Seven
This hadn't been the plan.
This was far from the plan.
Leah carefully retrieved her 9mm Glock from her holster, positioning it between her legs. She crouched behind the wall, in a position only a foot away from an opening that once housed a door. Around her were mounds of wooden and steel pallets. All varying in different sizes; some empty, some not.
She searched through the poorly-lit area for her partner. Jacob was eventually found, somewhat hiding behind a steel pallet at the other side of the large room with his weapon out. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration while he listened for any out-of-place movements, and patiently waiting for an adversary's head to appear in the clearing.
They locked eyes, and Jacob motioned for Leah to stay put.
And stay put, Leah did.
The plan was to simply follow a lead, sweep around an abandoned warehouse with Midway Airport in the distance and gather some evidence. Earlier, they had received a tip from one of Paul's men that two weeks before her untimely demise, Jessica had been seen in this very dingy, cold, and dark warehouse, engaging in a conversation with two guys. The tip had initially come from a homeless man who had occasionally frequented this area—it had been Leah's idea to check the area out before calling it a day.
A decision she was currently regretting.
The sweep was supposed to be a quick thing. A half an hour, tops.
"How many?" Leah mouthed.
Jacob held up one finger, and then two.
Leah cursed under her breath.
This was the aspect of her job she would never get used to. These tense moments were for people like Sam or Paul, who both loved the thrill and the anticipation. Those who still harbored some romanticism towards engaging with another with a weapon. It gave them an adrenaline rush. It gave Leah anxiety.
The sound of creaking movements from beyond the opening snapped Leah out of her thoughts. Thanks to a faded mirror that was conveniently hanging from the door frame, she saw some shuffling and an outline of a person holding a gun, a Springfield XD-S, Leah presumed. Without checking with her partner, she briefly moved from her position and fired two more shots.
She missed.
Fuck, the man was fast.
She could feel Jacob's disapproving eyes as she retreated to her previous position. Leveling her breathing, she checked her gun magazine and cursed under her breath. She only had two bullets left; she couldn't afford to waste it on air and rotting wooden pallets.
Her focus shifted from the opening to the other side of the room, where she could see Jacob stealthy retreating to the corner, effectively hiding in the shadows. The only proof that he was still there was the presence of a glowing object Jacob was pulling out his pocket and loading into the gun.
She remained in place as Jacob inched forward and then took a couple of giant steps. He was in the clearing, using a steel pallet as his shield. Leah wanted to warn him, but deep inside, she knew he wouldn't listen. He was in the zone. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he raised the gun in his hands, aiming it right in front of him. He took a couple of noticeably deep breaths before pulling the trigger.
She remained in place as Jacob inched forward and then took a couple of giant steps. He was in the clearing, using a steel pallet as his shield. Leah wanted to warn him, but deep inside, she knew he wouldn't listen. He was in the zone. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he raised the gun in his hands, aiming it right in front of him. He took a couple of noticeably deep breaths before pulling the trigger.
"Ja—" Leah shut her mouth, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention.
Figuring the coast was clear, Leah made a break for it. Before she could reach Jacob, she noticed a man slowly appearing from the shadows. The dim light obscured his profile, but he roughly was six-foot-tall, pale and skinny with light brown hair dressed in a black suit. He had a gun loosely hanging in one hand, and a snarl playing on his lips.
"Freeze!" Jacob ordered.
Leah immediately pointed her weapon at the shooter and carefully rushed across the damp alley and towards Jacob in efforts to block him from the offender. "Freeze, police! Drop the gun!" she demanded as a finger ghosted along the trigger.
The man deeply inhaled and exhaled, nostrils flaring, eyes shifting from amber to black. "You smell mighty delicious..."
Leah took a step back. "Don't move!"
"Your bullets won't do a damn thing to me," the man taunted, glancing between both detectives. He seemed more concerned about Jacob than Leah. She didn't get it. She was one aiming for a fatal shot—
Dog. He had called Jacob a dog. Was he referencing his wolf? How did this man know about Jacob? And why was he talking about the way she smelled?
