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.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.Chapter 6Tanya 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 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]