Freya's Mates

Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2011 Stacey
Espino

 ISBN:
978-1-926950-60-0

Cover Artist: LF Designs

Editor: Marie Buttineau

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

This one
goes out to all the lovely Evernight Publishing authors.  What a talented,
supportive group to be a part of.  I'm truly honored.

FREYA'S MATES

Pack Seduction, 2

Stacey
Espino

Copyright
© 2011

Chapter
One

After spending the frigid night hiding behind rancid dumpsters,
and the day in various sheds and garages, Freya grew desperate and hungry.  She
only wore tattered clothes she'd found on a clothesline in one of the backyards
she'd used as a refuge.  This city was new and unfamiliar to her, but at least
she was free.  Life on the run was preferable to fulfilling a destiny she
wanted no part of. Her mother had sent two shifters to try and bring her back
to the royal palace, but she'd gained her freedom once again.  Next time she
may not be so lucky, so she needed to be more careful. 

She didn't know where to turn at this point.  Her sister, Carna,
was mated to four alpha shifters.  Freya wished her the best, hoping she'd
found the happiness and stability they'd all sought for so many years.  Now it
was just her and Delia on the run, and Freya lost track of Delia years ago. 

"What have I gotten myself into?" she muttered to
herself.  Maybe she should have stayed with Carna when she had the chance. 
Gods it had been good to see her sister again, but Freya wouldn't be a burden
to anyone.  She wasn't the responsibility of Carna's mates, not theirs to
protect and care for.  This was for the best, she tried to convince herself.
She was meant to be on the road, alone, and on the run—a free spirit, a phantom
wolf.  It's what she knew and what she grew accustomed to over the years.  If
she returned home, she'd be the target for every shifter eager to mate with one
of the last royal females.  Or her mother would set her up with a list of
pre-selected suitors.  She wanted no part of a forced mating.

She crept out of her hiding place as the sun set, following the
scent of food on the breeze.  Walking in a crouch, she used her senses to try
and detect any potential threat, but the coast appeared to be clear.  She
followed the narrow alleyway, trailing the scent to the rear of a large brick
building.  A single metal door at the rear of the establishment was closed
tight, but she could hear and feel the deep bass of music coming from inside.  Her
curiosity was piqued.  She imagined a room filled with sweat-glistened bodies,
losing themselves to the techno beat. But even in a crowd she wasn't safe. 
There were shifters everywhere—not just in the forests and backcountry, but
living amongst humans in towns and heavily populated cities.  If there were
shifters, they'd recognize the scent of her royal blood within seconds.  Then
they'd want her.  Not for the woman, the wolf, or any deep seated longing—just
for her pedigree and what she represented.  Male shifters would kill to mate
with one of the three Demori sisters, only two left unmated now that Carna had
found her fate.

"I'm sure they'd let you in the main entrance.  You're
cute.  They'll send you to the front of the line."  The male voice
originated in the deep shadows along the building.  "Not sure about the
get-up, though."

Her hackles rose.  Why hadn't she sensed him?  A billow of
sweet-smelling smoke surrounded his face, still hidden in the darkness.  He
leaned against the building, one jean-clad leg bent up.  When she realized he
wasn't a shifter, her defenses lowered. 
Just another human.
  Not a
threat. Only shifters went crazy from the scent of her blood.

"What's inside?"

"Club Frenzy.  You'll find everything you're looking for in
there."  He took a drag on his cigarillo. The human was tall, but that's
about all she could gauge besides the deep tone of his voice.

"I just want food.  I'm not looking for a good time, if
that's what you're suggesting."  Freya spent her fair share of time moving
from one city to the next.  Sometimes nice hotels, other times little shitholes
frequented by drug addicts and prostitutes.  She didn't want this stranger
mistaking her for one of those ladies of the night.  If anything, Freya still
had her dignity.

"Well, it's not my first choice for a decent meal."  He
pushed off from the wall, stepping into the dim glow of the outdoor lighting.
The human had narrow eyes, dark as the night sky.  His hair was black and
tousled.  Freya froze as he moved toward her.  He scrubbed a hand over a neatly
trimmed goatee, a devilish smirk on his lips.  

"I'm not picky.  Do you have a key?"  She took a step
back, not eager to get so close to a man she knew nothing about.  Unlike Carna,
she wasn't as comfortable with her sexuality. Her raging monthly urges were a
source of dread. 

This human's size and rugged good looks tempted her in ways she'd
never known.  She didn't feel threatened.  Her wolf could rip him apart, and
he'd be helpless with no teeth or claws to protect himself. What she feared was
her own desire.

