Hunky Dory
Embry felt a bit uncomfortable in the pair of sweats and t-shirt he was now donning, which had been purchased for Sven. They were a bit too snug for his liking, and well, they smelled like him which only made him agitated all over again. But it was that or a towel, so he was at least grateful that he was clothed.
He, Freja and Quil were now seated on the sofa as Astrid brought them tea and Oscar stood near the fireplace, a concerned look on his face. They had yet to tell them what had happened, as Astrid wanted to wait until Oscar had arrived, but it seemed now was the time.
Embry looked over at Freja, raising his eyebrows at her as she took a deep breath.
"Well, we know what he was after," she said dryly. Embry snorted, but Freja shot him a look that had him coughing slightly to cover it up. "He wanted me to go with him. I said no. He didn't want to take that for an answer, so I made him."
"It was fu-"
Quil shut up as Freja shot him a look and he looked down at his tea mug, motioning for her to continue.
"He cornered me in the kitchen," Freja said with a heavy sigh.
Embry tensed, remembering the scene he had walked in on. Freja snarling at Sven with her hand pulled back in a claw to strike out at him again, pure fury on her face. If he hadn't been so worried about her safety, he probably would have stood in awe at how furiously beautiful she looked. He had definitely felt a sense of pride upon seeing the scratch marks on the idiot's face.
And well, what happened on the beach, now that he was calm, he had to agree with Quil that it had been amazing to watch her half-transform so smoothly and stand up for herself. For a moment, he thought even Sven was afraid of Freja. Embry knew that he would have been a bit intimidated if her wrath had been directed on him. He made a mental note to never find out.
"Tried to kiss me. I pushed him away and scratched him. Told him in no uncertain terms to leave and never come back. He still fought it and then Embry showed up and helped," Freja said.
Both of her grandparents turned their gazes to him.
"All I knew was that I felt like she was in danger and I tried to get here as fast as I could," he said. He glanced at Freja. "But she pretty much had it covered. Sven managed to get me riled up and I phased…"
Freja almost rolled her eyes, but stopped. Embry figured she was still a bit upset over the fact that he had nearly tried to rip Sven's throat out though they had made up. And well, as Embry had said earlier, he wasn't serious about hurting the Havsfru. He really did just want to scare him. But he was thankful Freja had stopped him. He had been so angry that he wasn't completely sure he would have stopped.
"So, he is gone?" Oscar asked. Embry looked back at him, seeing Freja nod out of the corner of his eye. "Well, I suppose we should be thankful for that, though I worry what he may yet do. We've angered him and if he is anything like his father, he will not stop to get what he is after."
"I made it clear he wasn't welcomed back," Freja said. "And honestly, if they come back and take my form, then so be it."
While she appeared strong and resolute in that statement, Embry could see in her eyes that she was hoping it wouldn't come to that. She was still discovering her Havsfru side and she wanted to be able to continue that. Embry had to admit that he would be sad if she lost it as well, but it didn't matter too terribly much.
Freja was his imprint and he would accept her no matter what she was.
"They just might," Oscar said gently. Freja nodded, but kept her expression strong. She then furrowed her brow.
"I can feel it. This is not over," Astrid said, her expression worried as she looked at her husband.
"But I told him that I can't be his mate. That I've already chosen Embry and that we're mates. We've imprinted," Freja pushed. "Surely even he will understand that there's no way I'm going with him."
Everyone turned to look at her, though only her grandparents seemed a bit shocked by the statement. While he had known all along that he and Freja were endgame, he still felt a rush of affection towards her at hearing the words out loud in front of her grandparents. Again.
"He might not understand," Astrid said, though she looked over at Embry. "About this imprint thing." Freja snorted.
"Well, he better learn," she replied as she sat back on the sofa and crossed her arms. "It's permanent and never going to change. And even without it, I wouldn't go with him."
Her grandparents shared a look that didn't go unnoticed by the three young people on the sofa.
"Seriously, you think he might come back?" Freja asked, the frustration clear in her voice. "Can't we just be happy that he's finally gone and life can go back to normal?"
Embry certainly felt happy by that, even though he too was worried they had only infuriated Sven more. It was a well-determined fact that you couldn't trust him by now.
"Perhaps for the time being, you should avoid the water," Oscar said hesitantly. Freja immediately narrowed her eyes. "Not forever. Just until we can be sure."
