The Heat of You
by Wizardtho
Chapter 16:
Bella POV
Jake stayed for about 15 minutes before he said he needed to get home to Billy. I offered while snuggled into Paul’s side, “I’ll walk you out.”
As I walked toward the front door behind Jake, I saw Paul closing the door to the spare bathroom behind him. Jake and I stopped on the front porch, and I gave him a small smile. I didn’t know what to say to him, and it made me realize that our friendship wasn’t as deep as I thought it had been.
Before I knew what was happening, Jake whispered, “It should be me,” and he was grabbing me as his lips crushed to mine.
I panicked. Pure and simple. It felt wrong in every way, and I did the only thing I could think of. I bit his lip as hard as I could. When he yelled out in pain and backed up, my right hook landed squarely against his left cheek, hitting him as hard as I could before yelling, “What the fuck, Jake?! Do I look like a toy to be passed around to you?! You had absolutely NO right to touch me!”
That’s when Paul came running out, frantically checking me for injuries. As a side note, I noticed Jake was actually holding his face while crying out in pain, and his lip was bleeding heavily. “Are you crazy, Swan? Is your hand okay? Do I need to take you to the doc?”
Paul relaxed once he saw my hand wasn’t broken, but he growled menacingly at Jake when I told him that I punched Jake because he forcefully kissed me. Jake cowered as Paul growled, “Get the fuck off my property. Not only are you an idiot for not heeding my warning, which was given to you less than half an hour ago, you just forced yourself on a female who has been repeatedly violated and tortured in some form or another for the past several months. You’re lucky you’re leaving with your fucking head attached, Black.”
Still cradling my right hand, Paul turned us and led us into the house, firmly closing the door behind us. He rushed me to the kitchen, then sat me on the counter while he pulled out a Ziplock bag and grabbed ice from the freezer, all while asking me every few seconds if I was really okay.
When he came back to me with his makeshift icepack, I cupped his face with my right hand, which didn’t hurt a bit. “Slow down, Lahote. I’m fine, really. I just panicked, because I wasn’t expecting him to do something like that. So, I bit him and gave him Charlie’s right hook with all my feeble human might.”
Paul dropped the ice pack, then pulled a paper towel off the rack before wetting it a bit. He shook his head as he wiped my mouth and chin, “Feeble human might, Swan? You have more balls than you realize. You just punched a shifter… hauled off and decked a supernatural creature… without breaking your hand, I might add. I think we just found another side effect.”
I winced, realizing it could very well be the venom or Paul’s marking. I hoped it was Paul’s marking, to be honest, but it was a 50/50 chance.
I sighed, really thinking about what just happened, “This changes things. Jake… I tried to explain to him that I didn’t see him that way more than once before. He just… he won’t give up, will he?”
Pulling me to the edge of the counter, Paul stepped up between my legs and wrapped his arms around me. I immediately relaxed at his touch but wasn’t happy about his answer. “No, Swan… I don’t think he will. Do you remember how I told you Jake was being a dick when I phased after those awesome burgers? He was filling the mind link with his jealousy and his lust for you. He swears you’re supposed to be his. I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to hear this, but any contact you have with him is just keeping those ideas going in his head.”
He chuckled as he took my hand in one of his, then kissed my knuckles a few times while snickering, “I should nickname you slugger. Christ, that was a perfect strike. I would have appreciated it more if I weren’t so afraid you’d broken your hand, or wrist, or both. It must have been Jake’s cheek I heard crack.”
Before I could comment, Paul was waving someone in, so I turned to look. It was Old Quil and Sue, but Sue’s greeting was, “Is Jacob alright? I just saw him walking down the road holding the side of his face. He had blood all over him.”
I blushed wildly as I ducked my head into Paul’s neck, then mumbled from my position. “He deserved it, Sue. He grabbed me and kissed me, even after I told him before that I don’t see him like that. I panicked and punched him after biting his lip.”
Sue’s mouth hung open, but Old Quil replied after a second, “You did what?”
Paul replied while rubbing my back, “She slugged him -absolutely beautiful right hook- and no, she didn’t break anything. She didn’t even bruise her knuckles. I think she broke Jake’s cheekbone, though.”
Old Quil scowled, then came closer, “Bella? Would you mind me taking a look at you?”
I shook my head, then lifted it, “No, it’s okay.” I tapped Paul’s hip a couple of times, “Let me just hop down.”
