CHAPTER 46
Leah POV:
"What? That thing . . . the one that took me, is . . . your cousin?"
Embry nodded. "Dad came out and stopped us from . . . uh he asked to talk to him. It was amazing, Leah! Dad talked to him and he heard him. Dad thought maybe since he was so hurt his defenses were down or something, but Dad talked him into phasing back. I don't think he remembers anything he did. He didn't know where he was or what had happened."
"I guess that's a good thing. I can't imagine phasing back and remembering the people I killed. " Once again, I was very happy that I wasn't trapped inside a body that I couldn't control. If I had to be a werewolf, I was glad that I could be what I was. "What I can't figure out, is why did he take me? And the girl in the cave . . ." I stopped as I tried to remember her name.
"Abby," he supplied.
"Yea, Abby. He didn't hurt me in any way, Embry. Except when he picked me up to carry me, he squeezed me so hard around the middle, I passed out. But, other than that, he was very gentle."
Embry got a strange look on his face. Like he was afraid I wouldn't like what he was going to tell me. "Well, Dad told me he thinks he was trying to find . . . a mate," he explained.
"A mate? Me?" I asked with surprise. "I could see Abby, but . . . I was in wolf form! Why would he choose . . ." My voice faded away as I lost myself in thought. He was part wolf, but he was more human than we were. I just didn't get it.
Embry brought me back from my thoughts when he said, "Yea, I don't know. I'm just glad you're back here, with me, where you belong," Embry told me as he took me in his arms.
I smiled and said, "Me, too." I loved being in his arms again. I had really missed that.
He kissed me then took my hand and led me inside. The guys had made their way right to the table where Emily and Mom were feeding them. "I need some food," Embry said.
"Go ahead. I've already eaten," I replied. He smiled at me then sat down at the table. I walked to the kitchen and filled a bowl with Emily's vegetable soup and grabbed a sandwich and took the food to Embry. He dug right in like he was a dying man. My gaze drifted down the hall and I wondered if anyone had offered Josiah or Josh anything to eat.
I turned and made my way back to the room they were in and stuck my head in the doorway. Josiah was dressed now and sitting on the edge of the bed, and Josh had pulled the chair up close and was sitting in it talking to him. Josiah had his head down, but he looked up at me and I could see . . . surprise, maybe, recognition, in his eyes. He locked his eyes with mine, just as he had done out in the woods. Again, I felt this sadness in him. I smiled at him and he looked away. "Hey," I said.
Josh turned and looked at me and smiled. "Hi, Leah!" He stood and pulled me to him for a quick hug. "I'm so glad to see you. Are you OK?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I just wanted to see if either of you is hungry. Emily made a huge amount of vegetable soup and sandwiches," I offered.
Josiah looked up and said quietly, "I am hungry."
I smiled and said, "OK, I'll bring you something." I turned to Josh and asked, "Would you like something, too?"
"No, Leah, I'm fine, but thanks," he replied.
I nodded and turned toward the kitchen. I filled a bowl with soup and grabbed a couple of sandwiches and filled a glass with ice water then put it all on a tray and headed back to the bedroom. I walked in and set the tray on the table beside the bed. I pulled the table toward Josiah so he could reach the food.
Josh stood up and said, "I need to make a phone call. I'll be right back." He stepped just out into the hall and dialed his phone.
I sat down in the chair and looked at Josiah. He had picked up the glass and was drinking some water. He looked over at me then set the glass down and picked up the spoon to eat some soup. I remembered thinking how I had wished I could communicate with him when we were in that clearing. I was sure he didn't remember any of that, but yet . . . when he looked at me, there was something strange there in his eyes. Almost, like he did remember me. I had to ask.
"Josiah?" He looked at me. "Do you remember me? My name is Leah."
He set his spoon down and said quietly, "There is something so familiar about your eyes. I'm sorry I keep staring at you, but I can't seem to help it." He smiled shyly.
"There was a moment, out there, when we locked eyes and really looked at each other. I was in my wolf body then, so I didn't look like this. But maybe that is what you are remembering?"
"I don't know," he answered. "This is all so strange. I feel like I'm dreaming and I keep waiting to wake up."
I felt so badly for him. He hung his head and I had this strange urge to put my arm around him.
