Guest: Welcome to the story. I'm glad you found it. I hope you continue to enjoy things as they unfold here. I update as often as I can.
Jana: I'm happy you enjoyed the chapter and it's ending. I try not to be mean with cliffies, but #39 was already really long and ready to post. Thank you for all the compliments.
Congrats to Khyharah for being review #975 on FF, and to WhackedB for giving review #1000. Wow. This is amazing. I am humbled, and thankful for everyone's interest in this story.
AN: Just an FYI to readers since I had several comments on this after the last chapter: I have changed the Sam/Emily back story from the canon version of the books. In this story, Emily is NOT Leah's cousin. Emily was a complete stranger to La Push and the tribe before attending a peninsula multi-tribe gathering where Sam saw her and imprinted. As Sue Clearwater reflected back in chapter 28, Emily had a rough life growing up in Neah Bay and jumped headlong into a relationship with Sam because it promised to be better than the life she'd had before. So there was no betrayal by a best friend or cousin; Leah was dumped for a complete stranger (she did comment to Bella that she wondered if Sam might have known Emily somehow without her knowing about it, but Sam is innocent of that allegation). Hope this clears up any confusion.
I would say I'm sorry this took so long…but I won't. I wish this update could have been faster, but my entire month has been crazy and writing just didn't want to happen. But good things come to those who wait, and this is a very long good thing for you to enjoy. Would love to hear what you think. I hope this came out alright. Jake gave me some fits again (or this would have posted earlier this week), and Embry and Bella may have gotten a little carried away here.
Happy Thanksgiving (a few days late) to my fellow Americans.
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Sam POV
I watched the last member of my pack disappear from view and glanced over at my wife.
"Interesting morning," Emily observed.
"Which part?" my lips quirked. 'Interesting' was probably an understatement.
"All of it, I suppose. I think she'll fit in nicely with everyone-well, everyone else-and hopefully Jacob will come around eventually."
"Spirits, please," my eyes lifted briefly toward the sky in appeal. I could only hope that Emily was right, even though I feared that she wouldn't be. Nothing I'd seen so far gave me any reason to think that Jacob would take anything new in any way other than badly.
"Sam, I know you'll do the best you can for everyone. It took Jacob a few days to adjust to all of the wolf stuff, so he probably will need that kind of time to accept these new realities."
"Except he doesn't know about all of them yet, not about the imprint." And when he did...
"Then he'll have to be told, and soon. Should Paul have him come here after he gets off patrol? Should we talk to him about everything before you go to work?"
With a sigh, I considered the idea. If I did this now, who knew when I'd actually make it in to work today? Nothing with Jacob Black was ever fast or easy. But if I put it off...Emily was right: Jacob would hear about Embry's imprint sooner or later-probably sooner, given that I hadn't put Paul under the same specific gag order that I had done with Quil. Considering Jacob's past reactions to news he didn't like...I didn't want to think about what this revelation would do. And I was Alpha-avoiding something just because I didn't want to deal with it wasn't an option. "Yeah, I probably ought to. No sense putting it off, and it would just backfire on me like pretty much everything else has where he's concerned. I'll go phase in now and have him come here. Quil can handle things solo for the few more minutes it will take until Paul comes on duty."
Emily nodded. "Will Paul remember that Tiffany Call ought to be invited to the council meeting, or should I call her about it?"
"I have no idea. Probably best to call her just to make sure."
I headed outside to phase while Emily took care of the phone call. It was just a simple answering machine message to both members of the Call family giving the time and place for the council meeting and a request for their attendance.
Anything to report? I asked my wolves once I'd phased in.
What is going on? Jacob snarled. What isn't Quil telling me? Why is my best friend under a gag order-your gag order?
With effort, I grabbed hold of my irritation and strangled it. I had my reasons-reasons which you didn't need to know about until now, Jacob. But I will be discussing them with you once you get here. We need to clear the air about several things. Head this way now. Quil, Paul will be phasing in soon to take over from you. There's going to be another council meeting tonight, and your grandfather will likely need your help getting things ready, so head home once Paul comes on duty.
I could tell that Jacob was already making for my house, so I phased back human after getting Quil's agreement to my directions.
"He's coming," I informed Emily once I was back inside.
"Good. I called Tiffany's and Embry's cell numbers as well as their house, and left messages with each." My imprint moved smoothly around the kitchen, pulling together a simple but filling breakfast for our problem wolf. She caught the look on my face and delivered one of her own. "He's going to be hungry anyway after all that running, and if I address one of his issues, then maybe handling the rest of it will go a little smoother."
