Alright, so this seriously was massive. I actually needed to step away from it for a couple of days, because I honestly just wanted to skip to the meat of the story. But, alas, I had to have everything explained to Lorelai lol...now that the two longest and quite frankly, redundant chapters (seeing as how most of you fabulous readers have read the Twilight Saga and know most of this) are over, we can get to it! Woo hoo!
Side note: A lot of you have messaged me wondering if Lorelai is going to be a Dhampiresa (half-human, half-vampire like Nessie) and the answer is no, she is not. However, I would love to hear from you guys about your thoughts on what Lorelai actually is...and maybe if you're right, I'll tell you :)
Here...we...go...
Chapter 10
"Seth, I guess that's your cue to tell her the rest," Billy said with a laugh. Old Quil stood up and nodded to Seth, grinning from ear to ear. Sue grabbed her things and moved to get Billy's wheelchair. The Elders were taking their leave.
"We'll see you tonight," she said. With that, they left, whispering and chuckling like old friends do. Jacob stretched to his feet, popping several bones in his hands as he did so.
"Lorelai, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask Seth. Seth, you can tell her everything…you were there and saw what happened as much as anyone else did. I'll see you both later tonight, and then we'll get you properly introduced to everyone, alright Lorelai?"
I smiled, grateful for the time and care Jacob was taking to get me situated in this life of his. "Thanks, Jacob."
"Sure, sure," he replied, winking. I laughed, turning to Seth, who looked so embarrassed I didn't think that he could get any redder. Jacob left through the back door, his long strides carrying him to the woods and out of sight.
"So," I said, turning halfway in my seat so that I could see Seth's face. He was staring at the stove, his jaw clenched in nervous tension. I traced his cheek with hesitant fingers, stopping when his eyes caught mine.
"You remember the reason Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, right?" he whispered. We were alone in his house, but the way he spoke…it was like he was giving up a secret of himself and was unsure of how I would take it. I scooted closer to him, feeling his arms wind around my waist.
"He loved his Third Wife enough to give it up," I said.
"Yes, but it was more complicated than that," Seth said, his eyes burrowing inside of mine. "You said you believed that a normal wolf's behavior applied to us, and it does. Well, wolves have mates, life-time partners. So do we."
My heart was hammering inside of my chest, my pulse in my ears like a roaring echo. And two words kept pounding through my skull…Soul-mate…Soul-mate…Soul-mate…
"Soul-mates," I whispered. Seth nodded.
"Before the first time we phase, a lot happens. In the weeks building up, we complete our physical maturation. We get stronger, faster, and develop better senses of sight, sound, and smell. We run a high temperature, around 108, and we heal at a regenerative pace. When we phase for the first time, it's the scariest thing in the world. You see in a red haze, and your body feels like its trembling so bad that you're going to explode. And when you do explode, it's one of the most disorienting experiences you've ever encountered. You don't know what's happened or happening, and when you try to talk, you bark…"
I wrapped my arms around Seth, burrowing my face in his shoulder. His voice shook in emotion, and all I wanted to do was make him feel safe. To comfort and hold him. It was a ridiculous concept, me wanting to protect Seth, but there you go.
"The first change is usually triggered by an extreme emotional state…we're like pressure cookers, building and building until it finally just blows. Leah and I changed at the same time. We had gotten into a fight, it was something so stupid, we had been arguing over the remote, and we lost our tempers. We both exploded at the same time, while our mom was in the kitchen and our dad was walking in through the door. He had a heart attack, and didn't make it…"
His voice cracked, wrought with guilt. He blamed himself for his father's passing, and that was so heartbreaking that my eyes welled up and became glassy. Seth was so full of life, of sunlight and happiness; he was a pure soul, willing to love everyone around him without asking for anything in return. That he put a blame as great as his father's death on his own shoulders…it wasn't right.
I pressed my lips to his jaw line, hearing a small sigh escape his lips and his shoulders releasing the tension that had kept them rigid. He looked down at me with a smile, his fingers stroking my hair from my scalp to my back. In a deeper, more enthused voice, he continued.
"Afterwards, it's great. I love running for miles without getting tired. The telepathic communication is a cool feature to have, but can be kind of a pain. We have no secrets amongst one another; everything we think, memories that come to mind, everyone else sees them as if they were their own thoughts."
I pulled back and stared into his gaze, my fingers interlocking with his. His rough palms were hot against mine, and he looked down at them, bringing one of my hands to his lips. He kissed the back of my hand, looking back to me.
"There were legends that were associated with the Histories. One is that Vampires can have additional abilities to immortality, super strength, hearing and speed, gifts that make them unique. Another was that of imprinting. After we phase for the first time, there is a chance that we will find our soul-mate. But it's so…so…more." He took a breath, searching for the right words to continue. "It's as if everything that makes yourself you, your favorite foods and movies, your family and friends and enemies…the very essence of you, becomes inconsequential. In place of that is your imprint; she's everything to you. No matter what she needs, a friend, a brother, a protector, a lover…you become that for her. It's like a supernatural confirmation that this person is the only person made for you…she's perfect in any and every way."
