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Chapter 7
The forest around me was dark and rain pelted down from the sky making my clothes stick to my body and my hair to my face. The trees providing little coverage from the rain as I started to shiver as I tried to figure out exactly where I was. I was panting, exhausted, and scared. "Marisol!" echoed a familiar voice and my heart jumped.
"Paul! I'm he-," I didn't get to finish because an ice cold hand clamped firmly over my mouth and a stone like arm wrapped around my waist. Suddenly, a large wolf was in front of me as I struggled against my captor. It wasn't just any wolf. It was my wolf. The wolf I had seen in the forest just behind my house. My captor chuckled behind me as the wolf barred his teeth and growled deeply.
"Do you really think you can stop me?" My captor asked, his voice laced with an accent I did not recognize. "All I need to do is nip at her skin and you will be too late. You won't be able to stop it. She'll be just like me and thirsty for blood." He pressed his face close to my neck and he inhaled deeply. "Mhm, she smells delicious," he hummed and I tried to fight against his grip, but only ended up hurting myself in the process. My captor chuckled as he kissed my head.
The growling from the gray wolf intensified before he barked loudly. Tears of fear filled my eyes. I was going to die. Just then two more wolves walked into the clearing, both a little bigger my wolf, but one was black and the other a dark rust color. My captor just laughed again before I felt his teeth graze along my neck and the next thing I knew the gray wolf launched into the air.
I woke with a gasp and my heart pounding heavily in my chest and a pair of arms tightened around me. "Hey, what's wrong?" Paul's voice came from above me and I blinked rapidly as the light of the fire met my eyes and I raised my head from his shoulder and turned my head so I was looking at him. Concern was clearly etched on his face as he looked down at me. I rubbed my eyes and shook my head negatively as I tried to get my heart to stop racing.
"Nothing, I just had a bad dream," I said before I laughed lightly. "I think the legends Billy told put some strange ideas in my head."
"Why? What did you dream?" he asked. His body was tense, just like his voice as he held onto me tightly.
"It was raining and I was in the forest. I was lost and I heard you calling out for me," I said as I pulled back slightly and shifted how I was sitting so I could face him directly. Nearly everyone had gone with the exception of Jared, Kim, Sam, and Emily. I vaguely noticed they were listening to me as I spoke, but I continued on. They would have found out eventually anyway. "I went to answer you, but someone grabbed me from behind and covered my mouth with their hand. They were like ice, whoever they were, and their grip was like steal.
"Suddenly, my-that wolf I told you about appeared. He was growling at the guy that held me, but they guy wasn't scared. I think it must have been one of those 'cold ones' Billy was talking about, you know a vampire. He was talking about biting me and turning me, telling the wolf I smelled delicious." Paul was trembling slightly, but his dark eyes held mine and I heard the other guys shift in their seats around the fire.
"What happened?" he asked. His deep voice quiet as his dark eyes seemed even darker thanks to the shadows the flickering fire created on his face.
"Two more wolves joined m-the first. One was black and the other a dark rusty color. They were both a little bigger than the first, but not by much. The vampire that held me just laughed before he ran his teeth along my neck and then the first wolf launched himself into the air. I woke up then, but it scared me all the same."
"The wolves scared you?" he asked and I shook my head fiercely.
"No, I wasn't afraid of the wolves; not at all. They were there to protect me. I was afraid of whatever had a hold of me," I said. Paul sighed heavily, his body still trembling slightly, before he pulled my body close to his. I welcomed the warmth his body provided and I wrapped my arms around him. The trembling slowly started to ebb away as I held onto him and he kissed the top of my head. "What time is it?" I asked absently and Paul's left hand left me as he pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans.
"Nearly midnight," he said quietly and I gasped as I pulled away from him.
"Crap," I said as I stood quickly and grabbed his hand. "You got to get me home. I'm almost an hour late."
"Late?" Paul asked as he stood since my pulling on his hand wasn't budging his large frame.
"My curfew's at eleven, Paul," I said and with another firm tug, I assumed he had enough and he stood from the sand in front of the log. "Bye guys!" I called over my shoulder to Jared, Kim, Sam, and Emily; and I heard the four of them laugh before they said good bye to us as Paul let me practically drag him towards his truck. "He's going to kill me," I said as I let go of his hand when we reached the truck and I ran to the passenger door.
