The Chosen Series Box Set: Books 1 - 3

by Charlene Hartnady

  Becky pushed on his chest, so he reluctantly released her. She tried to not make a big deal of it but he noticed how she used her hand to wipe her mouth. Dammit! He just knew he was going to disappoint her and he had. “I’m bad at kissing. Just admit it.”

  “Where did you learn to kiss?”

  “I learned about it but mainly from pornos. Unfortunately they don’t kiss too much in those, but I was sure to pay close attention when they did.”

  She smiled, her eyes lit up. This was the part where she was going to make fun of him, he could feel the vampire’s eyes on him. Soon they would both be taunting him about what a shit kisser he was.

  “You do realize that a porno is not a very good place to learn how to kiss ‒ or to learn much of anything about sex. The females are just acting.” She reached out and put her hand in his. “I’ll teach you how to kiss properly.”

  His heart beat faster. He risked a glance at the vampire. Ross was using Becky’s discarded towel to clean up his mess, he didn’t seem to be paying too much attention to them. Rushe knew that the male had heard every word of their conversation though. This was the perfect opportunity to show him up as the lesser male. His respect for the bloodsucker grew. The male was giving him some space, he wasn’t taking advantage as Rushe had expected.

  Becky put her other hand in his so that now she was facing him, holding both of his hands, she squeezed and smiled up at him. Rushe looked back down and his eyes locked with hers. They were the most beautiful crystal blue eyes he had ever seen. What would he do if he lost her?

  He totally forgot that train of thought as she moved onto her knees reaching up. “You know when you first touch a female when making love to her?” She didn’t wait for his reply. “That is how you should begin when kissing ‒ slow, testing, soft. Kissing is similar to sex in a lot of ways. You wouldn’t just throw yourself on a woman and start pumping in her full speed would you?”

  He shook his head. “I would definitely touch her first and yes, my touch would be much softer initially. I would make sure that she was properly wet and ready.”

  His female’s eyes heated. “Exactly, and when you first breached her body with yours, you would do so carefully and slowly. Sometimes the kiss stays this way, but just like with sex, sometimes a kiss can become frantic and hard. There needs to be a slow build-up though, you can’t just go straight to the end. It doesn’t work that way. The kissing you saw during those pornos was during serious fuck scenes. Kisses that are hard and rough like that are best left for times like that.”

  Understanding rose up in him. “I think I know what you mean. I would like to try again now.” His eyes had lowered to her lips. Plump, raspberry perfection. He groaned softly.

  “Let’s try first without using tongues,” she said, her eyes dipping to his lips as well.

  He felt how his brow creased. “Can you kiss without tongues?”

  For the first time, Becky giggled. “Yes, of course, silly. Kiss me already.”

  He pressed his lips to hers for a second or two before pulling back. “How was that?”

  “Just think of my lips a little bit like you would my clit. It’s not enough just to put your finger on that spot, you need to rub and play with it too. It’s the same with our lips. Stay still, I’ll kiss you.”

  She brought her lips to his. She opened her mouth a little. It felt like she was tasting him. Becky moved her mouth over his. She even nipped at his bottom lip. The sensations felt wonderful. He quickly caught the hang of it and did the same back to her. She sucked on his lip and he growled, loving how it made him shiver. When her little tongue touched his mouth he responded in kind and before long, they were moving and playing, using their lips and tongues. Slow and easy. Eventually, she broke the kiss, they were both panting heavily.

  “I enjoyed that,” he murmured.

  “So did I.” It came out sounding a little breathless. Her lips were really swollen, her eyelids hooded. The scent of her arousal filled the air. When he dropped his gaze, he noticed that her nipples were pebbled. He longed to suck them. It made his heart soar to know that he had done that with just a kiss to her mouth. She had enjoyed his kiss.

  “As much as I’d love a round number two,” Ross said as he did up his pants, “I need to find a place to stay and you need to go to your Alpha. Seems like you might have some explaining to do.”

