Re-Imprint

The house had been eerily quiet the past couple days, and I knew I was to blame. The foul mood that I had been in since I had returned from Forks only worsened, until it was a black cloud following me around, mocking me.

Bella and Edward had taken to teaching Nessie daily with lessons of politics, language, and art. There had been talk of putting her in a school, but she would’ve stuck out too much. Her intelligence was astounding, yes, but it still seemed that every time I looked at her she was growing. To make it worse, she knew something had changed. Nothing was really wrong, but the dynamic in the house was different.

I was different.

For once, the dreary Seattle weather had lightened up and there was no rain. The wind was howling outside though in a way that would be bitingly cold for a normal person. I paused for a second in walking down the hallway to look out a window and saw the sky darkening.

“Now, Renesmee, you have to remember. She won’t be used to someone as special as you. You have to be careful.”

I slowed down and stopped in front of Nessie’s room, the door cracked open slightly. Bella was crouched down in front of her, straightening her striped dress and sweater. Edward was pacing back and forth, hands going through his bronze colored hair, sticking it up in every direction.

“Especially about touching. Use your words, sweetie,” Bella said.

“Don’t worry. I will,” Nessie nodded, copper curls bouncing.

There was a knock at the door at the same time a gust of wind rattled the house. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I sucked in a breath. Nessie came barreling out of her room and ran to the front door, Bella trailing after her. Edward followed reluctantly, arms folded across his chests, onyx eyes stormy. A few feet away from the door, his nostrils flared.

“Bells, I can’t do this. I can smell her through the door,” he gritted out. He turned on his heel and ran, his form just a blur. A second later I heard the back door slam shut.

“What’s his problem?” I muttered. I inhaled a deep breath, but only smelled the icy, sweet sting of Bella and the warmth from Nessie. And a mixture of vanilla and pine?

Nessie pulled the door open, and I froze.

“Joey!” she squealed, bouncing up and down with excitement.

It felt like an eternity had passed since I’d seen her, and my eyes soaked in every detail of her face. The freckles sprinkled across her up-turned button nose and cheeks, vivid against her pale skin. Startling emerald eyes framed by long, thick lashes. A lush, pink, heart-shaped mouth spread into a soft smile. All framed by a mass of wild, ginger hair peeking out from under her beanie. She bent down to Nessie’s level, tugging off her hat and gloves.

“Hey there, Ness, Bella,” she smiled. She glanced up, her gaze landing on me and the smile died.

Oh, god.

I had to bite back a harsh groan. Her voice was just so delicious, soft and breathy but rough in a way that had me thinking of tangled sheets. A deep possessiveness rose up from some primal level inside me I didn’t know I had and at the same time I rebelled against it. I didn’t want to want her. She represented everything that had been taken from me. The bone-deep connection that I had had to the little Cullen family was gone and I didn’t belong anymore.

I wasn’t imprinted on Nessie and I had no right to be in Seattle with them, but I couldn’t leave.

“Hi, Jacob.”

“Joey,” I gritted out.

“Whoa, what?” Bella sputtered. “You two know each other?”

“I ran into Nessie and him at the park the other day, and this little one was kind enough to introduce us,” Joey put her hand on Nessie’s head and ruffled her copper curls, causing the little girl to nod happily.

I could hear her heartbeat. The ba-bump, ba-bump was slow and quite, almost sluggish. Compared to the soft, fluttery patter of Nessie’s heart it seemed out of place. Humans didn’t sound like that, nor did they smell like she did. I realized the pine and vanilla was wafting from her, until the foyer smelled entirely like her. And it was mouth-watering. I didn’t know how Bella was restraining any form of blood-lust.

I glanced over to her, saw her honey-toned eyes and understood why Edward had stormed out. His eyes had been pitch black. He hadn’t hunted in a while, and the temptation of Joey was just too much.

“Where’s Edward?” Joey asked.

Bella’s smile faltered for a second before she spread it even wider. I’m surprised her porcelain skin didn’t crack.

“He had to go out,” she answered.

“Come on, Joey! I want to show you my room,” Nessie giggled, grabbing the other girl’s hand and pulling her down the hallway. Once they were out of earshot, Bella turned to me.

“You are going to explain to me what the hell is going on, right now,” she hissed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I shrugged, crossing my arms across my chest. I had an actual button-up plaid shirt on today instead of my normal shredded tee, but my jeans were still ragged and ripped.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You went between looking like you were about to worship Joey to looking like you were going to shove her out the door.”

“No, I wasn’t,” I snapped angrily, looking away.

“Yes, you were. You’ve been in this terrible mood for almost a week now. Jake, what on Earth happened in Forks?”

“Nothing. I went and saw my family and the pack, that’s it.”

I turned away, my previously black mood darkening even more. Bella grabbed my arm to stop me but I shook her off. She could’ve pulled me back and made me answer her, but for some reason she didn’t. I rounded a corner down the hallway and bumped directly into Joey. She fell backwards, landing onto the polished, hard wood floors with a rough thump.

“Sorry,” I muttered, and stuck my hand out to help her up without thinking.

When her skin touched mine, I sucked in a breath, a shock of awareness spiraling through me. It was like lightning; brief and quick but brilliant in its intensity. I dropped her hand and she fell back down. She gasped and rubbed her palm before looking up at me. That heart-shaped mouth had fallen open and there was a question in her eyes.

I knew she was feeling the same tingles that I was, the ones crawling up and down my arm. She clambered up from the floor, taking a hesitant step forward.

Every cell in my body was screaming mine, mine, mine. Her scent was calling out to me, imprinting me all the way down to the bone, and I knew I’d never be the same. I wanted to grab her and haul her away, mark her so that everybody knew who she belonged to.

The storm churning inside of me was dark and volatile and it must have reflected on my features because she scooted away, a flash of fear across her face. I reached out to her without meaning to, just to rub a hand down across her shoulder, but stopped, arm frozen in mid-air.

“Joey, I-“

I didn’t know what I was going to say, had no words of comfort or logic for what she was undoubtedly feeling. I moved around her without a word, careful not touch her no matter how much I wanted to. This lack of control was embarrassing and I hated it.

I left the house out the back door, the wind slicing through my flimsy clothes and cutting into the shaggy hair falling around my face.

Maybe the coldness I couldn’t feel would help cool the burn spreading through my body.