A/N Here's a long one, hope it's worth the wait. Thanks to my reviewers from the last chapter: mcc3654, LivingOnFire, KerryH, eskimogirl58, hilja, Buffyk0604, and LucyPenny. I think it's awesome that you guys are leaving real feedback, and I definitely take it into consideration as I write. It might be another full week between updates, because I'm going out of town for a few days. Laters!
The Imprinted Chronicles: Book One
Chapter Thirteen
"Hey there, pretty lady."
Samantha looked up, her greased smudged face brightening when she saw who was standing in her driveway. Embry would always be a huge guy but from her shortened position, crossed legged on the pavement, he simply towered over her. He was smiling down at her as if amused by her current predicament.
"You know, most of those parts are supposed to be inside the lawnmower, not strewn around outside of it," he teased her, nudging one of the many metal pieces with his foot. Samantha leaned her head back and stuck her tongue out at him. Then she lifted the yellowed manual and waggled it at Embry as he crouched down next to her.
"Hey, I have literature. I know what I'm doing," she insisted, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before gesturing to the mess. "The mower won't start and there can only be so many reasons why. One of these things is broken, I just haven't figured out which one."
"Got it all figured out, do you?" Embry chuckled as Samantha grabbed the nearest part and laid it against her manual.
"Yep. For instance, take this bolt thingy. I know it's not this because it looks like the one in the picture. Not broken," she declared proudly. "By process of elimination, I'll find out what's wrong."
Embry gave her a fond look, kind of like one would give a particularly unintelligent puppy. "Honey, that's the starter. How would you know if the starter isn't sparking if you don't have it connected to some juice?"
"Juice?" For a brief moment Samantha was very puzzled, then she flushed, embarrassed. "Oh. You mean a battery. Heh, I'm a moron. The battery is over there, but I think something's wrong with it."
Embry looked at the once black plastic lump that was now covered in corrosives and he grimaced. "Yeah, you could safely say that. You didn't get any of that crap on you, did you?"
"Nope. Safety girl, that's me." Samantha sighed when Embry relieved her of the starter, and she flopped onto her back on the pavement with her head pillowed on her arms. She stared at the mower. It stared back. "I killed it, didn't I?"
"I wouldn't say that," Embry told her, giving her an easy grin. "Even if you run over road kill a couple times, it was still dead when you got to it."
"That's not very reassuring, Embry." She poked him between the ribs with her pointer finger. "You're supposed to say, 'No dear, everything's fine.' Now my dad's gonna kill me. He told me that the mower wouldn't work and not to mess with it, but I wanted to try. I want my house to look pretty too…" Samantha looked longingly at the front yard, overgrown and ugly compared to the neighbors' nicely manicured lawns.
Embry twisted and leaned over her, kissing her forehead lightly. "No dear, everything's fine. Or it will be after I fix it for you," he smirked. Samantha glared at him.
"No way, mister. This is my project, you can't steal it."
"And how long have you been out here?"
"Most of the day," Samantha admitted ruefully. It was a Monday and school had been cancelled for a teacher workshop day. A still jobless Samantha had spent the pleasant spring morning unsuccessfully trying to find work, and when that hadn't gone anywhere she had come back home and taken her frustration out on the dead lawnmower.
"And have you had any luck getting this thing running at all?"
"Ummmm…no. But I still think I can, Mr. 'sweeps in here all sexy and certain he knows best' Call."
"You're not very good at letting people help you, are you, Sims?" Embry was already poking around in the parts, leaving some where they were and lobbing others in a greasy pile. Samantha grinned at him as he looked at one thing with particular disgust, saying, "I can't believe you were even able to get this off considering how rusted it is."
Samantha flexed her bicep, rotating it for his benefit, and Embry smirked, flexing his own. Samantha sighed sadly as she crossed her arms, her smaller muscles hidden from view. "You're determined to outdo me with everything today, aren't you?" she said, wincing at the tiny amount of whine in her voice. She didn't do it often and she knew he would notice. Sure enough, those beautiful chocolate eyes turned immediately to her.
"Job hunting didn't go well, I take it?" he said sympathetically.
"No. You know, not to sound paranoid, but at some of the places I stopped by I was kind of getting the feeling that a few of the locals didn't like me much."
When Embry didn't reply immediately, Samantha gave him a considering look. "Okay. What is it that I don't know?"
"Don't take it personal, Sims," Embry told her gently as he continued to sort through the parts. "It's more about who you're associated with than you as a person."
"My dad," she grunted sourly, tired of the world being blamed on him. Embry must have sensed that and he reached over and squeezed her knee.
"And us too," he added. "In the last few years the rez has been split in half, with some taking the side of the council and some feeling as if the council has too much control. Your dad's very strongly on one half and your boyfriend and his friends are very strongly on the other. Throw in your father's natural charm and enough of our gang rumors, and is it any wonder people are hesitant about you?"
Samantha snorted. "Well that's fair."
"I never said it was, sweetheart," Embry squeezed her knee again and returned to his task. Samantha settled back on the pavement, enjoying the rare sunshine on her face.
"I did find a place to volunteer at," she told Embry after a while, and he gave her a quick grin at the good news.
"Yeah? Where's that?"
"I'm helping in the elementary after school program, cutting and pasting and all that fun stuff. It's not glorious, but at least it's something," Samantha shrugged. "Plus since there's a summer program, I'll be able to stay on with them."
"That's good, honey," Embry truly looked pleased. He knew how important her community service hours were, and Samantha could tell he felt guilty that she had to stop helping at his place because of their relationship. But she wouldn't have changed a thing, inconvenience or no.
Samantha rolled over on her side so that she could watch Embry work. The view was as tasty as always, she thought with a devilish grin. The longer she was with him, the more Samantha was learning to appreciate every line, every hard plane of his body. It was difficult to stay focused when they were training together, and it was even more difficult to keep from eyeing him like a piece of meat at all other times. Embry had spent too many hours showing her exactly how well he could use those lines and planes to make her heart pound and pulse race. Lately it was all she could do to keep her hands off of him during training. The rest of their time together, all bets were off.
Embry must have been able to feel the heat of her eyes sliding over his body, because he slowed what he was doing as if distracted. A small smile curled his lips, and the set of his shoulders tightened. It wasn't just her. Sometimes Samantha felt like the wolf was practically stalking her, ready to pounce at the slightest indication that she was accepting of his attentions. She didn't mind in the least. It had become somewhat of a game, with them sneaking away to attack each other no matter where they were or what they were supposed to be doing. The only exceptions were patrolling and school. Embry's patrolling was too important to blow off to go necking, and after one very interesting lunch period spent in the janitor's broom closet, Samantha decided that she didn't want to risk it. Plus there was no way she was facing Collin and Brady again in their last period history class still smelling like Embry. They had made fun of her relentlessly.
"Keep looking at me like that and I'm not going to be able to fix this before your dad gets home," Embry warned her softly, his tone only slightly teasing. Samantha smirked and she shifted again, restless and slightly aroused by his rumbling voice.
"Is that a threat or a promise, hot stuff?" Samantha chuckled, then she squealed as her boyfriend jumped to his feet and stepped over to her, snatching her up and throwing her over his shoulder. Samantha gave him a playful jab in the side with her knee in retaliation, but she didn't try to break his hold because she was not particularly interested in escaping. Embry was better than mowers any day of the week.
The laundry machine and dryer were in a little side room off the main part of the garage, nicely tucked out of sight of the neighbors but conveniently placed to hear anyone coming down the street. It was one of Embry's favorite attack spots, not as good as his bedroom or the couch in his dojo after hours, but it did in a pinch. Samantha got dropped on top of the dryer, and she groaned in appreciation at the weight of his hands against her sides.
"You have grease on the end of your nose," Embry informed her, his affection for her deepening his voice into a soft rumble. Samantha looked down her nose, going cross eyed as she tried to see the grease. Embry laughed at the face she made and pulled his t-shirt up so that he could wipe off the end of her nose. Samantha took the opportunity to grope rock hard abdominals that she had previously been eyeing that morning. Abdominals became pectorals, which were equally grope-able. He smirked at the obvious feel up, then sighed in pleasure when her fingers feathered into his hair, massaging lightly.
"If you had any idea of how good it feels to have you touching me…," he murmured, Embry's strong hands rubbing long strokes up and down her back beneath her shirt. "I wanted you for so long, Sims. Do you know how great it is to actually get something that I wanted?"
