To Protect His Mate

by Serena Pettus

  “To you or the car?” She heard the panic in Sarah’s voice and knew her friend was trying to hold her composure.

  “The car, so far, but I’ve got a knife wound on my arm that’s really starting to hurt.” Another bullet zinged past her and through the windshield. “Shit! That was almost my head!”

  “Go faster, Stephanie!” Sarah shouted.

  “I can’t! The roads are too slick. I might hydroplane.”

  “Or you could keep up your current speed and get shot in the fucking head. Now floor it!”

  Another bullet flew through the car, striking the headrest on the passenger seat, and Stephanie barely stifled a shriek before pressing the gas pedal to the floor.

  The car lurched forward and, being able to feel the traction she had on the road, Stephanie felt relatively confident she could maneuver the roads to Abraham’s home safely. The bridge was just ahead, and that was only half a mile from his home. Help was literally just around the corner.

  Her car zoomed toward the bridge then, with another crack from the gun, her back tire blew. The car spun out of control, and Stephanie screamed as it plunged down the embankment and crashed into the frigid water below.

  Chapter Seven

  “Stephanie?” Sarah shouted into the phone, and Abraham anxiously waited on his end to hear that she was okay. “Stephanie!”

  “She’s not answering?” Erik was on the phone with Abraham and trying to keep the truck steady as they raced to catch up to Stephanie and her pursuers.

  “Hand Sarah your earpiece, Erik. I want to talk to her,” Abraham ordered as he climbed into Ethan’s vehicle before heading out.

  Sarah came on the line and explained quickly, “Abe, I heard a gunshot, what sounded like screeching tires, a crash, and then it sounded like a splash. What would sound like a splash?”

  Abraham clutched the phone, trying desperately to think of anything on the way that would cause a splash when Sarah’s voice came back over the line. The only water near his home was the creek. “I hear her!”

  “What is she saying?”

  “Nothing. It was a groan. She’s hurt. We need to hurry. If she crashed, they can get to her now.”

  “The creek! She must have made it to the creek,” he shouted.

  “We’re coming up on it now,” Sarah informed him. “I see the Town Car and two men at the bridge, looking over into the water with another in the driver’s seat of the car.” Sarah growled low. “They dove into the backseat when they spotted the truck and are speeding back toward town.” She paused, and Abraham struggled to keep his composure. He knew he needed to keep a level head and be prepared to do whatever was necessary to help Stephanie, but Sarah’s next words nearly stopped his heart. “Abraham, she went off into the water. Bring blankets and get down to the bridge, now!”

  Dear God, that water would be freezing right now! The smaller lakes in the area had already begun icing over, and Stephanie wouldn’t last long if she had ended up in the frigid water of the creek.

  “Sarah, you have to tell me what’s going on,” he demanded. “Is she okay? Where’s Stephanie now?”

  “Abe, you need to hurry. Her car is half-submerged, and Erik is jumping in to get her out. The water temperature should be close to freezing, especially with the winter storm that just breezed through. Stephanie might be suffering from hypothermia because of it.”

  “I’m almost there, just get her out as quickly as possible and try to keep her awake if you can.” He prayed that she was conscious. He would need her to tell him where she was injured since he would be unable to determine if she’d suffered any internal injuries in the crash.

  When Abraham heard Erik in the background calling out, “She’s not conscious,” he cursed. That could mean any number of things. With Stephanie being the one with the most medical experience, it put them at a disadvantage.

  Ethan’s Jeep came to a halt on the bridge, and Abraham and his brothers all vaulted out and down the bank while Erik wrestled Stephanie’s door open. The look on Erik’s face once he had her in his arms said it all. His eyes reflected fear, horror and utter helplessness.

  When Erik came up from the car with Stephanie cradled against his chest, Abraham ran, meeting them at the water’s edge, and scooping his mate into his arms.

  Sarah rushed to his side and announced that Stephanie was breathing, but her lips were an awful shade of blue. She was freezing. There was blood on the sleeve of her white lab coat and her forehead.

