The Last Princess Read online

  She lifted his lip with the pad of her thumb. Once again they were fully extended—ready from arousal, just as the hard cock pressed against her stomach signaled. She admired his feral canines, debating if this was the best idea. When he ground that steely erection against her throbbing clit, she dropped her head back and exposed her throat.

  He sniffed her hairline and licked her pulse point. She was coiled so tight, she didn't know how much more stimulation she could handle without losing her human skin. Delia would have to run for an hour straight in wolf form to spend even a fraction of her wanton desire.

  Chapter Five

  If it was possible for sex to have a smell, it was lingering around them like a living force. The combination of his budding feelings for Delia, her royal blood, and the potency of the moon pushed him over the edge. Caleb admired the smooth plane of her neck. It was utterly tempting. He could scent the sweetness of her blood only a bite away. She'd given him the go ahead to mark her, to make her his. Did she not realize the significance of the act? Once he tasted her, branded her, they'd be forever linked. She seemed to be acting in the heat of the moment, not thinking logically.

  All he had to do was sink his aching incisors into her neck. But he couldn't do it. He was too much a gentleman, or maybe he was a fool. Either way, he wouldn't take this gift unless she was making an informed decision regarding the rest of her life. But he would have her body.

  Caleb prided himself on his willpower as he rose above her, putting distance between her vein and his deadly teeth. "I'm taking your shirt off," he said before undressing her. "And your pants." The leather was tight against her skin and difficult to tug off. He felt like a complete amateur, giving her a play by play rather than taking, and unable to get her clothes off as swiftly as he'd hoped. Why was she even giving a beta the time of day? She must be used to the best, men like the guards the hotel owner spoke of—fearless, huge, above average in intelligence and strength. What was he? A lowly fox shifter who could use a computer?

  "What are you going to do with me now, fox?"

  He hadn't realized he was straddling her body, staring blankly, and not moving. "I'm going to get your bra off. At least I hope I can. It looks even more difficult than the pants." So much for the romance. He was failing epically in that department.

  Caleb managed to unfasten the clasp after several failed attempts. Her breasts were indescribable—full, soft, and finely shaped. The nipples were a soft rosy color, beaded and tempting. He leaned over her prone body and tentatively lapped at the tight bud. She closed her eyes and groaned as if he'd hurt her.

  "Sorry. I should have mentioned I was about to do that."

  "No. Just do it. I won't stop you."

  That was his invitation. But Caleb had never been invited to such a party. He hadn't even so much as kissed a woman. They all wanted alphas or had their curiosity piqued by human males. His race was the bottom of the barrel, and he'd always been quiet and shy regardless. Now he had the ultimate prize—a princess. She wanted him, demanded he act, so who was he to deny royalty? But he didn't want to fail or be humiliated due to his inexperience.

  He decided to return to those fleshy mounds begging for his attention. He covered her areola with his mouth and then sucked in the nipple in a slow, deep pull. With his free hand he squeezed her breast, forcing more into his mouth. The more he took the hungrier he became. And as his hunger increased, his insecurities began to diminish. "You're perfect, princess."

  "I’m not a princess tonight, Caleb. It's just you and me, and this one night." She sounded so entranced, so final. There was a macabre romanticism surrounding her words.

  He slid his hand down her flat stomach to the thatch of curls hidden in her panties. Those needed to go. She helped him by lifting her hips when he tugged at the silk undergarment. Once fully naked she was stunning, a body made to be appreciated. As much as he'd love to worship her body, study every muscle and curve, it was her eyes that held him captive. She had been watching him undress her, watching him study her nudity. "Should I stop?" he asked. Her eyes were so dominant on her face, like green gemstones sparkling in the moonlight.

  She shook her head. "I trust you, Caleb." Then she bent up one knee, making the perfect cradle for him to lower his frame into. When he started to position himself, she stopped him with a palm to the chest. "Lose the pants."

  ****

  Delia may have never known a man intimately, but there was no way Caleb had been with a woman, either. He fumbled and struggled, stopped and started. Everything about him from his looks to his actions only further endeared him to her. If she were to offer her maidenhead to a male of her choosing, she'd choose his kind, a loving fox shifter.

