Pokey spun on her left foot, her auburn ponytail swinging as her right connected with Tommy's rib cage. He went down with a "whump" as her momentum continued, first landing on her hands and then springing back to her feet several feet away. She glanced back over her shoulder at him, but he remained on his back, motionless.
Concerned, she leaned over him. He caught her hand and, with a quick yank, she landed clumsily on top of him. He grinned. "Rookie mistake. You're far too trusting."
She kissed the end of his nose, then sprang lightly to her feet and offered her hand to help him up. "I trust you, silly."
Tommy frowned. "Well okay, but don't trust anyone else. You'll never be as strong or as fast as a vampire, but you can be stronger and faster than they expect you to be. And that could save your life."
She bounced on the balls of her feet, easily deflecting Tommy's quick jab with his right hand. It distracted her just enough, however, for him to sweep her legs out from under her with his right foot. She landed lightly, her body bowed backwards as her hands and feet made contact with the floor and she shot back up as if spring loaded. Her hands expertly gripped his head as she pretended to snap his neck.
"Fast. Very fast. But you still need to work on the strength. Build up those muscles. Remember, these guys might as well be made of granite." Their faces were inches apart, and he leaned forward and kissed her quickly.
Pokey groaned. "More weights? I hate the darn weights."
He nodded, grinning. "And don't forget – those vamps won't be kissing you every time you do something awesome."
She smiled. "Awesome? Awww, Tommy."
He chuckled. "Don't get cocky. You have to keep your guard up." His hand flashed toward her and, moving just as quickly as he did, she deflected it with her fist.
Pokey giggled. "You said 'cocky.'" Tommy shook his head and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her slowly as her hands locked behind his neck. "You're getting pretty good at that, wolf boy," she teased.
He grinned at her. "Practice makes perfect. Especially when the practice is so much fun."
"This is Tommy. I'm probably spending some quality time with my girlfriend, so I'll call you back later." Emmy was not amused at Tommy's voicemail message, and she sighed before disconnecting without leaving a message.
Sue heard the heavy sigh as she walked by with an overflowing laundry basket. "Everything okay, Honey?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just..." She didn't know where to begin. She was glad that Tommy and Pokey were happy - she really was - but she missed her best friends. "I miss them, Mom. They're so wrapped up in each other they forget about me completely. Boy, that sounds petty when I say it out loud."
Sue smiled gently. "Not at all, Em. Have you told them how you feel?"
Emmy grimaced. "First I'd have to catch them. But I will, Mom. One of these days."
Sue smiled at her. "In the meantime, why don't you spend some time with Seth and Christy? I know how crazy you are about your nephew, and I'm sure they'd welcome the company. You could even volunteer to babysit once in a while. And Seth just mentioned yesterday that he misses you."
Jimmy came down the stairs, yawning and stretching. "Dad's awake, Sue, and he says he's hungry." Jimmy shared one of his rare smiles, and Sue wrapped her arms around his thin shoulders.
"We'd better get him some breakfast then. Would you like to help?"
They decided on blueberry pancakes, since that was one of Jared's favorites. Sue stirred the batter together while Jimmy rinsed the blueberries, then folded them in. As Sue poured the neat rounds of batter onto the hot griddle, she glanced at Jimmy just as he angrily swiped at a fat tear that was quivering on his cheek. She quickly flipped the pancakes and turned off the flame, gathering him in her arms.
"What's wrong, Jimmy? Your daddy is getting better every day! You know that, right?"
He was valiantly fighting the urge to cry. His lip quivered as he whispered, "Will I have to go home with my grandparents again? I could help around the house, and I promise I won't make a mess."
Sue found herself fighting for control of her voice. "I'll talk to your dad, Jimmy. I can't make any promises, but I really can use your help around here. You've taken over most of your dad's care, and I think it won't be too long before the two of you can go home again. I can stop over to check on him, but you're the best medicine he's had yet." She pushed his dark hair back and kissed his forehead. "Now don't you worry about anything. I'm sure we can work something out." He clung to her, his small body shaking as he finally let the tears flow. She just held him, murmuring softly, instinctively knowing that sometimes a little boy just needs his mom - but she was gone way too soon.
Alec was restless. "I'm tired of this place, Bella. Those nasty wolves are underfoot everywhere I go." His eyes glowed. "You never told me I'd have to starve if I came with you."
Bella glanced up from her newspaper. "First of all, don't make it sound like you volunteered. You're on loan from our master, and I'll pay dearly for the favor. And those wolves have your scent. You wouldn't get within twenty feet of one before the pack was all over you. That's why I keep telling you we have to pick off the humans first."
He barked a short laugh. "I know, I know. And their mates will follow. Except that didn't work out exactly as we had planned, did it?"
Bella growled menacingly, then backed off. Alec might look like a young teenager, but they both knew he was ancient...and extremely powerful. "Why don't you make nice with Emmy? She's desperately lonely too. And speaking of Emmy..." she whispered.
Bella's head whipped around just before the doorbell rang. She opened the door while the chimes were still echoing faintly in the sparsely furnished house.
"Emmy! How nice to see you!" Bella beamed.
"You too, Bella." Emmy hugged her sister quickly, then waved to Alec. She shivered slightly and hoped Bella hadn't noticed.
