I do not own anything in the twilight universe. I only wish I did.
Doubts
Renesmee met Jacob and Seth in the front doorway. Their footsteps echoed on the porch steps as they charged up to the house, carrying the unconscious Drew. Carlisle and Edward had the office prepared, after Edward heard Seth's warning. Without any preamble, the pack members went directly to the office and as delicately as possible laid the young man down, still he stirred to consciousness. Carlisle was at his side,instantly, giving him a cursory examination.
"Well, I think this is becoming an unsavory habit, that you are developing. If you want to visit, you don't need to invent such a drastic reason." Carlisle's comment brought a weak smile to the younger man's face. A surge of pain found by a particularly tender spot on Drew's shoulder caused him to suck in his breath.
"Sorry about that. Why don't you rest for a moment." Carlisle turned to Edward and silently told him that the boy's shoulder was dislocated and they would need to set it. The wound on his chest, needed to be cleaned, so the venom wouldn't fester, but otherwise had started to heal already. Edward went to the medicine cabinet to prepare a syringe of morphine to ease his pain. Amy burst through the door, like so many times before, unsure of what she would have to face. She never got used to the fear, that ate at her stomach, Since she got the call, she was battling the acid, that was forced up her throat.
Edward pulled the needle out of Drew's arm and stepped away so Amy could be by his side. His eyes were closed. He looked so pale and still. Amy's lungs froze and her heart skipped at the possibility that he would not move again. She knew that one day she would have to face that fact. One day he would leave for patrol and not come back. She reached down and traced the side of his face. Drew opened his eyes and a sweet smile lighted up his face.
"Hey baby, when did you get here. Is it morning already?" Could you close the window? It's cold in here." Amy turned her confused stare at Carlisle, but it was Edward who explained.
"His shoulder is dislocated. I gave him morphine to help ease the pain, but I had to give him a rather large dose to ensure that it would not wear off before we were done. He may seem a little loopy for a while." Amy looked back to Drew, who still had that smile on his face. As she leaned down to kiss his cheek her tears overflowed, causing him to blink at the downpour. As she raised up, he turned his face, to capture her mouth with his own. When she tried to break free, he grabbed the back of her head, with his good hand, to deepen the kiss. With strength that surprised her, he pulled her down on top of him. She broke the kiss, and moved her lips to his ear.
"Baby, not now. You need medical attention." Amy almost laughed at his groan of frustration. Apparently, morphine made him horny. Edward's hands slipped around his grip to help her get up off of him.
"Awe honey, don't say no. I love you. Come here, Aammmyy." He called to her in a sing song teasing voice. It was too much. She could not take it anymore. The pins and needles life, waiting for the call, yet dreading the ringing of the phone. And it was only inevitable. One day, it would be the conversation that would kill her. On a sob she turned away from the table. Cold hands took her by the arms and led her out of the room. She looked up into butterscotch eyes that were filled with concern.
"It will be alright. He is fine. We will set his shoulder, and his natural ability to heal, will have him back to his old self in a day or so. Don't make any rash decisions that both of you will regret. You are thinking with your emotions right now. Why don't you wait out here and we will call you in, when it is done." Edward tried to console the young woman, concerned by the turn of her thoughts. She was at the point of fight or flight, and he rather hoped for fight. Amy had a lot of tenacity, but her growing fear of Drew's inevitable demise, was eating away her faith in their relationship. Faith in her imprinting. Whether, she realized it or not, she had been talking herself into running away to avoid facing that fear.
" I should be in there with him. He needs me." Amy's voice shook as the last few words dissolved into tears. She felt guilty about her feelings, when she knew he was in there, in the other room, in so much pain. Her head spun, her thoughts in turmoil. Edward placed his hand on her shoulder in comfort. Amy shuddered at the chill it caused. He reluctantly pulled back as he continued to try to console the distraught girl.
"It is alright to have those feelings, it's only natural. But you are distraught, with this crisis. Give yourself time to think things through, before you make life changing decisions. Talk to him. Work this out together." Edward knew that his soothing words were having little effect with her whirlwind thoughts. He hoped that she would not do anything rash in her overwhelming panic. Drew's voice rose to a high pitched scream, as Carlisle started setting the shifters shoulder. Her heart started a pace that was beating a hole through her chest, and it was just a matter of time before she fainted at the overload. Even as he thought that, her eyes dilated as the blood rushed to the lower part of her body. Jacob was there, and caught the young woman as her knees buckled.
