AN: thanks for the reviews, I would like to say a few things about the story but I can't give away anything. Next chapter we find out about whether they imprint or not.
8.
Bella and Paul lived last week in the Quileute summer camp with happiness and relaxation. They had both expressed their feelings, and they were deepening the relationship by telling each other every single detail of their lives.
They found out that they both preferred salty dishes to sweet ones, both liked cinemas rather than clubs, she enjoyed reading while he liked crafting small objects with wood. Overall their lives could mix very well together, and Bella was awaiting to go back, and settle everything so that they could start dating.
She had noticed that Paul's temper had abated, he was smiling more often, and joking with her and not against her. He was more affectionate and their goodbye kisses in the morning were becoming more and more heated and intense.
The morning of the departure they were both nervous, they had to disassemble their tepee, then placed it with the others in store for the next year. The hunters had taken the horses that had run freely until earlier, and saddled them for the trip. When Paul arrived with their horse, Bella took a step back, and paled.
"You don't think that I'll ride this giant horse." She whispered.
Paul laughed. "Come on my shipa, I'll ride it with you. Don't worry it will be fine. Do you trust me?" He then went on the horse, and offered his hand to her.
Bella gulped, watched the horse and his hand, and then looked up in his amused eyes. She bit her lip, she definitely trusted him. She took a deep breath, and took his hand. Paul pulled her up with ease and placed her in front of him. Then he held her in arms while the horse started walking slowly. Bella after a while relaxed and laid her back on his chest. "This is nice, I've never been on a horse before. I'm glad I could share this with you."
He placed his mouth on the hollow of her neck and kissed it. "First time for me too on a horse. Are you happy that we're going to meet the shaman soon?"
Bella wanted to be honest with him. "I'm not sure, part of me wants to go home, but I'm happy here with you and I'm scared to lose you when we get back. I'll have to share you with the pack, and we'll have to live separately. I don't know Paul, I'm really not sure."
Paul held her a little more tightly. "I agree with you, I'm not excited to share you with everyone else. But I have faith that we'll make it, me and you can make this work."
The trip to the winter camp was spent in silence after that talk, Bella was brooding and pondering on a lot of things. She liked what she had with Paul, it was healthy and natural, she was happy and she was herself and he liked her for who she was not for what she could or should be.
She knew now that she couldn't go back to Edward and that relationship, Paul had given her the strength to close that chapter of her life and to hope for a better outcome with this relationship. She wanted to stay human and to grow up and grow old with Paul. She finally had understood what a healthy life could bring, and she definitely wanted everything with Paul, the good and the bad times.
...
After a long day they arrived at the winter camp, Taha Aki motioned for them to get down from the horse and follow him. There were lots of huts, but one stood far from the others. It was the shaman's one.
Taha Aki knocked on the door, and the shaman opened it. The Chief exchanged some words with him and then left.
Paul turned to look at Bella. "Taha Aki introduced us to him, the shaman said he was expecting us. Let's get in."
They entered the hut, and the shaman motioned for them to sit next to fire. They were offered some food, and then the shaman talked with Paul for a while. Bella relaxed next to Paul, and waited patiently to know.
When they stopped talking, Paul looked at her and smiled. "The shaman thinks he can help us, but we need to take a walk in the Spirits' world. It means we'll have to drink some herbs that will take us in the souls' realm. There shouldn't be any problems with it, only he asks to go with him separately. Tomorrow morning is my turn, and in the afternoon it will be yours."
"Ok, if you think that we can trust him, then we'll do it. I hope he can really help us." She whispered.
They stood up then, and bid goodnight to the shaman. They were going to a hut allotted to them and they would rest so that the next day they could do the Spirits' walk with a rested mind.
Bella snuggled closer to Paul, and sighed. "I can't believe that this might be the last night we spend together."
Paul kissed her head. "Last night here, we'll have plenty of time at home. I live alone and you're welcome to my house. I don't have much, but I know that you never cared for money. This is one of the many qualities that you possess that drew me to you."
She smiled and blushed. "You're amazing Paul, and you're right I don't care about money. Your house will be perfect for me because it's yours."
They fell asleep holding each other like the last five weeks of their lives.
