Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2011 Stacey Espino
ISBN: 978-1-926950-86-0
Cover Artist: LF Designs
Editor: Marie Buttineau
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To the wonderful group of menage authors who blog with me on When One Is Not Enough.
http://www.menageromance.blogspot.com
THE LAST PRINCESS
Pack Seduction, 3
Stacey Espino
Copyright © 2011
Chapter One
"Give up the address, geek boy!"
Delia held the blade to the base of his skull. She had the young fox pinned to the desk, bent over at the waist. He hadn't heard her coming, nobody ever did.
"I've already told you. They're all in the city, but I don't have an address. It's not like they've kept in contact with me. As soon as they left to find Carna, they took the SUV and deserted me here."
She dropped the knife on the desk beside his head with a clang of metal and stood up straight. He wasn't a threat, and if he became one, she didn't need a weapon to defend herself. There was no use trying to force the information from him. She had become excellent at deciphering if a person was lying to her—the fox was being honest.
He slowly twisted around to face her, sitting on the edge of the desk, eying the knife at his side. "You can try," she taunted.
"You already know I'm not a threat to you." Then he looked at her, really looked at her, his eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. You're the last princess, aren't you?"
"Shouldn't you be smarter for a computer nerd?" She walked around the small cabin, lit only by the flames dancing in the fireplace. Carna had been here, she could sense it. She'd kept tabs on both her sisters over the years, and she knew the bitter-sweet truth that they'd both given up the fight and mated. That would never be her.
"Hey, I can only do so much way out here. The 3G signal's shitty as hell, and I haven't exactly been raring to find another royal sister. Thanks to the first one, I was stranded out here in the middle of nowhere."
She scoffed, "That's what you get for kidnapping a princess." Delia sorted through the books and papers on a wooden shelf, and dug through bins of loose clothing in hopes of finding a clue. Nothing. She'd heard through the grapevine about Carna's mating, and Freya's soon after. They were supposedly together in the city which brought her a measure of relief. At least they had each other, not destined to walk the earth alone like her.
"I hope you're gonna clean that up," he said, looking at the mess of papers that had fallen to the ground. She ignored him and paced the room, the wooden floor boards groaning in the same spots.
Her original goal when escaping the royal palace, so many years ago, was to gain the freedom of choice. Being born a princess meant Delia and her sisters would have males chosen for them, ones who'd be the best match for creating future generations. There was no choice. Love wasn't even an afterthought. She wanted so much more for her sisters. It would be a cold day in hell when she sat back and watched her mother force three males onto one of her younger siblings.
Now she felt lost. Her sisters had chosen from their own free will—mated for love. Where did that leave her? As they kept in hiding, attempting not to be found and returned to the palace, Delia became used to the idea of running. It became a part of who she was. Mating no longer entered her mind. The longer she lived on her own, the more she plotted ways to overthrow the royal family—her family. What good would her sacrifices do if the subsequent generations had to live through the same nightmare? Would her mother seek out Carna and Freya's future children and subject them to her rule?
It had to end, and she was the only one for the job.
The fox inched closer, drawing up her hackles. "You have beautiful eyes." Delia glared at him. He was tall and lean muscled, a boy next door charm about him. But he was a fox, the lowest on the totem pole for shifter races.
She growled and stomped away, looking for something to eat. She'd driven the highway half the night to get to the remote cottage.
"I didn't mean that," he said. "No--I mean, your eyes are beautiful, but it wasn't me who said it. It was me, but—"
"Don't worry about it. It's my blood. You can't help yourself." She squatted down to look through a box of canned goods near the fireplace. Male advances had become as common as the breeze tickling her skin when she was outdoors. She barely noticed any more. Only males who forced themselves on her got hurt. Men like the fox shifter couldn’t control their base desires, and she didn't fault him for it. He could hardly be blamed. All royal females had unique blood—it could change a human to a shifter and had rare healing qualities. More annoyingly, it attracted unmated shifters like moths to a flame. For her it was a curse. She just wanted to be left alone, to be normal.
"It's true then. Wow. I thought the stories were more hype than anything." He kept a safe distance from her, watching what she was doing from behind his computer screen. "I've studied you, you know? You, your sisters—the whole history of royal blood."
She whirled around, her hunger no longer of importance. "Do you know about the palace?"
"Are you kidding? I have the specs on my laptop. It has higher security than Fort Knox."
Maybe the little fox would be more use to her than she imagined. If he could get her into the palace, she could leave a fiery streak of destruction in her wake. It would look good on her mother for what she'd put her through.
Delia adjusted her leather jacket over her matching black leather pants before sitting on the edge of the desk. "What's your name, fox?"
He rolled his eyes. "Caleb. You know, just because I'm a fox doesn't make me less of a man." She gave him the once over. He was no alpha, but she'd had enough drama from alphas to last her five lifetimes. This man was safe. His green eyes did give her a little thrill, but she blew off any attraction. Caleb was good for one thing only—getting her into the royal palace.
