The Bride Hunt Box Set: Books 1-3

by Charlene Hartnady

  Chapter 4

  The next day…

  The lunch rush was going to kill her. Roxy normally loved this time of day when they were so busy that the little bakery felt like it was going to burst its seams. The time flew as she raced to fill everyone’s orders. Not so today. When her alarm clock went off this morning, all she’d felt like doing was turning over and going back to sleep. It would do no good to mope though. She needed to get on with her life. So what if she didn’t make the shifter program? So what if she didn’t get in because of a technicality that had nothing to do with her and everything to do with drawing the wrong piece of paper? She held back a sigh.

  Roxy forced herself to smile at her next customer. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. “What can I get for you today?”

  “I’ll have two cream buns and a chocolate doughnut, please.” The elderly lady smiled back.

  Roxy quickly assembled the cardboard box, placing the three treats inside. She sealed the box and was just about to ring up the total when her phone vibrated… again. It was for the fourth time in ten minutes. It had to be something serious.

  Maybe something had happened? Her mom. Had something happened to her mom? They didn’t have a bad relationship or anything, they just didn’t always see eye-to-eye. They saw each other once every year or two, which was more than enough. They spoke to each other maybe once a month, which again, was enough. Roxy suddenly felt nervous, they might not get along very well but she was still her mother.

  “Just one second, I have to get this,” she said as she pulled the vibrating device from her pocket. The call was from a private number. “I’m sorry,” she said as she pressed the green button. “Hello.”

  The elderly lady gave a small nod but she noticed that a couple of the others didn’t look too thrilled. She was met with scowls and a few huffs. Well too bad, the call was more than likely something serious. She turned her back on the crowd and took a few steps away. Her coworker Jessica gave her a quizzical look but continued to fill the order she had just taken.

  “Hi, yes.” The person on the other end sounded breathless. “I’m so glad I managed to reach you, Miss Kincaid. This is Allison.”

  Who? She didn’t recognize the voice. The woman sounded too young to be one of her mother’s friends.

  “For a second there I thought I wouldn’t get a hold of you. Never mind,” she spoke quickly. Oh yes! It was the vampire lady, Brant’s assistant. Why would Allison be calling her? Her heart sped up. Could it be…?

  “One of the five candidates has dropped out. Are you still interested in entering the program?”

  What? It felt like a million questions rushed through her brain. After a few beats, she realized that Allison was waiting for her to respond. “Um, yes…” she blurted, her voice was high-pitched. “But, I haven’t planned anything. I’m at work. I…” She remembered Brant saying that they would need to leave the next day. Today was the next day.

  “If you’re still interested, you need to be here in one and a half hours with a packed bag. You’ll be gone for at least two weeks. It can be cold up in the mountains, so pack accordingly.”

  “Wait! I don’t know if I can make it on such short notice.” She could hear the panic in her own voice.

  “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately, you need to be at the vampire castle by three o’clock this afternoon or the transport will leave without you.”

  “That doesn’t give me much time.” Roxy blocked her other ear. The noise in the bakery seemed to escalate.

  “No, it doesn’t. If it’s something that you want badly enough though, then you’ll make it work. I’m really sorry, the other female only just called us to let us know that she won’t be joining. I really hope to see you, Roxy.”

  “Yeah, thank you.” Shit! She couldn’t do this. Roxy stuffed the phone back in her apron and turned around to face the crowd. If she wanted to make three o’clock, she needed to leave right now. Hell, she still might not make it even if she did move her ass. The only problem was that her coworker, Jessica, would never be able to handle this crowd on her own.

  Shit!

  “Are you all right, dear?” the elderly lady asked. She glanced down at her box of goodies and then back up at Jessica.

  Shit!

  “I’ll be right back.” This elicited several moans and a whole lot of grumbles.

  Roxy pushed through a set of swinging doors that led to the bakery itself. Lauren was piping some icing onto a three-tiered cake. Her friend looked up as she approached, a frown appeared on her face. “Is everything okay? Please don’t tell me that you’ve run out of coconut tarts.”

