MoonlightBundleSet

by Moonlight Protector, Hero, Guardian, Champion (mobi)

  As they entered the kitchen, Gabriel went to the stove and started filling plates with spaghetti and garlic bread. It smelled heavenly! Cassie called Michael at the garage and told him to come over to the house for lunch.

  Thinking his brother might be hungry, Gabriel started for the stairs. He had only taken a few steps when Cassie stopped him.

  “How is Cole going to eat if he’s a wolf right now? How long has he been like that anyway?” Cassie asked.

  “He shifts back into human form long enough to eat. Since Marin is sleeping, he might come down. And to answer your other question, he’s been staying a wolf about ninety-nine percent of the time since we brought her to the house. He just lies on the bed next to her all day.”

  Gabriel had been listening to the news most of the day. So far, no one had found Marin’s car. Considering how far this guy had gone to keep Marin, he was wondering how long it would be before he returned to the scene of the accident. Gabriel was pretty sure they hadn’t left any tracks that could be traced back to their home, but he might have to check it out later just to be safe. He knew that Stefan couldn’t afford to leave any loose ends and would be looking for Marin. Not only could she recognize his face if she saw him, but he had also told her his name… which meant that he had not intended for her to live.

  He hadn’t expressed his concerns to anyone, but he knew Cole was thinking along the same lines. It certainly would explain why his brother refused to leave Marin’s side. It didn’t cross his mind that Cole might have other reasons for staying with her.

  Deciding to let Cole come down when he was ready, they sat at the table and looked at Michael’s empty seat. Before Gabriel could say anything, Michael walked through the kitchen door.

  He went to the sink and washed his hands before joining them at the table. Being a mechanic was messy work, but he loved being able to take a car apart and put it back together… having it run better after he’d worked on it than it did when it came into the shop gave him a sense of pride and accomplishment.

  “Sorry to keep y’all waiting. I was in the middle of changing out the ignition on that Acura when you called.”

  “No problem,” Gabriel said.

  Michael nodded to Cassie. “Hey, Cass. It’s good to see you again.”

  “You would have seen me a few nights ago if you had been home.” Cassie told him with a smirk.

  Michael looked at the three of them before looking back at Cassie. “When the woman was brought in?”

  “Marin.”

  “Who?” Michael asked with a puzzled look on his face.

  Cassie rolled her eyes. Leave it to Michael to live in a house and still be clueless about what was happening in it. She often wondered if he would even feel an earthquake if he were focused on something else or asleep.

  Gabriel looked at his little brother. “What time did you come in last night?”

  Michael shrugged his shoulders. “About two this morning.”

  “Do I even want to know what you were doing?” Gabriel asked.

  Michael just grinned. He had been a womanizer since he was sixteen and that hadn’t changed in the past fourteen years. Gabriel wasn’t sure Michael would settle down even if his mate walked through the door at that very moment. In other words, he was probably stuck with him for life.

  “Marin is the woman’s name. The one we’ve been taking care of all week? Ringing any bells?” Gabriel asked.

  “Where’s Cole?” Michael asked, ignoring his brother’s tone.

  “In the guest room at the top of the stairs. He’s sleeping next to Marin at the moment.” Gabriel paused. “She’s a little skittish, but I think she wants to trust us. Be careful with her.”

  Michael looked at his older brother. “You know I wouldn’t hurt her.” He glanced at Cassie. “Not intentionally anyway.”

  Six years ago at Whispering Lake, Cassie’s so-called friend, Kari, had cast a spell on Michael and his brothers. Michael had been the only one the spell worked on and it had made him force himself on Cassie. Thankfully, Cole had been able to stop him from doing something stupid and he had only managed to force a few rough kisses on her before Cole had hauled him off her. Under normal circumstances, Michael would never hurt a woman. It still bothered him that he had tried to hurt Cassie, spell or no spell, it just wasn’t right. That week would always haunt him… it’s the only time in his life he had even remotely acted like his father and it bothered him a great deal. Of course, he’d also tried to kill her fiancé, which he had thankfully bungled. He tried his best to forget that week. It was definitely not one of his finer moments.

  “I wasn’t implying that you would,” Cassie assured him, also remembering the events at Whispering Lake. “Just move slowly around her and don’t approach the bed until she looks comfortable with you. She’s nervous and has good reason to be.”

  Michael nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

  About that time, Cole came down the stairs in a pair of jeans and a black shirt. He hadn’t bothered with shoes, a brush or anything else for that matter. He had the look of a man who hadn’t slept in about a week… which wasn’t far off the mark.

  “Did she say anything about the abuse,” Cassie asked.

  Gabriel noted Cole’s ragged appearance, but decided to leave it. Answering Cassie, he said, “A little. Apparently, her brother assisted in her abduction. Actually, he practically gift wrapped her for the guy. I won’t go into any details.”

  Cole had a hard time keeping the pain from his eyes. As a wolf, he had heard the entire conversation his brother had with Marin that morning. It had been horrible to hear about the things the man had done to her. He had a feeling that she had endured worse things than what she had revealed so far. If Cole ever saw the guy, he’d rip his throat out… whether he was in wolf form or not.

