Hey guys! Wow y'all stepped up to the plate and reviewed! Thanks to all my amazing reviewers: elle, kaska245, Trunksymia, spnvin4eva, Ready123 (repeat revewer! and thanks for the random update about your week), Heather the Mad Hattress, jigokunooujo, and cupids arrow (also repeat reviewer!). After Heather reviewed, I decided to go back in and add some more wolfish dialogue, even though I am terrible at writing it. So Heather, this is dedicated to you! Happy reading!
So just keep holdin', just keep holdin' on
And I'm higher before than I've ever been
I was walking a tightrope can't you see
That nobody wants to be alone
I was walking a tightrope ( walking a tightrope)
Can you catch me?
If I let go
There's no way back
If I let go
You're where I'll land
So here I go
Cause I just wanna live
- Paul Freeman, Tightrope
Chapter 9
I don't know why I decided to go into the woods that day. Something drew me to those tall trees and dark green grass that carpeted the forest floor. When I got home on Thursday, I changed into some tennis shoes and followed wherever my heart desired. I wandered for a while before I heard the dim roar of water. I followed my ears. It was like some invisible force pulled me to where the sound was coming from. I couldn't fight it. I saw a waterfall in the distance. I stepped towards it, my eyes transfixed on the pool the waterfall flowed into. I couldn't tear my eyes from it. I reached the edge and knelt down, my arm outstretched to touch the bright blue water. My hand hovered inches from the surface, when I heard my name.
"CECILY!" I whipped my head around but something strong knocked me back. Hard. I flew back ten feet or so, careening into a tree. I looked up and there standing in front of me was Jacob, breathing heavily. "Jacob, what the hell was that for?"
"Vampire."
I couldn't believe my ears, "What? Vampire? What are you talking about?" A sharp pain shot through my right arm. I looked down. The top of my arm was covered in blood.
Suddenly, I saw something coming out of the water. A human being rose up from the water, but it wasn't really human. It looked like a man. A beautiful, flawless man. But his skin was deathly pale and his eyes were a sickly red.
"And I almost had you, if it wasn't for your mutt here." I glared at him. He couldn't talk about him like that. He inhaled and looked straight at my arm.
Oh no.
He ran so fast, it was like a blur. Before my eyes, Jacob lunged at him, bursting into new form. This was the first time I'd actually witness him phase. And they started fighting. I was paralyzed. I couldn't move. But somehow, I forced myself to get up off the ground. Despite the pain shooting up and down my arm, I managed to drag myself back to the house. I walked inside. As soon as my mom saw me, she freaked out, of course. But eventually I calmed her down by telling her that I had tried to climb a tree and fell. She cleaned it up and insisted that I rest. Couldn't really argue with that. I crawled into bed and got drawn into sleep.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Jacob's POV
Quil and I split up, that way we could cover more ground. He and I, along with Paul and Leah, were on patrol until 10, then Embry, Seth, and Sam took over. I moved faster, taking in the crisp scent of pine and the feel of earth on my paws. I felt more free when I was a wolf. The whole world was at my fingertips- err, paws. Then I caught a whiff of something else. It stood out blatantly. Vampire. I got excited and let out a long, joyous howl. Bring it on.
I called the others (wolfs' thoughts in bold). Guys, I caught a scent. I'm gonna run south and track him. Leah, you and Quil take him from the north and west. Paul, you sniff around and see if the leech has any friends. We don't wanna be surprised by another one.
Leah snarled. Since when do we take orders from you? Who died and made you alpha?
I snapped back. Since Sam made me the leader of any patrol that he's not on. Gotta problem bitch?
I could almost see her wolf face pull back into a smirk. God, for a sec there, I thought imprinting had made you soft. Gone gaga for Cece? Oh god, she came up with a nickname. I can't wait to meet her at the next pack meet.
I laughed. And turn her into an I-hate-the-world emo? No thanks. I like her the way she is. One's enough.
She groaned. Damn you HAVE gotten soft. Maybe we can still save you.
About that time, Paul decided to join in to our little love fest. Nah, he's too far gone. Face, it you are wchhhhh, he made a whip noise, whipped.
