Embry's POV
It was the longest day of my life. Longer even than the day we fought an entire army of bloodsuckers. And every couple of minutes, I would remind myself that she might not even come.
She had to come.
I sighed, looking at my watch again. Noon. Mother Effer!
I decided that maybe sitting still was the problem. I jumped up and ran to the ocean. The water felt good against my legs. I stayed in the ocean for hours. Finally, when I decided I was sick of the ocean, I went back onto the beach. I looked at my watch again.
Twelve fifteen.
This day was getting longer and longer.
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Finally, the moment of truth. The sun was just setting, and I heard a muffled sob in the distance.
I jumped up and within seconds I had reached her. She was sitting there, lying on her side in the fetal position, sobbing. She didn't notice me. I laid down next to her and wrapped my arms around her. That was the first time I realized how cold she was. Even for a human that had to be unnatural.
"Cassie," I said quietly. "You can tell me. I love you."
There I said it. Not, I'm falling in love with you, but I love you. I pursed my lips, waiting for her response. It didn't escape my attention that I could still see through her.
She sat up, not meeting my eyes. "You won't understand," she said.
"Cassie, there's something about us wolves that you probably didn't know. It's called imprinting. It's when we find our soul mate. You can never leave her, and you protect her at all costs, and seeing her upset nearly rips you in half. Cass, I imprinted on you."
This brought on a new round of tears. "Oh, Embry!" she cried. "It's…not…you wouldn't…I can't!"
"Shh," I said quietly, stroking her hair.
Then I kissed her. She didn't react at first, then she kissed me back. That lasted for a few moments, then she pulled away. "This is wrong," she said, but I could tell that every cell in her body was screaming otherwise.
That's when it happened again. That fading thing. Before it was only a little. Now I could definitely see the ocean on the other side of her.
"Cassie, you have to tell me," I said. "Please. It's killing me not to know."
"I didn't almost marry Andy two weeks ago," she said, after a long pause. "It was ten years ago. And I have been looking for the locket ever since then. Because…well, I don't know how to say this, but, the day I lost the locket, I thought I saw it in the distance, and I swam, out to get it, and…Embry," she said, looking into my eyes. "I died ten years ago."
I shivered involuntarily. I was in love with a ghost. A beautiful, amazing ghost, who needed me.
"Why are you looking for the locket?" I asked in a small voice.
"When I…died…I heard a voice. It told me I couldn't move on yet. It said that I had lost something. I told the voice that I had lost everything. It said I needed to regain what I had lost before I could move on. So I've been searching for the locket."
"So why are you disappearing?" I asked, lifting up our hands. Mine was dark and tanned, and hers pale and transparent. The contrast was shocking.
"I don't know…" she trailed off, looking thoughtful. "But I didn't only lose the locket."
"What?" I asked, confused.
"I lost Andy. I lost my love. Maybe, falling in love…is regaining what I've lost."
"So I'm losing you?" I asked, miserably.
She nodded, bursting into tears again.
"Well, I have you now," I said. "And for now, hat's all I want to think about."
And we laid there for hours. Her in my arms. It was the best night of my life. But it was also the worst.