  Conversation turned toward more pleasant things. Gabriel and Michael talked about how well the shop was doing; Cassie talked about her pregnancy; and Cole told them how well things were going with his job. He hoped to get a promotion in the next month or two. His last evaluation had gone really well and his boss had hinted that he’d like to see Cole get into management.

  When lunch was finished, they all put their plates in the sink. Cole decided to work on the dishes while Michael went back to work at the shop. Cassie said her goodbyes and headed to her parents’ house to pick up the kids.

  Once everyone was gone, Gabriel microwaved Marin’s food and got her a fresh glass of water. He quietly ascended the stairs to her bedroom. Gently pushing the door open, he peeked inside. Marin was sitting up in bed looking out the window.

  “Can I come in? I brought you some lunch.”

  Marin smiled when she saw Gabriel. “That sounds great.”

  “I was going to bring it up earlier, but Cassie said you were sleeping. She dropped off some more stuff for you,” Gabriel said with a nod toward the bags on the floor.

  Marin peered over the edge of the bed at the large sacks in the floor. That Cassie sure knew how to shop. Marin was going to be spoiled when she left here. At the thought of leaving this peaceful, safe home, pain shot through her heart. Being on her own again was a scary thought, especially with Stefan still running around. She wasn’t stupid. Marin realized that she was a threat to Stefan and he would do his best to eliminate her.

  After Gabriel sat the tray in her lap, he placed the sacks on the other side of her. Now she could go through them whenever she was ready. He realized that the room didn’t have a television. If he had thought about it, he would have asked Cassie to grab a magazine or two for Marin. She had to be bored.

  Marin took a bite of her lunch. “Wow, this is terrific!”

  Gabriel smiled at her. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”

  Marin smiled back and continued to eat her lunch. She hadn’t had very much to eat since being with Stefan. He fed her when it suited him and usually it was just bread and water or maybe some crackers. It was no wonder she had lost weight. If Gabriel kept feeding her like
this, she’d fill out in no time. Thankfully, the clothes she had worn yesterday were too big. She could gain some weight and still wear the clothes that Cassie had bought her.

  “Marin, can I asked you something? Something you might not want to discuss?” Gabriel asked her.

  Marin stilled. “What is it?”

  “Can you tell me a little about the guy that ran you off the road?”

  “How did you know someone ran me off the road?” Marin asked cautiously. She didn’t remember saying anything about Stefan forcing her off the road.

  “The skid marks on the street indicated that you didn’t go off the embankment without assistance,” he replied.

  Marin nodded, what he said made sense. “His name is Stefan. He … He’s not as tall as you. He has dark hair, but it isn’t black, more of a chocolate brown. He wears it a little long and has sharp facial features.”

  Gabriel reached over and took her hand. “You don’t have to keep talking about him. I just wanted to know what to look for, you know, in case he’s still around town.”

  “You think he’s still here?” Marin couldn’t quite keep her voice from breaking in fear.

  Gabriel could have kicked himself for scaring her. He should have never brought it up. “Don’t worry, Marin. You’re safe. I promise that no one will hurt you while you’re here.”

  Marin pushed her tray aside and inched closer to Gabriel. Just being near him made her feel safer. After all she had been through, she would have thought that men would scare her to death. Being around Gabriel had the opposite effect. Just being in the same room with him or his wolf, made her feel safe and secure.

  She was sitting right next to him on the bed, her leg brushing against his, and put her hand in his. “I just wanted to tell you thank you for everything. No one has ever taken care of me before or cared what happens to me. At least, no one has since my parents died. It means a lot.”

  “I like taking care of you.” Gabriel admitted grudgingly. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, but he couldn’t very well tell her she was part of his pack. She’d think he had a screw or two loose. At the same time, he didn’t want her to think he was interested in her romantically.

  Marin smiled and kissed his cheek. For the first time since her parents had passed away, she actually wanted to be in someone’s arms. After having Stefan force himself on her, and letting his friends do the same, she wondered what it would be like to be with someone gentle like Gabriel. She hadn’t been kissed by a guy since her twenty-first birthday, not really kissed. There were times when she didn’t even remember what it felt like. Marin had been so busy with college, and later she’d been busy taking care of her brother, that she hadn’t had time to go out on dates or have a social life. Feeling the bed dip a little, Marin noticed that the wolf had returned.

  Gabriel put his arms around her and drew her into his lap. He just held her close. It felt amazing to hold her. No woman had ever made him feel like this. It was terrifying and yet wonderful at the same time. It was scary to feel this emotional about someone in such a short time. To make things worse, Cole seemed really attached to her. Gabriel hoped he was only feeling this emotional because she was an unattached female in his pack. Maybe the feelings would die down after she chose her mate… at least, he hoped they would.

  Marin snuggled closer to Gabriel. She buried her face in his neck and breathed in his scent. He smelled of the outdoors and a splash of cologne. She had never smelled anything so wonderful. Briefly, she wondered if he might kiss her. While that thought should scare her, she found it oddly intriguing.

  Gabriel gently set her from him and put her back on the bed. “You should finish your lunch. I’m sure you’re starving.”

