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Chapter 12: Quil
Her hair tickled my chest as my eyes fluttered open.
"Mmf," I groaned, looking around. Claire's arms were wrapped around me, her head draped over my torso as she slept. We were both still naked, her body pressed against mine with her leg hitched on my hip. I could barely feel my left arm that was underneath her as I pulled it around her shoulder.
I kissed the top of her head, breathing her in. Last night went better than I could have ever dreamed. From what I could tell, there were no cracked bones, no bruises.
Something changed in me last night. I thought back to what Jake had once told me when Ness came of age.
"It's like imprinting on her all over again," he described. "Something's different from that point on. It's more intense, the pull to her. The way you feel about her is more intense," I could tell there was more that he wanted to say in his head, but he wouldn't put it to words.
I understood now what he was talking about. I had never felt the link to Claire this way. At that moment last night, we were connected, joined as one. My world had shifted yet again, revolving around the woman I held in my arms.
I felt her breathing change as she murmured lightly in her sleep, her breath tickling my ribs. Pressing my face into her hair I chuckled lightly.
"You awake?" I mumbled, kissing the top of her head once more as she sighed deeply, teetering the line between sleep and consciousness.
She rolled closer into my chest, pressing her face into the crook of my arm.
I laughed lightly, my hand rubbing her back. "Hey, sleeping beauty," I teased.
With a soft groan, she lifted her head just enough to peek at me through her hair that draped over her face. Damn it, she was so cute.
"Hi," she mumbled.
"Hi, baby," I brushed some of the hair out of her face as she plopped her chin on my chest, her eyes closing again. "How do you feel?"
Her face read the same way that I felt. Her eyebrows raised slightly and a sheepish grin slid across her lips. "I don't want to move," she whispered.
"Are you sore anywhere?" I asked.
Her lips twisted to the side as she took inventory of her body. After a moment she shrugged lightly, her eyes still closed. "Maybe a little."
"Was it everything you ever wanted?" my heart fluttered in my chest like a bird.
She pulled her arms out from under her and wrapped one around me, hugging tightly. "It was better," she murmured, nuzzling against me.
We both jumped slightly as her phone buzzed on the nightstand. I looked out the window at the sun pouring in- it had to be around 9 or so.
I gazed, mesmerized as she sat up, the blankets sliding down her body that faced away from me. She stretched, indiscernible noises pouring out of her mouth. She grabbed her phone, peering at it as she lay back down on her pillow. I rolled onto my side, scooting behind her as she read the message.
"It's from Harley," she explained, a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Mm," I replied, brushing her hair off her shoulder as I kissed it. I watched her skin begin to cover in goosebumps under my breath.
"I haven't heard from her since graduation," Claire went on.
"Mmhm," I nodded, my arm wrapping around her body, pulling it back lightly against mine. I felt her ass press against my hips and I felt a growl begin to grow in my chest.
Another buzz hummed from her phone. "Oh my god," she breathed.
"Hm?" I questioned, my kips now caressing the skin on her neck.
"Harley's engaged!" she gasped.
"Huh?"
"Harley! Andrew proposed to her last night!" she held the phone up for me to see, enlarging a picture of Harley's hand decorated with an engagement ring.
"Oh, wow," I muttered, my lips aching to reconnect with her throat. Another message popped up on her screen. This time she read it in silence as if she was debating in her head.
"Something's wrong," I felt her pulse skip.
"What do you mean?" I sat up on my elbow.
"I know Harley, something's off," Claire grumbled as she pulled the covers back, standing up. The daylight flooded her naked body, making my craving even more severe. My hands begged to hold her again, my mouth watered to taste her lips.
"Claire," I sat up, ignoring my body's desires. "Calm down, what's going on?"
She darted around the room, digging through piles of clothes that were scattered on the floor. "Harley would never text me something like this," She picked up her bra from last night, then dug through the dresser. "She would call me," she snagged a pair of panties.
I blinked, confused. "Wait, so you are concerned because she texted you?"
She sighed and looked back to me, her face concerned. "Harley wouldn't be this...I don't know, relaxed about it," her arms folded over her chest. "She would be freaking out, she would be over-the-moon excited, she would have called me, like, a million times. Something's up, Quil, I just know it. I need to go," she turned away to grab a shirt.