A rippling of goose bumps shivered up my arms and the back of my neck. I knew a feeling similar to that. It was what had me so uptight and confused yesterday. The feeling that Seth and me had known each other for years…the way he could make me smile and laugh…the instinct that I knew that he would keep me safe and protected…it was everything that Seth was describing to me now. But I wasn't feeling it the same way he was. Whatever it was, it was unique and special and breathtaking.
"Does the girl get a choice?" I mused, lowering my eyes beneath my lashes. I usually would have minded my free choice being taken away; the type of complete dedication that imprinting seemed to involve pretty much eliminated the woman's choice in the matter. But honestly, I didn't mind if I was with Seth for the rest of my life. I would happily sign on.
"Yes, she does," he replied, his timbre deep and tight. I could see the muscles in his jaw clench and unclench in agitation. He didn't like the idea of me being with another man. That was fine with me, because I don't think I would've reacted very well if I'd seen Seth with another woman. He sighed deeply. "If she was a lover, and no longer wished to be, than he would turn into a friend. Nothing more. He wouldn't push her if she didn't want him to. As long as she's happy, so is he."
"Sam said that I was your imprint?" I confirmed, butterflies dancing in my stomach. I bit my lower lip, anxious for his answer. I was 99.9% sure that I had heard right, and the way that I felt around him…it wasn't a normal flirtation or attraction. Seth was right…it was so much more than that.
"Yes," he said, unable to look me in the eye. "That first moment we met, it happened. Everyone who has imprinted understood what had happened even before I had time to really understand. All I saw was you."
"Seth," I said, my voice so quiet it was a breathy whisper. "Please look at me."
He did as I asked, his gaze glassy. I had tears in my eyes as I realized that Seth was worried I would reject him. That I'd call him crazy and turn my back on him. He needed me as much as I needed him. Even after seeing him as a huge wolf, learning that the world was a much larger, scarier place than I had originally thought, he still thought I was going to leave. It was breaking my heart, little by little.
"I'm not going anywhere," I said, making sure he was paying attention. "I've never had a choice, not since I met you. And, to be completely honest, I don't want a choice. The way I feel…I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I know that you're the one who imprinted on me, but I think that some part of me imprinted on you too. I want you, Seth. I want you and I need you."
Seth sighed again, untangling his hands so that they gingerly held my face. He kissed me slow and soft, tasting of cinnamon and coffee. With a small bit of hesitation he pulled back, our foreheads pressed together. "Lorelai Savione, you are the single most incredible woman I have ever met."
My eyes slid open, a deliriously happy grin on my face. I saw it echoed on Seth, his white teeth bright against his smooth, russet skin. "You're not too bad yourself, Seth Clearwater."
He kissed the tip of my nose, running his fingers through my hair. I pulled on my extensive memories for the questions I had wanted to ask. "Who has imprinted, and on whom?"
"Everybody in a relationship; Sam and Emily were first. Jared and Kim, Paul and Rachel, Embry and Melanie, Brady and Sarah, they're all a part of the imprint club," he laughed, shaking his head. "And now I am, too."
Rachel's words from two days ago popped into my head, and I smiled. She had been telling me about imprints before I even realized it.
"But we're not the only ones," Seth said, grabbing my attention again. "Quil has too, on Emily's niece, Claire. He imprinted on her six years ago, when she was two."
My eyes widened in shock. The rest of the pack had imprinted on someone their own age and were in a romantic relationship. How could Quil and Claire…?
"It's not like that!" Seth laughed, reading my expression perfectly. "He's been her older brother figure. Then they'll be friends, and then, eventually, become romantically involved."
"It's kind of weird, but I get it, which is even weirder," I giggled, shaking my head. "Do you have any idea why you guys imprint? Why the universe decides to tell you, 'Yes, that's her!'?"
Seth shrugged his shoulders, obviously unperturbed by its relevance. "We don't know for sure. Billy has a theory, though. He thinks that we imprint on the person who will best carry on the bloodline for future generations. Better mates, stronger wolves."
"That's very clinical," I said. An image popped into my head at that moment. It was of one of the guys strolling the supermarket, down an aisle of women on display, with a giant sign saying, "Find the One Who Will Give You Many Pups!" It was such an archaic idea that I started laughing hard, losing my breath. Seth didn't know what I was laughing at, although I'm sure he'd find it funny, but the laughter was contagious, and soon we were in a fit to be tied. My sides ached, and I was struggling to breathe, and he wasn't faring much better.
I inhaled deeply, trying to desperately regain any sense of composure. Seth looked down at me, his eyes glowing in complete happiness. It was a look that I'd seen before, one that Sam had shown Emily, and Paul to Rachel. I had a feeling that it was an imprint thing, and I couldn't help but feel my toes curl in pleasure. I made Seth happy, and that was such a pleasant surprise for me that I couldn't think of anything better.
Rachel had said that before, in her young adult life, she had known Paul and couldn't stand him. It was only after she'd come home from college, and therefore after he had become a full fledged wolf, that they had begun a relationship. "Is it usually like this? I can't help but feel like this is a whirlwind romance."
