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Several general notes:
* If you know my stuff, you know I always have all this complicated backstory in my head (only a fraction makes it to the fic). Your questions will be answered (hopefully) but I let the characters tell things in their own time (which is why I end up with such long assed shit).
* Her real name will come soon, so I avoided putting Sweetheart in the prose because it just looks stupid (I tried). It's a little awkward.
* Remember: realistic fairytale, here. What's that, praytell? Well that's where I try to weave realistic psychs and characters, bring in some RL, and you also get to see glimpses of what a fucking frou-frou romantic sap I am underneath it all.
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Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 2
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The sound of Jacob's SUV a quarter-mile out made ice wash up Embry's spine with dread. His heart accelerated like the final countdown clicks of a neutron bomb.
Time was up.
And apparently she felt it too. The girl picked up her head from where she'd been pressed into his side for the last eight minutes and 42 seconds – he'd counted every one, along with each of her heartbeats, each soft fluttering breath.
Embry's hands fisted tighter on his thighs to keep from wrapping his arms around her so he could count just a few more.
Huge black eyes peered nervously up at him from under lush lashes.
"It's okay," he breathed, strong-arming his mouth into a curve.
But it wasn't okay. It was the beginning of the end.
Embry just hoped to God that Jacob kept his no-questions promise – if only for a few minutes more – so he could steep just a little longer in this beautiful illusion.
The vehicle pulled into his yard with the crackle of gravel followed by the soft swish of grass as he drove back toward the shed. Embry tried to smile reassurances that he wasn't feeling.
That haunting gaze washed over his face while her delicate brow puckered, and she sat up. Air rushed in, replacing the warm weight against his side and Embry wanted to break down and cry.
Outside he could make out the soft conversation in the cab of the SUV.
"No honey, wait here," Jacob murmured.
As if the girl could hear the same thing, immediately those eyes impossibly widened and she was scrabbling back across the mattress.
Embry watched her go with defeat as his heart filled with lead.
She cowered back into the corner, pulling her knees up to her chest. But those eyes stayed locked with his, round and frightened.
His heavy heart capsized, sinking into the pit of his stomach as he slowly pushed up off the mattress.
God, he couldn't do this.
Fuck, he had to.
Pushing his hand through his hair, Embry's eyes swept the room briefly – cataloguing what his Alpha would see. Jacob was sharp man. The shed smelled of deer and blood and the tattered remnants of the splint lay strewn across the floor amid crimson-spattered sheets and a pan of rusted water.
And in the corner trembled a naked, frightened and inhumanly beautiful girl.
Once his mind fought through disbelief, Jacob would easily put the pieces together. Embry just hoped the impossibility of it all stalled the inevitable.
He just wanted to borrow just a few more minutes.
The sound of the car door outside made the girl turn her head into the wall as if she could sense what was coming.
Embry's eyes washed over that dainty frame, wrapped in sable tangles and shivering. He should have been spending these last ten minutes trying to coax a sheet around her nudity, but he was such a fucking selfish bastard that he hadn't wanted to lose a second of that soft body pressed so trustingly against him.
God, he hated himself. Squeezing his eyes closed on dreams, Embry turned away.
It was the hardest thing he'd done in his life.
"Are you guys decent?" Jacob's whisper filtered into the shack.
Embry opened his eyes and strode toward the door feeling like he was pulling an invisible ten-ton weight behind him. His hand shook as it pushed against the rickety door and he stepped outside into an afternoon of clouds and sun.
Jacob Black was standing halfway between the car and the shed.
Embry was completely unprepared for how he'd react to that face after last night: rage rose up in his chest like tsunami, pushing air out through his gritted teeth in a hiss. He'd tried to snap her neck.
"Holy shit, Emb!" Jacob gaped – his shock was just enough to distract Embry from the quivering heat in his muscles. "Are you okay?"
Frowning, Embry's lips popped open to-…
"No questions," Jacob quickly amended. He licked his lips slowly as his assessing gaze searched Embry's face and then washed down his body. Meeting his eyes again he announced in a whisper, "You look like shit, man."
Yeah? Well he felt even worse. And he was so consumed with what was coming next that he didn't give a shit about whatever his friend was talking about.
Embry's gaze darted off to the SUV where Bella was leaning anxiously into the driver's seat and watching the interplay.
Pushing his hand through his hair, Embry returned to his Alpha's worried eyes. He swallowed, trying to find words… any fucking words at all.
"Let me see," Jacob's bass dropped to that dusky register he used to soothe his wolves.
With a nod, Embry turned back into the shed. The girl was cowering in the corner, round eyes peeking through a sable veil. Brows furrowing, the fear drew him like a magnet and he crossed with slow steps toward the mattress while her eyes kept him in a death-grip.
"Ohmygod," Jacob's words were expelled on a breath and those big eyes snapped to the door.
Terror milked a mewling cry from her throat as she dove into the corner, drawing her body into a tight ball that quivered.
That protective fury exploded in his chest, and Embry whipped around with a guttural snarl.
His face a mask of patent shock, Jacob couldn't seem to tear his eyes from the trembling body in the corner. Head tucked and glaring from a feral scowl, Embry prowled so he was between his Alpha and the girl, prying his stare away.
Jacob blinked like he suddenly remembered Embry was in the room and took a step back. A million thoughts were racing, light speed, behind Jacob's eyes as slowly his brow furrowed over them. "Did you hurt her?!" he bit out in a whisper.
The question made Embry flinch like he'd been slapped, but the understanding that blindsided him shortly after was like a fist to the gut.
Embry wheezed as he subtly doubled over.
Jacob's mind was scrabbling desperately for an explanation and apparently rape or loss of control or anything other than what was clearly in front of him was easier to digest.
Embry watched that same conclusion congeal behind Jacob's eyes. "No," he gasped, barely audible, as he took a step back into the doorway. "Of course you didn't," he shoved an absent hand through his hair. "Fuck, Emb."
Without another word, Jacob whipped around and disappeared outside.
Realizing he was panting raggedly, Embry straightened, rubbing his hands down his face and trying to push any sense into his brain. He was exhausted and starving and unsettled...
And he had to be better than this. For her.
Turning he found her still cringing in the corner, her hitching breaths staggering over a hummingbird heart.
He felt like he'd been stabbed in the chest.
"Ssh, it's okay," Embry whispered brokenly as he took a few steps toward her. "I won't let anything hurt you," he crooned as he slowly knelt in the middle of the mattress. Hesat on his heels and bent over his knees, his long arm snaking out across the cotton ticking with an outstretched index finger.
He touched the pad to a single curling toe.
Like some kind of sick drug, warmth rushed up his arm from where a square centimeter of flesh was trying to fuse itself to hers. Embry released a soft sigh.
God, what the hell kind of magic did this girl have?
But as soothing as the touch was to him, it seemed to be even more so for her because suddenly she was uncurling and grabbing onto his wrist. Surprised, he looked up at where her face was painted with desperation and tears as she dragged herself across the bed hand over fist up his arm.
Embry sat up as she pulled herself up his body, pressing her face into his shoulder as quivering hands gripped his bicep.
"Oh, Sweetheart," he whispered as his other hand lifted hesitantly. Pressing uncertain lips together, his palm smoothed lightly over the crown of her head. Her hair was like spun silk – so unnaturally soft that he could barely feel it through his callouses.
And just like that, the trembling stopped.
Embry's lips curved in wonder as she scooted closer into his side, drawing light rapid breaths over his skin as he continued to tenderly stroke over her hair. Her breathing slowed under his ministrations and she wilted against him.
He was comforting her. It was the most amazing feeling ever.
"Emb?" a soft voice called and Embry's eyes swept up to the door.
Bella was standing in the doorway with worried eyes while Jacob, with his hands firmly on her shoulders, stared stoically over her head.
