The Last Princess (3 page)

"You wouldn't believe me anyway."  She attempted to
stand up, but he moved so fast.  His hand on her thigh brought her back down
into a seated position.

"I'm listening, Delia."  No more
"princess"?  Her name on his lips sounded so personal.  She rarely
felt like a person these days, more like a forgotten shadow.  When was the last
time she'd even been addressed by her real name? 

Her natural tendency to keep everything locked up tight in a
vault was wavering.  All her well laid plans had already unraveled at the
seams, so talking with this beta shifter couldn’t do any harm.  "If you
know our history, then you know we carry the royal blood.  It's the life force
for all shifter races, including yours, fox. It's a great responsibility to be
born a princess, but also a heavy burden.  Our mother follows the tradition
passed down from so many generations.  She choose three alpha shifters from
differing races that would best aid the bloodlines, just as her mother did
before her, and so on. These arranged matings are done without any input from
the princesses."  She took a breath.  "We have no say in anything. 
We're vessels, no more.  I wanted more for my little sisters."

"So you ran away?  That's not always the answer to our
problems.  Did you talk to anyone about this?"

"What would be the point?  Only female wolves can carry
on the lines.  We were oddities—three born to the same queen.  Because everyone
knew about us, it was even harder getting away and staying hidden."

"Was it worth it?"  His hand was still on her thigh,
but it was an afterthought to this emotional release.

"When I saw their smiling faces, I knew all the
sacrifices hadn't been in vain. They know what it is to love.  To be
loved."  She whispered the last words, knowing she'd never experience the
same.

"Why am I here?  You said yourself you saw your sisters. 
You don’t need my help finding them."  He didn't sound angry but he wanted
answers that she wasn't ready to give.

"Just…let me think for a minute."  She bolted to her
feet and began pacing the room. 

"Think of more ways to lie and deceive me?  How about the
truth?  You don't have to think about that."  He stood up, swinging her
around with a hand to the shoulder, forcing her to face him.  She hadn't
noticed how tall he was.  Even for not having a large, bulky frame, he had
broad shoulders and strong forearms.  The rest was hidden, but she could imagine
he'd be all lean muscled.

What did she have to lose at this point?  "I need to get
inside the royal palace."

"You're the last princess, they'll roll out the red
carpet for you."

She shook her head. "I'm not going for tea and biscuits. 
I intend to shake the place down by its foundation."

Chapter
Three

"I grow weary of excuses," said Alexander.  He set
down his crystal glass at the head of the table, the crimson liquid swirled
before settling.  One of the servants offered a bowl of fresh fruit, but he
swatted the man away.  "Where the fuck could she be?  Doesn't she realize
how embarrassing this is for me?"

"We've hired the best, sir.  It's only a matter of time
until they flush her out of hiding.  With the other two princesses mated,
she'll be all alone."

"And come crawling back?  Beg for forgiveness?  Not
likely."

His betrothed, the young Delia Demori, was over five years
late to the wedding.  He'd been chosen out of thousands of males, gone through
painstaking tests of strength and intellect.  Then when the day came to claim
his bride, to become a part of history, and to join the royal family—he was
jilted. Every passing year, month, week made him grow more and more agitated. 
He looked the fool.  For the first time in history, an entire generation of
princesses had abandoned their calling.

At least his was still unmated, as far as he knew.  The other
two had publically chosen unapproved males, giving no hope to their betrothed.
Once mated, the game was over.  No shifter in his right mind would try to take
a woman away from their mate, approved or not.  It would be a death sentence. 

Alexander was the last male left waiting for Delia.  The other
two had given up hope and found mates of their own. He should have walked away
years ago, but held onto the hope she'd return.  It was important to him to
join the royals.  His mother's dying wish was that their line would continue,
to carry on her husband's legacy.  She'd never been the same after his father's
death.  Nothing could make up for the loss until he had the chance to apply for
a royal courtship. If the fool she-wolf had lived up to her expectations, his
mother would have seen them wed and died in peace.  As it was, she passed on
with only with the hope that the princess would return.  He couldn't understand
why Delia wouldn't be thrilled to have him as a mate. As if she could get
better than a purebred wolf like him.

