"No!" Jared exclaimed as he listened to Paul's plan. They had driven back to the parking garage to get Jared's car and Paul was sitting behind the wheel, parked next to his pack mate's car while the man stood outside the driver side window of the jeep. The girl was still out, slumped in the back with a seat belt holding her in place.
"No, what?" Came the normal scathing tone. "If you got a better plan, I'd love to hear it," Paul asked rudely, not the least bit interested in hearing about any plan that involved leaving his urchin here in the city.
Jared's anxiety began to rise. It was exactly like Paul to think he could cart home some unconscious chick, but this wasn't any type of situation that could be blamed on drugs or alcohol. "Paul, you can't just take her away."
At the ever present expression of obstinacy from Paul, Jared tried to change his tactic. "What if she has family looking for her?"
The word family allowed for a response. Jared saw Paul as his eye twitched just slightly towards the mirror to peek at the girl.
I am her family now! Paul's mind screamed. This girl was alone and clearly had been so for a long time. He didn't know what it was about her, but something told him she had no one to help or protect her and even if she did, there were fucking vampires down there. Paul knew his best bet was to first help her physically. After she was awake to be given some medicine and bandages, Paul could ask if she had other…family members.
"And look at her; she can't be much older than eighteen, if that," Jared added for good measure, still thinking Paul was about to add to his collection of fuck buddies.
Had he stopped at the family comment, Paul might have relented and taken the girl to a nearby hospital to be treated for her obvious maladies. The fact that Jared had decided to use age as a factor was an instant kill to those plans. If the girl was underage, Paul didn't think he could restrain himself to wait until she was older, not when she obviously had the body of a woman.
The more he thought about her being near him at all times, the more he realized that it wasn't just for sex, although clearly that would be what everyone assumed when they found out she was his imprint. He couldn't deny that having sex with her sounded like a really good idea but definitely not now. For now, he wanted to care for her and make her better.
"I like 'em young," Paul finally concluded with his usual disregard to what was right: morally, legally, or otherwise. Let Jared assume the worst before dropping the bombshell that his urchin was here for keeps.
"That's not even funny, Paul," Jared answered in all seriousness. "Stop thinking with your dick. Let's just wait until she wakes up and then we can ask her where she lives and take her home."
The absurd idea of her having a real home to return to…
"Are you fucking blind, deaf and dumb?" Paul questioned his asinine companion. "Obviously she doesn't have any family, or else she wouldn't have tried to rob your sorry ass earlier. She's homeless; ergo she has no home to speak of."
"Ergo?" Jared questioned, wondering where and why Paul's new language had come from. From his menacing glare, Jared decided it wasn't worth an answer. "Give it up; what are you playing at? I have never seen you so much as look at a homeless person and yet I've seen you check the rear view mirror at least ten times since we've been parked here."
"Maybe I've changed; ever think of that?"
Paul's sarcastic retort was not unexpected, but Jared was prepared this time.
"Yeah, I have. At the same time I've thought of the answer to instantaneous world peace; why pigs can't fly; and when the hell would Paul grow a heart. Have you managed to work through every available piece of ass on the west coast already? Has your love of the night life suddenly turned you into a human trafficker?"
Paul gunned the engine in agitation, dropping it into reverse, tired of playing nice. "Maybe I have? Whatever my reasons are, it's of no concern to you."
Jared had jumped forward to press against the vehicle before his jaw could even finish dropping from Paul's rash behavior.
"Are you shitting me, Paul? If you take an unwilling girl back to the Rez, every cop in the state will be on your ass within a matter of hours. You'll be behind bars before you even know what's hit you. I'm not kidding; put the jeep in park and let her go before I call Sam."
Jared waited while Paul bowed his head, obviously thinking about the consequences. When he finally looked at him again, Jared thought his jaw would unhinge.
"No can do," Paul said. "Go ahead and call Sam, though, if it'll make you feel better. I'll see you at home." Releasing the brake and pressing the accelerator, Paul pulled out of the space before shifting into first.
With a screech of tires, Jared barely had enough time to jump back, as Paul took off, but not before banging on the side of the jeep as it passed. "You can't keep her like a fucking pet, Paul; what are you doing?"
"Not like a pet," Paul called out as his vehicle maneuvered down the spiral exit. "I'm keeping her like an imprint." Zooming out of the parking garage and into traffic, Paul took off for his home pissed that he had to tell Jared about the imprint that way.
