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  Cole kissed her before she got up. “I’m sorry sweetheart. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to for us to be alone in a house with two other men in residence.”

  Marin looked at him from under her eyelashes as she slipped her jeans on. “You haven’t ever had a woman up here before?”

  Cole grinned at her. “Nope. You’re the first.”

  “But you’ve…” Marin let the sentence trail off, too embarrassed to finish it.

  “Yes, I’ve been with women before. I actually had a steady girlfriend for about a year. That’s been a long time ago though. I’ve had a few casual relationships since then, but no one really caught my interest,” Cole told her. He didn’t want to tell her that he had been interested in Cassie before she had married Matt. He was worried it might ruin the friendship the two women seemed to be forming.

  Marin looked at the floor. “You know, when I declared myself as your mate, I never thought about how it would change your life. For all I know, you didn’t want a mate.”

  Cole came off the bed quick as lightning and stood in front of her. Pulling her into his arms, he lifted her head with his hand. “Honey, I may not have been actively looking for a mate, but the second I saw you I wanted you in my life. Never doubt for a moment that I’m happy you chose to be with me.”

  A single tear slid down Marin’s face. She reached up and cupped his face with her hand. Standing on her tiptoes, she pulled his head down for a kiss. She knew that it was way too early for confessions, but she knew without a doubt that she loved him. It just wasn’t the right time to tell him yet. It was crazy for her to be so certain she loved him when it had only been a few days, but she knew they were meant to be together and it had nothing to do with Gabriel’s ability to sense she was part of their pack.

  Ending the kiss, Marin smiled up at him. She bent down and grabbed her shirt off the floor and pulled it over her head. Cole brushed her hair back over her shoulders and gently caressed her cheek. Grabbing her hands, he tugged her into his arms for another quick kiss. He felt like he couldn’t get enough of her.

  Cole heard his brother head back down the stairs and out the front door. Judging by the footsteps, it was Michael; he had a slightly heavier step than Gabriel. Cole grinned at Marin and pushed her back down onto the bed. She opened her arms to him, beckoning him to join her.

  An hour later, Cole had Marin undressed except for her panties. He was still in his boxers, but not for much longer. Cole had his left arm around Marin and his right hand was palming her large breasts while he kissed her. Taking things slow was about to kill him, but he wanted everything to be perfect for her. Technically, this was her first time.

  He started to pull down her panties, when he suddenly stilled. Marin looked at him curiously. Why was he stopping now?

  “What’s wrong Cole?”

  He gave her a tortured look. “I just realized that I don’t have protection.”

  “Oh,” Marin said, wide-eyed. She hadn’t thought of that.

  Cole groaned and pressed his forehead against hers. Even though she had been raped, he wasn’t worried about catching anything since his blood would have cured that, too. He was worried about getting her pregnant.

  He lifted his head and looked down at her. “We’ll have to stop until I can go to the drugstore. I don’t want to take a chance on getting you pregnant.”

  Marin was touched by his thoughtfulness. “Cole, there are much worse things than having your baby. Don’t you realize that would be a gift?”

  Marin suddenly had a horrible thought. What if the past week or so with Stefan had resulted in a baby? Her period should have hit around the time Stefan took her.

  Her thoughts must have shown on her face. Cole gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “What is it Marin?”

  “What … what if I’m already pregnant?” The terrified look in her eyes was almost his undoing. He couldn’t stand for her to look so scared. The thought of that bastard getting her pregnant had also acted like ice water, instantly cooling his passion.

  “Do you think you could be?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not usually late, but I never started this month. It could just have been the stress of my week with Stefan, but… what if it isn’t stress?”

  “Do you want to find out?” Cole felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. He hadn’t even thought of the possibility that Stefan could have gotten her pregnant.

  Marin slowly nodded her head yes. Part of her didn’t want to know, but at the same time she would rather know than find out later she was pregnant and be uncertain over who the baby belonged to. Cole deserved better than that.

