The Chosen Series Box Set: Books 1 - 3

by Charlene Hartnady

  Tanya widened her eyes, which gleamed mischievously. “Oh, yes. There are some things one guy could never get right. It’s such a pity you went and found yourself two males on opposite sides of enemy lines.”

  “Look,” she held up her hands, “I don’t want one freaking guy, let alone two of them.”

  “Why are you here then?” Tanya put her hands on her hips. “If you don’t care about either of them, then why did you bother making the trip?”

  Becky shrugged. “I don’t care.” The words came out far too softly. She cleared her throat. “I don’t want to be wracked with guilt if one of them is hurt by the other though. That’s all this is. It’s not like I want either of them.”

  Tanya laughed. “Bullshit.”

  “It’s not. I mean it.”

  “Okay then, I’ll have one of the guys escort you back to your car. They are fine so you don’t have to worry. You can go.”

  “That’s rude. I drove all this way,” she blurted, hating the idea of leaving just yet.

  “I don’t know why I bothered fighting so hard to get you in to see them,” Tanya huffed. “Since you don’t give a damn anyway.”

  “Stop it! I do want to see them and you know it. I’m not leaving, but that doesn’t mean I automatically want a relationship with either of them. Are we clear?”

  Tanya blew her a kiss. “Whatever you say, darling.”

  Becky could see that her friend didn’t believe her.

  “Just be careful that they don’t start fighting when you show up.” Tanya raised her eyebrows.

  “Do you really think they would? Even after standing up for one another?”

  “Non-human males are highly dominant, alpha types. If both of them have decided that they want you, they could come to blows. I don’t think this is a casual rutting for either of them. Certainly not for the wolf if he has come here to stake his claim.”

  Becky felt herself frown. “I still don’t understand how they can still want me and even be willing to fight for me. Although I didn’t outright cheat on either of them, it’s still not considered … I don’t know … right for me to have slept with both of them in such a short space of time.”

  Tanya smiled. “I told you that they are not like humans. You are thinking in human terms. These vampires fuck like bunnies. Your eyes would honestly pop right out of your skull. They consider sex to be a function, like eating or breathing. They have sex with whomever they want whenever they want.” Her eyes hardened up. “It’s different for mated couples of course.” She took a deep breath. “Anyway, even sex between three or more parties is fine and happens.” Her eyes lit up. “The best thing about the non-human guys is that they seem to be wired to want to please us females, so pairings of two males to one female is more common than the other way around.” She shrugged. “I don’t know much about the wolves, but I’m sure it must be the same or at least similar with them.”

  “I only ever saw male/female couples. Rushe mentioned that due to a lack of sufficient females they are often forced to share, but it didn’t sound like something they would choose to do. It doesn’t matter, I told you that I don’t even want one, let alone two.” She sighed. “No freaking way.”

  “Just because your marriage didn’t work out and your rebound thing you had with … what was his name?”

  “Jack,” Becky said.

  “Yeah him. That was doomed from the start. Even your marriage was freaking doomed.”

  “I don’t really feel like talking about this right now.”

  Tanya laughed. “Why? Feeling a little desperate for some wolf and vampire loving? Maybe, all at the same time? You don’t want to face facts because then you might find that a relationship with one or both of them is actually possible.”

  “No way.” Becky laughed, feeling a little faint, but only because the thought of both males touching her made her heart skip several beats. “Not a chance,” she added with a little more venom when those images wouldn’t go away.

  “Your marriage was pretty much arranged. You never loved Carter.” Tanya shook her head, her brown eyes locked with hers.

  “I did love him.” She felt herself frown. “At least in the beginning. It was all downhill from there. It was the same with Jack and the boyfriends I had prior to that. I fall in and out of love too easily. That’s why Carter and I didn’t work out. I did love him though. I would never have married him otherwise.”

  “Then you have no idea what love is, because that my friend,” she took a deep breath, “that wasn’t love.” She said it softly. “Please don’t get mad, but all that your marriage to Carter was, was you trying to please mommy and daddy.”