He put his head up and looked at me. "I'm sorry. For whatever I did to you. I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked anxiously.
"No," I assured him. "Not at all. I was a little scared at first, but you didn't hurt me. You were very gentle with me."
He looked very relieved. "Good." He picked up the spoon again and ate some more soup. He set it down and said, "This is going to sound really weird, but, I have this really strong feeling that we . . . know each other. He looked at me and I could see it, in his eyes. Oh no. He didn't imprint on me, did he?
"I'm not sure what you mean," I said.
"I don't know either. It's like, out of all of these people here, I only feel a connection with you. Josh says he's my cousin, but I don't feel anything toward him, except being grateful that he's been a real cool guy and he's trying to help. But, I don't feel any family connection with him or anything. But, when I look at you . . . I just feel . . . like I know you. Like . . . never mind." He picked up his spoon and ate some more.
I don't know why, but I moved over to sit next to him on the bed. He looked over at me suspiciously. I guess I just wanted to see how he would respond. I had to make sure he hadn't imprinted on me. That would be horrible! He turned his body to face me and he said, "What are you doing?"
"I just want to tell you that I will be your friend, Josiah. OK? I'm not sure what kind of 'connection' you are talking about, but I will be your friend."
He smiled and said, "Thanks, Leah. I could really use one." He reached down and took my hand and squeezed it. We sat there quietly for a moment. Suddenly, he let go of my hand and reached out and ran his hand down the back of my head. Then he looked into my eyes and squinted, like he just remembered something. Did he remember doing that when I was in my wolf body? "I'm not sure why I just did that."
"You did that to me when . . . we were together, before. I was in my wolf body then," I explained quietly.
He nodded and pulled his hand away. I went to move away and he stopped me by touching me on the arm and saying, "Wait." I looked back at him and he leaned toward me and before I could move away, he kissed me gently on the lips. He sat back quickly and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
I quickly moved back to the chair and said, "No, you shouldn't have. And I shouldn't have let you. I have a boyfriend, Josiah. I'm in love with Embry, your cousin."
His face fell. "Oh." He hung his head, and I suddenly felt like shit.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to . . . "
"No, it's OK. You were just being nice. You want to be my friend, I get it." He looked up at me and gave me a small smile. "It's just so weird, how I feel around you. Like I've know you forever. I don't understand it. Like when I kissed you . . . I felt like I was supposed to do that. I know that doesn't make any sense. I've never SEEN you before today." He pushed the table aside and stood up and walked over to look out the window. He leaned his forehead against the glass and said, "I just wish I would wake up and find this has all been a nightmare. I want my life back."
I closed my eyes and wished that for him. I got up and walked over to him. "Josiah, Josh can help you. He has had to deal with this for a very long time. And things have gotten better for him! Someday, you can have more of a normal life. It will get better."
He turned his head to look at me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. "Thanks, Leah, for coming in here and talking to me. I don't know what we are meant to be, but I would like to be your friend. Is that OK?"
I smiled and nodded. "Yes. I would like that, too. Is it OK if I give you a hug?"
"I would really like that," he replied. I put my arms around him and hugged him. He let me go and I turned to leave. I got to the door and turned back to say, "Hey! Eat the rest of this, OK?"
He smiled and walked back to sit down. "Yes, ma'am!"
I smiled and walked out of the room.
Josh caught my arm as I stepped into the hall and asked, "Everything OK?"
"Um, I'm not sure." I looked up and down the hall to see if anyone else was around. I moved us away from Josiah's door a little ways and whispered to Josh, "I'm afraid he might have imprinted on me."
I saw the shock in Josh's eyes. "What? Why do you think that?"
I quickly filled him in on what Josiah told me about the "connection" he felt for me, and how he kissed me. "He said he felt like we were supposed to be together."
Josh shook his head and said, "I don't know, Leah. Look, I'll talk to him and try to find out about the imprinting, OK? I'll ask him some questions and see how strong he really feels about you."
I nodded and said, "Thanks. I hope he didn't. He has enough to deal with, Josh. You know I can't return those feelings. I love Embry. I told him that, too. But, I did tell him I would be his friend. And I mean that, Josh. I would like to be a friend to him."
