#6 Chosen by the Vampire Kings: BBW Romance (Part 6: New Moon) (4 page)

Why?

It
was the most asked question. Why had she left? Was it bad living with a coven?
Had she been hurt? Mrs Marsh from down the road even had the audacity to ask
her if vampires had big dicks and if the sex had been painful? Although she
didn’t like the constant reminder of the life she had left behind, she
considered it harmless curiosity.

After
closing the oven, she’d gone back to shelving her new book delivery. She still
couldn’t believe that she’d already had to order new books for the store just
one week after reopening. Tanya sighed, realizing that the hard covers in her
hands were science fiction novels that had somehow gotten mixed in with this
batch of romance novels. She put the books to the side and reached back in to
the box, wrapping her hand around a paperback. The cover looked interesting but
instead of turning the book to read the blurb on the back like she normally
would’ve done, she shelved it and moved to pick up the next novel. Tanya hadn’t
felt much like reading lately. A broken heart and a romance novel just didn’t
mix well. There would be no happily ever after for her and so it hurt to read about
others who found happiness.

The
next paperback had two muscled males who sandwiched a female. They were in an
embrace, pure rapture on all of their faces. She practically threw the book
back into the box. Fantasy and reality were two very different things.
Something she’d found out the hard way. The doorbell jingled as a man walked
in. He looked to be in his early forties and although he sported a small belly,
he had wide set shoulders and a muscled frame.

She
smiled in his direction and moved to stand as he walked to one of the tables.
The two ladies in the far corner continued to talk amongst each other. Since
Tanya had just taken them their coffee and cupcakes, she was sure that they
would be okay for a bit longer.

“Good
morning.” She handed the man a single page menu and grabbed her notepad and
pencil from her apron pocket.

He
took the menu, glancing at it for a mere second before tossing it on the table.
“I’ll take a grilled cheese and a cup of black coffee.”

“I’m
sorry, sir, but I don’t make sandwiches…yet. Maybe a croissant or a custard
slice?”

He
put his cold, hard eyes on her for the first time. “You women are all the same.
Doing everything in your power to upset a man must be built into your
genetics.”

The
words escaped before she could stop them. “Excuse me?” Part of her couldn’t
believe that a total stranger would say something like that to her.

“You
heard me, girl.” He spoke quietly, not taking those hard eyes off her once. He
didn’t seem to blink or even to breathe. “Two slices of bread and some cheese.
It aint so hard,” he paused. “Why are you back anyways? Did the vampire king
not want ya?” His eyes snapped down the length of her, his face pinched. “Can’t
says I blame him. Looks like you ate all that bread and cheese yourself.”

“I
think it would be best if you left,” she blurted still in shock.

“I’m
a paying customer.” He picked up the menu. “I’ll take one of those custard
slices and a cup of coffee.” He smiled, but the gesture didn’t reach his eyes.

The
two ladies at the corner table continued to talk, oblivious to the turmoil that
she felt inside. The last thing she wanted was a scene so she nodded once and started
to turn but his voice stopped her. “Make sure the coffee is real hot, girly.”

She
took in a deep breath tramping down her anger.

“Before
you rush off…” her heart rate picked up a notch. She got the feeling she wasn’t
going to like what he had to say next. “Did you fuck one of those blood
suckers?”

She
gasped. Stunned at the crassness of his question.

“Women,”
he sighed. “You’re all a bunch of hussies.” He clicked his tongue and shook his
head. “I can tell by your reaction that you opened those thighs of yours. You
probably fucked more than one of um. It’s why you’re back isn’t it? Couldn’t
keep those knees together could ya?”

When
she looked down, she realized that she had crushed both the menu and the
notepad. “Get out,” it started as a whisper. “Get out.” She repeated louder
this time until she screamed the words over and over.

The
man smiled. This time it did reach his eyes. His whole face lit up in sheer joy
and she had to clutch her hands to her sides to stop herself from smacking him.
He didn’t move from the chair. Just sat there grinning at her.

Thank
God Griffin arrived. He lifted the man like he weighed nothing. It was the asshole’s
turn to scream. “I’ll remove him, my lady, and I’ll have a little
chat”—
he
gave the man a shake—“outside.” The big vampire talked above the noise,
inclining his head once before leaving. Up until five seconds ago, she’d
thought of her vampire shadows as annoying pains. Not so much anymore.

