I am so excited for you all to read the first chapter of Seth's story. I truly adore this story and the two characters that are featured. Out of all the imprint stories I have done, Jane and Seth have a special place in my heart; I hope you fall in love with them as much as I have!
This is the 3rd imprint story that I will be working on. I have already finished Unbroken: Paul's Imprint Story and The Pointé: Embry's Imprint Story. They are all separate stories, so you do not need to read them first to understand this, but feel free to do so! I will leave a list of characters if you choose to not read the other stories so no one is confused!
KEY:
Scarlett: Paul's imprint/wife
Lena: Scarlett and Paul's daughter, Embry's imprint/girlfriend
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One: Imprinting
Jane's POV
I knew it was a terrible idea to walk home alone at this hour; in fact, it was all I could think about as I quickly crossed one street to the next, wishing that the reservation part of Forks adopted a bus system.
The thing was, I usually never would have been in this situation in the first place. The person who was supposed to lock up at the bookstore had called in sick, so I had stayed behind to help out. Only, I made it halfway back when I realized that I had, in fact, forgotten my cell-phone and had to turn around. When I first left the sun was just beginning to set, the second time around, it was merely pitch black.
To my demise, there were very few streetlights lining the uneven sidewalks from the bookstore from the reservation back to my house on the mainland. It wasn't that the reservation was necessarily dangerous, but I was a five-foot five skinny girl with absolutely zero muscle walking alone with nothing to protect myself but a tattered copy of my favorite book in my side-bag. The likelihood that someone would choose to take advantage of me was very, very high, which was why I was only partially surprised when the danger actually arrived.
"Should I just swallow the money and call an uber?" I thought to myself, only, it would cost as much as I made tonight. I was weighing my options right as a man, tall, dark and terrifying stepped right in front of me on the sidewalk. Having not expected him, I wasn't able to stop in time, and instead, I crashed right into his chest.
"Woah," He laughed and pulled me away, grabbing my forearm tightly in his grasp before I had a chance to regain my footing. A smell of sweat and too strong of cologne hit me in the face like a punch, making me nauseous immediately.
"What do we have here?" He asked, a crooked smile on his face. This man had dark hair, black eyes, and crooked teeth. He had low hanging jeans and a wife-beater, and I recognized him from the numerous instances of gang-related activity that had been plaguing the outskirts of Forks, Seattle mostly, that sometimes made its way into Forks on the weekends.
I stiffened on instinct, and immediately attempted to pull away, but my strength was just no use for his; he was triple my body weight.
Fear, strong and debilitating, surged through my veins at warped speed. It paralyzed me, my brain working at a frantic pace to think of a solution. Something, anything to get me out of this. I found myself craning my neck from left to right, looking for someone, anyone to help me, but I already knew that my decision to walk the line lining the forest instead of the main street, while it may have seemed safer at the time, left me completely alone and unprotected.
I saw a figure move to my life, and adrenaline shot it's way into my chest and out of my mouth.
"Help!" I screamed, surprised by the sheer force of my voice.
The man holding me turned towards the person; I noticed him freeze for just a moment, before the tension all but left his shoulders and he laughed. He laughed. I think a part of me died.
"What'cha got there?" The second man who I quickly realized wasn't my ally rounded the corner. Tattoos littered his face and gold chain hung from his neck. This one looked me up and down openly, even more violating than my captor.
"Little girl walking home all alone," He replied.
I chilled at the mere sneer in his voice.
"You should really be more careful," The second one countered. "It's not safe out here for a pretty thing like you so late at night. Just asking for trouble."
My mouth had grown dry. My body knew what was about to happen to it, what I thought was going to occur, but I couldn't understand it. I wasn't able to grasp the fact that these two men could hurt me. They could rape me, or kill me. I had no idea which was worse, and with every passing second the dread inside of me overcame me, and I had to force back tears.
No- tears would not help at a time like this. I knew that, but it was all that I could think to do.
Suddenly, my survival instincts took over as I began to thrash and fight against his grip. I fought as hard as I could, with an effort that seemed impossible for anyone to be able to overcome, but alas, he hung on. Then in a moment, the second man was holding me as well, standing behind me and grabbing my shoulders.
"Come on honey, we'll take care of you," He whispered in my ear.
