The all mighty and powerfulM: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Glad you enjoyed the latest update and hope you'll like this one, too.
AN: Thanks to Feebes for giving me a great idea for the group's end-of-summer activity. Hope my readers enjoy it-and my apologies for taking her idea and running away with it (or it running away with me) and taking longer to post this chapter than I'd planned. I'll hopefully be able to post a little more frequently now that I have the weight of a 6+ month work project off my shoulders-but no guarantees, with a busy life in general, the holidays, and other work projects looming. As always, though, I promise not to abandon my stories, so they will be completed sooner or later.
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Bella POV
Embry and I left the beach bonfire-thankfully without any blows being exchanged between him and Jacob, and I drove to his house. On the way, my phone chimed to signal a new text message, and Embry fished the phone out of my purse to check the message.
"It's from Angela," he told me. "Apparently Mr. and Mrs. Newton are taking their boat up to Lake Crescent tomorrow and anyone who wants to come is welcome. End-of-summer thing. Angela said she gave them a tentative 'yes' for us but we don't have to go if we don't want to."
"A day at the lake..." I mused
"It does sound fun," Embry admitted, "but spending that day with a leering Mike Newton?"
"I know: not my favorite idea, either. We can try to keep our distance from him as much as possible. When we can't...you intimidated Mike plenty even before you-" I broke off, not remembering what the right word to use was.
Embry supplied it. "Phased."
"Right. Like I was saying, you intimidated Mike before you phased, so I bet he'll be even more cowed now. And I'll be right with you so he won't get under your skin. But the lake is something different for us to do that's still close by. We've done the beach at La Push, we've done Port Angeles...okay, we haven't taken a trip to Seattle, but it would take more time just to drive there and back than we'd be able to actually spend in the city."
"Yeah. But a day of hiking and physical activities? I know that's not your favorite thing to do."
"I'm not opposed to all physical activities," I objected. Embry's slow grin warmed me from head to toe-he knew just what I was talking about. "I know you'll take care of me." And I had no doubts about that. Whether it was from depression, leering schoolmates, crazy vampires, or just the simple fact of him being my boyfriend, Embry had never let me down.
"Always. And in all ways."
I barely had time to call Angela back to say we'd be coming and to get the time and place to meet up in the morning, before Embry pulled me into a heated yet tame make-out session in my car. We broke apart when Embry's porch light illuminated the front yard at the same time that my cell phone lit up with an incoming call from my dad.
"Damned parental radars," muttered Embry. Despite that, he tilted my face up again for another light kiss. "I'll see you in the morning. Okay for me to leave my bike at your place tomorrow?"
"Of course. Anytime."
After one more kiss, Embry reluctantly exited my car. "See you tomorrow," he said, bending down and leaning through my open window. "Ya bisapi cux. Kw'opḳalawó∙li." He repeated the phrases a few times, interspersing kisses between each one.
"I love you, too," was my reply when he finally relinquished my lips.
Embry stood on the driveway and watched as I drove away. Before I left La Push, I pulled into the darkened parking lot of the little store on the reservation-the one that Jared's family owned-to call my dad back.
"Where are you, Bells?"
"I just dropped Embry off at his house after the bonfire, and I had to find a place to stop so I could call you back. I knew you wouldn't want me to call while I was driving."
"Yeah. Good. Okay, so you're on your way home?"
"Yes, Dad. I'll be there in half an hour, just like any trip from the rez."
"Okay, I've got the light on for you."
"Dad, the Newton's invited a bunch of us up with them to Lake Crescent tomorrow. Embry and I are going."
"Who else?"
"Angela said that she and Jessica are going. Mike, obviously. I think Ben's going, too. Don't know about anyone else."
"Sounds fun. I've got to work this weekend-covering for one of my deputies-so I won't be around. Have a good time and be safe."
"Yes, Dad."
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I was a little confused Saturday morning when a car turned into my driveway instead of Embry's bike. I ran to Embry and jumped into his arms, not really noticing when Quil got out of the other side of the car and it pulled back out onto the street.
"Mmmm. My Bella," Embry ghosted kisses over my lips, jaw, and eyelids.
"Whoa! Friend watching!" quipped Quil. "Hey, Bella."
"Hey," I managed to reply. "What are you doing here?"
"The lake trip," Quil answered, as if it ought to have been obvious.
"You're coming?"
"Yeah. Sam said I could have a day off to hang with Embry."
