Chapter 17 – Imprinting

.

Shit, Kevin was coming to the shed, left unlocked after I got in. It had two tiny windows that I would break, if I tried to pass through one of them. Even opened they would be too narrow. Not to speak of the noise I would make. Could I bluff on my presence here? Would he recognize me as a vampire? Since I wasn't meant to be seen by him, I hadn't bothered with contacts.

Another mind manifested itself before he reached the door… a furious one: Leah. From his head I saw what Kevin was seeing: an oversized gray wolf running toward him. I didn't know if she wanted just to prevent me from being discovered, or if her ire against the spy had overwhelmed her, but she seemed ready to attack, her anger blurring everything.

I ran and opened the door, crying:

"No, Leah, no. We need him alive!"

Well, game over, we had to play it differently now.

His face a mask of terror, Kevin stood frozen. The wolf too had stopped, her powerful body trembling. And then she phased back, standing naked in front of us.

Everything stilled. He thought he had never seen such a beauty in his life, the shape shifting he had just witnessed almost forgotten, all fear gone, leaving space only to wonder. But Leah, Leah… In her mind there was a whirlwind, her vision fragmented, details lost one after the other, until only one image remained in the center and the universe realigned around Kevin's stunned face.

Awed, I recognized what I was seeing. Leah Clearwater had imprinted.

.

Damage control was essential.

"Leah," I said, "maybe you should get dressed and join us inside the house. Don't worry about the spy. I won't hurt him."

On hearing the word "spy", Kevin finally emerged from his stupor and noticed my presence. He saw red eyes and pale, unblemished skin. Unmistakable, if one was in the know. His mind was screaming vampire, while his eyes darted around, searching for an escape they couldn't find. Busted, I'm busted…

"I won't hurt you," I said, repeating the words I had used with Leah, "but we need to speak. Please, let's go inside."

I gestured toward the Blacks' house, placing myself behind him, so he could do nothing but obey.

"Who are you?" he croaked.

"Not a friend of Demetri, if it helps," was my succinct answer. It did, in fact, help: I saw him relax.

We went in, and I gestured for him to sit down, which he did promptly. I did the same, to make him feel less threatened.

"Kevin, let's not beat around the bush," I said. "I know who sent you here and what you're meant to do. I also know that you aren't happy about it and were thinking of asking the pack's help, but you were afraid."

"They'd surely kill me," It came out as a painful whisper.

"No, they won't, trust me." In fact none of the pack would kill anyone on whom a member had imprinted, but he didn't need to know that now. So I continued:

"They know everything, but still they decided to let you come – lest Demetri send somebody else, and to give him plenty of rope to hang himself. If vampires could be hanged, of course, which is not the case." Here I allowed myself a chuckle.

At this point Kevin was completely speechless. Questions formed and reformed in his mind. Before he could decide what to say, the front door opened, and Leah entered and went to his side. She still didn't know how to deal with what had happened to her, but she would protect him no matter what. Her sanity depended on his safety, whatever the future had in store for them.

Then the door opened again, and Alice and Jasper, soaked to the bone, their hair plastered to their heads, came inside in a blur. Seth was following them. Leah growled.

"I'm so sorry," Alice said. "We were into the sea … I was distracted, but then Seth called us from the shore, he had felt his sister phasing … What happened? Leah, what…?"

Kevin wasn't sure about the couple, puzzled by their golden eyes, but eventually he remembered the description Demetri had given him. It fit, and he realized she must be the vampire whose whereabouts he was sent to discover. The identity of the other guy was unclear, but the main point for him was that he was surrounded by vampires. The gorgeous Quileute woman – the same who had been a wolf before, now scantily clad in shorts and tank top – looked like she was protecting him. Why would she do that?

I decided to put him out of his mental misery by giving him something concrete to ponder.

"Kevin," I told him, "I know you have been blackmailed, and we won't do the same. But your best bet to get out of this mess is to help us to get rid of Demetri. Otherwise you'll never be safe."

Even before he answered me, I saw that to get back at Demetri was exactly what he wanted, and he was ready to play.

I would need to secure Leah's assent in advance, however, because Kevin was going to be in danger, whatever plan we came up with, and that wouldn't sit well with her.

