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  GRACEFUL ACCEPTANCE

  Seven Sin Sisters Book 7

  Paloma Beck

  Erotic Romance

  Secret Cravings Publishing

  www.secretcravingspublishing.com

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  A Secret Cravings Publishing Book

  Erotic Romance

  Graceful Acceptance

  Copyright © 2014 Paloma Beck

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-63105-409-9

  First E-book Publication: November 2014

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  Edited by Kyle Lewis

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  Dedication

  For TAMMY -

  You gave me friendship when I most needed it.

  We were so different but such a great pair.

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  GRACEFUL ACCEPTANCE

  The Seven Sin Sisters Book 7

  Paloma Beck

  Copyright © 2014

  Chapter One

  “No, I cannot eat another bite.” Grace held her hand up in protest as Eloise leaned across to share some of her chocolate cream pie. She exaggerated her words to be sure Eloise knew she wasn’t joking. “You know I have to be careful not to indulge.”

  “No, I do not. What I do know, dear Gracie, is that when you’re so tempted that you simply must, that is when you will know your true destiny. And Goddess knows it’s time. You’re the last one of us and there’s no stopping it now.”

  Grace was all too aware that Eloise had been consumed by the desire to find her mate until she’d literally fallen into Caedon’s arms, but Grace had no such desire to give in to her destiny—not when she had her own wants to consider. Except she knew that the fulfillment of the prophecy rested squarely on her shoulders. She had to choose between her own happiness, her own desires, and that which would break the Curse of the Sins.

  Grace chose her words carefully so as not to give away her secret. “Yes, I know but knowing and wanting are two different emotions entirely.” She paused for another nibble of the pie. “I need to want, not simply to know.”

  “This is absolutely crazy, Gracie. I thought Layla would have the most difficulty with accepting a mate but you are far more stubborn than I ever gave you credit for.” Eloise shook her head even as she enjoyed the piece of pie she’d been trying to get Grace to eat.

  Within just eighteen months, each of her sisters had been mated according to the legend they had been taught by their mother. And by that same legend, it was now Grace’s turn to find her true mate. It was an enticing idea since their mother had been mated to their father in the same way and had been living happily
mated now for over two hundred years.

  The twist in the legend, as they had discovered, was that each sister had inherited one of the seven deadly sins and were close to fulfilling the ultimate prophecy laid down by the Goddess herself. As women in the Magdalena Circle, they carried the genetic link that kept the Valendite Breed flourishing. Once they found their mate, they were rewarded by losing the sin with which they had lived, but there was a catch. They were then bound to their mate who needed them for sustenance. Her mate would feed from her in exchange for him removing her sin.

  If the prophecy was correct and they, in fact, were the seven spoken of by the Goddess, Grace’s mating also meant the end of the women of the Magdalena Circle being cursed with a sin. Davina believed it was a reward given for the utmost act of selflessness the Sinster family has given. They had the responsibility of releasing all women in their society from the curse.

  No pressure.

  What a joke. For Grace, it wasn’t that simple. The prophecy, the curse, the mating, nothing ever was that simple for her. When her sisters were dreaming of thick, heated male bodies, she imagined herself pinned against the soft flesh of a woman. Gracie dreamed of a woman whose breasts conformed against hers, spiked nipples begging to be suckled into her mouth. A woman who would touch her softly with gentle hands and love her with a tender heart. But that was not in the legend. That was not to be her destiny. It was not part of the prophecy. She had never spoken a word of her desires to anyone, not even to one of her sisters who shared everything, even their home for many years.

  She’d worked at setting aside those thoughts, pushing down the desires of her body, so she could be the woman they needed her to be. She watched her sisters with their mates and imagined she could do that too, but it didn’t warm her as it should. In fact, most of the time her sisters’ mates appalled her with their cave men behavior, rough play, and odors.

  Being held up in the compound with TEU agents and their families, Grace had been surrounded by all that male testosterone on overload. They’d finally been given the okay to go out freely with the threats to their safety eliminated. Grace didn’t want to know the details. She was just grateful to be able to return to her own home, where she now lived alone since each of her sisters had moved in with their mates.

  She wondered what would happen when she did mate. What would happen to this home? It was a place she’d found refuge and friendship with her sisters since they’d come of age. It was warm and cozy, and if she had to leave it, Grace knew a piece of herself would remain. This was where she mastered her skills with painting. Her studio was here. Looking around the room, lazing in front of the large stone fireplace, she felt safe, content with her place in the world, even if only in the moment.

  Snapping her out of her quiet reflection, Layla and Paige walked into the living room with Juliana in her stroller making the noises of babies. Plopping down on the sofas to join Eloise and Grace around the fireplace, Paige set out hot to-go cups.

  “Layla found the most delicious mocha today at Davina’s shop and we’re enjoying a cup. Join us,” Paige, their oldest sister, invited them.

  Grace reached for one of the cups and sipped, careful not to drink too much or too quickly. She moved to sit in the window seat at the far side of the fireplace. Winter was in full rhythm now and the fire was welcome after the chill from her hike outside earlier. She took her first sip of the warm sultry mocha and moaned at the rich flavor.

  “It’s from Davina’s little coffee shop she added on at her book store,” Layla explained. “We stopped in for the grand opening and fell in love with the place.”

