Freya's Mates (5 page)

"Why didn't you tell me you needed a place to stay?  I would
have helped you." 

"That’s why you went nuts over some nasty, five dollar French
fries?"

He could care less about her skipping out on the bill.  What he
wanted was her, her fire, and the possibilities that presented themselves to
him.  With a mate, he'd never have to go home to an empty house again.  She'd
give him purpose, and her feral side would force him to connect with his beast
more often.  "I don't care about your tab," he whispered.  Gideon
hoped to correct the damage he'd made during their first encounter.  He needed
to show her that he wasn't an asshole, but had a kinder, gentler side.  If she
was indeed his mate, why was she so eager to escape from him?  She should feel
the same pull he did, but so far, she only claimed to have a connection with
Darius.

This time she actually remained quiet, rather looking deep into
his eyes, searching for something he hoped she'd find. 

"Freya.  What are you running from?"  He loosened his
hold on her, but kept his arms draped around her waist.  Her soft heat and
pounding heart pulled down his guards.  How could he convince the little beauty
they were meant for each other?

"You know exactly what.  There's only me and one of my sisters
left.  We run to keep from being forced to mate with males chosen by our
mother, or worse, being forced into mating by shifters only looking for honor
and glory, not love."

"Is that what you're looking for? Love?"

She swallowed, shifting in his arms. "Maybe."

"To what end, Freya?  Where will you go next?  Do you have a
plan or is it always about running away from things?"

Gideon could relate to her on some levels.  He felt he'd turned
his back on his race, sold out.  Rarely shifting into his lion form, he was
essentially selling out to the human world. When lion shifters lost their
battle with the royal family, only to skulk off into the shadows, Gideon felt he
was betraying his race for not continuing the fight.  No, he didn't want lion
shifters to lead the royal family because he coveted status, wealth, or glory. 
He just wanted his people to be treated fairly, at least to be heard by the
royals, which they were not.  As punishment, no female wolves of royal blood
were permitted to mate with a lion shifter.  They hoped to kill off their
species in future generations to guarantee no rivalry for the crown.

Freya wasn't like her mother or the females before her. She
wanted freedom, independence, and love.  No wonder she was on the run.  The
queen would never grant her such privileges, not when such a heavy burden lay
on her shoulders. Freya and her sisters were the future.  He'd heard the
speeches time and time again about needing new royal blood to keep the races
strong.  Without the infamous Demori sisters, all shifter races would die out
in the future. 

"I'm not running…"  She twisted uncomfortably. A female
not in touch with her feelings?

He deepened his voice, hoping to display his dominance, anything
to get the wolf to open up. "Are you never going to mate?  Just move from
city to city, fucking the first human you come across?"

"Bastard!" 

****

Freya was not immune to the lion's alpha scent.  She wanted to
fuck him, to bow down to his authority, but her stubborn pride wouldn't allow
her to admit it.  Yes, she had feelings for the human that she shouldn't, but
also for the sexy beast of a male in front of her.  How would he fair in bed? 
Her mouth went dry just imagining him controlling her body.

"I'm not letting you leave until you calm down and talk with
me."  He used such little effort to keep her in check.  Even exerting all
her strength, she couldn't budge a muscle when he held her limbs in place. It was
her sister, Delia, who had taught her how to fight.  She told her never to
trust a male shifter, no matter how many sweet words they spoke.  It was all
lies, lies to trick them into a loveless mating.  Now that she had three males
of interest to her wolf, Freya began to question the validity of her sister's
claims.  If she refused all males, how would she ever find the right ones?  Her
sister, Carna, found four shifters, all willing to share her and love her.  But
maybe she'd been lucky and Freya would only fall victim to a fortune-seeker. She
was so programmed to hate, to refuse all advances, that she couldn't stop and
open herself up to a potential mate.  The human had been easy to succumb to
because he had no ill motives besides being a playboy.  After she'd had sex
with him in the shower, she fully expected him to walk away—but he didn't.

"I'm confused.  Okay?" 

Gideon took a cleansing breath.  "Just give me a chance to
help you.  Let me show you there's more to life than running away from
everything."