She
was panting with one hand to her chest. Tanya pulled out a chair and sat trying
hard to control the rampant fear and anger that still rolled through her.

“Are
you okay?” One of the women who she had served earlier touched her on the arm
and she had to stop herself from shrieking at the contact.

She
nodded, not trusting her voice.

“Are
you sure?”

Tanya
tried to smile. “I just need a few moments.” An alarm sounded. “That’ll be the
muffins. I need to get them out of the oven,” she added making to stand. “Your
coffee is on the house. I’m really sorry you witnessed that.”

“Don’t
be silly. We’ll pay. What did he say?” The woman’s eyebrows shot up. “Sorry, I
didn’t mean to intrude. Forget I asked.”

“He
was really sexist and racist and just a fat jerk.”

“That
was Carl Jackson. His wife left him a few years ago for another man. Rumor has
it that he used to beat her.”

“I’ll
bet,” was all she could muster.

“He’s
a nasty piece of work. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,
thanks.”

The
older woman smiled warmly at her. “Don’t listen to anything he said. I’m sure
it was all a bunch of bull.” She reached out and touched the top of Tanya’s
arm.

“I
know.” But deep down inside, she couldn’t help but to think that maybe Carl
Jackson was right in a roundabout way.

Donning
a pair of mittens, she opened the oven and had just grabbed the tray when the
first pain hit.

Deep.

Piercing.

Enough
to take her breath. To have her clutching at her stomach. The air in her lungs
seized. Her mouth widened and she doubled over as another soul shattering ache
lanced through her like someone had shoved a red hot poker into her abdomen. There
was a gush of warmth between her legs.

“Are
you okay?” It was the lady she had just had the conversation with. “Honey?” Her
face was a mask of concern.

“My
phone,” she managed to get out between rugged pants. She pointed to the counter
top and the lady picked up the device.

“Call
Stephany. Hurry.” She moaned falling to her knees next to the still open oven.
Tanya tried hard not to topple over but it felt like the ground was sucking her
down. Another sharp pain sliced through her and she landed on her side.

The
female put another bracelet on the counter. “This one has twenty five, half carat
diamonds set in platinum, the stones are…” She continued to talk about the
diamonds’ color, clarity and more meaningless things that meant nothing to him.
Once she finished babbling, she placed the jewelry in his hand and he was
surprised by the weight of it.

A
girl’s best friend.

The
string of stones were sparkling but he didn’t understand the appeal. He
preferred his female without any fancy adornments or that stuff she insisted on
smearing all over her face. He didn’t understand why humans needed all of these
things when it came to courting either. If it were up to him, he would’ve put
his human over his shoulder days ago. He would’ve locked her up in his suite
until she agreed to talk to them. Zane sighed. Hopefully the jewels would work,
because his patience was wearing thin.

“I’ll
take it.” He put the bracelet back on the velvet fabric. “I’ll also take the
necklace with the…rain drop... stone…”

The
female smiled. “The tear drop diamond. That’s a canary yellow diamond, Mr
Zane.”

“Just
Zane.” He tried not to growl. “I’m not color blind.”
Or an idiot
. Did
the human think that vampires couldn’t tell different colors apart? He knew the
female knew what he was since she’d started shrieking in excitement the moment
he’d set foot in the store. That was up until he’d growled at her, at which
point her screams had become shrieks of terror until Ross had managed to calm
her down.

Her
eyes widened and he worked harder to keep the scowl from deepening. “No, what I
meant was that it’s very costly. Gosh, both the tennis bracelet and—”

Zane
raised a hand and clicked his fingers.

“My
lord.” Ross stuck his head in around the door.

“My
briefcase.”

Ross
returned a minute later and put the case on the counter clicking open the
locks. The female sucked in a breath when she caught sight of the stacks of
cash that filled the space. “I’ll just wrap these up then and get you your
invoice. Are they a gift?” Her smile was wide.

“Yes.”

“Whoever
she is, she’s one lucky lady that’s for sure.”

He
didn’t know how to react so he stayed silent while she flitted around behind
the counter.

Once
back in the SUV, parcel tucked safely beside him, he contemplated heading
straight for Tanya’s bookstore and was sorely tempted. After a few beats he
decided to head back to the castle instead, at least until this evening. The
conversation he needed to have with his female was not one that would go down
well in a public place. Least of all her place of business. His Ysnaar didn’t
know it yet but she was going to talk to him even if it meant having his guard
entertain
her friends while he cornered her. And by entertain he meant tie them up if necessary.