Swallowing thickly, Embry turned back to the girl panting against him. "Hey Sweetheart," he breathed, smoothing his palm down to the back of her head and resting there. "This is Bella."
Bella spoke softly, "How're you doing, honey?"
The girl slowly looked up from his shoulder. Embry watched her lashes flutter, shedding several lingering droplets as her eyes lifted to the woman in the doorway.
She started pulling herself behind Embry and he scooted up more on the mattress, turning to face the couple and giving her a barrier. She crept behind his back, the long fingers of one hand climbing his shoulder while the other clung to his bicep.
Embry glanced at where Bella was casting a stern glance up at her mate. Jacob's eyes darted out to Embry with a silent warning before he released her and, face warming with a smile, Bella took a few slow steps into the shed.
Turning his cheek, he found the girl cautiously peeking over his shoulder.
"I brought you some clothes," Bella murmured, holding out the folded cloth in front of her swelling belly. "Why don't you get dressed and we can get something to eat, okay?"
Little fingers dug into his skin as Bella moved slowly into the room and then stopped at the foot of the mattress.
Face relaxed in a non-threatening smile, she raised her brows. "Are you hungry?"
The girl moved up a little higher over his shoulder and Embry glanced at where those huge eyes were now fixed on him in artless confusion. Like he was her lifeline.
Embry turned to Bella. "I don't think she understands," he whispered.
Brows furrowing, Bella studied the girl for a moment with new eyes. Licking her lips, she glanced over her shoulder at Jacob – still standing just outside the door – and then slowly knelt down on the edge of the mattress.
"Do you know her name?" Bella turned troubled eyes to Embry.
He shook his head. "She doesn't speak."
Bella's brow puckered again and she slowly set the clothes down beside her.
He could feel that warm weight lean more into his body as she moved sideways from watching Bella over his shoulder to peering around his bicep.
Sitting on her heels, Bella folded her hands in front of her belly and offered her a kind smile.
Looking down at where she was tipping her head curiously at that woman only several feet away, he whispered, "Hey, Sweetheart."
Endless dark eyes flitted up to meet his.
He smiled softly. "She's really nice," he whispered. His hand lifted to push a strand of hair hanging over her face before he'd even thought about it. But she didn't even flinch. Her eyes crossed endearingly as she followed his finger on its path to brush sable back from honey skin.
Her gaze darted back up to his and russet lips curved tentatively.
Embry returned the smile tenfold.
She turned back to the woman waiting patiently at the end of the mattress. Embry had known Bella would instinctively know what to do.
Just like Jacob.
Embry's gaze darted off to where he was still standing just outside the door and watching the scene with intense eyes set in an unreadable mask. Embry wondered what he was thinking.
A soft shuffling heralded that warmth peeling away from his skin and Embry looked down to see dark eyes looking up at him questioningly where she was poised to move toward Bella. He gave her a reassuring smile.
His skin mourned the loss of warm fingers as she flowed forward, somehow graceful on hands and knees. Her hair slipped heavily over one shoulder, revealing the lissome curve of her back and hip. He was struck so soundly with the need to run his palm over the gentle swell that the impact left its mark on his cheek with stinging heat. Disgusted with himself, Embry tore his eyes away.
Stopping in front of Bella, she slowly sat up, tipping her chin out with soft sniffs as she rose. That smile locked in place, Bella didn't move a muscle, even when the girl leaned in closer.
Just like she had with Embry, she touched her nose with her own and pulled back a little, offering the woman a hesitant smile.
"Hey, honey," Bella whispered, eyes curving in disbelief. "You're so sweet."
As she sat slowly back on her heels her eyes slipped down to Bella's stomach. Head swaying to the side, long fingers stretched across the distance.
But no sooner had her fingertips lit like a butterfly on the six-month swell, then her eyes were darting past Bella to where Jacob was standing in the door. She immediately snatched her hand away and scurried back to Embry.
Grabbing his bicep, she scooted around his shoulder, nervous eyes still locked on his Alpha.
There were so many questions running through Embry's reeling brain that he could barely keep up, but her anxiety trumped it all.
"It's okay, Sweetheart," he soothed, his fingers lifting to stroke lightly over the knuckles of the hand digging into his arm.
"Oh my God, Emb," Bella breathed. "Where did you find her? Where's she from?"
"Remember, Bells? No questions," Jacob spoke up quietly in the door.
But like he'd screamed it in a rage, the girl dove into Embry's shoulder.
Protective heat detonated in his gut and Embry turned incensed eyes on his Alpha. Jacob's face hardened at the challenge and he flashed his canines.
Like the pro she was, Bella intervened before the wolves could escalate.
"Boys, boys," she scolded with a laugh as she pushed a little awkwardly off the mattress. Her hand rested on her belly as she turned to her mate. "She's scared of you, you dork," she smirked and then jerked her chin. "C'mere."
With a roll of his eyes, but a flicker of an indulgent smile, his big body shimmied through the door and into the shed. He took her outstretched hand.
"On your knees, you big oaf," Bella tugged him down.
It was actually pretty funny to see a five foot something girl pull an intimidatingly muscular giant to his knees… and his little doe was watching the show over his shoulder.
"See, honey?" Bella wrapped her arm around Jacob's thick neck, now at her height. "He looks kinda scary but he's really just a big puppy dog," she pursed her lips theatrically as she petted a hand over his head.
Jacob's eyes cut over to Embry with a bland flare of nostrils, but his arms were now wrapped around his mate, his big palm rubbing happily over their baby. Embry was pretty sure Bella could put his hair in curlers and as long as he got to touch her, he wouldn't complain.
Well… maybe not.
Embry laughed softly at the mental image and the muscles in Jacob's jaw bulged.
Leaning in, Bella pressed her lips to his cheek, effortlessly kissing that clenched jaw away. Ever the opportunist, Jacob turned and took her mouth in a soft smacking kiss.
Embry glanced over his shoulder to see what she was thinking about all this. Blinking slowly she turned those mesmerizing eyes on him and his heart stuttered.
Tipping her head, she slowly rose up to her knees as her gaze washed over his profile. Her hand dragged lightly up his arm to his shoulder to brace herself and a gentle brush over his head made Embry's lips spread in a sappy-assed smile. She did it again, petting her fingers over his hair and copying Bella. Then she leaned in and pressed her nose to his cheek, rubbing softly back and forth while her eyes fluttered closed.
Embry felt like his bones had melted.
But, shamefully, that tenderness wasn't enough. Just like Jacob had done, he found he wanted to turn into the gesture and capture her mouth. Desperately seeking distraction, he lifted his hand to her cheek and brushed his fingertips over her soft skin in a chaste gesture of comfort.
"Emb why don't you see if you can get her to get dressed?" Bella asked softly.
Squeezing his eyes closed soundly, he turned to where she was smiling, still wrapped in her lover's arms. Jacob, on the other hand, was watching him with unreadable eyes.
Bella raised a prompting brow and Embry nodded making the girl pull back in confusion. "Hey Sweetheart," he whispered as he leaned forward until his hand could reach the pile of clothes. "You wanna try this?"
He sat back up and pulled the sundress free from the sweater, holding it out just in case she actually knew what it was. Her eyes dropped to the cloth and she scooted around from behind him to sit at his side. He offered it again and she pulled it into her lap, smiling softly as her finger traced the tiny flowers set in natural unbleached cotton.
"What do I do?" Embry turned back to them helplessly.
Bella was chewing thoughtfully on her lip. "I think it's going to take a while," she mused under her breath. "Let's get home first. I've got an idea… toss me that sheet, Emb?"
Moving slowly, Embry reached out to the blanket he'd slept on and pushed it across the floor. Jacob reached down and grabbed it for her.
"Kay, Jake," she turned to her mate. "Wrap it around me and then pick me up."