He chuckled, kissing my cheek tenderly. "Every pairing is different. Each has their own set of drama, although I feel like the more powerful of a wolf you are, the more drama comes along. Especially with the Alphas…we could've written a soap opera off of them."
"How so?" I asked, intrigued. I looked at Sam and Emily and saw nothing but the love reflected in their eyes. But then I thought of Emily's gruesome scars and Leah's words of warning.
"Sam was the very first wolf of this generation to turn, and when he did he was completely alone," Seth said, his voice holding a grudging respect for the LPP Alpha. He still hadn't forgiven Sam for his outburst at me. "At that time nobody believed that the Histories were true; we all just thought that they were legends of our tribe and that the Elders were eccentric old people. Sam, at the time, had a high school sweetheart, who was not Emily Young."
My eyes widened in shock. Not Emily? Then who…
"He and Leah had been going strong for a while. They loved each other, but Sam was becoming increasingly moody and was experiencing a growth spurt that seemed to point to illegal activities. I could see his memories after I had first Shifted, he was trying to explain what was happening to me, and looking back on it I couldn't imagine going through it all alone. Only Old Quil had remembered seeing his grandfather shift and recognized the signs.
"He and Leah got into an argument and he stormed off, making the Shift. He wandered around for a few weeks, unable to understand what was going on. Leah was frantic, searching for him, enlisting the entire rez, even heading up to the Makah's to post flyers. Eventually Old Quil found him and explained everything, and told him that being around people was dangerous. Leah was both relieved and pissed when he came back, and they tried to make it work for a while, despite the warnings the Elders had. Then, our cousin came to town for a visit."
I could tell where this was going, and despite our differences, my heart went out to Leah.
"Sam imprinted on Emily, who, at the time, was like Leah's sister. Sam ended the relationship with Leah and pursued Emily, who rejected every advance he gave. She would not betray Leah in that way." I rubbed my hands over his smooth chest, unable to imagine the twisted love triangle. Seth was right; it could've been a soap opera.
"What changed?" I asked, looking up into his face. His eyes darkened and for a moment I was worried he wouldn't continue. But his arms tightened around me and he moved on with the story.
"Sam and Emily got into an argument and he lost control…she was standing too close," he said, his voice a tortured strain. "He retreated into himself, I mean he truly hated himself for hurting her, and somehow it brought them closer. Leah put on a brave face to support Emily, and after her own Shift everything was explained to her more fully."
I remembered the look of envy that passed over Leah's face as she gazed at a pregnant Emily and thought that she might not be completely over Sam. "Is that why she transferred to Jacob's pack?"
Seth smiled, kissing my hair. "You are very perceptive, you know that?"
I grinned, tracing patterns on his chest with my fingers. "I don't do well in my line of work without reading a situation," I said, pressing my lips to the corner of his mouth. He turned his head to give me a real kiss but I pulled away, a teasing glint in my eye.
"I still don't understand something," I said, leaning my weight against his strong arm which was casually wrapped around my back. "Why are there so many of you? Old Quil and Billy said that in the past there were usually no more than three at a time."
Seth nodded, twirling his long fingers around locks of my hair. It was very distracting, which I'm sure was his intention, but I held strong, despite the warm melting feeling I was getting in the pit of my stomach. "This is going to take some time to explain…" he murmured, skimming his nose along my jaw. My hands tightened on his shoulders, my heart beating wildly inside my chest. "Unless you'd rather do something else?"
His voice was deep and rich and extremely suggestive, and I felt my cheeks heat as I blushed. Two can play at this game, I thought mildly. Feeling slightly in control, I arched my back into him, my hands shifting to wrap into his hair as I pressed open mouthed kisses to his neck. His hands skimmed over my sides and my back restlessly as he kissed my collarbone, a low rumbling in his chest as I nipped his earlobe. He pulled me back in an effort to kiss my lips but I outsmarted him, slipping off of his lap and out of his reach.
His chocolate eyes looked dark and hungry, tracing every curve of my lips and neck and lower. I smiled angelically at Seth, batting my eyelashes. "I want to hear the story first," I told him seriously. He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his short, inky hair. With a slight quirk of his full lips he leaned back in his chair, extending his arms out to me as the picture of ease. I walked over to him and slid onto his lap, loving the way his arms curled around me protectively.
Seth took a deep breath to steady his voice before he began. "In the time of the last great chief, Ephraim Black, he and his two pack mates found that a larger coven of vampires were hunting on our land, about five of them or so. They were hunting the deer, not the women as in years past, and the leader spoke to Ephraim as a man, saying that they only lived on the blood of animals. Their eyes were golden in color, rather than blood red as the others, and they offered to make a truce with the tribe to keep the peace. Ephraim, while still wary, knew that they could have easily killed him and his pack, but that they didn't; he accepted the treaty and it stood for years.
"The coven left after a few years and things of the supernatural genre were pretty much non-existent," Seth smiled, his eyes watching me steadily. "Until a few years ago, when they returned to the area, now numbering seven. Of course, we," he emphasized, meaning the current wolves, "had no idea who or what they were, only that the Elders disliked the wealthy family living in Forks. Sam shifted about a year or two after they had moved here, the gene slower than in the past because it hadn't been activated in so many generations. But the soap opera only got more twisted from there."
