Author Note: Thanks to everyone who is reading and liking. I'm enjoying writing it right now. Can't wait to see what happens, I don't even know myself until it comes out! lol As always SM owns Embry though I'd like to ;-P
Pretty Little Secrets Chapter 11
I laid there watched the tete a tete going on between Embry and Andy wondering if I should step in and say something. After all wasn't it my decision who I wanted to be stuck with all night in this god forsaken hell hole? Bella was also watching with edged intimidation while Quil was standing between the two smiling like a big doof.
"Um…guys," I tried to squeak out but they didn't hear me.
"Its fine Embrile, I stayed last night, I can stay again. No need to put you out, thanks though." Andy said with a cocky smirk, pretty proud of himself.
"The name's Embry and it's really no problem Adam."
"Okay, young buck, I get that you're with my sister, but she's my sister and I'm staying."
"ANDY," I chastised, "You promised." He sighed and closed his eyes rubbing them with the palms of his hands.
"Listen Embry," he looked at me and I gave my best pout, which he rolled his eyes at. "Fine, you stay, you want to sleep in these damn chairs all night be my guest." Instead of gloating Embry just nodded and came to sit down beside me.
"Thanks Andy, I know you're her brother and I'm not trying to step on any toes I just feel like I should stay, I've got some things to talk to Denise about."
"Alright then," Bella stood up looking ready to get the hell out of Dodge. "Let's get to it then and let Denise rest. Embry, walk Quil and I out please."
"Sure, I'll be right back baby, I think I'll go home while I have the chance, and shower. I'll have Bella get you some things around; do you want me to get you anything special?"
"No, I'll be fine just hurry back." Again Andy rolled his eyes, if he wasn't careful those things were going roll back in his head and not come back out. After they all left Andy sat back down on the bed.
"You sure you're okay? You still never told me what happened to get you in this condition in the first place."
"Yeah well, you still never told me how the hell you found out and got here so damn fast." I said shooting back at him.
"Easy," he said shrugging, "as your 'brother' I'm on your emergency contact. The hospital called Monday night. I was on a flight first thing yesterday morning. I'm surprised they didn't tell you they called me. Small town racket they got running here. When I got to the house and you weren't there I went over to the Blacks and Jacob helped me find you."
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't call you, I thought it was just a scratch," I said rubbing my fingers along the gash above my eye. "I didn't want to make you worry over nothing. I'm trying to learn to take care of myself, plus I had Embry." I couldn't help the smile that crept over my face when I said his name.
"You really like him huh?" I shook my head to disagree.
"I love him, Andy; I wish you could see what I see."
"It's not that Denise, I'm not blind, I can see that you guys have something special and I would never under normal circumstances take that away from you. I really do think of you as a sister you know, the first time I saw you…saw you in that hospital in St. Louis." He stopped himself short as he and I both sat there. We both know all too well what I was like when he first met me. After a moment he began again.
"And I know you think it's about the job, but it's not. All my life I've wanted to be the hero you know. The one who saves the day. I was always the police man never the robber. Always the army guy and never the enemy. This job, it was my time, my chance to do it for real. If I failed, if anything happened to you on my watch…"
I quickly sat up and scooted toward him wrapping my arms around his neck. He slowly brought his arms around me to return the hug and I sobbed like a baby into his shoulder. I cried for my family, I cried for the hell we were both going through and I cried for the pain I was causing. After what seemed like forever I pulled away to see quiet tears falling from his face.
"Thank you Andy, for being here, for being so understanding. And I know that it isn't just the fear of losing your job if this goes bad. I hate that I'm putting this on you, I really do. But this feels like forever and I just can't keep lying to the man I love."
He just nodded wiping his tears along with mine. "Okay, it's okay. But promise me you won't say anything tonight. When you get home tomorrow we'll figure it all out, what to say without comprising anyone or anything."
"Deal." I said giving him a small smile.
We made small talk for a while and he ate half my disgusting hospital dinner. It was nice to visit with him about just normal stuff. Well normal for us. We talked about my progress with the psychologist; I filled him in on the madness at the picnic. Which he laughed at my expense about, and he told me the FBI had no new leads and that there hadn't been any new killings since my family.
Around 7 PM Embry came back to the hospital freshly showered at smelling wonderful. He also had a bag that Bella packed for me and a plate that she had made. "She said you probably wouldn't eat your food," he said lifting the lid from the tray of slop, "but I see you did." I giggled.
"Uh that was me," Andy said from the chair at my side. Embry smiled too.
