My heart thudded almost as hard as the overpowering bass beat in the club as I strutted over to the end of the bar, stopping mere feet from the leech and putting my hands on my hips, lowering my chin to look at him through my lashes as I quirked a brow. "You wanted me?" I asked in the most low, seductive voice I could manage. If it were possible, my heart rate picked up even more as he flashed me a brilliant smile. I suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable. If I were in wolf form, I would have been in my element. I would have been aching to sink my fangs into his throat and tear his granite head off. Right now, I felt weak and breakable. Because, comparatively, I was.
This was a bad idea. This isn't going to work. You're going to get yourself killed. I inhaled sharply as it struck me that those thoughts were not entirely my own. Those were Sams's words, Sam's thoughts, Sam's opinions in my head. Still. Engrained there. Sam, Sam, Sam. What the fuck is wrong with you?
"Yes…I wanted you. Care for a drink?" The rich, melodic tone of the bloodsucker's voice caught me off guard. He had a heavy accent too, European of some sort, but I couldn't quite place it. I nodded slowly and eased into the seat next to him at the bar. I bit my tongue as he smirked at me, watching my every move.
"Sure…whatever you're having." I intoned with a glance at the empty space on the bar in front of him. Putting him on the spot much? His muddy-brown eyes flickered for a moment before he leaned back, his nostrils twitching slightly. Shit.
"I have actually had quite enough to drink for the night and would rather not be getting drunk…not right now, anyway," he said smoothly as he smiled at me again. Liar. I almost snorted out loud at that, but remembered myself.
"Actually, I really don't want anything right now either. Any drinks, that is," I attempted a smile, shifting in my seat and leaning back on the bar, trying to seem relaxed as I crossed my long legs. I had already had several shots earlier in the night, and while alcohol burned through our systems so fast that it took a shit load to even get us tipsy, I didn't want to take any chances. I needed to be completely alert.
"Alright then," he said with a slow nod, tilting his head slightly as he scooted a little closer to me. "So….what do you want?" His smell was almost overpowering as he came closer, and I saw the slight wince he couldn't control as he inhaled. I followed his quick glance towards the other end of the bar where the boys waited, trying not to look like they were watching us.
"Friends of mine," I said softly, trying to pull his gaze away from them and back to me. "Bunch of sweaty, gross guy friends that dragged me out with them tonight." I bit my lip as he returned his gaze to me, seemingly intrigued. I rushed onwards, knowing he could hear my pulse pounding and the scent of my blood even through the animalistic odor. "You know what I want?" I asked, lowering my voice. "I want to get away from them for awhile. I want to get the hell out of here…with a real man." My gag reflex almost took over as I said that, but I managed to control myself. The smile that crept across his face after the words left my mouth should have made me hurl.
"Well then…shall we?" he asked, extending one hand towards me as he rose from his seat. Cringing as I placed my hand lightly in his, I glanced up into his eyes as they roamed my body before boring into mine, noticing the color was becoming more burgundy than brown. Contacts dissolving. I'd seen it happen often enough with Bella a couple of years ago when she was still a newborn.
"Mmm…," he practically purred in his throat as he ran his thumb over the top of my hand. I tried not to flinch at the icy feel of it. "You're so….warm," he tilted his head, looking at me quizzically.
"Well, it is pretty hot in here," I countered with a light laugh, taking his hand more tightly in mine. I can't believe I'm fucking doing this. This time, he flinched slightly.
"Yes…hot…actually a much better word to describe it than warm," his eyes narrowed slightly as the words escaped his lips. He was suspicious. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I tightened my grip further and pulled on his hand, my eyes flickering towards the exit. "I'm well aware that I'm hot," I tossed back with a smirk. "That's why you wanted me, right? So why the hell are we still standing here?"
He chuckled deeply as he took the lead and pulled me towards the door, whispering close to my ear, "Quite the eager one, aren't you?" I saw his nostril twitch again from the corner of my eye. Shit.
