She woke up to silence and looked around. She was back in the medicine man's house. She turned her head and saw Jake and the man talking a bit away from her, softly.
"No, can't be, that stuff doesn't exist." Jake said, softly.
Shaking his head and clenching his fists
"Say's the werewolf." The man smiled.
Jake stopped shaking his head and looked at him.
"Will she be okay?" he asked the short man.
Cerise smiled when she saw the height difference between them. The man barely took Jake up to his hip.
"She should be, it should make her a very good wolf. Fit to be alpha female, Jake." He said.
Jake looked surprise at him.
"I'm not going to do it, I'm not going to bite her." He said, shaking his head again.
Cerise got up and stumbled, knocking something over. They looked up and saw her. Jake ran over to her and steadied her.
"Whoa, what's the train look like?" she joked.
He laughed a little and looked at the old man.
"Can we go now?" he asked.
The old man nodded and Jake helped Cerise out the door. He picked her up and she hung onto his shoulders. In three long strides he was at the car already. He darted over to the driver's side and got in just as she lopped over onto his shoulder. She slept all the way back home. He stopped in the driveway and carried her into the house, up the stairs, and laid her down on the bed, covering her with the duvet. He waited to see if she was breathing. She was, and then he went back to his car to close it up. He came back and sat with her until she woke up, contemplating what he had heard… seen. It couldn't be true.
She slept for the rest of the day. When dusk fell, she moved and slowly opened her eyes. She looked around the room and smiled when she saw she was home. She saw that Jake's closet was open. He was here as well. She sat up and rubbed her head. It felt empty and light, but it hurt like she had been hit by a train.
"Jake." She whispered, knowing he would hear, no matter how soft it was.
She heard him walking up the stairs. He walked into the room, drying his hands on the dish towel.
"Hey, you're awake." He said, walking over to her.
His smile looked different; he was guarding his real thoughts. He sat on the bed and lent over to kiss her. She grabbed him around his neck and kissed him deeply. When he broke the kiss to look at her, she hugged him tightly.
"I was so scared." She whispered to him, burying her face in his long hair.
He squeezed her tightly and whispered in her ear.
"Me too. I thought he had poisoned you. Until you started speaking..." He said, pushing her away to look at her eyes.
"What did I say?" she asked.
He sighed and got up. He walked to the door.
"It doesn't matter." He said, walking out.
She put her unsteady feet on the floor and felt the room spinning. She rubbed her head and closed her eyes. She stood up and walked over to the door, leaning on things as she did. She felt Jake's warm arm wrap around her waist.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean for it to leave you like this." He said, leading her down the hall and down the stairs, catching her as she stumbled a few times.
He set her down on the couch and began to light the fire. He didn't need it, but the room was rather chilly, because her lips were blue.
"It's okay, you were just worried." She said, rubbing her head.
She leaned back and rested her head on the back of the couch.
"Was it that bad?" she asked, not looking at him.
She felt the pressure of him sitting next to her. He put his arm around her and she leaned on his chest.
"Yeah, pretty much." He whispered.
She felt his heart beating faster in his chest.
"What did I say?" she asked.
He shook his head and his loose hair flutter across her cheek.
"Something in a different language. You looked right at me." He paused and looked at her, looking away before she could meet his gaze.
"But it wasn't you. The med-man asked you speak English then you began to shout at me and him." He said, looking at the roaring fire.
"Sorry," she said, unconsciously.
"I shouted at you. Why?" she asked, looking up at him.
He didn't meet her eyes.
"You said that you trusted me, how could I do this to you, what was he doing to you, I'm supposed to protect you, all that stuff." He said, babbling on about the things as if it didn't hurt him, but as he ended his sentence, his voice broke and Cerise felt a shudder in his chest.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it. I do trust you, more than you'll ever know." She said, playing his finger tips.
He kissed the top of her hair and she met his gaze.
"I know, but it hurt to hear you, or at least her in you," he frowned and shook his head, trying to come to grips with it.
"Say that to me." He said, dropping his hand that she was playing with.
