Grave (The Sanctuary Series Book 1)

by L H Whitlock

  He had ridden himself of his cloak, and fresh candlelight danced over the walls, flickering over the man above her.

  “Grave!” She rose to her elbows. “You’re back!”

  He smiled, and his scarred face softened. She loved his smile and found that she actually liked how sparingly he used it. It brought her a sense of triumph with every time he did like she had won a hard-earned victory.

  “I was worried. I don’t know what a wuglor is, but we heard it roar, and it sounded so big. Miss Yulle said it was far away and not to worry, that you knew what you were doing. But I was so scared.”

  Grave brushed a thumb over her jawline and down the slope of her neck. “I have slain many before. They are a mixture between a reptile and a feline. They are predators, but this is their land and I hate when killing one becomes necessary.”

  “Will you sleep?” Nora asked and felt her cheeks heat with the thought of sharing his bed.

  Grave’s eyes darkened to match her own inner turmoil. “Yes, but I must wash first. I’m muddy and soaking wet. I will join you soon. Sorry to wake you; I just couldn’t resist.”

  Nora groaned and collapsed back onto the pillow as Grave’s weight left the bed, and his boots pounded across the room.

  As he disappeared behind a door, Nora brought herself to her elbows once again. What was behind that door? She hadn’t even realized it was there. She had used the bathroom in the hallway a few times. Did he have another bathroom?

  She had imagined Grave taking a shower in the hall bath, and had even prolonged her shower, stalling in hopes that he would be home and join her. She even left the door unlocked, so he didn’t have to kick it down.

  She grinned. Oh, I’m going to turn those tables on him.

  She slid off the bed, crept across the wood floor, careful to keep her footsteps light and tried the doorknob but found it locked. Damn. Well…I’ll kick his door down! He deserves to have a broken door too!

  She took two steps back and kicked. Her foot collided with the door, and she yelped in pain as her ankle twisted and throbbed from the impact. She grabbed onto it and hobbled back as the bathroom door opened.

  Grave stood in the threshold, backlit by the lights inside. A towel was wrapped loosely around his lower hips, revealing his wide frame and the details of every muscle.

  She had known he was large and built, he couldn’t hide that fact despite clothing, but her imagination hadn’t prepared her for the real thing.

  His tanned skin was the same color everywhere, confirming her previous suspicions that it was his natural tone, not one from the sun. His shoulders and arms were thick and muscled, and his massive legs were as big as both of hers put together. His pecs were defined and hardened and his abs grooved and ridged.

  But it wasn’t the muscles that caught her attention. Slicing through them were an assortment of scars, some deep and some just small white lines. Not a single surface of Grave’s body was free of them.

  The horror of knowing the pain he must have been through froze her mind. She wanted to drop to her knees and weep. But the beauty of him overpowered that.

  His body matched the seasoned warrior that he was, and matched, too, the pain and trauma he held within. At that moment, Nora understood just how terrible the nightmare he had lived through must have been.

  “Oh Grave,” she said.

  “I know, I’m—”

  “Beautiful,” she said at the same time he said hideous. And a smirk pulled at his scarred face.

  “Well, I have to say no one has ever called me that before.”

  Nora’s neck flushed with heat. “I mean beautiful in a very handsome, masculine kind of way.”

  Grave smiled. “What are you doing out here? I thought we discussed you hurting yourself and how I forbid it.”

  Nora thought her face was going to twist inside out so she wouldn’t have to look at him anymore. “Wa… I…” But all she could do was gawk at him as she turned an ever-deepening shade of red.

  Grave raised an eyebrow, humor twinkling in the muddy depths of his eyes. “Did you want to shower with me?”

  “Uuu…” Was all Nora managed to squeak out. Her boldness had fled, leaving her in the shadow of a warrior with no moves left.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be on bedrest?” Grave asked and leaned casually against the doorframe.

  She realized he was enjoying himself, and she wished the doorframe would collapse under his mass and send him tumbling to the ground. She wished she could say so, but again, only a string of vowels managed to leave her lips.