"Well then you should thank your lucky stars, Mr. Call, because I'm a hot commodity. It's a buyer's market, baby," she told him in a haughty voice, and he laughed softly against her neck.
"Yeah, well, you're off the market now, sweetheart." He nipped at her earlobe lightly, his hands drifting around to her front. "You are hot though…"
"Suck up," Samantha accused him despite her smile, biting her lip to stifle her giggles when the hard calluses on his fingertips tickled her sides.
"Always," Embry shamelessly agreed, his breath warm on her neck. "Sucking up, flattering, and overt flirting always make you smile. Anything that makes you smile is completely worth the effort involved."
"Smooth talker."
"That too."
"I missed you today," Samantha told him quietly as the tall man pulled her legs around his hips, his mouth unerringly finding that spot behind her ear that always made her shiver. "Even after morning workouts, I still missed you." Embry made a rumbling noise deep in his throat, sounding pleased.
"Any particular reason why?" he smiled, spanning his hands across her thighs so that he could scoot her forward. Samantha made a slight moaning noise when the change in position settled her against his hardness. He was already turned on. That was good because so was she. These days all he had to do was look at her and she wanted him.
"Nope. Just missed you." That must have been a good answer, because it earned her his undivided attention along her neck and the curves of her breasts for awhile. She was beginning to pull at his shoulders, hungry for less clothing and more him, when Embry suddenly let out a deep gasp followed by a soft groan. His nostrils had flared, and then his face lit up like a little kid at Christmas.
"What?" Samantha asked suspiciously, not oblivious to the fact that Embry was inhaling deeply and that his eyes were darkening in lust. He kissed her again, but this time she could feel the difference in him, as if his intentions had changed. His kiss was almost bruising, and she was panting heavily when he finally released her. "Embry, what?"
"You just went into heat, Sims," Embry told her, rolling the words around his tongue as if he could taste them. "As in just right now. You went from smelling like you to smelling like…fuck, sweetheart. You have no idea how good you smell to me right now."
Samantha stared at him, deciding that perhaps Embry had lost his mind.
"Embry," she spoke patiently, clamping her legs shut unconsciously, which only meant that she tightened down on his hips. Embry grinned wolfishly at her and began leaning in again. When her finger against his chest halted him, he made a disappointed noise in his throat. "Embry, humans don't go into heat. Animals who only have sex to make babies go into heat, like dogs. Not people. I'm a person. Not a dog. Definitely not a dog." The affront in her voice made him laugh, as if she was being funny.
"Yeah, Sims, I know what they say," he replied with equal patience. "But my nose is telling me way differently. I'm used to girls being in heat, but I've never actually smelled it the moment that it happened. And because it's you, it's so much better."
He could smell her. He could smell that.
Eww.
"It's not a big deal. In fact it's pretty awesome, sweetheart," Embry stated, still grinning happily, but Samantha was a little lost under the ick factor.
Samantha wasn't sure how to argue with that, but she put both of her hands on his forehead when he started moving back in again. "Oh no. Sorry, Embry, but I think you can consider the mood officially broken. In fact, I'm going to go have a shower and scrub until all you can smell of me for the next month is soap."
"Don't you dare," he growled again, although not with any malice, and his mouth crashing down on hers. Samantha resisted for half a second and then caved. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. But it was disconcerting for her, knowing that he was concentrating more on how she smelled than anything else, and it was obvious after a few minutes that even his skills weren't going to bring her back. Sighing, Embry broke off the kiss and dropped his forehead to her shoulder.
"I blew it, didn't I?" Embry asked softly, sounding disappointed as he finally stepped away and helped her off the dryer. Samantha shrugged, resting her head against his chest and enjoying the feel of his arms around her.
"Maybe a little. Sorry, but there's a limit to the sniffing with me," she joked half truthfully. "It took me by surprise."
Embry turned around so that he was leaning against the dryer, pulling her in so that she was wrapped up in his embrace. He rested his chin on the top of her head. "It took me by surprise too," he admitted, sounding a little embarrassed now. "But think of it this way: you know when you walk into a bakery and the smell of fresh baked bread or maybe cinnamon rolls hits you, and your mouth instantly waters because you're so hungry?"
"Yeah," Samantha chuckled. "Cinnabon is a major weakness of mine, so I've been there."
"Well, instead of hungry make it…horny isn't the right word," Embry sounded even more embarrassed now. "It's like if the cinnamon roll was yelling at you that you had to eat it, that not eating it would be the worst thing in the world, and that eating it takes priority over everything else. And it's gonna be the best cinnamon roll ever. So if you don't eat it than someone else is gonna try and take it away from you and eat it instead. The most important thing in life is that cinnamon roll, and you better guard the hell out of that cinnamon roll, and you better eat that cinnamon roll and why are you laughing, Sims?"
Samantha had cracked up two sentences ago and had pulled away, laughing so hard she was crying. Embry looked offended. "What? I'm trying to explain!"
She pointed downwards, her grin huge. "Embry, you're calling my stuff an icing covered yeasty roll that you have to protect. Can you really not see the humor in this?"
Embry crossed his arms defensively. "Yeah. Funny. I'm gonna go work on the mower," he grunted and walked past her back out to the front yard. Samantha knew that she had hurt his feelings and she should go try and make it up to him, but she was having a hard time stifling her giggles.
This wasn't the first time that they had disagreed, and Embry was the type that wanted things resolved sooner rather than later, but going out there still laughing at him wouldn't help. Finally when she had adequately clamped down on her laughter, Samantha wandered back out to where he was working. Embry had a frown on his handsome face, and he had thrown himself into reassembling most of the pieces that she had taken out of the mower. Samantha sat next to him, watching him put it back together much faster than she had managed to take it apart. He didn't even need the manual for most of it. It didn't escape her notice that when she scooted closer his nostrils flared again, although he quickly turned his face away to hide it.
"You're good at that," she ventured after enough time had passed for his frown to soften into concentration.
"Jake and I used to mow lawns for cash when we were kids," Embry told her absently. "We had to fix Billy's old mower almost every job, and we got pretty fast at it. That's what started us on cars and bikes later. Jake's better than I am."
"What about Quil? Was he part of the mowing crew?" Samantha asked, handing him the air filter out of his stack of salvageable parts.
"Naw, Quil's allergies were so bad that he had to stay inside half the summer. He's good with a car though, good enough that Claire's never going to have to worry about paying a mechanic."
"What about me?" Samantha asked him, flirting a little as she nudged his shoulder lightly with her own. Embry didn't nudge her back, but his lips tilted upwards slightly into a smile.
"You're never going to have to worry about anything," he said so softly that she almost missed it. Samantha sat quietly while he finished with the air filter. Then she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Sorry," Samantha said simply and Embry nodded, his chocolate eyes flickering towards her and then away.
"It's cool. I know I'm kind of odd sometimes…" he trailed off as he worked. Samantha took her time to think about that and then she shrugged.
"If I wanted a cookie cutter guy, I'd find someone else to date," she told him honestly and when he glanced up at her, Samantha gave him a smile. "But I'd rather have you, Embry, and I'll get used to some of the stranger wolf stuff eventually."
"I'll try to keep my nose where it belongs," he promised her, but Samantha put her hand on his leg and shook her head.
"No. Be you. Just…be patient with me if I initially get weirded out. We'll figure it out eventually."
Embry nodded and flashed those white teeth at her, and then he went back to the mower in earnest, explaining to Samantha what he was doing and how she could help. It was starting to get dark when they were done, but they had put it back together enough that no one would be able to tell that two hours before it's carcass had been scattered about the lawn. There was a small pile of parts that needed to be replaced, including the heavy battery that they had simply set back in its slot under the mower seat.
"This shouldn't be too bad to swap out," Embry said to himself, glancing at his watch. "But the parts store in Forks will be closed before we can get there. I have patrol tonight, too. Do you care if we finish this up later?"
"Nope. I have to find the money to pay for the parts anyway," Samantha yawned and stretched. "Too bad I'm still seventeen, or maybe I could get in at the fishery dad was working at. They pay pretty well."
"Was?" Embry grunted in question as he pushed the lawn mower back in place in the back of Samantha's garage. She frowned.