"Let's find out," I said, hearing Jacob's footfalls outside. "Come on in, Jacob," I called.
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Jacob POV
Sam! I screamed his name in anger. Then, as if I'd summoned him, our Alpha joined Quil and me in the pack mind.
Anything to report? He asked.
What is going on? I snarled. What isn't Quil telling me? Why is my best friend under a gag order-your gag order?
There was a quick sense of irritation that was quickly buried. I had my reasons-reasons which you didn't need to know about until now, Jacob. But I will be discussing them with you once you get here. We need to clear the air about several things. Head this way now. Quil, Paul will be phasing in soon to take over from you. There's going to be another council meeting tonight, and your grandfather will likely need your help getting things ready, so head home once Paul comes on duty.
Okay, Sam, Quil said, and kept running the circuit. I, on the other hand, cut away to make for Sam's house. Without another word spoken, Sam was gone.
Jake, don't do anything stupid! Quil begged.
I ignored my friend, though. An icy burn of awakening knowledge flowed through my veins. Sam had known Embry was at Bella's house and hadn't forbidden it. If everyone was so sure that Bella would be an imprint, and it hadn't been any of the five of us...then it had to be a different wolf, and Embry was the only other one.
She's his imprint? I raged. Adrenalin raced through my body and I put on speed heading back as fast as I could. Sam seemed to have all the answers these days, or at least thought he did, and I was damn well going to get some, especially if he was now willing to talk.
Jake! Quil called after me. I left him in my dust and was at Sam's place in no time.
"Sam!"
"Emily made breakfast for you, Jake. Go ahead and fill up a plate." Sam totally ignored my anger. It reminded me of how my mom had handled it when my sisters and I had acted up. His words about the food hadn't been an order, so I could have ignored them on principle, but the food just smelled too damn good to even think about resisting. Plus, I wasn't so much of an ass that I would throw Emily's efforts back in her face-she hadn't had to pull together two breakfast spreads in one morning.
"Orange juice or milk?" Emily asked me.
"Juice-please," I added at Sam's look.
Alpha Sam filled up his own plate after me and sat down on the other side of the table. Now that I was paying attention, I could tell that it hadn't just been the rest of the pack here earlier-Embry and Bella had been here, too.
"Is this why you made me patrol this morning? Because they were coming?"
Sam's poker face was fully in evidence. "You will stay right there and listen to everything I need to tell you. You will stay calm, stay human, and not threaten my imprint or my home, or anyone else. Your butt will not leave the chair until I am done-unless there is an emergency or a threat to be dealt with."Sam had clearly learned from last night and closed any loopholes in his orders. Part of me wanted to fight the orders on principle, but a bigger part wanted answers. So I settled into my chair with an exaggerated motion.
"First of all, Jacob, I'm not happy with how you handled yourself last night. However angry you were, and no matter how justified you considered yourself to be, you used the gift of your spirit wolf to try and attack a human. That is the action of a son of Utlapa, not a son of Taha Aki. The tribal elders are aware of your action, and punishment will be issued. It was only the blessing of his own spirit wolf that enabled Embry Call to meet your threat without serious or lasting injury."
"Secondly, while you did keep the letter of my orders to you after that attack, you violated the spirit of them. While it is true that I did not explicitly forbid you to phase into your wolf form, you were fully aware that Embry was still phased and likely to remain so for some time. For you to enter the pack mind again that night was not a good decision to make. Even less wise were the words you flung at Embry. I know that you were raised better than to insult a woman the way you did Tiffany Call last night. You would never want someone else speaking of your mother that way, would you?" Sam's words hammered into me just like his eyes drilled into mine. He waited for an answer, and I had to shake my head. Hell, no-I'd go after anyone who said stuff like that about Mom.
"You owe your present good health to Bella Swan. If she hadn't been right there with Embry, he likely would have made a beeline for you and pounded you into the ground—and you would have deserved it. Count yourself lucky that he just used your ranting as motivation to phase back human so fast and easy. And to back up what Paul told you: yes, I did know that Embry was heading to see Bella, and I allowed it just like I'd allowed you a few hours earlier."
