Never Knew I Needed

 

Chapter 1

 

Forks, Washington.

 

The town name sounded boring compared to the busy streets of Chicago, Illinois.  Talyn Willow couldn’t believe she was here, leaning back against the front passenger seat, rolling her eyes when her godmother kept her eyes on the road.  Of course the woman would be judgmental, but that was fine because Talyn didn’t care.

 

She looked down at her black fingerless leather gloves, knowing her appearance would no doubt bring a shock to the town.  Her outfit consisted of a black tank top with fishnet arm warmers.  The tank top had a five pointed star in midnight blue embroidery on the front with ‘Devil’s Child 666’ on the back along with black cargo pants that had chains dangling from them every which way. 

 

She had a black belt in the loops with a buckle that had a gothic silver cross.  Two inched knee high boots were on her feet that had buckles and small spikes up the length.  Her hair was a deep midnight blue that looked jet black in certain lights.  Her lips were painted black along with her nails, dark thick black eyeliner around her ice blue eyes along with dark midnight blue eye shadow in a cool fire shaped design.  On her right upper arm was a tattoo in midnight blue lettering with her name scrawled in gothic lettering.

 

Talyn was definitely a different ball of wax.

 

Mandy Weber was talking about Talyn attending Forks High School to finish out her senior year, but the girl wasn’t listening, simply studying the puny town before her with a derisive snort.  What the hell was there to do in this town besides burn it down?  Talyn knew her parents sent her to her own personal hell when they called up her godmother.

 

‘This seriously fucking sucks.’ She thought, already irritated, nodding when her godmother asked if she was listening to her. ‘Why would I listen to an overweight stuffed pig like you Mandy?’ Talyn rolled her eyes, tapping her fingers against her arm, knowing Angela would be shocked to see her again.

 

Mandy pulled in the driveway about twenty minutes later and Talyn instantly stepped out, her chains rattling as she looked around the town, already feeling a chill in the air.  It didn’t bother her because she was used to cold weather in Chicago, simply opening the back door to retrieve her bags.  Talyn knew as long as she had her laptop and cell phone, everything would be fine.

 

“Hey mom!” Angela called excitedly, rushing out of the door, stepping dead in her tracks at the sight of her god sister –that’s what they called Angela to Talyn-, blinking in shock. “Talyn, is that you?”

 

“No it’s the fucking Easter bunny.”

 

“Talyn, watch your language please.” Mandy requested, walking past her daughter with worry in her eyes, heading inside with one of Talyn’s bags.

 

“Wow, you’ve really changed.” Angela said softly, Eric Yorkie standing right beside her, who was her current boyfriend.  They’d been dating for about a year and couldn’t believe senior year was already here. “It’s been a long time…”

 

Eric was afraid to speak for fear of the gothic witch casting a spell on him.

 

Talyn could smell his fear and smirked, flashing her white teeth.

 

“Uhhh I’m gonna get going Angie.  I’ll call you later.” Eric took off running to his car, peeling away moments later, leaving tire burn marks in the road.

 

“Hmmm nice to know I haven’t lost my touch.” Talyn murmured thoughtfully, looking back at Angela, who looked afraid to come near her.  Oh this was too amusing and it shone in Talyn’s pale blue eyes.

 

“Don’t mind him, he gets skittish around new people.” Angela said, making an excuse up for Eric’s behavior, wrapping her arms around herself.  This was really awkward as Angela chewed her bottom lip, pushing the glasses up on her nose. “He’ll warm up to you in no time I’m sure.”

 

“Highly unlikely, Ang.” Talyn snorted, pulling a pack of cigarettes from one of her cargo pockets, arching an eyebrow when Angela gasped in shock. “Oh please, I’m eighteen.  I can smoke if I fucking want to.”

 

“B-But…T-There’s no smoking allowed in the house…” Angela stammered, trying to regain her composure, but it was kind of hard considering the girl she once knew had completely changed.  Even her hair had and Angela noticed a blue tint to it, swallowing hard.

 

“So I won’t smoke outside.  It’s not a fucking crime, Ang, so chill out.” Talyn snapped, clearly annoyed as she rolled her eyes, lighting a Newport up and inhaling deeply.  She couldn’t believe she was here and closed her eyes, trying not to think about the reasoning behind it.

 

Angela didn’t know what else to say and rushed back inside the house, knowing she had to tell her mother about Talyn smoking.  Mandy sighed when she heard that, not at all surprised, and simply waved her daughter off dismissively.  She had to talk to Bradley when he came home about this situation, knowing he would be back from hunting sometime later that night.

 

‘This place is boring central.  Dear god, what the fuck am I supposed to do for the next year stuck in a place like this?’ Talyn thought angrily, taking a larger drag from her cigarette, feeling her cell phone vibrating on her hip. 

 

She flipped it open and immediately shut it, putting it on silent.  There was no way in hell she was talking to her parents after what they did to her.  This was completely bull and they knew it, but as usual, they always listened to the others before their own daughter.  Talyn knew Mandy and Brad would try controlling her and she would do what she did with her parents, chew them up and spit them right back out.

 

“Talyn, please come here!” Mandy called from the front door, causing her to sigh heavily as she finished her cigarette, putting it out and flicked it across the street, heading up the driveway toward her new prison. “Please don’t do that again.  Throw them away.”

 

“Whatever.” Talyn muttered, stepping inside the seventies flashback looking living room, wrinkling her nose. 

 

It even smelled old, how convenient.  Talyn walked through the small living room into the dining room, sitting down when Mandy tapped the chair, deciding to oblige her.  She propped her feet up on the table, folding her arms in front of her chest, looking at Mandy with cold pale blue eyes.

 

“I wanted to go over the rules with you.” Mandy stated, shoving her goddaughter’s feet off of the table. “And that won’t be tolerated either.”

 

“Mands, let me stop you right now.  Now if you want me to follow your rules, I have a few of my own.  Number one, you don’t touch my shit.” She ignored her godmother’s glare, counting them out on her fingers. “Number two, you let me wear what I want because I’m gonna do it anyway and number three, you allow me to smoke as long as it’s away from your house and I’m ‘respectful’ about it.  Now, if you can follow those three rules of mine, then I have no problem following yours.”

 

Mandy took several deep breaths, not believing the attitude her goddaughter had, silently making a mental note to pray for her later on. “Very well, I don’t see a problem with that IF your attire is appropriate and not scandalous.” She was going to compromise with Talyn, arching an eyebrow when it looked as if Talyn would disagree with that term.

 

“I don’t wear anything scandalous or raunchy.  I’m not a slut or a whore.” She grunted, tapping her fingers on the table before raking a hand through her hair.

 

“Rule number one,” Mandy ignored that comment, folding her hands on the table. “There is no profanity allowed in this house.  If you curse, there will be a punishment.  Rule number two, the smoking I don’t mind as long as you do OUTSIDE of the house and I will be checking your room every day to make sure you’re not doing it inside.”

 

“I won’t be smoking in your precious household, you can count on that.” Talyn had a little respect left inside of her and she wouldn’t want that done in her house if the tables were reversed. “The cussing I don’t know about because it’s a part of my vocabulary.  I can try, that’s the best I can do.”

 

“Well if you do, then you will be punished with a chore.” Mandy wasn’t backing down, absolutely loathing profanity, and leaned back against the chair. “Rule number three, you have a curfew eighteen years old or not.  I want you in this house not one SECOND past midnight.”

 

Talyn could already feel her anger overtaking her, just mutely nodding, knowing she had to follow the rules if Mandy was going to respect hers. 

 

“Rule number four, you do have chores around here and I expect them to be done in a timely fashion.  Angela has her chores as well along with Isaac and Joshua.” They were twins and younger brothers of Angela. “That means that the day you are scheduled to do dishes, they are to be done right after school after your homework should you have any.”

 

“I don’t clean bathrooms and if you try forcing me, I’ll shove your fucking head down the toilet.” Talyn growled, eyes narrowed to slits, wondering when that profanity rule kicked in because right now she was ticked off.

 

Mandy rubbed her temples, clearly not getting through to her goddaughter, deciding she’d let that one slip slide. “Fine, no bathrooms.  I usually do those anyway because the kids don’t know how to do them properly.” She muttered, crossing one leg over the other. “Rule number five, if you are going somewhere, I want to know who you’re with and leave me a number where I can reach you.  If you don’t, you will be punished with more chores.”

 

“Christ, how many fucking chores are there to do around this dump?” Talyn snapped, standing up from the table, knowing she couldn’t sit any longer or she’d probably end up breaking the damn thing in half.

 

“Enough to make that mouth of yours shut up.” Mandy stated, standing up as well, folding her arms in front of her chest. “It’s not my fault you’re here, Talyn.  I didn’t do anything wrong except try to help your parents straighten you out before you end up dead in a ditch somewhere!”

 

“Oh fuck you!  You don’t know shit about my life, lady!  You haven’t been there for me since I was ten years old!  Guess what, people change and I’m not changing for anyone.  I’ll do your goddamn chores because I refuse to hold my tongue around you or anyone else!  Believe it or not, Mands, this isn’t my fault either!  I shouldn’t fucking be here!” She shouted angrily, every part of her body beginning to tremble, though no tears stung her eyes.  It took A LOT to make Talyn cry and she’d only done it a few times in her entire life that she could remember.

 

Mandy was losing her patience fast, walking around the table to face her goddaughter, not believing they were already getting into an argument. “You listen to me and listen good, Talyn Willow, it isn’t my fault you’re here either.  It’s not my fault you and your friends decided to do what you did and it’s not my fault you got kicked out of school for nearly burning it down…”

 

“Which I didn’t do!” Talyn protested, throwing her hands up in the air when Mandy tried talking again, shaking her head in disbelief. “You know what?  I’m done talking to you.  I’m going up to my room and if you have any more rules for me, just fucking write them down and I’ll plant a stamp on them and send them out the fucking door!”

 

She didn’t give Mandy a chance to say anything else and ran up the stairs, finding the room with her stuff, and slammed the door with so much force, the hinges nearly broke off.  She wasn’t surprised that there wasn’t a lock on her door, deciding that would be changing.  She had some money saved up from her bank account she secretly set up without her parents knowing. 

 

She did it a few months ago when she turned eighteen, wishing she was out of school already.  She had to repeat fifth grade, which is why she was graduating before everyone else.  Again, if she didn’t have a moronic teacher who actually knew what he was talking about, she wouldn’t be in this predicament either.

 

Whipping her cell phone out, Talyn checked her messages, rolling her eyes when she saw her parents had called.  She decided to let them stew or talk to Mandy, refusing to return their call.  Luckily, the cell phone wasn’t in their name, it was in hers and she could keep it going as long as she found a job around this ghost town. 

 

Plopping back on the bed, Talyn looked up at the ceiling, hating the flower wallpaper that surrounded her, knowing that would have to change too.  Mandy would hate her by the time she graduated from Forks High School, hardly able to wait for that to happen.  Of course, that meant she couldn’t skip classes, which Talyn more than likely would do just on principal.  She missed her friends, sighing heavily, and pulled her bag on the bed.  Unzipping it, Talyn sifted through it before pulling out the folded up picture, closing her eyes as she tried hard to keep the tears at bay.

 

Running her fingers down the picture, Talyn could already feel the tears sliding down her pale cheeks, knowing her black makeup was being smeared.  How could something so simple end as tragic as it had?  Serena Willis was beautiful with fiery red hair and deep green eyes, a total Goth, though she had a punk fashion to her. 

 

Brandon Mortar was the guy in between her and Serena with jet black hair and gray eyes.  He was built nicely, standing well over six feet tall, a total Goth as well.  Talyn had recently broken up with him after what happened, which was the main reason by Talyn was stuck in Forks, Washington right now.

 

It was supposed to be a simple come and go, the plan flawless.  She still wondered how it blew out of proportion because it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary they did.  She still couldn’t believe what happened, what she had witnessed, and wiped the tears away hastily. 

 

Taking a knife out of her boot, in a hidden compartment, Talyn stuck it on the wall right above her bed, needing both of them to be as close to her as possible.  She missed them more than anything.  They were her true family, the only people who fully understood her, or used to be.

 

Not anymore because Serena was dead.

 

Chapter 2

 

The following day Talyn decided to get up early and explore the town of Forks, leaving a note on her bed for her warden.  That’s exactly who Mandy was, Talyn refused to call her a godmother because all she wanted to do was try and control her.  That would happen over her dead body as Talyn drove down the street, smoking a cigarette, ignoring people’s stares.  Mandy had gotten her a 1989 Cutlass Sierra that was beat up and nearly broken down. 

 

It got her from point A to point B, which is what counted Talyn supposed.

 

Her outfit was mild compared to others, a simple black long sleeved shirt with black jeans that flared near the bottom over her black steel toed boots.  She had a black leather jacket that went past her waist, zipped up halfway, with no hood, her hair down as the wind blew through it lightly.  Black lipstick and thick eyeliner painted her face, her usual mask, along with black fingerless leather gloves that she never left the house without.

 

This town didn’t even have a mall, just a small market that only sold food.  Talyn was in pure and utter hell, though she had to admit the wooded area captivated her.  She drove about fifteen minutes before pulling over on the side of the road, finishing her cigarette and flicked the butt in a nearby trashcan, heading into the woods.  Snow crunched under her boots as she looked around, cold air entering her lungs, which felt wonderful to Talyn.  She felt freedom consume her, the further she ventured, not honestly caring where this lead her.

 

She’d gotten up early that day, more than normal, not wanting to chance running into Mandy and her snot-nosed hubby.  That was the last thing Talyn needed as she kept going up the hill, breathing heavily, using trees for leverage to push ahead further.  She needed a distraction, knowing school started the next day, which Talyn was not looking forward to.  Snorting, Talyn would probably attend a few of the morning classes and then skip the rest, honestly not caring about her education.

 

Like Trigonometry and Biology was supposed to prepare her for life?

 

Moving a large branch out of her way, Talyn looked out at the beautiful scenery before her, the ocean waves crashing on the shore below.  It had to be a good fifty feet and more down, so she had to be careful as she continued walking on the rocks, running a hand through her bluish black hair.  This was somewhat exhilarating, making Talyn feel more alive than she had in months.  Deciding she needed a break, Talyn walked a few more minutes and sank down, dangling her feet off of the cliff.  The ground was surprisingly dry, though the snow was beginning to melt all around.

 

So many thoughts ran through Talyn’s mind, mainly Serena, missing her more every day that passed.  It’d been six months since her untimely death, which Talyn still silently blamed herself for.  She couldn’t believe she got to wake up every day alive and breathing while Serena was lying in a coffin somewhere six feet under.  Because of Talyn and Brandon, Serena was no longer able to talk to her parents or walk the halls of school, cracking her usual jokes.

 

“I can’t think about this anymore.” She whispered, standing up from the cliff, knowing she probably had to head back to Forks. 

 

That wasn’t going to happen though because Talyn stumbled down the hill toward the beach, wanting to walk along it for awhile.  She wanted to enjoy the breeze fully and arrived, her boots clomping on the sand, staying far enough away from the waves so they didn’t get her legs wet.  Talyn knew it would be a long trek back to her car, but didn’t want to give up her freedom yet.

 

Her head snapped up when she heard giggling in the far distance, raising a slow black eyebrow.  The further she walked, the closer it came until she spotted two people on the beach, a guy chasing a girl.  Talyn felt incredibly awkward and turned around, beginning to walk back in the opposite direction, sighing when she heard their voices sound behind her.

 

“Hi there!” The girl greeted jovially, watching the dark one stop dead in her their tracks, arching an eyebrow. “Did you need some help?”

 

“Leave him alone, Mira.  He probably doesn’t want to be bothered.” The boy demanded, walking up to stand besides her, folding his arms in front of his chest. “Come on, Em’s expecting us back soon.”

 

“Actually, I’m not a HIM or a HE.  I’m very much the opposite.” Talyn corrected, turning around to face them, watching their eyes widen slightly.

 

The boy had black hair with dark brown eyes, wearing black cut off jean shorts and sneakers, his chest bare.  The girl had honey blonde hair with green eyes, having a pale complexion, looking the total opposite of the boy.  She wore a simple deep red long sleeved top with blue hip hugger jeans and white tennis shoes.  They could’ve been wearing loincloths and it still wouldn’t have mattered to Talyn.

 

Samira blinked several times, staring at the Goth girl, wondering what she was doing on La Push beach.  This girl lived in Forks, there was no doubt about it, and judging by her appearance she was new to the area.  Smiling softly, Samira stepped up first with Jared standing behind her, extending her hand with glittering green eyes.  Jared wondered if his sister had completely lost her mind stepping up to this pale face, suddenly standing in a protective posture.

 

“Sorry about my brother’s rude behavior.  I’m Samira Tinsel; most call me Mira for short though.” She said, introducing herself politely, and watched as the woman just stared at her hand like it was a foreign object.  Samira pulled her hand away, chewing her bottom lip. “Are you new to the area?”

 

Talyn wondered if she’d walked into a twilight zone, wondering why the boy looked like he was going to lunge at her at any given moment. “Somewhat.” She muttered, arms resting at her sides, refusing to shake anyone’s hand. “Hey fucker, do you have a staring problem or do you want me to pluck your eyeballs out for you?”  She demanded in an agitated voice, clenching her fists, eyes shooting pure ice.

