Authors: Stacey Espino
But if she could scent him, then he could scent her.
Shit!
She bolted from her seat and disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor.
With her hunger satisfied, her focus was on getting the hell out of the club
and back into the open air. She'd hitch a ride with some unsuspecting humans
and find a new city to hide out in.
Freya pushed through the throngs of people, their flesh warm and
moist from perspiration. The front doors were here target, the symbol of
freedom from the stale air suffocating her. She felt trapped, watched, and had
to escape. The lit exit sign drew closer with each step, but when she emerged
from the dance floor a heavy set of hands shackled her upper arms, barring her
retreat.
Freya struggled to no avail. "Let me go," she
ordered.
"Ah, ah, ah, sweetheart. We don't take kindly to dine and
dashers at Club Frenzy." He spun her around, still holding her secure. It
was that cute bartender. Instead of concerning himself with her pedigree, he
only wanted her to make good with her bill? The news was a relief, but also a
problem considering she had no money. When she'd been captured, days earlier,
she'd shifted and lost all her identification, along with her clothing.
"I don't have any money," she said, hoping he'd let her
go.
"Well, that's a problem, then. You'll have to talk with
Gideon about that."
He began to tug her along, pushing through the dancers. If he
wasn't so tall and built, she'd have put up more of a fight, but knew it would
be useless. His arms were thick with muscle, and she could imagine the rest of
him was just as strong. "Who's Gideon?" She didn't like the idea of
being taken anywhere. Her sister, Delia, always taught her not to allow a man
to take her to a secondary location if she had a bad feeling about him. She
had a bad feeling about this Gideon, whoever he was.
"He owns the club. If you can't pay, he's the only one you can
appeal to."
"Or what? You call the cops?"
He chuckled, but didn't answer. Her hackles rose as she followed
stiffly behind him. Was Gideon a shifter, too? She had a hard time
understanding why the cougar hadn't hit on her. Couldn't he scent her royal
blood? She'd guess he was mated, but Freya had a good look at his tanned
neckline and saw no love bites. If felt odd being so close to a man without having
to fight them off.
They neared a lonely doorway at the far wall of the club, marked
private.
The cougar knocked on the door before opening it. With his hand still clasped
around her arm, he pulled her in after him. She felt like the worst sort of
criminal, but all she'd done was skip-out on a bill, and even that wasn't
intentional. If they knew the kind of money she had in her bank account or
about the royal blood flowing in her veins, they certainly wouldn't be treating
her like a common thief.
The room was not what she expected. It was night and day from
the darkness, and depravity of the night club. Everything was a warm tan color
with hints of yellow, and a bit of red. She couldn't help but admire the
African inspired artwork adorning the walls of the large room. An oversized
oak desk, with intricate details carved into the wood, sat at the far wall with
an Adonis of a shifter sitting behind it. Was this Gideon, the club owner?
He stood up, his brow lowered as he assessed her. "What's the
problem, Vincent?"
"Another one trying to skip out without paying." He
released her arm and gave her a little shove, landing her in the center of the
office. "Thought you might want to deal with it personally."
"Thanks, Vincent. I'll take it from here." Was he a
lion shifter? She had only met one in the past. They were a rare and revered
race. His alpha aura was so potent that she couldn't help her body's response.
Her stomach fluttered with sexual yearning from just his scent. Her little
wolf would be helpless against the size and strength of a full grown, male lion
shifter. The mere idea of being at his mercy brought out her base desires. She
shocked herself from the wicked thoughts flitting in her head. The moon wasn't
full. She shouldn't be in heat, but in the span of an hour she'd been
devastatingly attracted to three separate males.
Gideon's hair was a mix of brown and blond, hanging just past his
shoulders. His eyes were more yellow than green, so dominant against his
golden skin. Damn was he ever huge. He'd make an excellent protector, not that
she needed one. She'd learned well from her sisters on how to survive alone in
the cold, cruel world. It was only in times of weakness that she craved a
respite, a chance to stop looking over her shoulder and have a male take charge
of her safety.
