Mated to the Vampire Kings (11 page)

“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 mind 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.

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.

“Yeah.
Thanks.” Her mate’s gaze moved back to her where he searched her face, his
whole demeanor softened. First, he removed her headphones and then he took off
his own. “Let’s get you into bed.” A soft rumble that would’ve meant something
entirely different yesterday.

Brant
lifted her easily, he jumped gracefully from the chopper, bending his knees to
absorb the impact. His strong arms banded around her. And even though the
stench of fuel permeated the air, she could still smell his woodsy, manly
scent.

They
began their climb. Two guards up front and two at the rear. Brant carried her
while the other males carried their luggage. They made quick work of the rough,
rocky terrain. Leaping over fallen trees and large boulders. The rocks crunched
beneath their boots.

Although
she felt bad that Brant was carrying her, she didn’t try and talk him out of
it. He had yet to break a sweat and his breathing was still perfectly normal.
It never ceased to amaze her. Although she had grown stronger, she was nowhere
near as strong as the vampires. Maybe once she had the baby. Then again, she
didn’t have their natural physiques.

Just
thinking along those lines reminded her of how tall and slim the vampire
females were. Which in turn made her think of Alexandra.

Not
going there.

Her
arms tightened around Brant and she buried her head into his neck. At least her
belly wasn’t feeling as tight any more. Her back also felt okay.
Things
could be so much worse
, she reminded herself.

Even
in midstride, Brant planted a kiss on top of her head. His thumb gently stroked
her back. “Nearly there.”

They
moved quicker as the ground leveled out more, bringing the cabin into view. She
inhaled sharply. Becky and Ross were standing on the porch. Becky’s eyes
widened as she caught sight of the approaching party. Her friend lifted her
hand in greeting and a smile grew on her face. Ross put his arm around his
mate, he whispered something into her ear. Tanya heard the tinkling sound of
her giggle drift down.

Brant
growled. “You would think they were rabbits.”

Ross’
back stiffened and he took his arm back. Becky narrowed her eyes at Brant and
flashed her teeth in a silent warning before quickly slapping a hand across her
mouth. Tanya had the same problem, doing something weird like snarling, or
baring her teeth like Becky had just done. It wasn’t just the enhanced senses
that were different, it was their instinctual reactions and mannerisms that had
changed too. Becky and Ross shared a look which ended in Becky shrugging.

“Leave
them alone, they are still newly mated,” she said looking up at her mate.

Although
Brant didn’t say anything, the tension drained out of him and Tanya let out a
breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Hey
you. How are you doing?” Becky said as they stepped onto the porch.

“I
seriously need to pee.” As in she was bursting…yet again. It was one of the
things she definitely wouldn’t miss about pregnancy.

Becky
rolled her eyes. “I’m sure there are plenty of vases inside.”

“Enough
with the vases. Please put me down.” She looked up at Brant who shook his head.

“Everybody
stay here,” he growled. Tanya knew why he was being so cagey. There was no door
on the bathroom. In fact, there were no doors in the whole cabin, barring the
front and back ones.

“Idiot
male. To think I’m trusting him with the construction team.” Brant muttered, as
he kicked the door shut behind them without breaking his stride.

He
put her down right next to the toilet. “I’ll go and prepare the bed.” He gave
her a half smile and moved away.

Once
she was done, she flushed and pulled up her pants. Brant was at her side before
she could wash her hands.

“All
set?”

“Give
me a sec.” After she washed and dried her hands, he insisted on carrying her to
their bed which was now in the middle of the living room.

Brant
must have caught her confused look. “I moved it,” he said. “We can’t have you
trying to negotiate those stairs.”

She
turned to the set of steep stairs that led to the loft bedroom. “You’re right.”

He
placed her gently on the bed and removed her sneakers before pulling the covers
over her. Long gone were the days of heels and pretty, strappy sandals. Oh
well, it would all be worth it in the end. She found herself rubbing her belly
as she always did when she thought of the baby.

Brant
moved to the door and opened it. “You can come in now.”

Becky
was first through the door followed by Ross who looked distinctly
uncomfortable.

“Feeling
better?” Becky asked.

Tanya
nodded as she fluffed up the pillows behind her.

Becky
moved to the foot of her bed. “I’ve brought everything we could possibly need
should you go into early labor and everything for a birth if all else fails.”

Tanya
pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and sucked in a deep breath.

“Like
I said earlier, it’s only precautionary. Aside from the obvious items such as oxygen,
I brought the Turbulatine. You need to call if there are any signs of labor and
I’ll start you on the drugs immediately. It usually will delay the labor for
several days, sometimes staving it off completely. We’ll need to monitor the
baby closely should that happen.”

“Run
me through the signs of labor again.” She’d read her pregnancy and delivery book
numerous times and had even highlighted the important bits but she suddenly
couldn’t remember a darned thing.

Becky
threw her a reassuring smile. “The most important ones…there is a gelatinous
plug that seals your cervix, this will dislodge. You will notice this quite
literally as a solid plug or piece of a plug. There may be some vaginal
discharge usually white, sometimes tinged with blood.” Becky cocked her head.
“You look like you’re panicking.”

Becky
was right on the money. She was panicking or having a mild heart attack. Probably
both.

