Okay so was having a moment apparently! But I'm back so here's 2 chapters instead of 1! lol. I'm trying to finish up Fallin In so I can concentrate on Who's That Girl. Enjoy! ~Maxine
Chapter 11 – Getting Warm
Paul almost couldn't believe that he'd nearly forgotten about this building. Rachel had told him when they first started dating that this funeral home was where her dad had their mother's funeral, but it had been closed for the last five years.
He thought he'd heard her, his wolf hearing was straining to listen to every noise that was made in the older building. "MEL WHERE ARE YOU?"
Paul heard a door close as he looked at Leah. "Don't let Rachel get away Leah." He practically growled out. As Leah nodded to head and took off through the building using her wolf senses to track Rachel's scent. He'd watched as Seth followed Leah as well.
Hearing Paul's voice was enough to fully wake up all of Melinda's senses and got her adrenaline rushing through every vein in her body. Her small fists were banging on the box top as she was trying to make as much noise as possible.
"I'M IN HERE!" Her throat was raspy and her voice was strained from being locked in the cold freezer for nearly thirty-six hours. She was pretty sure she should've been a frozen solid by now or even dead from hypothermia. Apparently it wasn't her time. She could still move all her extremities which hurt because she was so cold, but she was happy she could move them.
Paul could suddenly smell Melinda's scent as he jogged through the halls and came to a stop in the morgue.
No. Rachel wouldn't…Would she?
Paul's keen sense of hearing picking up on a slight banging noise, and he felt his stomach lurch as he started jerking open the doors of the body fridge. He nearly came unglued when he opened one and there was a wooden box and suddenly the slight banging had gotten louder.
Paul pulled the metal tray out and touched the top of the box.
"Melinda, are you really in there?"
"Paul." Melinda's shaky voice made Paul's heart sink inside of his cheat to his stomach.
Paul practically ripped the padlocks off the lid and threw the lid across the room as it crashed against the wall…He clamped his eyes shut when he saw his wife's dark blue lips shaking from the cold. Her skin was nearly as blue as her lips. He felt her ice cold hand touch his cheek as his eyes flew open. Paul's warm hands reached out and touched Melinda's ice cold cheeks and could see the tears frozen to her skin.
"I need to get you out of here and get you warm."
"I would really appreciate that."
Paul frowned as he pulled the side of the box away and carefully slid Melinda into his arms and felt the chill of her skin as she leaned her head against his chest. He could feel her through the t-shirt he had on. She could automatically feel the heat from his body entering every pore on her body.
Paul cradled Melinda against his body as he walked out of the funeral home and immediately put her in his truck and started back towards La Push. He knew Leah wouldn't stop until she got Rachel. Paul turned the heat on as well as covered Melinda with several blankets, which he'd remember to thank Emily later for putting them his truck.
Paul noticed she was sitting as close as possible to him and was still shivering badly. He knew he was going to have to take her to see Carlisle again. There was absolutely no way around it. He wanted her to get checked out immediately. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything was ok, but he also wanted to get her to the Cullen's as soon as possible. He opted for wrapping his arm around her and pulling her even closer if it was possible. He kissed the top of her cold head.
"Calm down baby. You'll warm up soon. I promise."
Melinda just nodded as she snuggled into his side trying to calm her shivers.
Rachel ran out the back door of the funeral home as fast as her legs could carry her. She was almost to her car when she suddenly felt pain radiating through her back and her body went flying forward as she hit the ground with a resonating thump.
Rachel spun around onto her rear as she looked back at Seth and a smaller grey wolf who she assumed was Leah. Leah was growling and snarling towards Rachel. Seth had his arm out so Leah couldn't attempt to have a go at Rachel. Even though Seth would've loved to let Leah tear into Rachel for the hell she'd put their sister through, first with the poisoning a year earlier and now with abducting her and making her practically freeze to death in a morgue freezer.
Rachel pointed at Leah when she could see the light grey wolf starting to step towards her. "Now…Now Leah, this is not my fault. If Melinda would've just left Paul alone I wouldn't have had to take matters into my own hands. Wouldn't you do whatever was necessary to keep the man you love in your life and heart?"
A ferociously deep growl came from the smaller wolf and bared its teeth.
Seth scoffed. "Rachel you really don't want to try and defend your actions. If you haven't forgotten she's our sister. Anyone who would try to kill a member of our family and then try to explain her actions rationally it is not the smartest of things you could be doing right now. I won't be able to control Leah for long. So until the police get here, I suggest you shut up, before you say something stupid and I let Leah have you as a chew toy."
"C'mon Seth you have to understand where I'm coming from…I love Paul very much. I needed to protect our future together. I know he wants to be with me, but his imprinting on Melinda was getting in the way. It always got in the way. It ruined everything. She ruined everything. I just wanted to be happy and I just wanted Paul to be happy."
"He is happy Rachel. He's happy spending the rest of his life with Melinda, his wife."
"But I should be his wife. She didn't want him, that's why she left him all those years ago."
"No you're wrong. He rejected her as his imprint and she couldn't handle being that hurt and feeling that much pain. It was his fault she left and he knows it; which is why since you've been out of the picture he's been making up for it. Why do you think they got married? Because they re-connected and have been more in love then you and him ever were or ever will be. Nothing breaks an imprint bond Rachel. Haven't you figured that out yet?"
Leah stood grumbling next to Seth, he reached over and touched her shoulder and felt her flinch. She was wound tight and wanted to jump on Rachel in the worst way.
"Calm down Leah. We kept her from getting away that's what's important right now."
A bigger grey wolf with black spots along it's back walked out of the trees and over to Leah and nuzzled her neck.
Seth gagged. "Embry that's my sister you're getting fresh with. I know ya'll are married now but I don't need to see anything X rated from you two."
Seth jumped back when Leah snapped her teeth at him.
"I know you didn't mean that." Seth teased.
Seth jumped back again as she snapped her teeth at him a few times. He loved teasing her in wolf form; it always diffused any situation to which her temper got the better of her.
"I know you didn't mean that either. Embry get her out of here. I can't stop her from ripping into Rachel without watching Rachel and waiting for the police at the same time. Besides they should be here any minute. They wouldn't know what to do if they saw two mutant dogs anyways."
Seth watched as the two took off into the woods. He knew they were headed for the Cullen's to see how Melinda was doing. Just as he was wishing he was going with them Chief Swan showed up, he read Rachel her rights and hand cuffed her again before placing her in the back of the police car. Seth looked on as Chief Swan's car disappeared down the road; before he turned and ran into the trees phasing immediately trying to catch up with Leah and Embry.
Leah's thoughts were pretty loud with as worried as she was about Melinda. Embry's thoughts were trying to calm Leah, but Seth was pretty sure it wasn't helping. Leah wouldn't calm down until she saw Melinda with her own two eyes.
Seth knew as long as Leah could see Melinda with her own eyes then everything was going to be okay.
