CHAPTER 64

Leah POV:

I woke up to the alarm, something I never enjoyed. I rolled over and turned it off then looked over at Embry. I actually slept so soundly with him here. I kissed him on the cheek and said softly, "Hey, baby. Time to get up." He grunted and rolled over. "Come on, you need to go home and I need to get ready for school." He opened one eye and looked at me. Then he reached out and grabbed me and pinned me. "Let's just stay here all day," he whispered as he kissed my neck.

"Mmmm, I would love to, but I can't. I have a test today." He was working his way down my neck onto my chest. "Baby, you need to get out of here before Mom and Seth get up."

He stopped and looked at me. "Are you being a fun-sucker?"

I laughed. "Yes, I'm sorry, but I'm being a fun-sucker."

"Fine," he sighed. He rolled out of bed and reached for his shorts and pulled them on. I crawled out and stood beside him. He leaned down and kissed me. "Call me after school?"

"Yes, I promise." He kissed me again and snuck out the door and down the stairs. I smiled and headed for the bathroom.

I showered and dressed and grabbed some breakfast then I picked up my book bag and headed for the Jeep. I was proud of myself at getting out of the house by seven! I walked outside and looked around. Shit. The Jeep was still in town! Along with my purse and cell phone. Great. Now I would miss my first class for sure.

I slung my messenger bag over my head and around to my back and took off running toward town. It was about two miles, but I ran fast so it didn't take me too long to get there. I looked inside to see my purse laying on the floor, and my keys beside it. I reached for the door handle and hoped that Embry hadn't locked the door. He didn't. I was lucky that I got here before anyone else! I reached inside for the keys and walked around to get into the driver's side. I opened the door and saw a piece of paper on the seat. I picked it up then crawled in to sit down and close the door. It looked like a note of some kind. I unfolded it and read it:

Dear Leah,

I'm sorry that things didn't go well last night. I wanted so much to tell you how much I love you and to show you what you mean to me. I have been dreaming of making love to you for months. But HE had to show up and RUIN everything! I know you care about me and if he wasn't around, you would love me. I will take care of things, don't worry. We will be together and be what we were meant to be – lovers, not just friends. I still have the taste of your lips on mine . . .

You are always in my heart, Josiah

My hand was shaking as I let the paper drop to my lap. Oh God. He was going after Embry! I reached over and grabbed my cell phone and dialed Embry. His phone rang and rang then I got his voice mail. Shit! "Embry! Please call me as soon as you get this message. I have a note from Josiah. He's coming after you! Please be careful!" I hung up and sat there trying to decide what to do. I was already late for my first class. I had to make sure that Embry was alright. I started the engine and headed for his house.

I pulled up beside his truck and ran up the steps to bang on the front door. His mom answered, still dressed in her pajamas. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Angie, I know it's early, but I really need to see Embry. It's very important. I tried to call him, but I got his voice mail." She nodded and stepped aside so I could come in. I ran back to his bedroom and opened the door. My heart fell as I looked at his empty bed. Angie had come up behind me. I turned to look at her. "He didn't come home?"

"I don't know. He told us he was going to help you, that you were in some kind of trouble. He said he didn't know when he would be home. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but now I'm afraid that Embry is in trouble."

"Leah, what the hell is going on?" Josh asked from the bedroom door. He was leaning on the door frame, dressed in a t-shirt and his gym shorts still wearing his leg brace. Angie rushed over to his side and said, "You shouldn't have gotten up without me to help you."

"I'm fine, Angie, stop fussing." He made his way to the couch, with Angie's help, and sat down. "Leah, sit down and tell me what the hell is going on with you two. Embry said last night he thought it had to do with Josiah."

I sat down and tried to tell him very quickly what had happened last night. Then I showed him the creepy note I found in my car this morning. "I'm afraid he's going after Embry. He left my house around six this morning to come home and sleep. And he's not here. I have to call Sam." I pulled out my cell phone and called Sam.

"Yea!" he answered rather grumpily.

"Sam, I'm so sorry to wake you. I know it was a long night, but Embry is missing and I'm afraid Josiah went after him."

"What? Leah, we beat the shit out of Josiah and took him back to his brother's house. He couldn't have made it back down here in the shape he was in that fast."

"Well he did because I found a note from him inside my Jeep this morning. And as I read it, I realized that he means to get rid of Embry in some strange attempt to get me to love him. And now, I can't find Embry!"

"Did you check his house?"

"Of course I did. I'm here right now. He left my house at six this morning, but he never came home."