"Oh shit," Jared mumbled. Jumping into his car, he sought out his cell to call their Alpha. Sam was going to be pissed.
Paul made it to the ferry in record time, fully expecting Jared to be right on his ass, hanging out the window and screaming at the top of his lungs. Opting to stay inside the vehicle, Paul waited and watched, looking to see if Jared, or even the cops were after him, yet.
His eyes continuously reverted to the mirror, watching his sleeping urchin. She was out cold, allowing Paul the leisure to study her features without having to worry about his pack mate making comments.
Her skin was pale, paler than most white people's skin was and for a brief minute Paul remembered an old horror movie where people that had been living underground and couldn't get out in the sun, were near the exact same shade as his imprint. How long had she been homeless and living in the Underground?
Most of his preferred fuck buddies were nicely tanned. Although in all fairness, his fuck buddies were also conscious and didn't live the life of a street hustler. Close to it for some, but as far as he cared to ask, they weren't traditional street hustlers.
Deciding that wasn't immediately important he moved on to her size. Clearly her clothes were too large and too dirty and ragged; the garments draped and wrinkled around her frame, leading Paul to think that they probably weren't sized for her, but something she had found along the way. When they got to his place, he'd have to call around and see if any of the other imprints would be willing to let her borrow a set of clothes.
Damn it! If the weather was warmer or if he had a blanket in his jeep, Paul would've stripped off those nasty rags she was wearing as clothes and bundle her up. Hell, if she was conscious and Paul had a chance to explain, he'd happily give her the clothes off his back to wear until they got home. It wouldn't have been the first time he had driven home, commando.
Remembering that she was bleeding, Paul leaned over the console to rummage around in the glove box, searching for a first-aid kit, or napkins; something clean he could use as a temporary band-aid. If he hadn't been trying to dodge his well-intending, half-wit friend, Jared, Paul could have taken a few minutes to stop at a drug store and pick up some supplies.
With a calculated glance, Paul wondered if there was some type of first aid station on board the ferry. There had to be considering the amount of people that traveled every day. It wouldn't take him long to find it, grab some stuff and be back before his urchin could even notice. Fingers on the door handle, Paul was ready to do just that when he stopped.
What if the ferry service required the injured party to appear or they asked questions to fill out some type of shitty survey for government funding? No way could Paul risk carrying the girl across a boat loaded with people who might stop to question him. Even if her being awake wasn't a requirement for a band-aid, her appearance would raise too many questions.
His cell phone rang unexpectedly, Paul nearly vaulting over his seat out of surprise. His thoughts about his urchin's health vanished momentarily as he grabbed the device to hit the ignore call button, noting that it said Uley. Two minutes later it went off again, saying the same name and Paul could only smirk.
By the eighth ignored call, Paul had finally set the thing to silence, watching the screen as Uley kept popping up. Several minutes passed in which the phone had stopped receiving any new calls.
Snickering, Paul wondered if Sam had tried to text him. The phone company salesman had nearly shit himself when Paul told him, none too gently, that he refused to purchase a phone that could receive texts. It had taken them awhile, but the company had finally retrieved a very old model that didn't have the capability. Paul was more than happy to take it. The last thing he wanted was for people—primarily his vast collection of bedmates—texting stupid messages full of hearts and crap. He'd seen the other wolves grin stupidly when their mates did that shit. It was enough to make a manly wolf hurl.
A small moan from the back seat set Paul to full alert, his eyes zeroing in on the mirror Jared had accused him of overusing back in the parking garage. His imprint was still out cold, her head bent slightly to the side. Her skin was ashen and waxy, definitely a bad sign, but not what held his attention.
On her forehead was small reddened area forming into a bruise from where she had run into him.
Paul felt the beginnings of guilt that his imprint had hurt herself literally right in front of him, her protector. He should have reached out to stop her from hitting his chest, but honestly it hadn't occurred to Paul that the little urchin wasn't as visually adept in the dark. He had caught her, though, before she hit the ground.
Sighing, Paul began to drum his fingers on the steering wheel. He should just crawl in the back with her and hold her now; a comforting embrace he knew he sure as hell needed and she probably did, too. His eyes flashed back to the mirror before dropping just as quickly. If he looked at her directly, his resolve would crumple. He'd crawl in the back, stripping first himself and then her to change her out of those disgusting coverings. The whole thing would just continue to go downhill from there. It was one thing to feel her injuries but if the wolf actually saw them, Paul would probably shift right then and there in an effort to protect her and instead causing the exact opposite from inside a small area.