The queen entered the dining hall, followed by a small
entourage.  There was a great shuffling of feet and clattering of silverware as
everyone around the table stood.  Alexander had been invited to stay at the
palace after his mother's death.  The queen was convinced at least one of her
daughters would return that she already considered him a son.

"Your majesty."  He bowed slightly until she took a
seat. Her long black hair was coiled at the back of her head, her robe flowing
as she moved. She was a beautiful woman for her age, and he imagined his
bride-to-be would age just as well.

"Alexander.  I hear you're discontented today."

He grumbled.  Holding back his tongue, even within earshot of
the queen, was not something he was capable of. "Another full moon
approaches tomorrow.  Still no sign of her."

Every month he imagined his intended bride screwing around
with different males when she should be in his bed, pleasing him, making their
children.  He adjusted his collar.  How long could he live under this roof
before he felt like an unwelcome guest?  How could one little female evade a
small army of the best trackers?

"She's a bright girl.  I know she'll come to her senses. 
Her wolf is untamed, seeking a bit of adventure before she returns home."

"A proper princess doesn't go looking for
adventure," he said, not condoning Delia's actions. If she ever returned,
the first thing he'd do would be to take her upstairs to their master bedroom
and turn her over his knee for a spanking, whether the queen approved or not.

"Patience, Alexander."  The queen held up her empty
glass, awaiting service. She clearly didn't feel the same urgency he did.  This
was her home, her monarchy, and she didn’t seem too concerned that her daughter
may or may not return in the foreseeable future. As for him, he was chewing at
the bit to complete his intended mating. 

"Your majesty, if you'll excuse me?"  He dabbed at
the corner of his mouth with the cloth napkin and then set it over his plate.
The queen nodded, and he gladly escaped into the stone passageway leading to
the rear yard. The tunnel was lit by wall sconces, the candle light flickering
from the constant flow of air howling through.

One of his best friends, a bear shifter named Ulric, was on
guard at the entrance.  There wasn't an unattended gap in the palace.  Some
days it felt claustrophobic, and he couldn't blame the princess for wanting to
escape the tyranny.  Those days were few.

"Are you on until late?"

Ulric turned around, his large frame shadowed by the nearly
full moon above them.  He leaned against the stony entrance to the castle, only
the symphony of insects to keep him company. "All night.  Any word on your
little princess?"

"The bitch is still on the run.  I've committed to a
female I can't even touch.  The only release I have is running the perimeter of
the royal gardens each night."  He blew out a heavy breath. "What I
need is a proper fucking."  They both laughed, trying to make light of a
serious situation. Alexander's life was passing him by as he waited.  One year
moved into the next so flawlessly that one day he'd look in the mirror and find
he was old and grey, no longer able to court a woman.

"I know her well.  We grew up together, and if Delia is
anything, it's determined.  If she doesn't want to be found, I expect she never
will be."

"You're not helping, Ulric." He ran both hands
through his hair and growled.  The moon already called to him, urged him to
shed his human skin and run wild. "How do you manage without a mate?"

The bear shifter shrugged his wide shoulders. "The docile
lambs in the palace could never handle me. I need a woman with strong hips, and
a fiery spirit."  He chuckled, apparently lost in the fantasy of his ideal
mate. "I expect I'll have to venture away from town to find what I'm
looking for."

"Agreed, the women here are quite tame.  But maybe that's
exactly what I need rather than waiting for my little hell cat to return.  I
haven't even seen her in the flesh."

"Last time I saw Delia we were both adolescents, raising
hell around the palace.  She loved to break the rules then, and it appears
nothing has changed."

Alexander ground his teeth together.  He didn't need to hear
about his betrothed and her wild spirit.  What good did any of this information
do when she was still missing?  He began to strip off his tailored clothing,
folding the material in a neat pile on a stone pedestal. "Mind my things,
will you.  It's time for me to vent my frustration."  With that he allowed
the shift to overtake him.  With the strength of the moon showering over him,
it came quickly.  His bones and tendons morphed, his skin broke out in thick
fur, and he dropped to all fours as the last of the change enveloped him.  Once
in his wolf skin, he shook out his thick hide, pawed the ground, and then ran
with no destination in mind.

