Rejected Mate and Following Fate novel Chapter 48

"I need a location, so Colton can help us." I sound odd, strained, and my voice is husky, and hoarse, hinting at tears I'm refusing to shed. I can't deny this is awful, but we need his help.

"Oh goodness, that was quick, and it worked. Clever girl. Yes, location, of course, we're fifteen miles or so from the Hackuuh mountain base, north of Rennington. We head south for a good forty miles from here and we end up meeting the route ten to Normansville. Is that accurate enough?" The doctor scratches his head and goes back to grabbing the steering wheel with both hands before peering back out into the darkness, illuminated only by our headlights. I shrug at him and turn away to focus on the link.

Colton, we're fifteen miles or so from the Hackuuh mountain base, north of Rennington. He has us heading south, he says we're forty miles from getting to the route ten to Normansville. Does that help?

The directions mean nothing to me as someone who never ventured out of the valley until recently. I try and only focus on details and not the overwhelming emotions he's passing this way, or the way my own heart rate is pounding sky high and my legs are trembling at being connected to him. It's a bittersweet agony and I'm totally hopeless to defend myself from it.

The Hackuuh? You're not that far, god damn it, Lorey. You're the feeling that I should go south east? And yet I still didn't find you!...... Tell him to stick to that route, we can meet you as soon as you hit route ten and escort you to where we've been staying. It's not far. If we get there first, we'll head in towards you and hopefully meet sooner.

I knew Colton would push everything he was feeling aside and pull through. It's what he does, and why one day he'll make a formidable leader. His heart always secondary to what he feels is responsibility and what he has to do. The curse that made him choose her over me. Despite everything, even thinking I've someone to replace him, he's still helping. No hint of malice or telling me to go away. I feel kind of guilty about letting that deception stay between us, but I can't quite bring myself to put him right and I sure as hell can't tell him over link that his mother is with us. I don't have the words. He's going to find out soon enough as it is.

"Stay on track to route ten and they'll meet us, show us where to go…. We're going to be okay." I tap the doctor's arm, seeing the sag of relief as my words filter in and he nods, exhaling a breath he's probably been holding all this time. I guess I do too, because we can't outrun the facility pack, but with Colton and the subs, they won't have a chance of getting at Sierra. It's safety, and success, with very little effort. We need to get to them and let Colton take over.

It does feel weird to know he kept looking though, and admitting something was pulling him where I was, that's odd. Maybe it was his mother finally calling to him too, and nothing to do with me, and I do find it strange he said they were staying somewhere else and not the mountain. I guess Juan has them scouring further afield for Vampires, and Colton has been using it to also look out for me in case we crossed paths.

Please tell me you have the sub pack with you… I have at least a pack of nineteen coming, this might be a fight.

I add in afterthought, a sudden fear he might come alone, eating me.

What the hell did you do? Who are they? Not that it matters right now, because I'll rip them a new one and yes, the sub pack and then some…. You've missed so much, Lorey. I have so much to fill you in on.

Likewise.

I sigh internally and mouth it to myself. I dread it even more knowing that I also have to add my lineage to the list of things Colton should know about. That nausea chokes me again and I try to push it down and concentrate on the act of breathing in and out.

I can't get into it right now, honestly, it's better I show you when we meet, so you can see for yourself and you can tell me then. For now, I need to unlink Colton…this is …hard…. and we have a tough road to navigate out of this damn forest. I'll link you when we hit route ten, please, understand…. It's just easier to not try and explain anything until I see you. You'll understand when you see.

I'm being a coward. I know if we stay linked while passing miles to meet, I might tell him stupid things, and work myself into a mess of tears, and love confessions, and tell the idiot how much I miss and love him still, despite what he's done, and the fact it can never go anywhere. Or I might tell him about his mother, and have to deal with the fall out of Colton self-imploding, and I am not strong enough for that, or for keeping linked to him when I really want to curl up and cry. It's too raw having him back in my head like we've never been apart, and I'm so not equipped to deal with my own feelings on top of his shining through. It's a see saw ride and I have a lot to process.

Promise me you'll re-link the second you hit the route, I hate this not being able to reach you bullshit, it shouldn't be this way. I don't care what or who he is…. I fucking love you, and nothing changes that.

That part shocks me, especially the hostile way he rasps it at me like it's a threat and not a love declaration. Jealousy well and truly piquing in a way he can't control, and it ignites mine, along with the urge to snap back at him. 'So much that you marked Carmen, huh?'. It chokes me up and I unlink him without responding at all. Cutting him off before I lose my shit at him and compromise our run to safety. That inner rage igniting every time I think of the four days after leaving, and that undeniable sign that he betrayed me. He betrayed us. It's not something I can forget, or ever forgive.

It has the desired effect of pulling my head out of my wallowing, love sick, ass and instead of soppy weak longings, I now want to rip his head off for being a possessive shithead who thinks he still has a right to me. For swearing at me about this when he should be groveling.