Mated to the Vampire Kings (8 page)

“Too
much information boys.” Becky held up a hand. “Listen up, during a normal
pregnancy, sex cannot bring on labor. It’s a proven fact. This had nothing to
do with your…seriously potent sperm…I assure you. Everybody calm down.”

“Don’t
tell me to fucking calm down.” Brant growled through clenched teeth, his dark
fearful eyes flashed to Becky.

Thankfully
her tears were coming much slower now, so she was actually able to talk. Tanya
reached up and cupped his cheeks. “We need to listen to my doctor and healer.
It’s no use going off the rails.” Brant closed his eyes and leaned into her
touch.

“Speak.”
Zane was turned to face Becky. He growled so deeply that goose bumps popped out
on her arms.

“Let’s
please calm down.” Tanya reached for his hand and he took it. “Easy… my bones
can still break you know.”

“Sorry,
sweetness.” Zane eased his hold and kissed the inside of her palm.

“There
are steps that can be taken to prevent labor. I’m going to order oral Turbulaline.
It is a drug used to prevent contractions. I am prescribing the treatment
should you go into labor. It is very effective in slowing down and even
stopping labor.” She took a deep breath. “I need you on full bed rest. No sex
whatsoever.” Becky looked up at Tanya’s mates. “It was fine before but it isn’t
any more. Your pregnancy is no longer considered normal as you are dilating. ”
She looked Tanya in the eye. “No orgasms at all for that matter.”

“We
can’t ease our female?” Brant sounded shocked.

Becky
shook her head. “When a woman orgasms her uterus contracts. It could bring on
labor in Tanya’s current state. Sperm on a ripening cervix could cause it to
soften further. Therefore, no sex and no orgasms.”

“Oh
no.” Tanya felt her blood drain. “I kind of had sex this morning. I may have
had two orgasms.” She held up two fingers. Her blasted eyes filled up with
tears. Zane made an anguished noise.

Becky
glanced at Zane before locking eyes with Tanya once again. “You weren’t to
know. Don’t beat yourselves up. I’ll get my hands on the drugs right away. The
key will be to administer the medication should you go into labor. I’m sure
you’ll be just fine. I’m seeing this as a precaution rather than as something
to be concerned about.”

“We
cannot be too careful where the royal heir is concerned,” Selina said in a
school mistress voice.

Becky
gave her a dirty look before looking back at Tanya. “The worst thing you can do
is worry. Of all the precautions you should take, rest and cutting out stress
are most important. High periods of stress followed by periods of calm are
known to trigger labor.”

“Our
female will have nothing to worry about.” Zane said, kissing her hand again.

“We
will take excellent care of her.” Brant did the same. “Do you have any other
advice?” Brant’s eyes narrowed on Becky.

“No
hot baths or nipple stimulation, this is just as important as no sex as it
causes the body to release a hormone that brings on labor. There are others but
they’re old wives’ tales…”

“Tell
us.” If Tanya didn’t know any better she would say that Brant sounded
desperate.

“Sure…avoid
spicy food.” She winked at Tanya. “Whatever you do my friend, don’t insert
evening primrose oil capsules into your vagina.”

Tanya
snorted. “As if.”

Becky
smiled. “You’re going to love this one…stay away from laxatives like castor
oil. The excessive diarrhea it causes could bring on labor.”

“Although
I’ll be sorely tempted because there’s nothing better than diarrhea…” Tanya
laughed but it very quickly turned into a sob and she felt her lip wobble.

“Oh,
honey.” Becky shouldered Zane out of the way and hugged her tight. “You are
going to be just fine.”

“What
about my baby?” She pushed her face into Becky’s shoulder, trying hard to stifle
the tears and failing.

“This
is strictly precautionary. Put your feet up. Take it really easy. I need to
hustle back to Sweetwater to get the meds, just in case. You are both going to
be just fine.” Becky spoke in a soothing voice. It had the desired effect. Her
friend also stroked the back of her head.