If
Tanya tried to run, he’d hold her down until she listened. Pin her under his
body if he had to.

The
vehicle pulled away just as a human female plastered herself against the side
of his window.

“Take
me with you, King Zane.” She yelled trying to see through the tinted windows.

“Keep
going,” he addressed Ross. This was one of the many reasons he didn’t like
coming into town and why unmated males were not permitted here alone. Human
females seemed to be greatly attracted to vampires. It was only when his second
in command gradually accelerated that the female was forced to let go.

Once
they were out of the town confines, the vehicle picked up speed. His pocket
vibrated alerting him to an incoming call.

He
checked the caller ID before answering, “Brant.”

“Our
female is in Sweetwater Hospital. She’s cramping and bleeding. Thankfully she had
a human female call Stephany.”

If
Zane’s heartbeat any faster, he was sure it would explode in his chest. “Where
are you?” He growled forcing his fingers to release their hold on the phone.

“Stephany
and I just left the castle.”

He
pulled the device away from his ear. “Turn back,” Zane commanded Ross. “Step on
it!” he yelled at his second’s confused stare in the rear-view mirror.

“I
should get there ahead of you.” He said to Brant as he put the phone back to
his ear.

“Zane…”
It wasn’t lost on him how panicked Brant’s voice sounded. “Last we heard she
was unconscious. The female who was with her called an ambulance which arrived
as she was calling me. You might even make it to the emergency room before her.”

“I
will be there soon.”

“They
must do all it takes to save her.” Brant seemed to choke on the last words.

“Don’t
jump to conclusions. I am sure that the humans know what they are doing.”

“She
carries vampire young.”

Zane
squeezed his eyes closed for a few seconds. “It is still early. Thinking along
these lines will only drive us insane. I will call you when I get to the
hospital.”

“Please
tell her”—Brant made a sound of anguish—“Just make sure that you tell her…”

“Tell
her yourself. I’ll call you when I get there.” He ended the call.

“Head
for Sweetwater Hospital. Tanya is in trouble.”

Ross
punched down on the gas. The already speeding vehicle lurched forward. His
second spoke while keeping his eyes firmly on the road ahead. “Is it the…”

“I
don’t want to start jumping to conclusions. She had pains and blacked out. Just
get us there.”

Each
minute in the back of the speeding vehicle felt like an eternity. Zane tried
hard not to picture what might be going on with his female. What if she had
started to scent of her pregnancy? If she had…he refused to think along those
lines.

 There
was so little information on human/vampire pregnancies. All human pregnancies
he’d ever known, not that there had been many, had all progressed without incident.
Miscarriage, even among their species was rare. On those occasions when it did
happen though, the female would suffer terribly. Vampire young, seemed to embed
themselves securely into the womb lining. The further along the female, the
greater the risk but the lower the chance of it happening.

Human
females were both better at conceiving
and
birthing healthy young. It
never crossed his mind that such a thing would befall his precious Ysnaar. He
halted himself from this train of thought…best he take his own advice and stop
speculating. Maybe it was something else. Maybe it wasn’t his fetus tearing
away from her womb. Causing untold damage to his precious, delicate human.

He
roared, the sound reverberating through the closed space. Griffin turned in his
seat. “We will be there within a minute, my lord.” The young vampire’s eyes
were filled with anguish and pity.

“Don’t
look at me like that,” he growled. “She is going to make it. Do you hear me? My
human is going to pull through this.”

Griffin
swallowed hard, his mouth a thin white line, he nodded.

Minutes
later they pulled up to Sweetwater Hospital. Zane pushed the door open and
exited the still moving vehicle. Griffin followed while Ross parked. Automatic
doors slid open as he approached the facility at a jog. The acrid scent of
harsh cleaning chemicals hit him square on. Though it was the cloying smell of
illness, death and decay that caused him to take a momentary, step back.

Breathing
through his mouth, he headed down the hallway shouting Tanya’s name.

“Can
I help you sir?” A tiny human female ran up next to him. “Please, sir.” She
reached out and touched his arm.

“My
female is hurt. She was brought here.” He slowed to a brisk walk looking into
each of the rooms as he made his way down the long hall.

“Please
stop, sir. I can help you.”

“Tanya
Milan. Where is she?” He tried hard not to growl, knowing how it affected
humans.

