The Bride Hunt Box Set: Books 1-3

by Charlene Hartnady

  She swallowed hard but nodded. “Flare is… well he’s…”

  Blaze pulled open the top two snaps. “What the…?”

  “Don’t fucking say it,” Coal snarled. “Don’t say anything. He is my son… a royal, regardless.”

  Blaze could feel himself frown. He could feel his heart rate speed up.

  “He has markings,” his female remarked. “That’s different. Wow! Very unique. I think he’s absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way. It doesn’t matter does it?” Fuck, his female looked worried. Julie was pale and on the edge of her seat. A thin tendril of smoke drifted from Coal’s nostril.

  Fuck!

  Blaze suddenly realized that his mouth hung open.

  Roxy gave him a nudge. “Don’t you think so, honey?” His female had taken to calling him after foodstuffs. He found he liked it.

  Blaze cleared his throat and nodded. “He is perfect.”

  Roxy held out her arms. “I’ll take him back now. I want more cuddle time.” He closed the snaps and handed the baby to her.

  Roxy smiled at the little one. “Who’s a gorgeous boy?” She held him against her chest, just above her growing bump. His child. His son. His heir.

  Fuck!

  Blaze forced himself to breathe. “It’s fine.” He looked his brother in the eyes. “I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything.”

  Coal gave him a tight smile. “I’m sure the gold will come.”

  “It will come,” Blaze nodded. The marking on Flare’s chest was just an outline. It was neither golden, nor was it silver.

  Just an outline. This could spell disaster for the dragon shifters. What did it mean? Was it a new species of dragon altogether or were human females incapable of producing royal offspring?

  Coal was trying to act normal, trying to look relaxed but he could see that his brother was just as worried as he was. The females seemed oblivious. Blissfully unaware. Roxy put a hand on her belly and smiled at him. He forced himself to smile back.

  Lightning Dragon is out now

  About the Author

  Charlene Hartnady is a USA Today Bestselling author. She loves to write about all things paranormal, including vampires, elves and shifters of all kinds. She lives on a couple of acres in the country with her husband and three sons. They have an array of pets including horses and a gecko named Pickle.

  She is lucky enough to be able to write full time, so most days you can find her at her computer writing like mad. Charlene believes that it is the small things that truly matter, like that feeling you get when you start a new book, or when you look at a particularly beautiful sunset.

  If you want to be kept updated on new releases please sign up to my Latest Release Newsletter to ensure that you don’t miss out http://mad.ly/signups/96708/join. I promise not to spam you or divulge your email address to a third party. I send my mailing list an exclusive sneak peek prior to every release, as well as info on sales and freebies. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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  Also by Charlene Hartnady

  The Chosen Series:

  1# Chosen by the Vampire Kings

  2# Stolen by the Alpha Wolf

  3# Unlikely Mates

  4# Awakened by the Vampire Prince

  5#Mated to the Vampire Kings (Short Novel)

  6#Wolf Whisperer (Novella)

  7# Wanted by the Elven King

  The Program Series (Vampire Novels):

  Book 1: A Mate for York

  Book 2: A Mate for Gideon

  Book 3: A Mate for Lazarus

  Book 4: A Mate for Griffin

  Book 5: A Mate for Lance

  Book 6: A Mate for Kai

  Book 7: A Mate for Titan

  The Bride Hunt Series (Dragon Shifter Novels):

  Book 1: Royal Dragon

  Book 2: Water Dragon

  Book 3: Dragon King

  Book 4: Lightning Dragon

  Book 5: Forbidden Dragon

  Book 6: Dragon Prince

  Water Dragons (Spin-off to The Bride Hunt):

  Book 1: Dragon Hunt

  Book 2: Captured Dragon

  Book 3: Blood Dragon

  Book 4: Dragon Betrayal

  Earth Dragons :

  Book 1: Dragon Guard

  Book 2: Savage Dragon

  Book 3: Dragon Whelps

  Book 4: Slave Dragon

  The Shifter Night Series:

  1# Untethered

  2# Unbound

  3# Unchained

  Complete Box Set Books 1 - 3

  The Feral Series:

  Book 1: Hunger Awakened

  Book 2: Power Awakened

  Demon Chaser Series (No cliffhangers):

  Book 1 Omega

  Book 2 Alpha

  Book 3 Hybrid

  Book 4 Skin

  Demon ChaserBoxed Set Book 1-3

  Excerpt

  Book 4

  Lightning Dragon

  Chapter 1

  She’d nailed it.

  Nailed it!

  Excitement coursed through her. This was the break she needed. Jessica Woodruff was amazing. She was talented and would make a fantastic mentor. They’d gotten along like a house on fire, it was like they had known each other for years. The older woman was definitely someone she could see herself working for. The interview was a piece of cake. Tammy had sailed through it. If she didn’t get the job, she would be really shocked. Then again … she sighed and grabbed the leather strap on her bag tighter. Her stomach gave a little clench. She tried to pick up the pace, to put her energy into something worthwhile. Any faster though, and she’d be jogging.

