Charlotte gave a semi curtsy. “If you change your mind.” She looked in Lance’s direction.
“I won’t.”
Confusion marred her features, Charlotte was not used to being denied. She nodded once and left the room.
“You should’ve taken her up on her offer.”
“I was tempted, but I hate lying here while Stephany…” His lips tightened. Pulling a second pillow behind his head, Lance struggled to pull himself into a semi upright position. He was breathing heavily by the time he finished. His skin was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes.
“It won’t be long before she is released. The wolves would be fools to harm her.”
“Within a day or two, I will be well. I will find her.”
“You will do nothing of the sort.”
“I will seek out my mate and bring her back to her rightful place at my side.” Lance’s eyes glowed, his biceps bulged as his hands closed to tight fists.
“Enough.”
Lance closed his mouth into a thin white line.
“Trying to find her would be futile. Our best trackers failed, as will you.” Zane pulled a chair up next to the bed. “If she is not back within the week, then we will act.”
“A week is a long time. So much can go wrong. I need my female. Three days or I will—”
“Quiet. You are not being rational. Since when do you care so much about what happens to the female?” Zane was fast losing patience.
“My female,” Lance growled.
“You accidentally mated her twenty years ago, you ignored each other ever since it happened, and now you want to claim her as yours?” He couldn’t help but to point out the hypocrisy there.
“The moment her fangs breached my skin during the new moon, she became mine. When our blood flowed as one, she became my mate.”
Zane held up his hand. “Spare me, I know how it works.” He knew he was being a little insensitive but fuck, maybe one of the arrows had pierced Lance’s head. “Twenty years Lance. I gave you leave many years ago to take the female. Why now?”
“With all due respect, my lord. It’s none of your fucking business.”
Zane chuckled. “Glad to see you haven’t turned into a complete pussy.”
“Stop that,” Lance smiled. “You look weird when you laugh.”
Zane smiled. “Having a female has been good for me.”
Lance narrowed his eyes. “I hear you will continue to share her with Brant. Again, with all due respect…” Lance paused waiting for permission to continue.
“Yeah, yeah.” Zane motioned for him to get on with it.
“…a three way mating. What the fuck?”
Zane arched his brow. “It’s a bit tricky.” He wasn’t sure he was still game. Since his female had become pregnant, he didn’t feel as up to sharing. If her pregnancy affected him this way, it would be twice as bad for Brant who hadn’t been able to share well from the start.
Lance chuckled and winced. “Tricky.” He smiled “I’ll bet, one female and two cocks. Especially when the cocks happen to be attached to two dominant, arrogant males. It must be all fun and games.”
“A whole, big bundle. Tanya is with child.”
Lance’s eyes lit up. “Wow. You are to be a father. Good news.”
“It could be Brant’s,” he bit out.
Lance’s face turned hard. “It will be yours, my lord.”
“The covens are one, so it doesn’t matter who the father is.”
Lance raised a brow. He clearly thought the sentiment was flawed. Zane really didn’t mind either way. Tanya was pregnant with royal blood. It didn’t matter who the father was. Yet, he had begun to mind that he had to share his female especially considering Brant insisted on being so thick skulled. Best he think of something else, his human wanted both kings so he would just have to deal. “If you are not going to rut, then make sure you take blood more often.”
“I will,” Lance said.
“Rest assured that Stephany will be back soon.” Zane felt his lips pull into a smile. “I don’t think she will fall back into your arms though my friend.”
“I will have her in my bed in no time.”
To think Lance had had the audacity to call him arrogant. Zane shook his head. “There is nothing more dangerous or difficult to appease than a female who has been slighted. You mated her and dumped her.”
“She mated me,” Lance said.
“It takes two, so don’t give me that bull. She may have bit you first but you bit her right back.”
“The best sex I’ve ever had,” Lance sounded wistful.
“Whatever. The details are not important. You mated her and left her. Haven’t tried to see her or speak to her since.”
“I’ve spoken to her,” Lance looked a bit panicked.
“Traditional functions don’t count. You never sought her out yourself with the specific intention to talk things out. Did you call even once?”
Lance shook his head.
“You are so fucked, or in this case not. You won’t be getting any for a very long time.” Zane chuckled.
“Want to bet? One week of courting and she’ll be mine.”
“A whole freaking week. Have you gone soft?” He was fucking with the other male, a week would never be enough. Hell, it might take years.
Lance’s jaw tensed. “She is mad.”
“You won’t get anywhere near her any time soon, maybe not ever. The covens talk. She’ll know how many females you bedded while she has remained celibate. You can be thankful that you are not a human though, or your dick may’ve fallen off a long time ago. I am the king and yet even I have not bedded as many females as you.”
Lance grunted. “I am a male, I have needs. Rut with the same female too often and she begins to think that you are in a relationship.”
“Excuses. You should’ve gone to Stephany.”
“Oh yeah, and that would’ve gone over well. You and Brant birth enemies…” Lance said as he shook his head. “They were dark times of mourning. Both your fathers lost in battle. Levels of hate still ran high.” His eyes clouded in thought.
