The need to procreate.
It scared him because in order to procreate, he needed a female. A mate. The feeling of unease grew. Blaze wished for the billionth time that he could have heirs without the hassle of a female. Especially a human female. He could do without the aggravation.
It was as if his sister could read his thoughts. “So.” He could hear that she was smiling. “When are you going to take a mate?”
The little girl in his arms was sucking and gnawing on her fist. Blaze finally lifted his gaze. “I will take a female in the next hunt.”
Ruby’s smile widened. “That’s exciting.”
“It is necessary.”
She pulled a face. “The last of the romantics. I suppose you plan on dragging her by the hair to the nearest cave.”
“Something like that. My mate will be the queen of all four kingdoms. She will want for nothing and in return, she will give me heirs.”
“What about love?”
He shrugged. “What about it? Love is overrated.”
“Just because you were hurt once doesn’t—”
“Don’t.” He put up a hand. “I do not wish to discuss it.”
“You should though, Blaze. Everyone knows that—”
“Who the fuck is everyone and what do they know?” He growled, a little more harshly than intended. Little Tinder startled and began to cry; smoke billowed from her tiny nostrils.
“Quick!” Ruby reached over. “Give her to me. I like this lounge suite.”
Blaze handed the baby over. Tinder quickly settled in her mother’s arms.
“I’m sorry.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I don’t like talking about it. My personal life is nobody’s business. It’s not up for discussion.”
“I’m your sister.”
He shook his head. “Drop it.”
Ruby gave a nod. “I’m glad you’re going to take a mate. I hate seeing you so sad and lonely.”
“I’m not sad or lonely. If it weren’t for needing heirs…”
“Yeah, yeah. I really pray that she’s a special female. That she knocks some sense into you.”
Blaze just smiled at his crazy sister.
“That she makes you fall in love with her.” Ruby smiled broadly.
Blaze made a choking noise. “Not going to happen. Love complicates things.”
“Love is wonderful. Everyone should have someone special in their life. I really wish that for you.”
“Speaking of which, where is your mate?”
“He should be here any minute.” Ruby’s whole face lit up.
“Is he taking good care of you?” He narrowed his eyes.
Ruby nodded, a goofy smile took up residence on her face. “Yeah.” She sighed. “I never thought I’d find a male like him.”
“Good.” Blaze was glad that things had worked out for his sister. To think he’d almost messed things up for her. It was never his intention, but everything he did was for the good of the four kingdoms and his people. He would do anything for them. Anything. Even if it meant taking a human mate.
Chapter 3
Three weeks later…
Roxy clutched her purse tighter to her body. Her mouth felt dry and her heart was just about beating out of her chest.
“Why are we here?” a woman next to her asked, eyes wide. “The Program started last week so we’re too late for that. They interview women a second time for each round. I was so sure that I didn’t make it.”
Roxy shook her head. “No idea. I was shocked when I got the call a few days ago.”
“Maybe a couple of the women fell out of the running or something.” A sweet-looking blonde sidled closer, joining the conversation. She had shoulder-length hair and a wide mouth.
“Nah,” the other woman said. “That can’t be it. They always pick way more women than needed. Even if five dropped out there would still be enough to go around.”
“Mmmm,” Roxy hummed. “That makes sense. They made it clear in the interview that most of the selected women end up going home in the end so there are no guarantees.”
“Maybe they’re running another dating program right after this one or even concurrently,” the blonde spoke under her breath.
“It would be—” the other woman was cut off as the door opened and a huge, really good-looking guy stepped across the threshold.
All the chatter dried up in an instant. Mouths dropped open, while others snapped shut. One of the ladies at the front gave a sigh.
The big guy smoothed the front of his gray pinstripe suit. The garment fit him like a glove. He had broad shoulders, thick biceps and narrow hips. Shit, he was perfection. Even his hair was perfectly cut and styled, not a strand out of place.
A gorgeous woman stepped in next to him, clipboard in hand. She wore one of those high-fitting pencil skirts and a blouse. Who knew that office wear could be so sexy?
“Good morning.” His voice was smooth as silk.
One of the women made a whimpering noise and leaned against the wall like she might faint at any moment. Roxy had to bite back a smile. They had to be vampires. The woman was tall and slim, the guy was even taller and so built. Their sheer beauty and magnetism was off the charts.
“Right,” the male vampire nodded to the woman. “Let’s get this done.” He turned his dark eyes back on them. “I’m sure you are all anxious to find out why you are here.”
A murmur of agreement passed through the room.
“This is my assistant, Allison, and I am Brant.”
“Oh my god!” the blonde shrieked along with a whole lot of others.
“He’s one of the kings!” another lady closer to the front yelled.
Brant put both his hands up, his expression didn’t change, it was unreadable and serious. “Yes, I’m one of the vampire kings.”
There was more shrieking.
“Please,” he narrowed his eyes before turning his wrist and glancing at what looked like a gold Rolex. “My time is limited.”
