The night terrors lasted almost a week.

Seth held Annalise to his chest, the thrum of her quick pulse mixing with the slow rhythms of the lo-fi playlist he'd started playing at night; the quieter it was, the worse off Annalise seemed to be.

Annalise exhaled, her body relaxing against his as she fell silent. As her breath evened out and her eyes drifted shut, Seth leaned back to rest them both against the pillows.

Progress, he thought. It hadn't taken quite as long for her to fall back asleep the last two nights. Still, he couldn't help the anger. He didn't know who—or what—it was directed at. Jacob for pushing the interrogation too far, himself for not finding her sooner, or the piece of shit who dared to call himself an alpha.

In the morning, like every morning, Annalise seemed fine, having little memory of anything that had happened the night before. She was eager to get out, to patrol, to run.

First one to the cliff gets 20 bucks, she called behind her as they phased and disappeared into the dense forest surrounding his property.

Seth laughed, pushing ahead of her. Quil huffed. How is that fair! I'm like a thousand miles from you guys.

Sounds like an excuse to me. Annalise blew past Seth, kicking up a cloud of dirt and leaves as she went.

Yeah, yeah. We get it. You're fast. Quil bit back. The comment was only a twinge bitter. Since Embry and Leah's show of support at the council meeting, tensions were dying down and the others were starting to come around.

Everyone save for Jacob, that was. Even Paul had, awkwardly, tried to ask for fighting tips.

But, Seth figured, Jacob was fighting his own demons.

Hey, the only demon I'm fighting is a know-it-all punk who won't get off my back. Jacob's voice joined theirs, a booming noise in the telepathic melee.

Seth snorted. I hope you're talking about Ness. Otherwise, I'm offended.

"Ness." "Seth." Pretty close. Jacob's big head lolled to the side, his canine grin on full display, as they broke into the center of a thin cluster of trees.

Ah, shit, Quill hissed, his frustration pulling them both up short. As if we didn't have enough problems.

Through Quil's eyes, Seth caught sight of the pale blur flying through the canopy, smelled the sickly-sweet bleach odor that only meant one thing: vampire.

Headed your way, Seth answered, cutting a sharp right, Jacob on his heels. Quil's bounding steps were within range now. It would only be a matter of seconds before the vampire was on them.

He's fast. Quil reported. And there's human blood on him. A lot of blood.

Jacob cursed. How the hell did that happen? We've got guys all the way up to Seattle now. His guess was as good as theirs. With the seven youngest between Port Angeles and Seattle, just about every pitstop to the reservation should have been safe.

And yet…

Who cares. Quil growled. It's not friendly and it's a murderer. Seth heard his pack-brother's pace quicken as boughs snapped free of their trees.

The vampire was almost on them. We've got it! Seth said.

I'll come around the side to catch it off guard, Jacob shouted.

I'm with you, Annalise's voice chimed into the commotion. She'd been so quiet; he'd almost forgotten she was here. As it was, this was the last place he wanted her. I can handle myself, she snapped at him.

Nobody said you couldn't, Seth muttered as a flash of auburn rocketed toward him. Using a thick root system as a springboard, he launched himself into the air. The vampire twisted out of reach as Seth's teeth gnashed together around empty space. This one wasn't a newborn, which was both a blessing and a curse. Weaker, sure, but it was much easier to get this done when fighting a bull in a China shop.

Wide-eyed and feral, the vampire landed in a crouch. "Well, well. Guess the rumors are still true. Sorry, pooch. Kind of in a hurry. You understand?"

Did...did he just call me a pooch?

Quil snorted out a laugh. I mean, is he wrong though? You do like getting pet, Seth.

That was one time, Quil! Seth snapped. If he were in human form, his face would be beet red. Annalise's ethereal laughter filled his head.

Focus, Jacob growled.

The vampire cackled, dodging him. It was almost as if the guy was enjoying being hunted.

Seth faked left, ignoring the burning in his nose as he closed the gap between them. With a snarl, he locked his teeth into the bloodsucker's forearm as it veered right. Normally, he tried to be as humane as possible. But, in this case, he'd take what he could get.

The vampire howled, not with pain, but with laughter. "Now that wasn't very nice," he cooed, taking advantage of Seth's momentary shock. He hissed, bringing his fist down.

