Chapter 10: Home

Collin

We walked along in amicable silence, no sound but the wind through the trees and our feet against the snow. Estrella hummed to herself happily, loping along with her gazelle-like legs. She would pause and look at me every so often, a faint smile dancing on her pink lips.

She was beautiful.

Her freshly showered scent wafted around my nose, enticing me as we walked through the woods near the Denali home. In the distance, I could hear Emmett and Eleazar pounding away at the beams of the house as they rebuilt what had been damaged by the battle. I wanted to get a little further away from everyone before I said what I had to say.

"Do you need to hunt?" I asked her hopefully. I was nervous, and any distraction would be a welcomed one. It would buy me some time to get my thoughts together.

"Maybe later," she said sweetly, giving me a shy smile. I felt myself grow red as I glanced away. For someone that was shy, Estrella could be extremely flirtatious at times. Not that I was complaining. The fact that a woman that beautiful was paying attention to me was nothing short of a miracle.

"So…your sister is staying here then? With Stefan?"

She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Yes, she wishes to stay in Alaska," she said lightly, her accent still a bit thick. She had learned so much English the past few weeks it was incredible. From not knowing anything to being able to communicate effectively with me and the others was amazing. Not that I should be surprised - any free time she had she spent with her nose in either a dictionary or a thesaurus. Edward had explained to me that Estrella's mind was a lot like Renesmee's - like a steel trap. He told me she could remember almost anything she read.

I swallowed, trying to think of a way to get her to talk. I knew she wasn't that confident with her English yet, but I was desperate to keep the attention off of my self.

"What about you? Do you miss home?"

Estrella paused, giving me a little smirk.

"Home? The jungle? Mmm, no. It is not home. Just a place," she said tritely.

I felt my stomach twist nervously - it was now or never. Did I just blurt it out? 'Come live with me!' ? I couldn't. My tongue seized up and I couldn't speak. She looked at me expectantly as we walked, her bright eyes hopeful.

"Do you want to hunt now?" I asked, reaching for my belt. "I'm going to phase."

I was such a coward.

She shrugged, looking disappointed as we stopped walking. I gave her one last look before trotting over to some trees and stripping down. Peering through the pines, I watched her cross her arms around herself and twist her lips into a disgruntled little pout. Phasing quickly, I returned to her side in wolf form. I nudged her playfully, and a tiny smile appeared on her face.

"We go now," she sighed, nodding. With that, she took off at a run and I followed.

She was fast. Her long legs propelled her forward, sending her long hair streaming out behind her like a golden blur. She traveled North, her nose driving her up a mountainside to where I could smell a herd of large deer. I could tell she must have been dying of thirst; she grunted as her legs moved her faster and faster until I could barely keep my eyes on her. She shot into the mountain meadow like graceful bullet, taking down one elk so fast I almost missed it. I stopped running and watched from a safe distance as she fed.

She was even pretty then.

As I watched, I felt a little better about the whole half-vampire thing. I had always thought vampires feeding was a terrible thing to thing about; they were killing something and drinking it's blood. However, watching Estrella gracefully take down an elk wasn't as horrible as I thought. In fact, it was kinda sexy to watch her stalk and take down her prey.

After finishing her meal, she daintily wiped her mouth and stood up in the icy grass of the meadow. Her eyes skimmed the tree line before she spied me and smiled.

I gave my tail a small wag, letting her know I was still around and un-frightened. She bounded over to me, sliding to halt at my side.

"Want to run?" she asked hopefully. I nodded my large head, and together we took off.

Jake was right - at least about one thing. It was amazing to run with her. To just let loose. She bounded beside me as we ran through the trees, finally allowing ourselves to relax. I could tell she loved the speeds our supernatural bodies could reach, for every few moments she would laugh lightly as the pines raced by. We ran for almost an hour; up hills, over icy tundra's, and along the banks of the frozen lakes. When we returned to a familiar meadow not far from the Denali home she finally slowed, her cheeks pink and her eyes wild.

