‹ Prequel: Freefall
Status: Complete
Plummet
12
In the morning, I leashed Archie and we walked to Lydia’s house. I didn’t have Embry’s number, but she did. And I had to speak to him.
Lydia’s brother, Chris, opened the door and smiled widely at me. “I was wondering when you would be back,” he said.
I was still struggling to find some reply to that when Lydia came up behind him and swatted him out of the way. “Shoo! She’s taken.”
I gave her a blank stare. “I am?”
“Well, close enough.” She had the grace to look mildly embarrassed.
We stood there and she looked at me as if she was waiting for something. “Oh, right! Embry. I need to talk to Embry. Can you get his phone number for me?” Lydia smiled slyly and stepped out of the house, shutting the front door behind her.
“What’s this about?” I touched my pendant and bit my lip.
“Do you know about…” How to put this? “Have you ever noticed… wolves… running around here?”
Lydia grinned. “He told you about the pack? Wow. That didn’t take him long.”
“Pack? There are more of them?”
She snorted. “I reacted the same way. Yeah. Ever wondered why they’re all so tall, so close?”
Duh, Remy, I thought to myself. “So Paul…?”
“Yeah. How are you feeling about all of this? I know it’s a lot to take in. I remember that the hardest thing to come to terms with was the imprint. Trust me, it’ll all seem normal soon.”
“Imprint?” I asked. She’d lost me. “What are you talking about?” Lydia visibly paled.
“Oh! Erm… nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Right. Like saying that wouldn’t have the opposite effect. “Embry!” she called before I could question her further. “Get out here!”
He was here? Pas the confusion, I could feel excitement. The front door opened and he was there, smiling down at me. he was almost, but not quite, able to hide his nerves.
“Why don’t we go for a walk?” he asked, eyeing Archie. I nodded and waved goodbye to Lydia.
Embry took my hand and I didn’t pull away. I liked the way it felt in mine, big and strong. Comfortable and comforting. We walked all the way down the street and most of the way down another before either of us said a word.
“What’s imprinting?” I finally asked while we paused so Archie could bark at a squirrel that was scurrying up a tree.
“Where did you hear about that?” Embry asked.
“Lydia. She thought I already knew about it and it sounded like it was related to… what you told me yesterday.” I rushed out an explanation, hoping dearly that I hadn’t just gotten Lydia in trouble.
“I see.” Embry had a brooding look on his face and didn’t seem inclined to say more on the subject.
“Alright,” I said cautiously, “then could you answer some other questions of mine? That’s why I was looking to speak with you in the first place.” He nodded, so I continued, “How did you become a werewolf?”
Embry smiled. Apparently this question wasn’t off-limits. “It’s a gene we developed to protect the tribe from vampires.”
“Hold up. They exist too?”
“Yeah. And trust me, you don’t want to cross one. There is a coven nearby that’s supposedly harmless, but… I don’t trust them nearly as far as I could throw them.”
“Oh. Should I be afraid?” I asked somewhat faintly.
He took one look at my expression and grinned. I could see amusement twinkling in his eyes. I was so glad he found this entertaining. “Not while I’m around.” This was said with complete sincerity. “I’ll die before I let anything hurt you.”
I could hear my heart thudding. We both stopped walking, staring at each other.
I broke the long silence by asking one of the many questions I’d woken up with. “So you’re not dangerous, then?”
“I try not to be,” Embry answered. I could see what this honesty cost him. He was watching me like he expected me to run away at any moment, just as he had yesterday. “But if I get angry enough, I lose control sometimes.”
“Have you ever killed anyone?” My voice was more than a little unsteady. He looked like I’d slapped him.
“Never.”
“I’m sorry. I should never have thought-”
“No,” he snapped. “I’m shocked you didn’t ask sooner.” His voice was biting, bitter.
I halted to a stop, tugging on the hand that was still linked with mine. He reluctantly turned to face me. I raised a quivering hand to his smooth cheek and repeated, “I’m sorry. You’re the kindest boy I’ve ever known.”