Goosebumps erupted on my skin. I felt like vomiting. I thought I just might. What had I learned in movies? What should I do? There had to be a way out of this!
Thousands of thoughts and questions were swarming my head at the speed of lightening. They came so quickly that they all morphed and mushed together before I was able to really think them at all. It was the most terrifying and debilitating feeling of my life; knowing that all I needed to do was think but not being able to. It was like the fear had made it so that my brain couldn't work anymore.
"Help!" I suddenly screamed. "Help!" I screamed this over and over again, my voice growing hoarse, and after a few more the man standing behind me shoved his hand overtop of my mouth. He was pressing too hard, my teeth cutting into the insides of my lips, and his hand tasted like salt and dirt. I fought away from him, and then when that proved unsuccessful, I attempted to bite him, but his hand was pressed too tightly to my mouth.
I was powerless, and suddenly the man in front of me was reaching for my shirt. And I reacted. I somehow managed to tear my arm from my captor holding me back and slam it into his nose.
"Ah!" He jumped back and grabbed his nose. It took a mere second for my second captor to regain control over me, and then another for the man in front of me to stand up straight again, his face suddenly not intrigued and wicked, but angry.
"Bitch!" He spat, and suddenly his fist crashed into my stomach. I gasped. The pain was unreal. I had never been hit before, and suddenly the wind was knocked out of me. I honest to God could not breathe. I felt myself grow dizzy, and as I was still reeling from that, he hit me in the jaw too.
If I thought the stomach hit was painful, it was timid compared to the pain that shot through my entire head, stabbing into me and overwhelming me. There was no way that didn't ricochet my brain. I had no idea how I hadn't passed out.
Would it be better if I did pass out?
He grabbed my legs. "Shut up!" He yelled at me. "Hold her down!"
Despite the pain, there was a burning desire in me brought on by fear and self-protection that made me continue to fight. I kicked my legs as hard as I could, even as they lowered me to the ground and the man who had hit me climbed on top of my body. His disgusting fingers reached for my waistband.
Please, no, I begged internally. But no one was coming to save me. I knew that. I had nothing to do but wait for unimaginable pain and violation. I wished he had knocked me out at that point.
Seth's POV
I had felt uneasy all day. This morning, my stomach had been to upset to even eat breakfast, and though I was able to eat Emily's lunch later, which probably had more to do with the fact that Emily was one of the most incredible cooks I had ever encountered than my appetite, I still didn't feel well.
On edge would be a better phrase for it.
It was like I had been waiting for something terrible to happen all day long. I hadn't felt like this since I first phased, so it was kind of freaky to feel it again.
Maybe I was getting the flu, I reassured myself. I was probably just freaked out because the last time I got the "flu" I turned into an animal. I was most likely just overreacting.
I almost turned back, that was how off I felt, though thankfully I decided on just one more block before I turned around…
It was when we reached the lining between the forest and the backs of the few shops littering the edge of the reservation that the same uneasy feeling that I had been feeling all day overwhelmed me.
Seth, what's up? I heard Jacob ask. Him and Embry were my running mates tonight, and I could tell that my mood was beginning to affect them.
Something's wrong, I thought, which meant that they could hear.
Are you sure you're not just feeling out of it? Embry questioned.
No, I heard myself answer. Something is definitely wrong.
You could be sensing something, Jacob countered. We'll follow you. Just let your intuition lead.
Though I thought it was an idiotic idea, I couldn't help but feel a small amount of pride that Jacob, our Alpha, trusted me enough to let me lead them based on a small hunch. Though I was from the same generation of wolves as Jacob, Sam, Embry, Quil, Jared and Paul, I sometimes found myself being pushed into the group of the younger generation. The younger generation that I am referring to are the other pack member's kids, which are Jacob's two sons, one of which had just phased for the first time, Sam's son, and the second girl to ever join the pack, Larissa Cameron, who is Jared's daughter.
None of the other kids seemed to have the gene, though. In fact, one time I thought to myself how great it was that little Lena Lahote didn't suddenly shift. That girl was even hotter than her mother! Embry left me with a scar down my arm for that one. Though, I honestly couldn't say that Larissa was any better. Woman. They're so moody.
I followed my instincts forward, pushing me towards the edge of town. I knew that it wasn't our territory outside of Forks, but I also knew that though that law was technical, the only real area that we absolutely had to avoid was the Cullen's land.