  Grave grinned and moved so quickly she squealed and jumped back. He grabbed her hips and tossed her over his shoulders, leaving her arms dangling down his back past his towel.

  “Let’s get you back to bed, shall we?”

  Oh, this man was wicked. But so was she and he just gave her an idea. While his hands were busy, one patting her ass, the other holding her legs so she didn’t kick, she grabbed his towel and tugged. It fell away, landing on the ground with a wet splat and Grave froze mid-stride.

  Nora had planned a string of snarky comments to follow her victory, that is until she realized Grave was now naked, thanks to her, and his ass at her fingertips.

  Without turning and retrieving his towel, Grave flipped her onto the bed. She bounced, caught herself on her elbows and looked at the man standing at the end of the bed… Naked.

  Her breath caught, and for a moment, a memory flashed in her mind of someone else having her in this same position, except she had been tied down, in pain, panicked and crying for help but with Grave all she felt was incredibly turned on.

  Grave appeared to be battling himself. He looked at her, his eyes heavy with desire and his fully erect cock bobbing in front of him.

  “Nora, I don’t want you to fear me. I don’t want to take things too far.”

  “I don’t fear you.”

  Grave rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t want you fearing this…” he said motioning to the bed, “with me. I don’t want you reminded of what happened to you.”

  Nora scoffed. “You don’t remind me anything of that man. You’re so much more than he is. he couldn’t even begin to compare.”

  “You know what I mean, don’t make me be blunt.”

  “I know exactly what you mean, and I’m telling you it’s okay. I want you, Grave. You worry too much about me when all I want is to be with you.”

  He groaned and crawled onto the bed. “You’re wearing too many clothes.” He caught the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it to the side. Nora laughed and fell back onto the comforter, lifting her hips to assist Grave in slipping off her pants.

  “Nora,” he scolded and lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Are you not wearing underwear?”

  Heat rushed up Nora’s body, and her womanhood clenched. “No,” she said softly, innocently.

  Grave bent and captured her lips, kissing her roughly, deeply, but pulled away before she got her full taste. He nuzzled her neck, nipping at her skin and leaving her breathless. His mouth trailed lower, his pace fast and his hands steady, feeling her hips and grasping her ass, making her buck with need.

  She tangled her fingers in his short hair, gripping any part of him that she could reach.

  Grave groaned against her skin but kept his exploration fast, a man on a mission. He dropped his lips to her breasts and took as much of her into his mouth as he could. She squealed in surprise, and his fingers brushed against her inner thigh, sending bolts of electricity through her body. Her pussy wept for him and clenched in anticipation of his next move.

  A low groan escaped Grave’s throat and Nora framed his face with her hands, eager to pull him up for another kiss. Grave held steady with his affections, one hand captured her wrists and yanked them above her head, holding her to the mattress.

  Panic froze her and tingling anxiety rushed up her face, sending her mind into a dark place. To the memory of being held down, forced into whatever position the king wan
ted most and atrocities uttered in her ear.

  “Nora,” Graves voice rasped, his lips on hers but not kissing, just enough pressure to get her attention. She looked into his muddy eyes, dark and heavy with lust.

  “I’m sorry,” She whispered, trying to keep the tears from coming. “I…I…I don’t like being held down.”

  Grave’s hand immediately dropped. “Nora. Damnit.” Running an agitated hand roughly over his cheek he cursed again, “Damnit. I would never hurt you. I should have known.” He growled, his fists slammed into the mattress. His face cast downward and he lifted himself to slide off the bed.

  Nora’s heart raced and the fog of fear mingled with the fear of losing Grave. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down on top of her, her hands holding his face and forcing him to meet her gaze again.

  “I trust you, Grave. I know you would never do anything like that to me. It’s just something I have to work through. I’m just not ready to be restrained yet. But I want you, I want you now.”

