Chapter Eight
–
Despite the lies that you're making
Your love is mine for the taking
-Whispers in the Dark, Skillet
–
"Did you find anything today?" Sue asked her son one night when he returned from his daily search for his imprint. He didn't bother answer, and she knew the answer by looking at the slump of his shoulders, "You'll find her, Seth. I know it."
Seth wished he had her hope. Since Edward offered to help him search two weeks earlier, they'd been moving nonstop since then. Alice, who could see only a fraction of Shiloh, was able to give them their first lead. She had not left the state. And Seth wondered why.
Days passed, however, with no sign of her. Seth would pick up a faint trail of her scent but it always led to dead ends. His frustration grew more intense with each failure, but he wouldn't give up. Shiloh was his world now, and he was going to go the distance for her.
He spent each night waiting for the sun to rise, a new day to begin, anxious to continue looking. His mother made special arrangements with his school so he could keep up with his schoolwork and search, without his education becoming a hindrance to him. He was grateful for that, since Shiloh dominated his thoughts. There were days he even forgot to eat, which Leah scolded him for.
His sister had been surprisingly supportive of his endeavor. He asked her, one night, why she didn't hate Shiloh for leaving him.
"I do hate her, actually. But I know that you love her, despite only knowing her for a month. I guess if I ever imprint, I'll understand."
Her words made him seriously question his feelings towards Shiloh. Sure, he felt strongly connected to her because of the imprint but he was still afraid that he was falling too fast. He couldn't bear to think of the pain he'd feel if she rejected him when he finally found her.
So he chose to push those thoughts to the back of his mind.
As the sun rose over the horizon, indicating a new day, Seth nearly sprinted out of his room. He startled his mother who was coming to wake him up for breakfast. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as he grabbed a piece of toast and ran outside. Leaping into the air, he phased and bounded into the forest.
As he ran, he noticed something was different, like the forest had shifted. There was a new scent in the air, one that he wasn't too fond of. It was the scent of a vampire, a vampire that didn't belong to the Cullen clan.
"Seth!" He heard Bella call his name as he stepped onto the Cullen property. He whined in response but didn't phase. His instincts were telling him that danger was near.
"You're here early, Seth" Edward came outside and joined Bella. He noticed immediately that Seth was on the defensive and read his thoughts, "Be ready for anything, Bella. Seth picked up a scent."
As if on cue, the object of Seth's sense of smell sped out of the forest and stopped a few yards away from the three. Seth growled, ready to attack. Edward held up a hand to stop him as Carlisle and the rest of the family came outside.
"It's alright, Seth, he's a friend of Carlisle's." Edward said but Seth didn't back down. He didn't trust any vampire outside of the Cullen family. Especially ones with red eyes, like the one standing before him. He snarled as the vampire approached him and bowed low.
"No need to be alarmed, Seth. I asked him to come and help us find Shiloh. He plans to honor the treaty and will not hunt here." Carlisle assured him.
Seth growled again before finally backing down, but still refused to phase. He looked at Edward, who understood that he would be the interpreter between the wolf and the vampire.
"He wants to wait for his Alpha to arrive." Edward told them all.
"Well, that's understandable. Come, Daniel, make yourself at home." Seth watched as the vampire, Daniel, followed Carlisle and Esme into the house. Everyone followed them inside except for Renesmee, who had gotten up after hearing the excitement. She walked over to Seth, who was now laying on the ground, and sat beside him. She ran a hand through his fur and scratched behind his ears. This ushered a whine from the young wolf.
"Shiloh would scratch behind the ears, huh. Don't worry, Seth, you're not the only one who misses her. She was one of my first real friends outside of the my family and the pack. No offense, or anything." Seth growled softly and Renesmee chuckled softly.
"You'll find her, Seth. We all know you will. That's what I like about you. You never give up, no matter what. You'll bring Shiloh home." She whispered as she leaned back against him.
Seth eventually lost track of time and possibly fell asleep because the next thing he was aware of was Jacob standing over him, also in wolf form. His pack leader growled and motioned to Renesmee who was fast asleep, snuggled in his fur.
I can explain, I swear. Seth said, nervous laughter resounding through his mind.
I'm sure you can. Where's everyone else? Jacob asked.
Inside, Carlisle brought in a new vamp to help us find Shiloh. I think he's got some special kind of ability. Seth explained and Jacob snarled.
That's risky! Who knows what that bloodsucker might do while he's here. Seth told Jacob he shared the same sentiment earlier with Edward. He made mention of the new vampire's agreement to honor the treaty. Jacob laughed.
We'll see about that.
Seth waited until Jacob nudged Renesmee awake before standing up. He watched in envy as she wrapped her arms around Jacob's neck and hugged him tightly. His heart ached for Shiloh's touch even more now. Jacob looked at him apologetically, promising that they'd find her.
"Seth! Jacob! Phase and come inside." It was Bella, who stood on the porch waiting for them.
