The Chosen Series Box Set: Books 1 - 3

by Charlene Hartnady

  Becky snorted. “Oh, honey,” she groaned. “Thankfully I have my vibrator and extra batteries,” she muttered the last under her breath.

  Rushe wasn’t sure what she meant again, all he knew was that this delectable female went home tomorrow. He felt almost thankful that he wouldn’t be faced with the pure torture of having her near without being able to act on his urges. Especially since he knew the female wanted him too. On his next day off, which was in a few days’ time, he was going into Sweetwater and having him some sweet, honeysuckle pie. Once he’d given her pleasure, he would get to know her and then it would only be a matter of time before she agreed to becoming his mate. The knowledge caused him to grin as he fell back in behind her.

  Chapter 2

  Becky entered Stephany and Wards’ spacious cabin. The vampire put a finger to her lips. “The twins just fell asleep,” she whispered.

  The tall female was wearing a t-shirt and sleeping shorts. The shirt had vomit on the left shoulder and two wet spots over her breasts where she had leaked milk. Her blonde hair was mussed and she had dark smudges under her eyes.

  “I think you had better climb into bed, I’ll come back a bit later so that I can check on the babies. I’ll take over for a while then so you can take a shower as well.”

  Stephany smiled. “No, please come in. I would appreciate the company, it gets a bit lonely having to stay at home.”

  Shifter babies were born much smaller than other species’ babies, and they needed to be kept indoors for the first month or two of their lives.

  “Do I really look that bad?” Stephany ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair.

  Becky shook her head. “You look like you could use some time to yourself. If I hadn’t been there though, I would never say that you had just given birth to freaking twins.” Her long legs were lean, her tummy completely flat, her skin radiant and flawless. Other than the rumpled clothes and hair, she looked like she was ready to grace the cover of any fashion magazine. “You non-humans drive me nuts. Make the rest of us look like shit.”

  Stephany frowned. “I’m not sure what excrement has to do with it. If it helps any, I can assure you that you don’t look like faeces. Come on in. Would you like some tea?”

  “I could use a glass of wine.”

  “I’m sorry, we don’t—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, shifters don’t drink alcohol. A glass of juice would be good.”

  “Some of the males have the occasional alcoholic beverage when in Sweetwater, but we don’t keep alcohol in the village as it would mean having to lug the stuff on wolf-back. There are much more important necessities.” The vampire poured a berry juice for Becky as she spoke, and a glass of water for herself. “Are you hungry?” Stephany opened a container of chocolate chip cookies, offering her one.

  They looked so freaking good. “I really shouldn’t.”

  “Why not?” The vamp raised her eyebrows.

  “I normally like to eat healthy, but yeah you’re right. Why the hell not?” Becky took one of the big, chocolate-laden cookies. “It’s important to spoil yourself once in a while.”

  Stephany grabbed three of her own before closing the container. “They were a peace offering from one of the females who stays here in the village. Her name is Angela. She didn’t like me very much when I first came here, but I must be growing on her or something.”

  “From what I’ve heard, twin births are very rare among the species. You pushed out two freaking babies and that deserves a medal in my book.” They made their way to the lounge. “Anyway, how anyone didn’t like someone as sweet as you to begin with is beyond me,” Becky said as she sat down.

  “She thought I was going to drain her children of all their blood.” Stephany bared her sharp fangs.

  “Didn’t she know that you weren’t allowed to take from humans?”

  Stephany shook her head, she took a bite of one of her cookies while making a sound of rapture. “Even though I craved sweets during the pregnancy, it’s only grown worse since I started breast-feeding.” She took another big bite.

  The doorbell rang. Stephany was up so quickly that Becky didn’t see the vampire move, or even leave the room for that matter.