"For a third thing, I don't appreciate your implication that I allowed that meeting out of favoritism. That's not how I run this pack, and I don't care for the insult. If it does turn out that Embry is my brother, then I'll welcome him gladly. Just as I'll expect anyone else to do if it ends up that they share that bond with him. The truth will come out—there's no logical reason why Tiffany would be so determined to keep Embry's paternity a secret if she doesn't know exactly who the man was. And I want you to think about that for just a minute, Jacob. Embry phased as a half-Quileute. I believe that Jared is right in what he said last night: this probably happened because Embry's connection to Taha Aki's line is a strong one—very likely because he's tied to the last wolf-pack in this tribe. That means that any of our fathers, plus a few other important men in the tribe, are the only reasonable candidates. So, if it isn't my dad or a brother of Harry or Sue Clearwater, then the man has been here the whole time and watched his son grow up without being claimed. Paul's dad has already sworn it wasn't him, but only time will tell about the others. How do you think your friend will feel when he finds out who it was? How would you feel?"
Sam fell silent and allowed me to do that thinking. I didn't have to imagine how either Embry or I would feel; I knew: anger, hurt, and rejection. It was like how I'd felt when Mom died. Even though I'd later come to understand that her injuries had simply been too severe for any human to survive, the child I'd been at the time had for a while blamed her for dying, for not loving me and my dad and sisters enough to keep fighting to live. But if she hadn't died—had just left us? If Dad had kept us away from her? Made up stories about her? Against my will, I began to feel shame and regret for the things I'd said.
"You asked me if I put you on patrol this morning because Bella and Embry were coming here. Yes, it is the reason. You attacked Embry in his backyard yesterday and nearly phased in Bella's living room right before that. I wasn't about to have you anywhere near them this morning," Sam paused and made eye contact with me. "I won't keep doing that, though. I can't, and wouldn't even if I could. We are a pack of six wolves, and we have to be able to get along and work together. Whether you like it or not-and I get that you don't like it-you are going to have to accept how things are now, just like you did when you phased, when your sisters left, when your mom died..."
"And what do I have to accept now?"
"Embry is part of this pack. I will not have my wolves fighting one another instead of our enemies. I don't want to have to keep laying Alpha orders on you, Jacob—but if that's the only thing that will keep the peace around here, I will do it. Doing and saying the things you have recently…cannot keep happening. Embry can no more help having an absent father than I can, or Quil. I would like for you to remember that you're almost an adult, and that you and Embry have been friends for most of your lives. You used to be a mature, responsible, and good person; be that person again."
"He took Bella away—"
"She was never yours to lose, Jacob. Bella is not your imprint. Nor was she your girlfriend."
"Then whose imprint is she? You said she'd be part of this."
"Embry imprinted on Bella last night." The statement was flat and unemotional. Even though I'd more than half expected this from everything that had happened, to hear the words...fierce and bitter jealousy gripped my chest.
"Why? Why him? Why not me?"
"Why didn't I imprint on Leah? Why did our great-grandfathers make a treaty with the Cullens instead of fighting them? I don't know, Jake. I wish I had the answers to everything, but I don't. "
"Too bad you didn't figure that out back at the beginning of all this!"
"And I'll have to live with that, Jacob. If I could go back and change that first night's conversation between us, I'd do it. I deeply regret that I spoke without thinking and gave you that hope that wasn't meant to be."
"So, what? I'm just supposed to be happy for them now?"
"That would be the right and mature thing to do, Jake. This imprinting is a fact. Jared was there and witnessed it, as did Paul." Sam snorted. "I said earlier that I allowed Embry to see Bella…rather, I didn't waste my breath trying to forbid something that couldn't be stopped. He caught her scent in the meadow and was heading for her place like there was a homing beacon calling him there. Nothing else registered for him, not Paul and Jared, not even me when I phased in. And she somehow knew he was there. Went right to him without being afraid. Calmed him down and got him human again. Yes, Jake, it would be really nice for both Embry and for Bella if you can be accepting of this and even be happy for them. I haven't stopped caring about Leah, even though I don't have the right to after I broke her heart by imprinting. But I can be happy that she's getting the chance now to pursue her dreams, even though I'm not part of it anymore. Bella is still your friend, and I would hope that you could be pleased that she's found someone who will never break her heart the way that Cullen leech did, that she will always be cared for to the fullest extent that Embry can offer."
Finally, Sam stopped talking and began eating his food. Mechanically, I followed suit. While my body went through the motions of eating automatically, my mind played back Quil's and Sam's words to me on an endless loop.
"The food was delicious, as always, Em," Sam said when he was done. "I've got to get to work now. If the weather looks good for Friday night, we'll have the bonfire then. Check the forecast, okay? I'll try to come home before the council meeting, but if not I'll meet you there, alright? Jared will be patrolling, but Kim can come if she's up to it. Shoot! Can you call or text Bella and let her know? I'm not sure if Embry will think to bring her along; he probably will, with the imprint being so new, but let her know directly, would you?"
