The Last Princess (10 page)

Caleb used the large oaks surrounding the palace as shields. 
The grounds were so dark, not even a glow of light from the main windows.  It
seemed unlikely the entire palace would be asleep, even at the unholy hour. 
There would be staff, guards, and nocturnal royals up and about even now. 
Something wasn't right.

When he approached the perimeter fence, he cursed.  It was too
high, and perilous to climb with the barbed wire coiled above.  The rungs were
too tight for him to squeeze through.  His only hope was to shift, something he
hadn't done since…he couldn't even remember when.  Only the havoc the full moon
wreaked on his libido reminded him he wasn't human. It was so easy to get lost
in a world dominated by the weaker species. 

He shed his clothing and quickly shifted.  It was like riding
a bike, the change taking over without too much discomfort or difficulty.

He tested his fur, his paws, his fangs.  It felt good to be on
all fours again, although it would be better if he were born a predator, not a
scavenger. He wanted to be worthy of Delia's love.  She was a princess and
deserved better than his pathetic pedigree.

Caleb slipped between the bars and crept through the underbrush
of the outlying forest. As he neared the castle, he picked up Delia's scent. 
He'd been right.  She had come looking for redemption.  What would it take for
her to accept his love and give up this quest of hers?  She wasn't the only one
living a lonely life without roots.  Caleb never expected to claim a mate, but
once he'd mentally decided on Delia, knew in his heart she was his, endless
possibilities erupted. She was stealing those chances away from him by risking
her life so foolishly.

There was a rumbling in the trees capturing his attention to
the forest canopy above. Then a crushing weight knocked him to his side, and he
continued to roll through the leaf litter with the other shifter bound to him.
It was a panther, he recognized the scent thanks to his friend, Blue, which
meant he was screwed.  He got to his feet and started to run.  As a kid he'd
learned that running was best unless he wanted his ass handed to him by an
alpha.

But he was blocked by a wolf ahead of him and then more
shifters to his right and left.  They were huge. Their eyes blazed, glowing
unnaturally under the shadow of the forest. The full moon didn't just heighten
sexual energy, but also aggression.  These Royal Elite guards were trained to
rip him apart, probably as painfully as possible.  Had Delia gotten through or
had she come across these same males already?  Anger built up inside him as he
imagined even one of them harming a single hair on her head.

The wolf began to growl, baring his fangs.  Caleb decided to
follow suite, flashing his own sharp incisors. It was a stupid move when
dealing with a dominant race.  In the blink of an eye they converged on him. 
He fought back, clawing and biting any body part in reach.  Pain sluiced
through his body as the shifters invoked damage of their own.  He could smell
the acrid scent of his own blood, feel the jarring pain in his thigh where
fangs clamped down hard, and couldn't help but curse his weakness when all he
wanted to do was get to Delia.

If he had to die here, he'd go down like a man, despite what
these alphas thought of foxes as a whole. He battled with every breath he had.
When he was a bite away from giving up, another wolf came to his aid.  A black
beauty, a female,
Delia
. She came out of nowhere, her eyes blazing a primal
mix of greens and yellows. Her fangs were lethal, tearing through even the
largest male shifters.  She ducked and leapt, bit and tore.  It was like
watching a beautifully synchronized ballet, but this one was deadly.  Any
minute and she could be mortally wounded.

He suspected his leg was broken but that didn't stop him.  He
limped closer and pounced on the back of the panther attempting to claw his
mate.
His mate.
  It sounded right even saying it in his head. If only
they could get out of this alive, but the odds of that happening were stacked
against them. Delia was vicious, growling and barking, ignoring the pain
inflicted on her, but appearing to use it as a catalyst to fight harder,
dirtier. When she yelped, he felt it all the way in the pit of his stomach, but
she didn't falter. There were several wolves in the melee, and he could have
sworn one of them was working against the guards.

When the weight of the Elite Ops was too much for both of
them, Delia pinned beneath a male nearly twice her size, a bear came charging
across the lawn.  Caleb thought his eyes deceived him at first.  The animal was
massive in size.  He'd only seen one other bear shifter in its natural form
before, his friend, Jacob. But this male was new to him.  He'd kill Delia with
one swat of his oversized paw. But rather than go for the princess, he used his
strength against the male above her, sending him hurdling into the trees with a
drawn out cry.

