Chapter 2.

Jake – the party

It must be past ten. I hit the accelerator and hoped that all the cops were safely tucked up in bed. Three hours ago, we'd been ready to go. Then Marie walked through the door…

Nice timing Seth!

It was so sudden; I'd been completely taken by surprise. But that was nothing compared to Seth; he was still looking dazed when I'd said goodbye and left the house.

Of course, I'd been dragged in to help smooth the transition for Seth and Marie. Though nothing really needed smoothing, she already seemed to know about the wolves. Things had gone the way they should; Seth had imprinted on a grown woman who loved him back and – I thought bitterly - they could start being happy right away.

My own resentment shocked me. Had I really stooped so low that I would begrudge Seth his happiness? If anyone deserved it, it was him. I should know; I'd shared his thoughts for years! And look at all the favours he'd done me. Apart from everything else, he had spent the best part of a year guarding Nessie. She didn't know it, but Seth had always been on the lookout, ready to protect her.

I guess he'd even done me a favour by imprinting. At least now Marie could stop feeling jealous of Nessie. It had been really getting on my nerves; the way she'd blamed Nessie for Seth's apparent lack of interest. Marie had never understood that Seth only saw Nessie as a little sister. Added to which, Nessie just wasn't the kind of girl to lead anyone on.

She could have had every boy at school drooling after her, but she was too straightforward. I'd seen the way she made friends, there was never any misunderstanding and she never threw out lures. As a result, Nessie did far less damage to the senior year hearts than she could have.

The girls didn't resent her and the boys treated her as a reliable friend. Frankly, Nessie seemed to have done far more good than harm. She had put a surprising amount of trouble into matchmaking the other kids. She was a born romantic, but had left nothing for herself.

This was one of the reasons why I wanted to attend her party, I felt bad that she was going on her own. I understood exactly why no one had asked to be her date. Even if they had found the nerve, she hadn't fooled any of the senior boys into thinking that she was interested. As a result, none of them were going to put themselves on the line for a likely refusal.

The most selfish part of me was glad; I didn't want Nessie dating anyone. But my nobler side wished that at least one person had asked her, because now she assumed that she was unwanted. That much had been written on her face, when Marie had grilled her about who she was taking to the party.

What disturbed me the most was that Nessie hadn't seemed bothered about it. It wasn't that I wanted her to be unhappy, but I noticed how she'd accepted this situation unquestioningly. 'I don't expect to have those things,' that's what she'd said to me when she left. She still believed it, and seemed to have hardened herself against rejection. It didn't sit well with me that she had been forced to adopt this attitude.

Of course, my major contribution to her self-confidence had been to convince her that she would infect my sister's kids with her vampire side. Nessie never alluded to it, but I knew how deeply I had wounded her. If this was the kind of validation that she got from her closest friend, was it any wonder that she had such low expectations of receiving acceptance from anyone else?

Damn it! Why the hell hadn't I just made up some excuse for not taking her to Hawaii? Could I have handled that situation any worse? I had thought myself above lying to Nessie, so instead I'd crushed and humiliated her!

It was hardly surprising that now she wanted to get as far away from me as possible. It seemed a fitting punishment, to know that she would never ask me to take her anywhere ever again.

I could never take it back, but in as many ways as I could, I was still trying to make up for what I had done. Like tonight; I had wanted to be there for her, but the only thing I'd managed so far was to be really late.

My eyes followed the dark road, twisting and turning through the forest. At least I was making pretty good time now; I'd be at the hotel soon. I hoped that she wouldn't be too upset that I was late, but it was almost worse to know that she'd probably shrug it off as just another let down.

When I finally arrived at the hotel, I became aware of how much effort Nessie had really made when planning this party and I realised that she must have spent a small fortune on it. She had made regular references to her plans, but I don't think I'd been paying enough attention.

It was a fantastic venue, really classy; the kind of place where my suit belonged. I smiled, imagining my suit turning up at this hotel… without me!

As I went into the elegant foyer, I caught sight of Nessie's blonde friend, Leanne, struggling to keep her date on his feet. He was leaning with his arm over her shoulders and looked like he was about to pass out.

"You could at least try to walk!" She snapped angrily, as she tried to drag him across the hall.

Stepping over to them, I caught him under the arms and hoisted him off her. "Where do you want him?"

"Oh, over there," she helpfully pointed to a chair in the corner. I set him down and she helped push him into a position where he'd be unlikely to fall on his face. Once we were done, she stood up straight and said in a relieved voice.

"Thanks, Jacob. I thought I was going to have to leave him lying in the middle of the floor."

"That's ok."

If I'd been her, I would have.

"If you're looking for Nessie, she's in the function room," Leanne pointed to the double doors. "She was on the dance floor last time I saw her."

No surprises there!

"Thanks," I smiled. "I should go find her."