No such luck. Bella shrugged when Emmy released her and stepped back. "You get used to it, Emmy. It's really not so bad. And the advantages far outweigh the minor inconveniences." Her smile was sincere...and perfect, of course.
"I was just wondering if you felt like shopping with me. I need a few things…"
"Of course!" Bella replied enthusiastically. "I'll just grab my purse. Want me to drive?"
They settled back into the luxurious leather seats in Bella's Italian sports car, and she expertly backed out of the garage. "Where to?" she asked Emmy, smiling brightly.
Emmy sighed. "I don't really care, Bella. All my homework is done and I just had to get out of the house."
"Still no Pokey?" Bella asked gently. She knew how frustrated Emmy was about losing her best friend to her nephew. "She'll come around, Bella. A girl needs girlfriends too. Sooner or later she'll realize that. And from my point of view, a few weeks is pretty meaningless." She snapped her perfectly manicured fingers. "Of course, you'll always have your sister."
Sue opened the door wide for Christy and the baby. "Are you sure we won't be in the way, Sue?" Christy asked.
"Are you kidding?" Sue chuckled. "I've been looking forward to your visit all day! I can't wait to get my hands on my grandson." She lifted him out of the carrier and snuggled him close. "Oh my, there's nothing like that wonderful baby smell," she gushed. She sat down on the couch and unzipped Embry's sweater. He looked up at her and smiled.
"Seth's a little paranoid these days about us being home alone," Christy explained softly, "so he likes us to go visiting while he's patrolling or working."
"I agree with him," Sue assured her daughter-in-law. "There's no sense taking chances, and I feel like you're safer here. Leah's coming over too, and I suspect she's our self-appointed bodyguard - though she SAYS she's coming to visit you and Embry."
Leah kissed Sarah's forehead. "You sure you two will be okay? I don't like this fever. If it's not down tomorrow you're going to the doctor, like it or not."
"Mom!" the twins sputtered in unison. Tommy sighed. "She's fine, Mom. I'll be here with her, and I'll call you the minute she turns into anything but a whiney 13-year-old girl." He chuckled and returned to his homework, immediately turning his attention from his sisters who lay sprawled on opposite ends of the sectional sofa.
After Leah left, Susie wrapped a hoodie around Sarah, who was starting to shiver. Sarah sniffed and pushed it away. "It smells awful, Suze!"
"Sorry, Sarah. Emmy left it here and I thought it might warm you up." She tossed the sweatshirt in the laundry room and came right back with an afghan in her arms.
"Hey, Tom - I think you'd better come in here." It was Susie's voice, and the tremor in it got his attention immediately. He walked into the living room to find Sarah huddled and trembling, in a corner of the couch, a pillow clasped to her chest. He swore under his breath, then quickly scooped her up in his arms and ran out the back door with Susie in hot pursuit.
"Tommy!" she screamed. "What's wrong with her?"
He laid her gently in the grass and stepped back, wrapping his arms around Susie as she tried to break free and run to her sister. The pillow in Sarah's arms suddenly exploded into a flurry of feathers as Sarah's fingers lengthened and curved, vicious claws extending into the unfortunate cushion as the rest of her body popped and shimmered in the sudden silence. Tommy and Susie stared, transfixed, as a sleek golden tan wolf emerged from the feather storm, shook its furry body and, after stumbling slightly to get its bearings, took off into the nearby woods.
Tommy whispered to Susie, "Call Mom. Tell her we're okay and she doesn't need to come running home, but she needs to know. Do you understand?"
Susie nodded, her eyes wide but focused. "Call Mom," she repeated as Tommy leaped off the porch. He phased in midair and ran after Sarah. He found her easily, just inside the treeline, cowering against the trunk of a giant fir tree.
"It's okay, Sarah. You're all right," he told her soothingly. "You always knew this could happen. Just breathe deeply. Are you in pain?" He had no idea, since he couldn't remember the first time he phased. He'd been an infant, and those days were long forgotten, but he could feel her pain and terror as she crouched and snarled at him, the fur on her neck standing up stiffly.
He paced carefully in front of her as he continued to project gentle, soothing words to her fevered brain. "You'll feel better once your body gets used to the change. At least you know what's happening, Sarah. Just try to relax now."
With an angry howl, she took off again. Tommy was surprised at how fast she was in her sleek new body, but his longer legs quickly overtook her. He didn't try to stop her but ran alongside her, matching his pace to hers as she ran. When she approached a road or a house, he gently diverted her back into the deep woods.
Finally she slowed and looked to her left, then stopped running. "I can't outrun it, can I?" she asked miserably.
Tommy nuzzled her face. "It's not so bad, Sis," he tried to reassure her. "You can have a long talk with Mom later, but basically you kinda get used to it."
In a blur of sandy colored fur, a third wolf came hurtling out of nowhere and landed on Sarah, pinning her to the ground with his right paw and licking her face. She instantly recognized the newcomer by his abbreviated left paw and tried to squirm out of his grip. "Get off me, Uncle Seth!" she protested, but the tension was broken.
Seth obligingly stepped back and settled on his haunches. "Welcome to the puppy farm, kid! Now get out of my way so I can keep the reservation safe from vampires and varmints!" He flicked his tail and was gone.
Sarah looked at her brother and shook her shaggy head. "Come on, Tommy. Let's go home and face the music." She stood, shook out her golden fur, and looked over her shoulder. "Um...which way is home?"