"Yeah. It was only a temporary position, and even though it looked like they might keep him on for longer…" She trailed off unhappily. She didn't have to finish. Samantha would have been shocked if anyone on the rez hadn't heard about her father's altercation with the foreman on site at the fishery. Apparently it had been heated enough on both sides that her father had been escorted out of the building and the foreman was up for demotion. Joseph Carter was good at bringing out the best in people. She didn't know why Embry was asking though, he always knew more about what was going on than she did.
"Is that why those guys are back here all the time?" Embry asked, his eyes flickering to her face when he thought she wasn't looking, gauging her reaction. He was referring to her father's friends, whom always could be found at one of the four's houses nearly every night. Samantha shrugged again.
"It's no big. Dad's allowed to have friends too." Samantha went over to Embry and put her arms around him. She rested her head on his chest. "Thanks, by the way. You look good in grease stains, it's pretty hot."
Embry chuckled and flexed again for her, and Samantha made a fake swooning motion, not really losing her balance. He caught her anyway.
"Hey, how about this," Embry propositioned her after he straightened her back up. "I'm getting burnt out and could use some extra sleep, and you need the extra cash. Can you teach my cardio kickboxing class tomorrow night? The kickboxing classes all say that they like you teaching just as much as me, and that it doesn't bother them to switch around instructors. You can keep my cut and I can sleep. What do you think?"
"Sure, sounds good to me, although let's just split your cut, that should be enough. I know the cardio classes are getting bigger as the weather gets better," Samantha said, pleased. That was good news, although she didn't like him being so tired.
"Cool," he sighed happily, as if greatly relieved.
"Have I been taking up too much of your time?" she asked him worriedly, and her concern made him smile. Right now Embry was training with her nearly every day for at least two hours before school, and usually much longer than that on the weekends. Samantha didn't need anyone watching as she did her evening conditioning, but she needed him for the grappling training and she needed a partner for the kickboxing. Jessie, Embry's advanced student, had helped for the fun of it but Samantha did take up a lot of Embry's early mornings.
"I'd rather spend it with you than not. It's not the training, so much as the patrolling. It's…complicated. Running patrols has been a little tougher on me lately," he said, running a hand through his hair. He grimaced. "I've just got to get myself more together, Sims, because I'm distracting everyone."
Samantha looked at him in askance, but Embry seemed to want to drop the subject. "Anyway," he said, "Why don't you go down to see Sue at the store tomorrow after school and your volunteer stuff? I know you usually only go around when just Leah is there, so you can buy your dad his booze. But Sue's doing inventory soon and usually hires an extra hand for a week or two, depending on Leah and Seth."
"Oh! Nice! How did you know?" Samantha knew it was a dumb question before it had finished leaving her mouth, and Embry smirked as she made a face at herself.
"Seth was grumbling about it last night," Embry said as he unconsciously moved in tighter to her. Normally he gave Samantha her personal space, and she wondered if this was going to become a monthly habit of his. Oblivious to his own actions, Embry kept talking. "Seth hates inventory, and Leah always finds ways of sticking him with the worst of it."
"That sounds about right," Samantha chuckled. Since Embry was so close already, she decided to make the best of it and she went up on her toes so she could kiss him. The kiss lingered, and when she pulled away, her breath was coming faster than normal. "Hey Embry?"
"Hmmm?" He was behaving himself from being turned down before, so Samantha made sure to close the remaining distance between them for him, her hips bumping against his as she sidled in.
"How long until you patrol?" she asked as she entangled her fingers in his short hair, tugging him down for another kiss.
"About an hour," he murmured between kisses. "Why?"
"Well, you know the whole being in heat thing?"
"Yeah?" Embry replied warily. She smirked against his mouth.
"Are there any benefits to it? Because it seems to me that nature wouldn't be making my roll extra tasty without a reason…" Samantha said archly, and Embry groaned.
"You're making fun of me and tempting me at the same time. That's so unfair," he complained, but Embry was already pulling her back towards the laundry room, his nose against her neck and his hands spanning her waist before sliding downwards.
"You love it," Samantha chuckled, "And you never answered my question, Embry."
His hands on her ass jerked her upwards, her mouth level with his as her legs wrapped around his waist. "How about this, sweetheart," he purred in her ear. "In an hour, you tell me."
It only took him ten minutes to help her figure it out. The rest of the hour was simply reaffirming her understanding that when in doubt, she should always trust Embry's nose.
Billy Black was getting old.
Staring in the bathroom mirror, he looked at the face gazing wearily back at him. His skin had always been lined; too many years of his life spent in the sun had worn away the smoothness of youth. It wasn't those ever deepening creases that made him look beyond his age. It wasn't the gradual loosening of muscles once hard and strong, nor even was it the weakening of limbs that would never work again. No, it was in his eyes. His age was in his eyes, worn and tired and heavy with burdens that he had never thought would lie on him.
Billy Black felt older every day, and it was entirely his son's fault.
The Quileute elder shoved the thought to the side of his mind, chastising himself as he washed his hands in the handicap accessible sink and wheeled himself backwards out of the bathroom. The house he had loved his wife in, where he had protected his daughters and helped his son grow into a man, was quiet. In the moments between day and night, when the birds no longer sang and insects had yet to full awaken, where heat and coolness wrapped around each other to form the heavy fog that settled across the forest floor…this was when the loneliness sank into his bones. This was when the voices of his forefathers, their words and their wisdoms that had been engrained into his very soul, his one and only way of life, fell silent. In these moments, the self assured elder slipped away and in his place was left a confused and exhausted old man. He had never wanted to have to make the decisions that he was now faced with.
A woman was waiting for him in his living room, quietly staring out the window in deep contemplation, her once beautiful face heavy with her own burdens. The wife of his friend had not been ready to lose her husband, had not been ready to take Harry's place on the council. Yet Sue Clearwater had done both with more grace and strength than he would have believed, earning her twice over the respect and admiration that he had always felt for her. His wife had loved Sue like a sister. It was fitting that his son loved hers like a brother.
The creak of his wheelchair disturbed the silence and her thoughts. Billy wondered if he should apologize.
"Evenings like these make me miss Harry," Sue said softly, her face still turned sideways. The profile cast her in shadow, and it hurt Billy's heart that he could see that she was getting old too. "Although sometimes when I turn around when I'm talking to Seth, I see his smile or hear his laugh and I think that Harry's still with us."
"He is," Billy told her, wheeling close enough that he could take her hand in his and squeeze it comfortingly. "Seth is his father's son. You should be proud."
"I am," Sue smiled, but then her face grew grim. She turned to look at Billy. "But I'm worried as well. I don't approve of our sons' plan, and I don't think Harry would have either. It's too dangerous, and it could easily end up getting Seth and Jacob killed. It is against everything our people have always believed in, and it feels wrong to lay our lot in with the Cold Ones. Good intentions aside, I don't trust this alliance. The treaty was one thing, but this is so much more involved. Our children have no business playing in vampire politics."
Billy released her hand slowly, giving himself time to answer. "There are times where I believe the same. But in my dreams I see our first ancestors, running and playing and living without worry. I see our children's children growing old and wise without knowing the fears that have burdened our people since the time of Taha Aki. Our Pack risks much, but they also have much to gain for themselves and for us. The influx of Cold Ones to this side of the world is only increasing, and our sons think in bigger terms than just our tribal lands. The attack on Claire in Seattle only reaffirmed Jacob's resolve that the world is becoming too unsafe outside our boundaries. One day that risk may disappear because of these dangerous decisions made by Jacob and Seth, and I believe that good will come of this. We must have faith, Sue. They have set themselves upon a path that is long and difficult. It is a path that we cannot follow, so we can only support them and guide them as our elders guided us."
Sue nodded in resigned acceptance. She had fought this hardest, and Billy wondered if it was because she loved her children fiercest. It was hard to imagine, because Jacob was more important to him than his very breath. He would do anything to protect his son, what little an old diabetic man in a wheelchair could do. Billy pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Sue, knowing that this would upset her and deeply regretting the fact.
"I was given this today," he told her in a quiet voice as she opened the piece of mail. She read it first in confusion, so he clarified. "I was given this as Tribal Chief and told that it was the tribe's responsibility, not his own." Understanding flashed over her face, then anger.
"That stupid man…" she started heatedly, but Billy held up his hand to stop her tirade before it began.