Her eyes widened.
Shit.
"Ah, looks like we have a human who isn't as foolish as the rest..."
Leah considered making the shot. She had every right to do so, but at the back of her mind, she doubted Jacob would want her to do it. He was holding back for some unfathomable reason, bleeding against the stony and cold wall of an abandoned warehouse, not even making an effort to call for extra help.
The man's amber eyes flickered past Leah. "The dog's finally down. Splendid."
"Your aim is shit," Jacob taunted. "Can't believe you'd waste a silver bullet on an arm. Completely missed the opportunity."
"Fuck you."
Jacob snorted. "Some leech, you are…"
Leah resisted the urge to peek at her partner and demand just what the fuck was happening. He had been shot; it wasn't fatal; it wasn't a chest or a head wound. She did remember Jacob mentioning in passing about his abilities to heal at an incredible rate. But still, he was bleeding profusely and appeared more concerned than expected.
She had to act.
Leah gulped, dropped one hand from the handle of her weapon, and reached for her walkie talkie. This wasn't something she and Jacob (especially him) could do by themselves.
She pushed down on the "on" button. "Report—"
"No!"
She immediately released the button. "What?"
"Don't call anyone. For help or backup," Jacob commanded. "Don't."
Leah didn't understand. Someone had just shot a cop, and Jacob was refusing outside help. This went against everything she—she took a deep breath. "Jacob—"
She locked eyes with the assailant as she heard Jacob shifting in the background. Neither person moved a muscle— Leah didn't understand why he didn't charge after her. After all, he claimed her bullets wouldn't affect him. He should be shooting at her. Should be shooting at Jacob again, but he remained frozen in his spot. His shifty eyes told the detective that he was weighing his options in the middle of a cross-benefit analysis. Completely unsure about his next move. And still, despite having Leah's gun on him, he didn't fear her.
It took Leah off-guard. She was usually good at instilling the fear of God in suspects (second to Paul, her in opinion), but her glares and her gun weren't doing a damn thing.
At the corner of her eye, she could see Jacob quickly pulling out a glowing object from his pants pocket. He tossed it to her with his good arm. She caught it. Holy, this was it. An ultraviolet—She studied the notorious bullet in her hand. It was glowing, and it was hot. So hot that she was grateful that she was wearing leather gloves. Without much thought, she loaded her Glock with it, pleasantly surprised that it fitted neatly.
"You see that?" Jacob shouted at the man. He darkly chuckled at the thinly masked concerned expression on the man's face. "Based on the look on your face, you know damn well what that is, and what it'll do to you."
Leah stared at her gun. She had an ultraviolet in her weapon, and she was standing only yards away from a vampire. Fuck. She immediately aimed the gun at the man, not because of Jacob's plan (whatever it was), but for her safety. Because that bullet was the reason why the vampire wasn't charging at her, ripping her into shreds.
"If you move, my partner's gonna shoot you," Jacob threatened. "And considering that you're just a newborn and aren't that fast, you won't survive that shot."
Leah's pulse quickened.
Newborn?
A vampire?
"Are you threatening me?" the vampire exclaimed.
"Yes," Jacob admitted. "So fucking talk."
Leah shifted her arm so that the gun was aimed right between the vampire's eyes. "You heard him. Talk. And drop the gun!"
To her absolute amazement, the newborn followed her orders. He carefully placed the gun on the group, holding up one hand and glaring profusely at the stricken detective. "You have some balls," he said. "You don't know who you're messing with."
"Both hands up!"
"Leah, we can't subdue him."
"Jacob, the hell you're talking about?"
"You should listen to your partner, lady—"
"Don't call me lady!"
"Please don't call her lady."
"What do you want—"
Leah's eyes narrowed. "What's your name?" she demanded.
"Riley."
The name didn't ring a bell, but it didn't matter. Leah was glad that the vampire, Riley, was finally seeing the light. "Attempted murder is a felony," she reminded the man.
