#6 Chosen by the Vampire Kings: BBW Romance (Part 6: New Moon) (8 page)

“Rest.”
Brant touched his lips to hers one last time before kissing her nose. He stood
and moved to the door.

“Don’t
worry.” Zane moved back up. He kissed her neck and his nostrils flared when he
lifted. “Oh female, I can’t wait…” He kissed her quick and deep before touching
his forehead to hers. “Tell me…us again.”

“Tell
you what?” she felt her brow crease.

“That
you love us.”

She
shook her head. “It doesn’t change things. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Have
we still not convinced you?”

“No,
and my loving both of you doesn’t change things. It is in your nature to be
dominant.”

Zane’s
eyes clouded.

“I’m
sorry,” Brant said.

“We’re
sorry, Ysnaar,” Zane let out a deep breath. “We will find a way.”

“We’ll
talk more later. Get some rest,” Brant said as he opened the door.

Once
the door closed behind them, she reached for her phone and dialed Stephany.

“Are
you okay?” Her friend’s familiar voice sounded over the device.

“Is
that any way to answer a phone?”

A
sigh
. “Sorry, it’s just that I couldn’t help
but to notice that both Zane and Brant were in your room. I didn’t hear any
fighting or…other loud noises. I was just worried…you know…just worried. How is
the baby?”

“We’re
fine. Zane and Brant are getting along. It’s weird.”

“Enjoy
it. Don’t complain.” Stephany sounded incredulous.

“It
won’t last. I can’t risk it.” She heard Stephany take a deep breath, preparing
to argue no doubt. “That’s not why I’m calling. I need you to do something for
me,” Tanya said.

“Anything.
Name it.”

****

Katar
entered the boardroom first followed by Keto. The elven king smiled broadly
making a greeting in his own language.

As
a sign of respect, Brant and Zane returned the greeting using elven tongue.
Xavier stepped in beside them and did the same.

Keto
remained silent. His eyes were hard, his jaw tense.
What was the male’s
problem?
Zane had mentioned that the king had aged greatly, yet Brant was
still shocked by his lined face and greying hair.

A
look of confusion crossed Katar’s face for a brief moment. “Where is your mate?
I had hoped that my daughter would be here to greet me. I take it that all is
well with Esral?” The old man smiled.

“Esral
is well,” Zane answered. “Your daughter is slowly becoming accustomed to the
ways of our people.”

“Have
you found her to be a good mate? She is in many ways much like her mother and
will serve you well.”

Zane
cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable.

Brant
stepped forward. “Let’s be seated. Can I offer you some refreshments?” He
gestured to the table which was laden with fruits and pastries. After talking
with Esral, Stephany had advised him that elves had a sweet tooth. “Would you
like a glass of juice? Wine perhaps?” He motioned to a pitcher of deep red
liquid.

“I
shouldn’t, but why not? It is a celebration after all. The union of our
species.” Katar looked thoughtful for a second before smiling.

This
was going to be more difficult than they’d thought.

Brant
poured a glass and reached for a second. “Keto?”

The
elven prince narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “I am fine”—he ground his
teeth—“Thank you.” He said the words like they were a curse.

Katar
took a long drink from his glass.

“This
is Prince Xavier, my brother,” Brant stated.

Katar
inclined his head while maintaining eye contact with Xavier.

Brant
tried not to shift in his seat. “I am glad that you called this meeting today—”

“Meeting?”
Katar shook his head. “Think of it more as a family get together.”

It
was time to suck it up. The longer they dragged this out, the worse it would be
in the end. “Zane did not mate your daughter.” Brant had to work hard to keep
himself from cringing. He definitely could’ve worded that better.

Katar’s
brow knitted. “That means that my daughter has mated with you, Brant son of
Taine. It was my understanding that you had taken a mate already.”

“Your
information was correct. I have not mated your daughter either.”

Katar
exploded in a spray of wine scented spittle. “What is the meaning of this? I
put my beloved daughter’s life and reputation in your hands and you disrespect
me like this?” He took a deep breath. “When do you plan on mating her?” he
turned to address Zane.

“I
too am already promised to another, and tomorrow we fulfil the mating come the new
moon.”

Keto
bashed the table with a closed fist, his blond hair flew about his face. “The
honor of my sister is at stake. Filthy—”

“Silence!”
Katar shouted, his face was bright red. His nostrils flared and his knuckles had
turned white on the glass. Brant was worried that it would shatter under the
pressure. If the old man cut his hand open on the shards it would flame his
anger.  Katar didn’t seem to realize that he was still holding it.

