Abby's Heart (Bryant Station Curves) (5 page)

“Great! I’ll be right back.” Joy turned and all but ran to the front of the diner. “Get a grip on yourself.”

Skylar looked around the diner. His nose twitched. The sweet scent of honey and vanilla tickled his senses.

She is here. Our mate is here.

Yes, she is, but there’s another scent here.

Skylar looked around the room. He sniffed again.

His bear pulled itself to its full height. 
Wolf scent is strong. Must find mate and protect from wolf.

Skylar let out a deep growl.

“What have I said about the crap you’re pulling right know.” Joy poked her finger into Skylar’s chest. “Not in my diner!”

“Move.”
Skylar’s voice was deeper. His bear was too close to the surface. “Mate in danger.” He growled. Abby was sitting across from the wolf.

Joy’s eyes widened. “You’re mate is here?”

Skylar pushed his younger sister out of the way. Several chairs flew out of his path as he made his way directly to Abby.

Billy looked from Skylar to Abby. “What’s wrong?”

Abby was several shades paler. Her hands shook. Her eyes widen.

Billy looked back at Skylar. “Oh, shit!” He slid out of the booth and put himself between Abby and the male coming at them.

Billy’s wolf growled.
Bear!

“Get away from my mate!” Skylar stopped about
three feet from Billy. “Get your mangy butt away from my mate!” He hands balled into fists.

“Abby, is there something I should know?” Billy
didn’t dare take his eyes off of the angry bear.

Abby ignored the question. Her heart pounded. She licked her lip, not realizing the effect it had on Skylar.

“Get away from my mate, wolf.”

“Abby, do you know this guy?” Billy let his wolf come closer to the surface.

“Skylar, go home.” Abby whispered.

“You
’re going with me.”

“I’m not goi
ng anywhere with you. You don’t want me. You made that very clear, so leave me alone.”

The scent of Abby’s pain hit Skylar hard. “You are mine. I will take care of you.”

Abby shook her head. “No, I’m not yours.”

“Mine!”

“Hey, I think you need to leave Abby alone.” Billy’s eyes went gold.

Skylar felt his bear’s fur press against his skin, causing it to itch. “Get away from my mate, wolf.” His eyes took on a silver glow.

Abby gasped.

“This is the guy who hurt you in college.” Billy’s wolf snarled. His hands started shifting into claws. He would rip out the bear’s heart for making Abby suffer all these
years—for keeping her from finding a mate who would love her and take care of her and the pups she should have.

“You shouldn’t have touched my mate.” Skylar’s face twisted as he started shifting from human to bear.

“Will both of you stop!” Abby slid out of the booth and moved between the two men.

“Abby, get out of the way.”
Billy put his hand on her shoulder.

Skylar roared. He grabbed Abby, jerking her away from the wolf. “She’s mine.”

“I. Am. Not. Yours.” Abby jerked her arm out of Skylar’s grip. “You made your choice a long time ago, and I wasn’t it.”

“You are my mate.”

Abby sadly shook her head. She felt the tears forming in her eyes. She didn’t want Skylar or Billy to see her tears.

Skylar sniffed. “I smell his scent on you. I will rip his arms off for touching you. You belong to me. You are my mate and I’m not letting you go.”

“Is this the guy who messed up your life?”

Abby stepped away from the men. “You made a choice, and you let me go.”

Skylar stared at her. “Abby.”

She shook her head.

“Abby, please?”

She
couldn’t stop the tears.

Her heart was broken. 

She would never have a mate. She would never have children. She was destined to be alone.

Abby turned and ran out of the diner.

Abby didn’t remember the drive back to her hotel room.  She only remembered locking the door and sitting down on the bed.

He body hurt.

Her heart hurt.

Abby kicked off her shoes and crawled into the middle of the bed. She pulled the cover over her head, blocking out what little light there was in the room.

The pillow she tucked under her head collected the tears rolling down her cheek. Part of her wanted to reach out to Skylar. She wanted to be his mate, but she was afraid to open her heart. Skylar had stomped on her heart once before. She had to protect what little was still there.

Abby sighed and cried herself to sleep.

Abby tried to breathe, but the air was too thick and heavy. She coughed and gasped for air. The
pop and crackle of fire broke through her sleepy haze. She rolled onto her back and pushed the covers off of her.

For a minute, Abby thought she was at home, lying in front of the huge fireplace in den of the pack house. She took a deep breathe, but it only started another cough spell.

Smoke!

The air
was filled with smoke.

Abby forced her eyes open. Her heart pounded against her chest. She heard each beat clearly. She tried to breathe.

This isn’t happening! I’m dreaming.

Fire filled the space between the door and the bed. The heat was unbearable. She tried to scream, but the smoke prevented her from getting enough oxygen into her lungs. Abby rolled across the bed, away from the flames.  She dropped to the floor where the air
wasn’t as thick with smoke.