 

Samira swallowed hard, knowing her brother had really angered the newcomer, sighing heavily.  Jared was very judgmental and a lot of the time let his mouth run away with him…like now.  She could tell how angry the woman was, wanting to diffuse this situation before he got out of hand.

 

“Jared, why don’t you go to Emily’s and I’ll meet you there?” Samira suggested in a final tone, not giving her brother a chance to argue with him, watching his entire body tense.

 

“Mira, I don’t think-”

 

“NOW Jared.”

 

Scowling darkly, Jared knew better than to argue with his sister, backing up slowly before jogging through the woods toward Emily’s.  He was definitely going to tell Sam and the others about this pale face, knowing they would want the information.  He didn’t trust her and wished Samira wasn’t trustworthy when it came to strangers.

 

“Now that we got rid of the schmuck,” Samira turned her attention back to the woman, nothing but friendliness in her green eyes. “Do you mind me asking your name?”

 

This girl was somewhat annoying, though Talyn felt a sense of trust with her, not understanding why exactly. “Talyn Willow.” She stated in a calmer tone of voice, glad that Samira got rid of her big mouth brother.  Talyn would’ve hated to hurt him, especially on her first full day in this hellhole.

 

“Talyn, that’s a really beautiful name.” Samira commented, stepping closer to her, knowing she was putting up a front because she was in a new place.

 

“Thanks…” Talyn turned and reached down in her coat pocket, extracting a pack of cigarettes, waiting for the usual gasp of appalling shock.  Surprise flashed in Talyn’s pale blue eyes when Samira just simply smiled, wondering what kind of creature she was. “Samira is too, I suppose.”

 

Samira laughed softly, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. “It’s a name, nothing special.” They started walking slowly along the beach, Samira feeling strangely connected to Talyn. “So what brings you to this part of the states?”

 

“Personal issues.” Talyn simply answered, refusing to go into detail about what happened with Serena. “What is this place called?”

 

“Oh, La Push beach.  La Push is an Indian reservation for the Quileute people.  I’m adopted, if you couldn’t tell already.” Samira explained softly, running a hand through her honey blonde locks, the ocean breeze flowing over both of them.

 

“Yeah, I could actually.” Talyn replied in a monotone voice, though it was softer than usual.  She felt surprisingly comfortable, enjoying walking with her down the beach. “You two are completely different, attitudes included.”

 

“Yeah, most people still can’t believe they allowed a ‘pale face’ on the reservation.  They adopted me and didn’t care what anyone else said or thought.” Samira sighed gently, knowing she was very blessed to have the family she did in her life. “So tell me a little about yourself, Talyn.”

 

“What do you wanna know?” Talyn asked, taking a long drag from her smoke, allowing the smoke to flow from her lips slowly.

 

“Anything you want to talk about.  I’m a good listener and I promise not to judge you.” Samira replied quietly, meaning what she said as they both stopped.

 

“Hmmm right…” Talyn wasn’t buying it, flicking ash in the breeze as the waves crashed against the shore lightly, possibly the most soothing sound in the world. “Well, I moved here from Chicago, Illinois.  Have you ever heard of it?”

 

“Yes, briefly.  Just in school though, I’ve never left this area.” Samira answered, picking up a rock from the beach and tossing it across the water, the smile never leaving her face. “Sometimes I wonder what else is out there though.”

 

“How old are you?” Talyn asked, mildly curious as she flicked the butt in the sand, knowing it would just mesh with it.

 

Samira cleared her throat, looking a little sheepish, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Eighteen and, before you say anything, I don’t look it.”

 

“No, you don’t.” Talyn smirked, the first sign of life coming from her blackened lips, sighing gently. “But that’s fine, I’m sure you don’t believe I’m eighteen.”

 

“You look more like twenty or so.” Samira said seriously, both of them staring at each other before bursting out laughing. 

 

Talyn couldn’t remember the last time she actually, genuinely, laughed and it felt great.  Serena was the only one who could make her laugh and that’s when it hit Talyn like a ton of bricks, her chest constricting painfully.  Samira reminded her of Serena, her best friend who was dead and gone, knowing she had to get away from here.

 

“Are you okay?” Samira asked softly, seeing the change in demeanor from Talyn, a frown marring her face. “Did I say something wrong?”

 

“No, no you didn’t.” Talyn cleared her throat, pursing her lips tightly together, staring out at the water again. “Though, I really have to get going.”

 

“Oh…so soon?” Samira sounded saddened, which confused Talyn because hardly anyone wanted to hang out and talk with her like this.

 

Talyn nodded once, rubbing the back of her neck before cracking it, knowing it was getting late and Mandy would probably worry about her.  The warden would want her newest prisoner in her cell she was sure of it, even though her curfew wasn’t until midnight.  Still, Talyn didn’t want to be around Samira anymore, at least not with the wound of her Serena’s death so fresh.

 

“Yeah, my…godmother is expecting me back.” Talyn took a step back, cracking her knuckles, which wasn’t meant to look intimidating.  Old habits die hard and that was, unfortunately, one of hers.

 

“Oh well, hey if you ever wanna hang out or whatever, don’t hesitate to come back to La Push.  You’re really cool and I’d like to be friends…if you want.” Samira smiled, extending her hand to Talyn, those soft green eyes showing absolutely no judgment.

 

“Okay, this is going to sound wrong, but I have to ask.  You’re not freaked out by me or scared?” Talyn was floored, blinking; it was very hard to shock a person like Talyn, but this woman was doing it without trying.

 

Samira arched a slow eyebrow, tilting her head slightly to the side. “Why would I be?” She retorted with a smile, giggling softly when Talyn just stared at her like she’d grown three heads. “You’re not scary, Talyn.  You’re a normal person who happens to like dark makeup.”

 

“You do realize I have blue hair right?”

 

Samira shrugged again. “What’s your point?  I happen to love your hair.  It looks black, but when you look really closely, you can see the blue tint in it.  It’s very different, nothing wrong with it.  Everyone has their own style.”

 

“You are the first person to say something like that to me.  I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to meet someone who isn’t judgmental.” Talyn truly meant that, knowing she found a friend in Samira without even looking.

 

“Like I said, everyone has their own style.  If everyone was the same way and dressed the same, we’d all be boring sticks in the mud.” Samira laughed, knowing Jared was probably watching them from the woods, honestly not caring.

 

“Very true indeed.”

 

Talyn couldn’t agree more, remembering how Serena used to have this attitude about the world being against people like them.  Samira was blonde with green eyes, wearing barely any makeup and looked the preppy cheerleader type.  In all honesty, she was a beautiful person inside and out. 

 

“So I guess you judged me too, right?”

 

Talyn nodded, sighing gently as she went to pull out another cigarette, deciding against it.  She’d made Samira suffer through one, even though they were outside. “Thanks for the talk, Samira.  I’ll see you later.” Talyn walked away from her and headed down the beach, shoving her hands in her coat pockets.

 

Samira sighed heavily, seeing how Talyn carried herself, deciding she would do whatever it took to befriend her.  Talyn obviously had some demons to overcome, but Samira was one of the most patient people in the world.  She turned around, feeling someone behind her, and turned around as her green eyes locked with Paul.

 

“I got worried about you.” He murmured, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Jared told everyone about your encounter with the pale face.”

 

“Her name is Talyn Willow and she’s not a pale face.  She’s a person.” Samira stated a little heatedly, placing her hands on her hips. “I really hate how you all just assume that everyone from Forks is dangerous.”

 

“We don’t, we’re just protective.” Paul sighed when Samira stormed past him, deciding it would be better not to say anything right now. 

 

He couldn’t help looking over his shoulder at the figure that disappeared in the woods.

 

Chapter 3

 

Forks High School.

 

The name itself gave Talyn a bad vibe, though she knew she couldn’t back out of this.  The warden would have her head on a silver platter for sure.  Not that Talyn minded; she just didn’t feel like having confrontation in the Weber house.  Talyn showed up a few minutes before midnight the previous night, to which Mandy actually thanked her for being on time.  Talyn simply nodded and went up to her room, no words needing to be said.

 

Mandy was still the warden though.

 

Talyn’s thoughts turned from her prison to Samira, wondering if she went to school here.  La Push was around a half a half an hour away give or take, depending how fast one drove.  Talyn was a bit of a lead foot, having gone past the speed limit, only taking her twenty minutes to get home from La Push once she found the car again.  The hike back wasn’t as hard as it was getting to the beach, but it’d been very worth it.

 

Pulling in the parking lot with her 1989 Cutlass, Talyn ignored the stares she received as she finished her morning cigarette before putting it out in her ashtray.  Her hair was pulled back in a simply bun, a few tendrils framing her face, which had the usual mask on it, eye shadow a blue fire design.  Her outfit was the usual, black cargo pants and a blue long sleeved shirt with black mesh over it, leather jacket along with black steel toed boots.  Rarely did Talyn wear anything colorful, unless it was blue, dark red or purple.  Those were her colors, even though she favored blue over anything else, which clearly showed.

 

Stepping out of the car, Talyn clipped the keys to the belt loop, refusing to carry a backpack.  Instead, she had a simple black bag with a white and blue skull crossbones embroidered on the front.  She grabbed her wallet, sliding it in her front cargo thigh pocket, not trusting anyone.  Living on the streets of Chicago, Talyn learned quickly to never slide anything valuable in her back pocket.

 

The students all stepped aside as Talyn looked up at the high school with disdain in her pale blue eyes, shouldering the bag, and reluctantly headed inside.  Angela was off to the side talking with her best friend, Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton, Eric standing beside her with his arm draped over her neck casually.  Talyn was definitely making a first impression and Angela hoped she didn’t start any trouble with anyone.

 

“Wow who is the freak show?” Jessica snorted, leaning against Mike, who looked bored out of his mind.

 

Angela wondered if she should confess who it was, but Eric was too quick for her. “That’s Angela’s family.  I think her god sister or something.” He decided he would be keeping a respectful distant from Talyn while she was here. “She’s staying with Angela for the year to finish her senior year, isn’t that right baby?”

 

“Yeah…” Angela blushed furiously as Jessica began laughing, sounding annoying as usual. “We should really get to class you guys.”

 

“Yeah, the yearbook committee won’t wait!” Eric exclaimed, looping his arm through Angela’s as he guided her away to class, leaving Jessica and Mike to watch after them.

 

The first stop for Talyn was the front office to grab her schedule, knowing she was coming toward the middle of the first semester, and looked it over with a snort.  Biology, Trigonometry, Home Economics, English 12A, P.E., Health, Child Development and Study Hall were all listed in order by which period they were.  She’d definitely be skipping Biology and Trigonometry, really hating how this school was just like the one in Chicago.

 

‘Fucking great.’ She thought sordidly, reluctantly heading to her first hour class, which was Biology with Mr. Stanford.

 

The class was in session when the door opened and Mr. Stanley stopped talking, staring at the dark faced girl.  She looked like night of the living dead, though the teachers were not allowed to criticize or judge their students. He simply smiled at her, knowing this had to be Talyn Willow, clearing his throat to silence the class.

 

“Guys and gals, I’d like you all to meet Talyn Willow.  She’ll be finishing her senior year with us.  Please make her feel welcome.  Talyn, you can have any seat you wish.” Mr. Stanford announced enthusiastically, not daring to touch the girl because she looked timid enough.

 

If anything, Talyn was amused by this welcome, though her eyes were perfectly guarded as she stared straight ahead.  Mr. Stanford seemed alright for a teacher with short gray hair that had black streaks through it and a matching goatee.  She walked away from him and down the aisle, always heading for the back, sliding in the first seat she saw, setting her bag down on the floor. 

 

Class commenced and Talyn surprisingly found herself paying attention, jotting notes down, really liking how this teacher put Biology into perspective.  He didn’t make it sound like science at all and used real life situations as examples.  Maybe she wouldn’t skip this class after all, though Talyn didn’t notice the pair of topaz colored eyes staring at her from halfway across the room.  He wasn’t even paying attention to Mr. Stanford’s lecture about plants, more focused on the new face that entered the classroom.

 

When class ended, Talyn was stopped by Mr. Stanford to grab the homework to catch up on, assuring her she hadn’t missed much.  He wouldn’t force her to makeup the first part of the semester because that’d be ludicrous and there was no need for it.  Talyn actually thanked him in a low voice before heading out of the classroom, making sure to grab a hall pass, since he made her late for her second class. 

 

Trigonometry wasn’t as hard as Talyn thought, sitting in the middle, after being introduced –again- to the class.  She recognized a few faces from her first class, refusing to speak to anyone.  She just wanted to get her senior year over and done with so she could graduate and get out of this ghost town.  Once again, unbeknownst to her, those same topaz eyes bored holes through her.

 

By the time lunchtime rolled around, Talyn was starving, refusing to eat cafeteria food.  She simply bought a salad with bottled water from the snack bar, sitting down at one of the vacant tables near the window.  That was until a shadow cast over her, causing Talyn to slowly look up at the rather large man in front of her.  Great, he looked like a jock –jockstraps Talyn usually referred to them as-, especially with how built he was. 

 

He wore a simple long sleeved gray shirt, the first three buttons on top undone, with a black shirt underneath and dark blue jeans.  His hair was dark brown and cut short, contrasting nicely with his masculine pale white face and glowing topaz eyes.  He was definitely intriguing, though Talyn wondered why he currently towered over her, raising a slow eyebrow.

 

“Is there a problem?” She finally demanded, watching the guy flash his pearly white teeth at her, rolling her eyes.

 

“You’re in my seat.” His soothing voice rumbled, setting his tray down on the table, knowing the others would arrive momentarily. “You’re actually at a table that’s been spoken for.”

 

“Wow, really?  Cause I could’ve sworn every table in this cafeteria was up for grabs.” Talyn snorted, leaning back against the chair, tilting her head slightly to the side.

 

“Most people don’t sit here.” He stated with no venom in his voice, the same soothing musical tone sounding captivating.

 

“Well I’m not most people and I’m not moving.” Talyn stated defiantly, refusing to let her guard down, watching as two other white faced figures showed up beside him. “Wow, you need bodyguards?  How quaint.”

 

“Who is this Emmett?” Alice asked sweetly, her voice sounding like bells, holding her tray with mildly curious topaz eyes.

 

“An intruder.” Emmett muttered, sitting down in the far seat away from the masked one, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. “Apparently she refuses to move so we can…eat.”

 

Alice laughed softly, shaking her head. “Oh dear Emmett, she can sit with us.  Stop being so rude.” She turned those mirrored topaz orbs toward the girl, extending her hand, not one blemish on her perfect complexion. “Hi, I’m Alice Cullen.  This is Jasper, my other half, and the big brute over here is Emmett.”

 

What made this girl think Talyn gave a damn what their names were?  She watched as Alice and Jasper sat down, acting like it was no big deal she was sitting with them.  Talyn wondered what other strange people she would meet in this town, looking outside as the rain began pouring; deciding she desperately needed a cigarette.  P.E. was her next class and she planned on skipping out, flat out refusing to change into the moronic gym suit the warden had bought for her.

 

“Well this has been...yeah whatever.” Talyn stood up from the table, shouldering her bag and took her salad, having barely touched it over to a nearby trashcan.

 

Alice, Jasper and Emmett watched the girl walk away hastily and Alice glared over at Emmett, shaking her head sadly. “I know you’re hurt by what Rosalie did, but that gives you no right to treat the humans like that.”

 

“I simply told her she was on our turf.” Emmett grumbled, picking at his food, none of them eating human food. 

 

With great help from Carlisle, the Cullens managed to keep their thirst for human blood at bay with animals, which is why their eyes were a deep gold instead of ruby red.  The Cullens were vampires, though they hid their true identities to perfection, having gone to high school at least twenty times in their existence.  They had to blend in with Forks, knowing it was one of the few places they could live peacefully without much trouble.

 

“You need to apologize to her.” Alice demanded, pointing toward the exit doors where Talyn walked through moments ago, raising an eyebrow when Emmett growled. “Or perhaps you want me to tell Carlisle and Esme how you treated a defenseless human girl today?”

 

Emmett groaned and stood up from the table, tossing his food away and walked outside, inhaling the air once.  This human smelled specifically of cinnamon, which made his nose twitch.  It wasn’t a bad smell though, more intriguing than anything, and headed in her direction.  If he didn’t apologize, he knew Carlisle would be incredibly upset and he refused to let that happen.

 

Talyn was in her car smoking a cigarette with the window cracked, knowing she had to be careful so she didn’t get caught.  Honestly though, she didn’t care, needing a cigarette badly.  She leaned back against the seat, not believing the day was only halfway over, rolling her eyes nearly in disgust.  She wasn’t going to P.E., having already decided she’d be dropping the course if at all possible or doing something else to make up for it. 

 

A tap at the window jolted Talyn out of her thoughts, eyes slowly turning to stare at the tall white faced behemoth from earlier, rolling her eyes.  She tried ignoring him and took another drag of her cigarette, blinking when the door suddenly opened, Emmett bending down to be eye level with her.  This guy was asking for it badly as Talyn’s eyes narrowed to slits, blowing smoke right in his face.

