The Delta's Daughter Chapter 303

TAWNY

“Come on, open your eyes.” I try to encourage Mason, gently squeezing his hand. The healers have removed as much Nightshade from his bloodstream as they could. Drained his blood then gave him more.

Mason should have healed by now, but the dirty fighters had used silver-coated blades dipped in the venomous poison. They had stabbed Mason so deeply and multiple times that his body was having a hard time stitching itself back together. An indication that his feline was not present to help heal him. Not a good sign at all.

It was a wonder he was alive at all.

It made my blood boil to know they got the best of not Mason and other warriors, but also myself. It never crossed my mind that they would use underhanded tactics as they did. Lightfoot should never have got the drop on me like that.

I felt guilty because if it wasn’t for me, Mason would have never been blindsided the way he was. He was coming to me when he was hit from the side by a shifted cat. I don’t remember what happened after that, but the healer said he had been stabbed multiple times.

I look at the strong were-cat, laying in the hospital bed, looking weak. Mason didn’t have family, only me. Lots of friends, but no one to worry over him the way I was now. No one to sit and hold his hand. To pray for his recovery.

I couldn’t lose Mason. He had become one of the most important people in my life.

I know how he feels about me, and I am sorry that I can’t give him what he wants, or thinks he needs from me. What I can do though, is be there - be here for him. Be the best friend I can be. Support him the way he has supported me since the first day he was assigned to protect me.

After showering and a fresh change of clothes Crimson had ventured to the Palace cells where they were keeping Maydor and the other remaining Lords that had formed the coup.

I wanted to be down there, questioning them.

I was needed here though, by Mason’s side. A knock on the door has me looking up when it's gently pushed open, revealing Tomislav.

He looks sheepish as he asks, “Princess, may I come in?”

I tilt my head back and forth slowly and Tomislav comes to stand on the other side of Mason’s bed. “How is he doing?” He asks.

I rub my eyes with the heel of the hand that’s not grasping Mason’s. “They think they got all the poison out,” Is all I give him.

“Will he recover?” There’s a tightness to Tomislav’s voice along with a slight gruffness.

“I hope so,” Is all I can manage because at this point, I’m ready to break and I know I can't.

There was a phrase that Mike used to say a lot: ‘If you have a problem, get rid of it, then it won’t be a problem anymore’. I have ten tons of problems right now and I don’t know how to get rid of any of them.

“One thing at a time.”

I jerk my head up at Tomislav, raising a brow “Excuse me?” I ask him, thinking maybe I voiced my thoughts out loud by mistake.

“You have the same look on your face my mother does when things get to be too much, and she’s overwhelmed.” He offers me a tight-lipped smile.

“What can I help you with Tomislav?” I really don’t want the company right now. I just want to sit here and will Mason into waking up, to healing.

“Nothing I just… I was concerned for him.” I tilt my head, peering at Tomislav again. He takes a quick breath in and lets it out just as fast, “He was really worried about you when you went missing in Tolba for a few days,” He confesses. But I already know that.

Tomislav’s eyes glaze over and when they clear he holds eye contact with me, “They are looking for you Princess, The Tolba King requests an audience with you.”

I had put my block up to everyone except Crimson, wanting to concentrate on my friend. I look at Mason hesitantly. I didn’t want to leave him. I didn’t want him to be alone when he woke up.

“I will stay with him, Princess.” Tomislav offers.

And very, very slowly I stand still holding my friend’s hand. I give his knuckles a kiss, “I will be back, I promise. Just wake up for me, ya?” I tell Mason, before giving him a kiss on the forehead.

I nod to Tomislav as I turn one more time to look at Mason’s crumpled body sleeping. He looks peaceful but pale. Reluctantly, I manage to move through the door and back to the Palace.

*****

The Palace foyer is a cluster fuck with warriors, Lords, Arik, and his Coalition, and no Gillian or Tristan in sight. “Wyvern?” I find him trying to give out orders, but everyone seems in a panic, and they are bombarding him with questions, overwhelming him with incessant pestering.

“They are unmanageable.” He growls out his frustration, “There too many men in the cells, not enough to keep them there and not enough to deal with this shit,” He says waving a hand in the air, motioning to the chaos that’s taking place in the Palace foyer.

Arik finds me and vies for my attention “Princess,” I give him a once over, my eyes traveling the length of his naked body. He really is a fine specimen of a male.

It's only then that I notice, they are all naked. I am surrounded by muscled chests, bouncing cocks, and a whole lot of tight asses.

“Dear Goddess,” I sigh averting my eyes and palming my forehead.