A sandy blur flew in front of him, knocking the vampire into a tree. Tick's pretty mouthy if ya ask me. Annalise jumped backwards as the tree gave a loud crack and splintered around them.

Hold 'em steady! Jacob's order hit them both with the same force. Lips curled over their teeth, Seth and Annalise circled the vampire whose eyes were darted between them. Hedging his bets, Seth guessed.

Maybe, Annalise added, but something about this guy rubs me the wrong way, besides the munchin' on humans thing.

Jacob and Quil emerged on either side of them.

The vampire glanced to his missing arm lying limp in the dirt, his face still pulled back into a scowl. "Filthy mongrels," he sneered, no longer amused. He turned to flee toward the cliff's edge.

Before Seth could blink, Jacob was airborne, his jaw clamped shut around the vampire's neck.

With a sickening screech, the vamp's body dropped to the dirt. The silence in the air was deafening, Seth's hackles rising. Maybe Annalise was right. Everything in him was still on edge, but his nose was useless this close to the vampire. That was all he could smell.

He trained his ears to the forest around them. She's right, this one was a little…off, Quil agreed. He was so busy talking to himself, he didn't even hear me coming until I was right on him.

Annalise rewound the last 30 seconds in her mind, zeroing in on the way the vampire's eyes shifted around them. Seth had assumed he was sizing them up, but through her eyes, the vampire had been waiting, searching behind them. He looked almost…disappointed.

Jacob dropped the body off the cliff face and turned toward them. Regardless, he's dead no—

Jake, watch out! Seth barreled toward him, knocking the alpha sideways as a dark-haired vampire appeared beside him, sharp teeth barred as she lunged toward them.

Seth, what the fu—

Jacob dug his claws into the dirt as he slid backward, away from the hissing woman now wrapping her arms around Seth's torso.

Hold on, kid, I've got her.

Seth snarled, writhing inside the steel cage of the vampire closing around him. Brute strength was a newborn move, but the woman ready to sink her teeth into his flesh was…different.

Come on, sweetness! Don't let this fanged freak best you.

Annalise's panic broke through his thoughts, heightening the adrenaline as it flooded his body.

I can't take her out with her this close to crushing you, Jacob warned. She'll crush you.

Like hell, Seth snapped, pulling his hind legs up and kicking out, sending the dark-haired vampire catapulting toward the cliff's edge. She growled and, like mist, she disappeared into thin air. Am I losing it, he asked, catching his breath, or did she just go ghost?

Jacob's thoughts were all over the place, visions of Renesmee torn apart. Though he didn't say it, Seth got the feeling this attack wasn't all that surprising to the older wolf.

We won't let that happen, Seth swore, a millisecond before the air left his lungs and a splitting pain tore through him as one of his ribs nearly cracked.

Seth! Annalise's voice pierced through the blinding pain as his body hit the ground and his head snapped against the rock. His vision went black. He could only hear the gnashing of teeth, the screech of claws breaking through the stony flesh of a vampire as the others brawled.

Annie, watch your back!

An agonized howl pulled him to his feet. He huffed, attempting to shake off the dark spots in his vision. Annie was hurt. He knew it. Every part of him felt it.

She's fine, Seth. Jacob's assurance did little to calm Seth's nerves. He couldn't hear Annie anymore, he felt the panic around his throat, choking him. If only he could see.

He pinched his eyes shut and snapped them open, praying the world would come back into focus.

To your left! Seth shouted, picking up the slightest shift in the air, a quiet pop as the dark-haired woman rematerialized in the blurry clearing.

The she-vamp's furious shriek ricocheted off the trees seconds later. Seth willed his legs to run as his vision cleared. Quil had her pinned, attempting to behead his prey and avoid getting crushed. Her pale arms were untangling, her hands reaching toward Quil's throat.

A little help! Quil shouted.

Well, if you'd move your big butt out of the way—

Quil cursed him before letting his hind legs off the vampire. Seth swept through, locking down on her legs. They each yanked in opposite directions and the stone-fleshed vampire fell still.

Seth searched the clearing, racing to where Jacob huddled over a small, human form. No!

Annalise lay on the ground, her face swollen, neck purple with bruising.

Vamp had her arm locked tight. Jacob shook his head. But—

And you just let it happen? What the fuck, Jake? Seth shuffled him aside, blocking Annalise's body with his own. To his shock, she was conscious, her body shaking as she both fought for air and laughed. She's…okay?

