Author's Note: Hey guys! thanks for reading this new chapter. This is not the end of the story. more is soon to come. Please, please, please review and tell me what you think of it. Thank you and enjoy!
"Do you now when they are coming?" Embry asked me. I was cuddled up against his warm chest, taking in desperately the scent of his body that I used to hate so much. Goodness, time changes everything.
I shook my head. "Alice didn't say when, all I needed to know was who and where and why and I was out the door, racing to you."
"I'm flattered that you thought of me before anything else." He said quietly.
"Once I knew my family was safe, I knew you were next. Did you warn the pack yet?" I asked and pulled myself up so I could look at his beautiful face. I focused my eyes on his features. They drew me in like gravity. His eyes were so gorgeous, they were a deep shade of brown, beautiful. And his lips were big and puckered in somewhat of a pout. I simultaneously reached my hand down and felt his abs, ignoring the thought that Embry might find this awkward. He. Was. So. Sexy. Why the hell had I been scowling at him for so long?
"- so I thought it would be important to clue them in." I had missed half of his response and felt a sudden urge to blush. I was suddenly very thankful that I couldn't blush anymore. It would be humiliating to me if he ever found out that his body practically made me drool.
"That's good, we wouldn't want any of your family hurt, now would we?" I asked in my innocent voice.
He smiled. "Wouldn't you love that?" He asked.
"Of course not." I said softly. He raised his eyebrows and I met his gaze. "Your family is my family. If they are with you, then they are with me. That's how it goes, right?"
His grin was so impish and triumphant. "That makes me feel so relieved and happy. I never thought you would ever feel that way. Aren't we just filthy dogs to you?"
"That thought stopped when I fell head over heels in love with you, believe it or not." I said and smiled at him.
"Maybe we should go back to your family to see how they are doing." He said, it was so sudden that I had trouble believing that he was being serious.
"Why?" I asked in bewilderment.
"Your family is my family," he quoted smoothly and I could feel his chest rumble with his soft chuckle. "If they are with you then they are with me. That's how it goes, right?"
"But," I objected. "Shouldn't we first check your family to see if they are okay?"
He raised his eyebrows skeptically. "You think we need to be worried about more than your family?"
I pursed my lips. The truth was that he was right, I did think that his family was more vulnerable because his family still bleeds! But I didn't want to upset him by making him feel weaker than us. "No, but we're closer to them." I invented wildly.
He looked at me for what seemed like a century, those big, brown eyes boring into mine with fierce intensity. Finally, I had no choice but to give into him. "All right, let's go to my house then. But let me warn you, I have no clue what my family's reaction will be."
He smiled his cocky and sexy grin. "Bring it on."
Normally when I drive, nothing can distract me, nothing keeps me away from my need for speed. But not this second. Not with Embry's arm around my neck and his warm lips just inches from mine. I found myself having trouble focusing on anything for long periods of time.
"This car suits you," Embry noted in his husky voice, undoubtedly trying to sound sexy, but he didn't need any help with that. "It's small, and red, you look very hot when you drive it."
I had that sudden urge to blush again. I cleared my throat. "Thanks."
"Do my comments bug you?" He asked, taking in my expression and the sound of my voice.
"No, not at all." I said a little too quickly.
He raised one eyebrow. "Then why are you giving me that face?"
I sighed, clearly he wasn't going to drop the subject, he was going to embarrass me even more than I already was. "Whenever you say things like that or come close to me, I get this strange feeling that I need to blush." I said and, naturally, the feeling reappeared.
Embry cleared his throat, I looked up. I hadn't realized until that point that we were stopped in front of my house. Perfect.
"I say and do those things because I want to make you feel that way, by the way." Embry said as I took his hand and led him to my front door.
"This is it, our home." I muttered, I closed my eyes, and walked in.
And of course, Alice was standing there waiting for us.
"Rose!" She squealed and launched herself at me. When she let me go she turned to Embry without hesitation and smiled. She then proceeded to pull him into a hug as well. Bless her. "Welcome to our home, Embry. It is very nice to know you." She said sincerely.
"Thanks so much." Embry said earnestly and looked over Alice's shoulder at me, I winked at him.
"I'm sure Rose has informed you of our little predicament." She said seriously.
"Yeah, and I warned the rest of the pack, thanks for the heads up, by the way." He said and smiled at her. She returned one.
"Embry." I heard Esme's voice before I saw her. She and the rest of my family, including Emmett and Bella, came walking into the living room then. When Esme reached Embry, she held her hands out, welcoming him to hug her. He did so without hesitation.
"Welcome to the family, Embry." Carlisle murmured quietly by Esme's side.
"Thank you all, you guys have been so pleasant and open about this situation." Embry said softly.
"Well, we figured if we have to share Rose, we might as well be pleasant about it." Alice chimed, I wondered whether she was acting or not.
"Can I please take him upstairs?" I asked through gritted teeth, nothing was more annoying than my family hovering.
"Yeah, we should let them go." Esme said and turned to eye everyone as if to challenge them to object. When no one did, I proceeded to lead Embry up the stairs and to my room.
"They are just fine, you see?" I asked when we were finally alone.
"They are very kind, especially your mother and your sister." Embry said and smiled shyly at me. There was a pause before he continued saying, "I can't stay here long, I too have to check on my family."
"Then we should go now." I said and headed for the door. He jumped in front of me and blocked the exit. "What?" I asked in confusion.
"I'm not letting you part with your family. Even Bella is here, Emmett will want you to stay." He said softly.
'But-" I tried to object, but he cut me off.
"No buts, you know that you need to stay, don't feel like you have to come with me. I will be just fine." He promised.
After a long moment of looking into each other's, I finally nodded. "Okay, fine. But let me give you something before you go." I reached up to my neck and unclasped the necklace that I was wearing and I handed it to him.
"Why are you giving me this?" He whispered.
"Because I want you to always have something of me with you. That's our family crest, each of us has one. Alice and I are the only ones with necklace crests, but hers is a choker. You don't have to wear it or anything if you are afraid of looking weird, but if you keep it with you, it will make me feel good."
"Thank you so much, Rose." Embry said with such love and affection. "I will see you very soon, my love, okay?" He asked and then kissed me, lifting me up off my feet.
"Embry is an awfully sweet boy." Esme commented when I had reunited with them after he left. "I am so glad that he feels welcome here."
"Is it possible for you to hate anyone, mom?" Emmett teased and laughed at her reaction.
"But seriously," I continued into the silence, "thank you guys so much for being pleasant to Embry today. I really appreciate wh-" I broke off because Alice had gasped. It was never a good thing to hear Alice gasp.
"What is it, Alice?" Jasper asked desperately and took her face in his hands. "What do you see?"
"They just changed their minds. The vampires." She whispered.
"Now what are they doing?" Edward asked and grabbed Bella and pulled her closer to him.
She turned her pained eyes to look at me. "They're going to LaPush, they'll be there within minutes." She whispered.
Everyone froze.