 

“What do you want now?  In case you haven’t noticed, jockstrap, this is MY turf.” She snorted derisively, propping one foot on the dashboard, having the radio playing softly.  When Talyn got a job, she’d be getting a CD player installed in this hunk of scrap metal.

 

“I came to apologize for the way I treated you.  I didn’t mean to scare you away from our table.” Emmett stated, his own eyes narrowed, wondering what it was about this woman that intrigued him so much.

 

Talyn laughed coldly, blowing more smoke in his face, wondering how much longer she could do it before he became ticked.  She was begging him to make a move, not caring how big and bad he thought he was.  She would drop him in two point five seconds without breaking a sweat if he laid a finger on her.

 

“What makes you think you scared me off?” She demanded, flicking ash in the ashtray before taking another drag of her cigarette, feeling her cell vibrating against her hip.

 

Emmett smirked, topaz eyes flashing almost wickedly, and plucked the cigarette from her fingers as he crushed it between his fingers without flinching. “I have my ways of knowing.” He said simply, tossing the remnants over his shoulder.

 

“You fucker!  How dare you take that away from me?!” Talyn was inching to slap that smirk off of his face, fingers twitching but refrained, really not needing anymore trouble at a new school. “I suggest you move away from my car before something bad happens.”

 

“Oh really?” Emmett sounded thoroughly amused by now, staring deep in those icy blue eyes, tilting his head slightly as if in thought. “Smoking is bad for you.”

 

“A lot of things are bad for you, what the fuck is your point?”

 

The smirk turned into a full-fledged grin as Emmett noticed how aggravated the human was becoming, still squatted in front of her, preventing any escape unless he moved.“What’s your name?” He asked, completely ignoring her rhetorical question, arching a dark eyebrow.

 

“You’re seriously asking me what my name is after you just crushed my cigarette.” Talyn wondered if he was insane or just plain stupid, folding her arms in front of her chest, sighing resignedly. “It’s none of your business, now move.”

 

“Why?” Emmett challenged, deciding to stand up enough for her to step out of her car, waiting until the door was closed, before pinning her against it. “What’s wrong with asking your name?”

 

“Why do you want to know?” Talyn demanded, still keeping her guard completely up, even though she couldn’t help thinking how enchanting his eyes were.  It made something twist within her stomach, a feeling perhaps, though Talyn rarely had that.

 

“You know mine, I should know yours.” Emmett simply said, having a quick answer for everything it seemed, folding his massive arms in front of his chest. “I’ll make you a deal.  You tell me your name and I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day.”

 

Talyn rolled her eyes, trying to find a way to step away from him, growling. “I don’t make deals with jocks.” She stated through gritted teeth, eyes flashing angrily. “Now move out of my way.”

 

“I’m far from a jock.” Emmett argued, wondering why she automatically assumed that, when nearly everyone else in the school was afraid of him and his family. “I don’t do the sports.”

 

That surprised Talyn as she stared back at him, eyebrows scrunching together in thought, finally deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt.  “Talyn Willow.” She said and walked away from him moments later, wondering what the hell was up with the people of Forks and La Push, Washington.

 

Emmett stared after her, his intrigue for her definitely soaring higher, wondering exactly what the story was beyond Talyn Willow.

 

Chapter 4

 

Later that day, Talyn was in prison alone, having finished doing the dishes.  Her hands were wrinkled beyond recognition, knowing the twins really needed to learn how to rinse their dishes after using them.  She sighed, drying the counters off and whatnot, having wiped her black lipstick off.  It faded too much and Talyn didn’t care about the Weber family seeing her without it.  It was everyone else she refused not to wear it in front of.

 

A knock sounded at her door, causing Talyn’s eyebrow to rise, still wearing black eyeliner.  She walked over, chains clinking with every step and opened the door, blinking at the sight of a smiling Samira staring back at her.  Talyn wondered how she figured out where she stayed, raking a hand through her bluish black hair.

 

“Before you say anything, I asked around town and found out you were Angela Weber’s god sister or whatever.” Samira said in a rush of words, chewing her bottom lip nervously. “This is wrong I know, but I didn’t know when you’d be back down to La Push…”

 

“Who exactly did you ask?” Talyn couldn’t help asking, stepping away from the door to let Samira in, along with what looked like two bodyguards.  Luckily, it wasn’t the big mouth from the beach or she would’ve more than likely punched him.

 

“One of Angela’s friends.” Samira lied, hating to do it, but she couldn’t fully well tell Talyn how she really found out the information. “I really hope you’re not mad at me.”

 

“Surprisingly no, I’m not.” Talyn walked into the living room, the black fingerless gloves off, going in the kitchen to grab some sodas for everyone. “I hope you guys like coke because, unfortunately, that’s all we have right now.”

 

“That’s fine.” Samira breathed a sigh of relief, glancing back at Paul and Jacob Black, who insisted coming along to meet her newly found friend. “She’s harmless you guys.”

 

“She smells of them.” Jacob muttered low enough to where only Samira and Paul could hear, eyes narrowed slightly.

 

“You have to remember where she goes to school, Jake.” Samira reminded him coarsely, turning around when Talyn walked back in, tossing them all Coca Colas. “Thanks Talyn.”

 

“No prob.” Talyn walked over and sat on the couch, knowing she still had vacuuming to do, but that could wait until after company left.  Even she knew the warden wouldn’t be rude to company. “So who are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?”

 

Samira couldn’t help laughing, sitting down beside Talyn, loving her fiery spirit. “The guy with a scowl on his face…”

 

“Which one is that exactly?  Because, from my line of vision, they both look nearly identical with scowls.” Talyn pointed out and caused Samira to laugh harder, needing to set her soda down on the coffee table.

 

“Good point.” Samira pointed to the one on the left. “This is Paul and to his right is Jacob Black.” She formally introduced them, green eyes sparkling, hoping the guys didn’t embarrass her on this visit. “They’re overprotective and don’t like me coming to Forks alone.”

 

“Right.” Talyn rolled her eyes, knowing it would drive her crazy if two men constantly followed her around. “To each her own and you two can wipe those scowls off of your faces or get the fuck out.  Your choice.”

 

Jacob blinked, not expecting the mouth on this woman, glancing sideways over at Paul.  Samira glared at both of them and Paul instantly wiped the look from his face, taking a seat, Jacob remaining standing.  There was something about this pale face that Jacob didn’t trust, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.  Though he couldn’t help admiring how beautiful she was, the blue tint to her black hair enticing him more than anything.

 

And her smell, aside from the sickly sweet burning he knew came from the Cullens, was a faint cinnamon. 

 

“So, I suppose you’re wondering what I’m doing here right?” Samira asked, clasping her hands in her lap, already knowing the guys didn’t know it either.

 

“Yeah, care to enlighten me, Mira?” Talyn demanded, though there was no anger evident in her tone, just a little irritation from the two boys. 

 

“Yeah, but I need to use the bathroom first.”

 

Talyn nodded, pointing down the hallway silently, knowing she could find it on her own.  Paul decided to take a step outside, leaving Jacob alone with the gothic queen, wondering why Samira wanted to befriend her.  Not only was she an outsider and a pale face, but she also didn’t seem like the friendly type either.  Paul had to admit though, Samira had a heart full of gold and that’s why he loved her so much.

 

If only he could tell her.

 

Jacob decided to take Paul’s seat, lowering himself slowly, never once letting his guard down.  He learned quickly not to trust anyone, especially pale faces, which is exactly what Talyn was.  He couldn’t help admiring the different necklaces she wore around her neck, some of them consisting of pentagrams, ankhs and crosses that had sapphire stones in them.  Her color was obviously blue, especially since the tattoo on her right upper arm was her name in blue gothic lettering.

 

“Do you mind not staring at me, asshole?” Talyn snapped, clearly not amused, crossing one leg over the other with her arms folded in front of her chest.

 

“Nope, don’t mind at all.” Jacob simply replied, somewhat of a smirk curving his lips. “Especially since you act like a bitch in heat twenty four seven.”

 

Talyn blinked, not expecting that comeback, pale blue eyes narrowing to slits. “Go fuck yourself.” She growled, standing up, deciding this visit would be short lived because she was ready to make this jackass suffer.

 

“Interesting, I’d love to but I don’t think that’s physically possible.” Jacob retorted swiftly, leaning back against the seat, looking smug.

 

“Oh believe me, I can MAKE it possible.” Talyn stood up from the couch, walking around the coffee table the same time Jacob rose, their eyes never unlocking, sizing each other up.

 

Jacob Black was very different from any man Talyn met before, his look very crisp with short cut black hair and dark brown eyes.  His russet skin contrasted well with his look, though that’s not all she noticed.  Talyn was a woman after all and couldn’t help observing how well built he was.  The muscles rippled with every movement he made, especially when he squared those broad shoulders, looking like he could tear anyone’s head off…except hers of course.

 

“Go ahead, try throwing me out of here.  I’m not leaving without Mira.” Jacob stated in a low voice, folding his arms in front of his chest cockily.

 

Talyn saw red and brought her knee up, trying to nail him in the groin, but his hand was too fast for her.  He grabbed her outer thigh through the cargo pants and Talyn couldn’t help also noticing how hot his hand was.  It practically seared through the thin material to her skin and Talyn’s blood just grew hotter by the second.

 

“Let go of my leg.” She ordered through gritted teeth, shoving him away when he reluctantly did, his hand sliding from her body. “Look, I don’t know what the fuck you have against me, but I didn’t do a damn thing to you or Samira!”

 

“Did I say you did?” Jacob snapped gruffly, shaking his head as he sank back down into the chair, twirling a piece of lint between his fingers from her pants. “You’re a very judgmental person.”

 

“Are you fucking serious?” Talyn couldn’t believe this, wondering what was taking Samira so long, planting her hands on her hips. “I don’t judge anyone, I just don’t appreciate being scowled and stared at threateningly by an asshole and a cocksucker.”

 

Jacob whistled lowly, finding this very amusing to say the least. “You have quite the mouth on you.” He commented curtly, wondering what was behind those pale blue eyes. “Though you do look better without the black stuff on your lips.”

 

“How did you-”

 

“So sorry about that!  Dear god, I need to learn how to use the bathroom BEFORE visiting someone.” Samira laughed softly, not noticing the tension between Jacob and Talyn, looking around puzzled. “Where’s Paul?”

 

“He stepped out for a minute.” Jacob answered, his eyes never leaving Talyn, who looked staggered at the moment.  Paul wasn’t the only one who watched her and Samira’s conversation that day on the beach.

 

“Oh okay.” Samira shrugged and sat back down on the couch, snapping Talyn out of her trance. “So anyway, I came here because I wanted to invite you to a small get together we’re having on the reservation.”

 

Jacob choked on his soda, coughing as his swig went down the wrong pipe, hitting his chest repeatedly. “What?!”

 

Samira shot a deadly glare in his direction, daring him to ruin this because, if he did, she would make his life miserable. “Yes, Jared’s birthday is on Friday and Emily’s throwing a small party for him at her and Sam’s place.” She informed Jacob, who looked like he was ready to explode.

 

“Did you…ask Emily and Sam about this?” Jacob hesitantly asked, trying to maintain his temper, breathing in through the nose and out of the mouth.

 

“Yes and she said I can bring whoever I want.” Samira countered with a triumphant smile, green eyes turning back to stare at Talyn. “You are invited, don’t mind him.  He’s a mean grump.”

 

“I am not!” Jacob protested, knowing he was actually one of the most laid back guys on the reservation. “That was below the belt, Mira.”

 

“Then stop acting like a jackass.” Samira stated sweetly, pleading with Talyn to come to the party. “Please, it’ll be so much fun and you can meet everyone.”

 

Talyn rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, slowly standing up from the couch. “Look Samira, I don’t mind hanging out with you and talking, but I’m not a people person.  I’m different from others and I’m not a social butterfly.”

 

Samira frowned, lowering her gaze to her lap, having expected to hear that. “I see…” She murmured, letting out a heavy sigh. “Alright, I suppose I can’t say anything to change your mind…”

 

“She’s just being a chicken.” Jacob snorted, ignoring Samira’s head snapping up, green eyes widening in shock.

 

“Jacob Black!”

 

“I have news for you, BOY, I am NOT a chicken.  I’m not afraid of anything and you can tell that to the huge list of people I’ve kicked the shit out of.” Talyn snarled, pale blue eyes flashing again, wanting to rip his throat out with her black painted fingernails.

 

“Then what’s stopping you from coming to this party?” He challenged, arching an eyebrow. “I mean, if you’re not scared of ANYTHING, then interaction shouldn’t be a problem either.”

 

Samira was going to maim Jacob as soon as they were alone, not believing he was saying this to Talyn. “Jacob, I think that’s enough…”

 

Jacob threw his hands up in the air, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “Fine, she can be a chicken and not come.  Whatever.  I’ll be waiting outside with Paul so you can say goodbye to the icy gothic queen.”

 

Before Jacob knew what hit him, Talyn had delivered a sharp roundhouse kick to his back, only to fly back on the floor while he barely flinched.  Her eyes widened  in pure shock, watching as he slowly turned his head over his shoulder, those dark menacing eyes boring down to the depths of her soul.  He squared his shoulders, cracked his neck, and walked out the front door.

 

“Oh my god, are you okay?!” Samira exclaimed, once her own shock wore off, swallowing past the lump in her throat.  She could not believe that devastating kick didn’t even make Jacob react.

 

“Fine.” Talyn snapped, standing up from the floor as she dusted herself off, just as Mandy walked through the door with Angela and the twins. “Samira, I think it’s time you took your leave.”

 

Samira wasn’t going to argue, especially after what transpired between Jacob and Talyn, wishing she would consider coming to the party. “If you change your mind…”

 

Talyn simply held her hand up, stopping her from continuing, and watched as Samira slunk out of the door.  “Dishes are done and I didn’t do the vacuuming yet.” Her blood was on fire and Mandy could clearly tell something happened with the Quileute boys.

 

“Very well, just go up to your room Talyn.” Mandy ordered, deciding she would rather do the vacuuming anyway, sending Angela to inspect the dishes.

 

Talyn didn’t even thank her and grabbed her bag that was by the door, rushing up to her room, slamming the door shut with authority.  She was pissed off, not believing that roundhouse kick didn’t even leave a MARK on him!  Jacob Black was definitely already on her bad side and Talyn didn’t care what it took.  If she had to use steel, then so be it because he would NEVER disrespect her like that again.

 

Meanwhile, on the way back to La Push, Samira was berating the guys repeatedly for their stupidity. “Just WAIT until I tell Emily what you pulled with her Jake!  You had no right attacking her like that!  She is a good person!”

 

“How do you know that, Mira?” Jacob finally demanded, gripping the steering wheel of his Rabbit tightly, clenching his jaw. “I just called her on her bluff and she’s the one who decided to get physical.  I could’ve hurt her, Mira, but I didn’t!”

 

Samira huffed and sat back in the seat, scowling darkly. “I really want to be her friend and you guys aren’t making it any easier.  She’s new and probably scared out of her mind, even though she hides it.  When we talked, she was down to earth and real.  She’s a good person.” She repeated from earlier, turning to stare out the window.

 

Jacob sighed, looking over in the passenger seat at Paul, wondering if what Samira said was true. “What do you think?” He finally asked, deciding the hothead deserved to have some input in this conversation.  “Do you think this Talyn is harmless?”

 

“There is no this about it, Jake.  She’s a PERSON, not a bloodsucker and not a threat.” Samira stated heatedly, deciding she would continue befriending Talyn with or without the tribe’s consent.  If she had to leave La Push and move to Forks, then that’s what she would do. 

 

Paul ran a hand through his hair, not sure what to think about his first real encounter with Talyn. “I think we’ve jumped the gun with Talyn and should give her a real chance.  Innocent until proven guilty, Jake, no matter the feelings inside.”

 

Jacob groaned inwardly, knowing Paul was agreeing with Samira because he’d already imprinted on her.  “Fine, whatever.” He grumbled, turning down the road that lead to La Push, having slammed on the gas full force because of how angry he was from that roundhouse kick.

 

“You have to admit, she shocked you when she actually attacked.” Samira smirked, causing Jacob to scowl deeply.

 

“What’s  your point, Samira?”

 

“Nothing at all.” Samira could already tell, just by the way Jacob treated Talyn, that he liked her.

 

Chapter 5

 

A week later, Talyn was sitting outside in her car, not hungry in the slightest.  Sometimes Talyn went two or three days straight without eating, knowing if she forced herself it would just come up anyway.  So she was enjoying the cold air and smoking a cigarette, keeping it lowered enough to where nobody could tell the different between the smoke coming out of her mouth or the cigarette.  Of course, the smell couldn’t be helped, but the cold air was helping matters, so Talyn wasn’t that worried about being caught.

 

“Didn’t I tell you smoking is bad for you?” A low voice stated from behind, causing Talyn to simply take a longer drag, already knowing who it was.

 

“What do you want Emmett?” She demanded gruffly, really just wanting to be alone, crossing one leg over the other.

 

Emmett chuckled, walking toward her and bent down, seeing the weariness in her pale blue eyes.  He knew why, though Emmett didn’t regret plucking the cigarette out of her hand last time.  He didn’t understand what drew Talyn to him, having not felt this way since Rosalie, immediately pushing that thought aside.