  “Grand opening?” Grace asked.

  “Just for the café. It’s fabulous.” Layla answered despite being distracted by little Juliana attempting to grab her cup. “No, mia dolce ragazza. She is a rascal, this little one. Sweet though, especially with her fathers.”

  “Yes, well, definitely not sweet on our shopping trip. To her credit though, the stores weren’t exactly kid friendly,” Paige added. “There’s no children’s section in Davina’s book store.”

  Grace listened to her sisters talk while she sipped her mocha. She tucked a blanket around her legs and curved them underneath as she curled into the window seat and watched the snow begin to fall. A sigh brushed across her lips as she swallowed another mouthful of the deliciously thick syrup. The flavor was intense, a mix of bitter and sweet that was irresistible. She savored each sip as she watched the snowflakes, feeling as if she were sitting in the midst of the brewing storm.

  “More?” Eloise asked as she rose to get herself another cup.

  “Yes, please,” Grace responded. She didn’t notice when the room full of her sisters looked first at her and then around at one another. Grace had never before had seconds, ever careful not to overindulge and become bound to her sin of gluttony.

  Grace continued to watch the snow, accepting another full cup of mocha from Eloise without turning her gaze from the sky. Situated north and close to the mountains, it wasn’t unheard of to get snow in their part of the state, but it didn’t happen often enough to lose its magic.

  “Enjoy,” Eloise whispered as she placed a kiss on the top of Gracie’s head before winking at her sisters.

  Grace smiled up at her sister as she walked away and noticed the room had grown quiet. Not uncommon that they would get lost in their own thoughts, but still find comfort in the closeness. Even Juliana seemed content to sit quietly in her mamma’s lap now that she held onto some toy she appeared to be mesmerized by. Occasionally, Paige threw bursts of twinkling lights into the air and Juliana’s eyes would light up. That little girl had them all wrapped around her little fingers, not just her papas.

  As Grace sipped at her second cup, she thought back to the dream she’d had the night before. She was being held by a dark woman. Her pixie-like face was framed by a mane of lush midnight hair, and her piercing blue eyes glistened with wickedness. Her arms were tight around Grace’s bare back and she was feasting on her breasts as Grace pulled at her hair. With her lips, she gently tugged on Gracie’s nipples until the points were firm peaks jutting out begging for more attention, and arousal enveloped her. Her desire was more than she could bear and she wanted more, a feeling she knew she shouldn’t have. In her dream, she moaned as the woman raked her teeth over her nipples. When Grace woke up, an odd sense of comfort had enveloped her. She had a similar feeling of comfort as she sat drinking this wonderful cup of mocha.

  Grace knew who that woman in her dream was. She’d been her best friend for years, but Grace also knew that to fulfill the prophecy she had to let go of dreams like this.

  “I hate to point out the obvious, Gracie, but you’ve never accepted a second helping of anything in all your life,” Paige said, nodding her head towards the now empty cup in Grace’s hand.

  With eyes large and nearly fearful, Grace followed her gaze. She looked between each sister and then to the other cup sitting on the window’s edge. Then she closed her eyes and took that moment to absorb the truth. Her mating was soon. When she opened her mouth to speak, she couldn’t find words. Instead, she raised her hand up to her sisters and shook her head before hurrying to her bedroom.

  * * * *

  Trevor returned to the TEU Compound after traipsing after Layla and Paige on their shopping outing. Had they never heard of online shopping? He couldn’t wait until he wasn’t the grunt anymore. He signed up for this gig for the excitement, for the honor of defending the country that had become his home, not to babysit civilians.

  The only reprieve to his day was the stop in at Davina’s bookstore. He was quite pleased to peek in on Davina, the hot little minx with rocking curves and a damn billboard hanging above her head with flashing neon lights gleaming hands off. Davina was not only gorgeous, but she was the Santucci’s baby sister. Madden, Lucas, and Gage would have his head if he so much as looked at her the wrong way.

  This was why families within their race didn’t have mixed sex children—you ei
ther had girls who belonged to the Magdalena Circle or boys who were Valendite Breed. Trevor had no clue why exactly the Santucci family had both. He’d never gotten bold enough to ask and no one ever talked about it. In fact, no one ever talked about Davina without one of her brothers quirking an eyebrow.

  On this particular day though, he was free to look his fill since there were no brothers standing watch. So look he did. Davina was his idea of perfection. A woman needed to be dark and daring or light and sweet. He’d take them either way, but Davina pulled off dark and daring like no other. If he ever thought about being with one woman, she just might be the one. He bet she could handle everything he had to offer, and he was certain she could hold his interest. She rocked this nostalgic style of the 1950s and wore crazy stiletto heels that made him want to lick her from head to toe.

  He was quite pleased with this opportunity to check her out undetected as the women spoke. Curious why they looked so intense, Trevor listened in.

  “You do know spell work is forbidden?” Paige formed the question, but her tone gave the impression of an order or command. “We’re only to use our circle magic, the natural abilities granted to us by the Goddess.”

  “We’re simply taking our natural abilities to another level,” Davina explained.

  “That’s our other concern. You’ve brought Gracie into this. She’s grown quiet lately. We think she’s frustrated by not finding her mate yet. She feels the stress of the prophecy weighing on her as the last to be claimed. Playing with these spells can’t be helping.”