Saving Grace

Saving Grace

Lycan Chronicles

Book 1

ANITA COX

Copyright © 2014 Anita Cox

All rights reserved. by Syn Publishing, LLC., 2014.

No part of this novel may be copied, reproduced, photocopied, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, recording, or retrieval system, nor by any other means, including recording or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher or author, except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the production of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely and completely coincidental.

The name “Syn Publishing” and its logo are trademarks of Syn Publishing LLC.,

Printed in the United States of America.

Visit us on line at www.SynPublishing.com

ISBN-13: 978-1-942632-10-8

ISBN-10: 194263210X

DEDICATION

To my wonderful fans who continue to request new books from me. You really keep me motivated to continue working as hard as I can. To the evil Dragon Lady, for kicking my ass for every useless dialog tag, POV shift and unnecessary word. You make this actually worth reading. You are an invaluable friend who I really don’t know how I would live without.

Grace McGovern lay wrapped in a sheet, staring at the ceiling as she reveled in the warmth coming from Roman, who slumbered next to her. It had only been a matter of weeks since two strangers walked into her life the night she graduated college. They’d dropped a bomb shell on her. She was a Lycan—a wolf shifter. More than that, she was a Lycan princess…the last of her kind. Learning who and what she is was quite a shock, but even a harder pill to swallow was her being a royal. She felt she handled it well. It had been a lot to take in, to accept. She was less startled by the wolf’s voice in her head, and visions of it lying there, or pacing around. But nothing could have prepared her for her first heat, the insatiable sexual desire for anyone with a pulse.

She’d already felt an attraction to Roman LaRossa, when he came to her rescue, saving her from her would-be kidnappers. He was hot. Nearly six and a half feet tall with chin-length black hair and smoldering chocolate brown eyes. He was the Beta, second in command next to the Alpha of the pack. Most importantly, he wanted her. He wanted them to be mates. Granted, the sex with Roman had been mind-blowing, and she wanted him. The
heat
had just increased her desire beyond comprehension.

She was a bit overwhelmed with all she had on her plate. The vampires, the sacred historians of the supernatural world, had sent ancient books and requested she, and
only she
read them. The language was old, making the reading difficult. So far, she had read a small portion on the history of her people in the black leather bound book. She’d yet to touch the brown one and had no idea what secrets may lie in waiting to be discovered.

Being a new Lycan, she had to connect with her spiritual totem. She’d finally joined with her inner wolf and was now feeling as one with the beast. Considering the monumental changes, she had taken it all very well—emulating her namesake as best as she could, demonstrating as much grace as she could muster.

Despite warnings from the pack’s Alpha, Colin, and Roman of kidnappings and being forced into a supernatural puppy mill, she didn’t feel like she was in danger. Then, she remembered the wolves who tried to take her before her Alpha and Beta rescued her. What if they hadn’t been there? How much danger she was really in?

She shuddered.

Being with the pack made her feel whole for the first time in her life. She loved her grandmother, whom she’d called Gran but hadn’t really felt protective over anyone before. Now, she had protective feelings about her pack, especially the females.

Her stomach jumped with excitement. No relationship had ever given her any fulfillment. She never enjoyed sex with her human partners, but the Lycan lying next to her had an arousing effect on her. He knew how to drive her wild. His closeness and touch made her feel warm, safe, and wanted. They’d agreed to be mates, though she still needed to learn what it meant to be a Lycan princess, she was elated.

The thought of going into
heat
mortified her, but with a willing partner, her libido had purpose. “Roman,” she cooed, “anything you want.”

Rolling over, he braced himself over her. “It’s about what
you
want Grace. All I want is to make you happy.” His lips caressed the delicate skin under her ear and along her neckline as he showered her with light, ginger kisses.

Her body was ablaze.

He paused over her and with gentle nibbles on her breasts until he rolled his tongue over her pink nub. She fisted his hair and squirmed beneath him as waves of desire washed over her body. The sensation of his warm, wet mouth on her nipple sent lava coursing through her.