"I'm really, really, really, sorry." She said, not letting his eyes escape her gaze.
He ran his thumb across her lips and she shuddered in delight.
"I know." He said, smiling for the first time since she woke up.
"There's my wolf." She smiled and kissed him.
She forced his lips open and felt his extra warm breath fill her up like some warm, heaven-sent drink. The drink that eliminated all fears and worries, filling the space with happiness and joy. Ecstasy. She broke the kiss, leaned her head against his and smiled against his lips, gently kissing him again, resisting to go all the way again.
"What's her name?" she asked him.
"Who?" he asked, playing dumb to try and get another earth warping kiss.
"The person in my body. What her name, story, age? Surely you asked her these things?" she asked, taking his hand and playing with it again.
"Well, her name is Tiy… she's ageless… she's very protective of you and me… she a queen… and her soul," he said, touching her heart.
It fluttered under his warm fingertip.
"Is your soul." He said, rubbing little circles in her skin.
"She also says the guys who stole you when you were a baby, knew of her, and hoped to bring her back by killing you." He said. Light dawned on her and she realised that that incident had nothing to do with her, but the other stuff she didn't understand.
"I don't understand." She said, moving to look at him.
"She said that this body was her, your, second body, and that her soul was your soul, your memories, hers. It's just that you haven't had the right kind of trigger, that was until yesterday." He stopped.
She looked at him and frowned. She looked at the little red welt on his chest, the only sign left that he had been attacked by vampires.
"The vampires." She whispered.
He carried on, even though she was thinking about yesterday. The pain she felt seeing him so helpless, him, a powerful, alpha werewolf, constrained in the tortuous chains of vampires.
"You couldn't defend yourself, or me," he shuddered.
"So she took over. Johan knows her. He was around when she was. She's the only person he fears." He said, looking at her eyes.
He saw a flicker of light in her eyes.
"Johan is how old?" she asked, looking at her.
"Well, at least 3000." He said, counting up the numbers in his head.
She gasped and now understood why he had so much money. He had saved for 3000 years.
"The med-man said something else as well." He said, dropping his head.
He looked at the scars on his chest that should be gone by the next morning.
"What?" she asked him.
He looked at her and she held his gaze.
"He said that because of Tiy, you should make an excellent, werewolf." He said the last word slowly.
She smiled and held out her wrist.
"Great, go ahead." She smiled.
"This isn't a joke Cerise." He said, getting up and walking across the room.
He turned and faced her, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You have not idea what it feels like the first time. It feels like you're dying." He said, remembering his first time.
He had just gone to a movie with Bella and some friend of hers. Thank goodness he hadn't phased around her.
"I know it must hurt, obviously." She said, getting up.
She stumbled but held her posture. She walked up to him and put her hands on his chest. "But if I want to be with you for as long as I can, I need to do this, no matter how painful it is. It's for the best." She smiled sweetly.
He gave in and sighed, smiling back.
"Okay, I'll call a council meeting. I am technically now, that I'm pack leader, the chief." He said, smiling at her.
"Really?" she asked, excited by his new standing.
He nodded and smiled at the same time. She hugged him and buried her face in his chest.
"That's great Jake." She squealed.
He laughed and lifted her up for a kiss. He broke the kiss a few seconds later, much to her dismay and put her down on the ground.
"I got a few calls to make." He smiled, walking to the phone.
She flopped down on the couch and settled in to watch a movie. After about half an hour, Jake came back into the room.
"The meeting's all set up. Tomorrow, at Billy's place." He said, sitting down next to her wrapping his right arm around her.
She snuggled up to him, still a little sleepy from the potion. His warm body making it all the easier to relax and unwind.
"Remind me never to drink something I haven't poured myself." She joked, slipping into the abyss slowly.
"Kay," he laughed, kissing her on top of her head before she slipped away for good.
After a while, he felt his arms lift her up and carry her up to bed. She laid her down and covered her, then after a few minutes, came and got into bed with her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up to him. She smiled and fell deeper.