Freya's Mates (9 page)

"I didn't want to be a bother."

"Foolish girl.  All I've thought about these past years was
getting you and Delia back.  Splitting up was the worst idea we've had.  If
anything, we should have stayed together after leaving the palace."  Freya
looked to her sister's side.  The panther was tall and built, glaring down at
her with those inhuman blue eyes. Carna followed her gaze and frowned at the
man.  "This is Blue, one of my mates.  He's being very rude."

The panther shook his head, as if freeing himself from a daze.
"Sorry, it's just…them."  He nodded to Freya's two mates.  After a
quick inhale, she noticed how electrified the air was with potent male threat,
a dominant show that could end up much more.

Carna growled a drawn out sigh and tugged the panther into the
center of the room.  Freya studied her mates.  Vincent stood exactly where she
left him, his stance guarded as he eyed the two shifters at the opposite side
of the room. Gideon was still relatively calm in the chair, but she noted the
fire in his eyes as he kept tabs on all the males in the room. "Gideon? 
Is everything okay?"

Carna answered for him. "Yes, everything's fine!  Listen up
all you big, alpha males.  Freya's my little sister and I don't plan on
becoming separated from her ever again.  If any one of you plan on driving a
wedge between us, speak up."  Silence. "Good.  Now, me and my sister
are going out together.  Alone.  While we're gone, the six of you can get to
know each other.  Since you'll be spending plenty of time with each other in
the future, it's a good idea."

The wolf shifter, wearing just a Stetson and black boxer briefs
stepped forward in protest. "But, Carna, it's not safe for the two of you
to roam around unescorted."

"Austin, really?  You don’t think I'm capable of protecting
us?"

He shrugged and didn't put up more of an argument.  Carna's males
were certainly concerned for her, but equally eager to keep her happy.  If
anyone could protect herself, it would be Carna.  Delia had taught her
everything she knew, making her nearly as lethal.  Although Freya could hold
her own, she didn't have the vicious streak that her sisters possessed.

"Where we going?" asked Freya as her sister pulled her
to a room at the end of the condo.

"Before we go out, you need to change.  You look like
a…"  She rummaged through a dresser drawer and held up a few articles of
clothing. "Never mind.  Put this on and then we'll take off."

Chapter
Seven

After much protest, all the males stayed together in the condo as
the two women left for some much needed alone time. They didn't head to a restaurant. 
Rather, they took the elevator up to the roof and sat on the ledge of the high
rise building.  Together, they glanced down at the bustling city, all
glistening metal and modern angles.  Freya tired of cities. Part of her wanted
to connect with her wolf, to run free through the old growth forests like when
she lived back at the palace.  The odd time she shifted these days was to
escape a potentially dangerous situation when fear and adrenaline filled her
veins.  It wasn't for pleasure or to embrace her beast within like it should
be.

"Let me see them," said Carna.

"See what?"

Her sister tugged at her collar. "Your love bites.  Did you
mate both of them?"

She nodded, proud of her decision to bond with Gideon and
Vincent. It seemed to be the only right decision she'd made in a long time, and
to think she almost ran from them.

"I wanted to talk with you about that.  The big one's a
lion.  Don't you know the stories about them?"

Freya shook her head, not liking the direction of the
conversation.

"What have we always taught you?"

That was easy. "Trust no male."

"Exactly. Lions have wanted to take over the thrown for
centuries.  It's the reason we're warned never to mate with them. We mustn't
give them a chance to take over what is rightfully ours."  She gripped
Freya's shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes. "He's using you to
get to the crown."

She shrugged away from her sister and walked dangerously close to
the ledge of the building. Her mind wandered in several directions. "No. 
No, you're wrong about Gideon.  I don't care if he's a lion—it means nothing.
Besides, he recognized me as his mate.  "

"How many have told you the same thing in the past?  What
makes him different?"

"I don't know, Carna." She tossed her arms in the air. 
"He just is.  It's not just him, either.  I love him. I need him."