"My wolf could eat you for breakfast."
"And my fox could outrun you." He winked. "But I'm not too worried. You're tiny in your human skin. If I wanted to I could overpower you right here, right now."
"I'd love to see you try," she dared. Hadn't he already learned his lesson when he was at her mercy not twenty minutes ago?
He shrugged. "Nah."
"Caleb, I have a proposition for you. I'm a princess, so it would be dutiful of you."
"I'm listening."
She had to handle this diplomatically. The average shifter wouldn't challenge the queen, especially not a good boy like Caleb. Delia would have to tell a few white lies to get what she wanted. It would beat having to force him to help her, constantly watching her back, and prodding him to comply. "You have to help me find my sisters. I haven't spoken with them in years."
"What's the proposition?"
"If you help me find what I want, I'll let you have whatever you want." She unzipped her jacket an inch to give the clueless shifter the idea.
He began typing away at his keyboard with both hands. "Don't try and sell your body to me, princess. I'm not interested. If you'd just have asked me, I would have agreed to help you."
She zipped her coat back up. Delia had no intention of hopping into bed with anyone, but a little cleavage often w
ent a long way according to Carna. "Even better."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He looked up from his screen with a scowl. "Never mind." Caleb swung the monitor around for her to look at.
"What is it?"
"Club Frenzy. One of Freya's mates owns it, so I expect you can find your sisters from there."
"We." She needed Caleb to get her into the palace, not just to the city. She'd been to Club Frenzy before and didn't need to be told how to find her sisters if she really needed to. When she was ready, she could track them down through one of her connections. Delia came to the little cabin hoping to find Carna, but it appeared she lived in the city, along with Freya.
"I could use a ride into the city. I wouldn't even attempt to navigate the forest on my own. Too many wolves out there."
"Nice friends you have, deserting you out here with no way to get home."
He closed his laptop and slipped it into a leather satchel. "It was the mating call. Who am I to argue?" Caleb stood at attention as if waiting on her. "Aren't we leaving?"
That was easy. He sure seemed eager to get back to civilization. "Sure. We can go now." She'd love to stop and rest, get a bite to eat, but the mission always had to be the number one priority.
The sun was over an hour from rising, the moon still dominating the night sky. There was a sharp chill in the air, but she was dressed appropriately enough. The leaf litter crunched beneath her feet as she walked away from the cabin. It was eerily quiet, only starlight providing illumination. Delia had nothing to fear. She owned the night. In the blink of an eye she could shift into a lethal wolf. There were few predators out there worse than her.
"Where's the car?" Caleb shifted his computer bag higher on his shoulder and scanned the lot around the cabin.
"Over here." She moved to the shadowed overhang where she'd hid her motorcycle. After clearing away some of the debris she used for camouflage, she walked it into the clearing.
"A bike? Are you kidding me? I'm not riding on that death trap."
"Get on, geek boy. I don't have time for this." She straddled her bike, feeling at home on the familiar seat. It was home when she didn't have any roots.
"Do you know the statistics on motorcycle fatalities?"
She exhaled her irritation. "We had a deal. Now save the lecture and get on." Delia glanced over her shoulder. "Or do you want to rot out here by yourself?" Caleb's eyes glowed even greener in the shroud of darkness. He wasn't like any fox she knew of. They were usually lanky, creepy little guys. Caleb could easily pass for a young panther shifter with his hard body, and unique sex appeal.
He lifted one of his long legs over the bike behind her and lowered into place. His body pressed tight behind her was a new sensation. She'd always driven alone. Delia cranked the engine a little longer than necessary, held on, and hit the gas. Caleb yelped and wrapped his arms around her as they accelerated. "Holy shit!"
She laughed out loud, feeling quite calm around the fox shifter. He put her at ease and made her smile. Normally she'd never trust someone at her back, but Caleb didn't feel threatening. Almost…comforting. She reasoned it was because he was her key into the palace. Besides her sisters, she never warmed up to anyone, especially men.
They made it to the highway after a bumpy ride through the rough path in the forest. Underbrush had whipped by, roots and stones testing her bike's suspension. Caleb's strong arms held her tight, nearly cutting off her air supply.
"Shouldn't we have helmets," he yelled against the strength of the wind.
"Don't be a pussy." She revved the engine and brought the bike to new speeds. The wind, the velocity, the untamed abandon—it was all a rush. It only she could drive an endless highway, never needing to stop, never needing to think. This was the only time she could forget the world and just live in the perfect moment. Once she set two feet back on the city streets it would be the same battles. She'd have to fight off suitors who only saw her as an object to claim, a prize to gloat over. Her inner demons would assault her—loneliness, worry for her sisters, fear of the future, and the wicked urges that besieged her every full moon.