This shut them up. Women clasped their chests. Some were breathing heavily. Most had a bewildered look. Roxy was probably with the last group. Why had they been called here? Why was one of the vampire kings addressing them?
The vampire king let his arms fall back to his sides. “You have been selected as potential candidates for a new program.”
A collective twitter of excitement sounded as most of the twelve women spoke simultaneously.
“Again, my time is limited so please save the talking for after the briefing.” His tone was commanding. He paused for a few beats. “The Program has already started, as I’m sure most of you know. So, just so we’re clear, you’re not here to date a vampire. I would like a show of hands for those of you who would be interested in entering a program that would involve dating shifters.”
“A shifter?” one of the women close by said. “What about the vampires? I thought that this was about dating—”
Brant shook his head. “Shifters. Would you be willing to date a shifter with the purpose of potentially mating them? Not a vampire. The Program has already started and all the places are filled. We are looking for five females for this one. You have ten seconds to decide whether or not this would be of interest to you. It’s an opportunity.”
“Shifters aren’t very wealthy.” The blonde said under her breath. “They live in cabins in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know…”
“Would we be able to apply for a place in The Program again should we choose not to take part in this shifter… thing?” a tall girl asked. “I kind of had my heart set on a vampire.”
“You can apply as many times as you want.” Brant’s expression remained deadpan. “An opportunity to be with a shifter may not come around again though. I realize that this is unexpected, but it is what it is.” He glanced at his watch. “A show of hands please for those interested?”
Shit! Roxy felt completely unprepared for this. It was the last thing she had expected to happen. It didn’t bug her that shifters weren’t
wealthy, that they didn’t live in a big castle. Material things had never really been her thing anyway. She loved the mountains. Roxy had never really considered a shifter before. Did it really matter? A non-human was a non-human right? They all mated for life. This was a program for the shifters to find mates, so it wouldn’t be about hook-ups. She could do this.
Brant cleared his throat. “So far only three of you are interested. Is that right? If you are interested in entering this exciting new program put your hand up now.”
Should she do it?
Should she?
Or should she hold out for a chance at a vampire? Getting into The Program was no guarantee. Competition was tough. At the end of the day she wanted someone to love, someone who would love her back just as fiercely. It didn’t matter to her what species he was. All Roxy knew was that she didn’t want her heart broken again. Once was enough.
“Last chance,” Brant said.
Roxy thrust up her hand. This felt right. The thought of a new adventure excited her. Most of the women surrounding her had their hands up as well.
Brant quirked an eyebrow, he looked surprised for a second and then schooled his emotions. “Will those who are not interested come to the front?”
“Good luck!” the blonde whispered and moved towards the vampires.
“Your name, please?” The beautiful vampire lady made a mark on her clipboard. She did the same thing when the blonde said her name.
“The two of you can leave,” Brant said. “A guard will escort you to your vehicles. Thank you for your time.”
Allison followed the women as they left, returning with a stack of documents.
“When your name is called, please come forward. A non-disclosure agreement was sent to all candidates who made it to the final selection. You’ve had plenty of time to peruse the document and to have your lawyer take a look at it. It is standard. As previously outlined, you are expected to sign this,” he gestured towards the stack in his assistant’s hands, “—right now if you wish to proceed.”
“When your name is called, please come forward and collect your document,” Allison said. “Please initial every page and sign on the back. Have two others sign as witnesses.”
“And what if we don’t sign?” someone to the right asked.
“There’s the door,” Brant nodded in the direction of the closed door. “Once you sign, you will receive further information.”
This sparked another flare of chatter.
“Oh well,” the woman next to her said. “I guess we’d better sign the thing.” She shook her head.
Brant’s assistant began to call names and one by one they all walked to the front to collect their non-disclosure agreements. Roxy had read through hers, tried to understand all the legal terms and had failed. She worked the front counter at the local bakery selling pastries and bread, so getting a lawyer was out of the question. Anyway, why waste money when she pretty much knew what it said in a nutshell? Keep your mouth shut. Whatever she was told or saw could not be repeated to another living soul ever or she would be sued. She figured that as long as she stuck to that she would be fine. There were pens on the table at the back of the room. One or two of the women were reading through the document, most were initialing and signing. Roxy sat down at one of the open chairs, grabbed herself a pen and got to work.
Within fifteen minutes, all of the documents were safely in Brant’s assistant’s hands.
“Only five of you will be selected. Anyone who leaves here now or at any time during this program may not breathe a word of what was told to you or of what you may have seen. We will not hesitate to come at you with the full extent of the law should you be in breach. Once my legal team is done with you, you’ll have nothing left. Not even the clothes on your back.” He smiled. It sent shivers down her spine. “I hope that is clear.”
Loud and clear.
There were murmurs of acceptance. Roxy nodded, she swallowed hard. It didn’t come as a surprise but still, hearing it put that way was a tad scary. That meant that she couldn’t even confide in Lauren. Her best friend wouldn’t like that.
