3#Unlikely Mates: BBW Shifter/Vampire Romance (Their Everything) (15 page)

“Why
did he lock Ward up? And do all the things he did? Why did he say all those
awful things to Steph while she was trying to deliver her babies? She was
petrified and he told her that she was going to die during labor. How fucked up
is that?” Once the words started, she couldn’t hold them back even though she
was frantic with worry over Ross and Rushe. This was something she had to get off
her chest.

“I
was angry with him. I still am. He acted out like that because he cares so much
for her. I think I even caught him crying after Steph was taken the second
time, he said it was because the sun was in his eyes. It wasn’t the sun, he was
worried about her. Brant has to show himself as strong and in charge at all
times. He’s not allowed to choose sides or give favors. He hates to show too
much emotion, says it makes him weak.” She took a deep breath before launching
herself back into her explanation. “What he does instead is act like a colossal
jerk. When he feels pain or anger or fear for his people he acts out. I just
wish he would be more honest and open. I think the coven…heck all the
non-humans for that matter would much prefer it. Look, the point is he
cares…they both do, more than you think.”

“Oh.”
It was lame, but it was all she could think of to say. Becky had never thought
of it that way. To think the big bastard king had actually cried over Steph
being kidnapped. Was it possible that he had acted like such a jerk because he
was worried for the vampire? That he had treated Ward so badly because he truly
believed his friend was dying and the alpha was to blame? The more she thought
about it, the more it made sense.

“If
what you say is true, then they will come for Ross and Rushe.”

Tanya
sighed. “They are also really stubborn and hate insubordination. They make
decisions for the good of the coven and expect them to be obeyed at all times.”

“They
could be wrong sometimes you know.”

Tanya
snorted. “I do. Trust me, I really do. Please don’t worry. My mates will save
your…I’m not sure what they are…and bring them back to you.”

“Please
hurry. I’m so worried.” She felt herself tear up and took a couple of gulps of
air.

“Oh
honey, try not to worry. I’m sure the elves don’t want both the vamps and the
wolves after them. I’m sure this is some sort of misunderstanding.”

“I’m
going back to my place. It’s where we agreed to meet if we split up.”

“Call
me if they turn up,” Tanya said.

“I
will. I’ll call you when I get there.” Becky sniffed as the tears started to
fall. They said their goodbyes.

Using
a hand, Becky wiped her eyes. It was time to man the fuck up. Maybe they were
back at her apartment or would be soon. She needed to get over there and not have
a freaking accident while she did. That meant that the tears needed to stop and
she needed to grow a backbone.

Her
little talk to herself didn’t help, it only made her cry harder.

What
the hell was she going to do if Rushe and Ross didn’t come back to her? Both of
them and in one piece. She wiped her tears away but more replaced them. She
didn’t think that she could live without them. Forever was a damn long time to
miss someone. To crave them.

Becky
sniffed hard, squaring her shoulders against the soft leather of the seat. She
was going to go home and if they weren’t there, she would call Tanya. Those
damned vampires…misunderstood or not…had better be on their freaking way to
rescue her males or she would damn well do it herself.

With
a plan firmly in place, she inserted the keys and spun the wheels onto the road,
which was thankfully relatively clear at this time of the evening.

****

“You
sneezed,” Ross growled, trying to break loose. Both he and Rushe’s hands were
bound behind their backs around a thick, twenty foot pole which had to be
silver infused as well if the lack of give was anything to go by. He didn’t
know why he even bothered with the chains. Even if, by some miracle, he managed
to break the silver infused metal, the place was crawling with pointy eared
motherfuckers.

“It
just happened,” Rushe muttered. “I don’t ever normally sneeze. It was their
flowery fucking scent. I think I might be allergic.”

“You’re
a non-fucking-human, you can’t be allergic. Anyway, the males don’t even scent
flowery.”

“Oh
yes they do. Not as pronounced as the females but it is definitely there. The
sneeze just happened.” Rushe looked at him with wide eyes. There were blood
smears on the other male’s shirt and his own had been ripped off in the
skirmish.

“Why
didn’t you go into berserker mode on those fuckers?”

“They
were hardly breaking any rules by buying fresh liver. We were spying on them so
I don’t blame them for being upset. I would’ve possibly killed them if I let my
beast take control.” Rushe shook his head as he spoke.

“You
should’ve just fucking killed the pointy eared pussies. Look at us.” Ross
rattled his chains for emphasis.

“We
were outnumbered by more than two to one and we still nearly beat them, that’s
not bad. So far they’ve treated us okay.” Rushe raised his eyebrows. “What do
you think they want with us?”

Ross
shrugged and the chains jangled. “Fuck if I know. They’re up to something and they
don’t like that we found them out.”

“Up
to something?” Rushe shook his head and barked out a laugh. “They’re really bad
elves because they dared to enter Sweetwater to buy something for supper?” He
spoke in a put on voice. “That’s really so sinister. Bad fae fuckers. They
should all be imprisoned and the key thrown away. We really should not have
tailed them.”

“They’re
strictly vegetarian. They were not buying supper.” He looked around them but
the elves ignored them completely. Ross still lowered his voice just in case.
“They are hiding something or planning something.”

Rushe
shrugged. “Maybe they finally wised the fuck up. Nothing like fresh steak, and
I must say I’m partial to a bit of fresh liver myself. I just wish I had eaten
my burger before I scented those fuckers. All this talk of meat is making me
seriously hungry.” He smacked his lips.

“Our
female will contact Tanya. If we’re lucky Zane will come.”

“If
we’re not so lucky?” Rushe glanced his way.