I watched her standing there in the meadow, the setting sun catching on her skin. The light made the tiny facets sparkle ever so lightly, casting rainbows on the ground in front of her. Seeing my eyes, she reached back, letting her hand softly run down my muzzle. It tickled slightly, and I huffed a puff of air at her .

"My wolf?" She asked hopefully, palming my nose.

I breathed in her intoxicatingly warm, tropical scent and fell more in love with her than I already was. I had to tell her.

Instead of answering with a head nod, I backed up a few steps and leaned down, preparing myself to change back to human form. She watched, slightly confused, as my wolf form froze, head down, waiting. Within a few seconds I felt the shift coming on, and before I knew it I was lifting my human body up to stand up straight. I stood in front of her, naked as the day I was born, and she noticed.

"Collin!" she said excitedly, clapping her hands together softly. An exuberant smile crossed her elegant features, and I felt my own face break out in to a matching smile.

"Hi," I replied awkwardly. She stared at me, her eyes lowering slowly to take in my naked form. I saw her eyebrows rise, and I wondered if that was a good sign. I could have pulled on the shirt and pants that were tied to my leg, but she didn't look like she wanted me to bother with that.

She took a tentative step towards me, unsure if she should come closer. I held out my arms to her, and before I knew it I was embracing her hard yet supple body. I hugged her tightly, finally reveling in the feeling that I was home.

All my life I felt like I had been searching for my home, and as I stood in the snowy meadow holding Estrella in my arms, I realized something.

This girl was my home.

Nothing else mattered as I stood there and held her tightly against my chest. She squeezed me back, her rapidly beating heart fluttering against my chest. Turning her head, she pressed her lips against my collar bone and kissed me tentatively. Pulling her head back, she looked up at me as she waited for my reaction. I couldn't speak. The feeling of her lips against my chest was pure euphoria, and I wanted more. I ached for it.

"I won't hurt you Collin," she assured me, still struggling with her English. I stared at her ocean blue eyes, and my hands moved up her arms, over her shoulders, and I cupped her face in my hands.

"You don't hurt me. But I hurt you. I'm sorry," I stated simply, hoping that she would understand. Her eyes lit up, and I knew I had spoken words that she understood.

"It is okay," she stated, still stumbling slightly with her words. "It is okay now. I love you, Collin," she replied confidently, as if she had said the words to me a thousand times. They rang in my head as I struggled to decide if I had heard her correctly.

"You…you what?" I gaped at her.

She looked at me, blinking a few times. "I love you Collin," she repeated, as if it was the easiest thing she had ever uttered from her perfect mouth.

I realized then and then that I had gone years without hearing those words from my own parents; no girl I had ever been with had even come close to saying those words to me either. I had been relentlessly cruel, rejecting this girl again and again countless times as I fought the bond to her, and here she was declaring her love to me like it was the easier thing she had ever done.

"I love you too, Estrella. I'm sorry I was mean. I love you so much," I said firmly, still holding her face in my hands. She smiled the most beautiful, relieved smile, and I saw her eyes begin to glisten. I knew what I had to do.

Slowly, I lowered my face and softly pressed my lips against hers. Nothing had ever felt so right. My imprints lips were warm and inviting, welcoming my mouth against hers like it belonged there. And it did.

She let me take charge, moving my lips against hers as I placed kiss after kiss on her soft mouth. Her lips molded against mine, the searing heat between us nearly maddening. I moaned against her as I felt myself open up and give myself over completely.

What started as an innocent kiss quickly shifted as she pressed back harder, firmly lodging her lips against mine. Our lips moved together in perfect synch, and nothing had ever felt so wonderful. She moaned slightly, curving her body against mine as if we were puzzle pieces. I held her as close as I could, my hands roaming up her back, over her shoulders, into her hair, her cheeks…everywhere. Her skin burned pleasantly against mine as we kissed and explored each other, the feelings quickly growing to an overwhelming level. I could feel myself grow hard as I kissed her, my urges getting the best of me. She let out a surprised squeak as I ran my tongue over her lips. She welcomed me, opening her mouth to let me taste her. I groaned as I ran my tongue along the front of her sharp teeth. For once, the idea of her teeth didn't scare me. In fact, the idea of a little danger thrilled me to no end.

