The Chosen Series Box Set: Books 1 - 3

by Charlene Hartnady

  The castle, just as the cabin had been, was practical. It might lack flash but it was comfortable. Homey even. Passages were long and wide. The rooms were big and airy. There were a number of both male and female vampires there. The place was busy.

  “Does your whole coven live here?”

  “A large number do but no not everyone. The West Tower is mine.” Zane moved slightly ahead of her, moving to the right and up a winding stair case. Tanya noticed how his hand sought support from the wall every few steps. Zane paused more than once as they made their slow ascent. Sweat dripped from his brow and his skin had paled by the time they made it to his…chamber. She struggled with a better word. An old fashioned version of a loft maybe. There were large windows. A wooden trussed ceiling and shock horror in the form of a four poster bed with carvings of massacres in the dark shining wood.

  What the hell was wrong with the man? She noticed an elevator in the far corner. Why had he insisted on walking?

  Zane stripped out of his shirt and jeans. Her face heated. The air caught in her throat. She looked away.

  “Female.” She turned. Zane was between the sheets on the large bed. His broad chest had her mouth-watering. Aside from Brant, there was another very good reason why she shouldn’t have sex with this man. Make that scary vampire. Yet, the more she got to know Zane, the more she realized he wasn’t that scary after all. The problem was that the very good reason she shouldn’t have sex with him kept evading her. Brant seemed very far away as well.

  She swallowed hard. Not sure of what to do. If she joined him in bed, they would end up having sex.

  “Female.” He sounded irritated this time. “I promise not to…grope you. I need you close right now.” He worked his jaw for a second or two. “Please,” so softly spoken she barely heard him.

  “Are you okay? Do you have a first aid kit? We need to do something about your shoulder.”

  “I need”—he paused like he was thinking about confiding in her—“sleep. Join me. I won’t be able to rest unless you are next to me.”

  Zane needed more than just sleep. For whatever reason, he didn’t want her to know what that thing was. Tanya looked down at the material that covered her body. A thin summer dress was all that would be between them. In his current condition, she couldn’t turn him down though.

  Tanya nodded, noticing how the tension in him eased. She slid in next to him. His arms banded around her pulling her in close. Within minutes his breathing turned rhythmic. She tried to move but his hand tightened on her waist and he mumbled something incoherent, so she stayed still. He nuzzled his head into the back of her neck. Warm breath tickled her skin.

  Tanya felt wide awake. His big body enveloped her and his musky scent surrounded her. Zane was very different from what she had expected. Sure, he was the fierce warrior but he had a…softer side. He demanded and issued orders as casually as he drew his next breath. His men seemed to obey without question, yet there was a small part of him that reminded her of a small lost boy.

  Lying there, snug against him, her body felt so tightly wound. Part of her was a little disappointed that he hadn’t wanted to take it further. That he hadn’t tried anything. The bigger part of her was happy he hadn’t though. Her will power was at zero.

  Chapter 10

  There was a knock on the door. Tanya woke with a start. The sun was low and much less light shone through the drapes that hung in billows over iron rods.

  “Enter.” Zane lay on his back, the sheet rode low on his hips. An enormous erection tented the light material. Tanya made to stand.

  “Stay.” He tucked her into the crook of his arm.

  A supermodel walked in. Long, blond hair that fanned her shoulders. She had lithe, tanned legs and wore a short silk robe tied loosely at her narrow waist. “Your highness.” She gave a curtsy.

  The leggy vampire was clearly naked beneath the robe. Hard points spiked the soft, shiny fabric. Commando was clearly a vampire thing.

  “I’m here to measure the human for her new wardrobe.” It was only then that she noticed that the vampire had a tape measure in one of her hands.

  “Fine.” He released his hold on her, wincing as he moved to sit upright. His wound had knitted but still looked angry and red, like it might pop open with even the slightest provocation.

  “Hi, I’m Charlotte. Please come and stand over here.”