“Bring
your wolf and move into the castle. The three of you can stay in Ross’ old
room.” Brant spoke carefully. Tanya could hear that he was trying to keep the
growl out of his voice.

Becky
tensed, pulling away from Tanya. “I don’t think that’s necessary. If Tanya goes
into labor, it will be a long process. I’m only twenty minutes away.”

Zane
made a sound of affirmation. “Move in healer. Your shifter would be welcome.
We”—he looked across at Brant—“would feel better knowing you were close.”

Becky
shook her head. “Trust me…If I thought it would help, I would move in but my
being here won’t help one bit.”

Brant
growled.

“Stop
it.” Tanya narrowed her eyes at Brant. “Becky will come immediately if need be.
I also have Selina. You heard Becky…” She swallowed hard. “Everything is going
to be
okay
.” Her voice hitched on the word okay. She took a deep breath
and bit down on her lip to keep it from quivering.

“Right…”
Becky clapped her hands together. “You boys get Tanya settled in her room and
I’m headed back to town.”

There
was a hard cracking noise above her. When she looked up, Brant was holding his
head and Zane looked dazed but shook it off. Becky cracked up laughing. A
giggle escaped when Tanya realized that they had knocked heads.

“I
will carry our female,” Zane growled.

Trying
to both pick her up at once it seemed.

“I
will do it.” Brant gripped her wrist possessively.

“Like
fuck,” Zane snarled.

“Back
the fuck off or so help me.” Brant’s hands knotted at his sides and his face
became distorted with rage.

“How
about you carry me half way?” She looked pointedly at Brant before turning her
eyes to Zane. “Then you can carry me the other half.”

Brant
gave a hard jerk of his head and Zane backed up, giving the other male room. He
picked her up like it was the easiest thing in the world.

“Put
your arms around my neck, Cenwein.” His eyes softened up as they met with hers.
Tanya did as he said. Feeling his warmth seep into her. His clean, manly scent
enveloped her.

This
was going to be okay.

Just
fine.

Nothing
to be concerned about.

She
would follow Becky’s advice to the letter, starting with no stress. Tanya
relaxed into Brant’s strong arms.

“That’s
it, sweetness.” Zane’s deep voice helped to soothe her. When she looked his
way, she noticed that his eyes were filled with concern. He gave her a tight
smile.

Nothing
to worry about.

If
she exuded it, maybe they would believe it. What was that saying again? Oh
yeah, fake it till you make it.

There
was a knock at the door.

Brant
tensed, pulling her closer. Although all of their eyes were on the door, no one
made a move to open it. Another knock, louder this time.

“Come
in,” Zane finally growled.

York
put his head around the jam. “Apologies for the interruption, my lords…my
lady.” He bowed his head for a second.

The
castle was noisy, noisier than normal. She didn’t think it was possible but
Brant tensed up even more, his body turned to stone, and his chest heaved
against her. She strained to hear what was going on but York moved inside,
closing the door behind him. Drowning out the noise…mostly.

Zane
flashed a fang on a silent snarl.

“We
have a little”—York darted his eyes from Zane to Brant and back again—“situation,”
the big male said. “It needs your urgent attention. I would recommend that you
stay here, my queen.” It wasn’t lost on her that although he turned his gaze to
her, his eyes failed to meet hers.

“What
is going on?” Tanya asked.

Brant
moved back to the bed and carefully put her down. He cupped her jaw. “We’ll be
back soon. Do as York says and stay here. All of you.” Brant glanced at Selina
and Becky.

“But…”

Zane
pushed past Brant, he put his hands on either side of her, bending till he was
at eye level with her. “Brant is right. Stay put. We’ll be back soon.”

“Tell
me what the hell is going on.” Her voice was a little shrill but she couldn’t
help it.

Zane
tucked some hair behind her ear. “Nothing to be concerned with. I promise. It’s
an internal annoyance that needs handling.”

She
felt her brow crease. “Do you promise? I get the feeling it’s more than just a
simple issue.”

