AN: thanks for the reviews and more than thanks to my beta Georgia Dawgette.
9.
Jared parked the truck in front of Sam and Emily's house. He went around to the passenger's side door, and helped Bella get down. She took his hand, and he led her inside.
Bella really didn't know how she felt about telling Sam, on one hand it would be a relief being able to share this big secret with someone else perhaps better equipped to help them. However, part of her was scared that by revealing it to Sam it would open them up to other more serious problems. She hoped that Jared made the right decision in telling Sam first.
Sam was reading on the sofa, and when he saw them enter and holding hands, he glanced from their clasped hands to their faces looking entirely puzzled.
Jared sighed, and then walked to one of the armchairs; he sat and then pulled Bella onto his lap. She settled with her right side leaning against his chest, and closed her eyes contently curling into him. His scent enveloped her once again, and for a moment all the worries and the pain left her mind. Then Jared spoke, and reality came crashing down on her again. "We have a problem Sam." Yeah, understatement of the year!
Sam seemed shocked; he was leaning forward on the sofa, mouth open. "It would seem so."
Jared passed a hand through his hair. "I've imprinted on Isabella."
Sam stood up. "What the hell? How is that even possible? Then without waiting for an answer, he started pacing the room mumbling to himself, and occasionally looking at the two of them shaking his head in disbelief. "What about Kim? Two imprints? I didn't even know that it was possible!"
"Sam, all I really know is that I've imprinted on her. I assume when Kim… when she died, it left me free to imprint on someone else. And that's what I did. Though, I find it hard to believe it myself, I don't remember ever hearing before of a wolf imprinting twice, do you?" asked Jared.
Sam let himself fall back onto the sofa. "No, though I'll ask Sue to search the legends. Still, I can't believe it."
Bella was surprised that there had never been a double imprint before; though it seemed her usual luck. If it was strange or unheard of it would happen to her. She wondered if Sam was going to be happy about them imprinting. Did she care if the wolves approved of her and Jared? Yeah, she actually did. But right now there were more important questions and answers; she would have to file this other concern for a later moment.
"Neither could we, but well, here we are." replied Jared.
"And what are you going to do?" Sam asked, looking at Jared and Bella for an answer.
"Well, I was hoping you could help us out. You are the Alpha." said Jared.
"Oh God! Jake is going to murder you. And the leeches? We are so fucked!" swore Sam.
Bella looked at Sam surprised; he had always been one of the most level-headed men she had ever met. Hearing that he didn't have any advice for them coupled with him swearing, brought back her fear that she was in deep trouble.
Apparently sensing her anxiety, Jared caressed her hair and she sighed, calm settled again into her stomach. Imprinting was like a drug, the more time went on, the worse it became. She mostly hated it, because she didn't know how much of it was the magic involved in imprinting and what part were her true feelings. However, the peace that only Jared's presence provided was welcome at times like this. Though she was curious how the imprint affected Jared. Did he feel the same way because of her?
"Jake and the leeches aren't the only problem." Jared said softly. "The pull of the imprint is becoming unbearable. It's driving Isabella, me and my wolf crazy. I mean just look at her, would you say that this is her normal behavior?"
Sam shook his head. "Are you saying that the tie between you is intensifying? Can you show me?"
Jared stood up holding Bella in his arms. He carefully put her back in the armchair, knelt in front of her, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and whispered to her. "We will be back in a minute, Isabella. Okay?"
"Okay." she managed to whisper. Maybe a few minutes on her own would do her good. How did she manage to always find herself in these kind of situations? Was she really a danger magnet? She rolled her eyes as the last few days came back to her, she knew the answer to that one.
Sam and Jared left her alone, and some of her sense seemed to return with his departure. She felt her head clear, though the desire to be with him was just as strong... She straightened up, and took a deep breath; she could and would be able to manage a few minutes without him. What was happening with this imprint? Was it weird because she had a faulty mind? She put her head in her hands; and a few moments later she heard someone clearing her throat. "Bella? What a surprise, what are you doing here?" squealed Emily.