  Try as she might, she couldn’t help but think about the position. Graphic design was something Tammy loved. Something she was good at. The only problem was that the industry was small. Too damned small. Her past still haunted her. The skeletons in her closet were still very much alive and still very pissed. One skeleton in particular …

  Bastard.

  She walked faster and glanced at the watch on her wrist. Damn, she was going to be late ‒ and for the second time this week. Carlos was going to give her grief and quite rightly so. Two interviews in one week.

  Two.

  She was on a roll. The thought of working for Jessica filled her with excitement. Squashed Orange was a small agency but they were on the up and up. Tammy wanted to be a part of that. The thought of the other interview she did this week had her hands turning clammy and her heart racing. There was a part of her that wanted nothing to do with that one. Mating a vampire. Really? Is that what her life had come to? All of her studies, her hard work? All meaningless. None of it mattered. If given the chance, would she really go to the vampire castle and beg some guy to take her on? Beg a guy to take care of her? What choice did she have? Then again, there was the payout. It didn’t feel right to go down that road though.

  The last two years had been long and hard. Living from hand to mouth. Begging for extra shifts to make rent. Some days the only meals she ate were the ones that came free at work. One meal per shift. It couldn’t go on.

  Tammy picked up the pace, she approached the door with a sign that said ‘Staff Entrance’ above it in peeling red paint. Just as she reached for the door handle, her phone rang. She took the device out of her purse.

  Shit!

  It was a landline number she didn’t recognize offhand. For a quick second she thought about ignoring it. Carlos was going to have her ass. Without giving herself a chance to think about it any longer, she answered the phone.

  “Good day, is this Tamara Schiffer?” It was a woman’s voice. Formally delivered and not one she recognized.

  “Yes, I’m Tamara.”

  “Hi …” A deep breath. “I’m Allison, I’m calling about your interview earlier this wee
k.”

  Double shit!

  Tammy swallowed hard, her heart rate picked up. “Oh … okay.” She pinched her lips together, closed her eyes and waited to hear what Allison had to say.

  “We think that you would be a good fit for our program …” the woman paused.

  Tammy nodded once, feeling like an idiot since the other woman couldn’t see her. “That’s great,” she stammered.

  “We need you to come in for a briefing on the third of next month. That’s next Thursday,” Allison added. “You will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement which will be emailed to you before the close of business today. Make sure that you have your lawyer look at it between now and the time you come in.”

  Her lawyer. Yeah right. “Okay. No problem,” her voice sounded squeaky. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

  “Oh and, Miss Schiffer …”

  “Yes?” Her mind raced. Shit! A vampire. Could she go through with it? Hopefully she wouldn’t have to. Maybe the graphic design position would come through as well. Oh please let that one come through. Miracles happened! They did, didn’t they?

  “Congratulations! We’ve had tens of thousands of applicants from all over the country. Less than half a percent made it. You are one of the lucky few.”

  Maybe Allison could hear the hesitancy in her voice. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” She worked hard to inject some enthusiasm into her voice.

  “I’ll send all the information together with the agreement. Be ready to leave within a day of the briefing.” That wasn’t an issue, Tammy had casual employment. There weren’t enough shifts to go around at the moment as it was. Besides, Carlos had always been good to her. Hard but fair. They said their goodbyes and she disconnected the call, shoving her phone back into her purse.

  Her mind was still reeling. Being accepted into the program meant getting paid. They received an enormous daily allowance. One week in the program would pay two months’ rent. It would take the pressure off of her in a big way. Maybe she’d find love in the process. Tammy had to stop herself from laughing out loud. Yeah right.

  One thing was for sure, her luck seemed to be changing. Which gave her hope that the position at Squashed Orange would still come through. A real job. One that would allow her to stand on her own two feet. She would take the spot in the vampire program if she needed to, but she would still feel guilty about entering it only for the money when so many women were looking for love. When these vampires were seeking mates. It sounded like they were desperate. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to go down that road.

  If it came to it though, she’d make the most of the opportunity. She wasn’t so crazy that she would jump in and tie herself to another person just for the sake of a secure future. She also wasn’t so naïve as to believe in ‘the one’. On the other hand, she hadn’t had much luck with human men so maybe a vampire was just what she needed. Maybe she could start over on a clean slate and build a future. Worst case scenario, she’d get a break from the rigors of real life for a couple of days. Three square meals a day sounded like music to her ears.

  Tammy took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Carlos was waiting for her. He looked at his watch and then pointedly at her.

  “I know, I know …” Tammy held up a hand. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Save it. Not only are you late but you missed the weekly meeting.”

  Tamara felt her eyes widen. She blew out a breath. “Shit!” She rubbed her forehead. “I’m really sorry. I don’t know how I forgot about it. The interview went on forever. Jessica asked me to help out with an ad she’s working on. She wanted to see how we worked together and to see if …” Tamara licked her lips, feeling excitement course through her as she relived the last hour and a half. “If I could deliver the goods.”

  Carlos didn’t look impressed. He pushed off from the counter and dropped his hands to his sides. He finally gave a quick nod. “Get your ass in there.” He pointed to the double door with his thumb. “Natalie is covering for you.” They were working skeleton staff which meant that the server from the previous shift had to work overtime ‒ for free. They’d all filled in for one another on occasion so it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t like she made a habit of it. Not normally. It still made her feel really guilty though.