  Tanya looked back at the woman who gestured to the area directly in front of her. Tanya pulled her dress down firmly. It wouldn’t do to have all her lady bits showing. She tried to run a hand through her hair as she sat up but it was a tangled mess. Damn, she was too scared to look in a mirror. Especially with this beauty queen in the room.

  She ran her fingers through the knotted mess a few more times in a last ditch effort as she moved to stand in front of the vamp. Charlotte smiled. “Stay still while I...” She surrounded her breasts with the tape and shook her head. “Nope…it would work better if you took the dress off. Let me help you.”

  A sound of horror escaped Tanya’s lips. “No, that’s fine. I’m not wearing a bra so you should be able to—”

  “My measurements won’t be accurate. Let me…” The vampire took a step toward her, hands raised. Tanya realised in horror that she planned on undoing the knot that tied the dress around her neck.

  “No!” It came out a little harsh. Charlotte ignored her taking another step. Eyes firmly fixed on the material that wound around Tanya’s neck. The vamp was quick, her hands were on the knot before she knew what was happening. It was a perfectly natural response when she slapped the other woman’s hands away. Charlotte’s eyes widened.

  A chuckle caused her to break eye contact with the striking blonde. Zane clasped his shoulder for support as he continued to laugh. “Leave the human, she seems to have modesty issues.”

  More like having this ravishing creature measuring her through her clothes was bad enough. Tanya didn’t like taking her clothes off for anyone, let alone a crowd. Especially when said crowd had perfectly sculpted bodies.

  “Fine, but I will not be held liable if the garments do not fit her perfectly.” Charlotte wrapped the tape around Tanya’s breasts. “Wow, you will make a very good mother.”

  Tanya felt her cheeks heat. Next the vampire put the tape around her waist and then hips. “Child birth should not be an issue.”

  Tanya made a choking sound, slapping her hand over her mouth until she could compose herself. “Has anyone ever told you that it’s bad manners to point things like that out to a person? So I’m a pound or two overweight. Big deal.” She felt her cheeks grow warmer this time in anger. Charlotte looked at her as if she had suddenly sprouted horns.

  Zane chuckled, the sound ending on a moan. “You’re killing my shoulder female. Charlotte was offering you a compliment. Wider hips and fuller breasts are a good thing. Very few vampire females are capable of birthing young, their hips are too narrow.”

  “I noticed,” she couldn’t help but mumble.

  “You are very lucky, my lord. I like her,” Charlotte smiled. “I have never met a human with nerve.”

  Tanya felt pride surge. So the woman was both beautiful and sweet. Tanya changed her mind about the sweet part less than a second later though, when the female vampire removed her own robe. This time it took a little longer to get the choking fit under control. The vampire seemed to have acres of smooth creamy skin. Although much smaller than her own, the blonde’s breasts were bigger than most vampires’ that she’d seen, with raspberry tips that looked ripe enough to pick. To make matters worse, she was clean shaven down below. Is that how vampires liked it?

  “What do you need, my lord?” Was it Tanya’s imagination or had the female’s voice grown husky.

  Tanya glanced at Zane who was looking at her. Their eyes locked. “I will take everything I need from my female.”

  Tanya swallowed. It seemed she sat on a precipice. Did she let this bimbo into her…Zane’s bed or did she do what needed to be done herself? />
  “My lord…” The blonde sounded incredulous. “You need blood if you are to heal. Sex will also help. The human is weak, she cannot possibly…” Charlotte walked towards the bed as she spoke. The vamp had an ass so tight Tanya was sure she used it to crack nuts. Right now she hated the bitch even if she was trying to, for lack of a better word, help Zane.

  “I said I would take everything I needed from my female. You can leave now.”

  “The poison must be worse than we suspected. You’re not thinking straight.” Charlotte put a knee on his bed, stretching her hand towards where his erection had been. No bulging sheets in sight at the moment though. For the first time his eyes flashed to Charlotte staying firmly on her face. The vampire’s hand inched closer to his cock.