The door clicking shut brought her back to the present. The lion
was staring at her, like a predator sizing her up as he walked around to the
front of his desk. He sat on the edge and crossed his heavily muscled arms
over his chest.
Such strength.
"What should I do with you, little
wolf?"
"You know what I am?" Of course he did. Then why was
he not responding like every other shifter she'd come across? Was there
something about this club that kept her unique scent masked? Was the fact
these men appeared disinterested the reason she craved them so intensely?
He took a couple steps toward her, taking deep breaths to inhale
her scent. She didn't move a muscle. Even though she felt alone and threatened
standing in the middle of the large room under his scrutinizing gaze, she would
not show weakness. "Do you know what I am?"
"Of course. You're a lion. Only a fool would mistake you
for another race." Was she too eager in answering? It had to be true,
though. Any shifter, male or female, must be able to sense his overwhelming
aura. Even now it lulled her into beautiful submission, such potency and power.
He chuckled. "Then it only makes sense I'd be able to
detect what
you
are. Don't you think?" Gideon circled her, but
she remained in place. "You're far from home, aren't you?"
He had a knowing look in his eye. How did he know she was far
from home?
She had to get free. The longer she stayed in his presence, the
less chance she'd have at leaving—ever. If this lion shifter decided he wanted
her as a mate, she'd have little say to the contrary. She may have a wicked
bite, but he could snap her like a twig and demand her obedience. "Look,
I have no money. Do you want me to wash dishes or something?"
"Now why would I let a princess scrub dishes? No, I have
better plans for you." When he began to unfold his crossed arms she
flinched and then mentally cursed herself for showing her fears. "Do you
think I'd hurt you?" He scowled before returning to his desk. He sat in
the oversized leather chair and began shuffling papers, effectively ignoring
her. "Because I'm a lion I'm capable of harming a female?" The
shifter nearly growled the words.
A knock sounded at the door behind her, and then opened before
Gideon could reply. "Hey, Gideon, let me pay her tab." The human
from the alley stepped into the room, leaving the door ajar. Heat and music drifted
in, killing the tense silence within. She eyed the open entry, ready to make a
dash for freedom at a moment's notice. Her heart beat triple time. She'd been
discovered for who she was by the lion and had to get the hell out of Dodge.
"Sorry, you won't be able to save this one." Gideon
continued to sort his papers as if discussing the weather. "Don't come in
my office uninvited again."
"I said I'd pay for her. Fuck, I'll pay double. What's the
problem?"
She may have tried to lose the human when she first arrived at
the club, but now she felt drawn to him. Gideon suddenly stood, his hands
braced on the desk as if he held onto control by a thread. "Don't test me,
Darius. I already give you more leeway around here than I should."
"What are you going to do with her?"
The human was so close to her, mere inches. She could feel his
body heat, smell his subtle cologne, and reveled in the alpha energy he
emitted. A human against a shifter, a lion no less, was a losing battle—but
she still admired his tenacity. He didn't even emit a tinge of fear, something
humans were unable to mask as it carried a unique chemical signature.
"That's my concern, not yours."
She should be playing them against each other, anything to help
her gain her freedom. But before she even realized what she was doing, she
began to speak to the human beside her. "I'll be fine. Thank you for your
concern." Freya didn't want them to fight, and wasn't ready to leave the
lion just yet. Gideon has snubbed her, claiming she judged him unfairly. He'd
piqued her curiosity, and his control was unwavering. Rather than feel relief
for not being an object of obsession, she wanted a chance to win him over.
Stupid,
stupid, stupid.
"Everything okay in here?" Vincent, the cougar shifter,
leaned into the partially open doorway. So much male energy in the confined
space did wild things to her libido, or was it these three particular men?
Gideon visually relaxed when the bartender appeared. "Yes,
Darius was just leaving."
"And the girl?"
"She's staying."