  A minute or two later, Stephany walked in with another woman. The brunette held a glass of juice and a handful of cookies. She smiled broadly. “So you’re the doctor who helped birth the twins. My name is Patricia and I’m so happy to meet you.” She walked in, sitting on the sofa opposite to them. “In three short days, I will be mated to Eliot. The last three months have felt so long.” Her smile grew even more dazzling. “We plan on trying for a family right away.” Patricia put the juice and cookies down on the coffee table before clutching her flat stomach. “Do you have any tips for falling pregnant quickly?” Her jasmine eyes were wide as she looked at Becky expectantly.

  “Why the rush?” Becky asked.

  Patricia looked crestfallen for a second before looking confused. “No rush.” She shrugged. “Okay,” she admitted, “maybe there is a bit of urgency. Due to the declining shifter populations, the males’ instincts to mate and reproduce are on high. Eliot has an inherent need to mate me and to,” she giggled and blushed, “fill me up with his seed.”

  Becky nodded. “Okay,” she giggled back.

  Steph made a disgusted noise. “Too much information.”

  The blonde held up her hands, still blushing profusely. “I’m sorry. The thing is, I’ve always wanted to have a family and Eliot is the one for me. So why wait? It would be hard on him to hold back during my heat. I’m ready to be a mom.” Her face lit up with sheer excitement. “So, any tips?”

  “Have sex often.”

  “No problem, we rut two or three times a day as it is. Should we up the frequency?”

  Becky felt her eyes bug out of her skull. “Really? Two or three times a day? Doesn’t it get boring at that point?”

  Patricia shook her head. “No way. He makes me come so hard I see stars … every time.”

  Becky had to clear her throat. “You might want to slow down a bit then. It is recommended in humans who want to reproduce that they have sex every second day or the sperm tends to become weak, actually lessening the chances of offspring.”

  Patricia snorted. “He’s not a man, he’s a shifter. I’ve never seen so much cum in my life.” Her eyes widened. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. Too much information, right?”

  “It sounds like you’ll be just fine then. Should be pushing out a baby in a couple of months.”

  Her eyes brightened. “Do you really think so?”

  “I do.” Becky nodded. “You are a woman in your prime and Eliot sounds virile. There are no guarantees, but your chances are good.”

  Patricia made an excited noise and clapped her hands. “I can’t wait.”

  “I hear that Rushe is on your security detail.” Stephany smiled as she turned to Becky.

  Becky nodded, wondering where this was going.

  “He’s really cute don’t you think?” Steph raised her eyebrows.

  “Only if really tall and seriously stacked is your thing.” Becky tried not to pant as thoughts of his thick biceps and narrow waist came to mind.

  “He’s really good-looking, and oh so sweet.” Stephany took a big bite of her cookie.

  “Why do I get the feeling that you’re trying to set me up?” Becky tried to look fierce.

  “Because I think Rushe is amazing and I think you guys would be really good together. Besides,” Stephany picked up her glass of water, “you said you would give one of the shifters a chance. Why not Rushe?” Her blue eyes sparkled, all signs of fatigue had faded.

  Becky took a nibble of her own cookie, quickly chewing and swallowing. “He expressed his interest in me. I have to say, I wouldn’t mind giving him a go.” Her mind conjured up all the images of the dirty things he had said to her earlier. Like the big shifter kneeling between her legs, his face buried in her pussy. Becky almost groaned out loud.

  �
��Well?” Stephany shook her head. “What’s the problem?”

  “This whole conversation.” Becky turned to face Patricia. “You said that shifters are driven to find mates and to procreate.”

  The brunette nodded, her ponytail bobbed up and down. “Oh yeah, so you wouldn’t have to worry about being used. Shifters are nothing like human men.”

  “You don’t understand.” Becky looked from Patricia to Stephany. “I want to be used. All I want is to have an orgasm with a real flesh and blood dick inside of me. I don’t want dinner, flowers or a movie …” she huffed. “I certainly don’t want a freaking mate, let alone children.”

