Before I can say anything Jacob tugs my wrist and pulls me behind him. He releases me the moment I am out of sight, his hands curling into tight fists at his sides but he doesn't seem to care that I can look around him. The boy has short black tousled hair, a young face for a possible seventeen-year-old and piercing blue eyes that narrow as he examines Jacob. He has to be only an inch or two shorter than Jacob, making him quite taller than me and he's not nearly as strong by appearances.
"Who are you and how do you know Furiae?" Jacob questions through gritted teeth.
"Depends, who are you and why are you with her?" The boy counters.
Neither of the boys respond to either questions, both of their sharp eyes pierce at one another trying to dig holes into the other's soul.
I don't sense any malice or danger from this boy and I don't know what Jacob could be feeling that I am not but whatever it is has him trembling with anger. Earlier today with Bella, he got angry as well but my touch wasn't able to help - he pushed my hand aside until he noticed how hurt it left me. I am not sure if my touch will help him now but as I glance at the other two people in the library, a fellow young lady who watches us and the librarian who seems unphased as she types away at her computer. Either way, I can't have Jacob bursting into a wolf here.
Gently and hesitantly I place a hand on the middle of his back and feel the heat rolling off of him. He glances down at me from the corner of his eyes, his fists slowly opening as his right hand reaches out for me and rests on my lower back. He's trembling still but I have a feeling he won't explode into a creature of legend.
The boy watches our movements like a hawk, his eyes further narrowing and a look of disgust crosses his once defensive face.
"Okay," I mutter. "You know my name, so you must know me from my past."
"What do you mean from the past? I've known you most of your life," the boy replies.
"She lost her memories," Jacob hisses through his clenched teeth.
The boy's eyes widen, "how?"
"Cliff diving accident," Jacob replies. It's a shorter answer than what we expect but I understand why he gave it. I notice the girl who's watching us is slowly trying to make her way around us with as much space between her and us as possible.
"So, who are you? How do you know me?" I ask, centering my vision back onto the boy.
The boy looks like he's relaxing but his eyes return back to a narrow expression as he eyes Jacob. "My name is Caspian and I was your boyfriend."
"W-what?" I ask. A sense of dread overwhelms me on this new knowledge. I had someone I had loved before I lost my memories? Someone close to me? I thought I was alone after my mother and father passed, that no one was looking for me. I thought I didn't need anyone but Jacob now.
The library around me shifts and moves, becoming unstable as I feel my legs wobble beneath me. Jacob's arms wrap around my waist and he hugs me to his side. He says something but I can't understand him because a loud ringing reaches my ears. Next thing I know, I am being carried outside.
Breathe…
Jacob sits me down on the lone blue bench outside and kneels in front of me to examine my face. He's careful when touching my cheeks, his eyes set on mine, and he's no longer trembling but I see an anger behind his dark eyes. A thick lump forms in my throat as questions fill my mind. Is that look towards me? Am I in trouble over a boy I don't remember?
Caspian charges out from the library with a file in his hand. He approaches but Jacob lifts his left hand to stop him in his tracks. Jacob's lips part and I know he wants to berate me with questions that fill his own mind. My heart feels heavy like it might fall down onto my stomach.
"Furiae, do you remember him?" He asks.
How heavily am I frowning? I can't tell but I quickly shake my head.
What does he suspect of me? That I know this guy - this potential boyfriend - while dating Jacob? What kind of person does he think I am?
Tears well up in the corner of my eyes as I glance at the two of them. "What do you make of me?" I choke.
Jacob's brows furrow and he looks back at Caspian but I can't take it. I can't always be crying in front of Jacob and now this other guy from my past…I can't cry in front of him either. I get up and jog to the forest line.
"Furiae!" Jacob calls out.
I don't look back to see if he's following me, I burst into a run the moment I reach the tree line and at full speed, the wilderness blurs around me. The wind snaps against my face, throwing my long hair over my shoulders as tears trail horizontally across my face. What am I running from other than the boys? I think back on my mother who was endearing and forceful on my training and my beloved father, who was caring and warm. I thought I was alone… I thought I had no one but Jacob now.