"Relax, Marisol," Paul said as he caught my arm and stopped me from throwing myself into the cab of his truck. He turned me around to face him and I looked up at his smiling face, which I could see thanks to the moonlight shining down through the thin vale of clouds in the night sky.
"Relax? Paul, my dad is going to have my head," I said, my voice a few octaves higher than usual and his smile only grew.
"Emily called him, Marisol," he said as he raised his free hand to my other arm and gently held my arms in his hands as he looked down at me.
"What?" I asked and he chuckled as he raised his hands to my face and ran his thumbs along my cheeks.
"When you fell asleep, Emily called him to tell him that you had fallen asleep and that she'd make sure that I brought you home before it got too late," he said.
"Is that why everyone was laughing?"
"Probably, and the fact that you looked like a crazy person," he said with a chuckle and I smirked before I punched at his chest only to cry out quietly in pain as my hand throbbed like it had hit stone. I brought my right hand to my chest and covered it with my left. Paul's hands quickly left my upper arms as he cursed quietly and grabbed my right wrist and pulled my hand towards him. "Are you okay?"
"I think so," I said weakly and he gently ran his fingers over my clenched hand and spread out my fingers. It ached as my fingers straitened and as he rubbed them softly in his hands, but it wasn't terribly painful so I knew nothing was broken. "I'm fine," I told him again as I looked up from our hands and at his face. He too turned his attention to my face and I gave him a small smile. "I think you work out too much if your chest is that hard." He scoffed a laugh then before he shook his head and raised my hand to his lips, where he placed a soft kiss on my aching knuckles. My heart felt like it was in my throat as his warm lips brushed over my chilled skin and I took a quiet but sharp intake of breath at the sensation. His gaze held mine as he lowered my hand and I saw a small smile settle across his lips as he looked down at me.
"Come on, let's get you home," he said softly before he opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in and sat there numbly after Paul closed the door and started round the truck to the driver's side. At that moment I knew my feelings for Paul had taken a huge turn, and I was pretty sure that I was falling in love with him.
The next morning I woke up around ten to an empty house and a note from Dad stuck on the fridge letting me know that he had gone fishing with Billy and Charlie. I had barely slept through the night, which was why I had gotten up so late. I was trying to wrap my head around my sudden realization of the night before as Paul drove me home. I had known the boy for all of two weeks, and knew only a little bit about him. There was no way I was falling in love with him, but I was. Suddenly, I was imagining what my future was going to be like now that Paul was in my life. It was all very exciting and terrifying at the same time.
The more I thought about it the more I realized that there was no way in the world I was ever going to tell him how I felt. At least, not until I was sure he wasn't going to go running for the hills. After all, I was still in high school for crying out loud and he was only eighteen. There was a high probability that Paul and I wouldn't even be together in a year, let alone a lifetime together. Hell, I didn't even know if we were officially together. We hadn't been on a date, unless you counted the bonfire with everyone else or when he helped me paint my room. I didn't want to put a label on whatever it was we had going on, but I had hope that since he seemed to enjoy kissing and holding me so much that there was more to our relationship than friendship. However, I could just be setting myself up for heartbreak.
Shaking the thoughts from my head, I focused on my grumbling tummy and set to making myself breakfast. I wasn't in the mood for anything that required too much effort, so, I settled on cereal. I poured myself a hefty bowl full and padded out into the living room before settling onto the sofa. I turned on the television to try and find something entertaining on Sunday morning, but before I could even change the channel a firm knock sounded on my door. Sighing, I sat my bowl of cereal and the remote down on the coffee table before I walked over to the door. I unlocked it and opened it surprised to find Paul on the other side.
"Paul," I said as I smiled up at him. He smiled back before he gently pushed me back a bit so he could enter the house and I closed the door behind him. "What are you doing here?"
"Jacob told me your dad went fishing with Billy and Charlie today," he said. "I just wanted to check on you."
"Well, you could have just called. You didn't have to drive all the way out here," I said, but he simply smiled and shrugged before he put his hands in the front pocket of his jeans.
