To Protect His Mate (8 page)

As soon as he gained his feet, Adam’s pet, a female wolf called Storm, crept onto the bed to curl up at Stephanie’s side.

“What the hell are you doing in here, Adam?” Abraham growled. “Get your pets out of my bedroom.”

“I wanted them to be familiar with her.” Adam nodded toward the bed, the worry in his eyes smoothing the fine edge of Abraham’s anger.

“Why? They’re your wolves.”

“Because if they stay here, you have that much more security in place.” Adam gave a visual command with his hand and Lightning, the male wolf, approached the bed to sniff Stephanie’s arm, no doubt learning her scent.

“Explain to me just why you feel that is necessary.”

“Because the sheriff only has one of the men who attacked her in custody—well, he did, at least.” Adam rubbed at the back of his neck while casting another worried look in Stephanie’s direction. “She’d shot out his knee at the clinic, so the police took him to the hospital. They’re still not sure how, but the poor bastard was strangled to death with the cords to his hospital bed.”

“Damn! I was really hoping to get my hands on one of these men.” Abraham was aware his icy tone had set the wolves on edge, but there was nothing he could do about it. His eyes raked over his mate’s sleeping form and noted the little frown pulling at her mouth. A bad dream, perhaps? “I guess it couldn’t hurt to have them around, as long as they don’t make her uncomfortable.”

“She’s not Erica, and she’s tough as nails. Just look at her.” Leave it to Adam to guess that the accident had brought back bad memories. He always had been the most sensitive of the brothers, despite his smart-assed personality.

“I am, and do you know what I see? I see my mate. I see a woman who should have never endured any of the suffering she has.” Abraham hung his head, fighting to swallow the lump quickly forming in his throat. “She lost a child, her child, and hasn’t been able to gain any closure.” He looked up to see Adam’s stricken face and swore those were tears shining in his eyes. “I might have kept her from that pain if I’d found her sooner.”

“There’s no way to know that, Abraham. She may have still lost the baby. Sometimes Mother Nature—”

“Had nothing to do with it,” he growled. “Those assholes messed with her car then left her for dead after she crashed.”

A low, rumbling growl sounded from deep within his brother, and Abraham smiled, knowing it was little more than a baring of teeth at the moment.

Before he could say any more, Sarah burst into the room. “They found the car!”

“Where?” both men asked in unison.

“Not far from the end of your road. It looks like they lost control and went off in the trees. You had better get there quickly if you want to check things out. Erik was getting ready to call Gus at the sheriff’s office so they can try to lift some fingerprints.”

Abraham cast a nervous glance toward Stephanie. He didn’t want to leave her here without saying something, so he moved to her side and bent to her ear. “I’ll be back in just a little bit. Sarah will be with you, so don’t worry.” He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling back. “I love you, Stephanie.” It felt so nice, so
right
, to be saying that aloud.

“Your mother is on her way over, as well, since your father was informed of the situation, so we’ll keep an eye on her until you can get back.”

He groaned at that news. His father was an alpha male, just like his sons, but a man of few words. He never really spoke to anyone unless it was necessary. Abraham’s mother, however, usually possessed the subtlety of an F-5 tornado, so he was hoping Sarah could keep her from scaring off Stephanie.

“You don’t need that horrified look on your face, Abe,” Sarah chided, trying and failing to hide her grin.

“You’ll keep her from stressing Stephanie out?”

“I’ll handle things. Don’t worry. And be sure to take these two with you,” Sarah ordered, pointing to Storm and Lightning. “We don’t want her to wake up screaming. She’s had enough shocks to her system today.”

Abraham nodded, “We’ll be back as quickly as I can manage. Take care of her for me.”

“I will.”

* * * *

Stephanie awoke to the sound of quiet conversation. First, she heard Sarah then another female voice, this one clearly worried.

“She’s going to be all right, isn’t she?” the other woman asked. “I don’t know what would happen to Abraham if he lost her. When Erica died in that accident, I nearly lost my son, as well, even though she wasn’t his mate.”

Who was Erica?
The thought of another woman having a piece of Abraham’s heart sent a wave of jealousy pouring through her.