"And make sure he doesn't go all Cujo on Mike Newton?" I queried.
"Well, it would kinda spoil the day," Quil agreed. "Not that Sam really thinks it's likely to happen-Embry's too level-headed for that. Probably more that this is a chance for us to hang out together again."
"Okay. The more the merrier, I guess." I didn't really mind having Quil around-though he could prove useful in keeping Mike Newton alive if he tried to make another move on me. And Embry would probably appreciate having his friend around just because it was Quil.
I put both guys to work hauling the small cooler out to my car. I'd raided the pantry for snacks and made some cookies and lemonade for the lake day after I'd gotten home from last night's bonfire.
When we pulled into the parking lot of the Outfitter's store, there were more people waiting than Angela had mentioned. I didn't mind Ben; he was a nice and quiet guy-a lot like Embry, really. But seeing Tyler and Eric...crap. Mike would have been bad enough alone, but with his two equally annoying sidekicks...
"Are you sure you don't want to just explore around here today?" whispered Embry, his breath tickling my ear.
"Don't want my new swimsuit to go to waste," I replied.
"Oh, it wouldn't," Embry promised, with a low rumble that set me tingling.
"Hey!" Quil's voice was loud and boisterous. "It's been a while. Angela and Jessica, right?" he greeted my two friends.
"It has, and we are," agreed Angela. "What have you been up to?"
"Tribal and family stuff," he explained. "Wish I had a brother to dump some it on, but no such luck." That last bit was clearly meant for Embry. Then Quil looked over at the other guys, none of whom looked happy to see either him or Embry. "Don't think I know you. Name's Quil Ateara." He stuck his hand out to Mike, who had to take it with his parents watching, and introduce himself and his friends.
"You're from La Push, right?" Mr. Newton asked.
"Yep. Grandpa's one of the tribal elders. Hope it's okay that I'm coming along. This just sounded like a lot of fun when Embry mentioned it last night. And I couldn't resist getting to spend more time with my dear cousin Bella."
"You're cousins?" Tyler blurted out, looking from Quil to me and back again in obvious disbelief.
"Yeah," Quil agreed. "Grandpa's mom was a Swan, so we're cousins somehow. I gotta remember to ask him what kind of cousins we are, exactly."
"Let's get this show on the road," encouraged Mrs. Newton. With all the people going on the trip, we weren't all going to be able to fit into the Newton's Suburban.
"Bella and I can take her car and caravan up with you," suggested Embry. "Quil could ride with us, too. Looks like everyone else would fit in the Suburban."
"What seat do we want, Jess?" Mike was a little too obviously enthusiastic about being able to have the hour's car ride to try and get back into her good graces-not that he had a chance of managing it. Jessica was facing away from him, so Mike couldn't see her grimace-though we certainly did.
Quil turned to the Forks guys. "Hey, why don't we let the girls ride together so they can socialize, and us guys can get to know each other a bit? Sorry, Emb-guess you're stuck with all the estrogen."
"Sure you're sorry," Embry scoffed. "But I'll be brave."
"We'll be nice," promised Jessica. "No torture devices." She and Angela were over by my car before Mike had a chance to try and protest. With obvious disappointment, he gestured Quil and the other guys over to the large Suburban that had a boat trailer attached to the back end.
Something was making my instincts twitch, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was.
"Everything okay?" the question made me jump. "Sorry," apologized Embry.
"Yeah, I think so." Trying to force myself to put the puzzle together wasn't working; maybe if I pushed it aside, I'd figure it out.
Embry gave me a long glance, I guess using his new senses and the imprint bond to double-check what I'd said. "Want me to drive?" he offered. "That way you can talk to your friends and not get distracted."
"Sure."
Well, I did talk to my friends on the roughly one hour drive from Forks to Lake Crescent, just outside of Port Angeles-but Embry lied about me not getting distracted. His hand held mine, fingers periodically stroking my skin and igniting a slow burn that I privately vowed he'd have to make good on as soon as possible. If he didn't, then the swimsuit I had on under my clothes ought to make sure of it.
"So you've got a hunky sexy cousin, huh, Bella?" teased Jess.
"Apparently. He's quite the goofball, though, right, Embry?"
"From the day he was born," Embry agreed. "I think he's the reason we got stuck with that Three Stooges label when we were kids."
"Is he dating anyone?"