I go to crack my neck and the bandage pulls at my skin. Having enough, I rip it off and climb the stairs so I can look over the gathering clusterfuck.

Bringing my fingers to my mouth, I let out a shrill and ear-piercing whistle. The room goes silent, everyone stills - all eyes are on me.

I try to keep my eyes on theirs and not wander below the necklines, but there is a whole lot of testosterone in this room and just little ole me. “Listen up! This is not how warriors behave!” I start, “I know you are meant to be doing something and not just mulling around here like a bunch of lost dogs!”

I climb a step higher, gaining confidence, and making sure they can all see and hear me. “Tonight, we were blindsided by an enemy within our own kingdom. They used dirty tactics and blackmailed families and your fellow warriors into joining their mutiny. They used fear to fuel their cause. They don’t like change and they think I shouldn’t lead! As I look around right now, I see men who need leaders that are strong and can make tough decisions.

“I am the heir to the Cambiador throne. I am going be your Queen and Kolby Crimson will stand by my side as your King, and together, with each and every one of you, we will build Cambiador up, shape it, mold it, and nurture it to become a kingdom we are all proud of. A future that includes us all.

“First of all, cover your damn junk when you are in front of your princess!” Faces turn bright red and they all cover their cocks with their hands. “Good. What I need are men who will welcome this change, men and women who want to lead us into a bright and promising future. If you don’t want to be a part of that, then leave now!”

The cluster of men that stand below me all look around to see who leaves, but no moves. I internally smile.

“The warriors that are in our holding cell need to be questioned, if they still hold loyalty to the throne, then can be released. If they show any abhorrence, displacement, or aggression then they can sit in there until we can process them. Understood?

“The Lords will be brought before the council and given a fair trial for their crimes. All injured fighters have been moved to the healer’s hospital. Find the successors to the mutiny Lord's houses and secure them in their homes. Wyvern will give you your orders, You do not need to be asking questions, just follow orders. This way we can all get through the day and hopefully some sleep once everything is in order.”

I finish my monologue, And Wyvern begins to bark orders out now that everyone is complacent. Arik and his men stand waiting. “Endo,” I call out to one of our lead Alpha warriors. “Find these men some shorts and wake the house staff, have them prepare food to feed everyone as well as our guests.”

“Yes, your highness,” He says, still covering his junk from me, and scurries away to follow through with his orders.

“Arik, cover yourself,” I say to the handsome werelion who doesn’t even attempt to ho hide his large free-flying cock.

He winks at me, “Afraid I might steal you from your mate?”

“I’m afraid he might kill you and everyone in this room.” I scoff back. “You wanted to see me?”

He bobs his head, “I did, didn’t expect to be walking into a full-out civil war though,”

“Me neither,” I motion with my head for him to follow me and I lead him to my office. Stopping at Crimsons on the way there to grab Arik a pair of shorts. I toss them to him and he tugs them over his thick thighs thankfully his nether region is fully covered by the time we are walking through my office door.

Once sitting, I brace my head in my hands, elbows on the large desk. “What’s up? As you can see I have more than enough to handle at the moment. Why have you come Cambiador Arik?”

Through the window I hear the chirp of birds as the sun starts to crest, turning the sky into beautiful shades of oranges and reds. I’m so tired. The night weighed heavy on my body and mind. All I want to do is curl up and hide away. Preferably in Crimson's arms.

Arik’s eyes glaze over, and shortly someone knocks on the thick wood, “May I?” He jesters getting up to open the door. Opening it, he takes something from, I’m guessing one of his men then shuts it again. In his hands, he holds a book and throws it on the desk. It slides across the surface landing face-up in front of me.

“What is this?” I ask not really wanting to get into the whole library talk again. I had enough going on without trying to concentrate on things that haven’t happened and might not. I wanted to check back up on Mason and Crimson had been in the cells for hours now.

Goddess knew where Gillian and Tristan were. I hadn’t tried to mentally connect to them, there hadn’t been time.

“It’s your family tree. She took it when she left Cambiador. She wanted you to have it.” He speaks. “But I guess this is all small peas compared to what you are dealing with. Tell me, Queen Tawny, do you look for trouble or does it just find you?” He smirks folding his hand over his ripped torso.

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” A light and airy laugh leaves me, but it’s not one born of joy, it's laced with sarcasm.

“You’re uh, mate. Is he around?” His eyes shift uneasily around the room.

“He’s indisposed at the moment. Interrogating the leaders of this attempted takeover.”

Arik’s head bobs up and down, “When the Pride found King Crimsons' mother, she had been ravished by the wilds. There was no sign of her child. They assumed the wilds had eaten him along with his mother. That he was dead.”