"I will, Sam. Yes, Sam. I'll tell Kim—and Bella, as well. Have a good day at work." Emily kissed Sam and watched him walk toward the door. He stopped just before the doorway and turned back to me.
"Jake, I'm encouraging you to find someplace where you can be alone today and do some thinking. My order about keeping your distance from Embry and Bella still stands for today. You're expected to attend the meeting tonight, and I expect better behavior from you than you've demonstrated recently."
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Paul POV
With the council members now notified about yet another meeting, I headed outside for the next thing on my list of Alpha-directed tasks: taking over the patrol shift from Quil. Still shaking my head at the morning's events and revelations, I shed my clothes and phased.
Hey, Quil greeted me. How'd it go?
She is something, I'll say that.
Did she freak out any with all the bombshells?
I laughed. Nope. Not at all, really.
Not over anything? Imprinting? Any of it?
Nope.
Man, Quil groaned, it's not fair. Why did Embry get to hit the imprint lottery? She cooks, she's hot, and she's okay with everything? Not fair, not fair.
That's life, kid. But it seems to me that with all this shit, Embry deserves to have something great like an incredible imprint. Make up for it all a little.
Yeah, admitted Quil. He does. So what happened?
I thought back over everything said and done at the meeting to fill Quil in on what he'd missed this morning. He had to snort at how well Bella had handled my risque teasing about the bananas. I had to admit, I hadn't predicted she would volley back a comment like that one-and I was willing to bet Embry hadn't expected it, either. But I'd lay money on him taking her up on the idea really soon.
She cooks, is hot, fine with everything, and she can stand her own against you? Not fair!
That's the breaks sometimes, kid.
Uh-huh.
Anything happen on patrol?
Nothing to report there. It's a good thing Sam took his precautions, though. I'd've spilled everything if he hadn't.
That kid just doesn't know when to let something go, does he? It wasn't really a question.
Jake's the dictionary picture for 'stubborn' or 'hard-headed', Quil agreed, knowing his best friend better than anyone else. He shut up for a few minutes, thinking back over everything I'd shared. Hey, Paul, you believe that stuff about the Cullens having those superpower gifts?
I'm not sure. Bella at least believes it, and she did spend a lot of time around them. Okay, so maybe they could fake it in front of the human, but...I guess I can believe it.
Mind-reading? Mood control? Sounds kinda crazy.
We do the mind-reading thing, too, you know. At least when we're wolves.
And if we can, then why not them? Guess it makes sense.
Exactly. I wonder what kind of limits he had? Range? Number of minds at one time?
I wonder what was going on in Bella's mind that he couldn't read hers.
Probably another thing on your "not fair" list, Quil.
Yeah. Okay, well I'm off then. Gotta go help Grandpa get ready for the meeting tonight. Any bets on how bad this is gonna be?
I snorted. Hell, no. I'm not that stupid. Anyone who thinks this won't be anything other than a Class-One, Grade-A, utter and complete shit-storm of a catastrophe is plain crazy.
Quil didn't answer, but his mind reflected back the belief that I was probably going to be right about this, too.
See ya, he said, and then I was alone in the pack mind.
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Bella POV
It almost seemed by unspoken consent that we didn't say anything during the short drive to the beach. Embry pulled me up against his side as we started walking, even though he really had to work at it now to not go faster than my shorter legs could handle.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," I confessed to Embry. "I knew I needed to say something about what I-we-went through yesterday, and about the Cullens, but I couldn't think of how to even start, and so I didn't..."
"Bella, even if you had tried, I don't know if I could have believed you. It really is all stuff that you pretty much have to see to believe. And I get that you didn't want your boyfriend to think you'd gone off the deep end."
"You still want to be my boyfriend, huh?"
He chuckled and stopped so that he could pull me into a hug. "Always have, always will. Honestly, I probably had my eye on you from day one-it just took me a long time to get up the nerve to do anything about it. Not too long ago, I told you that you were the only woman I see 'this way'-and the only one I ever want to. This imprint thing...just made sure that's the way it will be."
I stood pressed against Embry, and took stock of everything that had changed in less than 24 hours. He was definitely taller than before, and really built, too. And then there was the heat radiating off his skin. It would absolutely come in handy once winter arrived, and fortunately for me, what passed as a heat wave in the Pacific Northwest was nothing compared to Phoenix temperatures in mid-summer, so I didn't have to worry about heatstroke. As for the rest of it... Part of me really didn't like the supernatural intruding into our relationship like this-it smacked a little too much of the so-called "mates" the vampires had, which was pretty freaky after yesterday's near-death experience-but was it really the same? Embry didn't seem to think so. Like he'd just said, we'd fallen in love with each other before this imprint-thing had happened, so how we felt wasn't forced by anything mystical. All the same, the idea that nothing could split us up...I'd be lying to myself if I tried to pretend that I didn't like that aspect of all this. To know that it would be like this for the rest of our lives...that security felt like the warmest and softest of blankets.