What did she have to lose?  Worst case scenario, the lion could
force her into a mating, but somehow she knew he wouldn't.  As much as she'd
love to be able to give Darius her love bite, it was impossible.  What would it
feel like to sink her fangs into the lion's thick neck?  Her pussy began to
pulse once she opened herself up to the idea.  Still, she wouldn't make it easy
for him. 

"Fine.  Can we talk in the morning, though? I haven't slept
properly in days."  It was the truth.  Plus she needed time to reflect, to
consider the array of emotions bombarding her.  She missed her sisters. 
Running away from Carna had been the hardest thing in the world to do, but she
did it out of love.  Carna had found her calling, and Freya didn't want to get
in her way.

"You can stay here for now."  He nodded to the small
bed in the corner. "But after we talk in the morning, I'll make sure you
have some place nicer to stay."

She didn’t argue, only nodded her head in agreement.

"Good.  Rest up now, my little wolf."  He leaned down
and kissed her forehead, his lips lingering long enough for her to feel his
heat brand her. She closed her eyes and savored the brief intimacy, secretly
craving him to force her to the bed and fuck her raw. Her hormones were as much
out of whack as her emotions. It would be so nice to just surrender and let
someone else take care of her, to accept the love of a worthy male.  But in
doing so, she'd be letting down her sister, giving up the good fight. 

As soon as Gideon closed the door behind him, she crashed on the
twin-sized bed, pulling the blankets against her for comfort.  It beat sleeping
on concrete floors in old sheds, but it wasn't home.  There was no home.  The
childhood palace she'd grew up in was an illusion of paradise, one she never wanted
to return to now that her eyes had been opened.  But she had nowhere to go, no
roots, no companionship, not even her sisters.  Gideon was right.  How long
could she keep running?  What was the point if there was no end to it all?

Chapter
Four

Vincent had eyed the door to the private room on numerous
occasions.  The cleaning crew was busy sweeping and mopping, pushing chairs
along the concrete floor and chattering amongst themselves.  He remained behind
the bar, mindlessly cleaning up his station and ensuring they were fully
stocked for tonight when they opened the doors to the public.  Why couldn't he
stop thinking about that woman?  Even without being told by Gideon, he'd have
known she was a shifter, a wolf even.  She was strong and feisty for a female,
and for the first time in his life, he felt a bonding connection.  He'd almost
forgotten what it was like to feel anything, but she managed to awaken him. 
Was it the mating call?  Vincent wasn't sure, but decided it was close enough
for him.  His cock hardened just imagining sinking his teeth into her soft
flesh to administer the love bite.

Gideon had given the staff strict orders not to enter the room
where Freya slept.  Darius had protested, but after an hour of arguing with the
boss, he left for the night. Gideon had a couple bouncers do an all-nighter to
ensure she didn't take off when he was away.  Vincent didn't like that she was
being treated like a prisoner, but he had little say.  This wasn't his bar and
he owed his loyalty to Gideon. 

He approached the door, carrying a glass of lemonade and a bowl
of mixed nuts.  There wasn't much in the way of food to offer at this time of
day, but he had to bring something along if he wanted to get past Brady.

"You can't go in there, Vin.  You know it," said Brady. 
He looked ready to crash, his eyes heavy, but had to wait for Gideon to show up
before he could head home to sleep.

"She's gotta eat, right?  It's already past noon."

Brady shrugged, giving the near-vacant interior of the club a
once over. "Hurry up.  It's my ass if he shows up and finds you in
there."

Gideon wasn't one to settle down.  Freya was just his new toy,
exciting for a time, but nothing long term.  Vincent, on the other hand, was
ready for a commitment.  It sounded crazy even to him.  He'd always been a
loner, uncomfortable around other shifters because of his difference.  He was
ready to give up on finding a true mate, believing he'd end up settling for one
of the humans he lived amongst. It would be nice to know the unconditional love
of a woman.  Unfortunately, Freya hadn't shown any obvious signs of attraction
for him that he could identify.

He slipped into the room.  Without windows, the space was dark,
but thanks to his cougar vision, he could see Freya asleep on the bed.  He crept
over, not wanting to wake her, yet still wanting to get a closer look as she
slept.

"I'm awake," she said.  When she shifted to look in his
direction, her greenish eyes glowed inhumanly.