I made it merely to the edge of the line when I finally heard what I was feeling.
Muffled screams filled my over-active hearing, and suddenly the three of us broke out in a sprint towards the sound. We were able to hone our hearing on the scene of distress, and make out the sound of ripping and grunts.
My heart ricocheted to my throat, and suddenly I was sprinting faster than I ever had before. I left Jacob and Embry in my dust as I hurried towards the sound. I had no idea why, but the muffled screams, though the softest sound, were all that I could hear. It as overwhelming my mind. I couldn't think anymore; all that I could manage to do was accelerate faster. I needed to save her; I had no idea what was happening, or if it was in fact a her, but I somehow knew that it was.
I rounded a corner and suddenly came face to face with the scene that I had just heard. There, hiding beyond the bend of a building, were two men… and a girl. The girl was frantically fighting against her attackers, but it was obvious that it was little use. She was much, much smaller than them.
There was one man standing behind her, holding her arms down, and another was holding himself over top of her. Her shirt was ripped open, and he was suddenly reaching for the waistband of his jeans.
Before I even had a chance to think, I burst through the forest trees and on top of him, I clamped my mouth around his side and pulled him off of her easily, tossing him into the shed a few feet away. All that I heard was a dull thud followed by a bang, and then the other man that had been holding her down was the only one left.
He stood up, shocked, and stared me straight in the eyes as I lunged for him. This time, I didn't take the time to throw him, instead, I went right for his neck, and in an instant he fell to the floor. I had never, ever killed someone before; I had never wanted to. Not even the vampires. But I had just done it. And I wasn't upset about it either.
I turned my attention to the girl still lying on the floor just as Jacob and Embry caught up.
Seth! Jacob barked. Are you okay? What happened?
Is she okay? Embry cut in.
I peered down at her, and noticed her staring at the likes of us. She was holding herself up with her elbows, and her eyes kept switching between Jacob, Embry and I, taking us in. Her mouth was hanging open, though her shock and her swollen jaw did not hide her obvious beauty. This girl had gigantic brown eyes, a small nose, and delicate lips. She had a natural blush to her cheeks that was unreal, though I bet that had more to do with her nearly being sexually assaulted. Her hair was shiny, golden brown, and though it was pulled up in a high, messy pony-tale I could tell how long it was. It flowed in loose, thick curls down her back, and laid on the asphalt beneath her.
She was beautiful.
Seth, Embry, don't leave her. Jacob got my attention. I need to phase back and see if she is okay. Shit. I don't know how we're going to explain this.
Did they manage to hurt her? Embry asked me.
I don't think so, I answered honestly, replaying the scene in my mind of what I had witnessed so that Embry could see.
In an instant, the image of Embry's Lena getting attacked all those years ago flashed across his mind, but in a second it was gone.
Good, I could actually sense the relief in Embry's thoughts. I don't think they got to her.
In the process of trying to see if she had any other obvious injuries than her jaw, I took a step closer, and suddenly the girl gasped. She pushed herself away from us and then quickly stumbled up. Only, as soon as she did she began to waver. Embry took a step forward before I had a chance to, and helped cushion her fall.
"Shit!" Jacob ran up to us on human, seeing her lying across Embry. "What I miss?"
Passed out, Embry answered, though I knew that Jacob couldn't hear.
He let out a long breath and then rubbed his face. "Did she pass out?"
I nodded.
Jacob moaned. "We've got to bring her home. Thanks to Seth, it wasn't like three rabid wolves were hungry and managed to kill her attackers before they did the same to her; now she saw three gigantic dog-wolves act like humans and come to her rescue. Shit- Seth. She's seen too much. We have to explain things."
My face hardened. If I had waited a second longer they would have raped her you ass-hat!
You did fine, Seth, Embry responded. He's just an uptight prick about this kinda stuff. Got to keep our secret, you know. Just makes me happy I'm not alpha.
He's annoying. I could tell that I was being unreasonable, but these were my actual thoughts, and since Embry was reading my actual brain, I couldn't cater them.
Hey, what made you run so fast? Fuck. I've never seen anyone run that fast.
I shrugged. Not sure.
Do you feel better? Embry asked me suspiciously.
I thought about it for a moment. Actually, yeah. Yeah I do. Why?