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Leah. He's going to have it rough for the next few years. Although, I am amazed at his ability to phase back when I told him to. I would like to spend some time with him and explore that a little. If he can figure out a way to tap into that, well, he might have it a lot better than I did."
I smiled and said, "I'm glad he has you to help him through this. I told him that, too. That you have been dealing with this for a long time, and things have gotten better for you. I wanted him to know that someday, it will be better."
He smiled and patted me on the shoulder. Then he walked back into Josiah. I heard Josh say, "I just called your brother. He's on his way."
Brother? Was he like Josiah? For some reason, I hoped not. I decided after all of that, I needed a little fresh air, so I turned and walked toward the back door. I opened it to step out onto the back porch and that's when I ran right into Sam. "Umph! Oh, Sam!" He caught me and steadied me. Great. Just what I needed.
"You OK, Leah?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," I said curtly. I was still a little pissed at him. I walked past him out onto the back porch.
I heard the back door close and I thought I was alone until I heard Sam ask, "Were you in there? With . . . him?"
I turned to answer him. "Yes, I took him some food. Why?"
"Geez, Leah, that thing kidnapped you! Do you think it's a good idea to be hanging out with him?" He looked at me with genuine concern. So what did I do? I laughed. "What's so damn funny?" he asked.
"You! Listen to you! 'That thing kidnapped you!' That 'thing' is your cousin, Sam. His name is Josiah. And he is not a 'thing,' he is a person. A very scared, lonely person. I took him some food and showed him some compassion. You might try that sometime."
He just stood there and stared at me.
"Sam, look, I love that you care about me, OK? But knock it off already!" I turned and went down the back steps and walked out into the back yard. It was completely dark now and the stars were out. I was standing there looking up at them when Sam walked up behind me.
"Leah, I don't know how to stop . . . caring about you. It's driving me crazy." I turned around to face him. "When that thing . . . OK, Josiah, took you, I was out of my mind! I am so sorry that I left you. I shouldn't have, no matter how tired I was. I should have protected you." He reached out his hand and laid it on my cheek.
"Sam, I'm not yours to protect anymore," I told him quietly.
He smiled. "I know that here," he said as he pointed to his head, "but not here." He picked up my hand and put it on his chest over his heart. I closed my eyes and felt like my hand was burning as it lay on his chest. He put his other arm around me and pulled me close. "Leah," he whispered. I laid my forehead onto his shoulder.
"Sam, this has to stop. I . . ."
"What the hell is going on here?" Embry! I jumped back, but Sam just stood there.
"Nothing, bro. Just apologizing to Leah for leaving her unprotected. I felt she deserved that," Sam said. I looked over at him and marveled at how cool he was. I was shaking from head to toe. "And asking her why she was alone in that room with that thing that kidnapped her." I shot a look at Sam. Oh yea, cool. Get him mad at me. You're good.
"What? Leah! What the hell were you thinking?" Embry yelled at me.
I shook my head and said, "I was being nice. I took him some food." And he kissed me.
"But to be alone with him? God, Leah! We just spent all day trying to get you back from him!"
"Your dad was two feet away in the hall on the phone! God, I can't take this anymore! I have told both of you over and over and over that I am not a fucking idiot. I don't need either one of you hovering over me 'protecting' me. Both of you just BACK OFF!"
I pushed past both of them and walked back into the house. I stopped by Josiah's room and saw that he was done with his food. I stepped in and grabbed the tray and stalked out of the room toward the kitchen. I slammed the tray down on the counter by the sink and made Emily jump.
"Leah? You OK?" she asked me.
"No, not really," I said. "I am sick of men. I need something to do right now so I don't kill both Uley brothers."
She smiled at me and handed me a dish towel. I smiled back and started drying dishes.
Embry POV:
I looked over at Sam and said accusingly, "You weren't just apologizing. You were a little too close for that." It took every ounce of strength I had to keep myself from ripping him apart right now.
He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. "I did apologize to her. But . . . God, Embry, this is so hard." He turned so I couldn't see his face. "Embry, I know you love her, bro. And I'm glad. But, I can't seem to stop . . . caring about her. I worry more about her than any of the rest of you. She's right about that." He turned back around to look at me. "I am trying very hard to think of her as a sister, bro. I know you want to marry her, and she's really happy about that. I don't want to feel this way . . . I really don't."
