4 - Avoiding Conflict
The air smelled clean and crisp as I stepped outside the building, there was just something about this place with its vast quantities of rain that made it so much more pleasant to breathe for those of us with a overdeveloped sense of smell.
My Princess was nowhere to be seen, but I could not rush my search for the girl. There was a prickle of irritation that travelled down my spine signaling the fact that I was not alone, numerous sets of curious eyes were glued on my retreating back. Haste would only raise suspicion, so my steps were slow and measured - timed to my breaths. Breathe in, step, breathe out, step. The ability to appear unaffected was a basic survival skill among my family, human families taught their kids to swim and ride a bike, my grandmother had taught me how to keep my face expression smooth even when in severe pain.
I remember hurting myself one summer, Phila and I had been fooling around and somehow I fell out of a tree. My shoulder had been dislocated, I could not have been more than ten at the time. My grandmother Bee would not let them fix my shoulder until I could hold a pleasant conversation regarding the weather; some might think it was cruel but it is the way of my family. She was not trying to cause me pain, she was preparing me for a life where the ability to look dispassionate could mean the difference between life and death.
Pulling the cloak of indifference around me I dug through my back pocket for my keys. I checked the right side first, pretending that I did not know that they were in the left. The sensation of being watched faded slightly, there was nothing to see here - just a dumb biker searching for his keys.
I placed Leah's borrowed jacked in the compartment underneath my seat before pulling on my own jacket. Every muscle in my body was forced to remain relaxed, all my movements slow and steady. A large meal filled my belly, I had no place to be so why should I be in a hurry? At least this is the attitude I attempted to project.
The steady purr of the engine was a relief, it meant that I was now one step closer to finding my mate. Only when I was sitting astride the bike with my helmet on did I allow my eyes to scan the surrounding street in search of Leah.
The helmet concealed my grimace as I realized she was nowhere to be seen, and Aodh was not giving me any visions. It looked like I was going to have to do this the human way, the though of driving around town and searching for my Princess did not appeal to me. I wanted to see her NOW. With a frustrated sigh I rolled my shoulders and pulled out into the street.
It took me far longer than necessary to locate her, as she had gone down one of the residential side streets instead of sticking to the busier main street. Aodh had to give me a little nudge in the right direction before I finally found her stomping down the street, fury pouring off of her in waves. Leah's depressed mood had shifted to one of pure rage, it did not take me long to discern the reason behind this change in her tempter.
The detestable boy, Sam was following her giving her orders. "Leah don't be stubborn," he told her as he tried to catch up. There was an older truck parked down the street, Emily was standing near it looking uncertain.
I would have probably found Sam's orders words humorous, considering asking Leah not to be stubborn was tantamount to asking her not to breathe; unfortunately watching this despicable little boy harass my mate had ignited my own temper. Fortunately my face was safely hidden behind the visor of the helmet because I don't think it was possible for me to control my expression.
I passed Leah before turning my bike around to face her, her lithe form distracted me instantly. She really was sexy when in a temper, her cheeks flushed and her brown eyes flashing. What would it be like if she channelled all that emotion and passion into something a little more sensual? My jeans were getting a little too tight for comfort, I really needed to think of something else. The roots of the brachial plexus are derived from C5, C6, C7, C8 and T1. These five roots then fuse into four trunks with the long thoracic nerve branching off first. My mind went through the innervation of the shoulder and arm as I stopped the bike.
It gave me an inordinate amount of pleasure that she paused to check me out, though I could have been just deluding myself and the girl was simply curious about the stranger stopped by the side of the road.
Her steps faltered as she walked past me, this gave Sam enough time to catch up with her. "I told your mother we would make sure you got home and that is what I am going to do." I took my helmet off, eager to watch her reaction to the idiotic order. I had not known her for more than a handful of days but did this Sam really think that would work on her? My guess was that her reaction would be the exact opposite of his command.
