Title Page 12

  “What are we going to do?” Marin whispered.

  Cole kissed her temple. “I’m not sure. All I know is that I will defend you with my life.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. I’d rather just go back to him and know that you’re safe.”

  “No, Marin! I won’t let that happen! Don’t you understand?”

  Marin leaned back to look into his eyes. “Understand what, Cole?”

  Cole opened his mouth to answer, but before he could tell her that he loved her Gabriel walked back over to them.

  “The officers are going to wait in Michael’s room. When he wakes up, they’ll get his statement,” Gabriel said as he sat down across from them.

  “Did the nurse say how long Michael would be here?” Cole asked.

  Gabriel shook his head. “They weren’t sure, but he’ll probably have to stay for about forty-eight hours. Just one of the cuts took over twenty stitches.”

  “Poor Michael,” Marin whispered. “This is my fault.”

  Cole hugged her. “No, honey. It isn’t your fault.”

  “But it is! If you hadn’t found me, then Stefan wouldn’t have hurt Michael.”

  Cole hated that she was blaming herself. “The day we found you was the best day of my life, because it brought us together. Michael knew that if he refused to hand you over to Stefan that he could be hurt. He made the choice to protect you because you’re part of our family, part of the pack.”

  Marin snuggled into him. “I just feel so horrible about all of this. If you’re blood has healing properties for me, how come Michael was able to be hurt that badly? Why couldn’t he heal himself?”

  “I’m not sure how to explain it. We can be killed just like anyone else, but our senses are heightened so it’s usually hard to surprise us. We do heal faster than most people, but as deep as Michael’s lacerations were he needed medical attention to start the healing process,” Cole responded.

  “But wouldn’t he have heard Stefan approaching then? Or been able to move out of the way?” Marin asked.

  “He should have been able to. I don’t know what happened, but hopefully we’ll find out when he’s better. In the meantime, we just need to make sure that you’re safe and protected at all times,” Cole told her.

  He was due back at work in two days. If the issue with Stefan hadn’t been resolved by then, maybe he could find a way to take her to work with him. He knew that Dave would give him more time off if he asked for it, but he had a project he needed to finish before taking a lengthy vacation. While Gabriel had offered Marin a job at the garage, he would still feel better with her by his side. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his brother to guard Marin, but he would be a nervous wreck all day worrying about her.

  Gabriel watched Cole and Marin. It was obvious that they belonged together. Cole seemed more alive than he had been in a long time and Marin seemed to be happy as well. Hopefully they would get a happy ending, but first Stefan would have to be stopped. Until Michael woke up and gave them more details, they were flying blind.

  Cole wanted to take Marin home, but he knew the hospital was a safer place at the moment. The house wouldn’t be nearly as safe with just the two of them in residence. At some point, they would have to sleep, eat, shower and change clothes. The garage would also have to be closed for a few days and they needed to let the customers know their vehicles wouldn’t be ready on time. It was amazing how much havoc one man could create.

  The threesome sat patiently, waiting on news about Michael. Once the officers had spoken to him, they would be able to visit for a few minutes. It also meant that Michael could tell them how Stefan had gotten the drop on him. It was very uncommon for a werewolf to be taken down by a mere human. Usually, they had at least a little werewolf blood in their family line. And who knows, maybe vampires, fairies, and other ‘make believe’ creatures really did exist. If werewolves and ghosts existed, it was very likely that the others did as well. The brothers had already heard rumors of other shapeshifters living in communities throughout the south.

  Chapter Six

  Tired of feeling useless, Cole decided to take Marin by his office. He stood and took her hand. Facing Gabriel he said, “We’re going to head over to my work for a minute. Call me if anything changes?”

  Gabriel looked at him questioningly, but he nodded yes, he would call if there was a change in Michael’s condition. If he wondered why Cole was leaving when their brother’s condition was uncertain, he didn’t ask. He knew Cole well enough to know there was probably a good reason for his actions.

  Cole took Marin to Sabin Bio-Med. Swiping his ID badge, he opened the door to the lobby. Leading her across the marble floor of the lobby, Cole walked to the elevators and pressed the button for the floor where the labs were located. As they exited the elevator, he noticed two lab techs that he worked with on a regular basis. One of them, Rob, had worked with him for the past four years.

  As they approached his workspace, Rob looked up. He smiled when he saw it was Cole. “Hey man! Everything okay? I noticed you haven’t been at work lately.”

  “Everything’s fine. I just needed some time off for some family stuff.”

  Rob looked Marin over, clearly wondering who she was. Cole put his arm around her possessively. The wolf in him wanted to make sure everyone knew that she belonged to him.

  “This is Marin, my fiancé,” Cole told him.

  Rob’s eyebrows went up. “Fiancé? I didn’t realize you had been seeing anyone.”

  “We just got engaged this week. Listen; can you do me a huge favor? We were hoping to have some blood work done.”

  Rob nodded, “Sure. I was just doing some research, but I’d love to take a break from it. What kind of test did you have in mind?”

