Chapter 8

Angel's POV

After the last attack, I struggled to return to normal it seemed. My sleep was plagued with nightmares of red eyes and fangs, and my lack of sleep was beginning to grow more and more noticeable. Bags under my eyes soon became a more permanent feature, and my energy seemed to completely flat-line without the proper amount of sleep. Sam and Emily had tried questioning me about my newfound exhaustion, but I struggled for an answer. I hated to see them so concerned, and it wasn't like there was a solution to the nightmares. Eventually they left it be, but I could still tell they hadn't let the matter go. Seth even seemed to be behind their scheming to get me to nap more or go to bed earlier.

Seth also seemed to hang around longer, not that I minded. I could tell the attack had left him shaken, and he seemed to have lost sleep as well. I hated seeing him so upset and often tried to brighten him up with a joke or even a small prank on Paul or Embry. When my ankle and ribs had healed up a little more my gash seemed to be almost closed, Seth and I began taking more trips outdoors, sometimes with or without another member of the tribe. As the weather warmed up, I tried convincing Sam to allow me on a beach day, which remained my current objective at breakfast this morning.

"Come on, Sam. Please. It's warm out, so I won't freeze. We'll go to an abandoned part. I'll take Seth and even someone else. Pleaseeee," I begged, trying to use what Emily called my "puppy-dog effect," which seemed to work wonders on both Seth and Sam.

He groaned before taking another strip of bacon. "Fine, but we're making it a family trip. Meaning it won't be just you and Seth. Emily, grab your swimsuit. Embry, stop being a pig and call up the rest of the pack," he said before grumpily putting down his glass. I grinned in excitement before quickly making my hobble back to my room to change. I was recently allowed to switch from crutches to a boot. Not that the switch was anything major, but the boot did allow me to move around a little more.

Once in my room, I changed into a blue bikini top and shorts. I brushed out my hair and pulled it up before hobbling back down. Seth and Sam were conversing in the kitchen while Embry ate a plate of muffins on the sofa. "What's up, Little Mermaid?" he called out with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and hit his shoulder before stealing a muffin. "Hey! Give that back!" he yelled out before reaching for it. I shoved it in my mouth before making a bee-line for the door, but I seemed to misjudge my foot placement as my boot hit the couch and sent me tumbling down, but before I could hit the ground, I felt myself lifted up by a pair of strong arms. I looked up with a innocent grin to see Seth, who was glaring at Embry.

"Come on, man! She has a broken ankle," he said before turning to me make sure I was okay. His eyes scanned my torso before he blushed a bright red. I blushed as well and awkwardly looked away as Embry laughed. "Awww, is Seth a little embarrassed?" he mocked. I heard a soft growl from Seth as he lunged from Embry, but he was already heading for the door as I laughed softly. I put a hand on Seth's shoulders, and he seemed to instantly calm down. "Hey, there. Don't worry about him. Embry is an idiot," I say with a small smile. "Are you coming to the beach with us?"

Seth offered me a bright smile before nodding. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said with a grin as Sam and Emily came down the stairs. "Angel, your shirt?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow before Emily hit his shoulder. "Like you care when it comes to me. Now come on," she said sternly. I grinned victoriously before following Emily out. Seth, Embry, and Sam weren't far behind as we began the short walk along the reservation to the coast. Seth continued asking me throughout the walk if I was alright, in which I would repeatedly respond a resounding yes. However, by the time we reached the shore, Seth was carrying me as Embry made kissy faces at the both of us, eventually earning him a slap from Sam.

When we found a place to lay our towels, Seth had laid me down before sitting beside me with a grin. I stared at him for a moment, lost in his smile, before eventually turning away with a blush. We were soon joined by Paul and Rachel, Jared and Kim, and Quil and a little girl named Claire. For some reason, I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement when I saw her, as if I had never seen something like her before. "She is so adorable," I said before sitting beside Quil to play with her.

I was so wrapped up with Claire, I barely noticed Seth staring at me with a large smile, making me blush a bright red. I slowly stood up and motioned for him to follow me into the water. "No swimming!" Sam called out to me, but my mind was already made up as I led Seth behind a series of rocks. He raised an eyebrow at me and my new mischievous grin. "Is this where you murder me?" Seth asked, making me laugh softly. "No, I just wanted Sam-less time," I said as I went to step into the water. Seth quickly pulled me back. "Angel, are you sure that's a good idea, especially with foot," he said, his brown eyes filled with concern.

I looked at him carefully before nodding. "I suppose there's only one way to find out," I say with a grin, and before he could stop me, I was already a foot's deep. I hopped into the water and soon emerged again with my tail. Being in the ocean felt so natural, and I could barely feel the pain in my side as I slowly swam up to the surface to sit by Seth. He stared at me in amazement as I flipped my tail up. "Come on then, don't be shy," I say with a smile, motioning for him to come closer.

He quickly tore his shirt off, and I tried not to stare at his torso for too long, before he walked waist deep into the water. He stared at the scales on my tail with wide eyes. "It's okay. You can touch it," I say softly before leading his hand towards my tail. Seth nodded slowly and began to feel the scales, sending sparks up my spine. I stared at him with wide eyes, admiring the way the sun seemed to makes of his irises glow a warm brown when he caught my glance. Instead of looking away, we kept up the stare, almost seeming to drawn to each other to look away. He slowly leaned down as I leaned up, and before I knew it, our lips were moving against the other's. Sparks seemed to go off, and suddenly, all I could focus on was the taste of his lips and the warmth they sent through every part of my body.