Part 6
Chapter 1
Brant stared at Tanya’s retreating back. Her posture was stiff, her movements jerky. She made the tiniest little sob as she yanked the car door open.
He pulled out his phone and speed dialed Xavier, who answered immediately. “Get your ass over here. I need you to drive Tanya back to the castle.” His brother tried to argue but he cut him off. “Bring Griffin. Do it now.”
Tanya exited the vehicle, obviously realizing that the key was not in the ignition. Not ten seconds after he ended the call, Xavier arrived with Griffin in tow. His brother helped Tanya into the back of the vehicle. It wasn’t lost on Brant how Xavier threw him a questioning look, he chose to ignore it.
Fisting his hands at his sides for a few beats, Brant jammed them in his pockets. Everything in him screamed for him to go after her.
Stop. Her.
Even if it meant locking Tanya in the cabin. Making her his at any cost. If his mother could read his thoughts, she would turn over in her grave. He had been raised better than that. He wasn’t some caveman that would keep a female against her will.
“This is all your fault.” Zane moved in next to him, his eyes on the retreating vehicle.
“How do you figure that?” There was no fight left in him. Numbness filled the space that used to contain his heart.
Zane cursed, pretty much summing up the whole situation, then he growled, “We really fucked up.”
“Yeah we did but it wouldn’t have worked, you know that and I know that.” Brant shook his head.
“We should’ve discussed this before the ceremony. Should’ve included our female. Tried to make her understand.” Zane cursed again, digging the toe of his boot into the dirt. “We should’ve known that she wouldn’t have agreed.”
Brant turned to the other male who still faced the area where the vehicle had disappeared from. “Humans don’t seem to understand the vampire way. It was my fault in the first place for agreeing to this whole pony show.”
Zane turned hard eyes on him. “We could sit here and cry like a bunch of pussies, but frankly I would prefer that we start planning how to get our female back.”
“You heard Tanya, she won’t allow us to fight for her. Wouldn’t take the winner as a mate anyway.”
“We need to do something though. I agree that the current setup isn’t ideal but at least we had our human. Sharing is better than nothing.”
“I refuse to share.” Brant snarled, knowing that he was being unrealistic but unable to stop himself.
Zane chuckled. Thankfully Brant’s hands were still in his pockets or he would have punched the asshole for sure.
“The way I see it, we have two choices, we share the female or we lose her. Which would you prefer?” His voice was low, his eyes dared Brant to argue.
“I would prefer for you to concede. I will rule with Tanya at my side.” The words sounded ridiculous to his own ears and he knew full well that his request would never be accepted, but he had to try anyway.
Brant was rewarded with another slow chuckle. “I didn’t realize that you were such a fucking comedian. I would ask the same but prefer not to waste my breath.”
They both stood in an uncomfortable silence.
“My only fear is that it may be too late. Even if you were to agree to go back to the pony show,” Zane threw his own words at him, “she may not accept us back.”
“Tanya said that she cares for us. I don’t believe she could turn her back and walk away. She will soon realize that she’s made a mistake.” Brant refused to believe that they had lost their precious female. Tanya would change her mind about leaving them. She had to.
“She is stronger than what we have given her credit for. Our female may care for us, but we hurt her…” Zane looked up to the dark night sky. For a second Brant swore he saw the other male’s eyes shine with what looked like unshed tears.
No way.
When Zane looked him in the eye again, the glint was gone. A hard edge had taken its place. Maybe he had imagined it? It was the most likely explanation because a bastard like Zane wasn’t capable of such strong emotions.
“Tanya has made up her mind about leaving us and about raising the child on her own. It is going to take a team effort to sway her,” Zane continued while narrowing his eyes. “I realize that we are too dominant to ever see eye to eye but unless we can at least show a semblance of solidarity, we are screwed. We can figure it out once we have her back.”
“I don’t need you to win my female back.” Brant knew he was being a dick but there was no fucking way he would pair up with the likes of Zane. He would talk Tanya around. Talk her into accepting him - and him alone – as her mate. Even as he thought the words, he knew they would never fly but he had to try. “I’m going after her.”