"I have spoken with Old Quil, and he believes the same as I do. The sons of our tribe are strong, but they are also young. They have not experienced betrayal and know not the risks that Carter's daughter possesses to them."
"That child would never--" Sue gasped but Billy rested his hand on the envelope pointedly.
"This might mean she already has," he said gently. "You have said yourself that she is reticent to the point of frustration, and her effect on Embry had been nothing short of disastrous. His control is nearly as bad as his first few months after phasing were. Jake's worried about him."
"The boy's in love," Sue argued softly. "Is that so wrong?"
"When he's a growing risk to everyone else?" Billy wondered, and then he sighed. "Embry notwithstanding, if I could have chosen anyone at all to have found out the legends were true, she was the last. Her father is a direct opponent to the council. He knows enough to be dangerous, and she knows enough to solidify his suspicions into fact. And as much as you loved her mother, the woman was nearly as dangerous as Carter when it came to secrets. Is Samantha Carter really someone who you would have chosen to keep your son and daughter safe?"
Sue was shaking her head angrily, but Billy gave her a stern look. "Sue. Do you know what would happen to your children if the wrong organization found out about them? Do you want to see the sons of our people, our tribal protectors, caged like animals? Do you know how much a television network would pay for that story? How the government could use them?"
"Stop it, Billy Black," Sue snapped. "You've said your piece, and scaring me is beneath you."
"I'm sorry, Sue. I never wanted to upset you, but you need to understand the risk she and her father pose to our people. She may be young, but her loyalty is her own, and that is not good enough. If she ends up siding with her father, the girl will be a dangerous enemy."
Sue turned her head away, and Billy sighed. He wheeled into the kitchen, giving her time to process what he's said. There was more, but sometimes it was better to break things to her slowly. Billy made her a cup of tea, chai with a hint of honey, his wife's favorite. Sue seemed calmer at the end of the cup of tea, but he brought her a second one before he continued speaking.
"Old Quil has given me a suggestion which might make Samantha Carter a...non-issue." Billy admitted, causing Sue to look at him suspiciously. He expanded, and the longer he spoke, the whiter Sue's fingers became as she gripped her tea cup tighter. "Jacob doesn't like it, and he has agreed only if the council is united. And then he has said that it is Seth's decision."
"That is cruel of him," Sue whispered. Billy shook his head.
"No, Jake just has faith in his Beta's decisions. Jake will support him either way, with us or against us. The question is where you stand, Sue."
"You're asking me to agree to hurt a child because of something that she may or may not do?"
"I'm asking you to protect Leah and Seth. Our other options are…extreme and I would rather not have to be forced to use them. This way is the least…disruptive and would cement her loyalty to the Pack and to the council."
Sue Clearwater snorted and she stood. She walked away from him, her slender hands gripping her cup of tea as she leaned against the window sill. "Do the ancestors speak to you, Billy?" she asked quietly. He nodded as she smiled bitterly. "The ancestors spoke to Harry as well. Not often, but occasionally they did. Unfortunately the women in our tribe have never had that luxury, we have always been granted our wisdom through the men. My own heart believes that this is wrong. Whom should I trust: myself or a history of those who will only speak to others?"
"You must decide as your spirit tells you. That is all that any of us can do."
Sue's hand tightened on the envelope, and then she finished her tea swiftly before handing the envelope back to Billy. "I will not take part in this, but I will not oppose you and Old Quil. Mostly, because I don't believe that Seth will ever agree. He has taken Samantha as his particular responsibility and watches out for her almost as much as he does Leah."
"The knife of betrayal strikes deepest when it lies closest to the breast," Billy reminded her gently. The look Sue leveled at him could have skinned a snake, and Billy decided that few things could be as breathtaking as an angry woman.
"By the time you are done, I'm sure that child will be thinking the exact same thing," Sue said quietly, handing him back his tea cup. "Goodnight, Billy Black. I'll let myself out."
Long after the door closed behind her, Billy sat staring at the teacup, alone and tired and sad and not at all sure of what he had just done. Maybe he was right and maybe he wasn't but they were all picking sides these days and his was on Jacob's. Jacob was special and he had to believe that his son was in the right. He would support his son, his tribe's Alpha until the bitter end, although sometimes Billy believed that might come sooner than expected.
And sometimes, usually around times like these, Billy Black felt very old.
"I'm not very good at this, am I?"
Samantha stuck her hand between Leah's nose and the magazine the she-wolf was holding. Leah wrinkled her nose at the strong smelling nail lacquer and gave Samantha's nails a critical examination.
"Not really. And the color looks like hell."
From her seat barefoot and cross-legged on the end of Leah's counter, Samantha frowned as she looked at her nails. The Clearwater's had been doing an inventory and reset of their store this last week, Sue's idea of spring cleaning, and Samantha had been helping for petty cash and free pizza. Instead of heading directly to Embry's dojo right after school and community service, she was spending her afternoons and a couple late nights at the store. Interestingly enough, Sue was almost never there, but Samantha had a great time working with just the Clearwater siblings. One of the perks was that she could raid all of the extra expired stuff that was getting trashed, including the old cosmetic supplies. Right now her toenails were a bright neon green and her fingernails a dark brown.
"It's not my fault that all the rest were too gunky to use. And the green's not that bad," Samantha decided as she started painting green polka dots on her fingernails. From the back of the store there was a loud thump and the sound of someone exhaling noisily.
"You know, you two are getting paid just as much as I am," Seth called out from the back stockroom. "You don't see me sitting on my butt, do you?"
"We're paid by the job, not the hour, Seth. Samantha and I already did our part," Leah called out, idly flipping through her magazine. "You remember yesterday, when you and the guys decided to spend the entire night on a Mario Kart marathon? That was us working, so bite me."
"If you did your part, then why is there this much of the shipment left to unload?" Seth grumbled, sticking his head through the stockroom door and giving them both a glare.
"You don't really expect us to do the heavy lifting part, do you?" Samantha asked in an offended voice, eyes wide with mock horror. Leah grinned at her.
"Course not, princess," Seth rolled his eyes as he disappeared back into the stockroom, calling out sarcastically. "You two just take it easy and let the big strong man take care of the tough stuff."
"We sorted through the entire beauty aisle last night, Seth," Leah reminded him. "Remember last year you promised to unload the truck entirely by yourself if you didn't have to do that again? You should be thanking us."
Another heavy thud was their answer and Samantha chuckled. Leah folded half of her magazine back and showed Samantha the article. "Check this out."
Samantha read through the first three lines and then blushed, shoving the magazine away from her. "Lord, Leah, where do you find this stuff? Trust me, I don't need to know seventy-seven new positions, okay?"
Leah laughed and took her magazine back. "True. You're with one of the boys, and I don't think they realize that there are more positions than missionary and doggie style. After three years of seeing Jared's unimaginative ass getting laid, it almost makes me feel bad for Kim. Not quite but almost."
Samantha tried not to snicker at that but failed miserably. "It can't be that bad," she said, trying to give Jared the benefit of the doubt. Leah smirked.
"Let's just put it this way, you would think with how cool the whole shape shifting wolf thing makes them, that they would be able to rock a girl's socks. But most of these boys are scared to death of hooking up with a girl. They love getting laid, but it totally freaks them out. They're more scared that they're going to break her on accident than turned on by the time they're done. Collin and Embry are the only ones that…errr…"
Leah realized that she had said too much and she looked guiltily at Samantha, but the younger girl was just smirking at her. "Collin and Embry are the only ones that what, Leah?" Samantha encouraged her, and Leah chuckled.
"They're the only two that have actually gotten much action," Leah said honestly as she wedged half a pack of gum in her mouth. "Collin's a little man whore, and Embry, well…he used to be Collin's hero."
"That bad huh?" Samantha smiled, and Leah nodded as she kicked a foot up on the counter next to Samantha.
"In Embry's defense, he's been pretty lonely. Jake, Quil and Emb used to be the three musketeers, back in the day. But now with Quil imprinted and Jake having to share himself with all of us and a coven of leeches, Emb's been running as solo as you can get and still be Pack. Emb's mom bailed out of town as soon as he turned eighteen, not that she was worth much before that to him. I think he just hated to be alone all the time. He quit all that a while before he met you, though, so don't be pissed at him."
"I'm not going to be mad that he had a life before me," Samantha told Leah, even though she was frowning. "Although I wish it had been a better one. He doesn't talk about it."
