Brianna's mind was whirling madly, searching for a way to save herself as her "husband" tossed her over his shoulder and set off down the street. She'd seen the look in his eyes and knew this didn't bode well for her. Her prayers went up to God above that Gabriel, being the honorable man he was, wasn't going to do something they would both regret.

She heard the rasp of first one and then a second bolt it was thrown before she suddenly found herself dumped on a soft feather mattress. "Gabriel, don't do this," she warned as she backed across the bed. "I know I may have angered you, but please, don't do this." They were in a room she didn't recognize.

"Don't do what, Brianna?" he muttered as he stripped off his gloves, hat and coat before tossing them over a chair sitting before a blazing fire. He began to unbuckle his vest as he watched her in the firelight. "Don't do what?"

"What I see in your eyes," she replied in a voice that was much calmer than she felt. "You know I'll fight you every step of the way."

"I told you that the church sees us as man and wife. If you hadn't run-"

"If you hadn't kissed me, I wouldn't have run in the first

place. I don't know who this Carl is, but you should question where he gets his knowledge." As he stripped off his vest and advanced on the bed, Brianna suddenly knew how a hunted animal felt.

"Leave Carl out of this." He'd heard Brianna and the old woman talking and well understood her desire not to be the cause of his death, but it didn't explain her sudden and rather vehement aversion to marriage. "I know you don't want anything to do with being married. Now I want to know why."

"You can't do your job, as well as protect me."

"Let me decide what I can and can't do." Gabriel planted his fists on his hips as she darted passed him. "There's a lock on that door as well as the next chamber. This deep in the Abbey, you'd only get hopelessly lost. You aren't going anywhere." He watched her expectantly as she backed away from the door. He was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

"I'm a liability, Gabriel. The creatures you battle, I can't defend myself from. Besides, you made it quite plain that you work alone." Brianna tried to move away from him, but he caught her wrist.

"I can teach you to defend yourself," he replied. Gabriel wasn't going to let her use his words against him. "And even the lone wolf must take a mate." The issue was still unresolved, but there would be time.

This time the kiss was gentle and she didn't struggle when his free hand buried itself in her hair.