Riley wasn't concerned. "Your human rules don't apply to me."
"Yeah, but the ultraviolet in this gun does," Leah retorted, almost hearing Jacob's smug smirk from afar. "This isn't the time for any snarky comments. Why are you after us?"
"You're making a big mistake, lady."
"Jacob, I'm gonna shoot him—"
"No, not yet," Jacob advised, inching closer to the action while fighting through the pain in his arm. He looked at Riley. "Volturi, the Cullens, the Denalis, Victoria—who do you work for?"
"Victoria." Riley's eyes zeroed in on Leah's gun, "We work for Victoria," he gritted out. "We are guards. We patrol our property."
Leah raised an eyebrow. "Property?"
"This warehouse, these grounds. It all belongs to Victoria. And you are trespassing it."
"This warehouse belongs to the city," Leah corrected him. "It's public land."
Riley made a surprised noise but quickly gained back his resolve. "Doesn't change things..."
"Oh, I beg to differ," Leah said. "I can think of a few things that can send you away, including attempted murder, assault, loitering. Maybe squeeze in a gun charge..." She cocked her head, mocking the man. "You want me to continue?"
"The quicker you comply, the better off you'll be," Jacob said, and then before giving the vampire a chance to retort, "How long you been with the James Gang?" He sucked his teeth when Riley attempted to reach out for his gun. "I would not do that if I were you."
"If you were me, you would understand," Riley bit back.
"Understand what?" Leah asked.
"That you, cops, need to learn how to stay out of our goddamn business."
What affairs? As of fifteen seconds ago, Leah hadn't even thought about the remnants of James gang. Sure, Mike had mentioned them, but he had made it seem that Victoria was handling her business outside of Chicago, outside of the detectives' jurisdiction.
"Are you talking about your little vampire turf war?" Jacob asked.
Riley smirked. "Who said only vampires are involved. Your kind ain't saints either."
"Never said we were," Jacob retorted. "What happened here about a month ago? Involving a young human woman?"
Leah glanced at Jacob.
"The only reason why we interact with humans is for dinner," Riley gave Leah a pointed look. "But you already knew that."
"She came out of this place alive," Leah pointed out, ignoring the hungry look on the vampire's face. "A young woman. Brown hair. About 5-1, 5-2. Her name was Jessica. She was here with two men."
"Ah, yes… She was—" Riley stopped. "I ain't a snitch."
"You won't have another opportunity to snitch if you don't answer the question," Leah reminded him. She didn't want to resort to shooting him, though. He would be a good informant. An excellent plant, if he played his cards right. He seemed inexperienced in the game, so making an offer shouldn't be too hard. Especially once Paul got a hold of him—
Paul, of course.
"I ain't a snitch—"
"You have until I count to three to answer him," Leah warned, tired of the man's game. Because she had a plan: Riley, the man standing in front of her, was going to spend the night in jail. Alive. And he would become an asset because the police department needed as much help as they could get. "One."
"I'm not—"
"Two."
"You—"
"Thr—"
"She was having a meeting with someone about the fucking ultra-violets!"
"Who was she meeting?" Leah asked because the hell? The James Gang never dealt with the Olympic. They hated each other ever since St. Patrick's when James had been knocked off by a member of the Cullens. Unless things had changed… but Victoria seemed to be the vindictive type. She wouldn't look past a grudge, even if there were money to be made.
"I don't know!"
"Riley…"
"I don't know! I swear to fucking—"
A shot rang from the gun.
Leah watched as the vampire recoiled, collapsing onto the ground, holding his knee as he cried out in agony. She never expected a vampire to react such a way to a bullet, but… she supposed the theory behind the ultra-violets was correct.
The plan was officially a go.
As Jacob remained frozen beside her, most likely out of shock, Leah slowly approached the fallen vampire. She made sure to give Riley a wound that wouldn't kill him, a shot to the knee. It was going hurt like Hell, but no major artery had been hit.
"Fuck! I told you everything!"
"And that's why I didn't put one between your eyes."