"Damnit! I knew we should have killed him, Leah, no matter what you wanted. The guy is fucked up. If he's hurt my brother . . . "

"I know, Sam. I'm sorry. Just help me find Embry, OK?" I begged.

"Of course I will. I'll meet you in the woods behind his house." And with that, he hung up. I looked at Josh and Angie and said, "I'm going out to look for him." I stood up and Josh said, "Leah, you can't go alone. You're his main target. We can't have you disappear again."

"Sam is going with me. He's meeting me in a few minutes."

"Damn this leg! I should be out there looking for my son!" Josh shouted. He tried to stand up and Angie and I both stopped him.

"Look, I understand that, really I do. And Embry will understand, too. Please just stay here and heal. He may need you when we bring him home, OK?" Josh just nodded and put his head in his hands. I sat down beside him to hug him. He hugged my back and whispered, "Please find him and bring him home." I pulled back and said, "I will. I promise." Angie put her hand on my arm and squeezed. "I need to change into some different clothes. I'll be back."

I ran out to the Jeep and opened the door and grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top that I kept in the back for emergencies such as this. I slammed the door and ran back into the house to Embry's room to change my clothes. I left his room to make my way to the front door.

Angie stood up and walked towards me as she said, "Leah, you know this is a trap. He has Embry because he knows you'll come to find him. Then he'll have you both."

"I don't care. I can't live without Embry. I'm going to find him," I said defiantly. Angie hugged me and said, "I hope you do. Please be careful and bring him home to me."

"I will." When she let me go I could see the tears in her eyes. I had to get out of there quickly before I gave into the tears that had been threatening me all morning. I needed to keep the anger and not give into the sadness and fear.

I left the house and ran towards the woods to meet Sam. I stripped down and just as I was tying my clothes to my ankle, he appeared in wolf form right before me. I looked up at him and decided I didn't have time to be shy about my nakedness. He'd seen me naked before, even though it was a very long time ago. I stood up and took a few steps as I phased.

"Sorry about that."

"Whatever, Sam. Let's just go find Embry."

" Let's start by going toward your house." We took off toward my house with our noses to the ground trying to find a new trail. "You say he left your house at six this morning?"

"Yes. I made him stay and get some sleep. He was exhausted. I woke him at six because I have an early class today and I had to get ready to leave by seven. He was going home to get some more sleep."

"I didn't know your mom allowed sleepovers."

"Knock it off, Sam. We just slept."

"Whatever, let's try to find a fresh scent." We followed the trail between Embry's house and mine. We were now standing in my back yard.

"When he left here, he didn't go home, Leah. The trail between your house and his is cold. But I find his scent going in this direction. Come on."

I followed him as we headed toward town. Why would he go into town at six in the morning? What was he looking for? Unless . . . my Jeep. I'll bet he was going to town to bring my Jeep home so I could drive to school.

"Where did you leave it?"

"I had parked it around the corner from the restaurant." We followed the trail, and sure enough, it led us to town. We stopped right at the edge. "I'll bet Embry came here to get my Jeep just as Josiah was putting the note inside it. But where would they go from here?"

"I don't want to chance running through town and being seen, but we need to get over there and find a trail." Sam looked around. "Let's stay on the outer edge and work our way around. Maybe we'll get lucky and find where they headed into the woods."

"But what if Josiah drove his truck? He might have somehow gotten Embry into the truck and drove off. Then we'll never find a trail!"

"Shit! I can't believe I didn't think of that. That's the only way he could have gotten back here so soon. Fucking bastard . . . "

Just then, I felt my phone vibrate. I looked at Sam and he nodded. As I ran for some bushes I phased back into human form. I untied my clothes and took my phone from the pocket of my shorts. It had stopped ringing, but I had caller ID, so I looked to see who it was. It was Josh. It vibrated again and I answered.

"Leah, I called Jason to see if Josiah was at home. Jason was pretty pissed because Sam told him he would kill him if he ever came back here again. But I convinced him to go look and see if Josiah was there. He can't find him anywhere. And . . . the truck is missing. That's how he got back here so quickly."

"Yea, Sam and I just came up with that theory ourselves. Thanks for letting us know. Now we know what we're dealing with. I just don't where to look from here."

"I asked Jason if he had any ideas and he said no. But he promised to call me if Josiah showed up."

"OK, thanks. I gotta go. Let me know if you hear anything else."

"I will. Be safe." I hung up. Shit! How are we going to find them now? I stuffed the phone back into my shorts pocket and tied them back to my ankle. I phased as I ran out of the bushes and back to find Sam, who was making his way around the edge of town. He was heading north when I caught up with him. I let him hear what his Dad just told me.

