Freya's Mates (10 page)

"I know one thing," said Carna. "I'm not cleaning
this place."

****

Freya wanted to return to Club Frenzy for one more night, rather
than get a more comfortable hotel.  Gideon didn't complain.  He wanted Freya
happy, especially since she wasn't quite herself since seeing her sister.
Rather than finding peace, as he'd hoped, she was distracted and quiet.

He closed the door to the private room behind him and Freya,
while Vincent went to help out at the bar. "Something the matter?" he
asked.

"Maybe."  She fidgeted, rubbing behind her neck, not
looking him in the eyes. 

"Let's have it, then."

"Why do you want to be my mate?"

He hadn't expected her to doubt him.  He thought she'd had a bad
reunion with her sister, and he was ready to comfort her. "It's not a
choice, you know that.  My lion knows you're meant to be mine and I couldn't be
happier."

She appeared to absorb the information, trying to decipher if he
was telling the truth. "You knew I was a royal before you knew I was your
mate."

"And?"

"And…my sister says the lion race would like nothing more
than to get a paw in the door to the palace." Then she blurted, "Are
you using me, Gideon?" 

He had to give his head a shake.  Was she actually asking him
this?  He'd finally opened himself up for love and she doubted him?

"I guarantee you, I'm with you because I want
you
. 
If we never see the palace, the queen, or any of the other royals, I could care
less."

"Really?"  Her words sounded so vulnerable and
hopeful.  How could he prove his intentions to her?

He wrapped his hands around her small waist, loving her deceiving
fragility.  "Really."  She had tried so hard to scare him off when
they met, but all she really wanted was to be accepted for who she was. No more
facades. She needed to trust him.  If lions were anything, they were
trustworthy and honorable.

Gideon leaned down and swept a gentle kiss on her lips.  He tried
to convey that what he felt for her was more than lust, deeper, a soul-deep
bond that he planned to nourish, not abuse.

"There's more."  Her body stiffened. "I'm in love
with a human."

Chapter
Eight

When she'd questioned Gideon, nothing about his scent changed—no
guilt, no deceit, no fear.  She accepted his admission, having never truly
suspected him of using her.  Carna was just overly protective, scared that
something bad may happen to her little sister. But Freya didn't take to love
lightly. Years of proposals had no effect on her, not until her true mates came
into her life.

But to have a healthy relationship, trust had to work both ways. 
She had to own up to her deep seated feelings for Darius.  She was worried
about alienating her mates, but it had to come out in the open.

"Darius," he stated matter-of-factly.

She nodded, only partially surprised he'd guessed correctly.
"Are you angry?"

"I suspected there was something between the two of you, but
he's a human.  I didn't think you'd commit your emotions to a relationship destined
to failure."

"You can't help who you fall in love with."

"I guess I can believe that since I fell in love with a
princess.  After everything my race went through to gain the thrown, the last
mate I'd choose for myself would be a royal. But here I am…"

Guilt welled up inside her.  She didn't want Gideon to think he
was her second choice.  It was impossible for her to explain her feelings.
"I want to be yours—"

"You are mine," he said, the deep growl in his voice
exuding a possessive male quality that had her underwear dampening with sudden
need.

"
Yes
." 

He kissed her hard, dominating her mouth, and holding her tight
to his body. She could feel the hard length of his arousal pressed against her
stomach. "What of the human?  If you want him, I'll give him to you."

"No."  She shook her head as he peppered kissed down
her neck.

"Don't deny your desires now, little wolf.  He may be human,
but he'd make a good play thing for you.  I'll allow it if it'll make you
happy."

She closed her eyes and absorbed his ministrations. His tongue
teased her erogenous zones, leading her deeper into his erotic web. "I
don't want a toy," she managed to muster.

"That's all he could ever be to you, princess.  You of
anyone should understand that."  He halted his sexual advance and cupped
her face in his big hands.  She looked deep into his lion's eyes.
"Sweetheart, he doesn't even know shifters exist."  He was being
sincere, which only made her feel more a fool for wanting what she couldn't
have.  Maybe she should have just kept her big mouth shut.