"Thanks Jacob." Edward said as he quickly made his way back into the office to assist Carlisle. Jacob carried Amy to the living room and placed her on the couch, Renesmee placed a pillow under her feet to elevate them. Although Amy was partly still unconscious, she could hear the echoing conversation, that floated above her head.
"Is she ok? The poor girl." Nessie's voice full of concern.
"Yes, she just fainted. It was just too much for her. Seems like it's Drew who always gets hurt. It's like he is a magnet for the leech attacks." Seth commented from behind the couch.
"Technically, he was hit by a police cruiser the time before, not a leech." Jake commented with a smile. The others chuckled softly. Then Jacob got serious. He pounded his fist in his other hand. " And it wasn't Drew's fault this time. Quil should have been there. He should have never let him go without back up. I swear, I don't know where his head is half of the time." Jacob's comment was riddled with his frustration. "I suspended him, until further notice. We do not need weak links in the chain. We have enough problems with Jared's worry of Kim's pregnancy and Sam's defection." Renesmee raised her eyebrow at Jake's authoritative tone.
"Do you really think he just quit?" Seth question brought a small gasp from Renesmee. She turned to Jacob, and placed her palm to his cheek. Spurned by the meaning of Jacob's new authority in his voice, she asked her questions, by the easiest way she knew how. He was immediately bombarded with the images of her questions. He covered her hand with his, enforcing the connection.
"No, Nessie. He's ok. I don't think that he really quit. He's just tired and worried about Emily and Scott. Sam will come around eventually. We have to give him some time, that's all. Sam is still the leader. Don't worry. Man, it feels like the whole pack is falling apart." Images of Jacob leading the pack filled his mind. He looked down into Renesmee's chocolate brown eyes, sensing her unease at that turn of events, and what it would mean to them. " I don't know baby. I don't have all of the answers." Jacob admitted, hating the powerless feeling that he had.
"Jake do you want me to join the pack in chasing the newbie?" Seth asked, the weariness of his double shift evident in his rough voice. Jacob hated using the young man, who had problems of his own, as he battled his grief over losing his imprint. Frankly, he had no idea how he was handling it so well. To think about it, his emotions were not so overwhelming as they were a week ago. But the fact remained that the pack needed help. They were in utter chaos without their leader.
"No, I need to get back out there, but you could help me with the fisherman's body. We need it moved off of the reservation land. There have been too many bodies tied to the tribal lands for comfort. It will be only a matter of time, before we draw unwanted attention. After that, go home. You need some rest. Twenty hours is too long of a shift. We need your head in the game." Seth made no more comments as his weary footsteps echoed to the exit and the room was silenced with the closing of the door.
"Hey, Jacob, could you use a little help, on your patrol?" Emmett asked as he looked to Jasper. The two of them had been bored since they had come back from hunting. Esme was exhausted, trying to protect her antiques from their untimely demise, caused by their rough housing. The girls had not been any help in distracting the boys at all, pursuing their own interests. Jasper's smile lit up at the possibilities.
"A newbie, you say? I think we could handle that? Right brother?" Jasper was clearly interested, by the lapsing southern lilt of his voice. Jacob was not as enthusiastic in replying. He did not need two more infants to babysit. He had enough on his plate as it was. On the other hand, the longer the newbie was out there, the more destruction and death, they had to clean up. And with the other leech out there, that had made him, needed to be taken care of as well, the pack could use a little help. But that was what he was afraid of, that it would be very little help. More like interference. What a time for Sam to have a meltdown. Being the alpha was giving him a royal headache. Reluctantly, Jacob mentally gave in and turned to his family by marriage.
"Yeah, I guess the pack could use some help. The newbie turned out to be Archer, Embry's lousy off and on again Father figure. And we now have a pretty good idea of who could have made him. Looks like our old buddy Micah is back and is hanging around scouting out Claire again." Nessie turned to Jacob, a look of astonishment on her face. She couldn't believe that Jacob had kept all of this information away from her. There were no secrets between them! What the hell was this? He turned back to Renesmee to apologize for dropping the info bomb without warning.
"Sorry, babe but we just found out about all of this, a few minutes ago. Archer was the one that attacked Drew. And Quil stumbled upon Micah fleeing Claire's, out in the forest. Her house reeked of the bloodsucker. He must have been stalking her the last few days that Quil has been camped out on our couch."
"Jake I'm scared for you, with a new made vampire on the loose and now Micah, he's very old and very strong. Please be careful." Nessie clung to Jacob in her fright. His arms surrounded her, as he rocked her to comfort her.