"How are we going to find him, Sam?"

"I don't know, but I will find him. And I will kill that son of a bitch this time so he will never hurt someone I love again."

Just then we heard a gunshot! And it wasn't far! "What the hell? Come on!" Sam tore off in the direction we heard the shot and I was right beside him. Please God, let Embry be alive!

Embry POV:

As I walked out the back door at Leah's, I realized her Jeep was still in town. How would she get to school this morning? I smiled as I thought of her upstairs getting ready then coming down to find she had no car. I can run to town and get it and have it back here in time for her to go to school. I decided to run as a human instead of a wolf. I knew it was early, but I didn't want to take a chance of anyone in town seeing a huge wolf running around.

It was around two miles, so it didn't take that long. I jogged up to her Jeep and opened the driver's door and saw a note laying on the seat. What the hell is this? I started to reach for it just as someone grabbed me from behind. "Don't touch that," he hissed into my ear. How the hell did he get back here so quick? He pulled me away from the door, shut it then slammed me against the car.

He pushed himself against me from behind and said, "I can't believe my luck. I was just trying to figure out how to find you and get you alone and here you are! Thanks for making this that much easier."

He shoved a gun in my face then whipped me around. "You brought a gun?" I asked.

"Yea, I did. Unlike you, I can't phase into my monster self whenever I want, so I decided I needed a little advantage over you. Come on, let's take a little ride."

He shoved the gun into my side and jerked me to follow him to his truck. He opened the passenger door and commanded, "Get in and scoot all the way over. You're driving." I got in and scooted over, but instead of stopping behind the wheel I quickly opened the driver's door to get out. Before I slipped all the way out, I heard the gun go off and I felt pain rip through my leg! "Shit! What the hell? You fucking shot me!" I screamed at Josiah.

He reached around me and closed the door. "It just grazed you. Quit being such a baby and drive. But don't try that again or I won't be so kind."

I looked down to see that the bullet had just grazed my leg, but it still hurt like hell! I turned the key and started the truck. I put it into drive and took off. "Where the hell am I going?" I asked him angrily.

"Just shut up and drive. I'll tell you when to turn." He held the gun into my side as he talked. Why didn't I kill this guy last night when I had the chance? I drove out of town and was heading north. I wish I could figure out a way to let someone know where I was. I had my phone in my pocket, but I knew I couldn't make a move for it right now. I would have to watch for a chance.

I drove north until suddenly Josiah said, "Turn left up here." I looked ahead and saw a little dirt road to the left. I turned onto it and drove for about a mile when he said, "Turn down this lane on the left." I turned to the left into the little lane and when we reached the woods he said, "Stop here." So, I stopped the truck and turned it off. I looked at him and said, "So, now what? I usually only come to places like this to make out. I'm pretty sure I'm not feeling that way towards you, no offence," I said with a smile.

Josiah snorted. "You think you're so fucking cool, don't you?" He held the gun up and said, "But who's the one with the gun?"

"You think that gun makes you cool?" I asked.

"It does right now because it gives me the power I need over you," he said. His eyes had a crazed look to them and his hand shook as he held the gun up. I decided maybe I shouldn't shoot off anymore smart ass comments.

"And that's what this is about? You want to be better than me?"

"I want Leah, asshole. That's what this is about! I get rid of you, and then Leah will be mine. You won't be in the way anymore."

Man, he's more fucked up than I realized. "You really think that if you kill me, she won't hate you for that? Because she will, you know."

"She might at first, but then she'll realize that it was the only way we could be together. Especially if I make it look like self-defense. Everyone knows you all hate me. Maybe you came after me and made me drive out here and I had to grab the gun at the last minute to defend myself and it went off."

"That's your plan? She'll still hate you. I was with her all night. I slept in her bed. I'm pretty sure she'll know that I didn't have a plan to come after you and kill you." His eyes bugged out of his head he was so angry at that. His hand shook harder.

"I know she loves me, but you won't let her!" he screamed at me. "Now, get out of the truck. You've already left a puddle of blood on the floor. I don't want any more than that to clean up."

I opened the door and climbed out and he came out behind me, still holding the gun on me. I knew I could over power him and take it. I was just watching for an opportunity. The opportunity came quickly as he stumbled coming out of the truck. I caught him and grabbed the arm with the gun then yanked it behind him and he dropped it. I put my foot on it and yanked his arm high up behind him and I heard him grunt in pain. "Listen to me you fucking asshole, I've had enough of this. Leah will NEVER be yours and this is over. You had your chance last night when Sam took you home. Leah didn't want us to kill you because she feels sorry for you, not because she loves you. But, you made the mistake of coming back and now you're done. Three strikes and you're out, Josiah."

