Annalise Montgomery let the fragile, rubberband snap into place around the end of a long braid.
The twin plaits tucked behind each ear were longer than usual. If she were back home in Mississippi, she'd have lopped it off months ago because of the heat. Ever since coming north six years ago, she'd learned how to survive in the cold on her own and with people who cared about her.
Familiar faces danced in her vision, worried, afraid, sad.
Annalise ignored the twisting guilt in her chest and let the vigorous tick, tick, tick, of Seth's typing in the other room ground her in the present. She had made her choice and now she had to live with it. It would be next to impossible to go back to her pack after what she'd done.
The tapping quieted and after a series of quick clicks, Annalise heard a chair slide back and Seth's hesitant footsteps inch up the hall. She wanted to laugh at the idea that he could ever sneak up on her. She might not have quite the wicked hearing he did but she could hear him coming from a mile away.
Seth was no mouse. At just over six-foot-something with a lean, sculpted body, Seth was built for agility and a power, though tempered, that was palpable enough to make her wet.
She'd been avoiding him for nearly two days, afraid he'd ask her about what he'd seen inside her head. But he hadn't. He'd given her as much space as she wanted, and she didn't know what to make of that or him for that matter.
Annalise had no clue that he would be able to hear her thoughts but when she felt his pleasant voice inside her mind, it had made perfect sense. So much of what was happening did, though she couldn't put words together to explain it.
For her pack, imprinting had been little more than a means to an end and it was a rare occurrence amongst coyote-shifters. Their den mother, Zel, had explained it as soon as Annalise had stepped foot on the Coquitlam compound: imprinting was good for procreation only, and love was but a minor inconvenience. Despite her familial role, the elder woman was tough as nails. Zel's philosophy was to enjoy the hand life dealt. Don't ask too many questions, keep your head down, and fight like hell if someone tried to end the party before it was time.
That was a philosophy that made sense. Between vampires, in-fighting, and rogue shifters, you never knew when your number was up...especially with an alpha like theirs.
Annalise shuddered and opened the door of the spare bedroom to find Seth standing in the hall, his expression guilty. With a weak laugh, he offered his megawatt smile, rendering her mind blank.
"I, uh, just turned my client's project in and thought we could go somewhere? The rain's finally letting up and we haven't left since..."
The canine in her perked up. "We're going for a run?"
"No, but almost as fun." Seth dangled the keys to the big, black truck parked on the side of the house, his smile genuine this time. "I thought I could show you around the rez. Maybe hit the beach and grab some food."
She grinned, tilting her chin up. "You askin' me on a date, sweetness?"
He laughed, reaching out to give one of her braids a gentle tug. "I guess I am."
She winked, "I knew I'd break you down."
Annalise followed him out of the house, snatching up her backpack on the way out. Seth opened the passenger door and his hands reached forward. He paused as if he thought better of it, offering a shy smile when he realized she'd seen. "Not really used to not helping," he admitted.
"Your ex was human, huh?" Annalise guessed, eyeing the sparkly blue clip that held Seth's thick, dark hair back from his face. She'd seen it a few times, glinting at her, stoking a small flame of jealousy inside her.
Seth paused, lost in thought, before nodding. Without a word, he shut the door and strode around the front. In two seconds, he was inside and urging the truck to life.
"What about you, any human exes?" he asked, pulling out onto the long driveway leading to through the forest and out to the road.
Annalise snorted, bitter. "Not quite." Her ex was the furthest thing from it. Damian Holloway was as far from human as it got. Like many of the fighters of her pack, he preferred his animal form. That she might agree with but that was where their similarities ended.
Seth raised an eyebrow at the shift in tone. "Okay, that's a loaded answer if I've ever heard one. Now I've got a complex."
She laughed. "Trust me, handsome. Even on your worst day, you are far better than that SOB."
He shook his head, making a right on to the highway. "You really like this whole enigma vibe, huh?"
"Come again?"
He waved the hand closest to her around haphazardly. "You leave these nuggets of information and wrap them up in snarky one-liners and dramatic pauses."
Annalise gaped. "Ouch. Tell me how you really feel, Clearwater. And here I was thinkin' we were on good terms."
Seth grinned. "It's cute, kind of frustrating. A lot like you."
Her fingers twitched, ready to land a good smack on that arm of his though she couldn't help but return his stupid smile. Well, he had her pegged but she couldn't very well lay it all out on the line like that. Imprint or not, Annalise wasn't sure how far Seth's easy-breezy outlook went.
Seth let his foot lay on the gas with a gleam in his eye, leaning into the turn as they rounded a tight curve. "I'd be lying if I said I was kidding," he said after it was clear she wasn't going to respond. "But I like you—ah, it. I like it."