"Always," I mused. "I like the sound of that-with you."
Apparently Embry really liked hearing me say that, because in a blinding whirl I was up in his arm and being thoroughly kissed. My arms and legs automatically wrapped around him, even though I had no fear that he'd let me fall. Sometime later, the sounds of choked laughter and high-pitched barking penetrated the sensual haze that had blanketed us.
"Hello again, you two," my eyes cleared to show that the older man who owned the dog we'd played with here a while back was standing just a short distance away. The little dog was dancing around us, occasionally jumping up against Embry's legs.
"Hey, Mr. Pelletier," Embry greeted him and then the dog. "Guess you missed me, huh, Pixie?"
"She has," Mr. Pelletier agreed. "Think I see why you haven't been around as much lately, though."
Embry laughed and let me slide down until my feet were back on the sand. "Yeah. Gotta get in as much time with my girl as I can."
"School's starting up again soon, isn't it?"
"Next week. I'm going to be taking some classes up in Forks, too. Good thing I've got someone to show me the ropes," he grinned down at me.
"And what do I get out of it?" I teased, even though I'd always planned to help Embry get his bearings at my school.
The slow roguish smile that appeared on his lips answered the question, and delivered such a jolt to my system that my panties dampened instantly. Because I was still watching him, I caught how Embry's nostrils flared in reaction and how his eyes darkened. But all he said was, "More time with me, of course."
Bold Bella made her reappearance and refused to let me be embarrassed about being caught out; rather, it was empowering to know that Embry knew I wanted him. "I do like the idea of that. But then it makes it seem like I'm doing this because I'm being rewarded and not because it's the right thing to do."
"Nothing says it can't be both," commented Mr. Pelletier. "You're not doing it because of a reward, but nothing says you can't enjoy a reward if one gets presented."
"I guess that's true."
"Wanna play, girl?" Embry asked the dog. She barked loudly and enthusiastically.
"Go on, then," her owner said, and she took off running down the beach. Embry leaned down like he was about to run after her, only he reached over, took hold of my arm, and somehow swung me onto his back. My arms and legs fastened themselves around his neck and waist on reflex-then he started to sprint after the little dog. It turned out that she was waiting for us just a short way farther down the beach. Embry began tossing a stick for her like he'd done before, only now it was being thrown farther and harder than last time. After a few rounds of that, he insisted that it was now my turn to participate in the game of fetch. Having him stand behind me again to guide my movements...my mind definitely wasn't on anything he was saying or trying to show me. All I could focus on was the heat of his body along my back, and the hard, heavy weight of his erection pressing against my backside.
"You're d-doing that on purpose, aren't you?" I gasped out.
"You are," Embry denied. "I've been in this state practically from the second you showed up at Sam's place this morning. All I can see is you, all I can smell is you, all I want is you."
"Then how long are you going to wait to have me?" I purred, deliberately leaning backward to increase our physical contact.
Something low and deep rumbled in Embry's chest and vibrated through my ears and down through my own body. Yet again I reacted to him, moisture saturating my panties and starting a trickle down my leg. A finger swiped across my thigh, collecting the streak of fluid.
"Delicious," growled Embry. In a blur, I was on his back again, and he was moving, telling Pixie it was time to go home. My car was abandoned in the beach parking lot as Embry used a shortcut to leave the beach and head toward his home. His new strength and speed was put to use, getting us to the house faster than my car could have made the trip. The front door had barely closed behind us when Embry reenacted our beach pose; this time, though, his hands came around me and cupped my breasts. The gentle squeeze wrung a groan from my throat. "Do you like that?" Embry purred, knowing the answer full well-I'd always loved it when he did this.
"Ngh," was all the answer he got. My head tipped back into his chest, which had the effect of pushing my breasts even deeper into his hands.
"What do you want me to do now, my Bella?" His hands released me, only to appear underneath my elbows and keep me from falling to the floor. "What do you want, Bella?" Embry's breath whispered over my hair.
The lessened physical contact reactivated some of my fried brain cells. I knew what I wanted Embry to do, and I knew that he knew what I wanted; clearly, however, he was insisting that I say it. This assertiveness was a new facet to him, but one that was oddly thrilling. "Take me to bed," I whispered.