  Shit! He had forgotten all about Ward and his pack. The male would have his balls. “Yeah. As much as I would love to stay, I can’t.” His eyes stayed on hers. “I’ll be back later.” He moved his eyes to Ross as he spoke.

  “Don’t stay away too long, wolf.”

  “Hey, I still haven’t agreed to dating either one of you.” Becky bit down on her swollen, lush bottom lip.

  “It’s only a matter of time.” Ross smiled. He put a knee on the bed and moved between Rushe and Becky. “I also want to taste your mouth.” The vampire slid his lips over Becky’s. Rushe watched as they all out kissed. His wolf just yawned and stretched. The beast content after such a dizzying orgasm. It shouldn’t be so relaxed. He was so close to the kissing couple, he could feel the heat coming off of them. Could distinctly hear the clashing of their tongues and the smacking of their lips. It made him want to touch Becky. Urge on Ross. It made him seriously hard. Almost as if he were touching her himself. It didn’t make any sense.

  The last thing Rushe expected when he returned to the village, was for Ward to greet him with a bear hug ‒ Ahem ‒ wolf hug, and right out in the middle of the village where anyone could see.

  His Alpha gripped him so tight, he was sure one or two of his ribs snapped in the process. “Don’t you ever fucking do anything so stupid ever again.” His eyes were filled with concern and his frame was tense. “What were you thinking?”

  “That bloodsucker rutted with my female ‒ and not only that, he claimed her as his.” Rushe stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I couldn’t just leave it. Becky is mine. I decided to fight for her.”

  “Like I said before, maybe this female isn’t right for you if she would so easily rut with another male.” Ward was trying to be helpful but Rushe felt his anger rise.

  “I had no claim over her. She has not agreed to be my mate. We are not on our three-month trial period. Unfortunately, she can rut whomever she wishes.” It came out in a low growl even though he tried hard not to sound so aggressive.

  Ward looked around them. “Follow me.” He strode ahead and Rushe followed. They walked for a time, passing several packmates and having to stop several times. Finally, they made it out of the village and walked up the pathway into the forest. Rushe loved being out in the open like this, his wolf clambered just below the surface, the beast wanted to run despite the fact that he had been in his wolf form all day. If anything, his wolf was stronger after being free for so long. He had to work hard to keep a tether on the beast.

  Finally, Ward came to a stop and he turned to face Rushe. “You’re lucky things turned out the way they did. You could easily have been killed. You know that, don’t you?”

  Rushe nodded.

  Ward actually looked sad for a few seconds. He shook his head, looking off into the distance. “I had a meeting with those vampire kings yesterday.”

  “What? Why?” Rushe could feel his brow furrow. “You knew I was fine and leaving their territory.”

  “Relax. You were a part of the conversation but it wasn’t the only reason for my seeing them. A meeting with the kings was long overdue.” He paused, “You shouldn’t have told them about the shifters rutting humans and certainly not about us mating humans. You could’ve brought a shit storm down on us.”

  “I only mentioned a single mating. They don’t know about any of our plans.” Rushe expected Ward to be angry. Yet the male looked the picture of calm. Not a single muscle was tense, even his heart-rate was even.

  “It wasn’t your place to discuss such things. I had planned on meeting with them to discuss this topic anyway. So, you actually just sped things up for
me.” He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t pull a stunt like that again.”

  “I’m sorry. I won’t,” he mumbled. It was wrong of him to have said anything but that bastard, Brant, really irritated the fur out of him.

  “It turns out that they don’t care who we rut and even less about who we mate, just as long as it doesn’t affect them.” Ward smiled. “Not that I was seeking their permission anyway. The fact is, their approval makes our lives easier. Thankfully they still believe that the Lores hold true for them. That only royal blood will cause a human female to become stronger when mated. Thank fuck they are arrogant, full of it motherfuckers.”