"Nessie, nothing is going to happen to me. Listen honey, we will get the leech tonight. Claire is safe, with Quil to protect her." He turned a reluctant stare at Emmett and Jasper, who were bouncing on the balls of their feet, in anticipation of the future fight. "And we will have your uncles to help us." The two gave each other a high five and took off for the back door. "Heaven help us." Jacob said under his breath and Esme answered from somewhere upstairs, "Amen!"
Edward stepped up to the couch. "He's resting comfortably now. You can see him." The others turned to Amy, whose eyes were open. She slowly sat up from the couch, as Jacob helped to steady her on her feet. Edward looked at her, as she unsteadily made her way to the office, still worried at her state of mind.
Amy opened the door as Carlisle covered Drew up with a blanket and dimmed the lights. His eyes were closed and his face looked free from pain and worry. She slipped into the room as quietly as possible and sat down in a chair next to his bed. He always looked like a little boy when he slept. Her angel boy. What if his wounds had been worse? Panic had her shaking again. She just could not handle it. This was just too much. Damn that Quil! Always treating Drew so inferior, and now this! He had no business leaving Drew unprotected. With shaking fingers, she brushed back a lock of hair from his brow. His head moved toward the feathery caress, his mouth forming into a mellow smile.
"Hey, baby." Drew's voice was soft, but free from the effects of the morphine. Slowly he opened his eyes that were filled with his apology. "I'm sorry about earlier. When you are around me, I just can't help myself." His tone was teasing, but for once he did not coax a smile out of her. He tried again. "But we are alone now... What I have to do to get some individual attention from my nurse." His comment brought a fresh round of sobs to her throat. Instantly he was contrite. "Hey, I was just kidding. It's alright honey. I'm fine. I'm alright. Come here." Drew said, raising his good arm to encircle her in his embrace, afraid of the wild look in her eyes. He did not understand what it meant, and did not like the feeling of that. She paused a moment trying to get the spasming sobs under control before she went into his arms. All of her movements seemed hesitant and weary. Once she was there, he could feel her trembles, that shook her body like a mini earthquake, that he could feel down to his own bones.
"Amy?" His one word question, loaded with his fear. She said nothing, but continued to tremor in his arms, which he tightened around her.
Seth was not just tired, he was bone weary. Trying to hold everything together today had taken it toll on his poor nerves, with added load of the already double shift. He wanted to get this last job done and go back to watching Toni. Ehh... to watching over Toni. He was just following the natural instinct to protect her from the dangers of the leech, that was roaming the forest. That was all. He had no more concern for her than he had for his nieces and nephews. He just needed to be there. It was the imprinting. He kept telling himself that.
The corpse was still on the shore. It was so ripped apart, it resembled more like a giant pile of ground meat, than a human body. Seth was trying to figure out the best way to transport it through the forest, when he heard the sound of the motor boat. Just what he needed. Who in their right mind would be fishing in the middle of the night? Why couldn't anything go smoothly? Could this night get any worse? Was that even possible. Seth made quick work dragging the mess of the body to the cave. Maybe he could hide in there till the boat passed by and then make his way into the forest. Crouching low to peek from the entrance of the cave he spotted the boat as it's motor kicked off and it coasted to the bank, with it's two passengers. Hell, yes, it could get worse. It just got worse as he saw Toni step out of the boat followed by a man obviously in his third six pack, as he stumbled out of the boat and made a face plant in the muddy bank.
Toni grumbled under breath as she anchored her feet to pull the intoxicated man up. Her eyebrows were singed by the man's breath as his head came in close contact with her face. He had stumbled into the police station, hysterical, with his tale of his buddy being attacked, by some kind of monster, along the river bank. She would have totally dismissed the story, had it not been for the splattered blood all over his clothes and shoes. The blood had come from somewhere and it hadn't come from Tom Cunnignham. George was missing as far as she knew, injured by the amount of blood on Tom's shirt. It was imperative that she find him. But she had her doubts on whether she would get a direct answer from the fisherman. The riverbank was deserted.
"No!... No, no no! He was here... Right here. And that.... that monster was tearing him apart with his bare hands and those sharp teeth. His eyes...his eyes were blood red and inhuman! It was a monster!" Toni's head swam as images from her visions, just flashes danced before her eyes. It was as if he were describing her own nightmares from the last week. Toni's mind wandered as she thought of those hideous pictures.