"I…," my words were cut off as he pulled me forward sharply and propelled me through a side door just beyond the bar that led straight into the alley. Perfect setup, you disgusting monster. My eyes swiftly scanned the surroundings. It was dark but for the streetlights and the lights of the city glimmering far down the other end of the alley. On this end there was nothing but a dumpster, a low brick wall with barbed wire on top between the club and the building next door that cut off any exit at this end, and the light of the moon overhead. The music from the club was still surprisingly loud out here, just muffled. Yes, perfect.
You've got this, Lee. I've got this. I took a deep breath.
All thoughts were driven from my head as I felt myself being pushed up against the brick wall, the leech's icy form pinning me there as his hands greedily roamed my body. SICK! Fucking… I stiffened, unable to stop the gasp that escaped my lips as he brushed his lips across my throat. That was too close. FOCUS.
"Are you...alright?" he asked, pulling back slightly with a smile playing about his lips. My heart pounded as I realized he could have bitten me right then. If he had…from what we knew about shapeshifter history and the little that Carlisle had told us about the Children of the Moon, we were fairly certain that vampire venom was poison to us. A death sentence.
I drew in a shaky breath as I stared at him, my instincts screaming at me to phase. Not yet. I glanced back at the door for any sign of the boys. Nothing. Dammit! My gaze returned to the leech, who was staring at me curiously. So much self control…he must be old. And…likes to play with his food?
Reaching a hand out and placing against his chest, I pushed gently and, surprisingly enough, he took a step back, quirking a brow. "I'm fine," I said breathlessly, forcing myself to smile, my mind racing along with my pulse. "But…" I let my hands do the talking for me as I trailed my fingers down his chest and abdomen, earning a growl from him as I dropped my hand and brought it to the hem of my shirt, slowly and teasingly beginning to pull it, letting it creep up my abdomen. Can't just explode out of this and walk out of here naked. I was taking a huge risk and I knew it. He could decide to be done with the games and just attack me at any moment. I had to buy time though. I threw one last glance towards the door before whipping the shirt over my head, tossing it aside and smirking as the leech's eyes locked on the swells of my breasts over my strapless black bra. Dinner and a show.
He pushed towards me again, but I quickly raised a hand to his chest. He stopped, looking me up and down, his gaze most riveted on my chest and throat. Naturally.
"Patience," I teasingly purred as I shoved at him lightly and brought both hands to my back, undoing the zipper of my skirt and twisting my hips as I pulled it over them, letting the skirt drop carelessly down my legs and pool around my feet. I wonder how bad it would hurt if he broke my legs. I cringed away from the negative thoughts, stepping over the skirt on the ground, using the opportunity to get a little more distance between myself and the bloodsucker. Shame to ruin these panties, they're the only really nice ones I've got. Ugh, the shoes too! Couldn't be helped. The leech was advancing again, slowly, and I couldn't wait any longer. My skin was crawling and my heart was ready to explode.
"So sexy," his rich voice floated softly through the air as he took another step forward. "So warm." His eyes narrowed slightly as I took a significant step back, all traces of seduction gone from my expression.
"And my smell? You like that too?" I sneered as I finally allowed the tremors to begin running through me, the heat in my core ready to explode outwards on command, my knees bending and body hunching forward slightly in preparation.
He stopped in his tracks and stared at me, confusion marking his marble features as his brow furrowed. "What…"
"You ought to be more careful about choosing your prey. Too late." I saw him crouch ever so slightly before the heat took over, shooting through my body, shredding through my remaining clothing as my body shimmered and convulsed, turning me from woman to wolf in under a second.
My paws hit the pavement with a thud as I instantly sank into a crouch, flattening my ears against my skull and curling my lips back to expose my gleaming teeth as a low growl rumbled through my chest. I realized then that I was not alone. I heard Jacob, Embry, and Quil's minds swiftly running through their plan, felt their worry-fueled rage, realizing where they were as I saw myself appear in their vision. They were on the roof of the next building, a mere three stories high, finally leaning their heads over the edge of the roof to look down at us as they heard me phase too. I kept my eyes trained on the bloodsucker, not daring to look up and see if Sam and Paul and Jared were up there too.