"Who? Quil? Nah. I think his plan with his new look is to play the field for a while. Don't think he's found 'the one' yet."
"Do you believe in destiny having a say in who you end up marrying?" asked Angela.
"The spirits brought Bella and me together," Embry replied. "Knowing that, how could I deny the power of destiny? I'm not saying it happens for everyone, but for me...yeah, I do believe it. I've got a feeling Quil's the same way." It was as close as he could come to saying that he knew it was true-one day, whether sooner or later-Quil would imprint, just like Sam, Jared, and Embry himself had done.
"I'm glad the two of you are friends again, and that he came along today. Goofball, stooge, or whatever-at least he'll be better than Mike and his goons."
Embry looked at Angela in the rearview mirror. "And so we came on this Mike-hosted trip because...?"
"It's something different and fun to do," Jessica laughed now. "Plus, we get to see the guys alternate between drooling over how you look now and giving you death-glares because of how you look now-well, that, and raging envy that you snagged Bella where none of them managed it."
Angela answered Embry's question, "I know. But we're going to have to spend time around those guys in school starting next week, so we might as well start getting used to them again."
"Stick with me and Quil today-I think between us we can keep the guys at a distance," Embry offered. "And I can try to keep it up once school starts-I'll be there every afternoon. It won't help you out in the mornings, I know, but..."
"Even a little help from you will be great," both of my friends looked relieved.
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Embry POV
"Let the fun begin," I said as I turned the car off the highway and onto the road leading to the lake. We followed the Newton's Suburban along the road and almost to the lake, stopping near a cluster of buildings in a wide parking area that sloped down to the water. When we got out, Angela followed me to the trunk.
"Bella told us," she said quietly.
Told them? Told them what? There were a lot of things Bella could have told her friends. We'd had the discussion about what I would-or wouldn't-be sharing with the pack, but hadn't talked about what Bella might or might not say to her own friends. The empathy in Angela's eyes finally clued me in to what she meant. Bella had told her two best girlfriends about my sperm donor.
"I'm sorry," Angela almost whispered it.
"Yeah, me, too."
"If you-I know you're a guy and may not want to, but...if you want to talk to someone...My dad's a minister, but he does some counseling, too-mostly for people at his church, but others, too, if they need it. I'm sure he'd be willing to meet you, and just listen or whatever else you might want." She handed me a small card-her father's business card.
"Thanks," I replied, not committing to anything but appreciating her gesture and thoughtfulness. I didn't know that I'd ever want to talk to anyone about this whole mess; well, anyone other than Bella. And even if I did, all the other secrets I had to keep now would almost preclude using anyone outside the tribe as my listener.
"Restrooms are in the Ranger's Station," Mrs. Newton pointed. Naturally, the girls immediately headed that way. Part of me didn't want to let Bella go, but I couldn't sense anything that would be a threat to her, so I made myself stay with Quil and the other guys. At least, we just stood there until we got recruited to help spot Mr. Newton while he swung his Suburban around and got the boat trailer lined up to go into the water. "It'll take me a while to get the boat prepped and launched," he said. "You kids can hang around here and wait, go to the lodge down the road-" he pointed, "or there's a couple of hiking trails near here that you could explore. One is next to the lodge and goes through the trees along the lake. The other trail is a bit longer and goes up to Marymere Falls."
"We'll be spending most of the day in or on the lake, so why don't we do the waterfall trail?" suggested Bella, who'd just rejoined us with her friends.
With no objections from anyone else, I grasped Bella's hand and started leading the group toward the trailhead. Quil and the other girls followed behind us, with the other guys bringing up the rear. They might have thought they were being quiet, but Quil and I could hear the whispered mutters about the girls' asses and other assets-clearly, having those douches bring up the rear had been not the best idea ever; I vowed we'd make them go first on the way back.
After a half-mile walk into the trees, we took a fork in the path and started climbing upward underneath a canopy of conifers and maples, alongside a creek. For me—and for Quil, I guessed—it was a lot like traveling through the forest on patrol—except we were doing this on two legs rather than four, and a paved trail. We crossed a couple creeks, stopping on the second bridge to look at a small waterfall.
"Want to see the view from up top?" I asked Bella.
She considered the steep flight of stairs snaking upward to another viewing area. "Sure. Might as well, since we're here."
I let Bella start up ahead of me, partly so that I could catch her if she slipped on the steps but mostly so that I'd be between her and our gawking soon-to-be classmates. At the top, we approached the barrier fence and looked out at the view.