I hopped down from the bar, then rounded it to stand in front of Old Quil in the living room. He took a breath and closed his eyes for a second, then looked at me intently.
His eyes bored into mine, then his hands rested gently at each side where my shoulders met my neck. He closed his eyes for a long moment, saying something under his breath, then opened them again. Paul’s mark on my neck, which was under Old Quil’s gentle hand, seemed to tingle slightly as it warmed.
When his eyes met mine again, he tilted his head and hummed, “Interesting.” His eyes never left mine as he asked, “Paul, have you noticed anything about Bella’s scent? How has your wolf been reacting to her?”
Paul immediately answered, “I haven’t smelled any venom since she first woke up, if that’s what you’re asking. She smells more like me, but I just put that down to her being in such close proximity to me. I’m either holding her or laying next to her all the time. As for my wolf, he’s been pretty content, except for when I think about what Bella’s been through or when Jake was just here. He’s seriously lucky I didn’t remove his head from his shoulders. The only reason he’s alive right now is that I was afraid Bella would be caught trying to come between us.”
Old Quil smiled softly at me, patted my shoulders, then offered, “Have a seat, both of you. I believe, Bella, you have a story to tell me. Then I will explain the conclusions I’ve come to since you woke.”
Paul quickly took a seat on the couch, then opened his arms to me. I curled up in his lap without a second thought, saying, “Yes. I told Paul about seeing the white wolf in my nightmare state. He said it was when he bit me the second time. He was praying to him when he made the bite. I felt an ache in my shoulder and saw Taha Aki in the woods.”
I explained all about my time with the massive wolf, then stressed, “Each time a nightmare appeared after that, I focused on where I could feel Paul’s warmth and where the connection to him felt strongest. It would stop that nightmare before another appeared. Each time, I chose Paul. I had to seek out and find our connection. It gave me the strength to keep going.”
Old Quil nodded seriously, then stated, “Yes. I can see that you have, indeed, chosen to accept Paul. For that reason, Bella, even though you have not consummated your mating, you smell as if you had. Your scent is no longer your own. Paul’s scent is now equal to your own.”
I blushed slightly as I smiled at Paul, not minding at all that I smelled like him, but he just kissed the top of my head without commenting. Old Quil continued, “As for your eyes, I can confirm that they are the proof of just how close to death you were before Paul marked you the second time. They are the price you paid for death not taking you. Paul, your second marking did more than just keep her alive. The strength she talked about? I believe you gave your mate some of your strength. Bella not being injured at all when punching Jake is proof that she is now stronger than a human when the need arises. I will have to have Sam test your strength and speed, to see if they have altered from before the marking.”
Paul scowled, “So you think when I bit her I transferred some of my wolf’s power to her?”
I looked up at him in worry, but he shook his head, “I’d do it again in a heartbeat, Swan. Don’t go there. I’m just trying to be clear about what he means.”
Old Quil nodded, “Yes, Paul. That is exactly what I mean. Have you thought about seeing Melody, Bella? I know you are not a fan of doctors right now, but it would ease all of our minds to know that you are healthy, after the long ordeal you have been through.”
I looked at Old Quil, then Paul, before asking, “Melody? I don’t…”
Paul shook his head, “I haven’t talked to her yet about Melody, but I did just think again earlier that I wanted to talk to Bella about maybe seeing her.” After a kiss to my temple, Paul said, “Melody Brown is the pack doctor. She takes care of the pack and imprints. She knows the secret and can be trusted with sensitive information.”
I bit my lip as I thought, then nodded, “It might be a good idea. I just told Emily earlier that I needed to see someone, but was afraid to see an outsider. We didn’t really get to talk more about it before Sam’s patrol shift ended.”
With the subject of my seeing a doctor now closed, we talked about a few more things before Old Quil said seriously, “Bella, we will also need Sam or Paul to test your new strength. It would sadden you if you were to hurt someone by accident, and finding out your limits is the first step in making sure that doesn’t happen.”
I nodded seriously, offering, “Paul can start to test me after our visit concludes. Just let him know the types of testing you’d like done. Or he can coordinate that with Sam if you’d rather.”
Old Quil and Sue smiled at each other, then Sue said, “It would be better for Sam and Paul to take the lead on that, Bella. Just please keep us informed of the results. This is the first occurrence of something like this happening with the spirit warriors, and it will need to be documented.”
It was only a few minutes later that Old Quil looked to be tiring, so he and Sue said their goodbyes.