Zane shrugged. “You gave the impression that you didn’t care. If the female had meant something to you, you would’ve fought for her. You never did.”
Lance winced. “I managed to convince myself that she was nothing to me. Lived the lie for so long that I believed it myself.” He scrunched his eyes shut for a few beats. “Watching that wolf take her though. Not being able to protect her. It made me realize what she means to me. I will find a way to win her.”
“About that, you ran into their range, making it easy for the archers to take you out. Don’t pull a stunt like that again. You should’ve died from your wounds.”
“The only thought I had was of saving Stephany. I would do it again.” His eyes narrowed.
Zane nodded and found himself smiling. “I would do the same if it came to my female.”
“You have grown fond of her.”
Zane nodded. “You could say that.”
“Aren’t you worried about hurting her? She is human after all, and we know how fragile they are. It must be difficult to rut whilst being so careful.”
Just thinking about being with his female had his body tightening. Some places more than others. “In many ways it heightens the experience. Humans are stronger than we give them credit for, yet at the same time they are so soft.” A low rumble escaped him.
Lance gave him a look that told him he was full of it. “If you say so.”
“You need your rest if you are to be well when your female returns.” Zane stood. “You’re going to need your strength for sure.”
“For rutting.” Lance had a dreamy look on his face. Scary, Zane had never seen him this way.
“More like for walking on your knees.” Zane laughed as Lance’s eyes widened.
Chapter 2
A road trip. Happy days! Brant was taking her out and she couldn’t wait. She wore a dress and underwe
ar. The boys would have to come to terms with the fact that she couldn’t walk around commando all the time.
Her only hope was that her sexy turquoise underwear stayed in one piece. The dress was beautiful, also in a dark turquoise blue. It had sequins embroidered around the neck line and it made her feel beautiful.
“Please don’t rip this dress.”
Brant threw her a half-cocked smile. So drool worthy it was crazy. His eyes moved down her body. “You look great.” His dark orbs zoned in on her curves, heating more and more as they roamed. “I’m afraid I can’t make any promises.”
“You can and you will.”
“Only if you promise to undress quickly before we even make it back to the room, because once that door closes...”
“That would mean my undressing in the hall.” She put her hands on her hips. “I’ll give your men an eyeful.”
He growled. “They can close their eyes.”
“Then again, it’s not like Xavier hasn’t seen me naked.” She chewed on her lip for a bit reminded that Xavier wasn’t outside their door at the moment. “How is he doing? Have he and Esral mated?”
Brant chuckled while shaking his head. “I don’t know if I should be really mad at you or agree with everything you said,” he paused. “She refuses to give him the time of day. They do need to mate, Cenwein, or it will mean trouble.”
“She is free to do as she wishes.”
“You explain that to her father and the rest of the elves.”
“No problem.”
His eyes narrowed and he walked to her, putting his hands around her waist. “You could probably pull it off. Then again…” he shook his head. “Katar is old, highly traditional and set in his ways. There is something I need to talk to you about”—he paused squeezing her hips—“I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes?” She got the distinct feeling that she wasn’t going to like whatever the request was.
“Please talk with Esral. She’s been holed up in her room since she arrived. Won’t eat or talk to anybody. I think she might feel differently about you though.”
“I’m not going to talk her into mating Xavier.”
He cupped her cheeks. “My brother isn’t that bad.”
“He’s freaking hot, but mating with someone is a major step.”
Brant’s eyes narrowed. “You think my brother is hot? Are the two of us not enough for you?” The edge of his lips twitched in amusement.
She laughed. “More than enough you idiot. Just stating a fact.”
“Please talk her into giving him a chance.”
That poor girl.
“Please, Cenwein. It’s not healthy for her to be stuck behind closed doors.”
“I’ll talk to her.” She smiled while thinking that Esral must be lonely and afraid. She probably needed someone to confide in, and Tanya had an inkling of what she was going through.
Brant kissed her. One quick, soft touch of the lips. As he pulled away, his eyes dropped to her mouth and heated. “Ah, hell.” He dipped back down cupping her chin and taking her deeper. His cock pressed against her lower stomach. He growled as he released her, his eyes glowing. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired and a little sore.”
“Bastard,” Brant spat the word.
“Hang on just a second. It was my fault.” She felt her cheeks heat. “The whole drinking thing kind of made me really horny. You should’ve stayed.”
He shook his head. “Zane would not have wanted it. Even if he had, threes a crowd, it’s not for me.”
Pain welled.
“I’m sorry, Cenwein.”
“Work on it. I don’t like this arrangement.”
His eyes narrowed and his body tensed. “What is it that you want? One big cosy suite? A double king sized bed?”
“Double king.” She laughed, snorting a little.. He gave a small smile before seeming to remember that he was irritated with the conversation.
“Forget the double king thing. I’m never sharing a bed with that asshole. I prefer it when it’s just the two of us.”
“Only it’s not just the two of us, Brant, and I don’t know how long my moving from one bed to the other can go on. We are going to be a family.” She touched a hand to her stomach. It was funny how quickly her attachment to the baby had grown. She felt silly, it wasn’t even a baby yet, just a clump of cells really and yet she couldn’t help but to feel warm and fuzzy at the thought of the life growing inside her. “I want the little one to grow up in a loving home. I don’t want the bickering and the fighting. All the back and forth.”