"I wanted to see you," he said. It was then that I remembered I was still in my pajamas, which consisted of a baggy dark blue t-shirt and grey sweatpants that had seen better days. Plus, my hair probably looked a mess as most of it was falling out of the loose bun I had pulled it into when I got ready for bed last night.
"Oh," I said softly before I pulled the hair tie from my hair and fixed it as best I could all the while looking at the floor. When I returned my eyes to Paul's I found him smiling.
"Did I wake you or something?" he asked and I shook my head negatively as I gestured towards the coffee table.
"I woke up a little bit ago and was just sitting down to breakfast and to watch some TV," I said and he nodded. "Want to join me?" I asked and he was smiling again.
"Sure," he said.
"Okay, if you like frosted flakes, you can have the bowl on the table," I said as we walked further into the living room. "I haven't eaten out of it yet." He nodded and walked over to the sofa. "I'll be right back," I said as I started for the stairs.
"Isn't the kitchen that way?" Paul asked from behind me and I turned around at the base of the stairs to see him holding the bowl of cereal in his left hand while pointing with his right thumb over his right shoulder.
"Yes, but I should get dressed," I simply said, before I turned back around and raced up the stairs. His laughter only made me blush.
We had spent the rest of the morning and part of the early afternoon settled on my sofa, just watching various infomercials and talking about how lame the product was or how overly dramatic the people were being. The air around us wasn't uncomfortable or strained, and we sat close together; Paul with his arm around my torso and me tucked into his side with my right leg crossed over my left and my bare foot resting against the shin of his right leg. Paul's hand rested on the lower part of my waist and just above my hip and as he flipped through the channels trying to find something for us to watch, I could feel his thumb rubbing tiny circles against my waist. He stopped on some car show seeing as nothing else was on, and he lowered the remote to his lap.
"Is this okay?" he asked and I nodded. It was a show I had seen before, thanks to Dad, and I didn't mind it even though I didn't know what they were talking about half the time. We watched the show in silence, but I wasn't paying any attention to it. Finally, after about ten minutes of silence, I spoke.
"Paul, can I ask you something?" I asked him quietly.
"Sure," he said and I lifted my head from his shoulder and turned my head so I was looking at him. I had expected to find him still looking at the TV, but his attention was solely on me and he had an expectant look on his face. I had lost my nerve for a second until my brain reminded me that I needed to ask the question that had been plaguing me, even though I was worried as to how he was going to take it.
"Um, well, I was just wondering . . .," I trailed off, my hazel eyes locked with his brown, and his arm tightened around me.
"Wondering what?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.
"I was wondering . . . what are we?" I asked and he frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked and I sighed quietly as I uncrossed my legs and sat up fully, pulling away from him a bit, but his hand remained on my waist.
"Obviously, we like each other," I said as I focused my eyes on the dark wood coffee table, "but we don't know much about each other yet. I'm new to the whole relationship thing, Paul, and I'm curious as to what we are. Are we friends with a few added benefits or are we more than that? I mean, technically we've never even been on a date; so, could we really say we're dating?" I was nervous and I was babbling; and the fact that Paul hadn't said anything yet had me a bit on edge.
I looked at him expecting to see a look of contemplation on his face, but all I saw was his smile. His beautiful, knee weakening smile, and I felt m face heat in a blush as I bit my lip. He sat up and after setting the remote on the sofa next to him; he raised his left hand to my face. He simply looked at me for a long time before his thumb gently tugged my lower lip from the grip my teeth had on it.
"Marisol," he said with a pause, "I 'm under the impression that last night was a date, but since we were with everyone else we should probably have a redo. Will you go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" he asked and I smiled.
"Really?" I asked and he chuckled as he nodded.
"Yeah. I've got to show my girl a good time now and again," he said and my heart started racing in my chest.
"Your girl?" I asked and his smile was back.
"Do you want to be my girl?" The first answer that came to mind was 'yes,' but I didn't want to seem too eager.
"Do you want me to be?" I asked back and he nodded.
