Lycan Mate

155 Pages·2011·0.59 MB·English

by  Maltezos Anastasia

Gunnar Eriksson, a two-hundred-year-old
werewolf, knows there’s no place in his life for
love because everyone close to him is doomed.
And then he meets Stella O’Sullivan, the one
destined to be his, and battles with his instinctive
need to claim her.
Stella is instantly attracted to the ruggedly
handsome Gunnar Eriksson, but soon discovers he
is a man with secrets, a man filled with pain, a
man plagued with inner demons. And as her
attraction for him mounts, so does her compassion
and warmth. She discovers he is grieving for his
dead son.
As their passion and attraction heightens, a
sinister plot unfolds. An evil so malevolent, her
life is in danger. And Gunnar must race against
time to save Stella.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
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Lycan Mate
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Maltezos
ISBN: 978-1-55487-936-6
Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in
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Published by Devine Destinies
An imprint of eXtasy Books
Look for us online at:
www.devinedestinies.com
Lycan Mate

By

Anastasia Maltezos
Dedication

To Effy.
Chapter One

G
unnar Eriksson parked his car and looked up at
the bed and breakfast. He drew his gaze around
the two-story cottage and saw nothing but fields, a
long, winding rural road, and a spatter of homes.
It was perfect for a man who wanted anonymity.
A man who had dark secrets.
He picked up his gun from the seat next to him
and leaned forward as he shoved it in the
waistband of his jeans. Then, he opened the glove
compartment and grabbed the box of silver bullets
and shoved it in his coat pocket.
His gaze fell on the picture of his two-year-old
son taped to his dashboard.
He used to think hell was the beast he’d become
more than two hundred years ago. It wasn’t.
Losing his son two years ago was hell, an eternal
hell.
A low, deep growl rose from his throat as he
balled his hand into a fist. He would have given
anything to take that day back. He shut his eyes,
inhaling deeply. The beast within him wanted to
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Anastasia Maltezos

be unleashed.
“Dammit!”
He had to control himself. It was still daylight
and someone could see him. Slowly, he managed
to bring his racing heart back to normal and
swallowed hard. He’d always managed to control
his turning, even on a full moon, but since losing
Tyler, he couldn’t control the beast raging to
escape. Anger, hatred, fury, it was all there, every
day because the one person he’d loved in all his
existence had been torn from his life.
His face grim, he got out of the car and went to
the trunk. He pulled out his laptop and duffle bag.
Straightening, with a bag in each hand, he strode
to the three steps going up the entrance of the
B&B.
He stiffened violently on the top step as a
feminine scent wafted around him, seducing him,
arousing him.
“What the hell?”
He staggered to the porch and inhaled sharply
through his nose, unsteady on his feet. The scent
was alluring, intoxicating, stirring the wolf within
him. Gunnar clenched his jaw, fighting the
overpowering hold the female inside the inn had
on him. He’d always picked up on feminine
scents, but this one was different. It wasn’t just
another female. A heat began to course through
his veins, stirring his loins, and he swore roughly
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Lycan Mate

under his breath.
Only one woman could make him feel this way.
He’d found her, he thought coldly. His one was
inside.
And he was far from pleased.
He didn’t need this in his life. He didn’t need
her. He was incapable of loving, incapable of
feeling, and the lust heating his loins was not
enough for him to claim his mate because he knew
it would come with a price. Death.
Since losing Tyler, he’d lost the desire to feel
anything. His heart blackened, his spirit died, and
guilt stabbed at his gut every damned day. He
could have saved his son that day.
Gunnar was a shell of a man, a beast who had
an eternity ahead of him filled with nothing but
pain and anguish. He didn’t deserve to love. He
didn’t deserve to feel.
Slowly he turned the doorknob, warring with
the wolf within him fighting for escape.
He’d fight his baser need to claim her as his
own because he knew anyone he truly loved was
doomed.

* * * *

Stella O’Sullivan tucked a long, red-haired strand
behind her ear. “I’m just going to have a little
peak,” she murmured.
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Slowly she put down her card and stared at it.
The Lovers.
She scowled at the entwined couple. It was all
there for her in the next week, passion, desire,
attraction. This was obviously wrong. There was
no way she was going to indulge in sexual
pleasures any time soon. Her clients were mostly
families and couples or students out for a long
weekend. She chewed her lower lip and stared at
the Tarot card.
She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit she
would have liked to feel the warmth and strength
of a man in her life, but she seriously doubted it
was going to happen any time soon. How? She
never went out. All she did was spend most of her
time in her B&B, cooking, cleaning, and catering to
her clientele.
She was almost tempted to draw another card,
but stopped. She hated giving herself readings
because disappointment always followed. She
remembered the last time she’d drawn the cards
for herself and stiffened. Discovering her
boyfriend was cheating on her had not been good
news.
With a resigned sigh, she rose from the kitchen
table and tucked her cards in the drawer next to
the sink. Love had always been elusive for her.
Apparently telling a man you were somewhat of a
witch was a turn off.
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Lycan Mate

“Maybe in the next life,” she murmured as she
turned away from the sink.
She was about to go through her patio door to
inspect her vegetable garden in the backyard
when she heard the sound of chimes in the hall
signalling a new customer.
She turned around and stiffened. The man’s
aura hit her like a ton of bricks, anger, grief,
hate…and…and passion. His lust was thick and
heavy, consuming her and she felt weak kneed
and lightheaded. She stared at his massive form
filling the entrance and willed herself to breathe
again. She had never in her life felt this assault by
another person’s energy on her senses and she
was frightened. Her connection to him was
instant, powerful, and mutual because she clearly
sensed his own shock at her appearance.
She ran a swift gaze over his appearance and
her stomach jolted at the masculine energy
emanating from his powerful frame.
He was well over six feet with massive
shoulders and dirty blond hair that fell past his
collar. He wore black denims, a gray T-shirt, and a
black leather jacket. Her gaze rested on his face
and she had to stop herself from parting her lips in
awe. Good looking couldn’t even describe him. He
looked fierce, rugged, primal.
A thread of excitement flickered through her
veins as she stared at him. He had a strong jaw,
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