"Beautiful," Bella whispered, gazing at the waterfall that tumbled 90 feet down the face of the cliff to the creek and lower falls we'd already looked at.
"Yes, you are."
"Embry," she scolded me. But when she looked up into my eyes, her own were full of humor and love, not as upset at my compliment as she'd tried to make out. I couldn't resist bending down and claiming her rosy lips in a kiss. I kept it tame since we had an audience, but still put enough into it to stake my claim in front of those lesser and juvenile human males. Then I dutifully made my own scan of the scenery, and had to admit that Bella had been right, too. The view was an impressive one. I'd still always prefer looking at Bella to anyone or anything else, but I supposed there was something to be said for appreciating things that she thought looked nice.
"You guys ready to head back?" We turned to see Ben standing behind us.
"Back?" Bella's eyes darted between Ben and the steps we'd scaled not too long ago. "Down the stairs. Great."
Correctly gauging my imprint's lack of enthusiasm for the descent, I swung her onto my back, telling my ears to overlook her involuntary shriek at the maneuver. "Yeah, we're ready to go," I told Ben.
"I could do it," Bella spoke softly into my ear. Her breath tickled my skin and gave me ideas I had no way of doing anything about in the near future.
"I know," I agreed. "But we'll be hiking that other trail this afternoon. I don't want you to get too tired. And this way you won't have to worry about slipping on the steps."
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Bella's POV
Embry set me back on my feet at the bottom of the stairs. As promised, I hadn't slipped on the stairs, but Embry had had to move pretty carefully the whole way. I'd decided to do a little "turn around is fair play" and tease him the way he'd done me on the drive here. I saw and felt him shiver when I blew against his neck and ears, and as my fingers danced across his collarbone. Of course, he'd reciprocated with feathery caresses along the insides of my calves-my legs being conveniently wrapped around his waist-so I was being wound up just as much as I was winding Embry up. Soon after we made it back onto the path, we were back at the parking lot we'd started out at. I was no expert, but it looked to me like Mike's dad had his boat ready to go. Embry and Quil teamed up to get me onto the boat without first taking a swim in the lake or a header into the boat. Then they did the same thing for my friends. Rather pointedly, they didn't offer the same assistance to any of the guys; in fact, they almost looked like they wanted to 'help' Mike and Company right into the water—I probably didn't want to know why, even though I knew Embry would tell me if I asked. Once we were all on board, Mr. Newton got the boat moving and started playing tour guide.
"Lake Crescent is the second-deepest lake in the state of Washington," he informed us. "Although, no one definitively knows how deep it actually is. Some students at Peninsula College in Port Angeles did some measurements back in the 60's and got what's viewed as the official depth of 624 feet-but that figure was just because their equipment couldn't go any deeper. Workers who were laying power cables say it's actually over a thousand feet deep."
"It's pretty," Angela said, seeking a firmer handhold on the boat as it bounced over the blue-green water. "Is that...was there a landslide?" she risked pointing.
"Ages ago, yes," agreed Mr. Newton. "Lake Crescent and Lake Sutherland across the highway used to be one lake, carved out by glaciers millennia ago. But a landslide created a barrier between them. There are actually a couple types of fish that are only found here because of that-they couldn't migrate into and out of the lakes, so the fish that were stuck in the lake interbred and mutated."
"Our stories say that the landslide and the creation of this lake was caused by Mount Storm King. He threw a huge boulder at warriors of the Klallam tribe and our Quileute tribe who were fighting here and it blocked up the river, forming the lake," Quil offered, pointing up at the tall peak in question.
"You really believe that?" scoffed Mike.
"Michael!" Mrs. Newton chastised her son. "You know better than to make fun of someone's beliefs. Every culture and group in history has developed stories and such to help explain the world around them and the things they encountered. I personally think that what-your name is Quil, right?-told us is a very interesting story."
Quil's eyes caught and held Mike's, the look's mild firmness kept it from being entirely predatory. "I know that the two tribes have fought each other quite a few times-both tribes' tales say that. I know that we're sitting here at a lake created by a huge landslide. Who's to say that ancient gods couldn't have caused that landslide? Not like any of us were there to say one way or the other."
"Uh, yeah. I guess."