Understanding seeped into Jacob's eyes and he unfolded to his feet.
At the movement, the girl looked up quickly.
"It's okay," Bella smiled. "See?"
A wry smile hitching his lips, Jacob wrapped the sheet around her and then scooped her carefully up in his arms.
"Embry's going to do that with you too," Bella told her.
The girl's gaze darted instantly to his own. Did she recognize his name?
Smiling at the thought, Embry pulled the other sheet off the floor and held it up with a raise of his brow. He reached out with the sheet as he went up on his knees. Watching his eyes, she did the same clutching the dress to her chest and he gently wrapped it around her body arms and all.
"Ready, Sweetheart?" he whispered, stepping in closer. Eyes locked with his in a show of trust that made his heart ache, she leaned into his shoulder and he wrapped her in his arms.
Embry bit his lip as he stood easily to his feet, fatigue and sore muscles long forgotten. She felt amazing in his arms. Small, delicate, warm, she melted against his chest like she wanted to be there.
Carrying her bridal style, he hiked her up a little higher and she turned into his neck, panting quiet anxiety over his skin. He could feel her body subtly trembling but she was trusting him to take care of her.
Embry had never felt so important in all his life.
With his bundle arranged he looked up at where Jacob and Bella were waiting at the door.
"Let's get her home, Emb," Jacob murmured, meeting his eyes.
Even though it was nothing but a turn of phrase, it made Embry's stomach tank for his toes. Swallowing he nodded minutely and followed his Alpha out into the sun.
'
The car ride was the longest ten minutes of his entire fucking life.
He held his bundle close to his chest in the back seat but he couldn't even enjoy these last minutes with her in his arms because she was shivering in pure terror, her gasps pulling at the skin on his neck.
Bella cast reassuring smiles at him every mile or so, but questions and worry were clear in the death grip she had on Jacob's hand. Embry kept his eyes lowered to the miserable creature in his arms but he could feel his Alpha's eyes burning into his skull in the rearview mirror.
Reminding him that all too soon this was all going to be over.
Finally.
Finally they pulled into the two-story house he'd built onto over the years for his mate and Pack. The groan of the parking brake was both the most welcomed and reviled sound he'd ever heard.
Without a word, Jacob brusquely got out of the car. Bella watched him go with a frown and then threw a smile over her shoulder before she turned to a door that was already being opened by her mate.
Jacob stoically helped her out and then opened Embry's door keeping his eyes lowered.
Embry held her close and slid out of the SUV. Jacob's hand came unnecessarily to his elbow to steady him. Even though Embry was wiped, there was no way in the world he'd stumble with such a responsibility in his arms.
"Let me go get everyone out of the house first," Jacob murmured under his breath.
Embry could hear the Pack laughing and talking inside - it had to be somewhere in the early afternoon and the middle of Sunday dinner.
Embry looked up gratefully to find Jacob's eyes glued to the woman clinging to his neck. Pressing his lips together, he closed his eyes soundly for a moment and then turned on his heel and stalked up to the house, danger in his stride.
Bella fell into step at Embry's elbow as he slowly carried his bundle toward the house where voices abruptly silenced. He was glad Jacob wasn't "throwing her to the wolves" right off the bat for several reasons, not the least of which was that he'd get a few more moments with her on his own. With his luck, Collin or Levi would imprint on her.
Or Paul.
Irrational fury raced like napalm through his blood making his stomach muscles cramp in the effort to keep the beast caged. He gasped quietly.
"You okay?" Bella whispered.
Embry gave her a weak smile and nod.
"She's so incredibly beautiful," she continued quietly, her gaze running over the woman in his arms. "I've never seen anyone so-…" She shook her head softly, leaving the predicate hanging because there really weren't any words to do it justice.
"I know," Embry whispered, squeezing her tighter.
"We'll figure it out, Emb," Bella soothed, putting her cool hand on his elbow.
"Okay it's clear," Jacob announced from the porch. "Emily and Kim are waiting in the kitchen if you need 'em Bells."
She nodded up at him as they climbed the steps. "Let's take her upstairs to my bedroom," Bella looked up at Embry like she was including him in the decision. "There's a bathroom and I have all my things."
Embry nodded once as he waited for Bella to go through the door Jacob held open. Embry followed after, ignoring his Alpha's heavy stare.
"Kim, Em, can you help?" she called, and immediately the two women popped out of the kitchen.
Both froze in undisguised shock at the sight of Embry with a woman wrapped in a blanket and curled into his neck.
"Embry found a girl in his shed," Bella told them simply. "We're taking her upstairs to get cleaned up and rest."
Nodding obediently – and shuttering away questions with the press of lips - they jumped into action, following Bella up the stairs first. Embry trailed along after, taking each step carefully as his Alpha silently escorted him at his heel. He paced down the hallway to the master bedroom feeling like he was in a funeral procession even when it was exactly the opposite.
He'd saved this girl's life and while these moments spent with her would – without a doubt – be the best of his life, it was time to let her go on with hers.
Inside the master bedroom, the women hovered at the foot of the huge California king bed as Embry trudged across the rug. The novelty of being in his Alpha's bedroom didn't mean jack shit, he only had eyes for the girl in his arms.
He set her gently on the bed but she rose up after him as he started to straighten, struggling to keep her face pressed in his neck.
"Shh," he murmured, stroking a hand over her head. He pulled back a little more going into a squat in front of her.
Soulful dark eyes darted around the room but boomeranged right back and Embry smiled. "They'll take care of you, Sweetheart," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair back from where it was stuck on her cheek. She turned subtly into his touch and his heart flipped.
"Hey Sweetheart," Bella crooned right at Embry's side.
He looked up in surprise. "It's a good name," she shrugged.
Something about that made him feel insanely happy.
"We'll take care of her," Bella promised as Embry stood to his feet.
Huffing out a sigh, he nodded absently as his eyes washed over the trembling little doe-girl wrapped in blood-stained sheets on his Alpha's bed.
And he turned away.
Or tried to.
He just-… he just couldn't.
Bella's hand brushed over his arm. "Emb, don't worry," she soothed in that magic whisper she reserved for wolves who were losing their shit. "You'll be right down stairs."
Swallowing, he pushed his hand through his hair.
With superhuman effort, he snapped his eyes closed, and whipped around, stalking across the room.
At two strides, a soft distressed cry had him spinning back, but his Alpha's iron fist clamped around his bicep.
"C'mon man," he murmured, literally dragging him out of the room.
The last thing he saw was a frightened girl ducking around Bella, her round panicked eyes brimming with tears.
Jacob closed the door.
Embry's heart shattered and instinct chewed up the pieces while he stared at the maple wood, contemplating just breaking it down.
His Alpha dragged him around to face him. "Emb, did you i-…"
"I c-can't," he interrupted, shaking his head senselessly. He truly had lost his mind. "I just can't."
He couldn't deal with the questions or pronouncements or rebuke. Not right now. Not when he felt like his heart was so frighteningly close to stopping for good.
"Heyyy," Jacob crooned and his hands came up to Embry's jaw, holding him in a firm grip. It was only then he realized he was shaking. "We'll figure it all out, Emb."
Embry's eyes darted manically back and forth between that steady stare. He had no words even if he'd had a coherent thought to communicate in the first place.
Jacob licked his lips and then said slowly, softly, enunciating each word with liquid steel, "Go downstairs and take a shower and then come to the kitchen and eat."
Those hands slipped from his face and Embry's body was turning away.
Even while his heart was breaking.
'
Embry took a mechanical shower, washing enough filth from his body that the water ran dark down the drain. He couldn't even contemplate how dirty he was or the ashen face and sunken eyes in the mirror or the heavy sluggishness of his limbs ...because he was in so much pain.
