Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer
This chapter is dedicated to Minschen for being my cheese-o-meter for the Essie/Tobias scenes.
It's also dedicated to Nikki for continuing to review my work.
I would also like to dedicate this to LordXeenTheGreat for being so awesome and reviewing every chapter so far.
So here are the consequences of everything that happened that fateful Halloween night…
Enjoy x
The alarm clock pulled me rudely from pleasant dreams of my beloved and I awoke into stark reality.
I sat bolt upright as what had happened last night hit me. I'd imprinted on Tobias Hannigan. Oh my god, the person who was truly made for me was nearly three thousand years old! What did that say about me?
Now there were the consequences this morning. I had to explain myself to the Elders. I had to chew Harry out good and proper for what he'd done to Layla. I had to get used to the idea that I now had my own pack and the Twins could phase. I had a lot I needed to discuss with Tobias now the first waves of euphoria of finding my imprint had abated enough for me to think strait. There was a lot I had to think over.
I had a lot to do this morning, but the first thing I would do was have a shower. I deserved one after yesterday and it was only seven so I had two hours before I had to meet with the Elders. I let go of my worry and pulled about me a towering strength of determination as I rose from the bed. I wasn't about to let the Elders get me down, not over something I couldn't control. It's not like I did it on purpose. You can't choose your imprint. FACT!
With that in mind I got my old reliables, cut-offs and a t-shirt, from my wardrobe and went to have my much-deserved shower.
After I was showered and dressed I went to fix myself some breakfast only to find that Renesmee had beaten me to it.
"I thought you'd need your strength today." She said as she placed a plate of pancakes before me.
"Thanks Mom." I whispered. "You didn't need to."
"You're my daughter and I'm not about to let you go face them on an empty stomach." She said firmly. "Now eat." She added, handing me a fork.
I nodded my head and began eating.
Jake came in and sat down as Renesmee placed a plate before him and joined us at the table with her own plate. They began eating also and we were silent for a minuet.
"So how are you this morning Ess?" Jake asked.
"Scared out of my wits." I said, not in the mood to cover up my feelings. "What if they do exile me?"
"If they do they'll have to exile me too." Jake said in a low sincere voice.
"You can't mean that?" I asked in astonishment.
"I do Ess. They can't blame you for this. Nobody can control who they imprint on."
"But what if they make you leave as well?" I asked in sudden dread, the Pack needed Jake, but was it more than they wanted to get rid of me?
"They won't. None of them wants the responsibility that comes with being an Alpha. The only thing they can stand firm on is not letting him on the Res, but that's understandable."
"I can deal with that." I assured him. "But what about Harry?"
"That's a separate issue. But we will sort everything today." Jake said, brushing the matter aside.
"I'm pissed that he attacked Layla, but he was doing it out of hurt." I said, it was surprising what sleep could do for your perspective and I'd thought a lot when I was in the shower.
"You're his Alpha, his punishment is up to you." Jake said stoically.
"Ok. Well I think the fact that I am his Alpha is punishment enough. All things considered."
Jake nodded.
"So maybe we don't have to tell the others that bit just yet. I don't want Harry to suffer any more than he has to." I explained.
"That's very grown up of you." Renesmee observed.
"Well I'm seventeen now. I can't be childish anymore." I said with a laugh.
My parents laughed and I felt the dread wash through me. What if the Elders hated me enough to get rid of Jake as well? He could joke that no one wanted to be Alpha in his place but I wouldn't put anything past Timmy. I didn't trust the little runt; it was down to him that it was rare that I got to hunt with the Pack. It was down to him that I had to keep my vampire excursions off Quileute land. It had been one of those, if one says no, all say no deals. In the council everyone had a vote, and it couldn't be overturned, not even by Jake if it was thought to be a risk.
After breakfast the time just seemed to fly by. I left the house at quarter to nine so I could make my way to the meeting place. As I was about to enter the woods the Twins caught up to me. They didn't say anything, merely gave me grave looks before they hugged me. They didn't want to fear the worst but they weren't deluded either. There was still every chance I'd get booted from the Res. For good.
We walked to the meeting place in silence and lingered in the tree line as we regarded my, well tribunal I guess. This was very serious; this was a community matter and not just a Pack one. I'd have to face the mixed council, which was made up of the Pack, former Pack members and those who had never known the wolf within.
The Twins each put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and I smiled weakly at them. I took a deep breath, pulled myself up to my full height and trying to pull on my reserves of pure Essiness I stepped out into the clearing. The Twins flanked me and we walked like a pack even in human form.
"Girls, go home." Leah said with a sigh.
"I'm sorry Auntie Leah, but they're staying." I said as clearly as I could manage through my suddenly dry mouth.
"Essie, they're not Pack members and they're not council members, they can't stay." She replied.
"They're my Pack." I said, feeling more nervous then I ever had in my life.
"This is no time for fooling." Sam cut in. "I know how you lot like to run around the Res, but they can't stay."
"They have as much right to be here as anyone else." I rasped. "More so than them." I said, pointing out the purely human members of the council.
"Just because they might phase doesn't mean they can stay." Sam said in reasonable tones, because they were the rules. Only wolves and council members were allowed at such meetings.
"Might?" Susie demanded and I could hear the growl in her voice as I felt her shaking.
"Calm down." I whispered to her as I held my hand up in restraint. "They can phase." I said clearly as I suddenly found my confidence. "They did it last night."
"What?" Daphne gasped and she rushed over to us. "Girls, how? Who was on duty last night?" She demanded from the Pack.
Alex put his hand up.
"Why didn't you say anything?" She demanded.
"I didn't sense them." He said with a frown.
"Daydreaming over your latest girlfriend I'll bet." Daphne hissed.
"I didn't sense them." Alex said through his teeth.
"He didn't." I said. "Because they're in my Pack."
"Your pack?" Timmy asked incredulously.
"Yeah, Essie's Pack." Harry said suddenly at my side taking up the beta position with his arms crossed over his bare chest.
"My Pack." I said smugly.
"The Twins can phase." Jake said as he entered the clearing. "So they stay."
He took his seat next to Sam, although Jake's seat seemed to be the centre of the half circle. Everybody seemed to take their positions according to rank and that left my Pack standing at the open end as the council regarded us with a mix of different expressions.
"Ok, let's make this quick." Jake said. "You all know why I called you here this morning."
"Because your daughter's a deranged leech-lover." Timmy said, glaring at me.
Harry growled at him and Timmy sank down in his seat.
"No name calling." Jake snapped. "The reason I've called you all here is because Essie did imprint on Tobias, leader of the vampire coven. Now we can all sit here passing insults or whatever, making rash statements that we should throw her from the Res. But this ain't gonna happen. Essie's still one of us and none of us can help who we imprint on. You all know that and you know the pull of it."
Those with imprints nodded their heads.
"So I say instead of arguing about this all morning why don't I just tell you what I think is the best scenario and then you can make amendments to it, and then we vote. Let's make this simple for once." Jake said in a wary voice. "First of all Essie isn't banned from the Res, if you ban her then I'm going this time too, so just think about that. We can't stop her from seeing Tobias; can any of you imagine being kept away from your imprint? So we can't stop her seeing him but he can't come on the Res. He's still a vampire Ess and we wouldn't want him to lose control on our people and then we have to kill him. So that's what I've come up with."
"There should be a time limit." Timmy said quickly.