  Becky gasped. “I did try hard to please them, but I wouldn’t go so far as to marry someone just because they wanted me to.”

  “Who introduced the two of you?” Tanya raised her eyebrows.

  “Mommy introduced him after a game of tennis but I really liked him right from the start.”

  “Give it some thought, Becks. The subtle hints. They pushed you two together.”

  Her parents had never approved of anyone she brought home. Carter had been the first. They had invited him over. Had even invited him on their skiing trip. After a while, they started hinting at marriage. There was no way she would’ve committed herself to someone just to please her parents though.

  “I’ll take you to the dungeon,” Tanya said. Her friend wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “You know that I’m here if you ever need to talk.”

  “Thanks, Tan. I appreciate that.”

  “Give those boys a chance. You never know, maybe one of them is the one.” Tanya laughed. “Hell, maybe both of them are just what you need. You keep saying that one guy for the rest of your life is not enough. This could be the perfect solution.”

  Becky felt her jaw drop. When she looked Tanya’s way, although her eyes were glinting mischievously, she was completely serious.

  “By the way,” Tanya smiled, looking like a naughty school girl, “how was the sex last night?” She didn’t wait for Tanya’s response. “Must’ve been off the charts.”

  Becky could only smile back. She knew it would be a goofy grin but couldn’t help it.

  “You are most welcome.” Tanya winked at her.

  “Sorry, babe, but I’m sure you weren’t there, so I don’t see how you can take any credit.”

  Her friend giggled. “You know that conversation we had where I asked you on a scale of one to ten how Ross rated and you told me a nine?”

  “Yeah,” Becky said, sounding as confused as she felt.

  “Ross could hear everything I was saying. Not getting full marks would’ve freaking killed him.” Tanya did a little skippy dance. “I’m sure he worked overtime to bring up his terrible mark.”

  Becky felt her jaw drop. “You are evil.”

  “You are welcome.” She winked again. “Now let’s get you into that dungeon before Brant thinks of a way to keep you out.”

  Chapter 18

  Rushe leaned back against the wall, the vampire sat slumped next to him. If they were any closer, their shoulders would be touching. The male was big, almost as big as he was. Just as with Rushe, he was taller and more muscled than most of his kind.

  The male’s face was crusted with dry blood, his injuries long since healed. Rushe could feel how the skin on his own face pulled. His nose still throbbed a little. It wouldn’t be long before it was healed. Unfortunately, his nose had been broken. Bones always took a bit longer to mend than a regular flesh wound.

  After the long walk from where Sawyer had dropped him, not to mention the fight, the only thing he could think of right now was a hot shower.

  His muscles ached and he felt dirty down here in the damp dungeon. The walls were peeling and there were green patches from the moisture that seeped in. Rushe sighed. This hadn’t turned out the way he had planned.

  “Why did you come?” the vampire asked, turning slightly to face him. He pulled a hand through his hair and the chains shac
kled to his wrists rattled softly.

  “I’m sure you can guess,” Rushe answered, testing the strength of his own silver-reinforced chains. They were attached by large rings on the walls behind them. Although they could stand and move their arms comfortably, they were stuck here in the rear of their cell.

  “I am Ross.”

  Rushe cursed. If they introduced themselves, it would feel too much like they were friends. At the very least, like they had agreed on some sort of truce.

  The male next to him shook slightly as he chuckled. “That’s a strange name. A bit of a mouthful.”

  Against his will, Rushe found himself chuckling along with the vampire. Ross, so this was the male who had caught the attention of his female.

  “My name is Rushe,” he finally said. “Your king is a dickhead. I don’t know how you put up with him.”

  Ross growled between clenched teeth. “I answer to Zane and, unfortunately, have to put up with that cunt, Brant.” The male took a deep breath. “Thank you for standing up to him like that.” After a short pause. “Next time it would be better to stay out of it. You could get yourself killed. Besides, it would take a lot more than that to take me out.”

