Let's flee from these city lights

Where I can give you all of my time

Baby teach me something I never knew

Like a diamond in the rough, I'll shine for you

I'll chase you into the dark

With such grace

It's never been this hard

I've never fallen faster

'Fallen' by Death In the Park feat. Hayley Williams

Chapter 24: The Hunted

Brady

I scraped the last of the mud off the new cement, spraying it with the hose in an attempt to make it perfectly clear. I absolutely loved doing the finishing work on all of my projects – there was always something so satisfying about having every last detail in order, especially when the customer lays his eyes on the final product and having it look absolutely pristine. I'd been taught by my father to always appreciate a nice piece of finished work, and I had no problem admiring my own. Especially when it was at my imprint's house. I'd poured my heart and strength into making the garage her father had designed as perfect as I could. I guess in a way it was a bit of a monument to our beginning. I wrinkled my nose at my own thoughts – I'd become such a sap lately. I'd become the pussy that I'd always teased my pack brothers for being once they imprinted.

But who was I to argue? I liked it.

"Does that look good?" I asked Lexi, giving it one last glance.

She looked up from her place on the side door's steps, briefly letting her eyes flash to me before she went back to texting. "So good."

I frowned in mock annoyance. Today was officially my last day on the project at her house; I'd drug it out long enough in an effort to spend more time with her, but there was no avoiding the inevitable now – my work there was finished. I was annoyed enough at that fact alone.

"Care to elaborate?" I prodded. My ego needed a stroke.

She looked up and cocked her head to the side, flashing a grin. "It's beautiful."

I stood back and admired the garage slash 'carriage house' her father had designed. "Your dad does have good taste. He's talented."

"I love architecture," she sighed. "So much you can do with it."

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "Want me to teach you some stuff? That's a career you can have just about anywhere," I winked at her.

Lexi rolled her eyes. "My dad's already tried. Believe me, I suck at drawing."

"Hmm," I teased, "you suck at drawing, you can't open jars by yourself, and you're clumsy. Ladies and gentlemen, I think I have an adorkable klutz on my hands."

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes. "And don't call me adorkable. We can't all be supernatural freaks."

I snorted. "You have no idea."

She giggled at me and shook her head. "This is nice, but I like modern houses more. Smooth, sleek lines."

I observed my work as another very modern house crept into the back of my mind. The Cullen house was just that – all new, with straight, white lines and all angles. I'd never admit it, but the house was a piece of art. I'd give anything to be able to swallow my pride and have mommy vamp show me a thing or two. She'd probably had three or four lifetimes to perfect her talent of architecture, and I was secretly jealous.

"Lines are nice, but what about character?" I asked. Lexi was on her cell phone, annoyingly clacking away at the keyboard as all teenage girls seemed to know how to do.

"Who are you texting?" I demanded, my irritation showing.

Lexi looked up, quirking an eyebrow at me and my stupid, jealousy-riddled tone. She hated that tone and had no qualms about complaining when I used it. I mean, I deserved it, so I thought it was funny when she called me out on my shit. It made me love her more.

"You want to try that again?"

I smirked. "Lexi baby, what individual requires so much of your attention at the moment?" I asked in a sickly-sweet voice.

She smirked right back at me before stretching out her jean clad legs and slipping her phone into the pocket of her sweatshirt. The weather was steadily turning colder as fall set into Forks.

"Regan," she answered sweetly. "I'm worried about her."

"What happened now?"

Lexi shrugged. "She's freaking out. Seth finally talked to her and they're getting ice cream. She's panicked he's going to tell her he doesn't want to be friends anymore."

"Oh, right. The kiss. How could I forget?" I muttered, shaking my head. I tossed the hose down and took out my cell phone to snap a couple of pictures of the finished carriage house for my portfolio.

"Right. Well, ever since Leah's wedding when they kissed, things have been weird. She's really worried she scared him off."

"Trust me, she didn't," I chuckled. I'd patrolled only once with Seth since then, but his thoughts had been so obsessive with Lexi's best friend that I'd barely been able to stomach being within a two mile radius of him. He was more worried he'd scared her off by kissing her at his sister's wedding, certainly not the other way around. If I didn't sympathize with him so much for wanting a girl he kinda couldn't have yet, I would have thought the situation was quite comical.

