The log cabin was spacious inside, and its layout was simple. The foyer led passed two openings on the right, one leading into the living room, the other into an ample kitchen. On the wall of the living room, closest to the kitchen, there were two stools placed in front of a rectangular opening that allowed visitors to peek into the kitchen, and have a chat with the host cooking. The living room was furnished with modern decor. A rounded white couch made of some type of extremely soft looking material, in front of the couch a glass coffee table, to the left of the coffee table was a matching chair. In the far right corner of the room, near the front of the cabin, was an average sized flat screen television. It wasn't the newest brand out, but it was still pleasant to look at. While the outside of the cabin was rounded with beautiful logs, the inside had slick hardwood walls that looked as if they had just been polished. Images in frames decorated them, different cities, and different sights; places she had been, or perhaps wanted to be.
Glancing over the framed pictures, he found not a single one of personal touch. She wasn't present in any of them, nor were there people captured forever in the stilled film. Just places, far away places that he'd only ever seen in textbooks.
Seth turned his attention to a door just down the hall; it was shut, and of course his curiosity was peeking. However, his eyes flickered from the door, to the elegant staircase that led to the second floor. From his vantage point downstairs, he could see a door straight across from him, and another to the right- both were securely shut against any prying eyes. The banister that allowed visitors to glance upstairs was carved to appear as wooden vines snaking down the sides of the wooden railings.
The place nearly matched the intensity that the Cullens' home possessed. Yet again, the only difference was the complete and utter lack of personal touch- of family.
"Can I get you something to eat?" Her voice startled his examination of her home front.
Hospitality, he never thought he'd be getting it from the snarky were-cat. Her expectant gaze watched his slow, deliberate movements as he turned back around to face her. While he couldn't exactly answer her in his current state, he was left rather speechless, and the were-cat was quick to pick up on his dilemma.
"Phase back." The statement sounded suspiciously like an order.
Seth was more than thankful he couldn't blush in his shifted state- it would just be more humiliating. And he was sure she'd poke fun at him for it. Again, being in his were-form, he was left with a lack of words, and instead tried to communicate with a whine and flattened ears. She wasn't having it.
"Phase back." She persisted, and turned on her heel.
Echo walked over to the couch, picked up a blanket that had been thrown onto it, and held it towards Seth. Again, she held an expectant stare, and the shifter knew he wasn't going to win this battle. Conceding his defeat, he phased back into his very naked human body, and hurriedly reached for the offered blanket. He found himself at a complete loss at what to do when he tugged it toward himself, and the were-cat continued to hold her grip on the fabric. For a moment, the two held onto the blanket, and Seth frowned in pure confusion.
And then she let her eyes wander down, and a half-smirk tugged at her lips, and she made a noise that sounded like a scoff, but her eyes were clearly satisfied; sparked to life with mischief, and a little something else.
Seth felt his face grow hot, and he pulled the blanket from her hand, wrapped his securely, safely around his waist. After that, it took him a moment to find his voice. He cleared his throat in an effort. She waited as patiently as a feline could, tapping the tip of her boot softly against the floorboards.
"Actually," he began, "I'm not very hungry, but could I have a glass of water?"
She gave a nod, brushed passed him without so much as a second glance, and disappeared into the kitchen. Of course, he followed after her, taking a seat on one of the stools, and curiously watching as she poured him a fresh glass. Echo handed it to him through the unique opening, and turned back away. Hastily, she turned on the facet, and began soaking some dishes in the warm liquid.
"So what brought you all the way out here?" She was trying to make 'polite' conversation, and Seth amusingly thought it must have pained her to do so.
He took a slow sip of water. "I didn't mean to, actually. I was out for a walk, and I saw the light."
"So like a moth to the flame, you decided to investigate." She gave an uncertain laugh.
Seth nodded, his eyes tracing the subtle movements of her arms as she went about washing the dishes.
There was silence after that; he stared into the glass of water, thumbs thoughtlessly caressing the sides of the cup. He listened as the dishes sloshed around in the sink, he listened to the sound of silverware scrapping against each other, and he heard the soft pounding of her heartbeat. He focused on that the most. Every few seconds, Seth ended up stealing glances at the woman across from him.
She stepped away from the sink, picked up a towel, and dried her hands. When she turned around her eyes met his, her gaze steady and near intimidating, and he felt a chill run down his spine. She wasn't exactly happy to see him, but she wasn't angry either. It was a pleasant change from her usual cruel temperament.
"Do you realize how far away from your home you really are?" Her voice was stern, as if scolding him.
It dawned on him that he didn't actually know how far he had come. He looked sheepishly at the counter-top, fiddling with the edge of his glass. Echo did her usual routine of rolling her eyes at his small gesture.
"You're a good three hours away," she said pointedly.
He hadn't realized that he had been running for that long; he hadn't realized much of anything. Seth kept his eyes fastened on the dark marble counter-tops, tracing the patterns of the stone with hopeless eyes.
Echo gave in with a scowl. "You can stay here tonight, but you best be home by dawn. Your sister's probably worried sick about you."
She tossed the towel onto the counter, and motioned for him to follow her. Seth slid from the stool, and traipsed after the were-cat. She led him passed the staircase, and in fact, led him behind it. He hadn't seen the concealed door due to the crafty design of the staircase. She swung the door open.
