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Chapter 5: Quil

After her nightmare, I was worried she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. But within the hour, she was peacefully sleeping in my arms, curled up against my chest.

I woke to the smell of coffee and something sweet, hearing sizzling noises. Blinking I looked around me in the bed and noticed Claire was gone. I had sprawled out face-down in the bed, my arms and legs outstretched. God, I hope I didn't knock her off, I grimaced.

Rays of light were peaking through the trees outside, but the sky was still pink. It was just after dawn. Most nights, I wouldn't get in till around shift change at 3 or 4. I would consider it a good night's sleep if I didn't wake until noon.

I groaned as I sat up in bed. Running my hand through my hair I heard movement in the kitchen.

"Claire?" I poked my head around the corner to the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

Her back was to me as she fiddled around with something on one of the burners. Her hair was messy and draped down her back. It looked like she didn't have any pants on, one of my t-shirts swallowing her up.

She whipped around, holding a spatula in her hand. "I'm sorry! I didn't wake you, did I?"

My eyes took in the scene unfolding in my narrow kitchen: she had made a pot of coffee, steam wafting out of the fresh brew. There were a couple of bowls set aside on the countertop, and I found the source of the sizzling.

"You're making pancakes?" I noted.

"Chocolate chip," she replied, grinning.

"No way," my heart squeezed in my chest. I walked up behind her as she turned to flip one of the pancakes. Wrapping my arms around her, I kissed the top of her head. "You're amazing," I whispered.

"Well, I know you consider a cup of coffee or energy drink breakfast, but you have me here now," she said, resting her head against my arm.

"Mm, I could get used to this," I murmured, kissing the side of her neck that she exposed.

She didn't say anything, but I felt her body relax and lean more into me. I heard her inhale a bit differently than before. My arms loosened on her, sliding my hands across her midsection and down her sides. At this, her breath hitched in her throat.

"Quil-"

"I'm sorry," I said regretfully. As soon as I pulled away from her my hands and lips instantly missed her. I sighed and leaned against the cabinets behind her. "What are your plans today?" I asked, trying to save the situation. Nice going, I spat at myself.

"Um," she shook her head, trying to regroup her thoughts as she tossed the pancakes onto a plate. "Emily is coming with me into town to get some furniture," she said, keeping her back to me.

"That sounds really nice," my eyes were glued to her, hoping she would look at me again.

"Yeah, it will be nice to spend more time with her," she turned around, holding the plate out to me, smiling softly.

"Thank you, baby," I took the plate and pulled her in, kissing her forehead.

"You're welcome," she said.

I leaned down to her and kissed her lips, tasting her sweetness. I expected her to pull away quickly, but she didn't. Instead, she wrapped her arms around my torso and kissed me back.

After eating together, Claire started to get ready for Emily to pick her up. I watched, mesmerized as she put on a fresh pair of jeans, a top, and her favorite flannel. She pulled her hair out from under the collar and threw it behind her. She commandeered the bathroom while I cleaned up the kitchen.

"Quil, she's here," Claire hollered at me after a while.

I bounded up to her, grinning, and captured her in my arms. "Don't be out long. I just got you back," I kissed her cheeks, then her nose, then her forehead.

She giggled, squirming in my arms. "Ok, ok!" she squealed.

I set her back down but didn't release her. "I love you," I said, staring deep into her eyes.

"I love you too," she replied before kissing me once more.

I watched Emily's car drive off until I couldn't hear it anymore. Lingering there for a second, I already felt the longing creep back into my chest.

Just then my phone buzzed in the bedroom. Maybe she missed me already, I chuckled.

I picked my phone up off the bedside table and read the message:

Jake:

I need to talk to you. Meet at the beach

My eyebrows furrowed, thinking it over. Embry said everything was going smoothly last night. Nothing new to report. Either way, Jake was not just my alpha, but my best friend. Maybe he needed me.

If the beach wasn't practically in my back yard, I would have phased to get there faster. As I trotted through the moss-covered trees, dodging fallen logs and animal burrows, I realized I never took much time running through the woods. Most of the time if I was in these trees I was running around 40 mph, not able to take in every detail as I could now.