  Grave paused for a moment, his eyes studying hers, then his mouth pressed against hers. His kiss started out weary and light, as though he were afraid to cross another invisible boundary, but his confidence soon returned and he kissed her with the same frivolous need as before.

  Her thighs clenched and heat built, she needed his affections lower.

  As though he could sense what she needed, he stroked her sensitive thighs, coming closer and closer to the spot she really wanted him. He moved his mouth to her other breast, and she panted his name, her body unraveling. She couldn’t believe this was what sex could be like. Her entire body vibrated with need, and her skin felt so hot and ultra-sensitive she just wanted to run out into the rain to try and put some of the flames out.

  So, this is what it can be like. No, this is what it is like with Grave.

  His thumb brushed her sensitive nub causing her eyes to roll back in her head, and her toes to curl. Her hips acted on their own, bucking and grinding, searching for more pressure. Grave obliged and circled her sweet spot in lazy, rough circles that drove her out of her mind. She hadn’t even realized he had left her breasts and was trailing down her stomach until the stubble on his face brushed against her belly. He nuzzled her there, rubbing his face over the hard swell of her stomach and her mind couldn’t even process how erotic that was, how wet that made her, how loved and adored she felt.

  He murmured something she didn’t process then moved lower, pausing as he looked at her sex. Her body tensed along with her womanhood as she felt his breath between her legs. He then pulled her legs further apart and lapped at her with long, rough licks.

  His hands gripped her hips, keeping her from retreating from the intensity. All she could do was gasp and groan and grab at Grave’s hair.

  Whatever she did, it seemed to encourage Grave, and his lapping deepened. Her body tightened and her breath caught in her throat, her body refusing to release anything until her climax came, and when it did, she cried out, her entire body shaking.

  At the same moment, Grave’s long finger slipped inside of her, stroking her slowly, then another joined and he pumped the digits inside of her, working her sheath. She had never had anyone’s fingers inside of her before, and she groaned at the feeling of them rubbing along her inner walls.

  Grave studied her face as he pumped his fingers in and out of her again, his fingers curling and his angles changing as though he were searching for something. She yelped in surprise as he stroked against a spot that sent rivets of desire all the way to her toes. He smiled then, and his expression darkened. He had found whatever he had been looking for and he focused in on that. The pumping grew faster, his fingers catching the spot each time.

  She could no longer keep her eyes opened, and she flopped back onto the pillow. Her back arched, her hips bucking in correspondence with Grave’s movements.

  He lifted her pelvis with his other hand, and the pleasure increased.

  Nora thought she would break, or go so far into pleasure she wouldn’t find her way out when release found her again, though this time the intensity was tenfold. Her scream was so loud she was thankful Grave lived nowhere close to town or she was sure neighbors would be rushing over.

  Grave lessened his affections to lazy rubs as she rode out the aftershocks of her climax. Then his fingers left her, and she felt the bulbous head of his cock at her entrance.

  She rose to her elbows, overcome with the desire of witnessing his entrance.

  He paused for a second and looked at her, putting one hand gently on her stomach and slowly pushed forward, stretching her as he slowly entered her.

  “Tell me if I’m hurting you,” Grave said, his voice heavy with desire, but also serious. It took her a moment to realize that he wasn’t worried about hurting her necessarily, but was worried about hurting her baby. She nodded.

  “It’s okay. You can’t hurt me; you can’t hurt him. But I’ll tell you if something feels wrong.”

  He slowly thrust forward until he bottomed out and Nora didn’t think anything could be as erotic as the image of herself filled with him. Grave seemed to think the same as his gaze fixed on her. He groaned, his thumb going to rub her already too sensitive clit.

  “Grave! I–I, oh moons, I don’t know if I can handle that.”

  Grave smirked, pleased with himself.

  Normally, cockiness was off-putting to Nora, but it wasn’t boyish cockiness on Grave. There was no triumph or conceded victory, just a knowing that he had brought her such intense pleasure.