  Her nether lips were moist, nearly dripping. She wanted to feel a man breaking her walls down and filling her to the brink. Not with any man, but with Caleb. There were so many years of pent up desires locked up inside her. All those full moons when she'd sheltered herself away from the world.

  Caleb kicked off his jeans. He looked edible in just his black boxer briefs. His body was killer and she yearned to sink her teeth into him. He still hadn't bitten her. She wondered if he second guessed the choice to bond himself forever with a princess and all her baggage. He probably wanted a normal girl, maybe a fox shifter like him.

  "You're too slow, Caleb. Get on with it," she insisted, pulling him to her mouth. Rivulets of moisture seeped down to her ass. She was so primed and ready to be fucked that her whole body quivered.

  "Remember what you said? You're not a princess now, Delia. It's just me and you, so no demanding." He kissed her lips, silencing her retort. Every time they kissed, it was more than just a joining of their bodies, it was an emotional bonding. They were part of each other, exploring tenderly and patiently. She suspected Caleb had more patience than her tonight because all she could think about was moving to the next step.

  "Please?" She let her fangs graze his neck, and he shuddered.

  "I didn't say you had to beg." He smiled at her through the darkness. Despite the heat of the moment, he was still able to play with her. She knew at that moment that she'd miss him if she walked out of his life. He was the type of male who'd stay by her side through thick and thin, sickness and health. The stability he offered was so tempting when she lacked even a permanent address.

  Caleb shimmied out of his boxers, and she instantly felt the hard flesh of his cock slap her leg. He was more than ready to take her, and her body was ripe. This was it, the moment she'd held off for all her adult life out of protest. She reached down to feel him for herself, not knowing what to expect.

  "Oh gods, Delia. You'll make me come before we start." Caleb's weight was over her now, his heartbeat deafening, and his breathing ragged. He grabbed his cock and positioned himself, only to realize her panties were still on. In a flash, he tore them from her body, burning a streak across her hip. The smooth head of his cock pressed against her cunt, seeking entrance. "Tell me if I hurt you," he mumbled. Despite his feral lust, she knew he'd stop if she asked him to. Other shifters wouldn't be able to, or care to if they could. She had no plans in stopping Caleb.

  He was well endowed, stretching her with just the head inside her walls. Another slow inch later, he paused. "You're untouched," he said, disbelief ringing in his voice. His shock stung a bit. Did he think she was a whore, fucking different men each month when her hormones blew off the charts?

  "You'll be my first, Caleb, so fuck me good." She arched up with her hips to capture another inch of his thick cock. He groaned and closed his eyes as if desperate to keep some semblance of control.

  "No pressure on me, right?" He secured her hip and thrust deep—a smooth, measured movement with her comfort in mind. The moment her royal maidenhead was punctured, she gasped. It wasn't painful, but more a realization that there was no going back. She'd done it, and felt an instant bond with her lover. "You're tight, Delia. So fucking tight…" He was losing it, and she was glad. Caleb needed to let loose, allow his beast out
to play once in a while.

  She wrapped her arms and legs around him, needing to be as close as possible, to feel every inch of her flesh covered by his. With her heels, she prodded his tight ass, ensuring he didn't hold back. "Caleb, take me proper."

  He began to thrust, slowly at first, creating a delicious rhythm. It only ignited her needs rather than soothe them. "I want to mark you, Delia. Make you mine."

  She didn't respond. This wasn't just some cheap thrill. They had feelings and an indescribable bond between them. If she allowed Caleb to bite her, knowing she may never return after breaking in the palace, it would be cruel. Shifters mated for life, and she wouldn't condemn him to that kind of loneliness. She had been ready to give herself over to him, but it had been selfish on her part.

  "Breaking into the castle is dangerous. Maybe we should wait." She didn't want to think about the future, the palace, mating, or anything at all except the here and now. The moment was perfect, and she wanted to savor it, remember every sensation and touch to memory.