I threw him down on the ground and reached down and picked up the gun. I pointed it at him just to watch him squirm. I wasn't going to shoot him. That would be too quick and painless. I wanted him to suffer, but he didn't know that. I moved closer, but I really should have known better. He used the same fucking move on me he used last night. He kicked my legs out from under me and the gun went off as I went down. We rolled around on the ground as he tried to get the gun from me. I flung it as far as I could away from us toward the woods.

He scrambled and tried to get up and go after it but I tackled him and landed on his back. I grabbed him around the neck and was ready to snap it, but he quickly rolled over and slipped out of the hold. He planted his fist in my face and I reached up and grabbed his hair and pulled hard.

We fought like this for awhile before he finally got away from me and went for the gun. He picked it up and pointed it at me with a smile on his face. "This is over, Embry. I'm done with you." As I braced myself for the bullet's impact, I noticed his eyes go wide in surprise and I heard a snarl from behind me. Then another. I couldn't take my eyes from Josiah and that gun, but I knew one of the wolves had to be Sam, and I suspected the other was Leah. Just then, Sam flew by me to get to Josiah, but before he reached him, Josiah turned the gun on himself and fired. I watched in horror as blood and brains flew out in a spray everywhere and Josiah fell to the ground. It all happened so quickly, and yet I felt like I was watching it in slow-motion. Oh my God, oh my God. I can't believe what just happened!

Sam stopped right before he reached him and watched in shock. He looked at me and then I heard Leah hit the ground behind me. I turned to see her wolf body laying there and I crawled over to her. "Leah, baby! Leah!" I said to her trying to wake her. I ran my hand over her fur and then laid my head onto her neck.

"Hey, bro, are you OK?" Sam had phased back and was standing over us. I looked up at him then quickly crawled away from Leah and puked my guts out. I hadn't seen that coming! I thought Sam might kill him, but I never thought he would turn the gun on himself like that. Sam squatted down and put his arm around me. I sat up and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and looked at him. "Thank God you're alive," he said as he pulled me to him. We sat like that for a moment and then I noticed Leah stir.

She opened her eyes and looked at us. "I'm sorry, baby. I just didn't see that coming. Are you alright?"

She just laid there and closed her eyes again. I looked at Sam. "What should we do now?"

"I think I have to call the cops. I'm just not sure how to explain it to them. Maybe I should call Charlie Swan?"

I shrugged. I had no idea. I knew I wanted to get Leah home. I pulled out my cell phone and handed it to him. He nodded and walked away to make the call. "Leah, I'm so sorry that this happened," I said softly. She opened her eyes and phased before me into her human body. I reached down to untie her clothes from her ankle and helped her get them on. Then I pulled her into my arms and held her as she sobbed.

Charlie came out with a couple of deptuies and we tried our best to explain what had happened. He told us he believed us and took our statements. Sam gave him Josiah's brother's name and Charlie said he would call him. He also told us he would take care of the body and that we were free to go. He offered us a ride home, but Sam had already called Paul and told him to come and get us in Sam's car. He was on his way.

I was glad he didn't ask why Sam and I were just in shorts and Leah was dressed in a tank top and shorts in the middle of March. It was about fifty degrees right now, give or take. I just didn't feel like I could come up with any good excuses right now.

Paul pulled up and we all climbed into Sam's car. Sam tried to fill Paul in quickly as Leah laid her head on my shoulders and tried to get control of herself. I had no idea how long it would take her to get over this. I guess he did get his revenge on me by doing that in front of Leah. Stupid bastard. I was glad he was dead. I just hated how it happened, and how I knew it would haunt Leah forever.

I told Paul to drop us off at my house. I needed to tell Dad and I wasn't about to let Leah out of my sight. He pulled up and we got out of the car. Sam got out, too, and told Paul to take the car back to his house and he would be home in a little bit. Paul nodded and drove off. We all three walked inside to find Mom and Dad anxiously waiting on the couch.

Mom jumped up right away and pulled me to her. "Oh thank God! You're safe!" She held fast for a moment then pulled away to look at me. "Honey, you're hurt!" she said as she looked at my face. Josiah had gotten in a couple of good punches. I didn't even feel it. "And there's blood all down your leg!" Oh yea, the gunshot wound. I didn't really want to tell her about that.