He smiled and it was like the sun coming out. For the rest of our walk, we talked about easier, safer things.
Lydia’s brother, Chris, opened the door and smiled widely at me. “I was wondering when you would be back,” he said.
I was still struggling to find some reply to that when Lydia came up behind him and swatted him out of the way. “Shoo! She’s taken.”
I gave her a blank stare. “I am?”
“Well, close enough.” She had the grace to look mildly embarrassed.
We stood there and she looked at me as if she was waiting for something. “Oh, right! Embry. I need to talk to Embry. Can you get his phone number for me?” Lydia smiled slyly and stepped out of the house, shutting the front door behind her.
“What’s this about?” I touched my pendant and bit my lip.
“Do you know about…” How to put this? “Have you ever noticed… wolves… running around here?”
Lydia grinned. “He told you about the pack? Wow. That didn’t take him long.”
“Pack? There are more of them?”
She snorted. “I reacted the same way. Yeah. Ever wondered why they’re all so tall, so close?”
Duh, Remy, I thought to myself. “So Paul…?”
“Yeah. How are you feeling about all of this? I know it’s a lot to take in. I remember that the hardest thing to come to terms with was the imprint. Trust me, it’ll all seem normal soon.”
“Imprint?” I asked. She’d lost me. “What are you talking about?” Lydia visibly paled.
“Oh! Erm… nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Right. Like saying that wouldn’t have the opposite effect. “Embry!” she called before I could question her further. “Get out here!”
He was here? Pas the confusion, I could feel excitement. The front door opened and he was there, smiling down at me. he was almost, but not quite, able to hide his nerves.
“Why don’t we go for a walk?” he asked, eyeing Archie. I nodded and waved goodbye to Lydia.
Embry took my hand and I didn’t pull away. I liked the way it felt in mine, big and strong. Comfortable and comforting. We walked all the way down the street and most of the way down another before either of us said a word.
“What’s imprinting?” I finally asked while we paused so Archie could bark at a squirrel that was scurrying up a tree.
“Where did you hear about that?” Embry asked.
“Lydia. She thought I already knew about it and it sounded like it was related to… what you told me yesterday.” I rushed out an explanation, hoping dearly that I hadn’t just gotten Lydia in trouble.
“I see.” Embry had a brooding look on his face and didn’t seem inclined to say more on the subject.
“Alright,” I said cautiously, “then could you answer some other questions of mine? That’s why I was looking to speak with you in the first place.” He nodded, so I continued, “How did you become a werewolf?”
Embry smiled. Apparently this question wasn’t off-limits. “It’s a gene we developed to protect the tribe from vampires.”
“Hold up. They exist too?”
“Yeah. And trust me, you don’t want to cross one. There is a coven nearby that’s supposedly harmless, but… I don’t trust them nearly as far as I could throw them.”
“Oh. Should I be afraid?” I asked somewhat faintly.
He took one look at my expression and grinned. I could see amusement twinkling in his eyes. I was so glad he found this entertaining. “Not while I’m around.” This was said with complete sincerity. “I’ll die before I let anything hurt you.”
I could hear my heart thudding. We both stopped walking, staring at each other.
I broke the long silence by asking one of the many questions I’d woken up with. “So you’re not dangerous, then?”
“I try not to be,” Embry answered. I could see what this honesty cost him. He was watching me like he expected me to run away at any moment, just as he had yesterday. “But if I get angry enough, I lose control sometimes.”
“Have you ever killed anyone?” My voice was more than a little unsteady. He looked like I’d slapped him.
“Never.”
“I’m sorry. I should never have thought-”
“No,” he snapped. “I’m shocked you didn’t ask sooner.” His voice was biting, bitter.
I halted to a stop, tugging on the hand that was still linked with mine. He reluctantly turned to face me. I raised a quivering hand to his smooth cheek and repeated, “I’m sorry. You’re the kindest boy I’ve ever known.”
He smiled and it was like the sun coming out. For the rest of our walk, we talked about easier, safer things.