“The good news is…” Brant went on. “…that the five who are selected will definitely find shifter mates, if that is what you choose.”
Excitement bubbled inside of her. This really was an opportunity.
“Oh wow!” The woman beside her glanced at Roxy. “That’s so exciting. Shifters are so hot. Mating one would be awesome.” There were plenty of women who saw non-humans as celebrities. They wanted one.
“Yeah, it would,” she whispered back. There was a shiver of apprehension that coursed through her. What was she getting herself into?
“Here’s the deal though...” Brant folded his arms across his broad chest. His eyes were dark and intense. “You will need to agree to leave tomorrow and you will need to be sedated for the trip.”
Some women gasped while others muttered in outrage.
“The shifters require strong females, females willing to put themselves out there. Females with a sense of adventure.”
“Yeah, but isn’t sedating us going a bit far? Anything could happen,” one of the women said, her voice filled with irritation.
“All non-humans, that includes shifters, are a species of honor. I give you my word that no harm will come to you. You will be sedated and transported to the shifters territory. The reason for the sedation is to keep the location of their…” he paused, seeming to look for the right word, “dwellings a secret. Not even the vampires know their exact location.”
“No way! I just couldn’t.” A pissed looking, dark-haired woman, closer to the front shook her head as she spoke. “To make myself vulnerable like that,” she continued to shake her head. “Not happening!”
Brant nodded. “That’s fine, and perfectly understandable. Please take a few moments to decide whether this is something that you would be comfortable with. Unfortunately, it is a deal breaker. If you wish to be a part of this program, then you will need to agree to these terms.”
“What if we arrive at the shifters’… territory and decide that we don’t want to be there? That we would never be comfortable living wherever it is that they live, and that mating one of them isn’t for us. Could we come home?” someone behind Roxy asked.
“Once you arrive at the shifters territory, you will be expected to remain for a time. To become acclimatized and to get to know the shifters. Once the timeframe lapses however, you would be free to leave. Please understand that you will be treated well. You will not be forced into anything.”
“What kind of timeframe are we talking about?” the same woman asked.
“Two weeks,” Brant said.
This seemed to appease the woman, who nodded her head.
There were a couple more questions. How long would they be sedated for? What type of drug would be used? Brant answered the questions one by one.
“Any more concerns?” Brant finally asked.
“What happens once we get there? How is this whole thing going to work?” one of the ladies asked.
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that. You will be briefed once you arrive on shifter territory. Like I said before, no one will be harmed or forced to do anything that they are not comfortable with. You will be expected to remain guests of the shifters for two weeks and if you wish to return home, you will not be stopped. For those who choose to remain, you will be guaranteed a mate.”
Roxy noticed that there were a couple of unhappy faces amongst the women.
“No damned way,” the lady to her left said. “Sedated my ass. I refuse.” She spoke softly.
“Being sedated for the trip to shifter territory is nonnegotiable.” Brant raised his brows. “Those of you NOT willing to undergo sedation please come to the front so that Allison can remove you from the list.”
Four of the ten moved one by one to the front and gave Brant’s assistant their names. Once the women left the room, Brant turned to the remaining six. “That’s a pity…” He smiled.
The vampire king was very good-looking. “I had hoped that by some miracle we would end up with exactly five, as is their tradition. The good news though is that my assistant,” he glanced at Allison, “had a really good idea on how to deal with any surplus.”
“It’s old-fashioned but it works,” she smiled. The vampire lady returned to the room holding a cap. Your run-of-the-mill, garden-variety baseball cap. “I’d like each of you to draw a folded paper. Do not open it until I give you the go-ahead.”
Allison moved around the room and each of the ladies took a folded, white square. It was up to lady luck at this point. Roxy’s hand shook. Surely she hadn’t come this far only to draw the wrong piece of paper. What were the odds? She held her bit of paper in a closed fist.
“Written on the papers, are the numbers from one to six. If you have a number from one to five in your hand, then you go. If you are holding the number six, I’m afraid it wasn’t meant to be. You may look at the paper in your hand now.”
Roxy squeezed the paper even tighter. There were squeals of joy but she ignored them. Finally, she forced her fingers open and unfolded the crumpled bit of paper.
No way.
Really?
Somehow she’d known that she would get the last number. The irony was that six was normally her lucky number. She’d won numerous raffles. It had served her well over the years, until now.
“Will the person holding number six please come to the front?” Allison had her eyes trained on Roxy as she spoke.
Roxy had to force herself to walk. She had to force herself to keep her shoulders square and her chin up. So what if this hadn’t worked out liked she’d hoped. There was always next time.
“Bad luck,” Allison gave her a genuine smile. “I’ll put a note on your file. Try again for The Program. You never know.” She made a mark next to Roxy’s name.
“Thanks.” Just as she was leaving, she heard Brant address the women, telling them to have a bag ready and to be back the following day. She didn’t catch the time because the door swung shut.
So close. So close she could almost taste it.
The Bride Hunt Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 49