The Heat of You
by Wizardtho
Chapter 13:
After changing and brushing my teeth, I opened the bathroom door to see Bella had turned on her bedside light and turned off the main bedroom light. She was sitting back against her pillows, the blankets up to her hips, and her arms wrapped around her covered knees.
I got into bed facing Bella, the side of my face in my hand, and she immediately slid down to mirror my position. I couldn’t help but move a stray lock of hair behind her ear as I whispered, “Your eyes are so expressive.”
She frowned, asking, “They don’t freak you out?”
I shook my head, “They’re really beautiful, actually. No, they aren’t the brown you’re used to, and we’ll have to talk to Old Quil to see why it happened, but it doesn’t change the fact that I can look into your eyes and see everything I need to know.”
She gave me a look, so I chuckled, “And right now you’re nervous that I’ll be leaving you soon. It’s going to take a while before I can go on that particular hunt, Swan. You need to heal to the point where you can handle being without me for a few days at a time, and Sam needs to be sure he can handle the rez with only 2 other wolves. There’s no way in Hell he’ll let me go on that hunt alone. I will need to start patrolling again within the next week or so, to give the boys some relief and downtime.”
Bella nodded, “They need time with their imprints. About that… can I ask you something?”
I nodded, so she let out a breath. “You said neither you nor your wolf regrets saving me. You said he was happy that he marked me. So my question is, why did you not imprint on me, if I was supposed to be yours?”
I knew this was going to come up sooner or later. I hummed, then moved another stray lock from in front of her eyes, “Old Quil believes the vampire venom might have blocked the imprint from happening. I haven’t had the chance to really talk to him about it, but it kinda makes sense. I only saw you from further away after you moved here, until Jake phased, and you came here to visit him and Billy. You were already bitten by the time my eyes first connected with yours. Now, well, I don’t think there’s really a need for the imprint. I’ve already marked you. My wolf has already decided you are who he wants.”
Bella ducked her head, then picked at the edge of the quilt for a second before whispering, “But what about the man? What does the man in you want?”
I snorted, “I swear, Swan. Look at me.”
When she finally did, I stated clearly, “I’m asking this seriously, now. How many times in the last several months have I hit on you? How many times have I offered to take you away from the leech and show you what a real man was? How many times have you shot me down and told me to find a better pickup line?”
She bit her lip and went to say something, but I cupped her face with my free hand, “I wasn’t pissed about marking you, Swan, because I already knew I wanted you. Plus, I’ve always listened to my wolf’s instincts; he’s never led me wrong. I haven’t hit on you since the marking because, in case you haven’t figured this out yet, you’ve been through some seriously traumatic shit. I didn’t figure my stud services would be welcome right now.”
Bella barked out a laugh, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes lighting up.
Fuck, she’s beautiful.
She chuckled, “Stud services? You’re so crass sometimes… but you’re right. Honestly, even though you kept telling me to come to you if I needed anything, willingly making that choice has been… difficult. I’m thankful you’ve stepped in and offered when I couldn’t ask.”
I nodded, saying softly, “Trauma can seriously mess with someone’s mental state… and trust goes out the window. Admitting to someone that you’re vulnerable… actually admitting it to someone other than yourself? That takes a shit ton of courage, Swan. I know. I was really proud of you after we got home today, coming to me when you needed me. Just know that I won’t ever put you down or make fun of you for being vulnerable with me.”
She gave me a serious nod, and I couldn’t help but stare into her new eyes. There were streaks all leading toward the pupil, some of them so light they looked white, and some dark enough that it looked like gray was mixed with the crystal-clear ice blue. I whispered, hoping she knew the truth in my words, “They really are quite beautiful. They make your freckles stand out a bit. I like your freckles.”
Bella covered her mouth while yawning, then said, “Thanks for telling me, instead of just brushing my question off.”
I pulled her to me, humming as she wedged her top leg between mine, then kissed the top of her head, “Rest now, Beautiful Girl.”