We broke apart completely breathless, both of our hearts beating wildly.

She gazed up at me with her brilliant blue-green eyes and pink cheeks, clearly speechless.

"I love you," I repeated. "I'll always love you. I….I can't be away from you anymore, Estrella."

"No," she agreed, weaving her long arms around my back. She pulled herself against me, burying her face in my neck. "Don't go."

I stroked her silky hair and breathed a breath of relief into the cold air. Peace settled over me as I realized she wanted to leave me about as much as I wanted to leave her.

"Do you know why I love you so much?

"No, I just have hopes that you do," she said in a shaky voice. Pulling away, she looked up at me hopefully.

"I do. And do you know why? You're mine. You're made for me and I was made for you. Wolves, we….we have a magic way to find our other half."

"Other half?"

"Um…" I yanked my hand through my messy hair, trying to explain this. It was extremely difficult to explain imprinting to someone who barely understood why I was a wolf in the first place.

"The magic that makes me a wolf also found you for me. It draws me to you and makes you irresistible to me. I just…when I saw you for the first time I knew that…I knew that I would love you forever."

"You knew? How? I do not…"

"I'm sorry, I know I totally suck at explaining this but…"

"Collin, I be with you forever?"

"Yes. Yes, forever, just…just never leave me. I would just….now that I found you I can't bear to see you go."

"If I belong to you, that is all I need to know," she stuttered, weaving her hands with mine. She gave me a reassuring smile, her bright teeth shining in the sunlight.

"Really?"

"Yes, Collin. We will be together always. Me and my wolf."

I pulled her into my arms, squeezing her tightly against my body. She felt so warm and good and right that I felt like my heart would burst open from the happiness.

I'd never felt so much joy about anything in my life.

Ever.

I wasn't ever going to go back to the way it was.

"Come home with me. Be with me," I whispered into her hair. She nodded against my neck, clutching my body to her hers.

I loved how this girl said things like it was easy.

"Yes," she said happily. "I go where you go," she agreed.

"Good," I said, exhaling with relief. "Stay with me. Stay with me forever."

The next night, I sat with a freshly showered Estrella in front of the upstairs fireplace. The Denali's log cabin mansion had several very cozy places to loll around and sit, and we had managed to find one of them. Estrella sat with her long legs tucked underneath her body, her damp hair shining in the firelight. I leaned against the front of the couch across from her, watching her green eyes shine.

We grinned at each other, both relieved and happy to be where we were.

"Say it again," she said softly.

I grinned, my face growing hot.

"I love you," I replied quietly.

Estrella beamed, clenching her hands together in her lap. We had agreed in the meadow that she would return home to Washington to live with me. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I had a feeling I wouldn't regret anything. She was my imprint, after all. Now that I had found her I was obsessed with the idea of being with her always. She made me feel so calm and collected and like nothing could go wrong as far as her hand was in mine. We would work out the details later.

"And I can come home with you? To Washington?"

I nodded. "Of course. I mean…I don't have much. I have a house."

"You do?" She looked very excited at this idea.

"Yes. Well, it's my dad…my real dad's….old fishing cabin. I don't do much at home besides patrol, work, and fix it up. It's kinda nice…er, I mean it's not bad."

I didn't want her to get the idea that we would be living in some mansion like the Denali home. My dad's old fishing cabin was small but cozy, but it lacked many of the bells and whistles that were common in this particular house. I was fixing my cabin up room by room, and I had a long way to go before I would deem it acceptable, especially for her. I wanted her first real home to be everything she could hope for.

She nodded, her eyes still bright. "I live there with you?"

"If you want to. Sure."

"Really?"

I smiled to myself, suddenly shy.