Tom took her hesitation for unbelief. " You don't believe me? I should have waited for Charlie. I need a real cop...not some desk jockey secretary." He stepped up to her getting in her face. Seth stood up to stop the man from getting too close to Toni, but thought better of it. How would he explain his presence, much less the blood from the victim all over his hands and chest. Hands clenched at his sides, he was forced to watch as the man towered over his imprint.
Toni did not take the man's threats seriously. She placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Tom jerked it off and leaned into her face. "My friend is dead! You have to stop that monster. Are you listening to me?" Toni held her breath until the fume filled breeze passed her face. With patience, she really did not feel she tried to console him.
"Mr. Cunningham you need to calm down. We will do everything in our power to apprehend the man who did this, if there was a murder. First we have to find George."
"He was right here, I tell you!" Tom waived his arms to show the area. He cursed to the sky at her stupidity for being a woman. Toni mentally counted to ten and then tried to get him to focus on the situation, once again wishing she didn't have the night shift this week. You didn't need to look up into the night sky to know that it was a full moon. The kooks were out in full force tonight, making the office unusually busy.
"It would help if you would tell me how it happened again. You were a little sketchy on the details." Tom whined in frustration at what he thought was a total waste of time. They should be combing the forest, guns blazing.
"George and I were in the boat fishing. George wanted to go to the river bank." Toni interrupted him.
"Why did he want to go to the river bank?" George raked his hand through his already wild hair.
"Because he wasn't feeling too well, ok? He was sick to his stomach ok? And I didn't want to smell vomit in my new boat, ok? Is that enough detail for you?" Toni's control on her temper was slipping, still she tried to keep her voice even as she asked him to continue.
"Ok, he wasn't feeling too well, and you pulled up to the bank. Is that when he was attacked?" Tom began to pace as his head filled with the memories of that night.
"We pulled up and George got out, and threw up over there." He pointed to the stump covered in green moss. I heard a growl from the cave over there and..." Toni stopped the narration
"A growl? Like an animal?" Maybe his monster was just a bear? Or maybe it was a wolf. She could not get that encounter out of her mind. Toni had been so sure that Seth had been there, that he was watching her. She would have bet her life on it, but she was confused and frozen with fear when the wolf stepped up to the edge of the cliff. And there was something about that wolf. Something in its eyes that had her mesmerized, as if he knew her. Toni had felt the earth shift beneath her feet, and she had the insane urge to climb that cliff to be closer to it. To touch its fur and bury her face in its neck. She felt as if she was supposed to be at its side. It made no sense, because at the same time she was trembling in fear of its massive size.
"Yes, an animal. Didn't I just tell you it was a monster? Are you even listening to me?" Tom Cunningham's temper flared to life as he moved toward to her. Seth took a step closer to the entrance of the cave. He didn't like the acid scent of hate that radiated off of the drunk man. He didn't like it one bit.
"I'm listening, Mr. Cunningham, please go on." Toni's soothing tone seemed to ease the man somewhat. Seth paused at he entrance, still shadowed in the darkness of the cave.
"I heard a growl and before I could locate the source, this huge hulk of a beast flies through the air and jumps on George. It tears his throat out and rakes his body with its claws, then it starts eating him. It was horrible!" Tom's voice faltered as he choked back a sob.
"And how did you get away?" Toni's question brought him up short. Confusion was replaced with anger, as if she were accusing him of deserting his friend. Which is exactly what he had done. The sight of that monster had reduced him to a shivering child. After he had wet himself, he found the strength to jump into the boat and gun the motor. The monster was so absorbed in his feast, that he did not give the other man any notice. Barely escaping with his life, he had not turned back to look upon his friend's fate, but had made it for town, as if hell was chasing him. Now embarrassed at his own cowardliness, he resented her pushing it into his face.
"What are you implying? Are you saying that I am a coward, that I ran away and it's my fault that he is dead?" Tom took her by the arms, shaking her, making her head jerk forward. "Is that what you're calling me? A coward? You won't get away with that!" Tom's fingers dug into the flesh of Toni's arms, making her cry out in pain. Seth flew from the cave and picked the man up by his shirt collar. Toni stumbled back from the impact of Seth's movement, landing on her bottom. She froze at the thought that this was Tom's monster, then she recognized Seth's lean, muscled torso. Unable to move, she watched as Tom's feet dangled above the ground. Apparently, Tom was mistaken as well, as his whine pressed through his compressed throat.