She was asleep less than ten minutes after her cheek rested against my chest.
About an hour later, I heard rustling in the back woods. I carefully detangled myself from Bella, made sure the covers were up around her, then made my way out the open door to the patio.
Inhaling on instinct, I relaxed at the scent. Sam came walking out of the woods only seconds later, nodding when he saw me. I sat in one of the two Adirondack chairs, knowing Sam would take the other when he reached me.
His voice was soft when he offered in greeting, “Jared let me see what happened earlier when I asked if you had phased in again.”
I growled slightly at the thought of Jake, then Sam said, “Unfortunately, once you marked Bella, I knew this might be a problem. That boy has had it for her since the moment she moved back. If you go by Billy’s account, since before she moved away.”
I grunted, then said gruffly, “I don’t want him alone with her right now. If he’s near her, I want another wolf within 25 ft of her. She’s just now started to open up and talk about shit. And I need to get her in to see the doc. More than once since she woke, I’ve heard her heart skip beats when she gets upset or excited. Plus I still need to talk to Old Quil. Sam, she said she saw Taha Aki in her nightmare state.”
His eyes went wide, so I nodded, “Yeah. When I made the second bite, she felt it. Said she felt an ache in her shoulder, then saw Taha Aki appear in the woods. Man, I literally was praying to him as I made that bite. She’s only alive now because of that. She said she was ready to give up and stop fighting until she saw him.”
Sam leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, asking, “She’s your mate, Paul. What do you want me to do here?”
I hummed in thought, then offered, “As soon as I start rotations again, Set Jake as my partner. I can handle his shit. I don’t want to experiment with whether Bella can right now. If it’s my turn to patrol, I want him as my partner, and you or Jared with her. She’s gonna be really skittish about touching, so you know. She didn’t even want to be close to Jake once she hugged him.”
At his questioning look, I told him, “Those fuckers did all but forcefully penetrate her. That dickhead doctor still might have harmed her internally from his fingers.”
Sam plopped against the backrest of the chair, his hands fisting into his hair, “Fuck. I was afraid of something like that.”
I nodded, then heard the rustling of fabric in the bedroom. I turned my head, only to see Bella closing her robe as she made her way out here. “Hey, sleepyhead. What are you doing awake?”
She plopped down into my lap sideways, her feet facing Sam, then rested her head in my neck, “You weren’t in bed. I guess with the door open, the bed got cooler faster. Is everything alright?”
Sam nodded, “Yeah, I just came to check in and see how you were doing.”
Bella let out a loud breath, offering, “It’s… a process.”
I didn’t think she was going to say anymore, but she finally hugged me tighter as she offered, “I feel like I’m on an emotional rollercoaster, and I’m not really comfortable around people right now. I get new flashes every once in a while, but I usually can’t make heads or tails of them. It’s the nightmares that get me.”
Sam nodded, “All completely understandable, Bella.”
As Bella rested against me, Sam and I talked about a few more things, but soon he was nodding to Bella as his voice softened even more. I looked down, and he whispered, “She’s asleep.”
I nodded, then said, “Let me get her to bed. Did you need anything else?”
Sam shook his head, “Jacob may end up needing to be taken down a few pegs, but we’ll see how it goes for right now. I just wanted to let you know that I’m aware of the situation, and you were fully within your rights to give him that warning, from what I saw. I’ll let Quil know to stop by tomorrow if you think you’ll be here.”
I nodded, saying softly, “Bella wanted a quiet day, but she wants answers as much as I do. Let him know we’ll be here.”
Sam stood, then asked, “Emily’s been asking about Bella. Do you think Bella is ready to talk to her?”
I hummed, “I’m sure she’d rather talk to a female about some things. I guess just have her call the house when she feels up to it. If Bella is ready to talk, she’ll take the phone.”
He nodded, “Fair enough. Night Paul.”
I walked through the door, my arms full of a sleeping beauty, saying over my shoulder, “Stay safe, Sam.”