“By
slighting my Esral, you have slighted me. My people.” He swallowed hard. “My
daughter”—his eyes grew glassy. Katar shook his head, his lips a thin white
line—“my beloved Esral will be seen as defective, forced to live a life of
solitude. My beautiful, innocent, sun filled child. So full of potential.” His
shoulders had sagged while he spoke, his eyes drifted to the table.

“We
have welcomed her to live among us as one of our own,” Brant said hoping that
Katar would be appeased.

“What?”
Keto snorted. “So that her innocence can be taken by any commoner? Rutted in
some back alley like a piece of trash?” His eyes were blazing, his face set in
a deep scowl. With a loud scrape, Keto pushed his chair back but did not make
to stand. “Fucking unacceptable.” Although he glanced Brant’s way, he noticed
that most of the prince’s animosity was directed at Zane. It wasn’t the time to
think on it.

Katar
grunted. “The agreement was that my daughter would mate vampire royalty,
anything less would be taken as an insult.” His eyes grew hard as he squared
his shoulders. “I had not wished to bring war to my people, but you will force
my hand.”

How
should he proceed? Should he inform the king of his daughter’s wishes to date and
to choose her own mate? The elven king would have little understanding for her
desires. Glancing at his brother, he noticed how grim and ashen his expression
had become, like he was about to be put to death. Xavier briefly inclined his
head in acceptance, his respect grew for his brother. Brant ran a hand through
his hair. He suppressed the urge to sigh. “Xavier is royalty, he will mate your
daughter but it will happen in due course. It would be preferable if they could
have some time to—”

“No,”
low and evenly delivered. The elven king’s eyes narrowed. “Tomorrow is the new
moon, the prince will mate her or I will declare war on the vampire species.”

“That
would not be wise Katar, many would die,” Zane stated.

Katar
locked his jaw.

“Your
species would be hardest hit,” Brant added. “It is not our wish to slaughter
the elven kind, do not force our hand.”

“It
is you that forces my hand.” He turned to Xavier and locked eyes with him.
“Mate my daughter.” His voice had a hard commanding edge. For a moment he
looked like the man Brant remembered, then his shoulders sagged again and he
seemed to age before Brant’s eyes. “You have wronged me, both of you.” He shook
his head.

“We
will make this right, Katar, you have my word,” Brant said. They could not
enter into another bloody war. He did not wish to decimate a species. His
female must be rubbing off on him because he wanted what was best for the elven
princess as well. She may not realize it, but having Xavier as a mate would be
for the best in the long run. Brant knew that his brother would do right by
Esral, even if it killed him.

Xavier
reached for a jug of wine, he filled the glass in front of him and downed the
contents. The buzz from the alcohol would be over in a few minutes, hardly
worth the effort. Yet, if he was in his brother’s shoes, he would probably do
the same.

Tanya
had just finished running a brush through her hair when a knock sounded. She
was still dressed in her flannels, only she’d taken the time to put on a bra.
It wouldn’t be right to address the elven king without underwear.

“Come
in.”

Stephany
entered followed by the king. Behind him, trailed a large robe toting, pointy
shoes wearing guard. It reminded her of the night the elves had breached the
castle in order to kidnap her so that the alpha could mate her. She mostly
remembered how she had been forced to kill two of them in order to survive. She
shivered, feeling that this may not have been such a good idea after all. Tanya
took a deep breath. The fact of the matter was, she’d promised to help Esral
and she would damn well do everything in her power to do just that. Tanya swallowed
down her fear.

“Ah,
you must be Tanya,” he locked eyes with her and smiled warmly. “This delightful
young lady mentioned that you were unwell.” He looked concerned.

“I’m
on the mend. Thank you for agreeing to see me. Please”—she gestured to a seat
next to the bed—“take a seat.”

The
king smiled and did as she asked. “Stephany told me that you are to be mated to
one of the kings, but won’t divulge which one. It’s all very cryptic.”

“Both.”
Not that she was going to mate either male. They weren’t even together but she
wasn’t about to go down that long winding road with the old king. It wasn’t why
she’d called him here.

He
raised his eyebrows for a second before chuckling. “Excuse my reaction, elves
are a little more…conservative. You must be some female to have tamed the likes
of those two.”

Tanya
smiled, but chose not to respond since she would also have to set him straight
on that count.

“Stephany
said that you were concerned for Esral.” His face turned stormy. “I share your
concern.”

“I
understand that a decision was made that Esral is to mate with Xavier come the new
moon.”

Katar
shrugged. “I had hoped that she would become queen. In many ways she reminds me
of my late wife. So soft and timid. Fair to behold, yet strong and resourceful.
Clever like Esme. I will come to terms with the new arrangement. Princess Esral”—he
shrugged his shoulders—“she is a princess already, I had hoped for more.”