You were probably sensing this. That's so weird. I felt that when Lena was getting attacked, too.
Hm. That's weird, I thought to myself. I had never had that feeling before. But before I could examine it any further, Jacob lifted her off of the ground and into his arms, and then he held onto my back so that I could lift them home.
The word spread about what had happened on patrol pretty quickly, which was why by the time we made it back to Sam and Emily's, which had basically become the stomping ground for our get-togethers and group-discussions, there was already a crowd.
Sam and Emily were there, of course, along with their teenage son Micah. Renesmee was there with her three sons, one of which was still too little to phase, though I had no doubt that with Jacob's lineage he would, and Lena Lahote was waiting with her parents, Paul and Scarlett, along with my sister, who was quickly scanning her eyes for me.
Everyone who had "someone" involved in the incident came in attendance, and I could tell from the amount of parked cars that this wasn't all of them; there were certainly more people inside.
Embry and I phased in the trees before walking out with Jacob, and immediately everyone was rushing over to us.
"Is she okay?" Renesmee Black quickly rushed over to us. Jacob kissed her cheek and nudged EJ's back, who was their five-year-old who was currently holding onto Nessie's leg.
"She's fine," Jacob responded easily. "Seth took care of that."
"You did?" Sam came next to us. "Congrats, kid."
I narrowed my eyes at him. Though I had "technically" stopped aging at 16, the werewolf process made me look like at least an 18-year-old, which is what I identified my age as, and I had been 16 for more than ten years now, meaning that I was actually nearing my 30's, not that anyone seemed to care.
"Oh my word," Emily reached for her heart as she looked down at the girl that was still passed out cold. "You have to get her inside! Imagine if she woke up to all of this."
"She seems passed out-cold," Jacob peered down at her. "But I didn't see her go down."
"I think she might have hit her head or something, not even sure she passed out from that," Embry added from his spot hugging Lena.
Scarlett, who was next to them, appeared worried, though I bet her past had a lot to do with that. Paul was comforting her, as I reached for the girl out of Jacob's arms.
"I'll bring her upstairs," I mumbled, for some reason just really wanting to get her out of the commotion of all of this. She had been through enough.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Embry asked me, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Yeah," I lied, because the truth was that I still felt weird, but in a different way. Angry, sad, tired. I just wanted to know that she was okay. "I'm just going to bring her to the guest bedroom. Is that okay, Em?"
"Of course!" Emily rushed after me. "I'll help you!"
I brought the girl up to the guest bedroom and Emily helped me to tuck her in. She left to gather new bath towels and I stayed, staring at her sleeping. I realized now that this girl was older than I had thought. Originally, I had thought her to be about sixteen, but now that the look of terror has left her features, I thought that she looked a little bit older than that. She had puffy, rosy cheeks; and I realized that the redness never went away, so I had been right about their natural coloring.
A piece of hair fell into her eyes, and I had just leaned in to swipe it away when she gasped awake.
I jumped back, not having expected it, as she sprang up in bed. Immediately her breathing was heavy, and her frantic eyes searched the room quickly.
"Hey," I began, not quite sure how to approach her but wanting to make my voice soft.
She jumped.
"It's okay," I held out my hands. "You're safe."
She gulped. She wouldn't look me directly in the eyes. "W-who are you?" She asked, and her voice was literally like music to my ears; I had never heard something so beautiful before. She spoke like she was singing, that's how beautiful it was. It was soft and sweet and not too high but soft, nonetheless.
"I'm Seth," I answered after missing a beat.
She stared at the door uneasily.
"You can leave any time you'd like," I told her quickly, realizing what she was thinking. "My friends and I, we saw you getting attacked. You passed out. We brought you here. It's my… aunt's house. Do you want us to call someone?"
She swallowed harshly and then pursed her lips. It was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. She winced and then raised her fingers to her jaw.
I winced myself. I imagined someone hitting her, and I wondered how on earth someone would be able to do that to such a perfect, innocent girl, especially her.
"Are you okay?" I asked after a moment.
She nodded her head slowly. "Yeah. I, ugh," She winced again. "I have a headache. Do you have Tylenol?"
"I'm sure we do. Did you hit your head?"
She slams her eyes tightly together and then bunches her fingers in her scalp. She moans gently and I swallow. She looks sexier than I had thought she could at first glance.
