The Delta's Daughter Chapter 307

TAWNY

I’m powerless as I watch Crimson retreat from my room and shut the door meekly behind him. As soon as the sound of the door latching to close fills the thick silent air, I collapse to the floor.

A sob wracks through me. Believing that he actually left. I scramble to my feet a few moments later and rush out the door hoping, praying, that he comes to his senses and I find him waiting. That he has changed his mind and he really isn't leaving. That he really didn’t lie to me. That he didn’t withhold information.

We were meant to be a team. He said he loved me - Made me promises. And now he’s broken them along with my heart.

I rush down the stairs to the main foyer, flinging the front door open only to see the back of his car disappear down the gravel driveway. “Crimson!” I shout. But I know he doesn’t hear me. I try to establish a mind-link with him but I’m met with a wall.

The anger and hurt sear through me, my head pounds, and my feline, Juniper yowls with grief. “You lied,” I whisper falling to the floor, tears streaming down my eyes. “You lied and left,” I sob.

I wanted him to hurt as much as I was.

In one fierce wave, I’m consumed by my rage. Fury rising within. I find strength from my feline and stand to my feet her anguish over her mate's betrayal fueling the words that slip past my lips; “I reject you Kolby Crimson, I break the bonds that tie us together. You are no longer worthy of my love.”

The words send a piercing pain straight through my heart. Like shards of glass, the words I spat out in my haste shattered my soul.

“I got you, Princess. I got you.” I feel Mason’s strong arms wrap around me and lift me from the ground. Everything is a haze until I realize he has brought me back to my room.

He lays me down and cradles me. “You don’t have to tell me, just know I am here for you.” I cry hard and ugly while he holds me and tries to soothe the warring battle that’s taking place in my mind. As much as I despise Crimson right now, and want to be as far away as possible from him and this place. It’s his lingering scent on my bed that engulfs me, and it's that cinnamon scent that’s helping to calm my feline.

“Take me, home Mason.” I finally say when I have calmed down enough and have no more tears to shed. “I don’t want to be here. Take me home, Please.”

“Tawny,” He sighs heavily.

“No, everything is shit. I should never have come here. From the very beginning, it was a mistake. I just want to go home.” I plead with him. I want to be anywhere but here. I want to see my father, Lamia. I just can't be here. I want to be anywhere that won’t remind me of him.

“Okay, Princess. I’ll take you wherever you need to go. Sleep for now, in the morning…”

“No,” I say bolting up to a sitting position and climbing off the bed. There’s no way I can stay in this room. It will break me – being surrounded by everything that will remind me of him. “I don’t want to be here another minute.”

“Princess,” Mason has a warning tone in his voice “You can’t just leave the Kingdom.”

“Watch me!” I hiss back, not caring for shit about this place right now. The fury at Crimson's audacity crept back in and fueled me to pull my girl panties up. I will not let this break me. “Either you take me or I go by myself.”

I stomp to the closet fishing out the bag I arrived with, throwing all my crap in there as fast as I can, not caring that I’m shoving it in like an unhinged woman on a mission.

I hear him mumble when he strides out the door. I don’t care. All I know is that I have to get out of here. With or without Mason, I was leaving.

My hands shake as I gather what I can see, stuffing my pack and finally zipping up my bag, heading straight for the door. I don’t know where the keys are to the vehicles, we arrived in. Fuck it. I will run all the way home if have to. I just need to go.

I suddenly feel suffocated by this place. Alien to a place I thought I could call home. I don’t even believe it’s the lies that hurt the most. He left… me. His excuse was worthless. I asked him not to leave. I begged him not to leave. How can rule a kingdom together, when he doesn’t even trust me?

The memory of Hunji telling me he didn’t trust Crimson, replays in my mind. I should have listened to him, part of me believes. I feel my feline disagree with my thoughts, Juniper’s fur hackles, and an unhappy growl, courtesy of Juniper, shudders through me.

I make it downstairs, swiping at the dried tears, “Tawny,” Gillian calls out to me and I hold a hand up to her, the only attention I give her, as I walk out the front door and storm over the gravel. Not even caring what direction I’m heading in.

My feet seem to think for me as I manage to follow the road. My bag dragged behind me and my pack slung over my back.

I don’t get very far when a car pulls up beside me, “Get in the car Tawny,” Mason demands. I keep walking refusing to look at him. “Tawny, please. Get in the car.”