  He exhaled, pausing his thrusts, looking at her with those dominant green eyes. "Don't go to the castle. Stay with me."

  Did he know she had a death wish? Or did he want a future with her, man and woman? "Hush. I want to enjoy this." She closed her eyes, almost tempted to listen to the fox shifter. Forget the past, forget the present, and just start fresh with him somewhere far away. But running from her pain wouldn't solve anything, and she'd always regret not going through with her plans.

  Caleb narrowed his eyes briefly, but complied. He dropped his head and rimmed the shell of her ear with his tongue as he continued his assault on her pussy. She felt so full, so alive. Every pump of his hips sent her spiraling, an intense pressure building up in her core. Delia wasn't sure how long it would stay locked away before breaking free.

  "You're so beautiful," he continually murmured near her ear. Even his hot breath sent her nerves racing. Their sweat glistened bodies rubbed against each other, creating one writhing mass of flesh and fucking. She enjoyed his domination, which grew stronger, rougher by the minute. He was attentive to her needs, pursuing every moan and sigh she made by delivering exactly what she craved.

  It amazed Delia how sex could unite two people on such a soul deep level. How could others have random encounters without feeling the same thing? How could her sisters not feel a connection to the men they used for pleasure in the past? Was Caleb unique? Was he truly her mate? The one fate decided, not her mother?

  "Caleb, you're bringing me close. Don't stop." Her orgasm loomed on the surface, begging for release. It hummed within her, heated her blood, and cast off pleasure of the likes she'd never known.

  "If there's one thing I want, Delia, it's to bring you there." He fucked her harder, his pubic bone rubbing her clit mercilessly. The pleasure and pressure peaked, bringing her into a realm of calm satisfaction before ripping through her body with the intensity of an electric charge.

  "Caleb! Oh gods!" She throbbed around his cock, milking him, wave after wave of contractions gripping him tighter. He growled, a canine sound, his teeth dangerously close to her neck as he spent his seed inside her.

  The afterglow of her first sexual experience lulled her. Caleb crawled up alongside her once she'd shifted to lay her head on the pillow. "Come here," he said, tucking her under his arm. She draped an arm over his chest, resting her head over the steady beat of his heart. Delia knew, even without sampling his blood, that she loved him. Love. It was such a vague word, impossible to describe. But she knew it in her heart as if the gods had whispered it in her ear.

  Chapter Six

  Ulric was on this fourth nightshift in a row. But he couldn't complain about something he'd signed up for. Being a palace guard was one of the highest honors, next to being chosen to mate with one of the princesses. One of his best friends, Alexander, was destined to marry Ulric's childhood sweetheart, Delia Demori—the last princess. Of course, she didn't know how he felt. They were young and foolish back then, and Delia very much a Tom Boy. He'd originally applied to be a palace guard to get close to her, not willing to let their social statuses separate them as adults. But it had all been in vain. Three males were chosen for her, and within a year of finding out, she fled with her sisters, never to be seen or heard from again.

  Now only one of her original mates remained, impatiently waiting for her return. If she ever came back home they'd be married as soon as two other males were selected. They'd be chosen from the list of qualified shifters who'd applied and passed every test with flying colors. Ulric was restricted from applying because the royals said this generation already had a bear shifter, thanks to Carna's mating, and they didn't want another. More than one wolf was fine, but not another bear? Whatever.

  Ulric may grumble about his life, but he'd chosen his path. Like all palace guards, he had to devote his life to the monarchy, just as a human priest gave up everything for their church. He couldn't mate, couldn't even allow himself to become distracted by life outside the castle grounds. His placement was an honor, and he kept reminding himself of the fact.

  Why couldn't he be as content as his comrades? It would make his life more bearable.

  "You're not very alert tonight. I could have snuck right in the passageway and you'd never have been the wiser." Wesley blew out a cloud of smoke which mutated into eerie shapes with only the glow of the moon shining down on them.

  "I can always smell you a mile away. That's exactly why we're not allowed to smoke. Other shifters can detect us."

  He winked. "It'll be our little secret. Besides, do you remember a time when someone tried to break into the castle?"