"Leah—"
"I know what I'm doing, Jacob," Leah said, not removing her eyes from the injured, irritable vampire.
This might have been one of her more reckless moves, but she had a plan, and she was going to stick to it. She only had one ultraviolet, and it was currently lodged in Riley's right knee, but she thought she could have complete control of this situation. She just had to make Riley believed she was calling the shots.
She glanced at her partner; the shock was wearing off. Okay. Three minutes, she gave herself. Three minutes was all she had to get out of the damn warehouse without worrying about an army of vampires chasing after her. Because if she didn't kill Riley or subdued him, he would most run back to his employer, and all Hell might break loose.
So, she had a plan. It had been stupid then, and it was probably stupid now. But Riley was no longer acting confident, not with one of his knees taken out.
"Okay," Leah finally said, aiming the gun once again at Riley, this time to his head. "This is what's going to happen. You are going to stand on your good leg, and
you're going to put your hands up high."
"Leah—"
"You bitch—"
"And we're going to drop you off downtown where you will be booked and charged for assaulting two cops. Notice that I didn't say attempted murder," Leah said, pulling out her handcuffs with one hand, her Glock remaining steady in the other. "And if you cooperate, you will be offered a deal."
"What if I don't," Riley choked out.
Leah appreciated his defiance, even if it wouldn't do him any good.
"You die," she said, noticing her partner approaching her at the corner of her eye. Good. "After all, those human laws don't technically apply to you."
"I'm not gonna be a rat!"
"I have news for you: you already are," Jacob said, still holding his arm. He stood next to his partner, leering down at the reeling Riley. "It's the best offer you're gonna have. Because here's the thing: if you go back to your boss, with an ultra-violet in your knee and one partner down, they're going to assume that you ran away, and I know for a fact that Victoria ain't gonna like that."
"You don't know shit!"
"What I do know is that your boss doesn't give a shit about newborns. So, get the fuck up, and let my partner put some handcuffs on you while she reads you your rights." Jacob directed his attention to Leah. "You got this?"
"I got this," Leah assured him. "Call Paul. Tell him we're dropping a gift off for him, and get someone to fetch the other body."
Leah drove while Jacob sat in the passenger seat, trying his darnedest to stop the bleeding. She had offered to drop him off at the hospital, but Jacob hadn't wanted her to deal with Riley all by herself, even if the vampire was in the back seat, completely incapacitated.
It was amazing how the ultra-violet worked, behaving more like a tranquilizer than just a normal metal bullet. Even though there was only a grill separated between the perp and the cops, Leah didn't fear for her life.
Passing through the traffic lights, Leah tried to make sense of what had just occurred. Everything was odd, confusing even, especially over Jacob's insistence not to call for backup. And her completely heeding to her partner's wishes; if Jacob were any of her former partners, she would have disregarded him entirely and call for extra support the moment he had gotten shot. And then there was her plan. This wasn't like her.
She generally did things by the book, but this time, she hadn't. And she still couldn't come to terms as to why. She hated this feeling of uncertainty, indecisiveness, and confusion. She was already had to deal with it when it came to Sam— who she still needed to confront about Emily, and because it had been approaching a month and a half, and she needed answers.
Paul was pleasantly surprised when the detectives pulled up. He quickly ordered his men to bring the man, reading Riley his rights once again, before assuring both Leah and Jacob that there was a team heading out to the warehouse. The captain caught sight of Jacob's wound but didn't appear too concerned. All he asked was for Leah to make sure he didn't bleed out.
She promised him she wouldn't, which was why she planned on taking him to the hospital until Jacob had other plans. "Just drop me off at my place."
Oh, you've got to be kidding me…
Using his good arm, Jacob fished his phone out of his suit pocket and quickly dialed a number. Balancing the device on a shoulder, Jacob said in a gravelly voice, "Yo, Embry. My place in twenty."
Leah shook her partner an alarmed look before making the turn onto Glenview Road. Jacob's apartment was about a mile away. "Jacob Black, you need to go to the hosp—"
"Leah."
