The Bride Hunt Box Set: Books 1-3

by Charlene Hartnady

  Chapter 4

  Candy sat upright.

  No.

  Stop.

  Don’t.

  She could hear someone screaming and quickly realized that it was her. She tried to make herself stop but couldn’t. It was only when she felt the sheet crumpled in her fisted hands that she realized where she was.

  A large airy room that looked like it had been carved from rock. Her chest heaved as she sucked in a lungful of air, trying to calm down. She looked up, she looked down, then left and right, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. She was on a double king-size, four-poster bed on crisp white linen. The room was sparse but tastefully decorated with a delicate orchid in a gold container on the bedside table. There was a couch and a coffee table. In the far corner was an ornate, antique looking desk. At the center of the cavernously high ceiling was an enormous crystal chandelier. It was beautiful and delicate, depicting the bottom of the ocean in wisps of seaweed, shells and starfish.

  That wasn’t the most amazing thing though. What stole her breath and made her eyes widen was the view. Deep blue ocean as far as the eye could see. To the left, the water was cut by a long coastline with chalk white cliffs. It was …

  Oh God!

  As beautiful as it all was, she was suddenly reminded of her ordeal. Her shoulder felt stiff. Her body still ached.

  Oh God!

  Candy looked down. She was wearing a thin white cotton and lace gown that looked like it might reach her ankles if she were standing.

  Oh God!

  No!

  How the hell did she get here? Who had changed her? Cleaned her? What the hell had happened to her? She pulled up the hem of her nightgown and clasped herself between her legs expecting pain. She felt fine. She pushed a little more firmly. No tearing, no bruising, no pain whatsoever. Candy frowned. Next she opened her legs and inspected her inner thighs looking for bruises from his big hands.

  She had scratches on her knees and she had a gash on her hip but that was from dragging herself. There were a couple of bruises but they didn’t look like hand prints and they were on her shins. Probably from running and hitting into the odd rock in the water.

  “Is everything okay?” A strong, feminine voice.

  Candy shrieked and grabbed her chest. She straightened out her dress and flashed her gaze to the entrance of the room. An extremely tall woman stood in front of the closed door. She smiled at Candy, concern shone in her eyes. “Are you in pain? I hadn’t thought to check your pussy.” She frowned. “Although I don’t know why that would be sore.”

  Say what?

  Candy made a squeaking noise. She cleared her throat and gave her head a quick shake. “Who are you?” She pulled the sheet around herself.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she laughed. It was then that Candy noticed the tray in her hands. Her stomach grumbled despite the circumstances.

  The woman’s eyes shone. “My name is Sky.” Her hair was dark but her eyes were a deep blue, reminding her – cliché time – of the sky on a cloudless day. “I’m an air dragon.”

  Oh boy.

  She was one of them. Candy should have realized. The woman was so incredibly tall and built like an athlete. She wore a dress similar to the one on Candy, only it actually fit on her larger frame instead of looking like a sack.

  The other woman laughed again. “This is the part where you’re supposed to tell me your name.”

  Candy closed her gaping mouth and nodded once. At first glance, she liked the shifter woman. Her face was open and friendly. It was a huge contrast to the two she had met after she had been abducted. “I’m Candy. I’m sorry, it’s just, this has all been a big shock.” Her lip quivered. She’d always rated herself a strong woman. She’d had to be from an early age. Life had tossed her some doozies and she’d always managed to end up on top.

  The shifter, Sky, made a noise of concern and walked over to the bed. “Oh, honey.” She shook her head. “I’m sure it was an ordeal. Especially for such a weak human like yourself. The hunt is supposed to be fun and exciting.”

  “How can you say that?” This woman was sweet but she was also clueless.

  Sky set the tray down on the side table. “It should be fun. It’s probably because you’re not a shifter female. You don’t fully understand our traditions.”

  Candy snorted. “Forgive me if I don’t like the idea of being hunted by a group of horny guys and then having them fight each other for an opportunity to rape me.”

  “Rape?” Sky frowned.

  She really was clueless. “Yes, rape as in force themselves on me. Forced sex,” she added when the woman’s frown deepened.

  “Who forced you?” Then she gasped. “Is that why you were checking yourself … down there?” she frowned. “That can’t be right,” she mumbled to herself.

  “That bastard,” Candy’s voice shook. All the details were coming back to her now. “He promised.” A tear rolled down her cheek but she wiped it away with an angry swipe of her hand.

  “Who promised?” Sky sat down on the edge of the bed. “What did they promise? Speak to me. What happened to you? If one of those males forced himself on you …” She shook her head. Her eyes blazed with anger, which quickly morphed to confusion. “Although I find it hard to believe that any of them would. Dragon shifters are honor-bound.” She sighed. “Then again, they are desperate. Maybe … Who was it? I will have his dick removed.”

  What?

  Really?

  “You’re joking, right?” Candy swallowed hard. She leaned forward.

  “No, I’m not joking. Unless you would prefer for the male to be put to death. If it were me, I would insist on it.”

  “He would be killed?” As much as she hated that animal, she found that she didn’t like the thought of him being killed. “I would prefer it if his dick was removed please.”