I wrinkled my eyes in confusion, and he laughed softly, kissing the crease in between my brows gently. "I was doing really well keeping up, but now you lost me," I said, tilting my head back to look up at him. Even sitting in his lap I had to crane my neck back far enough to get a crick in it, but his arm was wrapped around my shoulder, and his constant heat massaged the muscles of my neck soothingly.
"Let me start by explaining in the simplest way how all of this worked. Jacob is basically the cause of the expansion of the pack numbers, but indirectly. It'll get confusing, so stop me at any time, okay?" I nodded and he continued. "About seven years or so ago, the Chief of Forks Police's daughter came to live with him. The Chief was best friends with Billy for a long time, and Jacob remembered the Chief's daughter from when they were little. He sort of developed a crush on her…she was two years older and treated him only as a friend or younger brother. The thing was, she got into a relationship with one of the good vampires from the coven.
"All the others had been paired up, mates, except for this one. Despite the recipe for disaster, they fell in love with each other. She knew what he was and loved him despite it. It nearly got her killed a couple of times."
"Did he try to kill her?" I asked, surprised and, much to my shock, understanding. I hadn't exactly fallen in love with a vampire, but my soul-mate was a Shape-shifting wolf, and I had just recently come to terms with the fact that I would never run from him. That, despite the relationship's fast pace, I would love him despite it all.
"No," he said. "A smaller group of nomadic vampires, ones who were sadistic, decided to hunt her down as a game. They couldn't understand why an entire coven of vampires, which is unusual for their kind to begin with, would go out of their way to protect a lowly human. The leader chased the Chief's daughter back down to Phoenix where he tried to kill her, but the coven destroyed him first. She had a broken leg and was in the hospital for a while, but was otherwise okay.
"A few months went by and they were celebrating her birthday. She cut her finger and one of the newer vampires, he wasn't as practiced in not drinking human blood as the rest, attacked. She was okay, but they left her behind, under the pretense that he didn't love her anymore."
"I'm going to need names in a second," I smiled, shaking my head.
"I don't want to give you their real names yet," he said secretively. "You'll find out why later on, but for now why don't we call the Chief's daughter Jane and her vampire boyfriend Joe, okay?"
I was suspicious as to why he wouldn't tell me their names but nodded for him to continue, my interest in the story and its relevance piqued.
"Okay, well, Joe made Jane believe that he didn't love her anymore and they left, all of them, leaving her in Forks, heartbroken. She was completely catatonic…she wouldn't eat or sleep and she looked like Hell. She had also become increasingly reckless, venturing out and getting two motorbikes that were more scrap metal than machine. She came by Jacob's place, knowing that he was a mechanic, to see if he could restore them. They became increasingly close, Jacob acting as a best friend for her, all the while harboring feelings for her, hoping that eventually she'd come to love him."
I took a deep breath, feeling as if everything was about to spiral out of control. We were now entering the second La Push love triangle, and this one had more supernatural intrigue to it than I had ever thought possible. The fact that Jacob had stepped in to help 'Jane' in her hour of need was commendable, but completely unwise. Even from the outside I could tell that she would never get over 'Joe', especially if he had been her true love. Maybe it was my feminine instincts that allowed me this perspective, but I already knew that this wouldn't end well.
"The pack was slowly starting to grow, there was a sadistic vampire murdering hikers in the mountains around La Push and Forks, and they couldn't get her. Her killing more and more innocents triggered the transformation of more and more wolves, and soon Jacob Shifted. It completely killed him, because Sam used Alpha orders to force Jake not to see or speak to Jane. She started to retreat within herself again. But Jake, being as crafty and determined as he is, found a loophole that allowed her to discover what he was. The secret they'd been keeping. She, in turn, enlightened them that the vampire they were after was actually after Jane; she was the grieving mate of the vampire that Joe had killed down in Phoenix and she was after revenge."
Like the Cold Woman all over again, I thought grimly. "What did you mean by Alpha orders?"
"The Alphas have an additional gift, a sort of reimbursement of their power. They can give orders that have a lock down on all of us, making it physically impossible to disobey. Sam had given orders to not tell anyone anything, and to stay away from people until the new wolves learned control. It was for the safety of the humans, as well as to protect our sacred secret."
"So, what happened after 'Jane' discovered everything?" I asked, intertwining my fingers with his.
"She spent nearly every day here at La Push where the pack could protect her. She and Jake were inseparable. But she wasn't done being reckless; she had seen the pack go cliff diving and decided not to wait for Jake to get back. She nearly drowned. That was the day my dad had the heart attack. It was also when one of Joe's 'sisters'," he said, using air quotes, "returned. She had a special gift, the ability to see the future, and had seen Jane jump off a cliff, thinking she had committed suicide. She was surprised to see Jane alive, and there was practically a showdown between her and Jake. Apparently, Joe had been spending his time in misery, and so his other 'sister', I guess you could call her the most vain one, called him to tell him that Jane was dead."