The little kitchen was too crowded for comfort. Alice and Jasper were dying to know what had happened, and I needed to discuss the new developments with them in private.

"Leah," I said, "I'm sorry, I know what happened, but I'll let you deal with it in your own time. Soon we will need to speak with Sam, the pack and the elders. However, I promise I won't blabber about you. Of course, as soon as you phase, they'll know, right?"

She nodded, adding:

"I won't phase for the moment. Edward, thank you." Well, this was an improvement. I didn't think she had ever spoken to me directly before, let alone addressed me civilly.

"Alice and Jasper need to know, though. I'm sure you realize it."

Leah nodded again.

"Fine, then. Alice, Jasper, let's go. I'll explain everything. Kevin, Leah might need to tell you something. We'll be back tomorrow."

I left the Black's house, followed by two very curious vampires and by Seth – not only curious but worried about his big sister, whom he had seen very perturbed. I wanted to get rid of him too, in order to keep Leah's secret from the tribe, at least for the time being.

So I told the young Quileute to come with us to the beach again, because I needed Alice's Sight for something, and all three of us went swimming together.

Finally I could tell them about Leah's imprinting and the fact that, even before that happened, I had discovered that Kevin was a very reluctant spy and hated Demetri from the deepest of his heart. He was going to side with us.

Alice was delighted by the news and decided to stay in the ocean longer to see if she could get some vision of what was going to happen now. I swam back to the shore where Seth was waiting patiently, far enough not to block Alice. I told him that I was going to Sam and Emily's house to bring Bella back to the resort. It was quite late and she shouldn't abuse their hospitality.

It was weird, a vampire going to a werewolf chief's house. However, Alice had smoothed things for me, starting with my role in alerting the Quileute about the spy and they accepted the necessity of my presence, at least for the time being, as I had the best knowledge of the Volturi.

Sam's beautiful wife opened the door. Her eyes widened and she called "Sam!" retreating a step.

He too came to the door, towering over her. As a true leader, he had steely control on his instincts, and even the sight of a red eyed vampire didn't faze him.

Still, he didn't like the idea of me entering his home.

"Sam," I said hurriedly, "I just came for Bella. We're going back towards Port Angeles, but something happened, potentially positive, and I ask you to arrange a meeting tomorrow with the pack, the elders, and us vampires. Alice and I will explain everything then."

"Please, wait here," he said, glacially courteous.

After a few moments he reemerged with Bella.

"He says he came for you. Do you want to go with him?"

"Of course," There was no hesitation in her words.

Take that, dog.

She offered me her soft, warm hand, and the night was suddenly brighter.

I wanted out.

"Thank you, Emily, Sam. See you tomorrow."

I had parked my car some distance from La Push, so as not to be seen when we came in. It was not a long walk, but Bella would surely be tired.

"Let me carry you to the car," I asked.

She assented, and I took her up bridal style and started jogging, not too fast.

"If you put me on your back you can run faster," she said, and I realized that to be carried by a vampire was not a new experience for her.

When we got into the car, she was silent for a while. I too was silent and didn't feel like driving. Even if I couldn't read her, I was pretty sure she was reminiscing and her memories were bitter. The vampires who had carried her piggy back were dust now. I smelled salt. She was quietly crying.

A powerful wave of guilt engulfed me. I too would have cried if I could.

"Edward," Bella finally said in a small voice, "can you tell me what happened with the spy?"

"Leah imprinted on him."

"Oh my God! I thought that, after Jacob …she couldn't…" she exclaimed, astonished.

"Well, you are the Quileute expert among us," I observed. "However, if I remember correctly, Jacob had imprinted on her, and she probably reciprocated his love as a normal human girl would. She became a shape-shifter the day he was killed, so she had never imprinted before. Bella, I saw it happening in her mind, and I have never experienced something so powerful." Apart from the moment I realized I love you...

"But, it's terrible, isn't it? He's Demetri's ally."