"I can't really… remember. I mean, I remember getting jumped, and I remember the two men, but I don't really remember how I got away. You said that you helped me?"
I gulped. "You- you don't remember?" I clarified.
She shook her head. "No," She whispered weakly.
"That's alright," I quickly recovered. "I don't think anything- ugh, happened to you."
She blushed and widened her eyes at the floor.
I followed suit, blushing as well and then shuffling on my feet. "What's your name?" I asked after a moment.
She peered nervously towards the door again. "Can I leave?"
I was not sure why that deflated me so much. "Sure you can," I answered easily. "We could call someone for you to pick you up if that would help."
She seemed to relax just at the offer. "Ugh, thank you." She attempted to stand up, but almost as quickly as her feet hit the floor she wavered.
I immediately closed the distance between us and reached for her arms. She stiffened at my touch, but quickly she loosened as I helped to lower her back into bed. She smelled like fresh fruit mixed with a little bit of a fresh laundry, watery scent; I had never been close to a girl who had smelled like this before, and I just wanted to drink her in.
"Maybe I should lay down for a while," She grabbed her head.
"We have a family friend that's an ER doctor. He can come over and take a look at your head. You might have a concussion," I told her, though really I just wanted her to stay around for a while longer.
"That's really… nice," Even her voice sounded uncomfortable. "But you don't need to do that."
"It's not a big deal," I quickly clarified. "He does this all the time."
"Okay," Her voice was weak.
I pulled covers up to her chin. "Ugh, I'm not a doctor or anything," I cleared my throat. "But isn't it like standard protocol to not sleep if you are suspected of having a concussion?" I knew enough from my short time playing sports in high school to be completely an idiot on the subject.
Her lips pulled up at the corners. She batted her eyes open slowly and then sighed. "Okay. Could you maybe get me a painkiller, than?" She batted her eyelashes up to meet mine, and suddenly she connected her beautiful, chocolate brown eyes with my own.
In an instant, my entire world spun on its axis. It was like all of the uneasiness, all of the worry, all of the fear and then admiration and finally appeal morphed together and was spun around and tied with a ribbon filled with love and it consumed where my heart used to be.
My mouth dropped for a moment as I let out a sound of disbelief.
Her eyebrows furrowed and then she reached for her head again. "Are you okay?"
I blinked a few times and then stood up straighter. "I, ugh, yes. Yes. Pain meds. Pain meds," I nodded twice and then left to leave. "Pain meds."
"Thank you," She whispered, and I watched her close her eyes as I cracked the door behind me.
Once I was safely in the hallway, there was no denying the panic- good panic- from surging through my body at warped speed.
"Holy shit," I began pacing back and forth, far enough from her room so that she wasn't able to see me. "Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit."
"Seth?" Emily stopped on her way towards her room with towels in hand. "What's up?"
"I ugh," I pointed my thumb towards her room and then shook my head. "I, uh, I," I cleared my throat. "I can, ugh, I can give those to her." I finally gave up on trying to explain something that I was still wrapping my brain around and reached for the towels.
"Is she awake?" Emily's eyes widened.
I nodded. "She doesn't remember the wolves though."
"Oh," She let out a long sigh. "Well that's a relief. You should go tell Jacob and everyone else. They're worried. I think Jake's trying to see if the Cullen's know anyone with the power to remove memories. I'll give these to her."
Em grabbed the towels out of my hands and I stood like a fool holding my hands out, not liking that anyone was going into my girl's room except for me. Then I realized that I just met her, and didn't even know her name, so she most definitely was not my girl, and that made me feel awful in a different kind of way.
After a moment, I finally admitted to myself that Emily was right and that I should tell everyone else before they panicked too much. If I could just explain quickly and not act too weird…
I descended the steps and walked into the kitchen. Immediately all eyes turned on me.
"Did she wake up?" Jacob asked immediately.
"You were up there for quite a while," Scarlett twiddled with her necklace. "Is she okay?"
"She's ugh… fine," I cleared my throat and shuffled on my feet. Act normal, I commanded myself. "She doesn't remember anything."
Everyone got quiet.
After a moment, Scarlett was the one to break the silence. "Nothing?" She asked uneasily.
"Well, I mean, she remembers being attacked, but she doesn't remember us at all. Or the wolves. She has a really bad headache, I think she has a concussion, and that might explain it."