I narrowed my eyes at him as Jake said, "Time limit?"
"On how often she gets to see him. Where and when."
"No way!" I yelled. "Look, I'm perfectly fine with what Jake said and I'll stick to that, but if you try and impose some kind of limit or whatever on me I'm not gonna stick to it. There's no way you can do that to me. That would be torture."
Those with imprints nodded, along with the Twins parents, they agreed with me on this point.
"But what about your pack duties?" Leah asked. "You won't let them slide?"
"What pack duties?" I asked. "Thanks to a certain somebody," I hissed, shooting Timmy a death glare, "I haven't got any. I'm too much of a risk. Remember?" I stated rather sourly.
"We do." Leah said, giving Timmy a scathing look.
No one had been happy with Timmy's veto since it meant that a perfectly useful member of the Pack was out of service, but it was always one out, all out with these decisions.
"Maybe we should have another vote on that matter." Leah suggested.
"I second that." Seth said with a smile.
Jake looked between the siblings then drew in a steady breath.
"Ok." He said. "This is Pack business so only the Wolves' votes count for this." Jake added. "Who thinks Essie should be allowed to patrol."
Everyone, including me, put up their hand, except for Timmy who folded his arms and scowled. A groan went around the Pack, they really wanted more help. The more there was of us to patrol the less hours individually we had to put in to insure there was always someone on the eastern boarder at the very least.
"Sorry Ess." Jake sighed.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"One out, all out." Jake replied despondently.
"But we all voted yes." Harry said.
"No we didn't." Jake said, eyeing Harry carefully.
"Yes we did." Harry said with emphasis as he indicated my Pack.
Jake frowned for a moment, then he grinned the grin I'd inherited. He sat up strait and his face became serious as he regarded me with, was that respect of an equal?
"Alpha Essie, I think we need to talk about coordinating our Packs for the best protection of our people." He said in a low voice.
I gaped for a moment until I realised what Harry had been trying to say.
I straitened up and regarded Jake with the same expression he'd given me.
"Of course Alpha Jake, the protection of our people is most important." I said.
"All your Pack voted for you to patrol, and since you're their Alpha you have to do whatever you expect them to do. I can't speak on behalf of your Pack, that's your duty, but I can say you and your Pack are more than welcome to run with us." Jake said levelly.
"Wait, don't we get to vote if we want to work with another pack?" Timmy asked.
"No!" Jake, Sam, Leah, Seth, Quill, Embry, Paul and Jared all said at the same time.
Timmy shrank a little from their chorused voices, but he wrinkled his nose and said, "Why not? I thought we voted on everything."
"Not merging Packs." Jake said.
"That decision lies between the Alphas alone." Sam intoned, and that shut Timmy up cause he couldn't really claim that Sam was just sticking up for me cause I was his daughter like he could with Jake.
"Then it's settled." Jake said. "From tomorrow we'll coordinate our Packs. We'll meet tomorrow to fine tune the details but you could probably take the northern border, share it between you since you're all still in school."
"Maybe the Twins can shadow Essie or Harry until they know what they're doing." Daphne said with motherly concern.
"We'll work something out." Jake said simply.
"But we'll have a blind spot where communication is concerned." Timmy stated, eager to find a weak spot in our arrangement.
"I can connect with my Pack regardless of my form. All I have to do is link to whoever's on duty and then to one of you. When you're wolves, what one of you knows, all of you knows." I said with a shrug.
"Can you do it in you're sleep?" Timmy asked.
"God, will you shut up!" Alex snapped.
Timmy goggled at him.
"Seriously dude, what is your major hang-up with Ess? She's never done anything to you." Alex paused and looked thoughtful. "She's never done anything to you that would earn her such animosity from you." He amended.
"I just want the Pack to be safe. We're brought up hating vampires and then we're expected to welcome some wolf-vampire mutant not only into our village but into the thing that protects us from her kind." He spat.
"You know what, you remind me of someone I heard of in a story once." I said, adopting Layla's dreaming voice.
"Who?" Timmy demanded.
"Caius of the Volturi." I said, with a grin, it wasn't a very nice grin. "That's what he calls us. Mutants. Half-breeds. Scum. He wants to wipe us from this planet simply because he can't control us and we might be that little bit stronger than him, a bit more powerful." I sighed. "And you sound just like him. What does that say about you?"
Timmy growled and leapt to his feet. He was shaking all over, very close to phasing. He gnashed his teeth at me.
I turned to face him and crouched, ready to spring.
"Come on." I goaded. "Attack me, I've been waiting for a chance to put you down."
Timmy continued to growl.
"I'll make this fairer for you, I won't phase, I'll face you like this." I said straitening up. "Come on Timmy, you've been waiting for the chance, so take it."
Timmy gave another growl, but then he subsided and began to calm.
"Thought as much." I said smugly and crossed my arms.
Timmy growled again.
"Settle down." Jake said with a sigh. "So we are agreed that Essie can stay on the Res and that her Pack will help us?" He prompted.
Everyone in the semicircle agreed, although Timmy did it with bad grace.
"Now Ess, do you agree to keep lover boy off the Res?" Jake asked me directly.
I scowled at his choice of words.
"Yes. I agree to keep Tobias off the Res." I said rolling my eyes. "But I get to see him whenever I want." I added for good measure.
"Within reason." Jake said.
I went to argue.
"Though this is more of a family matter than a Pack one. You're only seventeen Ess and you're still my daughter, so within reason." He said.
"What would that be exactly?" I asked.
"No sneaking up there in the middle of the night. You let your Mom or me know when you're going up there, and no sex." Jake said sternly.
"Dad!" I gasped feeling mortified as my cheeks burned and the younger Pack members sniggered.
"Jake man, that's not a Pack matter." Seth said lowly.
"Ess?" Jake prompted, ignoring Seth.
"Ok. I'll try to keep to it, but I'm not promising anything. Wayward teenage hormones you know. I'll try my best." I murmured as the wolf growled inside at the indignity of having to discuss such things in front of everyone.
"You better." Jake stated in final tones.
"Anything else, Dad?" I demanded irritably.
"Does anyone want to add anything?" Jake asked around the group.
There was a muttering, but nobody had anything to add.
"So I'm not banned, but I'm not allowed to bring Tobias down here and I start Pack duties tomorrow?" I summarised.
"That's about it." Jake conceded.
"So there's nothing else to discuss?" I asked.
"Not unless you can think of anything." Jake said, his eyes flickering briefly to Harry.
"Nope." I said firmly, crossing my arms.
"Then we're done." Jake said simply.
"In that case I'm off." I said.
"What?"
"I got some spare time so I'm gonna spend it with my imprint. Besides, we have to discuss a couple of things. Is that ok?" I demanded, although I was going to go regardless of their answer, I'd promised Tobias.
Jake rolled his eyes and made a 'go ahead' gesture with his hand.
Without waiting I ran into the trees, using my vampire speed to run faster than any of them in human form. Of course that didn't mean they weren't as fast as me if they phased. They were following me now, and rather than exert myself I turned to face the three wolves.
The biggest was sandy coloured running to dark at the tips, the other two sleeker wolves were identical in build, except one was pitch black while the other was grey.
"Look guys, you can't come with me to do this. I have to do this alone. Go, have fun. Tomorrow we have to be serious." I said with shoeing motions.
They all three whined.