"Always," he said and I smiled softly at the answer. My thoughts from earlier in the day were long gone thanks to the sincerity in his eyes as he spoke that one simple word. I had no doubt that he meant it. "So, dinner tomorrow; we'll make it our first official date?"
"Sounds perfect," I said and he smiled before he started to lean into me and I met him halfway. Our lips melted against each other, with such ease that I felt the fire clear to my toes. His arm tightened around my body and his hand slid into my pulled back hair before he gently pulled on my hair, tilting my head back a little more, so he could deepen the kiss. My hands slid up his chest and settle on his shoulders as he gently pushed back and I found myself lying back on the sofa. My brain was battling with my heart while Paul's lips continued the assault against mine, and as I felt his calloused fingers against the skin of my stomach, my brain won. "Paul," I breathed after I pushed him away and he looked down at me, his dark eyes darker and his full lips slightly swollen. I was pretty sure I was in the same state, but my brain was a little quicker to come together.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding just as breathless as I felt.
"We need to stop," I said and realization lit up his face.
"I'm sorry, Marisol," he said as he raised his broad shouldered form from mine slightly, but we both remained lying on the sofa, me underneath him.
"We both got carried away, but I'm not ready. Not for anything more than that anyway," I told him truthfully. He nodded and he opened his mouth to say something, but whatever it was, he didn't get to say it. The front door opened and we both looked to the door and I felt the world around me give way when I saw the furious look on my father's face.
"What the hell is going on?" Dad demanded as he slammed the door shut behind him and Paul scrambled up from the sofa. I sat up quickly and stood, adjusting my t-shirt as I did so. "Marisol?" Dad asked sharply while his murderous eyes remained on Paul.
"Dad, it's not what it looks like," I said and he looked at me then and I winced. "Okay, it kind of was what it looked like, but we weren't going to do anything." Dad turned his eyes from me and dropped his tackle box on the floor before he charged over to Paul and took hold of Paul's t-shirt before he started to drag Paul towards the door.
"Get the hell out of my house," he said as he opened the door and shoved Paul out onto the porch.
"Dad!" I said as I ran towards the door, but Dad grabbed me before I could go to Paul's side. He held me firmly, but kept his eyes on Paul.
"I don't care that Billy vouched for you, if I see you anywhere near my girl again, you won't be walking away. Do you understand me, boy?" Dad asked and Paul glanced at me and the grip my Dad had on my arm. I had never seen Dad as angry as he was that very moment, and despite Paul's concern I knew he would never hurt me. Paul, on the other hand, I'm pretty sure at that moment he would have had no problem killing.
"Yes sir," Paul said his eyes on me and I felt my heart sink at the words.
"Paul," I said quietly, but he shook his head subtly and Dad didn't notice. Paul turned around and went down the steps of the porch. It was then that I saw that his truck was nowhere in sight. Dad slammed the door shut and let go of my arm and looked down at me with narrowed eyes.
"Marisol Elizabeth Janks, I told you not to be alone in the house with that boy, and you do it anyway," he said and I sighed quietly.
"He came over to see me, Dad. We had breakfast and spent the day watching bad infomercials," I said. "Yes, we kissed, and things got a little heavy; but we both realized we were moving too fast. Dad, he was getting up when you walked in. I swear, we weren't going to do anything."
"You're grounded until school starts," Dad said and my eyes widened.
"What?" I asked.
"You heard me, Marisol," he said tersely. "You're grounded until school starts. No more going to the reservation, no more hiking, no more 'friends' coming over, no more anything. I love you, Marisol, but you need to re-earn my trust."
"I haven't done anything to lose it," I said sadly, but Dad didn't say anything at first. He just sighed and picked up his tool box before he grabbed the doorknob. He paused and looked at me.
"I don't know what has gotten into you over the last week, Marisol. Spending all this time with those boys, and brining Paul around when I told you not to. I'm disappointed in you, Marisol, and I never thought I'd say those words," he said before he left the house and I assumed he went out to the garage. Tears filled my eyes and I let out a quiet sob before I ran upstairs and closed my bedroom door behind me before I laid down on my bed and let the tears fall. My day had gone from amazing to terrible in less than thirty seconds, and I felt like I was going to be sick.
