Hidden Within

Chapter 14: Secrets

Emmett POV

Jacob was snoring away, sandwiched between Edward and me, a slight smile on his sleeping face. In a form of stasis, I had my eyes closed, reveling in the warmth of his skin, his deep woodsy scent, and the rhythmic thrumming of his pulse. I chanced a look at Edward, and he seemed to be doing the same thing as me. He didn't open his eyes, but he nodded slightly to acknowledge my thought and snuggled his face closer to Jake's neck.

Our reverence of him was soon interrupted by the loud growling of a hungry stomach. I sent a thought to my accomplice. Should we wake him up? Take him on a bear hunt? I'd love to see him take down a bear.

Edward sat up, and I rose onto my elbow, watching him gather his clothes. "You go," he said. "Nessie will be up soon; I should stay with her."

Thank God we soundproofed that room, huh? I waggled my eyebrows. He smirked, shaking his head.

I laid back down, spooning the soundly sleeping shifter. I listened to Edward get dressed and make his way upstairs to wait for his daughter to wake. Once he was gone, I licked Jacob's irresistible collarbone. It was salty from all the sweaty activity during the night. God, he was delicious. I couldn't control my tongue, moving down his shoulder, sucking on his fleshy biceps.

He stirred, half aware. "Em…mmm…not ready for round two…sore…" His stomach growled loudly, and he grimaced as he felt the twist of hunger.

I tapped his butt lightly to wake him more fully. "Come on, sleepyhead. Let's take care of that stomach of yours."

He turned to me, stretching his limbs like a cat. "Whatcha making me?" he asked, yawning loudly.

"Ha, trust me, you don't want my cooking." I stood up, extending my hand to help him to his feet. "Let's hunt. Ever had bear meat?"

His eyes lit up, and he shook his head. "You don't know what you're missing!" I said, starting for the door.

He grabbed my arm, pulling me around to face him. "Aren't you gonna get dressed?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Nah." I gave him a devious grin and assumed my best provocative tone. "I love running naked through the forest."

I took off out the door, Jacob close behind me. He phased in the front yard, and we ran for the Canadian border, the miles incalculable. About an hour in, I caught the scent of a particularly burly grizzly. Jacob smelled it too. This bear was full grown male—it could be a really good fight, but the wolf was starving. I resolved to take it down fast for Jacob's sake.

The bear was about a mile ahead of us, and we raced, neck and neck, pushing our bodies to the absolute limit, trying to be the one who got to it first. The giant beast was before us, and I unleashed my fury, gaining speed and surpassing Jacob. I launched myself onto the creature. He never even saw it coming as the force of my body slammed him to the ground. I allowed him one swipe of his massive paw before sinking my teeth deep into his jugular. The bear thrashed as I drained him. I felt his pulse weakening and beckoned for Jacob to join me. He rushed forward and tore into the belly of the beast, satiating himself on the organs as I feasted on the life force.

The meal was over all too quickly, and we sank to the forest floor, completely satisfied on the blood and meat. Jacob's wolf eye was raking the length of my naked form, smeared with the entrails that splattered upon me as he tore into the bear. I watched as his enormous wolf dick swelled at the sight of me. I couldn't take my eyes off of the large, pink, distended cock—it resembled that of a horse. He began to pant, and I tore my gaze away to look at his blood-tinged face, his tongue lolling out of his wolfy grin.

I had to taste him. I flashed over at vampire speed, sliding beneath his furry belly, taking as much of his gargantuan cock into my mouth as I could. I could barely fit more than the head, so I satisfied my urge with long licks instead. He howled as the speed of my tongue increased.

My eyes were closed, but I felt an electric charge fill the air. One minute my mouth was stretched as far as it could go around the tip of his wolf cock, my face buried in fur. The next minute, his cock filled my mouth entirely, the smooth, muscled skin of his stomach pressed against my forehead. I opened my eyes to confirm he'd phased back to human form and went to work on him, sucking his length deep into my throat and swallowing repeatedly. He cried out my name, twisting his hands in my hair, tugging roughly.

His tugging got more ferocious, and it took me a few moments to realize he was trying to stop me. I popped off of him and sat back on my calves, giving him my best pout. "What's the matter, Jakey? Don't you want me?" I asked, knowing full well that there was no way he could refuse me.

He grinned at me, shaking his head. He placed two fingers on the center of my chest, shoving me. Of course, he couldn't actually move me, but I let it happen, sprawling out on my back against the fallen leaves. He crawled on top of me, kissing me furiously. I sucked hungrily on his tongue, and licked all around his mouth, seeking every last bit of the remaining bear blood from him. As I feasted on his mouth, he lined up our aching cocks, grabbing both of us in one hand, pumping us together as fast as he could. I threw my head back and roared, "Fuck, Jacob!"

He bit hard along my neck, sending shudders through my muscles, before releasing us from his iron grip. I actually fucking whimpered—I didn't want him to stop. He met my gaze and gave me a small knowing smile. He held eye contact as long as he could as he switched positions, turning himself so that his head was above my now weeping cock and his own cock was lined up with my mouth.

He blew hot breath on my sensitive flesh. I moaned in anticipation, blowing my own wintry breath against his straining cock. His balls were practically resting on my nose, and I inhaled his concentrated, musky scent deeply.

He whispered, "Come with me." Then he plunged his mouth over me, taking me deep within his windpipe, as far as his gag reflex would allow. I was stunned by the heat of his wet mouth on my flesh but recovered myself enough to follow suit. I grabbed his ass and pulled him down to meet my lips, immersing the whole of him in the chasm of my throat.

