music spilling into the otherwise quiet and chilled night.

The scent was mostly Bear, but I detected a few wolves and maybe a were-cat or two? I took a deep breath and pulled the door open. The immediate rush of sweat, smoke and stale alcohol, invaded my senses all at once and I scrunched my nose when the stale scent of sex mixed with the other unpleasantries.

It was like the world came to a stop as I walked directly towards the bar. I could feel the stares and glares burning into me. The arousal of the men was thick in the air, and the animosity of the women was stifling. I side-eyed the whole bar, counting the number of people, scented their races, and watching for exits. My hands were at the ready to pull my swords at any given moment. There were a couple of low whistles but I ignored them. Reaching the bar and taking a seat on one of the worn wooden stools.

 My senses were on high alert, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at me. Always watching, because I would never be caught off guard again, and I could read a room like a children’s fairy-tail.

“Rum, three fingers” I told the bar tender when he caught my eye. When he handed me my drink and pulled the photo out and handed it to him, asking him if he had seen my father along with a large bill of money.

“Yah I seen him. What’s it worth to you?” He sniffed, his greasy hair slicked back, and his white shirt yellow with age and stained. I pulled out a roll of bills and laid it in front of me. He looked at me curiously and untrusting.

“If you can tell me exactly where that man is, it’s yours.” I took a sip of my drink as I regarded him, gauging his reaction and trying to get a read on him. “If you can’t I will know you are lying and you get nothing.”

He looked me in the eye and I let my wolf show herself, flashing my eyes. That seemed to do the trick. He bobbed his greasy head slowly.

“Yah he was here. Was looking for someone…”

“ Who?” I asked him impatiently.

“A woman, a legend, Odeia.” He scratched his gut and picked up the picture, looked at it then averted his eyes to mine and back to the photo before laying it down on the bar. “Look little lady, I will tell you what I told him, but I would hate to see a pretty thing like you get hurt.”

“I will double the roll if you tell me where he is.”

His dull eyes shinned with greed and he scratched his belly again. “OK, He came in here asking about an Odeia chick. Said he was an old friend. I told him the only person who knew where Odeia was, was the King. So when he asked me 'how does one get an audience with the king', I laughed and told him to just cross over the Clan line and go ask him. He said he was going to do just that. I didn’t think he actually was. So I don’t know if he actually went there or not, or if he is still there.”

“What do you mean ‘still there’” I scowled.

“I mean, if he crossed the Clan line, he is probably rotting in a dungeon by now. You don’t cross the line unless you are part of the Clan, have requested entry or are invited. Otherwise you are trespassing and that is a crime punishable by death." He sighed, “You look like a… determined girl… I hope you know what you are getting yourself into” He was sympathetic with his concern and I would consider it almost sweet if it wasn’t for his unappealing appearance.

I pushed the roll towards him, pulled another roll of cash from my vest and laid it down, thanking him before leaving the dingy bar and once again venturing into the cold night air. It had begun to snow and I grumbled, pulling my coat closer around me. I will be happier when I find my father and we can get the fuck out of here.

I pulled my phone out and sent Hunji a text.

‘followed the bread crumbs,

House of the Rising Moon

Straight into the thick of bear country.

The fastest way to see the king is to piss him off.

Give me two weeks.

He would know exactly what I meant, and if he didn’t hear from me in two weeks, he would start mobilizing our troops.

The fastest way to gain an audience with the bear king was to piss him off. And the best way to piss him off was to cross the line, beat the shit out of a few guards and let myself get caught.

And that is exactly what I did. I crossed the line and half a mile in, two guards approached me. I took them out easily, knocking them unconscious and made it a mile more into the territory before I had other guards surround me.

I lifted my swords and dropped them on the ground, and held my hands up.

“I seek an audience with your king”, I declared.

“Sweetheart, you are in no position to be making requests, this ain’t the grand hotel.” One guard chuckled. As he and another male bear took hold of my arms and cuffed them behind me. I let them drag me to their dungeon, and just as they were about to push me through the main entrance, I caught a tantalizing scent on the wind; vanilla and black rum.