"And you do?" Leah popped her gum and Samantha looked over at her. Leah was giving her a knowing gaze. "I can count on one finger how many times you've said anything personal. Maybe he's just waiting for you to open up first."
"There's not much to tell," Samantha shrugged. "Plus I'm not sure what anyone's expecting me to say. I used to live in Chicago. I live here now. After another year I'm off to college and that's that."
"A lady named Carol called for Mom last week. She wanted to know how things were going for you around here."
Samantha went still, and she very slowly recapped her nail polish. "What did your mom say?"
"Enough to keep CPS off your ass, but only because Seth ran interference for you. He told Mom that he's got the Pack on you at all times, and that you tell Embry whenever there's a problem. Seth's a shitty liar, so she didn't really buy it."
"Good," Samantha said as she exhaled sharply. "I don't need the Pack having to watch out for me anyways--"
"Oh, that part was true. But it's more for Emb's peace of mind than for any real reason. He lied with the 'you telling Embry' part."
Samantha opened her mouth to argue the lack of necessity, but Seth came from the back with a heavy crate in his arms. Another man would have been staggering beneath it, but the youngest Clearwater just set it down next to the counter with a thump. He took a pricing gun out of his back jean's pocket and handed it to Samantha.
"That should be cleaning supplies if you guys want to work while you gossip," he told them lightly, tugging Samantha's ponytail and snatching Leah's magazine out of her hand at the same time. Both girls glared at him as he replaced the magazine with an inventory list in his sister's hands. "What? We've got a bonfire tonight, so chop chop!"
"One of these days Seth's going to not be a loser," Leah stretched as she stood up and informed Samantha, who was busy trying to figure out how to use the pricing gun. "It won't happen anytime soon, but Mom and I have hope."
"Seth, what's the going rate for you these days?" Samantha asked him as the tall wolf sat down next to her on the counter, the laminate beneath them groaning at his extra weight. Seth grinned at her.
"There's no putting a price on this work of art, Sims," he told her proudly, flexing his chest muscles beneath the fabric of his t-shirt. Samantha stickered him as fifty cents.
"We'll start there and drop it if you don't sell," she informed him cheerfully as she hopped down and began helping Leah un-box. "So, there's a bonfire huh? Is it an everyone's invited kind, or one of your secret Pack kinds?"
So far Samantha had been disbarred from the Pack bonfires, the ones where they got together and repeated the old legends. The first time that Embry had decided to bring her and she had been politely but firmly refused, he had been so angry that he had almost phased. It hadn't helped that Cassie, Paul's brand new imprint, had been included. Samantha had brushed it off and told Embry not to worry about it. She wasn't an imprint, and she wasn't Pack. That was fine, as long as she was his. Embry was less forgiving. Maybe it was the fact that he himself had never felt truly included in La Push, based on his lineage. Or maybe it was the fact that there was a split second where Samantha had flushed in hurt embarrassment, before she could cover and put on an uncaring face. The Pack had the decency to pretend to not have seen. Embry, who was protective as hell over her, had been livid.
After exchanging heated words with the male members of the council, Embry had stormed away, dragging Samantha behind him. He had ignored being ordered back by the oldest of the tribal elders, and Seth had refused to stop him for the council. It was the first night since the Pack had been formed that a wolf not on patrol had refused to attend the sacred ceremony, and Leah had told her later that it had disrupted the Pack so badly that they had ended the bonfire early. That night Samantha had watched Embry use the local redwood population as punching bags, although each tree barely survived more than two or three punches. He hadn't truly calmed down until he had worn himself out loving on her, as if his mouth and his hands and his heart could take back the rejection she had been handed. He might be able to shatter trees, but when he touched her, it was only with love.
That was the night that Samantha had firmly told herself that she wasn't scared of Embry, despite his anger and his capability for violence. She would never be afraid of him, not then. Not ever.
Seth gave her a sympathetic look, while Leah grunted as she tore off the packing tape. "It's Pack. Sorry Sims," Seth told her, and she could tell he meant it. "We're not trying to make you feel left out."
"It's cool," she shrugged. "I'm fully aware that I already know too much. Plus, out of all the council members I've met since I came here, your mom's the only one who's been openly nice. I think that the others don't trust me."
Seth yawned. "Don't worry about any of that," he told her lazily. "I trust you and Embry trusts you, and that's enough for Jake."
"Hey, thanks for having my back on that whole Carol thing, Seth," Samantha said gratefully, re-stickering him as two dollars. "The last thing I need is CPS poking around."
"Leah's right," Seth nodded and yawned again. "Mom didn't buy it. Course it would help if you would start talking so we didn't have to stalk you so much."
That was right to the point. Samantha took back the two dollar sticker and put it on her hip, leaving him once again as fifty cents. "What is this, gang up on Sims day?"
"Nope. We're just being nosey," Leah drawled. "When you get used to no secrets between each other, it makes you think you're allowed to know everything about someone. Of course, then again, it might have something to do with watching you throw Mr. Jennings across the street and into his motorcycle several nights ago."
Samantha flinched. "You guys saw that?"
"Jared did. He heard you toss Jennings and then call him…what was your phrase? Oh, that's right. You called Jennings an unkempt unmitigated ass. When Jared heard that he came investigating. He thought it was kind of funny watching Jennings whine and whimper over his scratched bike, although Embry wasn't amused. It's driving him nuts that you won't bring it up no matter how many hints he drops."
"It's not a big deal," Samantha said, her face getting a little heated. Seth and Leah both gave her matching disbelieving looks and Samantha growled. "Ugh! Fine! Dad was completely piss drunk and Jennings took a swing at him. It ticked me off, okay? I don't like it when people do that kind of thing to someone who's not in a position to defend themselves."
Samantha narrowed her eyes at Seth, who gave her an innocent smile as he held up his hands. She still hadn't completely forgiven him for putting her dad through a car window. "Point made, Sims," he told her in an appeasing tone. "It just looks bad that you had to do that. If your father's friends are giving you a hard time, we can make it stop, you know."
"Seth," Samantha started, and then she stopped. She sighed and stood up. "Come out back with me? I want to show you something."
Seth tipped his head to the side in interest and followed her as Samantha headed out back through the narrow stockroom. Once outside behind the store she turned around. "Stand here," she commanded, pointing at the ground directly in front of her. Leah had followed as well and she stood leaning against the back doorframe, her arms crossed. She laughed when Seth ambled over to Samantha, so close that their chests were almost touching. Seth smiled down at her from his height.
"Hey," he said in a teasing flirt and Samantha rolled her eyes.
"Do you think it's possible for you to act like a normal human man for a minute?" she asked. "Because I'm no match for a werewolf and we both know it."
"Seth's not a man," Leah smirked, popping her gum again. "But he could probably do awkward prepubescent boy pretty well." Seth flipped her off, shaking his head even though he was grinning.
"I think I can handle it," Seth stated, relaxing his shoulders back and slumping a little as if that was all it took to make him not a nearly invincible killing machine. "Why, what do you want?"
"Grab me."
"Excuse me?"
"Grab me, Seth." Samantha said slowly, as if explaining to someone not that bright. Seth laughed, but he sounded a little nervous and he looked over at Leah. Leah just smirked.
"Ummm, okay." Seth put his hand on her shoulder and Samantha sighed.
"Seth. When you guys start thinking that my dad's friends are causing me problems, do you really picture them standing there with their hand on my shoulder? Grab me."
"Embry's gonna kill me," he muttered, and Samantha smirked at him.
"You're the Beta. Man up, Sethie pooh."
Seth's eyes narrowed at that and he snapped Samantha forward, his hand on her hip and his other a little lower than her collarbone. Samantha gave him a long suffering look and took both of his hands in hers, repositioning them so that he was gripping her breast and her ass. Seth was mortified, and he kept casting glances over at Leah for help.
"Don't look at her, look at me," Samantha told Seth in a clipped tone, regaining his attention. "You see Seth, this bothers you a whole lot more than it bothers me, which means that you're a good guy. You don't just grope girls for the heck of it, do you?"
"Depends on how bored I am that day," he said lightly, although his russet skin was darkening into a deep red.
"The thing about some guys is this: it doesn't bother them in the least and they like being the bad guy type," Samantha explained. "They can be a whole lot taller than you and a whole lot stronger than you. And they use that to scare you. If you're scared then you tense up, and if you're scared you don't think. You just freeze. Try to scare me, Seth."