  Stephany threw her a reassuring smile, the vampire even leaned forward and touched her knee for a quick second before leaning back in her chair. “If you only want to,” she actually blushed as she spoke, “rut with Rushe,” she shrugged “without all the strings attached, just be open and upfront about it with him. I can’t see him not being interested and as long as he knows that it’s a one-time only deal. I’m sure he’ll be,” she bit her lip, “fine with it.” Stephany looked down at the glass in her hands as she said the last.

  “What are you keeping from me?”

  The vamp’s large blue eyes finally focused on her. “Nothing.” Her eyes darted back down to her glass. “It’s just that I know that, although you guys don’t really know each other, Rushe happens to really like you.” She cocked her head. “I don’t want him getting hurt. Like I said before, as long as he knows upfront that you aren’t interested in more.”

  Becky took a deep drink of her juice. She was highly attracted to the shifter, but she so didn’t want any type of relationship. She was seriously focused on her career and didn’t have time for a man ‒ or a shifter for that matter. “I think I’d better stay far away from him and the others,” Becky sighed. “Unfortunately, Brant ruined my fantasy of fucking a vampire. Now that would’ve been the perfect solution. Vampires know their way around a woman’s body and they can leave their emotions securely at the door … or so I’ve been told.”

  Stephany nodded. “You are right, a vampire male has many sexual encounters before finally settling down. They are therefore extremely adept as sexual partners. Although mates are exclusive, rutting between non-mated vampires is very normal and natural and happens frequently.”

  Becky sighed. “Like I said, Brant and his cronies wrecked that one for me.”

  Stephany laughed. “Brant didn’t ruin anything. You are a human and therefore off limits. I am glad that you are no longer interested though.”

  “I really hope I brought enough batteries.” Becky rolled her eyes.

  “You are only here for one more night,” Stephany smirked, running a hand through her hair.

  “Exactly.” Another lonely freaking night.

  “Batteries?” Patricia’s brow was creased.

  “For her phallic symbol.” Stephany folded her legs underneath her on the sofa.

  Patricia’s frown deepened. “Say what?”

  “For my freaking vibrator.” It was Becky’s turn to roll her eyes. “Phallic symbol.” She shook her head.

  Patricia’s mouth rounded in an ‘oh’. Then she said something unexpected. “I’m so glad those days are far behind me. Shifters are not big fans of toys in the bedroom.”

  Stephany shook her head. “Neither are vampires.”

  Becky smiled. “Missing out if you ask me.”

  Patricia cocked her head. “My male is so good, we don’t need any help in the bedroom. If you actually gave a shifter a chance, you would see that. You wouldn’t need to worry about batteries or sex toy breakdowns or anything.”

  Becky mulled it over. What she needed was an orgasm, not a mate. It seemed that with the shifters, one didn’t come independently of the other. That meant that both vampires and shifters were a bad idea. She had to suppress a sigh.

  Chapter 3

  Rushe watched his mate put another raspberry into her mouth. She closed her eyes and made a sound of utter rapture. Her long silky lashes fused.

  When her pink tongue darted across her full, kissable lips, he was sure that he would die of an overly hard dick if he kept watching, so he turned away.

  The tiny human made another low moaning noise and his cock throbbed. To the human ear, her display would be barely audible if at all. Maybe he should let her know that although she was being quiet about her pleasure, being shifters, they could all hear. Another soft breathless moan had him imagining how she would sound in the throes of lovemaking.

  The very unfortunate thing was that all of the other males in the dining hall were imagining the same thing. It was obscene how many of the pack’s males had turned up for a late afternoon snack. Except none were eating, all were drooling.

  “I can just picture her mouth around my cock,” one of the panther shifters whispered to the male next to him.

  “I heard that humans enjoy taking a male into their mouth,” a second male said, a deep frown marred his forehead. “It can’t be as good as being inside their tight human pussies though.” His mouth became a thin white line and his eyes grew hooded.

  “I know for a fact that it is just as good—”

  “Yeah right!” the other male snorted with raised eyebrows.