I gasped. How could someone be that cruel? To just call someone, your family, and tell them that their soul-mate is dead. Could they really be that heartless? Seth pressed his lips to my temple, soothing me before continuing the story.
"Joe decided that he would go to the Vampire Royalty, the Volturi, and ask them to kill him; he'd never stopped loving Jane, and in fact had lied when he said that he didn't love her. He feared for her life after what had almost happened at the party and had been trying to protect her by allowing her to live a normal, human life. Jane left with Joe's sister for Italy to stop him, against Jacob's protest. When she got back, so had the vampire coven, and Jane and Joe were back together, the past put behind them. Jacob was determined to win her from the vampire, but when they announced that after her high school graduation, she would voluntarily become a vampire, it was like all out war had broken out.
"The next couple of months it was like a tug-of-war between them, with the addition of discovering that in Seattle what they thought was a serial killer was actually a bunch of uncontrollable newborns. An army, in fact."
"Wait, what?" I asked, flashing back to my dad's worry about the uncaught serial killer. I had laughed and mentioned that it had been six years ago, nothing to be concerned about. "What's a newborn?"
"Brand new vampires, freshly transformed," Seth replied. "They are the strongest and fastest of the vampires since they still have so much human blood within them, and are also the most volatile and uncontrollable. Someone had been creating an army in Seattle to bring down here and annihilate the coven of vampires here. We, the wolves, stepped up to the plate and made an alliance with them, deciding to help get rid of the newborns. There was a huge battle, and I was newly Changed; in fact, I was paired up as a guard for Jane alongside Joe while everyone else battled the newborns in a clearing not too far from here.
"It turned out that the creator of the army was the same vindictive vampire from before, bent on killing Jane no matter the cost. She had made a lieutenant of sorts, and Joe and I dispatched of them both. Jacob had gotten hurt protecting Leah, but we didn't have much time, because, I guess you could call them the hit squad of the Volturi, were coming to inspect the problem. They didn't know about us, and so we left before they arrived. To make matters that much worse, Jacob finally made Jane realize that she loved both Joe and him, and that she could make a choice." Seth looked down at me, the golden flecks around his pupils shimmering slightly. "She knew that, despite her love for Jacob, she couldn't live without Joe, and decided to be with him. It broke Jacob's heart, and drove him to roam the north as a full-time wolf, especially after their wedding announcement was made. I was invited."
I could detect the warmth in his voice whenever he spoke about Joe and his vampire family, as if he had a certain fondness for them. It was confusing, I mean, didn't the Vampires and Shape-shifters hate each other? But I couldn't expect anything less from Seth; he had a large heart and a kind soul.
"You like them?" I said, posing it as a statement more than a question. "The vampire coven, I mean."
He smiled, nodding his head. "I sort of bonded with Joe during the battle, and I didn't have any of the relationship prejudices that Jacob had towards them. They were a family, like us, protecting one of their own. I could relate to them."
I kissed his cheek, and he had to clear his throat before continuing on. "Jacob made a surprise appearance at the wedding, nearly losing it when he was given some unpleasant information about Jane and Joe's honeymoon. He returned to La Push and the pack, anxious for the day that they returned and we could declare war on them. I personally didn't want to fight them, like I said they were my friends, but Jake only saw it as a violation of the treaty. The peace was only kept as long as they didn't bite a human, and in order to become a vampire, Jane had to be bitten. It was only a matter of time…
"We received word that they had returned from their honeymoon, and that Jane had contracted a serious disease while in South America and that she couldn't see anyone. For Jacob, that was the cue that she was a bloodthirsty demon of the night, his words not mine, and demanded we attack. Sam, however, was hesitant. He wanted complete proof before waging a war that, to be honest, nobody seemed to want besides Jake. As far as we were concerned, Jane had made an informed decision and Jake was just spurned and hurt. He went to get proof, and came back with some extremely surprising news. Jane hadn't been turned into a vampire, at least not yet. She was pregnant."
"Pregnant?" I asked, my voice an astonished whisper. Seth nodded gravely, and his eyes got a faraway look in them. I knew that he was remembering the experience for himself.
"It was something that nobody expected, least of all Joe and Jane. They didn't think that something like that would be possible, and there had been no human-vampire relationships on notice before. They'd only been gone a few weeks, but by the time they were back, she looked about eight to nine months pregnant. The baby was growing at an accelerated rate, and was incredibly strong; it was literally draining the life force from her. Joe wanted her to have the pregnancy terminated because the local legends always said that the human mother was slaughtered in the end; they couldn't handle the birthing process. But Jane was adamant, and they were all on watch…Jacob came back shell shocked. The fact that there was a chance that he could save her was driving him nuts. On the complete other end of the spectrum, Sam wanted to destroy Jane and the fetus. He said that it was an unknown danger that could and should be destroyed, in the process killing Jane."
"That was the order that Jacob refused," I said quietly, unable to comprehend what all of this must have been like. It was insane!