"You keep your filthy hands off of her, or I'll yank them off!" Seth's vision was tinted a vibrant red as he shook Tom to get his acknowledgement, much like he had done with Toni only a moment ago. Tom whimpered, giving Seth sadistic pleasure at the other mans fear. "You don't feel so powerful now do you?" Seth smelled the acidic urine before he heard it pouring down Tom's leg.
Toni stared, unable to comprehend where Seth came from. It was as if he just appeared like magic. Her protector. Her savior. Toni bristled at the thought. She did not need a savior. She was doing quite well on her own. She shouldn't be a cop if she couldn't handle an inebriated man. Ungracefully, she raised to her feet and grabbed Seth's arm to stop him from shaking the man's head off.
"Seth, stop it! You are hurting him." She might as well been hanging from his arm, still his grip did not slip at all.
"Good!" Seth's tone purred with pleasure at the thought. He would like nothing more at the moment, then to see his air filled head pop right off of his shoulders.
"Please, don't! You are better than this. Don't do something you'll regret." Toni's warning slowly sunk into his overheated brain. He looked down at her, at the fear that clouded her eyes. Fear of him. Fear that he had put there. Seth let go of his anger, along with Tom's shirt collar. The other man fell to the ground in a heap. Toni's sigh of relief froze on her face as she took in Seth's appearance.
He was dressed in cut off sweat pants, barefoot and bare chested. But it was the blood that covered him, that stopped her train of thought. Blood. She searched for wounds, her hands roaming over his his fevered body. The blood was not his . Her mouth opened to ask the questions flooding her confused mind, but her mouth must have been disconnected from her brain, because the words refused to come out. Seth's hands cradled hers to stop her inspection.
"It's alright. I am ok." Seth tried to relieve her fears, locking his gaze with hers. A shadow of a smile lit his features. Whatever Toni saw in his eyes eased some of the tension in her arms. Tom's scream broke their connection.
"There on the ground! Over there. It's blood. He was right there!" Tom was pointing about 75 feet away from where they were standing. The moon had come out from the clouds during their scrimmage. The patch on the ground was dark and thick on the muddy ground. There was also a trail from the spot that lead up the bank, as if the person dragged himself toward the forest. Or was dragged. Toni's eyes flew back up into Seth's. The shifter broke eye contact first, unable to answer the questions there. He wanted so much to protect her from the monsters that roamed the forest. But he could not explain why he was there, covered in blood from the victim. If only he had gotten there sooner, then the body and he would have been long gone. When she knew he would not respond, she looked at the stain again. Her body turned to follow the trail. Seth pulled back on her hands to stop her.
"Toni it's not..." Seth's panic leaked into his voice as he tried to remain calm. Tom was now over the patch of blood soaked ground. Toni waited impatiently for Seth to finish his sentence, but he stopped. How in the world could he explain this. It was exactly what it looked like. Well, maybe not exactly, but he did have a hand in it. Two by the blood that had covered them. He looked down at the accused encircling Toni's dainty hands, that trembled with fear.
"Come on! He can't be far! Look at the trail." Toni's attention went to the other man as he moved to follow the blood. Seth pulled her back to his face.
"Toni I need to explain..." Tom yelled in frustration, muttering about lazy good for nothing cops. Toni broke free and took off after Tom. Seth was close on their heels, knowing what they would find. In his anxiety, he had to force each footstep, to move forward, dreading their destination. It was over too soon, and they were at the entrance of the cave, which was not more than a hole in the wall of the cliff. Toni paused and Seth almost collided with her. He could hear her heartbeat pick up speed, from it's already break neck speed.
Toni was scared to go in there. She could not help but to think back to the last time she was here. The presence of the wolf was never far from her thoughts, but it was crystal clear in her mind now. What if it were the monster, that it had dragged poor George in there? What if it were in there now? Even though Toni was petrified of the wolf, she had the insane feeling that it had not meant to harm her that day, but just to warn her. It did not want her to go into that cave. Was it just protecting its territory? Seth's hands crept up to her shoulders, caressing her tense muscles. He leaned down until his lips brushed her ear, warm breath caressed her face as he pleaded for her to listen.
"Please Toni, wait. I need to tell you...."
"George?! Damn it, get in here! Uhhh poor George!" Toni broke free and ran into the dark cave. Tom had a key chain flashlight pointed at a bloody heap on the earthen floor. Toni knelt beside him and tried to distance herself from the tortured mass that had once been George. Taking a deep breath, she was knocked over by the coppery smell of blood. Seth was beside her, trying to pull her up to her feet. He wanted to protect her, to get her as far away as possible, from this mess. Short of picking her up bodily, she stayed where she was.