His jaw clenched. “Give it time. There is no rush.”
She nodded. It was wrong of her to expect miracles overnight, at least her men weren’t attacking each other anymore. So, in their own way, they were making progress. It hurt her to see Brant upset though. It wasn’t easy being pulled in two directions either, but for now she would get on with it.
Thankfully she had a mating ceremony to arrange, it would keep her mind occupied on other things. Tanya felt excitement bubble up inside her, she was allowed to invite Becky. Her best friend was going to die when she heard the news. It wasn’t easy convincing Brant to let her fragile human best friend to come through to the coven for the ceremony. Though Zane was fine with it.
“Let’s go and see Esral and my brother.” Brant smiled. “He’s never been turned down by a female before. Even though he pretends he doesn’t care, I suspect he’s taking it hard even if he won’t admit it.” He took her hand as they walked from his suite.
Xavier stood outside a closed door in one of the long hallways. His hands were clasped in front of his big body. He turned his head as they walked up. His expression remained solemn.
“Still not interested?” Tanya noticed how Brant’s mouth twitched as he spoke.
Xavier must have noticed too because his body tensed as he shook his head. “She won’t speak to me and sends her food back uneaten. Please, can we stop this madness? The princess does not want to mate me and I am happy to oblige her.”
“Did you speak with her about it?” Tanya asked.
“She won’t let me in, just shouts through the door for me to go away.” His eyes darkened. “Since your little talk with her yesterday”—he motioned to Tanya—“she feels like she should have an opinion and does not want to be forced into mating. Like I said earlier, it suits me just fine in the end though. Brother please can we stop this now?”
“You must mate her. You must convince her.” Brant stated slipping his arm around Tanya’s shoulder as he spoke.
“It’s wrong to expect people who don’t even know each other to make such a commitment. I’m against this. At least with the choosing ceremony, the whole thing is based on scent and chances of compatibility are high. That’s not even the case in this situation.” Tanya addressed Brant.
Xavier grunted, his mouth a tight line.
“I realize her father expects her to mate with royalty, but if you are not willing then maybe Griffin would agree. The princess is very pretty, Griffin won’t stop talking about her. I think he might even have a little crush on her,” Tanya added the last to prove a point.
If she had thought that Xavier was tense before, she had been wrong. His whole body tightened to where she thought he might tear a muscle. “What the fuck does Griffin know?”
“He was in the vehicle when she was transported back,” Brant said.
Xavier’s eyes narrowed, “So what?”
“The princess disrobed for Zane to try and seduce him. Griffin caught an eyeful,” Brant replied.
“I will hit Griffin until he loses his memory. Problem solved.” Sheesh, in this moment, Brant’s brother looked very much the deadly warrior he was. “I think the princess’ modesty should be protected.”
Brant chuckled. “I think you have a thing for the princess.”
Xavier shrugged. “She’s a nice piece of ass. I wouldn’t mind rutting her, but mating…not so much. If…and it’s a big if...I ever decide t
o mate, it will be with a vampire female.”
Tanya gasped, she punched Xavier on the arm. Her knuckle made a cracking sound on impact.
“Careful human, you might break something.”
“You are the one that needs to be careful brother.” Brant stepped up to Xavier so that they were inches apart. “Tanya is your queen and you will address her as such. If she so much as breaks a nail, I will take you down. Are we clear?”
“Yes, my lord. Apologies my lady, but for the record the queen hit me. Why would I be punished if she hurt herself?”
Brant relaxed a little taking a small step back. “It’s how it is. Do not provoke her.”
Xavier nodded.
Tanya shook her head and had to suppress a laugh at how sheepish Xavier looked before she could speak again. “It shouldn’t matter what species she is. Esral is a person with feelings and not just a tight piece of ass. She is also a virgin and deserves respect.”
“I assure you, my lady, that if I were to rut with the princess it would be because she was begging for me to do so.” The edge of Xavier’s mouth lifted.
“I’ve heard rutting is difficult through a closed door.” Brant chuckled. Xavier quickly lost his smile.
This time Tanya hit Brant, who irritated her by laughing harder. Xavier looked even more pissed.
“Forget your freaking dicks for once. This is not about sex.”
“Um”—Brant smiled—“I hate to break it to you, Cenwein, but mating and rutting go hand in hand.” His face clouded before he appeared to turn to stone, shutting his emotions down. He was obviously thinking about their own mating that would happen in a few days’ time, which she knew didn’t enthuse him since three was a crowd in his opinion. In order for her to mate with both males, they would need to all be together.
“Yeah, but you first need to win her over. Let me go and talk with her. Her opinion in this is important. She might not find you attractive, Xavier.”
He snorted, “As if.”
“Arrogant much?” She lifted her eyebrows and gave him what she hoped was a scathing look.
Brant laughed. “You go and talk with Esral”—he put a hand on her back—“I’ll have a little chat with my brother.”
#5 Chosen by the Vampire Kings: BBW Romance (Part 5: Red Lust) Page 2
