Author's Note:
Well, hear I am again with another chapter to read. I want to remind you all again that I have a new story surrounding Seth and his imprint, and I would appreciate it if you all checked it out. Thanks, as usual, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. And REVIEW, because the more reviews I get, the sooner I update.
REVIEW GOAL: 35
Happy Reading!
I do not own anything related to Twilight. If I did, I would be swimming in Turks and Caicos right now...but since I don't own Twilight, and don't receive any of the royalties from the book sales, I'm not. Boo.
All my life My love's been waiting for you
All my life My heart's been waiting too
Don't you know I need you
And adore you
All my life I'll give to only you
-Mariah Carey, All My Life
Ch. 9 Back For Good
I sat in Quil's heated lap in the backseat of Emily's rickety minivan, peering out the glass window, through the sheets of pouring rain, at the town that I was sure I would never see again. The town that I had made a personal pact to stay away from for the rest of my living existence. I almost let out a laugh. Funny how things can change so quickly.
"What are you thinking about?" Quil's soft rumbling voice pulled me out of my mind, as he brushing back a few flyaway strands of hair that had glued themselves to my face with his massive affectionate fingers.
"How fast everything is falling into place", I admitted truthfully, craning my neck to face him full-on. His chocolate eyes were even with mine, sending my heart sputtering in random beats and rhythms.
Standing up, he was at least a foot and a half taller than me, being I was around 5'5, but when we were sitting, I could reach his face, because our eyes were on the same level.
At first I saw a faint smile cross his lips, but it rapidly turned into a distressed frown. His black eyebrows knitted together, and I found myself wanting nothing more than to smooth those furrowed brows back out.
"What?" I asked, a little startled to find myself gasping for air. It's like I had forgotten how to breathe when I saw Quil's apprehensive expression. We were connected in so many ways...
"This is too fast. We're moving too fast for you. Shit, Claire I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I just- I've been waiting for so long that I just got ahead of myself. Shit, god damn it", he muttered under his breath, rambling on while shaking his head back and forth, slightly pushing me off his lap in the process. What was he talking about?
I quickly launched myself back up onto his warm lap, placing my slender hands on either side of his angled jaw, forcing his panic-stricken eyes back to my face. I felt the tinges of guilt, sadness, and extreme worry wash through me, no doubt transferred from his own current emotional state. It was like we were bonded in a way that was unexplainable. What one felt, the other felt, as well.
"No, Quil, listen to me. This is not too fast. Not at all. I've been waiting for this my whole life, too, I just didn't know it. Trust me, if anything, it's long overdue. I think we're granted a free speeding pass to catch up", I joked, giving him the best reassuring crooked grin I could.
His face immediately reverted back to it's original smiling state. The sexy, teasing, normal Quil grin that made my heart palpitate and my knees buckle. My Quil.
I heard a high-pitched, breathy sigh from the front seat. Of course Emily would be listening in on our private conversation, I mean, let's be honest, it was Emily. The queen of romanticism. The guru of love. The lover of all things mushy and gushy.
As if on cue, her soprano voice chimed, "I just love days like these." I could easily picture the dazed look in her eyes as she made that comment, she would've looked exactly like some cheesy actress of a daytime soap opera.
We fell into a comfortable silence as we drove down the narrow country roads until we reached Emily and Sam's cozy cottage. I noticed Quil was absentmindedly twirling some of my crow black hair around his fingers as I gazed out the windows. I tried to ignore it, but my stomach was doing anxious flips over and over again.
Emily was the first to hop out of the car, sprinting inside to, I assumed, greet her imprinter, Sam. Quil had told me about all the imprints and their imprinters when he'd first told me about the whole process. I could definitely see the love between Emily and Sam, even before I'd known about the whole imprinting thing, but now, knowing what exactly made their relationship so intense, it kind of tied the loose strings together. Like so many other things lately, it made every piece click together, like a puzzle.
"Are you sure you want to move back here?" Quil's unbelievable question interrupted my thoughts. Could this guy get a clue? I think I need to like hit him with something to get my point across. Of course I would move here. It's where he lived.
"Are fricking kidding me?" I asked, slapping him lightly on the forearm to show him my disbelief. He shrugged.
"I don't want you to ever feel pressured. I mean, obviously I love you, and I always will, but if you don't want to do something, don't ever feel like you have to", he stated firmly, wrapping his toned arms around me and squeezing me tightly into his heated embrace. If only I could stay here the rest of my life...
"Ah-hmm", I hummed, unable and unwilling to come up with any other form of response at the moment.
But just like all good things, the heated embrace had to end. Quil gradually pulled away, but not before kissing my cheek ever-so-gently, leaving a blazing burning sensation there. I was just about to ask for a little more...
"So, you ready to go unpack?" He questioned, his charming grin beamy and jubilant. I simply nodded, too flustered to respond with my mouth when my face was was so close to his. He chuckled when he started to get up and I clung on to him like a baby.
"You have to let go for a second, honey", he whispered, sending prickly chills down my spine. I blushed, finally realizing my odd behavior and released my grip on his shirt collar. He jumped out of the car at the speed of lightning, and wasted no time reaching his long arms out for me. And I wasted no time flinging myself into them.
It was still raining madly, cats and dogs, but Quil didn't let a single drop reach my body. He hunched his back over, and because he was holding me cradle-style in his arms, he acted like a human shield, blocking any droplets from hitting me.
He rushed into the house, kicking the front door open, sending a nasty creak through the metal door hinges, and set me down gently on the woven rug. I barely made it a step into the house before I felt crashing bodies on my legs. I looked down at the smiling, chubby, russet faces of my cousins.
"Claire's back! Yay!" They chorused, jumping up and down excitedly and pulling on my jeans. But, instead of my normal reaction, of wanting to bat them off my body, I felt something different. I envisioned Quil and I having children...
"Brandon, Anna, leave Claire alone! She just got back, let her relax before you bother her!" Sam's commanding voice boomed, stopping the bouncing children in their steps.
They both released their holds on my pant legs and Emily ushered them into the kitchen, shooting Sam an irritated glare. Clearly Emily wasn't the disciplinarian of the family.
Quil's warm hand suddenly wrapped itself around mine, enveloping it in his warmth, and he shot me a small smile as he towed me into the kitchen after Emily.
Emily was stirring something that smelled gourmet at the stove, while the kids sat at the dining room table, coloring on some blank, white computer paper. Quil took a seat at the end of the table, and pulled a silent me into his lap. I didn't protest, glad to be in his warm, strong arms.
Sam followed in after a minute or so, his expression grave and glum. He strode over to Emily's side, kissing her scarred forehead before capturing her lips into a compassionate kiss. It was too personal to watch, and I had to turn away.
But within seconds, the kiss was over, and Sam whispered something into Emily's ear. She frowned, but nodded, abruptly turning her face back to the stove top. Sam looked pained, but headed out the back door without another word.
"What's wrong, Emily?" I asked, curiously watching Sam's giant figure running into the woods that secluded the house.
"Sam has to go to work now", she replied, her voice dreary and monotone. I caught a glimpse of Quil's expression out of the corner of my eye. He was staring off into space, his thick lips pulled into a slight grimace.
"Like, wolf-work?" I questioned, naturally lowering my voice at the supernatural words. Suddenly, they both broke out of their dreary stupors, and chuckled at my hushed tone. I blushed, but rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, I suppose you could call it that", Emily finally answered, the giggles still pouring out of her. I didn't have to think about my next question. I whipped my head around to meet Quil's attentive chocolate eyes.
"Can I see you as a wolf?"
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