Chapter Nine:

                Sleep would not come for Abbey. She wanted to say it was because she had spent most of the day unconscious but she knew that would be a lie. After the non-stop running over the last few weeks of her life she should be able to sleep for days.

                No, the reason she couldn’t sleep as the wind howled and snow blew outside the bedroom window was because her mind was on those two men sleeping somewhere else in this house.

                Well at least one of them was somewhere in the house. As far as she knew Marcus had not returned home and it had been hours since he had stormed out. The sadness she had seen on his face had been burned into her mind. Why would he care so deeply that she had turned him away? If he really thought she was his mate then maybe she didn’t know as much about mates as she had thought she did.

                The clock on the bedside table claimed it was nearly two in the morning. Abbey glanced at her children lying on the bed snoring soundly. For the first time in their short lives they had no fear and had spent an entire day laughing, playing and being children, just as they should have been able to do since birth.

                That was all she wanted for her children. She wanted them to be able to be children and she wanted to not be afraid of making a wrong step or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. To no longer live day to day wondering if she was going to be punched, hit, kicked or spit on. To no longer worry that she would end up hospitalized or dead simply because her husband was in a bad mood.

                Abbey stood up and walked to the window, gazing out the cold glass panes at the snowy, frozen land around her. She wondered where Marcus was….

                Marcus and Juilan. Just the thought of those two men had a profound effect on something inside of her. It filled her with a desperate yearning to be near them. A want, a need, a desire so hot and all-consuming that it took everything in her to keep herself from running out of her room and straight into their arms.

                But she couldn’t run to them!

                Two men? She never had been able to satisfy one. Not only that but she had her children to worry about. How did you explain to your children that you were mated to not only one werewolf but two?! And what would become of her children?  If she mated to them and became a werewolf what would happen to them?  Would she grow old and watch them die? There was no way that Abbey could stand to go through something like that. She could not lose her babies.

                And what if this was only a game to Julian and Marcus? What if they were lying about being her mate only to mess with her?

                A nagging sensation in her gut told her that that worry at least was unfounded. Something inside of her trusted those men and while Abbey had no explanation for the trust, it was still there. And thankfully, even though she had rejected their mate speech, Julian had still agreed to keep her and her children safe until Joseph was no longer a threat. But as much as she wanted to trust them it was still hard. She hadn’t had anyone on her life that she could truly trust other than herself… and until recently she couldn’t even trust herself to do the best thing for her life and for her children.

                Abbey bit her lip and wondered what Marcus would have to say about Julian agreeing to help her.

                A black figure charging through the snow caught her attention and her first instinct was to feel fear but Abbey shook that off and realized it was a wolf; a very big wolf.

                He was solid black, with long sleek fur over a muscular frame.  Marcus… something inside of her knew that was who this wolf was. She was drawn toward him, pulled toward him just as she was when he was a man.

                In a daze she watched him as his strong legs charged through the snow, eating up the high drifts as if they were nothing more than a dusting.  He was so powerful, so strong, so intimidating even with two stories and a window separating them.            

                She had nearly melted into a puddle on the kitchen floor when he had spoken of tasting her and the feel of his breath against her skin had come close to being her undoing…. But she had to think of her children and not of her own lust and desire.

                Marcus stopped out in the shoveled drive and shook out his fur. Abbey could not take her eyes off of him. Then she gasped and covered clutched at the window frame when he began to change. His body shifted and he rose on two long lean legs as his fur shrunk back into the skin and his paws became hands and feet.

                Abbey could scarcely breathe and was certain that all the oxygen had been sucked from the air as she stared down with hungry eyes at Marcus’s bare body standing in the snow. He was like one of those Greek gods you saw pictures of in storybooks. His body was tall, broad and thick—very thick.

                Dear Lord, Abbey had never in her life seen anything that looked quite so tempting and perfect. Well defined muscles lined his legs, his tapered hips, his stomach, his chest, his arms….. Tattoos, what appeared to be roses and vines covered his shoulder and the left side of his chest and side. Somehow they looked very masculine against his tanned skin.