"Well yeah, but she doesn't know that. Not every imprintee gets to know the entire scoop. Seth really needs to grow some man balls and just tell her already," Lexi groaned quietly. I laughed and shook my head at her as she casually tousled her light blonde hair and wrinkled her nose.

"Worry less about Seth's balls please," I quipped, sliding my phone back into my pocket. I walked over to sit next to her on the porch, my insides doing a flip as she scooted closer and casually laid her head on my shoulder. Patrick was in the kitchen behind us, but I knew he wasn't the one I needed to worry about witnessing her PDA. I could tell I annoyed her father to no end; it didn't take a genius to know that my manners and chivalrous acts in his presence were inspiring some eye rolling when I wasn't in the room. I couldn't help it though; I was head over heels in love with his daughter, and I would do anything to prove it – which brings me to my next point.

The past two weeks since Leah's wedding, I'd kept my word and been nothing but a gentleman to Lexi. We'd slowed down on the physical stuff and had tried to focus more on the 'hanging out without being handsy' stuff. Honestly… I enjoyed it. I knew part of Lexi's sassy demeanor the past couple days was definitely her way of showing her sexual frustration, so I didn't take it personally. I could tell that she respected me for keeping my hands off of her, but she was still a hormonal teenage girl whose emotions still got the better of her at times. But I stood by what I'd said; first times were just that – firsts. You never got a chance to repeat it. I had every opportunity to be this girl's prince charming if I put my mind to it, and I never thought I'd use those words to describe myself – ever. I wanted to prove that I wasn't a perpetual asshole with nothing on my brain but my dick.

Lexi made me want to change – hell, she was changing me. Sexual frustration aside, I was too busy enjoying myself as I actually got to know a girl before jumping into her bed.

Going slow was nice.

Fast was the old me.

I was enjoying this new phase.

Of course I was somewhat frustrated with things; I was still a man. But did I miss the binge drinking, awkward one night stands, and angry phone calls from girls I'd loved and left, screaming and ranting? No.

I did miss the calm sense of euphoria I felt after an amazing round of marathon sweaty sex, but I was willing to trade all of that for this – A rare sunny day in Forks with the sunlight streaming through the changing leaves, the smell of fall in the late afternoon air. Lexi laying her head on my shoulder and her clean, green apple scent that seemed to linger around us as we sat on her back porch together.

Who was I kidding? I wouldn't trade this for anything.

It was with some chagrin that Lexi's father, Ian invited me to stay for dinner that night after Patrick claimed we needed to 'celebrate' my project being finished. Like the imprinted pussy I now was, I happily stayed and enjoyed burgers on the back deck with the three of them while dodging Ian's fatherly glares. He wasn't a bad guy; he was overprotective and somewhat serious, but I understood that now.

Meeting the woman I hoped to spend the rest of my life with had, as I said, changed me. I pictured our lives together – the house, the kids, the dream. I even wanted a little blonde haired version of Lexi running around someday. To even think about some shape shifting wolf imprinting on my future imaginary daughter made my blood boil. So I understood his protective instincts and tried my best to respect him as much as I could.

Just because I was an asshole didn't mean I couldn't be a mannerly asshole.

"Good work on this. I really appreciate a job well done," Ian said to me as we gazed off the deck at the new garage. The smell of cooking burgers and corn on the cob wafted through the cool fall air as we waited for Patrick to finish grilling. Lexi was busy lighting the citronella candles on the table, whining to Patrick that all bugs were 'icky' and he was indulging her by agreeing.

I answered before I could think. "Oh, no problem. Pleasure to do it, sir."

Ian gave me a sideways glance that said really?

I balked and took a quick drink of my soda. Did I seriously just fucking call him sir? How much more could I make myself look like a pussy whipped kiss ass? I cringed and hoped he didn't notice my obvious humiliation.

Ian didn't miss much.

"Uh… did you just call me 'sir'?"

"Yeah," I winced, avoiding eye contact. "I…"

"Are you still dating my teenaged daughter?" he asked with a smug grin.

"Yes, s—" I stopped myself in time and grimaced.

