I just want to apologize for the long absence.
He could have hit her.
She had been prepared for him to strike her down and prove how strong and powerful he was. That's what He would have done, had done. But Seth just seemed resigned and a little bit...sad.
Amaya sat down and ignored him as he walked to his desk and began the night's paperwork before his shift started.
Amaya is getting tired of running, of always being afraid. Seth struck out and he's starting to lose hope that Fate or the Ancestors, whoever, had made the right choice when he imprinted with Anne.
The day went by so slowly.
Seth was miserable and hurt and disappointed. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been, responding the way he had.
She had every right to file a report against him and to be heard. Charlie wouldn't take it lightly if she filed a report. Charlie wouldn't jump to conclusions but he would give them both a fair chance to explain themselves. Seth knew that. Why had he been so stupid?
The way Anne had looked at him...
Could anything hurt more than that look of disgust? She had every reason to hate him now. She didn't before, not really. Now she had all the ammunition she needed. He wouldn't be able to look her in the eye ever again. He was so ashamed of himself.
It was ironic that the most words she had ever spoken to him in this form had been so full of anger, held such a promise of hatred.
He had practically begged her to talk to him. He had wanted nothing more than to hear her voice and her story.
He had known she'd been hurt before. Why didn't he think before he spoke? Of course she would hate a man who acted so smug. Why was he such an ass?
Amaya was satisfied that Seth no longer held any interest in her.
He had sat quietly at his desk until time for him to go on patrol and when he left he didn't even look at her.
Mission accomplished.
So why did she feel like she had just lost something? That was stupid. Seth Clearwater was a nice enough person, or so she'd thought; either way he didn't deserve to be drug through the mud with her. No one deserved that. He could be hurt, or killed. And his blood would be on her hands.
Amaya shook her head at her own folly, refusing to allow herself to dream of an impossibility. It was time to leave for the day.
She meant to go straight home but as she drove through town she thought about Bear and how much he would need to be fed. She sighed and turned into the parking lot of the local super mart.
Seth tried to think of anything but Anne.
He really tried to focus on his job. Of course, when his job included driving around aimlessly looking for reckless drivers or being parked in a speed trap with his radar gun out, it didn't take a whole lot of brain power.
He had really and thoroughly wrecked any chance he might have had with her.
She had seen some of the last remnants of his immaturity today and taken it to mean that he was a chauvinist prick that couldn't be trusted. She would never give him a chance now.
Before, he thought, if he just approached with caution... If he showed her he was just being friendly and there was no pressure, she would eventually come to him.
Surely she had to feel the draw of the imprint too? He needed to talk to the Pack and their imprints to see what they had to say.
He couldn't live without her, that just wasn't an option. And his wolf was dying at the thought of her being mad at him. As a man, he knew it was more than just a temper tantrum. She wasn't just going to get over it as if they had had a fight over who ate the last pop-tart.
She didn't trust him and she was afraid of something. She proved today that she was no longer afraid of him. That was an improvement at least...
Amaya finished at the check out counter and rearranged her keys in her hand before she headed out to her car.
She would not be caught off guard by being careless. Not again.
The last time she had been careless He had almost ended her life.
Almost.
But He wasn't here now, not in Forks. Amaya took a deep, steadying breath as she kept looking around her, trying to be prepared for anything.
She saw people hurrying into the store or running back out to their cars to avoid the chill of the evening air, filled with mist. No danger.
Her car was parked directly beneath one of the big lamps that lit up the parking lot. It was in plain view of the door and nothing was blocking her path.
Still, she didn't linger as she loaded up the giant bag of dog food into the trunk, the bags of treats and toys, the extra groceries. She loaded everything up quickly and checked the back seat of her car before jumping into the driver's seat and turning the key in the ignition. She locked the doors again and sat for a moment to let the car warm back up. She never stopped scanning the parking lot for potential threats.
That's why she saw Seth Clearwater parked on the other side of the street, watching her.
Seth was becoming a hazard as he couldn't focus on anything but the look on Anne's face as she'd put him in his place.
So he pulled to the side of the main road and put the cruiser in park. He looked around, like he had a reason to be there. That's when Seth saw her.
Anne was coming out of the grocery store with a big basket of dog food and several bags. She had her keys in her hand and her head on a swivel as she carefully made her way to the car she'd parked under the bright lamp in front of the store.
Seth looked at the other people leaving the store. They were running, heads down against the cold and the wet. They didn't look up, didn't look around.
Seth watched Anne as she scanned the parking lot with a furrowed brow, her hand tightening around the keys in her fist.
Whatever she had been through, it had made her strong and cautious. She didn't linger putting away the bags and she immediately locked the doors when she got into the car and shut the door. Only when she was securely inside did she crank the engine.
Seth had known cop's kids that were less vigilant. He had known cops who were less aware of their surroundings than this woman.
She acted like she was in constant danger. Whatever had happened to her had made her fear the world.
Seth frowned at that thought, it wasn't quite right. Someone who feared the world wouldn't venture into it, wouldn't leave everything behind and move to a town where they had no relatives, no friends, nothing familiar. When you're scared you craved the familiar and comfortable to give you some sense of control.
She was still scanning the area around her, alert for any threat, when she narrowed her eyes on Seth in his patrol car.
Well shit.
Seth Clearwater clearly couldn't take a hint. Had he been following her? No. She would have noticed a police cruiser following her all the way to the grocery store.
But he was watching her now.