He stood over Delia, rearing onto his hind legs in a dominant
display for the others.  His height and bulk were intimidating.  All the guards
cowered away, backing up to give him the space he demanded.

****

Ulric heard the snarling fight as soon as he stepped out into
the open air. Delia and Alexander had been well ahead of him, so he knew they
had to be part of the ruckus. He thought maybe his Royal Elite brothers had
found another intruder, but then realized they were attacking his woman, their
own princess.  His body rumbled and the shift took over even before he
commanded it.  Ulric only saw red.  He focused on defending his mate, with his
death if necessary.  It was easy to create a protective bubble around her, his
comrades not stupid enough to challenge him.

It was only after they shifted back to their human form that
he began to catalogue Delia's injuries. "Who dared to harm the princess? 
Tell me!"

The other guards looked down, ashamed.  He had no doubt they
were clueless as to who they fought in the heat of battle, but surely they
should have scented her royal blood or the fact she was female.

Ulric dropped to his knees beside her.  The stubborn thing was
already pushing herself up into a sit. "Caleb.  Where's Caleb?" she
repeated. He remembered her mentioning that name in the cells when she thought
her first mate was being held captive.  Ulric scanned the grounds, easily
pinpointing the fox shifter.  He wasn't pathetic like the other fox who'd tried
to break into the castle.  This one was larger than most, well toned, and
carrying serious injuries without whining like a little bitch.  The fact he'd
seen the other man fight for Delia despite half a dozen alpha males attacking
him earned him respect in Ulric's book.

"He's fine. He's right over there.  Now lay still while I
look you over."  Of course she was completely naked after shifting, as was
everyone in sight, including the fox. Ulric didn't want any roving eyes
focusing on his mate so he commanded them all to return to the castle. The
queen would no doubt hear about Delia's return within the next few minutes.

Alexander had fought for Delia, too.  Something Ulric knew the
wolf shifter wouldn't have bothered with unless he deeply cared about his new
woman.  The gods had brought true mates together, a miracle granted for each
princess despite going against the queen's wishes. Perhaps it was a sign of a
new age.  Then he remembered the fox.

"Caleb!" she called out again.

Ulric left Delia with Alexander and went to check on the fox. 
"Are you hurt?" he asked, looking down at the man.

"Where am I
not
hurt?" he said with a twist
of sarcasm and humor. The fox should be in agony, not being sociable. Ulric
admired a man who could handle pain, just as he respected a man who'd die for
their mate.

"Can you stand?  Delia needs you close by, but I won't
have you whimpering, getting her all upset."

"Whimpering?  Am I a puppy now? Just help me to my feet
and I'll manage on my own."

Maybe having a third male in their ménage wouldn't be as
torturous as he'd expected. In fact, he could already see what the princess saw
in the young shifter. He was refreshing after dealing with the alphas in the
Royal Elite day in day out.

Ulric hoisted him up with ease.  He had a limp.  The bone had
likely been broken, but shifter blood healed in a fraction of the time it took
humans, and without clumsy casts and stitches. "You don't look like a
fox."

"I'm guessing that's a compliment but, trust me, my size
only got me ostracized right out of my own race.  Different isn't always a good
thing."

"It is in my books. Now go to her."

The fox shifter carefully lowered himself beside the
princess.  She smiled for Caleb, wrapping her arms around his neck.  Did she
love him more than Ulric?  As much as he wanted to see her happy, he couldn’t
ignore the little burn of jealousy. Did Alexander feel it, too?

"Why, Delia?  Why'd you leave without telling me?" 
Caleb smoothed her tousled hair from her face.

"Why'd you come after me?  Look at you!  You could have
been killed." 

"Because I love you, and I can't imagine a future without
you.  So any thoughts you had of martyrdom need to be flushed out."

She nodded, dropping her head against his chest as they sat
beside each other on the forest floor. Ulric saw the fox wince as she pressed
against his injuries.