The laugh was out before she could stop it. "You don't have to try so hard, you know. The imprint's kind of a lifetime guarantee, you know."
He shrugged, his eyes far off. "Even if we know where this could lead, I still want to do it right."
"You want to do what right?" she asked, Damian's piercing grey eyes flashing through her mind, the phantom grip of his hand tightening around her throat. Her eyes narrowed as she fought the memories.
Annalise pulled her attention to the sounds around her. The steady hum of the engine, the wet sound of the tires spinning on asphalt...her breath, too slow. Seth's heartbeat, too fast.
"What exactly do you want from me, Seth?"
His eyes cut over to hers, confused. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
He broke their gaze, sitting up in his seat. Seth pulled the truck to a slow stop, easing off onto the side of the road. Annalise peered out the windshield, not missing the flash of black darting into the forest.
"We're here. This is where Sam's territory starts, so don't be surprised if you hear them following us. He should disappear after he realizes what a royal jerk he's being," Seth said, enunciating the end of his introduction for the black wolf in the forest.
The resulting huff told them Seth's words weren't all that well received.
Seth chuckled darkly and turned to her, doing his best impersonation of a tour guide. "If you look this way," he pointed to his face, "You'll see a 28-year-old man who spends half his time running around with a tail and the other half doing web design—not because he's particularly fond of it, but because exploding into a raging bag of fur is not covered under workman's comp. Still, I do fairly well if I do say so myself."
Seth turned back in his seat, shifted into drive, and pulled the truck back onto the road.
"Now, ordinarily, I would advise all passengers to keep their heads and hands inside the vehicle but…" He winked. "Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do."
Annalise snorted, though thankful for the lighthearted change in mood. Truth be told, she didn't know what she wanted from Seth. For now, she would settle for getting to know him and, as they rode through the reservation, she did.
She saw the white house framed by huge trees where Seth and Leah grew up, and listened to the story of his late father, Harry, who he lost right after phasing for the first time, the bond he'd formed with his pack before the "Big Split," as he called it. She saw where he learned to ride a bike, where he broke his arm twice as a kid, and a whole host of other memories that made her ache for home—her real home, with her human parents and her human brother, Caleb, who, she realized, was 19 now. The same age she was when everything went to hell.
Seth regaled her with story after story of the wayward alpha, Jacob Black, his dhampir imprint, and her vampire family. How both packs had risked their lives to protect the vampires.
At this, Annalise almost lost it. But, the more she listened to Seth, the more she realized just how kind-hearted he really was. How unlike her he was.
He pulled up to the parking lot of a small compound of buildings some red and others white, eased into a spot, and killed the engine. "Wanna hit the beach?"
"Depends," she answered with a playful smile, turning in her seat to face him. "You've told me about everything except Hair Clip Girl. You gonna fess up?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but only if you do the same." He flipped his right hand over on the armrest between them, a question.
Though she was loath to admit it, Seth had a point. She'd been the opposite of forthcoming when it came to who she was, yet he still let her stay. Gave her shelter. Food. Peace.
Annalise pressed her palm to his. "Deal," she said, giving his hand a small shake.
He laughed as he leaned over and brought her knuckles to his lips. "Good," he breathed, pressing a delicate kiss against her skin.
His teasing grin slipped the moment her gaze met his. The cab of the truck felt insanely small, the thick center console an unjust barrier between them. His scent, laced with longing, charged the air around them.
She inhaled slowly. Underneath the layer of Polo Black was something else, more subtle. Cedar?
Zel's philosophy came to mind. Lust was a far cry from love, Annalise reminded herself. And love felt heavy, like iron weights on her chest. Still, she thirsted for something, somewhere between the two. Whatever it was moved her closer and closer to Seth, until the cool faux leather of the center console pressed into her torso.
Would it be so wrong to slide into his lap, to run her fingers through his hair, to have him wrap his arms around her the way he had just days ago? Better still, she wanted him to moan for mercy beneath her, to see if his gentleness carried over or if he was every bit the animal she'd witnessed in others of her pack.
Seth blinked, breaking the spell between them as a car door slammed shut outside. "We should probably get going?"
She hated the question there, the split second pause before he opened the door, where his eyes scanned hers. Should I?
He was sliding out into the bright light of day before she could decide for him, and opening her door before she could calm herself down, dispel the image of his naked body between her legs.
Seth reached up, one hand on hers and the other at her waist as she climbed out of the truck. "I got it," she mumbled, straightening out the old Fugees tee shirt Leah had given her.