                Hair just as black as the hair on his head dotted his chest and formed a trail down his abdomen to that impressive weapon hanging thick and heavy between his legs.

                Abbey let out a squeak and leapt away from the window when Marcus’s head snapped up and his ice blue eyes locked on hers.  With a pounding heart she moved to the tiny armchair beside the crackling fireplace and sat down.

                Was all of this real? She had just seen the proof for herself that Marcus at least was a werewolf. Were he and Julian really twin brothers that shared a soul? Was she in fact truly the soul mate to them both? It would explain the pull she felt toward them both that she had blamed on magic spells.

                Gulping in lung full after lung full of air Abbey kept a white knuckled grip on the smooth arms of the chair. She took in the sight of her sleeping children and felt herself calming a bit.

                That was what she needed to focus on. She needed to focus on keeping her children safe, dealing with Joseph and finding a way to support herself and those sleeping angels. Abbey was not a woman who fell for things that seemed too good to be true. Life had taught her those lessons the hard way and the DeLuca boys certainly seemed to fall under that category.

                She would accept the protection that Julian had offered because she was not foolish enough to believe she could deal with Joseph without it but then she would leave the brother’s house, find a job, a place to live and figure out a way to pay them back for their help.    

                Yes that’s what she would do.

                All this talk of mates and making a life with two men was simply too overwhelming to deal with.  

                Happy to finally have a plan, albeit a tentative one, Abbey went back to the bed and curled up to her children, breathing them in and attempting to find the peace enough to sleep.

***

                “Where have you been, Marcus?” Julian asked calmly when Marcus stepped into the kitchen.

                “Running.”

                Julian grunted, “Are you Forrest Gump?”

                Marcus gave him a toothy smile before pulling open the refrigerator, grabbing a beer, twisting off the top and downing nearly half of it.

                “She’s staying here,” Julian informed him. “I told her we’d keep her and the kids safe.”

                “Of course we will,” Marcus replied. He adjusted the waistband of his flannel pants and scratched his bare stomach. “I like those pups.”

                “She needs time, Marcus. You came on too strong earlier and it was too much too soon for her to deal with. I told you she’s skittish.”

                “I don’t know how to deal with skittish things,” Marcus admitted. The cupboard doors flew open and slammed closed as Marcus rummaged for something to eat. “I can tell she wants me, I can smell it and it drive me wild.”

                Julian felt a jolt of lust all his own at the thought of Abbey being aroused and wanting. He opened his mouth to respond but Marcus was talking again, “I see now that I have to try to be a bit more…..delicate. We’ll have our mate, Julian, and we’ll have her moaning, writhing and begging us to take her.”

***

                “Mommy, wake up,” Abbey groaned when Tanner’s voice broke into her sleep-filled mind. She opened her eyes and found herself mere inches from Tanner’s face as he leaned over her.

                “Good morning,” Abbey whispered.

                Tanner smiled happily, “Good morning, mommy. Julian said it time for you to get up.”   

                Abbey sat up quickly and smoothed out his brown hair, “Where’s your sister?” she questioned, glancing around the room.

                “Downstairs eating her breakfast.”

                The clock told her it was nearly nine in the morning and shock had Abbey’s eyes widening. She never slept until nine in the morning! Back home she had always been up before dawn so she could have Joseph’s food prepared and his clothes laid out for the day before he woke up.

                Abbey threw her legs over the bed and stood up as Tanner leapt to his feet and ran from the room with laughter. Abbey grabbed her purse and slipped into the empty hallway and down to the big bathroom. It was all tile, granite, dark woods and elegance. There was a giant bathtub that would be plenty large enough in to lie down comfortably and let the jets massage away your stress…..

                ….Abbey heard the bathroom door open and sank down further into the soapy bubbles as the masculine scent of Marcus and Julian filled the air. The water level rose as they slid into the bath with her and her eyes slipped closed as fingers caressed her inner thighs. Those fingers rose higher and higher and Abbey cried out with pleasure when they pressed against the throbbing, wet heat of her core.

                “You’re our mate, Abbey. We’ll spend our lives pleasing, protecting and pleasuring you,” Julian’s voice whispered in her ear.