  No one dared to come near the palace grounds, never mind the castle. The Royal Elite Ops were known for their training, strength, and lethality. "And who's guarding your station while you're here busting my balls?"

  Wesley shrugged, nonchalantly taking another drag on his cigarillo. He looked up at the moon and exhaled. "Every fucking month. We should be paid extra for full moon shifts. All I can think about is eating pussy."

  "Join the club." All Ulric could focus on was the girl he'd lost so many years ago. But he'd never have a chance with her. He was a Royal Elite and didn't conform to what the queen wanted for the next prince.

  There was a rustling in the distance—the faintest sound that Ulric and Wesley detected at the same moment. His friend tossed his smoke and crouched low, his yellowish panther eyes glowing. He was so still that one could mistake him for a gargoyle, like the decorative ones mounted on the roof of the palace. Neither of them spoke, awaiting their prey—any human or shifter who dared to enter their territory.

  "It's just Alexander," Ulric finally announced, his muscles relaxing as he rose to his feet and slumped against the stone wall.

  "Running at night again? That man has the patience of a saint. If I were him, I'd be long gone, mated with five kids by now." Wesley scanned the grass at his feet. "And I just wasted a perfectly good smoke." He cursed, and then disappeared around the side of the castle towards his own post.

  The black wolf eyed him as it neared. That same look would scare the piss out of a human, but not him. There was very little that could frighten a bear shifter, and few who would be foolish enough to challenge him. Alexander shifted with practiced grace and donned the clothes he'd left behind a low lying rock on one of the stone pillars.

  Wearing just a pair of black linen pants and holding the rest of his items, he joined Ulric at the entrance. "I ran for two hours straight today, can you believe it? Every full moon brings me closer to the point of insanity." Alexander ran a hand through his damp hair, his jaw clenched down hard. "I'll kill her when she returns."

  Ulric's hackles immediately rose. Even after all these years, he had an innate instinct to protect Delia. "If she returns." As much as he'd love to see her again, and know she was safe, it would destroy him to watch the woman he loved mated to his friend. He'd have to smile and play nice when all he'd want to do was steal off into the forest
with the woman he believed was always meant to be his.

  "Don't test me today, Ulric. I'm exceptionally moody this evening. I think I'll take a long, cold shower and then force myself to sleep."

  "Seems the moon is having a stronger effect than usual this month. Ronan and Westley both stopped by my post to aggregate me."

  "Cade was out by the fence line. I image jerking off to the sight of the females passing beyond the border." Alexander laughed. Their predicament was laughable, but when all the joking was aside, it was painful being an unmated male during the full moon. Ulric's balls ached and his dick wouldn't settle down. The need for blood and sex challenged even the most experienced mind. Besides shifting it was the main thing that separated shifters from humans, reminding them of their feral roots.

  "Am I the only one taking his duty seriously? The Elite shouldn't be slacking like this. One day it'll backfire." He wasn't usually such a stickler for the rules, but his mood was just as black as Alexander's.

  "The sun will be up soon, my friend." Alexander laid a hand on his shoulder. "Then you can squander the day in the local pub—plenty of booze and women will ease your sorrows."

  Footsteps, barely audible, came from deep within the interior tunnels of the castle, as hushed as mice feet. Ulric's canines lengthened. His inner bear warned him of an intruder. If it were another Royal Elite or one of the palace inhabitants his senses wouldn't be firing off. He whispered harshly, "You see! This is what happens when the guards let their dicks reign over their logic."

  Alexander dropped low on the opposite side of the opening. "What will you do?"

  Ulric growled. If he hadn't been distracted by Alexander and Wesley, he'd have heard the intruder sneaking in behind their defenses. "Stay here! If anything happens to the last of Delia's betrothed, the queen will have a coronary." He stayed close to the grey stone wall, its irregular surface scratching his back. This could be dangerous, but he eagerly awaited surprising his prey. Slip in the castle on his watch? No way in hell. He'd be the laughing stock of the town and banished from the Royal Elite with a black mark to follow him until the day he died.