She moaned with pleasure as the kisses continued down her belly until he settled between her legs. The anticipation in her had every hair standing on end. He looked up and smiled before finally easing his mouth on her crest. As his tongue caressed her swollen clit, she fisted the sheets and bucked her hips. “Oh, Roman!” she gasped.

This seductive pleasure, kissing and nipping at her clit with his lips, he continued until he made her blood swirled with desire. Both legs shook in response to him, as adrenaline coursed through her veins, causing beads of sweat to surface across her cheeks.

“Oh God!” she gasped as he dipped two fingers inside her, stroking her walls and pleasuring her clit. Her breasts were swollen and heavy feeling, as if they’d pop off her body. Every inch of skin felt stimulated and at the precipice. She clasped the bed sheets and screeched out a cry of relief as her orgasm finally came.

Before she could recover, Roman eased himself into her, bringing her climax back to the forefront. Her eyes widened as the intensity reached another peak. Roman filled her perfectly, just enough to make her feel like she couldn’t take any more. He started off slow, as she rode the secondary waves from her orgasm. Scooping his arm under her shoulders and holding her in place as he fucked her hard and fast until they rode the climax together.

“Is it always like this?” she gasped.

Catching his breath, a cocky smirk eased its way across his face. “It gets better after bonding from what I understand.”

“Better?” she giggled. “Not sure my body could handle any better. That was intense.”

“Oh, my sweet princess,” He stroked a finger across her cheek with a loving caress. “We’re just beginning. But we need to get you cleaned up and fed.” He kissed the tip of her nose before rolling off of her and out of bed.

Inhaling his intoxicating male scent deeply she watched his long lean back and leg muscles ripple as he made his way to her bathroom. She could not believe this magnificent creature wanted her.

Lying on her back, she smiled as she gazed at the ceiling. Her
heat
had embarrassed her a few hours prior, when she tackled and dry humped Colin Baker, the pack’s Alpha. She’d have to deal with that and could only hope Colin would be understanding.

It’s a natural part of who we are, Grace. Give it time.
Her inner wolf tried to reassure her.

“
It’s so embarrassing.”
She sent the thought back to her creature.

We have a mate. The relationship has been consummated. Enjoy him. He’s good for us. He’ll be Alpha soon.

Grace could care less about Roman’s political position within the pack. The only thing she cared about was her extremely sexy man desired her, and made her pleasure his number one goal. That
he
had brought her to climax and took care of her needs first.

Mate.
The word sounded so formal, like
spouse
. Was she ready for
that
type of relationship? She’d never had a true partnership with a man. But she’d been drawn to him in a way she hadn’t experienced before. Her body reacted to him, even in platonic ways.

He exited the bathroom with a towel around his lean waist. “You’re next. Shower up so we can go down to dinner.”

“No!” Grace pulled the sheet over her face. “I can’t look at Colin!” He laughed as he sat on the bed next to her hip. “You’re not the first female to act out during heat. But, you
are
the first to dry hump the Alpha, though he’s already forgiven you.”

She groaned. “I basically sexually assaulted him in front of the pack.”

“I doubt he minded, Grace.” He smiled and patted her hip. “I have to admit, I was jealous, but Colin seemed nothing but aroused by the situation. Remember, we’re Lycans. We’ve been living in a pack since the beginning. The females have always been sort of insatiable during their heat. That’s why so many marriages have more than one wife.”

She jerked the sheet off her face. “Say what?”

“Well, every situation is different. Sometimes an un-bonded female will pair up with a mated pair…like a girlfriend, until she finds her mate. That way her needs are cared for, especially during heat.”

“Dear God!” She sat up. “It’s that bad?”

“Bad? No it’s not bad. The women take care of each other’s needs most times, especially when the men have to go off on business, or to battle. And if the Lycan couple agree, then the male can also, uh, help the one in heat. It’s just taking care of base needs is all.”

Grace had never been with a woman. She did start to feel desire toward her friend, Tiffany, when her heat came on. Her curious mind began to wonder. Tiffany
had
mentioned the women took care of each other, but Grace wasn’t paying attention at the time.