  “Touch him and…” And what? What could she possibly do to this super human woman?

  “You heard my female. I assure you I am fine. My female is more than capable of taking care of me. Thank you, Charlotte. Now go before I get angry.” His voice took on a sharp edge.

  Charlotte nodded. She paused for a few seconds before standing and donning her robe, just as she reached the door she turned back. “Call me if you need me.”

  “He won’t need you.” The words were out before she could stop them.

  The vampire’s eyes lowered as she spoke. “You will be leaving come morning.” She wasn’t trying to be mean, just stating a simple fact. The door thudded shut as she left.

  Anger bubbled up inside her. “Will you call her once I’ve gone?” Tanya spun to face Zane. The question was so unfair. She had no right to ask it. Wishing she hadn’t because she knew she would hate the answer.

  “I might. I might call someone else. You will be snug in Brant’s arms, so what concern is it to you?”

  “None.” She lied. “I was just wondering,” she mumbled. The thought of him taking Charlotte or one of the many other willing females left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  “Come here.”

  “No.” This whole situation was so screwed up. Brant was the one for her, yet the thought of Zane fucking Charlotte, of him drinking from her…why did she feel so jealous? She had no right to be so torn between the two kings.

  His jaw tightened. “Are you insisting I remain faithful while you are with Brant?”

  Everything in her screamed to tell him yes. To force him to do just that, but she couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right. Especially since she could never choose Zane. Brant had decided on her from the start, while Zane had taken another. The only reason she was here right now was because Zane’s chosen was dead. And there it was. The one thing that had eluded her. The most important reason why she could never be with this king. The dead woman had looked nothing like her, was nothing like her. The only reason she was here right now was to give this man future heirs, his true chosen was gone.

  “No, I don’t expect you to remain faithful.”

  “Don’t look so upset. Is it that Brant has promised this to you?” His eyes narrowed. “Brant is a fool. How many times do I need to remind you of that?”

  “You can be such an asshole. Why is Brant a fool? People should be faithful to one another while they are courting. It’s the right thing to do.” She folded her arms across her chest.

  Zane smiled. “This is not a normal situation. I will be faithful to you while you are here, but if you choose to go back to Brant all bets are off.”

  “That’s blackmail.”

  “That’s life sweetness.” He cocked his head.

  “You’re such a jerk, I wish I had never gone down on you. Wrapped my mouth around your slut of a cock.”

  Zane chuckled. “You will be doing that again very soon but first I want to plough your tight sheath. I cannot wait to make you come.”

  Tanya felt her jaw drop. “No freaking way. I don’t have sex with sluts.”

  “Sex is perfectly normal and perfectly healthy.” He yanked the sheet off his body. One times humungous cock jutted up. “I need it to get well.”

  What the hell had she agreed to? She wanted to tell him to call for Charlotte but the words stuck in her throat. Brant would never forgive her, hell, she would never forgive herself. She’d only ever had sex with two people before Brant. The first was a giant mistake. Although the second had been a mistake too, they had been in a long term relationship. She was about to have sex with two different men in the space of twenty four hours. Yet she couldn’t think of any other way out of this.

  “You can’t drink from me.” It was technically the one thing Brant had asked her.

  Zane’s eyes darkened. “My shoulder will not heal until I drink. I’m as weak as a new born whelp.”

  “No blood.”

  Zane shook his head. “Fine, but that will mean that we have to stay in this room. In this bed until our time is up. As much as I had hoped to be able to take you like a man, it seems I will have to rely on you.” His eyes narrowed daring her to defy him. “Straddle my hips so that I can touch you. You will need to ride me.”

  A zing of need shot from her pussy. It raced through her whole body leaving her feeling a little shaky.

  “No,” the barest whisper.

  “Your body says yes.” His eyes softened, “I need you.” It must’ve taken considerable effort for him to say those words. “Straddle my hips. Once I touch you, any doubt will evaporate.”

