The Last Princess

By Stacey Espino

Pack Seduction, 3

Delia is the last princess. Since her sisters have chosen mates, it's up to her to continue to wage war against the royal family. She recruits the help of Caleb, a fox shifter, to help find her way to the home she escaped from long ago.

A childhood friend is now guarding the palace, and the male she's betrothed to is determined to have her. She's in for the fight of her life if she's to remain unmated and change the old customs passed down to every generation. Will Delia become a martyr for her cause, or give in to the love of three determined shifters?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Sep 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781926950860

Stacey Espino

Stacey Espino is an international bestselling author, residing in beautiful northern Canada. She loves writing erotic romance that will have you squirming in your seat. From hardcore cowboys to alpha shifters, and everything in between, she has you covered.​Stacey also co-writes with author Sam Crescent.If you prefer alternative romance, check out Stacey's gay stories as Winona Wilder.Make sure to join Stacey and Sam's Playroom for contests, updates, and giveaways!https://www.facebook.com/groups/295030114286077/

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Published by Evernight Publishing at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2011 Stacey Espino

ISBN: 978-1-926950-86-0

Cover Artist: LF Designs

Editor: JC Chute

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To the wonderful group of ménage authors, who blog with me on When One Is Not Enough.

http://www.menageromance.blogspot.com

THE LAST PRINCESS

Pack Seduction, 3

Stacey Espino

Copyright © 2011

Chapter One

Give up the address, geek boy!

Delia held the blade to the base of his skull. She had the young fox pinned to the desk, bent over at the waist. He hadn't heard her coming. Nobody ever did.

I've already told you. They're all in the city, but I don't have an address. It's not like they've kept in contact with me. As soon as they left to find Carna, they took the SUV and deserted me here.

She dropped the knife on the desk beside his head with a clang of metal and stood up straight. He wasn't a threat, and if he became one, she didn't need a weapon to defend herself. There was no use trying to force the information from him. She had become excellent at deciphering if a person was lying to her—and the fox was being honest.

He slowly twisted around to face her, sitting on the edge of the desk, eyeing the knife at his side. You can try, she taunted.

You already know I'm not a threat to you. He looked at her, really looked at her, and his eyes narrowed. Wait a minute. You're the last princess, aren't you?

Shouldn't you be smarter for a computer nerd? She walked around the small cabin, lit only by the flames dancing in the fireplace. Carna had been here––she could sense it. She'd kept tabs on both her sisters over the years, and she knew the bittersweet truth, that they'd both given up the fight and mated. That would never be her fate.

Hey, I can only do so much way out here. The 3G signal's shitty as hell, and I haven't exactly been raring to find another royal sister. Thanks to the first one, I was stranded out here in the middle of nowhere.

She scoffed. That's what you get for kidnapping a princess. Delia sorted through the books and papers on a wooden shelf, and dug through bins of loose clothing in hopes of finding a clue. Nothing. She'd heard through the grapevine about Carna's mating, and Freya's soon after. They were supposedly together in the city, which brought her a measure of relief. At least they had each other, and were not destined to walk the earth alone, like she was.

I hope you're gonna clean that up, he said, looking at the mess of papers that had fallen to the ground. She ignored him and paced the room, the wooden floor-boards groaning in the same spots.

Her original goal when escaping the royal palace, so many years ago, was to gain the freedom of choice. Being born a princess meant Delia and her sisters would have males chosen for them, ones who'd be the best matches for creating future generations. There was no choice. Love wasn't even an afterthought. She wanted so much more for her sisters. It would be a cold day in hell when she sat back and watched her mother force three males onto one of her younger siblings.

Now she felt lost. Her sisters had chosen from their own free will—mated for love. Where did that leave her? As they kept in hiding, attempting not to be found, and returned to the palace Delia became used to the idea of running. It became a part of who she was. Mating no longer entered her mind. The longer she lived on her own, the more she plotted ways to overthrow the royal family—her family. What good would her sacrifices do if subsequent generations had to live through the same nightmare? Would her mother seek out Carna and Freya's future children and subject them to her rule?

It had to end, and she was the only one for the job.

The fox inched closer, drawing up her hackles. You have beautiful eyes. Delia glared at him. He was tall and lean muscled, a boy-next-door charm about him. But he was a fox, the lowest on the totem pole of the shifter races.

She growled and stomped away, looking for something to eat. She'd driven the highway half the night to get to the remote cottage.

I didn't mean that, he said. No. I mean, your eyes are beautiful, but it wasn't me who said it. It was me, but—

Don't worry about it. It's my blood. You can't help yourself. She squatted down to look through a box of canned goods near the fireplace. Male advances had become as common as the breeze tickling her skin when she was outdoors. She barely noticed any more. Only males who forced themselves on her got hurt. Men like the fox shifter couldn’t control their own basest desires, and she didn't fault him for it. He could hardly be blamed. All royal females had unique blood—it could change a human to a shifter and had rare healing qualities. More annoyingly, it attracted unmated shifters like moths to a flame. For her it was a curse. She just wanted to be left alone, to be normal.

It's true, then. Wow. I thought the stories were more hype than anything. He kept a safe distance from her, watching what she was doing from behind his computer screen. I've studied you, you know? You, your sisters—the whole history of royal blood.

She whirled around, her hunger no longer of importance. Do you know about the palace?

Are you kidding? I have the specs on my laptop. It has higher security than Fort Knox.

Maybe the little fox would be more use to her than she imagined. If he could get her into the palace, she could leave a fiery streak of destruction in her wake. It would look good on her mother, for what she'd put her through.

Delia adjusted her leather jacket over her matching black leather pants before sitting on the edge of the desk. What's your name, fox?

He rolled his eyes. Caleb. You know, just because I'm a fox doesn't make me less of a man. She gave him the once-over. He was no alpha, but she'd had enough drama from alphas to last her five lifetimes. This man was safe. His green eyes did give her a little thrill, but she blew off any attraction. Caleb was good for one thing only—getting her into the royal palace.

My wolf could eat you for breakfast.

And my fox could outrun you. He winked. But I'm not too worried. You're tiny in your human skin. If I wanted to I could overpower you right here, right now.

I'd love to see you try, she dared. Hadn't he already learned his lesson when he was at her mercy not twenty minutes ago?

He shrugged. Nah.

Caleb, I have a proposition for you. I'm a princess, so it would be dutiful of you.

I'm listening.

She had to handle this diplomatically. The average shifter wouldn't challenge the queen, especially not a good boy like Caleb. Delia would have to tell a few white lies to get what she wanted. It would beat having to force him to help her, constantly watching her back, and prodding him to comply. You have to help me find my sisters. I haven't spoken with them in years.

What's the proposition?

If you help me find what I want, I'll let you have whatever you want. She unzipped her jacket an inch to give the clueless