Factors of Change Ch. 04

"Against what I am, yes, maybe. Or rather, what they think I am not." He shook his head. "We have no real proof. And we have no idea what they want, or what they might do. Maybe nothing. Maybe we worry for no good reason. As I said...I would much rather be considered overly cautious than irresponsibly stupid."

"So, the car in front of my home..." I turned and arched an eyebrow at him. "It's there to protect me?"

The corners of his lips turned up. "Why do you look so surprised?"

"Well... shouldn't they be spending their time protecting you? You're the important one."

He stared at me a moment, apparently unsure if I was kidding. When it became obvious that I wasn't, he sighed and reached up to touch my cheek. "Leah. You are important."

"Not to them."

"To me," he let out dryly, an annoyed tone in his voice. "Or have you not realized that by now?"

I opened my mouth to argue some more, but stopped myself before I upset him. "I'm sorry," I let out softly. I inched even closer and reached for his hands. "You just worried me; you... you've gotten pretty important to me, too."

He sighed deeply, the annoyance fading from his face. "Lili," he whispered, pulling me to his chest. He kissed my temple and nuzzled my hair as I hugged him back. "Everything will be alright, ma Lili. You let me do the worrying."

I snorted softly, keeping my face tucked into his neck. "Easy for you to say," I mumbled. "Heroes in trouble always say that. It's never true." He chuckled softly, but didn't answer. His hand kept on rubbing my back gently, and I shivered. We were silent for a long moment and I only realized how close to sleep I was when I distantly felt him drape the blankets over us both. I felt his lips against my forehead and smiled softly, snuggling closer to his side before lapsing into sleep.

***

Some time later, I woke up with a full bladder, disoriented by my strange surroundings. I quickly remembered where I was, though. Gabriel. The lake house. A warm, comfortable bed, made even warmer and even more comfortable by the presence of the sexy male who slept beside me and gave off warmth like a furnace. We had both moved around in our sleep and he had gathered my naked body back against his, loosely draping one arm around my waist. His chest rose and fell slowly against my back and he seemed deeply asleep, so I carefully lifted his heavy arm and inched away from him to sit on the edge of the mattress.

I glanced back at Gabriel and smiled before I stood up. He hadn't awoken nor moved as I got off the bed, and I let my gaze sweep appreciatively over his mussed up hair and wide shoulders. My bladder reminded me that ogling could wait, though, and I turned and looked around the bedroom. It was large, but rather simply decorated - the beauty of the ancient wood furniture was a decoration in itself, with its classic four post bed and a large oval mirror in the far corner. The dark and heavy curtains hadn't been pulled, so white moonlight poured in through the twin French doors and two gigantic floor-to-ceiling windows, lighting up the room like daylight as I silently padded across the varnished wooden floor. There was an armchair close to the bed, with a thick white throw blanket tossed over the arm; I reached for the blanket to wrap it around my shoulders like a large shawl before I continued my increasingly eager search for a toilet.

Opposite the French doors leading outside to the balcony, there were three other closed doors on the other walls. One of them had to be a bathroom, I thought - I was curious about exploring the rest of the house, but not in the middle of the night.

I opened the first door on the right and bit my lip trying not to laugh when I stepped into a walk-in closet. Typical, Leah, I thought. I moved to the second one, hoping I wouldn't end up in the hallway, and smiled when it opened into a large bathroom. I shut the door while I relieved myself, forgoing turning on the light, and returned to the bedroom a few minutes later, fully awake. I slowly walked across the bedroom, not feeling sleepy in the least, and found myself opening the French doors and stepping out onto the balcony.

I had slept a few hours, at least; it was very early in the morning, I realized as I looked up at the sky. While it was still dark, it had already started paling in the east in a thin pale line over the black mountains. The dark waters of the lake were still and all the creatures were quiet, except for the occasional deep croak of a frog. I wrapped myself tighter in the blanket and stepped up to the railing with a contented sigh, looking down from the third story, and noticed the Weres that were keeping watch in the yard.

I remembered our earlier conversation. It had never actually occurred to me that there could be danger in being an Alpha; I had pictured responsibilities and a lot of advantages, yes, but never danger. But, of course, Gabriel's situation was particular, and I found myself hoping fervently for his pack's loyalty.