"No," I reassured her, "he isn't. He was sent here under duress, because the tracker threatened to kill his sister and her family. He was already trying to find the courage to rebel and seek the pack's help. Now he is going to help us to deceive Demetri and entrap him. It is dangerous, but you, Alice, Jasper - and Kevin of course - will be safe only when the Volturi lose their tracker. Tomorrow we will meet the Quileutes and will come up with a plan. I have some ideas already. We will see."

Bella seemed to consider my words.

"It will be dangerous, particularly for him," she said finally, "and I don't know how Leah will stand it. To lose the one you love when you have just found him…"

I had no answer for her, so I started the car, thinking of going back to the resort, but Bella didn't want to go yet.

"Edward," she said, "I don't feel like going to bed. Can you drive around a little?"

Again in silence I drove till I found a place to park which offered a breathtaking view of Lake Crescent. A strong wind was sweeping away the clouds and the silvery waters reflected the other crescent in the sky.

"So beautiful…" Bella said in wonder. "I wish, I wish…"

Christ, to be able to read her mind! Frustrated, I reached out and raised her head, my finger under her chin.

"What do you wish, Bella?" I asked. Her eyes were dark pools of unfathomable depth.

"That you ... that you wouldn't always sound as you were about to leave … Oh please, Edward." Words failed her and she grasped my shoulders.

Who moved first? I still don't know, but our lips met midway and we were kissing. This was not the restrained kiss full of regret and denial that we had exchanged in New York. This was the kiss of two people – human, vampire, it didn't matter- desperately hungry for each other. I no longer had the strength to resist and devoured her mouth. Stop, idiot, she is human and needs to breathe even if you don't. Bella moaned, unhappy for the loss of contact, so I took her in my lap, while my hands roamed her soft curves and my manhood hardened. I was telling myself to be careful, that she was fragile as spun glass but, unconcerned, she was pressing on me, peppering my face and neck with small kisses and driving me wild.

Not all cars, however, are designed for lovemaking, and that was what eventually saved me from making what I considered a grievous mistake. If we progressed further, we should bring it either to the back seat or to our rooms, and this thought was enough to sober me a little. We kissed some more, but I was withdrawing and Bella sensed it.

Sighing, she disentangled herself and got back to her seat.

"Why, Edward?" she whispered. "Just tell me."

"I won't have you and leave you," I answered harshly, "but leave I must. For that I am more sorry than I can say."

There was not much more to add, and I brought her back to the resort. That night she shut her door firmly in my face.

.

Chief Black called the meeting to attention. Kevin had made a full confession and asked for the Quileutes' forgiveness. He had concluded that, in atonement, he would help in any way he could. Leah had sat at his side the whole time, giving him support. From his mind, I knew that the wolf girl had explained everything to him and he was floating on a cloud, because he was in love too. Even if she had not phased yet, their attitude to each other left no ground for doubts. For this reason the murmurs and angry whispers were not directed to him, but rather to Demetri, the Volturi and, in part, to me. When the noises subsided, Billy Black said formally:

"I think our guests have something to tell us."

I stood up.

"Yes, we do. You have all rights to hate me but, like Kevin, I too hope to atone for what I did. With Alice, Jasper and Kevin's help, we intend to bring down the tracker. This is what we will do…"

.

Notes

About Leah's imprinting: as we know, Jacob Black had imprinted on Leah, shortly before his death. As she wasn't a shape shifter at the time, she had accepted his love – as the object of the imprinting often does, while not being compelled to reciprocate. Nor is the death of the imprint something impossible to recover from. Now that Leah is a shape shifter herself, however, she imprints on Kevin. On this I had an interesting exchange with LJ Summers, one author who has given great attention to the wolf pack. According to her too: "the imprinting is a biological thing rather than an emotional or relational magic like vampire mating. Overall, it is a tool for better reproduction," meant to give the best protection to the wolves' gene poll. For this reason – to avoid inbreeding – the imprinting can easily happen outside the tribe.

As there is no love triangle Leah/ Sam/Emily in my story, Sam's wife isn't scarred.

There was a lively debate about affluent/effluent used in the previous chapter. The most common word referred to rivers is effluent, but I used affluent because in Italian we say affluente. It turned out it was not a mistake. In the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language the meaning of "tributary stream" is present along with the more common "wealthy". Thank you, Twiannfav!