Bella looked up at her, and smiled weakly. "Sit down Emily, and I'll tell you."
A smiling Emily sat on the sofa. Bella bit her lip, and then said, "Jared imprinted on me, and the imprint is driving us crazy."
Emily's smile froze on her face. "Jared imprinted on you? How is it even possible? What about Kim?"
Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I know even less than you do. After all I'm not Quileute."
"I'll admit that this is surprising, and you say that it's driving you crazy? How exactly?" asked Emily more serious now.
"I don't know how to describe it. I feel the pull to him so strongly. Every time he is around my first thought is to get to him. I want to smell, taste, and touch him. It's like my common sense switches off, and someone else comes to life inside me, someone that doesn't care about anything but being with Jared. It's a magnetic attraction." Bella said desperately; putting her head into her hands trying to cover the embarrassment she felt over admitting this to anyone. But there really wasn't any other woman she could talk to right now.
Emily smiled softly. "The desire to be with your imprint is pretty normal the first few weeks, however I don't recall feeling as out of control as you are describing. The imprinting links the souls of two people. In your case though, I think it might be stronger because both you and Jared were deeply in love with someone else. So the imprint magic is trying to reset your system, and tie the two of you. It also might be so strong because you both really belonged to other people. Once the relationship is solidified and ... consummated I think that the imprinting may loosen its grip on you."
Sam's voice made Bella jump. "I agree with Emily. You two need to come to some kind of agreement about your relationship, and the sooner you both accept it the sooner it'll get better."
Jared came back into the house then, and immediately moved to Bella's side.
"Isabella, Sam and I talked. We decided that we'll tell the pack tonight about the imprint. Obviously, we expect the worst reaction from Jake." he passed a hand through her hair tucking a rebellious curl behind her ear, Bella shuddered slightly enjoying the closeness of his presence. "I want you to stay in the house with Emily while we explain this to the guys. No matter what you see, you stay here. Are we clear?" His commanding voice was firm, and gave the impression that he didn't expect any argument from her on this subject, but he clearly underestimated her stubbornness. Bella didn't want to intentionally place herself in danger, but she didn't want her Jake to have to hear this news from anyone but her.
"But Jared," she put her hands on his chest and looked deeply into his eyes. "Jake will never hurt me. And maybe, I can prevent him from hurting you."
"Isabella." he growled. "I'm not going to say it again. You will do as I say." his voice held a note of steel and danger that made her shiver. Her silly mind couldn't distinguish whether she was scared of Jared or if his firmness towards her made her desire him more, she clearly was losing any grip of sanity she had left. He caught her attention again, and placed his hand under her chin to hold her gaze. "Are we clear?"
She bit her lip, and looked into his dark eyes. She was lost. "Yes."
His gaze hardened. "Yes what?"
"Yes, I'll stay inside no matter what." she sighed. She knew when she had to bend to Jared's will or at least to make him believe that she did.
Jared smiled then. "Good, now you should rest. I don't like those dark circles under your eyes." and softly touched her face. He stood up and smiled at Emily. "Emily do you mind if she rests in your guestroom?"
As she pulled her gaze away from Jared she noticed that Emily seemed tense. "Of course not. Come on Bella."
Bella stood up, and put her head on Jared's chest and inhaled. "I'll see you later, right?"
Jared kissed her hair. "Yes, now go and rest Isabella. I'll be back for lunch."
Bella followed Emily, and she entered in a nice clean room with a double-bed. The walls were white as were the bed linens. It gave the room a sense of peace and quiet. Emily smiled. "With all the phasing and such, we always keep a room for the wolves to crash in when they need it." Ah, yes this was exactly the right place for a nervous werewolf to rest.