Her sister frowned, not willing to accept her logic.  The only
reason she didn't scream and shout in defense of her males was because her
sister was only looking out for her best interest. She couldn’t hate Carna for
that.

"And the other?"

"Vincent's special.  I know he wants me for me.  It's a long
story, but you have to trust my judgment."

"Fine.  But how many lion's have you met in your life? 
They're a rare breed and suddenly one claims to be your fate?  More likely he
saw an opportunity to get what he believes is his."

"This is crazy talk!  Gideon loves me.  Besides, everyone
knows only a few royal females of wolf blood are capable of carrying on the
races, not the lions.  Taking over the palace wouldn’t change that fact."

"Just be careful.  I don't like it."

She sat back on the ledge and took a cleansing breath. "Can
we just talk about something else.  I'm happy.  For once in my life I feel I've
found my place, and I want you to be happy for me too."

"Oh, Freya.  You have no idea how much I love you." 
Carna leaned over and hugged her tight.  "I never want to lose you
again." The gentle breeze lifted the ends of Carna's dark hair.

"What about Delia?"

"She won't be found until she wants to be." 

Delia was the one who led their escape and decided it best for
them to split up to stay off the radar.  She was suspicious of everyone and
everything, and a vicious wolf to any threat, male or female, human or shifter.

They spent much of the late evening laughing and reminiscing. It
was so comforting to speak freely, to have a piece of herself and her history
back in her life.  Although she valued Carna's advice, she hoped to put an end
to any question as to Gideon's intentions when she saw him.

"Well, you've chosen well for yourself.  That's the biggest
bear shifter I've ever seen.  The others are not hard on the eyes either."

"One is more delectable than the next, but it doesn't matter
since I never have to choose between them." Her sister winked, braiding
strands of her hair at her side.

Freya began to think of her men.  Not just for sex, but because she
knew they'd be worried.  The connection between them weakened the longer they
stayed apart and it made her anxious, even with Carna at her side. "Yeah,
I suppose being a royal female does have its perks in a few rare instances.
Mating more than one male certainly has its advantages." 

"If they're the right males." 

Not again.
She didn't bother to argue.  When she
confronted Gideon, she'd be able to tell if he was lying.  The stench of deceit
was difficult to disguise.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything."

She chewed on her lower lip before replying. The question had
plagued her thoughts continually, and she'd unsuccessfully tried to push it
from her mind. "Have any shifters mated with a human before?"

"Of course.  It happens all the time.  Do you not realize
how many males have abandoned their beasts altogether?  They play human,
ignoring their true nature.  Others mate humans out of love and keep their
secret guarded their whole marriages.  It's difficult, but like I said, it
happens every day."

"Even for royals?"

"No, not royals.  Since when is anything common for
us?"  She brushed the question off, getting up and stretching her legs. 
They'd have to head back soon. "Wait a minute. Why you asking about this? 
Does this have anything to do with you?"

"No.  I was just curious."  Curious and condemned. If
she couldn’t forget Darius, she'd live life as an incomplete woman, her wolf
forever wanting what it couldn't have.

"Do you not love your mates?  If you don't, then you've
chosen wrong.  After the love bite, there should be no doubts."

Freya had no doubts about Gideon or Vincent, not for her feelings
towards them.  It was her love for a third that tore her apart.  As a royal,
there was no issue mating with three males, it was the norm. But not with a
human.  "No doubts.  It was just a question."

****

"So…"  The tiger circled Vincent, his arms crossed over
his chest. 

"So…" echoed Gideon from his seat.  He had a clear view
of the entire room.  "You're all mated to Freya's sister?"

"That's right.  And you two have marked your woman?"

"Oh, she's marked all right.  Don't tell me you couldn't
scent our claim," warned Vincent. It wasn't like his friend to radiate
such malevolent energy.  Vincent was usually laid back with a level head. But
being in the same room with their new mate and four alphas had Gideon's lion
roaring within him, so the cougar had to feel the same thing. Even with Freya
away, she'd be back, and the threat would remain.