“You’re
right, Cenwein. It’s an
annoying
issue, but it’s nothing for you to be
concerned over. We’ll be back in a few. Please stay here till we get back.” His
eyes darkened, belying how serious he was.

Pulling
an irritated face, she nodded. She knew there was more to this by the way York
was pacing and shoving his hand through his hair every few strides. It looked
like her kings were needed urgently. If they thought she was just going to drop
this though, they were sadly mistaken.

One
hour later…

“I
cannot take even one more minute of this.” Becky huffed, lurching to her feet.
She took the words right out of Tanya’s freaking mouth. Aside from the
frustration of not knowing what the hell was going on out there, her bladder
was so full, it felt like it was going to burst its seams at any moment.

“Me
neither.” Tanya said as she slid off the side of the bed.

“You
need to stay in that bed.” Becky narrowed her eyes at Tanya and put her hands
on her hips. She even went so far as to cock her head to the side. “You”—she
pointed at Tanya with a perfectly manicured nail—“stay put. I’m going to find
out what the hell is going on.”

Now
that she was on her feet, Tanya could feel her bladder really straining. She
felt like she just might burst at any second. To try and alleviate the
pressure, she sat back down on the bed, putting a hand on the bottom curve of
her belly. “I really need to pee, so hurry up. I’m giving you one minute and
then I’m out of here.”

Becky
rolled her eyes. “Use a bed pan.”

Tanya
looked around the room expectantly. There was no way she was squatting over a
bedpan unless she absolutely had no other choice. “I don’t see one.” Somehow she
knew that knowing there was a plan b close by would make her feel a little
better.

Becky
threw her a mischievous grin. “Improvise, darling girl.” She gestured to a vase
of flowers.

“I’m
so not peeing in that, so hurry please.” To show how desperate she was, Tanya
closed her hand over her girly bits and pulled what she hoped was a pained
face.

“Alright
already. I’ll be back in a sec.”

“Do
you want me to come with you?” Selina asked.

Becky
shook her head. “You stay here with, her royal highness.” She giggled at her
own joke as she left the room. The noises outside were much worse now. It
sounded like…screams. The door banged shut, closing off the sounds.

Screams.

She
would be really worried at this point. Only, they weren’t the type of screams
that evoked fear. What the hell was going on?

Selina
made a disapproving noise and even shook her head.

“You
know what’s going on, don’t you?” Tanya asked. The vampire female had much
better hearing.

“Just
stay right where you are, my queen. In my limited experience, you humans are”—she
paused—“different from vampires. You don’t look at things the same way. Your
cultures differ greatly at times from ours. You are easily offended.”

“Cut
the cryptic bullshit and tell me what’s going on.” Realizing that she’d been a
bit harsh, she added, “Please.”

Becky
slammed the door behind her and actually leaned back against it. Her eyes were
wide, her face pale. She was breathing heavily. “Selina.” Becky locked eyes
with the vampire female. “Get rid of those flowers. Girlfriend,”—Becky took a
deep breath as she locked eyes with Tanya—“you do not want to go out there. Do
yourself and all of us a favor and pee in that vase.” She pointed to the object
in question.

Although
Becky looked antsy and upset, she didn’t look afraid. “Just tell me one thing.”
Tanya asked. “Are Zane and Brant okay?”

“Are
they okay?” Now Becky looked pissed. “Are they freaking okay you ask?” She
tapped her foot. “I’d say they’re a damn site better than just okay. More like
fantastic…along with every other guy in the castle.” She snorted, shaking her
head. “I’m so going to wash out Ross’ eyeballs with chili sauce…no make that
acid.” She smiled, looking anything but happy. “I’ll burn out his eyes and he
can regenerate new ones. Virgin ones. The set he has in right now are freaking
ruined.”

“Female,”
Selina’s voice was sharp. “There is no need for such behavior. You are going to
upset
the queen.”

Becky’s
eyes flashed to Tanya’s stomach and she puffed out a lungful of air. “I’m
sorry.” She shook her head. “It’s just that…well…vampire women suck. I hate
them. No offense to you.” Her friend looked Selina’s way.