  “Would you be able to point him out?” Before she could answer, the shifter carried on. “Describe him to me. Let’s start with the exact color of his markings”

  “They were golden with—”

  “What?” Her whole body tensed and she jumped up as if an electrical current had ripped through the bed. She frowned. “That can’t be.”

  “He had very light blond hair and blue eyes with a golden tattoo on his chest.” She gasped. “Oh yes, and there were turquoise green flecks mixed in with the gold.”

  Sky shook her head. She practically vibrated with anger. “I thought that humans were sweet and kind. At least, that’s what I was told by our males. I can see that it isn’t true. Then again, maybe it’s just you. A bad apple.”

  What?

  “I just told you that—”

  “There is no way in hell that the water king forced himself on you. I find it utterly ridiculous and laughable that you would suggest such a thing.” Then she leaned over Candy and sniffed her.

  “What are you doing? How can you be so sure? You weren’t even there,” she added, feeling more alone than she had ever felt before and that was saying something. It seemed like she had been wrong about the woman.

  Sky made a low growling noise and huffed out a breath. “He never rutted you. None of the males did.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Candy’s voice was a little shrill. “There is no way that you would know a thing like that.”

  Sky touched her nose. “I’m a shifter. I can scent it. Although Torrent touched you, he didn’t rut you. You are a liar.” She narrowed her eyes.

  “Are you sure?” Maybe this woman was right. She prayed she was right. “Do you promise me that you’re telling the truth?”

  “He didn’t rut you, female. He barely touched you.” Then she stared out the window for a half a minute. “You genuinely seemed relieved. Did you really believe that he had raped you?”

  Candy swallowed hard. She nodded once, feeling her eyes prickle. “I didn’t feel sore … down there.” She glanced between her legs. “So I hoped not, but …” She made a noise of frustration. “He told those other guys that
he was claiming me fully and then he pulled up my dress.” Her lip quivered again. “Unfortunately I can’t be sure what happened after that because I blacked out. It was a terrible ordeal, my body shut down.”

  The shifter had her hands on her hips. She was difficult to read. Candy wasn’t sure why she even cared what the other woman thought about her but she did. “I swear to God, I thought he had raped me. You can’t blame me for thinking it. Not after what those other shifter women said.”

  Sky narrowed her eyes. “What women? What did they say?” Her stance softened, just a little.

  “Their names were …” She had to think about it. It felt like forever ago. “Scarlet and Ash. They said that we would be hunted and rutted. That the shifter men would tear us apart. We would be used and—” she paused as she thought of the exact words, “mated and impregnated, if we could survive the hunt, that is. You’ve just told me that your men are honor-bound, that they don’t force women. Something isn’t adding up.”

  Sky grit her teeth and shook her head. She walked away.

  “I swear I’m telling the truth. We were petrified, and when—” she swallowed, “Torrent, is his name Torrent?”

  Sky turned sharply and gave a nod of the head before putting a palm to her forehead. Her jaw was set.

  “When he grabbed me and pushed my dress up … I thought the worst.”

  “He must have had his reasons for doing it. You will need to talk with him about it. The only thing I can tell you is that he didn’t hurt you in that way. Our males are … they don’t do things like you just described.”

  “Why am I here then?” she whispered.

  Sky glanced at the tray. “You need to eat. I think it would be best if your … if Torrent explained things to you. He sure as Claw has a few things he needs to explain to me.” She said the last under her breath.

  “Just tell me.”

  Sky shook her head. “It is not my place. I’m sorry you were misled in that way. Torrent might be …” She looked around before locking eyes with Candy. She gave a small smile. “A bit arrogant ‒ he’s the king so he can’t help himself sometimes,” she spoke softly like someone might be listening. “He is a good male. If he made a promise to you, he will keep it. Give him a chance.”

  Candy tried to talk but Sky removed the lid of the tray. “Eat. Get your strength back.”

  Why did she need her strength? Why the hell was she here? If Candy knew anything, it was that a lie was very often just a step away from the truth. Those dragon women had lied but it didn’t seem too far from the truth. She had been brought here for a reason. One she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like.

  Two days later …

  “With all due respect, my lord,” the air princess smoothed her dress with her hand, “you need to speak to the human. You can’t leave her in her room like that indefinitely.”

  “Has anyone else been in to see her?” Torrent couldn’t help the growl in his voice. “Did you say anything to anyone about my … situation?”

  “No, my lord,” she sucked in a breath. “On both counts.”

  He felt a portion of his stress evaporate. “What about to your mate? Did you tell Lake?”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t said anything to your brother but you can’t expect me to keep your secret for much longer. With all due respect, my lord, you’ve allowed this to get out of control.”

  Torrent squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments. “I’ve been waiting for her to heal. I will fix it.” It was true. What was the point of visiting with the female if he couldn’t rut her?

  “She was fine from day one. A little scraped up and bruised. Maybe a bit tired, but—”

  “Okay, okay. I get it.” He held up a hand. He needed to be sure. The last thing he wanted was her whining. He might change his mind about her and then what?

  “Anything you would like to talk about, my lord?” she quickly added, and her eyes flashed away as he turned towards her.