"I saw the way you looked at Carna when she walked in.  Not
very nice," said the shifter with the Texas accent. "I've killed for
less."

"Is that so?" Vincent's upper lip twitched, a warning
of an impending shift. Gideon looked around the open concept condo.  The
shifters had good taste, but if things got ugly, there could be a lot of
damage.  It was one thing to brawl out in the forest amongst mature trees and
undergrowth.  They were surrounded by thin drywall, collectibles, and expensive
manmade furniture.

"Damn straight."  The cowboy tossed his hat on the
coffee table and took a bold step forward. Gideon stifled a laugh.  It was easy
not to get overly riled when he had the muscle to defend his mate if he really
needed to.  This was just one big pissing contest.

Vincent growled, his fangs lengthening and tendons snapping. 
Gideon rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. This wouldn't be good. Within a
minute a snarling cougar lowered, ready to pounce.

"You not gonna join in?" asked Jacob, leaning on the
arm of the sofa beside him.

"I'll sit this one out." 

Jacob had worked for him as a bouncer at Club Frenzy for years. 
When he gave his notice to leave out of the blue, claiming to have found his
mate, Gideon was less than understanding.  Now he could relate to the pull of
the mating bond.

The wolf was next, shifting into animal form.  His body twisted
and morphed, hair sprouting from his flesh before he dropped down to four legs.
Razor sharp teeth were displayed to the cougar in a show of aggression.  When
Gideon looked to the left, the panther had also shifted even though this wasn't
his fight. It sounded like a fucking zoo.

The black panther stuck first, seeming too feral to connect to
his logical human side once shifted.  He slashed Vincent in the side with
wicked claws, but it only seems to enrage the cougar.  Soon they were rolling
around the room in a flash of fur, teeth, and claws.  The yowling and growling
was like a macabre opera that must have been heard in all neighboring units. When
the wolf joined in, Gideon was tempted to shift just to help his friend.  But
he waited, allowing Vincent the honor of fighting two to one. He was well aware
of the other man's skills.  He'd fought countless shifters at Club Frenzy when
the need arouse.  He never lost.

****

They followed the same direction back to the condo.  The door
opened before they even raised a hand to knock. Gideon raked a hand through his
shoulder length hair and closed the door behind him, joining them in the hall. 
He had guilt written all over his handsome face.

"What's the matter?" asked Freya.

"It's a bit messy in there right now. Best to stay out here
for a few minutes."  He winked, trying to play down whatever transpired on
the other side of the wall.

Carna used both hands to push him aside and flung open the door.
"No way!  You morons!"  Freya followed Gideon inside behind her sister. 
The place was a mess.  Tables were reduced to kindling, pictures hung
precariously from the walls, and potted plants were overturned leaving a dark
smattering of dirt over the beige oriental rugs. The city lights beyond the
great glass windows left streaks of red and blue along the skyline, but it
didn't make up for the disaster inside.

The bear strode over to Carna and pulled her against him.  "I
told them not to do it, sweetheart."  A panther, cougar, and wolf began to
return to human form.

Freya ran over to Vincent once he lay on two human legs, his side
was marred with blood, similar to the others. "Are you okay?"  She
gingerly touched his wound, but he appeared unaffected, standing and pulling
her up with him.

"I'm fine."  He kissed her forehead and held her close,
tucked under his arm protectively. She could feel the territorial threat coming
off the cougar in waves, even though the fighting was supposed to be over. It
surprised her that she liked it.  In an odd, twisted way, it turned her on that
her males were ready to die to protect and keep her. 

"What were you guys trying to accomplish?  Do you want me
and my sister split up again because you can't get along with each other for a
few hours?" Carna spit venom with every sentence. "I have no interest
in Freya's mates, so just stop."

"Feisty today."  The tiger scooped her up, until she
was kicking and threatening for him to set her down.  He didn't, only twirled
her around and nuzzled her neck.  In no time, her sister was giggling, her
anger dissipating.

He set her down, smoothing her long dark hair down her back.