My mouth watered, but it was gone as soon as I was shoved inside and down the stairs.

I winked at my dad as they took me past his cell. His eyes were drawn tight in a disapproving scowl. He was mad as hell! But I didn’t miss the slight hint of a twinkle either. He had been waiting for me; he knew I would come for him.

*****

So here I am, chained to a wall with a pair of dainty silver cuffs. Inanna chuckled in my head.

‘We could easily snap these’ She smirked to me in my head.

It was true; these chains were plenty for ordinary shifters, to weaken their spirit animal.

But I am no ordinary wolf. And these two idiots in front of me, had no idea who or what I was, thanks to Inanna suppressing our aura.

“Who do you work for?” The youngest of the two asked. He was good looking, tall and on the leaner side of bulky, for a bear shifter. If he was Wolf, I might want to get to know him better. Even his honey-colored eyes and naturally tanned skin couldn’t outweigh the stench of his bear though.

His friend was no different, although his mossy green eyes were a little harder than his friends. There was a story behind those eyes and again, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was a bear and I was chained to these walls, I might want to get to know him much better.

“I told you, I want to speak to your king.” I sneered.

We had been at this for a few hours now, him asking me questions and me giving him the same answer every time. Or actually telling him what I want, not really answering him.

“One more time, Wolf, who are you working for?” His honey eyes glared at me and flared with anger. He huffed. I was really pissing him off now.

I did think they would be a little more aggressive with questioning. I haven’t been struck once. Only restrained, and even then they didn’t try to rough me up.

“Answer our questions or we will have no choice but to force you until you submit.” The green-eyed hunk said.

I threw my head back laughing, almost manically. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. When I had finally simmered my amusement down and steadied my gaze on him, “I told you. I WANT TO SEE YOUR KING” My voice, raising an octave to get my point across and letting a little of my Alpha aura slip through.

I was in no rush though. I could smell my father and knew he was OK. Getting in here was easy, getting out might be another story. I was unable to link Kellen. I didn’t know if it was because of distance, or the walls that surrounded me. Maybe we have finally found a limit to our bond?

The two men stepped back, a little shocked by the use of my tone. Both pairs of eyes were wide, but only for a split second. The mossy green-eyed hunk stepped towards me and put his nose to my hair, inhaling a deep breath, then stepped back again. A look of confusion was written across his features.

What did he smell? Suddenly a slither of fear crept across my skin, remembering the last time I was chained in a cell with were-bears. I shook it off as quickly as I could. This was a different story, a different situation. I kept telling myself. I could break from these silver chains and they hadn’t given me anything to suppress my wolf. Yet.

Honey and mossy (what I have named them, due to eye colors) stood huddled on the other side of the dungeon corridor, their voices too low to hear. Honey then stepped back into my cell and did the same thing as mossy, stuck his nose in my hair and took a big whiff scenting me. When he stepped back, he too had a look of bewilderment on his face, his eyes curiously scanning me. Then he went back to stand with his friend.

“I don’t see how it’s possible” Honey said, this time not as quiet.

“I scent her but… nothing else. I think we need to get Mat down here. This is fucking nuts” Mossy replied, sticking his hands on his hips and shaking his head.

“Oh he is just going to be in a brilliant mood, especially after the attack tonight.” Honey smirked.

“Hey! You two idiots!” I called out, catching their attention, both heads snapping in my direction. “If you are done sniffing me, I would appreciate you taking these chains off, and taking me to see your king.” I tried a sweet voice, instead of demanding. Honey scratched his head, ruffling his brown curls even more.

I heard a door open, the main door, and then foot falls on the concrete steps leading down. Vanilla and black rum, the scent had me salivating, and my breath quickened. Inanna was jumping in my head; I could feel her anxiousness coupled with excitement.

I started to panic. I have had this feeling before. No, no, it can’t be.

‘MATE’ Inanna gleefully acknowledged. Then I felt her anger before she retreated. Turning away and blocking me.