"Jacob broke off to protect Jane and the coven, and I left with him. I didn't support Sam's orders and decision at all. Leah left because she wanted to watch out for me, and because it gave her a chance to escape being within Sam's mind 24/7. We took patrols around the perimeter for the coven, making sure that it was all clear when they had to go hunt. Jacob had given his permission, as the rightful Alpha, to amend the treaty so that Joe could Change Jane without breaking the peace, but the day they had planned the Cesarean, it went horribly wrong. The umbilical cord had wrapped around the baby's neck, and it was trying to get out, in the process breaking several of Jane's bones and rupturing her spinal cord. It was awful…"
I squeezed his hand, trying hard not to vividly imagine what that scene must have been like.
"Jacob and Joe delivered the baby, a little girl, and Joe hurriedly tried to save Jane by injecting several CC's of his venom directly into her heart. Jacob left, believing them to be too late, like a broken man. But he had made a decision to destroy the monster that had killed its own mother, despite the fact that it would most likely get him killed. He didn't care."
"Oh my God," I said, running my fingers through my hair. I couldn't believe that this had happened. It was surreal. It didn't belong in a soap opera, it belonged in a freaking science fiction novel! Seth rubbed my back soothingly, asking me if I wanted him to stop. "You're kidding, right? And leave me with that?" He laughed, smoothing back my hair from my face.
"Just before Jacob was about to attack, the little girl raised her eyes and, in that instant, every string in his life had been cut away. The way he described it was that now, a million steel cords connected him to the center of his life; the little baby girl."
"He imprinted on Joe and Jane's daughter?" I asked. "Like Quil and Claire?"
"Exactly. The venom had saved Jane, too, making her a vampire. Because Jacob had imprinted on the baby, Sam halted his plans to destroy her. They would never intentionally hurt a brother like that, especially because so many of them at that time had imprinted as well and would know what he felt if he would lose her."
I took a much needed breath, rubbing my eyes. They felt dry and sore, like I'd been staring at the computer screen for a few hours straight. I was annoyed that I had more questions, not at Seth but at myself, and continued. "I still don't understand why you have so many wolves."
Seth smiled sweetly, and then pressed his lips into a thin line. "Without getting into any more history, the Volturi have a rule about changing young children into vampires; they were called Immortal Children and completely uncontrollable. Nessie, the baby, was still growing at a rapid pace, taking the form of a toddler in a matter of days after her birth. A vampire saw her and believed her to be an Immortal Child and reported it to the Volturi. They decided to bring their entire guard as well as the Royal Family to permanently end the coven. Naturally, both packs assembled to protect them, and the coven themselves gathered allies from around the world to testify that Nessie was no Immortal Child. With so many vamps in town, more of those with the wolf gene Shifted, compensating for the loss of life."
"What happened?" I asked. Seth smiled serenely, squaring his shoulders.
"We scared them off. The Volturi pride themselves as being made up of only those with extraordinary powers, unstoppable and unbeatable. Several of the allies we had also had gifts. Joe's sister, lets call her Jackie, could see the future; Jackie's husband, mate, could feel and influence people's emotions and Joe could read minds. As a human, Jane had been impervious to gifts of the mind; Joe couldn't read her mind and those in the Volturi who could create the illusion of pain couldn't touch her. As a vampire, she had an incredible mental shield which she could extend like a protective dome over everyone's minds. If they were under it, nobody from the Volturi could hurt or influence them. With those gifts, as well as the packs' presence and some hard evidence that Nessie wouldn't be a threat to vampire existence, we successfully scared them off. We've been living peacefully ever since."
"I think I need caffeine," I said, my lips curling at the corners. Eager to do something for me, Seth slid me off his lap and onto the chair, hurriedly refilling my mug with fresh coffee. The mug felt wonderful in my grasp, as if its heat was a reassurance that I wasn't in some crazy bizarre dream. I took a deep drink of the liquid, feeling it work its way through my bloodstream. Seth watched me closely, handing me another scone to nibble on.
"Wow," I said, blinking my eyes. "I now understand why they wanted me to wait to understand the rest of it. It's a lot to take in."
Seth smiled, tucking a wavy tendril of hair behind my ear. "I know, and I'm sorry to have to dump it on you all at once. But there's another reason why it was important for you to know this. The barbeque tonight is being hosted by them, the coven. Jacob and I both wanted you to understand that, while there are evil vampires out there, these are not them. They are our friends, and an extension of our family. Not so much Sam's pack as they are a part of Jacob's, but we both wanted you to know that they would never hurt you. In fact, when they meet you as my imprint, they will probably adopt you as one of their own."
I smiled wide. Seth obviously cared for them, and after hearing everything that had happened between them and the packs, I felt prepared to meet them. I wasn't, much to my relief, afraid of them and actually I was eager to meet them. To have creatures able to live for centuries…everything that they must've seen! For a history and culture junkie like me, it was a dream come true. I reached out my hand and automatically he reached for mine.
"I understand, and honestly, I can't wait to meet them," I said truthfully. "But, why can't I know their real names now?"
Seth laughed, the sound booming off the walls loudly. I bit my lower lip, containing my own laughter. It wasn't that I thought the question was funny, I was very serious about it. It was just that I couldn't help but laugh whenever Seth laughed. It was infectious and wonderful.
