“If you say so. You do know that you will have to deal with a bunch of humans?”
“I’m aware. I’ll play nice…I promise.” Zane said, sounding anything but. A male like Zane didn’t know the meaning of the word. At least not the human version of nice.
“I doubt it.” Brant shook his head. “Get Xavier involved. He will need to take on a leadership role in our absence and I want him up to speed.”
Zane grunted. “I’ll try but I’m not sure he will leave the elven princess’ side long enough to attend or to take over the reins for that matter. I thought the three of us were bad.”
“He’s the fucking prince and will start to act like it or so help me.” When his brother and Esral had returned from the elven territory, they had spent a full two weeks holed up in Xavier’s suite. Would’ve been longer if he hadn’t dragged his brother’s sorry ass out of there. Just because he was newly mated didn’t mean that the rest of the world had disappeared.
Zane chuckled but he sounded off. Brant couldn’t put his finger on it. The male sounded more stressed than humorous. Must be the fucked up situation that they had found themselves in. “Do not worry. He truly is onboard and more than willing to help out while we attend to our mate and unborn child. Speaking of which”—his voice sounded strained—“take good care of our female. Make sure that she follows Becky’s instructions. Call me if…” he left the sentence hanging.
“Our female will be just fine.” Brant swallowed down a lump just looking at her motionless form. “We’ll stay in touch.”
“Yes we will.” Zane ended the call.
As much as he hated the idea of waking Tanya, he needed to get her up and ready. First though, he pulled out a bag and threw in a couple of basics for himself before pulling out a bigger bag for his mate. He opened her side of the closet. Where the hell to begin? After a short deliberation, he decided on comfortable clothing. Packing sweaters, t-shirts and sweat pants. Once he finished, he went to the bathroom and packed a toiletry bag for each of them.
While he was in there, he pulled out his cell and dialed his PA. “What can I get for you, sir?” Allison answered immediately.
“Drop everything that you are doing and go to the nursery, you will find two packed bags. Please bring them to my suite.” The nursery was right next door but there was no time to waste.
“Right away, my lord.”
He pushed the red button ending the call. Thank fuck Tanya had already packed a hospital bag and a bag for the baby even though the birth was still weeks away. She’d said something along the lines of never being too prepared. Although the thought hadn’t entered his mind at the time, she was right.
Brant ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He’d always loved being a vampire. It made him feel superior to the humans, fuck, his species were superior but some of the vampire lores, particularly the older ones, were so fucked up that it was scary. This whole situation was crazy and really unexpected. What had gotten into all the unmated females?
A knock sounded at the door as he was zipping up the suitcases.
Allison walked in, bags in hand. “Here you go, my lord. Is there anything else you need?
Her cheeks heated. “I mean, anything I can do for you or your mate?”
“No thanks, Allison. I’m leaving and will be available via my cell phone.”
Her eyes widened and she nodded.
“I need you to cancel all unnecessary appointments. Zane will fill in for me with the construction team in tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Noted.” She nodded again.
“We will be in touch daily as to which duties Xavier can oversee and which either Zane or I will need to come back for.”
The sheets rustled behind them and Tanya made a small noise that told him she was waking up.
“I’ll keep my cell on day and night. Where are you going?” Her eyebrows were arched.
Brant shook his head. “That’s need to know information.”
“As your personal assistant, I need to know.” Allison pouted her glossy lips.
“That will be all, thanks.” Hopefully she didn’t push it. His PA definitely did not need to fucking know. As far as he was concerned, no one did. “Call me if anything comes up.”
She took a step back. “You are aware that there is a helicopter out back?”
“Yes, thank you, Allison.”
Brant all but breathed a sigh of relief as he watched her leave. All vampire females were not to be trusted right now as far as he was concerned.
“What’s going on?” Tanya sounded sleepy. “Are you going somewhere?” She was still lying on her side in the same position. After rubbing her eyes for a few beats, she pulled herself up.
Brant nodded as he walked over to her. He sat down next to her on the bed. “We’re going to Zane’s cabin for a while. The vampire females have lost their minds.” He cupped her chin. “You need to relax and to rest. This place is a fucking nightmare.”
“What about Zane?” Her eyes were fearful.
“He’ll join us tomorrow. He’s at the chopper waiting to say goodbye.”
Tanya bit down on her lip but not before it quivered. Her eyes filled with tears but she took a couple of deep breaths until they cleared.
“Aside from the obvious, what’s going on?” Before she could answer he quickly added. “You do know that both Zane and I think this lore is bullshit right? We don’t plan on evoking it. You are it for us, Cenwein.” His voice softened up as he said the last.
There it was again. Her lip quivered.
“Hey…” he cupped her chin with both his hands. “You and our son mean everything to me…to us. I know I can speak for Zane on this one as well.”
“I know.” Her eyes clouded with sadness. What the fuck! That knowledge should make her feel better not worse.
“What’s going on?”
“Selina and Charlotte told me that virile, dominant males such as you and Zane could never refrain from sex for any length of time.”
It was as if someone turned up the thermostat.