As I neared the crashing waves, I turned to the left instead of running straight for the water. The large rocks along the ocean got smaller and smaller the further down I jogged until sand met the edge of the water. Jake was there already, waiting on a log as he watched the water coat the sand, and pull away again.

"Hey," I said as I strolled up to him. No one else was here, not even Embry. "You ok, man?"

Jake looked up at me then back down at the sand. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I looked around for an explanation. "Is everything ok?"

He waited for a second, trying to form the words. "Embry caught a whiff of him last night."

"Who? Embry came and saw me last night when we got in, he didn't say anything-"

"It was later, probably around 1 or so?"

I blinked, thinking back to last night. It was around that time when Claire woke up from her nightmare. "Who did he track, Jake?"

I could see he was having a hard time finding the right words. He looked away from the water and back up to me. His lips came together, and he didn't need to say anything else. My gut flipped.

"Are you serious?" It felt as if my lungs stopped functioning.

He nodded. "Yeah. Embry said there was no mistaking it. He didn't see him, just caught his scent at the edge of the border."

My heart started pounding. "I have to tell her," I realized my jaw had become clenched.

Jake shook his head and stood up, reading me. "Not without Sam's permission."

"She doesn't live with him anymore, she's old enough, she needs to know."

"Quil," Jake looked me up and down, concerned. "We'll talk to Sam, but he raised her if he says she can't know then-"

"The hell with what he says," I felt a growl rise out of my throat. "She's in danger if he's truly back."

Jake set a hand on my shoulder. I had barely noticed that my body began trembling. "Quil," he said softly, pulling me back off the ledge. "She's going to be safe. We'll put an extra patrol around your land.

"We both know if he wants her, he'll find a way," I stared at him, seeing the flashes in my mind of broken glass, ripped metal, and her blood.

He shook his head. "We won't let it happen, Quil, I promise."

The trembling in my body had ceased, while my heart rate slowed to normal again. I took a deep breath, my hands hooking behind my head as I stared off over the water. "We haven't seen or heard anything from him in thirteen years, and now all of a sudden he comes back? Why?"

Jacob shrugged. "I don't know, but we need to talk to Sam, let him know so he can keep his pack alert."

My head was screaming at me even as I went along with what he said. I wasn't about to disobey Jake, but I also couldn't bear the thought of lying to Claire anymore than I already had over the years. Would she ever be able to trust me again, if I could protect her would that be enough?

"Are you sure?" Sam's eyes had narrowed. I saw his jaw clench just as mine did.

"Yeah, Embry knew it right away," Jake's arms were folded over his chest. "He was there that day, Sam. He remembered what it smelled like."

"I'm not doubting Embry," Sam clarified. "I'm doubting his sanity for coming back here. I thought we made it clear we would rip him apart if he even thought of coming back."

I heard a hatred deep in Sam's voice that I hadn't heard in a long time.

"He hasn't made it any further than the border's edge, barely crossing the line," he informed Sam.

"He doesn't know where she lives now, but it won't take him long to figure it out," Sam pondered for a second. "Do you think your scent would be enough to mask hers?"

I looked over at Jake, who shrugged, "Maybe, we'll need Ness to test it out."

Sam's eyes lingered on me. "Does Claire know?"

I shook my head. I wish she did, my mind snapped back.

Sam nodded and relaxed, "Good. If both of our packs handle this, she won't need to know."

"Sam- I-"

Jake's head whipped over as he glared at me. Don't do it, his face scowled.

I let the air out of my chest, "I wanted to know if Em would be willing to help keep an eye on her when she's not at the house."

He nodded again, "Yeah, she will. Will Renesmee help as well?"

Jake nodded back, "Yeah, she's already offered."

"It's settled then. We can alternate patrols around your land, and until it's over you need to make sure Claire stays home as much as possible."

My eyes furrowed, "She starts her job in a week, what am I supposed to tell her?"

Sam paused, thinking it over. "You only have your truck, right?"

I nodded.

"Then you can escort her to work and back. We'll have someone keep an eye on her at the center, agreed?" he looked at Jake who nodded as well. This was a lot of patrols, especially for one person. There's no way Claire wouldn't notice something's up. And there's no way I was going to be able to sleep until this was over.