****

"You expect me to help you break into the palace?"

"Yes."  She had hoped her makeshift plan would have
fallen together better. Now she had to deal with a reluctant fox shifter.
"I'm a princess, so it would be dutiful of you to aid me."

"Hah!  Dutiful of me to go against the queen?  They'll
hang me by my balls if I'm caught!" He was wearing the carpet thin from
his pacing.

"You're the best, Caleb.  I wouldn't have asked you to
help me if I didn't think you'd succeed."  If he refused to help she'd be
screwed.  One way or another she was getting in that palace, and she needed his
help to do it stealthily.

He began to pack up his laptop, unzipping the shoulder bag.  She
was losing this battle.  She'd seen Carna in action, using her sexuality to get
her way with males.  It didn't come naturally for Delia. She was used to using
force or intimidation to get others to help her.  Caleb was a becoming a problem.
She didn't want to hurt him and he didn't threaten easily.

"Our deal was for me to get you to the city.  You already
know where Club Frenzy is, so I'm done." He shoved the computer into the
bag. 

Delia grabbed his arm. "Please.  You don't understand. 
Do you think it's easy being the golden child for every race of shifter?  To be
treated as an object, not a flesh and blood woman, even by my own mother? It's
not, Caleb.  It's the fucking nightmare I have to live every day. If I can make
a difference for another generation, then nothing will stop me.  I'll get in
the palace on my own if I have to.  But I'm asking for your help."  She
didn't have to fake the sentiment in her voice when she spoke because it was
all the truth. 

 He breathed in deeply, his pupils dilating as if a cloud
crossed the sun. Would her royal blood aid her today, rather than hinder her
progress?  "What do you expect me to do?"

"Find out the layout of the castle, any weak areas that
would make a good entry point. If you could disable their security system, it
would make my life even easier."

He looked offended. "Of course I could disable their
security. That's the easy part.  The challenge will be getting by the Royal
Elite. It's well documented that the queen keeps the highly trained alpha
shifters at every entryway into the castle."

"Caleb, I grew up there. I know about my mother's
security detail.  She only has guards at key locations."

"I can't believe I'm even considering this."  He
adjusted her spaghetti strap, the contact searing her skin, setting her nerves
afire. "And your damn blood is driving me nuts." Caleb scrubbed his
jaw, and she saw the tip of his fangs behind his lips. She felt the hunger
herself.  The moon would be full in a day or two, the one time per month that
she dreaded.  Control was everything, but for that brief time each month her
hormones ruled. For the most part she handled herself well, but inside she was
a mess, and her weakness was a trait she wished she could shed, like her fur
when she shifted. Her virginity was a testament to her self sacrifice.  Unlike
her sisters who indulged themselves when their needs made themselves known, she
stifled her desires. 

They stared at each other.  Until she saw his fangs, she barely
remembered he was a shifter.  He was so humanized, and his fox didn't give off
a dominant vibe. Seeing his feral side peeking out aroused her in ways she
never expected.  The fact he seemed just as determined to maintain control made
her want to challenge him, test his resolve. 

Other males didn't hold back when they caught her scent.  It
sickened her having to constantly battle unwanted advances.  Staying in hiding,
only sneaking out at night for supplies was the life she knew. She'd never
really considered the future until her last sister mated.  Their lives were
just beginning now, while Delia felt hers was already ending.

"You don't have to worry about me.  I'll just stay over
there, get everything set up for your little adventure and then I'll be out of
your hair."  He swiped his tongue across his teeth from behind his lips. 
The subtle move wasn't lost to her.  If ever she had to lose her maidenhead,
she guessed Caleb would be gentle, attentive, and patient—so unlike the alpha
shifters her mother probably planned for her to marry.  Those animals would
tear her apart with little regard to her pleasure or well being.