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Back on shore, calls came from all sides to break open the coolers and boxes of food and take advantage of the nearby picnic tables to eat on. Embry sat sideways on the bench and pulled me up against him, bracketing my body between his legs. Much as he'd done only a few days ago, he insisted on taking care of me, feeding me my lunch with a solicitude that I knew others were noticing. But I could sense—somehow knew—that he needed to do this, him and his wolf.
"Have you two been dating long?" Mrs. Newton asked.
"A few weeks," I began, not wanting to be rude, but not wanting to share details that would likely be all over town before long.
"But I had my eye on her all summer," added Embry. "And lucky for me, she was looking back." His arm around my waist tugged me closer and I gladly melted against him.
"You are definitely well worth watching," I replied. "Not a hardship for me."
"Watch me anytime you want to, babe," he breathed into my ear.
"I will." A promise. But for now, I'd happily settle for being close to him and savoring his scent and warmth.
When the food was gone—and I had the feeling that Embry and Quil had deliberately eaten less than they might have wanted to—we all got back on the boat for a trip across the lake to hike the Spruce Railroad trail. Mr. and Mrs. Newton decided that they'd wait for us at the nearby lodge instead of taking the trek with us.
Angela had grabbed a brochure from the Ranger's station earlier and as we walked to the start of the trail she told us how the railroad line had been built during the First World War to transport timber harvested in the area to Port Angeles. After years of that use, part of the railroad line had been turned into the hiking trail a few decades ago. She stopped dead in her tracks. "This trail is four miles long-one way. We're not going to do the whole thing, right?"
Quil winked. "I'll carry you back, if you need it."
"You think I'm a light-weight?"
"Uh, no. Definitely not" Quil backpedaled. "You could do it, sure. But I don't think we've got anywhere near enough time to do an 8-mile hike plus have time for swimming, and we didn't make arrangements with Mike's parents to get picked up at the other end of the trail." He plucked the map out of Angela's hands. "Looks like the bridge and swimming cove are just a couple miles in. We can get there and have a good while to jump and swim before we have to head back."
The trail quickly turned inland away from the lake and started an upward climb through stands of what Quil identified as Red Alders and Douglas Firs. We reached the crest of the hill and an incredible view of the lake through the trees. It was a beautiful view that didn't make up for the fact that the trail on the other side of the hill snaked back down almost to the level of the lake. Fortunately, after that the rest of the way to the Devil's Punchbowl bridge was pretty flat, even when the trail went from paved to dirt. Quil's and Embry's keen eyesight kept us from tripping over tree roots or rocks.
We stood on the bridge out over the swimming hole, watching boats and Mount Storm King in the distance, listening to the lapping of the water against the shore and bridge supports.
"Sure you girls want to jump in?" Tyler asked. "Bodies have been found in the lake, you know."
"Either because they drove off a road in the dark and went into the water, or else because someone thought they could weight a body down so it wouldn't be found. I think the girls are safe enough on both counts," Embry scoffed.
Quil diffused the tension by vaulting over the side of the bridge, sending up a large splash of water when he impacted the lake's surface-a splash that neatly drenched Mike, Eric, and Tyler, but avoided the rest of us almost completely. "Sorry," he called out. At least, I think that's what he said-it was hard to hear him with the shrieks and curses the Forks guys emitted.
"Ready?" Embry asked me.
I took a deep breath. "Okay." And with that, I pulled off my t-shirt and shorts.
"So chid washitli tikto'wa?" Embry growled the words low and deep when he got a look at my dark orange swimsuit: a halter-top with a band under my breasts that made the most of my physical assets, and a bikini bottom with little ties at each hip.
"What's that mean?"
"CIA torturer," was Embry's reply.
He dropped his own jean cut-offs to reveal a fitted pair of black swim shorts that made my breath catch in my throat. Embry gave me a little smirk and eyebrow lift that told me this was just as deliberate as my own swimwear choice. He climbed up to sit on the bridge railing, then turned and helped me do the same.
"One, two, three," and with that we both pushed off from the bridge out into the air. When we touched the water, my first thought was, "This isn't too bad," but that was immediately followed by, "Oh, shit, this is f-f-freezing!" Embry's warm hands held my arms and I let him guide us both up to break the surface of the water and kick toward the shore of the little cove that the bridge spanned. He had to help me out of the water, too, since my body still wasn't working right after the brutal shock of the water's temperature.