"Jacob, arm wounds aren't something to mess with. You can bleed to death."
"I'll be fine," Jacob insisted, sitting up further in his seat. His hand was still wrapped around his arm. He lightly groaned and pressed down harder. Blood began to seep through his fingers. "I'll be fine—by the way, good job back there."
"But where—oh." Leah stiffly nodded. "Thanks. I was kinda reckless, but…"
"It was good. And smart," Jacob said. "And Paul's happy. He has a vampire in his custody. Never thought I'd see the day… he may actually convince the captain to transfer you to the Unit-that-shall-not-be-named."
Leah chuckled at the Harry Potter reference. One day, she was going to ask Paul what his unit was officially-but-not-on-paper called. "Aw, but then that means you'll have to get another partner."
"Right, don't want that happening. Wanna try to make it last for a few years. At least."
"At least." Leah stole a glance. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Trust me, I've been through much worse," Jacob said, giving Leah a strained smile before adding, "Just don't ever shoot me with a silver bullet. Promise?"
"So, the legend is true?" Leah asked. "About silver being the werewolves' kryptonite."
"I'm not a werewolf," Jacob corrected. "I'm a shape-shifter."
"Right…"
"But you're more or less right," Jacob said. "Silver affects werewolves more, but we… I guess it's like an allergic reaction."
"Would a Benadryl work?"
Jacob chuckled. "It's more complicated than that."
"Ah."
"But seriously, I'm fine. But if I don't make it, you can kick Embry's ass."
Leah had so many questions, but her main priority was to get Jacob some medical help. "I'll keep that in mind."
Despite her personal feelings, Leah honored Jacob's wishes and dropped him off at his place. When Embry arrived minutes later, concerned but not too alarmed had threatened the poor cop with each inch of his life if Jacob didn't recover. Jacob laughed when Embry promised Leah as his voice cracked, the world.
Leah left when Embry escorted Jacob inside the apartment building. She thought about going up with them, just to make sure everything was good, but Jacob and Embry had known each other for years; Jacob should be in good hands.
The following morning, Leah decided to stop by her partner's place. That hadn't been a part of the plan, especially on a Saturday, but it was her day off (finally), and she didn't have much to do until the evening. Sam had left the apartment at dawn for an early run, come back, take a shower, and rushed out; he was heading to a Blackhawks' game with a former partner.
Leah tossed her phone into her purse, quickly got dressed, and left her place. Before stopping at Jacob's, she visited his favorite diner, picked up the monstrosity that was the quadruple bacon, steak egg, and cheese on a roll and coffee— dark and sweet (like him, he had joking described himself days ago). It was a quarter to nine by the time she knocked on Jacob's front door.
"Who is it?" the woman called out from behind the door.
Leah wondered if Jacob had mentioned anything about a girlfriend or a wife—not that it mattered to her; she didn't want to be in the middle of any assumptions. "Leah—I'm looking for Jacob Black," she said. "This is his partner from work."
Moments later, the door opened, revealing a woman she had never seen before. She had specks of dried paint on both forearms and her clothes. Behind her, she could see a canvass lying against the wall. An artist, Leah inferred. "Good morning."
The woman's blank expression immediately brightened. "Leah, as in Leah Uley?"
"Yes."
"Well, good morning to you, too," she replied, seemingly amazed at the woman standing in front of her. She then smiled. "Wow, it's nice to meet you finally. I'm Rebecca. Jacob's sister."
"Nice to meet you, too, Rebecca," Leah said, a little surprised that Jacob had talked about her to his family. She didn't know why it bothered her. Or maybe it didn't—she returned the smile. So, this was Rebecca. And the paint made sense; she recalled Jacob mentioning something about his sister presenting at an art gallery in the spring.
"Please, come inside," Rebecca insisted, opening the door and stepping aside. Her smile remained as Leah walked past her. "I'm assuming you're here to check up on my fool of a brother."