He cleared his throat. "Well, this was my school," he mumbled, gesturing toward the buildings. He gave her a half-hearted rundown of his days there before turning around and leading her toward the beach. "Coming?" he called over his shoulder.
Annalise jogged after him, slowing as they hit the sandy beach and damp rock. They came to a stop far enough away that the humans gathered near the water wouldn't hear.
"It's been about six months," Seth said suddenly, squinting out at the waves. A few teenagers were paddling out on their boards, music booming from a speaker out of sight. "Her name's Angela."
Ah. Here it was.
Annalise felt suddenly...embarrassed, silly even, for having pressed the issue. She had no real right to know, but a perverse curiosity had egged her on, fixated a part of her mind on this faceless woman.
"We were together for just over three years." He shook his head, his hand rubbing his neck awkwardly as he looked at her. "Sure you wanna hear this? It's not pretty."
"Gotta know what I'm up against," she joked, only half-kidding as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans.
Seth rolled his eyes, likely at her childish insistence she thought.
"Everything was good, I guess. I met her through Jake and Bella, she was a couple years older. She'd just graduated college and came back to take a year off when her youngest brother got sick. She planned to go to Seattle, get a cushy journalism gig, but...guess she found a reason to stay."
Ouch. Annalise knew that sadness. "How did you go so long without telling her what you were?" She couldn't imagine going years in secret.
"That's the thing. I told her as soon as I realized I…" He trailed off, averting his eyes. "A couple months in, I realized it was getting serious. And she was cool with it, too."
"Then why…?" She paused. "Sorry, I'm being nosey."
She wasn't sorry in the least but it didn't seem appropriate. Clearly, he still loved this Angela woman and the thought of it burned her in a way that it shouldn't.
Seth shrugged. "It's okay. It doesn't bother me now." She heard the hard swallow Seth took before carrying on. "We took this cross-country trip back in March. It was the perfect setup, but I couldn't get the timing right. We get back and...She just changed. All of a sudden it was 'Forks is too small, I can't give up my dreams,' and 'A shapeshifter in Seattle—Seth, be rational.' It was like a switch flipped or something."
No wonder he'd been reserved, Annalise realized. He'd had his heart ripped out when he was preparing to give it up for life...and it didn't sound as if there had been a reason. At least, not one Angela had given him.
"Wanna hear something funny?" she asked, hoping her confession might amuse him, get his mind off the past. Distractions always made pain easier.
Seth turned his head in her direction, confused.
"I was curious about your ex 'cause, well, that's a kind of...interesting hair clip you got there. And I might have gotten, maybe, sorta kinda...jealous?" Annalise held her hands up. "Beating up a human girl is low, even for me, but I'm not above getting a little dirty."
Seth snorted out a laugh and reached behind his head to carefully remove the clip. "You like it?" he asked, holding the small butterfly clip in his palm.
Not really, she wanted to say. Sparkly, shiny butterflies weren't really her schtick, but the gleam in Seth's eye kept the truth locked down. "It's cute," she fibbed.
He grinned, smoothing her flyaway hairs back and pinning them with the clip. "One of Jared's little girls gave it to me. Uncle Seth's the favorite since I basically let them do whatever they want."
Annalise's face flushed red hot. This whole time…
"All right," Seth said, leaning back to admire his handiwork. She kept her eyes to the ground but she heard the humor in his voice when he spoke. "Your turn? I'm the best secret keeper in the pack, and I just spent the last 30 minutes telling you everything but my social security number, so..."
Annalise sighed. "It's not a 'pretty' story, as you say. Except…" She glanced over at him, wondering just how much he'd seen inside her head. If he knew what Damian was or what she had done, Seth had yet to let on.
"You don't have to tell me about your ex," Seth interrupted, seizing the silence. "Or any of the heavy stuff. Tell me the good things like...Zel. Who was she? Saturday, it sounded like you care a lot about her."
He's too good, a voice whispered, snaking around her throat has it hissed.
Annalise dug the toe of her worn sneakers into the damp sand, letting the sound of the crashing waves fill the chasm of silence between them.
Zel...she had been Annalise's saving grace more times than either of them could count, even if the old biddy would never admit to loving her.
At 65, Zora Effie Lee was the oldest shapeshifter among their pack—the oldest active one any of them had known. At least, as far as anyone let on. The fiery-tempered woman had raised pups and newcomers alike, had taught Annalise how to use all kinds of herbs for whatever she wanted. The rich, brown umber of her skin was marked by a life lived well and hard, her laugh lines as pronounced as the deep tenor of the sound itself. With her grey-streaked, tightly coiled hair and curvaceous figure, Zel looked nothing like Annalise, or most sixty-year-olds, but the woman was every bit family as her real flesh-and-blood.