                “You are heaven,” Marcus’s gruff voice moaned just before he slid one large calloused finger inside of her and she felt her muscles clench around him…..

                “Mommy, isn’t you comin’?” Tanner demanded from the bathroom door.

                Abbey shook her head to clear those erotic images that were becoming more frequent and yet were completely unlike her to even contemplate.

                “Yes, bub, I’m coming. I’ll be down in just a minute, okay?”

                “Okay mommy,” Tanner replied and then he once again ran off. Abbey got down to business and worked on making herself somewhat presentable, though her clean clothes and toothbrush were all at the hotel where she had left them.

                After scrubbing her teeth with her finger coated in toothpaste she found in a drawer, running her fingers through her hair to clear the tangles and throwing it back into a ponytail and splashing a bit of water over her face, Abbey knew she was as good as she was going to get.

                Stomach clenching with nerves, Abbey walked silently down the gleaming hard wood of the hallway. Everything about this house felt open and airy. The windows let in plenty of natural light and the freshly fallen snow outside, caused the sunshine to seem that much brighter.

                Abbey tried to take the sunshine as a good sign, a sign that things were going to get better, but as long as Joseph was out there somewhere searching for her, with Jason helping him no doubt, then Abbey was certain she would never get completely out from under this dark cloud hovering above her.

                The scent of bacon and eggs teased Abbey’s nose as she neared the kitchen and she stepped inside to see a feast laid out on the table. Steaming platters of bacon, eggs, sausage, gravy, biscuits, fresh fruit and oatmeal. Abbey had never seen so much food in one place for a meal.

                “Look at all the food, mommy!” Audrey exclaimed around a mouthful of sausage. She felt tears prick her eyes when she remembered the last few weeks of nearly nothing to eat and the years before that when a piece of buttered bread had been the best she could give her children some mornings.

                “Dig in, Abbey,” Julian’s voice came from beside her and Abbey let out a squeak as she turned and saw him standing in front of the counter pouring milk and orange juice into glasses. He was wearing a pair of ass hugging black trousers, a thick gray button down shirt and a ‘kiss the cook’ apron.

                He chuckled when he caught her staring at the apron, “Marcus has always made fun of me for enjoying cooking and he thought it would be funny to buy me this a few years ago.”

                Abbey was more than tempted to step forward and obey his apron but she fought back that urge and instead sat down at the table, “This is more food than we’ll ever eat,” she assured him.

                Julian’s brown eyes shone with amusement as he sat milk down in front of Tanner and Audrey, “Don’t worry. Marcus eats enough for five people.”

                As if on cue Marcus strode into the room.  Gone were all traces of the sadness that had been in his posture last night after Abbey had pushed the brothers away. Arrogant, confident, masculine, strong Marcus was back in full force as he smirked at her with his blue eyes smoldering.

                Abbey remembered seeing him the night before out in the snow. She remembered the way their eyes had met and how sinfully sexy the man was under those jeans and that flannel shirt.

                He began piling food onto his plate as Abbey simply watched him and felt blood heating her face. When he settled down in the chair beside her and their legs brushed, Abbey thought for sure she would melt right there on the kitchen floor. Dear Lord what was wrong with her! She had never been a passionate or lustful person!

                When Julian sat down on the other side of her she nearly bolted from her chair. There was so much masculinity surrounding her right now that she found it hard to breathe or think or do much of anything other than sit back and drool.

                She was aware of Marcus grunting and then piling food onto her plate. When she didn’t reach for her fork, it was shoved into her hand by the giant of a man, “You need to eat,” he told her gruffly. “I’ll be taking you into town soon to get your things, check on your truck and get a few things from the store.”

                “You and I?” Abbey managed to croak.

                “Yep. Unless the pups…err kids… want to come.”

                “No, I want to play downstairs!” Tanner exclaimed and Audrey nodded in agreement.

                Abbey opened her mouth to deny the invitation into town with only a man who made her blood boil red hot and instead found a forkful of eggs being shoved inside, “Eat,” Marcus warned. “You’re going to have a busy day.”

A/N: I have changed the rating of the story to R. It's going to be getting pretty dirty from here on out ;)