  “Then we can go to my company after dinner. We have a twenty-four hour lab that can run the test for you. We’ll get the results while we’re there.” He paused to judge her reaction. “Would that make you feel better?”

  “Yes, but won’t you get in trouble for using the lab for personal reasons?”

  He smiled at her. “No, I won’t get into trouble. It’s one of the perks of the job… free lab work whenever we want it, or in this case whenever we need it.”

  Cole kissed her again. Instead of kissing her with the intent of making love, he kissed her to show her he loved her. The kiss was gentle and full of love and hope. It was a startling realization for him, but he knew without a doubt that he loved her. It didn’t seem possible after such a short time.

  Neither of them heard the front door, but they heard slow footsteps coming up the stairs. The footsteps echoed down the hall past Cole’s room and he heard Michael’s door open and close. Downstairs the front door slammed. Apparently both of his brothers were home this time and didn’t appear to be leaving anytime soon.

  Marin got up and dressed. While she was sorry they hadn’t made love, she was glad she wouldn’t to have wonder if any future pregnancies were a result of being raped or a result of being with Cole. He hadn’t said that he loved her, but it was obvious he cared for her and that would be enough for now. Hopefully he would come to love her eventually.

  Not bothering with her socks or shoes, she headed for the bedroom door.

  “Hey! Wait a minute,” Cole said as he scrambled into his jeans and shirt.

  Marin laughed at him. When he was dressed, she opened the door and they went downstairs. Gabriel was at the bottom of the stairs going through the plastic sack Cole had left near the door. He looked up when he heard them coming down the stairs.

  “What’s all this?” Gabriel asked indicating the sack.

  “I thought we should beef up the security around here. We picked up some locks at the hardware store for the windows and doors,” Cole responded.

  Gabriel did a double take of Marin. She was gorgeous! She’d done something to her hair and it looked like she’d had her nails done too.

  “Looks like you ran into Cassie today. Your hair looks nice,” he told her.

  “Thanks,” she replied with a smile.

  Gabriel took the sack with him into the kitchen, with Cole and Marin trailing after him. It was already dark outside. Funny how they hadn’t noticed that when they had been upstairs in Cole’s room. Then again, they did have other things on their minds at the time.

  Cole pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down. He held his hand out to Marin and she went and sat on his lap. Even though they couldn’t seem to get anywhere in the bedroom, he liked touching her. Even the simplest touch, just holding her hand or having her sit in his lap, made him happy. He hadn’t felt this content in a really long time.

  Marin snuggled into him and rested her head against his shoulder. She was so tiny that her head almost fit under his chin when she was in his lap. When she stood next to him, her head didn’t even reach his shoulder. Being petite had never bothered her before, but it made it difficult to steal kisses from Cole. She’d have to invest in several pairs of high heels.

  Gabriel sat all of the new locks out on the counter. He counted all of the ones out for the first floor
and pushed them aside then he made a group for the second floor and another for the third floor. When he realized he had an extra door lock left over, he looked at Cole inquisitively.

  “What’s this one for?” Gabriel asked his little brother.

  Cole cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. “That one is for my bedroom door.”

  Gabriel glanced at Marin and back at Cole. “Shouldn’t you have gotten one for her door too?”

  Cole actually blushed a little this time. “Actually, her room is my room. Or rather my room is her room.”

  Gabriel looked at Marin. “And you’re okay with that?”

  “It was sort of my idea. I figured it would be better if Cole were with me in case Stefan snuck in during the night. That’s more his style than showing up during the day or coming through the front door.”

  Cole saw an opening in the conversation. “Speaking of days… Marin is afraid she might be bored on Monday when we all go to work. So she can have some money for her outings with Cassie, I was thinking she might be able to do some filing or other office work for you and Michael at the garage.”