"Come on," Quil shouted to the others. With a glance between them, Angela and Jessica repeated Embry's and my tandem jump move. Quil swam over when they surfaced and pulled them to land before heading along the shoreline back to the bridge where all the backpacks had been left.
"You guys coming in?" I called to the quartet of guys still standing on the bridge span. With what almost seemed like a fatalistic shrug, Ben climbed up onto the rail and dropped down into the water. Then Mike, Tyler, and Eric succumbed to the so-far silent peer pressure and also jumped-staying on the bridge was rather pointless given the drenching delivered by Quil.
"Why does the water feel okay at first and then as cold as the Arctic Ocean?" Angela asked, gratefully accepting the towel Quil handed her from the backpack full of them that we'd brought along.
"Thermocline," Ben replied.
"What's that?" I asked, trying to focus on something other than how cold I was. Embry snagged a towel from Quil and draped it over me, starting a gentle rubbing motion to dry and warm me up. It helped even more that he sat down behind me and scooted up until there was barely any space between us.
"Basically it's when different layers of water have different temperatures, based on season, tides, waves, wind, and stuff like that. Submarines can use them to help hide, because different layers of water will reflect back sonar waves differently." Ben offered the information. "The top layer of water absorbs the most sunlight and is warmest. Layers lower down get less of that sun-warmth and are colder. Plus, this is a glacially-created lake, so it's going to be on the colder side anyway."
Quil finished handing out the towels to everyone else before he stripped off the shorts he'd worn into the water; since, of course, he hadn't been able to take them off first without warning the group that he was planning something. He got appreciative looks from my girl friends and sour ones from the other guys. Quil fully dressed was physically impressive. Quil dressed only in a speedo, clearly attention-getting—to everyone but me, that is. My eyes only saw Embry, lean muscles well-defined under dusky skin, short hair that the water had already dried from, dark eyes that only focused on me, that quiet and powerful strength that I now depended on.
"Feeling warm again?" Embry asked me.
"Yeah." It was true. Between the sun, being drier now, and Embry's body heat, I was feeling quite good. To thank him, I twisted my head and pulled his down for a quick kiss. At least, I meant it to be quick; but as usual, that changed fast. I turned on Embry's lap so that I faced him for a proper kiss. The towel almost fell away before Embry grabbed it and used the ends to pull me against his chest. Arms wrapped around bodies, mouths met and devoured.
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Embry POV
I knew we were playing with fire, Bella being on my lap like she was, but I didn't care—or my wolf didn't care, whichever. I want everyone to know that she is mine and I am hers. Without planning it, my lips began to wander along her jaw and down the column of her throat…
"We brought snacks if you're hungry, Em," Quil's voice intruded.
"Shut the fuck up," I muttered under my breath.
"You probably would have been doing that with Bella in another couple minutes if I hadn't," his words were equally quiet. "Not a good idea with this audience."
I couldn't argue with him. It was entirely possible that I could have been so oblivious that having witnesses wouldn't have mattered a bit. "Thanks"
Louder, and to Bella, I asked "Want to jump again?"
"Okay. I think I've warmed up enough to stand another plunge."
After helping Bella up, I vaulted to my feet. We'd only just started walking back toward the bridge when I glanced down. My gut clenched when I saw the rosy hickey I'd placed on the side of her neck. I hadn't even known I was doing it. Sam had warned me that my wolf would want to mark Bella as his—as ours—and I hadn't taken him as seriously as I clearly should have.
"Wait up!" Angela called after us. "We'll come, too." She and Jessica caught up, and I heard Quil walking behind them. He and I jumped first and waited for the girls so we could tow them to shore again. I helped Bella dry off, but was more on-edge than I'd been earlier given what had happened. Quil caught it and gave me a nudge.
"Looks like there's a bit of a path going higher up. Let's check it out. Could be a good high-jump spot. You ought to get a little practice before our group's next cliff diving jaunt at home."
"What?"
"You know the tall cliffs near the rez. Paul said the guys go out there sometimes and jump. C'mon, Emb. This'll be fun."
"You okay with staying here?" I asked Bella. No way on earth was I going to watch or help her jump off a cliff.
Her expression as she looked upward said it all. "Yep, I'll be fine here with my friends."
Once we were alone, Quil turned serious. "What's up, Emb? You've been on edge ever since I-hell, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I just didn't think those jerkwads needed to see you two. Pack doesn't get to, humans don't get to. I shouldn't, either-no way that I wouldn't end up sharing that in the pack-mind. Bella would die of embarrassment-and then come back to haunt or poison me."
