To Protect His Mate

by Serena Pettus

  “Honey, most men are no better than slightly evolved cavemen. They take a woman back to their cave, provide food, protect us, beat their chests and expect us to swoon.”

  “Great, so I guess I can forget about those three little words.” Stephanie sighed in resignation. “I’m not going to chain myself to a man and think that my love will be enough for both of us. Not again.”

  “They’re fairly short words. I’m sure his vocabulary can expand that much.”

  Both girls dissolved into fits of laughter while continuing to pick on the general male population. This was what girls’ night was all about. Relaxing and cutting loose with a friend you knew you could confide in.

  Chapter Two

  Stephanie had to be at the clinic by six-thirty in the morning, so at ten o'clock, she was getting ready to turn in. She pulled out some clothes for Sarah, along with a set of PJ’s, then headed back into the living room. She stopped, however, when she heard what Sarah was saying on the phone.

  “Everything is fine, Erik. I’m just going to stay over and make sure that it stays fine.” There was a pause. “Yes, I’m aware there’s bad weather coming in tomorrow. We’ll get everything settled here, and I’ll be home in the morning after Steph heads in to work.” Stephanie had forgotten about the winter storm heading in. “I love you, too. I’ll see you in the morning, but don’t forget I’ll be staying here again. No, I’m not going into any details unless she’s all right with me telling you. You’ll just have to trust me.”

  “Sarah?” Stephanie said, announcing her presence.

  “I knew you were there,” Sarah called back.

  It was impossible to sneak up on these guys. If they didn’t hear you, then they could scent you. Stephanie had a lot of fun with that, too.

  Abraham’s brother, Adam—the brother that she enjoyed picking on—had a cabin outside of town and was widely known for his ability to train and tame dogs. He also helped out in town every once in a while with unruly animals. One day, Stephanie and Sarah had decided to put deer urine all over the bed of his truck as a prank. Sarah, with her nose just as keen as Adam’s, had needed to hang back while Stephanie gloved up and did the dirty work.

  Damn, the look on his face had been priceless. Adam’s sense of smell was heightened as a werewolf, and so the deer urine had been exceptionally bad to him. He’d doubled over, retching and cursing while his two wolves had run back into the cabin. He was still trying to come up with a way to get them back. He was a lot of fun to pick at and gave as good as he got. Stephanie enjoyed their little jibe sessions, and she was pretty sure they amused Abraham, too.

  “So,” Sarah said, cutting into her thoughts, “Erik reminded me there’s a nasty storm coming in tomorrow, so we need to move all your loose furniture and stuff off the porch and stick it in the garage until it blows through.”

  “All right, let’s get that done with. I’m ready to crash.” Stephanie gave Sarah an apologetic look as they walked out onto the porch. “It’s really fine if you want to go home, Sarah. Between the stressful hours at the clinic and the anniversary of the accident, I’m just flat out exhausted. I’m sorry that I’m not very good company.”

  “Don’t sweat it.” Sarah moved to a coffee table situated between two chairs. “Come help me get this table. I’d hate to have your neighbors wondering why I’m carrying sturdy wood furniture by myself when I’m just a tiny woman.”

  Stephanie laughed. “Yeah, let’s not get the rumor mill going.”

  She lifted her end of the table and was facing Sarah, who was walking backwards down the steps, when a car slowed in front of the house. Stephanie had just enough time to see it was a newer black Town Car before the passenger window lowered and the barrel of a gun appeared.

  Sarah turned to glance back, and Stephanie shoved the table, knocking her off balance and sending her crashing to the ground, just as the pop-pop sounded from the gun.

  Pain, sharp and intense, immediately drew her attention. She wasn’t able to look at herself, though, before she was jerked off her wobbly legs and rushed into the house.

  Stephanie hurt. Her chest on the left side just at the top of her breast and her ribs on her right side throbbed. Sarah set her on the couch and stood before her.

  “Are you all right?” Stephanie asked, knowing that even if Sarah was injured she was fine. Hell, Sarah had carried her inside, hadn’t she? Right now, however, she remained silent, just glaring as she took several slow, even breaths.