  Cole wasn’t sure how to explain things to Rob. He didn’t want the man to think that Marin slept around. He glanced at Marin before answering, “Marin has had a migraine today. Before she takes anything for it, she just wanted to make sure she wasn’t pregnant.”

  Rob was clearly curious, but refrained from asking questions. “Not a problem. Let me grab a syringe and I’ll be right back.”

  After Rob left, Marin turned to face Cole. “I wish you hadn’t lied to him.”

  “I somehow didn’t think you wanted me to tell him the truth. I was trying to protect you.” He took a breath. “In hindsight, that was a horrible lie. It wasn’t very believable.”

  Marin smiled at him. “I know you want to protect me, and I appreciate it, but you have to work with him every day. You need to be able to maintain each other’s trust.”

  “Do you want to tell him what’s really going on?”

  Marin thought about it a minute. “While it’s embarrassing for me, I would feel better if you didn’t have to lie to him.”

  Cole nodded. “I’ll give him a revised edition when he gets back.”

  Rob came back over to them, syringe in hand. “Ready to give some blood?” he asked Marin.

  Marin glanced at Cole and nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. Cole sighed and looked at Rob. “I might not have been completely honest with you on the reason for the test.”

  Rob looked at him expectantly. He wasn’t stupid and had figured there was another reason behind the test. The woman was clearly in love with Cole so he doubted that she had cheated on him with someone. Then again, he hadn’t heard any mention of her so maybe she had recently ended a relationship with someone.

  “Marin was abducted a few weeks ago. I took off this week because we just found her. She managed to escape from the guy who had taken her, but…”

  Rob looked at her with sympathy and understanding. He could only imagine what she, and Cole, had been through. She seemed to be pretty tough though so hopefully it would all work out in the end. “I understand. You don’t have to explain further.”

  Marin held out her right arm and rolled up her sleeve. She winced as the needle went in. As many times as she had been poked with needles in the past few days, you’d th
ink she would be immune to the pain by now. Evidently you never got used to being stuck by needles. It briefly made her wonder how her brother had done it on a daily basis. He had been addicted to heroin, but had been smart enough to inject it into his ankles so she wouldn’t see the track marks.

  A week ago, she was kicking herself for not noticing her brother was in trouble. Now, in a sense, she was glad for it. While her time with Stefan would haunt her for a long time, it had brought her to Cole. If her brother hadn’t become addicted to drugs and traded her to resolve his debt, then she would never have ended up in Ashton Grove. She would never have met Cole and she would never have known love. Maybe she would sit down sometime soon and write a letter to her brother, forgiving him for his part in her abduction.

  Rob withdrew a small amount of blood and removed the needle from her arm. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll have your results for you.” He looked at Cole, “Why don’t you show her your work area while you wait?”

  “Can you?” Marin asked turning to Cole, anxious to see where he spent his days.

  “Sure. I’m a few floors up,” he responded with a grin. He was pleased that she wanted to see where he worked. It was nice to have someone to share things with.

  They walked over to the elevator and went up to Cole’s floor. When the elevator doors opened, Cole was surprised to see that Dave, his boss, was still in the office. Their floor was rather large. It was mostly covered with cubicles, but the few biologists on the floor had enclosed offices. Dave’s office was between Cole’s and another co-worker’s.

  “Want to meet my boss?” he asked her.

  Looking around in curiosity, she spotted the man Cole called his boss. “I’d like that.”

  When they approached Dave’s office, Cole knocked on the glass door. Looking surprised, Dave motioned for them to enter. Not only had he not expected Cole until the next morning, but he certainly hadn’t expected to see him with a woman. To his knowledge, Cole hadn’t dated anyone the entire time he’d worked at Sabin. Then again, while Cole had been a dedicated employee, he’d also been on the reserved side when it came to his personal life.

  “Cole, I didn’t expect to see you until Monday. Is everything okay?” Dave glanced between Cole and Marin, obviously curious.

  “Everything is fine. I know I said that I would explain everything Monday, but if you have some time I could get it out of the way now.”

  Dave indicated the two chairs across from his desk. “Have a seat. I’m assuming it has something to do with this beautiful young woman,” he said with a smile.

  Cole smiled. “It does, but not all of it is pleasant.”

  Cole recapped the story he had told Rob in the lab, leaving out some of the more unsettling details. “I was so happy to have her back that I asked her to marry me.”

  “Congratulations,” Dave told them with a smile.

  Cole had really surprised him this time. He had always known that Cole was a unique man, but the understanding he showed to his fiancé was truly remarkable. Most men wouldn’t know how to act if their girlfriend or wife had been abducted and raped. He liked to think that if that had ever happened to his wife he would have reacted the way Cole did.

  Cole took a breath. “Thanks, but there’s more. The guy who took her is looking for her. He tracked her to our house and attacked Michael. We came here from the hospital. It looks like he will recover just fine, but the guy did a number on him with a knife.”

  Dave looked concerned. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Cole. Is there anything I can do?”

  Cole glanced at Marin. “Now that you mention it, would it be okay if I brought Marin with me for a few days? It would just be until Michael is released from the hospital… I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone right now.”