“I think she’s waking up. Stephanie? I have some water for you, so open your eyes for me,” Sarah urged.

“Where’s Abe?” she croaked before accepting the straw at her lips.

“They found the men’s car and went to sniff around to see if they could get a scent. Adam took his wolves, too. They’ll be hanging around the house until this situation is resolved, so don’t panic if you see them. Storm seems to like you already,” Sarah laughed.

“Storm?”

“That’s the female wolf. The male is Lightning,” the other woman answered. “I’m Angela, Abraham’s mother. How do you feel, dear?”

Stephanie considered that for a moment. Aside from where her arm had been cut, she was just a little sore. “I’m good,” she replied. “I’ll be sore for a few days, I’m sure, but I’ll survive.”

“Of course, you will. Now, dear, Sarah told me about these men who are after you. You did the right thing, testifying against that doctor, so don’t worry about a thing. Abraham will find them—God help them when he does—and then everything will be all right. If I know my Abe, he’s already working on things.”

“He was on the phone as he and Adam left, so you’re probably right,” Sarah added. She turned to Stephanie to explain. “Erik and I were talking earlier, and he told me about the extensive connections Abraham made while he was in the military. Apparently, he’s been responsible for the protection of some pretty important people.”

“I thought he was a Navy SEAL?” Stephanie replied, a little confused.

“He did a lot of things. Sniper, special forces, undercover, personal protection and security details, just to name a few,” his mother announced proudly. “Of course, his work took him away from home more than I liked, but that’s just a mother’s worry.”

“Does he still go away often?” Stephanie didn’t like the thought of being left home alone for long periods of time while he was on assignment.

“Oh no, dear! He won’t be taking on anything like that anymore.”

Stephanie heard the unspoken “now that you’re here,” and hated that he felt the need to give up a part of his life for her.

“Now you stop that
right now
,” Angela scolded, making Stephanie jump. “Abraham gave up all of that a while ago, and he only takes an occasional odd job if he feels like it.”

“Um…okay?” Stephanie looked to Sarah, to find her rolling her eyes.

“You’re his mate, honey. His life revolves around you and your happiness now. You
are
his life now, so please be careful. We nearly lost him once, but I already know he would die without you.”

“Nearly lost him?” Stephanie tried to keep in mind that whatever had happened was in the past, but fear still crept into her voice. “What happened?”

Angela looked uncomfortable now. She obviously hadn’t meant to let that slip, but it was too late. With a resigned look in her eyes, she explained. “After he was discharged from the military, Abraham took some security jobs for some pretty high profile people in the government. There was a girl named Erica who was assigned to one of his teams. The two of them just sort of clicked and became extremely close friends. She fell in love with Abraham, and while he loved her, as well, it wasn’t the same. She wanted the whole deal, with marriage, kids, a home, the whole nine yards.”

“But Abraham didn’t?”

“No. He loved her and tried to give her what she wanted, but he knew that it wasn’t fair to her. He knew if he ever met his true mate, Erica would be destroyed when he left.

“Abraham held more of a brotherly love for her than anything else, but she was also his best friend. They had a long discussion about their relationship and, since she knew what he was, she understood.”

“That must have been hard on her, despite her understanding,” Stephanie commented.

“It was, dear. Erica decided to go and make a surprise visit to her folks as a way to get the space she needed. Abe was upset he’d hurt her and made her promise to call him as soon as she got to her parents’ house. When he got the call from her cell, though, it was the police.”

Stephanie gasped, her hand going to her throat.

“According to the officer, a drunk driver had run a light, smashing into the driver’s side of her car. They found Erica’s phone in her hand, with Abe’s number up on the screen. He was also in there as her emergency contact, so he was the first one notified. They’re not sure if she was alive after the crash and trying to call him, or if she had been doing so before she was hit. She died from internal bleeding. Apparently, her spleen had ruptured, and she had a punctured lung, amongst other serious injuries.”

“Oh my God,” Stephanie whispered, tears clogging her throat.

“Abraham went ballistic. He’d been working in his garage out back when he got the call, and he demolished it. We found him lying underneath one of the walls that had collapsed from the damage he’d inflicted upon it.” Angela sighed, looking so weary Stephanie wasn’t sure if she would continue. “I have no doubt he could have freed himself, despite the injuries from his rampage, but he had just given up. He’d succumbed to his grief.”