Bella POV
Jake stayed for about 15 minutes before he said he needed to get home to Billy. I offered while snuggled into Paul’s side, “I’ll walk you out.”
As I walked toward the front door behind Jake, I saw Paul closing the door to the spare bathroom behind him. Jake and I stopped on the front porch, and I gave him a small smile. I didn’t know what to say to him, and it made me realize that our friendship wasn’t as deep as I thought it had been.
Before I knew what was happening, Jake whispered, “It should be me,” and he was grabbing me as his lips crushed to mine.
I panicked. Pure and simple. It felt wrong in every way, and I did the only thing I could think of. I bit his lip as hard as I could. When he yelled out in pain and backed up, my right hook landed squarely against his left cheek, hitting him as hard as I could before yelling, “What the fuck, Jake?! Do I look like a toy to be passed around to you?! You had absolutely NO right to touch me!”
That’s when Paul came running out, frantically checking me for injuries. As a side note, I noticed Jake was actually holding his face while crying out in pain, and his lip was bleeding heavily. “Are you crazy, Swan? Is your hand okay? Do I need to take you to the doc?”
Paul relaxed once he saw my hand wasn’t broken, but he growled menacingly at Jake when I told him that I punched Jake because he forcefully kissed me. Jake cowered as Paul growled, “Get the fuck off my property. Not only are you an idiot for not heeding my warning, which was given to you less than half an hour ago, you just forced yourself on a female who has been repeatedly violated and tortured in some form or another for the past several months. You’re lucky you’re leaving with your fucking head attached, Black.”
Still cradling my right hand, Paul turned us and led us into the house, firmly closing the door behind us. He rushed me to the kitchen, then sat me on the counter while he pulled out a Ziplock bag and grabbed ice from the freezer, all while asking me every few seconds if I was really okay.
When he came back to me with his makeshift icepack, I cupped his face with my right hand, which didn’t hurt a bit. “Slow down, Lahote. I’m fine, really. I just panicked, because I wasn’t expecting him to do something like that. So, I bit him and gave him Charlie’s right hook with all my feeble human might.”
Paul dropped the ice pack, then pulled a paper towel off the rack before wetting it a bit. He shook his head as he wiped my mouth and chin, “Feeble human might, Swan? You have more balls than you realize. You just punched a shifter… hauled off and decked a supernatural creature… without breaking your hand, I might add. I think we just found another side effect.”
I winced, realizing it could very well be the venom or Paul’s marking. I hoped it was Paul’s marking, to be honest, but it was a 50/50 chance.
I sighed, really thinking about what just happened, “This changes things. Jake… I tried to explain to him that I didn’t see him that way more than once before. He just… he won’t give up, will he?”
Pulling me to the edge of the counter, Paul stepped up between my legs and wrapped his arms around me. I immediately relaxed at his touch but wasn’t happy about his answer. “No, Swan… I don’t think he will. Do you remember how I told you Jake was being a dick when I phased after those awesome burgers? He was filling the mind link with his jealousy and his lust for you. He swears you’re supposed to be his. I’m sorry, I know you don’t want to hear this, but any contact you have with him is just keeping those ideas going in his head.”
He chuckled as he took my hand in one of his, then kissed my knuckles a few times while snickering, “I should nickname you slugger. Christ, that was a perfect strike. I would have appreciated it more if I weren’t so afraid you’d broken your hand, or wrist, or both. It must have been Jake’s cheek I heard crack.”
Before I could comment, Paul was waving someone in, so I turned to look. It was Old Quil and Sue, but Sue’s greeting was, “Is Jacob alright? I just saw him walking down the road holding the side of his face. He had blood all over him.”
I blushed wildly as I ducked my head into Paul’s neck, then mumbled from my position. “He deserved it, Sue. He grabbed me and kissed me, even after I told him before that I don’t see him like that. I panicked and punched him after biting his lip.”
Sue’s mouth hung open, but Old Quil replied after a second, “You did what?”
Paul replied while rubbing my back, “She slugged him -absolutely beautiful right hook- and no, she didn’t break anything. She didn’t even bruise her knuckles. I think she broke Jake’s cheekbone, though.”
Old Quil scowled, then came closer, “Bella? Would you mind me taking a look at you?”
I shook my head, then lifted it, “No, it’s okay.” I tapped Paul’s hip a couple of times, “Let me just hop down.”