"Just go, I'll catch you guys later." I said.
The three of them gave me a soulful look before Harry turned away and beckoned the Twins to follow.
I wasted no time in continuing my run for the Cullen House.
As I neared it I decided to take the back door instead, so I made my way around to the back of the house. I was crossing the yard when something flittered up from the river and caught me around the waist.
"My Essie." Tobias gasped as he pulled me to him; he had me in his arms and was kissing me again.
I chuckled as I pulled away from him slightly despite the fact that all my being screamed against this.
"Morning Fang Boy." I said with a grin and I felt him shiver against me.
"I love it when you call me that." He growled and kissed me again.
I pulled away and gave him a serious look.
"Tobias, I'd love to just be kissing you and whatever right now, but we really need to talk." I said in the most serious voice I could muster.
Tobias frowned before he kissed me one more time then let me go and took my hand in his.
"If you wish to talk my love then that is what we will do." He said, "I take it you wish this conversation to remain as private as possible?"
"Yes." I answered.
"Then follow me." He said ominously, although he only led me to the garden furniture we had sat at last night.
I sat opposite him cause I thought this would be best considering the seriousness of our conversation. But we still held hands over the top of the table and he smiled at me in an encouraging way. I smiled back as I felt my insides warm.
"Well, we need to discuss this whole imprint biz." I said simply looking down at the wooden tabletop.
"What would you like to discuss?" Tobias prompted.
"I guess the first thing would be, what do you know exactly about Quileute imprinting?" I asked, looking up at him.
"That it has many similarities to finding your true mate as a vampire." He answered.
"Ok. Well it's something like that, only there's one important thing you're forgetting." I said, surprising myself with my calm.
"Which is?"
"Female vampires can't have children." I said pointedly. At least I hoped it was pointedly.
"Oh." Tobias said and he frowned. Then his face smoothed and he nodded once. "What you mean to say is that there is every possibility that we could have a child together."
"Not might, will. It's the wolf genes you see, making a stronger next generation. We will have children one day, which is why when we finally move onto…we need to think of contraception. And which would be more efficient with your, special attributes." I said carefully.
"I think I know what you speak of and I will look into it so that as soon as you're ready I know the best method for us." He said guardedly, and I felt a little embarrassed over the fact that this was to save my blushes.
"Not that it matters for another year. One of my parole terms is that we don't have sex, although that's more a parent thing than a Pack thing." I said with a roll of my eyes as I recalled the embarrassment I felt that Jake said this in front of everyone.
"Ah yes, the meeting. What was the outcome?"
"Well basically, I'm not banned from the Res, which I was fearful might actually be an outcome, but I'm not allowed to bring you down onto the Res. You're a vampire after all and the people must be protected." I said highly conflicted over my own words.
I felt slightly relieved as Tobias nodded and voiced no objection to this.
"Jake's little rule was the sex thing, but that was just him being a dad. All in all, there's nothing they can do so long as we keep it off the Res." I explained.
"That is something we can work with." Tobias said in soothing tones. "Despite the fact I feel ripped apart when you are not near. Is that normal?"
"Yes." I answered with a shrug. "That's what imprinting does to you. I'm sorry."
"Do not apologise my love." He whispered and kissed my hand. "This is something neither of us could have predicted, but if I had a choice it would be you. I have loved for a very long time now."
"That's not true." I said with a frown.
"Yes I have." Tobias insisted.
"Last night you said that you'd loved me ever since that first day. You didn't or I would have sensed…something." I stated.
"What if I didn't know it myself?" He asked and quirked an eyebrow at me.
"What do you mean?" I asked guardedly.
"The first time I realised I loved you was at the lake when you showed such compassion to Layla, how could no one fall in love with that?" He asked with a small laugh. "But you showed such compassion and as you tried to comfort my sister in the midst of one of her attacks I realised that I did love you to the core of my being and it explained a lot of the strange behaviour I'd been displaying sine I met you."
"What strange behaviour?" I asked.
"The protectiveness for a start. I truly wanted to kill Mort for what he did to you, and the anger I felt toward Harry when I heard that rise in your heart rate whenever he sat near you. The jealousy I felt at the lake when you hugged him when he supplied you with food, yet you barely acknowledged me the night previous when I provided you with food.
"When I called you to follow me I was mightily conflicted, I wanted to take you right there, but I dared not touch you. You are too precious for such treatment, yet I yearned for you and when you hugged me to comfort me part of me was begging me to try and turn it into something more while another part of me knew you would tear me apart should I try anything of the sort.
"After that realisation I've had to watch myself around you lest I try my damndest to seduce you."
"That's why it's seemed like you've been avoiding me." I said as it suddenly clicked.
"Yes." Tobias agreed.
"What about last night before the party?" I asked.
"When you bent over I caught a glimpse of that frilly underwear you were wearing. That was enough to get even my pulse racing, and it has been dormant for thousands of years. It boggled the mind that someone so innocent should have such weaponry concealed beneath the plain bodice of their dress." He replied, his eyes glazed slightly as if he was remembering.
"Weaponry?" I asked with a frown.
"Lingerie is heavy artillery in the battle of the sexes." Tobias said intensely. "The sight of your perfect breasts nestled in their lacy sheath beneath that silky bodice as they move with your every breath is enough to drive any man to distraction. I had to go…get some fresh air."
"Is that a euphemism?" I teased to hide my embarrassment at that rush of compliments.
"Of course it is." He admitted and that shut me up.
"Ok." I said, dragging the word out as I looked down at the table with growing embarrassment.
"I am sorry to have embarrassed you." Tobias said lightly as he stroked my hands. "Sometimes in your teasings I forget that you are still young and have little experience in matters of the flesh. A few kisses if I remember correctly."
I nodded.
"And a bit of heavy petting over clothing."
I nodded again.
"In time we will amend this, but until then I will spare your blushes." He whispered softly, before kissing my hand.
I smiled at him then frowned as I took in his dishevelled appearance.
"Are you still wearing your costume from last night?" I demanded.
He looked down at himself as if he was only now noticing that he was wearing the baggy linen shirt, although it was all loose now, and the dark breeches and no shoes. His hair was the messiest and curliest that I'd ever seen it and it sent an odd flutter through my stomach just to look at it that way.
"It appears so." He observed.
"Why?" I demanded.
"When it was clear that you would not return last night, or early this morning if I was being more accurate, I decided to go for a run. I ran all over the mountains, anything to stop the foolish voice urging me to come down to La Push to rescue you."
I frowned.
"Not that you should need anyone to rescue you." He amended quickly. "I just felt the need to be with you."
"Tell me about it." I said with a sigh. "I dreamt of you all night."
"You did?" He asked in astonishment.
"Yep." I admitted, determined not to feel embarrassed about it.
He smiled beautifully, the most natural, warm friendly smile I'd ever seen him wear and I smiled back. Then I started laughing as I took in his appearance once more, it just didn't seem like him.
Tobias gave me a questioning look.
"I'm sorry but, it just seems weird talking to you when you're all messy. It's so not you." I chortled.
Tobias grinned, "Well now I guess you've seen my wild side." He said in a good imitation of my accent, and I quirked an eyebrow at him, to which he merely grinned again.
I rolled my eyes.
"I suppose I should change, and possibly shower." He said, pulling a leaf from his hair. "Although I am loath to wash your scent from me."