The leech stood frozen, his eyes glued to me, wide with shock and his mouth slightly agape. "It cannot be…" he said, so softly that a mere human would not have heard him. His lips curled back over his teeth as well, a snarl escaping him as he turned on his heels in a split second.
That's right, run! You won't make it to the end of the alley. I coiled to spring, my muscles tense as he finally tore his horrified gaze from me and bolted. I was after him in a flash.
"Leah, wait!" I saw a blurring of images as Jacob, Embry, and Quil all leapt down from the rooftop in my wake, but I did not stop at Jacob's mental call. He hadn't used an Alpha command.
The leech was fast, but I gained on him easily. I saw three tall, dark forms appear at the other end of the alley right as I sprang at the bloodsucker, my paws hitting his back and sending him flying forward onto his face. There was a dull thud as his body hit the ground with mine landing on top. I wasted no time in lunging for his throat with my jaws open, but the monster twitched and jerked to the left. I ended up with my teeth sinking into his right shoulder, his screech of shock and pain filling the air as I clamped down, twisted, and jerked my head upwards. The screech of steel being torn in two was even more grating than the cry from the leech's throat. Nothing else like it in the world. I tossed his right arm aside, adrenaline and a sick sort of pleasure coursing through my body. Pain followed as the leech flipped over and swung his left arm out, a sharp crack resounding as he caught me across the shoulder. I hadn't jumped back fast enough.
"Dammit! Leah!" My mind registered Embry's as a snarl of pain escaped my lips and I backed up further, waiting for the crack to heal. The leech took advantage of the opportunity and sprang to his feet, ready to either run again or attack. With a bad shoulder, I was vulnerable. Again.
He never got that chance. My pack brothers, all six of them in wolf form now, surrounded him in the blink of an eye. The look on his face was priceless, but it lasted only a millisecond. He was quickly on the ground again, this time with six pairs of fangs sinking into him wherever they could find purchase. The boys quickly dragged him further back into the dark cover of the alley as they tore pieces of him off and tossed them away. His screams and snarls were silenced as Paul sank his jaws over the bloodsucker's throat, ready to tear the head off.
"Wait!" I yelped aloud as I knew Paul could not hear my mind. This was my kill.
My pack instantly knew what I wanted, and Jacob quickly relayed the information to Sam. Paul's hold on the leech's throat reluctantly loosened as Sam ordered him to back off. The other boys ripped off whatever pieces of the creature were in their mouths at the moment and took a step back as well, making room for me.
I slowly prowled forward, the pain in my shoulder reduced to a dull ache as the healing process finished, my dark eyes trained on the writhing, dismembered leech. He was mangled beyond recognition, except for his face. His now-red eyes locked with mine, the horror written in them giving me some sort of sick thrill. The leech suddenly stilled his pathetic thrashing as I came to stand over him. His eyes closed.
I didn't waste another moment, quickly lunging for his throat, clamping my jaws down hard in the spot Paul's teeth had just vacated. The sickening crunch and screeching snap as I twisted and pulled made all of our fur stand on end, low growls resonating in our chests. I threw my head in the air violently, opening my jaws and letting the bloodsucker's head fly from my mouth. It hit the far wall and fell to the pavement, rolling a little before coming to a stop.
I fought hard to suppress the urge to howl in triumph.
The boys seemed to be a having a hard time holding in their exuberance too as they butted their heads into each other and into me, huffing and snorting from their muzzles as their minds whooped and hollered like kids getting out of school for the summer. I joined in the excitement, unable to contain myself. It had been too long since we'd all felt the thrill of taking out a bloodsucker.
My excitement died down almost completely as I caught Sam's eye, a sinking feeling taking over me as he shook his massive black head and began picking up pieces of the leech with his mouth, starting a pile that Paul and Jared began adding to as they calmed down. I didn't notice that my pack had stopped prancing about as well until I heard a little huff come from Quil. Jacob bumped Quil with his head and they both quickly joined the other wolves. I could feel their discomfort at having intruded on my thoughts and feelings, even though there was nothing they could do about that. Shit.