"No, but I can get you in."  He took another step
forward, and reached out to lift a section of her hair, feeling it between a
thumb and finger.  Everything about him was calm and unrushed. "What's
your name?"

She almost leaned into his heat, somehow enamored by the human.
"
Freya."

"Well, Freya, I'm Darius. Get ready for a wild ride,"
he said before banging a fist on the metal door.  The echoing boom was rewarded
with a quick response.  "Mind if I bring in a guest?"

The oversized shifter looked her up and down before nodding. 

Darius stepped into the club, pausing for her to follow.  Should
she go?  She had no clue what awaited her inside.  The kidnappers her mother
had sent for her could be waiting just past the threshold. But her basic need
for food overpowered any logical thought.  Freya followed behind the human,
putting as much distance between her and the imposing shifter as possible. 
Once inside, a different world awaited her.  The music drowned out every other sound,
beating in her chest like a living force. Colored lights zigzagged around her,
adding to the chaos and confusion of the bustling nightclub.  Women and men
reveled in the sex-laden atmosphere, dancing, making out, and drinking. It was
the perfect place to blend in, to get lost when she didn't want to be found. 
Surely the male shifters wouldn't be able to pinpoint her scent amongst the
flood of stimuli around them.

She zeroed in on her target—the grill near the back bar.  The
rich scents enticed her, beckoned her. Gods her stomach protested violently. A
nice steak, medium-rare, would hit the spot about now.  She hadn't eaten
anything in nearly two days as she remained in hiding.  Freya turned to the
right, moving fast, twisting in and out of the dancers, hoping to lose her
companion as she moved closer to the bar.  Her stealth had aided her in many
escapes over the years.

"Do you have a menu?" she asked the bartender, leaning
over the counter on her elbows.  Freya had to shout just to be heard.  The
shifter was busy mixing drinks, serving several customers at once.

He paid her no heed, dealing with the others ahead of her.  His
blond hair was casually brushed off his face and his blue eyes were dominant in
the dim lighting. When he glanced in her direction, he did a double take, and chose
to offer his undivided attention.  "Can I help you?"  He flipped the
two bottles he handled with expert skill, setting them on the lower counter in
front of him.

She looked over her shoulder to make sure the human still hadn't
found her. "I want to order food.  Do you have a menu?" she repeated.

His eyes narrowed.  "Menu?  This ain't a restaurant,
sweetheart.  The best I can do is chicken strips and French fries.  We have a
fryer.  That's about it."

"Fine.  I'll take whatever you have."  She was ready to
dumpster-dive with the stray cats if she didn't get a meal soon—or perhaps
shift and make a meal of the cats themselves.

He stood there for a moment, assessing her.  Did he detect her
true identity, or was her request really that unusual?  She took note of the
patrons sitting at the counter to her left and right.  The people were drinking
and mingling, not eating.

After his pause, he disappeared into the kitchen at the end of
the bar.  Freya fidgeted, not comfortable around so many potential
fortune-seekers.  She couldn’t count the number of male shifters that had tried
to entrap her in the past, hoping to become a part of history by mating with
one of the legendary sisters of royal blood.  Just because she carried the
future for all shifters in her veins, passed on from select female to select female
in the royal family, didn't mean she would be forced into a loveless mating.
She'd choose a man when she was damn good and ready. 

The fact her sister had given up the good fight, mating instead
of continuing to run like her and Delia, had forced Freya to think about her
own future.  As she holed up for the past couple days, waiting for her captors
to give up their search, she had more than enough time to think.  Maybe she
should settle down and stop running.  But how could she choose a mate when she
had no life?  It would be impossible for her to develop a normal relationship.
She had no home, no roots, and no job.  All she did was wander, determined to
stay single…to what end?  Her determination had been so one-sighted that she
didn't notice her life slipping by.  She wasn't getting any younger.  What did
the future hold for her? 

"Here you go, blondie."  The bartender dropped a plate
in front of her.  A couple fries spilled off the side onto the counter. She
frowned, but was too hungry to say a word in protest.  Freya began to shovel
food into her mouth.  She knew she must look classless, but the grease and salt
on her tongue was sheer heaven, and she couldn't eat or swallow fast enough. "You're
hungry. How about a drink?"  Freya only nodded, not willing to answer when
all that mattered was filling her stomach.  The shifter watched her with
interest, as if she were a freak show he couldn't pry his eyes from. Was that a
grin?  With her plate half finished, she began to slow down her frantic pace. 
She became more aware of her surroundings and took stock of the man staring at
her from behind the counter.  He really did have the bluest eyes.  A cougar. 
Wild cats had distinctive eyes, and he was close enough for her to scent him.