Chapter 5
'Her' P.O.V
He had the most handsome face I had ever seen in my life.
His dark smooth skin was bathed in the light of the moon, highlighting his high cheekbones and straight nose. His short inky black hair was ruffled and his deep shiny eyes twinkled at me and I could nothing but look upon him in awe.
I sighed causing a pulse of pain to shoot through my chest and closed my eyes, glad at the idea of it all being over soon. My pain, my worries, my monster - my life. I was going to be free. God, I hadn't felt that in over a year. Ever since I'd changed my whole life had gone downhill spectacularly. Just looking at where I was now was a testament to that.
I was lost in the warmth on my cheek when suddenly I heard a muffled noise like someone was speaking but my ears were stuffed with cotton wool. It wasn't till I focused on it that it became clear. I opened my eyes just in time to hear the smooth, husky voice of the kind faced man.
"... Let me see your eyes. " He said, smiling when his gaze met my eyes.
It was then that I noticed that it was his hand on my cheek, the warmth of his hand like no other I'd felt.
Suddenly my wounds seared with pain like someone had pushed the hot pokers deeper into my skin. I clenched my teeth, still breathing heavily.
"Please just make it stop." I breathed, and with my heart fluttering I lifted one of my lead heavy arms to touch the hand upon my cheek to make sure it was real. I would have jumped if I could when I actually felt it there, warm and soft, but soon my arm became too heavy, so begrudgingly I let it drop back to my side again with a soft thump.
I continued to stare at him through bleary eyes when all of a sudden an attractive woman appeared next to him. She was very similar with her tanned skin and jet black hair, even some of her facial features were parallel to his.
I blinked slowly trying to focus my eyes, but to my dismay when I opened them, the handsome boy had gone and only the attractive woman was beside me.
I frowned in confusion. Where had he gone? Why had he gone? Was he coming back?
"Hey... it's okay." The attractive women said looking at me whilst taking my hand. I focused on her. "He's coming back don't worry." Her voice was soft and gentle. "Now you have to stay awake okay, no matter what."
I blinked again and like before, found the women had vanished from beside me. I was about to frown when I felt a warm hand squeeze mine, I slowly tilted my head and was happily surprised. It was the handsome boy again, looking at me with an unwavering gaze. I returned it, entranced by his face. I watched as he lifted one of his hands and gently brushed my forehead with the tips of his warm fingers.
"Hey."
It took me a moment to realise it was his voice, I blinked focusing on him.
"We're going to have to move you now so we can get you to some help. It might cause you some pain, but it'll only be brief I promise, then you'll be okay." He said.
It took a moment for the words to sink in and process, then it clicked in my mind with a resounding clank. They were some random's who had found me and now they were going to take me to some hospital. I couldn't go to the hospital! They'd find out what I was. What if they did experiments on me? I couldn't, I wouldn't!
I began to squirm on the ground trying to get away, it was a useless effort but my mind was too clouded to see that.
"No…. no….no, please." I pleaded shaking my head.
I felt my heart rate increase as anxiety and fear flooded my veins with adrenaline. It caused my breathing to come in short painful gasps, setting my lungs on fire and causing me to cough violently every few seconds. Abruptly my face was grabbed by two large, warm hands, and as my eyes focused I found them met by extremely piercing eyes.
"Hey, hey, calm down its okay," he said urgently, "You can trust me. Its gona be alright."
And for some reason, I stopped moving.
I stared up into his face as he held mine, all panic and fear gone. If this was the last thing I felt and saw before I died, I would die happy. Although I had calmed down I noticed my breathing was still coming in fast painful gasps, my eye-lids were also becoming considerably heavy as my vision began to warp and twist worse than before and all I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears.
All of sudden everything disappeared as the weight of my eyelids became too much for me to hold back anymore.
It went silent and the darkness claimed me.