I frown, “I know all this,”

“You do. Hear me out though. Althea raised me to become King, as I was the last in my line. Bastard child, but nevertheless, the last heir to Tolba Pride. When the immortal Ashe told her Senko was still alive and we spotted King Crimson, she was convinced it was Senko coming to finish the job. That’s why we took him. Why she initially wanted him dead.”

“Again,” I cut him off, “I know this and I’m sorry Arik but right now I don’t have time to rehash stories I already know.”

“I’ll cut to the chase. Skip the apology I will forever owe you. Kolby Crimson is my cousin, he could challenge me to the Tolba throne.”

“He won’t,” I assure him, not knowing where this conversation was going. I was itching to tell Arik to leave, that this chitchat could wait for another day.

“I came here hoping for an alliance, Queen Tawny. It seems I came at the right time just not for the reasons I thought I was coming here for. We have all seen what King Crimson can do, and I’m not sure many shifters will trust him because of his rare abilities.

Despite him being your mate or not. Once word gets out, and after tonight’s display. Word will get out.” Arik leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees, and locks his eyes with mine. “If Senko is still alive, what do you think he do when he finds out his only son is here and King of Cambiador?”

“I have no idea and I really don’t want to be thinking of it right now.”

“Of course, I have never met Senko, but from what Althea tells me, he was once a good man. Now, though, seeing what he created, what he did to those half-Skinwalker children? Anyone who would manipulate a child’s DNA is not a good person. He’s playing God, trying to create a new race. At first, Althea thought he left to protect his wife and child, but now…” Arik shakes his head low, “…Now, she’s not sure. She fears he will come back for the children, his creations.”

“And where do we figure into this?” I ask cautiously.

“Our numbers are low, we need protection.”

“And you think we can provide that? With a damn civil war on our hands?” I become agitated suddenly. The idea of being pulled in yet another direction has my stomach twisting with anxiety and blood boiling. “We don’t have the manpower right now, Arik”

“I can see that, but Queen Lamia does.” He stares right through me, his caramel eyes locking me in place.

“I see, and you are willing to let wolves and bears on your territory?”

“We are,” He says to my disbelief. When I told Cambiador that there would be wolves in our capital to help us rebuild they went ape shit. Yet here is the King of a Pride, willingly asking for wolves and bears to protect them, even after the history they have with Orion and Silas. “Althea, and myself, we trust Queen Lamia and King Mathias. We trust you.” He points a finger at me.

“I appreciate the vote in confidence, I can’t promise you anything but I will speak to them on your behalf.” I think for a second. I have no problem talking to Lamia on Arik’s behalf. But communication between Tolba and anyone else was limited and I didn’t have the time to go back there or send others back with messages. “Actually,” I stand as an idea comes to mind and I cross the room to a cabinet that sits on the far wall. I open it and grab one of the satellite phones. “Take this, my office number is already programmed into it so can reach me-“ I cut myself as I notice the look of confusion on Arik’s face.

“Shit, you have never used a sat phone before.” But Althea certainly should know how to use a phone if she lived here in Cambiador. “Althea can show you how to use it. I will give Queen Lamia and King Mathias the number. Someone will be in contact with you.”

“Okay,” He replies twirling the foreign device in his hands.

“Welcome to technology Arik.” I can’t help but chuckle because he looks so lost.

The door to my office opens and Crimson strolls in. Blood soaks the crisp white shirt he changed into after showering early, right before heading down to the cells.

“Oh shit. You killed him?” He knows exactly who I mean.

“No. Gillian did,” He doesn’t growl, but I don’t miss the agitation in his voice either.

“Fuck,” I hear myself say. That’s not good. As a Lord, Maydor was entitled to a fair trial by the council. If Gillian killed him in cold blood, she could be arrested again and sentenced. “Did he attack her?” I ask hoping she was defending herself. But Crimson just shakes his head, his eyes on Arik sitting in the chair across from me. “Your cousin came to form an alliance,”

“Alliance formed. Thanks for your help out there. You guys turned up just in time.” Crimson is short and blunt. To the point but grateful. I can see other things pressing on his mind.

“Arik, if you will excuse us. I will have accommodations for you and your men prepared. Please, there should be food in the main dining room that you are all welcome to.”

As soon as Arik leaves us, Crimson is pouncing on me, I push him away not wanting to be soaked in blood again. “Shower, change, then tell me what the heck happened!”

“Join me?” The corners of his mouth curl into a playful smile and he offers me his hand. I roll my eyes, but can’t resist and let him drag me to my room where we get much dirtier before cleaning up. Again.