  Finally, Stephanie looked down at herself and gasped. Her shirt was stained red over her heart and under her right breast. Still, she knew that she wasn’t seriously injured—

  “Paint balls,” Sarah spat through clenched teeth. “I can smell it.”

  “It was probably just a prank.”

  Sarah was in Stephanie’s face so fast Stephanie pressed herself back into the sofa cushions. Sarah’s eyes appeared to be lit from inside, and the amber glow was startling. She was pissed.

  “A prank?” she growled. “No. A prank involves toilet paper or eggs. This was a threat.”

  Stephanie tried for a calm approach, much as she would use on her patients if they seemed capable of becoming threatening. “It’s all right, Sarah. They obviously wanted to get my attention, to scare me, and it worked.” She drew a deep breath, but it hitched when her bruised flesh protested the stretch. She groaned. “I’ll tell Abe.”

  Sarah’s gaze softened. “No. I’ll be here, so you can wait until you feel up to it, emotionally. He’s not a really emotional person, from what I can tell, so we’ll spare him that—and you, too.” Sarah’s lips curled into a small, teasing smile. “I think if he saw you cry, he’d need more comforting than you would.”

  “I don’t think any man knows what to do with a crying woman.” Stephanie half-chuckled, half-groaned, and Sarah turned serious again.

  “Let’s see where you got hit.” Sarah reached for Stephanie’s shirt, but Stephanie swatted her hands away. “What?”

  “I can take care of it. I’ll just get some ice and a dish towel.”

  Sarah scowled. “It was a fairly close shot, Steph; your yard isn’t that big. It’ll probably leave a few nasty welts on you,” she warned.

  “It’ll be fine.” Stephanie didn’t want to expose her body to anyone if she could avoid it.

  “What are you hiding? Has something else happened?” Eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring, Sarah was working her way into a royal snit.

  “No, nothing has happened besides the phone calls, I swear. It’s just that I have stretch marks from my pregnancy. They’re not exactly cute.” And not something she liked having people see.

  Stephanie knew she had an otherwise nice body. She just avoided clothing that showed too much of her stomach. Her stretch marks were faint and situated low, so as long as her pants came to her bellybutton, she could swing a halter top every now and then.

  “Lots of women have those, Stephanie,” Sarah chided. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “But normally, they have a child. All I have are the battle scars of pregnancy…” Stephanie let her voice trail off when she felt tears threatening.

  Sarah must have sensed that Stephanie needed a moment and turned to the door. “I’ll go ahead and finish up out here. You stay inside and lock everything up.”

  “I don’t think they’ll come back. They’ve made their point clear, and I’ll remain extra cautious from now on,” she promised.

  “And what ‘point’ do you think they were making?”

  “That they’re here, they know where I live, and they can get to me.” Stephanie looked down at her shirt again and began to shake. “They could have killed me.”

  “They won’t.” Sarah’s statement was made with such confidence Stephanie couldn’t help but give a watery smile. Sarah’s smile, however, was decidedly nasty. “They don’t stand a chance against five werewolves, honey. Not to mention that Abraham was a Navy SEAL, and has a horrible temper. If he finds out there’s a threat to you, these bast
ards won’t be able to hide, no matter how far they run.”

  “Surely, he wouldn’t…”

  “Don’t underestimate him, Stephanie,” Sarah warned. “There’s nothing more precious to our kind than our mates. He would move heaven and earth to keep you safe. Never doubt that.” She sighed then said, “Why don’t you go clean up and get some ice. I’ll finish up and be right back inside. I’m going to check around the house, too, just to be sure that there are no more surprises tonight.”

  Stephanie peeked down the neck of her shirt and winced at the sight. “I don’t think I could deal with any more surprises tonight.”

  Sarah nodded before slipping out the front door.

  Chapter Three

  After a somewhat sleepless night, Stephanie awoke to a seriously sore, very colorful body.

  Yup, it was going to be a long day. Just like last night.