“Oh.”
Her eye’s widened.

“Don’t
be afraid.”

“You’re
referring to the young lady who was brought in just a few minutes ago. The
doctors are busy with her. I need to ask you to come with me please, sir.” She
put a hand on his arm, her mouth was a grim line.

Looking
down at where their flesh made contact, he growled low and deep. The female
gasped, she snapped her hand away and took a small step back.

Smart
human.

“Take
me to my female and do it now.”

The
female sucked in a deep breath. “I can’t. Like I said earlier, the doctors are
busy with her, we don’t want to disturb them while they work. It would be bad
for”—she cleared her throat—“your female if we did. Please come with me, I
don’t want to have to call security. We’re doing the best that we can. I’ll let
them know you are here so that someone can come and talk to you.” Her eyes were
wide and pleading.

Zane
could take out their puny human security with one hand tied behind his back.
Unfortunately he had to trust that the humans knew what they were doing, that
they would save Tanya. The last thing he wanted to do was to place her in harm’s
way by disturbing the very people trying to make her well.

Zane
took a deep calming breath. He nodded. “I will do as you say, but someone will
come and tell me what is going on. Know that I am not a patient man.”

“I
understand, sir. Follow me.” She led him back down the hall, turning right
before they hit the entrance, stopping at one of several glass cubicles. Within
the glass confine were seats which he ignored, choosing to pace instead.
Griffin and Ross took up standing positions on either side of the entrance.

“Um,
sir.” The human looked up at him. He locked eyes with her. “There is a cafe
down the hall,” she gestured in the opposite direction to the one he’d taken
earlier. “If you’d like some coffee or…” She let the sentence die as he
narrowed his eyes. “I’ll let the doctors know you’re here.”  

As
soon as she left, he withdrew his cell phone and dialed Brant.

“I
just pulled up,” Brant said.

“It
stinks, so you will struggle to pick up my scent.” Zane gave him directions to
the glass cubicle and hung up.

Seconds
later Brant strode into the small space York, Xavier and Stephany on his tail.
“Where is she?” he growled.

“How
is she?” Stephany asked. Zane knew by her red rimmed eyes that the unflappable
female had been crying. It unnerved him.

“I
am waiting to hear,” he answered simply.

“Fuck
that,” Brant ground out. “We need to find her right now.” His eyes had a crazed
look. Take anger, frustration and an extra dose of fear and Brant was the end
result. Zane only hoped that he looked more stable, because he sure as freaking
hell didn’t feel of sane mind.

“They
are sending one of their healers to inform us of the situation,” Zane added.

Brant’s
already tense frame roped and bulged as his hands pulled into fisted knots at
his side. “These humans are fucked in the head if they think I’ll stand by
while my female…” His jaw worked, “I swear to God if anything happens to her…”

Zane’s
chest constricted. His breathing hitched and he fought to control the growing
panic. Not a feeling he was used to. “We need to wait, they are busy with her
and cannot be disturbed. It could mean”—he took a deep breath—“disaster.”

“Tanya
is a strong female,” Stephany sniffed. “She’ll get through this. I was with her
yesterday and she did not scent.”

“She
is a human and unmated at that,” Brant growled. “We fucked up. We didn’t
protect our female. If she had been mated then she would have been stronger and
there would’ve been less cause for concern. What have we done?”

Brant
looked like he was on the verge of breaking down. If that happened then blood
would flow.
Human blood.

Zane
grabbed him by the bicep. “We can make it up to her. We can make this right.
Let’s wait to hear what the humans have to say before jumping to any
conclusions.”

Brant
had initially stiffened at the contact but as Zane spoke, his shoulders
slumped.

He
dropped his head. “She has to make it,” he said on a ragged breath. “I need to
tell her that…I need to speak to her tell her...” His chest heaved.

Stephany
put an arm around his shoulders.

“We
both do,” Zane said.

Brant
raised his eyes and their gazes locked.

Someone
cleared their throat behind them. They’d been in such deep conversation, so buried
in grief, that they hadn’t heard the human approach. The others turned and Zane
moved in next to Brant.

The
human male looked to be in his forties. Dark hair greying at the temples,
glasses and a white coat. “I’m Doctor Pollard.” He scented of their female. On
the bottom hem of his coat was a single drop of blood. Zane struggled to take
his eyes off the crimson reminder of how their female lay fighting for her life.