"You're going to Seattle?" I ran my hand through my hair. Seattle was four hours away. Four hours away from the territory lines. From our protection.
I had been able to push the dread and worry out of my mind until now. The warm, fluttering feeling that resided in my chest all night quickly disappeared as the protective instincts kicked in. "I'm going with you," I blurted out.
Her head whipped around to look at me, her eyebrow raised, puzzled. "Why?"
Shit, shit, shit, I blinked, fumbling for an excuse. "It's four hours away. Even if you left now, you'll be driving back really late tonight; let me come with and I can drive home."
I watched her roll this over in her head, doing the math. Claire wasn't the kind of person to assume she could couch surf. Emily raised her to be overly polite. After a moment she sighed a pile of clothes in her arms. "How fast can you be ready?"
My hand reached over the cab and grasped her thigh, her leg fitting perfectly in the curve of my hand. She was distraught, her eyes fixated out the window, her thumb and finger pinching her lower lip.
"Claire," I murmured, my thumb rubbing her jeans. "It's going to be ok," I reassured.
The whole ride Claire had been distracted, she usually picked the music whereas this time she let the radio fill the dead air. She typically had a say in where we stopped for food, but this time she barely touched her fries.
Through the windshield, we could see the silhouette of Seattle break through the fog as the Bainbridge ferry carried us over the bay.
She nodded silently, her eyes not pulling away from the glass. I moved my hand from her leg to clasp her hand, squeezing it tightly.
Harley's townhome reminded me more of the blocks I played with as a kid, just a bunch of rectangles stacked on top of each other oddly. It had large windows throughout the three floors, with dark- almost black siding. The front door was tall and made of bright wood.
Claire hesitated to knock as if she was scared of what she might find behind the door. I rubbed the lower part of her back, encouragingly. She took a breath and rang the bell that echoed through the house.
The door pulled open and Harley's face ran through emotions as if she was practicing expressions.
"Claire!?" she gasped in surprise.
"I'm so sorry, Harley, I-"
Before Claire could finish Harley had pounced on her, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. "Oh my god! I am so happy to see you!" she sounded as if she could cry.
I smiled as Claire wrapped her arms around Harley's midsection, allowing herself to relax into the hug. Maybe now she would feel better.
Harley's dad gifted her the townhome, which is why it lived so close to downtown. It had large, open rooms that echoed with every step you took. Claire and Harley sat at the counter in the kitchen as I plopped down on the couch behind them.
"You didn't have to come all the way over here," Harley insisted, bringing Claire a drink.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I listened to the girls, pretending I couldn't hear.
"Harley, don't lie to me," Claire muttered under her breath. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy for you, but-" she stopped herself, glancing over at me then back again.
Harley stared at her, the corner of her mouth flicking up in a smirk. "Dammit, Claire," she took a swig of her water. "Can't get anything past you, can I?"
Claire leaned in, "What's going on?"
Harley didn't say anything, nor did Claire for a moment. It was if Claire could read her mind- and she thought we were weird. Claire's hand flew to her mouth as her eyes looked her up and down.
"Yeah," Harley sighed heavily.
"Oh, Harley," she breathed.
"Yeah," she reiterated, more exasperated this time.
"Well, I mean, did you," Claire fumbled with her words, trying to be careful.
Harley shook her head. "No, this was not the plan," she sucked air through her teeth. "And I swear if my grandma says one more fucking time 'it must be God's will,'" she groaned.
"How did Andrew take it?" Claire asked.
She shrugged, sipping more water. "He's thrilled, honestly. Didn't bat a damn eyelash before proposing to me."
"He had the ring already?"
"In the sock drawer," Harley rolled her eyes. "He told me he was going to wait a few more months for the right time, but," she trailed off.
I focused on my phone again, reading the message from Jake.
Jake:
Patrol is covered for tonight, be safe out there
"So when is the wedding?" Claire's voice distracted me again.
Harley's face twisted a little. "God, Claire, I want to be excited, I do, but-"
"But this isn't the way you imagined it," she finished for her.
