Chapter Twenty-Four
The wind rushed passed her ears as she soared above her home and into the sky. Keeping close to the ground so she could see the large wolf beneath her, she shot in the direction of the river, a location that was a mile away. It wouldn’t take long to get there, but seeing how fast Radley shot forward, Cricket knew he would give her a true race.
Cricket was known for her speed, her nimble wings glittering disco balls of competition. She’d often raced others who thought to call her out. Sometimes, she won those races with too much faery wine in her veins. Sometimes, she jokingly slowed down to make the competitor think they stood a chance. She never lost to fae, but a wolf was something different, a new challenge.
Radley was fast. His claws dug into the earth and propelled him forward, shooting into the forest near her home so fast, she thought for a moment she’d lose for sure, but as she fluttered her wings, she realized they were neck and neck with each other. Every so often, she caught a glimpse of the wolf running beneath her through the trees, saw the charcoal coat. He blended in so well, he appeared more like a shadow than a wolf, but somehow, she was still able to pick him out in the night.
With her hair flying around her, Cricket moved closer to the tops of the trees, until her fingers could brush against the leaves as she passed.
“You look like a shadow this way,” she said out loud, knowing he would hear her above the wind rushing passed him.
“And you look like a star above me.”
The words echoed in her mind and held, making something unfurl inside her. “A star?”
“Glittering, twinkling, so beautiful, I want to look at you forever.” He howled as he ran, the sound washing over her skin and twisting her. It was a declaration, a tease. “I’ll never let you fall, sugar plum.”
It was the wind that made her eyes water. At least, that’s what she told herself as she flapped wings suddenly heavy with emotion. Still, she pushed forward, gaining distance in front of him, even if it was a small amount. By the time the river came into view, Cricket had managed to control her emotions, pushing everything deep inside to hide. It was foolish to care for him, to want something with more permanence after the Games, but she couldn’t help it. The way he had started to look at her, as if he’d never seen something so beautiful, broke through the walls she’d placed around her heart. She knew Radley was using her in a way. He was paying off the debt with her father, but none of that meant he had to be nice to her. None of it meant he had to look at her that way or say sweet things.
None of that meant he had to make promises he probably couldn’t keep.
“You’re going to lose,” she goaded, pushing herself as fast as she could go. Her wings strained just slightly after not using them as often as she should, but they held up as they always did. “Get ready to kneel, alpha.”
A husky chuckle in her mind. “You’re fast. I’ll give you that.” A pause. “I will not mind being on my knees for you.”
Her breath stuttered as she folded her wings and dropped through the trees. Just before she could crash into the earth beside the river, she flared them wide, catching wind so she touched down gently on the spongey ground, just in time for Radley to slide to a stop through the trees, his eyes flashing at the sight of her.
Bones cracked and rippled, hair receded, until Radley stood before her in naked glory. Though they’d ran a mile in record time, he’d barely broken a sweat. His hair was tousled, as if the transformation somehow left him disheveled. She suspected it was simply the wildness coming out to play.
“Looks like I lose, huh?” he purred, beginning to stalk a circle around her.
Her wings were pressed tightly together, her shoulders tense as he made a circle around her. “Looks like it.” She wasn’t wearing much, a pair of comfortable shorts and a tank top, but he looked at her as if she was wearing her finest. “I guess you’d better get on your knees then, wolf.”
The slow curl at the corner of his lips nearly did her in. “Your wish is my command, Lady Snapdragon.”
Radley moved like the predator he was, stalking her, but she didn’t run when he stopped right in front of her. She held herself still as he met her eyes without flinching. She stopped breathing when he placed his large hands one either side of her hips and slowly lowered himself to his knees before her.
“Radley. . .”
His eyes stayed locked on hers as he hooked his fingers into the shorts she wore and slowly began to slide them down her thighs. “Yes, sugar plum?”
“You’re going to be the death of me,” she rasped, reaching a shaking hand out to thread into his hair.
He grinned. “Oh, I plan on it.”
There was a tree just behind her. She had just enough time to flare her wings wide before Radley used his hand to press her back against the bark. With his hands reaching around to cup her ass, he growled up at her, a sound that made her melt.
“Wrap your legs around my shoulders,” he commanded. Her legs turned to gelatin.
Doing as he ordered, there was no struggle. Radley held her weight up with ease, as if she was as light as a feather. She used one hand to clench his hair between her fingers. The other hooked a branch above her to hold on.
“Good girl,” Radley rumbled, and if she hadn’t already been wet, that alone would have gotten the job done.
She thought she was prepared for his lips. After all, she’d been able to handle his cock just fine, though he’d left her a puddle of satisfaction with it. Surely, lips couldn’t be any better.
The moment he placed his mouth against her core, Cricket understood how wrong she was.