  Coconut tarts. It was the bakery’s signature pastry. People came from far and wide just to taste their famous tarts.

  Roxy shook her head. She wiped her hands on her apron. “No, nothing like that.”

  Lauren breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank God! We’re swamped. I need to get this cake done by three, so there’s no time for anything else. Janet is busy with our five o’clock pickups. We barely got the delivery items out on time.”

  Why was she even back there? They needed her. “Okay. I’ll just get back to it.” Roxy turned and had only taken one step when Lauren called after her.

  “What is it? What did you come back to tell me?”

  “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Roxy took another step, not even bothering to look back as she spoke.

  “Not so fast.” Lauren used her I’m the boss tone, which was rare. “It must be something serious for you to leave the lunch rush.”

  Roxy turned. “Something came up but we’re too busy. It’s… never mind.” She walked another step towards the swinging doors.

  “Out with it!” Roxy turned back just as Lauren put her hands on her hips.

  It seemed her boss and friend wasn’t going to let her leave until she knew what was going on. “You know that program I applied for?” Roxy propped a hand on her hip.

  Lauren’s eyes gleamed and a slow smile began to spread on her face. “Of course, yes.” She frowned. “Not even a chocolate fudge sundae could get you out of your funk yesterday. Are you going to give me more details or are you still going to play the non-disclosure card?”

  “I can’t tell you anything.”

  “No one would ever know you told me. They would never know you were in breach.”

  “I would know,” Roxy said. “It wouldn’t be right.”

  “What’s changed?” Her eyes gleamed.

  “Well…” Roxy pursed her lips.

  “Well…?” Lauren widened her eyes. “Are you going to tell me or what?”

  “I’ve been accepted.”

  Lauren gave her thigh an open-palmed smack and gave a yell of excitement. “That’s such good news!” Her friend must’ve seen something cross her face because she quickly added. “What’s the problem? I’m sensing a but here.”

  “Um… they need me there by three today.” Roxy dropped her gaze to Lauren’s feet for a moment. She should’ve told Brant’s assistant that she couldn’t go. That it was too late. “I’ll be gone for at least two weeks, maybe longer, maybe indefinitely.”

  “Three as in an hour and twenty minutes from now?” Lauren glanced at the clock on the wall.

  “Yup,” Roxy nodded. “Don’t worry though, I’m not going. You guys need me.”

  Lauren cocked her head. “You’re going and that’s that. You want this, you need this, you deserve this. You haven’t been the same since you and Ben broke up. Since that bastard broke your heart.”

  “I’m over Ben.”

  “You’ve dated once or twice since your break-up. I know how much you love those vamps. I don’t blame you by the way.” She licked her lips. “Mmmmmmhm. They sure are fine. I wouldn’t mind one for myself.”

  “It’s really bad timing though. I can’t just leave you during the lunch rush. You guys won’t be able to handle it.”

  “Screw bad timing. You’re going.” Lauren’s I’m the boss tone was out i
n full force.

  “You just told me that you guys are just as swamped back here. It’s a madhouse out front, Jessica will never cope on her own.”

  “It’s the lunch rush. Its short-lived. I’ll handle it. I’ll get a hold of the lady coming in at three to collect this cake and tell her to come at four. I’ll go out front, help out for the next hour and you can go and snag yourself a vampire,” she grinned.

  Roxy had to bite her tongue. She so wanted to tell Lauren that she was on her way to meet some shifter hotties but she’d signed a damned non-disclosure agreement. “Are you sure?”

  Lauren grinned. “Of course I’m sure. I’ve never been surer in my life. I’ll call the agency and organize a temp. Now, go and get packed. Then get your ass to the vampire castle. Don’t forget to pack some lingerie.”

  Roxy couldn’t help but to blush. “I don’t know about that.” Her answer was stupid; she was going to meet shifter guys with the idea of mating one of them. There was a good chance that sex would be involved. “Yeah, maybe.” Roxy was so ready to start having sex again. To jump back into the saddle.