"Yeah," Harley sighed, sounding as if she could cry. "I thought about maybe doing a small ceremony, just family and friends right now, and one day doing a bigger reception as I always envisioned it."
Claire grabbed her hand and squeezed it, "That would be beautiful," she reassured her. "It's you and Andrew that matter, Harley. This won't ruin that," she motioned toward her belly.
The tears did spill over her cheeks this time as Harley blinked. "Claire, I'm so scared," she choked on her breath as Claire pulled her in close.
"It's ok, Harley," Claire rocked her lightly. "You're going to be ok."
They sat there like that for a while, Harley wrapped in Claire's arms. I kept my eyes down to my phone pretending to scroll, but my heart clenched in my chest, an immense sense of pride flooding my body for my baby girl.
Harley squeezed Claire's hands, "You really don't have to go if you don't want to, you can both stay, we have room."
The streetlights started to turn on ahead, the orange glow coating the damp roads and sidewalks.
Claire smiled softly, "I know, it's ok, Quil's going to drive home," she glanced back at me.
Harley nodded at this, "You take care of her," she warned me.
My hand caressed Claire's lower back. "I always do," I answered.
I could see that Claire didn't want to leave as she waited to pull away. "Tell you what, why don't I come back up next weekend?" She offered. My gut flipped slightly, more time away from the pack meant more time without protection.
"Why?" Harley questioned.
Claire grinned, "To take you out for your bachelorette party."
"You know I can't-"
"Don't worry about that," Claire reassured her.
Harley beamed, giggling for the first time since we came here. "That sounds amazing," she hugged Claire again. "I'll see you soon," she whispered.
"See you soon," Claire replied and we made our way down the stairs toward the parked truck.
"Hey-" Harley stopped us before we got in. "Have you heard from Austin at all?"
Claire's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "No, I haven't, have you?"
Harley frowned, "No. I'll try and call him and see if he's doing ok," she wrapped her arms around her.
I saw the same worry wash over Claire's face as she waved once more and sat down in the cab. I waited a moment as Claire watched her go inside before reaching over to grab her hand. This time, she squeezed mine.
Claire was asleep when we got home, draped against her door as the truck came to a stop in the driveway. I turned the keys to shut off the ignition, my heart dropping in my chest.
Jake stood up from the stoop, his figure lit by the front light.
I glanced over at Claire who hadn't budged, waiting to see if she would stir. When she didn't, I carefully opened the door and slid out.
"I didn't want to worry you on your way back," Jake prefaced as I neared him.
As I got closer to my house I froze in my tracks, the smell burning in my nostrils.
He read the expression on my face and nodded. "He caught us in between shifts-"
"When?" I asked between grit teeth.
"When Paul was coming in for Seth, about sundown," Jake's arms were crossed over his chest.
"Did he go inside?" My upper lip curled.
"Yeah. I didn't see anything obvious missing, but he could have taken any of her things," I could barely make out his voice over the rage boiling in my head.
"He's watching us, Quil," he tried to draw my attention back. "He knows our schedules, knows when we're switching. That's the only way to explain how he knew when to come here."
"That's impossible," I seethed. "How could he follow us without leaving a scent trail behind?"
Jake shook his head, "I don't know. I'm going to talk to the Cullens, now that he's made it clear he's not intimidated by us."
"She wants to go back to Seattle next weekend," I glanced back at the truck, Claire still sleeping inside. "Maybe that's a good thing," I noted.
He agreed, "He might think that she'll be here for sure since he left empty-handed this time."
"Then we got him," I breathed, feeling a bit of relief wash over me as our plan formed. "It'll be over."
"I'll let Paul know what the plan is," Jake headed for the trees.
"Thanks, man," I hollered after him, trudging over to the passenger side. "Tell him thanks for covering for me," he nodded before disappearing into the woods.
I paused for a moment, watching her sleep through the window. Her eyes darted back and forth behind her eyelids as she dreamed. Her shoulders steadily raised and lowered with her breath, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She looked peaceful as if she was finally able to put all of her worries to rest. And I couldn't even tell her what kind of danger she was in.