“They said that it would be selfish for me to expect it of you.” A lone tear tracked down her cheek. “That even if you wanted to abstain that you couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be possible.”
“That’s fucking bullshit.” It came out as a loud snarl. “We are grown males not teenagers. There is nothing attractive about females that throw themselves at a male. The lore is a farce, this whole situation is messed up. I don’t understand what’s gotten into them.”
“I know that now but I may have said something bad to Zane. I’m hormonal and was feeling a little insecure.” Her big, chocolate brown eyes were wide and tear soaked. It made his heart bleed.
“I’m sure he’ll get over it.” It did explain the male’s sudden about face and his strange tone on the phone.
She chewed on her lip for a few beats and probably didn’t realize that she was ringing the sheets in her hands.
“What did you say to him?” Brant asked.
His little human scrunched up her face.
“It can’t be that bad, just tell me already.”
She huffed out a breath. “That I wished I had known before. I alluded to not having mated you guys, in the first place, if I had known about this crazy lore but I didn’t mean it I swear, Brant. I love you both.” She reached out her little hand and traced his jaw line with her finger.
Brant was sure to look her deep in the eye. “I love you too, Cenwein. Very much and I know for a fact that Zane feels the same. Emotions are running high. Let’s get you up and to the chopper. If you feel so bad, you can apologize to him before we go.”
“He looked hurt when he left earlier. He came here to make sure I was okay and to give me words of encouragement…” She shrugged. “It was wrong of me to say that I wished we had never mated.”
“You didn’t say that.”
“I may as well have said it. I also told him that I was never given a choice in the matter.”
Ouch. So not true.
Neither he nor Zane had wished to share a mate yet here they were. That it had all worked out in the end was obsolete. Tanya had been given a choice every step of the way. Hell, she was in the driver’s seat. Still was if they were honest with themselves.
“Oh god! I can see by the look in your eyes that I’ve hurt you too. I didn’t mean it. I’m so freaking sorry.” Tanya slid her hands around his neck.
For a small second he was tempted to pull away but how could he? He believed his little human when she said that she hadn’t meant it.
Brant put his hands around her and pulled her in tight.
“I’m such an idiot.” She muttered as she buried her face into his neck.
“No you’re not. Come on, let’s get some shoes on you and then we need to get out of here and fast. There are very few vampires that know about the location of Zane’s cabin so we should be safe there.”
She inhaled deeply. “I need to pack.”
“No need, I threw a bag together. We can call Zane if there are specific items you need.”
His pocket buzzed. “Hang on a second.”
“Get your fucking asses over here. These females are out of control and I’m minutes away from slapping a few of them into the dungeon.” Zane growled, his voice barely audible with all the background noise.
“Not a bad idea,” Brant said. “We’re on our way.” He shoved his phone back into his pocket and opened the main door to the suite. “You two get your asses in here and help with the bags.”
Griffin and Scott entered, each grabbing two suitcases. Griffin turned to Brant. “Please have lots more babies, my lord. It’s like a candy store around here at the moment. Half naked, horny females at every turn.” The idiot made a groaning noise, his eyes drifted closed.
Brant couldn’t help himself. He bitch slapped Griffin so hard that his hand stung and the slapping noise was so loud that Tanya gave a loud gasp. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Griffin still held onto the bags. His eyes were panic stricken.
Good!
“Are you fucking twelve or something?” Brant waited for a reply, keeping his eyes on the younger male.
Griffin shook his head. “No, my lord. I sincerely apologize. I was just making a joke.”
“A joke?” Brant could hear the blood rush in his ears. “A fucking joke? Does this look like a joke to you? I have to leave with my pregnant female, your queen, because of these half naked, horny females.”
“I’m s-sorry, my l-lord,” Griffin stammered. The male kept his eyes on Brant’s which was his saving fucking grace. At least he had a backbone to make up for his lack in grey matter.
“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to your queen. How do you think this makes her feel?”
Griffin narrowed his eyes in thought before nodding. He turned to face Tanya. “I’m truly sorry, my lady. It was a callous and stupid thing to say.”
Tanya smiled. “That’s fine, Griffin. I really do understand.” She gave him a little wink which made him want to hit the male again, this time with his fist. It also made him love her even more. If that was even possible.
****
Her stomach felt tight. It worried her. Suddenly she couldn’t remember if this was how labor started or not. Back pain was one of the possible symptoms and her lower back felt like hell. Then again, it felt achy more and more lately if she was up and about for any length of time so that was no real indicator.
Brant picked her up, tucking her into the crock of his arm. “Bury your head into my neck. You don’t need to see this.” He whispered into her ear as he carried her down the staircase.
It was way worse outside than it had been inside. Crazy vampire bitches were everywhere and Tanya could see how the guards were struggling to keep them contained.
“Over here, Brant.” A female voice called and Tanya made the mistake of looking.
Perky boob alert to the left.
And to the right.
Every-fracking-where! She almost laughed out loud but managed to contain herself. If she let out a giggle now it would turn hysterical. The last thing she wanted was for these women to see her lose it. She scanned the crowd.