A crackling campfire was still going on and two Weres sat next to it, both of them in their wolf form. One of them lifted its head from its front paws to look up at me and I smiled and held up my hand in a small wave, feeling a bit embarrassed to be seen but somewhat reassured. At least someone was watching out.

I heard the creak of the floorboards and glanced behind me to see a sleepy looking Gabriel standing by the open door. "What are you doing outside?" he whispered.

I smiled and walked back to him, snuggling into his open arms. "I was thinking. I couldn't sleep."

He held me close, burying his face in the doubtless messy curls of my hair. "Mmmph. Le lit est froid sans toi," he mumbled, his voice muffled. "Come back to bed."

I laughed softly. "You're half asleep. You're losing your English," I said softly, amused, as I ran my hands up his sides.

"You understand French," he said in a rather stubborn tone.

"Not as well as I wish." I looked up to give him a guilty smile. "But you can teach me, can't you? French fries, French connection, French cancan..." He snorted and gave me a highly annoyed look, and I grinned at him. "French kiss..."

"Oh I really see no need to show you that."

He looked so disgruntled that I couldn't help chuckling. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him and his nakedness. His arms were the only thing keeping the blanket wrapped around me and I wriggled a bit, hoping it would fall to the floor. He leaned in to press his lips against mine, though, putting a stop to my squirming. "Mmm," I let out appreciatively, digging my fingers in his hair as his hands finally tugged the blanket off. "What is a French kiss called in French?" I whispered, shivering in his arms as his mouth moved down my neck. "Surely French people don't call it 'French'."

"Stop talking," he whispered against my neck. He suddenly reached down and easily scooped me up in his arms, and turned to carry me towards the bed. I chuckled and opened my mouth to ask him who he thought he was, but he shut me up with a wonderful kiss as he laid me down on the mattress. I smiled against his lips as I reached for his shoulders and pulled him on top of me.

***

I woke up again, much later, to find myself bathed in the sunlight that poured through the windows. I squinted and yawned and stretched like a cat in the delightfully soft white blankets, and rolled over to find Gabriel's side of the bed completely empty.

I frowned and sat up, laying a hand against the bed covers: cold. How long had he been up? "What time is it?" I whispered to myself as I glanced around the room. There was no clock, but my eyes lit up as I noticed my backpack on an armchair by the bathroom door. I grinned as I hopped off the bed and walked towards the bag. Someone had been to my camp to retrieve it, obviously. I wondered if they'd taken down my tent, as well.

I chuckled at the idea, easily picturing Laurie's reaction to an empty tent, and carried my bag along with me inside the bathroom. I stopped in front of the large mirror and laughed. My lips were swollen from a night of kissing, and felt raw from Gabriel's stubble rubbing against them. Not that I complained, I thought with a smirk, as I ran a thumb over my lower lip. My hair was a royal mess, curling and fluffing around my head like an angry cloud. I laughed again and reached up to pull a crumbled tree leaf from it, and pushed my curls back to notice an angry red spot on my shoulder. "Aw, Gabriel," I growled as I fingered the love bite. My wolf stirred in my mind and felt strangely pleased at the sight of it, though, and I stopped myself before I let my thoughts drift further. First things first. I turned around and walked to the large shower. I couldn't show up in public looking like that.

I sneaked out of the bedroom fifteen minutes later, feeling clean and fresh and dressed in denim shorts and a white form-fitting t-shirt, with my damp curly brown hair left loose over my shoulders to air-dry. I could hear voices both downstairs and outside the house, and wondered how many people were there. The hallway I stood in was empty, though, so I silently made my way barefoot across the hall to the staircase there.

I walked down two flights of stairs and ended up in the front hall. I looked around a bit, wondering where I might find my missing lover, when the smell of food drifted across the hall to reach my nose. My stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me that I had last eaten only a hot dog more than twelve hours ago, and that it had been quite an exhausting night. I smiled and followed my nose down the hall and across a gigantic dining room, and finally found the kitchen.