“You’ve
already noticed something along those lines, haven’t you?” Becky raised her
eyebrows. It might have been Tanya’s imagination but her friend’s voice was a
little high pitched.

Nodding,
Tanya swallowed hard. “A few days ago. I didn’t think anything of it.” She
clasped a hand to her chest. “There was no blood, just a discharge as you just
described.”

Becky
smiled, looking too friendly and far too nice for her liking. It didn’t console
her even one little bit. “Relax. It is normal for the plug to come away weeks
in advance of the birth. Given that you are already so dilated, it isn’t
strange at all…I promise.”

Okay,
so maybe that did calm her, but only a little bit.

“This
is all precautionary…don’t make me keep saying that.” Becky gave her a stern
look. “If I really thought you or the baby were in any type of major danger I
would insist that you check in to Sweetwater General Hospital.”

Brant
came down on his haunches next to her. He looked worried but quickly schooled
his features. “What other signs should we look out for?” Although the question
was directed at Becky, he kept his eyes locked with hers giving her the
sweetest smile before grabbing ahold of her hand.

“Crampiness
and pain in your groin and lower back.”

“I
had back ache earlier and my stomach felt tight.” Tanya blurted, her words
coming out in a rush.

“It
was probably Braxton Hicks contractions which are nothing to be concerned about
but if the pain persists or comes and goes increasing in severity, chances are
good that you are showing the first signs of labor. If in doubt call me.” She
directed this last remark at Brant who nodded.

“There
are other subtle signs to look out for, like if your joints feel more loose than
normal…um”—she lifted her eyes in thought and chewed her bottom lip—“diarrhea
can also be a sign. Extra tiredness or a burst of sudden energy with the need
to clean and organize…you might get none of these things.” She was using her
hands in animated gestures.

“Doesn’t
help much then does it?” Brant shook his head.

“Look…”
Her friend’s eyes were on Brant before locking back with hers. “If you
experience pain that doesn’t go away or keeps coming back, the pain can be in
your lower back and or in your lower abdomen…call me. If your water breaks or
there’s any bleeding…call me immediately. If you have any doubt…call me. With
the two charter helicopters on stand-by, I’m ten or fifteen minutes away.” Her
eyes were solemn. “Even if it’s a false alarm…just call me. The important thing
is that we try and delay the labor. Hopefully, your little one will sit tight
for a bit longer all on his own.”

“I
hope you’re right,” Tanya said.

 “It’s
a precaution, Tanya. Don’t make me spank you for not listening. Don’t think for
one second that pregnancy would save you because I won’t freaking hesitate. It
seems like you keep forgetting that.”

She
couldn’t help but to smile as her best friend waggled a finger at her. Which
quickly turned into a laugh when Brant growled. Ross pushed his mate behind his
back before broadening his stance.

Way
to tamp down on a girl’s humor
. Especially when it
was in such short supply at the moment.

“Don’t
mind Brant, he’s just feeling a little protective right now, aren’t you, babe?”
Tanya knew full well that both he and Zane hated it when she called them that. They
were full grown males, not babies. It was her way of telling him to cut it out.

His
jaw clenched but he nodded once before squeezing her hand. “Can I get you
something to eat or drink?” He frowned, turning his head to Ross. “You did
stock the fridge didn’t you?”

The
male nodded. “Yeah, enough to last a couple of days.”

Brant
turned back to her. Tanya nodded. “A juice would be great.”

Her
mate glanced at Ross and Becky. “Anything for the two of you?” His voice
suddenly had a hard edge.

Ross
shook his head but Becky nodded, her curls bounced around her face. “I’ll have
whatever you get for Tanya.”

“And
then we need to get going. The chopper is waiting to take us back to town,”
Ross said.

“In
that case, don’t worry.” She waved her hand. “Thanks anyway. I’ll be back
tomorrow to check on you.” Becky gave her an awkward hug. It must be hard to
hug someone when they were lying down. Tanya couldn’t lift herself up that
easily with her big belly in the way.

“Call
me if you are concerned about anything whatsoever. For the next couple of
weeks, my phone and I go everywhere together.”

“I’m
sorry for the disruption in your life.” Tanya could feel the crease in her
brow.

Her
friend smiled and gave a one shouldered shrug. “No worries. I’m used to it. I’m
a doctor, any one of my patients could need me.”

“But
I’m your number one priority.” Tanya heard the hitch in her voice. Darned, it
had meant to come out light, like a stupid joke.

“Abso-freaking-lutely,
honey, and don’t you forget it. Keep your feet up. Try and stay relaxed and
above all…think happy thoughts.” Becky winked. “I love you to bits, my friend.”

“Who
are you?” Tanya pulled a face. “And, what have you done with my obnoxious,
bitch of a friend.”

“Enjoy
it while it lasts, you fat cow.” Becky stuck her tongue out.

“Hey…don’t
you dare call me fat.” Tanya choked out a laugh. “I’m freaking pregnant, you skank.”

“I
always call you fat. It’s your freaking boobs, they must weigh at least half a
ton”—she grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye—“each.”

“You’re
just freaking jealous.”

“Don’t
you know it?” Becky hugged her again, harder this time.

“I
love you too.” Tanya whispered trying hard not to cry.