After changing and brushing my teeth, I opened the bathroom door to see Bella had turned on her bedside light and turned off the main bedroom light. She was sitting back against her pillows, the blankets up to her hips, and her arms wrapped around her covered knees.
I got into bed facing Bella, the side of my face in my hand, and she immediately slid down to mirror my position. I couldn’t help but move a stray lock of hair behind her ear as I whispered, “Your eyes are so expressive.”
She frowned, asking, “They don’t freak you out?”
I shook my head, “They’re really beautiful, actually. No, they aren’t the brown you’re used to, and we’ll have to talk to Old Quil to see why it happened, but it doesn’t change the fact that I can look into your eyes and see everything I need to know.”
She gave me a look, so I chuckled, “And right now you’re nervous that I’ll be leaving you soon. It’s going to take a while before I can go on that particular hunt, Swan. You need to heal to the point where you can handle being without me for a few days at a time, and Sam needs to be sure he can handle the rez with only 2 other wolves. There’s no way in Hell he’ll let me go on that hunt alone. I will need to start patrolling again within the next week or so, to give the boys some relief and downtime.”
Bella nodded, “They need time with their imprints. About that… can I ask you something?”
I nodded, so she let out a breath. “You said neither you nor your wolf regrets saving me. You said he was happy that he marked me. So my question is, why did you not imprint on me, if I was supposed to be yours?”
I knew this was going to come up sooner or later. I hummed, then moved another stray lock from in front of her eyes, “Old Quil believes the vampire venom might have blocked the imprint from happening. I haven’t had the chance to really talk to him about it, but it kinda makes sense. I only saw you from further away after you moved here, until Jake phased, and you came here to visit him and Billy. You were already bitten by the time my eyes first connected with yours. Now, well, I don’t think there’s really a need for the imprint. I’ve already marked you. My wolf has already decided you are who he wants.”
Bella ducked her head, then picked at the edge of the quilt for a second before whispering, “But what about the man? What does the man in you want?”
I snorted, “I swear, Swan. Look at me.”
When she finally did, I stated clearly, “I’m asking this seriously, now. How many times in the last several months have I hit on you? How many times have I offered to take you away from the leech and show you what a real man was? How many times have you shot me down and told me to find a better pickup line?”
She bit her lip and went to say something, but I cupped her face with my free hand, “I wasn’t pissed about marking you, Swan, because I already knew I wanted you. Plus, I’ve always listened to my wolf’s instincts; he’s never led me wrong. I haven’t hit on you since the marking because, in case you haven’t figured this out yet, you’ve been through some seriously traumatic shit. I didn’t figure my stud services would be welcome right now.”
Bella barked out a laugh, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes lighting up.
Fuck, she’s beautiful.
She chuckled, “Stud services? You’re so crass sometimes… but you’re right. Honestly, even though you kept telling me to come to you if I needed anything, willingly making that choice has been… difficult. I’m thankful you’ve stepped in and offered when I couldn’t ask.”
I nodded, saying softly, “Trauma can seriously mess with someone’s mental state… and trust goes out the window. Admitting to someone that you’re vulnerable… actually admitting it to someone other than yourself? That takes a shit ton of courage, Swan. I know. I was really proud of you after we got home today, coming to me when you needed me. Just know that I won’t ever put you down or make fun of you for being vulnerable with me.”
She gave me a serious nod, and I couldn’t help but stare into her new eyes. There were streaks all leading toward the pupil, some of them so light they looked white, and some dark enough that it looked like gray was mixed with the crystal-clear ice blue. I whispered, hoping she knew the truth in my words, “They really are quite beautiful. They make your freckles stand out a bit. I like your freckles.”
Bella covered her mouth while yawning, then said, “Thanks for telling me, instead of just brushing my question off.”
I pulled her to me, humming as she wedged her top leg between mine, then kissed the top of her head, “Rest now, Beautiful Girl.”