I hopped down from the bar, then rounded it to stand in front of Old Quil in the living room. He took a breath and closed his eyes for a second, then looked at me intently.
His eyes bored into mine, then his hands rested gently at each side where my shoulders met my neck. He closed his eyes for a long moment, saying something under his breath, then opened them again. Paul’s mark on my neck, which was under Old Quil’s gentle hand, seemed to tingle slightly as it warmed.
When his eyes met mine again, he tilted his head and hummed, “Interesting.” His eyes never left mine as he asked, “Paul, have you noticed anything about Bella’s scent? How has your wolf been reacting to her?”
Paul immediately answered, “I haven’t smelled any venom since she first woke up, if that’s what you’re asking. She smells more like me, but I just put that down to her being in such close proximity to me. I’m either holding her or laying next to her all the time. As for my wolf, he’s been pretty content, except for when I think about what Bella’s been through or when Jake was just here. He’s seriously lucky I didn’t remove his head from his shoulders. The only reason he’s alive right now is that I was afraid Bella would be caught trying to come between us.”
Old Quil smiled softly at me, patted my shoulders, then offered, “Have a seat, both of you. I believe, Bella, you have a story to tell me. Then I will explain the conclusions I’ve come to since you woke.”
Paul quickly took a seat on the couch, then opened his arms to me. I curled up in his lap without a second thought, saying, “Yes. I told Paul about seeing the white wolf in my nightmare state. He said it was when he bit me the second time. He was praying to him when he made the bite. I felt an ache in my shoulder and saw Taha Aki in the woods.”
I explained all about my time with the massive wolf, then stressed, “Each time a nightmare appeared after that, I focused on where I could feel Paul’s warmth and where the connection to him felt strongest. It would stop that nightmare before another appeared. Each time, I chose Paul. I had to seek out and find our connection. It gave me the strength to keep going.”
Old Quil nodded seriously, then stated, “Yes. I can see that you have, indeed, chosen to accept Paul. For that reason, Bella, even though you have not consummated your mating, you smell as if you had. Your scent is no longer your own. Paul’s scent is now equal to your own.”
I blushed slightly as I smiled at Paul, not minding at all that I smelled like him, but he just kissed the top of my head without commenting. Old Quil continued, “As for your eyes, I can confirm that they are the proof of just how close to death you were before Paul marked you the second time. They are the price you paid for death not taking you. Paul, your second marking did more than just keep her alive. The strength she talked about? I believe you gave your mate some of your strength. Bella not being injured at all when punching Jake is proof that she is now stronger than a human when the need arises. I will have to have Sam test your strength and speed, to see if they have altered from before the marking.”
Paul scowled, “So you think when I bit her I transferred some of my wolf’s power to her?”
I looked up at him in worry, but he shook his head, “I’d do it again in a heartbeat, Swan. Don’t go there. I’m just trying to be clear about what he means.”
Old Quil nodded, “Yes, Paul. That is exactly what I mean. Have you thought about seeing Melody, Bella? I know you are not a fan of doctors right now, but it would ease all of our minds to know that you are healthy, after the long ordeal you have been through.”
I looked at Old Quil, then Paul, before asking, “Melody? I don’t…”
Paul shook his head, “I haven’t talked to her yet about Melody, but I did just think again earlier that I wanted to talk to Bella about maybe seeing her.” After a kiss to my temple, Paul said, “Melody Brown is the pack doctor. She takes care of the pack and imprints. She knows the secret and can be trusted with sensitive information.”
I bit my lip as I thought, then nodded, “It might be a good idea. I just told Emily earlier that I needed to see someone, but was afraid to see an outsider. We didn’t really get to talk more about it before Sam’s patrol shift ended.”
With the subject of my seeing a doctor now closed, we talked about a few more things before Old Quil said seriously, “Bella, we will also need Sam or Paul to test your new strength. It would sadden you if you were to hurt someone by accident, and finding out your limits is the first step in making sure that doesn’t happen.”
I nodded seriously, offering, “Paul can start to test me after our visit concludes. Just let him know the types of testing you’d like done. Or he can coordinate that with Sam if you’d rather.”
Old Quil and Sue smiled at each other, then Sue said, “It would be better for Sam and Paul to take the lead on that, Bella. Just please keep us informed of the results. This is the first occurrence of something like this happening with the spirit warriors, and it will need to be documented.”
It was only a few minutes later that Old Quil looked to be tiring, so he and Sue said their goodbyes.