Filed to story: Cara Nelson The Guardian: Werewolf Book PDF Free
The blinds on the window are closed and I go over and peek outside. I can see the bus station not far away. I turn and look at Eli’s bag again. It’s then that I realize that I’m only in a t-shirt. A huge t-shirt that smells like Eli.
‘Maia, do you think Eli got us out of there? Do you think it’s his mark?’
Just as I’m thinking it, the phone rings beside the bed. I stare at it for a moment before walking over and picking up the receiver. I don’t say anything, I just listen.
“Grace? It’s me, Eli. I can feel your fear and confusion through the bond. I brought you to the hotel, I’m almost back, I was getting food for us, I know you must be famished.”
“Eli! It’s your mark?”
“Yes. I’ll explain everything when I’m back, but Grace? I’m sorry, I didn’t have a choice.”
“I know. Thank you for rescuing me.”
“I’ll always be here for your Grace. I’m about 5 minutes out. I have a key, don’t open the door for anyone. I’m not completely sure it’s safe yet.”
“Okay, I’ll be here.”
I hang up and use the time to go to the bathroom and wash my face and the mark on my neck. It’s sore, but the punctures are already closed over.
Just as I’m finishing up, I hear the door open. “Grace, it’s me.”
I walk out and as soon as I see him, he opens his arms and I fly into them. Every bit of fear, anxiety, and stress of the past few days comes pouring out of me. Eli holds me while I cry, rubbing my back and soothing me.
When he realizes that this won’t be quick, he picks me up and carries me to the edge of the bed. Sitting down, he cuddles me in his lap and begins rocking me gently.
“Shhh, it’s okay. You’re safe now.”
He holds me until I’m done, then sits back, taking his thumbs and wiping the tears from my cheeks before kissing first one then the other eye. He grabs a tissue off of the nightstand and I wipe my nose. sme.
“Better?” He asks me.
I nod. Looking up at him. If I thought the mate bond was strong before, it’s definitely stronger now that I have his mark.
He leans forward, kissing my forehead. “You know I can hear your thoughts now, right?” He says smirking. “And while I love that you are feeling the effects of the mate bond, I also know you haven’t eaten in far too long.”
The moment he says it, it’s like my stomach was waiting for permission and growls loudly, making both of us laugh.
He sets me on my feet and stands, guiding me to the small table where he put the food. He pulls out a chair for me then starts pulling food out of bags, handing me a bottle of water.
I guzzle the water down, watching him unload Italian, Mexican, and BBQ dinners. He looks over at me sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure what you’d want and honestly, I’m starving too, so I figured I get a little of everything and we could eat what we want.
“Sounds perfect.”
He sits opposite of me and waits for me to begin, before grabbing some food for himself. I haven’t really eaten since the morning we left the last hotel. I’ve lost track of time and don’t even know how many days ago that was.
“So, what happened?” I ask him.
He tells me how he marked me, then challenged the others, before carrying me to the next town and getting us on a bus. When he became concerned that I wasn’t waking up, he decided to stop until I was coherent again.
“I called Rik and told him that you are marked and that now there’s a target on my back. He offered to send some of his men to meet us, but I wanted to talk to you first and see how you are feeling. You’ve had a rough couple of weeks, and I didn’t know if going straight to his pack would be overwhelming for you.”
“Why is there a target on your back?” I focus on the most important thing he said, not understanding. I thought the point of him marking me was that we were no longer going to be chased.
“I killed that Alpha and I’m pretty sure I killed either his Beta or his Gamma. Then I had the nerve to mark the Guardian that they had been chasing for a week. The only way they can get to you now, is through me, by killing me.”
“Do you think they are following us?” I ask. I’m so tired of running-
“No, not really. I think they will have gone back to their pack by now to regroup, but I don’t want to linger now that you are awake. As soon as you feel ready to travel again, we’re going to keep heading east.”
“Where exactly are we, anyway?”
“We’re probably about a day’s bus ride to the Mississippi border. From there, it will still be a few days until we get to North Georgia, which is our final destination. I think we’re safe to stop each night if you want, or we can push through. Again, I know this has been hard on you and I want to help make it as easy as possible now.”
I finish eating, stuffed for the first time in a long time. “Can I sleep on it? We can move tomorrow but honestly, I think I’d like a real bed at least one more night. From there, I’ll have a better idea of how I’m feeling.”
“Of course, whatever you need.” fear and
“Right now, what I need is a shower.” I say standing up. I start to walk to the bathroom and stop. “What did you mean earlier that you could feel m confusion through the bond?”
He looks at me a minute before responding. “I marked you. That means that I can now feel your emotions and I can also hear you when you speak in your head, unless you block me out.”
I turn to fully look at him. He can feel my emotions and hear the voice in my head?
He’s nodding. “Yes, I can hear the voice in your head. Currently, it’s very loud. ” He says smiling.
“How?”
“I marked you. Didn’t your parents ever explain the mind link process?”
“Well, yes, but that was because they were part of a pack. You and I aren’t part of a pack.” I say, starting to freak out a little.
Ell stands and comes to me, putting his hands on my arms. “It’s the same with a mated couple. I can feel your emotions and hear you even though we don’t have a pack. It’s a family bond. When you and your mother left your pack, you would have been able to continue to mind link her if you’d had your wolf.”
“Then why can’t I feel or hear you?”
“You haven’t marked me. When you do, you’ll feel my emotions and hear my thoughts.”
“So, I need to mark you?”
He looks at me intently. “If you mark me, it will increase our bond. You are already feeling a stronger bond toward me. If you mark me, it will become even stronger. If you are ready for that, I am happy to let you mark me, but you need to understand what you are doing before you do it.”
“So, if I mark you, I’ll be able to feel your emotions and hear your thoughts, and it will also make our bond stronger?”