Chapter 7 – Temper-Temper

Veronica hadn't spoken to Embry in two weeks. She continued to paint her walls and Paul continued to visit her at the house. Paul would sit at her desk and watch as she stared at the walls in wonder as she painted a pack of wolves. She had all the colors of Paul and the rest of the pack down to their specific shading. Paul could only watch her in fascination. The wildest thing he witnessed was when she painted a large silvery grey wolf watching over her bed. It looked exactly like him when he was in wolf form. It was uncanny how alike the wolf on the wall matched his actually wolf when he was phased.

Veronica would talk to him and listen to the stories he'd tell about when the guys were growing up. He could listen to her giggle and laugh over the stories. He would listen to her talk about the 'friends' she'd made while in the institute and said she wasn't sure she could keep in touch with them; considering they were supposed to be a part of a different life for her. Apart that she wanted to forget, but didn't want to forget the 'friends' who made it easier to get up in the mornings and live another day of her life.

Paul could understand that. His pack brothers were the ones who had been there for him with his mom had been killed by a vampire. He couldn't tell Roni that but he had mentioned his mother had been murdered and the murderer had been caught. Yea he could remember ripping that bloodsucker apart as that blood sucking piece of shit begged for its life.

Paul's eyes danced along the wall in Roni's bedroom as he continued to watch her pick and choose her colors carefully. Paul stood and walked over looking at the way her wrist would turn to make certain marks with certain colors and how her hand could move the other way when she wanted the color to come off the brush lighter or darker.

"It's beautiful." Paul mumbled as he watched as she physically jumped. He touched her arm as she looked at him and blushed. "I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"

"Sometimes I get so engrossed in picking which colors need to go where that I forget people are in the room. Sorry about that."

Paul chuckled. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

Veronica shook her head no. "No. Please don't apologize I should for forgetting I was entertaining company."

"I could see how someone could get so engrossed in such beautiful drawings. Your talent is completely amazing Veronica. If I had half the talent you did I definitely wouldn't be waving a hose around at the end of a fire truck." Paul admitted openly.

Veronica smiled softly. "I would think saving lives is the special talent. Painting just happens to be a hobby I'm good at. Do you have any hobbies your good at?"

Paul smiled down at her. "Well I take pride in being able to make you smile. Maybe that's my hobby. The last couple of weeks, you're laughter just makes me smile inside and well outside as well. I've never seen anyone who smiles and laughs like you do. After everything you've been through you really have this glow about you. I'm sorry you and Embry haven't talked. I know it's my fault."

Veronica placed her paints on a tray table and turned to Paul as she touched his hand. She started to pull her hands away, when he gently grabbed both of her hands in both of his. "Please don't blame yourself for Embry. I just don't know where his head has been for the last two weeks. It was my decision to not speak with him. After the way he behaved at Emily and Sam's and then later that night it was just disheartening. He hasn't been home a lot so not speaking to him has been pretty easy. It hurts but eventually he'll realize the stuff he pulled was just ridiculous."

Paul nodded. "I'm not so sure about that. Embry is pretty thick headed and when he thinks he's right no one can change his mind."

"I don't want to change his mind. I just want him to see that what he did was unacceptable. I'm not going to have him walking around grumbling and growling at every guy who stops to talk to me. Just cause someone talks to me doesn't mean they want to get in my pants and it also doesn't mean that I'm naïve enough to let them get in my pants. I might be a virgin but I'm by no means naïve. No matter how much I've been sheltered for the last ten years…I'm even more embarrassed I cried in front of you."

Paul shook his head negatively. "I will tell you right now if you ever need to cry again you're more than welcome to cry on my shoulder, chest or t-shirt; whatever you need. I will gladly let you borrow for your tears. I can only hope I can be some sort of comfort for you at the time. You are too beautiful to let your brother upset you so much that he makes you cry. I will volunteer to kick his scrawny little ass if I have to; to put a smile on your face."

Veronica couldn't help but let out a giggle.