  “She’s freezing, Abe. We need to get her warm.” Sarah tugged his sleeve to get his attention and had to repeat herself when he finally looked up. “We need to hurry. She won’t last long in the cold.”

  That last statement effectively snapped him out of it. He took off at an impressive clip and made it to the Jeep in a matter of seconds. Everyone followed, and within moments, they were on the way to the house, with Stephanie in the backseat with Abe and Sarah.

  Abraham’s training kicked in, and he immediately began tugging off Stephanie’s coat. “We need to get her out of these wet clothes and wrapped in the blankets now.”

  Sarah snapped her fingers. “Eyes front boys! Have a little respect now, and don’t look while we do this.”

  Being the true southern gentlemen they were raised to be, every man, including Abraham turned their heads as Sarah quickly disrobed Stephanie, instructing Abraham on when to lift and all so that she could get her shirt and pants off.

  “Adam, hand me the blankets in the back,” she ordered. Once she had Stephanie covered, she gave them permission to look back. “This should help. We’ll get her warmed better once we get to the house.”

  Ethan drove the Land Rover as quickly as was safe down the winding road leading back to Abraham’s home. Abe simply sat in the back with Stephanie bundled in is lap, praying for her to open her eyes, to give him some sort of sign that she was all right.

  “We’ll need to check her head and her arm, too,” Sarah advised from next to him. “It looks like a pretty decent gash on her upper arm, but I’m not sure about her forehead.”

  “Okay,” Abraham replied, brushing a few wet strands of hair from Stephanie’s brow. “She’ll be okay,” he whispered. She had to be. He already knew that if anything happened to her, if she was somehow taken away from him, he wouldn’t survive it. She was everything to him, and everyone knows that once you lose everything, you’re left with nothing.

  He wouldn’t merely cease to exist; he would follow her.

  “Of course, she will,” Sarah soothed, “We’ll make sure of it.”

  “I want those men,” he snarled low.

  “We’ll get them,” Adam vowed. His words were met with nods of agreement from everyone in the car.

  Oh yes, those men would be found.

  * * * *

  Back at the house, Abraham paced his bedroom while Sarah quickly unwrapped a still-unconscious Stephanie from her cocoon of blankets and placed her under the comforter. They had already thrown more blankets into the dryer to warm them up. Her color had improved, and her lips were returning to their normal shade, but he still didn’t like that she wouldn’t wake.

  He knew he resembled a caged animal. Hell, he felt like a caged animal, but that couldn’t be helped. The need to shift was a strong force within him. His need to run, to hunt down the slimy bastards who’d dared to come after his mate, rode him hard. Those men were a threat, and they needed to be dealt with…quickly.

  “Well, I think that we can just use some steri-strips on her head since the gash doesn’t look too deep.” Sarah’s words pulled him from his thoughts and back to the bedside.

  “And her arm?” One of those men—the one currently in the sheriff’s custody—had managed to slice her with a knife. Her white lab coat had been soaked from the river water, and a gruesome pinkish-red stain covered most of her sleeve from the blood that had saturated the fabric.

  “I think her arm could use a few stitches. That injury was a good bit deeper. He obviously wasn’t concern
ed with taking her alive, and from what I heard over the phone, she must have turned when he was attempting to stab her. If she hadn’t…”

  Abraham was glad she didn’t bother to finish that sentence. His thoughts had been filled with all of the many horrific scenes that could have unfolded in that office. She could have been taken, maybe even raped, or…killed. He gave his head a vicious shake to dispel those ghastly images from his mind, and focused on his precious mate once more.

  “I’ll grab my medical kit. I’m pretty sure that I have some sutures in there still.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and left the room.

  As he passed the living room, his brothers all looked up expectantly. “She’s still not awake. I need to grab some supplies and stitch her arm where that fucker got her with the knife.”