"Got that bitch good," she choked out with a gasp. "Even if she did...get a lick in."

Relieved, Seth phased and pulled her into his lap. "What the hell, Annie," he muttered, not knowing whether to laugh, cry, or cuss.

She waved to her face dismissively. Relax, she'd mimed. The swelling on her face was already going down, the purpled bruises fading a nasty, greenish yellow, then brown and so on until the soft, tawny beige of her body returned.

"Had to shift," she croaked. "Faster." Annie rubbed at her neck as she sat upright.

Seth sighed, rubbing his face in frustration. "Do you know how worried I was?" he snapped. "I thought you were dead."

Jacob's heavy steps moved away from them, a small act to give them some semblance of privacy.

Annalise frowned, giving his head a gentle pat. "I'm," she paused, cleared her throat, and smiled. "Fine. 'Sides, Jake got her off me. As wily as she was, you didn't think Quil got her pinned by himself, did you?"

The resulting bark made her laugh.

"Kidding. If she wasn't popping in and out like that, we could've had her easy."

She winced as she strained to rotate her head. "Might not phase again for a few. Nothing like almost losing your head to take the fun out of it. Are you okay?"

Seth turned his attention to his own body and surveyed the soreness in his side, the throbbing in his head. It was nothing sleep wouldn't fix. He rose to his feet and held out a hand to help her up. "Yeah, I'm good. We're miles from the house though, and you're still injured. If you don't mind, you can just ride me."

Annalise snorted, laughed, then winced. Seth blinked, confused, before the realization dawned on him.

"I meant when I phase." He paused. "Like on my back. Just get on," he muttered, ignoring the strange, garbled noises of amusement that were coming out of Quil and Jacob. He phased and knelt low enough for her to climb onto his back.

She sank her hands into his fur, locked her legs gently around his frame to avoid his still-healing rib, and leaned toward his ear. "This the part where I say, 'giddy up'?"

Yeah, Seth, giddy up. Quil laughed.

Please, don't act like Claire didn't spend three years with you as her personal taxi.

Jacob howled. Damn, son, he told you. After a few traded barbs with Quil, Jacob turned his attention back to Seth. Quil and I will get the rest of this cleaned up. Meet us at Sam's in an hour.

Seth nodded once before taking off. Annalise laughed, burrowing carefully against his body as she held on.

It had been awhile since a vampire had crossed into their territory, let alone one with a supernatural ability. "Guess the rumors are still true."

Seth wasn't a fan of being the talk of the vampire world. But then, his enemies weren't exactly of the bloodsucking variety. Which meant, maybe, Jacob's troubles were about to catch up to them too.

As his small house came into view, Annalise hopped gracefully from his back and landed on her feet without a sound.

"As sick as it is," she said, one hand still locked in his fur as they trotted across the lawn. "I loved that fight. Been spending all this time worried about Damian, and he ain't even made his move. I finally got to do some good."

Seth phased as they neared the back porch. "Never hurts to blow off some steam. Two less murderous vampires is a good way to do it. You've got a good eye by the way. We were so busy going for the kill, we didn't even notice...I didn't even hear his mate."

She gave his arm a pat. "Don't blame yourself, Seth. She literally popped out of existence." Annalise shook her head. "What I wouldn't give to have that power."

"Hey," he snapped, pulling her to a stop with more force than he intended. Annalise grimaced, shaking out of his grip. "Don't talk like that, okay?"

The image of her, bruised and bloody, as she lay in the dirt returned. Without her thoughts in his head, he'd feared the worst. He should've known better, but that didn't change the terror, the pain he'd felt, however momentary.

"Hey, whoa it was just a joke," she insisted. "What's gotten into you today?"

Part of him wanted to tell her about his momentary panic, about the week he'd spent wide awake while her past haunted her dreams, desperate to find a way to help. Except he couldn't, because there was no way to undo her past. Her pain wasn't a burden, but the knowledge that he couldn't do anything to ease it left him…powerless.

"I'm fine," he lied, pushing open the back door.

"Uh huh, and I'm a purple, tap-dancin' stegosaurus named Janine."