 

“I want you to stop smoking.” He replied, watching as she took another long drag, finally not able to take it anymore.  He swiped it from her and crushed it again, tossing it over his shoulder. “Get mad all you want, but you’ll thank me one day.”

 

“Yeah, the day hell freezes over.” Talyn snorted, standing up from her car and slammed the door shut, wondering why Emmett cared if she smoked or not. “You love pissing me off don’t you?”

 

“No not really.  I’d much rather just talk with you like normal beings.” He didn’t say human because he wasn’t one, having accepted it long ago. “Look, I know you’re skipping Trig and so am I, so come take a walk with me.”

 

Her scent was intoxicating and Emmett could feel the burning rise in his throat, though he would never kill her.  As much as he thirsted for her blood, Talyn was different from the others and he wanted to delve deeper in her mind.  Normally, Emmett was the quiet strong one, though he had his moments when he wanted to talk and this was one of them.  That was if Talyn accepted his offer, extending his hand to her with those topaz orbs.

 

Sighing, Talyn knew he would just follow her anyway, even if she did decline his offer, and nodded reluctantly. “If you get on my nerves, I’m not responsible for what happens.” She informed, leaving her bag in the car, clipping the keys to her belt loop like always.

 

“Believe me, Talyn, I can handle my own.” Emmett’s eyes glowed for a second before returning their normal state, causing Talyn’s eyebrow to slowly rise. “Shall we then?”

 

“Sure, I guess.”

 

Talyn began walking with him away from the high school, heading up the hills that lead into the woods.  A normal girl would’ve been terrified to go in the woods alone with a Cullen, but Talyn wasn’t like everyone else.  She didn’t fear death and welcomed it with open arms, having the mindset that when it was a person’s time to pass on, there was nothing to stop it from happening.  However, she also didn’t realize she was in the woods with a vampire either.

 

“So, tell me about yourself.” Emmett requested, walking further into the woods, going slow so Talyn could keep up with him.

 

“There’s nothing to tell.” Talyn said simply, following him, glad she’d worn a long black sweater because it was colder than normal. “Does it ever warm up around here?”

 

“Not really, it very rarely passes seventy degrees here.” Emmett chuckled, walking over to a tree and jumping up, landing on the huge limb gracefully, staring down at her. “I love the cold.”

 

“I noticed.” Talyn couldn’t believe how high he could jump, knowing that limb had to be at LEAST five feet up, eyes narrowing slightly. “Do I even want to know how you did that?”

 

Emmett smirked, jumping down from the limb and landed in front of her, the black sweater he wore stretching across his chest. “I don’t think you want to know.” He countered smugly, taking a step back from her.

 

“Actually I do.” She folded her arms in front of her chest, challenging him, blinking when he grabbed her hips and jumped up, landing on the limb again perfectly. “Have you lost your mind?!” She exclaimed, feeling as though her heart lurched in her throat, breathing heavily.

 

“What’s the matter, scared?” Emmett challenge with a cocky grin, testing her to see how far he could push her.

 

“No…” She lied, looking down at the ground, taking a deep breath to slow her pulsating heart.  Emmett could feel and hear it, pulse racing rapidly. “I’m not scared of anything.”

 

Emmett stood right behind her, his hands clasping her waist, refusing to let anything happen to her. “So I’ve heard, but I think you’re scared right now.” His mouth was right by her ear, the baritone vibrating throughout her body. “I can feel your blood pumping and it’s making your scent even stronger.”

 

Talyn closed her eyes, ice cold hands freezing against her skin, though it didn’t feel cold at the moment. “Why are you so cold?” She murmured, trying to find something to hold onto, but all she found was his hands as they rested on top of his.

 

“Do you really want to know?” He asked, his voice dropping an octave, the wind gently blowing through her bluish black hair. “You sure you’re not scared?”

 

“No I’m not.” Talyn assured him in a monotone voice, trying not to sound intimidated, even though she was incredibly. “I don’t scare easily so just tell me.”

 

Emmett stared straight ahead for a few seconds, smelling the fear radiating from her, though she tried fighting it. “You tell me something first.” He decided, feeling her tense beneath his hands, knowing he hit a nerve.

 

“What do you want to know?” She asked through gritted teeth, trying not to let the anger consume her, knowing that wouldn’t be smart considering she was a long ways up from the ground. “Damn it, what do you want Emmett?”

 

“Why did you move here?” He asked, the one question burning on his tongue, and could feel how rock hard she was from tensing. “It can’t be that bad, Talyn.”

 

“Forget it; I don’t want to know anything about you.” She snapped, shaking her head, not wanting to be near him right now. “Let me down.”

 

“Hmmm you are in quite a predicament aren’t you?” Emmett teased, stopping her by wrapping a secure arm around her waist, her back pressed against his rock hard marble chest. “I suppose I could put you down, but only if you tell me why you’re here.”

 

“No, I’d rather fall to my death then talk about it.” Talyn truly meant that, knowing she couldn’t elbow him or anything, completely defenseless.  She supposed she could, but that would wind up ending her life early, not ready for it yet. “Emmett, I’m not telling you anything.”

 

His eyes narrowed slightly, knowing Alice had been right in her vision of Talyn. “You are stubborn.” He commented, chuckling when she nodded emphatically.

 

“And you’re not?”

 

“I never said that.” Emmett knew he was stubborn and bull-headed, normally getting his way, but Talyn was definitely a challenge.  A challenge he wanted to overcome in the worst way. “What if I tell you what you want to know first?  Will you tell me then?”

 

“It’s nobody’s business why I’m here.” Talyn growled, tired of this game as she tried getting away from him, not believing what balance he had.  She was shifting and trying to get away from him on a limb of all places, definitely not smart.

 

“Stop.” Emmett ordered in a soothing voice, feeling her anger mixed with fear, sighing gently. “What will you tell me then?”

 

“Nothing, I don’t make deals or compromises when it comes to my personal life.” Talyn stated, gasping when he whipped her around to face him, ice blue locking on deep gold. “I want to be on the ground.”

 

“Yes I know, but I’m not through with you yet.” Emmett replied, knowing his agility was making her curiosity peak. “Talyn, you’re a mystery that I’m trying to uncover.  So give me at least a clue.”

 

Her eyes lowered from his, knowing he wouldn’t let her down until she gave him something. “Look, my best friend died about six months ago and things went downhill for me that I really don’t fucking feel like talking about.  I’m here to finish my senior year because my other school decided to kick me out for no reason.  I’m stuck in this ghost town until graduation and then I’m leaving to find my own way.  Satisfied?”

 

“Partially.” Emmett stated gently, knowing that’s all she would tell him for now. “I am sorry about your friend.”

 

“I don’t want sympathy.” Talyn ordered gruffly, folding her arms in front of her chest, refusing to meet his eyes.  Talking about Serena pained her and it shined in her pale blue orbs, Emmett feeling it coursing through his veins. “Now let me down.”

 

“Not yet.” Emmett lifted her chin with his cold hand, feeling Talyn do a full body shiver against him. “You told me something, now I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

 

“I really don’t care anymore, Emmett.” One thing about Talyn is she was brutally honest with people and didn’t sugarcoat anything.  She spoke her mind and didn’t care who approved. “I don’t want to know anything about you.”

 

“I’m still going to tell you.” Emmett insisted, pulling his hand from her face, wondering if this was smart to do.  He made her a deal though and Emmett was a man of his word. “I have a question for you though.”

 

“What now?” Talyn was becoming impatient very quickly, the clouds coming from her nose and mouth from breathing heavily. “Emmett, what do you want from me?”

 

“Do you believe in things that aren’t supposed to exist?” He asked bluntly, ignoring her second question, never releasing her waist. 

 

They were high up and it would be really bad if she bled a drop.  He wouldn’t be able to resist, being this close making him extremely thirsty.  Emmett was being extra cautious, deciding he wouldn’t let go of her until they were on the ground safely.

 

“What do you mean?” Talyn hated admitting it, but her curiosity was burning now, raking a hand through her hair hastily. “You mean like things that go bump in the night?”

 

Emmett chuckled softly; wondering if that was the right way to put it. “Yeah, you could say that.  I’m actually talking about vampires.  Do you believe they exist?” He asked, watching her eyes meet his, the joking shoved aside fully for the moment.

 

“I’m…not sure really.  I believe in magic, which is why I’m a Pagan.” She sighed heavily, knowing she probably shouldn’t have said that, feeling tense again. “Why are you asking me this anyway?”

 

“Because I’m a vampire, Talyn.” Emmett said conversationally, like he was talking about the weather, though his eyes seared through her.

 

Talyn arched an eyebrow, wondering if he was serious, knowing just by the look in his eyes he was. “A vampire.” She echoed, watching him nod, swallowing past the lump that suddenly formed in her throat.  Now she was a little scared, though any human being would be, man or woman. “I suppose this is the part where I’m supposed to beg for my life?”

 

Emmett couldn’t help laughing, the sound reverberating around them. “No, I’m not a regular vampire.” He knew this was going to sound insane, but there was something telling him to tell Talyn this.  She wanted her to trust him and knew the only way doing that was keeping no secrets.

 

“There are different kinds?”

 

“Yes, I’m a vegetarian vampire of sorts.” He snorted, rolling his eyes as he sat down on the limb, pulling her to sit sideways on his lap. “Me and my family only drink the blood of animals.  That’s why our eyes are gold and not red like the others.  There are only two clans out there that we know of who refuse to kill innocent people for food.  The Denali lives in Alaska, where my brother Edward currently is.”

 

“Right, a vegetarian vampire…” That sounded unbelievable, though Talyn somehow believed him and didn’t understand the logic behind it. “So…you don’t want my blood?”

 

Emmett chuckled huskily, his arm wrapped around her waist as they both looked out at the beautiful scenery before them. “No, I do want your blood.  Your scent makes me thirsty.  My throat is burning right now, but I already know I could never hurt you.”

 

“Why?” Talyn demanded, looking sideways as Emmett rested his chin on top of her shoulder, feeling as though her heart would leap.

 

“I can’t explain it.  There’s something about you that just…makes me not want to hurt you, Talyn.” He sighed deeply, her scent completely overwhelming him, and had to pull back because his mouth was right by her throat. “I know there’s more to you being here, but you don’t have to tell me.  I still want to hang out with you though, maybe even be friends.”

 

“You want to be my friend.” Talyn sounded unconvinced, feeling his arm tighten around her waist, swallowing hard.

 

“Yeah…for now.” Emmett already liked this girl; he could feel it down to his bones. “I like you Talyn, you’re different and unique.  You’re a mystery that I want to unravel slowly.”

 

“So you keep saying.” Talyn muttered, lowering her head as she clasped her hands together in her lap, eyebrows furrowed together. “I’m not a social butterfly.” She’d said the same thing to Samira, feeling a twinge of guilt zip through her momentarily.

 

“Neither am I.” Emmett assured her and jumped off of the limb, chuckling when she let out a small scream, landing on his feet like a cat with her securely in his arms. “If you can give me one legitimate reason why we can’t be friends, then I’ll leave you alone.”

 

Talyn stared into his eyes and knew she couldn’t think of one, her feet landing on the ground in front of him. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” She finally admitted, feeling a chill rush through her body because his hands were still on her hips. “I’m not apologizing for anything I’ve said though.”

 

“Good, I’m not apologizing either.” Emmett smirked, folding his arms in front of his chest, finally releasing her hips. “And I meant what I said, no more cigarettes.”

 

“I’ll smoke if I want.” Talyn snapped, eyes narrowing to slits, pursing her lips tightly together.

 

“Fine, no smoking when we hang out then.” Emmett decided to compromise with her, smirking when she reluctantly nodded, and extended his hand. “Come on, we have to head back for the rest of class.”

 

Talyn stared at his hand for what seemed like ages and finally slipped her fingerless gloved one in his own, walking with him through the woods toward Forks High School.

 

Neither of them saw the dark, angry brown eyes watching their every move.

 

Chapter 6

 

After school, Talyn drove to the store first to pick up a few things for the warden.  Talyn was still reeling from her talk with Emmett earlier that day, wondering why he wanted to befriend her.  First Samira and now Emmett, it was almost as if the universe was showing her that Forks wasn’t as bad as she thought.  Perhaps it wasn’t, though she was still dubious, a habit that couldn’t be shoved aside after just a week.

 

After going to the store, Talyn headed back to the prison, raising an eyebrow when she saw someone sitting on the porch.  She cut the ignition and stepped out with the bag of groceries in hand, knowing she had dusting to get done before Mandy got home.  The closer she got to the front door, the more she realized it was one of the boys from the beach. 

 

“Well if it isn’t the judgmental asshole.” She commented, shouldering her bag with narrowed pale blue eyes. “To what do I owe this honor, Jared?” She remembered Samira calling him that on the beach.

 

“I’m here for one simple fact and you better listen closely because I’m not repeating myself.” Jared’s voice was low and dark, almost sinister sounding, standing up with cut off black jean shorts and sneakers.  Did these boys ever wear anything else?

 

“Oh really?  What might that be?” She demanded, already growing agitated, really needing to get inside to get her work done.  Talyn wanted to get out of the house and dusting was preventing her from doing so. “Can you speak or do you have a fucking hearing problem, asshole?”

 

“Stay away from my sister.” Jared ordered, clenching his fists tightly at his sides, staying back from Talyn so his nose didn’t burn more.  She reeked of the bloodsucker he found her with earlier in the woods, eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re not allowed down on the reservation anymore.”

 

“I never was on the reservation; I was on the beach, which is fair game for everyone.” Talyn shot back, not believing the audacity of this prick, fighting temptation not to punch him. “And your sister is a big girl.  I’m sure she doesn’t know you’re here threatening me, correct?”

 

“I’m warning you, girl, do NOT test me.” Jared growled, stepping closer to her, smelling the defiance coming from her. “Samira is my sister, blood or not, and I will kill anyone to protect her.”

 

“And you think I’m a danger to her why exactly?” Talyn demanded, really not having time for this, raking a hand through her hair.

 

“Because of the bloodsucker you were hanging out with earlier.”

 

Now Talyn was pissed off and it clearly shined in her pale blue orbs, which were currently shooting icicles at this asshole. “You were spying on me?” She watched as he slowly nodded and felt the bags slip from her shoulders, the anger completely consuming her.  Taking three steps, Talyn stood right in front of him and hauled back, slapping the taste out of his mouth. “YOU FUCKING PRICK!  HOW DARE YOU SPY ON ME?”

 

Jared’s head snapped to the side, the velocity probably would’ve knocked the teeth out of a regular guy’s mouth, but he wasn’t normal.  He simply stared at her, the fire erupting in his dark brown eyes, already feeling every tendon in his big body explode in flames.  He didn’t bother stepping back, too pissed off himself to care, knowing what was about to happen.

 

“JARED, DON’T YOU DARE!”

 

The anger momentarily vanished as Jared’s head snapped to the side, watching as Sam ran up to them with Jacob.  He groaned, knowing this wasn’t good; having a feeling they read his thoughts about paying Talyn a visit.  Jacob instantly went to Talyn’s side, standing in front of her to block both of them, knowing she would only end up hurting herself.

 

“Step back now, Jared.” Sam ordered gravely, seeing how hard he trembled.

 

Looking back at the human girl who stirred up a lot of animosity within his pack, Sam shook his head in disbelief.  It wasn’t her fault though, Jared was simply too overprotective of his sister.  Though, Sam could smell that sickly sweet scent radiating off of her, his nose burning, running a hand through his hair.

 

“Jared, go back to the reservation now.” Sam ordered, knowing he had to listen, watching his shoulders slump a little. “NOW.”

 

“Stay away from my sister, bloodsucker lover.” Jared growled menacingly before turning, taking off into the woods and Sam knew he would phase as soon as he wasn’t in eyesight.

 

“Bloodsucker lover?” Talyn snorted with a roll of her eyes, stepping away from Jacob, watching as Sam turned to face her. “Wow.”

 

“Sorry about that.” Sam couldn’t believe Jared was close to phasing in front of Talyn, in the middle of Forks, which was not their territory. “I’m Sam Uley and you’ve already met Jacob.  Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, your boy is lucky he left when he did or I would’ve kicked the shit out of him.” Talyn stated heatedly, angry at Jacob for standing in her way.

 

“Believe me, that wouldn’t have been the smartest thing to do.” Jacob turned to face her this time, knowing Sam wanted to go check on Jared to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid. “Do you remember when you tried attacking me?”

 

“Shut up.” Talyn growled, hating to be reminded of that incident, hastily reaching down to grab her bags.

 

“Sam go ahead, I can take it from here.” Jacob said, nodding reassuringly when Sam arched a hesitant eyebrow. “I can handle this.”

 

“You can’t handle shit, boy.” Talyn stormed past him up the stairs, dragging her keys out, knowing she was really behind now thanks to these assholes.

 

Sam knew it was probably asking for trouble to leave Jacob alone with Talyn, deciding he had to trust Jacob. “Don’t make any mistakes.” He ordered, hoping Jacob caught onto the meaning, and took off into the woods to find Jared.

 

Jacob snorted and looked up, seeing Talyn was having a hard time finding her keys.  He glanced down and saw them shining back at him, bending down to pick them up with a smirk.  It was rather amusing watching how agitated she became when she couldn’t find them, deciding to make his presence felt again.