  “Definitely,” Lauren squealed. “You’re one lucky fish! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Her best friend winked.

  Roxy laughed. They both had been single for ages. The thought of dating and possibly having sex again had her feeling terrified and excited. “You’re the best!”

  “I know I am.” Lauren walked over to her and they hugged. “I have a good feeling about this,” she said as she hugged Roxy tighter.

  “I hope you’re right.” Roxy couldn’t help the sudden fit of nerves that made her heart beat faster and her hands feel clammy.

  Lauren finally pulled away. “Of course I’m right. Now, what are you still doing here? Get going or you’ll be late.”

  Roxy nodded. It felt like all of her blood had left her. “Is this really happening?” she said as she unfastened her apron.

  “Yes, it is,” Lauren smiled.

  What the hell was she agreeing to? Maybe she had a serious screw loose. She was about to be drugged and taken to god knows where to meet a bunch of horny guys. Big, strong, horny guys. Shifters were known for their sweet, kind natures though. She was sure to find love, to meet the guy of her dreams.

  Chapter 5

  There were five beds in the middle of a field behind the vampire castle. They were the kind you found in hospitals, complete with crisp white sheets and everything. They looked so out of place on the manicured lawn that Roxy stopped walking for a second or two. It was weird. She didn’t really know what she expected but this wasn’t it. Now that she thought about it, maybe an SUV, bus or helicopter would transport them. There didn’t seem to be any form of transportation in the vicinity. How were they going to be moved from one location to the next?

  She was the last one to arrive, so there wasn’t any time to ponder on what some of the answers could be. The four other women were already there. As was Brant, his assistant and a short lady in a white medical jacket.

  Allison’s face lit up when she saw Roxy. She wrote something on her clipboard; it seemed like that thing was permanently attached to her hand. The vampire king, Brant, frowned and glanced at his watch.

  Yeah, yeah, I’m five minutes late, so sue me. It’s not like she’d had much time to get ready or anything. Roxy joined the rest of the ladies. The huge vampire guard placed her bag at her feet.

  “Thank you,” she whispered in his direction. All eyes were on her.

  “My pleasure.” He winked at her before making a hasty retreat.

  “Let’s get started,” said Brant, rubbing his hands together as he spoke.

  “Hi, I’m Becky,” the short lady said. “I’m a doctor and I’m going to be sedating you today.”

  There was a table to the right of the line of beds. On it were five syringes and some sealed square sachets. Roxy swallowed thickly. She could see by the looks on the other women’s faces that she wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

  “Once I inject you, you will go into deep sedation and become unconscious. This will happen within ten seconds.” The doctor lady walked towards the table and picked up one of the syringes. “You will only be under for a maximum of one hour, so the side-effects will be limited. Having said that, you may feel a little drowsy and possibly a little dizzy when you regain consciousness. The side effects will wear off quickly.” She looked at each of them in turn. “It’s best to stay calm and motionless. Take it easy for the first half hour after waking up. There are sometimes cases of shivering and headaches reported. And on the very rare occasion patients may feel nauseous. They are equipped on the other side to deal with any possible side effects, so do not be alarmed.”

  “Once again, I assure you that you are in safe hands.” Brant sort of smiled but Roxy sensed an underlying tension in the man. It didn’t help her nerves.

  “Please, can each of you lie down?” the doctor instructed. “Roll up the sleeve of the arm that you don’t use. If you’re right-handed that would be the left sleeve.”

  They all moved to a bed. Roxy lay down. Oh god! She was really going through with this. She tried to breathe evenly. Whatever you do don’t panic, Roxy. This was going to be a piece of cake. A little nap.

  She pushed up the sleeve of her left arm with fumbling fingers. She was lying on the second bed.

  The doctor was busy with the lady on bed number one. Becky was in the way so Roxy couldn’t see what was going on next to her.

  “You’ll feel a little prick,” she heard the doctor say. The woman on the bed next to her made a soft whimpering noise. “Now, that wasn’t too bad was it?”