Freja sat silently as Embry looked over at her, waiting for an answer. Her severe expression finally softened as she nodded. Thank god, she had somehow seen the light and wasn't going to fight them on this. He felt that it would be safest for her to stay away from the water as well.
"Okay, you're right," she said with a sigh. "I mean, you've all been right this whole time. There is every chance that we just pissed him off more, but I don't regret anything we did today." She kept her gaze fixed on her grandparents.
"I do not blame you," Astrid replied. "Knowing what I do, I don't see how that could have gone any differently. The prince needed to be put in his place. And that is out of my house and away from my granddaughter."
Quil chuckled from the other side of Freja, earning a small smile from Astrid.
"Well, I guess I should get you guys home," Freja said, looking at Quil, then at Embry. "Unless you want to run?"
"Nope," Quil said, already jumping up from the sofa. By the time Embry and Freja stood, he had already waved good-bye to her grandparents and was heading towards the front door.
Freja chuckled as she shook her head and went to get her keys and purse while Embry waited on her. He nodded towards her grandparents and then they went outside, seeing Quil already in the backseat of the car.
As soon as they were situated in the front, Quil leaned forward.
"Seriously, that was bad ass, Freja," he said as she started the car. Freja chuckled and glanced at him before pulling out.
"Just had to show him who was boss," she said, though Embry could clearly see that she was pleased with herself. "And well, he was going after Embry. I wasn't about to let that stand."
"I could have taken him," Embry said immediately. Freja shot him a playful smirk.
"Yea, that's what I was worried about," she replied.
"But still, how do you do that? That whole, half transforming thing? I wish we could do that," Quil continued.
"Eh… just… happens," she replied, her brow furrowed slightly. "I wasn't trying to do it intentionally, but I don't think we can fully transform on land. Or at least, I've never tried. It's easier to do in the water."
"You think if we put you in a swimming pool, you could fully transform? Or is it only saltwater?" Quil asked. "Maybe we should have you try to transform on land once, just to see if you can do it."
"Uh… don't know. I don't see why I couldn't in a pool," she replied. Embry chuckled, though wasn't sure where all these questions were coming from. He was fairly sure the wolves had already exhausted all of their questions regarding Freja.
"And when you're in Havsfru form, can you-"
"Quil!" Embry said sharply, worried about where he was going with that question as he glared at his best friend.
"Dude, I wasn't going to ask that," Quil said, his eyes wide, though he started laughing when he saw the blush on Embry's cheeks. He fell back into his seat, thoroughly enjoying Embry's discomfort.
Embry met Freja's eyes, seeing her eyebrows arched in question. He gave her a slight nod. Freja then glanced at Quil in the rearview mirror and started humming softly under her breath. Quil stopped laughing and looked over at her.
"No, uh-uh, you are not…"
The statement died on his lips as Quil slumped over, his eyes closed and began to softly snore.
"You have no idea how handy that is," Embry said, grinning at her. Freja just shrugged.
"Figure it served him right," she said, smiling slightly. "And it's not for long. Shouldn't take but about 10 minutes or so to get to his house."
Embry only laughed and then reached over for Freja's hand, bringing it to his lips.
"God, I love you."
OOOO
Freja turned off the car after she stopped in front of Embry's house, studying it. She had never been here before, and found it looked like many of the other houses on the reservation. Not too small, but modest. There were flowers in the beds in the front and it looked as though it had been painted not all that long ago.
She then turned in her seat, looking over at Embry.
Once she woke up Quil, he shot out of the backseat declaring he felt well-rested and would see them later, apparently not upset that Freja had knocked him out for the remainder of the trip. The short drive to Embry's house had been relatively quiet save for him giving her instructions.
"So this is where you live," she said. Embry nodded, not quite meeting her eyes. "Going to give me a tour?"
He turned, seeing the smile on her face and then nodded.
"Guess so," he said, starting to get out of the car.
He seemed nervous, though Freja didn't know why. It wasn't like there was anything to be ashamed of. It was a cute little house. Maybe it was the fact that this was the first time he had brought her here.
Or maybe she was the first girl he had ever brought here. His sudden nervousness made sense now.