Stephanie sat in stunned silence as tears streaked down her cheeks. She could only imagine how painful it must have been for him to endure that loss. No doubt, he felt guilty, as well.

Abraham was that type of man. He took everything onto himself…including misplaced blame. It was clear everyone knew it was an accident that had claimed the girl’s life, but Stephanie had a feeling his rage had been an outward sign of his inner turmoil over the incident.

Looking to the woman sitting beside the bed, Stephanie saw the worry in her eyes, a worry for her son’s well-being. Angela was a lovely woman. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was cut in a fashionable style that framed her face, leaving her creamy skin glowing. Her silvery-blue eyes were soft, yet direct, as she stared at her.

“I’ll do my best to make him happy. He deserves it,” Stephanie replied softly.

“Yes and so do you. Sarah and I had some time to talk while you slept, and I’m so sorry about everything that you’ve been through.” Angela moved to sit on the side of the bed and took her hand. “You just stay safe, that’s all. He loves you a great deal, and he won’t be able to survive losing you.”

“Honestly, I don’t think I could survive losing him, either.”

“It sounds like the guys are just getting back, so I’m sure that he’ll be in here momentarily,” Sarah announced.

Stephanie tried to smooth her hair only to wince when her arm protested the movement.

“Damn, that’s sore,” she groaned. As she moved to sit up, she found herself gently lifted by an arm behind her knees and another around her shoulders. Having pinched her eyes closed against the pain, she expected to find Abraham at her side when she opened them again.

“Mrs. Wolfe! You shouldn’t be picking me up,” Stephanie gasped, mortified that Abraham’s
mother
was shifting her up in the bed as if she weighed no more than a child.

“Oh, please. I’m a werewolf, honey. That means that I’m just as strong as Sarah, so don’t you worry about me. We just need to concentrate on you,” she replied while adjusting a pillow behind Stephanie’s back.

“Do you want another shot of morphine for the pain?” Sarah asked.

“No, thank you. I hate being fuzzy headed at any time, but now would be the worst. I want to be alert and—where’s my gun?”

Stephanie scanned the room, looking over the nightstands and dressers for any sign of her Ruger.

“It ended up submerged in the river when your car went in. I don’t think that it’s safe to fire anymore,” Sarah answered. “Abraham has a lot of guns, though, so don’t worry about that right now. I’m sure that he’ll let you use whatever you want.”

“A gun?” Angela was clearly troubled by that thought.

“She’s a damn good shot, Mrs. Wolfe. She may even be better than Abe pretty soon.”

Angela’s eyes widened as she turned her gaze back to Stephanie. “You’re really that good? I don’t mean to sound rude or to offend you, dear, but Abraham is a master marksman.”

Stephanie simply shrugged. She was never one to brag, not that it stopped Sarah from doing it for her.

“She’s self-taught. Stephanie is the one who took out the wolf that tried to kill me. She also managed to shoot the knee out of the guy who attacked her at the clinic.”

Angela cast a teasing smile at both of them. “Personally, I would have aimed it a bit north. You know, just for good measure.”

They were all laughing when Abraham entered the room, a handsome older man—obviously his father—right behind him.

“Are you entertaining Abraham’s mate, dear?” the man asked.

“We’re just getting to know each other a little bit.” Angela crossed to the man’s side, melting against him as his arms encircled her. “Did you boys happen to find anything helpful?”

“We managed to get their scent. One of them must have been hurt because there’s blood in the car, as well.” Abraham went over to Stephanie and gathered her into his strong arms. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m much better now.” And it was true. Just his presence seemed to lessen her worries and aches.

“Well, I’m off to find Erik,” Sarah announced. “I could use a warm bath and a good snuggle myself.”

Stephanie moaned at the thought of being able to soak her sore muscles in a steamy tub. “That sounds wonderful. Do you mind if I do the same?” she asked, her gaze traveling back to Abraham.

“Anything you want, sweetheart.”

“I think we’d better be on our way, as well. I’ll help the others gather your things from your house later then we can get to know each other a little more,” his mother offered.