"Well, Bella left you some in the fridge at Denise's in case you're still hungry."
"Alright, well then, I guess I'll be heeding home." Andy said as he moved to get up.
"No, please stay for a little bit?" I pleaded; I needed him to see what I saw in Embry I thought it would make it easier on him if he knew why he was letting me break the rules.
"Um, sure," he said sitting back down. Now to break the silence. I flipped the small TV on and looked for anything sports related. All guys like sports right?
An hour later I was sitting up in my bed huffy and puffy at the two men that were sitting on either side of my bed. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to get these two together was seriously crazy. Oh that would be me I guess. Okay, but still, never in a million years did I think it would come to this.
"So there we were standing in the airport and she's got on this shredded pant leg…" Andy was laughing so hard he was crying. Embry was leaning on my bed slapping his hand on his thigh gasping for breath. Oh so funny, they've been doing this for the last 20 minutes, Over one little incident with me and the moving sidewalk at the Seattle airport. I gave one last huff and pushed Embry out of the way so I could get out of bed.
"I'm going to take a shower," I said grabbing the bag Bella packed, "when I get out feel free to be gone Andy." I sneered at him but couldn't hide the smile on my face.
"Okay, okay, I'm done, I should probably go home and hit the hay anyway, and I'll be back in the morning to help get you home." I rolled my eyes, I hated feeling so fragile. Having big protectors around all the time wasn't helping either.
"Sure, sure, see you tomorrow." I gave him a quick hug and he walked out. "Be right back okay?" I said to Embry, who got up and came to help me, okay I can at least walk by myself.
A hot shower made me feel a ton better. I dried off and stared at the outfit laid out on the counter. I slipped on clean panties and yoga pants but then growled as I picked up the clean hospital gown. I was supposed to wear it until I was cleared for check out. I slipped it on and tied it as best I could behind my back.
Embry was stretched out on the bed when I came out. He immediately shot up to let me lay back down. I motioned for him to stay. "You stay there, I think I'll get bed sores if I lay back down I'll just sit up like a normal person for a while."
"Okay baby, here," he said as he sat up and moved his legs apart and patting the bed between them. Never one to pass on a cuddle I sat down on the bed and leaned against his massive chest. We both sat there in the silence neither one wanting to start. It wasn't uncomfortable silence but there were things to discuss.
"So, you said something about needing to finish was you and Billy were telling me?" I tilted my head backwards so I could see an upside down Embry in my eye line. He looked nervous.
"Listen Denise, you've been incredibly understanding with everything that I've told you, maybe we shouldn't push it."
I turned around on the bed so that we were both sitting up facing each other. "No, I want to know, I need to know. Of course unless you don't want to tell me." I hedged hoping it would ease him into spilling.
"No! That's not it; absolutely I want you to know. So I guess I'll just start then." He paused for a long time trying to figure out exactly what it was he wanted to say. "Just so I know that you understand, you do get what Billy and I were trying to say, yesterday. I mean you understand that I…"
"That you are a spirit warrior? Yes I understand, what I'm not quite clear on is if the wolf, if it's your spirit that inhabits the whole or if , well…" as much as I was getting used to the supernatural I still couldn't bring myself to say it out loud.
"My spirit remains in my body Denise, no matter what…form…that body is in." He waited looking at me for any sign of recognition. I knew what he was saying, hell I think I knew it all along but like I said how do you suddenly grasp this kind of revelation?
"Oh, okay and Leah, what she said earlier about you being her boss and Bella said Jake isn't anymore. What does all that mean?"
So I sat there patiently. Looking at him hanging on very word as he described the relationship of the pack, how he said Sam used to be in charge (that explained a lot) and how Jake was second in command but now it's Quil and he who run the show. Quil being the top dog, pun intended.
"So you guys, you can just stop, anytime you want?" I asked curious as to why or how some of the guys just stopped having a wolf spirit.
"Sort of, it's not over night, you need to learn to control the desire to phase. I've been doing it for 10 years, but I've been doing it because I'm second in charge and really had no reason to stop."
"What were the reasons, for the others I mean?"
"Well, we don't age, we physically stay the way we were when we first phased, Jacob, Sam, Jared and Paul, they wanted to grow old with their wives. That's the reason Seth and Quil are still phasing, they need to stay young."
Whoa, whoa…what? "Two questions, why do they NEED to stay young and are you telling me you're still 17?!"