  Gabriel knew that Cole made plenty of money to give Marin if she wanted to go shopping. He figured that it had to be more than just that. She shouldn’t be home by herself though, not with Stefan still lurking around.

  “I think we can work something out. How does forty dollars per day sound? You don’t have to come in until you’re ready and you can take off whenever you want,” Gabriel told her.

  “That sounds like a better deal for me than for you,” Marin replied.

  “If you want to set exact office hours, we can do that. I just thought you might want a little more freedom,” Gabriel responded.

  Marin smiled at him. “Thanks. Can I give you a schedule by Sunday night?”

  “Sure. Now, let’s see what Michael bought at the store today.”

  Gabriel turned around and rummaged through the pantry and cabinets. After a few minutes of searching, he turned back around completely exasperated. Looking at Cole and Marin he asked, “Does Chinese delivery sound okay? Apparently Michael forgot the grocery shopping with his overly busy day.”

  Cole looked concerned. It wasn’t like Michael to say he was going somewhere and then completely forget about it. “That’s really odd behavior for Michael.”

  Gabriel nodded, “Yes it is.”

  Marin got up. “I’ll go check on him. Maybe he isn’t feeling well or something.”

  Before either Cole or Gabriel could say anything to her, she ran upstairs and went to Michael’s room. She knocked on the door, but there was no response. She knew he hadn’t left since coming up here so she opened the door.

  Michael was lying on his bed saturated in blood. Marin screamed and ran over to him. Feeling for a pulse, she relaxed when she realized he was still alive. His pulse was faint, but she could feel it. Cole and Gabriel came charging up the stairs after hearing her scream. They were both shocked when they saw Michael.

  It looked like he had been sliced to ribbons. Why hadn’t he said anything when he came in? Werewolves might be stronger than the average human, but they could still be hurt or even killed. However, the silver bullet theory was just a myth. They could be killed the same way as any other person, it was just a lot harder to get the drop on them thanks to their extra sensitive hearing and sharper eyesight. They also healed faster than humans did and were a lot stronger.

  While Cole was tearing Michael’s shirt for a better look at the wounds, Gabriel tried to talk to him.

  “Michael, can you hear me?” Gabriel asked his brother.

  There wasn’t a response. Cole had Michael’s shirt off and was looking over the cuts. Marin got up and went into the bathroom for a warm wet rag. She handed it to Cole so he could cleanse the area. There was so much blood that it was hard to figure out what they were looking at. Once Michael’s chest and abdomen were clean, Cole was able to concentrate on the damage.

  Michael had three long cuts from chest to stomach and a few smaller ones down his sides. Whoever had done this had used a very sharp blade. Who could have gotten the drop on him though? Or did Michael know his attacker? Since he was unconscious, it was going to be hard to get answers.

  “Maybe we should call the police? If someone did this to Michael, who’s to say they won’t come here looking for him?” Marin asked softly.

  Cole looked at Gabriel. “She has a point. It might be a good idea to file a report.”

  “We don’t know what happened. What if Michael is the one who started it?” Gabriel asked.

  “That doesn’t sound like Michael to me. If you don’t want to call the police, we won’t. But I have to say that with Stefan lurking around here and Michael in no shape to help us keep the house safe, I would feel better if we got the police involved,” Cole told his brother.

  Gabriel sighed. He knew that Cole had a point, but it was his job to protect his pack. He couldn’t very well call the cops not knowing if Michael was in trouble. If he had started it or killed his attacker, then he could be facing probation or jail time. Getting the cops involved in that instance, would not be a good idea. It wouldn’t be the first time Michael’s temper had gotten away from him.

  Michael started to stir on the bed. He groaned and reached for his sliced stomach. Cole stopped him by grabbing his hands. The blood flow was slowing down. If Michael grabbed at his lacerations now, he could end up bleeding again. Judging by the bed, he had already lost a good bit of blood.

  Michael opened his eyes a little. “Stefan…” he whispered.