"Oh," Everyone in the room let out a long breath of relief.
"Thank God," Jacob covered his face with his hands.
Nessie laughed and rubbed his back.
"So, now that we're not concerned about the future of the Quileute tribe," Lena rolled her eyes. "Did you get a good look at her?" Oh no. "She was kinda hot, Seth!"
"Yeah, you know, you're right. She was pretty hot." Embry grinned at Lena and she punched him in the shoulder. He laughed and squeezed her arms.
I ignored her question, diverting her eyes.
"You did seem pretty worried," Scarlett countered, though much less confidently. In many ways Scarlett and her daughter were similar, but in just as many ways they were different. They had the same sense of humor, though while Lena's was delivered with sass and confidence, Scarlett's was stated more cautiously and with a giggle. Right now, I much preferred the older of the Lahote women.
"I just didn't like what I saw," I answered, my voice dry. "I was the one who saw them attacking her."
"Speaking of that," Embry laughed. "How the fuck did you run so fast? You usually can't even keep up, and you left Jake and I in your dust!"
I rolled my eyes, because I do, in fact, keep up. "I had a sense."
"Well if you're not interested I definitely am," Jason Black widened his eyes. "There was a reason she was attacked after all…"
Once second, I was standing, nervous, trying to figure out how my new brain works, and the next I am lunging across the room, bunching up the center of Jason Black's shirt, and pushing him up against the wall.
The entire room gasped, and then complained all at once.
"What the hell, Seth?" Nessie seethed. "He was just kidding!"
"Yeah man," Jason looked at me nervously. "It was a joke."
The anger that was filling me to the brink was irrational, I knew that, but it took everything inside of me not to deck him for that comment. Never the one for violence, I let him go, and then took a few steps back for good measure.
"Holy shit," Lena suddenly stated. Her eyes widened and a knowing smile spread across her lips. "You totally imprinted on her!"
The entirety of every single set of eyes landed upon me, and all stared openly.
I blinked at her. Great.
"Oh crap," Embry burst out laughing. "You really did!"
"Shit!" Paul clapped his hands together.
"Wow, Embry!" Nessie stood up and came over to give me a hug. "This is amazing, but would you guys watch your mouths, please?"
"Awe, Seth!" Scarlett gave me a warm hug. "What's her name?"
"I ugh, I," I scratched my head. "I'm not sure."
"Really winning at the whole imprint thing, man," Sam shook my hand.
"Hey, you can't fuck up any more than I did?" Embry leaned back in his chair.
Lena rolled her eyes.
"That's probably why you felt so weird all day. And I'm hoping it's the reason for you attacking me," Jason narrowed his eyes at me and adjusted his collar.
"Probably," I sighed. "But don't say anything like that again. I'm serious."
"Awe, he's serious, Jase. Didn't you hear?" Jacob held me in a neck-hold and then roughly rubbed his fist against my head.
"Would you guys leave him alone!" Emily suddenly came down the stairs.
I pushed Jacob off of me. "Is she okay?"
"Yes," Emily gushed. "She's really, very sweet. You should bring her some pain medication though. Nessie, can you call your grandfather, sweetie?"
"On it," Nessie pulled her youngest son into her lap and then reached for her phone.
"What did I miss?" Emily quickly caught onto the atmosphere in the room and everyone burst out laughing.
I sighed. I quickly filled a glass of water and then found a bottle of Ibuprofen. "I'm going back upstairs," I announced insignificantly as I made my way back to her. I never understood why everyone else had gotten so annoyed at being made fun of for imprinting before. I remembered when Paul imprinted; he refused to talk to anyone for a week. I had thought that he was just being Paul, and that he was probably mad that he didn't want to sleep around anymore, but now I realized that it is so much more than that.
It wasn't funny. My entire world changed in one split second and I felt like I needed to lock myself in a room for a week because I had no idea who I was or what my brain was made of anymore. The only thing that I was sure of, is that the girl that I saved tonight was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and that all I wanted to do is make sure that what happened tonight never, ever happened again.
When I stepped inside of the bedroom once more, her eyes immediately darted to mine, and then almost instantly she sat up straighter in bed. She gulped and then looked down at her hands on the comforter before bringing them up to watch me again.
"I brought you medicine," I explained after a moment.