"I'm not going anywhere." I said, and smiled.
"Then you should wait in the house." He said, rising to his bare feet and holding out his hand.
I took his hand and stood then hand-in-hand we ran to the house.
I opted to wait in the living room while he went to change, besides Marlin was there and I wanted to ask her how much she'd told Will last night.
"I told him everything about me and that my family were all vampires." She answered. "But don't worry, I didn't tell him about you lot down on the Res because it wasn't my tale to tell."
"I think I need to actually check on whose tale that it is to tell." I said, biting my lip.
"What do you mean?" Marlin asked.
"I don't have a problem with him knowing, but some of the Pack get a bit…funny about who knows our secret. On the other hand he is Quileute so he deserves to know our history. It's a bit of a minefield that one." I concluded.
"Unless you arrange for someone to tell him the old Quileute legends, perhaps ask his auntie to tell him the tales since he deserves to know them but didn't get the chance to learn as a child. Since vampires are real he may put two and two together and all you have to do is confirm or deny." Marlin suggested.
"That might just work." I conceded.
"It's worth a try." She remarked with a shrug.
"I just got to think of a way to get Pikey to do it." I murmured as I frowned.
"Perhaps not calling her Pikey might be a start." Marlin observed.
"That's true. I'll talk to Miss Pikehunter when I go back down the Res." I said.
"Good."
"So what are you doing today?" I asked.
"I'm going on a drive with Will, he should be picking me up in about five minuets. He didn't believe me about my sparkle skin so I'm going to show him. At the same time I get to prove my ability with the weather." She answered with an impish grin.
"That sounds…efficient." I said guardedly.
"I want him to know me completely." She replied solemnly.
"Oh." I paused for a moment. "So where's Layla this morning?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Off with that uncle of yours." She replied dismissively. "To think he was her prince all along." Marlin mused.
"I know." I agreed.
We both looked up at the sound of footsteps on the wooden porch before the knock on the door. Marlin had the door open in the time it took me to focus. Will stood there smiling sheepishly. Marlin smiled back and took his hand and Marlin walked out, closing the door behind her.
That left me on my own for five minuets, in which time I'd memorised the layout of the living room as I tried to determine weather or not the Hannigans would think it was cheeky of me to turn on the TV. Not that I felt like watching much TV as I felt my eyelids start to droop.
"What do you wish to do this day?" Tobias asked, suddenly at my side.
I stifled a yawn before I could answer.
"To tell you the truth I could do with some sleep. After all that happened yesterday, then the late night before the early morning, well, I'm just plain exhausted." I explained, before yawning again.
"Then you must sleep." Tobias said firmly, and without another word I was in his arms as he bore me up the stairs.
"I can walk you know." I grouched as we reached the first floor.
"Than I should allow you." Tobias said as he set me on my feet.
I nodded my head before taking his hand and led him up the second flight of stairs to the room at the top of the house. My room. Ok, his room if I was being truthful. Our room?
"Can you sleep here in the viper's nest?" He asked with slight teasing tones as we stepped through the door.
"I guess I could if you stay with me." I replied, although how I felt now I could have fallen asleep on a bed of nails in a room full of Volturi.
Tobias nodded before leading me to the bed. I climbed up first then motioned for him to join me. He obeyed and climbed up beside me. We sat next to each other for a moment, then I turned to him with solemn eyes, and with my hand on his chest I guided him to lie back. He did so and I curled around him as he drew me to his chest and began to run cool soothing fingers through my hair.
I closed my eyes revelling in the cool safety of my imprint's arms as I lay my arm across his chest and my leg rose of its own accord to tangle with his. I inhaled his scent with my eyes closed, and in that cool comfort I drifted to sleep…
…The sand beneath me felt hot to the touch as the sun beat down from the humid sky, yet I revelled in this change from what I was used to. This beach was hot and dry rather than cold and soggy and since the sky wasn't covered in white it allowed me to indulge in a little sunbathing.
This was so perfect that it had to be a memory, yet I couldn't remember being on a beach such as this where the air and sand was so warm and the sea looked so blue and calm rather than green, white and choppy. The feeling stole over me that I had been on a beach like this once, but when? Why would I have left the Res to come to such a place?
Two figures paddling at the edge of the waves drew my eye. They were a boy and a girl, both red heads who looked around the same age, but there the similarities ended.
The girl was small, scrawny almost, but there was mischief in her dark brown eyes as she enticed the boy further into the waves as the sun shone richly off her bronze hair and set her russet skin aglow. The boy was taller, but gangly and seemed to have too many knees and elbows as he competed with the girl to jump the waves. His skin was pale, although it was slowly turning red under the blowtorch of the sun despite the copious amounts of sunscreen that had been applied to him. His crew cut glowed copper when the sun hit it just right and there was a repressed sense of fun in his blue eyes.
Then the memory clicked into place. This was Jacksonville and I was seven, by the next year I'd learned of the creatures that warred within me, but for this summer at least I could be carefree. This had been the only time I'd ever met my great Grandma Renee, or my cousin Max come to think of it. I'm not sure what story Renesmee had concocted but it had allowed us to visit Renee as the family she never knew she had and in doing so we found more family ourselves.
About two years after Bella had married and had cut off ties with her mortal mother forever Renee had a child with Phill. That child was a boy and being the "only" child of an older couple he was spoilt rotten with anything he demanded. He repaid them with being a rebellious teenager that resulted in him getting his older girlfriend pregnant. She had been, well there's no nice way to say this, she was a slut, pure and simple. She latched on to whatever boy toy she thought could provide her with enough money for her next fix and that was that. My uncle had been besotted and had even stolen from Renee and Phill to fund his girlfriend's habit which he then took up himself.
When she fell pregnant he wanted to get clean and had begged her to do this also. Something in her, maternal instincts or whatever, had given her the strength to do so during the pregnancy, but as soon as the baby was free of her womb she was back to her old crutch and abandoned the little boy to his father. It turned out it wasn't the first time she'd done this.
My uncle was only sixteen and still in school and there was no way he could get his shit together to look after himself, never mind a baby. So Renee and Phill adopted their grandson and put their son into rehab in the hope that he could at least graduate. He got clean and he did graduate, he works on various construction sites now as a health and safety regulator.
My cousin Max and I formed quite a bond in the fortnight we'd spent in Jacksonville. Even then I was a show off, teasing him because he couldn't swim as well as me and couldn't stand up on a board like I could. Although his back yard was more or less the beach and he could swim quite well in the ocean, he hadn't had the competitiveness that came from growing up on the Res surrounded by so many children that you felt you just had to be better than. So he hadn't needed to hone his skill for winning, just enjoying himself.
My 'surfing' had captivated him and by the end of the two weeks he was actually better than me, which annoyed the hell out of me as you can imagine. Although, even then I felt the need to congratulate him for finding something he was good at. There was no denying that Max was born to surf.
I never found out if Max took up surfing or if he chucked it all in for something else. I never went back to Jacksonville, a few months after that forgotten summer Miss Vampire made her first appearance and I got swept up into the whole supernatural side of my heritage. I guess that's why I didn't remember that perfect summer, it got lost beneath all the crap I've had to put up with as the mutant freak.
"You are not a mutant freak." Tobias said quietly.
"Come on, you have to admit it." I replied.
"You are a hybrid, a mixture of two strong peoples, you are not a mutant." He said firmly.