"Mom, I'm OK. Really. Just sit down. We need to tell you what happened." Then she looked at Leah, who was still crying. "Oh, Leah," she said as she stepped over to take Leah into her arms. She took her over to the couch and sat down with her.

Dad looked at her then at us. "He's dead, isn't he?" he asked us.

Sam nodded and told him the story. I had sunk down to sit in the chair as Sam talked. Dad just nodded and then he looked at me. "This isn't your fault, son. Josiah was messed up, we all know that. I tried to help him, but . . . "

"I know, Dad. He was determined to kill me so he could have Leah. I guess when he saw her there, snarling at him, maybe he realized that it wasn't going to work. I don't know." I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. All of a sudden, the vision of Josiah's head exploding was there and I quickly opened them again. How would I sleep tonight? Or any other night in the near future? How would Leah? "The funny thing is, he held that gun on me as I drove the truck, and he had so many chances to shoot me. But he didn't. Then we got out of the truck and we fought, and he finally grabbed the gun and pointed it at me, but his hand was shaking so bad, I don't think he could make himself pull the trigger. I guess that's why I was so surprised when he . . . did what he did. I just didn't think he had it in him."

"Thank God he didn't pull that trigger on you," Dad said. He put his hand on my knee. Then he looked over at Leah and said, "Leah, honey, this isn't your fault either. Please don't blame yourself for what happened."

She had her head on Mom's shoulder and she lifted it to say, "How is it NOT my fault? He did ALL of this . . . everything for me! Because he loved me! Of course it's my fault."

That did it. I was royally pissed now. I sat up and yelled, "Are you fucking kidding me? Leah! The guy was fucked up! He wasn't in love with you. He was obsessed with you! He was willing to KILL me to get you to love him. Does that make any sense at all? This was HIS fault. He made the choice to turn the gun on himself, the fucking coward, instead of facing you and Sam. This was ALL him, Leah. Don't you dare sit there and take the blame!"

"Embry's right," Sam added as he kneeled in front of Leah. "He kidnapped you, twice, this last time with the intention to rape you. And he would have if Embry and Seth hadn't gotten there in time, Leah. That's not love. He was determined to have you any way he could get you and I knew last night when we took him to his brother that he wasn't going to give up. I was just hoping his brother would keep a better eye on him. I had no idea he would be back so soon. I'm so sorry this happened, but don't you dare blame yourself. Embry said it – this was HIS choice. OK?" He put his hand on her cheek and she nodded slightly. He kissed her on the cheek and stood up.

"I need to get home." He walked over to stand behind Dad and put his hands on Dad's shoulders. "How are you feeling, old man?"

Dad smiled. "Pretty useless, but better. I've done a few laps around the living room. I'm supposed to go and see Carlisle at the hospital later this afternoon."

"Good. Em and I will bring Lily over to see you tomorrow, alright?"

"That would be great, son. I look forward to it."

Mom stood up and walked over to Sam. "I have to thank you once again, Sam, for bringing home someone I love. Thank you so much for finding Embry and bringing him home safe to me." She hugged him as tears ran down her face.

"It's OK, Angie. I've gotten kind of used to having him around," Sam said. She smiled and let him go. Sam turned for the door then stopped and touched me on the shoulder and said, "Can I talk to you a sec?"

I nodded and followed him outside. "What?" I asked as soon as I pulled the door shut behind me.

"I, uh, just wanted to say . . . shit." He stopped and hung his head then cleared his throat. "Embry, I came too close to losing you today. I can't . . ." I cut him off by putting my arms around him and hugging him. He held me to him and said, "I love you, bro."

I wasn't ashamed at the tears in my eyes or the way I told him, "I love you, too, Sam. A lot. You're everything a big brother should be. Thanks for coming to save my life today."

He pulled back and said, "Yea, I got your back." He smiled and I could see tears in his eyes, too. He clapped me on the back and said, "I'm worried about Leah though. This has really messed her up."

"Yea, I know."

"We'll get her through this," he said. "She's strong and she'll fight her way through it. She has something to fight for, doesn't she? She's got you." He grinned and I had to smile at that. "I'm out of here. Take care, and call me if you need me, OK?"

"I will. Thanks, big brother." He nodded with a grin then waved and ran off toward the woods. I was truly grateful for the family I had. I gained a brother and a father this year, along with a sister-in-law and a niece. I hoped that soon I would also gain a wife.

But Leah was hurting, and hurting bad. I wasn't sure how we would get through this. But we would get through it. We had come too far to let this beat us.