Embry reacted instantly to my words, lifting me up and covering the short distance to his bedroom rapidly. The sound of the door shutting behind us coincided with my landing on the mattress.
"Strip," he commanded me.
"Don't you want to unwrap your present yourself?" I offered the rejoinder.
"Do you want to be able to wear your own clothes home today? If I touch them, you'll end up with new cleaning rags, Bella."
The idea of Embry ripping my clothes to shreds fit would fit right into a romance novel plot. But in practical terms, I did like this outfit and didn't want to try to fumble through any awkward explanations to our parents, so I started removing each item of clothing, tossing them aside without caring where anything landed.
"I do like my present," Embry said as he watched me. I looked up to see that Embry was already naked, leaning back against his dresser, one hand stroking himself to the sight of me getting naked for him. The rest of my clothes dropped to the floor and I crooked a finger at him.
"Come here."
Embry stalked over to the bed. I reached up with one of my hands and touched his. "Let me." Embry's hand lifted off his cock and mine replaced it, using the droplets leaking from him as lubrication for my strokes. Based on his groans and how his hips flexed, I knew I was doing just fine. Curiosity compelled me to lean forward and lightly kiss the spongy tip. Embry gave a strangled shout and his hips jerked forward, bringing him an inch or two into my mouth. Automatically, I sucked, like he was a popsicle-or a banana.
"Fuck, Bella," groaned Embry.
"Do you like that?" I breathed. He twitched visibly and moaned.
"L-like it? D-d-reamed-this. G-g-ood-d." Embry's voice was broken and his body trembled as I repeated my maneuver. I'd only done some reading in private about this, so my knowledge of what to do was just theoretical, but Embry appeared to like it so far. Emboldened, I drew back and then moved forward again, taking a little more of him into my mouth and rubbing my tongue on the bottom side of his dick. That got a shout out of him.
"My turn," Embry growled, hands tangling in my hair and holding me still. Now, he started to move himself in and out of my mouth, fucking it like I wanted him to fuck my body. He was so long that I couldn't fit all of him in my mouth, but he didn't push the issue. I did use my hands to resume stroking the base of his cock and down over and around his balls. Just like in my own dream, the sac was hard and tight. With a curse, he pulled out of my mouth and used his new and fast reflexes to shove my body farther up the bed. I looked up at him in a daze, to see him pulling a condom wrapper out of his drawer and quickly rolling it down onto his length. My heartrate began to accelerate when Embry come down to crouch over me. He rubbed himself up and then back down the front side of my body, firing off more nerve receptors than I knew I possessed.
"I'm gonna fuck you now," Embry's voice rumbled in my ear. "Gonna fuck you good."
"Now," I agreed. He nudged my legs wider apart, lined himself up, and then pushed all the way inside me in a single stroke, jerking a strangled scream from my throat. Embry was as good as his word, long strokes alternating between fast and slow, with a little lift at the end that brought him right up against a sensitive bundle of nerves deep within me. Then he started switching between that and doing-something-over and around my clit. I was on such sensory overload that it seemed to take almost no time at all before my body began trying to thrash under his weight. My muscles started to tighten and clench, then gripped him hard as the world disappeared in a blinding white eruption.
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Embry POV
Feeling Bella take me into her mouth for the first time...dreams didn't even come close to how good it felt. By the end of the first suck, I was already locking my muscles to keep from collapsing, and thinking anything and everything I could to avoid coming. We hadn't done this before, so it was new territory for both of us. The last thing I wanted was to shove my dick all the way into her throat and make her gag; that would probably put her off giving me head again-at least for a while-and I really, really wanted this to happen again. Even with it being new, Bella was still making me feel incredible with those sucks and licks, and then when she started stroking the base of my cock and then down to my balls. But I had to put a stop to that, fast. I didn't want to come in her mouth-this time-and needed to get inside her now.
I barely remembered to put on a condom before I landed in a crouch over Bella's prone figure. Sliding inside her hot, wet welcoming body was like coming home. I mixed up my movements to try and make this last as long as I possibly could. But it still wasn't long enough before she began to tighten around me like a vise. Her body thrashed, long hair blinding me from the force of her convulsions. With one last grind against her clit and a final uplift into her g-spot, my balls refused to resist the inevitable any longer and emptied my load of cum into the condom. Muscle control also abandoned me, and my weight came down to smash Bella into the mattress. But as soon as I could, I pushed myself back up, reluctantly pulling out of my girlfriend's-my imprint's-body. After disposing of the condom, I settled back onto the bed, pulling Bella next to me, and tugging the sheet over us both. Her breathing was still ragged, her form vibrating against me, and she looked dead to the world.