"You'd better do that," she grinned. "See you later, Jacob."

I didn't need to be told where Nessie was, I never had any trouble catching her sweet scent. There was nothing quite like it, a hint of vanilla and something that I could never quite place, something magical. It was the most incredible perfume in the world.

Passing through the doors into the party, I was instantly struck by the great atmosphere. Nessie's influence was in evidence everywhere, from the decorations to the music. The overhead lights had been lowered and the room was lit by thousands of fairy lights. It looked really pretty.

All her careful planning seemed to have paid off. The room was full of excited kids and the dance floor was packed. The good vibes must have rubbed off on me, because I started feeling more cheerful as I scanned the room for Nessie.

Straightaway I spotted her, on the far side of the room. She was on the dance floor with her friend Oliver. She didn't see me, but the sight of her made me catch my breath. I was used to the effect that she always had on me, but tonight was different. I was completely undone. The girl I loved had somehow transformed into a radiantly beautiful woman.

I stood watching her, feeling stunned. For a moment, I almost regretted coming to the party. The way she looked was something I would not be able to forget. I knew that this image of Nessie would be constantly in my mind when she left; my perfect woman, divinely lovely and yet hopelessly unattainable.

I tried to clear my thoughts. Tonight wasn't about what I wanted; I had come here for her sake. Pulling myself together, I eased my way through the crowded dance floor towards her. She was absorbed with her partner, they were laughing and chatting, in spite of the fact that he had obviously just trodden on her foot.

Nessie didn't notice me until I put my hand on her arm. She glanced around in surprise and her face lit up as soon as she saw me.

"Jake!" She glanced at what I was wearing and smiled appreciatively, raising her eyes to mine.

"Can I cut in?" It might have been more polite to address Oliver, but somehow, I couldn't tear my eyes from her face.

At least he didn't sound offended as he let her go. "See you later, Nessie," he said, making a discreet exit. I suddenly really liked this guy.

And I was left alone with my angel. As I took her hand in mine, I was relieved to feel that her palm had completely healed. I slid my other hand around her slender waist. She looked down as I did this, hiding her beautiful eyes from view. I wanted her to look at me again.

I never got bored of gazing into Nessie's eyes; they were so expressive. In obvious ways they resembled her mother's human eyes; they were the exact same colour and shape. But for me the difference between them was clear, because they were doorways to such different souls. Bella's eyes had been gentle, but Nessie's were full of lively energy.

"Sorry, I'm late. I got held up." I said, trying to catch her attention.

It worked, she smiled up at me. "That's ok," she said, throwing me a playful look. "Wow Jake. You look amazing… sort of like James Bond."

I didn't want to admit quite how much my clothes made me feel like James Bond, so I just laughed. "That's appropriate, since Alice had this suit made in London."

"Since when does Alice do your clothes shopping?"

"She insisted on taking my measurements, at Christmas," I explained. "She said I might need someone to 'escort you out', and I wasn't allowed to let the side down."

Alice had been surprisingly vocal on the subject and I'd just gone along with it. I was glad I had now.

"And I thought she couldn't see your future," Nessie rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was impressed, which made me feel good.

I glanced down at her. She was wearing a dress made of bronze silk, which showed off her figure, and revealed the graceful lines of her throat and shoulders. Her glossy curls had been smoothed away from her face and pinned up, making her look more adult. Her brown eyes met mine and I smiled.

"I'm the one who should be saying 'wow'. You look beautiful."

This was a total understatement, but even this small compliment was enough to make her blush and look away. I was going to have to watch what I said, if I didn't want to give myself away. I kept my eyes on her for a couple of seconds, looking for signs that she had taken offense. I was relieved that she didn't pull away from me.

With Nessie in my arms, I felt calmer than I had in weeks. This was one of the effects of imprinting; touching her made me feel relaxed. Instinctively, I pulled her closer, wrapping my arm around her back, the silk of her dress felt very smooth under my fingers. She didn't seem to mind because she softly laid her head against my shoulder.

Holding her this way, it was easy to imagine that she was mine. For once I didn't remind myself of the truth; I just wanted to enjoy the moment. Nessie was very quiet, but she seemed to be happy where she was. When the song ended I had to come back down to earth. She looked unsure as her eyes met mine and I didn't want to monopolise her, so I asked.

"Would you like a breather?"

I really hoped she would say no, but instead she nodded cheerfully. "Sure."

We wound our way off the dance floor and ended up by the food table. Nessie wore an impish smile as she handed me a glass of punch.

"That'll put hairs on your chest."

She was going to have to do better than that if she wanted to catch me out.

"I'm not sure if I want to phase in this suit, it cost more than my house." I could smell exactly how revolting this drink was, but I didn't want to disappoint her, so I took a sip. It tasted worse than it smelled. "Exactly how many bottles of vodka were poured into this?"