"What could have done this?" The sight of the hideous scraps of flesh overloaded her senses, stunning her thought processes. What was she supposed to do next? There was no one in the office at the moment. Should she wake up Charlie? The only way to get to this spot was by boat. She needed to get Tom back to the station, then get forensics from Port Angeles out here. This was big! The sheriff's office was not equipped to handle this.
"I told you it was a monster!" Tom continued to rant, but all of the noise around her silenced as if someone turned a mute button on. She let Seth pull her up to her feet, her eyes focused on his bloody hands. Her eyes lifted slowly taking in his bloody stomach and chest. There was a large smear on his cheek, where he must have rubbed it. So much blood. He had to have touched the body. She looked to his feet. They were covered. He must have dragged the body here. Her eyes went back to his face. There was something in his eyes. Apology? Guilt? Remorse?
"Look lady, you have to do something! George was my friend and now he's dead. Will you two stop holding hands and making eyes at each other and do something! Or better yet get a real cop here." Tom went over and pushed the two of them apart. Seth pushed back sending the man against the wall.
"Lay another hand on her and I will knock you into next Monday." Seth growled, the sound echoing in the small chamber.
"Seth, stop it!" She tried to help Tom up but he knocked her hand away. He got unsteadily to his feet and pushed at her again.
"You are completely worthless." Tom's last word ended on a sharp crack, as Seth's hand connected with the other man's jaw. Tom went down in a heap. Toni screamed for him to stop too late.
"I warned him. He just didn't listen." Toni dropped her eyes when Seth looked back to her. The satisfaction at his barbaric act did not set well with her raw nerves. Her thoughts were dark without him adding to them.
"Help me get him to the boat." Toni's voice was dead. It scared Seth. He thought that she might be going into shock. Her hands were like ice when he pulled her to her feet. He looked at her, accessing her condition for a moment, before he complied with her request, and picked the grown man up, as if he weighed no more than an infant.
The journey to the boat was done in eerie silence. The water sloshed against the side of the boat as Seth dumped the man on the boat's floor. He turned to Toni to help her in. She said nothing as she looked at his extended hand. Was she afraid of him? Was she just in shock? Seth tried to calm her.
"It's ok. No one will harm you. We are safe. The monster is gone." Toni continued to look at his stained hands. Her voice was like a soft breeze, and even with his super hearing he leaned forward to hear her.
"Is it safe? Is the monster really gone?" Her eyes flew up to his, searching for something. She was on the verge of something. What, she did not know, but it involved the strange man that had haunted her all of her life. And until she knew what all of this meant she had to protect herself, and everyone else.
"Toni I promise you I won't let anything hurt you." Seth's heated eyes bore into hers as if he could force her to believe by sheer will alone. His eyes dropped to the sound of metal clicking on metal. Toni had slipped her cuffs on his extended hand. She reached down and picked up his other hand and snapped the other cuff on.
"Don't make promises you can't keep." She raised her hand and pointed to the boat. He remained where he was flustered. He tried to reason with her, but even he couldn't understand the words coming out of his mouth. She pointed again.
"Step into the boat and then lay down on your stomach, arms above your head." Seth took a step toward her. Toni raised her gun, leveling it to his chest. She repeated her request, her voice loud and firm, only the shake in her hands gave her away. Seth raised his hands in surrender. He stepped carefully into the boat. He tried to help her in but she kept the gun pointed at him and got in with her other hand. She pointed the gun to the bottom of the boat and Seth reluctantly followed her orders.
"This is just a mistake, Toni. It is not what you think. You believe me don't you. Something inside you, knows that I am telling the truth. You trust me. You must feel it." Seth pleaded from the boats floor. He knew that the bond that they had would not let her forsake him, nor turn her back. Sudden doubt flooded his mind, of Lauren's own betrayal. They were imprinted too, yet she still found it possible to turn her back on him. Maybe he was just defective. Maybe the imprinting thing only worked one way. He could hear her clear her throat. Was she crying? Was she trying to fight her feelings? "Toni search your heart. What is it telling you?"
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney..." The words continued to recite from her mouth in a voice that sounded flat and inhuman, paused only by the shaky intake of her shallow breath. Seth pounded his head on the floor of the boat in his frustration.
Sorry it took so long to update. There are so many side stories that I need to put into the story, that it is taking some time. Sam Emily and Scott will be in the next chapter, as well as Toni and Seth and Claire and Quil. Big changes ahead. Roles will change.