  “No … thank you,” Torrent ground out. Sky was a good female. She meant well, even if her concern was misguided. “It is between the human and me. Just keep things quiet … for now.”

  “You can’t keep her hidden. Explain things to her. I’m sure that she will be willing to …”

  “Humans are very different. They do not see things like we do. A dragon shifter female would understand. I fear that the human will not,” he paused. “Candy,” he let her name roll off of his tongue. “It is a strange name. I have never heard one like it. I wonder about the significance.” Dragon shifters had names that meant something. Names that had been passed down from mothers to daughters, grandmothers to granddaughters and uncles to nephews. Their names were just as much a reflection of their tribe as the colorings of their markings.

  Candy, a sweet confection. A treat.

  If her scent was anything to go by, the female was sweet indeed. Maybe he should obtain some of these confectionaries to plump her up. He shook his head. It didn’t matter. Torrent had been with many human females. Granted all of them had been more substantial than she, but he had yet to break one of them. Harm one in any way. She would do.

  “I will go to her today,” he announced.

  “I look forward to your mating ceremony,” Sky smiled.

  “Any sign of your heat?” He refrained from sniffing her.

  Sky’s face fell and he felt like a prick for a brief second. Tough luck. He was the king. They needed royal births. The more the better. A sense of urgency suddenly struck him. He needed to get the human with child as soon as possible.

  His sister by mating shook her head. “I fear that I am months from my next heat.” She shrugged. “Although you never know. These things are erratic.”

  Torrent felt himself frown. “Let me know if anything changes. It is one of those things that is out of our control.”

  Sky smiled. “Yeah, if only we were like humans. One or two heats a year is nowhere near enough. Is it true that they come into heat every month?” She raised her brows.

  “Yes.” His balls ached.

  Sky’s eye widened and she averted her gaze. “Go and visit your female, my lord … I mean … if it pleases you, my lord.”

  “It does,” his voice had turned husky with longing. Torrent turned and strode from the room.

  His need increased all the more. All this talk of a female in heat. It made him think of losing his seed into the female. Of making her writhe with pleasure. Of filling her belly with his young. Even if she wasn’t entirely to his liking, just thinking of getting her with child was aphrodisiac enough.

  He paused mid-stride. The human was timid. She had no understanding of their ways. None whatsoever. She had initially thought that he had planned to force her. That if he rutted her, she would be ripped apart and unable to take his size.

  Bullshit!

  Torrent understood that she had been misled. He got it. This situation was as fucked up as they came. He picked up his stride but stopped outside her door. Shit! He was still hard. The human thought the worst of him. He needed to convince her otherwise. It would be impossible with a hard-on the size of a large battering ram in his pants.

  He was tempted to find one of the few available dragon shifter females to slake his need. It had been far too long since he was with a female. Nah, he was here, might as well get this over with. Hopefully she would be willing once he explained things. Hopefully she would come into heat soon. This line of thought was not helping his painfully hard situation.

  Torrent pictured his grandmother’s kind face. The way the corner of her eyes wrinkled when she smiled. The way she scolded him for bringing back an unconscious female. His grandmother had scolded him even more for snarling at everyone to stay away from her. They had all assumed that his protective skills were in overdrive, and strangely enough that was true. Which was warranted, but moreover, he didn’t want anyone getting close enough to scent her properly.

  Fuck!

  When he looked down, his dick was at half-mast. It was
working. He thought of the worst day of his life. The day his father died. His dick shriveled like a sea cucumber in the sun.

  Torrent knocked twice.

  “Come in,” she called. Candy. Her voice was bright and sunny. He liked hearing it.

  Torrent walked in and stopped dead in his tracks. What was she doing?

  Whatever it was, he needed her to stop doing it and right fucking now. She was bent over, her feet slightly parted. She touched the ground with her finger tips, then came up a bit and then reached back down.

  She was wearing tight black pants that molded her ass. Torrent suppressed a groan. Her butt wasn’t plump. Not at all. It was small. Two tiny orbs. It was tight as fuck. Seeing that she had such a small ass wasn’t a shock. He had carried her back to his lair yesterday. The female weighed nothing. What he hadn’t expected was to like such a small ass … but he did. Dammit, he liked it a whole hell of a lot.

  His dick paid attention as well. Think about other things, thing about other things.

  She was talking. “What excuse did the jerk give this time? Why isn’t he here?” An exasperated sigh as she continued to bop up and down … up and down ... Torrent was forced to turn away.

  “I’m fine. One hundred percent. I mean look at me …” He could hear that she was still doing her ridiculous movements. He didn’t have to look to know that she was fine indeed. Do not look!

  Think of other things.

  She huffed out a breath. “I’m even working out again. I like being in shape.”

  In shape … yeah … that’s what she was.

  “Why the silent treatment, Sky? Cat got your dragon tongue?” He could hear that she had stopped moving. Then she gasped.

  Torrent lifted his gaze and looked straight into the eye of the storm.

  “You!” she pushed out, putting her hands on her hips. “About freaking time wouldn’t you say?”

  Torrent couldn’t respond because his tongue was currently stuck to the roof of his mouth. He might never be able to get it unstuck.