“And sometimes they marry?” she asked.

Nodding he picked up a pillow that had fallen to the floor. “Sometimes. The three will blood bond sealing their marriage until death.”

“Blood bond?”

He tossed the pillow at her. “I’m starving. Please, please go shower so we can eat. We can continue this later.”

She eyed him, wanting to press on, but even her stomach lunged at the thought of food.

“What if I start, uh, acting out at dinner?” She chewed her bottom lip.

“Don’t worry, you’re toward the end of your heat. I can’t smell it on you as strong as I could earlier. Plus, you’ve reached climax a few times which should calm your hormones long enough for a meal. That is
if
you get your cute little ass in the shower!”

As she leaped off the bed a smile stretched across her face and a flutter played at her heart from Roman’s sweet compliments. Rushing into the bathroom, she showered and dressed and followed him down to the dinner table.

On spotting Colin, a warmth crept up her neck heating her face to such a temperature she was sure to burst into flames.

“Er, sorry. I—”

Colin held up his hand to stop her. “It’s forgotten.”

Breathing deeply she took a seat between Colin and Roman. She willed her herself to glance around, to see if anyone were staring at her, silently shaming her for assaulting Colin. To her delight, she appeared invisible. No one gave her a second glance.

“Thank you so much for the eReader, Grace!” Tiffany smiled as she dished potatoes onto her plate. “I’ve downloaded three books already.”

Happy to have a friendly conversation to distract her from the embarrassment, she chatted with Tiffany about her new books.

“Grace?” Colin interrupted.

Still embarrassed by her assault on her Alpha, she turned a shy glance toward him.

“We’re having a meeting after dinner. Would you please follow Roman to the conference room?” Colin was sitting up straight, hands folded on the table. He looked commanding. She could see why he had been Alpha for so long.

“We have a conference room?” She hadn’t spent any time exploring the house since arriving. The only paths she’d taken were from her room to the kitchen and dining room.

He smiled. “Indeed.”

She felt the warmth of Roman’s hand on her thigh and turned to look at him. His glorious brown eyes, squinted with a smile. One soft smile from him released her nervous tension.

“I’ll be happy to show you around, once you’re up to it.”

She cleared her throat and nodded. “Thank you.”

These past few weeks her mind wandered, filling with her with such powerful lust for Roman she’d forgotten everything else that mattered. She’d been so consumed with her heat she hadn’t focused on anything else. Trapped in her room with nothing more than her overactive hormones and ancient history books to keep her company, she hadn’t thought about her deceased stand-in-grandmother, her new surroundings or her situation.

It was time she realized she was truly at risk of being kidnapped and would be forced to breed since she had the last remaining royal blood. She had no living relatives left. To top it off, her future was uncertain. She had no idea where she’d fit in with the pack. She was their Princess but what her place in this family would be, or what she could offer was still yet to be revealed.

“You ready?” He squeezed her hand.

“Huh?” She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

His brows pulled together, crinkling his forehead in the center. “Are you ready to meet with Colin?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.” She scooted back from the table and stood. Her chest tightened as her heart thudded, anxiety saturating her core. “I’m following you.”

They walked down the hall next to the stairs leading to the bedrooms above. At the end of the stark hall, Roman opened the door revealing a large conference room adorned with paintings of wolves, photos, and more books than she had seen line a wall since she’d been in the library at her college.

Colin sat at the head of a long oak table. Four men seated to his left. They claimed the empty seats to the right.

There were strangers sitting across from her she hadn’t met yet, or had she? Her earlier suspicions were now confirmed as she realized it was very clear her mind had been in a fog since the night of her rescue.

“Grace,” Colin bowed his head at her as he continued to speak. “Welcome to your first pack council meeting.” He pointed to the man sitting closest to him. “I invited you to this meeting to see how this works, now that you are here. We also need to establish your position within the pack, accounting and such. This is Barry McCreedy, he’s our treasurer. He does almost all of the pack’s bookkeeping.”