Lords of the Deep (39 page)

“Oh Yipp, please, please be safe … please don’t die. Gods, don’t let anyone hurt him. He never did anything to anyone … not to deserve that …. ”

It felt like a lifetime to her, but the path finally ended at a small encampment. Celeste pulled up short, stopping just at the edge of the clearing and quickly ducking behind an old birch tree.

By the Gods! Was there anyone there? Had they seen her? She took a few calming breaths and fell to her knees on the ground, braving a look at the site the tracks led to from between the low slung branches of the tree. At the far left of the camp, she spotted four large black oxen. They were all tethered close to each other, heads bowed, ignoring the hay in front of them to gorge on what grass the ropes allowed them access to. Several wagons took up most of the center of the clearing, all lined up in a circle. In the center of the circle was a large black tent with red trim in intricate patterns. There was a covered wagon behind the tent, which Celeste assumed held supplies, but it was the other wagons that gave her pause.

She gasped in wonder. Seven wagons in all, and with the exception of the covered wagon, six of them were heavily crafted with rune wood and made specifically to carry large amounts of weight …. Each had iron bars imbedded in the wood and was large enough to carry a dragon if needed. Four of the wagons contained creatures that Celeste had never before seen and she was momentarily mesmerized by the sight of them.

The wagon closest to her contained a Peryton, a winged beast with the upper body and antlers of a full grown stag and a tail end similar to that of a hawk, but far larger. Its vivid blue color shimmered with silver highlights in the light of the sun. It was breathtaking in its beauty, but Celeste knew that beauty was nothing more than a facade. She had heard many tales of the dangerous beast and was shocked anyone had been foolish enough to try to catch one, regardless of their obvious success. Perytons were renowned for their dreadful nature and their penchant for eating human flesh.

She shivered inwardly and ducked behind the tree, coming back out on the other side for a look at the next wagon. Inside sat a very miserable-looking gold Shisa, a bizarre mixture reminiscent of both a lion and dog. Its dark gold mane encircled a broad dog-like face, which was currently resting on its forepaws. Its deep gold eyes were shadowed by heavy, wrinkled brows and the poor thing looked for all the world to be worried to death about something.

Is it smart enough to realize it’s in danger? She didn’t know much about the rare beast, but by its expression she guessed it was at least intelligent enough to be unhappy about being in a cage. The Shiza spotted Celeste and began wagging its tail, its tongue lolling out the side of its muzzle. Celeste sank further behind the tree and prayed that the damn creature would remain silent and not alert its captor.

When several moments went by with no apparent alarm sounding, Celeste crawled through the underbrush for a look at the next wagon. She peeked through the bottom of an elder berry bush and saw that inside the cage stood a majestic and fearsome Oilin.

By the Gods! How did anyone catch you? Its brilliant green scaled skin sparkled in the mid-day sun. The Oilin was an odd creature, with the head of a dragon and body of an ox, but it’s most discerning feature was the large rack of deer antlers atop its head, which it was currently scraping against the bars of its prison. Oilins were rare, but more than that, they were highly intelligent and had a strong magic of their own. It was unthinkable that someone had managed to not only find one and get the drop on it, but that they had managed to do so without being burned to a crisp in the process.

Unthinkable, and yet there he sits. Why? Why would anyone cage them? To the best of her knowledge the Peryton was the only one that posed any sort of threat, since people were definitely on their menu, but the others …. She diverted her attention from the Oilin and moved in a bit closer through the bushes to see what was in the last wagon, closest to the tent. Her eyes immediately locked on the motionless heap of red and black stripped fur lying on the hard wooden floor of the cage. A gasp escaped her throat and she found herself on her feet and running toward the cage before she even had time to think of the dangers. By the Gods! Yipp! She stopped short of the bars, unsure what magic was in place that could possibly be keeping Yipp inside when he could clearly squeeze between the bars if he tried.

‘Yipp! Can you hear me? Yipp! Wake up!’

She cast a leery look toward the tent, which appeared to be vacant.

Oh Yipp …. If Yipp was harmed in any way he would need her. She tried to mentally call him. At first there was no movement and she tried again, this time focusing hard on their psychic link. His ears twitched and his head move slightly to the right.

‘C-Celly … is that you?’

Celeste’s heart leapt with relief and she had to fight to hold back tears. Thank the Gods!

‘Yes Yippy, It’s me. I came. I’m here to take you home.’ Relief swelled through her body. Her Yipp was alive!

‘N-no, Celeste. You have to go … he’ll be back … he took me … and the others … leave Celeste! Leave. Before …. ‘ Yipp’s desperate plea made no sense to her.

‘I can’t leave without you! You would die if I did! You know that. Yipp, Yipp! Wake up! Who did this to you?’ “Where is he?” she asked, not realizing that she was speaking out loud and not telepathically.

‘Shh! Celly, don’t speak! He’ll hear you. I can’t get out. The cage is magical. D-don’t touch …. ’ Yipp passed out again before he could finish his sentence. It was too much for Celeste to handle. She reached out and grabbed hold of the bars. The moment her hands closed around the cold, iron rods a violent bolt of energy jolted through her body and lifted her off the ground. The force threw her several feet through the air. Celeste was so stunned it took several moments for any rational thought to penetrate the pain still thrumming through her body. When thought did come, it was with the realization that it would be impossible to get Yipp out of the cage.

What in the world do I do now? Getting to her feet she moved around the cage, finding a locked panel at the back. She tried jiggling the lock, but it was locked tight. Her heart sank to her knees and she backed away from the wagon. Just as she was about to turn around and try peeping inside the tent for the keys, two heavily muscled male arms grabbed her from behind.

Celeste froze in shock as her body was firmly pressed against a very large, very aroused masculine body. One of the male’s arms came around and securely held her by the waste while the other squeezed one of her breasts in his large hand. Hot breath brushed the skin of her neck and ear.

“My, what do we have here?” The voice, so close to her ear, was so deep and raw it sent shivers down her spine. To her dismay she could feel every contour and indentation of his muscular chest through the back of her dress. He held her so tightly against him that his swollen cock lay flat against the crease between her ass and lower back.

Oh god, it’s so big. Wait, Celeste, what in the world are you going on about? She shook herself mentally, but her mind seemed to be in a fog. She felt a strange sensation swirling in her lower abdomen that, oddly enough, wasn’t fear but something much more disturbing. The heat of his body and the cinnamon scent of his skin made her pulse race and her sex flood. She shook her head to clear it from the direction her thoughts were taking her and, when she finally managed to get her wits back, started to struggle as hard as she could to get away. Unfortunately, the only thing she did was rub her backside against his enormous erection, which made him hold on even tighter and press her ass harder against him.

“Enough wench!” His voice was a low growl and the command riveted right through her and yet aroused her at the same time.

“Cease your struggles. It will only make your plight more enjoyable for me.” His last words were spoken barely above a whisper. His lips scraped the sensitive skin of her neck, just below her jaw line and she gasped as his hot tongue licked the smooth crease just beneath her left ear.

“Hhmmm,” he purred. Her body heated and she felt the folds of her pussy thicken with her juices.

What is wrong with me? Celeste looked down at the hand still fondling her breast, with its crimson skin and sharp pointed black fingernails so stark against the white of her corset. She had been so distracted by her initial arousal that she hadn‘t noticed he was not an ordinary man.

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