They walked inside and Freja took in the various photographs on the wall in the tidy and cozy living room. They were mostly of Embry at various stages in life, some of them with him and his mom. She found it fascinating seeing all the photos of him growing up, starting out as a small, twig of a boy. The growth was gradual until she hit the ones that were obviously from high school and were (also obviously) from when he had started phasing. He shot up several inches, now dwarfing his mother and had gained a lot of muscle.
She stopped in front of one from his high school graduation, seeing Embry standing in a black hat and gown, his arm thrown around his mother and both grinning broadly. She had seen photos of Tiffany Call before and the woman always seemed to be smiling. Freja hoped she'd be smiling when they finally met.
She then looked over, seeing Embry standing in front of a hallway, his hands in the pockets of the too small sweatpants and his muscles straining against the too small t-shirt. She was halfway tempted to tell him he should always wear t-shirts that size, very much enjoying the view. She started towards him, playfully throwing her arms around his neck.
"You've seen my room. Only fair you show me yours," she said. Embry gulped slightly and then nodded, a small smile appearing.
"This way," he said. He turned and walked down the hallway, taking her hand. At the end, he stopped and pushed open a door on the left and led her inside.
Freja walked in and slowly perused it. It was sparsely decorated with a queen-size bed covered in a navy comforter, a bookshelf, desk and dresser. There were a couple of movie posters on the walls that Freja could tell had probably been there since high school. She walked over and saw a laptop sitting on the desk with a lamp, but not much else.
Turning around, she leaned against the desk and saw Embry still standing near the door, watching her. She could tell he was still nervous.
"I'm not about to jump you, if that's what you're worried about," Freja said with a chuckle. Embry smiled and relaxed a bit. "I like your place."
"Thanks, well, it's home," he said, looking around his room. "Not as big as yours."
"Eh, there used to be a lot more people living at my place," Freja said with a sigh. "Though I suppose my parents were planning on moving out at some point."
She looked over at the dresser, seeing a couple photos there. She walked over, seeing one was of her and Embry on the beach. She looked over at him and smiled.
"So you won't introduce me to your mom, but you'll put up a photo of me on your dresser," she said, turning to him. Embry just chuckled and shook his head.
He then fixed her in a serious look that had her stomach twisting slightly, but not in a bad way.
"I was really scared today, Freja," he said softly. "I can't really explain how I felt, but I knew you were in trouble… and I knew he was with you…"
"But, it turned out okay," Freja said, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You gotta trust me, Em. I can take care of myself." He sighed and nodded.
"I know. Just… takes some getting used to, I guess," he replied. "It's our nature to want to protect those we love." Freja smiled up at him before going up on her toes and pecking him on the lips.
"I like having a big bad wolf who's got my back," she said, grinning. Embry rolled his eyes and chuckled, his hands coming to rest on her waist.
"You make it sound like I'm the bad guy," he replied, meeting her eyes again.
"Sometimes you have to be a little bad," Freja said, dropping her voice slightly. Embry raised an eyebrow at her before bending down and fully kissing her.
Freja had to admit, she had gotten a bit turned on watching Embry protect her. When she wasn't angry. And now that the danger had passed, it had definitely started to take over. She had hoped Quil would run home and leave her a bit of alone time with Embry, but she supposed this still worked out in her favor.
Embry then suddenly pulled back, his face flushed and breathing irregular.
"Frej, I really want to get out of these clothes," he said.
"I have no problem with that," she said, grinning up at him. Embry rolled his eyes and somehow managed to extricate himself from Freja's arms.
"You know what I mean. These reek of Sven," he said, walking towards his dresser and opening up a drawer. Freja sighed and walked over to his bed, sitting down and leaning back as he pulled out clothes.
"I couldn't tell. I know they've been washed," she replied, watching as Embry pulled off the t-shirt and tossed it aside, enjoying the way his back muscles rippled.
"Did you honestly forget that my sense of smell is heightened?" he asked, looking over at her. Freja just smiled and shrugged. He looked down at the pants on his desk and over at Freja. "Do you mind?"
"Oh," Freja said. She figured it didn't matter at this point, seeing how many times they had phased or transformed around each other, but apparently it still did. She turned her head, and studied the wall while he finished changing.
She then felt the bed dip next to her and she turned back to him.
"Better," he said with a smile. She then leaned over and began kissing him again, this time not wasting any time to heat things up.
Embry responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer until she was straddling his lap. She pushed back a moment, grinning deviously at him.