"No way, Sims, not on your life," he told her in a low growl. Leah took a half step closer, watching intently.
"He won't hurt you, even if you ask him to," Leah informed Samantha. "He's too high up the pecking order, and he's too strong. Seth's role is to protect his Pack, and you're close enough. It's not even that he won't, it may be that he can't unless enraged."
"Okay, that's cool. Back me into the wall, then," Samantha told him, and although he seemed uncomfortable he did what she said. Samantha looked up at him as he leaned over her. "I'm blocked in and you're grabbing me and you're twice my size. Do you know what that makes me, Seth?"
"Vulnerable," he said, sounding angry at the thought. "Scared."
"No." Samantha smiled darkly. "It makes me pissed off." Seth only had that smile to warn him before she attacked. Samantha grabbed the back of his neck as she spun in his grip, her back to his chest as she jerked him forward, slamming him forehead first into the brick wall. Startled, Seth let her go and she was behind him, twisting his arm up behind him and slamming his face back into the wall a second time.
"Whoa! Mother--" Seth bit down on his curse and Samantha released him, stepping back. She had used enough force to knock out a regular man, but Seth just blinked the brief discomfort away as he turned around. Samantha nodded at him to approach her again. This time he lunged for her, much slower than his normal speed but as fast as a quick human. Samantha let him grab her and tighten his arms around her. She smiled again and relaxed into his grip. Seth seemed surprised at the softening of her body, but then grunted as he got kneed hard in the groin and the instep of his foot stomped on. Again he was a wolf, so it didn't get the normal reaction of pain from him, although he did sneeze when she slammed the heel of her hand up into his nose and he again let her go.
"You're dead now," Samantha told him bluntly. "That would have driven the cartilage of your nose into your brain. I only did it half as hard as I could have, in case that's a weak spot on you guys like the back of the neck is."
"Back of the neck?" Seth seemed surprised and Samantha circled him. Seth didn't move away when she took a half running step and performed a jumping hook kick that nailed him right where his neck met his shoulders. It had enough force behind it that Seth let out a curse, and this time the wolf actually winced in real pain as he took an involuntary step forward. Seth rolled his shoulders to shake it off. "Damn, I didn't know about that."
"Yeah, you might want to watch that when you guys fight," she told him with a shrug. "Someone with strength and training like Embry could kill you guys without ever having to phase. Do you have any idea how good he is? He's the one that taught me that." Samantha smiled a little, extremely proud of her boyfriend.
"Emb's cool," Seth grinned at her, rubbing at his neck. "But I'm cooler. Are you sure I can't steal you away?" he teased and Samantha rolled her eyes, redirecting the conversation back to where they had begun.
"Seth, you need to understand that unless I'm drunk or I'm hurt, there aren't a whole lot of positions that I can be in that I can't get out of. If you're human and I want to kill you, I probably can. The last time I can remember freezing from fear, I was thirteen years old and watched my best friend get pistol whipped across the face because I didn't do anything about it. It broke her jaw and knocked out four of her teeth. The next day I found that son of a bitch and returned the favor."
Seth blinked at that and Samantha rolled her eyes.
"Is that the kind of stuff that you guys want to know? That I was tempted to do a whole hell of a lot more than just throw Jennings into his bike, because sometimes it feels really good kicking someone's ass? Cause let's be honest, I'm no saint. Sometimes you just want to rough someone up, just because you can. It goes against everything I've been taught, so I contain that side of me, but don't think it's not there. Don't confuse restraint with weakness."
Seth didn't say anything and Samantha sighed. "You guys worry too much. I've been telling you this from the very start, and no one believes me. Especially Embry, whom out of all of you should know better. He's making me more skilled every day I train with him. Against werewolves and vampires, yeah I'm pretty much helpless, but not against everything else. I'm not vulnerable and I'm not scared of the people around me." Shaking her head, Samantha started to turn away.
Samantha never saw Seth move, only that in one moment she was looking at Leah standing near the door, and the next she was on her stomach with her face in the dirt.
"The last time I saw you like this you weren't breathing, Sims," Seth told her in a hard voice. "So don't tell me if you're vulnerable or not. That's my job to decide." Seth let her up and Samantha watched him warily as he stepped back.
"You're not in your world anymore," Seth continued harshly. "You're in mine, and in my world the people that matter get hurt if I don't watch out for them. Confidence is good, but too much is just being cocky. All it takes is for you to be off your guard once. This isn't about you, it's about Embry too. You think if you let one of those fuckers touch you that he'll just let it go? Sims, if someone hurts you right now, so soon after the leech got to you, he won't be able to handle it."
"Seth…"
"Sims, Embry will kill someone that hurts you. That's not an idle threat. We're territorial and protective, and right now he's worse than the rest of us. He will kill them. We haven't deliberately killed any humans yet and I don't want to start on my watch."
Pissed and a little shaken, Samantha retorted sarcastically, "Not deliberately? How many humans have you guys killed accidentally?"
Seth gave her a lopsided smile. "Just my dad. Are we done here?" He didn't wait for her to answer, instead heading back inside and leaving Samantha to feel like a total ass. Leah didn't seem upset, instead she was giving Samantha an intent look.
"He's right, you know," Leah said, her face hard to read. "About you being cocky and overconfident. You're going to get yourself in trouble one of these days because of it. But Seth's wrong too, because it's going to take a much larger kind of trouble than the locals to do it."
"Your point being?" Samantha asked flatly.
"My point being that you should keep it up," Leah smirked, turning away and ambling back towards the store. She called back over her shoulder, "If you end up being enough of a badass, you might actually be some use to us. Jake can always use more cannon fodder on retainer."
"That sounds promising," Samantha muttered, following her friend inside. "Does it come with benefits?"
"Does it look like that bike I ride was bought on grocery store wages?"
"Good point."
"Misty? Am I interrupting?"
The young surgeon looked up from her computer screen when the beautiful blond man entered her office and she gave her mentor a surprised smile. "Hey, Dr. Cullen, come on in. I'd thought that you'd gone home hours ago."
"I did," he said, returning the smile. "You lost track of time again. It's almost morning, dear."
Dr. Misty Foster looked at her watch and, as it always did, the realization of time passed unnoticed made her yawn. "Ugh. You're right. I should've left hours ago too, huh?"
Carlisle chuckled and handed her a file folder. She slid her glasses up her nose and peered at the top page. "What's this?"
"My personal cases. I'm handing them over to you for the next week or two. I have to leave town briefly, if you don't mind the extra caseloads. I'll be available for consult if need be."
"A vacation, Dr. Cullen?" Misty teased lightly, flipping through the folder rapidly in case she had any immediate questions. "You?"
"Not really. Let's call this one a…family gathering of sorts. I have some extended relatives giving a family friend a hard time. My daughter-in-law is particularly distressed by this and felt it was an appropriate time for my son and I to intervene."
"Drama drama drama," the female doctor chuckled, snapping shut the file. Everything looked in order. "There's something to be said for immediate family only. Where are you off to, if I may ask?"
Carlisle cringed slightly at the same time his personal pager went off. "Mexico. Outside Guadalahara," he told her, checking the number. "That's my daughter, Alice, and apparently I'm going to be late for a flight. Thank you, Misty. Call me if you need anything."
Misty waved goodbye as he turned to leave. Then she remembered something and stood up as quickly as her leg would allow. She grabbed a small item off of her bookshelf, tucked next to a dead plant and a picture of the two doctors with Esme Cullen squished in between them.
"Hey, doc," she said, winking at him as she tossed the item to him. "It gets hot down there, so you better go prepared. And don't forget to bring me back something cool."
Carlisle laughed softly and stuck the tube of sunscreen in his pocket. "Of course, Misty." She shouldn't have to ask. He always remembered, didn't he?
The female doctor smiled as the door closed behind Carlisle and she laid a five dollar bill down on the corner of her desk. Five dollars said that he'd call to check on his patients before twenty four hours was up. Chuckling to herself, she turned back to her computer. If he wasn't so worried about Jacob Black and his new wolf having already killed half of the Guadalahara coven, Carlisle might have remembered to tell her to go home.