When the ferry finally docked, Paul slowed down past a few stores that might have medical supplies. At the very least he could buy a row of paper towels and a bottle of water to clean her. A feeling he wasn't familiar with hovered over his spine. What if she woke up and ran off before Paul got back? What if someone happened to look inside and recognized her or thought she was a prisoner?
Paul knew he wasn't trained to evaluate her injuries. She didn't have a fever and was breathing normally so things really couldn't be that bad; not enough to warrant a sudden stop before reaching La Push. If push came to shove, he could always stop in Port Angeles if need be. The best option right now would be to grab some grub from a fast food joint that had a drive-thru and ask for some water and extra napkins. Along with some sandwiches and soda to feed himself and maybe his urchin, if she woke up.
He bought five different sandwiches at a local place, along with soda, water and various side-dishes. He didn't need to eat right now, but if she woke up, he wanted to let her have a choice. If she slept all the way to La Push, Paul knew he'd probably eat the food the last half-hour home. He spent the remainder of his drive thinking about the precious cargo in the backseat and if he'd get to keep her.
There'd be more than hell to pay if the answer was no.
Paul almost turned his jeep around when he finally pulled into the driveway. Scattered throughout the entire yard was the whole pack, minus Jared. Embry was pocketing a phone, so Paul could only assume he had been talking to the absent wolf. The entire scene looked like a nasty intervention and Paul wasn't in the mood for deflection.
Barely in park, and Sam had ripped the door open to haul Paul out before he could even say a word. Immediately, Seth slinked to the other side of his jeep taking his sister Leah with him and making Paul's wolf rise.
"Back the fuck off," Paul warned, Sam still dragging him across the yard. Jacob, Quil and Collin following to encircle Paul as he was thrown to the ground.
"I don't care what the fuck you think, Paul, but you cannot abduct some child from the city," Sam spat at the downed figure.
Making careful movements, Paul slowly rose. "I didn't abduct anyone. What the fuck did Jared tell you?"
"That you had a run in with some child who tried to steal Jared's wallet," Sam said, making Paul cringe again at the possibility his imprint was underage. "He said you guys caught her and when she passed out, you decided to bring her home for a project."
Referring to Paul's imprint as a project had Paul's hackles rising. Sam was already trembling, making the rest of his pack follow suit. Paul knew that if he couldn't calm his Alpha, the yard would erupt into snarling beasts. Any other place or time, he would've been happy to oblige.
But not today.
"Did he leave out the part where we had to chase her?" Paul asked carefully, making Sam look twice at his most temperamental pack mate.
Confused, Sam wondered why Paul wasn't in his face. On more than one occasion they had come to blows over trivial disagreements. Scenting the air, Sam knew Paul's wolf was close and tense, but not about to unleash. "No," Sam finally answered, waiting for Paul's reaction. "He said you made quite a sweep through the city-"
"Yeah," Paul said, cutting off the Alpha. "The underground city, a.k.a. the sewer lines. She rolled through a gutter and dropped down away from our grasp. We had to enter through an actual access point and then search her out."
"Well, that explains the smell," Jacob commented, trying not to hold his nose in disgust as the others snorted in both amusement and disgust, Paul's look of mutiny having no effect. "Were you guys actually rolling around in shit down there?"
Casting a look that clearly told Jacob to shut up, Sam returned to his present inquiry. "Even if the girl was clever enough to evade you, that still doesn't mean you have the right to kidnap her."
Snapping away from glaring at Jacob, Paul looked to his Alpha in surprise. "What the hell did Jared say? I think you're missing some important facts, Sam."
"There is nothing else you could tell me that will make me think it's okay for you to kidnap a person, Paul. Do you get that?"
The carefully concealed anger sprang forth from Paul in a rush of words. "She's homeless, you dick!" He screamed, watching Sam's inner wolf rise quickly to the surface. "That pathetic creature in my back seat is about twenty pounds underweight. She smells like she hasn't had a bath in years and while we were searching for her in her so called home, the stench of vampires about damn near choked us."