Then the fool made another mistake, this time a fatal one. He grabbed her arm, nothing could have prepared me for the fury of watching that boy manhandle my mate. All the years of control were stripped away as instinct took over, that thing dared touch one who was under my protection - now he had to die. Every bone in his body would be broken until he was begging me for the mercy of death. Of its own volition my body started to heat up, preparing for battle. Nearly two millennia worth of control was required for me to remain on my bike and not put my fist through that boy's chest. Luckily Leah beat me to the punch, so to speak, she tried to take a swing at the boy. He ducked out of the way but did not attempt to hit her back, that was a very smart move on his part - hitting Leah would have marked him for death and even nearly two thousand years of controlling my temper would not have been enough to stop me this time.
"Leah," I called to her trying to move her attention away from the boy who had a death wish. I really did not want to have to deal with trying to dispose of two corpses this afternoon, and if Sam so much as harmed a hair on her head he would be a dead man. Emily would have to be killed as well for being a witness. Leah's reaction to me committing murder was the only thing keeping me in check.
Several seconds passed before she looked in my direction, confusion clouding her eyes before recognition took over. I concentrated on thoughts of peace and calm, if I was not careful my double heartbeat would give away my alien nature. Stiff muscles were forced to make fluid movements as I reached for my excuse for being here, her jacket.
I lost Leah's attention again to the other girl Emily showing up and huddling close to that boy. Emily's eyes were filled with suspicion and a bit of fear that cleared up as soon as Sam touched her. I nearly laughed out loud at her ignorance, she ran to Sam to protect her - she did not realize how little he could do to save her if I decided she needed to die. Sam quickly wrapped his arms around around her, giving a small reassuring squeeze before he went back to glaring at me. While I found this behavior amusing Leah did not share this feeling. Her expression which had been filled with fury changed yet again, this time to misery - all these mood swings must be exhausting for her especially with the heightened wolf emotions. I could see the tears starting to pool at the bottom of her eyes and all I wanted to do was to grab her and take her away from here. For a moment a twinge of jealousy went through my body, I envied this Sam for he was allowed to hold his mate and protect her.
"What?" Leah ground out, her tone a mixture of pain and anger. "What do you want?"
It was a little bit disconcerting how much I enjoyed the fact that she was talking to me, even if she was not exactly happy about the situation. What did I want? Would it be premature to ask for her eternal love? Probably should wait on that one, speaking of which I should also find her a ring.
Currently I did not have a token of my affection with me but I did have a paltry gift for her, the jacket which she had left behind. I threw the object in her direction knowing she could catch it easily, instead of Leah grabbing hold of her clothing the boy caught it. I had been trying my best to ignore him, not liking the fact that my Princess still gave him the power to hurt her. The fool was determined to annoy me, he was glowering at me thinking that his size alone would be enough to intimidate me. I had faced far more perilous situations than an infant shape shifter that obviously could not control his talents, this was made obvious by the scars gracing Emily's cheek.
"You're welcome, princess." Sarcasm was second nature to me and I was not going to roll over and act polite if she was going to be so short with me. A plethora of lies would be told by me before I could tell her the whole truth, but I was to going to act like someone I am not.
The boy was paranoid about my sudden appearance and suspicious regarding how I knew Leah. His thoughts became so loud that they were impossible not to hear even when I was not trying to do so. Who is this and can he harm Emily? It was interesting to note that he feared for his mate more than himself, he was calculating how easily he could take me down without his mate being touched.
I gave a little smirk as I imagined Sam's reaction if he tried to "take me down". Boy would he be in for a surprise. Maybe it was some deep instinct on his part but as he continued to glower at me some of his confidence left him, maybe his inner wolf was trying to warn him that there was a deadlier predator in his midst. Quickly his thoughts turned to retreat, he did not want to fight near Emily when she could easily be hurt. "Get in the truck Leah," he gave another oder, this time with a great deal more power behind his words. This voice was a little bit different sounding than his normal speech, he had not raised his voice, yet it had more force. It was a weaker version to our voice, the one where we layered our mental voices on top of our physical one in order to compel humans to be more agreeable to our suggestions.