I turned my head slightly to see Embry still staring at me, his mind relatively quiet like it usually was. His chest expanded and contracted as he huffed quietly much like Quil had, averting his eyes and moving to help pick up all the pieces.
I snapped my teeth together in frustration. I'm going to change. Anyone looks my way they'll be missin' a limb. I could tell Jake had passed the message along because Sam and his pack all conspicuously turned their backs like my pack had. I was no prude, having long since lost any real sense of modesty. Being the only female in a pack mind and coupled with the complications of transitioning from wolf to human and vice versa with a horde of males had destroyed that long ago. I'd seen every last one of them naked, and they'd all seen me at some point. That did not mean, however, that I didn't mind if they gawked at me while I changed. They all knew better, and as almost all of them had imprints that made them much less inclined to even want to stare at another naked female, it wasn't such a problem. But still.
I trotted further back into the alley, picking up my skirt and top gingerly in my teeth along the way. Once reaching the brick wall on the other end, I turned around and concentrated for a moment, feeling the air shimmer around me and the minds of the boys fade out as I lifted up on my hind legs, my form shifting back to human. I quickly stepped into my skirt and pulled it up, then pulled my shirt swiftly over my head. When I turned around I saw that the boys had all taken advantage of my semi-absence to make the change themselves. I worked the zipper of my skirt as I walked back towards them, eyeing the chalky pile of the leech's corpse.
"So…who's got a light?" I asked with a lifted brow as six dark heads turned to look at me. They all stared blankly, a few patting their pockets and shaking their heads for effect. I grimaced as I suddenly remembered I was sans-bra and panties, grateful for the darkness and the length of my skirt.
"We weren't exactly expecting my fuckin' bachelor party to turn into uh, this." Leave it to Jared to state the obvious.
"We can't just burn the thing here," Jake said with a roll of his eyes. "We're lucky enough we managed all of that without attracting any attention yet. Let's not push it. We can get a lighter or some matches inside. Someone will have to take it out of the city to burn it."
"I'll do it," I said without hesitation. "My kill, remember? Plus, I have my car here." I crossed my arms over my chest, still staring down at the corpse.
"Ok Leah, but you're not going by yourself. There's always the chance it wasn't alone. Embry, you go with her. The rest of us will go back and double check the club before heading to the hotel." Jacob tossed me a key to the room we'd reserved for our pack at a fairly inexpensive hotel. Sam, Paul, and Jared had one across the hall. Nice as it would be to have been able to get our own rooms, none of us had that kind of money to waste when there was really no reason we couldn't all double—er, triple and quadruple—up.
"Fine by me," I said as I caught the key. I took my purse as Quil extended it towards me, surprised he'd had enough presence of mind to keep track of it through all of this. "Hey try to get a bag of some sort too while you're in there!" I called to Jacob as he re-entered the club to get a lighter or matches.
The boys resumed fooling around, their adrenaline-fueled buzz not entirely worn off yet as they joked and punched each other. I punched a few of them myself as they made jokes about me picking up a bloodsucker and not being able to get dates because I end up killing them. Having had enough of their nonsense, I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes as the adrenaline began to ebb from me as well. I was exhausted.
"That was a damn foolish thing to do, Leah," Sam's deep voice near my ear made me jump as my eyes flashed open, glaring at him as he continued, "But I'm glad you're alright."
"Yea, thanks for that," I drawled back sarcastically, pushing away from the wall, relieved to see Jacob emerge with a bag. He tossed me a packet of matches as he bent over and began piling the pieces of the body into the bag. When he finished, he handed the bag to Embry and walked over to me.
"You did great, Lee. I'm really proud of my Beta right now," he said with a huge grin as he clapped me on the back. My answering smile was weak.
"Thanks, Alpha," I said with a roll of my eyes, pulling my cell phone out of my purse and glancing at the time. "We better get going, it's after two." Embry followed me as I headed towards the open end of the alley, fumbling around in my purse for my car keys.