The pack's silence confirmed that Jared hadn't told them much in the way of what had transpired earlier. They were still tense and trembling, Sam weighing the words for importance.
"He didn't bother to say all of that, did he, Sam?" Paul ridiculed, wanting nothing more than to disappear inside his vacant house with his imprint.
Sam was missing something, the Alpha within could feel there was more to the scenario than anyone had bothered to tell him.
"No," Sam answered after several minutes of brewing silence. "He called, overly frantic saying that you had an unconscious girl you had picked up and were bringing back to the Rez and that he was following behind. Then the phone went dead and I didn't have a clue as to what was going on. A few minutes before you pulled up, he called back on what little reserve his phone battery had, to say he was almost here and to watch out for you."
"Then I guess you missed the most important announcement of all," Paul declared without a care in the world. He waited several passes as the pack became anxious, waiting to hear what the grand announcement would be to clear a pack-mate of a kidnapping charge.
Paul took his time, leaning back on his heels and allowing his body to relax as his Alpha tried to mentally process what could possible come next.
When Sam raised one eyebrow questioningly, Paul finally gave in.
"That girl is my imprint," Paul said, watching as the elder wolves stared at him in dumbfounded shock.
"Homeless and Paul's imprint?" Seth called from across the yard. "That girl has some shitty luck."
Whirling in the direction of the young wolf, a trickle of a warning escaped Paul's tightened lips. He didn't make ideal threats and Seth dropped his gaze, well aware that his status in the pack was lower than Paul's.
Sam reached out to touch the suddenly angry wolf's shoulder, still needing to clarify a few things. "Paul, I can understand your rash actions once you realized she was your imprint, but you still can't kidnap her, even if she is homeless. How do you know she isn't just a normal runaway?" He asked, concern quickly overtaking his anger. If Paul really had imprinted and his mate was underage, the chaos would be brutal.
Releasing a huff of frustration, Paul tried to pull back the new emotions he was feeling. "I don't know anything about her other than she tried to jack Jared's wallet and ran like the devil was on her ass once she had it." Again Paul was reminded that his imprint had nothing, and was probably forced to thievery to survive. His empathy surfaced. "But it's seven o'clock in the goddamn evening. Are you really expecting me to just leave her on a bench somewhere?"
"Of course not, but-" Sam began.
"But nothing!" Paul spat.
Striding back across the yard, Embry and Brady dove out of his way as he went back to the jeep. Yanking the driver's side seat forward, he leaned over and unclipped the girl's seatbelt before pulling her out of the vehicle. Cradled in his arms, he turned around to face Sam who had come up from behind.
"Look at her, Sam, and tell me she's just some sulking teen who thought it would be fun to ditch her parents cause they wouldn't give her a raise in her allowance or extend her curfew."
Sam stared at her, trying not to cringe at the sight she was. Her hair was greasy, matted and tied behind her head. The clothes she had on could have belonged to her at one point despite the bagginess. Now the cargo pants were ripped and safety pinned together along the seams. Sam couldn't see if she had a shirt or sweater on underneath the dirty beige rain slicker that was zipped up nearly to her chin. Her hands, hanging limply, held multiple cuts and scrapes barely identifiable under the dirt.
Swallowing thickly, Sam looked up at Paul's pleading expression. Out of all of the pack members, Paul had never asked for anything; not a day off to spend with a special someone, not a switch in patrols, so he could be home when there was a holiday, or birthday to celebrate. He had always been the lone rogue wolf and until a few minutes ago, Sam had worried he always would be.
Reading the indecisiveness on Sam's face, Paul went in for the kill. "All I'm asking for is some time, a few days to learn who she is. If she wants to leave, I'll let her, but I can't do that until I know who she is and that she doesn't need me."
In a moment of rarity, Paul allowed Sam to see all of his feelings appear in his eyes and had a lesser man seen it, he would've been knocked breathless.
Sam watched as the constant coldness Paul carried in both his gleam and gait melted as the younger wolf held onto his imprint like a life-line to salvation.
"Please, don't make me beg, Sam," Paul pleaded once more before absorbing his sentiment and leaving in its wake the hardened shell of a fierce wolf-warrior.
To Paul, it wouldn't matter either way in the long run. If Sam allowed the girl to stay, his intentions of treating his new found imprint with care would stay validated in the Alpha's mind, regardless of how Paul chose to accomplish the task.