I shifted my legs so that I was no longer straddling the bike, if my memory served me right the alpha of a pack could give orders that were impossible to ignore by the members of the pack. Was this what he was doing right now? Trying to bend Leah to his will? He had done nothing but make mistake after mistake in his interactions with Leah, giving orders and even going so far as to trying to physically compel her to go with him. But this, this was entered a whole new sphere of errors. Sam giving his alpha order just went against one of the most fundamental rules of the family, he tried to take away her right to choose using his super-human skills. Free will was a right my family took very seriously, as the guardian of this region it would be well within my rights to give him a severe warning for breaking this law. My family held very little sacred but the right to choose your own fate was considered sacrosanct.
Leah had forced her attention away from the embracing couple, to my relief she seemed unaffected by the order. The slow drizzle had made her hair wet, it was on its way to being plastered to her pretty little head. Her beautiful long lashed eyes assessed my body yet again, I was not trying to hear her thoughts so her thoughts regarding this stranger that had approached her were unknown to me. I did not doubt that the cogs in the brain of hers were moving, trying to categorize me. It was pleasing note that her gaze was not altogether clinical in evaluation of my body, she appeared to linger on my feet. I watched in fascination as Sam's words finally registered, her face went from curious to furious within seconds.
"Are you trying to give me an order," her words were forced through gritted teeth. My suspicions were confirmed, Sam had been trying to take away her free will; the fact that Sam was no longer her alpha appeared to protect Leah. Instead of obeying she became even more furious, as young as she was I was not certain she could hold her shape with that much emotion coursing through her little body. Her hands began to shake in anticipation of the shift.
"You need a ride, Princess?" I grinned at the way things had worked out, it had become almost too easy to find a way to ingratiate myself into her life.
She opened her mouth, ready to tell me off when the idiot boy interrupted her. "She is not going anywhere with you," the strength of his anger towards me was unjustified. I had done very little to incur his wrath, he did not know enough about me to be this furious. Regardless of that, his last words just clinched the deal for Leah, I did not need my psychic abilities to know that I would be giving her a ride.
Leah stepped back from the argument with Sam both psychologically and physically, finally realizing it was pointless. Her ability to reason while in the midst of such heightened emotions was impressive, she would make an awesome guardian if that is what she chose.
I knew she was only doing it to piss off Sam but when she gave me that sexy little look it was all I could do not to grab her and kiss her senseless. Her rose colored lips puckered slightly as she sauntered a little closer. Aodh flashed me an image of a beach, I got the impression of a rocky shore and turbulent grey waters before regaining my sight.
I suggested that she put on her jacket, it would not be good for her to get cold. A great deal of energy was required to stay warm and if she got hungry it would cut into the amount of time I could spend in her company.
How bad could he be? I heard her especially loud thought as she retrieved her jacket from the now shaking Sam. She had no idea how bad I could actually be, at times my job required a certain level of brutality. Blackmail, torture and even murder were not unheard of - some days we killed hundreds of the infected. Men, women and children were not spared if they had the infection controlling their bodies. However as far as she was concerned I was a guardian angel; there was nothing I would not help her accomplish, not that she would be aware of my protection but she had it nonetheless.
Sam protested yet again regarding her choice, luckily he did not try to give another order. I pulled out my extra helmet while the two were occupied in another argument, it was interesting to note that Emily did not participate in the conversation. Was she afraid because there were two wolves fighting or was she just one of those women who allowed their husband to do all the talking?
"What is your name?" she asked me as she got behind me on the bike. My body shuddered in pleasure at her proximity, this time the visions of what we could do together were not from Aodh but a product of my own salacious mind. Her lips were starting to curl up on the sides, the closest to a smile I had seen since meeting her. The feeling of pride fluttered through my chest as I got one step closer to my goal of seeing her genuine smile.
"Phil," I gave her the helmet wishing I could have also brought some sturdier shoes for her. Those flip flops were not going to protect her feet if anything happened, I would have to be extra careful today to make sure she did not get hurt.
I liked the fact that she managed to get in the last word, I liked the way she pressed herself against me, but most of all I liked the fact that she had just of her own free will picked me over that stupid and annoying little pup.
As we drove off I could not help but smile, it was a good thing my helmet covered my face because otherwise the goofy grin on my face would have been hard to explain.