"But I feel like I am sometimes." I said with a sigh as I turned to him.
I frowned when I saw him.
"That's really you, you're not my dream." I stated.
"Yes. This is the real me. At least I think it is." He said looking worried.
"How?"
"I have no idea. One minuet I was stroking your hair while considering your beauty as you sleep and next thing I know I am here on this beach in what I assume is Florida." He said, looking around with a frown.
"I pulled you into my dream." I gasped.
Tobias shrugged.
"God, I'm sorry." I gasped.
"Don't be. Do you know how long it has been since I last dreamt? It is nice to lose myself in a different world for once. And if that world is of your creating, then all the better." He whispered as he placed his hands gently on my shoulders.
"You're really here." I gasped and drew him into my arms as everyone but us disappeared from the beach.
"Yes." He answered.
"And human as well." I said as I stroked his curls from his hazel eyes.
"I am?" He asked.
"Yes. But you're not really dressed for the beach." I concluded. "But I guess this is my dream."
"It is." He agreed.
"Good." I said, as I imagined him in a nice pair of baggy swimming shorts.
I know, you thought I'd go for Speedos, but while Jake had lain down his fatherly law over the whole sex issue I thought it was best not to tempt myself and thought I'd best add a t-shirt as well. Besides, Tobias looked cute in those red surfer shorts with the white zigzags up the one side.
"I am human." He said, gazing down at himself. "Look." He said, holding his arm up next to mine. "I have my colour back."
I looked down at his arm that was tanned a deep bronze from a lifetime in the sun.
"Nice." I said quietly as I ran my fingers gently over his soft, supple flesh.
Tobias caught my hands and smiled at me.
"This is more than I could ever have hoped for." He said intensely as I felt my heart rate pick up. "You do make me feel alive." He whispered, before he placed both hands on my cheeks and reached for my lips with his.
I kissed him passionately and I didn't notice as the scenery around us changed.
When we broke from the kiss I looked around me to discover that the sea was a lot bluer than it had been. It was truly azure as it lapped lazily against the white grainy sand. The sun that shone down seemed hotter, but not as stifling in the dry air. Tobias looked as if he was in shock as I glanced around some more.
There were small grass topped sand dunes at the top of the beach and these led into a green hill on which nestled a walled town, at its centre was a huge house. A walled walkway led to the beach and from it emerged a small boy with dark messy hair holding hands with a slight woman whose dark hair was a mass of equally messy curls, despite its golden ornaments that were meant to keep it in place.
Tobias squeezed my hand tightly and I heard him sob.
"That's you." I gasped as I took in the little boy's toga.
"Yes." Tobias whispered. "And that's not a toga, it's just a tunic. A toga was the big heavy garment that Romans wore to the senate. It was big and cumbersome and restricted movement too much to wear on a daily basis. But that was after my time of course, I was born when Rome was still a kingdom."
"This is Rome?" I asked.
"No, this is Etrusci. We're further north than Rome, right on the coast of the Mediterranean." He said, almost wistfully as the boy laughed and jumped into the waves.
The woman called him back and the boy came running up to her and she scooped him into her arms, giving no thought to the sand and water he was getting over her pretty silk dress. The boy hugged her tightly and as she hugged him back a brief look of pain crossed her face.
I looked at Tobias and he looked away with a mixture of pity, hurt and anger on his face.
I regarded him curiously.
"I reminded her of father. I had his eyes, a strange trait that ran in his family. Most of the people around us had dark brown eyes, so eyes as light as ours that appeared to shift through the spectrum of brown and green was bound to stand out."
"What happened to your father?" I asked quietly as I placed my other hand over his as well.
"He was a victim of the family curse." He said darkly.
"Family curse?"
"There was said to be a curse on my family, that all the men should disappear without trace. It had happened to my great-grandfather, then my grandfather, followed by his brother. My father was the next to disappear and that left the city in the care of my uncle since I was too young to do it myself. Although my uncle too disappeared when I was in my fourteenth year and I was forced to become a man and care for my female dependents. This included my older sister, two of my aunts, my paternal grandmother, my mother and my wife."
"You had a wife at fourteen?" I asked shocked.
"I had a wife at ten." Tobias said flatly. "I did not meet her until we were fourteen. Generally they would have waited until we were both sixteen before they introduced us, but since my uncle had disappeared and all were unclear of our financial future, it was thought that my wife's dowry would be a big help in these matters. We had to do our marital duty…" Tobias paused as he looked down at his hands as he forced them together and apart. "If I were alive today I would not have…not so young. We were both frightened and at the same time at the mercy of our hormones. It was awkward and sloppy and I hurt her more than necessary." He fell quiet and I thought it best to leave him brood for the moment. "We were both inexperienced but we got better with time and after a year she fell pregnant. The first baby was lost early on and we had to call the wise woman to tend to my Atia and do all the things necessary to insure her survival. There was every chance that the incident had left her barren and I prayed to all the gods that this would not be so. If it transpired that Atia could not bare a child she would be sent home to her family in disgrace while we would receive compensation for faulty goods. I didn't want that to happen to Atia because through our trials together we'd grown as a unit and I couldn't imagine calling someone else my wife. We were raised monogamous and very rarely were marriages broken, especially the one central within the family.
"Six months later she caught again and this babe was carried to full term, a boy we named Lucus and he had my eyes." Tobias said with a sad smile as an image of a girl with dark blond curls cascading down her back and clinging to her sweat drenched forehead held up a bundle of cloth to the young Etruscan lord who smiled at her with such love and adoration as he took his son into his arms for the first time.
I couldn't think of a word to say, so I just wrapped my arms around Tobias as he carried on his haunting monologue.
"I was sixteen when my son was born and I watched him grow for two years, but then I was called to fight. I was a lord after all and that was part of my duty. I joined the army and soon made my way up through the ranks with my tactical thinking and my ability with languages. I suppose that news of me had reached Volterra, or perhaps not.
"We were fighting men in the northern most reaches of our territories in the hope of gaining more ground. After a ferocious battle we lost our bearings and in a summer hotter than one could recall in living memory water was scarce, even in Tuscany. After three days of seeking water we came to a town nestled on a hill. We did the quick mental math, town equals water and we found enough strength to climb that hill. On entering the town we were bourn directly to the biggest house, and this was to our great surprise. We were ragged and travel worn so we were not exactly presentable material."
As he spoke the pictures formed. I could see Tobias, his hair long and unkempt with a beard making a good attempt at conquering the lower half of his face. It seemed strange to think of him with a beard. I saw them bourn to the abode of the Volturi where a smiling Aro ushered them in. I knew it was Aro because I'd seen him often in the minds of others. But this Aro looked fresh and vibrant in his paleness as he summoned scantily clad women to come tend the wary warriors.
They were led to a big bathhouse where they were bathed and plied with food and drink. The women tidied up the appearance of the soldiers, shaving off their beards and stubble and trimming their hair. It seemed like a great kindness until I realised that the women were the cooks for want of a better word. They were preparing the men for slaughter.
Some of the men, being men who had been lost in the desert for days and probably hadn't been home for a couple of months started making use of the other services the nymphs had to offer. Tobias to his credit left the water and dressed before taking a walk outside. It was dark now and Aro was there as well.
"You are different from the others." Aro said, a smile playing about his lips.
"I'm their captain. I have to set an example." Tobias answered.