She smiled innocently. "Kristy counted seven different guys spiking it, but there may have been more."

Thanks for the warning, honey! I gave up on the attempt to drink this horrible cocktail and put down the glass. Vodka wasn't the only thing in that punch.

"I swear peppermint schnapps got in there somewhere… and possibly a bottle of Malibu."

Clearly feeling pleased with her trick, she gave a gleeful laugh. I smiled and saw her glance around the room with a perplexed expression.

"Where's Seth?"

This was going to be good!

I couldn't repress a grin. "He's not coming tonight."

"Why not?" She frowned.

Quickly looking around, I realised that a number of people nearby could hear everything that we were saying. This was definitely not the kind of conversation that we should have within earshot of outsiders. I noticed that we were near the doors leading to the veranda. I caught hold of Nessie's arm and gently pushed her towards them.

"Let's get some air."

She looked bewildered, but didn't bother to argue as I guided her out into the night. Closing the doors behind us, I turned back to Nessie. She had crossed the veranda and was leaning on the rail, overlooking the garden. She glanced over her shoulder, with her delicate eyebrows raised questioningly.

"I thought that we'd do better without the audience!" I explained.

She looked unimpressed. "What's with you?"

I crossed the veranda and discovered what a scenic night it was. The garden below was full of shadows cast by an unusually bright moon, and from where we were standing we could look right out to the bay.

Glancing down at Nessie, I noticed the way the moonlight caught the surface of her white skin; it made her look luminous. To my sensitive eyes, she shone. Right then, Nessie looked as if she was from another world; mysterious and magical and a million miles away from the humdrum planet that I inhabited.

It suddenly made perfect sense why things could never work out for us. I was some dumb wolf, howling at the moon, failing to understand that it could never come down from the sky. Tomorrow I would probably feel sad about that fact, but while we were together, I could only feel glad to be basking in her silvery glow.

Leaning on the rail next to her, I smiled. "Don't you want to know what happened to Seth?"

"I know that you're dying to tell me." She shot me a piercing look from under her long lashes.

"True."

"Well..?" Nessie had grown tired of humouring me and wanted the punch line.

"He imprinted!"

There was no way she saw that one coming!

I wasn't disappointed by her reaction; she was even more surprised than I had expected her to be; she could barely speak.

"You're joking!"

"I'm serious. It happened when we were getting ready to leave my house." I remembered the stunned look on Seth's face.

"But… who?" She stuttered, looking completely mystified.

"Marie." Of course! Couldn't she guess?

"Marie! That's not possible..!"

Ok, so she had a point, Seth had known Marie for ages. I tried to explain as best I could.

"I know it's hard to believe. I never knew it could be this way either." We were going to have to write some new legends. "When I first saw Marie, I thought they were made for each other, I was like 'imprint already.' But he met her and nothing happened, so I assumed she wasn't the one. I mean, for everyone else imprinting was definitely a first-sight thing."

I remembered the way I felt when I first saw Nessie, but I didn't want to get side-tracked by that recollection, so I continued.

"I've never heard of delayed imprinting before. Trust Seth! He's known this girl for months and then this evening, she walked through the door and it was like he was really seeing her for the first time." Seriously, how could it have taken him this long! "I don't understand it. Maybe it was the evening dress..!"

Speaking of evening dresses… I smiled and looked down at Nessie. I was surprised when she turned to me and exclaimed.

"But… she doesn't love him."

Maybe Nessie really did come from the moon. How else could she have failed to notice the way that Marie felt about Seth?

"Are you kidding? She's been crazy about him since they first met. Why do you think she kept coming over to Charlie's house?" I refrained from adding, there is no way you could have thought that she was coming to see you, I know you two don't really like each other.

Nessie seemed dazed as she asked. "So, are they together now?"

"Yeah, he had to tell her about the wolf thing. That was tough, but she took it surprisingly well." I was very suspicious about that. "Almost too well; like she already knew. None of the guys would have told her... I bet it was one of the girls!" After all, they weren't subject to the Alpha's commands.

Nessie nodded without looking at me, as I carried on speaking. "It was probably Claire. She's a real big mouth. I'm not going to bother trying to find out. Those girls get away with murder, but it's hard to say anything about it – the guys go all touchy if I try." You should never find fault with another pack member's imprint, they would hold it against you forever. "Anyway, whoever it was, I guess they did Seth a favour."

I glanced at Nessie and noticed that she was still looking shocked. She didn't seem to be taking the news very well; I should have broken it to her more gently.

"What's wrong?" I asked, feeling worried by her reaction. "I thought you'd be happy for them."

She raised her wide eyes to my face and I felt as if she was looking right through me. "I am… I'm just so surprised. I thought that you…" she broke off midsentence and turned away from me.

I was confused for a second, trying to figure out what she had stopped herself from saying. Then a sudden suspicion struck me and I frowned.