"I'm under orders from 'Jackie'," he said with air quotes again, smiling so that his cheeks held identical dimples. "Not to say anything to you about their identities because they want to introduce themselves." He shrugged his shoulders. "But, I will tell you if you want me to."
I smiled, shaking my head. "Nah," I told him. "I'll wait to meet them in person."
Suddenly he looked up towards the back door, a small smile on his face. With an excited grin he took my hand and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, it's time that you meet the pack," he said, tugging me to the backyard. I jogged to keep up with him, unable to resist his sudden enthusiasm.
"What do you mean?" I asked, squeezing his hand. "I thought that I already met everyone?"
He stopped near the edge of the woods, pulling me to a stop right in front of him. He rested his hands on my shoulders, leaning down to speak in my ear.
"You did," he confirmed, his breath tickling. "But now you are going to be introduced to them in their wolf form."
My mouth popped open in shock, glued to the forest. I found that I was more excited than anything else to see them, to confirm that I wasn't in some dream world. I'd seen Seth as a wolf, but I hadn't been in my right mind at the time. I waited in anticipation, scanning the woods with my eyes. Then, I saw it. The rustling of the foliage as something large moved through it. I held my breath as they emerged, one by one, into the open. The sky was still dark and angry, flashes of lightning in the distance making the scene eerie and thrilling.
Seven oversized wolves padded out, creating a V formation with the most massive, russet colored wolf at its head. He was the color of darkened cinnamon and nearly the size of an SUV, his coat rippling over his thick muscles. His large black eyes were wise and kind, and I smiled at the Alpha wolf.
"Hi, Jacob," I said, earning a wolfy grin in reply. Knowing everything that I did now, I couldn't help but have a soft spot for him. That and the fact that he was Seth's Alpha gave me a whole new perspective on him.
He lowered his body to the ground, folding his paws and keeping his eyes and ears on alert. Seth took a deep breath, and began introducing his pack, gesturing to the slender, platinum gray wolf on Jacob's left. Its face was more angular, its muzzle longer than the rest. Its coat was also a bit more shiny and it was the smallest of the wolves.
"That's Leah," he said, nodding to his sister. With silent, deadly grace she followed Jacob's lead and folded her body to the ground, her long tail wrapping around her haunches. She looked disinterested, staring up overhead at the swirling sky. "She's the fastest of us."
The wolf on Jacob's right snapped his jaws, his tail wagging softly. He had dark chocolate fur that seemed a bit scruffy, and a tan face, almost like a painted mask. "That impatient beast is Quil." Quil stuck his long, pink tongue out at Seth before plopping to the ground, his tail patting the ground gently. A rangy gray wolf with dark spots along his back huffed out a deep breath, rolling his black eyes. "Embry," Seth said. I smiled as he laid down, wiping his muzzle with a paw in a gesture that was more family dog than wolf.
"And which leaves Gabriel, Andrew and Simon."
As he said their names, they sat down, each of them a bit ganglier and less bulky than the rest. I knew from meeting them that they were amongst the youngest, and not quite as grown as their packmates. Gabriel turned out to be the largest of the three of them, a bright red wolf with a silver eye mask that made me think of an old school bank robber. Simon and Andrew were the same size, their paws a bit too large for their legs. Andrew was an interesting kind of metallic looking wolf, some parts of his coat silver and other parts gold; his right paw was dipped in what looked like molten silver, standing out against his golden legs. Simon was the most drastically non-wolf color, taking on the resemblance of a Siamese cat. He was almost a complete moonlight gray, apart from the chocolate seal-points on his paws, ears, nose and tail tip, his eyes an icy blue. He was the only one who didn't have dark eyes, making him stand out the most amongst the wolves.
I took a deep breath, memorizing names and faces to the animals in front of me. I had to take a calming breath to ignore the quaking of my knees but otherwise, I felt okay. At least I hadn't passed out again. I turned to say something to Seth, only to notice that his hands weren't on my shoulders anymore. In fact, Seth wasn't even standing behind me; his massive wolf form was.
I couldn't help it; the expression on his face reminded me too much of an eager, overgrown puppy, ready to lay down and roll over at my command. I laughed, pressing my lips together to try and stifle the sound. Compared to the other wolves, I saw that Seth in the running for second largest wolf with Quil; he wasn't quite as beefy as the chocolate wolf, but he was taller and still thickly muscled. Seth's sandy coat shimmered, his legs and chest a deep burnished gold that reflected his sunny personality, and his dark chocolate eyes flickering in curiosity.
I extended my hand forward, burying it deep into the ruff of his neck, his fur a kind of soft-roughness that felt warm and alien in my fingers. Seth leaned into my hand, smelling strongly of juniper wood and sea spray, sighing in contentment. One of the wolves behind me made a coughing noise amongst the deep, rumbling barks of the pack's laughter. Seth was at least a head taller than me, able to look down at me with a small dip of his head. With a devilish glimmer that I didn't understand immediately, he opened his jaws, his tongue dropping out, and licked me up the side of my face.