We worked each other in perfect harmony, every sweep of the tongue, swallow of the throat, light nip and squeeze of hands in tune with the other. Our stifled moans sent vibrations through our turgid flesh, heightening every sensation that much more, which only created more moans and thrusts. Neither of us could hold on much longer. Our thighs quivered, our muscles tightened, and at practically the same moment, we filled each other with our hot loads.

Jacob collapsed on top of me, resting his head on my thigh, his quick panting washing over my softening erection. His body lay on top of mine, his knees still on either shoulder. I contented myself with watching the rise and fall of his ass as I recovered from my own mini-earthquake.

Eventually, his pulse regulated and he righted himself, resting his head on my shoulder. We were silent for a long time. It wasn't awkward or anything—it felt right. We just lay there, enjoying the feel of each other's skin and the cool breeze that wafted over us.

The sun had risen during our tryst, and the light was poking through the cover of the trees above us, casting randomly placed lines of light over our bodies. Jacob traced the shimmering paths the light cast over me as I rubbed circles on his back.

I don't know how long we lay there before Jacob broke our contented silence. "I wonder when Carlisle will take his turn with me." Jacob spoke quietly, but his tone was quite serious.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "He won't. He doesn't participate in the fun." I grinned widely at him as he lifted himself on his elbow to meet my gaze.

Jacob's brow furrowed. "But Edward told me he has—but that Carlisle only tops." He sat up fully now, watching me intently for a response.

"Well, that's kind of true." I paused, rising up on my elbows as I considered how best to inform him of the true nature of coven management. I thought it best to keep it light. "I mean, Carlisle is the coven leader. He uses sexual dominance against us males if we're defiant or if we challenge his authority in any way. He has only had any of us a handful of times. I don't think Carlisle has been challenged since 1961. And I don't think Edward has ever defied Carlisle's authority."

Jacob's face twisted in confusion. "But Edward said Carlisle has been with him before. And he was a virgin before Bella, so, Edward must have challenged him recently."

I burst out laughing at that. "He told you he was a virgin? Please, Edward and Carlisle were alone together for three years—what do you think they did in all that time, sat around and read books?" I managed to choke out. I doubled over in laughter, clutching at my sides. I expected Jacob to join in on my joke, and when he didn't, I looked up at him to see what bug he had up his ass.

What I saw came as a surprise. His face wore an expression of deep hurt and sadness.

"He…he lied to me," he said sullenly, his gaze drifting to the forest floor. The realization of deception radiated from him, his trust in Edward fraying.

I smacked myself in the head, cursing myself for revealing Edward's secret; a secret that wasn't mine to tell. A secret he had no idea that I was even aware of! And now I had told Jacob, making the wolf doubt Edward's credibility. Damn my fucking slow-witted brain that allowed me to speak before I thought!

I had a secret of my own—a wretched gift that I hid from the others. It was easy to hide, even from Edward, because it was an ability that filled me with pain and pity—not exactly feelings that I embraced. I was essentially a fun-loving, easy-going person, and my ability, if I dwelled on it, would spiral me into a depression. So, I actively pushed it out of my consciousness.

I was able to sense the past relationships of others. More specifically, I could sense their longing and the inner pain caused by unrequited or lost love. I knew from the moment I met Jacob that he yearned for Edward's affection; before Edward returned those feelings, even before Jacob himself knew he felt that way. I knew Jasper sometimes wallowed in the betrayal of his former mate, Maria. I knew Alice, underneath her sunny disposition, hid deep pain at the knowledge that her human family abandoned her in a mental asylum and wrote her off for dead. I knew Rosalie and Esme's lingering agony over the abuse suffered at the hands of men in their human lives. I knew my wife was still bitterly embroiled in Edward's rejection of her. And I knew Edward pined for the time when it was just him and Carlisle, before he was cast aside for the love of Esme. I also knew that Carlisle had almost entirely moved on from the very emotions that tied Edward down, but pangs of guilt and loss still remained, deep below the surface. I felt the auras of their pain; I could feel their hurt. Needless to say, it was more of a curse than a gift for me.

Jacob's body started to quiver with his rising anger. I knew once his anger built enough, he would phase and run. I had to try to do some damage control. Edward's long-held virginity was in fact a lie, but it was a lie that literally everyone believed, even Esme and Bella. No one knew the truth. I think even Edward had convinced himself to believe the lie; how else could he possibly continue to live under the same roof as Carlisle without somehow burying the truth deep inside himself? It wasn't hard for him to live the lie—Edward was naturally angsty, so his brooding and moodiness was not unusual to any of us. We often chalked it up to him being stuck with the emotions of the seventeen-year-old boy he was changed as. Carlisle did treat him differently than the rest of his children, but if it weren't for my gift, I would figure it was just because Edward was his first-bitten. That should be enough to placate Jacob.

I opened my mouth to begin to explain, but before I could speak, he had already phased. While I was musing, his fury had amplified, and he took off in the direction of the house. I stood frozen in place for several minutes, my oh-so-precious gift allowing me to feel the fissure in Jacob's heart growing deeper by each passing mile. When I finally was able to snap myself out of his pain, there was no longer anything I could do. I had no hope of catching him—his head start was too great.

I sank to the ground and hung my head, as I wondered what would happen next. Selfishly, I hoped the wolf wouldn't implicate me in the ensuing confrontation. What had I done? Fuck my gift! Fuck my tendency to blurt out the first thing that came to my mind! What a backwoods buffoon I was. My stupidity was about to destroy them both.

I did the only thing I could think to release the frustration I felt at myself and my "gift". I threw back my head and roared into the sky.