I let out a breath. What could I say? He's my brother and I love him. If he were anyone else, I would deck him right now. But their situation was so bizarre. He didn't want to stop loving Leah when he imprinted. It was forced on him. But I was pretty sure that no matter how he felt about Leah, he wouldn't act on. At least I hoped he wouldn't.
I looked him in the eye and said, "Sam, be honest with me. Are you still in love with Leah?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm in love with my wife, Embry. I am being totally honest about that. It's just, with Leah, I know I shouldn't care about her as much as I do. The memories we have, haunt us, somehow, and every now and then, it's hard to push them away. But, I want you to know that I would never do anything that would hurt you or Emily. I hope you know that. "
I nodded. "I do plan on marrying her. She will be my wife. You have to deal with that, Sam. I don't ever want this to come between us. It's weird enough as it is."
He smiled at that. "Yea, tell me about it."
The back door opened and Dad walked out. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked.
Sam shook his head and I said, "No. Just bro talk."
Dad smiled and told us that he had called Josiah's brother, Jason, to come and get him. He was on his way. "Is Jason like his brother?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No. Jason is his older brother and he's never phased. I tried to explain things to him the other day, and I told him that I would spend some time with him and Josiah to help them both through this." He looked up at the stars. "I forgot how beautiful it is out here at night."
Sam and I looked up at the night sky. It was really something. Dad said, "Embry, I called your mom. She got a call from the school today letting her know you didn't show up."
I looked over at him. Shit. "I should have called her. Sorry."
"Yea, she was pretty frantic. She thought to call Emily and she filled her in. I think you need to take a minute and call her, OK?"
I nodded and pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Hey," Dad said. I turned to him. "I'm planning on asking your mom to marry me soon. How do you feel about that?"
Wow. How did I feel about that? It's not like I didn't see it coming. I smiled and answered, "It's about fucking time!" He laughed and hugged me to him. He patted my back and then turned to Sam.
Dad asked him, "How do you feel about that?"
Sam shrugged and said, "The past is the past, Dad. We can't change it. I know how it is to imprint on someone." He glanced at me. "You can't live without her, so you better make an honest woman of her," he added with a smile. Dad hugged him and said, "Thanks, son. That really means a lot to me."
"Um, speaking of Mom, I'm going to go and call her." They both nodded and I walked a few steps out into the yard to make my call.
Leah POV:
I helped Emily wash all of the dishes. I was trying very hard to push the conversation with Josiah out of my mind. As we worked in the kitchen, the guys all took turns leaving for their homes. Soon, it was just me and Emily and Mom in the kitchen. I hung the dish towel up and asked Mom, "Is Seth still with Abby?"
She nodded and smiled. "Yes. She called her mom when she got here and told her she was fine, and she would be home soon. Can you believe that? She's been missing since yesterday, and she suddenly seems in no hurry to go home!"
"I can't believe her parents weren't in a hurry to get her home," Emily said.
"Well, I talked to her mother on the phone. I get the feeling Abby doesn't have the greatest home life. Her mother seemed happy that Abby was OK, but she also said something about how she and her boyfriend had tickets to some Monster Truck rally tonight, and so they would be much obliged if I could bring her home when she was ready."
I rolled my eyes at that and said, "That's horrible. She has no idea what her daughter has been through. Did anyone find out about the boy Abby was with when Josiah took her?"
Emily nodded. "I called Bella and asked. Charlie said they found him in the woods. He's fine. He was knocked unconscious, and he has no idea what happened to Abby. I told her to relay to him that she was found, and she's fine. I guess we'll have to make up some story to tell them about how Abby got lost or something."
I stood up and said, "I think I'll pay a visit to little Miss Abby and see what my smooth-talking brother is up to." Mom smiled at me and I patted her shoulder as I walked by. I walked down the hall past Josiah's room. I stopped to check in on him. He was lying down on the bed now, and he looked to be sleeping peacefully. I smiled and was glad at that. I moved on down to the room Abby and Seth were in.