Leah nodded. "I wanted to take him—"
"To go to the hospital, I know." Rebecca finished, glancing behind her. "Don't take it personally. He's super paranoid about hospitals and doctors, but he's, or was, head over heels with a medical examiner. Ain't that funny?"
"Was?"
It wasn't Leah's business. She was only here to make sure Jacob wasn't bleeding to death somewhere. But she was curious because everyone and their mother knew Jacob had his eyes on Bella.
Rebecca's only response was a reserved grin. She offered Leah a seat (which she politely declined) and thanked the detective when he handed the white paper bag with the food. She opened it and peered inside. "Oh, you got him the heart-attack on a roll special." She laughed. "You're sweet."
"Yeah, he's obsessed with it. It's the least I could do since he got shot." Leah gave a half-shrugged. "Apparently, he's not concerned with his cholesterol."
"He's lucky like that..." Rebecca remarked, placing the bag on the side. "Hey, do you want anything? Water? Orange juice? Toast?"
"No, I'm—"
"Please, I insist."
Persistent, just like her brother, Leah thought as she rubbed her hands together, glancing around the living room. It was a cute place. "Water and toast will be fine. Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Rebecca said, rushing into the kitchen. "Be right back."
In Rebecca's absence, Leah took the time to roam around the living room. It wasn't large, roughly the size of her bedroom, but it was decorated with pictures and abstract paintings. Tons of them. She stopped at the picture of what she assumed was the Black family taken quite some years back, judging by the presence of Jacob's mother. She quietly chuckled at her partner's long hair, making a note to tease him about it later.
Leah's musings were interrupted by an unexpected sound—A low growl. She jerked her head in the direction of the noise, resisting an urge to pull out her gun and froze. "Holy shit..." she breathed.
She closed her eyes and slowly opened them.
It—an animal. A dog. A something was just standing there, quiet. So quiet that it was entirely possible that Rebecca couldn't hear its soft breathing. Or see it since it stood in a blind-spot from the kitchen. Leah tensed up when she realized that the animal's attention was entirely on her. It minutely shifted at the sound of the water turning in the kitchen sink, but after a few seconds, its focus returned to Leah.
Okay.
It couldn't have been a dog. It was too big; it was huge. Had to be about ten feet long. Something that size shouldn't be standing in the middle of a living room inside a small apartment. And it was beautiful, with its reddish-brown fur and dark eyes—eyes that she could have sworn she had seen before. She titled her side to the side; the animal followed suit, narrowing its eyes.
Holy... it had his eyes.
Jacob's eyes.
Leah blinked several times. Maybe she was losing it. Perhaps her lack of sleep was finally catching up to her. But... Goodness, it had to be him. The wolf. That was what he must have been talking about.
Against her better judgment, she carefully approached him. Her eyes didn't leave his as she reached a hand out to him. When her hand finally rested on the top of the wolf's head, she released the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. It—Jacob, she assumed she could call it now, looked right up at her. Its—his eyes were friendly yet guarded.
Feeling a bit confident, Leah gently moved her hand across Jacob's head and down its side. Her heart sped up as she felt him leaning against her touch, quietly whining when Leah jerked her hand back.
She did it again. This time, while maintaining a level heart rate, she stood up and walked around the wolf, occasionally petting it, thinking about how surreal this was (and if she was really hallucinating). When she did a 360, she stopped and ran her fingers along Jacob's cheeks and back to his neck, in the same manner, her childhood dog, Selena—a birthday gift from her father weeks before his untimely death, had liked all those years ago.
She jumped a bit when she heard and felt the rumbling emitting from the wolf and then smiled. He was enjoying it. "My God," she breathed, continuing her ministration. "Oh, my fucking..."
"Sorry, the toaster's been acting up, and—"
With her hands still buried in the fur, Leah looked behind her, locking eyes with Rebecca. To say Jacob's sister was stunned by the sight was an understatement. She cleared her throat. "Rebecca—"
"Ja—" Rebecca quickly placed the glass of water on top of the faux-fireplace before she could drop it. She was ready to charge at the wolf, but then stopped as her gaze focused on Leah's hands and her brother's relaxed state. "It can't—you recognize him?"