“I
can see that you love your daughter.”

His
whole demeanor softened. “She is my little girl and in many ways all I have
left of my Esme. I want the best for her.”

“Do
you want your daughter to be happy?” Best she proceed carefully.

His
eyes narrowed in thought, “Why would you ask me such a question? It is clear
that I do.”

“With
all due respect, King Katar, wanting the best for your daughter and her being
happy will not necessarily go hand in hand.”

His
eyes narrowed. “I am her father, I know what is best for Esral, she will be
happy in the long run.”

Tanya
paused for a few seconds, using the time to gather her thoughts. She had one
shot to convince the king. “Being forced to mate with someone she doesn’t even
know will not make her happy. I have talked at length with Esral, she does not
want this union.”

Katar
clenched his teeth. “Is there something I should know about this Xavier?”

“Xavier
is a good male.”

“Well
then?” he seemed to relax somewhat.

“Esral
would like to date, she wants to choose her own male.” She shrugged. “Who
knows, she might end up choosing Xavier in the end. It needs to be her decision
though.” 

He
scowled. “Unacceptable. It is the way of our people. No highborn gets to
choose. Esme and I found happiness, she will do the same.”

“Are
you sure?”

“Yes.”
Katar nodded his head, his eyes solemn.

“Are
all the highborn matings at your court successful?”

Katar
squared his shoulders, he raised his hand. His whole demeanor shouted yes,
then, he sank back into the chair, a bewildered expression on his face. “Not
all, but Esral will find success. Xavier will have to love her, how could he
not?”

“Let’s
say for argument’s sake that he does grow to love Esral, what if she doesn’t
feel the same for him? They would be miserable.”

The
king worked his jaw for a few seconds, his eyes took on a faraway look. “You
said he was a good male.”

“He
is a good male, but love is a strange thing. We don’t always love the right
person or the good person. Heck, sometimes, even against our best judgement, we
even end up falling in love with two people.” She blew out a puff of air. “We
don’t have an on and off switch inside of us, as much as we may want one
sometimes…the point is, just because he is good doesn’t mean Esral will love
him. Just because your daughter holds all of those amazing attributes doesn’t
mean Xavier will love her.”

He
shook his head. “My daughter is not defective. She must mate with this Xavier
come the new moon. There is no other way.”

“You
are right, your daughter is not defective. Even if she were to stay unmated for
the time being, it would not make her defective. Please allow her to choose her
own mate.”

His
eyes widened in horror. “To mate with a commoner?”

“If
that is who she ends up loving, then yes a commoner. You said it yourself, she
is a princess and would remain a princess regardless of who she decides on.”

“What
if she ends up rutting with a male before she is even mated? What if she takes
several to her bed?” He looked like he might have a heart attack, Katar’s
breath came out in pants and his face turned red.

“Do
you really believe that of your daughter? Esral does not strike me as a female
that would fall into bed with male after male. She has more sense than that.”

“You
make a good point, but it doesn’t change the fact that my daughter will be seen
as defective.”

Tanya
took a deep breath, feeling a little frustrated. “Do you believe that your
daughter is defective?”

Katar’s
fists clenched and his face grew red. “Certainly not and it is for that reason
that I insist that she mate with the prince.”

“Let’s
say for argument’s sake that the mating doesn’t happen…” His face reddened up a
whole lot more and she became a bit worried that he might die from that heart
attack at any second. Was that even possible with older non humans? Tanya hoped
not. “Would your daughter be defective?”

His
jaw worked and he looked at a point somewhere behind her on the headboard not
saying anything for the longest time. If there was one thing that she’d learned
in a home where arguments and disagreements were a regular occurrence, it was
how to get the upper hand in moments like this. Silence could be used as a tool
to draw an answer from an opponent. Especially when the answer wasn’t something
they wanted to admit.

“Yes.”
His eyes shone and he blinked several times before catching her gaze.

Not
what she’d hoped to hear. “Will
you
believe that your daughter is
defective if she isn’t mated come the new moon?”

He
shook his head slowly, looking utterly defeated. “Yes,” he whispered.

“It’s
just you and I between these four walls, Katar. I’m not asking if your daughter
will be perceived as defective by the elven people, I’m asking if you will
truly feel that your beautiful, intelligent, resourceful daughter will suddenly
wake up defective if she herself chooses not to mate with someone she doesn’t
love?”

His
shoulders sagged. “It doesn’t matter what I think.”

“You
are the king. You make the rules. Moreover, you are Esral’s father. Your opinion
matters the most. Don’t force this on her, please.”

He
remained silent.