His head and heart were duel battle theatres in one bloody war. Images flashed through his mind of demons viciously feeding, draining lives with terror. Of a doe broken and scrabbling in the leaves and his Alpha poised to break its neck. Of a beautiful gentle girl, frightened but finding comfort in his arms.
And that it was all over.
She was with his Pack now and they were going to take care of her and find her home and he was never going to get to touch her again.
He'd just watch from the outside like he always did.
Inside he was falling apart, all the little pieces being pulverized further with each heartbeat, but his body went steadily through the motions of the Order. It was an odd sensation – kind of like trundling downhill in a deep rut in the road. That's the way the Order always was: you could bank left or right with a little strain but as long as you let yourself roll down the middle it was effortless. To jump the track completely was nearly impossible.
Embry didn't have the strength to even try.
Why bother anyway? He knew the score by now.
By the time he'd dressed in borrowed shorts and tee shirt, he was worn out, body, heart and soul.
Embry shuffled into the kitchen where Jacob was pacing a brusque agitated circuit in front of the counter.
He didn't even look up. "Eat," he barked, as he continued wearing a hole in the floor.
The table had been eerily abandoned in the middle of lunch - plates half-eaten, drinks full. It looked like an alien abduction.
Embry obediently sat at his place where a plate stared blankly up at him and reached for the-...
His hand froze in the middle of picking up the platter of sliced roast as his mind flashed back to horrors of night. His stomach was eating itself alive and it smelled so good, but the thought of eating flesh disgusted him right now.
He reached for the potatoes instead and listlessly served his plate. Next he picked up a casserole -…
Jacob stalked up behind him and abruptly yanked the dish from his hand with a grunt. Picking up Embry's plate, he started liberally piling on slices of roast then paced down the table and shoveled on turkey and ham.
"You need protein," Jacob growled as he deposited it unceremoniously in front of him. "Eat."
Embry dug in unenthusiastically.
And he hated that at the first bite past his lips, instinct and hunger overtook him - just like the Order had - and he was stuffing food in his face before he'd even swallowed the last mouthful. He inhaled his plate and then was piling on more.
By his third, he finally noticed that Jacob was leaning against the wall across the table, tipping up a bottle of beer while he watched him with intense eyes.
He lowered the bottle and swallowed. "You're eating like a cub," he pronounced cryptically.
Embry's fork stopped midway to his mouth.
"I haven't seen you eat like this since you Phased," Jacob clarified thoughtfully, idly dangling the bottle between two fingers.
Embry didn't know what to say, so he shoved his forkful in his mouth and chewed. He didn't understand it either – sure, he'd walked all night with a deer in his arms, but it shouldn't have taken the toll it did on supernatural stamina.
With a harsh and resetting sniff, Jacob hiked his bottle into his palm and studied the label for a moment. "While you were in the shower, Bella came down," he murmured.
Embry froze mid-chew.
Jacob looked up from under his lashes. "They got her bathed and dressed and she was going to try to get her to eat something," he told him quietly. "She brought her up a plate-…"
Embry choked, his eyes falling automatically to the roast.
"I made sure she just took vegetarian shit…" Jacob's voice rose before evaporating as he burst off the wall.
"FUCK, EMB!" he roared, raking a hand through his hair as he paced along the table. "I almost fucking snapped her neck!"
Chewing another time Embry swallowed his mouthful. A golf ball would have been easier.
"I mean, what the fucking hell!" he yelled, pacing with jerking strides before whipping back around and fixing Embry with a tortured stare. "We watched her family get drained by those cock-sucking parasites and I did nothing!"
He slammed the beer on the table so hard dishes bounced and liquid sluiced up the top. "FUCK!"
Growling, Jacob started pacing again, clawing both hands back through his hair and grabbing it in fists at the crown. "And there's a whole fuckfest of shit that I' gotta work out, but I just can't get past it!" he spun around in the middle of the kitchen, teeth gritted and face etched in self-loathing. "I woulda killed her if it wasn't for you!"
Embry wiped his mouth absently with the back of his hand as he turned, swinging his legs up over the bench and pushing to his feet. He was feeling much more solid and sane after some nourishment and it was oddly comforting to witness Jacob's emotional meltdown.
Jacob had always been emotional under all that dominion and - the good listener and old friend he was - Jacob used to vent like this often to Embry, even after he'd Phased and become his Alpha.
Until Bella.
Embry found he missed being needed.
"Jake," Embry crossed slowly toward his friend, speaking to the self-doubt and derision he saw in his eyes. "You're a good Alpha. A good guy. It's not your fault."
Jacob's breath was heaving as his fists left his hair and slapped down to his thighs in defeat.
"Think about how I feel, I was there," he confessed softly. "But we gotta let it go, man. There's no way we coulda known."
Jacob clenched his eyes closed as he huffed a sigh through his nose and then rubbed his face brusquely. "Jezis, Emb," he slapped his palms down and he met Embry's gaze with a pained squint. "I'm sorry."
Embry gave him a sad smile. "I forgive you," he whispered. Because he did – intellectually. In the dark unexamined recesses of his heart he still wanted to kill him.
Jacob sniffed a humorless laugh with a shake of his head "C'mere," he coughed, pulling Embry in for a one-shoulder hug. "You gotta forgive yourself too, Emb," he murmured as he hit him on the back.
His Alpha pulled back as his hand clamped brusquely onto Embry's jaw. Cocking his head, his sharp eyes took inventory. "You look a little better," he mused under his breath. "But let's talk about all this shit tomorrow, deal?" He released him with two slaps to the cheek.
Embry nodded as he took a step back. At times like this it was like Jacob was both friend and father… and he didn't know what to do with it.
Jacob crossed back to the table. "Look, I gotta talk to the Pack… my dad… the Council," he coughed a humorless laugh and grabbed up his beer. He tipped it back and then stared blindly at the refrigerator for a moment.
Embry shoved his hands in his pockets and waited.
Jacob spun around and met his gaze. "But not until we talk," he announced. "We're just gonna take this night, dude." His eyes darted off to the side as footsteps started down the hall upstairs.
Embry's gaze snapped out to the living room.
"It's Bella," Jacob told him – of course knowing the gait of his mate. Embry's eyes still didn't waver from their sentry.
"The girls know something's off, of course," Jacob continued, ambling across the room as he took another sip of beer. "And I know Bells' figured it out but she's not asking questions 'cause she fucking rocks."
Embry smiled absently as he watched Bella cross the landing and come down the last flight of stairs, leaning heavily on the rail.
"She also said the girl's either got a fever or has the same temp thing as us," Jacob murmured, turning and tipping back an absent sip of beer as he watched his mate take the last step.
Having successfully navigated the stairs, Bella looked up and then painted on a smile as she crossed the living room toward them.
"She's sleeping," Bella reported. "And I think she's going to be out for a while," she met Embry's gaze. "She's doing good, Emb. Really good. She learns fast."
Shoving his hand further into his pockets, Embry bit his lip on asking more questions – he wanted to sit her down and demand to know what happened every second of this last hour. But it wasn't his place – she was under Bella's care now.
"Do you want to call the dogs back in?" she smiled up at Jacob who met her halfway.
Leaning down, he took her mouth in a slow and tender kiss. "Yeah, I guess they gotta eat, huh?" he sniffed a laugh as he stroked a finger down her cheek.
Embry turned away from such tenderness.
He wandered absently toward the sink, eyes drifting out the back window. The afternoon clouds had thickened and it was starting to drizzle. Just like it always did.
He felt a whole hell of a lot better after eating, but was still so unsettled. He couldn't get his mind off the girl upstairs. In fact, he would happily give twenty years of his life just to go sit on the bed and watch her sleep for five minutes.
And, he was trying. Lord, how he was fucking trying.