He smirked. "Then go ahead and call me sir, Brady," he chuckled. It was the first smile he'd cracked around me in weeks. We both chuckled at my nervousness and stupidity as Patrick called us over to eat.

"Should I be worried?" Lexi asked, nudging my side with her elbow. I grabbed her plate from her hands in a chivalrous way and led her to the table.

"No. Just being my normal self."

"That's what I'm worried about," she hissed, giving me another famous Lexi-eye roll. We ate a pleasant meal on the back deck, the four of us enjoying what was most likely one of the last really nice days of the summer before fall really began. I managed not to humiliate myself again in front of her dads, so I was happy. It was a Saturday night, and I was covering half an early evening patrol shift for one of the younger guys that had a date, but I wasn't ready to say goodbye after dinner. As Patrick and Ian collected the plates and took them inside, I lingered at the bottom of the steps with Lexi.

"I have a short patrol shift, but can I come back at about ten?" I asked, batting my eyes at her in what I hoped was a sexy gaze.

Lexi wrinkled her nose. "I'll be in pajamas by then, is that alright?"

I sighed. "I want to show you something cool. You'll like it, I swear."

She smirked. "Is it in your pants?"

I pushed my laughter down as Patrick glanced out the window at us. "No, but you'll probably still like it," I winked. The Cullen vamps were out of town for a few weeks, testing Freaky Fred in a large city to chart his progress. I guess he'd done well lately with abstaining from his gruesome hunting habits, and they wanted to help him learn how to blend back into society as they had. When Lexi mentioned her love of sleek, modern houses, I knew their vampy crypt in the woods was something Lexi would want to see.

"Fine. I'll be ready," she laughed, shaking her head. "Even if it's not something in your pants."

I felt her fingers tighten in my fur as I made a beeline through the ferns. Her laughter echoed off the trees as I came up to the Cullen house shining through the trees. Seth was at home, drinking a few beers on the back deck while he commiserated with Quil and Embry about imprint problems – I had no problems hearing their monotone, pity-me-please voices as they bitched about their imprints. I stopped a ways back from the brightly lit house so Lexi could get the full effect, giving a high pitched yip to the trio on the back deck. Alerted to my presence, they stopped talking to raise their beers in greeting and kept moaning about imprint crap as Lexi shifted on my back and exhaled as her human eyes finally took in the view.

"Wow…" she sighed.

I gave a chuffing noise of agreement before phasing back to human form and catching her piggy back style before her feet could touch the ground. I grinned over my shoulder at her and she laughed.

"Show off," she muttered. I set her down on the ground and felt her eyes on me in the darkness as I pulled on my low-rise jeans. I was grateful her eyes were probably straining in the dim light; it felt weird to just have my innocent imprint ogle me the way she always did had this been daylight. After fastening my top button, I turned back to her and tried not to feel like a cocky ass as she gave me an appreciative glance. I'd gone to her house to pick her up in wolf form after my short patrol shift, and now here we were.

"It's not fair," she whined. "Why do you get to look like that? Flawless," she muttered in annoyance.

"Shut it, you're gorgeous. Would you look at the damn house instead of bitching about my genetic mutation?" I pretended to chide.

Lexi turned to the house, a happy sigh slipping from her lips. We were about a hundred yards away in the woods, but that was only so that we could get the full effect. The masterpiece of a home was shining brightly in the dark fall night, the lights bouncing off of every flat, white surface inside, giving it the appearance of glowing. The sleek lines and pale colors were a stark contrast to the dark, murky Washington forest that seemed to almost engulf it.

"You're a piece of work sometimes, you know that? I never know how to take you."

"I know. Makes two of us," she laughed, allowing me to slip my arm over her shoulders. She gazed forward through the trees, her eyes taking in the sleek lines and unique architecture of the home. "It's like it's out of a magazine. Reminds me of all those Frank Lloyd Wright houses my dad is always drooling over."

"The 'Falling Water' house? In Pennsylvania?" I asked.

She nodded. I smirked into the darkness, remembering one of the few conversations I'd had with the mommy vamp. She was, in my opinion, the least freaky of them all. When Jake mentioned her love of building, I'd approached her once years ago, unable to quell my curiosity about the house and the designer.