It was very quiet as I walked up to the door. I peeked in to find Seth sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard with his arm around Abby and he was kissing her! I walked in and cleared my throat loudly. Seth jumped and said, "Uh, hi, Leah." He took his arm from around Abby and scooted away from her – just a little.
"What's going on in here? I didn't realize you knew each other that well, Seth."
Seth smiled and said, "Uh, we're getting to know each other." Abby looked over at me and smiled shyly.
I gave him a look and he shrugged. I smiled sweetly and said, "Well, I hope you don't mind if I sit down here for a little while. I don't know Abby at all, and I thought I would stop in and chat a little." I sat down on the bed next to Abby.
Seth scowled at me while Abby smiled and said, "Yea, that's great!"
"So you two know each other from school?" I asked.
Abby lit up and told me how they were in the same math class. She giggled and said she always thought Seth was cute, but she was never brave enough to talk to him. Mmmm, hmmm. Well, she seemed brave enough now to let him put his lips on her!
She went on to tell me that she was a cheerleader, which was no big surprise, and she was a straight-A student and she wanted to be a nurse someday to help people. She said that Mom had invited her to stop by the hospital someday and she would show here around.
"That would be so cool! I love that your mom is a nurse. She took really good care of me when I first got here. She made me feel a lot better," she gushed.
I nodded and stood up. "Well, we should get you home soon. Your own mom is probably pretty worried about you."
I felt bad for saying that when I saw her face fall. The pretty smile disappeared and she hung her head and said, "I doubt that. She told me that she and Jim, her new boyfriend of the month, were going to some Monster Truck show tonight and she'd see me 'whenever.' She goes out a lot."
Seth took her hand and said, "That sucks." She smiled a little and looked over at him.
"Mom is getting ready to leave soon, and I know she is planning on taking you home, so you might as well head out to the living room, OK?" I told them.
Abby nodded and Seth looked disappointed. I stood up to go and said, "I hope to see you again soon, Abby."
"Yea, me, too!" she replied excitedly. That made Seth smile. I winked at him and turned and left the room.
Embry POV:
I needed to find Leah. I had been away from her for way too long. I had called Mom and apologized to her for not calling sooner. She said she felt better now hearing my voice and knowing that Leah and I were both OK. I told her I would be home soon.
Dad was waiting for Jason to get here then I knew he would stop in and see Mom. I walked back into the house and saw her in the hall coming out of the room Abby was in. I walked up to her and took her in my arms and kissed her. I kept kissing her so she wouldn't be mad and yell at me anymore. We had been apart too long, and now all I wanted to do was hold her. Well, that wasn't all I wanted to do.
She pulled back and said to me, "Aren't you clever? You think if you kiss me, I'll forget I'm mad at you." I laughed and she said, "I know you too well, Embry."
"Yea, you do. But if you really know me so well, what do I really want to do?" I asked as I kissed her neck.
"Mmmmm, I think I can guess," she said softly.
"Let's get out of here, Leah. I want to be alone with you," I whispered. She nodded and I took her hand and led her down the hall. We met Sue coming toward us.
"I'm beat. I'm going to take Abby home then go home and catch some sleep. Are you heading home?" she asked Leah.
"Yea, but I want to spend a little time with Embry first then I'll have him run me home, OK?" She smiled and nodded.
"Oh, Mom?" Sue turned back. "Make a lot of noise before you walk into Abby's room." She gave Leah a curious look then Leah said, "They are getting to know each other a little more quickly than we anticipated if you know what I mean." She looked surprised then shook her head and smiled. She walked down the hall and coughed very loudly before walking into the room.
I looked at Leah and laughed. She just glared at me. "What? I told you he was a natural, Leah. I knew when I carried Abby out of that cave and handed her to Seth, this would happen. I could just see it in the way they looked at each other."
"You don't think he imprinted, do you?" I asked anxiously. He was only 15! He didn't need that right now.
Embry shook his head. "No, it wasn't like that. I think it's just a flirtation."
We walked out to the kitchen to find Sam and Emily kissing. It had been awhile since I walked in on them like that. I thought about what Sam and I talked about out back. I knew he was in love with Emily. It was very obvious. I just wish he could put Leah completely out of his mind.
"Um, hey guys, we're taking off," I said.