"That seriously was awesome, Lee!" Embry said as he jogged up next to me and fell in step, the bag of leech remains in hand. "Your shoulder ok? We all felt that…ouch!"
"Thanks, Emb. Yea, it's completely fine," I managed with a tight smile as we exited the alley and turned left down the deserted street, heading towards the parking garage a few blocks down.
"You know Jake only sent me with you because they all want to get back to the hotel and call their imprints, right?" Embry asked with a chuckle.
I lifted a brow, glancing at him. "At two o'clock in the morning?" I snorted with a shake of my head.
"Oh come on, you know how they are. Nessie and Claire will be the only ones asleep anyway…not like the other girls were going to get much sleep with their men out at a club several hours away," he laughed.
I nodded slowly, muttering distractedly, "Mm, yea, I guess…" as we rounded the corner and walked into the parking garage and made our way to my car. Embry tossed the bag in my trunk and hopped into the passenger seat as I got in and started up the engine.
The drive out of Seattle was relatively quick, the roads being fairly empty of traffic at that time of night. Embry chatted on and off about the events of the night, focused mainly on the fight, not seeming to mind that my responses were minimal. My mind was elsewhere.
We drove well past the outskirts of the city, pulling off on the side of the highway at the first convenient spot and taking the bag into the woods. Embry stuffed the bag into a crevice in a small outcropping of rock on a wooded slope facing away from the highway, and I set it on fire. We stood back and watched silently as the sickly sweet smell of the dark smoke rose towards us, offending our sensitive noses. It took barely a few minutes for the remains of the leech to be completely consumed. When the fire burned itself out, we stomped on any glowing embers and kicked the ashes around, just for the hell of it.
The drive back into Seattle was quiet, with only the radio playing softly. Embry and I were both exhausted, and I had much on my mind. I stared at the open, empty road ahead with a slight frown creasing my forehead.
"You shouldn't let what he thinks affect you like that," Embry blurted out of nowhere, startling me. I turned my head to stare at him, shocked that he had brought up what my mind was mulling over like a broken record, before returning my gaze to the road. Apparently I wasn't the only one with something on my mind.
I gritted my teeth, playing dumb. "What are you talking about, Embry?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he challenged. "You were awesome out there, and you know it…You should have seen your face when it was over. Wolf or not, you were fuckin' beaming, Lee."
His face was so sincere that I couldn't help but smile a little. "Thanks, Emb," I paused, shrugging before going on, "It just felt good. Like a little high…you know how it is."
"Yea, but…" he trailed off, turning his face towards the window before turning back to look at me. "It faded at the first sign of disapproval from Sam. I just don't get why you still give a shit what he thinks, after all this time…"
"You don't know when to shut the hell up, do you?" I snapped at him furiously, cutting him off as I gripped the steering wheel in anger. "Mind your own damned business, Embry! I didn't ask for your input!"
Tremors ran through me, and I took a deep breath to calm myself before I phased again right then and there. Embry opened his mouth as if to retort, then snapped it shut just as quickly, turning away towards the window again. I seethed inwardly. Of all the nerve…
"Sorry, Lee. I know it's none of my business, but…I'm just…we're all just tired of seeing you hurting," Embry's responded softly after a few moments of complete silence, catching me completely off guard.
"Yea, well, we all have to deal with each other's shit. You guys are stuck with me for now, so deal with it," I shot back, biting my tongue as soon as the words left my mouth. I knew he hadn't meant it that way. The sincerity behind his statement had unnerved me. I would much rather have heard him say that they all couldn't stand being in my depressing mind anymore. At least that I could handle. I had heard it often enough.
Embry sighed heavily next to me, frustration showing up in his tone, "That isn't what I meant…"
"Look, just stop, ok? I don't want to hear it," I cut him off again, exhaling slowly as he shook his head and turned to the window again. The rest of the ride back was silent.