Seth's hand brushed against hers and a jolt of electricity raced up her arm, pulling her out of her memories. Annalise glanced at him through her periphery.
Though his eyes were straight ahead, watching the waves rise and crash again into the inky ocean, she heard the uptick in his pulse. His hand closed around hers, warm and slightly callused.
When she didn't move, she watched his shoulders relax, felt his fingers slip between hers. Now, she looked at him head-on, curious.
Seth turned, his cheeks bright, his smile rising to his eyes as he appraised her. Every instinct told her to close the distance between them, wrap her body around his, protect him, love him, make love to him.
Gods how she wanted to give in. After so long of being controlled, love wasn't something she wanted any part of. But, still, she did like Seth. Whether it was because of the imprint or the moments like these, where the tall, athletic man before her was as innocent as a kid and just as disarming, Annalise wasn't sure. Nor did she care.
"Annie," he whispered, clearing his throat. When he spoke, his voice was more sure, louder, the richness of it settling against her ears. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry. For the other day. For pressuring you to join the pack. We were running out of time but I could've done something. Could've stalled or something but I didn't."
"Seth–" Her words were cut short as he turned, capturing her other hand in his and luring her closer.
"But I came up with a plan. Either I can take your shifts for patrol or I can make sure Em puts us on patrol together, that way you won't have to worry about him ordering you around or Quil sticking his nose in your business. It's not ideal but you'll still be able to phase, and Em doesn't care where you go or what you do. You know, long as you help get the tribe safe and all. That's his only condition in allowing you to stay." Seth frowned. "Unless you don't want to stay, which I don't like the thought of, but I respect. And maybe—"
Annalise shook her hands free of his to place them over his mouth, unable to stifle the laugh that took over her.
Between the nickname and his anxious, well-meaning rambling, there was no way she could continue avoiding him or the wall she'd wanted to keep between them...not that she'd tried all that hard with the latter anyway. The second they'd been alone and she wasn't bleeding, Annallise had all but told Seth she had tracked him down because her soul needed him. Gag.
Seth raised an eyebrow in askance, his hands covering hers as if to remove them from his mouth.
"Seth," she said deliberately. "Thank you. I meant that but please stop tryna get me to leave. It's like I told you the other day: it hurt trying to act like nothing happened, like some brown-eyed angel didn't just turn my world upside down. This...knot in my chest wouldn't let up until I stopped fighting it. So, no, I don't want to leave and, if it means putting up with your pack's weird politics, then so be it."
Seth's lips curved into a smile beneath her hands. "Glad it wasn't just me then," he mumbled, covering her hands again as they dropped to his chest. "I tried to fight it too, you know, even though I didn't want to. I didn't think imprinting on someone would be this…"
"...Intense?" she offered, letting her own assessment spill out. "There were only two cases in my pack and it seemed different. Almost easy."
Seth snorted. "So far, this is about as easy as fighting gravity, while wearing ankle weights and a backpack full of bricks."
She let out a startled laugh, caught off guard by the comparison. He wasn't wrong. There had only been two imprinted pairs in her pack, and neither had amounted to more than a business transaction sex for the sake of extending their line. At least...that's what it had seemed like, what Zel and the others had taught.
Seth's arms wrapped around her waist, his hands pressing into the small of her back, bringing her closer.
"But this is easy though," she admitted, letting her hands rise to lock behind his neck. "This feels—"
"—Natural?" Seth tightened his hold, the magnetic pull that had led her here working its magic. Annalise leaned into his body, her eyes on his. "Like it makes sense, almost like…"
Fate, the word hung between them. Like a backpack full of bricks.
Annalise wanted easy, freedom. She wanted, selfishly, to enjoy whatever time they had together without expectation. Who knew when...when the others would show up. When Damian would come and drag her back, kicking and screaming, assuming he wouldn't kill her first.
She let her hands fall, stepping out of his embrace. "Seth," she started.
There's no going back if you do this. The voice in her mind rang the alarm, her muscles tightening as if ready to defend her body from attack. But the only danger here was her, and if she was going to do this...she needed to do it right.
"As much as I...want you, you should know who—or what you're getting into first." No going back. "Because there's a good chance shit's gonna hit the fan for real this time. And soon."
A/N: Heyyo! I know it's not Thursday but tomorrow's a holiday in the U.S. so here's an early chapter! We got a look-see into Annie's mind this chapter. Who's this asshat Damian anyway? Did I throw enough hints? lol *strokes invisible goatee* Anywho, y'all stay safe and we'll see ya next week! Shouts out to mads8 for the love