"Spare bedroom, feel free to use it. This door here." She jerked her thumb towards the door next to the kitchen's opening. "Is the bathroom, if you need it."
"No snide comment about being house-trained?" Seth gave a feeble attempt at a smile.
"I'm too exhausted to crack werewolf jokes," she answered.
"My bedroom's upstairs, door straight across from the staircase, other door is another bathroom. Howl if you need anything." Echo shoved by the shifter, and headed up the stairs.
His smile was weary, worn and bruised like a decrepit jacket. The exhausted man stepped into the bedroom, and quietly closed the door behind him. It was a pleasant little room, the bed plenty large enough for him. The walls were the same as the others, adorned with more paintings and pictures. The comforter on the bed was an immaculate black, the pillows and sheets appropriately matching. Seth didn't take much time examining anything else; he was far too exhausted for that. He collapsed onto his stomach, the mattress and quilt felt heavenly against his worn body. The poor boy hadn't even realized how tired he felt until the moment his head hit the pillow.
Seth closed his eyes, and fell into a soothing slumber.
Echo sat up in bed, staring at particularly nothing. The blanket of darkness wasn't as comforting as it usually was. She chewed on her bottom lip in a nervous fit. She could smell his scent; it was suffocating her. It wrapped around her in a taunting cover of familiarity. This imprinting thing seemed to go both ways, it had just taken a tad bit longer to affect her. However, it hadn't fully effected her mind yet, and she was doing her very best to shut out those thoughts.
Thoughts about sliding her hands down his firm chest, placing her lips against the flesh of his neck, and running her hands through his black hair. She could feel his hands tugging her head back as his lips explored her neck and collarbone.
Such an elaborate fantasy was driving her insane. It was just that, a fantasy, and yet it had an amazing effect on her tense body. She felt the heat rushing between her thighs as she fell back onto her bed. A huff escaped her lips as she withered in need. Her body was betraying everything she had grown to know.
It was really starting to piss her off.
She attempted to block out those thoughts, turning over in bed, and pulling the pillow over her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to think of something else. What started out with ripping Seth's throat out, and gutting him took a horrible turn for the worse when the images morphed back to some raunchy scenes. Echo also found that thinking about gutting the shifter only stirred up an emotion relative to guilt, and sorrow. It was those emotions that really soured her mood.
The next morning, Seth woke up to a soft knock at the door. For a moment, he was severely confused about his surroundings. Once it dawned on him what had occurred the night before, his panic subsided, and he gave a muffled 'come in'. Echo poked her head in the door with a frown.
"I made breakfast, there's a lot of it. Feel free to join me when you're ready." He barely recognized the softness of her voice. Before he had a chance to even look at her, the door had closed, and she had retreated back to wherever.
Seth scurried off the bed, and was on her heels before she had time to even make it into the kitchen. She kept her eyes forward as she led him into the kitchen. He took a seat opposite of hers, and she hurriedly piled on a few pancakes, eggs and bacon, toast and biscuits onto his plate. He said a warm thank you, and gave a genuine smile. Echo ignored the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.
They ate in silence for a few passing minutes. Seth being the one to end it. "You're a really good cook." He smiled over at his companion.
She spared him a glance. "Thanks," she murmured, her tone rather uninterested. "It's not that hard actually."
"My pancakes always come out burned." He flashed a toothy-grin.
Echo fought the butterflies again. When had his smile become so charming?
Tired of those certain thoughts, Echo hastily ate her portion of the meal, which was a lot smaller than his was, and left the table. She dumped her dishes in the sink, and practically fled the room. She'd wash them later, when the shifter wasn't watching her like a hawk.
Not even a minute passed before he was following her up the stairs. "You finished already?" She gawked, mentally slapping herself for the dumbfounded expression she was sure was on her face.
He gave a chipper nod. "I'm a quick eater."
"Don't you want anymore?" she asked.
He shook his head, his smile never faltering.
"Well, you should return home before people start asking questions." She found it pained her to finish that sentence.
She'd need to distance herself from the shifter, if she had any hope of regaining her sanity. However, he seemed to be catching on to her little dilemma. "Nah, it's okay, my sister will cover for me."
She mustered up the best nonchalant shrug she could, and continued up the staircase; of course, he followed in pursuit. The little pup followed her all the way to her bedroom door, where she stopped, turned on her heel, placed her hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes at the shape-shifter. "What are you doing now?"
He gave an overconfident smirk. "Spending time with you, of course."
The comment was enough to stun the were-cat, and with narrowed eyes, she attempted to rattle her brain for a sarcastic reply. In doing so, her cold composure melted just enough for the shifter to take advantage of it.
"Come on, I know you want to talk to me. You've been hiding the fact that you secretly enjoy spending time with me. Don't worry; I won't jump you or anything. In addition, you can still insult me as much as you want. Who doesn't wanna insult a werewolf?" He was smirking, hoping the dog jokes would be enough to lure the cat in.
She frowned, but let out a defeated grumble, and justified her reasoning with; "Only because I can insult you guilt free now."
Therefore, Echo turned back to the bedroom door. She pushed it open, and stormed into her bedroom with a slight pout. Somehow, the were-cat felt quite conned, and she didn't like it in the least bit. Seth shut the door behind him once he had entered.
He gave a wolfish grin. "Never turn your back on a wolf, sweetheart."