He just chuckled at me and pulled me closed to him. "No, I'm twenty seven; I have been on this planet for twenty seven years. But technically…well…I do look the same as I did when I was seventeen, but that's not saying much seeing as I looked more like twenty five." Now my head was freaking swimming.
"Ok, but so like, in ten more years, you'll still look like this," I motioned to the hotness that was in front of me.
"If I keep phasing, yes."
"So, I'm not a pedophile or anything right?" I shook my head at the thought.
"No, silly girl, you are a twenty five year old woman in love with a twenty seven year old man and we both just happen to look extremely good for our ages." Um…yeah about that.
"Okay, moving on while I'm still numb. You said that Seth and Quil have to stay young, why?"
"That, my dear is where my story starts back up, if you're interested?" Was I interested? Sha, um yeah.
"Alright," he chuckled again as he took in my expression. "There is a thing that some wolves do, not all but some. Baby, it's called imprinting and its how we find our mates."
As Embry laid out the whole story of imprinting I don't think my mouth closed once. It was so surreal, it was permanent. It was so…forced, I thought to myself as he talked about Sam and Emily and the reasons behind Leah's attitude and rocky road she travels with the other women. I was angry for Leah, damn right she had a right to be upset. I don't care what higher power thought one person would make a better mate and which one was not good enough.
Then Embry went on to tell me how Quil and Seth weren't aging on purpose so that could wait for their imprints to age. I was profoundly disturbed. Claire, the young girl that I freaked out on, was Quil's betrothed? And Seth, no wonder he was all attentive to Kim and Jared's little girl. And to think I thought of myself as a pedophile when Embry told me he hadn't aged in ten years. This is too much.
"It's not like that Denise," Embry said in defensive of his brothers, "what is between them and their imprints, it's pure. Quil is more like a big brother to Claire and Seth is like, well he's more like a protector, an uncle."
"But they don't stay that way," I said leading him to tell me the oh so magical age when these creepers finally got their girls.
"When everything is right and they are old enough then yes, the relationship will take the next step but only if the girls want it to. See they are calling the shots, the wolf, it has to be whatever the imprint wants."
We kept talking on and on, I was amazed and disgusted all at the same time. He told me that not everyone imprints, that Leah, Collin and Brady haven't but have all been in love but that it could still happen. Then what surprised me most is how he said Jacob never imprinted on Bella. That their love was just them, being in love.
"But what happens if he does?" I was suddenly afraid for my big sister.
"We have a theory about that, since Jacob stopped phasing a few years back his 'powers' have decreased so we think the ability to imprint won't be an issue because he doesn't need it anymore."
Huh. Well then. "I don't know Embry, still seems kind of final and against free will if you ask me."
He just grinned at me and moved to within inches of my face. "Well, I don't know about you but I can get used to the fact that it's final, I'm sort of used to having you around now."
It dawned on me about five seconds later what he was saying. How had I not assumed this anyway? "Embry, you and me…I mean you, imprinted? On me?" Suddenly the whole idea didn't seem so bad. The knowledge that the love we felt was going to last gave me a tingly feeling all over.
He just nodded waiting to see how I would take the news…how would you take the news? I mauled him. I threw myself at him and he fell back against the hospital bed as our lips met. I moaned at the contact when his tongue found mine and he squeezed me tighter as his hands moved around to hug me tight.
We stayed like this forever. I moved my legs apart slightly so that I was straddling him right their in the hospital but I didn't care. Embry was my soul mate, not that I didn't already know that but now it just seemed more official, more unbreakable.
I ground into his lap as his hands slowly moved up my back and untied the hospital gown I was wearing. I moaned again loudly spurring him on as a growl rippled through his body. Stroking the sides of my newly reveal flesh he made small circles near my hips and then moved his hands up my back.
I hissed loudly as I felt his warm hands caress my scars, it wasn't terribly uncomfortable but what hurt was when Embry abruptly stopped our make out session and pulled me away from him. I sat up and pulled the night gown closed tightly.
"I know, I'm sorry, I know they are gross." I wanted to die; I've never felt so rejected.
"Oh baby, that's not it," he pulled me close, "I just wasn't expecting them to be so…cold." Then he looked at me with a confused furrow in his brow. Moments later recognition went off in his eyes, "Denise, what kind of animal did you say did this to you?"
Okay okay, so now that Embry laid his cards all out on the table what will Denise share? She can't share everything...she wouldn't want to compromise the case or put any of her new friends in jeopardy. Also, in case you haven't noticed...Embry still hasn't told her about their mortal enemy. .dun...
Please Review and let me know how you feel about the story, I love reviews.