Trying so hard to steel himself for the inevitable. Tomorrow they were going to talk which meant tonight he was going to go home and wait. He'd volunteer to take the whole night shift to distract himself, except his mind was such a pitiful fucking mess there was no way he was sharing it. Then there'd be Council meetings and Pack and bullshit, all in the way after and-…
"Hey…"
Embry literally jumped at Bella's voice right at his elbow. She touched his arm in a thoughtless gesture of comfort as she leaned against the counter.
"How're you doing, Emb?" she asked quietly, looking up into his eyes.
Embry tore them from hers immediately, letting them list out to the weeping yard. Right now, he didn't want to share his mind with his Pack mates or his eyes with anyone who could read them.
"I'm okay," he whispered, turning more to the sink and letting his blind gaze drop to dishes that needed washing - the perfect prop. Ignoring how rude it was, he turned on the water and started filling the basin, pretending Bella's appraising gaze wasn't creeping up and down his profile.
"I think it's really great what you did," she offered cryptically, taking the hint and turning into the counter to stare out the window. "You should be proud."
Embry nodded once as his hands went through the motion of putting soap on the sponge.
"I know things are hard right now," she continued.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye, trying to discern what things she knew about. She caught the tail of his glance and sniffed a laugh at herself.
"Understatement of the century, this I know," she chuckled softly, keeping her eyes on him as he tucked his chin and pulled out the first dish. "But it's going to work out, Emb," she leaned over the counter trying to capture his eyes. "It might be messy for a while, but it's going to work out."
He glanced at her just because it was the right thing to do, "Thanks."
Things always did work out, didn't they?… just not the way he wanted them to. And it was so dangerous to want.
His ears snatched onto the lifering of footsteps coming down the stairs - welcomed distraction, yes - but also the possibility of more details about the woman upstairs.
"Bella, she's still sleeping," Emily's voice called across the living room.
Turning over her shoulder, she nodded. "Good, I'll go up and take Kim's watch. I just want to get a plate."
Embry closed his eyes as his hands froze for a moment in their scrubbing. Like usual, he was grateful to the ladies in the Pack for taking her in, so to speak, but he wanted to be part of it. Just like Sunday mornings every week, he was relegated to being only a spectator, living vicariously through the dreams he could cobble together.
A hand smoothed down his back and his eyes popped open as he started scrubbing again. "Hang in there, honey," she leaned around for some kind of confirmation from him.
Hang in there. And cling to what? Yeah, right.
He glanced at her again with a tight smile and then leaned down to press a kiss to her hairline. "Thanks." He wouldn't call her sweetheart… not anymore.
It seemed to satisfy her somewhat because she did that switching-it-up laugh. "And you don't have to do this," she swatted his arm with a grin. "Just relax. You've had a crappy night."
"This relaxes me," he told her quietly, because it was true. It made him feel like he was doing something - not just waiting around for more handouts.
" 'Kay, Emb," she squeezed his arm again before she turned away.
So much touching. Any other day he would have been thrilled, but right now – he was ashamed to admit - it grated on his nerves. He suddenly realized he was irrationally annoyed with Bella. No, annoyed wasn't the right word…
Jealous. Fucking soul-rotting jealous.
Blowing a breath from his cheeks, he scrubbed the dish harder.
'
Over the next 20 minutes, the Pack trickled back in and, like someone had only pressed pause, they picked up their forks, conversations and laughter right where they'd left off.
But he could feel the curious stares like needles in his back. Courtesy of Pack mind and loose lips, they all knew about last night by now.
Finally when he'd washed away the last excuse, he had to turn around.
He was unnaturally hungry again, so, sucking it up, he grabbed a beer, plopped himself down beside Quil and served up another plate. Jacob had come back from rounding them all up and presided over the head of the table and along with Sam, they kept a tight rein on the conversation. Kim and Emily took their places beside their mates and joined in.
Embry kept his head tucked and fed his body while his ears voraciously listened to anything that fell over the women's lips, just waiting for some veiled comment or covert emotion to mine for information.
Nothing.
The girls were good like that. And Jacob had kept his word too – there were no questions or talk of last night. But his Alpha couldn't control the covert glances cast his way when they thought he wasn't looking. If anything, wolves were nosy bitches.
The next 20 minutes passed like usual: enthusiastic eating, Nina joined the group from some family thing and patrols switched, stupid jokes and lame commentary on sports or cars or some TV show was volleyed over the table.
But then Paul and Seth came off shift.
While the younger wolf immediately wrapped himself around his imprint, Paul jumped into his place across the table and smirked. Embry shoveled another bite into his mouth and refused to make eye contact.
His Packmate heartily served himself all while heaping on the stares. When he couldn't stand it anymore Embry stood up, gathering his plate.
"Off to join PETA?" Paul laughed under his breath.
Embry's eyes flicked up like switch blades while a rage-bomb detonated in his chest. Paul quickly lowered his eyes to his plate while his lips oozed up on a gratified side.
Swallowing a knot of fire, Embry stepped over the bench with jerking movements, putting everything he had into not lunging across the table to beat that smirk along with some teeth down his fucking throat.
Embry turned away (the second hardest thing he'd done in his life) and stalked down to the other end of the room. Jacob's gaze darted up to assess the situation but Embry ignored him, pressing himself into the corner of the cabinets near the refrigerator and setting his plate on the counter. He gulped down a hefty draught of beer, trying to douse the flames that were eating him alive inside.
It didn't work.
He drained his bottle and then got another. Flipping the cap off with one thumb, he caught it in his palm while he poured down another half of the bottle down his throat.
"Emb?" Jacob called quietly.
Embry didn't look at him but just shook his head tersely. Thankfully, he didn't push and returned to his meal.
Having lost his appetite, Embry turned his body from the room and leaned against the counter in the corner while he pushed food around on his plate in front of him. He wanted to throw it across the kitchen, but he didn't… because what excuse would he have to hang around otherwise? The dishes were done for now, everyone was eating…
He picked up an orange from the bowl of fruit on the counter and tossed it idly up in the air while he drained his beer and let the conversation behind him blur into white noise. Setting the bottle down, he slid down so he could lean his elbow on the counter and started carefully peeling it into one strip of rind, just for something to do.
When suddenly all conversation stuttered to a halt.
"Holy shit," Jacob breathed from the end of the table.
Apple blossoms, rainy forests, spring. Embry's head snapped around to see Bella standing in the doorway with… her.
Embry dropped the orange from numb fingers and it went rolling across the counter to the floor as he turned around. Holy shit was right. He'd thought she was beautiful last night, now you could cobble words together in every language and there'd never be enough.
And those huge doe-eyes were locked unwavering across a sea of bodies…
On him.
Wrapped in a white blanket, Bella had her arms around her. "See he's here," she murmured, rubbing her arm soothingly. Bella's gaze darted across the room and met his. "She's asking for you."
Asking?
For him?
Embry swallowed, pushing off the counter and shoving his hand through his hair, unable to break free of those mesmerizing eyes. He couldn't seem to make his feet move or his lungs work or …anything.
And then she was moving.
Without a glance at Bella, she stepped out of her arms, nose lifting with subtle tips like she was scenting the room. She took one tentative step and then another, the blanket slipping heedlessly from her shoulders.
Embry's heart stopped in his chest.
Dressed in only the cream cotton sundress that hit her mid-thigh, it revealed flawless honey skin and the body of a dancer. She was on the tall side for a girl and the epitome of willowy, with fine collar bones, small breasts, narrow hips and limbs that that were long and lithe. Her hair had been brushed to a thick burnished curtain of sable that hung pencil-straight down her back, clear down to the top of her thighs. It swayed, slow and sensual, behind her as she moved.
If her beauty was inhuman, her movements were more so. Dainty hands splayed at her sides, each cautious step she took into the room was made with a delicate point of bare feet and then flowed into the next, like water made flesh.