Seth's P.O.V
The brush flickered past like a dark green blur as Leah raced us through the trees. Leaves whipped at our sides and sticks snapped underfoot but I barely noticed them. My full attention was on the limp girl I held tightly to my chest. I could feel her chest moving fast and laboured against mine as I held her, her breaths coming in horrible wheezes. Desperately I hoped and prayed that it wouldn't suddenly stop. I felt my heart sink at the thought and had to tear my gaze away from her pale, unconscious face. As the lump in my throat throbbed I looked up and caught sight of several yellow lights in the distance. I felt my hope rise a little.
It was Billy's house.
Although it had probably taken seconds to get there, it had felt like hours to me, but it didn't matter anymore we were here now, she had a chance. I looked back down at her still face, wishing beyond anything that she would be okay. We broke through the tree line and Leah let out a loud whining howl that sent several startled birds flying into the sky. In the distance a fly-wire door screeched open then slammed. As we came to the house I didn't wait for Leah to stop, as soon as she slowed I threw myself off, careful of the cargo in my arms. I landed smoothly on my feet thanks to my wolf genes, just a few meters away from the steps. Checking the one in my arms, I glanced up in time to see Anne Ateara dashing down the stairs with Emily close behind, Billy was in his wheelchair watching from the porch. All of them wore deep frowns, each etched with worry.
Anne came rushing over, looking incredulously at the girl in my arms. I watched as her eyes widened in horror as she took in her condition. From beside her Emily took a sharp intake of breath, covering her mouth in shock. It did little to calm my worries.
"Quick get her in Jacob's room." She said briskly, not tearing her gaze away from the girl. I didn't have to be told twice, I almost sprinted to Jacob's room, the others following close behind me. As I entered Jacob's room I noticed the various additions. There were several tables placed in the room covered in green cloth with various utensils on it, like gauzes, bandages, needles and other things I didn't know the name of. As I got to the bed I placed her gently onto it, resting her head on the pillow. It would've looked like she was resting if it wasn't for the fact that her chest was working too quickly. I looked down at her injured, bloodstained body then back to her face. Impulsively I ran my fingertips over her forehead, brushing a few strands of hair out of face.
"Seth you have to leave now." Anne said suddenly, snapping a pair of rubber gloves on. Anne was the general doctor in La Push and ever since Jacob had got seriously injured, she had taken it upon herself to be the packs physician.
I turned to face her with a frown, "What?"
"You need to wait outside, you can't be in here." She replied not looking at me as she bustled around collecting various equipment.
"No… I want to be here. I have to be here…" I said in a determined voice.
She stopped to look at me knowingly. "Seth, I understand but you'll only get in the way." She said. "Besides, do you really want to see her like this?"
I stayed silent feeling Emily take my hand and squeeze it comfortingly, before starting with me towards the door. I didn't move.
"I can't leave her like this…" I said with a thick voice as I looked at her still form, my eyes burning.
"I know Seth…." Emily said quietly, wrapping an arm around my waist and holding me to her.
Deep down I knew that I should leave but it was just so hard to tear myself away from her, even to a different room. She was my world. It was a strange feeling and it confused me, but at the same time it just felt so natural, like the instinct that kept us breathing without even thinking about it, so I couldn't stop it. I didn't want to stop it. I never really understood what Sam, Jared or Quil where talking about till now.
I sighed, pulling away from Emily to stand beside the girl, god, I didn't even know her name. I stared at her dirty face, trying to remember her beautiful chocolate eyes, as Anne prepared to cut her bloody singlet. I took a deep breath to steady my voice before bringing my face close to her ear. I stroked her cheek.
"Your gona make it through this okay, I know you are. Your gona be okay," my voice broke on the last word as my throat constricted.
Emily took my hand again and began to pull me out of the room, I let her this time, not taking my eyes off of the girl until the door was closed firmly behind me.
I stood there staring at the door, trying to absorb everything that had just happened in the last hour. I could hear Billy talking to Leah outside and Emily was still beside me, watching with concern. I placed both my hands on top of my head, grabbing at my hair, before letting them fall to my face, covering my eyes. I took in a deep shaky breathe and instantly smelt blood. I opened my eyes and looked at my hands. They were covered in dry blood and now that I looked at it so were my arms and chest.
Blood. Her blood. It made me sick to my stomach. I had to get it off.