"Really?" Aro asked in disbelief as he curled pale fingers around Tobias' wrist.
Aro pulled his hand away and laughed.
"You really do believe that." He mused. "Interesting."
Tobias gave him a cautious look.
"Tell me my boy, what is this talent you appear to have."
"I have no talent." Tobias murmured.
"Yet you learn languages quickly." Aro stated.
"People learn languages all the time." Tobias said with a shrug.
"But not as quickly as you appear to." Aro said. "I will get you audience with the Old One, but we must attend to our supper first. Wait here with Sulpicia." Aro said, motioning to a conservatively dressed female vampire, "And I will come get you soon."
Aro walked away without waiting for a reply as Sulpicia motioned for Tobias to sit on a bench. Tobias obeyed and waited in silence for what seemed like an age before Aro came to retrieve him.
He was led to what looked like an orange grove where a figure was hunched by a rock. Aro spoke quickly in a language that I didn't understand and the creature replied with a grunt.
"But he will help with our cause." Aro said, his words suddenly making sense and I gasped as I realised that this is what it was like for Tobias.
I gave the real Tobias a questioning look and he nodded his head.
"What cause?" The memory Tobias asked and the hunched creature looked at him sharply with red eyes.
"You speak my language." He said.
"No. Not until now." Tobias replied.
"Do you see Old One how he could be useful?" Aro asked.
"I see." The Old One replied. "Take him. Change him."
"As you command master." Aro said with a bow before he placed an arm around Tobias' shoulder and led him away.
"That was the last time I was human." Tobias murmured as the scene around us melted away to black.
There was nothing I could say to that that didn't seem stupid or heartless or both, so instead I wrapped my arms around him and drew him into my shoulder. He wrapped his arms around my waist and up my back as he pulled himself closer, drawing comfort from my heat…
I surfaced from the darkness to find that Tobias and I were holding each other as we had been in my dream. Tobias blinked at me, then pulled away slightly to hold his hand against his forehead.
"That was…" He trailed off.
"Strange?" I offered.
"And wonderful." He added.
"I guess vampires can sleep." I said with a grin as I untangled myself from him so I could sit up and stretch.
"It was like sleep in that I left this world briefly, however it has done nothing to refresh me. Not as it has you." Tobias replied.
"I wonder if it looked like you were sleeping from the outside." I mused.
"Or possibly dead." He said with a smile.
I shrugged.
"It was nice to be in your head." He said solemnly. "Thank you."
"Thank you for showing me a part of your human life." I whispered, "I want to know everything that made you, you."
"Even the really dark things I have done?" He asked.
"In time even that." I said.
"But what about the fact that you do not wish to add to your nightmare material?" He asked.
"It's different now." I said firmly. "We're imprints. I want to know everything about you."
"Then in time I will tell you." He promised and kissed my hands.
We were silent for a moment as we sat in the comfort of each other's presence.
"What would you do now my love?" He asked, looking up at me with a smile.
I shrugged.
"What's the time?" I asked as I looked at my wrist, but I forgot I don't wear a watch anymore.
"It is half past twelve." Tobias informed me, checking his own watch.
"We didn't sleep very long." I observed.
"So it would seem." He looked thoughtful for a moment before he smiled again. "How about a picnic?" He asked.
"A picnic?"
"They always looked so much fun but since you needed a nice day to hold one Marlin and I were rarely able to attend." He said, sounding almost sad.
"I don't know." I said, looking out at the cloud filled sky.
"Humour me?" He asked.
I smiled then turned back to him.
"Ok Fang Boy. I'll go on this picnic, but you have to pack the basket."
"A challenge." Tobias mused.
"Oh yeah. You'll get them a lot with me."
"Then I shall endeavour to fulfil it my lady fair." He said as he jumped to his feet and bowed with a flourish of his hand.
I giggled as I got to my own feet.
"You're a laugh riot." I said.
"Ever the joker." He said lowly before kissing my hand. He really liked doing that.
"Come on then Iron Chef, let's see what you can pull together." I said and pulled him to the door.
"Yes, but you must wait in the living room." He replied as we ghosted down the two flights of stairs. "I want it to be a surprise."
"Ok. But no lark's tongues or any other ancient 'delicacies'." I teased as I sat down on the sofa.
"Damn, they were always my speciality when I was alive." He said gravely before grinning. "I will not be long." He promised then disappeared into the kitchen, he reappeared and threw the remote to me. "Feel free to watch." He said before disappearing back into the kitchen.
I went to turn on the TV but then the beautiful instrument in the corner started to call to me. It had been such a long time since I'd played. A quick scan of my mind informed me that there were only Tobias and I in the house. Perfect.
I made my way to the piano and lifted the lid. I held my fingers over the keys then began to play the first notes that came into my head. The music flowed from me and filled me with a happiness I couldn't describe. The last time I played the music was full of my anger and pain but know it was all light and fluffy. Normally I would have derided such mushy music.
When I finished I knew that Tobias had been watching me for some time and I turned to smile at him.
"Much nicer than last time." He observed.
"I had a different source of inspiration this time." I said as I rose to my feet. "Are we going now?" I asked.
"Yes." He said with a smile as he displayed the picnic hamper in one hand and a rolled up blanket in the other.
"Let me help." I said, reaching for the hamper.
"No." Tobias said firmly. "I don't want you to peek. But if you really wish to carry something then take this." He said, handing the blanket to me.
I took it and tucked it under my arm.
"Shall we?" He asked, holding out his hand.
I took his hand and we left the house and ran deep into the woods. Tobias led me north east because he said that Marlin had gone toward the south and the weather was going to be unsettled in her close proximity since she planned to show Will the full extent of her powers. We ran up a mountain and found a nice little grassy ledge that offered a good view of the forest below and Tobias took the blanket from me before shaking it out and placing it on the ground. He motioned for me to sit and I did.
I watched him eagerly as he sat also, placing the basket beside him. He gave we a smile before he opened the hamper and motioned for me to stay where I was when I went to crane forward to look. I pouted slightly and he chuckled as he reached in and began pulling out opaque Tupperware and laying them before me.
"You really don't want me to look do you?" I murmured.
"I want it to be a surprise." He said simply as he continued to empty the basket.
"I could just look through your mind you know." I pointed out.
"Yes. But you won't." He said smugly as he glanced at me briefly.
"How do you know?" I demanded playfully. "There's nothing certain about me."
"That's what you like to think." He stated.
"Yeah?" I demanded.
"Yeah." He said with a grin as he moved the hamper aside. "There's one certainty about you." He declared.
"What's that?"
"You like your food." He said, spreading his arms wide to indicate the boxes in front of him.
"Ok. So maybe there is one certainty." I conceded grudgingly.
"Only one?" He demanded as he leaned close to me and placed his fingers beneath my chin.
"Maybe I could think of another." I said huskily, and then our last few exchanges replayed in my mind and I snorted as I straitened up. "God, how cheesy do we sound?" I asked with a chuckle.
"Very." He agreed with a laugh. "We will have to be constantly on our guard lest we turn into one of those annoying couples who spout nonsense to each other all day."
"We'll certainly have to keep an eye out for that." I conceded. "So what you got for me?"
"I thought I'd put a bit of everything in." He said, removing lid after lid and he wasn't kidding, there was a bit of everything.
There was so much I didn't know where to begin.