After hours on the road, the distant lights of the city sparkled like a million tiny stars fallen from the night sky. Her peace would soon come to an end, and a great journey would start. She knew her plans were weak and poorly thought out, but she was the last princess—what did she have to lose? Delia wanted to make a final statement. Show her mother physical pain by destroying the things she cherished. It would help make up for the internal pain Delia had suffered. When she was younger she'd look at happily mated couples with envy, knowing that would never be her. Rather, she'd be forced into a contracted mating with males she didn't know nor choose on her own. Now, she'd grown closed and bitter, and those same happy couples made her feel nothing at all. Love was not in the cards for her.
She slowed to a stop along the sidewalk on the outskirts of the city. After setting her foot down, she nudged her passenger. "We're here. Where to next?"
"Yonge and Maple." Caleb didn't sound too good, but at least he wasn't nagging.
It would be morning soon, so Club Frenzy would be deserted. She just wanted to get close to the area so she could take off on her own for an hour or so, then she'd deal with getting the fox to help her. Once she returned to the palace, she may never leave. With the trouble she planned to stir up, she wouldn't be surprised if it was her last hoorah. Knowing this, she wanted to see Carna and Freya one last time, to see them happy with her own eyes. That was the only peace she needed at this point.
She pulled up into the parking lot of a cheap motel she'd stayed at on a few occasions. Cash, no questions asked—it was the only type of place she dared to stay at with her mother's henchmen always on the lookout for her. She'd been close by when Freya and Carna had been captured, but before she could step in, a bunch of alpha shifters moved into action. That's when she'd found out about Carna's mating. It was tough to acknowledge her sister had given up the fight. At least she'd ended up with males of her choosing which would have certainly pissed off the queen.
"What's this place? Club Frenzy is another five minutes south."
She slipped off the bike, bent over, and shook out her hair. Delia would need some sleep before they left. She'd need all the energy she could muster for the fight she planned. Her memories of the royal palace included fortified walls, moats, and some of the most bad-ass shifters on guard duty—the Royal Elite.
"We're going to stop here and rest for awhile." She pointed to the sky, now shifting from navy to pale blue as dawn approached. "Nobody will be at the club yet."
Caleb followed her to the registration desk, and then to the room on the second level. She never stayed on the first floor, too risky. "This is nice," he said, his voice dripping of sarcasm.
"I'd say it's an improvement over a shack in the woods with no running water." She unzipped her leather jacket and tossed it on the end of the bed. She ignored the stained sink and let the water in the small bathroom run, splashing her face from the long ride. Delia looked up into the mirror. She looked tired, defeated. "What have you done, Delia?" she whispered to her reflection. When she'd escaped the palace with her two younger sisters, she thought they craved freedom as much as she did. But the fact she didn't care if she ever mated wasn't shared. She should have seen it coming. All sentient beings whether human or shifter felt the pull to bond with a mate, to love and be loved. She knew the lure because every full moon her body battled with her mind. It wanted to give up, fuck the first male in her path, and never look back. But each month was a victory because her maidenhead was still intact.
She'd die a virgin and a martyr.
Chapter Two
Caleb looked around the room. There were two single beds, retro carpeting, and stained, peeling wallpaper. He was surprised a dive like this was allowed to operate in such a thriving city. Immediately, he sought out a place to set up his laptop. He had to be connected. His livelihood was online. When his old friends asked him to h
elp them locate one of the lost princesses, he was up for the challenge. He wasn't surprised when they took their prize and deserted him at the cabin. Nobody ever took Caleb seriously, especially women. He supposed it's what he got for putting no effort into finding a mate of his own.
He had a list of jobs he was already contracted for. Caleb was known for his unsurpassed skills on a computer. He'd done more hacking in the past few years, but it was the only way he knew how to earn a dollar.
"I can look up their addresses. Then we can visit them now instead of waiting for the club to open." He was anxious to get out of this shithole. Now that he was free of the distant cottage, he could travel by transit and get his life back in order.
She shouted from the bathroom, the running water muffling her voice. "No! I need rest."
When she finally joined him in the main room he had to do a double take. She only wore a thin black tank top under her leather jacket, complete with spaghetti straps and no bra. He didn't need the pull of her royal blood to know he was attracted to her. But Caleb and a gorgeous wolf shifting princess? Yeah, never gonna happen. He was the guy women talked to about the "real" men they wanted to date—the alphas, the dominant breeds. It was the role he'd grown accustomed to. If a woman actually hit on him he may just drop dead from shock.
"How much rest do you need, princess? This ain't exactly the Hilton."
She tugged off her leather pants in the middle of the room, not paying him any mind. Women even changed in front of him now, not even seeing his as a fucking male. "Get used to it, fox. This is as good as it gets." She tossed her leathers on the back of the chair across from his and climbed on the bed. Her body was lithe, softly curved, and wonderful to look at. Within seconds she was under the covers and appeared to be asleep. She even trusted him not to leave or harm her? Shit, did he have sucker written on his forehead?
The Last Princess Page 1
