Free #4 Chosen by the Vampire Kings: BBW Romance by Charlene Hartnady Page A

seemed to fall apart. He’d insisted Zane
was fine while they packed up and headed back to the castle. Zane had called a
meeting so they made their way to the dining hall.
    Brant
had paced for a few minutes before finally telling her what had happened.
    “The
elven king did what?”
    Brant
took a deep breath, cleared his throat and spoke louder this time. “Katar gave
his daughter to Zane as a token of his allegiance.”
    “Why
would he give…” Then the reason hit her, “…oh.”
    “Didn’t
he explain that he’s already…taken?” Tanya asked.
    Brant
shook his head. “The king is old school. All he knows is that there are two
kings and only one chosen, so therefore he has given his daughter. If Zane had
refused, it would’ve been seen as a major insult.”
    “I
thought Zane couldn’t mate unless with a chosen female.”
    “He
can mate, he just can’t have heirs.” Brant ran a hand through his hair and then
jammed his hands into his jean pockets. “He is not going to mate her so don’t
worry.”
    This
was wrong on so many levels. Just then the door opened and a tiny woman walked
in, Zane followed close behind. She had to be at least one and a half heads
shorter than Tanya and at least four dress sizes smaller. The princess had big,
blue red rimmed eyes. Such a pretty little thing.
    “This
is Esral ,” Zane said avoiding eye contact with her.
    “Why
has she been crying?”
    “I
told her that I am not going to mate her.” Zane turned his gaze on Tanya.
    The
elf female hiccupped rubbing a tear away with the back of her hand.
    “Of
all the insensitive brutish things.” Tanya put her hands on her hips. The
princess cried harder. Damn these non-human men. “You are a bunch of boorish”—she
walked to the princess and put an arm around her shoulders—“bullish,
insensitive…”
    Zane’s
brow furrowed. “Do you want me to mate her?”
    Really?
    Tanya
couldn’t help it when her finger pointed at the big vampire. “You did not just
say that, Zane.” She wagged her finger at him and he had the good grace to look
sheepish. “No, you will not bloody well mate with her. Unless you want to that
is.” Her eyes narrowed and her heart raced.
    “I
said I did not. You are all I need.”
    She
felt herself both soften to Zane’s words and anger as the princess’ shoulders
shook beneath her arm. “You are all a bunch of barbarians and should be ashamed
of yourselves.”
    “This
isn’t our fault.” Brant moved in next to Zane.
    “Not
your fault?” She paused clenching her teeth. “You vampires don’t hold a little
ceremony every century or so where you force young women from their homes,
their families, to mate with and raise your heirs?”
    Brant
shuffled. Zane’s eyes narrowed.
    “It’s
barbaric and wrong. The elven king gave you his freaking daughter. You have to
see that as wrong on some level as well. Females are not possessions to be shuffled
from one to the other, here to scratch an itch and raise your children. We have
feelings.”
    “We
know that,” Brant said.
    “Our
females are prized. The mating thing is to secure our partnership…” Zane
stopped when she narrowed her eyes on him. “You are right. We will relook over the
rules of the choosing ceremony.”
    “I
want one of you to mate me. I can’t go back. I told you I will be seen as
defective to my people,” Esral sniffed.
    “Who
brainwashed you into believing that load of bull?” Tanya shook her head. “You
are a beautiful and intelligent woman. You don’t need to mate with either of
these males. You don’t have to mate with anyone. You are free to choose.”
    “No,
she isn’t,” Zane spoke softly. “She has to mate vampire royalty or her father
will see it as an insult and declare war.”
    “You
can talk some sense into him,” she paused. “Better yet, let me meet him and
I’ll talk some sense into him.”
    “Sense…”
Brant looked flustered. “Cenwein, you can’t talk sense into him. He won’t get
it.