“I
was exiled after I left. I am no longer considered to be a part of the coven.
They might just leave me to rot.” Ross felt his heart rate pick up at the
thought. This was why it was important to stay protected by a coven. To branch
out on your own meant becoming vulnerable to other species. It had never
happened to his knowledge. Yet, he would do it again in a heartbeat. Becky was
worth it.

“Surely
they will have to notify Ward?” Rushe asked, sinking back down on his haunches.

“Yeah,
you’ll be fine, wolf. I’m sure your pack won’t abandon you.” Ross’ voice turned
a little gravelly and his throat tightened. If his female didn’t choose him, he
would be all alone. He mentally gave himself a kick in the nuts. That type of
talk was for pussies and last time he checked he wasn’t wearing pointy fucking
shoes.

“Why
don’t you join my pack?”

Ross
laughed. “You do know that I can’t sprout fur right?”

Rushe
shrugged. “So what? We have a few humans that are a part of my pack and they
can’t sprout fur.”

“Yeah,
but they are mated to males in your pack. Did you have someone in mind for me?”

Rushe
kicked the front of his boot in the dirt. “We are friends?”

Ross
nodded. It was really weird how quickly the friendship had happened. Ross would
give his life for this wolf and he knew that the same was true for Rushe.

“Then
you are a part of my pack and when Ward comes for me, he will come for you
too.”

“What
if Ward disagrees?” Ross looked his friend in the eye.

“Simple.”
Rushe’s eyes darkened. “I won’t leave unless you are at my side.”

Ross
felt his eyes prick. He wanted to talk but didn’t trust his voice right then.
He nodded and looked away while he got himself back under control. “You’re
crazy. I would leave you here.”

Rushe
grinned. “Like fuck you would.”

“I
so would.” Ross grinned back at Rushe.

“Good
to see the two of you are still getting along so well,” Zane growled.

Ross’
mouth gaped. Truth be told, he had not expected to see his king.

“Surprised
to see me?” Zane read his mind. The big male crossed his arms over his chest.

Ross
nodded looking left and right. A guard stood close by but didn’t seem to react
to his king’s presence.

Zane
smiled, looking all of the warrior that he was. “Relax, I have already
negotiated for your release. I am here for you because you were looking out for
your coven when you went after the elves. I would not abandon you for that no
matter how tempting.”

“My
coven?” Ross asked. “I thought I was exiled.”

“You
are and I should leave you here to fucking rot.” Zane paused, his onyx eyes
locked with his. “You have been a loyal subject and”—his king sighed—“I
consider you a friend. I am upset that you chose the female over your
coven…over your king, but I do understand why. I would’ve done the same for my
human.” His eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare repeat that to anyone.” He paused.
“I give you leave to live where you choose but urge you to bring your female to
stay at the castle. You still have a place with us.”

Ross
nodded, feeling gratitude and respect for his king…his friend. He knew it would
have taken a lot for the male to have said what he just did. To welcome Ross
back. There was still some lingering resentment at the shit he had pulled, but
Ross knew that the male acted out of what he felt was best for the coven. “Why
the change of heart? I thought you were dead set against a vampire, human
union.”

“Things
change. After a very interesting conversation with the alpha, it turns out that
we are more compatible to mate with humans than we realized. All human females
should become stronger once mated and can therefore bear us young. I am
interested to see if it works with your human. I would like to see if she does
in fact become stronger like a royal mate would.”

Anger
rose in him. “We are not some experiment.”

“No,
but you could be the answer that our covens have been looking for,” he growled.
“We still have the bloodlust issue to contend with but can start to try a trial
run or two. So”—Zane sighed—“we don’t have to rely strictly on feedback from
you.”

“You’re
going to allow males to mate with humans?”

“Yes.
It will take place in the future. The whole process will be carefully
monitored. It’s still under discussion and will not take place for months.
We’re not going to rush into anything.”

“Let’s
get out of here.” Zane motioned to one of the elf guards who unlocked Ross’
cuffs.

Ross
noticed that the guard moved back into place. “What about Rushe?”

“The
wolf can wait for his pack. He is not my concern. I negotiated for
your
release.” Zane pinched the bridge of his nose. “It wasn’t easy dealing with
that little fucking prick. The elven prince is the biggest spoiled brat that I
have ever had the displeasure of meeting.” Zane scowled. “His father is dying
so I tried to cut him some slack. I’ve never wanted to kill someone so badly
though.”

“King
Katar is dying?” Ross asked.

“Yeah,
he has something called wasting sickness. The only thing that sometimes helps
is fresh calves’ liver, hence the frequent trips to Sweetwater and evening
visits to the local butcher.”

“You
say that he is dying, the meat isn’t helping?” Ross really liked the old king.
He had always been fair and just. The male also had a really good sense of
humor. It didn’t sit well that he might not be around for much longer.

“The
liver has slowed down the sickness, but it is not eradicating it as hoped. I
will have our best healers come and see him. I don’t want the old male to die.”
Zane looked over at the horizon for a few seconds deep in thought.

Ross
was really seeing another side to his king. A less harsh side, one that seemed
to actually have feelings. The only other time he had seen his king act with
some emotion was where his female, Tanya, was concerned. “I didn’t realize that
you were such good friends with the male.”

Zane
shrugged, his eyes hardened up. “I’m not. I just don’t want his bastard son
taking the throne. That male is big fucking trouble.” Zane started to move
away, when Ross didn’t follow, he looked over his shoulder. “Are you coming?”

Ross
shook his head. He moved back to the pole and motioned for the guard to put his
shackles back on.

“What
the fuck?” Zane growled and turned around, his hands knotted at his sides.

“I’m
not leaving the wolf.”

“You
would swear the two of you were fucking mated or something. I thought you were
fighting over that human. This doesn’t look like fighting.”