The
old vampire chuckled. “None taken. They are only following our traditions
though. The kings are considered celebrities in these parts and an opportunity
to still warm their beds is not to be missed.”

“This
all has to do with that stupid lore?” Realization dawned on Tanya. “Where are
Zane and Brant? What’s happening out there?” Her guys loved her. There was no
cause for concern. None whatsoever.

None
dammit
! She’d keep telling herself that and would keep
believing it.

“I’m
sorry, I didn’t see them.” Becky sounded defeated. “This place is crawling with
women. Super-fucking-models.” Now she sounded pissed. “There are hordes of them
outside. They’re being held back by the guards. It’s not pretty.”

“We
can’t just sit here, Becky.” Tanya rubbed her stomach, feeling the light thumps
and squirms beneath her skin. Her baby came first. “I might need that
medication.”

Becky’s
eyes clouded for a second. She nodded. “I doubt it, but…” She sighed. “Yeah you
might.”

“I
for one am not going to let a bunch of horny, vampire females stand in the way
of my baby’s health. I also really need some answers about this stupid lore. Are
there guards posted outside?”

Becky
nodded. “York and a really huge guy…like ridiculously big.”

“Bigger
than York?” She smiled. “Has to be Lazarus.” At least they had the two
strongest males at their service. “Let’s go. I want to go back to my own space.
My own room, my own bed. I’m not holing up in here for the rest of the day
because a bunch of hussies want my men…
mine
. It’s not happening and I’m
not worried.” There was a slight tremor to her voice but she ignored it because
she believed every single word she had just said. It didn’t matter that Brant
and Zane were missing. She trusted them to do right by her dammit.

“Let’s
stay here instead, honey, you don’t want to go out there.” Becky chewed on her
bottom lip. “Go and lie back down while I empty that vase.”

“Would
they hurt me?” Tanya turned to Selina.

The
vampire female shook her head. “No. It is nothing personal towards you. In
fact, the opposite is true. They believe that they are doing you a great honor
by serving your mate…in this case mates…while you are unable to.”

“How
do they know I can’t do it? I only just freaking found out myself.” Tanya’s
voice shook with anger. “They have no right.”

“As
vampires, they have every right, just as our kings are well within their rights
to accept.”

“That’s
the biggest crock of shit I have ever heard.” Becky actually stomped her foot.
Her face had turned bright red. If she was any angrier, smoke would billow out
of her ears.

Selina
shrugged. “Like I said earlier, some of our cultural differences are pretty
glaring. It is not considered correct that such virile, dominant males like the
kings should go any length of time with limited sex. No sex at all would be
deemed completely unacceptable.”

“It’s
a couple of weeks. Maybe a few on the other side to recover.” Becky made a
disgusted noise. “Come on! They won’t freaking die. They’re grown ass men.”

Selina
shook her head. “They are not men, young Becky. They are non human males in
their prime with needs that way supersede any mere human’s. It is borderline
cruelty to ask them to abstain for any length of time.”

“I
cannot believe that I am actually listening to this crap. I am so never
freaking having children,” Becky mumbled the last. “Don’t listen, Tanya.”

Selina
walked over to Tanya. The elderly female took ahold of her hands. Her eyes were
filled with kindness. “I am not trying to hurt you, my lady. Just stating the
facts. Choose one or two females…” Tanya tried to pull her hands away but
Selina held on tight. “Take control of the situation and all of this mess will
go away. The rest of the unmated females will soon realize that they are
wasting their time.” She was talking quickly. “It will be difficult for you but
it is for the best. You wouldn’t need to worry, you could just relax and take
it easy for the sake of the royal heir. Let another female have the honor of
filling in for you. You would be greatly respected in the eyes of the vampire
people, for your sacrifice. Your males would love you more.”

“When
I mated with Zane and Brant, I agreed to give them everything and to never
leave them. In return they swore that it would only be me, that they would
never stray. I intend to hold them to their promise.”