  Adam grinned when he said, “At least, she blew out his knee. That’s one less goon we have to worry about now.” There was a note of pride in Adam’s voice. Abraham knew he and Stephanie had become friends, despite their incessant bickering. They were similar in personality, usually very playful and outgoing. That made the current situation all the more difficult to deal with.

  “I’ll let you know as soon as she wakes up,” he promised his brothers before heading to the garage to fetch his medic bag. He’d never been so glad for the medical section of his training. Stephanie was extremely lucky, only having two wounds that required treating. Abraham knew all too well that things could have been so much worse.

  His first and only relationship had been with a woman named Erica. She wasn’t his soul mate, but the bond of friendship they’d shared was extremely precious to him nonetheless. When he had received the news of her car accident and death, he’d had the most violent breakdown his family had ever witnessed. He shuddered at the thought of the same thing happening to Stephanie. He could have lost her so quickly, and she would never have known how he felt…how much he loved her.

  Abraham returned to the room to find Sarah speaking softly to Stephanie. Stephanie’s hair was a damp and tangled mess on the pillow, her features drawn with stress and worry, but she was now mostly dry and wearing one of his shirts.

  His first thought was, Why didn’t she call for me? But he calmed himself quickly when he caught the smell of her fear.

  Stephanie was scared. Well, of course, she was scared. She’d been attacked, chased, shot at. Then she’d crashed her car into a large creek. She should be terrified. These men had tried to kill her!

  “Stephanie? How do you feel?” Abraham frowned as she seemed to shrink back when he approached the bed. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

  “Um…nothing. Can you give us a minute?” He scented her nervousness and fear but didn’t understand her reaction. Was she afraid of him?

  “Sure. I’ll just leave this here, and I’ll be back shortly to take care of your arm.” He set everything next to the bed before heading to the door. “You’re safe now, sweetheart. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I know. Thank you.” Her voice was hoarse and low, her face too pale. Her discomfort showing in her lovely hazel eyes.

  Abe hated that Stephanie felt the need to confide in Sarah and not in him. Hated but understood. He had no problem handling himself in a fight, or any situation involving strength, stealth or precision. He prided himself on his ability to perform under pressure, but could readily admit to his weakness…emotion.

  If his skills were being utilized for a job or a mission, Abe found he could execute his duties swiftly and efficiently. Having no emotions involved with the target, hostage, etcetera allowed him to function with a cold detachment that allowed him to maintain sanity. Some of the things he’d witnessed on missions would have landed a lesser man in intensive therapy, or worse.

  Stephanie, however, was his mate. She was the center of his life now, holding in her small hands not only his heart, but his very will to live. What she chose to do with that power was yet to be seen.

  “How’s she doing?” Ethan’s question alerted Abraham to the fact that he’d entered the living room again. He’d been so lost in thought, it was amazing he hadn’t walked into a damn wall.

  “She’s awake, but she’s scared.” And she doesn’t want me near her, he thought to himself.

  “Well, of course, she’s scared. Who wouldn’t be?” Adam piped up.

  “She’s strong, Abraham. Just keep an open mind, and listen to whatever she tells you.” Erik’s comment drew confused gazes from Adam and Ethan but earned him a dark glare from Abraham.

  “She just asked me to leave the room, so I doubt that we’ll be having any deep conversations anytime soon.”

  “Actually, she is ready to talk to you,” Sarah announced from the doorway, “but let me tell you something first,” she said as she made her way over to stand before him. “When you go in there, be supportive. What she has to say is difficult and painful for her. Let her go at her own pace, and don’t rush her or ask a bunch of questions.”

  The men all glanced to Abraham. Listening wasn’t an issue for him; it was emotions he sucked at, and he knew from Sarah’s warning that this would be an intense conversation.

  “I gave her some morphine from your bag, per her instructions, so she’ll be comfortable. She’s asking for you now, so you’d better go before she ends up asleep again.”

  “She was afraid of me.” He still couldn’t get over the smell of her fear, and the fact that it was due to him.