They broke apart and Sam said, "OK." He looked at Leah and asked, "See you at the next pack meeting?"
She smiled and replied, "I'll let you know." He nodded. They both said goodnight, and we walked outside.
I slapped my forehead and said, "My truck is at home! I was in such a hurry this morning, I didn't drive it."
"It's not that far to my house. Let's just walk there, OK?" I nodded and took her hand and we walked through the woods toward Leah's house. We walked in silence for awhile. It had been a helluva 24 hours. I was exhausted and I knew Leah probably was, too. We hadn't had a chance to talk at all about what happened to her. I didn't know if I should pry, but I wanted to make sure she was OK.
"Leah? While you were away, did he . . . do anything to you?"
She was very quiet for a few seconds then she asked, "What do you mean? Like try to hurt me?"
"Well, yea, but . . . I mean, you know, like . . . "
She stopped and turned to me and asked, "You mean, sexually?"
"Yea."
She shook her head. "No. He was very gentle with me. The only time he touched me other than carrying me, he put out his hand and stroked down the back of my head to my back. He did that twice."
"Oh," was all I could say. She smiled and put her hand on my cheek. "It's OK. I'm fine. He didn't do anything to hurt me at all. Like I said, he was very gentle with me."
I felt very relieved. "Good. Thanks for telling me that."
"You're welcome," she said as she started walking again. She was very quiet again, and I hoped that she wasn't holding something back from me. We walked up to her house and I wanted so badly to sweep her up into my arms and carry her up to her bedroom. I looked up at the window and remembered the last time I left here. Was that just last night?
"Are you thinking about us being here all alone last night?" she asked me as she put her arms around my waist.
"Yes. Yes, I am," I said with a sly smile.
"Me, too."
I leaned forward and kissed her. "How long do you think it will take your mom to drive Abby home?"
"Not long enough, I'm afraid. I want so badly to spend all night with you. I want to know what it's like to wake up in your arms." She wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed me, ever so gently on the lips.
That did it! I didn't care how little time we had, I needed to be with her. I took her hand and led her to the door. She took the hidden key from under the rock and unlocked the door and we went inside. We ran up the stairs to her room and shut and locked her bedroom door. She took my hand and led me over to the bed.
She smiled at me as she took her shirt off and threw it on the floor. I reached for her and she wrapped her arms around my neck as my lips met hers. The fire ignited and spread as always through my whole body. We shed our clothes and lay down on the bed. I didn't want to be in a hurry, but I couldn't help it. All of the fear that had been with me in the last 24 hours was finally melting away as I lost myself in Leah. I kissed her everywhere and she sighed and begged me for more. She ran her hands all over me until I couldn't take it anymore. I rolled her over and moved on top of her. She wrapped herself around me and whispered, "Yes, Embry, please!" I pushed inside her and stopped just to enjoy that feeling of being completely surrounded by her. I had my face in her hair and I inhaled her scent. I lifted my head and looked down into her eyes. She smiled at me and I smiled back. I bent and kissed her then I started moving, slowly at first then faster as the feeling took me. We both cried out as we reached the peak and she squeezed me with her legs as she shuddered. I couldn't imagine any better feeling in the world.
I rolled to the side and took her with me so I was still inside her. I moved her hair out of her face and whispered, "I love you so much, baby. You are everything to me."
I saw a tear leave her eye and roll slowly down her cheek. I reached up and wiped it away as she said, "I love you, too, Embry. I wish we could stay like this forever."
I smiled and kissed her. "Leah, I don't want to leave you, but you know I have to." She nodded. "Someday, I promise, I won't have to. I will hold you all night long."
"I can't wait," she said with a smile. We held each other for a while longer then I forced myself to pull away from her. I got out of bed and grabbed my shorts and put them on. She laid there in bed and watched me. I turned to her and leaned down and put another kiss on her lips. "I love you. See you tomorrow, OK?" She nodded and said, "I love you."
I turned and walked to the door, unlocked it and opened it. I stopped and looked back at her. Her hair was spread out over the pillows and she had covered up with the sheet. We smiled at each other then I finally walked out into the hall and closed the door. I made my way down the stairs and went out the back door. I force myself to turn and run toward home.