Selina
shook her head, looking sad. “I have tried hard to make you understand our way,
but I see that I have failed. You are a human. A vampire female would struggle
to keep two males such as our kings happy, let alone a weak, pregnant human…”

Tanya
threw the old cow a dirty look. Selina’s eyes widened and she quickly added. “I
mean no disrespect, my lady. You need to understand that the kings will never
hold out. You are setting them up for inevitable failure and it can only end
badly in the long run.” Selina finally released her hands. The old female’s eyes
burned with disappointment. “They are vampires and you are trying to hold them to
human rules.”

Anger
rose up in Tanya. “Brant went months without having sex before choosing me at
the ceremony. I agree with Becky, it’s all bullshit excuses so that they can
fool around. I can’t believe you vampire women buy it.”

“That
was before he was mated. He will burn for you now, my queen. Burn and burn and
burn without being able to have you. It will drive both him and Zane mad…It
would be like the worst torture to ask them to abstain.” Selina looked
distraught.

“Over
exaggerate much?…Sheesh, woman! Enough all ready.” Becky was fuming. Her jaw
worked and she sucked in a lungful of air. “Moving onto more sane conversation.
Let’s get out of here, but like I said earlier…it’s really ugly out there.”

****

Ugly
was so the wrong word.

Wrong!

So
wrong!

So
very wrong!

They
had left the room and encountered sounds of screaming, shouting and nervous
chatter. On second thought, shouting was the wrong description, it was more
like chanting. A whole hoard of women were chanting Zane and Brant’s names. It
was so freaking crazy.

“Stay
inside,” York growled. “Kings’ orders.”

Becky
shook her head. “Our queen needs to use the ladies room.”

Lazarus
cursed. York clenched his jaw. “Dammit.”

“Also,
we need to get her highness to her own room. It would be more comfortable for
her there. I need to get back to Sweetwater.” She went on to explain about the
medication.

York
shook his head. “Use the bathroom down the hall and get back in there…please.
You are free to go.” He pointedly looked at Becky before turning his eyes back
on Tanya. “But, I’m not permitted to let you out, my lady.”

“Why
the hell not?” Tanya asked. “I know all about the stupid lore. A bunch of
vampire hussies are surrounding the castle…so what? I don’t particularly care.”

Big
fat lie.

The
male frowned. “You don’t? Brant was very worried that they would upset you. He
said he would kill me if that happened.” His blue eyes turned stormy. “I kind
of have stuff to live for, my lady. Stuff I would hate to miss out on because I
was dead or at the very least, missing my dick.” He squirmed, looking pained at
the thought. “Brant’s threats aside, I would also hate to see you upset by all
of this.”

“Listen
up.” Tanya used the most authoritative, queenly voice she could muster. “I am
going to the bathroom and then one of you can escort me to the north tower,
while the other takes Becky to her car. Am I clear?”

“But…”
York’s huge muscles bunched, making him look even bigger. If she weren’t used
to being around vampire men, it would be scary as shit.

“No
freaking
buts,
mister…” Becky was much shorter than Tanya, but she
craned her neck and poked York in the chest all the same. “Your queen has
spoken and you will obey.”

York
pushed out a heavy sigh as his gaze moved to Tanya. “Do you promise not to get
upset?”

Becky
turned fearful eyes on her. “Yeah,” she said. “Do you promise not to get upset?”

“I
would never let such a silly lore and a bunch of hussies make me upset. No way,
no how. Not happening. I trust my mates.”

Oh
god
,
there was a part of her that had been hoping that she wouldn’t get her way. A
part of her that didn’t want to see what was going on out there. If it had
shaken Becky, then it had to be pretty bad.

York
made a strangled noise. “I don’t like it but if it is my queen’s wish then I am
yours to command.”

“Thank
you, now excuse me please.” Tanya made for the bathroom using small steps to
try and stop herself from leaking urine, which was a distinct possibility at
this point. Wouldn’t want to leak. Vampires would be able to tell. Their sense
of smell was too good.