"Ew!" I squealed, a very un-ladylike sound that would have had my Grand-mama chasing me around with a broom if I'd been younger. "Seth! That's disgusting!"
He barked out a deep laugh, nuzzling his icy nose in my hair, huffing out soft breaths that strangely smelled like coffee, and not dog scented. I scratched behind one of his large, radar-like ears, hearing his growl of pleasure in his throat. With all the deadly silence of huge predators, I barely heard the wolves disappearing into the forest, leaving Seth and me alone.
I heard my cell phone ringing from somewhere inside Seth's house and gave him one last affectionate pat before jogging inside. I answered the call on the last ring, leaning against the wall to catch my breath.
"Hello?"
"Oh! Lorelai, I didn't think you'd be up yet."
I smiled hearing Rachel's voice, the undercurrent and double meaning to her words not lost on me. I saw Seth enter in through the back in his jeans, a white smile plastered on his face. "Yeah, we got up a while ago. I just got the debriefing from the Elders."
She chuckled from the other side of the line. "I remember it well," she sighed. "You holding up okay?"
"Yeah, I think I am," I said, looking at Seth from under my eyelashes. He had moved without me hearing and was standing behind me, wrapping his long arms around my waist and nuzzling into my hair.
"You'll be going to the barbeque tonight, right?" Rachel asked, bringing my attention away from the man behind me.
"That's the plan," I told her, and then groaned. "I have nothing to wear!" I heard her laugh but Seth's lips were at my free ear, distracting me again.
"Anything you wear will be perfect," he murmured huskily. I shivered, smiling even though he couldn't see it.
"Well, I'll be bringing you and your father's things over in a bit, but if you want, we can go into Port Angeles to see if they've got anything. But trust me, jeans and a shirt will be fine."
Up until that point I had completely forgotten about my dad. I immediately felt guilty; I was his only daughter! How could I forget him at all? "Hey, Rach? Do you know where my dad is?"
"Yeah, he's over here with us. Actually, he's playing some of the guys at Russian Roulette. He's winning."
I laughed, relieved that he was okay. "Warn the guys to not bet too much money…dad's been banned from Monte Carlo and Las Vegas."
"And I can see why," she giggled. I shook my head, pressing my back into Seth's chest. His arms tightened momentarily, giving me both warmth and comfort.
"We'll be stopping by in a few, okay?" I asked, desperately wanting to see my dad. I couldn't help but worry about him; he was caught up in this craziness as much as I was, but he just didn't realize it. I swallowed a lump in my throat, suddenly remembering something of great importance. "What day is it?"
"Sunday," Rachel replied, much to my horror. I felt my knees give out, and only Seth prevented me from collapsing to the ground. I pressed my lips together into a hard line, shutting my eyes to keep the tears from escaping. "Why?"
"I'll see you soon. Thanks, Rachel."
I hung up the phone and heard rather than felt it slide through my fingers. Seth folded his body to the ground, his back leaning against the wall while I was nestled in between his legs. "Lorelai, what's wrong? What happened…do you need water or anything?"
"It's Sunday…" I said, shaking my head.
"Yeah, so?" he asked, concern shadowing his voice.
"I'm supposed to leave tomorrow."
I felt Seth stiffen, his arms unconsciously pulling me tighter against him in an effort to keep me close. He pressed his lips to my neck, softly kissing his way up my jaw and cheek. One arm pulled from my waist, his fingers taking hold of my chin and forcing me to look up at him. Seeing the few tears dripping under my eyes, he kissed them away, the corner of his mouth turning up in an effort to make me feel better.
"I've found you," he said, gazing into my eyes in a way that made me feel like he was seeing my soul. "I've found you, and I don't plan to let you go."
"I don't live here, though," I said, the words true but nevertheless heart wrenching. I knew that trying to keep a relationship in my line of work was near to impossible. But Seth was…he was…he was extraordinary, other-worldly, strong and passionate, kind, gentle, protective and supportive. He was sunlight itself, and apart from the fact that he was a Shape-shifter, and I his imprint, before I had known any of this, I had felt it deep within myself. Now that I had met him, I don't think that I could live without him. Yes it was melodramatic, but it was the only way I could put the feeling into words.
How could it work, though? I traveled around the world at the drop of a hat, my only two steady contacts my father and Bri. I couldn't just abandon all of that, and I didn't want to. I hated myself for it, I mean I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too, but it was the truth. I wanted my normal life and this supernatural one that I was entangled in now. And how could I try to stay here for a while more without explaining everything to my dad, who definitely would never believe any of this.
Seth saw the struggle in my eyes and cupped my face in his hot hand. "We'll figure something out, I swear. Everything will work out."
He gave me the softest kiss, one that made me smile against his lips. My fingers and toes were tingling and a flooding of warmth had pooled into my abdomen. I wanted to trust him and believe that what he said was true, but I still had doubts.
How could it work out?
*The Histories are taken directly from Stephanie Meyer's novel, Eclipse, Chapter 11 Legends. The summary that Seth gives is the basic synopses of the Twilight Saga, all rights to Stephanie Meyer and her associated works
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