I stop, pausing to control more tears that well up. I don’t hear Mason get out of the car, but he takes my bags and then guides me to the passenger seat. Once in he climbs in beside me and throws the car into drive.

“Where are you taking me?” I weakly asked, really not wanting to go back to the Palace.

“Our of Cambiador.” He says and keeps driving.

*****

MASON

I’m woken by the sound of pounding on my door.

“Mason!” The sound of Gillian's panicked voice has me bolting out of my bed.

“Shit,” I groan tripping over my pants on the floor and grabbing my junk to rearrange myself in the briefs I’m wearing. My stomach muscles pulling tight. Even though I’ve recovered and there is minimal scarring, I still feel the ache and pull of healing internally.

I rip the door open, my nose twitching, searching for the alarm Gillian is raising. “Where’s the fire?” I groggily ask, still trying to wake up.

“Kolby, shit. He’s leaving,” She grabs me by the wrist yanking me from my room.

It’s then I hear the shouting, Tawny’s threat. “Mason, he fucked up. Kept a secret from us.” I only half listen to her, pulling my wrist free and racing down to the foyer where I hear Tawny calling Crimson's name.

The sound of her broken voice and sob echo through my ears and my chest tightens hearing the splintered plea in her voice.

I stop stock still when she next speaks. “I reject you Kolby Crimson, I break the bonds that tie us together. You are no longer worthy of my love.” As she falls to the floor, my feet find movement again and I catch her before she connects with the cold marble.

“I got you, Princess, I got you.” I’m in disbelief that she just rejected him. For the second time. Wondering what could be so bad that would make her reject Crimson again. Knowing full well that he would need to accept her rejection. They were fully mated now, rejection wasn't really an option at this point.

I take her up to her room and as soon as we step inside and I lay her down on the bed, curling up behind her and cradling her like a child, I realize this may not have been the best place to bring her. I can smell Crimson all over the place.

“Take me home Mason,” Her voice is soft and defeated when she finally calms down and her body begins to somewhat relax.

I sigh out, because I thought this was our home. But I know what she wants. She wants to go to the New Moon Kingdom. I’ve seen Tawny unsure of herself before, but this is different. The confident, spicy girl I know has been replaced with a weak shell of her former self. All the fight in her has been drained and I can only imagine what Crimson lied to her about.

I don’t ask, she will tell me when she is ready. “Tawny, you can't just leave Camabiador, you’re going to be Queen.”

She jumps up at my words, a fire lit beneath her. “No Mason, Everything is shit. I don’t want to be here.” I'm powerless to stop her as she pulls her bag and weapons sack from the closet and starts furiously opening drawers and stuffing her belongings into the bags. “I’m going with or without you.”

There’s no way I’m letting her leave by herself in the state she is. Without a word, I hop off the bed and stride out of the room back to mine, where I quickly pack a bag. Hoping to the gods that this is all an overreaction and she will see sense and come back here. Where we both belong.

I don’t make it back to her room, she is already downstairs in the foyer ready to walk out the door. I hear Gillian try to talk to her. Tawny doesn’t respond, but the sound of the heavy front doors smacking the wall tells me she has a one-track mind.

I swipe a hand down my face, “fuck” I curse.

“Mason,” Gillian looks at me questioningly.

“Take care of things here. If anyone asks, She and Crimson are making a detour on the way to New Moon,” It’s the best excuse I could come up with seeing as they were both meant to attend the crowning of King Kellen's mate, Tala in three weeks.

“We’ve got things covered here, just… Just look after her and for the love of the goddess, call me.” I leave to get a car with the promise of letting her know what's going on. I still have yet to find out what the cause of the fall was.

It’s a long drive to the New Moon Kingdom, plenty of time for my Princess to talk to me.

I find her almost out of the gates when I pull next to her. Rolling down the window I tell her to get in the car. She refuses and I tell her again but she keeps walking. Tears stream down her face, shoulders hunched and shaking.

Putting the car in park, I climb out and snatch her bags from her throwing them in the back seat then I gently guide her to the passenger side, helping her in and buckling her up.

Her voice is but a whisper as she asks “Where are you taking me?”

Again my heart constricts with the dejected tone it holds. “Out of Cambiador. Anywhere but here, Princess.” Knowing that’s what she wants.

I start driving, no destination in mind, my hands gripping the steering wheel because I want to ask what the fuck happened, but I also know she’s not ready. Aside from taking care of Tawny, the only other thing I want to do is wrap my hand around Crimson's throat for making her feel this way.