There was a knock on the door, pulling their attention away from
each other. Was it Darius?  His image kept flashing in her head, and she kept
thinking about him—his dark eyes, the sweet smelling smoke, and the way he
dominated her body in the shower.

"Vincent said you were in here."  It was Carna's bear
shifter.  He was huge, filling the doorway, wearing all black. 

"What are you doing here, Jacob?"  The bear came into
the room followed by her sister. She released her hold on Gideon to meet Carna.

"Carna needed to talk with Freya, so I zipped her over here
on my bike."

What could be so urgent that she'd need to come over now, so soon
after they left their condo?  "I talked with Jacob about Gideon.  I may
have misjudged him."

Gideon joined them, his alpha presence surrounding her like a
loving shield. "You did."  He hooked his arm around her waist,
standing beside her. "Just because I'm a lion doesn’t make me the
enemy."

Carna shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe adding some lion DNA to
the mix couldn’t be so bad.  I mean, when was the last time we listened to
anything our mother advised?"

"Unfortunetly things are a bit more complicated than race
relations," said Gideon.

"Oh?" asked Carna.

Would her sister think less of her for desiring an inferior
human?  Her sisters always taught her that nothing could compare with a
shifter.  Humans were soft-skinned, breakable, complete with limp dicks.  She
knew the last to be false.  Darius had been a talented lover with a body to die
for. "Remember I asked about humans?  Well, you were right, I was asking
for me."

"You want to mate a human?"

Freya felt surrounded, unnerved.  She didn't need to be judged,
not when she'd never been so certain of anything.  "Yes!"

Gideon held her firmly, not allowing her to bolt from the small
group.  She was used to bottling her feelings, hiding from shifters, living in
isolation.  Being under a microscope had her nerves frazzled.  "It's
okay," he cooed in her ear. "Jacob, bring Darius to me."

She wanted to rebuke him, but Jacob had already slipped out the
door with stealth she didn't think his size was capable of.

****

Darius sat at the back bar, ready to down his third shot.  It's
not like Freya was the first hot girl to come into his life, then why couldn’t
he get her off his mind?  There was just something more there, something he
couldn't quite put a finger on.  He had to have her, but as she'd stated, she
was taken.  How could he compete with Gideon?  Why would he want to?  Gideon
had only ever been good to him.  He just hoped the club owner didn't come
around to show off his new woman too often.  His heart couldn’t take seeing
Freya, knowing she wanted no part of him. The last time he felt this way was
when he'd hit rock bottom.

A heavy hand to his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Gideon wants to see you."

He swiveled on his bar stool.  "Jacob?  I thought you
quit."

His old friend smiled, and then winked. "I wouldn’t worry
about me, Darius.  I have a feeling your eyes are about to be opened."

He followed the larger man through the crowd.  His balance was
shot and he staggered most of the way, riding his way through the wave of
sweaty bodies. What could Gideon want with him?  To rub his nose in the fact he
had Freya?  No, his friend wouldn’t do that to him.

Jacob opened the door to his old room.  The lights inside were
off, but he didn't question the fact, just entered, hoping not to fall on his
face. After hearing the door close tight, the lights were flicked on.  His eyes
took a moment to adjust.  When he could see clearly there was a full-grown male
lion in the middle of the small room.  Its presence made the room feel smaller
than a closet.  It was so grand, huge, mesmerizing…but couldn't be real. He
must have been more drunk than he thought.

Then he spotted her.  She was already staring in his direction,
not concerned that a lion stood a foot from her.  There was no trainer in
sight.  Could an illusion, a trick of the mind, be that realistic?  He could
have sworn if he reached out his hand, he'd feel the thick yellow-brown coat
against his fingers.  The color reminded him of Gideon's hair.

"Freya, am I dreaming?"  It must be a dream if she was
in it.  Day and nights blurred because she was always on his mind.

"You sure this is a good idea?" said Jacob from behind
him.

"It's the only way," said another woman.  She reminded
him of Freya, but with dark hair, rather than pale blonde.

The lion stepped forward and he countered the movements, backing
against the wall. "Don’t be scared, Darius.  It's Gideon."  Freya's
sweet voice cut through the fog of disbelief, but her words made no sense.

