Please Note: As promised, the second of two chapters I was inspired to write earlier. I really hope you guys like this and enjoy the read. I'm going to warn you all now, I'm kind of loosely following yet not following the timeline set forth in the series. Like I'll pick and choose certain events and their outcomes but I really do want to try and squeeze in everything that happens from New Moon moving forward, all the way through and possibly even beyond Breaking Dawn. I just have this whole little world planned out in my head for these two loosely already and it's been there for a while. The fact that I'm now getting the courage to share this is really making me happy so thanks to everyone so far for putting up with me.
Apologies in advance if anyone finds it weird that I write my OC's pov in first person and Embry's / other side characters and scenes in third. It's weird but it's one of few ways I find most comfortable for me.
04
Embry tensed all over. The scent of her was all around him, bursting with sweetness. Making his mouth water and making it super complicated to focus on anything else other than the overwhelming urge to go to her.
It had him fidgeting, antsy.
Which Sam noticed and shook his head no, giving a stern look.
Jared argued in Embry's defense, "Hey, ease up, Uley. Of the four of us, Embry here has the restraint of a fucking saint."
Embry found himself gazing down from the peak of the rocky cliffs to the beach below. Watching her as she hung around with some friends she'd shown up with. His eyes were glued to her. Nothing else mattered. Not anything his pack brothers were saying, nor the fact that he was about to dive off the highest cliff and into icy and choppy water.
She sprang up from the sand. Shedding the jacket he'd given her and carefully placing it on top of another girl's beach blanket. The group of girls down below was cheering noisily. Encouraging her to do something, from the sound of it.
Embry bit back a distracted groan as she launched herself forward, doing a line of handstands and cartwheels down the shore. He tensed when the tide seemed to roll in and take her down, his breath catching until the point he saw her pop up a few feet out from the shore, laughing as she called out to one of the girls with her, "How many am I up to now, Jas?"
"Fourteen? It would've been fifteen, but the last one was too crooked and your legs were entirely too far apart, Ronnie. C'mon, you little show off."
"Aw, c'mon. Water feels nice." Veronica called out. Embry chuckled to himself, shaking his head.
From the left of him, Jared snickered. "Any day now, Call. Go on.. Show off for her." Jared teased.
"Do you really think I can do all of that?" Embry asked with a raised brow.
"Twenty bucks says you won't take off running and cannonball the water. Do it or you're a little bitch." Jared pulled a twenty dollar bill out of the pocket of his cargo shorts, popping the money to taunt Embry.
Embry took a deep breath and muttered to himself quietly, "Fuck it. Twenty bucks is twenty bucks." before taking a running start, hurling himself right over the edge of the cliff, tucking into himself so that he'd hit the water below in a perfect cannonball. Howling as he went.
Deep down, he made as much noise as possible because maybe it was a subtle fuck you to Sam and the rules, that while practical, were currently driving the Quileute shifter beyond berserk.
He surfaced from beneath the water and he was just about to start walking back up the path to the highest cliff when he heard her soft lilting voice as she called out to him, "Hey! You've gotta teach us how to do that."
He chuckled to himself, turning back after glancing up to make sure Sam wasn't giving him a dirty look or anything. He eyed the group of girls as they waded out into the water, led by his imprint.
"C'mon, please? I'll beg." she gave him this pleading look that he got the feeling was going to be his downfall entirely too many times in the future.
"Veronica, c'mon. Are you crazy? You can barely swim and you want to dive off the highest cliff here?" her friend called out, cutting through the intense staredown happening right now between Embry and his imprint.
She gave a teasing pout as she stepped closer. Adding in a quiet whisper, "What? Sam won't let you play with the other kids?"
"Are you daring me right now?" Embry asked, chuckling quietly. Feeling heat soar through his body and settle in his cheeks. If he were more outgoing like Paul or Jared, he'd totally have been able to make this flirting thing sound a million times better.
He almost wanted to cringe because he felt like he was going about this interaction all wrong.
She stepped even closer to him in his moment of distraction. Clearing her throat. Gazing up at him with amusement dancing in bright brown eyes. Eyes he could get lost in. Eyes he was nearly drowning in at the moment. Dazed.
"Do you wanna know what I say to Sam Uley and his little cult like leadership? To hell with it. C'mon. I'm diving and you're coming with."
Embry didn't even get a chance to argue, instead, he was having his hand grabbed. Unable to resist the soft warmth of her hand in his, he followed right along. Knowing full well that Sam was going to really ream him out for it later but for the moment, not caring.
As soon as the two emerged from the bushes at the top of the hill, Paul nudged Jared, chuckling in amusement. "Twenty bucks says that she made the move. She just strikes me as the type."
"I'll see your twenty and raise you five that Sam is about to get super pissed and Embry's going to hear about it later."
"Yeah, not on my watch. He needs to give the kid a damn break. The kid's got way more self control than any of us, truth be told. He better not even think about pulling this shit if I imprint anytime soon and I decide not to ignore it." Paul mumbled.
Sam swore under his breath. Jared snickered to himself when the response of Embry's imprint was to boldly stare Sam Uley down for a few seconds before sticking out her tongue and then completely ignore the look the guy was giving her in favor of turning her attention to Embry. Stepping up to him.