Bella smiled and then sat on the bed. "Why are looking at me like that Emily? Is something wrong?" noticing the intense look in her friend's eyes.
"I was just wondering how can you handle it." Emily said fearfully.
"How can I handle what?" Bella was confused.
Emily looked at her with an incredulous expression. "The way Jared was talking to you just now. He was so scary. I mean I've never seen him like that. With ... Kim he was all sweetness and smiles. He has an intensity with you that it's almost too intense to watch, I can see that you two are really drawn to each other, but it doesn't give him the right to impose his will on you..."
"Ah... that's his wolf. Apparently Kim was docile enough that she never stirred Jared's wolf. It seems that with my luck, the wolf enjoys my stubbornness and at the same time brings out its desire to have the upper hand." she shrugged her shoulders and winced as the action irritated the bandaged wound on her shoulder. The bite was still hurting a bit, and she blushed when she remembered what happened between her and Jared.
"Are you hurt?" Emily asked walking closer and looking at her intently.
Bella stood up, and moved away from Emily. "No, I'm fine. Really it's nothing to worry about."
"Bella, show me your shoulder." said Emily firmly.
Bella was watching her carefully, of course Emily would know about bites and wolves better than anyone. She must have guessed that something happened with Jared, and after seeing their interaction Emily seemed even more intent on taking care of her.
"Emily, I'm sorry; but this is none of your business." she answered strongly. Emily and the others could help her and Jared to diffuse the situation, but what went on between her and him was solely their business. Too many times in the past she had let others influence her relationships, and rarely did any good come from it.
"He bit you, didn't he?" whispered Emily. She was eyeing her like she came from another planet, why was Emily so worried about the bite?
"Emily, even if he did, it isn't really anything that you need to be concerned about. What Jared and I do in our moments together it's just ours." Bella looked directly into Emily's eyes as she said this, fully believing every word.
The door opened and Sam entered; it was obvious from his next words that he heard every bit of their conversation . His eyes were hard and focused. "Show Emily your shoulder Bella."
Bella crossed her arms. "It's none of your business either Sam." She said this kindly, because of how much she truly respected Sam, but it didn't change the fact that this was between her and Jared.
"Actually Bella it is my business, I won't have one of my wolves disrespect his imprint or mark her without consent." said Sam.
Bella sighed. "Jared and I are fine. Listen Sam, I'm very touched by your concern, but this really is between me and Jared. I know you're both used to see me with Jake and Edward, they are both... sweet and caring. Jared isn't like that. And just because I found myself in love with two gentle men, it doesn't mean that I needed that. Probably my indecision and insecurity came from the subconscious knowledge that neither of them were really ever right for me. Jared is hard, dangerous and sometimes scary but he cares, in his own way. He always keeps me on my toes and I like that. We will be okay, really."
Sam took a deep breath. "I'll trust your judgment for the moment. But I warn you Bella, I'll keep an eye on both of you. Come on Emily, let her rest." He put his arm around his imprint and they left slowly.
She was surprised that Sam had let the subject drop so easily, he could have make her show them her shoulder. But he hadn't insisted because he probably saw that she meant every word. She might not yet know all the dynamics in her relationship with Jared, but she felt that she had done the right thing in defending him. She was his imprint and he was her problem now, no one else.
Bella sat on the bed and bit her lip. It was all so complicated. But strangely what she had told Emily and Sam was true. She enjoyed Jared roughness, and his wolf's side was dangerous but sexy. All her life her men like Charlie, Jake and Edward had been considerate and gentle with her. She had discovered recently that while they were all wonderful men, it wasn't what was right for her. With her uncanny ability to find herself in danger, maybe there were times when she needed to be firmly told what she could or could not do, and Jared was clearly the man for the job. Though she knew he could be sweet as well, perhaps she just needed both sides instead of just one. He already understood her so well, like right now, he knew she needed rest. She was exhausted. She closed her eyes, laid down, and sleep claimed her immediately.