She pulled her shirt up over her mouth and nose.  It helped some, but the room was too thick with smoke. Abby knew she had to get out of there, but the flames were between her and the only ways out of the room.

She was trapped.

The flames inched closer and closer. They grew as they sucked the oxygen out of
the room.

Black spots drifted through Abby’s vision. She felt dizzy and sick at her stomach. She crouched lower to the carpet, desperately searching for oxygen, and afraid she would pass out before she found it.

An angry roar came from somewhere on the other side of the flames. Three seconds later, something crashed into the door, causing it to rattle.

Abby’s eyes widened. She gasped. It caused another round of coughing.

“Abby!”

“I’m here!” Abby
wasn’t sure if she actually said the words or not. Blackness caused her vision to narrow.
I don’t want to die!
The thought flickered through her brain as the blackness claimed her.

Something crashed into the door again, causing it to fall forward across the fl
ames creating a temporary bridge.

Skylar appeared in the doorway. Panic and relief gripped him when he saw Abby lying on the floor on the other side of the room. In the distance, a fire truck siren screamed. Skylar knew it
wouldn’t get there in time to save Abby. He had to get his mate out of the room.

Skylar took a running leap through the flames, landing just inches from Abby. He rolled her over to her back. Fear gripped his heart.

She wasn’t breathing.

Mate hurt.

We’ve got to get her out of here.

Skylar’s bear growled.
Do you smell it?

A distantly familiar scent tickled his noise.
Yeah, but we will have to worry about it later. Our mate comes first.

Getting oxygen into Abby’s lungs was priority
, but he had to get her out of the fire first. He ran into the bathroom, and grabbed the towels off the rack by the door. He threw them into the sink and turned on the faucet. Skylar grabbed the wet towels and moved quickly back to Abby. Unfolding the towels, he covered her head and body as best he could.

He scooped her up in his arms, and cradled her tight against his chest. A quick glance around the room told him it was a complete loss. “I’ve got you, and I’ll protect you.” He kissed her forehead through the towel. “I swear I will.”

Skylar took a deep breath and ran through the flames. He felt the flames touch his arms, but he didn’t have time to worry about the damage, at least not until he knew Abby was breathing and safe.

People yelled and screamed as he went down the stairs with Abby, but no one stopped him. The fire truck was closer.

He put Abby down on the sidewalk by the hotel’s office. Pulling the towel off her head, he felt for a pulse. He put his ear down closed to her heart. It wasn’t beating.

Skylar took off his shirt, rolled it up and carefully put it under her neck so her head would tilt backwards.

“Abby!” Billy slid to a stop next to Abby and Skylar. “What are you doing to her?”

“She’s not breathing.”

“Shit!” Billy ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll do the compressions. You breathe for her.”

Skylar nodded. He moved to Abby’s head and carefully tilted it back a little more. He watched the other male do the compressions on her chest.

What if this does work?
His bear grunted.

It will work.

She could die.

She will not die. Our mate is tough. She ran from you all these years.

Skylar prayed to the Great Mother Bear that his bear was right.

“Breathe!” Billy looked at Skylar.

Skylar pinched Abby’s nose closed. He drew in a deep breath, and placed his lips over hers. Her chest rose when he pushed the air into her lungs. He paused, and then repeated the process again.

Billy started the compressions again. “Come on, Abby. This isn’t funny.”

As soon as Billy stopped, Skylar breathed oxygen into her lungs and watched.

Abby’s chest went up and down. Both men waited anxiously, but her chest
didn’t move again.

“Abby! This
isn’t funny. How am I going to explain this to the Alpha?”  He started to do more compression.

“Wait!” Skylar got d
own eye level with Abby’s chess.

Abby took a deep breath of air, and coughed as it came out.

Billy leaned back on his heels and let his head hang down.

Skylar growled as he scooped Abby into his arms and against his chest. “Mine!”

Billy put his hands up in the air. “Yeah man, I know. You had just better treat her right this time, otherwise, the entire pack will rip you to shreds. You hurt her once, but you won’t live if you do it again.”

“I won’t.” Skylar cradled his mate against him. He wanted the wolf away from her, even though he now knew the wolf was part of Abby’s family—a human living with a pack of wolves. Skylar knew his mate was unique. It was going to make for an interesting holiday this year.
Bears, mountain lions, and now wolves in the same family. What was the Great Mother Bear thinking?

Skylar saw his cousin, Harrison walk around the side of the ambulance. “Harrison, I need you over here.”

Seconds later, Harrison knelt down next to Abby. “What happened?”

“The smoke caused her to pass out. After I got her out of the room, we started CPR.” Reluctantly, Skylar put Abby back down on the sidewalk.

Harrison knelt down. He pulled out his stethoscope and checked her lungs. “How long was she not breathing?”

“Two. Three minutes at most.”