It was as big as everything else in the house, with dark wooden cupboards, granite counters and stainless steel appliances. It also included a cook, apparently, and I froze to stare at the young Were lady who was standing in front of the stove, humming softly to herself as she stirred something in the frying pan. She looked as tall as I was, but had a cat's frame: thin, delicate and graceful as opposed to my slightly more curvaceous form. She had long, gorgeous strawberry blond hair that probably reached her lower back, pulled up in a loose ponytail, and was dressed very simply in shorts and a tank top. She was also very pregnant, and the soft fabric of her tank top clung to the perfect, adorable curve of her stomach.

She suddenly stopped humming and snapped her head around to look at me as a grin split her face. "Oh!" she let out, and hastily pulled the frying pan from the stove and set it aside on the counter before making her way to me. She had a lovely heart shaped face, I saw, with huge, bright green eyes. She also had a welcoming smile on her face as she walked over to face me, and I found that I instantly liked her, automatically smiling back at her. "You must be Leah," she said, tilting her head to the side. Her smile softened. "Oh look at you. You're perfect."

I felt a traitorous blush creep up my neck and simply smiled at her. "Thank you so much. Hum..."

"Oh. Sorry. Isabelle," she let out, and held out her hand to me. "Isabelle Joubert. I'm a close friend of Gabriel's."

I shook her hand. "Leah Grey. Pleased to meet you, Isabelle."

She grinned. "Pleasure's all mine, Leah. Are you hungry? Come and sit and I'll fix you something," she said eagerly, waving to the stools by the lunch counter. "It's almost ready."

I smiled and perched myself on one of the stools to watch as she finished cooking what appeared to be omelettes. She served them on two plates, added some grilled ham which had been sitting in another pan and pieces of toasted bread, and carried the two plates towards me. She chose the stool next to mine and smiled. "So," she said, a naughty twinkle in her eye. "You must be the one distracting our Alpha."

"I'm not sure who's distracting who," I said with a chuckle, picking at my food. "I haven't slept well in a week."

She laughed, obviously delighted. "Oh yes, I can relate to that."

"Do you know where Gabriel is?" I asked her. "He was already gone when I woke up."

"He's outside with the guys," she said, nodding towards the patio doors in the adjoining dining room. "They should smell the food and come in any moment now."

I laughed and glanced at the doors, but decided to eat first. The food was delicious and I was ravenous, so I ate with gusto. "This is delicious," I complimented her, finishing off my plate.

"I love cooking," she said, her cheeks flushing pink with pleasure. "It's one of the reasons I love being here; I can do it for a lot of people."

"Well I'm sure you're a great cook." I was going to say more, but heard the patio door slide open. I glanced back at it, expecting Gabriel to walk in, but hardly repressed a disappointed grimace when I saw Gabriel's right-hand man Cedric Provencher walking in. The look on Isabelle's face as he stepped towards us, though, was the complete opposite of what I felt. It lit up like a Christmas tree and she gave him such a loving look that I was left in no doubt about her feelings. I watched, dumbfounded, as he cupped her cheek and leaned in close to her to gently kiss her forehead, his other hand going down to tenderly stroke the curve of her stomach. She shut her eyes with a soft smile and I averted my eyes, feeling suddenly terribly out of place.

"Leah, hello," Cedric said, and I glanced back to see him standing behind Isabelle, one of his hands lying on her shoulder. "Good morning."

"Hallo, Cedric," I replied as I turned on the stool to face them. I gave him a sweet smile. "You're not still here on babysitting duty, are you?"

One of the corners of his lips twitched up and his eyes narrowed in amusement. "I t'ink Gabriel is doing a good job of watching over you on 'is own, non?"

Isabelle chuckled, and I smirked at Cedric. "Well where is he, then?"

"He is coming soon," he simply said, unhelpfully, and turned to look down at Isabelle. "I 'ave to go back to Montréal. Will you come wit' me?" he asked. "Elise offered to drive you back at de end of de afternoon if you want to stay."

"I'll stay a bit more," she said, and tilted up her chin for a kiss. He gave her a real, genuine smile as he leaned down, and I was surprised to see how much it completely transformed his classic features. Cedric definitely was the type of man who needed to smile more. The smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared as he gave me a polite nod before turning and walking away towards the main hall.

"You're mated to Cedric," I stated, still surprised. Mr. Grumpy and Miss Sunshine, ha. Mate bonds were sometimes hard to understand.

She smiled at me, arching a pale eyebrow at me. "You don't like him." It wasn't a question, and I thought that she must have known her mate well not to sound upset about it, either.