A howl breaks through my thoughts and echoes in my ears. My heart races from the sound as it pierces through my very soul.
Jacob…
Even with how fast I am going I can see the shift of colors of a brown and russet colored wolf following at my left. I have never seen Jacob in his wolf form, he's never needed to shift and I never cared to ask. He rushes ahead of me and pulls out in front to block me from continuing and instead of simply going around him, I stop as well. The tears fall vertically again.
My balled up fists rub at my eyes as I bow my head, my body betraying my emotions.
"I-I would never d-do anything to hurt you…" I cry.
"I know…" he whispers.
I look up to see him in his human form inches from me, his heat radiating off his naked body. I force my eyes to look into his even with the tears blurring my vision. His head tilts a little to the side and the saddest expression is on his face.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Furiae," he says quietly again. "Please forgive me." He approaches me with his arms out and I let him wrap them around me. He places a kiss to the top of my head and engulfs me tightly in his arms. "I won't let that boy have you either."
I wipe my tears away with the ends of my sleeve and rub my damp face into Jacob's hot chest. The smell of mint and his body odor, which smells a little like a type of cologne he must have put on, overtakes all emotions and I feel warm inside.
"I love you, Jake…" I mutter into his chest.
"And I love you, especially when you call me Jake," he chuckles.
I bring my head from his chest and look up at him, leaning on my tippy toes I press my lips against his and he returns the gesture more fervently. He cups my damp cheeks and pulls me further into the kiss, his lips embracing mine heatedly. My hands press against his chest as my body leans into his.
Someone behind me clears their throat and the sound disrupts our embrace when Jacob growls between our kiss. He pulls away slowly and glares at the person behind me. I glance over my shoulder at Caspian and wonder how he got here so fast.
"You must be the NEW boyfriend. Could have told me," Caspian grumbles.
Jacob scoops up the bunched up clothes he discarded before phasing and slides them on, earning a look from Caspian who suggested we all calmly talk about the situation back at the library.
"You're a werewolf," Caspian says as we exit the treeline to the library.
"Keep it yourself," Jacob replies with a grumble. He comes back up to me and wraps an arm around my waist.
"Could you at least keep your hands off her? Just because she doesn't remember me doesn't mean we weren't dating," Caspian grunts, eyeing Jacob's arm.
"I'll do what I want," Jacob tugs me to his side and presses a kiss to my temple.
"Ugh, this is going to suck," Caspian grumbles.
"How did you find me?" I ask. Now that the tears are gone I am able to focus on figuring out more about my past and how Caspian plays a part in it.
"We were traveling with each other when you were…" Caspian glances up at Jacob before looking back at me. "Before you were attacked by a Furie. I was thrown away by her wind ability and you ran off into the forest. I wasn't able to keep up before you disappeared completely."
"You know about the Furies?" I ask.
"Yeah. My family lineage was descended from the chosen warriors, as well as yours. Artemis isn't happy that my family had a boy eventually, though, but she didn't seek vengeance on us like she sought on you and your mother."
We enter the library earning a glare from the librarian who must have been paying attention when I had my weird spell. She watched us as we walked all the way back to the computer Caspian was using and once there we maintained our conversation in whispers.
"So, you stayed here, looking for me after I disappeared? That had to be for several months," I whisper.
"It was. I got a job and lived with the family I was working for. Luckily, Forks is a very kind location, very generous but I knew you had to be somewhere nearby because I kept seeing the Furie," Caspian sighs.
"Why didn't you kill her, if you are part of the same warrior line?" I ask, sitting in front of a computer. Jacob takes the seat between Caspian and I, his hand never leaving my middle back.
"I might be part of the same warrior line but I am no demi-god."
My heart sinks. My power that I used must have come from my father and not the line from my mother's side. For some reason that didn't click for me. I think about turning on the computer to do research on my enemies but Caspian seems to know what I am looking for.
"What do you know about the Furies?"
"There are three of them, I know that. I don't know much other than they can be killed by a God or godly powers. In our line of warriors, we've never had to face them, we mostly fought monsters of myths and legends, including werewolves," Caspian glances at Jacob who glares at him back.
