Alex woke up in the dim hotel bedroom and blinked up at the ceiling. The scent of snow and car exhaust tickled her nose as she turned her head to the side and frowned at the bright yellow light coming in from where the curtains were shifting with the breeze. She glanced at the clock beside the television across the room and her eyes grew large: 11:27am.

"How on earth?" Alex couldn't remember the last time she had slept past 6am. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she cringed at the unexpected soreness between her legs. Suddenly, memories of last night stormed into her head. "Oh God." She fell back onto the soft pillow, covering her face in mortification. Last night...what the hell had she been thinking? The scent of Gabriel lingered on the bedsheets, the things he did to her flowing through her mind...

"Just don't think about it!" She stood up, picking up her abandoned negligee and slipping it on. It would be best to have a coffee before trying to make sense of what happened. Padding bare foot to the door that opened to the living-room, she suddenly hesitated. Gabriel couldn't still be here, could he?

She stood staring at the intricately carved wooden doorknob and felt like a coward. So what if he was there? Alright so things between them were...complicated. Alright, so he was a werewolf. Alex wasn't exactly the most normal person on the planet either, so she could hardly point fingers. Ahh. She was overcomplicating her thinking. She had to take a step back.

Alex took a deep breath and tried to be rational. Who was Gabriel Moncrief to her?

He was the first person she could touch since the accident. The man who believed in her cooking enough to indulge her every request and bring her across the world. He was the guy who saved her from thugs and protected her from bullies. And although Gabriel seemed cold and unapproachable most of the time, he was gentle and patient.

Plus, he was sexy as hell.

The fact that he was a werewolf? It didn't really effect her, as long as he didn't force her to turn...

Alex looked down at her hands, fingering her rosewood bracelet. If she stayed with Gabriel for a few more days, he was going to take her back to Hong Kong and help find her parents killer. She wanted badly for that bastard to pay...even if she doubted he could be found, wasn't that reason enough to stay?

Her gaze shifted to the red umbrella that stood propped up against the wardrobe beside the television. For ten years she hadn't been able to get close to anyone and once she parted ways with Gabriel, things would go back to being the same again. She would either live in seclusion or spend all her energy trying to avoid being touched. What would she lose by enjoying herself for a little longer?

Having made up her mind, Alex pushed through to the living room and found it empty. The pang of disappointment surprised her, but she shook it off. She had come through for coffee, not Gabriel. Crossing the living room, she was walking past the sitting area when she stopped in surprise. There, on the couch, was a white box wrapped in dark blue ribbon with a card on top.

She picked up the note, reading the contents with an unconscious smile:

An apology for not being there when you woke up - G.

Alex opened the box, surprised at the elegant eternity necklace that glittered with tiny diamonds. She picked it up, feeling the lightness of the string as she clipped it around her neck. The symbol sat in the dip between her collar bones and was almost weightless. If it had been bigger or heavier, there was no way she would have worn it. Alex wondered if it was coincidence or if Gabriel knew her better than she had assumed.

She would wear it. It would be churlish to give it back, especially when she liked it so much. With a smile on her lips, she decided against coffee and went through to shower and get changed.

Twenty-minutes later, Alex opened the door to head out to Petrichor and came face to face with two large men in black suits. "Ms Turner," they smiled down at her, shifting uncomfortably. A quick breath in and the scent of Bergamot confirmed that they were werewolves.

"Were you looking for me?" She asked, stepping her right foot back for better balance. Alex had no idea what these two wanted, but if there was something weird going on, she was prepared to slam the door in their faces.

"Um not exactly," the one who was a little taller rubbed the back of his neck. "We are here to protect you."

Alex blinked in utter confusion. "What?"

"Mr Moncrief said we were not to allow anyone to go in or out of your room, until he returned," he went on.

"What?" She repeated, now looking between the burly men in shock. "Wait. Are you trying to tell me that I can't leave this room?"

The slightly-shorter one with the red curly hair looked at her apologetically, "Just until Mr Moncrief comes back."

Alex raised her fists, her eyes narrowing at the werewolves. "Get out of my way."

"Ma'am please - we don't want to upset you, but we were ordered..." Both guards lifted their palms up defensively, their expressions so pitiful that Alex relaxed her stance.

"Call, Gabriel," she fumed. How dare he lock her up!? Who the hell did he think he was!?

"Mr Moncrief has left the hotel and we don't have his number..." the red-head began, then seeing her expression he grabbed his phone. "I'll call Mr. Theodore. He will know what to do."

Alex's fingers curled into her palms as she waited, unable to believe Gabriel's highhandedness. One night together and he thought he could tell imprison her? Mr Moncrief was in for a rude awakening.