"There's no right or wrong place to start." Tobias said, handing me a plastic fork.
I took the fork and dug it into the nearest tub and came out with a forkful of golden coronation chicken and rice. It tasted good and I was amazed that someone with taste buds designed for only one thing in particular could make something taste so good. I grabbed some crusty bread and ate it with some of the grilled chicken breast with a bit of coleslaw on top.
I swallowed and frowned at Tobias.
"You can't be getting much out of this." I said.
"As long as you enjoy, I enjoy." He observed.
"But it's not much of a picnic if you haven't got anything to eat." I stated.
"That's why I brought this." He said, removing a thermos flask from the hamper.
I watched him curiously as I continued to eat and he removed the lid. The scent hit my nose immediately and Miss Vampire raised her head in interest.
"Blood." I remarked through my mouthful of salad.
"Pig's blood to be exact." Tobias said. "We decided to get some in as a precaution for last night in case any of us became overwhelmed and needed to sate our craving quickly." He explained as he tipped some into the lid of the flask and said, "There, tomato soup."
I snorted as he took a sip and he quirked an eyebrow at me.
"That's what Nessie told me it was the first time she brought me blood to drink." I explained. "She gave me deer blood in a cup not to freak me out if that wasn't what I needed to make me feel better."
"You were ill?" He asked.
"If I don't drink blood I become anaemic on top of being really thirsty. Remember when I asked you to help me hunt? If I leave it too long I need to have the blood brought to me. Oh." I gasped as it suddenly made sense. "What you said about using my powers draining me, maybe that's why I went catatonic."
"How so?"
"When I jumped the river I was all set to phase but I didn't want to and I pushed hard against the wolf. I don't know how it happened but suddenly I seemed to be connected to all the minds of Washington, and it took a lot of effort to reel my mind back in. If my powers really do drain me then that would explain why I just stopped. The blood didn't revive me because I got trapped inside my own head, it took Jila to free me from that."
"You always speak of the Dream Weaver with such sadness." Tobias observed, stroking my cheek.
"She thinks I'm an evil demon child." I admitted, "Because I pulled her into my mind accidentally. She thought I was trying to suck her soul away or something."
"Jila called you a demon child?" Tobias demanded, his tone suddenly dark.
"Not verbally, but she was thinking it."
"Then she knows you not at all." He said fiercely and he was beside me, hugging me to his chest. "You are not a demon child and she had no right to think those things."
"She had every right." I said with a shrug. "Serves my right for prying. If I hadn't I'd be none the wiser. I'm sure you've had thoughts in the heat of the moment that you didn't mean. We all do."
Tobias seemed unconvinced.
"Look, I got no hard feelings against her, I'm just sad that she didn't get to know me because I would have liked to find out more about her." I explained. "Now do you think we can get on with the eating cause this food really is delicious."
Tobias' arms tightened around me before he returned to his original place.
We continued to eat for a while in silence and I worried that perhaps I'd hurt him slightly in stopping him from comforting me. I glanced up at him and he was looking sullenly into his cup as he swished the contents around.
"I like comfort, but I also like food." I said quietly. "And this is really good food, how did you get to be such a good cook?"
Tobias smiled slightly as he looked up at me.
"We had to with Mademoiselle Ebony amongst us. She requires human food but has yet to reach the point where she will eat it willingly, therefore we must insure that the food is tasty and to her liking. She is particularly fond of chocolate ice-cream, although I am aware that it has no nutritional value."
"Oh it does. It makes you feel happy." I said with a grin. "So if you're still having problems getting her to eat human food how old is she exactly."
"As far as we can tell, thirteen." He conceded.
"Thirteen?" I gasped, almost choking on a bit salmon.
Tobias nodded.
"And she's a teacher?" I exclaimed.
"She passes both physically and mentally as somebody old enough to teach so why not allow her to do so." He replied simply.
"I guess." I said with a shrug.
"Besides, it seemed the best way to keep an eye on her if we were to settle here as a family, and though we are not wanting, every bit of money helps." He pointed out.
It didn't take long for me to finish off the food and I helped Tobias pack everything into the basket, but I stopped him from lifting the blanket.
"Now without the distraction of food I could go for that comfort right now." I said intensely.
Tobias smiled and held his arms open.
I growled slightly before launching myself at him and attacking his lips.
How is this comforting? He asked in my head.
Don't you find it comforting? I asked.
Comforting isn't the word I would associate with it. It is far too intense.
I laughed and pulled away from him.
"Well, if it's only comfort you're after then we could always just lie here for a while watching the clouds or whatever. Is that your brand of comfort?"
"I think I prefer your brand." He murmured before meeting my lips again.
He kissed me slowly and unrushed as if this kiss could last forever. He moved until his back was against the side of the cliff and I straddled his lap, our lips still moving together in blissful disregard for the rest of the world. In that moment we were the only two people in existence and I began to memorise the shape of his body by running my fingers gently along the lines of his chest.
First over his jacket, then I moved them inside so that only his cotton shirt stood between my hands and his cold hard chest. I ran my hands over it greedily now I could feel its every contour and although his muscles didn't feel big they were nice and toned, something I hadn't noticed when we were at the lake, or perhaps at the time I was more interested in watching Harry.
Or trying to stop yourself from seeing me. Tobias ventured.
"What do you mean?" I asked, pulling away slightly.
"I was thinking of why it took you so long to imprint on me." Tobias answered, his voice slightly husky. "I think perhaps deep down you knew what would happen when you looked in my eyes and that is why you were extra vigilant in making sure this did not occur. After all, at some stage you locked eyes with everyone else bar me. I think you knew what would happen and you wished to spare Harry. However when you thought he had imprinted then you knew you could do so also."
"I'll have to think about that one." I said. "But not right now." I added before kissing him, this time with a bit more haste.
I pushed at his jacket and he obliged me in removing it, which allowed me to run my hands along his arms. They felt well toned too and I guessed that's why nobody found Coach's adrenaline explanation too hard to swallow. I couldn't believe how blind I'd been, dismissing him as small and slight beneath his neat clothing. He must have been fairly strong even as a human.
After some careful consideration behind the safety of my shield I decided that I wanted to see his chest, so with a confidence that shocked me I unbuttoned his shirt and he allowed me. I pushed it open with a brush of my hands then sat back so I could have a better look.
It was as perfectly toned as I'd imagined and covered with a splash of dark hair. It looked so soft and in a trancelike state I reached out my hand to run my fingers through the hair. Then across his chest which made him moan slightly and caused me to smile. I then used both hands to move from his shoulders and across and down the centre of his chest, down past to his naval and he seemed to jump slightly and his hands locked around my wrists. Gently, but it was clear that he wanted me to stop.
I gave him a questioning look.
"I thought your father put a ban on sex?" He said, his voice very husky now.
"But we're not." I said with a frown.
"If you carry on with that we will be. I won't be able to stop myself." He warned.
"I'm sure it's not that arousing." I said.
"Oh really?" Tobias asked.
I nodded my head.
Tobias gave me a thoughtful look then his fingers found the bottom of my top and I gasped slightly as his cold fingers brushed my skin. Then they fluttered across my stomach and then he caressed softly moving slowly downwards. My breath hitched and my skin flashed with more heat than I could have ever thought and I felt a thrill below as he moved his hand back to my hip.
"See." He said.
I had to draw in a deep breath before I could find my voice to speak.