"We're not on the hunted list so don't think about it," Jacob snarls.
"Says who? You still phase into a wolf, you're still a danger to humans."
"No he's not, tribal werewolves are peaceful and only change to protect their tribe from other legends as well. Even Asclepius agreed on that."
"Asclepius? Your brother?" Caspian asks.
"Yeah, he came to visit this morning but shortly after we were attacked by a Furie," I close my eyes remembering the monster. Sighing, I open my eyes and turn on the computer to do the research required. After it boots up I go to the search engine and type in 'Furies.'
"One attacked you and you lived? With no memory of before the fall?" Caspian asks.
"I've been getting memories back slowly as the same with my abilities."
"But no memories of us?" Caspian grunts. "How convenient."
Both Jacob and I snap a look at Caspian who chooses to stare at a black computer screen than look at us. He's obviously hurt by the lack of our relationship now. I go back to reading the screen.
"Furies, goddesses of vengeance. Depending the source they could be older than the Olyampian deities or they could be the daughters of Nyx. There are three of them, Allecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera. They live in the underworld but come to earth to pursue the wicked," I say out loud for Jacob and Caspian. "They could be killed by the Gods or godly powers or even placated with the rite ritual purification and the completion of some task assigned for atonement. I am not sure what that is."
"Better off killing them," Caspian suggests. "If you were able to kill one, the other two shouldn't be too hard."
"Are you saying it was easy for her to kill the one?" Jacob glares back at Caspian. "Other people were hurt when that monster attacked and so was Furiae."
Instinctively my hand reaches for my damaged shoulder where I can feel the cloth of the gauze still sits on my wound. I am not sure if I can heal faster than others, Asclepius never mentioned that but I'd imagined a demi-god could.
"You were hurt?" Caspian asks me, looking around Jacob.
"Yeah, some of her saliva fell on my shoulder. It burned me like acid," I sit back in the chair and stare at the ancient picture of the Furies and wonder, which of the three did I kill and where are the other two?
"We got this, Furiae," Jacob takes my hand and squeezes it gently. "I won't let anyone hurt you."
"Except for yourself," Caspian grunts, sitting back also. "Don't forget, you just had her crying."
"Would you shut up," Jacob snaps. The librarian looks over at us and lifts a finger to her lips in the sign to be silent.
Lifting up Jacob's hand, I press a kiss to the top of it to calm him before the tremors would start. He looks back at me and a small smirk upturns the corner of his lips.
"We should get going," I turn off the computer. "Caspian, do you think we could meet up soon so we can discuss my past?"
"You're leaving? But I just found you," a hurt expression takes over Caspian's face.
"She needs to eat and we need to get back to the pack to tell them what we found out," Jacob replies for me.
"When can I see you again?" Caspian asks, hope in his blue eyes.
I look at Jacob for an answer since I can't exactly put a date on it. I am not sure how the pack or the tribe would feel if I brought another warrior to their territory, though, it's my demi-god blood that has been causing the problems. That's why the Furies are after me, because my mother and father had a union and my father happened to be Apollo, Artemis's brother.
"We usually always have some sort of event going on at La Push beach," Jacob sighs. "You can meet us there tonight. I don't know when we will be there."
Caspian opens the file he had placed next to him on the desk and rips out a small corner of a piece of paper. He writes something down and hands it over to me past Jacob. "My phone number, call me when you are heading out to the beach."
I take it and look over the number, nodding for his request. I fold up the paper and pocket it in my jeans.
Jacob is the first to stand, still holding my hand while I stand as well. "I'll see you later," I wave goodbye and lead the way out of the building. Jacob is close behind me, I can feel the heat coming off his body from how close he is. He strides ahead of me after we exit and climbs onto the bike.
"How are you feeling about all this?" I ask as I approach the bike.
"Not letting him have you even if you do get your memories back," he smirks. "You're all mine."
Pressing my hands on his bicep, I lean in and kiss his lips, pulling away before he can embrace them back and climb onto the back of the bike. "I love you too."