  “No, it wasn’t. I must say I do feel… quite… sleepy… I…” Her voice began to slur and then there was silence.

  The doctor lady moved back to the table to collect another syringe. Within a few seconds, she was next to Roxy’s bed. She looked friendly and seemed to know what she was doing. She tore open one of the square sachets and removed a small piece of papery cloth.

  The woman, Dr. Becky, clasped her left arm. There was a squeaking noise as the latex from the rubber glove slid across her skin. The doctor put a green tourniquet around Roxy’s bicep and pulled it until snug around her arm. She then proceeded to wipe on the inside crease of her elbow with the papery cloth. Her skin became cold. It was obvious that she was using some sort of alcohol-based disinfectant. Next, she removed the lid from the syringe.

  This was it.

  Perversely, Roxy couldn’t take her eyes off the blue veins that protruded from beneath her skin.

  “This will only last a second,” the doctor gave her a sympathetic smile and turned her attention back to Roxy’s arm.

  Roxy watched as the needle slid into her vein. There was a sharp pinch and it was over almost as soon as it hit. The liquid from the syringe felt cold going in but within seconds her body began to feel warm. For a second she felt like fighting the sensations. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Then she couldn’t remember why it wasn’t a good idea. She couldn’t remember her own name, for that matter, or why she was even there. The sky was a beautiful blue. Blue very quickly turned to black as she lost consciousness.

  Dragon shifters.

  Wait a minute, she must have heard wrong or something. Roxy stared out of the huge bay window. The view was magnificent. They were high up in a structure that was built into the side of a cliff. And in front of her were rolling hills as far as the eye could see. The sun was still setting. The sky was painted with the most magnificent shades of pinks, blues and even purples. It was enough to take your breath away.

  They were in a remote location. Up high in the mountains and they were here with the purpose of being introduced to shifters, but not the kind of shifters she’d had in mind.

  Dragons.

  “Yes, dragons,” a very pretty, dark-haired lady said.

  Roxy had spoken out loud. She hadn’t meant to.

  The lady in question had introduced herself earlier as Julie. She was human
and mated to one of the dragon shifters. “I know it’s a lot to take in…” she continued.

  “Dragons don’t exist,” Roxy blurted. It seemed she was having one of her ‘say it as soon as it came into her head’ moments.

  “Oh yes they do, and you ladies are so lucky to be here. Dragons are the strongest of all the non-humans.”

  “Why have we never heard about them?” one of the others asked. It was the smallest lady of the bunch. She had strawberry blonde hair and freckles running across her nose. They’d all introduced themselves to one another after waking up in this room. That was at least a half an hour ago and Roxy couldn’t remember most of their names. Probably because she’d just woken up after being drugged. Something like that could destroy a person’s memory. The strawberry blonde was named after a flower but for the life of her she couldn’t remember which one. Rose or Daisy? It didn’t matter right now.

  “They’re a secretive bunch. I’m sure you’ve read stories about knights going off to slay dragons? Well, many of the stories are based on facts. Many years ago, humans hunted and killed dragon shifters almost into extinction. Although dragons are infinitely stronger than humans, there are many more humans and when they discovered that silver could kill non-humans they almost wiped out the dragons. As a result, dragon shifters prefer to stick to themselves. That’s why you had to be sedated. It’s why you were only given a minimal brief. It was out of necessity.” Julie smiled. “It is important, should you wish to go home and not take one as your life partner, that you not say a word of their existence to anyone.” She paused. “They are wonderful males. Maybe a little rough around the edges, but ultimately caring and loving.”

  “Why are we here then? Why can’t they get women of their own if they are so wonderful?” It was the tallest of the group. Her name was… Darcy… yeah, Darcy. She was tall and quite strong looking. Her shoulders were broad and her thighs were… well-muscled. As her late father would say, she could probably jumpstart a Boeing 747 with legs like that. She’d always found the saying a little rude but it was a good description.