  That’s what she was afraid of.

  “I know you want me.” A low growl that had her channel turning slick with need even though she still thought he was a big, fat jerk.

  “The only reason I want you is because you have a good body.”

  Zane threw her a half smile and sniffed the air. “Mmmm.” A low rumble of approval as he scented her arousal.

  “Stop that. It’s not fair. The problem is that sex would complicate things.”

  “It seems to me that they are complicated already.”

  “There’s more to all of this than sex. It would be wrong.”

  His whole body tensed. “You rutted with Brant, yet you deny me my most basic of needs.”

  “I sucked you off just a few hours ago. You’ve had your fun damn it. Now leave me alone.”

  “As much as I enjoyed your mouth, I haven’t felt you shudder with your release. I haven’t heard you scream as I drive into you over and over again. I haven’t yet established whether you like it hard or soft. Maybe a combination of both,” his brows arched. “Can you come with just g-spot stimulation or will you need me to rub your clit while I fuck you?” Juice trickled down her left thigh forcing her to close her legs tightly. It only increased her arousal. “I want to lick that wetness from between your legs, stick my tongue so far up that sweet little pussy…”

  Tanya was on the verge of running to his bed, of impaling herself on his hard cock when a knock sounded at the door. She couldn’t help but to groan in frustration.

  Another knock. “There has been an incident sire.”

  Zane’s eyes flared for a second. “We will finish this shortly. Enter.” Zane growled as he pulled the sheet across his hips.

  Lance walked in. He inclined his head in Tanya’s direction without actually looking at her.

  “This had better be important.”

  Lance was dressed from head to toe in leather. He wore a long jacket. “The north fence was breached.”

  “When?” Zane pulled himself into a sitting position. A pang of guilt hit her as she noticed how he struggled with the simple task, his right hand clasped his left shoulder for support.

  “Less than five hours ago.”

  “Around the same time we were attacked.”

  Lance took a step forward. “I think we should discuss this in your office,” he lowered his voice.

  “Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of my female.”

  “Sire, she goes back in”—he glanced at his watch—“less than fourteen hours.”

  “This affects Brant and his coven just as much. We need to get word to him. The incidences are related. They must
be. What did the trackers find?”

  Lance’s eyes narrowed. “I think it would be better if you saw for yourself. It’s…” He cleared his throat, “…concerning.”

  Zane looked at Tanya. His whole demeanour changed. He looked pissed. “You’ll need to call Charlotte.”

  Crunch time.

  Lance could sense the tension in the room because he remained still making no move to do as Zane had instructed. Tanya squirmed as Zane’s head guard turned to face her. “Sire, are you sure?” Both males stared at her.

  “Charlotte won’t be needed.” No freaking way could she stand by while he drank from another female. Not while she was here. What happened after she left was out of her hands, but right now? Brant would understand…she hoped.

  Lance visibly relaxed.

  “Give me five minutes.” His eyes started glowing and sharp fangs extended. “Make that ten.”

  Her heart rate increased. Shit. It was too late to change her mind but she could make sure that it was on her terms. Lance left. One second there and the next gone. She hadn’t even heard the door shut.

  “Come here.”

  She shook her head and Zane fell back on the bed. “What is it now?”

  “You don’t get to touch me.”

  Zane smiled. “Not even if you beg?”

  “Especially not if I beg. No touching. You can drink but that’s it.”

  The straining erection was back. His jaw locked, his muscles bunched. Zane nodded once.

  “I want to go with you when you inspect the…fence.”

  His brow creased. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “I’ll be with you and your men. I don’t want to sit in this room. Please, Zane.”

  His eyes clouded in thought. “My scouts will have checked the area. Lance wouldn’t risk me if he was worried about my enemies still lurking. Only if you promise to obey my every command once we are there.”

  “I promise, I will.”

  “I mean it female, my every command.”

  She sighed in irritation, “I said yes.”

  “We don’t have much time. Come here now.”