When we finally made it to the hotel and got to our room, we found Jacob still up, talking quietly on his cell phone. He was sitting on a cot in the middle of the floor, and Quil was already sprawled out and snoring on one of the beds. One bed and a big chair in the corner were the only sleeping options left available.
Embry leaned against the wall, rubbing a hand over his face as he yawned. I stood just in front of the door, staring at Jacob, not even trying to disguise the fact that I was eavesdropping on his conversation.
"Yea so…crazy night. Mhm. Yep, the place was starting to clear out a little so it made it easier. No mate in the immediate area anyway. Yea we'll keep our eyes out. Ok. Tell Eddie all about it, will you? And the rest of the family, if you think you should. Sure. No, Sam will tell them tomorrow, he's got to get Paul and Jared home early so they can pick up patrols from the kids and Kim can drag Jared's ass around for last-minute wedding stuff. Mhm. Yea apparently she's turned into Bridezilla…weird, right?" Jacob laughed a little then yawned, not covering his mouth. "Ok Bella. Yea you have a good night too. Tell Ness I miss her and I'll be home as soon as I can tomorrow. And give her a big hug for me in the morning. Yea. Night Bells," he said as he ended the call and flipped his phone shut.
I had moved a little as Jacob finished his conversation with Bella, picking my oversized tee out of my small overnight bag on the floor and pulling it over my head after pulling my arm out of the one sleeve of my shirt, sticking my arms through the sleeves of the tee before pulling the red top down over my hips and adjusting the tee to its full length at mid-thigh. I then pulled my skirt off under the tee, slipping on a pair of small shorts before tossing the top and skirt into my bag. I could have just changed in the bathroom, but I wanted to hear what Jake was saying. Embry had enough sense to keep his back turned to me. I was pissed enough at him to begin with.
"So, everything taken care of?" Jake asked with another yawn as he lay down on the cot, his eyelids drooping.
"Yea, nothing left but ashes, bro," Embry answered with a yawn of his own, attempting to push past me as I made my way towards the chair in the corner.
I shot Embry a startled glare as he almost made me trip over Jake's cot. "What the fuck are you doing?" I growled at him, pushing him out of my way and walking over to the chair, tossing my pillow on it and sitting down.
"Lee, take the bed," he said with a lifted brow as he watched me.
"No," I snapped petulantly. "You take the bed. I'm sleeping here."
"Leah," he said, staring down at me, "Seriously, take the bed. Believe it or not, I was raised to be a gentleman and taking the bed while you sleep in a damned chair isn't gentlemanly."
I turned over on my side on the chair, putting my back to him as I curled up over my pillow. "I said I'm sleeping here. I don't need any damned chivalry. Go the hell to bed and let me sleep," I grumbled out, defying him simply because I was annoyed at him.
My eyelids were growing heavy with exhaustion, but I heard an exasperated sigh and a mumbled something about "stubborn ass females" before I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up the next morning to the feeling of warm sheets and a flat, soft surface under my back. Popping one eye open at a time, I glanced around at my surroundings, disoriented for a moment until I remembered where I was, the events of the night before rushing back to me.
"Morning, sunshine!" a cheery voice rang out in the small room, making me sit up in bed. Bed? I glanced over to my right to see Quil still sprawled out over the other bed, snoring away. The cot was empty with the sheets thrown back and the shower in the bathroom was running. A little bit of sunlight peaked in through the blinds over the window of the hotel room. The clock on the nightstand read 10:27am. I turned my half-open eyes to the middle of the room to see Embry standing there in only his boxers and shorts, holding a cup of steaming coffee in each hand as he flashed me a wide grin. I looked down at myself and then at the bed, my eyebrows lifting as I blinked.
"Embry, what the…" I ground out in a raspy voice, turning back to him with a frown creasing my brow as I ran my fingers through my messy hair.
"Don't get your panties in a knot, Lee," he laughed. "I slept in the chair. Coffee?" he asked, his cheeky grin widening as he walked closer and extended a cup to me.
I squinted up at him with a bleary-eyed scowl. It was going to be a long drive home.