 

The keys she’d been searching for dangled in her vision, causing Talyn to snarl before snatching them from him, only for them to rise just out of her reach.  When she whipped around, Jacob was right there, their chests nearly colliding.  Her black painted lips pursed together as she set the things down, wondering why these men insisted on aggravating her.

 

“Give me my keys right now.” She ordered gravely, watching the keys lower a little.  She reached for them, only for Jacob to pull them up again, the amusement shining in his dark eyes. “Give me my keys cocksucker!”

 

“Hmmm that’s not a very nice way of asking for something.” Jacob taunted with an evil smirk, wiggling them a little as they clinked together, making a jingling sound like bells. “Maybe if you ask nicely you might get them back.”

 

“Go fuck yourself.”

 

“I already told you once before that’s physically impossible to do, unless of course you’ve done it?” He chuckled when her cheeks turned red with anger, pale blue eyes flashing dangerously, and that just amused him more. “Come on, all it takes is saying one little word and you’ll have them back.”

 

Talyn was losing patience, clenching her fists tightly at her sides, itching to punch him in that cocky face. “I don’t say that word, especially when you have my property.” She stated angrily, watching him raise an eyebrow. “Give me my fucking keys NOW.”

 

“I’ll give you a hint.” He stepped away from her, his nose burning too much, wondering who exactly she’d been hanging out with that day.  Jacob felt a twinge of jealousy course through him, not really understanding why. “It starts with a p and ends with an e.”

 

“Parasite?” She retorted swiftly, watching Jacob’s eyebrow raise.

 

“Nope, try again.”

 

“Peise?”

 

“What the hell is that?” He demanded, watching her black lips curve into somewhat of a smirk.

 

“A weight, burden, whatever you want to call it.” She answered and snatched her keys away when he took his eye off of them for a split second.  Talyn gasped when he wrapped an arm around her waist, feeling his thumb reach up to brush across her lips. “Let go of me.” She ordered, shoving against him, but it was like trying to move a brick wall.

 

“No, say the word first.” He wasn’t backing down, knowing she may of gotten the keys, but he had her and wasn’t letting her go until she caved. “And that’s much better.”

 

Talyn’s eyes narrowed to slits, knowing he was referring to her makeup, and went to slap him.  Jacob was too quick and caught her wrist in his free hand, bringing it to his lips, softly caressing it.  Her eyes widened slightly, wondering what he was doing, and immediately whipped her hand out of his hot grasp.  He was burning up and making her sweat, which Talyn normally wouldn’t mind if it was under different circumstances.

 

“How dare you!” She hissed angrily, shoving harder against him, only for her back to collide with the door moments later, Jacob towering over her.

 

“Yes I dare a lot.  What’s your point?” Jacob retorted, having her pinned against the door, knowing she had nowhere to go. 

 

He’d catch her if she tried kneeing him or anything, those dark eyes boring into hers.  The sickly sweet smell was making his stomach turn, though the cinnamon mixed with it made it tolerable to be this close to her.  He didn’t know what he felt for her, but Jacob enjoyed getting under her skin because it set his blood on fire.

 

“You have no right touching me, asshole.” She stated tensely, gritting her teeth because he didn’t seem at all fazed by her attitude.

 

“You like it.” He argued promptly, lowering his head to where their noses practically touched, running a burning finger down her cheek. “What’s under the mask, Talyn?  Who are you really?”

 

“Your worst nightmare.” She sneered with icy eyes, folding her arms in front of her chest, pressing against his chest to put at least some distance between them. “I really don’t have time for this, Jacob Black.”

 

“Hmmm my worst nightmare eh?  I highly doubt that.” Jacob snorted, reaching up to wipe the rest of the black lipstick away, smirking when she smacked his hand away. “I don’t like that stuff on your lips.  You’re a lot better without it.”

 

“I don’t give a fuck what you like and what you don’t, cocksucker.” Talyn smacked his hand away and gasped when he grabbed it, placing it above her head, in his strong hand. “I’m warning you…”

 

Jacob smirked wickedly, loving how defenseless she was against him, yet the fiery spirit could not be extinguished in her eyes. “You won’t do anything to me that hasn’t been done already.  You can’t hurt me, Talyn.” It was the truth and Jacob didn’t sugarcoat anything, sometimes being brutally honest. “Now stop fighting me.”

 

“Fuck you!” She twisted her wrist in his grasp, trying to break free, but it was no use.  It felt like a steel band was around her wrist, though it didn’t hurt as she stared into Jacob’s eyes coldly. “Let go of me.”

 

“Say the word and it’ll be done.” His voice dropped to a husky pitch, rumbling from his chest. “But first hold still.” He reached up with his free hand, having to unwind his arm from her waist, only to capture her other arm to add to the other above her head. “Stop.”

 

“No!” She shouted, torquing her body to try getting away from him.  She felt him left her up by her wrist, wincing since it hurt a little, forcing her legs to wrap around his waist. “Jacob, I swear to god I’ll fuck you up if you don’t let go of me!”

 

“Shut up.” He ordered gruffly, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hurt him.  The roundhouse kick would’ve knocked a normal guy unconscious, but it felt like a simple swat against him. “Hmmm, you won’t let me wipe the rest away easily huh?”

 

Talyn couldn’t believe this, her arms aching slightly from him lifting her up, feeling as though her heart might burst as the heat consumed her.  She had the long sweater on so right now she was stifling, feeling as though flames might consume her.  Why did his body feel like he was running a very high fever?  After what Talyn found out from Emmett earlier that day, she couldn’t help wondering if anything in the world was normal.

 

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll-”

 

Jacob’s lips silenced her demand, deciding if she wouldn’t let him wipe the rest of the black crap from her lips with his thumb, he would improvise.  Her lips felt smooth against his, feeling every part of her body tense, knowing he probably shocked her.  He didn’t care though, feeling her wrists twisting in his grasp, trying to get away from him.  It wasn’t happening though, his heart racing as electric shocks coursed through every part of his large frame.

 

Surprise flowed throughout Talyn’s body the moment Jacob kissed her, expecting it to be aggressive and rough because of his demeanor.  It had the aggression and roughness, but mostly it was sensually slow.  She felt her resolve weakening against him, feeling as though she wasn’t in control of her body at the moment. 

 

Her twisting subsided, body relaxing against him, and felt him drape her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened.  A soft moan and groan blended as their heads moved from side to side, the heat radiating from both of their bodies, Jacob’s more than Talyn’s.  When neither could breathe, Jacob was the one to break the heated kiss, his dark eyes nearly black at the moment as he stared down at her now swollen red lips.  There was no black whatsoever; he’d made sure of it, licking his suddenly dry lips.

 

Mission accomplished.

 

Slowly lowering Talyn on her feet, Jacob never broke eye contact, her hands slipping from his neck as the realization crashed over her.  He could already feel the ice queen coming back and stepped back, deciding he’d done enough damage for one evening.  If looks could kill, Jacob would be dead on her porch at that moment as Talyn quickly turned around, unlocking the door and stepped inside, slamming it shut with authority.

 

Jacob couldn’t help chuckling and took off into the woods, knowing she would be thinking about that kiss for hours.  He knew he would, still tasting cinnamon, suddenly deciding he wanted to know who the bloodsucker was she was hanging out with earlier.  A visit to Jared’s was on the agenda as he leapt in the air, phasing into a beautiful reddish brown wolf, knowing he’d get there a lot faster on four legs instead of two.

 

Chapter 7

 

“You did WHAT?!”

 

Mira was trying very hard not to wrap her small hands around her brother’s thick neck and throttling him.  Jared simply lowered his head, sitting on the couch, feeling his sister’s anger radiating all around them.  Paul and Sam were there; ready to jump in to stop Mira from touching Jared.  They knew Jared wasn’t in the right frame of mind and could hurt her, which Sam refused to see happen.

 

 “I just went to talk to her…” Jared sighed heavily when Mira immediately cut him off, holding his ears with how loud she began screaming.

 

“YOU JUST MEANT TO GO AND TALK TO HER AND NEARLY PHASED ON HER, YOU JACKASS!!  HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID, JARED?  DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WOULD’VE HAPPENED HAD YOU PHASED IN FRONT OF HER IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING FORKS OF ALL PLACES?!  YOU NEED TO PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS AND STOP BEING SO GODDAMN OVERPROTECTIVE OF ME BECAUSE IT’S GETTING RIDICULOUS!!  YOU NEED TO THINK BEFORE ACTING OR YOU’RE GOING TO END UP GETTING KILLED BECAUSE OF YOUR DAMN STUPIDITY!!”

 

Jared knew everything his sister just screamed was the truth, swallowing hard, while Paul and Sam covered their own ears.  She was absolutely livid and it clearly showed in her acid green eyes.  Sam couldn’t agree more, having already told Emily, though she decided to let Samira handle her brother.  She was older than him by two years and had every right to berate him for acting foolish toward Talyn.

 

“I swear on this tribe and all that is sacred, Jared Tinsel, if you even THINK about going NEAR Talyn again, I will find a way to hurt you!!  You think you’re all big and bad, but you’re supposed to be a damn protector of these lands!!  You’re supposed to PROTECT all humans from the bloodsuckers!!  I can’t believe how moronic you were to actually threaten her to stay away from me!!” Mira snapped, pacing back and forth in front of Jared, wanting to rip him apart limb from limb, but knew that couldn’t happen.

 

So instead, she was ripping him apart verbally.

 

“She hangs with bloodsuckers and…”

 

“She could hang with Dracula and I wouldn’t give a flying leap!!  She’s still human and, until she changes into a bloodsucker, you need to treat her with respect!!” Mira shouted, continuing her on her rampage, ignoring Paul’s grunt of disapproval because she knew how much the pack despised the Cullens.  She honestly didn’t have a problem with them because they never gave her any reason not to like them. “Jared, that girl is special and different.  She has a good heart and spirit.  I already consider her a friend and nobody, not you or Sam or Jacob or Paul or ANYONE from the goddamn pack, is going to keep me away from her!!  DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, DOG?”

 

Jared glared at his sister, wondering where this protective streak was coming from, narrowing his dark eyes at her. “Fine, you want that leech down here, go for it.  But I refuse to be anywhere NEAR her when she’s here because she stinks to high heaven of those bloodsuckers!” He snapped right back, standing up as they faced off, Paul instantly stepping between them.

 

“Take a walk, Jared.” He ordered in a low voice, daring the man to defy him because he would literally rip him apart. “Now.”

 

“I’m busy talking to my sister, Paul.  Do you mind?” Jared demanded, shoving Paul away and Sam had to step between them, shaking his head in disbelief.

 

“KNOCK IT OFF BOTH OF YOU!” Sam roared, causing all three to stop dead in their tracks, though Mira had plenty more to say to her brother. “Jared, go take a walk and calm down NOW.  You can’t phase in front of your sister, you could seriously hurt her.  Paul, you need to calm down as well.”

 

Mira had tears shining in her eyes and blinked, feeling them coursing down her cheeks because of how angry she was at Jared.  Her hands were trembling from the intensity, rarely ever blowing up, but knew her brother had really crossed a line by going to see Talyn.  He was nothing but a judgmental dog and Samira wasn’t going to let him push Talyn away from her, especially since she wanted to be friends with the woman.

 

Snorting, Jared took off out the door, shooting a glare over his shoulder at Samira.

 

“Are you alright?” Paul asked softly, watching Sam go after Jared again, sighing heavily. “Mira…”

 

“Paul, I don’t care what you have to say honestly.  If you agree with him, then just leave right now.” She ordered evenly and walked into the kitchen, needing a glass of water after exploding on her brother.  She loved Jared, but sometimes he could be such a jackass, especially when it came to protecting her.

 

“Did I say I agreed with him?” Paul shot back, following her into the kitchen, turning her around by the arm as their eyes locked. “Mira, I don’t agree with him at all.”

 

“Then why did you give me that look that clearly said you do?” She retorted swiftly, feeling her back press against the counter, Paul towering over her with those dark brown eyes.

 

Paul sighed, resting a hand on her hip with a small smirk. “You need to learn how to read people better.” He stated, watching her chew her bottom lip, looking absolutely enthralling standing before him in a pair of black cotton shorts with a red and black tank top, her usual sleepwear. “Mira…”

 

Mira felt as though her heart might leap out of her chest, his hand feeling as though it was searing through her thin cotton shorts, swallowing hard.  Her mouth went dry and gasped when he lifted her by her waist, planting her on the counter, standing between her legs.  She could not believe he still towered over her, deep green eyes staring into his with a mixture of different emotions.

 

“Paul, what are you doing?” She whispered, not trusting her real voice at the moment, sighing softly when his scorching finger ran down her cheek.

 

“Calming you down.” He partially lied, knowing he couldn’t tell her the truth, not yet at least. 

 

That flew out the window though when her soft cool hands pressed against his blazing chest, eyes never leaving each other’s.  Slowly, Paul bent his head down as their lips met, groaning as the fire quickly spread throughout his body.  He groaned when a soft moan escaped her, feeling her body melt against his, gripping her legs as they wrapped around his waist.

 

“Paul…” She breathed, breaking the kiss, her lips swollen from his hot kiss, cheeks flushing instantly when he smirked down at her. “That was very nice.”

 

“Yeah, so nice I want more.” Paul gripped the back of her neck, pressing their chests together as he kissed her again, this time more passionately.  Mira moaned, this kiss even more heated and passionate, wrapping her arms around his neck to deepen it further.

 

Paul broke it this time, both of them breathing incredibly heavy, running the pad of his thumb across her lips. “Samira, there’s something I need to tell you.” He rumbled huskily, her hands resting gently on his broad shoulders, shirtless as usual.

 

“What is it?” She asked, catching her breath as their foreheads gently pressed together, her heart racing even more with anticipation. “Paul, you can tell me anything.”

 

“I’m not sure about that.” Paul sighed and pushed away from her, rubbing the back of his neck, wondering if now was the right time. 

 

Jared was on a rampage and Paul wondered if it was partially due to his imprinting on Samira.  He couldn’t help it though, it happened and there was nothing to change it.  He would never love anyone as much as Samira; she was it for him and he for her.

 

“Paul…”

 

“Samira, I imprinted on you.” Paul blurted out, meeting her eyes as they shined with truth and hidden love, stepping closer to her. “I love you and I know you love me too.”

 

Samira opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to form a single word, but nothing was coming out.  She was in absolute shock, green eyes as wide as they could go, sitting on the counter looking like a regular fish out of water.  Paul, the hothead that she’d been secretly in love with for months, had imprinted on her and felt the same way?

 

Paul was getting nervous when all Samira did was stare at him, raking a hand through his hair. “I know tonight probably wasn’t the best one to bring it up, but Samira I couldn’t hold it in anymore.  I’m not ashamed of it and the guys know because I couldn’t hide it from them.  I made Emily promise to let me tell you.” He knew he was rambling, taking another step toward her, resting his hands gently on her hips.

 

Everyone knew about his feelings for Samira except her.

 

“I love you too.” She exhaled after saying it, blinking as more tears slid down her cheeks, feeling Paul brush them away with his burning lips.

 

“Don’t cry, please don’t cry.” Paul pleaded in a whisper, his heart breaking at the sight of her tears, cupping her face gently between his sizzling hands. “Samira please, you’re killing me sweetie.  Don’t cry.  I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

 

“I know; I can’t help it though.” She sniffled and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face in it as she inhaled his scent. “I’ve loved you for months.  I just never thought you’d feel the same way about me.”

 

Paul could be a hothead when he wanted to be, when he had to be, but when it came to Samira he was a big teddy bear.  He could and would never hurt her, knowing it wasn’t possible because he loved her so much.  She could hurt him anyway she wanted and he would never retaliate, hothead or not.  Samira was his one and only, willing to do what it took to make her happy.

 

“You’re a fool for thinking that, Mira.” He stated in a low chuckle, feeling her slap his chest, only to make him laugh harder. “That tickles.”

 

“You’re such a brute.” She laughed when he rolled his eyes, raising her head up as their eyes met again, Paul softly kissing her lips. “Do you have the night off?”

 

“Yes I do.” He answered with a smile, glad Sam had given it to him, especially since he’d patrolled the woods for two weeks straight without realizing it. “I’m all yours unless an emergency pops up.”

 

“All mine huh?” She pushed him back a little and jumped from the counter, smiling when his hands never left her hips for a second. “I can think of several ways to pass the time.”

 

Paul’s eyebrow rose as she slowly pulled him out of the kitchen, heading down the hallway toward her room. “Mira, are you sure you want to do this so soon?” He asked, stopping her by pulling her against his chest, those dark eyes smoldering her. “I’ll be patient and wait as long as you need me too.”

 

That made her fall in love with him even more as Samira reached up on her tiptoes, kissing his lips softly.  She stepped back and removed her tank top, letting it flutter to the floor, slowly backing up into the bedroom with a crooked finger.  Paul groaned from low in his throat, not believing what a tease she was being, and couldn’t resist temptation as he followed her.

 

Mira giggled as he kicked the door shut behind him, immediately pinning her to the bed, both of them getting completely lost in each other.

 

~!~

 

“Emmett, you skipped class today.” Esme accused, staring over at him through narrowed eyes. “You’re lucky you have a clean record at school.”