If Sam said no, Paul was more than willing to break command and do whatever the hell he pleased.
Turning back to his pack, Sam made a quick decision. "Jacob, I'll ask that you stay for a few more minutes. The rest of you guys, go back home."
Internally, Paul heaved in relief. True, he still had to wait until she woke up to figure out where to go from here, but seriously? Was she going to turn down free food, room and board and ask to be returned to the Undergound? Not likely if Paul had any say about it. Unlocking the door, he walked inside to lay down his little urchin.
The rest of the pack still hovering outside had looks of disbelief and shock at what their Alpha had just agreed to and seemed unable to budge from their positions.
"Now!" Sam barked out to the unmoving wolves, the onslaught of constantly changing emotions wreaking havoc with his normal levelheadedness.
Lowering his voice, he turned back to watch Paul who was already on his way into the house before adding, "You too, Leah. Go home."
Leah was not as easily pacified as commanded werewolves.
As Sam's imprint, she had come along with him earlier when she realized that something bad had obviously occurred judging from the numerous calls Sam had been making for the past couple of hours. It wasn't normal pack protocol, but then again, Leah was a pushy bitch like that and Sam indulged her more often than not.
"Are you insane? You think I'm just going to leave an innocent, unconscious girl in a room full of strangers? She's gonna flip out when she wakes and doubly so when it becomes apparent she's in a house with nothing but men."
Patience spent, Sam turned his aggression on the closest instigator. "No one is going to hurt her, Leah. Jesus, I doubt Paul will even let most of us get close enough to even talk to her when she does wake up."
Immediately Sam felt like shit for talking that way to his girl. "I'm sorry, honey," he added. "This isn't your concern though. Please go home and I'll be there shortly, okay?"
"You are thinking like a wolf and not like a small-ass female," Leah exclaimed, obviously thinking none of it was okay. "She's going to take one look at you and Paul's scary expressions and lose what sanity she might have. Then she's going to see Jake and drop dead all over again."
There was a small kernel of truth to Leah's words and Sam knew it despite his refusal. "Go home, please," he whispered, "and ask if your mom will come over to take a look at her."
Leah knew she had won and carried on as if Sam had said yes. "I'm only going to stay until you and Jake leave, okay Sam?" She explained. "Have Seth ask Mom. SETH," Leah bellowed, waiting until her brother came back into the yard. "When you get home, ask Mom to come over, k?"
Looking at Sam, Seth waited to make sure this was what he wished. Of course, he didn't really want to say no to his sister. Werewolf or not, she'd beat his ass and make him sorry; she'd done it before.
"Yeah, go ahead," their Alpha agreed, pleasantly pleased when Leah smiled at him. "But don't uhh…" trailing off Sam thought about how to word the situation without making it sound worse than it already was. "Don't mention that it's an imprint or anything, okay? And avoid answering anything like what might have happened."
Confused at the gravity of the situation, Seth was still unsure of the plan. He also didn't know what was going on, other than Paul had an unconscious chick in his room. Imprint or not, this was not the first time Paul kept the company of an unaware woman.
"Soooo, what does that leave me with?" Seth finally asked for clarification. Leah hadn't learned her behavior from an invisible figure; Sue Clearwater could be pretty scary, too! "You want me to just say, 'Hey Mom, Sam wants you to swing by Paul's to shoot the shit. Over what, you ask? Oh, gosh, I don't know'."
"Seth," Sam pleaded, trying not to rip out his hair in frustration. "Just tell her Paul has company and that his lady friend hurt herself and needs to be checked over."
"I don't know Sam, if Seth tells our mom that, she's sure to show up with heavy doses of penicillin and pamphlets listing the pro's of staying abstinent," Leah answered thoughtfully.
Paul had heard the entire exchange and was getting angrier by the second. Despite his wolf wanting to stay firmly planted by his urchin, Paul managed to tear himself away to help along the bickering trio.
"Do none of you have any imagination?" Paul yelled from the still open doorway. He cringed slightly realizing how loud he sounded and lowered his voice slightly from a loud roar to a smaller roar that didn't echo back from inside of the house. "Just tell Sue the pack needs to discuss something with her. She can always send Jake, Sam or Leah back to the house to grab something if she needs it."
Satisfied when he saw Sam wave Seth off, Sam, Jake and Leah followed Paul inside of his house to await the pack's medic.