She was asleep less than ten minutes after her cheek rested against my chest.
About an hour later, I heard rustling in the back woods. I carefully detangled myself from Bella, made sure the covers were up around her, then made my way out the open door to the patio.
Inhaling on instinct, I relaxed at the scent. Sam came walking out of the woods only seconds later, nodding when he saw me. I sat in one of the two Adirondack chairs, knowing Sam would take the other when he reached me.
His voice was soft when he offered in greeting, “Jared let me see what happened earlier when I asked if you had phased in again.”
I growled slightly at the thought of Jake, then Sam said, “Unfortunately, once you marked Bella, I knew this might be a problem. That boy has had it for her since the moment she moved back. If you go by Billy’s account, since before she moved away.”
I grunted, then said gruffly, “I don’t want him alone with her right now. If he’s near her, I want another wolf within 25 ft of her. She’s just now started to open up and talk about shit. And I need to get her in to see the doc. More than once since she woke, I’ve heard her heart skip beats when she gets upset or excited. Plus I still need to talk to Old Quil. Sam, she said she saw Taha Aki in her nightmare state.”
His eyes went wide, so I nodded, “Yeah. When I made the second bite, she felt it. Said she felt an ache in her shoulder, then saw Taha Aki appear in the woods. Man, I literally was praying to him as I made that bite. She’s only alive now because of that. She said she was ready to give up and stop fighting until she saw him.”
Sam leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, asking, “She’s your mate, Paul. What do you want me to do here?”
I hummed in thought, then offered, “As soon as I start rotations again, Set Jake as my partner. I can handle his shit. I don’t want to experiment with whether Bella can right now. If it’s my turn to patrol, I want him as my partner, and you or Jared with her. She’s gonna be really skittish about touching, so you know. She didn’t even want to be close to Jake once she hugged him.”
At his questioning look, I told him, “Those fuckers did all but forcefully penetrate her. That dickhead doctor still might have harmed her internally from his fingers.”
Sam plopped against the backrest of the chair, his hands fisting into his hair, “Fuck. I was afraid of something like that.”
I nodded, then heard the rustling of fabric in the bedroom. I turned my head, only to see Bella closing her robe as she made her way out here. “Hey, sleepyhead. What are you doing awake?”
She plopped down into my lap sideways, her feet facing Sam, then rested her head in my neck, “You weren’t in bed. I guess with the door open, the bed got cooler faster. Is everything alright?”
Sam nodded, “Yeah, I just came to check in and see how you were doing.”
Bella let out a loud breath, offering, “It’s… a process.”
I didn’t think she was going to say anymore, but she finally hugged me tighter as she offered, “I feel like I’m on an emotional rollercoaster, and I’m not really comfortable around people right now. I get new flashes every once in a while, but I usually can’t make heads or tails of them. It’s the nightmares that get me.”
Sam nodded, “All completely understandable, Bella.”
As Bella rested against me, Sam and I talked about a few more things, but soon he was nodding to Bella as his voice softened even more. I looked down, and he whispered, “She’s asleep.”
I nodded, then said, “Let me get her to bed. Did you need anything else?”
Sam shook his head, “Jacob may end up needing to be taken down a few pegs, but we’ll see how it goes for right now. I just wanted to let you know that I’m aware of the situation, and you were fully within your rights to give him that warning, from what I saw. I’ll let Quil know to stop by tomorrow if you think you’ll be here.”
I nodded, saying softly, “Bella wanted a quiet day, but she wants answers as much as I do. Let him know we’ll be here.”
Sam stood, then asked, “Emily’s been asking about Bella. Do you think Bella is ready to talk to her?”
I hummed, “I’m sure she’d rather talk to a female about some things. I guess just have her call the house when she feels up to it. If Bella is ready to talk, she’ll take the phone.”
He nodded, “Fair enough. Night Paul.”
I walked through the door, my arms full of a sleeping beauty, saying over my shoulder, “Stay safe, Sam.”