"Thank you," She smiled a small, genuine smile that filled my entire body with desire. I just wanted to hug her and never let go; that surely wasn't a normal thought.
I brought it over to her side and held my hands out to her. She reached for the cup and our fingers brushed. Her hands were soft and warm, though she must not have thought the same about mine. She quickly pulled her hands away and then closed her eyes.
"Crap," She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," I responded gently.
"No it's not," She moaned. "You're not the one who attacked me!" She raised her eyes to meet mine and then shook her head. "I know that. I shouldn't be afraid of you." She grabs the cup from my hand. "It has just been a crazy day."
I offer her a small smile and then nod. I open up the pill bottle and then dump out two into her very tiny hand.
"Not that it's really any of my business," I begin after she takes the pills. "But what were you doing walking home so late at night alone?"
She cringed, though this time it thankfully wasn't due to pain. "It was pretty stupid, huh?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "Well, it depends what it was for," I replied honestly.
She sighed. "Trust me it was stupid. I worked late to begin with, but I realized on my walk home that I left my phone. So I had to turn all the way around to go get it. I should have just left it and picked it up in the morning. Funny, I thought it was more dangerous to walk home alone without a phone. How ironic."
"That's not stupid," I answered her honestly. She fluttered her very long, very dark eyelashes up to meet mine. "Where do you work?"
It took her a moment to form a response. "At the Reservation Book store right on the edge of town."
I frowned. "There's been a lot of crime reported around there recently."
"I know," She blew some hair out of her eyes.
"You shouldn't walk anymore," I heard myself demanding, which was so not like me.
She raised an eyebrow at me. "Well I don't have a car and I need the money, so." Both of our voices dropped as we let an awkward silence fill the air.
"Should I call your parents?" I finally asked. I still wasn't sure how old she was, but she surely wasn't old enough for her parents not to worry about her whereabouts, especially when she was this pretty.
"Oh, no, that's okay," She blushed again and then diverted eye contact.
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely," She sat back against the headboard. "Should I go? I mean, my head is already starting to feel better."
I cocked my head at her. "Liar. You just took that pain medication two seconds ago."
She giggled, and the sound was even more beautiful than her actual voice that it had my head spinning in an instant. "I don't want to intrude," She just barely whispered.
"Trust me," I couldn't help but smile. "You're not intruding."
She smiled her first open-mouthed, genuine smile at me, and I committed that beautiful, breathtaking sight to memory. She had perfect, shining white teeth. They were big, and they matched her giant brown eyes. She had freckles around her nose that I was just noticing now, too. This girl was insanely adorable.
"I'm Jane," She finally said.
I took a deep breath.
"Jane," I repeated, interested in how the word sounded rolling off of my tongue.
She nodded her head slowly. "Seth, right?"
I beamed at this.
Jane giggled.
"You know you could just stay here tonight if you wanted to," I quickly offered before I could help myself. "You must be exhausted."
"Ugh," Jane pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I don't know if I'm comfortable with that," She blushed.
"Oh," I frowned. "Well that's okay. I can take you home after the doctor gets here."
"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with that either," Jane laughed.
"The thing is, Jane," I concealed a grin just from using her name alone. "I'm not going to let you walk home alone again in the middle of the night. One, I'm concerned about your safety, and two, I am very tired, and I don't want to have to save you again."
Jane pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.
"So if it would make you more comfortable you could lock the door? Barricade it even. But still, no one here is hurting you."
Jane smiles and shakes her head at her lap. "I don't think you'd hurt me, Seth," Jane answers sweetly. "You saved me. I just don't know you, so."
That bothered me beyond reasonable explanation. On one hand, she was right, but on the other, how could I possibly explain to her that I wanted to protect her with the fiery pits of my soul and would die for her? How could I explain that I already loved her, even though I didn't truly know her yet?
"Please stay tonight?" I actually heard a whine in my voice, though I could care less. "You can leave in the morning."
She began to argue, but then I saw her lock eyes with mine. She settled into her bed and pressed her lips together. "Okay," She finally whispered.
"Okay," I sighed, the stress finally leaking off of me.
AHHHHHH! What did everyone think of your first introduction to Jane?
I have three chapters written already, so once everyone has a chance to follow, favorite, and review, I'll post the next! Thank you for reading!