Did she prefer beta males? Would she be the first princess
with one mate? Ulric may not have a fear of enemies or death, but he feared
having his heart broken by the only woman he'd ever loved.

Chapter
Ten

Delia knew she'd have to face her mother as soon as her
body healed.  This was one time she wished she was a human needing months of
recover, anything to avoid the inevitable. But she was already close to perfectly
healed, thanks to her unique royal blood.

"Bite me, Caleb. You need my blood to help you recover."

He shook his head.

"Why?  Why are you refusing me again?  Why come to
the rescue if you want nothing to do with me?"

"You're only trying to help me heal.  I don't want
you to mate with me for anything but love. I'll mend just fine on my own."

She smiled, leaning over to kiss his full lips.
"Silly fox. Of course I love you.  Now bite me.  I want our ménage
official before I face my mother.  I won't have her deny any of you because you
failed to complete the love bite."

The energy of the moon was even more intense being out
in their natural setting, nothing impeding the strength of the rays or beauty
of the sight in the sky. Delia knew her arousal would be insatiable once she
was bitten.  The three men she planned to build a new life with were all naked
and utterly tempting. Each one was different in build, but no less appetizing
than the next.  She already played every scenario over in her head.  She'd
never been with all three before.  Would she take Ulric's huge cock in her mouth
this time?  Caleb's eager dick in her ass?  What would it feel like to have six
hands touching, petting, fondling?  Three mouths suckling, kissing, nipping?

Once her fox partook of her blood, he'd heal in
minutes, as good as new.  Then there would be no excuses.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."  She lowered to her back and
closed her eyes. Leave it to Caleb to question her at the eleventh hour. She
loved that he cared for her, put her needs first. But Delia had no doubt in her
mind that this was what she wanted.  Her sisters had found peace in the loving
arms of men, and she never expected to have her chance.  Now she was about to
create a new path, a new history built on love and commitment, rather than
death and destruction.  Caleb's words from earlier filtered into her mind with
more clarity. She had lived in the past for far too long, bitter and
resentful.  It was time to live her own life, make a positive future like her
sisters had.

His hand cupped her breast as he lowered over her neck
and shoulder.  First he kissed his target, and then she felt the slow, sharp
crack of her skin as it gave way to his bite. He drew in her blood, his mouth
suckling as he bit.  Her clit began to throb and warmth spread from her neck to
her cunt, heating her like a forest fire. She half expected the woods to be up
in flames when she opened her eyes. Instead she found Caleb's loving smile.
"It's done, princess.  A common fox and a royal wolf.  I never thought I'd
live to see the day."  He kissed her lips, a delicate brush of affection. 

Delia felt complete, as if fate had led her to meet
these three men.  She had no reservations, only anticipation for what was to
come.

"I can smell your honey from here, little wolf. 
How about we consummate this new relationship before heading inside to face the
music?"  Alexander's cock was proud, a virile arrow protruding from his
body.  The sight aroused her, made her pussy swell in preparation. These
shifters were always ready.  They'd only had relations an hour ago, but here
they were raring to go again. The moon ensured that their priority was sex and
more sex when it was at its fullest.

She rose to her feet, wanting Caleb to have the time he
needed for her blood to take affect and heal him fully. The needy, seductive
look in Alexander's eyes drew her to him. He was the male she needed to bond
with the most.  She had a strong history with Ulric and had quickly fallen in
love with her computer whiz. Alexander was new to her, but no less her life
mate than the other men.  She didn’t need a jade trinket to tell her that. He
was wolf, a mate her she-wolf approved of.

"You're not obligated to be my mate, Alexander.
I've already broken all the rules.  For all I know, my mother will banish us. 
So if you're with me for glory, you'll be disappointed."

"I think you dropped this." He fastened the
wolf necklace around her neck, and then hooked her around the waist, pulling
her flush to his body.  His cock prodded her stomach. The wolf was taller than
she'd realized, his chest and abs ripped to perfection. He whispered against
her ear, "I've already done what I can to honor my mother.  If I were to
choose a mate for myself, I would still be drawn to you.  Your wolf was
magnificent out there. You're a woman I'm proud to call my mate, my lover."