  His muscles tensed as he retreated, then thrust forward again, and Nora loved watching the muscles of his abs and arms ripple with strength. How entirely sexy he looked making love to her. All that power and strength funneled to one goal, that of bringing her pleasure, that of melding the two of them together.

  She groaned and dropped back onto the bed, her body feeling week and wobbly in a delicious sort of way.

  He increased his speed, and though she knew he still held himself back, she found this was the perfect pace.

  She gripped the sheets as Grave’s groans grew louder and quicker and she felt her own body tighten in response, creeping to the edge once more. Then she closed her eyes as she finally fell over it, trusting Grave to catch her.

  26

  Grave sat on a bench on his porch, in one palm he held a piece of the wulgor’s tooth and in the other he had a carving knife. He used his thumb to brush away redidual dust and followed the groove of the carving. He had already completed a carving of shade, another of a grilun bird and he had just finished the wulgor, a testimant to the animal the tooth had been harvested from.

  He looked up into the trees surrounding his home. He wasn’t used to being out during the day. Vivid Flor peaked out between the gathering storm clouds, beating on his exposed skin. With his face exposed to the breeze of the evening storm rolling in he felt a certain amount of freedom and if he dug benieth that a certain level of vulnerability that made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

  Nora’s laugh drifted along the chilling breeze. He glanced at her and his heart wretched. He had no clue how he had not scared her off, or why she seemed to think so much of him, but he was glad she was here. He had forgotten what it was like to be this close to someone. Now that he was opening up he felt guilty for not being the friend he should have for Rikar and Helic. It was true that they knew him better then anyone and didn’t hold his silence or distance against him, but he saw what he could have had if he had opened up to them before.

  Nora giggled as Shade took another leaf from her and Grave found himself smiling. Shade seemed to take a liking to her as well. She lovingly stroked his dark feathers, uncaring of the massive gouges in his sides, or how he was missing his soft feathering in those areas.

  “Don’t feed him too much or he’ll get lazy.” Grave called to her.

  She looked over her shoulder at him and tucked a piece of purple hair behind one small, pointed ear. The wind wisped the light blue dres
s she was wearing, pressing the fabric against her form and showing off the curve of her belly and hips. Desire coursed through him and he watched her walk through the long grassed toward him. Shade growled his disappointment at her leaving and Nora laughed.

  “I’ll be back soon, Shade.” She blew a kiss to him.

  When Nora got to the pourch she nestled in the bench next to him, snuggling against his side.

  “What are you making?”

  He held up the piece of wulgor tooth for her to see. “I’m carving a mobile for the baby.”

  She took it and held it up to her face, twisting it slowly right in front of her little nose. “Oh wow, Grave. I can’t believe the detail! You carved this by hand? For the baby? You are so sweet!”

  She pressed a kiss to his cheek, right over the thickest part of his scars. Even when she pulled away the sensation of her lips didn’t leave his skin.

  “What sort of animal is it?”

  “This is a wulgor.”

  “Oh!” Her eyes widened. “That’s the animal you had to kill the other night. They are beautiful.”

  “They are. This is made from one of their teeth, it is a special kind of ivory.”

  A smile dimpled her cheek. “Thank you.”

  His thumb caught her chin. “Anything for you.” His communicator vibrated. Groaning, he pressed the button and Rikar’s voice came through the speaker.

  “Hey, am I disrupting something?”

  Nora giggled.

  “Hey, Nora. Sorry, but I gotta borrow Grave for a bit.”

  “That’s all right,” Nora responded. “But bring him back.”

  Rikar howled with laughter and Grave cut off the call before his friend could tease him again.

  “I will walk you to your house,” Grave said. “It’s going to start storming.”

  Nora smiled. “Thank you.”

  Nora’s hand settled into his own as they started down the dirt path, overgrown with weeds as few besides himself regularly travelled this far down the road.

  “Is Rikar married?” Nora asked.

  Grave found his eye lingering on the purple flowers growing in the field and thinking that the color matched Nora’s long wavy hair.