For the life of him, he couldn't remember his name.
With gazelle-light steps, she skirted the kitchen with fluid grace, casting skittish glances and a spell of silence over the table. Every last person at it was openly gaping, but Embry didn't notice. How could he when she turned and swallowed him down endless eyes?
Her long dark lashes fluttered with a blink and a bow russet mouth curved softly. Embry had no control of his face too answer. Her step quickened and she veritably danced the rest of the way, her body and hair swaying in hypnotic contrast like a liquid samba.
She stopped right in front of him, smiling freely like he was her favorite person in the world, and Embry shoved his hands into his pockets in a desperate attempt to keep from snapping her into craving arms.
If he did, he'd never let her go.
Her head tipped smoothly to the side as she lifted her chin toward him like a petition. Drowning in quiet eyes a smile dusted over his lips as he leaned down so she could touch his nose with hers.
Unlike other times though, she didn't pull away but just lazily rubbed back and forth, as light and gentle as a breath. But still, just the brush of her skin seemed to make his whole body pour into toes, his heart slowing from its sprint to an intoxicated stagger.
"Emmie," she sighed, her breath wafting sweet over his face. Then, hands clasping under her chin, she melted against him.
Embry blinked. Once. And a bunch more times after that.
Pulling his hands from his pockets, he slowly, tentatively wrapped his arms around her.
God, her hair was so impossibly soft, just like her skin and the fur of her other form. Embry loved soft things.
His arms wrapped a little tighter and she pressed her cheek to his chest with the sweetest little sound in her throat.
"Say it again."
He heard the words before he realized he'd spoken.
She picked up her head, looking up at him with a pucker between delicate brows. He couldn't help but smile.
One hand left her back and he pointed to his chest. "Me?"
Understanding sparkled in her eyes, followed by pleasure.
"Emmie."
Embry's eyes fluttered closed while his ear savored the sound and his mind carefully molded it into memory. Her voice was like moonlight: crystal tones with soft breathy edges.
She nestled back against him and he wrapped her closer, palms gently squeezing her delicate body under the thick wash of hair. She came up to his chin and it was the perfect height for cheek-resting - like Bella had said, she was warm in his arms, like human touch had felt like pre-Phase.
It was just what he'd always wanted.
"Emb, she hasn't eaten yet."
The words more than the voice pulled him up out of a whirlpool reverie so overwhelming only concern for her could tug him free.
Picking up a head that weight a hundred pounds he turned to find Bella standing a few feet away with her mate towering behind her. Embry blinked, straightening as it started to filter back into his addled brain exactly where he was.
And that Jacob was valiantly trying to shield them from the table.
His Alpha's eyes were intense under that heavy brow but there was also the softest curve playing on his lips.
"Why don't you see if you can get her to eat?" Bella smiled gently.
Nodding, Embry rubbed his palms over her back. " 'You want some food, Sweetheart?" he murmured.
She picked her head up from his chest and shocked him with a nod.
His face cracked in a smile of pride – she was a fast learner. She must already be picking out words. With a final caress, he forced his hands to leave her and she sidestepped, casting a timorous glance at Jacob.
Embry reflexively turned his body between them meeting his Alpha's gaze - the smile had been ironed into a thin press of lips. Embry knew he was still battling self-blame – like he was himself – but she was afraid of him and, without question, her feelings came first.
Bella took a fearless step into the tension between the two wolves. "Why don't you two eat in the living room," she suggested with a meaningful lift of her brow.
Embry nodded gratefully and turned…
To find bright eyes and two hands offering up the orange from the floor. He smiled softly and took it, "Thank you."
She looked pleased as she stepped into his side, slipping both hands around his bicep.
"I'll bring her a plate," Bella told him.
With a grateful nod, Embry palmed the orange and led her along the counter while she pressed into his side, hiding behind his shoulder as she cast timid glances at a table that was silently pretending to eat. Jacob flanked him like a barrier. Embry had always loved them both but in that moment, when his Alpha and mate were helping him carve out just a little more time with this woman, they earned an entirely different level of devotion.
He turned at the doorway and met Jacob's sober eyes. "Thank you," he mouthed the words.
His Alpha nodded curtly and turned back to his Pack.
Gaze falling to the chestnut head leaning against his shoulder, he led her into the living room and to the couch. She looked up, and he pressed a kiss to her hairline before collapsing in the corner of the sofa while he listened to the hushed conversation in the kitchen.
"Who is she?"
"Her name's Sweetheart," Jacob whispered. "She's Bella's guest and that's all you need to know right now."
At her new name, the girl's eyes darted toward the kitchen as she absently pulled the thick fall of silk over one shoulder. She must have the same sensitive hearing that they did.
"What kind of name is-…" Quil began.
"No questions," Jacob bit out curtly, a heated Order wrapping it up tight. "Paul, report on the northern border..."
Embry stopped paying attention as a beautiful creature melted gracefully down beside him. She turned to him expectantly as she pushed away the hair spilling into her lap off to the side.
With a smile, he tossed the orange up once, and brought it down to his lap to finish the peeling. Her attention was riveted on his hands, like it was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen.
He looked up from under his lashes. "Orange," he told her quietly, as his fingers continued to deftly strip the fruit into a coil of rind.
She met his eyes.
"Orange," he repeated slowly.
A pink tongue skated over her lip and his balls lit on fire. He shut that shit down with a clench of jaw.
"Aw-wan," she tried.
He smiled and said it again, enunciating carefully. "Or-an-ge."
"Orranshh," she repeated with an earnest furrow to her brow.
Grinning, he nodded, returning his eyes to the fruit and pulling free the last of the peel. He shaped it back into a ball and then let it fall from two fingers into a bouncing orange coil.
She laughed softly – it was such a sparkling innocent sound that he felt ashamed of the way it made his dick twitch. Ignoring his wayward body, he handed her the peel and she took it, bouncing it up and down like a yoyo with a smile a mile wide.
Sniffing a laugh, Embry tucked his chin and pried a thumb into the middle of the fruit, pulling apart the wedges. He stripped a few lingering white peels from a slice and handed it to her, watching her out of the corner of his eye. She glanced at him almost shyly and then carefully curled the peel back into a ball, set it on a honeyed thigh and took the piece.
Embry leaned back, propping one elbow on the armrest, and the other on the back of the couch, turning toward her. He pulled several slices free at once and popped them in his mouth, chewing on one side of a smile.
Her eyes falling to the slice of orange, she brought it up and sniffed delicately, and then took a tentative bite. She blinked, eyes widening in ingenuous surprise at the taste as she rolled it around her mouth and then chewed slowly.
"Do you like it?" Embry asked, popping another piece past his lips.
She looked up at him, still chewing her bite like she didn't know what to make of it.
Embry raised his brow and nodded in a mime of the meaning. "Like it?" Then he shook his head, wrinkling one side of his nose. "Don't like it."
She nodded slowly, a smile appearing on her lips as she swallowed. She took another nibble as both their gazes darted up to the women entering the room.
Bella was holding two plates in her hand and was followed by a smiling Emily, Kim and Nina.
"Hey you two," she greeted.
The girl continued chewing as she silently watched Bella cross toward her. She handed one of the plates to Embry and then sat down on the other side.
"How are you doing Sweetheart?" she asked, raising a brow with a prompting nod.
The girl nodded as she scooted closer to Embry, putting a hand on his thigh that made every nerve in his body jump.
"You're glad to see Embry again, huh?" she smiled, her eyes darting up to meet his.
"Emmie," she repeated, turning those bewitching eyes back on him. Just a glance from her and he was choking on his orange. He tried to subtly clear his throat.
"I'm Nina," Seth's mate spoke up as she sat down the couch across from them and the coffee table.
The girl gifted her with a bright smile.