Seth looked to Jacob for his approval and his leader nodded his consent. They disappeared into the forest for a few moments and reappeared with sweat pants on. They followed Bella inside where the entire clan was gathered. Carlisle stood and gestured to the new vampire with crimson eyes.
"This is Daniel, a friend of mine from Italy. He's come to offer his assistance in finding Shiloh." The leader of the Cullens explained.
"And how does he plan on doing that?" Seth's voice was tinged with venom, he was more than uncomfortable around the vamp.
"I have a special ability that helps be find anyone in the world, as long as I know what they look like." Daniel answered as he stood and held out his hand. Seth didn't take it.
"And how do I know I can trust you?" Seth spat.
"This girl, I understand she's special to you. I promise, that I will find her so that you can be reunited," Daniel grinned, "I happen to be a sucker for romances, you see. Young love has its way of moving me."
As he spoke, Seth appraised him. The more he stared at the vampire, the more his mind screamed that he was in danger. He couldn't trust him. Not with Shiloh. Not with anything.
"No." The room grew silent as all eyes fell on Seth, "I don't care what you can do. I'll find her without your help."
Carlisle stood to appease Seth but the young wolf shook his head and left the room. Walking outside, Seth berated himself for giving up what might have been his only chance at finding his imprint. But he didn't regret it. There had been something off about Daniel. His intentions were too pure. And Seth was never one for being paranoid. His gut had proved itself time and time again.
With a roar, Seth phased back into his wolf form and ran into the forest. He had to think. If Shiloh didn't really leave, where could she have gone?
As the day grew old, Seth was close to exhaustion as he ran through every bit of forest until he reached the outskirts of Port Angeles. It was there that an idea hit him.
Retracing his steps, Seth raced back to La Push and headed for the cliffs. There, he phased back into his human form and stood on the edge of the cliff, just a few feet away from where Shiloh had cracked it.
As the sun shone on him, Seth decided that he'd have to take a chance. His gut had never led him astray before. He hoped it wouldn't start now. Closing his eyes, Seth began to listen. As he listened he remembered the first two times he had met Shiloh. Both times, the sky had been stormy and gray. Both times, there had been thunder. And both times, the days had started out crystal clear, not a cloud in the sky. Focusing his hearing, Seth searched and searched until he found what he was looking for.
Thunder.
His eyes snapped opened and he turned to phase, only to come face to face with Jacob.
"Seth..." Jacob began, ready to scold him for his earlier behavior and absence but Seth stopped him with his own words.
"I found her." Jacob's eyes widened and he put aside what he was going to say.
"How? Where?"
"I didn't realize it before. I'll blame that on trauma. But both times, when I first met Shiloh, it was either storming or about to storm. Shiloh has power over what's around her and her emotions affect her powers. And remember what Bella and Renesmee said? Before she disappeared, there was thunder and lightning, like she was creating a storm." Seth rambled, growing more excited as each word spilled out of his mouth.
Jacob smiled, "Sounds to me like you did find her, and without that bloodsucker's help. Speaking of which, I know you had your reasons for acting the way you did. I didn't trust him one bit either."
"I'm glad you understand, now can we get a move on?" Seth asked.
"Sure, do you have an idea of where she is?" Seth nodded and closed his eyes to listen again.
"Seattle."
"Looks like we're heading to Seattle, then. And I guess I'm driving." Jacob groaned.
They phased and headed to the reservation where, after getting dressed, they got into Jacob's car and began the long drive to Seattle.
The drive there was deathly silent as Seth watched the storms clouds roll in from just over the horizon. Everywhere else was clear and sunny, except Seattle. Where Shiloh was.
As they got closer into the city, they ran into heavy traffic caused by accidents. The sound of thunder exploded in Seth's ear drums as he rolled down the window and tried to get a better look. He couldn't see anything though, but he did pick up a scent. Her scent.
"She's here." Jacob looked over in shock as Seth opened the door and began to climb out.
"Seth, it's too dangerous right now. Just be patient."
Seth ignored Jacob as he got out of the car and began running through the streets, his instincts guiding him. Thunder rolled and lightning crackled through the air as people ran past him, desperate to find safety. Some yelled at him, warning him to get inside, lest he be killed by the coming storm. But Seth was no fool. This wasn't a storm, it was much too powerful to be just a storm. And the scent that filled his lungs further convinced him.
No, this was no storm. This was what he had been looking for.
This was Shiloh.
Oh snap, it's about to get real. I hope you're enjoying it so far, and I highly encourage you to drop a review and tell me how I'm doing. In the meantime, here's a preview for chapter nine:
He reached out and grabbed Shiloh's arm, but she wrenched herself away from him, sending him flying into a building with a blast of wind.
"Don't ever touch me again. You hear me?" She snarled at the vampire that was now sneering at her.
"Oh I hear you, Nephilim, loud and clear."
Stay tuned for more!
~As the Rush Comes~