A...what? Seth turned around to catch the annoyed expression on her face before the laughter grabbed him unexpectedly. God, I love you. The words had almost slipped out, leaving his mouth open and closing like a fish as he stared down at her, the early light slipping in through the door's windowpane, lighting her face in its soft glow.

Annalise quirked an eyebrow in askance, leaning against the back door to shut it. "Seriously, what's going on? You're all over the place."

"Nothing." Seth answered. "Just a little tired. And hungry, for that matter."

She gave him a small smile, gliding into his arms easily. "Well, why don't you hit the shower first. I'll whip us some biscuits and gravy! That always makes me feel better."

"You can cook?"

She gaped, offended, before turning him around to deliver a smack to his bare ass. "Go on before I change my mind. Jerk."

Seth grinned over his shoulder. "You're the one ordering me around, you know. Who's the jerk now?"

She laughed, nudging him forward. "Yeah, but ya still love me though. Now move. You're blockin' the hallway."

As ordered, Seth hit the shower, listening to the sound of pots and pans clanging as Annalise shuffled around his kitchen. "Yeah, but ya still love me though."

It had been an innocent enough comment, a joke probably, but the fluttering in his chest was telling a different story. He gave his chest a thump with his fist. Come on, Seth. Get it together. He'd promised, nothing serious. Stupid imprint.

Seth let the hot water rinse the dirt from his body as Annalise's humming hit his ears.

She was singing now, a beautiful sound that tightened his core, slapped a grin on his face. It was some country song — his least favorite genre — he'd heard once when Spotify was off its rec-game. But, on her lips, how could he have disliked it?

Moments later, the smell of buttery bread hit his nose.

The singing stopped. "Leave some water for the fishes, sweetness!" Annalise called out.

Seth frowned and made quick work with the soap and shampoo before hopping out. Dried and dressed, he shuffled into the kitchen.

Annalise, now clad in an old shirt and shorts, slid two plates across the counter and nodded toward the kitchen table.

He placed them there while she brought over the orange juice and a bowl of fruit. "This is probably the most use that kitchen has gotten in months," he admitted, picking up the fork.

Annalise chuckled. "If I hadn't picked up those groceries, we'd be eating fruit snacks. How did you survive?"

He shrugged. "Between Mom and Emily, I didn't really need to cook. When I ran out, I usually just drove up to this diner about 10 minutes from here."

Annalise shook her head, watching him as he cut into the flaky biscuit and used it to sop up the sausage gravy.

Seth took a bite and exhaled in delight, steam billowing from his lips. "You keep surprising me."

She grinned. "Glad you like it. Can't take too much credit though. Pillsbury made them biscuits."

"Okay, but the gravy?" Seth let his eyes roll back as he savored the taste.

Annalise laughed, diving into her own food. "That was the first thing I learned to make, and half the time it doesn't go well. Luck was on my side today."

"I'll say," he mumbled around a mouthful of biscuit. He swallowed, popped a blueberry in, and chased it with a swig of juice. "Thank you. For breakfast and having my back...and for being okay."

He swallowed, reaching up to run his thumb along her cheek.

"When I couldn't hear you, I thought…"

"Awh," Annalise cooed, leaning to press her lips to his forehead. "I was okay. I keep telling you, I'm a lot stronger than I look."

Seth shook his head, let his fork drop to the plate. "I know that. I…" he paused, searching her face like she searched his. "I just wish you didn't...that you didn't always have to be."

"Seth, I won't pretend to be helpless to make you feel better," she said quietly.

He shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Leah...she was the only she-wolf. She told me one of the reasons she left was because she was tired of feeling like she had to compensate to avoid being seen as the weak link, the omega. I don't want you to go through that."

Annalise's eyebrows shot up. "I can't imagine Leah ever being an omega…but I guess I understand." She squeezed his hand and popped an orange slice into her mouth. "I'm still getting used to this, you know, to not looking over my shoulder. It's only been, what, two weeks?"

"Fair," he granted. "I forget. Sometimes it feels longer, like you've been here this whole time."

Her expression softened. "I know. I have to remind myself that, outside of this house, this—being here—is still new. Two weeks is nothing out there. In here, though…"

In here, in this house, things were moving at lightning speed. Alone, the air seemed charged, magnetizing the space between them until they gave in and erased the distance. Words such as like and love didn't seem to matter. Everything with Annalise, though sometimes surprising, was just...understood, an inherent kind of knowing that turned the world on its head.