Setting the rest of the orange on his thigh, he offered her the food. " 'You wanna try some of this?" he asked her quietly.
She turned back to him, eyeing the plate filled with salad, potato and some kind of broccoli cheese thing.
"Give me the orange peel," he tipped his chin toward the wilting ball on her leg and held out his hand.
She put it in his palm and he handed her the plate. Leaning forward he set the peel on the coffee table and sat back in the corner. She was now sitting ramrod straight and holding the plate in two palms, looking a little bit overwhelmed.
Sniffing a laugh he propped an arm over the back of the couch and gently stroked over the crown of her head. She looked up into his eyes and he ghosted a reassuring wink as he kept brushing his fingers slowly over her hair. Her lips spreading in a smile, she melted back against the couch and set the plate on her thighs.
Her gaze darted over the other four women in the room who were eating and watching silently. They were patient, just like Embry. The girl needed the space to get her bearings and they all knew it.
Her eyes flitted from one woman to the next and finally to Bella who was just bringing her fork and a potato to her lips. "Mmm," she wiggled her brows.
The girl giggled and Embry closed his eyes as the sound washed through his body in a visceral tingle.
He felt her settle into the couch a little more and when he opened his eyes again, she was putting the fork into her hand, watching at the way Bella held hers and then rearranging her grip.
Embry continued to stroke lightly over her hair while she awkwardly speared a potato and then glanced at him. He nodded with a smile and she brought it to her lips, taking a nibbling bite.
And so began the most awesome afternoon of his life.
He tried to commit every detail to memory: the way her hair felt under his fingertips, her smooth features and smoother skin, her delicate collarbones and the way her breath fluttered in the hollow of her throat, the warmth of her thigh along his. All while he catalogued every expression that flitted over her open-book face at each new taste that passed her luscious lips.
The women around them kept up light conversation - occasionally asking her if she liked this or that – but for the most part, the two of them just sat in their corner and listened. Even though he was still sitting on the quiet outskirts of the world, for the first time in his life, Embry didn't feel alone.
The only problem was that she wanted to keep feeding him.
Embry told her he'd eaten, but she didn't seem to understand so finally he picked up the rest of the orange and ate it at an ungodly slow rate for a wolf. Voraciously devouring every second he got to spend with her filled a deeper hunger but stoked a more primal one still.
His physical reaction to her disturbed him – even though he supposed it was natural for a healthy unimprinted male when she looked like she did. She was nothing but an innocent who was looking to him to protect her in unfamiliar territory before she returned to her own. She didn't need his lust getting in the way - but there was simply nothing he could do about his mutinous body.
But the pain was certainly worth the pleasure. Even though he was burning to cinder where he sat, steeping in a fiery lake of desire, it was worth every second of the torture. Each bite of food, each glance, each smile – paid the cost of restraint a million times over.
Embry blinked out of his haze as those guileless eyes turned toward him, offering him up a forkful of casserole.
"Eat, Emmie," she smiled uncertainly, obviously wondering if she'd gotten it right.
Embry's grin broke his face as he sat up more. "Sweetheart, that's awesome," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her temple.
He pulled back but her hand on his thigh stopped him cold and those soulful eyes, framed by a curling fringe of lash, so close and yawning...
They set his blood on fire.
Moist russet lips curved in a pastel smile. "Emmie," she whispered slowly, caressing his name with her life-breath.
Holy shit. He'd do anything if that voice asked it.
His mouth more kind of fell open and she took the opportunity to push the forkful of whatever the hell it was into it. Spellbound by those eyes, he automatically closed his lips and she slowly pulled the fork past them. It was almost sensual.
Or maybe it was.
Because then she was leaning up toward him, her breath quick and warm over his face. She closed her eyes, lashes nestling against her cheeks and rubbed her nose over his, sensuous and gentle. It was almost erotic.
Or maybe it was.
Because then she whispered his name over his lips. "Mm…Emmie." He was imagining that sigh as he pushed into her body, joining with her flesh, anchoring his soul deep in her womb, wrapping her in his sheltering arms…
And never letting go again.
Cool air rushed in, sucking that sweet breath away with it and Embry opened heavy lids over eyes that were swimming. And the most beautiful creature known to man was blessing him with sparkling eyes and a smile.
She giggled – most definitely at his expense. And he didn't give a shit because he could listen to that sound for hours.
She tucked her chin, with just the subtlest sunrise blush. "Emmie," she laughed softly to herself, as she returned to her plate and speared a salad green. She brought it to her mouth, glancing at where Embry was still not sure what had hit him.
Smothering a smile with a green, she chewed while she watched him straighten, blinking like a fool. Oh yeah, he had something in his mouth…. He swallowed whatever the hell it was without chewing with an audible gulp.
Leaning back against the couch, Embry rubbed a palm down his face and then pushed it through his hair, trying to get some semblance of sanity back. It wasn't very easy when three-fourths of all the blood in his body was throbbing in his crotch.
"Emb, it sounds like they're doing dessert."
Embry's gaze snapped out to where Bella was smothering a smile. "Why don't you go get some while it lasts."
He nodded dumbly. Yeah, he needed to clear his head for a moment and he certainly didn't think he'd survive without bursting something if she fed him again.
Smoothing a hand over her head, Embry stood, shoving his hands into his pockets and subtly trying to adjust the "situation."
"Emmie?"
He turned back to find worried eyes staring up at him.
"Sweetheart," Bella put a hand on her arm. "He'll be back." She motioned to the kitchen and then back again.
Nodding she looked back up and he smiled reassuringly and then skirted around the table, ignoring his blush as the other women graciously ignored the hard-on that was as good as obvious in a borrowed pair of shorts and tee shirt. It was humiliating and confusing and disturbing, but he was used to that by now.
He made a detour to the bathroom down the hall to get himself together before he ran the gauntlet in the kitchen. Jacob had done an awesome job of keeping the Pack in line this afternoon, but it had to be some kind of world record of trips to the bathroom by wolves. They weren't very subtle about spying on the group of women… and Embry.
Leaning over the sink, he splashed cold water on his face and braced his hands on the basin, letting it dribble away while he calmed his body.
This was so, so not good.
He was going to have to take a million cold showers tonight. And just the thought of his messy, mildew-stained bathroom… and his mother… made him deeply depressed.
But it did work like a charm for his little problem downstairs.
Embry didn't know how he was going to survive this, but figuring out how – or if - was going to have to wait. He had precious little time with the woman in the other room and he wasn't going to waste a second of it.
Any more than he already had.
Squeegeeing the rest of the water from his face, he pulled open the door and headed for the kitchen. His eyes snapped like a magnet to the girl sitting on the couch, listening to Bella with an intent furrow to her brow.
"Sah-wad… sahl-wad," she tried… and then her eyes found Embry.
They were like a fucking taser – making his heart race and muscles jump like he'd been electrocuted.
But then she smiled.
God, he was so royally screwed.
Tucking his chin, he pulled a hand out of his pocket to give her a little wave of his fingers as he passed back toward the kitchen.
He was so lost in maelstrom thoughts and questions, he didn't even notice all the stares as he crossed to the counter where the dessert was laid out. The kitchen was in the chaos stages of post-meal with wolves helping to clean up, some still eating, and Sam and Jacob sitting out back on the porch drinking beers and talking shop.
He kept his head tucked as he grabbed a regular-sized plate, chipped and worn from use, and started down the dessert line. There were brownies, store bought cookies, some melting ice cream… and some kind of giant sheet cake in honor of Brady's imprint (of course).
It didn't bother him like it usually would because he was so focused on getting some of everything so she could taste it all. He was pretty sure she'd never had sweets before and he was looking forward to her reaction.
Embry was so distracted by high-flying anticipation and tanking thoughts that he didn't notice Paul until he slammed into his side. The knife in Embry's hand slung cake across the cabinets.