  “I can certainly understand that. I don’t see any reason why she couldn’t hang out in your office or in the lounge area. Our floor is secure so you wouldn’t have to worry about anyone unauthorized getting in.”

  Cole released a breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

  Dave smiled at Marin. “I’m very happy to meet you, Marin. It’s nice to see this guy settling down. You’re welcome here anytime.”

  Marin smiled back. “Thank you. I promise to stay out of the way and not disturb his work.”

  Dave laughed. “Trust me; you’ll end up disturbing him anyway. I know I would be distracted if my wife decided to come to work with me. It will be nice having a fresh face around here.” Pausing for a moment, he asked, “I don’t suppose you’re looking for work are you?”

  Marin looked at him in surprise. “Actually, I am, but I don’t have a degree…”

  Dave waved his hand. “Don’t worry about that. It isn’t much mind you, but we do have a part-time opening on this floor. We need someone to take messages for the five biologists we house up here, one of which is Cole, and do some filing and light office work. Do you think you might be interested?”

  Marin hesitated a moment, remembering that Gabriel had told her she could work at the family garage. He was probably counting on her help now.

  Sensing her hesitation, Cole said, “If you want to work up here, it is fine with me. I’d like having you around.”

  Marin smiled at him. Turning to look at Dave, she said, “Yes, definitely.”

  “Great,” Dave said with a smile. “Why don’t we schedule an interview for Monday after lunch since you’ll be here anyway? Will that work for you?”

  “Whatever time is convenient for you will work for me.”

  Dave pulled out his calendar. “I’ll put you down for two o’clock. We dress rather informal around here so something similar to what you’re wearing will be fine. The few women we have up here usually wear either jeans or khaki pants.”

  “I look forward to seeing you again on Monday,” Marin told him.

  Cole stood, “We had better head back to the hospital. I just wanted to stop by the lab a minute and show Marin where I worked.”

  Dave and Marin both stood as well. He shook Marin’s hand, “It was nice meeting you. You both drive safely and I’ll see you Monday.”

  He watched the couple walk out of his office. She seemed like a sweet, quiet young woman. Cole had done well for himself. They were obviously in love with each other. He had noticed that the entire time they were in his office they were either touching or looking at each other. Hopefully they would get their happy ending.

  Cole took Marin’s hand as they walked back to the elevators. Once the elevator doors closed, Cole turned to face Marin. “Well, it looks like we solved two problems. I don’t have to worry about you being alone at home and you have the job you were wanting.”

  Marin smiled at him. “I’m so excited! Of course, I don’t have the job yet …”

  Cole kissed her hand. “Maybe not formally, but I know Dave will hire you.”

  The elevator doors opened to the lab and they stepped out. Rob waved when he saw them. Since he was smiling and didn’t seem nervous, Cole figured he had good news for them.

  “I have your test results. The test was negative… you’re not pregnant,” he said to Marin.

  She sagged against Cole in relief. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

  Cole shook Rob’s hand. “Thanks for handling that for us. We’ll see you Monday.”

  “No problem. Have a good weekend!” Rob was glad he had been able to give them such good news. They had been through enough already without having a permanent reminder of the ordeal.

  Cole and Marin walked back to the elevator and headed back down to the lobby. When they got outside, Cole pulled Marin into his arms and kissed her.

  “What was that for?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. I just felt like kissing you.”

  She smiled at him as he opened the truck door for her. “Feel free to kiss me anytime you want.”

  He smiled at her and closed the door before walking around to the driver’s sid
e. He was looking forward to kissing her every day for the rest of their lives. Just thinking about it put a smile on his face.

  Opening his door, he slid into the seat and started the truck. “Let’s head back to the hospital and check on Michael. Maybe he’s awake.”

  ***

  At the hospital, the police officers had just left Michael’s room. He had been able to clearly identify Stefan as his attacker. They were going to get a warrant for his arrest and put out a BOLO. Michael was also assured that not only would his room be guarded by an officer, but the house would be under constant surveillance as well. The local police wouldn’t rest until Stefan was apprehended. Michael briefly thought

  that it was a pity they couldn’t call in the FBI, but that would require Marin recanting her story and filing an abduction report. He knew that Cole would be crushed so he wasn’t going to mention it.

  After the officers left, Marin, Gabriel and Cole went in to visit Michael. He was very pale from the loss of blood, but thankfully they hadn’t had to give him a transfusion. Michael had refused to wear a gown so the sutures were in the open for them to see. Seeing them made Marin feel even worse, but she was thankful that he was okay.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked him quietly.

  Michael held his hand out to her. “I’m fine. Stop worrying about me.” She walked closer to the bed and placed her hand in his.

  Marin gave him a wan smile. “I can’t help but worry about you.”

  “I’ll be fine, Marin. You’re the one I’m worried about. Promise me that you won’t stay at the house by yourself. The cops are going to watch the place, but I don’t trust them to be vigilant,” Michael told her. After going up against Stefan, he didn’t know how the fragile looking woman in front of him had ever survived a week at the man’s mercy. She truly had an inner strength that would rival that of any man, or any werewolf for that matter.