  His Alpha smiled for a few seconds before looking down at his feet. After a few seconds more, Ward looked up at him. “Despite Brant exiling him, Zane wants that vampire back. He wants this whole human mating business over. They are afraid of what would happen if vampires started rutting with humans. They are worried that their males could harm and even kill human females.” He sighed heavily. “If Ross ends up mating this female, other vampire males might get ideas. There are already mutterings amongst the males about heading out to Sweetwater to partake in some human fun.”

  Rushe wasn’t sure what any of this had to do with him. He almost said as much but something in Ward’s expression made him hold his tongue.

  “You’re sure that you want this female?”

  “Never more sure of anything in my life,” Rushe responded without hesitation.

  Ward looked relieved for just a second before schooling his emotions. “Well then she’s yours.”

  “I wish that were true but the vampire and I both want her. We are both working at winning her. You could call it a race to the finish and I plan on winning. That’s why I need to pack a bag and head back to town.” He looked his Alpha in the eye, trying to convey to him the severity of the situation. “I need to leave right now. The sooner the better. I might be gone for a while.” He took a deep breath. “The longer I am away, the more chance he has of winning her. I love her, Ward, and would do anything for her.” He pulled a hand out of his pocket, dragging his fingers through his hair. “That includes leaving my pack, walking away. I beg of you, please give me permission to go. I need your support in this.”

  “Calm down.” Ward put a hand on his shoulder. “Everything is going to be okay. I told you that she is yours and I meant it. I mentioned that the vampires want this male back. They do not want a vampire and human union.” Ward removed the hand on Rushe’s shoulder and took a few steps in the opposite direction before pacing back. “I have agreed to you and the vampire having a fight. The winner will get to claim and mate the female. The vampire kings saw you fight that day when we were trying to protect Stephany. They know that you are a berserker and that you will win. They realize that you could kill the male but are willing to risk it.”

  Rushe felt his blood rush. “What? I told you that we’ve come to an agreement. We will work to win the affection of this female. We do not wish to fight. The human will choose one of us. There is no need for bloodshed.”

  Ward paced back. His whole body tense. “It does not matter what kind of a deal you have struck with this vampire. It is done. You will fight him tomorrow and you will win. You are the stronger male. In one-on-one combat, you would go into berserker mode and win. The agreement is that the fight would not be to the death, but rather until one of you concedes or is down.”

  “No fucking way. I would probably accidentally kill him. I don’t want that,” Rushe growled, his skin tingled and his nail beds itched. He had to fight to keep his wolf under control. The thought of harming Ross did not sit well with him.

  “You need to understand …” Ward stopped pacing. He locked eyes with Rushe. “Should this vampire win and mate this female, other vampire males could end up going after human females. It could result in untold bloodshed and death. The human population would come up against us. At the very least, we would not be permitted near their females. We have a real chance of saving the shifter species. Of all of us males being able to find mates and having offspring. Listen to what I’m saying, Rushe.” He took a step towards Rushe. “You get to have the female. We get to carry on, working our way down the list. There is no other option, this has already been decided. You fight tomorrow. I don’t want to hear another word about it. Please try to understand.”

  “If you make me do this, you will take away my honor.”

  “If you don’t do this it could spell the end of our species and possibly even non-humans as a whole,” Ward growled. “Think long and hard about which you would prefer.”

  “Why don’t you just explain to the vampires that the human females would strengthen due to the mating bond? That if they were careful and followed certain safety rules, they too could easily take human mates. Don’t make me do this.”

  Ward shook his head. His green eyes darkened. “No. We would lose the one thing that will ensure that we do not stay under their control.” He sighed. “I wish things could be different. This way, the shifter packs can increase in size. It won’t take us long before we overtake the vampires in numbers. If they knew they were able to take human females and mate with them, easily procreate with them, they would remain the strongest species and continue to dominate us. Is that what you want?”

  “You know I don’t.” Fuck, he was backed into a corner. “We have to try to find a way out of this. I really don’t want to fight the male.”