Baring teeth, he snarled, "You're cleaning that up."
Paul laughed, leaning back against the counter and tipping back a swig of beer. "Cause you're too busy playing hostess?"
"Fuck off, Paul," Embry growled low, as he sliced the hell out of the cake with harsh chops.
"Oh, we're testy today," he chuckled turning with a leer and propping his elbow on the counter. "A little frustrated? Give it up, Call. That girl's gorgeous and so fucking out of your league..." he coughed a laugh. "She's just enjoying girl-time with Bella's pussy posse - which includes you."
Blood pressure rising, Embry ground his teeth together as he ferried the cake roughly to his plate. Grabbing a clawful of cookies, he decided to fuck the rest - he picked his plate up off the counter with a hand that shook.
"Hey, maybe I should step up to bat though," Paul murmured out of the corner of a smirk.
Embry spun on his heel and stalked across the kitchen, muscles jerking and shuddering.
"Because you know what they say…" Paul laughed softly behind him. "It's the quiet ones that suck good cock."
Embry exploded.
He threw his plate across the room and before it had shattered on the wall, he'd spun around and driven his fist through Paul's face. The force snapped it around and Embry took that opportunity to grab his shoulders and slam his knee into his gut.
Doubling over with his grunt, still Paul's hands snapped up to grapple with his shoulders. With a roar, he threw Embry across the kitchen and into the refrigerator with a crash. With the ricochet of bruising impact, he lunged into a leaping roundhouse kick that caught Paul square in the solar plexus. The force threw him across the room and into the opposite sheetrock wall.
Teeth bared and his growl hashing foam through them, Embry charged across the room ignoring the Pack gleefully backed into the sidelines.
Gasping from the chest blow, Paul was sliding down the wall, plaster raining over him.
Good, it would make it easier to kill him.
Jacob appeared in the back doorway three feet away from his victim. "Embry S-!"
Eyes never leaving his prey, Embry jumped into a savage side kick that landed square in Jacob's gut and sent him flying backwards, splintering the screen door as he was thrown onto the porch.
"You're dead, mutherfucker," Embry ground out.
But Paul had recovered and threw a right hook to Embry's jaw, making him stumble back. "You think you got a chance in hell?" he snarled as he threw another punch.
Embry went with the momentum this time, using the energy to launch a spinning kick that caught Paul in side. Leaping on his loss of balance he swung a fist in the opposite direction as his stumble, increasing the impact so it threw him back through the door.
Embry chased him down, throwing punch after punch, the sound of dull thuds and Paul's grunts pockmarking the afternoon. A lifetime of rage had been unleashed and it was burning him alive.
"Embry STOP!" Jacob roared.
The order rolled right over him as Embry thrust himself out of a grand-canyon track and into the acid lake - the cost of defying an Order. He welcomed the pain.
Bring it fucking on.
He was sick of having nothing, sick of waiting and scraps, sick of giving and getting nothing. Now he had something to lose and there was not chance in fucking hell he was going to let it go without a fight.
With a guttural growl, he swung at Paul but his prey crouched, shoving himself into Embry's body and wrestling him to the ground.
Locked in a grapple, the two men tumbled down the stairs and into the rainy yard, grunting and growling.
He felt the man over him start to shift and he snapped his legs up in the split-second window mid-transformation. With a vicious kick to the hybrid beast, it went flying over his head.
Embry rolled over and up to four paws.
The grey wolf was stalking toward him, ears back and teeth bared. Embry snarled, hate drizzling from his muzzle as they prowled around each other.
Muzzle peeling back, he sprang and Paul met him half way. The impact had them clawing up onto hind paws. Savage barking snarls ripped through the afternoon as the two animals tumbled down into a mauling flurry of fur and fang.
Finally Embry got an opening and sunk his teeth deep into Paul's shoulder. The grey wolf yelped in pain, twisting away and tearing flesh.
Embry crouched low, as Paul tumbled back to four paws, stark crimson oozing over silver fur.
"Jake!" Bella's voice from the house and the sound of mewling wails sliced through the red haze.
Embry whipped around just in time to see the most beautiful and gentle creature in the world wiggle free from the women's hands and push out on the porch.
Tears streaming down her face and hands at her mouth, her frantic eyes scanned the men frozen on the lawn until they locked with his.
Her face inflated in terror and Embry quickly reared up into human form.
It only made things worse.
With a keening wail she ran into a lightning dive off the porch. Mid-air she shimmered, the sleek form of a girl transforming with rippling grace and the rip of seams.
And a lissome doe landed on light hooves in the grass.
She sprang, nimble and lithe, in lightning hopscotch leaps across the yard, bounding over rock and around trees to be swallowed by the forest.
The yard was stunned into silence.
For several seconds.
"Wow, you guys are gonna have some fucked up kids."
Embry whipped around and slammed a sledgehammer fist into Quil's face.
And then he charged Paul.
Now human and shocked clear on his ass, he was still staring off into the woods, his torn bloody shoulder forgotten.
"You made her leave!" Embry bellowed, pouncing on him with bared teeth. He only got in a single punch before he was dragged off by iron fists. Embry spun around swinging.
Jacob socked him in the face.
Embry stumbled back and then lurched forward with a snarl.
Jacob punched him again...
So hard his head whipped around brought his body with it as he fell to the ground on his stomach. Blood pouring over the grass, he scrabbling up to hands and knees.
"Stay down!" Jacob barked.
Embry pushed against the command.
And suddenly he was being slammed back down by a knee between his shoulder blades. He fell with a grunt, all the air forced out of his lungs by the weight on his back. A hand fisted in his hair and yanked his head back.
Jacob's face appeared in his periphery. "Stay down," he crooned, sleek like velvet and razors.
Embry ground the words out like gravel, "I'm sick of staying down."
Jacob cocked his head as his brows pushed together. "Not like that, Emb," his voice softened. "You're out of control. Now let me get things started to find her, 'kay?"
That weight was cautiously lifted from his back but Embry didn't have any fight left. He'd lost her.
"Sam, get four wolves to pace the valleys on the borders. If they see her, don't engage but herd her back on our lands. Keep Levi here to listen to reports from the runners. Paul, go with Bella. Everyone else, get your cells, we track on foot…"
A sucking pressure making his chest feel concave, Embry slowly pushed up from the ground, sitting up clumsily and hanging his head as warm blood trickled down his chest from his face.
He wished he could bleed out.
"Emb," Jacob whispered, kneeling down in front of him.
He didn't have the strength to lift his head.
Jacob's hands slipped to his jaw and he did it for him. "Emb, look at me."
Embry squeezed his eyes closed tighter, but why fight anymore? He opened them in defeat to Jacob's concerned gaze.
"Now lemme ask one question," Jacob murmured. "Did you imprint?"
Brows furrowing he coughed a bitter laugh. "Nothing's ever been mine," his eyes closed.
"Oh God, Emb. You didn't know?" Jacob shook him gently.
Embry opened his eyes again – he had no words. He was so fucking torn up inside, he couldn't-...
"Tell me about her eyes," he whispered.
Embry hadn't cried in years but suddenly his nose was burning. He licked his lips slowly as his eyes fluttered closed on the memory.
"Emb?"
His swallow hurt his throat like he'd been screaming for years. Opening eyes that were filling with tears, his voice squeezed past his heart up the back of this throat. "They're so beautiful, Jake."
And then he broke.
Hoarse fallow sobs bubbled up from somewhere dark and deep, shaking his shoulders while they pushed salty despair over his bloody face. He gave into it, the sadness, the loneliness, the grief while Jacob pulled him in.
Arms heavy at his sides, body limp and numb, he sobbed piteously into his Alpha's shoulder.
"You imprinted, Emb. She's yours," Jacob whispered in his ear. "And we're gonna find her."
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