"Really should have just left the shirt off," she said breathlessly as she reached for the hem and easily pulled it off over his head then pushed him back on the bed, Embry offering no resistance at all as he grinned at her.
She then bent down and attacked his lips again, feeling Embry running his hands up and down her sides before sliding them under her shirt. Freja moved her lips from his, kissing her way to his neck where she nipped at a few places, causing him to groan softly as his hips lifted of their own accord. She grinned to herself, happy to get him to react in such a way.
"Freja," he said, barely a whisper as she continued to kiss across his throat, starting towards his chest.
"Mmm," she replied, not stopping. Embry grabbed her wrists, pushing her back. "What?"
"My mom," he said. She then looked towards the window, finally hearing the crunch of tires on gravel.
Moving quickly, she hopped off of him and tossed him his t-shirt as Embry stood and they quickly made their way back to the living room. Freja was certain she was blushing furiously as she began to try and calm down. The absolute worst way to meet Embry's mom was in the middle of a heated makeout session.
They had both just flopped down on the sofa, a few inches between them when the front door opened and a slight woman walked in wearing scrubs, her dark hair pulled up into a ponytail with a few streaks of gray.
Tiffany stopped, her eyes widening slightly as she took in the two young people sitting on the couch, grins on their faces that were a bit too eager. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but then she smiled.
"Hi, Mom. You're back early," Embry said, though Freja could hear the nervous tinge to his voice.
"Yea, I pulled a lot of overtime last week and it was slow today, so they let me go early," she said, closing the door behind her. "I take it this is her?"
Her dark eyes landed on Freja, who gulped slightly and stood, holding her hand out as she walked towards Embry's mother.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Ms. Call. I've been trying to get Embry to introduce us for a while now," she said.
"I've been doing much of the same. And please, it's Tiffany," she said, shaking Freja's hand firmly. Her eyes then turned back to Embry. "Why aren't you at the shop?"
"Gramps gave me and Quil the afternoon off," Embry said, walking over to the two. Tiffany nodded, but gave him an odd look as she walked over and put her purse down on the table.
Freja glanced nervously towards Embry, embarrassment flooding through her. It was obvious that they had been walked in on. There was no way Tiffany couldn't know. But she wasn't sure what to do.
"You have any plans tonight?" Tiffany asked, continuing on into the kitchen.
"Um, nope," Embry said.
"Would you like to stay for dinner, Freja?" Tiffany then asked as she popped her head back out. Freja's eyes widened.
"Um, yes, I would like that," Freja said. Tiffany smiled warmly and then ducked back into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Sure. It would be nice to finally get some help in the kitchen. That one swears he doesn't know how to wash a plate," Tiffany said with a chuckle.
Freja looked at Embry, feeling relieved finally. She could see Embry was as well as he chuckled.
"I can wash dishes, Mom," he declared.
"Okay then, hot shot. We'll take care of cooking and you can do the dishes," Tiffany said. Freja smirked at him slightly before walking over to join Tiffany in the kitchen.
"So… what are we making?"
OOOO
FINALLY! FREJA MEETS EMBRY'S MOM! I hadn't originally planned it for this chapter, but it was fitting when I started writing. And yea, I needed to have it in here somewhere. I'm working on the final chapters, but hitting some blocks just because one (the next one I have to write, actually) is just... a lot of fighting. And I'm still figuring out how to work that out with water and land, Havsfru and wolves... it's getting tricky... I have the basic outline, but yea. I should watch the TV show "Siren" again...
And then today I had to go and get an idea for a full series. As if I wasn't already writing enough stuff. Anyway, I've always been interested in mythology, mystical creatures, fantasy, etc. So as I was pondering on "Siren's Call", I thought, "Hey, what if I just dropped a bunch of mystical creatures in Forks?" And then got an idea for a story with seelies and the wolves... I'm thinking of turning into a series of unrelated standalones, but they would be connected by the fact that each story features a different group showing up in Forks/La Push and the chaos that ensues afterwards. I've already started planning the next one called "Tell No Lies" which will (as mentioned) feature seelies (or faeries) with Paul as the lead. But who knows where I'll go?
.2020 - Thanks!
babyblue44 - Haha! It would. A lot of that I blame on her still getting used to her Havsfru side. Though I could probably make it more apparent, now that I think about it...
Chamberstaneshia69 - Oh... things are coming...
Thanks everyone for reading and following!