  Tammy pulled a neatly folded apron from her bag and tied it around her waist.

  Carlos sighed. “How did it go?” Her boss stared at her expectantly. Although his voice was still gruff, his eyes glinted.

  Tamara tried to hold back a grin and failed.

  “That good, huh?” Carlos smiled back. “I’m still angry about you being late. In fact, you’re closing up tonight.”

  “It’s James’ turn to … never mind,” she quickly added when his eyes narrowed. “It went really well. I loved every minute of it … okay, maybe not the first five minutes, and waiting for the interview was horrible, but once I got in there and we got to talking …”

  “This Jessica lady sounds nice.”

  “Oh she is! Really nice in a ‘kick ass and take no prisoners’ kind of way. She’s dynamic and so damned good at what she does. It’s little wonder the company is doing so well.”

  “I take it she’s open-minded?” He raised his brows.

  “We’ll soon find out since I nailed the interview.”

  “One day someone will see through the bullshit. They’ll see you and know that you aren’t capable of those things you were accused of.”

  “Lying, cheating and stealing, you mean?”

  “It’s crazy that anyone would think that of you. I believed in you … gave you a chance.”

  “Yeah, but you knew me from before. Still, I can’t thank you enough for giving me a chance when no one else would.” She felt her eyes sting.

  Carlos smiled, the skin around his eyes crinkling. He shrugged. “There’s no way you did those things. Did you put me down as a reference?”

  Tammy nodded. “Not that it will help much … no offense. Agencies generally want references from other agencies.”

  “You never know. Now,” he pointed towards the swinging doors, “get in there before you miss your whole shift. Oh …” His eyes darted to his shoes for a second or two before he made eye contact with her again. “The roster for next week is up. We’re still on a skeleton staff for the next couple of weeks. Business is bound to pick up soon though.”

  Tamara didn’t like the tension in the air or the way Carlos kept dropping eye contact. He rocked his weight from one foot to the other. She walked over to the cork board and glanced at the roster. “Oh my word!” she muttered under her breath. “Three shifts? Are you serious?”

  Carlos shook his head. “I’m sorry. It doesn’t make sense to have more than one of you per shift, for the majority of the time we’re just not busy enough.”

  “I get that, but three … I need at least four just to make ends meet.” Just to pay the rent. Any other bills and food would come out of tips. This was a small diner; they didn’t make much in tips.

  “There is nothing I can do. There was a shift going earlier, if you’d been at the meeting you—”

  “I was at an interview,” she tried to keep the anger and frustration from her voice. “You know this.”

  “I told you to swap shifts.”

  “Thursday evenings are the best money.”

  Carlos pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Tam,” he finally said. “There’s nothing I can do. I need to be fair to all my staff.”

  Tammy nodded, feeling like an ass. “I know. I’m sorry I complained. I’m just nervous, if I don’t make rent …” she let the sentence die. “I’ll be fine,” she quickly added, seeing the look of concern on Carlos’ face. It wasn’t fair of her to put the blame and responsibility on his shoulders. She was an adult and responsible for her own past, as well as her future.

  “Do you need a loan? I could help out with a small—”

  Tamara put up a hand. “No … no, I’ll be fine. Thanks th
ough.” Times were just as tough on Carlos. He had a family to take care of. Three kids, the youngest of whom was still in diapers. No, she’d get by.

  “Are you sure, I—” Her phone rang, silencing her boss. He looked down at her purse and frowned.

  “Shit! Sorry.” Tammy pulled the phone out of her bag, intent on silencing the device, and saw that it was the agency. “Oh god! It’s them!” she blurted. “It’s Squashed Orange.” Her heart-rate accelerated. She could barely breathe. She locked eyes with Carlos.

  He must’ve seen the panic reflected there because he gave a nod. “Take it. I’ll meet you out front in a few minutes.” He gave her arm a squeeze as he walked past.

  It was too soon. A call this quick had to be bad news. Then again, maybe it was a good thing. Jessica seemed like the type of person to make snap decisions.

  Tammy sucked in a deep breath, her hand shook as she pressed down on the green button. “Hello?” Thankfully her voice sounded normal.

  “Good day, is this Tamara Schiffer?”

  Oh no! The woman sounded formal. Too rigid. “Speaking.” There was just the hint of a squeak in Tammy’s voice. She couldn’t be blamed.

  “I’m calling to inform you that you were unsuccessful in your bid. Thank you for applying.”

  Shit!

  “Why?” It just slipped out. Stupid thing to ask when she knew why. There was only one reason she didn’t get this job. One slimy, asshole of a reason.

  The woman on the other end of the line hesitated for a few moments. “We called the previous company you were with and …” A long, drawn-out pause. This was followed by a heavy sigh. “You shouldn’t waste people’s time like that.”

  What the …?

  “Jessica is a busy person. She was excited about working with you,” the woman said in a clipped tone.

  “I was excited about joining your company as well, and for the record, Chris Collins is a liar.”