"I never have a house. You will share it with me?" she asked, clasping her hands together. I should have felt like I was making the biggest mistake of my life by offering her a place in my house; I barely knew her after all. Yet something told me it would be the best thing I had done to date.

Averting my eyes, I felt my cheeks turn pink.

"What's mine is yours," I said awkwardly, shrugging. She laughed lightly, shaking her head at me.

"It sounds wonderful Collin. I want to go see it soon!"

"We're going home tomorrow….we have a long flight."

"In the airplane?"

I nodded. "Are you afraid?"

"Will you be in the airplane?"

"Yes," I laughed.

She smirked at me.

"Then no."

Her words were short and to the point, yet laced with the cute-ness I now associated with Estrella. How someone could have had such an awful beginning life and still be as open and kind hearted as she was remained a mystery to me.

"Do…erm…does your family live with you?" she asked.

I bit my lip, shaking my head. "No, I….I don't talk to them anymore. Too many bad memories."

She frowned slightly, looking confused. I sighed, trying to figure out a way to explain.

"My dad died when I was young, and….my mom wasn't very good. I mean, she did the best she could, but….I don't really talk to her all that much anymore. She has a lot of other kids with her boyfriend and….I don't think she thinks about me that often."

"You do not spent time with her?"

"No. She's got her own life, and I just….she doesn't seem to miss me I guess. It's alright. I've got the pack."

"You are lonely?"

I shrugged, glancing over at her. "Not anymore. But no, not really. I'm used to being lonely."

"Me too," she agreed sadly.

"My family has never really been around much. It's just me."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, cocking her head to the side.

"Me too. No family really. My brother and my sister, but no others. No dad either," she admitted, biting her lip.

I realized we had a lot of bad memories about our family lives (or lack of) that we shared.

"What was your childhood like? I'm just curious."

She shrugged, twisting her hands in her lap. "I grew up on my own. In the jungle. The people in my village…they called me the devil child. They thought I was evil, and…and bad. But I wasn't. I just don't know… how to act. My mother…she is dead…" she stumbled over her words every so often, but her English was getting better and better.

"You mean…" I slowly realized that Estrella's birth was probably a lot like Renesmee's. I hadn't been present, but…the memories Jake had of it were gruesome. Estrella stared at the fire, her bright eyes suddenly saddened.

"I….she died. And the women in the village that tried to care for me….they did not understand what I was. I did not either. Nahuel told me what I am. Why I….have a thirst."

I nodded sympathetically, trying to imagine what her childhood must have been like. It all sounded awful. Ironically, her childhood and younger years sounded a lot like mine - isolating and miserable. She explained further, talking about how she grew up mostly alone in the woods, with no help from anyone. She had no family, as her father Joham had never sought her out after creating her. From what she said, she spent a lot of time alone and scared. However, she had somehow managed to maintain hope that it would all get better someday.

"It did. Nahuel find me and bring me here. To you," she added sweetly. Reaching out, she touched my hand softly, letting her fingertips graze over the back of my hand.

"Yes," I agreed, scooting closer to her. "He brought you to me."

I pulled her into a hug, savoring the feeling of holding my imprint in my arms. She was soft and warm and smelled like heaven; that alone would have been enough. But the real attraction was that she got me. She understood my wolf side, and she understood my past, and what it was like to be immortal. She was the same way.

I had finally met my match.

"We can go home tomorrow?" she asked hopefully, pulling away from me slightly.

I nodded, reaching up to brush some hair out of her eyes.

"Yes, we'll go to my house. Our house, if you want. It's not much, but….it's yours if you want to live there."

She nodded brightly, her eyes happy again.

"Yes, Collin. I live there with you. For always," she said firmly, snuggling against me. She shook with excitement, and I could practically feel her happiness radiating through her soft skin.

For the first time, the idea of going back to Forks truly excited me. For this time, I felt like I was finally going home.