Screw you jackass. You got nothing on me. Last time I checked, you went all loverboy on my sister Rachel. Therefore, you are the one, my friend, that is whipped.
At the mention of Rachel, he started thinking about their last date, them slowly walking up to her room . . . Damn Paul keep your effing thoughts to yourself. Let's just catch this bloodsucker. I haven't killed one in months.
At the sound of this, I heard three wolves howl in the distance.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
I tracked it for half an hour, eagerly anticipating the fight that was sure to come. The scent became stronger and stronger. I noticed I was in the woods near Cecily's house.
No.
If he got anywhere near my Cecily, I'd rip him apart limb by limb. I ran as fast as I could, drawing nearer and nearer, until I saw a flash of pale skin. It was Cecily. She was kneeling at the edge of a waterfall, her arm outstretched, her hand about to skim the water's edge. I phased back in half a second, and sprinted toward the water.
I shouted, "CECILY!" I knocked her away, accidently sending her careening into a tree. Pain tore through me as soon as she made contact. It hurt me to see her hurt. But I couldn't focus on that now.
She looked at me, shocked and confused, "Jacob, what the hell was that for?" I could only mutter one word.
"Vampire."
She didn't believe me, "What? Vampire? What are you talking about?"
Blood started to seep through her shirt and down her arm. Oh no. I whipped my head around toward the water. He finally decided to show himself, the coward. "And I almost had you, if it wasn't for your mutt here." I glared at him. He inhaled and looked straight at Cecily. A huge growl ripped through me. I started to shake, and let my other half take over. I lunged at the leech, unleashing all my fury.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Cecily's POV
I was woken up by a knocking sound. I rubbed my eyes and gazed outside. Jacob was on the porch roof, tapping on my window. I was so relieved to see him. I got up and tried to get it open as best I could with one hand. Once I got it a little bit open, he pushed it up the rest of the way. He climbed in and held me tight.
"Jacob, I need to breath to live."
He let go, but looked right into my eyes, "Cecily, I can never say how sorry I am about what happened. I was supposed to protect you. You should've never come that close to a vampire. It's my fault that you hurt your arm." He brushed the tips of his fingers over my bandage. He accidently brushed the sleeve of my shirt, exposing a nasty bruise. He frowned. He grabbed the bottom of my shirt.
"Can I?" I lowered my eyes. He took that as a yes, and gently lifted the hem of my tee. He inhaled sharply. The whole right side of my body was engulfed in blue and black, yellowing on the edges. He moved to my back, also covered in bruises. Not a bit of normal skin showed through. I held my breath, trying not to wince. I could feel his fists clench. "I hurt you."
I tried to comfort him, "Jake, it's alright. I'm – "
He wouldn't let me finish. "No it's not fine! I could've lost you! If he had-" He paused, "I don't know what I'd do with myself." He hung his head. I looked down with him. My shirt was still in his hands, but now there was also a tear in it that reached halfway up my chest, revealing a colorful hint of sports bra.
"Hey." I put my hand on his chin and lifted his head up so he looked right into my eyes. "It's okay. You did protect me. You saved me. I'm here. That's all that matters."
He grabbed me and pulled me to his chest, smoothing my hair. I buried my head in his chest, basking in his warmth. He broke away all too soon. "I gotta go. I'm gonna be patrolling around your house tonight. If he tries to hurt you, we'll be waiting. I promise he will not come near you again." He turned to leave.
Jacob, wait."
He twisted toward me.
"Can- can you stay?"
His face softened. "Of course."
I climbed into bed. I pulled the covers over me and he laid on top of the duvet. I cuddled up to him, drawn to his warmth. I laid my head across his chest, listening to his heart beat. With my other hand, I traced the muscles on his stomach. He groaned, "Do you enjoy torturing me like this?"
I giggled, "Basically."
He smiled and put his arm around my abdomen, holding me protectively. And we fell asleep together.
Oooooohhhhh y'all are just gonna LOVE the next chapter! Nine reviews for the next chapter! So click the little button below. Cause you know you want to. Until next time . . .