It took twenty three hours and seventeen minutes before Dr. Misty Foster got a static filled call from Mexico. Yes, his patients were fine and he owed her five dollars. Two weeks, one consolidated treaty with the remaining half of the Guadalahara coven, and an ugly green hat later, Carlisle gave her back the tube of sunscreen. He was just as pale as ever.
Apparently Mexico wasn't that hot after all.
She woke up screaming in the corner of her bedroom.
Samantha didn't remember getting there, she didn't remember curling up into a ball as she sat shaking, but she did remember the dream that sent her there. It was funny how things worked out sometimes. When the events that brought her to La Push had happened, she had gone through them quietly, resolutely, wrapping her strength around her like an iron shield and never letting the emotions out. And sometimes she thought about those events and sometimes she dreamed about those events, but always quietly.
She had tried to treat the vampire attack the same way. Trust a monster to leave her shrieking bloody murder.
Samantha had been thinking too much on what Seth had said, and so it made sense when she woke up in a cold sweat still yelling. It also made sense when someone burst into her room, but it took Samantha a moment to figure out who it was since she was still mid-cry. The hot arms that wrapped around her were thickly muscled like Embry's, but the smell of his skin was different, and the scent of shampoo had changed. The chest she was pulled into was smoother, slimmer, but the strength was the same. Samantha clamped down on her lip tightly to stop the noises of fear, and was chagrined that what emerged was a pained keening noise.
"Sims, what's wrong?" a masculine voice demanded. Collin, it was Collin here in her room. At least it wasn't Sam or Paul, because that would have been humiliating. "Was it a dream or something else?"
It occurred to her that she should be flattered that he didn't immediately assume she was just a silly girl having a nightmare. Which she was, by the way. It was just nice to not be treated like that.
"Dream," she panted, trying to pull herself out of the aftereffects of her subconscious forcibly, even though she was still shaking. "Vampires…This time I hit the tree."
That was all she needed to say, and Collin growled softly in his throat, a protective rumble very similar to the ones she was used to from Embry. His arms tightened around her and Samantha was too disoriented to try and struggle out of his grip when he picked her up. She was glad she at least had boy short underwear and a sports bra on so that she wasn't completely naked. She did start to protest when Collin carried her through her house, something that she absolutely hated. Not even Embry was allowed to haul her around like she was helpless, but Collin was moving so fast that in two strides he had her out the back door. A few more and he had her in the woods behind her house.
Embry was waiting for her in wolf form. He was also going crazy.
Several wolves had piled on top of him, and he was fighting and snarling horribly. A lanky sandy colored wolf stood between Collin and Embry, and Samantha recognized Embry's descriptions of the Pack's Beta. Seth's eyes never left Embry's in a battle of dominance, and Embry seemed oblivious to the smallish wolf on top of his back whose jaws were clamped down on the base of his neck. A chocolate wolf and a pitch black one were holding him down by sheer mass. Collin set Samantha down on her feet but kept himself turned sideways, his arm in front of her waist.
"She's okay, Emb," Collin said quietly, and Samantha could hear the strain in his voice. "It was just a bad dream and she's already shaken it off."
The snarl that ripped from Embry's throat was terrible and it made Samantha flinch, but Collin just sighed.
"You can call me as many names as you want to, asshole, but we're not letting you near her until you calm down."
"What's wrong with him?" Samantha asked worriedly, her eyes never leaving the huge animals in front of her.
"You," Collin said in exasperation, as if this wasn't anything new. Samantha blinked and Embry snarled again. The sandy colored wolf let out a long suffering sigh. Collin glanced down at Samantha and smiled at her lopsidedly.
"Sorry, but it's true," Collin shrugged. "He heard you scream and went spastic. We couldn't smell anyone else in the house, so Seth figured it was just a nightmare. You've had a couple over the last few months that didn't wake you up, but we always check up on you anyway. The screaming was new and he couldn't handle it. You're lucky you don't have a wolf shaped hole in your wall right now. Or even a house left at all."
"What? Over just a nightmare?" Samantha was shocked, used to seeing Embry much more laid back than that. Collin just shook his head in irritation.
"Just a nightmare to you could have been anything to him," Collin explained. "We were all phased when he heard you scream and it was like his brain stopped working. He went into panic mode and just charged the house. We couldn't let him in, even if something was wrong, because he could've ended up hurting you accidentally. Damn, it's always something with this guy these days. Why don't you two just move in together so the rest of us can get a little peace and quiet? Bake cookies and make babies or something…maybe if Emb finally gets laid he'll stop tripping all the time."
Samantha inwardly seethed at that, and as if he could sense her embarrassed anger, Collin chuckled and patted her shoulder. The moment his skin rested against hers, Embry let out a bellow of rage and lunged at Collin. Seth snarled and Embry fell short of his mark, but he was shaking with fury as the others once again piled on top of him. Collin sneered, obviously insulted, and just to piss off Embry he kept his hand on Samantha's shoulder. The pitch black wolf rolled his eyes and bit down on Embry's leg to hold him down. Samantha saw long fangs sink in deep and blood run down Embry's leg unheeded, and suddenly she became really angry.
"Stop it guys, just let him up," Samantha jerked away from Collin, surprising him as she ducked sideways and took a step towards Embry. The wolf strained towards her, his nails digging into the dirt beneath him, and Seth barked at her warningly. Collin was back in her way and she glared at him.
"If the only reason he's panicking is because he's trying to protect me, then why would you think he would hurt me? But you're hurting him. I know that's you gnawing on him, Leah, and it's pissing me off. Let him up."
Collin stayed where he was, but Seth turned and looked at her. His large canine eyes were expressive, and she could read worry in them. But when she pulled away from Collin again, something in the Beta's body language told Collin to let her go. Samantha crossed the distance quickly and dropped down to her knees in the grass in front of Embry. She had never been this close to him in wolf form while uninjured, and the only time she had seen him clearly had been the day with Leah on the bike. He was easily the size of a horse, although leaner and longer. His teeth were bared, and each one was at least the length of her hand. The paws clawing the dirt were the size of her chest, something she knew well. Samantha looked at the other three wolves angrily.
"Get off, you guys," she snarled, and then she did something that was probably really stupid. She growled at them and showed her teeth. The wolves seemed surprised, and then Leah barked a laugh and bit Embry one last time before leaping clear. The two male wolves followed suit slowly, and they growled warningly as Embry sprang to his feet. Samantha suddenly found herself on her back on the grass, staring up at Embry's grey stomach as the wolf stood over top of her defensively. He was snarling viciously, but Samantha wasn't sure at whom.
"Calm down, Embry," Samantha told him, trying to crawl out from underneath him. "I'm fine. You're making way too big of a deal about this."
Chocolate eyes swung down to look at her as a huge paw blocked her escape route. The last time she had seen him in this form, his eyes were his own, but tonight they had darkened furiously.
"Don't glare at me," she rolled her eyes and shoved at his paw as he continued to snarl at the other wolves. "I can't control my dreams, and you know it. These are your friends, so it's ridiculous that you're trying to run them off. Embry, stop it!"
Samantha grabbed the ruff of his neck and hoisted herself up, her face next to his huge one. Embry swung his head, knocking her back half a step so that she lost her balance and ended up on her rear end on the ground. He took another step and she was back to staring at his belly.
"Fine. Have it your way," Samantha snorted as she gave up, reclining back in the grass and poking the huge paw in front of her irritably. "It's not like I'm tired and have a test in the morning. I can sit out here, freezing cold and half naked, just as long as you need so that you can feel better."
Embry's growl turned into a whine, and he glanced down between his front legs at her. Samantha stuck her tongue out.
"Yeah, no shit. It's cold," she griped. "I'm assuming that's what the whine means. It could also mean 'I'm a big overprotective jerkball who's cooking my girlfriend dinner tonight'. But it's kind of hard to tell. I don't speak wolf."
"Keep talking to him, Sims," Collin encouraged, and Embry's head snapped around, his eyes narrowed at Collin. He wrinkled his lips back over his fangs.
"Collin has a test too, in case you care," she sighed. Then she shivered. "Baby, I know you're having a thing here, but I'm cold."
Embry let out a wooshing huff, and then he lay down in a partial crouch with about a foot of space between his belly and the ground. The space was good because Samantha was stuck there, wedged tightly beneath his furry belly. Protected. Something inside Samantha decided that it was sweet, even though it was kind of painful when he shifted and squashed her into the ground.