"I'm sure we can contain ourselves." I said leaning close to him once more.
"Try it with your vampire skin." He whispered.
I shrugged and then closed my eyes, having to concentrate more than usual to pull the heat down and let the cool rise up. Although as soon as Miss Vampire realised what was happening there was no stopping her coming out to play. I looked down at him through my gold eyes and smiled.
"You have got gold eyes." He said, running his thumb across my cheek beneath my eye.
"So they tell me." I whispered. "So come on, show me."
"Are you ready?" He asked.
"As ever Fang Boy." I replied.
"Very well." He said with a smirk, "Be prepared."
I looked at him in challenge as he once again found the bottom of my top and placed his fingers to my flesh. They felt warm now and immediately I felt the difference as every nerve cell in my body seemed to concentrate on sending the sensation of his touch directly to my centre and I gasped as his fingers trailed slowly inward coming ever closer to my waistband.
"Oh my holy god!" I gasped as I clutched at his shoulders.
Tobias removed his hand and chuckled.
"Now do you see?" He asked.
"I'm sure we can work around that." I observed and I stroked his hair behind his ears. "All it takes is some desensitisation." I whispered and I met his lips again, revelling in the different sensation that being in my vampire form brought.
"Do you really think it's that easy?" He murmured against my cheek before kissing my neck.
"Try me." I whispered breathlessly into his ear before I pressed my lips just below it.
His arms that had been resting lightly against me now tightened and pulled me tighter against him. I could feel his arousal and I pulled away slightly and frowned at him.
"Perhaps we should give it a rest for now." I said, feeling sad.
"I think it would be best." He said, his tone matching mine.
I drew in a sad breath as I climbed off him, but he wouldn't let me stand, he pulled me against his chest instead.
"Can we not bask in the glory of each other's presence for a while?" He asked.
"Of course." I said as I leaned my head against his bare chest. "Provided you can promise to behave yourself."
"I think I can manage." He said with a laugh that I matched before we fell into a comfortable silence as we watched the clouds roll by.
"Do you know what would be good now?" I asked in a sleepy voice after a while.
"What?" Tobias asked as he stroked my hair softly.
"Marlin's power." I murmured.
"Why?"
"Because then I could part the clouds and we could see each other's diamond skin." I said, moving my hands as if to part the sky.
"That would be a treat." Tobias observed.
"Well if you ask me nicely I might just do it." Marlin said as she ghosted on to the ledge. "Sorry I didn't realise you were still up here." She said as she let a dazed looking Will down gently from her back.
I quickly allowed the heat to colour my body once more as I sat up from Tobias feeling as if I'd been caught doing something wrong. I looked up at Marlin with a frown feeling slightly angered that she'd disturbed us.
"This looks cosy." She observed as she sat cross-legged before us.
"Does it?" I asked, unable to stop the anger from reaching my voice.
"So I guess it is true what Layla said about you being sweethearts, or is there more to it?"
"We'll talk of this later." Tobias said sternly, casting a glance to Will.
"Of course." Marlin said as she tugged on Will's pant's leg and he slumped down next to her.
Tobias already had his shirt buttoned up as he took my hand and we glanced at the other couple.
"Hey Will." I called.
Will wiggled his fingers at me but otherwise looked dazed.
"Vamp speed kind of takes your breath away don't it?" I asked.
Will nodded.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." I assured him. "Anyway I really should be getting back now. Come on Tobias let's leave these crazy kids to do whatever they were planning." I said as I rose to my feet, pulling Tobias up with me.
"Yes my love." Tobias said and he reached down to pick up the basket and the blanket, which he rolled quickly and put through the handle of the basket as he straitened up. "Shall we?" He asked, holding out his hand to me.
I took it and we began to walk away.
"B-but it'll t-take you forever to get back like that." Will murmured.
"You're right." I said with a forced grin. "I do want to be home quickly." I grabbed the basket from Tobias before jumping on his back and wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. His arms came up to support me as I tried to move into a more comfortable position. "Hi ho silver away." I called and Tobias chuckled before ghosting away.
I couldn't help the giggles that escaped me as we sped down the mountain but once we'd reached the valley I tapped Tobias on the shoulder and asked him to let me down. Tobias stopped and I climbed off his back.
"What was that in aid of?" He asked as he turned to look at me.
"I'm not sure if I can tell Will everything yet and I didn't want to get into all those awkward conversation gaps where I can't tell him anything. I'm gonna suggest to his aunt to tell him the story of Taha-Aki and how he turned into a wolf and the story of the Cold Ones. I'm hoping that he can work out that it's all true." I explained.
"You do not wish to leave him out." Tobias observed as he placed his hand against my cheek.
"No. It'll be nice to include him too." I said solemnly. "Think of how it could have been at the lake if he'd known what we all were. We wouldn't have to keep remembering to keep our pace human."
"Or stumbling over our words when we are about to mention something that is not meant for the ears of mortals." Tobias said.
I nodded.
"Where do you wish to go?" He asked after a moment's silence.
"I really should be getting home." I said lowly. "I need train half my Pack to let go of their human side and listen to the wolf when out patrolling. Besides, I've got to talk to Harry at some point and I know that's gonna be heated…" I trailed off.
Tobias didn't say anything to that, he merely took me in his arms and hugged me for a while and I was thankful for his silent comfort. I just wish I could take him down the Res with me, but I can't. It would be hard to leave him again today, but I had no choice. Roll on next Halloween when I'll be eighteen and free.
He embraced me for a good long while then kissed me as he pulled away.
"I will escort you to the border." He promised before taking my hand again.
We ghosted through the trees toward the Quileute in silence for our inevitable departure. Once we reached the point where the border lay we stopped. We turned to each other and I felt that sense of loss to be leaving him once more. Without a word we were kissing each other as our bodies became entangled. I kissed him desperately knowing that it would be many hours before I got to see him again.
It was Tobias who ended the kiss when it became apparent that it wasn't gonna be me. He placed his fingers gently beneath my chin as he looked up into my eyes with a smile.
"We have forever." He promised me. "Your Pack needs you now."
I nodded and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.
"I'll see you tomorrow." I promised.
"I count the seconds." He replied, before giving me a brief peck on the cheek.
We smiled at each other before we started moving apart until the barest tips of our fingers were touching. It felt like the hardest thing in the world to drop my arm, but I managed.
"Bye." We whispered at the same time, and then before I could change my mind I turned around and crossed the border, ghosting into the trees.
I was in a dream world thinking about Tobias as I moved closer to La Push; I was on Quileute land so I didn't think I had to be on my guard. I didn't smell anything because I was walking into the wind. I didn't see anything because it came from behind. I didn't hear anything that seemed out of place until I heard that growl of exertion as something landed heavily on my back. That's probably how it had the jump on me and I felt the teeth sink into my shoulder with blossoming pain. My knees buckled under the sudden addition of the extra weight and I stumbled forward, only there was no forward to go and I went over the edge of the gorge, taking my attacker with me.
I hit my head hard on the rocks in the brook sixty feet below and as the air rushed out of me I saw stars, and I heard a bass growl nearby…
Well I didn't see that one coming. It's the gods' honest truth, that ending just plain surprised me as I was nearing the end of the chapter. I wanted a confrontation with the person in question but this is just, whoa!
So any guesses who attacked Essie?
Thank you for reading.
Please review.
Gemma x