I shrugged and shook my head. "I don't hate him. But he hasn't gone out of his way to make me like him, either."

"You will," she said confidently, and shook her head. "It takes him a long time to trust people." I must have looked at her funny, since she arched an eyebrow at me. "He's concerned, Leah. You pretty much have Gabriel wrapped around your finger."

I opened my mouth to speak but found nothing else to say than "Really?"

She smiled at my reaction. "He feels that you could hurt him. Cedric is a protective friend. They're practically brothers, you know." She shook her head and slid down her stool. "I should go and help him pack his things." She moved to pick up my plate, but I waved her off.

"Go, go. I'll clean up."

She gave me a grateful smile. "Thank you, Leah." She turned to leave the kitchen, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Hurt Gabriel? my wolf repeated, obviously insulted. As if we could.

I bit my lower lip and reached up to touch the dark spot on my shoulder, hidden under my shirt. It was only a temporary mark and it would fade in a day, but the message behind it wasn't so subtle. He wouldn't give me a mating bite unless we talked about it first, I knew, but thinking about such an important, significant action made me dizzy.

Why? I thought angrily as I picked up the two empty plates and carried them to the sink. Why couldn't I see this for what it was? Why did I feel like I was being thrown off a cliff each time I even remotely considered the idea that Gabriel was my true mate? I washed the plates and left them to dry in the dish drainer, and let my hands hang on the edge of the sink, letting my gaze drift to the open window in front of me.

I had been pressured to leave my family after I was Turned. I then wandered for the past twenty years moving from one place to another, never spending more than a year or two in one place. Not once, since I had been Turned, had I felt like I belonged somewhere... until now. My last two years in Montréal had been the longest I had spent anywhere, and Laurie was the closest friend I ever had since my life as a human. I suppose that explains some of my commitment issues, I thought as I reached for the towel hanging on a hook. I worried, unconsciously, that something could still happen that would make me have to leave again. Eventually, the truth would come out about my past and I would once again be cast out as the unwillingly Turned Were, as a stranger, as a walking mistake, the Were who couldn't be one with her wolf. I had gotten used to that kind of treatment, in a way, but this time, the idea of having to leave this life, of leaving my job and my small home, of leaving the loving friends I had made, of leaving Gabriel... It made my heart squeeze tightly in my chest, and my throat tightened painfully. I didn't want to have to leave.

I was startled when warm hands suddenly touched my waist, hearing a soft chuckle behind me. I had been so deep in my thoughts that I hadn't heard anyone come in, and I shut my eyes with a deep shiver as Gabriel's strong arms wrapped around me. He nuzzled my neck and pulled me back against his chest, and I rested my arms over his with a relieved sigh, leaning my head back against his shoulder. "You seem distracted," he whispered in my ear.

"Just random thoughts," I answered softly, and gently squeezed his forearms. "Where were you? I woke up alone."

"I was needed. It was still so early when the call came and I had no choice, I had to leave. So I let you sleep."

"Thank you. But please wake me up next time."

He chuckled, tightening his arms around me, and nibbled on my earlobe. "Next time?" he breathed huskily, and I bit my lower lip as a hot bolt of desire shot down my spine.

"If you're up for it," I whispered.

He laughed and kissed his way down the side of my neck, until he reached the junction of my neck and shoulder. He stopped there and I felt him nip my skin gently with his teeth. "Leah," he sighed. I shivered again, and my heart skipped a few beats before resuming much faster. "I almost bit you last night, chérie," he whispered. "I wanted to. I still do."

My heart stopped again and I opened my eyes in surprise. I turned around in his arms to look up at him. "Gabriel..."

"Is it not the same for you?" he asked. His gaze searched mine, and my breath caught in my throat. He looked so serious, with his eyebrows drawn together in a slight frown. A flicker of doubt crossed his hazel eyes at my hesitation; my wolf growled in my mind at the sight of it and gave me what I could only call a mental shove. Say something! she nearly shouted at me.

"Yes," I said softly, and watched his expression relax. "Gabriel... This... This is going so fast." I bit my lower lip. "We barely know each other, I know nothing about you. And... well I haven't been in a relationship in decades." I gave him a small smile. "Literally."