 

“Let me take a wild guess…Alice?” He snorted when Esme, his adopted mother, nodded. “I’m sorry; I was busy with something better.”

 

“Something better than your schooling.” Esme raised an eyebrow, knowing Emmett had been pretty closed off ever since Rosalie’s sudden disappearance.  They still couldn’t find a trace of her. “Will you talk to me about it?”

 

Emmett sighed, knowing Esme was worried about him, along with the others, eyes lowered to the floor. “I don’t know if I should…” He admitted hesitantly, squaring his shoulders, knowing he had to be the strong one of the group.

 

“You can trust me, Emmett.  I will not be angry with anything you have to say.” Esme assured him gently, always being the kind one out of the Cullens, sitting down beside him. “Tell me about it.”

 

Emmett knew he couldn’t resist his mother’s angelic voice, clasping his hands in his lap. “Her name is Talyn Willow.” He said gruffly, though there was something more in his tone when he spoke her name. “She’s new to the area.”

 

“I see.” Esme smiled, wondering truly if Emmett was getting over Rosalie.  It’d been quite some time since she left her husband high and dry, remembering how much pain he’d been through.  Vampires or not, Emmett had a broken dead heart and Esme hoped Rosalie was proud of what she did. “She’s human.”

 

“Yes and I don’t care what you or anyone else says.  I’m still hanging out with her.” He stated defensively, standing up, thinking Esme was against it.  Why couldn’t they just leave him alone and let him live his existence his way?

 

“Emmett, I do not disapprove.” She assured him softly, watching him whip around to face her with surprised topaz eyes. “I think it’s wonderful that you found someone else.”

 

“It’s not like that…”

 

“But you want it to be.” She nodded when he asked about Alice again.  Alice had the gift of sight, she could tell what was coming before it happened, though sometimes her visions were wrong. “You like her a lot.”

 

Emmett nodded; staring out the window as the rain tapped it lightly, closing his eyes. “She’s different and I can’t stop myself from wanting to be around her.” He admitted openly, knowing Esme wouldn’t breathe a word of this to anyone. “I know she’s human, but I would never hurt her.”

 

“I know that.” Esme smiled softly, standing up to walk over to her adopted son, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You may be the strongest one out of us all Em, but you’re also soft.  You just want to be loved again and that’s fully understandable.  It is time to move on and this Talyn could be the answer.”

 

“Where do you think she is?” Emmett asked quietly, referring to Rosalie, still not able to speak her name without flinching.

 

“I don’t know and I really don’t care to be honest.  She hurt you in the worst way by abandoning the family.  She’s not welcome back here ever, Emmett.” She stated with a bit of force, wanting to make it clear that she despised Rosalie.

 

“I know.” Emmett nodded, fully agreeing with Esme, placing his forearm against the window. “I don’t want her back here either.  I don’t love her anymore, I’m moving on.”

 

Esme smiled upon hearing that, topaz eyes sparkling. “When you’re ready, I’d love to meet this Talyn.” She walked out, leaving Emmett to his thoughts, hoping he took her up on the offer.

 

Emmett smirked as he stared outside, wondering what Talyn was doing, deciding maybe he would invite her over to the Cullen house.

 

Chapter 8

 

“So, I have a question for you.” Emmett said a few days later, walking down the hallway with Talyn.

 

Talyn was skeptical, still not believing what happened the previous day.  She wasn’t going to tell Emmett about the kiss from Jacob, sighing gently. “Okay, what is it?” She asked reluctantly, stopping when he did as their eyes locked.

 

“Come over to my place today after school.  We have a half day and my parents want to meet you.” Emmett watched her eyes widen slightly, wondering briefly what she looked like behind that dark mask she hid herself under. “We can hang out and do whatever you want, maybe even walk through the woods again…”

 

“Oh no, I’m not walking through the woods with you ever again.” Talyn stated, shaking her head, remembering being on that limb with Emmett, thinking she’d fall to her death several times.

 

“Really?” Emmett smirked with twinkling topaz eyes. “Why is that?”

 

“I really don’t feel like being held against my will again.” She stated simply, causing Emmett to chuckle harder as they walked inside their final class.

 

“Hey, you weren’t complaining that much.” He protested with a smirk, causing Talyn to roll her eyes, both them sitting together in the back.

 

Pulling her notebook out, Talyn leaned back against the chair, glancing up at Emmett with a sigh. “Why do you want me to come over?” She asked finally, tapping her pen on her notebook almost impatiently, on edge since she hadn’t had a cigarette that day.  As soon as she was up, Emmett had pulled into the Weber’s driveway, deciding he wanted to take her to school. 

 

“Because I want to hang out with you more than just in school.” Emmett replied, taking her hand in his as their fingers laced together, the iciness of it feeling surprisingly nice to Talyn. “Please?”

 

Talyn lowered her gaze to their clasped hands, eyes caked with black eyeliner and dark gray eye shadow.  Her outfit was black pants and a long sleeved black shirt that had a gray cross embroidered on the front of it.  She slowly pulled her hand out of his grasp, looking away, only for him to turn her face back to meet his gentle topaz orbs.  How could she possibly compete with them?

 

“Okay fine, just for a few hours because I have other plans tonight.”

 

Emmett smiled with a nod, taking her hand to give it a gentle squeeze, just as the class began.  He wondered what else she had planned for the night, but figured it wasn’t his business.  Then again, Emmett could always cheat and find out from Alice, having a sinking feeling he wouldn’t like where she was going. 

 

Truth be told, Emmett would be furious if he knew she was going down to the reservation that night for Samira’s brother’s party.  Jared, the damn schmuck who threatened her to stay away from his sister.  Samira apparently ripped him apart verbally, pushed his party back a week, and called Talyn to apologize profusely for her brother’s actions. 

 

She made it clear that she wanted to be friends with Talyn, promising her that nothing would ruin their friendship.  Surprisingly, it made Talyn feel good that Samira actually wanted to be her friend, even through the adversity from her brother.  When Samira once again invited her down to the reservation, pleading over the phone, Talyn couldn’t say no and reluctantly agreed.

 

However, Talyn was not looking forward to having another encounter with Jacob Black, deciding she wouldn’t stay for a long period of time.

 

By the end of class, Emmett couldn’t stand it anymore, walking Talyn to her car. “Where are you going tonight?” He blurted out, causing her to raise an eyebrow back at him. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to ask it so forcefully.”

 

“Curious?” She smirked when Emmett scowled; actually finding it rather amusing that he looked jealous. “I don’t think you want to know.”

 

“I was afraid you’d say something like that.” He said, already knowing she was friends with one of the dog’s sister. “I can’t go with you right?”

 

“Right.”

 

Talyn slid inside her car, Emmett getting in on the passenger side, both of them buckling up.  Mandy decided to give her the day off from chores since it was a Friday, allowing her to stay out past midnight.  Apparently the warden agreed with her going down to the reservation, even though Talyn didn’t care what she thought.  She could hang out with whoever she wanted and nobody was going to stop her.

 

“Well how long are you going to do these other plans?” He pried, leaning back against the seat after pushing it back, needing more leg room. “You need a bigger car.”

 

“You could always walk.” Talyn laughed when he glared at her, putting the car in reverse before driving off down the road.

 

“Are you going to answer my question?”

 

“I don’t know honestly.  I guess a few hours maybe.  I don’t have a curfew tonight.” She watched a huge smile spread across Emmett’s face, groaning inwardly, knowing whatever he was thinking wasn’t good. “Emmett…”

 

“After you’re done with whatever it is you’re doing, text me and I’ll pick you up.” Emmett nodded enthusiastically, just wanting to spend some time alone with Talyn, and took her hand in his again.

 

“You want to hang out with me twice in one day?” She questioned, watching him nod without hesitation, wondering where this was going between them. “Emmett…”

 

“Turn left here.” He said, cutting her off, sighing when she pulled her hand away from his.

 

He knew Talyn was still timid as far as being friends went, but Emmett refused to give up.  She was the opposite of Rosalie, which attracted him even more, not to mention her scent intoxicated him to the point where he became drunk with it.  As much as he thirsted for her blood, Emmett thirsted for her even more, wanting to be with her no matter what it took.  He had till the end of eternity, damned or not, and knew she was worth it.

 

Talyn wondered exactly what Emmett’s intentions were because they didn’t seem friendly at all.  In fact, he kept acting as if they were dating, which could not happen.  She didn’t want to date anyone because she wouldn’t be sticking around Forks very long, just until after graduation.  She hoped Emmett understood that and sighed to herself, going down a winding dirt path about ten minutes later, knowing he lived just outside of Forks with the rest of the Cullens.

 

“Wow, this place is huge and open.” She commented, parking in the huge driveway and cut the ignition, blinking several times while Emmett chortled amusedly.

 

“Yeah, we like it though.” Emmett stepped out and immediately took Talyn’s hand again, after she clipped the keys to her pants, leading her toward the front door. “You’re not scared are you?”

 

“How many times do I have to tell you I don’t scare easily?” She retorted, rolling her eyes as they walked inside, knowing she was now in a house full of vampires. “This place is beautiful.”

 

“Thanks.” Emmett took her long sweater and hung it up, placing his hand on the small of her back as they headed toward the stairs. “Esme did most of the decorating with Alice’s help.”

 

“Esme is your mother right?”

 

“Yeah, she might as well be.” Emmett walked upstairs with Talyn, knowing Esme would hear them coming, and wasn’t disappointed when she appeared moments later.

 

“Hey Em.” She greeted, embracing him before pulling back, staring back at the girl with black makeup. “You must be Talyn Willow.”

 

“Yeah and you must be Esme.” She replied, taking the woman’s hand as they shook briefly, her skin cold as ice just like Emmett’s.

 

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Talyn.  We’ve heard a great deal about you.” Esme smiled at her adopted son, glad he took her up on her offer, guiding them inside the sitting room. “Please make yourself comfortable, Talyn.  Anything you need, just ask.”

 

“I’m fine, thanks.” Talyn replied, being surprisingly polite, allowing Emmett to guide her to the sitting room with a big open glass window. 

 

Moments later, Alice and Jasper came fluttering through it, fresh from feeding. “Hello Talyn.” She greeted in that chiming voice, holding Jasper’s hand, who looked like he was in pain and resisting temptation. “Jasper, you remember Talyn from school right?”

 

“Yes, nice seeing you again.” He replied in a monotone voice, clearing his throat as he kissed Alice’s cheek gently. “I’m going to go read for awhile.”

 

“Alright.” Alice knew it was still difficult for Jasper to be around humans, though nobody minded Talyn being here. “Don’t mind him, he’s just newer to this lifestyle than we are.”

 

Talyn nodded, looking around the beautiful room, admiring how light it was.  Definitely not what she was expecting, but it still intrigued her.  Emmett watched Talyn look around the room and smiled, knowing she was looking at every single detail, agreeing that the house was beautiful.  Esme and Alice had done a terrific job to make it feel like a real home, especially since they weren’t supposed to exist.

 

“Did you want something to drink?” Emmett asked, already knowing Alice informed Esme about him bringing Talyn over today.

 

“No thanks.” Talyn answered quietly and felt Emmett pull her up from where she sat, excusing them as he guided her up another flight of stairs toward his room. “Where are we going?”

 

Emmett didn’t answer, waiting until they were inside the darker room and closed the door behind him, turning to stare back at her. “What’s wrong?” He asked in a worried tone of voice, afraid this might’ve been too soon for her.

 

“Nothing Emmett, I told you I’m not very social.” Talyn replied somewhat tensely, wrapping her arms around herself and turned to face the window, sighing heavily.

 

Emmett frowned and walked over, wrapping his arms around her waist, stopping her when she went to break the grip. “Stop.” He whispered in her ear, turning her around as their eyes locked together. “You’re scared of me.”

 

“No I’m not.” Talyn protested, wishing he would stop saying that because she wasn’t.  “I’m not scared of you at all, Emmett.”

 

“Then what is it?” He asked, running his hands up and down her arms, trying to get her to open up to him. “You can trust me, Tal.  Whatever you say to me stays between us.”

 

“Then what do you really want from me?” She suddenly demanded, searching his topaz eyes, swallowing hard by what she saw. “Emmett…”

 

His finger pressed against her lips, silencing whatever she was going to say, shoulders slumping.  Emmett pulled back, noticing the black on his finger from her lips and rubbed it off, watching as her lips came together to fix it.  Every little thing about this woman Emmett noticed and suddenly the scent of cinnamon completely overtook him. 

 

“I want to be with you, but I’m willing to wait as long as it takes, Talyn.” Emmett was completely serious as he stared into her pale blue orbs, pulling her back until he landed on the bed, pulling her with him to sit on his lap. “I would never hurt you.”

 

“I-I haven’t even been here two weeks, you don’t even know me.” She stated, groaning when she went to get up only for him to pull her back down, legs draping over his lap. “Emmett, let go of me.”

 

What was with these guys thinking they could manhandle her?

 

“No, I may not know you, but if you give me a chance, I promise I won’t disappoint you.” Emmett pressed his forehead against hers, being very gentle with her, knowing he couldn’t squeeze her too much because of his strength. “Let me prove it to you.”

 

“How?” She whispered, feeling how tender he was being with her, shaking her head in protest. “No, no I can’t do this.  Let me go.  I have to leave...”

 

Emmett growled in frustration, releasing her as she stood up, heading for the door. “Do you like me or not, Talyn?” He demanded, standing up from the bed, crossing his arms in front of his massive chest as she stopped. “Because I know I like you and, if you didn’t like me as more than a friend, you wouldn’t be standing here right now fighting how you feel for me.”

 

“Fuck you.” She whispered, gasping when he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, her hands planted on his marble chest. “Let go of me right now.”

 

“No, not until you admit you feel something for me.” Emmett stated, backing up away from the door, sighing when the fire flared in her eyes. “You like me, just say it.”

 

Talyn groaned, lowering her head as she gripped his arms, closing her eyes tightly shut. “Emmett, you don’t understand…” She could feel her resolve weakening against him, looking up into those topaz eyes again. “Why do you want to be with someone like me?  Someone who…who…” She couldn’t say it and tried pulling away from him, only for Emmett’s arm to wrap around her waist.

 

“Someone who what?” He whispered in a low voice, seeing how broken she was right now. “What is it, Talyn?”

 

“I don’t want to fucking talk about it.” She snapped, though there was no anger evident in her voice, even though she tried injecting some into it.  Emmett seemed to look past who she was and found the real Talyn behind the makeup and attitude. “I need a cigarette.”

 

Emmett growled softly when she said that, slowly shaking his head, lifting her chin up to meet his eyes. “Let me in.” He pleaded and lowered his head, knowing he had absolutely nothing to lose.

 

Talyn knew what he was going to do and closed her eyes, just letting it happen, knowing she couldn’t stop it anyway.  The feeling of his cool marble lips against hers set Talyn’s heart racing, feeling it pounding a furious tattoo against her chest.  Unlike Jacob’s kiss, this one was tender and sweet, knowing Emmett couldn’t get too out of control with it or he would hurt her.  Talyn’s hands slid up his arms to wrap around his neck, pressing herself against his cold body, moaning softly.

 

Emmett was in dire pain as he slowly pulled away from her, his throat constricted and burning fiercely, unbelievably thirsty at the moment.  His topaz eyes seared her, the scent of cinnamon drawing him in like a magnetic field.  He had to feed and now before he hurt her, refusing to do that.

 

“You need to leave now, Talyn.” He ordered gravely, taking another step back, watching her eyes widen in confusion. “Please, you need to leave now!”

 

“Emmett…” She blinked when the door was tossed open, Carlisle instantly coming in, who Talyn still hadn’t met yet. “What’s going on?”

 

“Emmett, you need to feed now.” Carlisle watched him nod stiffly and Talyn suddenly cottoned on to what happened, swallowing hard, knowing it was her fault he was acting like this.

 

“Come on, Talyn, I’ll walk you out.” Alice offered gently, Emmett’s eyes locking on hers briefly before taking off out of the window, leaping with a growl emanating through the night.

 

Talyn could only walk out of the Cullen household in somewhat shock, touching her tingling lips with her fingertips, hoping Emmett was alright as she headed to the reservation.

 

Chapter 9

 

Before going to the reservation for this party, Talyn made a pit stop at home to change her clothes.  She decided to wear one of her special outfits, a smirk curving her blackened lips.  Talyn had taken a shower before school that morning, slipping out of her black pants, replacing them with a knee length black skirt that had rips in it for style. 

 

She hoped it wasn’t too chilly and pulled out a black and blue corset from her dresser drawer, slipping it on.  It zipped up the side, which she liked, taking her time to place it correctly.  She stared in the mirror and decided to redo her makeup, knowing she’d definitely be the oddball at this party. 

 

Midnight blue eyeliner –it looked almost black like her hair, outlined her pale blue orbs along with black eyeliner that had blue in the crease of her eyelids.  It looked wicked, which is what she was going for, nodding in approval before turning to her lipstick.  Tapping her chin in thought, Talyn’s eyes flashed cruelly before painting her lips black. 

 

She wasn’t finished though and applied midnight blue over it, making them nearly match her hair.  Talyn left her hair down, parting it to where one side hung over her right eye, her pale complexion making everything stand out.  She redid her nails, painting them a midnight blue before slipping into her leather, steel toed knee high boots that zipped up the sides. 