The thought of my fist connecting with his face is pleasant, and it brings satisfying images to mind.

We come to a junction, the main road that leads in and out of Cambiador, “Which way Princess,” I ask looking over at her. Tawny’s head rests against the glass as she gazes out, the dried tears on her cheeks flaking over her dark skin.

She blinks as if she was somewhere else and had forgotten we were in the car. Looking up she where we are and for a split second a frown covers her features, it’s quickly replaced with a look of determination, “To Riocht.” She says decisively.

“To Riocht we go,” And I make a left at the intersection.

It’s a few day's drive to Riocht and for the first few hours, we drive in silence. Eventually, Tawny stirs and sits upright. “He knew about the gateways to another realm.” She quietly says, still staring out the window, “The whole time we were in Tolba with Lamia and Mathias, he said nothing.”

A low growl rumbles from my throat at her admission, angry that Crimson would keep something like this from her. My cat, paces, he too, vexed by his princess’s dispirited tone and the reason behind it. I want to ask why, but I somehow doubt she has all the answers right now.

“We found some scriptures in a folder, hidden in the walls of my grandfather's room. At first, he didn’t want to know ¬¬ ran out to clear his head. Then when he came back we looked them over. I fell asleep. I don’t know what happened but when I woke up he was dressed with a bag by the door and said he was leaving. I asked him not to.

“I begged him to stay, He couldn’t even tell me why where he was going.” Her voice breaks, the memory and emotions still so raw. “He hid something so important Mason - he lied to me. To you, to everyone. I get he wants to know who he is… but not like this. He didn’t once stop to think about how his actions would affect me, or anyone else. I feel like I don’t even know him.”

“Princess, I’m sure he has a good reason.” I don’t know what else to say, it doesn’t sound like Crimson to abandon his duties or Tawny.

Things were rocky at the beginning for them, and couldn’t stand him near her. As time went on though, I could see how much he loved her, how much my princess was in love with him.

I’m man enough to admit I was jealous - still am. But I’m also man enough to accept that Tawny was meant to be mine and never would be. No matter my feelings for her. I reach across and grab her hand, lacing our fingers and squeezing hers hoping it provides some kind of comfort.

“He let me down, Mason. I warned him before and again this morning. He betrayed my trust. I don’t know if I can forgive him for that.”

I take a quick glance at her, her teeth sink into her bottom lip as it quivers with the threat of letting out another whimpering mewl.

There's so much I could say right now, so much maybe I should say, but is it honestly my place? I decide it isn't and I just need to be here for her. Be her friend. A shoulder for her to cry on, or a shoulder for her hit. Because as delicate and despondent as she is right now, I know the anger is coming. The need for her to work it out of her system will come.

I just hope once we get to Riocht Lamia will be able to make her think clearly. Rejecting Crimson was a rash decision, no matter what he has done, no matter how betrayed she feels, her rejection will affect her greatly and her future, her place is Cambiador. That I am certain of, even if she isn't at the moment.

We don’t talk about Crimson, or what happened for the remainder of the journey. There’s not much conversation at all. Nothing like when we first traveled to Cambiador. Back then it was all jokes and getting to know each other. This time, it’s doom and gloom and thick silence.

We only stop to refill the car and to grab something to eat, which we eat in the car as Tawny wants to make it to Riocht as soon as possible.

The more distance we put between us and Cambiador, the more tawny starts to relax somewhat, but I can still sense her forlorn and detachment. As a friend, I’m out of my depth right now. I want to comfort her, to tell her everything will be okay, but I don’t know that and I won't lie to her.

I want to take her in my arms, make everything go away, and stop her from hurting. I can’t do that though, I want to be the person she needs, but I also can't stop how I feel about her and in her vulnerable state it would be wrong for me to feed off her comfort.

Eventually, we hit the Morngord Forest and shiver, remembering the first time we entered the dark, ominous cover of the trees. The feeling of being watched and the prickling of my skin still cause a jittering sense to creep over me.

I was assured the Morngord Forest wasn’t really haunted, I beg to disagree. I can feel the eeriness of the lost souls, and hear the whispers of forgotten wars. The trees bend and sway as my car passes them, looming over with a warning to turn back.

Finally, we pass through the creepiness of the forest and take the main winding road toward Riocht’s Palace. The last time we were here was when the Kingdoms came together to defeat Orion. Things were slowly changing, the road was paved and in the distance, as we cleared the forest I could see the construction of new houses and a large building taking place.