Without thinking I made my way towards the bathroom, slamming back its door as I entered. Turning the sinks taps on full bore I threw my hands and arms under the flow of water. I watched as the clear water turned red under my arms, swirling down the sink. My stomach twisted in disgust and I swallowed hard.
It was coming off, but it wasn't going away. I could still smell it, burning my nose, making my stomach lurch.
"Seth?"
It was Emily. I stopped what I was doing, breathing heavily through the lump in my throat before suddenly turning on my heel and almost colliding with Emily as I strode out of the bathroom, trying to escape the smell.
"Seth? Are you okay?" I heard Emily say behind me as I rammed through the front door almost unhinging it. I passed a startled looking Billy and Leah before jumping the stairs and walking away, not paying attention to any of them. I got about ten meters away from the house before I was unable to take another step, my worry for the one inside too strong to move any further away. So I stood where I was gasping in the night air, looking to the star-less heavens above me. I breathed in deep, trying to shake the smell of her blood burning at the back of my nose, when I felt two hot tears leak down the sides of my face.
"Seth?"
It was Leah this time, she had followed me.
I dropped my head and looked at her sideways, staring at her sympathetic face.
"I can't get rid of it." I croaked feebly.
She moved forward and I felt my face crumple as the emotional storm inside me finally broke through the surface, causing hot tears to stream down my face and painful sobs to rack through my body. Almost instantly I was engulfed in a tight hug, Leah's scent overwhelming my nose, removing all smell of blood. I breathed in deep her comforting familiar smell, resting my head on her shoulder as I clung to her.
I had never felt more mixed up in my life. So much had happened in the last hour I didn't know how to feel or what to do. For the most part I was confused, how could a girl mean so much to me in so little time, I didn't even know who she was and already she had power over me. It made me annoyed and angry, like I had lost my free will but then lucky at having found her at all, as not all werewolves found their imprint. Then of course I thought back to how I had found her and rage engulfed me. I wanted to hunt down those hunters and inflict as much pain as possible, but then I couldn't leave her and my thoughts flickered back to an image of her unconscious limp body on a bed. It made my heart sink with sadness and cause worry and guilt to twist and knot in my stomach. Then it would go back to confusion as to why I would feel that about a girl I'd just met, and so the vicious circle continued.
I was so emotionally drained it felt good to cry, just releasing my inner frustration in the form of tears and sobs. I didn't care what anyone else thought, I was beyond the point of caring. As Leah held me, rubbing soothing circles in my back like mum did, I felt myself calm down a bit, though the tears and sobs continued.
"Why did it have to happen like this?" I said in a choked voice, wondering out loud. If the girl hadn't been hurt everything would have been fine. We could have met like the other imprinters had, it wasn't fair.
"I don't know Seth. You just can't control some things you know. I mean, no one could've seen this accident coming..."
I stiffened and pulled away from her.
"You sound just like Sam." I said glaring at the ground as I wiped my tears away. I saw her flinch slightly out of the corner of my eye.
I didn't care what they said, it wasn't an accident.
"But she's going to be alright." she said ignoring my comment.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!?" I cut in looking up, my voice rising and body trembling. "What if she dies?... What do I do then?... I can't lose her Leah, I can't lose her... Not because of some, idiotic hunter who couldn't control his trigger finger." I yelled staring at her, breathing heavily. She stayed silent, looking at me sadly.
I growled in frustration, grabbing my hair again and turned away shaking my head.
"I JUST MET HER FOR CHRISTS SAKE!..." I yelled out into the darkness as my eyes burned with the threat of more tears. "I don't even know her name..." I sighed, looking back at the house. "I won't lose her, I won't." I said quietly, more to myself then to Leah.
My eyes blurred with tears but I quickly blinked them away as I started towards the house, walking straight past Leah without event looking at her. I didn't look at Emily or Billy either as I passed them up the stairs, I didn't want to see their sympathetic sad faces anymore nor did I want to talk to them. Nothing they could say could make me feel better. So I leaned against the wall opposite the room the girl was in, and began the long painful wait alone.