Chapter 11 – All Things Considered

Briar stood on the porch as she stared out at the trees. They held so many secrets, probably too many to really tell. She heard the door open and close and knew exactly who it was who followed her. A warm hard brushed against the skin on the side of her arm. Briar moved away trying to ignore Jake and the way he made her body respond to his touch.

Jake sighed, "Briar, I'm sorry...I swear if I could've stopped from missing our date last night I would have. I didn't think my work was going to keep me as long as it did. I left my cell phone at home so I didn't have your number, so I couldn't call you."

Briar turned glaring at Jake, "Is that REALLY the excuse you want to go with right now? Because you work with my idiot brother and you could've easily called him and got my cell number from him. It's not like he was going to tell you no or anything. You've been best friends with Embry for years Jake."

Jake squared his shoulders, "Embry wasn't working last night and when I called his cell he didn't even answer...You make it seem like I ditched you Bri...I swear I didn't. You have no idea how long I've waited to take you out...Let alone getting up the nerve to ask you." Briar scowled at Jake, "I wouldn't know because when you finally did ask me out you stood me up. I don't know if you chickened out at the last minute or just decided I wasn't worth your time. But either way...Maybe it's for the best."

Briar brushed past Jake as she walked down the steps off the porch and started for the trees. Jake jogged after her as he grabbed her hand and effectively stopped her from entering the woods. Briar tried to jerk her hand out of Jake's grasp, but he wouldn't budge. Briar growled, "Let go of me Jake." Jake shook his head no, "Never. I'm never letting you go Bri. You can be mad at me for last night but I'm telling you right now I'm never letting you go. I don't care if you're mad at me for the rest of your life."

Briar tried again to pull her hand from his grip but he wouldn't budge, "What do you want from me Jacob Black?" Jake could feel her emotions they were splitting she wanted to cry but she wanted to stay pissed at him, Jake frowned as he rolled his beautiful red lips together as he locked eyes with her, "Just you. I want you damn it. It's always been you."

Briar blinked and a few stray tears slid down her cheeks. Jake stepped closer as he caught the tears with his thumb. Jake leaned down and kissed her lips softly.

Suddenly Jake pulled back from Briar as he grabbed both her upper arms. All the hair on Jake's body stood up...He smelled it. The sickly sweet smell as it entered his nostrils. His breathing picked up. Briar could see there was something about the look in his eyes, "Jake...What is it? What's wrong?" Jake clenched his teeth, "You need to get behind me Briar...Get behind me and get in the house now." Briar could see his chest rising and falling, "Jake you're scaring me."

Jake closed his eyes as he tried to control himself to keep from phasing and hurting Briar, "Listen to me...This is not the way you was supposed to find out...And right now I don't even have time to tell you...Please Briar...Just trust me and go in the house...Tell the others I need their help right now." Briar nodded as she stepped around Jake and ran to the house.

Everyone looked up from the table as the door crashed open, Jared jumped up, "What's wrong Briar?" Briar tried getting her breathing under control, "Jake...Said he needed...You're help now." Jared looked at Kim, "Lock the door behind us." Kim nodded as Paul and Quil jumped up as they took off out the door with Jared. Kiley and Kim both closed the door effectively with a slam and locked it.

Briar tried to open it when Kiley grabbed her arm, "No don't! You can't go out there." Briar looked at Kim and Kiley, "What the fuck is going on?" Kim and Kiley each grabbed Briar's arms and steered her towards a window as they looked out and saw Jake, Jared, Paul and Quil's bare backs in a line in front of the house.

Briar watched in complete horror as all four abruptly ripped from their clothes and morphed into giant wolves. Briar stood speechless, where Jake had been standing there was a 6 foot fuckin reddish-brown wolf. The wolf turned back and looked towards the house as he locked eyes with Briar through the window she was staring out of, her bottom lip started trembling. "It's not real. He's not real. Tell me this is a joke or something. Really good movie costumes."

Kiley shook her head no, "They are very real...Remember how we used to talk about them being protectors...They never really said what they protected us from. As it turns out the world is overrun with vampires...And well the only thing that can kill a vampire...other then another vampire...is a gigantic wolf."

Kim slid a chair up behind Briar and guided her into it before she fell on the ground. She looked like she was going to faint or pass out. The three sets of eyes watched as the four giant wolves walked into the trees growling and snarling. While the guys were gone, Kim and Kiley tried to answer as many questions as Briar could think of while they gathered spare shorts for the guys, knowing they would need them.

An hour later they heard yelps as Briar stayed seated, Kiley looked at her, "Are you coming out?" Briar looked up at Kiley, "I'll be there in a second...I'm not trying to rush the use of my legs." Kiley nodded as she walked out with Paul's shorts, he always made sure he had a few extra pairs. Kim threw shorts to Jake and Jared as Jake whined a little, Kim giggled, "She's fine Jake...She's just a little shaken up. She'll be out in a minute to see you. Don't get your fur twisted."

Kiley giggled as she walked down the steps as she tossed a pair of shorts to Quil and then her head turned when she felt a wet nose against her arm, instantly locking eyes with Paul, his silver and dark grey fur was wild and tousled but always soft to the touch. Kiley smiled softly when Paul leaned his massive head down as she pressed her face into the fur around his neck and both sighed in contentment at the contact. She inhaled his woodsy smell and loved it. She placed feather light kisses all over his fur covered face and then put his shorts over his back as she gently pushed him, "Go phase back."

Within seconds Paul was walking out of the trees buttoning and zipping his shorts with a smile on his face heading directly towards Kiley who smiled brightly as she jumped into his arms as her legs wrapped around his waist and Paul carried her inside the house. Kim, Jared and Quil joined them shortly as Briar walked outside. She noticed Jake hadn't changed back yet as she whined at her a bit.

Briar walked down the steps, "So you're not going to hurt me...I know that. But Kim and Kiley said you've got more to tell me. So go change back or whatever...I'm all ears right now." Jake stretched forward as he softly licked the side of her neck, making her shrug and shiver because it tickled. Jake walked out of the trees with his shorts and t-shirt back on as he walked up to Briar, "I think we were just about here with our last conversation." As Jake cupped her cheeks and captured her lips again. Once they broke the kiss Jake explained what imprinting was and Briar actually took the news quite well.

All things considered.