 

To finish the outfit off, Talyn decided to wear her long black sweater, remembering Mira said something about a bonfire commencing at this party.  She would be warm enough to expose her strapless corset, which she loved wearing, but only on special occasions.  After what Jacob Black did, this definitely called for it.  Smirking, Talyn grabbed her keys and small bag that had a blue embroidered cross on it –her type of purse- and walked out of the house to head to the reservation.

 

Samira hadn’t told her brother about Talyn coming, knowing he would’ve skipped out on his own birthday party, which wasn’t happening.  If he knew what was good for him, he would be on his BEST behavior tonight or she would make him suffer.  He didn’t have to talk to Talyn or even look at her, but if he did ONE thing to scare her away, Samira would disown him as her brother forever.

 

Her eyes widened when headlights shone in the driveway, a smile breaking across her face, wearing a simple black jean skirt that went an inch above the knee.  Her top was long sleeved red with black mesh over it, the sleeves see-through.  Her hair was down and straightened in an angled style, simple black eyeliner outlining her green orbs with clear gloss on her lips.  Black sneakers finished the outfit off because Samira refused to wear anything with heels, enjoying the feeling of her feet and being comfortable.

           

She rushed over to the old car and immediately tackled Talyn with a hug as soon as she stepped out, squealing with excitement. “I’m so glad you made it!” Samira didn’t care how she looked right now, the biggest smile on her face that lit up the evening sky. “And you look amazing!”

 

Talyn blinked, not expecting this type of reception, not able to help hugging Samira back. “I told you I’d be here.” She reminded softly, allowing Samira to take her hand as she lead her down the driveway.

 

“I know, but that doesn’t make me any less excited.” Samira retorted, stopping just short of the entrance, turning to face Talyn. “I didn’t tell anyone you were coming besides Emily.  That’s Sam’s fiancée, you remember Sam right?”

 

Before Talyn could speak, Samira had already pulled her by the hand up the stairs and inside the house, causing all heads to turn on them.  Emily smiled widely, wearing a blue jean skirt with a long sleeved cream colored shirt, her hair up in a messy bun, a few tendrils framing her face.  The guys were in the living room watching television and immediately began filing into the kitchen, smelling something foul.

 

“You must be Talyn.” Emily grinned from ear to ear and set her cutting knife down, walking over to take the girl’s hand from Samira’s. “It’s very nice to meet you.  Mira has told me a lot about you.”

 

“Well…what I know anyway.  We haven’t really hung out that much.” Samira corrected, chewing her bottom lip, seeing how timid Talyn was.

 

“It’s nice meeting you too.” Talyn murmured quietly, not seeing one ounce of judgment in the woman’s eyes, which was a huge relief.

 

“Come on in.” Emily turned and shot a warning glare at every single one of the guys, picking the knife up with a sweet smile.  Any of them so much as breathed wrong toward Talyn and Emily would make them wish they’d never been born.

 

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…” Talyn began backing up toward the door, causing Samira to frown.

 

“Of course it is!  If you’re worried about the guys, don’t be.  Sam set them straight, including the birthday boy.” Emily assured her softly, sighing at how timid Talyn was, remembering what Samira said about her being anti-social. “Talyn, nobody here is going to hurt you.  You could come in here looking like Frankenstein and nobody would judge you.”

 

“What did I say about wearing that shit on your lips?” Jacob demanded, not able to hold his tongue anymore, wearing a tight short sleeved shirt with blue jeans, all the guys dressed fully since it was their night off from patrolling.

 

“She can wear anything she wants.” Samira stated heatedly, eyes narrowing to slits at Jacob. “Behave all of you or else.”

 

“Look, clearly nobody wants me here, so I’ll just leave and go hang out with Emmett again.” She swallowed hard when all eyes turned on her, trying not to look intimidated, but it was nearly impossible.

 

“Emmett Cullen?” Jacob questioned tensely, finally piecing together who exactly Talyn smelled like that day he kissed her.  Now she smelled like him again and Jacob felt his blood grow hot, the jealousy once again consuming him.

 

“Yes, we’re friends…sort of.” Talyn was confused herself, especially after their last encounter, wrapping her arms around herself. “I went over to his house after school today for a few.” She said to Samira, completely ignoring Jacob.

 

“Hey no worries.” Samira refused to let anything get in the way of their building friendship. “Are you dating him?”

 

“No, I don’t date…EVER.” She wanted to emphasize that word to make it clear to anyone and everyone, suddenly thinking about Brandon. “He’s a nice guy and everything, but I’m complicated and different as you can clearly tell.”

 

Samira simply shrugged. “I never noticed a difference about you.” She stated truthfully, causing all the guys to gawk at her, wondering if she was blind as a bat. “Sure you wear dark makeup, but that’s not who you are inside.  That’s what matters, the person inside.  It’s like Emmy said, it doesn’t matter what your outer appearance is.”

 

“You are unlike any girl I’ve ever met in my life.” Talyn informed her, sitting down at the island, her skirt flowing around her, raking a hand through her bluish black hair. “I didn’t think people like you existed anymore.”

 

“Well you’re meeting two of them.” Samira nudged Emily, standing beside her as they both began cutting vegetables. “Emily is a sweetheart and keeps the guys in line.”

 

“Wow, where was she when Jacob decided to shove his tongue down my throat?”

 

Everyone completely froze in place, Emily’s head snapping up from cutting a cucumber, slowly setting it down while Samira’s eyes widened. “He did what?” She asked in a deceptively sweet tone of voice, watching Talyn shoot a glare over her shoulder at him.

 

“He came to the place I’m staying at and kept pulling my keys away from me.  It was the day your schmuck brother nearly attacked me.  Well, Jacob was the one who ended up doing the attacking of my damn mouth.” Talyn growled, still sore about that, rolling her eyes when the guys started cat calling and whistling. “It sucked.”

 

“Ooo burn!” Embry crowed with a smirk, watching Jacob roll his eyes.

 

“Oh shut up, you enjoyed it and you know it, Talyn or you wouldn’t have kissed me back.” Jacob decided if she was airing their dirty laundry, he wasn’t going down without a fight. “I mean, you have to admit, that kiss was pretty damn heated.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and watched as she spun around in the stool, trying to shove him away. “Ooo you want round two eh?”

 

“You fucking make me sick!” Talyn spat angrily, pale blue eyes lit on fire, Samira instantly stepping in between them.

 

“Enough!  Jacob Black, step back right now!” Samira ordered, blinking when Paul pulled her back against him. “Jacob!”

 

“Relax Mira; I’m not doing anything she doesn’t want me to do.” Jacob taunted, once again lighting that fire inside of Talyn. “She just LOVES it rough.”

 

“FUCK YOU!” Talyn screamed and hauled off, punching him directly in the nose before kicking him with her steel toed boots in the stomach, watching him double over in pain.  She felt one of the guys pull her back and elbowed them in the nose, completely fed up with Jacob Black. “DO NOT FUCKING TOUCH ME!”

 

“Damn it my nose!” Embry groaned, not believing what an aim this woman had on her, watching as Sam grabbed her from around the waist. 

 

“YOU COCKSUCKER!!  I WILL TEAR YOU APART!!”

 

Talyn had completely lost it, kicking and flailing her arms wildly, trying to break free from Sam’s vise grip to hurt Jacob more.  She was livid when he stood up with a cocky grin on his face, not believing he actually healed that quickly from her attack.  So had Embry, who snapped his nose back into place with ease.

 

A second later, a loud slap echoed throughout the house as Jacob held his cheek, Samira storming out of the house.  He stopped her before she could get too far; knowing he’d pushed Talyn over the edge.  Samira went to slap him again, demanding Jacob to release her, and he just tossed her into Paul’s awaiting arms before taking off after Talyn.

 

“Jake…”

 

“Not now Sam.”

 

Talyn was storming to her car, shaking dragging a cigarette out of her bag, needing one desperately.  She hadn’t been that angry since Chicago, wondering what Jacob Black had against her.  She pulled her lighter out and lit the smoke up, taking the longest drag she possibly could, coughing a little as the smoke escaped her nose and mouth.  A nicotine fix is just what she needed, knowing Samira was incredibly upset, but right now Talyn honestly didn’t care.

 

“Talyn, wait!” Jacob called, seeing her retreating form, also noting she had a lit cigarette in her hand.

 

“I am fucking warning you right now, Jacob Black; you better stay the hell away from me!” She ordered gravely, not stopping as angry tears burned her eyes.  She just wanted to go back to her prison and fall sleep, tying the sweater tightly around her waist, still not believing what he did in front of his friends.

 

“Stop!” He grabbed her arm and jumped back when she went to burn him with the cigarette, knocking it out of her hand. “Talyn, stop it!”

 

“NO!  GET AWAY FROM ME!!” She screamed, feeling his hands grasp her upper arms, feeling completely helpless because, no matter what she did to him, he couldn’t be injured. “DON’T TOUCH ME!!”

 

“Will you just-”

 

“LET GO OF ME!!” She wasn’t being put in the same predicament as she had before, starting to fight him off with everything she could. “YOU ARROGANT BASTARD, GET AWAY FROM ME!!  I DON’T WANT YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON ME!!”

 

Jacob sighed resignedly, wondering if she was really going to make him do this.  When she wouldn’t stop screaming at him to let her go, he had his answer and crushed her to his chest.  “ENOUGH!” He screamed right back at her, silencing her momentarily, taking a deep breath when she finally calmed down. “You and I need to have a talk, Talyn.”

 

“No, I don’t want to talk to you!” She whispered harshly, arms locked at her sides because his were around her body, preventing her from hitting him or anything.

 

“I don’t care, you’re going to.  Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do in life.” He stated evenly, raising a slow eyebrow, daring her to contradict him. “Come on, you know you liked that kiss.”

 

“No, YOU liked the kiss.  I thought it was disgusting!” She spat hatefully, pure anger shining in her eyes, struggling against him.  In truth, Talyn was lying through her teeth, though Jacob would never know that. “Let go of me right now.”

 

“Not until we talk.” He argued, refusing to let her leave just because of his stupidity. “Come on, one talk won’t kill you, Tallie.”

 

“It’s TALYN.” She corrected, grunting when he began pulling her toward the woods. “No, I’m not going in there.”

 

“Yes you are.  Now stop fighting me.” He ordered, groaning when she tried stopping him, and simply lifted her up over his shoulder. “I told you we’re gonna have a talk and you’re not running away from it.”

 

“What the fuck is your problem?!” She exclaimed, kicking her legs and hitting his back as hard as she could with her fists, not believing how he was treating her. “Put me down!”

 

Jacob did as she asked a few minutes later, watching as she landed unceremoniously in a pile of dirt. “If you try running, I’ll just catch you.  I’m super fast, girl.” He warned, bending down to be eye level with her, noting the murderous gleam in her eyes. “I’m not as bad as you think I am, Tallie.”

 

“Stop it.” She muttered, wrapping her arms around herself, so glad she’d brought her sweater with her. “And you’re WORSE than you think, Jacob Black.  Don’t kid yourself.” She snorted, drawing her knees up against her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

 

Jacob sighed heavily, sinking down to sit besides her, knowing she wouldn’t move because she was too shaken up right now. “Look, I’m not going to apologize for anything I’ve said or done.  I’m a realist and tell things like it is whether people like it or not.  That day at your house, I was simply having fun and, granted, it did get out of hand, but you can’t look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”

 

“You think so eh?” Talyn looked him square in the eye, pursing her bluish black lips together tightly. “I didn’t enjoy it.”

 

“Both eyes.” Jacob smirked when she scowled, already knowing he had her, scooting closer.  He found it amusing when she moved a little bit away from him, rolling his eyes. “You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?”

 

That caught her off guard as Talyn blinked, staring at him surprised. “W-What do you mean?” She couldn’t help asking, immediately lowering her gaze to the ground.  Those dark smoldering eyes were engulfing her in flames and Talyn was close to take her sweater off.

 

“What I mean is this,” Jacob grabbed her arm and pulled her to sit sideways in his lap, stopping her from shoving against him by grabbing both of her hands to press against his chest. “Stop fighting me.”

 

“You are so damn overbearing!” She exclaimed, trying to get away from him, but he was preventing her from doing so. “What the fuck do you want from me?”

 

“To make you see the person you really are.  That mask you wear is nothing more than a disguise and I want to know the person BEHIND it.” Jacob stated passionately, feeling her heart begin to pound, knowing she could feel his and it had to feel better than a marble rock. “Talyn, you use that makeup as a security blanket and you don’t need it.  You may think you do, but you don’t.  So just let go and show me who you truly are.”

 

“Why the hell do you care what I look like?” She whispered, completely dumbfounded by what he was saying, breathing becoming somewhat heavy. “And it’s not a security blanket.”

 

“Then prove it to me.” Jacob raised an eyebrow, knowing she wouldn’t go through with his challenge. “Start with that crap on your lips.  Wipe it off.”

 

“No.” She wasn’t backing down, tensed because she noticed the similar look come over his eyes. “Jacob…” She didn’t have a chance to say anything more because his burning lips had descended on hers once more, completely devouring them whole, and wiping away the lipstick in his own methodical way.

 

Chapter 10

 

When the kiss broke, Talyn knew Jacob only did it to spite her; the twinkling in his eyes a dead giveaway.  She shoved away from him and stood up, knowing her lipstick was ruined, honestly not caring as much about that as how hard her heart pounded.  When Jacob stood up and came toward her, Talyn backed away with her hands up, swallowing hard.

 

“Fine, you fucking win.  I’ll wipe it off.” She muttered, not wanting him to touch her because every time he did, it felt like her skin was on fire.

 

Talyn proceeded to take her sweater and wiped the rest of it away, closing her eyes tightly shut, making sure to get the corners too.  She didn’t want to give him any reason to touch her again, finally stopping as she stared back at him evenly.  Jacob raised a slow eyebrow, seeing how her hands trembled, knowing that was a huge step for her to take.

 

“Look Tallie…”

 

“My name is Talyn.” She whispered, tears shining in her eyes and quickly blinked them back, walking away when he stopped her. “What do you want now?” She demanded viciously, ripping her arm out of his grasp. “Just STOP touching me.  You got what you fucking wanted.  It’s gone alright?  Can we get back to the damn party already?”

 

Jacob sighed, knowing he really crossed the line with Talyn, but didn’t regret it.  She looked beautiful without the makeup and wanted to see the rest of her, but knew that would be harder to conquest.  Though, when she griped about him touching her that intrigued Jacob more as he pulled her back into his arms again, ignoring her objections.

 

“Why don’t you want me touching you?” He challenged, searching her pale blue eyes, allowing her to push away from him again.

 

“Because you make my skin crawl!” She snapped and began running as fast as she could away from him through the woods, knowing he was hot on her trail. “Jacob, leave me the fuck alone!”

 

“I scared you didn’t I?” He demanded, catching up with her in no time, but decided not to push her any further.

 

“No you didn’t.  You’re an overbearing prick and you need to stay the fuck away from me before you seriously get hurt.” Talyn threatened; knowing deep down it was meaningless, never stopping in her hasty retreat to get away from him.

 

“You can threaten me all you want, but I’m not staying away from you.” Jacob watched as she froze in her tracks, slowly turning around to face him, standing there with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “Even though you smell horrible right now.”

 

“What?” She blinked, watching the amusement shine in his eyes, scowling darkly. “No, you’re the one who smells cocksucker.”

 

“My name is Jacob or Jake.  I’ll make you a deal, you call me either of those and I’ll stop calling you Tallie.”

 

“Fine, you’re still a cocksucker though.” She stated heatedly, feeling foreign without half of her mask, raking a hand through her bluish black hair.

 

They stepped out of the woods, where Samira stood, immediately storming over to Jacob. “YOU ASSHOLE!!” She kicked him as hard as she could in the shin, tears shining in her eyes. “WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU JACOB?”

 

Talyn sighed and pulled Samira away from him, knowing fighting wouldn’t solve anything.” Stop Mira.” She ordered gently but firmly, turning her friend around to face her. “Look, this is your brother’s party and I don’t want to ruin it anymore.  Let’s just get it started.”

 

Samira blinked, not believing how calm Talyn was acting since she’d gone psycho earlier, glaring daggers back at Jacob. “Stay away from her, Black, or so help me I will make Sam toss you out of here.” She promised in a deadly voice, taking Talyn’s hand and guiding her down the driveway, shaking her head in disbelief. “Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine.” Talyn assured her, hoping her lips weren’t too swollen for Jacob. “Look, I don’t apologize often, but I really didn’t mean to blow up the way I did.  He just really pissed me off…”

 

“Oh no, don’t you DARE apologize.” Samira stated, stopping as she turned to face her friend, eyes burning with acid. “He deserved everything that happened and MORE.  You can go redo your makeup if you want.”

 

Talyn raised an eyebrow, Samira never ceasing to amaze her, though Jacob would just force her to wipe it off. “No, I’m fine.  We’re going to eat anyway, it’d come off eventually.  This way it’s not a problem and I don’t taste black shit in my food.”

 

“Can I say something without you getting upset or blowing your stack?” Samira asked hesitantly, guiding Talyn over to where the bonfire had already started, thanks to Sam.