“Don’t look at them, sweetheart. I’m not.” Brant growled the last. His anger towards these women was almost palpable. It made her feel better.
Her elation didn’t last very long. They arrived at the chopper. It was loud and the moving rotors made her hair whip about her face. Tanya didn’t have much choice but to bury her head in Brant’s chest.
“Where is Zane?” She heard Brant ask. Although he was shouting, she could barely hear him, even with her advanced senses.
Lifting her head, she saw a large contingent of guards working double time to keep the seething mass of vampire females at bay.
“I recommended he go underground until we can gain some control.” A familiar voice drew her attention and she was surprised to see Zane’s head guard, Lance. After all that had happened with Stephany and his behavior during that time, Brant had, had the male suspended.
Desperate times called for desperate measures. It looked like Lance was back in favor. If Brant didn’t like the development, he didn’t comment.
It was only then that the male’s words registered. Her heart sank like a rock. Zane wasn’t here. It was only right this very second that she realized how much she had been counting on seeing him. Even if only for a half a minute. She needed to apologize. They couldn’t leave things like they were. She looked around, desperate to find him. That’s when she saw a tight formation head up the castle stairs. Zane was at the center of the group, larger than life. She could just make out his tightly cropped hair. The wide breadth of his shoulders.
Come back!
I’m so sorry.
A lone female burst from the castle, managing to somehow breach the guards surrounding her mate. She craned her head as Brant stepped towards the waiting chopper.
No!
Tanya enjoyed her enhanced senses. Everything was better, easier, faster. Even though she was so heavily pregnant, she still felt stronger, more energized. Food tasted better, she could hear a pin drop in the next room, orgasms were off the charts. Her senses were so enhanced it was scary and awesome all rolled into one.
It was all so much better.
Unfortunately, her eyesight was way better than it had ever been as well. Like she’d received binocular lens implants or something. The last thing she saw before Brant lifted her into the chopper, blocking her view, was Alexandra throwing her arms around Zane. She hadn’t really been worried about the female causing trouble for her with Brant because she knew after the vampire had almost hit Tanya in the nightclub a year ago that he would never give her the time of day. The same was not true for Zane.
An icy hand fisted her heart and she struggled to draw breath. Once they were in the chopper, she scrambled to get the castle back into her line of vision, seeing the party as they disappeared through the main double doors. Alexandra was still in the center of the formation. Still plastered to Zane.
No!
Anything but that.
It would kill her if he…No! She had to try hard to believe that her mate would stay true to her. Then again, he was angry and hurt. Not a great combination when your willpower was being tested. Especially when it was a conniving, scheming bitch like Alexandra doing the testing. The female had an ulterior motive the size of the whole damned continent. She had made it clear that she was out to get Tanya. Maybe, this time, she would succeed.
“Hey.” Brant said, and she heard it distinctly in both her ears and very clearly. She put her hands to her head feeling headphones. She didn’t even feel him put them there. “I told you not to look, sweetheart.”
Brant reached across her and clicked her seatbelt harness into place before securing his own. “All set?” His dark, beautiful eyes locked with hers.
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
“He’ll be fine.” Her mate knew her well. He knew that her m
ind was on Zane. “You can call him when we get to the cabin.”
She nodded, watching as York, Lazarus, Griffin and the other male from earlier piled into the helicopter. Once their straps were secure, Brant barked into the microphone. “Let’s get out of here.”
“How the fuck am I going to fly with a boner?” The pilot mumbled under his breath. Even though his hand was over the mic, all of the vampires present would be able to hear him. This included her. “Sheesh, look at the tits and ass on that one...on all of um.” She saw him shake his head. Eyes still focused outside instead of on the instrument panel in front of him.
“I said that we were ready.” Brant sounded pissed.
“Mind on the game, Russel.” He said, still speaking to himself. Then he cleared his throat and removed his hand from the mic. “Right away.” Within a half a minute, they lifted vertically. The rotor noise was almost unbearable. Tanya bit down on her lip. Brant’s hand tightened around hers.
Everything was going to be okay, she told herself as they sped away.
Chapter 9
There were miles of forest as far as the eye could see and a large expanse of crystal blue water with the mountains as a backdrop. Even with all of the turbulent emotions coursing through her, Tanya couldn’t help but to admire the view as they slowly descended onto the patch of open land situated a few hundred feet to the right of the log cabin.
Although the cabin was only surrounded by sparse ground cover all the way from the front of the building down to the lake, the ground was angled at a sharp decline with intermittent rocks and boulders, making the terrain not very helicopter friendly.
The pilot put the machine down gently, though Tanya still felt her stomach lurch as the chopper touched ground.
“All good?” Brant must have noticed how she grimaced. She nodded and at least tried to give him a small smile.
He glanced to the front of the chopper. “You’ll be on standby twenty four seven?”
The pilot nodded, turning back. He looked to be in his forties. “Myself and my brother Travis. You have our numbers?” His eyes darted from the males sitting up front back to Brant.
Mated to the Vampire Kings Page 9