  Sarah had located two outside windows that had been tampered with, nailed shut actually, and had insisted they file a police report on the incident.

  Gus, the town’s sheriff, had been really sweet and considerate. He’d agreed with Sarah about Stephanie not staying alone and had set up a patrol to drive by her home regularly. They were also on the lookout for the Town Car. After dusting the windows, but coming up with no prints, he made sure that the nails were removed and made a systematic check of her home.

  The two nailed windows had been in her bedroom. Sarah had voiced the opinion that it was a possible trap to block her escape from a fire or corner her for a kidnapping.

  Both possibilities had left Stephanie shaken, her mind reeling for hours after the officers had finally left her home. These men planned to hurt her or kill her, and Stephanie had a sinking feeling it would be the latter of the two.

  The last time they’d found her, she’d moved, but now, the thought of leaving hurt. Abraham was here. Her new friends and her new job would both be hard to give up, but Abe would be impossible.

  She loved that stubborn man so much that she was willing to endanger herself to remain with him as long as possible. She should pack her things and run, but she couldn’t do it. Besides, Sarah had already warned her against leaving.

  Sarah had sworn she, Abraham and his brothers would only follow her wherever she went and continue to watch over her. She was both furious and worried sick about the whole situation, insisting that Stephanie didn’t venture out alone, accept any mail or packages and that she always checked her caller ID before answering the phone.

  Her friend was scared for her, so Stephanie managed to hold back her flippant reply of “Duh,” though just barely. Despite being a smart-ass by nature, Stephanie frequently used sarcasm to mask her nervousness. So far, her bravado had served her well, and nobody had called her bluff, but Abraham would know as soon as he met her for lunch today. Her nerves were shot, and she knew that werewolves could scent fear, so there was no doubt that he would pick up on her own easily.

  Sarah, bless her heart, knew that Stephanie was running behind and had both cars cranked and warming up in the driveway before Stephanie made it to the kitchen. Once she had her coffee in hand, Stephanie stepped outside into the cold morning air. There was a definite bite to the wind as it whipped her hair around her face.

  “I’m following you to work, just to be sure nobody follows you, and then I’ll head home to grab a few things. I’m living with you until you live with Abe,” Sarah stated as she quickly moved to her truck.

  “I’m sorry about—”

  “Don’t apologize for anything. This isn’t your fault, and don’t you dare argue with me.”

  Whew, Sarah was not a morning person. In fact, she didn’t look as if she’d slept much at all, which only served to make Stephanie feel worse. “Tell Erik to let you get a nap, too. I can tell that you haven’t had much sleep.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll grab a nap before I come to the clinic later.” Sarah held up one slim finger and shook it in warning. “Don’t even think about leaving that clinic alone, either. Abraham is meeting you at the diner across the street for lunch, but remember to keep your eyes open and watch your back. He doesn’t know about these threats—and he’ll kick my ass when he does hear—so he won’t be on alert for trouble.”

  “I’ll be careful, I promise,” she replied as she opened the driver’s door and tossed her purse inside. “I’ll see you this evening.”

  “I’ll grab something for us for dinner, maybe a pizza,” Sarah yelled.

  “Sounds great.” Stephanie gave a quick wave then backed out and began the short commute to work. The clouds had begun to roll in, looking dark and ominous as they approached and making her glad that she’d be inside before it hit.

  * * * *

  All week, Abraham had been plagued by a sense of unease—of danger looming, waiting for its moment to strike.

  That feeling seemed amplified whenever he was with Stephanie, and he didn’t like that one bit. His brother, Ethan, had accused him of being a broody bastard, and he supposed that was right. He’d been in a foul mood ever since it started. Stephanie, however, brightened his mood on sight. She was his miracle, his soul-mate…and just as stubborn as he was. Hell, he’d been ready to complete their bonding almost from the start, but she seemed to have a few things to work out, things that she didn’t feel inclined to share with him.

  During his morning run, he’d decided to stop by and chat with his brother Erik. While he was there, Sarah came strolling in, looking exhausted. After ribbing Erik about letting his poor mate get some sleep, he discovered that she’d actually been with Stephanie since yesterday evening.