*** I sat at the pristine kitchen counter with Jake, inhaling a plate of lasagna. Turns out when you were hungry enough, vamp stink didn't bother you enough to overcome the urge to stuff your face.

Rosalie wrinkled her nose as she watched me eat. She was in the kitchen helping Esme cook for the pack – part of her mother's punishment for being rude to Jake earlier in the day. The two were constantly bickering with each other, and it was upsetting an already hormonal Renesmee. As penance, Esme had made them spend an entire week together or until they could get along.

"Try some manners, dog," she snapped at me.

I chuckled through a mouth full of food, exchanging a look with Jake. "I'm half animal, aren't I?"

"Something you never let us forget," she sniped.

"Rose," Esme prodded. She gave me a nod. "Does it taste okay?"

I nodded, shifting in my seat. Vegetarian or not, the vampy clan freaked me out.

"He'll take any excuse he can to hang around the house and take mental notes on your house, Esme," Jake chuckled, elbowing my side. I gave him an annoyed look. I liked the house true; it was an architect's dream, but I would never admit that willingly to the leech clan. She caught me off guard with a warm, human-like smile.

"I'm so happy you like it."

I fought the urge to puke and gave her a tight smile. "You have a nice home."

Jake snorted and smacked the counter. "I've heard your thoughts, pup. You can tell her you like it. Brady is a wannabe architect, Esme."

Her strange golden eyes seemed to light up as Rosalie snorted. Ignoring her witchy daughter, the matriarch was at my side in a creepy flash. "Do you really? Have you thought about where you want to go to school? I have some great contacts— "

I shook my head. "No, uhm… I can't. I can't leave the pack to go to school," I interrupted quietly. She paused mid sentence, giving me a saddened look with her stony face.

"I'm… I'm sorry. If you ever change your mind… or I could always help you put together a portfolio. I know what firms look for. Maybe something for the future. You never know."

I glanced up. "You… have you been an architect?"

She flashed a demure grin. "Twice."

I felt my face go slack as the urge to vomit at their vampy stench was suddenly overruled by my curiosity. "So… wait, did you design this house?"

Esme nodded and Rosalie snorted.

"Do I actually detect a sense of culture? An appreciation for the finer things, mutt?" Rosalie sniped. Esme playfully shoved her bitchy daughter aside and gave me another warm smile.

"Ignore her. Yes, I did design this house. We lived in a beautiful home once in Pennsylvania that inspired me for years. I wanted to create something with similar lines. I'd drawn this house practically a thousand times in my mind and on paper so many times over the years, and this seemed like the perfect setting for it."

I nodded. "It reminds me of a house from one of my dad's books…"

She cocked her head to the side. "Falling Water?"

"Yeah, that's it," I replied, giving her a smile without thinking. She bobbed her head.

"That's the one."

"Wait… you lived there?" I asked in awe. The famous Frank Lloyd Wright house was a feat in the art of architecture, and his work was the envy of practically anyone in the field. To think that the vampire family had lived in one of his houses was a bit monumental to wrap my head around.

Esme placed her cold hand on my warm one, making my skin break out in goose bumps. She smiled. "This life isn't always ideal, but it has given me the opportunity to experience some really extraordinary things, Brady." ***

Lexi's voice drew me out of my reverie from several years ago.

"It's so beautiful. Seth really lives here?"

I nodded, gazing up at the beautiful home. "Yes. But he's just watching it for some friends while they're gone, he doesn't own it."

"Oh," she sighed. "What kind of people live in a house like that?"

I smirked. "Rich ones."

She smiled up at me in the dim light, her white teeth and bright eyes glowing slightly in my enhanced vision. "Thank you for showing me this," she sighed.

I stared down at her with a smug look. "You're very welcome. I told you— "

I stopped mid sentence, my senses suddenly on high alert. Every hair on my body seemed to stand up as my nerve endings started to react. Lexi gazed up at me in question, but my attention was turned to whatever made me stand on end. I felt my spine shudder with the need to phase, and I knew.

Vampire.

It could have been one of the Cullens or even Freaky Fred, but none of those vampires had quite the reaction on my body that this one did. A chill shot through me as I realized that my very fragile, very important, very human imprint was standing right next to me.

"Brady? What is it? Is something wrong?'