"I love you, too, you know," she said, her eyes locked on his. "It's terrifying, but it's right. All of this is. There's no sense in pretending it's not. At least, not in here. Out there...rationale kicks in, tries to explain this supernatural pull I keep feeling, to tell me I'm being stupid for caring about you so fast."

Seth cleared his throat. "You speak your mind. I like that."

She grinned. "Blessing and a curse. But I do hold back, you know. Your friends wouldn't have liked me too much if I really gave 'em the what-for." She paused, pushed a small piece of sausage around in the pool of gravy. "You might not like it either."

"Try me," he bit back.

She smiled weakly. "Guess I did promise, huh? Well, all right," she started, turning in her seat to level him with her gaze. "You make it easy to fall for you, Seth Clearwater, even if I'm too stubborn not to fight it. Despite how it started, I am glad to be in your pack. I know, because of this imprint, you're obligated to be whatever I want. But, when it comes down to it, I don't want you to love me like a brother or friend, 'cause I don't think I could do the same for you. I mean, we both know I'd have to, and I would fight, tooth and nail, if that's what you really wanted, but it would hurt."

The air was gone from his lungs. Here she was, saying everything he'd felt, like it was the easiest thing in the world to do.

She stopped again, hesitating with a look that made his heart race, before pressing on. "Sappiness aside, I also think you're the finest man to walk this planet, Seth, and I've spent two weeks imagining all kinds of ways to fuck and make love to you."

Seth choked, felt the heat rising to his face, which was odd, because he was 99% sure all the blood in his body was headed south.

Annalise laughed and finished off the rest of her plate. "Told you, you wouldn't want to hear it. Eat up. You need some substance in that body of yours." She polished off the last of her orange juice and slid her dishes in the sink before dancing over to him. "I'm gonna go wash up. You mind gettin' the dishes?"

Seth nodded, unable to speak as she gave him a peck on the cheek before disappearing down the hall. As the bathroom door shut, he exhaled a breath he hadn't known he'd taken.

"Holy shit," he breathed, attempting to focus over the sound of the water hitting her skin, the gentle hum of the song she always wound up singing in the shower. It wasn't like she hadn't thrown out the signals. Hell, anytime they'd been alone, it had taken everything not to touch her, hold her.

They still had 20 minutes to get to Emily's…

Seth stood up quickly from the table, grimacing as his knees knocked into it and sent the dishes shaking. Dishes were the least of his concern.

He made his way to the bathroom door. She already had his heart, and right now, he was wholly prepared to deliver body and soul.

The door creaked quietly as he stepped inside. "Hey, Annie," he called out.

"Hm?"

From the muted light streaming in from the window, he saw the silhouette of her body, the arch of her back as she rinsed her hair.

"What you said…I don't want you to love me like a brother or friend either," he started, struggling to find words. His dick wasn't the only hard thing here. How did you say what you thought when someone else already had?

He saw her straighten, reach for the shower curtain.

Seth bit his lip, hand over cock as it strained against the fabric of his pants. "Just wanted to say that."

Smooth.

Annalise pulled back the curtain. He'd seen her naked plenty of times, but now, water slipping down her tawny skin, hair slicked back, eyes dark with lust…"Good," she answered. "That all you needed?"

The hidden meaning behind her words left him dizzy.

He swallowed, shaking his head. "I need you."

She smiled, "Hand me that towel, will ya?"

"Need help?" He asked, stepping closer, eyes trailing her curves as she leaned to cut the water off.

Annalise held out her arms, grinning as he slid the fabric against her body, his eyes on hers. Seth let the towel fall, his hand gliding over her thighs as he nudged her legs apart.

In the small, steamy bathroom, the only sound to be heard was the steady, quick rush of their pulse.

Seth stepped closer, groaning at the warm, wet feel of her coating his fingers as they began their slow, hungry exploration.

Annalise propped one leg on the edge of the tub, leaning into his touch. Seth slipped one, long finger inside her, luring a soft moan from her lips. She laughed, breathless, and rolled her hips to match the motion of his thumb working her clit.

"Seth," she moaned, a breath away from his lips. "It's not nice to tease."

A/N: My apologies for the late upload! We celebrate Christmas the day before :D Happy Holidays, y'all. See ya next week!