"Nice, kitty."  Darius had never seen a lion up this
close.  It was truly majestic, but could also rip him apart in a flash.

Freya approached the great beast, running her hand through its
thick mane.  The animal didn't even flinch.  He'd expect it to turn and bite
her arm off.  When she leaned over to wrap her arms around its impossibly thick
neck, he bolted forward, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her behind him.

"Shift, Gideon.  Show him," said Freya.

When the animal rose on hind legs, twisting and changing right
before his eyes, he thought he'd truly lost his mind. Just as Freya had
commanded, he finally morphed into Gideon, the man he knew well.  What kind of
black magic was this?

"Cool trick, eh?"  Gideon patted him on the back before
reaching for a pair of shorts on the edge of the bed.  Darius was too shocked
to notice the man had been stark naked. He reached into his back pocket and
shakily pulled out a cigarillo. After five attempts to get his lighter to work,
he dropped his arm.

"Can we be alone,
please
," said Freya.  The
other three left the room, leaving him alone with his dream woman.  She had a
lot of explaining to do.  Or he needed to wake up from this fucked up dream.

****

The big reveal had been a failure.  It only succeeded to scare
and confuse Darius. How could she expect him to accept the unknown after a
lifetime of believing the world was black and white?  In fact, it was a rainbow
of color, something very few humans were granted a peek into. 

"Darius?"  She took his hand and pressed it to her
chest.  "Darius, talk to me."

"Are you an angel or a demon?"  His eyes were glazed
over, a hint of alcohol on his breath.

"You're not dreaming."  She ran her hands over his
roughened jawline, closing her eyes briefly.  Since she left, all she'd thought
about was touching him again. She whispered, "I left because I'm different
from you, not because I don't love you."

"You can't love someone after a few days, Freya."

She could sense his chemical signature, a mix of lust, desire,
but also unique elements associated with only one thing—love.  Why would fate
bring them both together? So ill-fitted, but undoubtedly linked soul deep.

"Do you feel anything for me?"

"It doesn't matter.  You're with Gideon now.  I'm not going
to fight for you if you've made a conscious choice. Speaking of Gideon.  What
the fuck is going on here?" 

Shit.
Not only did she have to deal with their
differences, revealing she was a shifter, but now had to convince him that a
ménage relationship was not a negative thing.  She had her work cut out for
her.

"He's a lion shifter.  Haven't you ever thought that just
maybe all the Hollywood movies had at least some basis in reality?  Is it so
far fetched for a creature that can shift forms to live amongst you?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"How would you explain what you saw, Darius?"

He shrugged and shook his head slightly. "A trick. I'm
drunk, it could have been anything."

She bit her lower lip to fend off her rising nerves. In one
minute she'd shift into her white wolf and pray for the best. "No tricks. Do
you like dogs?  'Cause if you do, you'll love me."  Freya closed her eyes
and began to shift.  All she could think about was Darius' acceptance. Yes, she
had two loyal mates, but needed him too.

Once fully in her wolf skin, she sighed inwardly, reveling in the
feel of her beast. When she opened her eyes, fearing the worst, she came face
to face with him.  He'd knelt down, no fear registering, only curiosity glinting
in his eyes. "You're beautiful," he whispered as he ran his hands
through her soft, thick coat. Her heart skipped a beat knowing her wolf didn't
repulse him.  If he couldn’t accept her for who she was, it would never work
between them—it still probably wouldn't because they were too different. One
day she'd forget he was human and hurt him, or her shifter mates may tire of
babysitting a weaker male in times of trouble. A true mate should be able to
protect their woman, but Freya didn't care, she just wanted to keep Darius.

When she shifted back, now wearing nothing but a scrap of her
clothing, he helped her to her feet.

"Do you believe me now?"

"I guess I do."  He smiled. "You know I've
suspected something like this, but never entertained the idea.  Guess I should
have.  Things can get pretty freaky at Club Frenzy after hours."  Darius
ran a hand through her hair. "Your eyes are still the same.
Beautiful
wolf eyes."