CHAPTER NINE

Zora and Jacob sat in the car in silence.

The drive to her house was short; she didn't live far from Emily and could have easily made it in less time had she ran. She didn't usually mind quietness with another person - as long as it was someone she was comfortable with - but Jacob made her stomach flutter with nerves. He had played music to fill the air with a noise other than the sound of their breathing, but now they remained in front of her house, unmoving and anxiously waiting for the other person to speak.

"Thanks for taking me home," she finally said.

"No problem," Jacob replied. He looked to be deep in thought about something, his brow drawn together in a frown.

Maybe, she thought, he's contemplating professing his undying love for me and his decision to forget about Bella once and for all. And then we'll run off into the sunset holding hands, and we'll start a new life in another state with our five adopted cats. The image was a comical one - and also highly, painfully unlikely.

She gave a short, humorless chuckle, earning the attention of the boy sitting next to her.

"What was that?" Jacob asked.

"Oh, er, nothing," she said quickly, thankful the two of them weren't phased and embarrassed at the prospect of having to share her ridiculous thoughts. It was then that she noticed he was still frowning, his hands now gripping the steering wheel tightly. It was obvious he was bothered by something, and she guessed that while he probably wanted to address whatever it was, he didn't have the desire to initiate the conversation.

Zora almost rolled her eyes. Boys and their fragile masculinity.

"Is something wrong?"

At the same time, though, Jacob blurted, "Is something going on with you and Embry?"

They blinked at each other, both not expecting those words to leave his mouth. Jacob cursed at himself as soon as the sentence left him; he was supposed to ease into the topic, but he was so irritated that he spoke before he meant to. And Zora sat with a wide-eyed expression, her mouth agape. The question was so random that she couldn't formulate a response. Was something going on between Embry and her? Of course not. She liked him, but she liked him in a strictly platonic way. He was becoming a close friend of hers, and that was it.

Jacob watched her mouth open to say something and then close abruptly. Was she trying to think of a good way to tell him that there was something going on, some feelings shared between them? He could feel his irritation rising and began rambling. "He chose to sit next to you today, and he's been helping you train outside of group practice, and he's a pretty nice, good-looking guy, so if you like each other, then—"

"Jacob," she interrupted. She placed a hand on his forearm, the muscle underneath relaxing beneath her touch. She gave him a small smile, but it hid the wide grin she wanted to wear. He was jealous. Jacob Black was actually jealous. If he was unhappy about a possible romance blooming between Embry and her, that had to mean he did feel something for her. They could have been the smallest of feelings, but they were feelings nonetheless. She was so giddy that she wanted to laugh, but kept her enthusiasm hidden. "We're just friends," she continued. "He offered to give me some extra help because we're basically training partners with Sam always pairing us together, and he sat next to me because…we're friends. We're comfortable around each other."

Jacob's face grew hot with embarrassment. Of course he'd misinterpreted all that he'd seen earlier. He could blame it on the heightened temper, but he knew his anger (and the insecurity that caused it) stemmed from himself - his human feelings - and not the wolf within. He also knew that Embry would never hurt him, and Zora – well, she was staring at him as if he were the only person in the world.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Zora smiled. "Don't worry about it."

He mirrored her smile, but there was still another thought weighing on his mind. "Can I ask you something else?"

She nodded.

"Are you...uncomfortable around me?"

"Oh…" she exhaled, surprised that he wanted to have such a conversation.

Her lack of response made his stomach twist nervously. "You said you were comfortable around Embry, and I wanted to know if you felt that way…about me."

"In all honesty, Jacob..." she paused, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "you make it kind of hard for me to feel relaxed."

He was anticipating "no" as her answer, but wasn't prepared for the strong feelings of regret and disappointment in himself. He knew he'd made it difficult for her—giving her the cold shoulder, ignoring her and not the others. His behavior was childish and entirely unwarranted; she hadn't done anything wrong, yet he'd punished her for no reason. He shook his head shamefully.

"I'm sorry," he told her, voice full of remorse. "For everything."

Zora couldn't help the grin that spread across her lips; she had never felt so much joy from an apology before. And now that he'd owned up to his mistakes, it seemed they could head in the right direction from there.

"Thanks for apologizing."

He gave a slight nod, turning his head in what he intended to be to a quick glance, but found himself transfixed by the way she stared at him. It was that look again, the starry-eyed gaze of wonder and softness and warmth that tugged him forward and made him lost in everything that was her. He was unaware of how long they'd been staring at each other, how close they'd inched towards one another until she began moving away, mumbling some sort of frazzled apology about her hand sitting on his thigh. He clasped her wrist, muttering, "Wait" in a low, gentle voice.

He was looking at her the way she had seen boys in romantic movies look at girls while sitting in a car, a moment where time stood still and all that mattered was the two of them. He wore an expression of awe, and she wasn't sure what she'd done to deserve such a look. Then he was leaning towards her again – slowly, cautiously, brown eyes smoldering, lips parted. And reeling from his fingertips against her skin, she took a cue from all of the girls kissed by boys in romantic movies, her eyes fluttering closed. His breath was warm against her mouth, and just before the distance between their lips could close, he mistakenly murmured, "Bella."

Her eyes flew open.

She lurched away from him so quickly her back hit the passenger door with a loud thud. Why would he say her name? she thought furiously, her mind a chaotic mess of confusion and quickly-rising rage. What did she have to do with anything?

Jacob, whose stomach had gone from light and airy to heavy and sinking, noticed her curling fists; he tried to save face and stammered, "I-I invited her to the council bonfire this weekend. I thought it would be cool…if you two met." He saw the quivering of her body, angry tremors rolling off of her as if she were a geyser ready to burst. He knew very well what would happen if he provoked her further.

"What's…happening...to me?" she snarled, stuttering with every tremble. She was on the verge of exploding from her skin, an itching, painful pressure reminiscent of her first phase.

"You're angry," he responded, slowly raising his hands to show he was no threat. "If you turn, you'll tear me, and this car, apart."

"You deserve it," she growled venomously. The wolf within was fighting for dominance – and winning. She knew she needed to leave before she lost total control. Gripping the handle so tightly she left finger indents, Zora pushed the door open and threw herself from the car. As soon as her feet touched the ground, her wolf unleashed itself. She headed for the trees, leaving a trail of ripped clothing behind her.

Still sitting in the driver's seat, Jacob desperately stared after her.

"Fuck."