Penny of the Paranormal: Shifter Romance (Vanguard Elite Book 4)

by Annie Nicholas

  She kissed his cheek.

  Amusement danced in his eyes. He appeared younger and happier than she’d ever seen him. “It was Ian who pointed out Pallas’s smashed car hidden in the barn. If the alpha had been so hungry and anxious to get to the kitchen, I think he would have cried.”

  “He can mourn the silly car later.” She brought Alistair to the bedroom she shared with Clare. Technically, the alpha female didn’t sleep there anymore. She kept her clothes stored in the bureaus since the small room she used with Ian didn’t have space for furniture besides their bed. Penny had offered to switch rooms, but they seemed happy in their cozy space up in the attic with no neighbors.

  Pallas didn’t like fraternization within the pack while training but it was happening whether he liked it or not. For a vampire, he was a bit of a stick in the mud when it came to shifters and sex.

  Alistair closed the door behind him as she set their plates on a small beside table by her bed.

  “I wanted a moment alone with you while I still have the courage to ask you something.” She tugged on the hem of her sweater and licked her lips. Silly how nervous she suddenly was. She wanted him to remain at the boot camp and had spent a lot of time with Alistair over the last few days. He never had anything good to say about his pack so why were there butterflies making her stomach sick?

  “Does this something have to do with my being your pet?” He chuckled as a blush painted her face.

  “That’s not what I meant. I mean—that’s what Pallas said, not me. What—what I want—want…” She scraped her fingers through her knotted hair and her throat grew so tight she could barely breathe. Her heart raced.

  Alistair would never say yes. The other night in the cabin had been a way for them to stay warm. Yes, he had said some sweet things but it had been a spur of the moment that inspired those words, not his heart. Why would a hunter like him want to stay in a broken down manor with no electricity?

  “Shh.” He collected her in his arms, rested her head on his chest and stroked her hair. “I was just kidding. My feelings weren’t hurt. I’d be happy to be your pet.”

  “You would be?” To her horror, she hiccupped. She had eaten her sandwich too fast.

  His gaze grew half-lidded and warm. “As long as I can lick you.”

  Her face burned again and she pressed it deeper in his sweater. Though he did have a magical tongue.

  “What were you going to ask me, Penny? I’m dying to know.” He lifted her chin so their gazes could meet.

  “I want you to stay.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Will you stay, here, at the boot camp, with me?” That was a lot to ask a shifter. To not return to his pack for a girl he’d only just met. Alistair had more to lose than the average shifter. His family had money and power. He could be their next alpha if he wanted. He just needed a mate worthy of that challenge, but she couldn’t be that person. She had no taste to rule over others.

  He’d been a serious jerk when he arrived at the boot camp but he had changed. Being separated from his toxic pack had helped. She didn’t want Alistair to change back to a jerk. She loved him just the way he was.

  Penny brushed her fingertips over his full lips and recalled how they felt against hers. She didn’t want him to leave because she’d miss his overbearing protectiveness, his sharp sense of humor, his courage. She never thought she would meet a hunter who made her feel so confident. Most men took from her. They took her affection, her help, her energy, leaving her an empty, lonely shell. How could she ever fall in love with anyone if all they did was leave her tired?

  Alistair did the opposite. He bolstered her. Filled with emotions and joy. Without him, she would survive, but life wasn’t about just surviving. She wanted to live and he made her life happy.

  His face was serious. “I never planned on leaving. I don’t care if Pallas gave me permission to stay or not. You complete me.” He lifted her in his arms so their lips met. He kissed her long and deep, massaging the back of her neck as he sat on the edge of her bed.

  She brushed her tongue against his in a tease of her own. A growl sounded in his throat as she pressed forward, crawling onto his lap. This felt like home. Right here, straddling his hips as his hands ran over her back and gripped her tighter. Nothing she felt had ever come close to being with him.

  When her breasts heaved, they brushed his chest, sending currents of desire straight to her core. He sucked on her bottom lip and rattled a hungry sound, drawing a gasp from her.

  She rolled her hips against the thick erection that pressed against his pants. He gripped her hair, angling her neck so he could trace her throat with delicate kisses. Shivers of anticipation ran down her spine. She couldn’t believe he was going to stay for her. Her heart felt ready to explode from joy.