  “Wow, that must have been one hell of a girls’ night,” he commented.

  “You can say that again.” Her dry comment brought his red flag to half-mast, but she went over and kissed Erik soundly before turning a frown back on him. “Don’t scowl at me. It’s too damn early, and I’m tired! Last night was brutal.”

  “How so?” Maybe Sarah could shed some light on Stephanie’s emotional roller coaster. One day, she’d be happy, the next nervous, then depressed. He had no clue what was going on or if he was indeed the problem. Judging by her mulish expression, Sarah wouldn’t be any help.

  “I’m not discussing anything with either of you. It’s private. When she’s ready, she’ll explain things to you. Just try to be patient.”

  “I just can’t figure out why she doesn’t want to complete our mating. Have I done something? Said something?”

  Sarah just shook her head and started down the hall. “It’s what you haven’t said, you dolt,” she mumbled.

  Confused, Abraham turned his gaze to Erik. “Are there some magic words I’m missing here?”

  Erik ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know, man. All I do know is that Sarah is nervous, worried and pissed off.”

  “About?”

  He shrugged. “Not a clue. She’ll talk to me when she can.”

  “What the hell does that mean? When she can?”

  “Stephanie confided in her but doesn’t want anyone to know just yet. Sarah is respecting her privacy and being supportive for her friend.”

  “But she’s my mate.” Abraham knew his dark mood was partly due to his unavailing efforts to cheer her up and bring her closer to him. It felt as though she was pushing him away, little by little.

  “Sometimes a woman just needs another woman to talk to.” Erik clapped him on the shoulder. “Trust me, man. Sometimes, women are dealing with more than even we could handle.”

  Abraham didn’t like thinking of her being burdened by anything. It was his job to protect her and shelter her from life’s hardships as much as possible.

  Glancing at his watch, he grumbled, “Gotta go.”

  Erik needed no further dismissal and headed off after Sarah with a lecherous smile on his face.

  Chapter Four

  Abraham had been looking forward to their lunch date all day. It was beginning to become a routine, broken only when the clinic got backed up, and Stephanie
had to work through lunch to compensate.

  She was a hard worker, her dedication to her job proven by her long hours and doting patients. Often, they sent flowers, cards, fruit baskets or homemade treats to show their gratitude.

  Of course, he made sure she received gifts and such from him, as well. He wasn’t about to be upstaged by complete strangers.

  Now, he sat in the diner across the street, eagerly watching the clinic doors. She should be coming out any time. Abraham held out hope she was in higher spirits today, though Sarah’s demeanor this morning didn’t bode well.

  The freezing rain was at a lull when he spotted her ridiculous umbrella. It made him shake his head every time he saw it. Hot pink and covered in goldfish, it definitely made it a cinch to spot her in a crowd.

  She glanced around before stepping out onto the sidewalk and making her way across the street, looking somewhat unsure. Once she set her umbrella near the entrance, she crossed to the table with a very tired-looking smile pasted on her tempting lips.

  “Busy morning?” he asked as he stood to pull out her seat.

  “Yeah. Flu season is definitely in full swing now.” She sounded exhausted, and Abe could tell she’d tried to hide the dark circles beneath her eyes. “It’ll be fine, though. They’re already working to reschedule most of our afternoon patients, if possible, since the storm will be worse then. We’re trying to avoid having the patients driving on these slick roads.”

  “That’s a good idea. You could use some rest yourself.” The way Stephanie’s brows snapped down had Abraham immediately adding, “Lately, you’ve been working so much, hon, that you’re going to end up getting sick yourself if you don’t get enough rest.” After a long sigh, he reached for her hand on the table. “I’m just worried about you. I don’t like that you’re upset or stressed or sick. I can’t help that I want to be the big, strong man and make everything better.”

  “But that’s just it, Abe. I’m not a helpless female. I promise I’ll explain everything to you. I just need a few days to get myself together.” Her smile was a little less tired, and her eyes were soft and sweet.