  Marin stiffened at the foot of the bed. Cole glanced at Gabriel and then back down at his twin.

  “What about Stefan?” Cole asked.

  “Wanted Marin… told him no… attacked me,” Michael whispered brokenly.

  “Stefan did this?” Gabriel asked wanting to make sure he had heard correctly.

  Michael nodded yes.

  “I’m calling the cops. We’re going to take you to the hospital and they can meet us there. See if you can stay conscious long enough to tell them that. They need to know that he’s after Marin and what he’s capable of,” Gabriel told Michael.

  Michael nodded yes again. He was fighting not to pass out again. He knew that Marin’s life might depend on it and she had become an important part of his life. He not only hadn’t seen his twin this happy in a really long time, but he was also looking forward to having a little sister and possibly becoming an uncle.

  Gabriel called the cops and explained what happened. When he hung up the phone, he asked Cole to go start his truck. Marin went downstairs with Cole. She wasn’t sure what to do. She wanted to help, but she wasn’t strong enough to do much so she waited inside.

  Cole started his truck and ran back into the house. Marin was standing uncertainly at the foot of the stairs. He stopped briefly to press a quick kiss to her lips. While she waited at the foot of the stairs, he ran back up to Michael’s room. It took both brothers to carry Michael down to the truck. One of them could have lifted him easily, but they wanted to keep him as comfortable as possible. Marin followed them out of the house, making sure the door was locked.

  Gabriel climbed into the back of the truck with Michael, while Marin sat up front with Cole. Putting on his hazard lights, Cole backed out of the driveway and floored it. The hospital was on the other side of town and it normally took twenty minutes to get there… worried that they didn’t have twenty minutes, Cole made it in ten.

  At the hospital, Marin hopped out and ran inside the emergency room door. She told the nurse at the triage desk that they needed a wheel chair for her brother. She explained that he had been attacked and was badly cut. The nurse had two orderlies go out to the truck to assist with getting Michael inside.

  Once he was in the ER and the doctors had taken over, Cole and Marin went to sit in the waiting area. Gabriel was at the triage desk completing the paper work for Michael. As the oldest, he kept a copy of their insurance cards, driver’s license, etc. �
� anything that could be needed in an emergency situation. Right now, he was glad he had all of the documentation he needed in order for the hospital to treat Michael.

  Marin curled up next to Cole and rested her head on his chest. Gabriel came over and sat across from them. All three of them were worried not only about Michael, but about Stefan. If what Michael had said was true, then Stefan was not only after Marin but he was willing to do anything to get her back. Cole had never been so terrified in his life!

  Marin glanced toward the door and saw two police officers heading their way. They were the same officers that had been at the house earlier. At least they would be familiar with the situation so they wouldn’t have to tell their tale all over again.

  “Mr. Andrews, Ms. Thomas.” The police officers nodded at them.

  The three of them murmured a hello to the officers.

  The first officer, Officer Redding, asked, “Do you know what happened to your brother?”

  Gabriel answered, “Before he passed out again, he mentioned that the man from this morning attacked him. He apparently saw Michael and demanded that Marin be delivered to him. The poor man is delusional and thinks she’s his girlfriend. When Michael refused, the man attacked him with a knife.”

  The second officer, Officer Gould, was taking notes. Officer Redding asked a few other routine questions, which Gabriel answered. Then he requested to see Michael. Gabriel walked with the officers to the triage station. Michael was in a recovery room, but he wasn’t awake. It seemed they would have to wait.

  Marin looked up at Cole. “He’s never going to stop coming after me, is he?”

  Cole looked down at her worried face and cupped her cheek in his hand. “I promise that I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “But look at what he did to Michael! I can’t bear the thought of that happening to you!”

  “How do you think I feel? What do you think he’d do to you if he ever got his hands on you? Do you think I can bear the thought of you being at that maniac’s mercy?” Cole asked her vehemently.