*****Edited by krisgee*****

 2011 © All Rights Reserved

Chapter 17 (Amy)

            I felt the cold evening air brush against my cheek   However, strangely enough, the rest of my body felt incredibly warm.  I tried to lift my heavy eyelids but struggled ardently with the task.  What was wrong with me?  Why couldn’t I open my eyes?  My body felt like a block of dead weight. 

            Seconds passed and slowly I started to become more aware of my surroundings.  I heard a quiet sobbing and felt a warm wetness fall on my chilled cheek.  Then it all came back to me.  Standing in the parking lot waiting for my Mr. Hunky Chocolate Brown Eyes, the strange voice calling from behind me, something thrown over my head taking away my sight and then finally the stinging in my arm.  That was all I could remember before the darkness fully took me over.

            I tried to sit up but my body refused to cooperate with me.

            “Help,” I sluggishly croaked out.

            The sobbing above me suddenly halted and I felt my body shift.  That was when I realized that I was in someone’s arms.  An overwhelming panic struck me at first.  Was the stranger from the parking lot the same one holding me now?  Then I took a whiff of the scent and it was familiar to me, comforting even.  The panic quickly eased and I recognized that it was my Mr. Hunky Chocolate Brown Eyes holding me.

            “Stevie,” I stuttered still trying really hard to open my eyes.  I hated that helpless feeling.  I couldn’t move, I couldn’t see and I could barely talk.  What in the hell did they do to me?

            “Princess,” I heard his sexy voice rumble from above and the last of my fears melted away.  Just knowing that my mate held me was enough to chase all of the bad dreams into oblivion.

            I felt his hand cup my cheek and with that simple touch my eyes obeyed my command to open.  I blinked several times to clear the fogginess and there was my Mr. Hunky Chocolate Brown Eyes looking down at me with so much concern.

            “Stevie,” I said on an exhale and was proud that it sounded so much stronger and clearer this time.  I felt his arms tighten around my body, and his lips press against my forehead.

            “Thank the Moon Goddess,” Stevie said with his lips still pressed to my skin.

            I reveled in the sensations that the tentative kiss sparked throughout my body.  Slowly, the feeling came back to my limbs and I became more alert.   Reaching my hand up I touched Stevie’s cheek and felt the wetness that lingered there.  He had been crying and that broke my heart.  He was crying for me.

            “You have tears,” I whispered while looking into the depth of those deep brown eyes.  He nodded his head and rubbed his thumb against my cheek.

            “I- I thought you were gone,” he said while holding back a sob.  “I thought that they had taken you from me,” he continued as another tear trickled down his cheek.  I let my finger catch it and rubbed it away.

            “I’m here,” I said softly.  “I’m here with you.”

            With those words said he pulled me up against his chest and I could hear his heart pounding at a staccato pace.  His hands seemed to subconsciously rub along my body and I knew that it was his wolf needing to reassure himself that I was fine.  I was content to lay there cradled in his arms and let his touch soothe me. It had been almost a week since I had last felt his touch and that was a week too long, if you ask me.

            It was stupid to let some slut come in between us.  Stevie was my mate and from the looks of things, Stevie spent the last week in hell just like I did.  There had to be something more behind that whole situation and I am sure that once it is explained that the blame would belong solely on the skanky bitch known as Miss Easy A.  As I sat in my mate’s arms there was one thing that I was now positive of; I loved him and if the way he was touching and caressing me was any type of indication, he loved me too.

            “Yes Princess,” I heard the words in my mind.  “I love you with all my heart and soul.  There will never be another for me.  You are my world, my everything.”

            I hadn’t realized that I dropped my walls allowing Stevie to access to my mind but after hearing those words come from my Mr. Hunky Chocolate Brown Eyes, I wanted to cry in happiness.  Those were the sweetest words that anyone had ever said to me.

            “Did you hear me Princess? I love you,” he repeated out loud for Mother Nature to bear witness to his declaration.  I pulled away so that I could look up at him and smiled like there was no tomorrow. 