  “No, she was afraid of your expression. You’ve had a furious look on your face since you first laid eyes on her at the creek. While I know that you aren’t mad at her, she thinks you’re angry because she didn’t tell you about her problems.”

  “What problems?” Why didn’t she trust him enough to tell him about them?

  “Go talk to her. She’s ready to tell you everything now. Don’t make her regret it.”

  The warning was crystal clear, and the look in Sarah’s glowing amber eyes promised serious consequences if he didn’t tread lightly. Not that he was scared of Sarah. She was a fighter, and a damn good one at that, but she wouldn’t be able to take him in a real battle. He was enough of a gentleman he usually allowed her to best him in their little sparring matches, but not always. What worried him now was that Sarah felt the need to threaten him over this situation.

  What could Stephanie possibly tell him that warranted the warning Sarah was throwing at him? There was only one way to find out.

  When he reached the room, he found Stephanie propped up on some pillows and gazing at the fingers knotted in her lap. He didn’t need his heightened senses to tell him she was nervous.

  Unable to tolerate the distance any longer, Abraham strode to the bedside and gently pulled her into his arms. She came willingly, a soft sob escaping her as she snuggled into his chest. Drawing a deep breath, taking comfort in her scent, Abraham kissed the top of her head and confessed, “I’ve never been so scared in all my life.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “No. There’s nothing you could have done, babe, so don’t apologize.”

  “I should have told you. Sarah has harped on me and pressured me to tell you, but I’m stubborn and wanted to take care of things myself.” Stephanie sniffled before pushing back to look up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “I’m ready to tell you everything now.”

  “All right, but do you mind if I hold you while you talk? I still need to check your arm, too.”

  “Sarah used the Derma-bond in your case to close the gash, and I had her put some steri-strips over that to ensure it doesn’t pull open,” she explained lifting her injured arm for him to see. “I would really like it if you’d hold me though.”

  “Let me slip my shoes off, and I’ll climb up there next to you. I want you to be comfortable.”

  “I just hope I manage to tell you everything before the morphine kicks in and I fall asleep.” A jaw-splitting yawn followed, and Abraham smiled down at her.

  “You’ve had an exceptionally hard da
y, so I think you’re entitled to a little rest, but let’s see what you can tell me.” He settled against the pillows, held out his arms and smiled as she curled into his side.

  He loved this woman so much. In fact, he couldn’t even put into words the depth of his feelings. How did you measure something that all-consuming? He knew she needed to hear him tell her that, and he wanted her to feel secure enough to confide in him, to trust him completely.

  Stephanie’s emotions battered him. Nervousness, fear, hope, love, fear.

  He hugged her close, kissed her temple. “Stephanie, you have to know what you mean to me, right? I love you, sweetheart, so much it actually scares me.”

  She sniffed and half-crawled atop him.

  “Don’t cry, please,” he softly said.

  Her emotions flickered so erratically he couldn’t decipher what her reaction was.

  “I love you, too,” she croaked. “Oh, God, Abe, I’m so sorry. I’ve been so selfish and insecure. I tried to hide when I’ve really needed your strength and comfort so much.”

  “You have it, Steph. You always will.” He gently lifted her chin and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Now, how about we discuss what’s been bothering you lately then we’ll work up to the men who were chasing you.”

  “It’s pretty much all related, but I’ll start at the beginning.” Stephanie took a few deep breaths, obviously collecting her thoughts, then blurted, “Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of my daughter’s death.”

  Abraham stilled, not even breathing.

  “Just listen for a minute, Abe, because this is something I don’t care to discuss in length. It’s too painful.” At his nod, she continued. “I thought I was in love. Randy and I had dated for almost a year before I became pregnant. We’d never covered the topic of children, but his reaction to the news was devastating. He accused me of getting pregnant on purpose. He made it painfully clear he wanted no part of being a father, so I informed him he was free to go. I had a good job, was more than capable of raising a child on my own and refused to have him involved with a child he didn’t even want.”