  “It is already decided. There’s no going back.”

  Rushe ran a hand through his hair. “Okay then.” He turned and strode away, already undoing his pants and pulling them down his thighs.

  “What are you doing?” Ward growled. Rushe could hear the male coming up behind him.

  “What does it look like?” he snarled back, turning to face his leader. “I’m heading back to Sweetwater. I need to see Ross immediately. We have to come up with a solution somehow.”

  “Ross is back with his coven.” Ward’s eyes softened. He closed the distance between them. “One of the agreements was that you couldn’t see each other before the fight. You will see him tomorrow when we meet on Crosses Field. At least the location is pretty much the border between our two territories. Nice and neutral. I’m sorry, Rushe, I wish things could have been different. Just keep your female in mind. Do this for her. It won’t help to speak with the vampire. There is nothing to discuss. No way out. You would only make things worse.”

  As much as he wanted to win his female. Rushe didn’t want it to be like this. He knew without a doubt that if he fought the vampire and won, Becky would have nothing to do with him anyway. Fear made his blood turn icy, there was a good chance he would kill the male. Becky would hate him then. Hell, he would hate himself enough for both of them. Unfortunately he couldn’t think of a way out.

  Chapter 24

  Even though it was midday, the sky was dark. Thick storm clouds continued to blow in. It was ominous, black; he would go so far as to call the electric storm that was brewing threatening. The air crackled. His hair stood on end.

  Every so often a streak of lightning flashed across the horizon. A slow rumble sounded, followed by a loud crash. Rushe hadn’t caught sight of his opponent amongst the thick throng of vampire males yet. All were dressed in their usual war attire of full body leather. He knew from experience that although the covering was soft to the touch, it was harder than it looked to pierce, giving some degree of protection. With a shiver, he knew that it wouldn’t keep Ross safe. Rushe prayed that he would somehow manage to keep control of his beast.

  There was sometimes nothing he could do in the throes of battle. If his wolf felt that they were under threat, it would take over. At times like this, Rushe would become trapped within himself. It was difficult to explain the sensation to others. His focus would zone into his opponent. Everything in that moment seemed to slow. He would have an uncanny ability to predict his enemy’s next move. To exploit his weaknesses. His beast was ruthless, a killing machine capable of using toot
h and claw to take out their opponents. Sure, he was in there somewhere, able to witness what was happening but unable to do anything himself. Certainly unable to prevent the carnage. If his wolf escaped, Ross would die by Rushe’s own hand and he would have to live with it.

  He hadn’t known the male for very long and should want him dead. The fact of the matter was, he respected Ross. Even considered him to some degree to be a friend. He certainly didn’t view the male as an enemy. How would he live with himself if he killed Ross?

  It was almost a certainty that the vampire would die today. That his female would never forgive him.

  At first there was a shout, then a low murmur went through the audience, followed by silence. The crowd parted and Ross walked into the large open area. The fight zone.

  Ross’ eyes were hard, his hands were fisted at his sides. His whole demeanor was simmering and angry. He scanned the area where Rushe’s pack had congregated until finally the vampire’s eyes locked with his. They hardened up a whole lot more. Even from this distance, Rushe could see his jaw clench, and a muscle tic, in short, the male was pissed.

  It seemed that Ross had decided he was going to fight for Becky after all. Maybe he was angry that Rushe had agreed to this whole debacle. He couldn’t blame the male. Rushe wished for about the hundredth time that he could have a quick conversation with Ross. It seemed that wasn’t going to be possible though. The future of his pack and that of the shifters were at stake.

  He would just have to work hard to control his beast. While the odds were stacked against him, he would give everything he had inside of him to prevent himself from going into berserker mode.

  Ross kept his eyes locked on the wolf. His enemy. Although they had agreed, it seemed like the bastard didn’t give a shit and had decided to go back on his word. Despite their agreement, here they stood.