  Rushe laughed. When he finally had enough control, he said. “You do realize that I came here to publicly claim the human, don’t you? To fight you to the death if necessary.”

  The vampire nodded. “I figured.”

  “In truth, it is I who owe you a thank you. You saved my life that day.”

  Ross shrugged. “The male who tried to kill you acted without honor. The whole fight should never have happened in the first place. Think nothing of it.”

  Only, Rushe couldn’t help but think on it. This male had saved him. Rushe had been helpless to defend himself. In that moment, it was as if everything had slowed. His throat was already a bleeding mess. He’d watched as the sword made its deadly arc towards him, ready to strike a blow that would surely have decapitated him if it had landed. This male, Ross, had punched the male wielding the blade and had saved his life. His eyes had locked with Ross’ for a split second, his was a face he would never forget. The features of the male who had saved him were embedded in his memory.

  He stared at those features now. Dark eyes, strong jaw. “The fact remains,” Rushe spoke softly, “you didn’t have to step in. Especially considering I was your enemy.”

  Ross’ eyes darkened. “Our species have our ups and downs but I would not refer to you as my enemy. You were standing beside your leader, helping the male defend his pregnant female.” The vampire threw him a feral grin. “I was tempted to change sides. Brant can be a fucking lunatic. You should not have put yourself into his line of fire though. He could kill you without remorse.”

  It was Rushe’s turn to shrug. “He should never have gone at you like that. You had permission to …” He let the sentence hang, taking in a deep breath. “His anger did not seem to come completely unfounded. It sounds as if human contact is forbidden amongst your kind. To repeatedly hit you when you are not permitted to fight back though …” He shook his head.

  Ross narrowed his eyes, his shoulders tense. “What are your intentions with the human?”

  Rushe felt his own jaw lock. It took him a few long seconds to regain control. “I intend to claim her and to make her my mate. Becky is mine.”

  Ross’ eyes darkened to an inky black. His jaw ticked. A growl emanated from deep in his throat.

  On instinct, Rushe growled back. Low and deep. He had to work to keep his lip from curling back to reveal his canines.

  “That puts us in a little bit of a predicament, because I see Becky as my mate. I see the female as mine.” The vampire’s voice dropped several octaves.

  “How are we going to resolve this?” Rushe didn’t try to stop the growl this time or the curl of his lip.

  Ross flashed him his own sharp fangs as he smiled. There was no humor evident within that smile. “It would be easy to solve. Back the fuck down. Allow me to pursue the female. I have no doubt that in time, I could convince her to become my mate.”

  “Never,” Rushe snarled. “You back down, bloodsucker.” Rushe’s fists curled tighter. If the vampire came at him, he would be ready. “I will never give her up.”

  The male laughed. He leaned onto his thighs, his head bowed making himself vulnerable to attack. Vampires were so damned arrogant. Then again, maybe the male instinctively knew that Rushe would not attack, that he still felt that he owed him. Instead of taking the opportunity, Rushe felt himself relax. He realized that he couldn’t fight the male unless Ross came at him first. This situation was so fucked up.

  “What’s so funny? I don’t see the humor.”

  The male next to him laughed harder, tears rolled down his cheeks, which he wiped away with the back of his hand. “Look at us,” he said through bouts of laughter. “What a bunch of pussy-whipped idiots. We’ve set our sights on a female who doesn’t even want us.” He finally stopped laughing. “She certainly doesn’t want me. Yet, I feel a need to claim her all the same.”

  Rushe could see the humor and if not for the male’s last statement, he certainly would’ve laughed. As much as he wanted to agree with the male he just couldn’t. “She does want you,” he said through clenched teeth. “I asked Becky if she planned on taking you as a mate and although she vehemently denied wanting you, I could see that she was lying.” He took a deep breath. “I think it is part of the reason that I decided to come here. I was jealous that she wanted you when all I can think of is her. Becky is everything to me.”