All true, but not what had me worked up. "Q, I put a hickey on Bella's neck. It's not a bite-I didn't do that, but...I didn't even know I was doing it. Sam warned me that my wolf will want to mark Bella, and I didn't take him seriously enough."
"Gonna tell him? You probably should, but..."
"Yeah. I don't want to; hell, I don't know. Part of me says it's none of his business, while the rest of me says that he knows what it's like and could maybe help." I wasn't too sure about that, though. Neither Sam nor Jared had been able to wait long after meeting their imprints before giving them the mark, so what chance did I have? I couldn't do anything about it now, so I'd think about it and see.
"Let's jump!" Quil bounced excitedly, obviously putting the issue on hold for now.
I couldn't help smiling a little. "Keep that up and you'll send yourself over the edge whether you're ready to or not."
"I'm a wolf. It's okay."
"It won't be okay if you make any of those guys suspect anything," I retorted.
"We aren't that high up and the water's deep, so no worries about unexplainable injury healing. Come on!" And with a wolf-like howl, Quil leaped off the edge of our cliff-side perch, plummeting down to the pool below. With an eye-roll typical of watching Quil's antics, I followed suit.
"You guys are crazy," Ben commented after my packmate and I had rejoined the group.
"He is, for sure," I agreed.
"Daredevils," added Eric.
"Not as much as you all," Ben shot back the retort before I could say anything. To me, he continued, "These idiots want us to keep going and check out the abandoned railroad tunnels farther along the trail."
"What the hell for?" exploded Quil. "Got a death wish or something?"
"They sound cool-" began Tyler.
"That's what the morons say who think that playing Russian Roulette is a good idea."
"You want to play the fools, fine," I glowered at the reckless trio. "We'll head back to the parking lot and have Mike's parents call out the park rangers, highway patrol, search and rescue, paramedics, and whoever else they'd need to save you guys if the tunnel caves in."
Tyler gulped. "It's really that dangerous?"
"Those tunnels were dug about a century ago, and haven't been used in about 50 years. You want to go exploring in a place like that, well, go for it. Just don't think that we'll be coming along."
"I don't want to walk all that way-it's practically almost to the end of the trail and we already decided we weren't going that far. Just Google the tunnels when you get home if you want to see what they look like," dismissed Jessica.
"Okay, it was just a suggestion," Mike sighed. "So what are we going to do?"
"We can head back to the lodge where your parents are waiting for us," offered Angela.
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Bella POV
With no other ideas being presented, we stuffed the towels back into the backpacks, redressed, and started back the way we'd come. Another boat ride across the lake and we were back at the vehicles. While Mr. Newton and the guys got the boat back onto the trailer, Mrs. Newton told us girls that we'd be swinging into Port Angeles to fill up the cars with gas and that they'd treat all of us to a quick dinner before we headed for home.
About two hours later we pulled back into the parking lot at the Outfitter's store and parted ways. I'd dozed off for at least part of the trip back, but woke up enough to say goodbye to my friends. Either Quil or Embry must have called home, because Embry's mom was waiting in my driveway when he pulled my car into its spot next to my dad's cruiser.
"Thanks for letting me come along," Quil said.
"No problem," I yawned.
"I had a good time," Embry walked me up to my house.
"Me too."
"I've got to go now, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Can't wait."
After telling Charlie we'd had a good time, I escaped upstairs for a shower and then fell into bed. It had been a fun day, but I was exhausted.
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AN: Not entirely sure if I'm 100% happy with this one, but I've made you wait on this long enough, and I'm not sure what else I could do to change/improve this, so here we go. Hopefully it's worth me staying up way later than I should have tonight to get this done, and isn't a hot mess. Good or bad, I'd love to know what you think.
Embry's love phrases: "I love you." It's kw'opḳalawó∙li, also spelled a variety of other ways (kwopkalawo'li, kw'opkalawoli, k'upkalawli, kwop kilawtley, que quowle, etc.) The different spellings are due to the fact that Quileute isn't traditionally a written language, not due to any ambiguity in meaning. kw'opa is the Quileute root for "love," -kalaw is an object suffix meaning "you," and -li is a subject suffix meaning "I." .
"So chid washitli tikto'wa?" means "Are you trying to drive me crazy?"