The Last Princess Read Online Free PDF Page A

shifters," she said,
hoping to dismiss the uncomfortable intimacy.
    "Then why haven't you chosen one if your selection is so
plentiful?" 
    The hell if she knew. Delia had always taught her younger
sisters to never trust a male.  They'd only lie, backstab, and offer sweet
nothings because of the blood they carried.  No male would ever truly love
them, just what they represented.  But Carna and Freya had found love, so her
theories must have been way off—or only apply to her.  She certainly couldn't
imagine a man wanting her if she were a regular wolf, no magic blood, no royal
lineage.
    "I choose not to choose.  Does that make any sense?"
    "Not coming from a princess.  You're supposed to carry on
shifter bloodlines for future generations."
    "No more talking," she said.  Having the same
conversation over and over bored her. She might as well be home at the palace
listening to her mother's lectures on duty and tradition. Besides, her sisters
would carry on the bloodlines, so there would be no mass extinction just
because she decided to stay barren.
    She turned away from him, but he twisted her back around.
"What exactly is going on here?  Do you want to break into the castle to
bring about positive changes or are you just feeling sorry for yourself?"
    "Sorry for what?" she spat, shrugging his hand off.
    "Sorry that you're miserable and alone while your sisters
are happily mated—all because they didn't follow your example."  He tilted
his head slightly to the side in challenge. Why was he doing this?  If he
wanted money to help her, she had a shitload in several bank accounts. Money
meant nothing to her.  But why the test?
    "Hah!  You couldn’t be more wrong.  My sisters' happiness
is the only thing keeping me going.  They're all that matters, all I live for. 
It was all for them!"  She began to break down, but fought tooth and nail
to keep her emotions in check.
    He lowered his voice. "Don't you see?  Those are all
past-tense goals.  Like you said, they're happy now.  So what keeps you going
from this day forward?  What does Delia live for now that her sisters no longer
need her?"
    Tears began to fill her eyes.  Her traitorous body was
crumbling from the inside out. "They do need me!"  She felt the hot
streaks make paths down her cheeks.  How could this stranger know more about
herself than she did?  Why did the truth hurt so fucking much?
    Caleb reached out to her and tugged her against his body. He
cooed softly, resting his chin on the top on her head as he rubbed circles over
her back. Neither of them said another word.  She fought a bit, still
uncomfortable with touch, with compassion.  But Caleb held her fast, his
strength surprising, until she had no choice but to melt against him and spend
her tears.
     
     

Chapter
Four
     
    "Take the next right," Caleb yelled to be heard over
the force of the wind. He'd found the information the princess wanted,
including layouts of the castle, guard details, and how to disable the security
system.  It would have been easy enough to explain to Delia how to accomplish all
the tasks on her own, but she insisted he come along and do everything for
her.  He had the suspicion that she didn't want to be alone.  That was okay
because the thought of walking away from her was indigestible.
    He felt such a pull from Delia, but he reasoned it was her
unique blood calling to him, doing its job to attract mates. She was beautiful,
tough, with an intangible vulnerability. 
    They veered off the highway, the motorcycle taking the ramp at
a sharp angle.  Caleb had had enough of riding a bike to last him a lifetime. 
His heart was in his stomach, especially with the way she drove. "You
don't need to give me any more directions, fox.  This is my home town, I know
it well."  They slowed as the neared civilization.
    Caleb had never been to the royal town, although he'd wanted
to since he was young.  It was the epicenter of their history, almost
exclusively inhabited