"Was I too rough?" I asked, trying to use my enhanced senses to pick up any signs that I'd been too aggressive.
"Ngh," Bella repeated her earlier statement. "Good. Tired." Only my keen hearing let me pick up and interpret her words. We lay on my bed in comfortable silence for a while, until Bella shifted onto her side and laid her head down on my shoulder. "So what happens now?"
"I guess I figure out all this wolf stuff, and we work through the imprint stuff."
"What-patrolling, right? Isn't that what they were talking about earlier?"
"Yeah. There's some kind of schedule and everyone takes turns. Guess I'll see what it's like tomorrow."
"What about school?" Bella was clearly thinking about our conversation with Mr. Pelletier on the beach today.
"Everybody who's still in it is supposed to go as much as possible. The school here apparently works with them to excuse absences."
"What about you and Forks High?"
"Sam already said I can still do it-have to be there for you, don't I? I'll just have to make sure that jerks like Mike Newton don't make me lose my temper."
"Like Jake did yesterday?"
"Did he scare you?" My hand started stroking along her spine.
"A little bit, I guess. I didn't know what was going on, and he was just so angry...Paul and Quil got him out of the living room and outside before anything happened, though. Do you know what happened after that?"
I snorted. Did I ever know what had happened. "He came here. Said all kinds of shitty stuff. Then he came at me. He phased, I phased-" I broke off, but after thinking a second, continued "-we fought. Sam broke it up. Jacob was sent home, and I went out with Paul and Jared, and ended up at your house."
"What did he say? Did he hurt you? Did you kick his ass?" Bella bolted upright and started to look me over.
"I guess it ended up being a draw. Got a few and dealt a few. But they seemed to think I did really well, especially when I didn't even know then what was going on."
Bella's hands were still running over me as she searched for the injuries. The sheet had fallen away when she'd sat up, and my Bella was next to me, naked, and I was naked. I grabbed her hands to still them. "You won't find anything. Super-fast healing, remember? I was completely fine again before I made it to your place."
"You are fine," she agreed, "but don't avoid the question. What did he say to you then-and later, at my house?"
My jaw clenched involuntarily. "What you'd expect. Throwing my unknown paternity back in my face, bringing my mom into it-" More than just my jaw was rigid with remembered anger now, which Bella noticed. She leaned down, her breasts resting against my chest as her hands framed my face.
"You didn't listen to him then, so don't do it now. Just keep focused on me, Embry."
Like I could do anything else right now. The skin contact was giving my body ideas that shouldn't be possible yet. Even though I'd just had an intense orgasm just minutes ago, my cock was already hardening up again, eager for another round.
"Oh, I will," I acquiesced. Without warning, I rolled us over so that Bella was on the bottom and then scooted her to the middle of the mattress. "Turn around is fair play, you know," my comment was given as I began inching my way downward, pressing a kiss to her torso between each word. My first move was to devote attention to those wonderful breasts, laving each with my tongue, teasing each nipple between my teeth. Then I kept going, pushing her legs apart so that I could settle between them, kneeling on the floor at the foot of my bed.
"Wha-?" Bella squeaked.
"You tasted me, so I'm going to taste you." The announcement brought a flush of moisture to the curls between her legs and the scent of her arousal filled my nose again.
Be gentle and take it slow, I reminded myself. Put that independent study reading to good use. I rested Bella's legs over my shoulders and slid my hands under her butt to lift her closer to my mouth. Then I gave a long flat-tongued lick over the full length of her pussy. Bella screamed and writhed against my sheets.
"Mouthwatering," I informed my overwhelmed imprint. "Absolutely tasty." I licked her again to capture every drop that her body was producing. It was like the ambrosia of the gods, and something I would never tire of sampling. I ran the edge of my tongue along the slit; Bella's legs clamped around my head in a death-grip. But since I didn't want to move, that didn't bother me. I just imitated what I'd done earlier with my dick and fucked Bella with my mouth. I tortured us both by taking this to the edge and then backing off, repeating it over and over again. By the time I finally had mercy and brought Bella to orgasm, my hands had migrated to press down against her torso to keep her anchored to the bed. She was now sated, but I was still on the knife-edge of unsatisfied arousal.
"Am I alive?" Bella garbled.
"Yes." I grabbed another condom and rolled it onto my cock with an economy of motion. I moved to cover Bella's body with my own again, hooked a hand and foot under her, and then did a fast flip that had me lying on my back and Bella on top of me. "One more time, and I'll let you sleep," I promised. In a bench-press type move, I lifted Bella into the air with one hand and held my cock steady with the other. "Ride me, Bella," I commanded, and lowered her smoothly down the length of my dick, making her moan.