Abby started coughing. She rolled over on her side.

“Don’t move.” Harrison tried rolling her onto her back.

“Leave me alone.” Abby’s voice was raspy. She pushed his hands away from her.

“Abby, let the paramedic look at you. You
weren’t breathing. We had to do CPR on you.” Billy put his face down close to Abby’s so she could see easily see him.

“Breathing now.”

“You are going to let Harrison check you out, and you’re going to the hospital.” Skylar gently but firmly pulled Abby back onto her back.

“In your dreams.”
Abby tried to say something else, but she started coughing again.

“Stubborn woman!”

Beautiful mate.

Stubborn mate.
Skylar shook his head.

“She’s not going to listen to any us.” Billy looked from Skylar to Harrison.

Harrison stood up. “Bring her to the ambulance. I’ll put her on some oxygen for a few minutes and then I’ll reevaluate her.”

Skylar nodded his head, and before Abby could say anything, he scooped her up in his arms.

Billy chuckled.

Abby looked stunned. She tried to wiggle her way out of Skylar’s arms, but he just tightened his hold on her. “Put me down.” She liked the feel of his arms around her. She liked it a little too much and was afraid she was going to do something to embarrass herself.

“You aren’t going anywhere.”

Abby felt the vibration in his chest that his growl caused. She licked her bottom lip.

“She just looks calm.” Billy laughed. “Just wait. She’s going to get you.”

Skylar growled at the man, before he turned his attention back to his mate. He placed her on the gurney and watched Harrison put a clear mask over her nose and mouth. “Hold that.”

Skylar put his hand on the mask. The icy glares he was getting from Abby told him she would yank it off before they even got it on her good. “The mask stays.” He growled at her.

“Just you wait.” Abby crossed her arms. She was angry and scared. Someone had set her room on fire. Someone had tried to kill her, and she had no idea who it was.

“And what are you going to do?” Skylar raised an eyebrow at her.

Abby snorted and tried turning her head away from him.

“That’s what I though.” Skylar leaned close to Abby. His lips almost touched her ear. “When I get you home, I’m going to lick every inch of you, and when I’m done, you are going to be extremely wet and begging me to take you. I’m going to plunge my cock deep inside that sweet, wet pussy.”

Abby’s eyes widened. Moisture leaked out of quivering pussy. He
wouldn’t need to lick her to make her wet. His whispered words were doing it.

“Skylar, you need to let me examine her.”

Skylar looked at Harrison and growled. “Mine.”

Harrison put his hands up. “She’s yours. I have no interest in her, but I need to examine her to make sure
she’s not hurt anywhere.

Skylar growled again. He had Abby back in his arms and he
wasn’t going to let her go for any reason. He had spent too many years without her.

Abby rolled her eyes. She shoved Skylar’s arm out of the way and ripped off the oxygen mask. “I’m fine. I’m not going to the hospital.”

“You look like you should be in the hospital.” Harrison frowned.

Abby coughed. “I’m fine. I just need some orange juice for my throat.”

“Are you refusing treatment?”

“Yes, I am.”

“No, she’s not.”

Abby glared at Skylar. “You don’t make decisions for me.” She poked him in the chest with her finger. “I don’t need a doctor or any kind of medical treatment. Do I make myself clear?”

Harrison stepped back. “Crystal clear.”

Abby swung her legs over the edge of the gurney and rolled to a sitting position before anyone could stop her. The world tilted. She closed her eyes and swallowed several times.

Skylar shook his head. He wanted to take her to his home and lock her in bedroom, preferably naked and tied to his bed.

Mate is stubborn.

Too stubborn.

Mate smells like honey and vanilla.

She does smell good.
Skylar sniffed the air. The front of his jeans grew uncomfortably tight.

Abby pushed herself to her feet.

Skylar caught her just as she started falling. “You are going to the hospital.”

“I’m not going to the hospital. I need you to get your hands off of me.” Abby tried freeing herself, but Skylar
wouldn’t let go. “I’m going to scream if you don’t let me go.”

Skylar shrugged his shoulders. “Scream all you want. No one’s going to come running.”

“I’m not joking.” Abby tugged her arm, but he refused to let go. “I’m going to scream if you don’t let me go and get away from me.”

“Scream if you want, but it won’t help you, because the guy who tried to check your injuries is my cousin. The sheriff, who is standing over there, is also my cousin. So yell and scream all you want. You are my mate, and they are not going to get between us.”

“Billy!” She looked around for her cousin.

“He’s over there on the phone. I think he’s a little busy, because whoever it is he’s talking to is very angry.” Skylar grinned. “It’s just you and
me, baby, and I’m not letting you get away from me this time. I don’t understand what it was that drove us apart, but something did.”

“I caught you fucking that blonde cheerleader. That’s what drove us apart.” Her eyes filled with tears. Waves of pain rolled off her.