"Well, are we doing this?"
"You're the one who wanted to dive." Embry chuckled.
"Yeah, about that.. I uh.. Did I mention I can barely doggy paddle to save my life?"
When she gave him that pleading look again, he rubbed his chin in thought. Pretending for a second or two that he wasn't fully intent on diving off the cliff with his imprint just to make sure she was okay and nothing went wrong.
"Okay, alright. Do you do this act before you think often?"
"Some might argue I do." Veronica teased, closing the distance between them. Gazing up at him with her sly little smile.
Sam's inner voice cut through Embry's distracted train of thought. "We have a rule, Embry."
"Try stopping her when she wants to do something? What was I supposed to do? Be an asshole? After this.. I'll go back to keeping my distance." Embry responded with his own inner voice.
The look in Sam's eyes told the tale. Oh, he would most certainly be hearing about this later.
But hearing about it later was worth it just this once. Being away from her for as long as he had been, with only his sneaky visits when it was his turn to patrol as a way to see her from afar was really starting to get to him.
"Okay, so.. How are we doing this, hm?"
"Well," Embry managed to dig down and find a little boldness, scooping her up in his arms, "This is probably the only way I can think of if we're both going down. Hang on, Veronica."
"Nice and tight, Embry." Veronica answered, dazed tone because she was staring at him again. She gave a soft laugh, muttering at last, "Okay, if we're doing this, let's do it before I lose my nerve."
Embry nodded. Taking off at a run. Flinging them both over the side of the cliff. His grip on her body so tight that he half worried she'd have handprints left behind. His mind moving a million miles an hour because this was really happening and he was with her at least for a little while, under Sam's watchful eyes, of course.
But none of that mattered. Because he was finally getting to be close to her again, even if he knew he'd have to go radio silent again for who knew how long after today.
He'd have to make the time count.
They popped up from beneath the water and Veronica laughed. Winking at him as she muttered in mild amusement, "My sister would've had a massive coronary if she'd seen that. It's our little secret, yeah?"
"Definitely." Embry promised. He didn't bother putting her down to let her walk back over to where her friends sat gathered around, calling out her name to get her to come back now that she'd finished risking life and limb for the day. Instead, he carried her over, letting her climb down out of his arms. They stood frozen in place until finally, Embry spoke up. Teasing when he pointed out that her friends seemed hell bent on getting her back where they sat.
When she pouted while giggling, he smiled. Filing it away for later. Something to think about until Sam Uley finally deemed it alright for him to be around her without risk. As much as he hated having to keep away until then, it was for her own good.
"I'd give you your jacket back, Embry, but I'm freezing and it's the only dry clothing I have left." Veronica muttered after a few seconds. Embry shrugged. "I told you to keep it. I don't get cold."
"No, but winter is upon us. You will, sooner or later."
Embry stepped closer before he could stop himself. Gazing down at her as he muttered quietly, "So maybe it's a reason to run into you again."
Veronica's eyes lit up and she smiled, giving him another playful wink. "Perhaps it is."
And finally, she was rushing back over to her friends. Embry watched until he knew she'd made it to shore and she was sprawled across the brightly colored lime green and pink beach blanket, stealing grapes from the bag one of her friends had sitting nearby.
He chuckled to himself and hurried back up the path to the cliff where his pack brothers were. And the second he stepped into sight, Jared and Paul were smirking and high fiving him. "Damn. I didn't know you possessed an inner smoothness, man."
"Yeah, and the way she was looking at you." Jared teased, fanning himself. Embry nodded, though he was watching her intently instead of listening. Sam spoke up calmly. " We have the rules that we have in place for a reason, Embry."
"I know, Sam. I know. She came up and started to talk to me. Then before I really had a chance to make an excuse, we were back up here."
"Next time, try harder." Sam grumbled, shaking his head. Chuckling a few seconds later. "Did she seriously stick her tongue out at me?"
"Yeah, about that. Apparently, Jacob's been running his mouth. Rumor going around is that we're a cult." Paul joked, doubling over as he said it. Jared agreed, adding calmly, "That's why Kim wouldn't really talk to me at first, come to think of it."
"Then Embry, the poor bastard, he goes and imprints the one without a shy bone in her body apparently."
"Hey. Mine." Embry muttered, blushing a little at the teasing he was having to endure from the other two.
"Your time to get close to her is coming sooner than you think. I promise. You just have to be patient, Embry. I just don't want any of you to go through what I had to with Emily. It's better this way. Trust me." Sam tried to reassure Embry. Embry sighed, shrugging. "I know." he answered Sam quietly.
When he glanced down at the beach again, Veronica and her friends were gone. Piling into a lifted Jeep Wrangler with the music blaring, echoing off the cliffs. Making Embry chuckle to himself quietly.
And take a few long and deep breaths, just to try pulling himself together. Knowing that at least for tonight, pulling himself together was going to be both complicated and easy. Easy because her scent was all over him, acting to keep him calm, keeping him tethered to reality. Complicated because there was no telling when Sam Uley would finally deem it safe for Embry to be around her more.