  Another soft, whispered groan had the first panther shifter clutching his dick. “This female would be good. Oh so very good, with such soft, full lips.” He closed his eyes for a few seconds. “I can just picture her stunning tits naked.” He opened his eyes. “Making sounds like that, she must be highly sensual.” He turned to the other male. “I will try to rut her and failing that, I will think of her later while I am …”

  The white hot rage that had been simmering just below the surface tore through Rushe. He pushed the table to the side, not wanting anything between himself and the panther.

  “What the—” The male’s eyes narrowed at Rushe as he sprang to his feet.

  “Don’t you dare talk about … the human in that way.” He’d almost said my human. Best he get a grip, but first he had to teach this male a lesson.

  Confusion had the panther’s brow creasing. “Why is it a big deal?” the male asked.

  Rushe gave a snarl in reply then smashed his fist into the male’s face, feeling cartilage crush beneath his fingers. The male flew backwards, hitting the wall behind him.

  The panther shifter managed to stay on his feet. He took a step forward and shook his head before advancing on Rushe. Blood gushed from his flattened nose. “If I want to rut the female, I will.” His hands were clenched at his sides. Sharp claws at the ends of his fingers. “You can’t stop me,” the male roared, exposing long canines.

  The display angered Rushe. “Like fuck,” he growled, his chest vibrated. “You will have some respect or you will bleed some more.”

  “I respect the female. Just because I think she is sexy and want to rut her, does not mean that I do not respect her.” The shifter stopped advancing.

  “Bullshit.” Rushe closed the distance between them. This time the shifter was expecting the punch and ducked. Rushe used the male’s momentum to knee him in the jaw. Bone cracked. Rushe suspected it was his jaw and several teeth.

  The male howled. “What is wrong with you?” He covered his mouth, but blood still poured from between his splayed fingers.

  “You disrespected the female as well as my Alpha. The human was declared off limits by Ward. Do you hear me?” Rushe took a step towards him and the male paled. “She is a guest in our village and not to be touched. You will not talk about her soft lips or her mammary glands.” He took another step towards the still bleeding male who cowered as he neared.

  Rushe splayed his legs and widened his stance, looking down at the male. “You will not talk about your dick in her mouth.”

  Becky made an incredulous noise, which he tried hard to ignore. “He said what?” he heard her say quietly to herself.

  “Or, how you plan on rutting her … and that goes for all of you.” Rushe looked aro
und the room. “If any of you even fantasizes about her later, I will remove your dicks with a silver blade and laugh while you bleed to death.”

  Becky sucked in a breath and actually sounded … excited rather than shocked, as he had expected. Most of the males nodded. Some took a step or two back. Several clutched their cocks while swallowing thickly. Good!

  “Take it easy. It was only talk.” The second panther held up a hand.

  Rushe growled low in his throat. “I don’t want to hear it again. It is disrespectful.”

  “For the record, I don’t give blowjobs and I’m not interested in sex with any of you.” Becky clutched the bowl of raspberries in one hand while standing, wide-eyed, with her back to the wall.

  Rushe closed the distance between himself and the female, the other males stepped aside. He clutched her elbow, pulling her against his side and walked out of the room.

  “I should be angry with you,” Becky said while glancing his way. “Very freaking angry.”

  Rushe wasn’t sure how to respond, so he kept quiet. With reluctance, he released his hold on her as soon as they were a few feet from the dining hall.

  “You acted like my husband or something.” Becky smoothed her dress. “You’re not my freaking husband.” She didn’t sound angry. She did sound a little unsure.

  “A husband is the human equivalent of a mate.”

  Becky nodded, her head and her blonde curls bounced. “You are not my husband. I really can take care of myself, you know.”

  “I know that you are a strong female, but I still won’t tolerate it if someone badmouths you. I’m sorry if you felt like I acted like your mate.” He so wasn’t sorry. “If it would make you feel better, next time I’ll hold the male down so that you can punch him or kick him yourself, but I will not sit back and listen to a male talk about putting his dick in your mouth.” His eyes moved over her face. “Even if you do have soft, full lips. It’s not right.”