Freya turned around, her eyes beseeching the bartender. Would he
help her out of this mess? Would anyone besides a human offer to save her? He
must have told Darius she was in trouble, but hadn't come for her himself. It
felt foreign to be so disregarded. Normally she'd revel in being invisible, but
not with these men.
"Sure thing, boss. Call me if you need anything." The
two men left, leaving her very alone with Gideon. Her desire diminished thanks
to her growing nerves.
Freya had to do something. Her body nearly vibrated with her
need to fight or run. As she filed through all her possible moves and escapes,
she continued to watch the shifter's every move.
"Let's cut to the chase. What do you want from me,
lion?"
"
Testy
." He smirked, an adorable tilt of his
lips. "But you're the one who stole from me."
"I offered to work it off and the human said he'd pay for my
freedom—you refused both. What do you want?" She raised her voice,
feigning bravado when all she wanted was her freedom.
He shrugged and she couldn't help but admire the wide expanse of
his shoulders in the fitted T-shirt he wore. "I haven't decided yet. And
you still didn't answer me. What are you doing so far from home?"
"I'm running away from would-be suitors like yourself. I'd
sooner die than be forced to mate." She allowed the full venom of her
words to seep into her tone. It helped that what she said wasn't a lie. If he
knew she was a princess, he also knew how valuable she was to all races.
Gideon approached her and tilted her chin with a crooked finger.
He stared into her eyes with unblinking focus. She prided herself from not
flinching or pulling away from the contact. He licked his full lips in a slow
drag, mesmerizing her, making her imagine what his tongue would feel like
trailing over her beaded nipples.
"I don’t remember saying I wanted you, princess." He
tweaked her nose before striding away. Anger bloomed inside her. Why didn't
he want her? And why was the fact aggravating her?
Chapter
Two
Gideon watched the little blonde firecracker as she ranted, fists
clenched. He liked her natural beauty, but her spunk even more. Before
Vincent had brought her to him, he'd noticed her in one of his security monitors.
Her pale blonde hair was impossible not to spot, like a flash of gold on his
screen. Once he had her alone, he knew immediately she was one of royal blood.
The sweet scent of her blood covered her like an erotic perfume, permeating her
skin and surrounding her in an invisible veil. Was he immune? He liked to
believe so, but wasn't so naïve to think he could resist for long.
Being a rare and well-respected race, he prided himself on his
strength and self-control. If anyone could resist the tempting little siren,
it would be him.
Should be him.
Especially when he had qualms with the
royal family.
"Now, as to your payment…"
"I won't sleep with you!"
He tried to rein back the laughter bubbling to the surface, but wasn't
as successful as he'd hoped. Gideon had always enjoyed the fact he could have
any woman he desired. Being a lion shifter and owner of Club Frenzy had its
perks. He never wanted for female companionship, so being rejected
was…comical. It also ignited a new desire to win over what was denied to him.
"Would it really be that bad?" He narrowed his eyes,
taunting her. Gideon was going to ask her to have dinner with him, but this
new direction was so much more entertaining.
"I'm not a whore. You may be stronger, but I guarantee you
my teeth and claws are sharp." Dammit, but he loved her fire. She was
more feral than the female shifters that frequented the club. No wonder Vincent
brought her to him—his friend knew his flavor well. His cock hardened more each
time she cut him down. Gideon usually had steadfast control over that appendage.
He blamed her unique blood on how deeply she affected him.
"If I wanted you, I guarantee, I wouldn't need to fight
you."
He could hear her heartbeat loud in his ears. Was her heart
racing from nerves or something more? Did she have the same connection he felt
between them? He enjoyed her discomfort, watching her squirm. No, he had no
intention of harming her, or forcing her into his bed, as she'd suggested. But
he did like playing with her. She was a beauty, even in her disheveled state.
Her long blonde hair hung over one shoulder and down her back. Her eyes were a
bright greenish-yellow, beautiful and untamed.
"I need to get out of here. What do you want from me? Hurry
and tell me!"