"Sorry."  He flicked on the light and sat on the edge of
the bed with his offering.  Freya eased herself into a sitting position,
running a hand through the thick blonde hair that he couldn't stop thinking
about. She eyed the bowl of nuts. "Hungry?"

After nodding, she reached for the food.  There was nothing
lady-like about the way she ate.  She took handfuls at a time until the small
bowl was empty.  He could appreciate a woman who didn't starve herself and
didn’t care what others thought.

"I remember you.  You're the one who turned me in." 
She mock scowled, brushing crumbs from her mouth.

"I wasn't sure who you were then. Now I know."

"Oh?"

"I didn't realize you were a shifter..."  He paused,
trying to convince himself not to be a pussy and tell her the truth. "
Or
my mate."

Her scowl morphed into a blank slate.  He couldn’t read her. 
Fuck his disability!  Right now he wanted to be able to know exactly how she
felt.  Was she angry, scared, or happy? Did she feel even a tinge of desire for
him?

"I know.  I'm a stranger—one who didn't exactly start off on
the right foot with you, either."  She remained silent.  He didn't have
much time before Gideon returned.  Before she gave into the lion's seduction,
which she would, he wanted her to at least know how he felt. "Am I totally
off base?  Do you feel anything for me? I'm really not good at any of this."

Despite being an outcast for most of his life, Vincent still
believed in fate, believed that when he found his mate, he'd know it.  Even
without all his senses, his cougar knew she was the one.  It clawed within him,
demanding he claim her. Could he be wrong?

"I'm not your mate, cougar.  You're just attracted to my
blood, not me." She swung her legs around to sit beside him, exhaling in a
sigh. For once, she wasn't angry. 

"How do you know?  It's not just my beast that knows. 
There's something about you that calls to me."

She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "Look.  I can tell
you're being sincere.  Haven't you heard about me and my sisters?  Didn't
Gideon tell you who I am?"

He shook his head.  The only thing Gideon told him was her wolf
status, nothing more. 

"I'm Freya Demori of the royal family.  I've been in hiding
most of my adult life. Last week I was found. They brought me to this city to
collect my sister, Carna.  The threat's passed now, but my sister's gone and I
still have no clue where I am. That's basically how I ended up in this
situation."

A royal?  Gods his senses were more fucked up than he realized.
"That's really interesting and everything, but I could give a shit about
your royal blood."

"You expect me to believe that?"

He scoffed.  She had no idea.  "Trust me.  If I say you're
my mate, it has nothing to do with your
infamous
blood."

"I have no mate.  Nor do I want one."  She slipped off
the bed and began to pace, that feral streak reemerging.  If she bolted for the
door and disappeared, Gideon would blame him.  More than that, he'd lose her
and any chance of developing something between them.

"If you're holding out for Gideon, don't hold your breath,
sweetheart."  He stood to leave.  There would be no begging.  Maybe his
senses were wrong—he could never trust them before. If she continued to refuse
him, deny him a chance of having a family, of fulfilling fate, he'd walk away
with his dignity. She began to argue, to tell him she wanted no part of any
man, but he slammed the door shut, effectively cutting her off.

****

Her fur began to tickle just beneath her skin as her wolf fought
to be free.  The nerve of that cougar! Who did he think he was?  She thought
her troubles were doubled having two men vying for her attention, now it was
tripled.  But, despite her ragged nerves, she was aware of something
different.  She'd dealt with lust-crazed men, shifters that only wanted to use
her for her pedigree, and henchmen her mother sicked on her. Freya sensed no
underhanded motives from these men.  There was lust, but that was natural, and
she felt the same thing for all three—including the human.

She hated how complicated her life had become in such a short
time period.  If only she'd found Carna unmated, they could have fled the city
together.  They could have searched for Delia and the three of them could have
lived out their days together.  Would that be enough?  Surely one of them would
desire more at some point.  The lure of mating was natural, undeniable.  Even
now, she was tempted to just sink her teeth into all of them: Darius, Gideon,
and Vincent.  She'd just have to hope they lived up to their claims of wanting
her for
who
she was, not
what
she was. Freya didn't have that
kind of courage though.  To give in, just to be used, would destroy her.  It
was better to keep up her guards and save being hurt. Then why did she pray to
the gods for Vincent to walk back into the room?  Why did she have the urge to
beg for his love?