  His hand slid under her shirt, up her ribs, and unsnapped her bra with flick of his fingers. He cupped her breast and she arched against his hand. His touch set all her never endings tingling. He pulled her sweater over her head, tossed it to the floor, and pressed his mouth to her breast, lapping at the sensitive bud. Pulling away, he blew air until her nipple drew up tight and she just about came undone. The man was a beast and she liked him like that.

  Desperate for more, she guided his hand to the button of her jeans.

  Plucking gently at her breast, he pulled her nipple into his mouth and grazed his teeth against it. The button of her jeans came undone under Alistair’s attention and her zipper followed. He slid his hand under her panties and cupped her wet sex. He smiled, sexy and slow. “You know how to make me feel welcome.” He slid his finger into her slick entrance and brushed her clit with his thumb. It drove her mad with want.

  She bucked helplessly against his hand. “Oh!” she cried out.

  “Fuck, you’re so beautiful.” He pulled his finger out slowly, then added a second as he pressed into her. She quivered with desire. Leaning forward, he nipped her bottom lip and matched her pace with his hand.

  She was so close to finishing. He brought out such strong emotions in her. Things a shifter should feel, even omegas. Right when she was about to cross over the edge, he went still. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pressing her forehead to his so their gazes were locked. “You’re mine.”

  “I am. Forever and ever.”

  With a steadying breath, she lifted off his hand and shimmied out of her jeans. “I want all of you.” She loved how his gaze caressed her curves as if he’d never seen another so alluring.

  In one smooth motion, he rose to his feet and pulled off his sweaters while she worked on his jeans. He eased his thick cock from his briefs and stroked his length.

  Her heart drummed against her chest. He was very ready for her.

  He paced forward with a predator’s grace. “I like how you look at me.”

  “How’s that?” She barely managed those words, the English language fading from her mind.

  “Like I’m a chocolate sundae you’re ready to devour.”

  She grinned and sensed her wolf rising. He knew her so well. He’d backed her to bed, easing her onto the mattress and spreading her legs. Dragging his tongue along her slick seam, he moaned. She gasped with the pleasure that blasted through her body. She closed her eyes as his rough cheek scrapped across her inner thigh. His tongue lapped at her with long, languid strokes.

  Then he crawled over her body, placing tender kisses along her bare stomach. “You’re mine as well, Penny.”

  She dragged her fingernails over his shoulder and sighed as happiness filled her. “Always.”

  He growled low and plunged into her, stretching her core. He felt so good. His lips collided with hers and she witnessed his eyes change to his wolf. Hers reacted in kind. The shift small yet potent.

  She bowed against him, nails clawing his back. She wanted to mark him, for him to feel her, here and now. This wasn’t just fucking—this was more. She felt it in her bones.

  He bucked hard, pulling her tight against him. His teeth grazed her throat.

/>   She shouted his name, not caring if the whole manor heard her climax.

  He arched back, muscle taut, tendons standing out in his neck as he came. Hot jets filled her. He plunged into her a few more times as his cock emptied. Spent, he nuzzled her collarbone and stroked her thigh. “I love you Penny.” He said it so softly she almost missed it.

  She smiled at the ceiling and ran her fingers over his ribs, her heart full of hope for the future. “I love you too.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Come on, you punch harder than that, Nick.” Alistair circled Nick in the challenge ring.

  Penny smiled to herself as she sat on a snow bank just beyond the ring. Her hunter was helping Pallas teach hand-to-hand combat to those who wished more training, like Nick and Parker.

  Nick lashed out at Alistair, fists a blur with his shifter speed yet her hunter dodged every attempt to strike him.

  “Good.” Alistair clapped the smaller werewolf on the back. “Let’s take five.” Heat steamed off his bare chest as he strolled toward her. The cold air making it visible. His shoulders rolled with his predatory grace. With a tub of popcorn, she could watch him move all day. “Hey gorgeous.” His smiled widened as he spotted her.

  She pouted as he pulled a sweater over his head. Oh well, she didn’t want him to freeze either. “Hey, yourself.”

  “What do you have there?” He pointed to a basket at her feet.

  “A little surprise.”

  He paused, tilting his head. “Is this the kind of surprise Pallas would spring on me?”

  “No, never. This is a good thing.” She patted the snow next to her.

  He plopped down, swinging his arm around her shoulders.