A/N: All right this was a short one, and I don't know how much new information I actually gave. I am still trying to work out the kinks of Phil's character. From his father's side he is supposed to have inherited the need for violence and brutality, his instincts keep telling him to kill first and sort it out later. Obviously this approach usually does not work well on Earth so he has tried to control his temper, just because he can control himself does not mean that those instincts no longer exist. Finding his mate had brought out a whole new set of instincts to protect. At least that is what I am trying to convey, maybe he is just coming off as a violent asshole.
IBTeri: Glad you liked it, I never had much respect for Sam and Emily especially since their happiness came at the cost of someone both claimed to love. Thanks for adding to fav :D.
Phillis P Phillis: Lol I know we love Phil, but unfortunately I think so will Leah and she will easily kick our collective asses if we even think about it.
Kendrick's Fan: I too like Kendrick and I have a tentative plan for his story but as I have told others before his story does not occur in the world of vampires or wolves so it would be hard to do write it within the Twilight universe.
Anon: Glad you like Phil's side of the story, I will try to keep it going for a little while longer. At least until such time when you gain nothing new from his point of view.
TessFan: I might split this off as a separate story, but right now it is easier just to tack it onto the end of Leah's. I think it would be too confusing to read his side without hers first. Thanks for the encouragement.
Ren-sensei: Leah is soon becoming one of my favorite characters, I have a Bella story going but have a hard time writing because she is just so passive. I recently wrote a chapter in which Bella's more bitchy side came out, that was much more fun. I guess I don't like weak women and Leah is anything but weak. Glad you like the story, I actually have a lot of fun writing it.
MargotTenser: Cupcake goldfish do exist, but now I have found the most awesome carrot cake recipe known to woman...oh my god it is so good. We are talking putting everything in it including coconut and pineapple along with the carrots ...so tasty. Plus it is beyond easy to make. I am glad you liked this side of Phil, it is so hard to write a sympathetic character that stays true to the way I picture Phil. By they way smoochies for the awesome review. I really like it when people tell me how they feel about the characters it tells me I am on the right path (or that I need to stick to my day job :D).
Rocklesson86: No I did not join the occupy movement, just had to do some work in real life plus the holidays really sap my time.
MeMeMeMeeee: Love you name as usual. I always giggle when I read it. I see Invader Zim screaming , "pay attention to me, to meeeeee." Phil POV lemon, you want his fantasies of a chapter that coincides with a lemon Leah talked about? Puppy do eyes don't work on me, my five year old has the biggest brown eyes I have ever seen and I have become immune.
Jade91: Lol, Phil has had his instinct pretty much under control, but now with this mate thing they are trying to take over again. Plus he is very upset over not being able to make Leah feel good again.
Connect2tjb: Holiday season and relaxing don't exactly go hand in hand but January was great. But it was filled with friends and the crazy family that drive us nuts but we can't avoid. Hope yours was fun, and you ate lots of yummy things.
Hgmsnoopy: SNOOPY, I feel so boring with my user name, I wish I could come up with one of these cool names. I think on an intellectual level Phil always understood that harming Sam would make Leah upset but he also just needs to do something and obliterating the one who caused her that much pain is not that bad of a plan on the surface. His need for death and destruction will be controlled soon, especially if Leah stops having to deal with Sam.
Inosolan: I did try to drag out the suspense when it came to Phil stalking someone at the beginning of the chapter, I thought it would be fun. Seeing Leah on a regular basis should be fine so long as there are not threats against her, at least I hope so. I am thinking of Phil having a hard time controlling his libido, thought that might be fun.
GothicChiq80: Glad you like, hope this short chapter will be enough.
December Duchess: Again what is with all these cool names, it seems everyone who reviews has a good one. Thanks for laughing when you were supposed to, I hope it would not freak out too many people about how blood thirsty he really was.
Imprinting Magic: Glad you liked the story, thanks for telling me this.
All right, seems like all my thanks for the reviews are longer than my actual story. I am sorry about the short chapter, I have another segment halfway done but it is about Phil visiting his son on another planet and it did not fit into this part as of yet. Will put that one up after the next chapter...still have to finish Leah and Phil on the beach together for the first time.