"Umph! Embry, crushing me isn't going to help, you know."
The wolf gave her a cool look, and Samantha sighed. At least she was warmer now. She lay back, wigging into the grass to make herself as comfortable as she could, and she began running her fingers through Embry's thick coat. It was coarse on top, but soft like down beneath, and when her fingernail ran over a certain spot, he leaned into her slightly, his growls quieting. Samantha began scratching him, and then giggled when his huge tail started wagging slowly back and forth in distinct contrast to his bared teeth. When she scratched harder, he grunted and wagged his tail again, turning and regarding her as his lips slowly covered his fangs. The anger in his eyes was softening, but he still seemed put out, so Samantha smiled impishly at him and began scratching along the underside of his belly. Two minutes of that and Embry caved, flopping over onto his side and freeing her so that he was giving her full access to his stomach.
"You know, most girls keep their boyfriends and their pets separate," she teased him as he grunted again, rolling onto his back and twisting into the grass. "If I start getting accused of bestiality, we're going to have to talk."
Embry woofed at her, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. The next thing Samantha knew she was being attacked by doggy kisses as Embry licked her face relentlessly. "Ugh! That's disgusting, Embry!" Samantha tried to bat him away, but it was useless. Finally, her face grossly wet, Embry sat back on his haunches looking very pleased with himself. Samantha wiped at her face until she was somewhat dry, if very sticky, and she scooted forward.
"Well, this isn't exactly how I'd planned my night to go," Samantha joked, but Embry put his head on his paws and looked up at her with sad eyes. It was the first time she had ever seen a canine look embarrassed with them self. Samantha scooted even closer so that she could pull the heavy head into her lap. Embry closed his eyes blissfully when she began stroking his ears, his damp nose buried into her bare abdomen as he exhaled heavily against her skin. He stayed like that, breathing in and out deeply, as if her scent was helping him calm down to his normal self. Samantha looked up to say something to Collin, but no one else was there. They had been left alone, although she hadn't seen the others leave. It meant that in his head Embry was doing better, because they wouldn't have left if he wasn't back in control of himself.
"Are you okay now?" she asked quietly. Embry whined again, this time softer, and he glanced up at her with one opened eye. "Collin said it was my fault that you were freaking out. I'm sorry…I can't really control it if I have nightmares, but upsetting you is the last thing I want to do."
Of course he didn't say anything, although the massive wolf did huff softly and wag his tail a single time.
"Embry, people have nightmares all the time," Samantha told him, confused. "Why did you get so upset? Has this happened before?"
Again, there were no words to answer her questions, and the wolf stared ahead at the trees with uncertain eyes. He looked just as confused as she did. Samantha sighed. "This would be easier if you could just talk to me," she chided him gently, softening her words by stroking her fingers through the finer fur behind his ears. Embry leant into the touch, and Samantha bent down to lay a tiny kiss on the top of his muzzle. "But I guess time together is good no matter what caused it, huh?"
The tail thumped the ground twice, and Embry lifted his head, turning back towards her. In another time and place Samantha might have been terrified to have those fangs so close to her jugular, but she had spent enough time with human Embry to understand some of wolf Embry. She tilted her head sideways, chin raised so that he could snuff his nose against her throat. After a few deep sniffs, Embry laid his head back down on her lap and once again buried his nose against her belly.
Samantha had read somewhere that the throat and the stomach were the most soft and vulnerable spots on a prey's body. Those were the most likely spots for attack from a predator. She had a feeling that her wolf's behavior was simply him checking to make sure her soft spots were safe and accounted for. Samantha couldn't help her tired smile as she hugged his head closer. A tremor went through the massive body, and Samantha saw the confused and hurt expression back in those chocolate eyes that she loved so much. She pressed her cheek against the top of his head, sighing again.
"I don't understand why you're upset, and I don't understand everything that's going on with this side of you," Samantha whispered. "But I'm here with you, okay? You're not alone, so please don't look so sad. It'll be okay."
She had at least expected to get a tail thump from that one, but apparently not. If anything, her words made things worse, because he turned his face away from her. Samantha sat silently as Embry stood up. She was wondering if he was going to leave her, although that seemed out of character for him. They were close enough to the back of Samantha's house that she could make out the shape of the roofline through the trees, but it was still pitch dark in the middle of the night. He took a few steps away from her, and it broke her heart and hurt her ears when he lifted his head and let out a howl. From off in the distance the howl was echoed by three others, equally mournful in their cries.
He didn't leave. Samantha watched Embry turn around her a couple of times, and then he dropped back down to the ground, his huge body curled around her completely in a circle with his nose on his tail. Samantha wasn't sure what to say, she was used to human Embry not wolf Embry, and he was obviously still unhappy. She sighed and scooted down, curling into a ball with her head resting against his shoulder. He was even warmer as a wolf than as a human, and the heat eventually made her drowsy.
"Everything's okay," Samantha mumbled, rubbing her nose into Embry's shoulder. "I promise…Love you, Embry."
As she slowly slipped off to sleep, she felt the wolf curl around her tighter and rest his head over her hip.
It was nearly dawn and he still hadn't been able to phase back.
Sims was sleeping in the curve of his side, and Embry miserably stuck his muzzle against her bare leg. Her scent was stronger than anything else, although Quil's and Collin's scents were a close second. They were keeping a wide berth of him, feeling his agitation every time a male wolf patrolled too close. Sims was still in heat, and maybe that was one of his problems. It hadn't been last month, but then again he hadn't been as crazy about her then as he was now. Crazy was the key term. Sometimes he felt like he was losing his damn mind. He couldn't even stay calm long enough phase back, and he had made the guys promise not to let Seth know yet. It was humiliating, although he was quickly running out of time before morning. He had things he had to do, including getting Sims back in her bed. What the hell was wrong with him?
Quil didn't know, and Collin was worried.
Embry?
Jake's presence in his mind was muted by distance, but the rush of reassurance was as heady as ever, and the Alpha's voice blocked out his pack mates. Jake wanted to know what was wrong. Embry let out a soft whine, his memories of the night circling around his head. He felt Jake's initial confusion as the dominant wolf had to sort through it all, because Embry wasn't really making sense. Then Jake's understanding wrapped around Embry along with his comfort. Jake and Embry had been friends a long time, and Jake would know if he was crazy. Something was wrong, but Jake didn't think it was Embry's fault. Jake's love and respect curled around him the way Embry curled around Sims, and it shamed him.
Embry didn't know what was wrong with himself, but he hated it. Embry was ashamed that one of Jake's own wolves was losing control. He never lost control.
We all lose control, Jake reminded him. The Alpha's thoughts slipped to a clumsy pretty girl whose heart no longer beat in her chest. Jake had lost control plenty of times over Bella Swan, although always he had been provoked by the vampires. Vampires. Images swirled through Embry's head: running as a freshly phased wolf, fighting the newborns, Claire screaming, Sims and her damn baseball bat. Blood, hurt, fear, loss, nononono…Embry inhaled the scent of his mate deeply, trying to center himself. Beneath Jake's presence he felt Quil's deepening concern and Collin's distress, but he didn't care. The backfire of a car made him stiffen and snarl protectively, his teeth mere centimeters from Sims's leg as he glared out at the world. His.
Embry, phase back. You're too close to town and too close to Sims.
Sorry Jake, but he couldn't. Embry had tried two times tonight. Each time he failed scared him, and he was terrified that maybe he was stuck like this. He didn't want to stay like this. He didn't want to be a wolf forever, physically or theoretically. He wanted to be a man, a normal human man. He loved his Pack, but he was tired of feeling like a freak amongst freaks.
Who's Embry been getting freaky with? Jared jovially wanted to know as he phased in, and his thoughts briefly flashed to an image he had pulled of Sims going down on Embry in the movie theatre. It was a testament to Jake's power that in the single moment before Embry lost it, he grabbed complete control of the other wolf, his hold so tight that Embry never moved a muscle. Jared realized too late what he had done as the Alpha's anger hit him like a tidal wave. Jared whimpered in apology and all the other wolves immediately phased back, leaving Jake alone in Embry's raging mind. It was Jake's fear that cut through Embry's fury, and the blurred image the Alpha had of Sims lying fast asleep right there against Embry's side.
Embry, phase back.
Oh god, he could have killed her.
Embry. Phase back NOW.
So he did.