  Marin blushed. “I know I’m skinny as a rail.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant, Marin. I just meant that you missed breakfast and I know you haven’t eaten much the past few days. We’ve been feeding you broth, but that isn’t really enough.”

  “You’re right, I did miss breakfast,” Marin said.

  She finished her lunch in silence. Gabriel took her dishes back to the kitchen when she was done. Marin tried to close her eyes and rest again, but sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind was racing. She knew she could trust the men to watch over her, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust her heart with a great guy like Gabriel. If his brothers truly were as wonderful as he was, then things could be very interesting.

  Speak of the devil; Gabriel came back into the bedroom. “I meant to ask if you’d like to take a bath. I could run the water for you if you’d like.”

  “That sounds nice. It’s been a while since I’ve had a nice hot bath.”

  “I’ll get it started for you. Since you seem to be doing much better, I’ll go back downstairs while you bathe. Take as much time as you want,” he told her.

  “Thanks,” Marin said with a smile.

  Gabriel went into the bathroom to start the water. While the tub was filling up, he gathered the sacks of stuff Cassie had bought at Walgreens and put them in the bathroom in case she needed any of it. When he wasn’t looking, Marin got a clean pair of white panties and the pale pink satin nightgown off the bed. She was much better, but she still felt a little weak. Marin knew she needed to stay in bed for at least the rest of the day, but no one said she had to look horrible while she was there. Okay, so she was on the thin side, too pale, and look wretched … but the nightgown would at least help her feel pretty.

  She gathered her clothes close to her and walked into the bathroom. Gabriel put a towel out and got her a clean washcloth. Leaving her to her bath, he backed out of the bathroom and closed the door.

  “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” Gabriel told her through the door.

  From the bed, Cole had watched them with interest. He had sensed Gabriel’s unease when Marin had pressed herself close to him. Maybe he had been reading the signs wrong and his big brother’s only interest in Marin was that of a brother or a friend. Feeling hopeful, Cole decided to rest until Marin was finished with her bath.

  Chapter Three

  Marin slowly pulled the t-shirt over her head and managed to get out of her panties. She removed the bloody bandages from her chest and stomach and threw them away. Somehow she managed to pull the bandages from her back as well. Her cuts were completely healed. From the amounts of blood on the bandages her cuts had to have been bad. How had she healed so fast?

  Deciding to worry about it later, she stepped into the tub. Sliding into the water, she let its warmth wash away her stress and fears. Marin hadn’t had a nice warm relaxing bath in a long time. Grabbing the sacks on the floor, she pulled out some shampoo, conditioner, a razor and some soap.

  Once she was thoroughly cleaned and rinsed, Marin shaved her under arms and legs. It had been a while since she’d had that luxury. She hadn’t been allowed to bathe or shave in the past two weeks. Stefan had only provided a small bowl of water and a rag for her to clean herself. She tried to shake the memories from her head. It would be best if she tried to forget everything she’d been through. Maybe this was her chance at a new life.

  After that task was finished, she rinsed off in the water. Draining the water, Marin got out of the tub and grabbed her towel. She briskly dried her body then wrapped her hair in the towel and grabbed the lotion from the sack. She slathered the lotion on her whole body. It smelled wonderful and made her feel almost normal again.

  Next Marin pulled out the hairbrush and carefully worked the knots out of her long hair. Seeing the ponytail holders, she braided the thick mass in a single braid down her back. She doubted that she would find a hair dryer in the bathroom and wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to wait long enough to dry her hair. While Marin hated to admit it, her body was still healing and she felt weary.

  She slid the nightgown over her head, reveling in the feel of the satin against her skin. Slipping her feet into her panties, Marin pulled them up under her nightgown. She felt like a completely different woman. She was sti
ll too skinny, but her skin glowed with health. The dark smudges that had been under her eyes for the past few years had vanished and her eyes looked vibrant again. It was the first time since her parents died that she actually looked and felt alive.

  Marin walked out of the bathroom and climbed back into the bed. The wolf was already lying on top of the blankets. Marin had missed him when she had woken up alone earlier. She had gotten used to his comforting presence.

  Gabriel knocked on the door and she told him to come in. He opened the door and stepped into the room. The sight of her in the pale satin nightgown was enough to make him speechless. She was a new woman, and a delectable one at that! Cole noticed the look on his brother’s face and growled.

  “Are these different sheets?” Marin asked, running her hands over the soft cotton.

  “I changed the bed while you were bathing. Your cuts had bled through the bandages. Even though they’ve been healed for a day or two, we didn’t want to move you while you were unconscious just to change the sheets.”

  “Did I ruin the others?” Marin asked, her expression troubled.

  Gabriel smiled at her. “I’m sure they’ll come clean. Don’t worry about it. I was mostly changing the bed to give you a fresh set of sheets.”

  “Thank you,” Marin said.

  “Why don’t you rest a little? One of us will start dinner in a few hours. You should be able to get in a nice nap before then.”

  “What’s for dinner? Not that it matters, any food is wonderful right now.”

  Marin blushed after she said it. She knew they could tell she had been starved, but she had a hard time voicing it. Her body was embarrassing to her at the moment, even if it wasn’t her fault it looked this way.