“Go
and talk with her. She told me that you have dragged your feet in choosing a
mate for her because you knew she disliked all the highborn elven males. The
path you chose for her, offered the best success rate for her happiness even
though it was the most unorthodox.” The old male’s face was set in thought.

Her
hopes plummeted as he shook his head. “This would change everything. If Esral
is not made to stick to her arranged mating. If I ensure that she is not
labelled as defective, what of all the other highborn females? All the other
arranged matings? This would change everything.”

“Would
that be so bad, King Katar? Why can’t they also be allowed to choose? To have a
real shot at happiness?” Tanya reached out to the old king, placing a hand on
his. “Change can be a good thing.”

“We
can’t have the commoners and the highborn mixing. It wouldn’t be right.”

“Why
not? From the sounds of things, they mix plenty behind closed doors anyway.”

The
old man chuckled. “You are right on that count.” He sighed. “I will think on
it. I wish it were less complicated. What you are asking would change age old
traditions.”

“Will
you talk with Esral?”

Katar
nodded and smiled. “I will talk with her, but I can’t promise any more than
that. I can’t just do whatever I would like. I need to keep my people in mind
with each and every decision.”

It
would’ve been nice to hear him agree to everything she had said, but at the
same time this type of major decision would affect a whole species. Katar would
not be doing his duty as king if he didn’t put his own emotions aside and think
about the repercussions it would have on his people. Tanya respected that.

“Thank
you for agreeing to see me and for hearing me out.”

“No…thank
you for caring for my daughter. This took courage.” He patted her hand.

****

Zane
had not slept well. If he and Brant didn’t manage to convince Tanya that they
could make this work, she would leave them. He sighed. This was not the time
for such thoughts. Zane watched as the elven king made his way over to them.

The
crisp morning air caused the old elf’s grey hair to blow about his face. Katar
removed a leather tie from a silk sack at his back and used it to secure the
strand at the nape of his neck. “When is the next new moon?”

By
the look on Brant’s face, Zane could tell that the question had also caught him
off guard. “That wouldn’t be for about another four weeks,” Brant answered.

“That
long?” Katar adjusted the tie on his robe.

Brant
raised his eyebrows at Zane making a questioning look. Zane shrugged.

The
old man sighed loudly. “If nothing else, it will give me the time I need to
convince my people…” he said, clearly talking to himself. Snapping out of it,
he lifted his eyes up to face Brant and Zane. “Please put a temporary hold on
the mating between Esral and the prince. I do not want her dating until I have
made a final decision on her future though.”

Brant
nodded and smiled at Katar. “Your daughter must be very persuasive for you to
have changed your mind like that.”

“Let’s
be clear, I may have changed my mind but it will need to be taken up with my
council and the elven folk in general. Although I could force my people to bend
to my will, I prefer not to operate in that fashion. Understand also that your
brother and my daughter may still end up mating. There is much to be discussed
and major decisions to be made that will affect the entire elven species. Though
I do not approve or understand the need, I still hope that she will have her
opportunity to date.” The old male made a face like the thought was distasteful
to him.

“I
will convey your wishes to Xavier. I take it that Esral knows of your decision?”

Katar
nodded. “She looked happier than I have seen her in a long while. I just hope I
can convince my people to alter certain age old traditions or that radiant
smile will be wiped from her face.”

“I
have to say, Katar, you surprise me. I have always seen you as being highly
traditional. This is pleasing, but still unexpected,” Brant said.

“I’m
glad that I’m not too old to still surprise others. I was very lucky to have
been given Esme. There are many of my people who have only found misery in
their arranged matings. It is something I hope to change. I have to say that
your female reminds me in many ways of my Esme.”

What
the fuck?

“She
is a good judge of character. Has a way of putting things that encourages pause
for thought. I am glad that I spoke with her. She helped me to see things
differently. You are lucky to have her.” Katar nodded his head, his eyes moving
from Brant back to Zane.

“Extremely
lucky.” Brant smiled at Katar for a beat before turning narrowed eyes on Zane.
Giving a quick shake of the head, Zane narrowed his eyes back.

“Since
our female came into our life, everything has changed.” Zane said shaking his
head again at the truth in his words. A smile formed at the thought of his
feisty human.

 “Make
sure that you work together with her in a solid partnership. Your relationship
would work better and will be much more rewarding in the long run.” He looked
at them each in turn. “Without Esme, I am convinced that my kingdom would’ve
failed a long time ago. In such a short time without her, I have almost ruined
everything. I have taken to asking myself what my late mate would have advised.
Things are going better as a result.” He smiled. “Take the advice of an old man,
do not make the mistake of pushing Tanya to the side, she could be a great
asset.”