"He has Jacob's eyes," Leah said, still amazed. When she locked eyes with Jacob's again, she slowly ran her fingers along the side of his face once again, a smile peeking from the corner of her mouth. It was amazing that an animal, so large, seemingly so ferocious, was just so calm. It's mesmerizing, she concluded.
"But—" Rebecca stopped and gulped. "You know about... this?"
"So, it's true after all..."
Narrowing her eyes, Rebecca took a step forward. "Who told you?" she demanded.
Leah blinked. The tone behind Rebecca's question was… she didn't know, full of surprise, disbelief, and worry. Suspicion. "He did," she admitted, noticing how Jacob's guarded gaze shifted to his sister.
"He told you," Rebecca breathed, looking between her brother and Leah. Bringing a hand to her mouth, she took a couple of steps back. "He told you..."
Leah took a deep breath and stilled her hands. She felt Jacob's tense muscles. He had. Not long after meeting her face-to-face, he had. And he shouldn't have, at least, according to the tone in Rebecca's voice. She understood why it had to be a secret; many people weren't like her. They might not take the news of the supernatural's existence too well, but why her? Why would he tell her?
"It must've slipped."
"It never slips," Rebecca slowly said. "It never slips...My goodness, he does trust you."
Leah glanced up at the woman before returning to rubbing the sides of Jacob's neck. She couldn't help herself; she couldn't stop her hands, not with Jacob emitting satisfied grumbles—she was getting flashbacks of her childhood, of the times she played with her precious dog and how it had loved to be petted. "I'm his partner."
"That doesn't mean much."
Leah stopped her ministrations, earning a slight growl from him. Jacob. Her partner. A man whose six-foot-something tall being had been bleeding in the car only several hours ago. Goodness, she still couldn't wrap her head around this.
"So, that happened..."
Leah peered at Jacob through her car window. Ten minutes had gone by since leaving Jacob's residence. She had every intention leave (not because of anything that had happened upstairs. Jacob, the wolf, had been calm and Rebecca had been too, once she had gotten over her shock), but then she had received a text from Jacob, begging her not to leave yet—and now here he was, standing at the curb just wearing sweats and a T-shirt despite it being twenty degrees outside.
Leah was tempted to ask if he just wanted to get inside and come along for a drive. He was tense, on guard. Not that she could blame him. She was sure revealing himself to her wasn't a part of the agenda.
"I didn't know you liked neck rubs so much," Leah remarked with a teasing smile.
Jake playfully rolled his eyes, finally loosening up a bit. "So, I like neck rubs. Sue me."
"Your sister is nice… seemed surprised about everything."
Jacob stood up straight, rubbing the back of his night. "I think she was expecting a freak-out, especially when you realized it was me."
Why did you tell me? It was supposed to be a secret. You weren't supposed to let it slip; you never did…
"I never thought I'd see you like that."
"Well, you did," Jacob said. The tension returned. "And?"
And? Her partner had transformed into a wolf. An actual wolf. Not a werewolf— there was no human quality in sight (save for the eyes). But a wolf. That she had petted and stared into its eyes— it was an experience like none other.
"Your fur was soft," Leah quietly replied. She could still feel it along her fingers.
Jacob grinned.
"Do you turn every time you get injured?"
"It depends. It helps." Jacob shrugged. "I don't know how, but it does."
"So, you're okay?"
"Never felt better."
"I'll see you on Monday, then?"
Jacob tapped his hand against the hood of the car a couple of times and took a step back as Leah turned the key in the ignition. "I'll see you on Monday, and... thanks."
Leah raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"Checking up on me and getting me breakfast."
"I'm your partner," Leah said.
"And?"
And? That was what partners did. They looked after each other, especially when violence was involved. She couldn't understand why Jacob seemed so grateful. She was positive that she wasn't the first partner to do such a thing.
"It wasn't a hassle," Leah said with sincerity. "It wasn't a hassle at all."