Paul's hand splayed on his chest. "Yes, that right there; that absolutely perfect smile and the laugh that came with it. I would die a thousand deaths if I could see that smile and hear that laugh every day for the rest of me life."

Veronica's cheeks tinged pink as she couldn't stop the smile from reappearing again. "You're sweet…You're so sweet. There's no way that a guy like you actually exists in the world. Why are you so sweet Paul?"

Paul frowned. "I wasn't always so sweet and sometimes I'm not very sweet. I can have a bad temper if I'm pushed to a breaking point. I tend to lash out at whoever is closest. I always regret it. But I've been good about harnessing my temper and anger lately."

Veronica walked over and stood at the foot of her bed. "Paul, you do realized I'm damaged goods right?" It was more of a statement than a question. She could tell he'd been hanging around the last couple of weeks for a reason. She had to have the 'talk' with him about her mental status. "I'm probably never going to be the same way I was before I went into the institute. I mean you should know what you're getting into a head of time. You've spent a lot of time getting to know me in the last two weeks and I don't want you to waste anymore of your time or energy on me. I'm nothing special and I never will be. And I can accept that, but I can't accept you trying to be part of my life, because I just don't see it lasting that long to begin with."

The truth was ever since they had bumped into each other she hadn't been able to keep her mind off of him. He was such a beautifully normal human being. His perfect smile, his perfect body; she'd seen him a couple of times with his shirt off and just wanted to reach out and touch his chiseled chest, abs and incredible biceps. His smile was perfect with the whitest teeth that were a gorgeous contrast to his tan skin.

Paul frowned. "Veronica, no matter how much you think you are; you're not damaged goods. Everything in me wants you to be part of my life; I want to be part of yours as well. I don't care how long it takes; if I have to…I will wait for you forever."

Paul cupped her cool cheeks gently as his warm thumb brushed across her bottom lip. His eyes danced back and forth between both of her beautiful eyes as he leaned down and kissed her lips as softly as he possibly could.

Veronica had never been kissed…Here she was standing in her room experiencing her very first kiss. She wasn't sure if she was doing it right she just mirrored what Paul was doing to her. His tongue slipped between her lips and caressed hers and she gasped when he did that as her hands came up and gripped his forearms to help hold her up.

Paul hoped he wasn't scaring her, but he couldn't help himself he needed to kiss her just once. Even if this was the first and only kiss he ever got from his imprint, he couldn't stop himself from doing it. She needed to be kissed and properly. And he knew he was just the guy for the job. His hands slowly slid down and gently gripped her hips as his right arm wound around her waist pulling her closer to his body.

Paul pulled away from Veronica's lips reluctantly. "Please don't push me away Roni. I'll beg all damn night if I have to. Please just give me one chance. I'll prove to you you'll always be safe with me. I'll protect you with everything I have and everything I am. And I don't care how long it takes."

Veronica looked into his eyes and somehow knew every word that left his mouth was the complete truth. She felt a hundred percent safe, even with him just sitting in her bedroom. He wanted one chance and she was definitely willing to give it to him. She smiled softly as she nodded. "Okay."

Paul returned her soft smile as he leaned over and kissed her lips softly once more.

Suddenly a ferocious growl erupted from Roni's bedroom door. Paul and Veronica's eyes snapped to the door way where they saw Embry standing letting out an animalistic growl as his body began to shake violently. Paul held up his hand as he gently pushed Veronica back from him. "Embry, don't do it. Don't even think about it. Think about consequences to your actions."

Embry's chest was rising and falling at a fast pace; his breathing was extremely heavy. Abruptly Embry charged at Paul; when they collided Veronica let out a scream as she watched both of the guy's crash through her bedroom window. Her eyes widened like saucers as she ran to the broken window and looked down; they had rolled down the porch awning and hit the ground.

She couldn't believe what her eyes witnessed next. Where both boys had been standing were two large mutant wolves circling each other, snarling and snapping. Their growls were so ferocious that they practically vibrated the entire house.

Her eyes rolled back and her whole body was consumed by the darkness.