"Shh," I shushed her. I glanced up at the balcony a hundred yards away where Seth, Quil, and Embry were still sitting talking. Taking a deep breath, I gave my best human impression of a warning yip, and my gifted eyes saw them immediately stop talking. A noise behind us made me sound it again. Lexi's fingers clutched at my sides as her fear increased.

"Brady…"

As I watched my three brothers go sailing over the tall railing and land on the ground, I was never so happy to have a supportive pack. None of them bothered to strip, instead bursting out of their clothes and into wolf form as they tore towards us. Lexi inhaled sharply and tensed, shrinking quickly into my side.

The three horse-sized wolves skidded to a stop in front of us. "I smelled it – no one familiar – head that way, I'm going to take her home and join you. Follow the scent and keep me posted on the location," I ordered. My brothers nodded in understanding, the ground shaking with their large paws as they barreled in the direction I'd pointed. There was definitely something amiss in the woods that night, and I didn't know what it was.

I turned to Lexi with a serious face and began peeling off my pants, ignoring her bewildered stares and panicked breaths.

"Brady… Brady what's wrong? What is it? I'm… I'm scared," she whimpered, reaching out to clutch my hand.

"I have to take you home. I'm going to phase. Hold on tight because I've got to run. Fuck, I'm sorry… just hold on and don't look up, okay? I have to get you home before it sees us."

"What Brady? Before what sees us?"

"Just don't let go of me, whatever you do, you understand?"

"But— "

My voice cut through the dark woods, making her jump. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" I shouted.

Her face went slack as she nodded. "What are we running from?" she asked in a shaky whisper as I prepared to phase. The hurt tremor in her voice made my iron resolve to get her immediately to safety waiver. I took two long strides and gripped her shoulders, lowering my face to hers.

"Vampires, Lexi. Vampires are out there. I need to get you home where you'll be safe."

Her jaw dropped as I stepped away and quickly phased. Once in wolf form, half my brain was busy worrying about getting Lexi to safety while the other half was busy trying to monitor the rest of the pack as they chased the scent. My wolf senses took over as I ran, Lexi cowering against my back, her fingers digging into my fur as she held on for dear life. I tore through the forest back towards Forks, trying to watch as they tracked whatever had been watching us in the woods. Realization finally hit me, and I remembered the scent as my pack brothers tossed it around in their minds.

I reeled with realization as I was finally able to focus on the scent.

The cloying, disgusting smell was one I'd smelled before in the past – It was tinged with the scent of human blood and my stomach lurched as I realized it was probably fresh from a meal. It was the vampire a younger wolf, Sean, and I had battled earlier that year. I'd been so down in the dumps last spring after Lexi rejected me that I'd almost forgotten our random fight earlier that year. Both Sean and I had gotten our asses handed to us by the taunting leech.

And he was back.

But why?

I'd learned a lot about the vampire world over the years. I was trained to kill them, yet I did spend some time training with the Cullens. Jake also shared any knowledge he had of them, as his imprint was half one herself. I was certain that after the almost Volturi war that most vampires knew about the Cullens and their reinforcements – a rogue vampire would have to be crazy to think it could stand against a clan like theirs. It would have to have a death wish. The Cullens were infamous in the vampire world now for having more allies than even the Volturi, with every other member possessing a more potentially lethal gift than the next. A vampire with no apparent ties was foolish to irritate a coven like theirs. Word of their bonds and talent had surely spread over the years.

So what did this strange vampire want? It was unusual for him to return to Forks with a gifted, miniature vampire army and a pack of shape shifting wolves – either of which could and would tear him apart.

But I admitted to myself – he had been a skilled fighter.

I remembered the way he danced and laughed about the forest, teasing and prodding us both. He didn't act or move like a newborn, or even a relatively young vampire. The red, seething glares he'd mocked us with were that of an experienced leech. So what did he want in Forks?

Sadly, I think we all know what he wants. A few more things happen before 'it', but we are approaching that time. Wah.

Remember to follow me on Tumblr and Twitter! I post pics and teasers! Head on over to Tumblr after this and I'll post a few pics of the house they are talking about. So pretty - I can totally see the Cullens living there.

Thoughts? Thanks for reading and please review! And thanks for your patience while I plan my wedding - less than 2 months! ah!