The next day dawned bright and sunny. I felt the happiest I had felt in ages. My chest was no longer tight and filled with pressure, and my head wasn't aching with worry. Well, it was clouded with thoughts of Estrella and how lucky I was to finally have her, but that was fine with me. I would happily take it. I was eager to trade the misery I felt without her for something better - something lighter.

The Cullens were kind enough to rent a private plane and let us use it to return home. The pack was tired and quite homesick, and I was sure none of us wanted to run. I was worried that Estrella would be frightened by the plane, but instead she was absolutely thrilled, especially with the take-off. I myself had never been on an airplane before, so it was a mutual first.

We spent the plane ride sitting together in the back of the jet, napping and holding hands. She would hold my hand in her lap and lightly trace my palm over and over making me shiver. Alice had introduced her to trashy romance novels, and she read at least two of them on the flight. She would occasionally look at me and blush, quickly turning her attention back to her reading.

"What are you reading?" I asked, glancing at the cover of her novel.

She blushed and held it away from me with her long arms.

"Something not for a man!" she giggled, still struggling to keep it out of my reach.

"The…The Perils of Pleasure?" I gasped, reaching for it again.

Estrella swatted my hand away and laughed again. We earned some looks from all around the plane from my pack mates, but not one said anything. We both blushed and hushed our laughter, easily embarrassed. She returned to her book and I looked away, settling for wrapping my arm around her shoulders. I sat there calmly as I reveled in the way her skin warmed mine, even through our clothes.

I let my mind wander.

What would it feel like….without clothes? I squirmed in my seat a little, trying to push the thought from my head.

Baby steps.

I didn't know if Estrella had ever done anything more than kiss before - instinct told me no. If she was excited for a kiss, something told me my imprint hadn't done much else. Who would she do it with, after all? She had grown up in a jungle not knowing she was half vampire. I was guessing the opportunity hadn't exactly presented itself multiple times.

I tried to calm myself down as the flight dragged on. I had done the hard part - I had found my imprint, I had admitted my feelings for her, and I had accepted her into my immortal life for good. I accepted that she was what I would need in life in order to be happy and whole, and that was enough for awhile. We were imprints after all, so I knew the physical stuff would come eventually.

Soon, I hoped.

When we finally arrived in Forks later that day, I was relieved to see that it was overcast. I wanted Estrella to know that she could live here safely and not worry about her skin glittering too much. She tended to sparkle a little more than Renesmee, which might raise a few eyebrows.

"See? There's almost always clouds here. You'll be safe," I said as we left the airport. Estrella paused, holding out her arm to look at it. She peered up at the overcast sky, a smile on her face.

"No sparkles," she said happily. I nodded, taking her hand in mine.

After leaving the rest of the pack, we finally headed to my dad's old fishing cabin that I now called home.

As we walked inside, I watched her face carefully. She looked around with wide eyes, taking it all in. It wasn't bad really; I had done most of the fixing up myself, and I was confident in my skills as a carpenter. The house was a small cabin-like structure that sat on a hill overlooking a lake. It wasn't large; in fact, most people would label it a small house. However, it was perfect for just me. I hoped Estrella would like it.

"Home," I said simply, putting down her small bag. She smiled politely, walking over to the kitchen counter. She walked around the island, running her hand along the counter as she moved. Her eyes were wide as she took it all in.

"What do you think?" I asked hopefully.

She turned, grinning at me. "It's beautiful. Home."

I walked over to where she stood in front of the window overlooking the lake. My arms went around her middle, and she leaned into my touch. I gazed down at her, focusing on her mouth. I hadn't kissed her since the night before. We still weren't completely comfortable around each other yet; there was still some awkwardness.

Estrella didn't find it all too hard though. Raising herself up only a little, she pressed her lips against mine in a sweet kiss. I groaned a little, losing focus as her lips melted into mine.

We broke apart a little breathless, both our cheeks flushed. She reached up and touched my face, looking at me thoughtfully.

"We're home," she said finally.

"Yes," I agreed with a shaky laugh. "We're home."

I hope you enjoyed this one - Up next, we see Estrella explore her new world. Oh, and Collin ; )