"What did you think?"

I must be wrong, but she was so silent at my side, I had the ominous feeling that my suspicion was right on the mark.

"Um…" she still avoided meeting my eye. "I thought that you might be interested in Marie."

This naïve comment hit me like a bombshell. Was she that clueless? Apparently Nessie didn't just come from a different planet. She was so oblivious to how I felt about her, that she must be from another universe!

I found myself gasping in disbelief. "What?"

Nessie stared up at me with innocent eyes and as she registered my shocked expression, she became uncomfortable and started trying to justify herself.

"It's not such a far-fetched idea. You'd be well suited."

This girl was going to drive me crazy!

That was it! I had officially hit my limit with this insane conversation; I turned on my heel and walked away from her, ignoring her anxious voice.

"Jake?"

My mind raced as I reached the garden steps and I could feel my temper rising. All my frustrations came flooding to the surface. To think of all the pain and worry that I'd suffered for her… and she hadn't noticed anything! No, she'd been too busy trying to set me up with another girl. I heard Nessie follow me and I couldn't stop myself from turning on her accusingly.

"Is that what you were hoping for?" Didn't she know that her plan was doomed to failure; I mean, what was she thinking? "Don't you understand me at all?" I snapped.

As she moved across the darkened veranda, her expression was frustratingly confused. Apparently this was another thing I would have to spell out to her. But right then, I was too irritated even to do that. I could hardly bring myself to look at her.

The instant Nessie drew near; I went down the steps and stood on the terrace, with my back to her. She spoke from the veranda and her voice was barely a whisper.

"What do you mean?"

Was there really any point in explaining? I didn't bother to answer and she tried again.

"Jacob, what is it?"

Something in her tone compelled me to turn around. Glaring up at her, I was unable to hold my feelings in check.

"I could never be with Marie. I could never be with anyone else. Don't you understand?" I was so tired of all the pretence that I wanted to tell the truth. "I can't even see anyone but you."

On hearing my words, her eyes flew wide with shock, but I didn't regret saying them. Instead I felt surprisingly liberated; as if I was throwing off a weight that had been pressing upon me for far too long.

It was only when I gazed into her stricken face that my anger subsided. She looked so vulnerable that I suddenly felt guilty; I was being unfair. Nessie didn't deserve my resentment, she'd never asked for any of this; I had imprinted on her and she'd had no choice in the matter. She didn't even really understand what it meant.

Speaking more softly, I continued to hold her gaze. "I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear it, but I can't carry on this way."

It was too late for lies, so I told her the only truth that really mattered to me.

"I love you, Nessie. I've always loved you… and I don't think I can live without you."

Having laid myself open to her, I now stood waiting for the axe to fall. She stepped out of the shadows and her words took me completely by surprise.

"You don't have to," she said gently, never taking her eyes from my face.

Glistening white in the moonlight, she descended the garden steps. All the time, I was trying to find some meaning to her words; they just didn't make any sense. As she drew near, I took an involuntary step in her direction; it was impossible for me to stay away. Nessie stopped in front of me and lifted her hand to my cheek.

Her touch was so light that I could scarcely feel it, but the visions came through with remarkable force. A thousand images of me, each one of them holding a sense of love and longing. The strength of her emotions, in this catalogue of memories, staggered me. And they told me one undeniable truth; that she wanted me to be hers… because she loved me!

I felt as if I was seeing Nessie for the first time. I couldn't look away, even after she had taken her hand from my face. Her dark eyes never left my own and they blazed with strength of feeling that was entirely new. The only thing I recognised was the irresistible pull that drew me to her; the glowing heat of imprinting.

I found myself reaching out; she felt very warm as I took her in my arms. Nessie raised her sweet face to mine, and the expression in her eyes became soft and inviting. I couldn't stop myself from leaning down and kissing her.

As our lips met, I experienced an amazing surge of happiness; she was so much more beautiful than I had ever realised. For a moment I drew back – just to look at her – but Nessie slipped her arms around my neck and pulled me close. She kissed me with unexpected eagerness and as I tightened my hold, my senses were overcome by her intoxicating perfume and sound of her beating heart.

In an instant, the strength of my imprinting increased a hundred times; I couldn't feel anything beyond the radiant heat that surrounded us. She felt so warm, so right, that I only wanted to get closer. It was such a powerful feeling, I was afraid I might hurt her, but she matched my force with surprising intensity. My perfect girl, my perfect mate…

Lifting her jaw, I pressed tender kisses along her throat. "Nessie, honey… I love you… I love you…"

She raised her hands and gently turned my face towards her own. Her eyes locked with mine, and a soft smile played on her lips as she said the words I'd waited my whole existence to hear.

"I love you."

Author's notes:

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into Jacob's mind. I'm always really interested to read comments, so please review :)

Mad :)