            I framed his face with both of my hands and said, “I heard you baby, loud and clear.  I love you too.”

            I leaned up and brushed a kiss across his lips, smiling when I heard a slight moan escape them.  I liked that, I liked it a lot and it encouraged me to increase the intensity of our kiss.  He had no problems following my lead.  My mate wrapped his arms around me and delved his tongue into my mouth.  We sipped from each other’s essence and breathed in the others breath.  Effectively, we were living off of each other and I loved it.  All too soon he pulled away grinning at me and panting to catch his breath.  His hand slid along my face pushing a loose tendril of my hair behind my ears.

            “Princess, I need to take you home.  Your family is worried about you,” he said.

            Dropping my shoulders I said, “Crap, they know?”  

            I was hoping to god that they didn’t.  Zach was going to go bat shit crazy when he found out that I was taken against my will.

            He nodded his head.  “Yeah, when I couldn’t find you I started calling.  I told them when I found out where you were that I would bring you home in twenty minutes.”  He paused and glanced at his watch.  “And that is exactly five minutes away.  So, if we don’t get our butts in gear then I’m pretty positive a hunting party will be formed.”

            “Fine,” I conceded.  I didn’t want to leave the comfort of my mate’s arms but if we didn’t show then my Mr. Hunky Chocolate Brown Eyes was right they would come looking for us.  I let him carry me to his bike that was recklessly lying on the ground. 

            “What happened?” I asked as he righted me on my feet.  He gave me an imperious look. 

            “What?” I said lifting my hands.

            He came in front of me and framed my face with his hands.  "Ah," I sighed.  I would never be able to get enough of his touch.

            “I found you- my heart, Princess.  That’s what happened.”  He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss against my lips.  Well, I think it was meant to be quick but at the first taste we both found ourselves greedily sucking and tasting at each other.  This time, I was the one who finally pulled back.

            I pressed my hands against my thoroughly kissed lips and said one word.  “Family.”

            That brought us both back to reality where we needed to be.  He lifted the bike and straddled it like a pro. I took a few seconds to ogle how well is muscles rippled with power before joining him.  

            Stevie handed me a helmet and I strapped it on with ease this time.  He kick started the bike and we were off cruising through the streets with the wind in our hair.  I loved that feeling.  It came in second only to the feel of me running free as my wolf.

            We pulled up the drive and it looked like a party was happening at my house.  Uncle Christopher and Aunt Layla’s suburban was here.  Uncle Matthew and Aunt Liza’s car was here.  Even Grandpop’s truck was here.  I hesitantly hopped off the bike and waited for Stevie to join me.

            “You weren’t kidding when you said that you made some phone calls,” I commented.  Stevie reached for my hand as we started to head off and face the family.

            “Well I technically only made one call,” he admitted.

            “What?” I puzzled and then I knew.  “Let me guess, Tabby?”

            “Uh huh,” he agreed as we walked in the door and was instantly bombarded by the family.

            Mama and Daddy were there first.  I was quickly swept away with questions like are you okay and are you hurt anywhere.  I tried to keep my eyes on my mate but I was pulled into the living room.  I was quick to reassure everyone that I was fine.  I was more interested in being with my mate and trying to figure out why I was taken in the first place.  The questions kept coming from every angle of the room and I just kept giving short and curt answers wanting to hurry this process along. 

            All of a sudden a loud boom resonated from the area in the foyer.  My heart stopped as I heard the sounds of a struggle taking place.  I ripped myself away from my mother who had been holding my hand and ran to the foyer.

            I screamed in horror at the sight before me.

            Zach had my mate by his throat pinned three feet off the ground.  My Mr. Hunky Chocolate Brown Eyes had a deep gash on the side of his head and blood was oozing out at a staggering pace.  What was worse was that my mate was refusing to fight back. 

            Our eyes locked and I willed him to fight for me.  I felt the trembling of my body and knew what was happening; there was no way to stop it.  One second I was standing there in my human form and in the next I was my blue grey wolf.  An angry warning growl escaped my lips as I bared my teeth to my brother for the very first time.