  Ross cursed; he seemed to fixate on the cell bars ahead. “I wish I was a lesser male. Why the fuck do I even care?” He shook his head, turning to face Rushe. His dark eyes locked with his. “She cares about you too, wolf.” He clenched his jaw. “She found you highly compatible,” he hissed, his teeth clamped together. “She spoke of you on numerous occasions.”

  Rushe turned to face the male. “She did?”

  Ross smiled. “You know what? You’re not so fucking bad, wolf. I wish I could just hate you. It would make life so much easier.” His eyes widened. “The human really likes you … un-fucking-fortunately, it doesn’t solve any of our problems.”

  Rushe smiled back. “She doesn’t want a mate and we both want her.” He took a deep breath. “It’s a royal cluster-fuck of a situation. I don’t even feel like fighting you anymore.”

  The vampire grinned. “Tell me about it. I should want to rip your head off your shoulders.”

  Rushe nodded. “I should want to taste your blood, hot and thick on my tongue as I tear into your flesh.”

  “Hot and thick? I didn’t realize you wolves enjoyed blood.”

  “We don’t normally, however, there are times when it tastes damned good. Like when we fight and when we mark our mate.” Rushe’s voice turned deep just thinking about sinking his teeth into Becky.

  “Maybe we are not so different then. You were thinking of her just now.”

  Rushe nodded.

  “She is an amazing female. So small and soft yet she doesn’t take any shit.” Ross’ eyes glazed over as he thought of Becky. The male was totally smitten. They were both so fucked it was scary.

  “What are we going to do? How do we resolve this?” Rushe could hear how depressed he sounded. This wasn’t how he planned for this to go down.

  Ross shrugged. “We aren’t going to fight and we both want Becky.”

  “Yeah,” Rushe growled.

  “Fuck if I know. Especially considering she wants both of us, yet is in denial about wanting either.”

  “What if we both went after her? Then she can make the choice.”

  Ross snorted. “She would end up choosing me. Maybe you should give up now.”

  Rushe barked out a laugh. “You vampires are so fucking full of it. Know that I will pull out all the stops. I have studied human females for a very long time. Their needs, their desires. How to please them. Can you say the same?”

  Ross’ voice turned low
. “I have been with many females. I know how to please them. Besides, I have fangs and know how to use them. You should have heard her scream, wolf.”

  Rushe forced himself to keep from attacking the vampire. He knew that if he so much as growled, the vampire would see it as a win.

  “Her pussy clamped so tight around my dick when she came that I was sure she had injured me. She told me it was the best sex she has ever had ‒ and I haven’t even bitten her yet,” Rushe was sure to keep his voice even. “Wait until I clamp down on that erogenous zone on her neck. The one that will be fully stimulated by my canines. Becky will think she has died and gone to fucking heaven. She will not be able to think of another male ever again … that includes you, vampire.” Rushe only wished he felt as sure as he sounded.

  “She may have said it was the best sex she ever had, but that was before she had me. Things have changed, wolf.”

  “You wish, vampire,” Rushe snarled, hoping that the male was talking shit. The idea of losing Becky had his heart beating faster. Had his skin turning cold.

  Ross chuckled. “Just listen to us. We’re both fucked, you know that right?”

  Rushe had to laugh even though his heart clenched painfully. “We’re in so much shit. How are we going to do this?”

  “I asked if Becky would date me. She is thinking about it. Maybe we can both date her?”

  Rushe growled, hating the thought of another male with his female.

  “I feel the same but what choice do we have?”

  Rushe wanted to ask the other male to truly back down but knew it wouldn’t happen. Just like he wouldn’t back down himself. “Fine,” he finally said. This was the only logical way to solve their dilemma.

  “Now for the ground rules.”

  “I get to rut her.” Rushe smirked as Ross’ eyes narrowed.

  “Not a fuck,” he snarled, sounding more like a wolf than a bloodsucker. “If I so much as scent you on her, I will—” He smiled sheepishly. “You’re goading me?” He shook his head. “The good news is that there is more to a relationship than just sex.”

  Rushe frowned. Where was the bloodsucker going with this?