  “The people who own the cabin accepted your offer.” She handed him a set of keys. “You are now the proud owner of a partially destroyed hunting cabin.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. “So what’s the basket for?”

  “Picnic lunch. I thought we could spend the night and figure out what needs to be repaired in your new home.”

  He leaned forward, kissing the tip of her nose. “Our new home and for anyone else who needs one until Ian and Clare can find one for them. No homeless wolves. No outcasts.”

  She’d hoped he would say that and threw her arms around his neck.

  Thank you for taking the time to read Penny of the Paranormal. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated. Next book in the series, Pallas, is now available for Pre-Order! Stay up to date with my new releases, giveaways, and news by joining my newsletter. As a thank you, a link to a free novel, Ravenous, will be sent to you via email.

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  PallaS

  Vanguard Elite, book 5

  Releasing April 17, 2017

  I came from the deadliest vampire clan that ever existed.

  Spent centuries transforming wolf shifters into warriors.

  People trembled at my name.

  Now, I run a boot camp for misfit werewolves.

  Everything is coming together. My life, the pack, and our community.

  Then they found a corpse on my land.

  Drained of blood.

  My only hope of proving my innocence is the sheriff.

  The woman of my dreams with a warrior’s heart.

  But she hates me.

  For now.

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  Not His Dragon

  Eoin Grant hasn’t encountered a female of his race in decades, and this crazy person’s scent declares her unmated. Fate set her in his path, and he won’t let this opportunity slip through his claws. No matter how wary she is of him. After all, how many chances does a dragon have at finding love? But fate can be a crueler mistress than his perfect mate. Of all things, she thinks she’s human.

  Business is taking off for Angie Weldon. She put her freakishly sharp nails to good use when she opened her back-scratching spa in downtown New Porter City. The local shifter community pounced on her skills and she’s knee-deep in shed fur. By the end of the year, if lucky, she could afford to move out of her crappy apartment.

  Dollar signs flash before Angie’s eyes when a dark, brooding stranger books her solid for a week but she notices the possessive fury in his glare. She’s been around enough shifters to know the look, and she won’t go down that road again. Angie is literally swept off her feet by the intense shifter and he wants more from her than she’s willing to give. She figures it’s best to avoid eye contact and back away slowly. Until he changes her life by insisting she’s a dragon.

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  The Omegas

  Only a vampire is man enough to teach werewolves how to fight.

  Pretty librarian Sugar wants her life to stay quiet. That's hard enough when friends and neighbors turn into furry werewolves every full moon. But when a hot vampire gets involved, life's bound to get complicated.

  The Omegas have always been the pansies of the paranormal. Now Chicago's top werewolf pack has issued them a life or death challenge. Their only option: hire a vampire warrior to teach them the moves.

  Daedalus has been a powerful vampire for ages. Intrigued by the chance to train the geeks of the underworld, he wasn't bargaining on losing his heart to a human. Can he make the Omegas a success, fit into Sugar's quiet life, and avoid being ripped to shreds in the process?

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  Books by Annie Nicholas

  Vanguard Elite

  Bootcamp of Misfit Wolves

  A Taste of Shifter Geekdom

  Blind Wolf Bluff

  Penny of the Paranormal

  The Vanguards series

  The Omegas

  The Alpha

  The Beta

  Omegas in Love

  Sigma

  Prima

  The Angler series

  Bait (Free)

  Catch

  Hunting Colby

  Release

  Chronicles of Eorthe

  Scent of Salvation

  Scent of Valor

  Scent of a Scandal

  Lake City Series

  Ravenous (Free)

  Starved for Love

  Sinful Cravings

  Stand Alone Books

  Not His Dragon

  Irresistible

  Koishi

  No Refuge

  Boarded

  For more information on coming releases go to http://www.annienicholas.com

  About the Author

  Annie Nicholas writes paranormal romance with a twist. She has courted vampires, hunted with shifters, and slain a dragon’s ego all with the might of her pen. Riding the wind of her imagination, she travels beyond the restraints of reality and shares them with anyone wanting to read her stories. Mother, daughter, and wife are some of the other hats she wears while hiking through the hills and dales of her adopted state of Vermont.

  Annie writes for Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, and Lyrical Press.

  www.annienicholas.com

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  Published 2017

  Copyright by Annie Nicholas

  Cover design by J. Hemmington

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews--without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

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