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Bella POV
My independent nature ought to have had me protesting at being manhandled so easily by Embry-but I wasn't objecting. For one thing, the results of him doing it were so pleasurable that complaining would have just been spiteful to both of us. And it was Embry. So I gave myself up to the sensations overwhelming me. It was a good thing he was so strong now, because all the orgasms I'd had so far-how many?-had me almost totally drained of energy. Embry used me as a counterweight to sit up and deliver a devouring kiss, then dropped us back down for a circling grind of our connected bodies. I felt so full and out of breath...and then I shattered yet again in his arms. But this time I didn't have to worry about getting lost or being irreparably destroyed-Embry's arms were wrapped tightly around me. That was the last thing I knew before the darkness of dreamless oblivion set in. I woke up sometime later to amazing smells that set my stomach rumbling.
"Hungry?" I opened my eyes to the sight of Embry sitting on a chair beside the bed.
"Yeah," I said. "I've had quite the workout today." Embry's look was one of smug self-approval.
"So since I wore you out, I'm going to feed you up again." He scooted a TV tray closer to the bed, helped me sit up, and piled pillows behind my back.
"Um, can you hand me my shirt?"
"Why?"
"I'm naked, that's why."
"I know." His voice rumbled in a way that made me think of the wolf that he now carried inside himself.
"Embry!" I waited until he was looking up at me and not at my bare breasts. "If you keep doing that, then we'll both end up flat on the bed again. As great as the sex is-and it is great-I need to recharge my energy levels, remember? I need food before anything else."
He blinked. "Yeah. Food."
"Um...I did learn how to feed myself a long time ago," I said.
"But we want to take care of you."
"We? You and your wolf?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Shirt?" Making a show of being reluctant, Embry did cross the room to his dresser and pulled out a t-shirt for me to put on. Then he started taking care of me as promised. I actually was fine with it. Having Embry feed me was such an example of his caring nature-and also demonstrated his newly discovered sneaky ways, what with how he kept trying to turn it into foreplay.
"Embry! I'm sweaty and icky now. And sticky, thanks to those orange slices."
"We can lick you clean," he offered.
"I think I'd prefer a shower. And I'm not sure if I'm really up to another round right now, honestly."
His head tucked downward. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm pushing, aren't I?" Embry looked up at me now. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to. Jared said this was intense in the beginning, but I didn't really understand what he meant. I'm being selfish and-"
"No, you aren't. I know you've enjoyed what we've been doing, and you've made sure that I've gotten just as much out of it as you have. I love knowing that you want me, Embry. I'm just not as strong as you are and I need more recovery time. Plus, I don't want Paul to tease me for walking funny-or Charlie to start waving his shotgun around."
Embry snorted and related how Paul had brought up Charlie's gun to get him to leave my house last night.
"Definitely not. You've got a nice ass now, so no bullet holes."
"You like my ass?" his eyes gleamed.
"I like the whole package," I countered. "Now, I'd like my shower, and then..."
"We can do anything you want to the rest of the day, until the council meeting this evening."
"Am I supposed to go to that?"
"We both are. Since we're 'part of the tribe now', and all. Emily Uley left a message on the machine while we were at the beach; I saw it when I went to fix the food after taking my shower while you were sleeping."
Embry whisked the lunch debris back to the kitchen and then returned to escort me to my promised shower. His shirt was long enough on me that everything important was covered. Judging by the growling purr noise he made, Embry loved seeing me wear his clothes. I stood under the spray and let it soothe my body and spirit. Maybe I'd have to look into klutz-friendly fitness routines to build up my stamina. Keeping up with my sexy wolf-boyfriend was clearly going to take a lot of energy. I basked in the steamy warmth of the shower until the water started to cool. Then I got dressed and went to find Embry.
"What do you want to do?" he asked me.
"I don't really care."
"Well, we'd better think of something—something that gets us out of this house—before I have you back in my bed again."
Faced with that statement of fact, I scrambled to think of what we could do that was away from here, but not where we might run into Jacob. Hearing what he'd said to Embry—even if I'd almost expected something of the sort—really made me want to hurt him in return.
"We could go to the Thriftway in Forks and get our school supplies. I don't know about you, but I haven't gotten anything yet, and with classes starting next week… Probably ought to get it all now, before everything is picked over."
"Sounds good." Embry scrawled a quick note to his mom, grabbed some money from the petty cash jar, and then we headed for my car.