 

“I won’t snap at you, Mira.” Talyn promised, sitting down in a chair, crossing one leg over the other. “You can say anything to me.”

 

“You look better without it.” Samira cracked a cautious smile, watching Talyn sigh heavily, chewing her bottom lip. “Come with me for a minute.”

 

“Why?” Now it was Talyn’s turn to act cautious, taking Samira’s extended hand as they both headed inside Emily’s house.

 

Samira smiled back at her assuring. “You trust me right?” When Talyn nodded, Samira hoped she meant it as they walked inside the bathroom, closing the door. “Just sit down.”

 

“What are you doing?” Talyn demanded, immediately standing up when she saw the makeup case being pulled out, shaking her head. “It’s fine Mira, really.  I don’t need it fixed…”

 

“Look, you have smeared black eyeliner and it looks like you’ve been crying.  Just trust me, I won’t change much.” Samira promised, already bending down with the makeup cleaner in hand. “Trust me, I won’t let you down or make you look like me.”

 

Talyn snorted with a roll of her eyes before closing them, deciding to let Samira do what she wanted, knowing her makeup job was ruined.  She folded her arms in front of her chest and wrinkled her nose, the makeup cleaning solution stronger than she expected.  Samira chuckled before beginning to apply the black eyeliner, deciding Talyn didn’t need eye shadow.  She finished up ten minutes later and pulled Talyn to her feet, turning her to face the mirror.

 

“I know it’s a little less dramatic than what you’re used to…” Samira bit her bottom lip, knowing she only applied black eyeliner that covered both eyelids completely, leaving the top and crease alone, along with clear lip gloss. “If you don’t like it, I will change it.”

 

“It’s fine.” Talyn felt weird, slowly touching her cheek with her hand, not used to missing her usual mask, sighing heavily. “Thanks Mira, you did well.”

 

“Really?” Samira sounded surprised, Talyn turning to face her, the hesitation still in those green eyes. “Talyn, if you don’t like it…”

 

Talyn placed a finger to her lips, silencing her friend. “It’s fine, I promise.  Come on; let’s get back to the party.” She didn’t want the time here devoted to her, knowing it was Jared’s birthday, even though she despised the little runt.

 

Samira sighed with great relief as both of them walked out of the bathroom, only to run into Jacob, Talyn instantly lowering her gaze. “Jacob, leave her alone.” She ordered gravely, seeing how timid her friend was, the acid entering her eyes again.

 

“Emily wants you.” Jacob couldn’t take his eyes from Talyn, seeing she’d lowered her head as well, noticing Samira’s protective stance. “I won’t hurt her, go.”

 

“Talyn…”

 

“I’ll be right behind you.” Talyn murmured in a softer voice, completely drained from her earlier explosion.  She wasn’t as big of a bitch as everyone though and it took a lot of her when she did let her feelings out. “What do you want now, Jacob?”

 

He didn’t answer right away, just simply turned her face to meet his eyes, his breath completely stolen.  She was gorgeous, finally seeing most of who she was behind the mask like he wanted.  The pale complexion made her pale blue eyes stand out, the black eyeliner making them practically glow.  Her long black lashes fanned beautifully and her lips looked soft with the clear gloss that made them shine. 

 

Talyn Willow was a natural beauty.

 

“Wow.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say, seeing how timorous she was, knowing she had to feel strange without her mask. “That is ten times better.  Come here.” He took her hand in his and guided her back inside the bathroom, both of them staring in the mirror.  His arms wrapped around her waist to keep her still, chin resting on top of her head. “Now that’s the Talyn I’ve wanted to see.  You are stunning.”

 

“What did I tell you about touching me?” Talyn sighed when he turned her around to face him, lifting her by the waist to sit on the sink. “Jacob, I don’t have the strength to fight with you anymore tonight.”

 

“Then don’t fight with me.” Jacob noticed for the first time she wasn’t wearing the sweater, the corset showing off her curvaceous body.  His hands felt as if they would burn right through her corset and skirt, their eyes never leaving one another.

 

“Why do you keep on challenging me?” Talyn demanded, folding her arms in front of her chest, wondering what he was thinking. “This isn’t who I am and tomorrow I’ll be wearing the same makeup I came here with tonight.  It’s not a mask or a security blanket, it’s who I am.”

 

“No, this is who you are.  You’re just afraid to show it to others.” Jacob insisted, running a hot finger down her cheek, standing between her legs. “This is the way I want to remember you when we’re not together.”

 

“This isn’t who I am though.” Talyn wished he would accept that, lowering her eyes from his and shoved him away gently, jumping down from the sink. “And there is or never will be anything between us.  You can’t accept me for who I am, which means the ‘mask’ as you like to call it.  For the last time, leave me the fuck alone Jacob.” She went to walk out of the bathroom, but he stopped her, pinning her to the door. “Stop.”

 

“You know there’s sparks between us, Talyn.” He murmured in a husky voice, his mouth right by her ear, running his burning hands down her arms to grab her sides again. “I do accept you, but you don’t need the dark makeup because you’re beautiful without it.”

 

“You don’t get it.” Talyn whispered, trying not to tremble against him, gripping his thin shirt in her hands to keep her composure.

 

His lips felt wonderful against her neck, not believing how gentle he was being with her right now.  It was nicer than the aggression and domination she was used to when it came to him.  Right now, he was caressing her gently, making her entire body light on fire, which was hard to do.  Emmett was the only other guy, besides Brandon, who made her feel this way.

 

“Then help me understand.”

 

He didn’t stop the assault on her neck, pulling her against him tighter, wanting to feel their bodies connect.  Cinnamon was quickly overtaking the sickly sweet smell, knowing it was fading the more she was around him, a smirk curving her lips.  Jacob could feel her resolve weakening and took full advantage of it, finally claiming her lips in another scorching kiss, pressing her further against the door. 

 

His tongue swiped across her lips and groaned when Talyn granted him access, this kiss different from the others.  It was still heated, but also filled with tenderness and unbridled fervor.  Jacob felt her hand slide up his chest to bury in his hair, the kiss deepening instantly, groaning louder from low in his throat. 

 

“Please…” She whimpered when he broke the kiss, head spinning from the contact, gripping his shoulders as her entire body shivered. “Please stop.” Talyn had to learn how to breathe again, feeling as though her heart might explode from what just transpired between them.

 

Before Jacob could stop her, Talyn had walked out of the bathroom down the hallway, leaving him standing there.  She needed cold air and walked out, knowing she couldn’t get upset about the kiss.  Talyn enjoyed it, no matter how much she wanted to delude herself, and headed over to the bonfire where Samira sat anxiously.

 

“Are you alright?” She immediately asked, watching as Talyn nodded, sitting down beside her. “Here, eat something.”

 

Talyn took a piece of cheese with a cracker, nibbling on it, more confused than ever as she stared into the fire.  First Emmett and now Jacob, what the hell was going on and why did both men suddenly want her?  It didn’t make sense, Talyn just wanted to be left alone, knowing she’d left her black heart in Chicago with Brandon…or so she thought.

 

The party finally got underway and Jared opened his gifts, both Samira and Emily deciding not to berate Jacob.  He was after all supposed to be the alpha of the pack, so they were always more careful around him than the others.  He technically didn’t have to listen to Sam because of the genes, though they were both happy he didn’t fight it whenever Sam gave an order. 

 

Jacob sat next to Talyn the entire time, though he didn’t touch her.  Just the feeling of her nearby was enough for him, his lips still tingling from the kisses, wondering if Talyn felt the same thing.  He couldn’t help admiring how the firelight reflected off of her bluish black hair, bringing the blue out in it more, or how it made her eyes light up.  She was absolutely gorgeous and Jacob knew he was completely infatuated with her, wondering how she felt about him.

 

Jared blew out the candles on his birthday cake, officially the age of seventeen, though he would remain sixteen for years to come because of the wolf gene.  Talyn still had no idea what they were, though she couldn’t help thinking back to how hot Jacob’s skin was.  It never changed, it was almost as if he had a twenty four seven fever that never went away.  Something definitely was up and Talyn decided to ask Emmett about it, knowing he wouldn’t keep the truth from her.

 

She didn’t stay much longer after cake and ice cream, barely touching it, not hungry after everything that happened that day.  First Emmett freaking out because he kissed her and then erupting on Jacob followed by more kissing.  Talyn just wanted to go home and crawl into bed, never feeling so drained in all of her life. 

 

Samira walked her to her car; Jacob following close by, but both ignored them as they embraced lightly. “Thanks for coming.  Sorry it started out as a disaster.”

 

“No problem, it was cool all things considered.” Talyn assured her with a small smile, patting Samira’s shoulder reassuringly.

 

“So does this mean we can start hanging out more?”

 

“Sure, I’ll let you know the next time I’m free.” Talyn watched her jump up and down excitedly before rushing off to help Emily clean up from the party.  Her eyes turned to Jacob, who stood in the shadows, watching him coming toward her. “What do you want now?”

 

“Just one thing.” Jacob smirked, standing right in front of her, and leaned down to kiss her.  Talyn was too fast for him, backing away before he could make contact, shaking her head.

 

“Good night Jacob.” She stated evenly, their eyes locking briefly before slipping into her car, slamming the door shut with authority.

 

Jacob smirked as she peeled out of there quickly, chuckling to himself. “Night Talyn.” He murmured before heading off into the woods, his blood lit on fire just from being near her.

 

Chapter 11

 

Talyn drove down the street away from La Push, trying to wrap her mind around Jacob’s behavior, refusing to glance in the rearview mirror.  She looked hideous without her regular makeup, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.  A scream erupted from her lips when she felt a loud pounce on the roof of her car, squealing the tires to a rough stop as her heart lunged in her throat.

 

“What the fuck?!” She exclaimed, surprised she hadn’t pissed herself, a hand pressed over her thundering heart.  Talyn’s eyes narrowed slightly when Emmett jumped down and landed in front of her car moments later, tempted to run him over. “Emmett?!”

 

Emmett couldn’t help chuckling, knowing he scared her, and walked over to open the driver’s side door. “Scoot over.” He gently commanded, watching her blink back at him in shock. “Are you okay?”

 

“Aside from the fact I just got the shit scared out of me, I’m grand.” Talyn retorted with a snort, trying to calm down, having scooted over in the passenger seat because she knew she couldn’t drive right now. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I wanted to see you.” Emmett replied and wrinkled his nose, groaning because he could smell the wolves on her. “As beautiful as you look right now, Tal, you stink really bad.”

 

“Okay that’s it, I do NOT stink!  Jesus Christ, I took a fucking shower before I went to school today!” She exclaimed, sick of being told that and crossed her arms in front of her chest hastily. “You and everyone else can kiss my ass.”

 

Emmett noticed how on edge Talyn was and frowned, wondering what happened, pulling over on the side of the road.  He turned to face her, pulling her to sit right beside him, topaz eyes boring into hers.  Whatever happened, he was going to find out and held his breath momentarily, knowing he didn’t need to breathe to exist.

 

“What happened tonight?” He asked in a low voice, knowing the dog smell would go away eventually the more she hung around him, sighing heavily. “Tell me Talyn.”

 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She lowered her eyes from his, still feeling apprehensive about her appearance, only for him to lift her chin up with his cold hand. “Emmett…”

 

“I’m sorry about earlier.  I was harsh and I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to scare you and, before you even say you don’t scare easily, I KNOW you were when I ordered you to leave.” Emmett thought he was the reason she was on edge, which was partially true, and pressed his forehead against hers.  He tried finding that cinnamon scent of hers and could vaguely smell it. “I was protecting you.”

 

“I know; it’s been a really rough day and night.” She admitted quietly, feeling his thumb brush across her cheek gently, closing her eyes briefly.

 

“I noticed.” Emmett wondered what happened at the reservation, eyes narrowing slightly, but he wouldn’t push Talyn to tell him.  He refused to pressure her, knowing that would just drive her further away. “I wish you would tell me, but I understand if you don’t.”

 

“Why do I smell bad to you?” She suddenly asked, pulling back to stare in his eyes, begging for some truth. “I mean, first Jacob Black tells me I smell horrible and now you.  What’s going on?”

 

“Jacob Black?” Emmett could feel the jealousy washing over him, trying to maintain it.  Judging by her question, Emmett knew she didn’t know anything about the Quileute tribe, wondering if he should tell her. “Are you sure you want to know?”

 

“Yes, I want to know why I stink to both of you.” Talyn demanded, pulling away to fold her arms in front of her chest. “Jacob is always really hot, his skin feels like it’s going to burn me and I have a feeling you know why.”

 

Emmett sighed, seeing they were near the woods still, and stepped out as she pulled her with him gently.  He was always very gentle with her while Jacob wasn’t so much.  Talyn sighed resignedly and allowed him to guide her through the woods, looking around, wondering where they were going.  Talyn trusted Emmett and stopped when he did, feeling him release her hand.

 

“I don’t know how to tell you this, Talyn.  I’m not sure if you’ll even believe me.” Emmett sighed heavily, picking up a rock and threw it, looking back at her. “Just keep an open mind, alright?”

 

Talyn nodded, walking over to him and took his hand. “Emmett, whatever you tell me I’ll believe.  You have no reason to lie to me.”

 

That was reassuring and Emmett felt a little more confident, surprised that she’d grabbed his hand. “Jacob Black isn’t human…not fully anyway.” That name left a bad taste in his mouth, eyes narrowing slightly. “According to Quileute legend, their people are descendents of wolves…and it’s true.”

 

“Wolves?  You mean like werewolves?” Talyn blinked when Emmett nodded, slowly releasing his hand, trying to wrap her mind around this. “You’re telling me…Are you saying…”

 

“They’re all wolves and have tattoos on their right biceps.  It’s the special marking of the protectors.  Jacob Black is one of them.  They change into wolves when they either get really angry or smell their immortal enemy nearby.” Emmett explained, hoping he was making sense, watching her eyes grow wider with every word he said.

 

“Is…Samira…?”

 

“No, she’s not a descendent from the tribe.  She’s not blood related so she doesn’t carry the gene.” Emmett watched her sigh a huge breath of relief, cracking a hesitant smile. “Don’t worry, they won’t harm you because you’re human and that’s what they protect.”

 

“Wait…you said immortal enemy…” Talyn’s eyes shot open as her head snapped up, staring deep into Emmett’s eyes, feeling as though the breath was knocked out of her. “Oh my fucking god, are you kidding me?!  You’re their enemy and vice versa?!” When he nodded, Talyn had enough as she started walking away from him, only for Emmett to stop her.

 

“Talyn wait, stop.” He turned her around, seeing the angry tears burning in her pale blue eyes, hating to see them. “Please it’s not what you think…”

 

“Oh it’s EXACTLY what I think it is!!  You want to rip each other apart and I’m right in the fucking middle of it!!” She snapped, having heard enough for one night, burying her face in her hands. “Now I’m constantly going to be torn between you and Samira!!” Talyn wasn’t bringing Jacob Black into this conversation, knowing there were some things Emmett just didn’t need to know, like the kissing for instance.

 

“No…No it’s not.”

 

Emmett was trying not to find her outburst amusing, but couldn’t help it, chuckling softly when she kept rambling.  He finally had to shut her up so he could speak and cupped her face, capturing her lips in a very soft tender kiss.  He slowly pulled back just as she began melting against him, wrapping one arm around her waist to keep her steady, ignoring the dog smell because cinnamon was growing stronger.

 

“Don’t speak until I’m finished.” He requested softly, seeing she was currently dazed from his kiss, which is what he wanted. “We have a treaty with the dogs.  It was made years ago when they found us hunting on their lands.  So instead of ripping each other apart, we made a treaty with them.  We can’t hunt or bite any humans, which we wouldn’t do anyway because we’re not monsters.  Until we do either one of those things, they can’t attack us.  They would break the treaty if they attacked us so both sides are safe from each other.”

 

Talyn waited until he finished the explanation; completely dumbfounded, wondering what else she could unveil in these two small towns. “So you can’t hurt them and they can’t hurt you?” She watched him nod with reluctance, another sigh of relief escaping her. “So I don’t have to choose a side?”

 

“No, you don’t.” Emmett would never ask that of her, pulling her back into his arms, staring deep in those pale blue eyes. “But Talyn, you have to know something.  Those dogs are very dangerous and can really hurt you if they lose their temper.  You have to be careful when you’re on their lands.”

 

“I will be; they won’t hurt me.” She stated confidently, remembering Jacob’s burning kisses, immediately shoving those in the far recesses of her mind. “Just like you and the rest of your family won’t hurt me.”

 

Emmett wasn’t so convinced, but decided not arguing with her, knowing he had to deal with the fact she was friends with the filthy dogs. “So now do you understand why you smell bad to each of us?” He chuckled when she shook her head, taking her hand as they began to slowly walk through the woods. “You smell like a wet dog to me because you acquire the scent whenever you’re around them and it’s the same way whenever you’re with me and go to them.”

 

“So either way, I’m fucking screwed as far as my smell goes.” She grunted, causing Emmett to laugh harder from low in his throat.

 

“Pretty much.  It doesn’t matter how much perfume you wear either or whatever you use.  Our senses are very keen and strong, we’ll just have to deal with it.” Emmett stopped as he turned to face her again, running a cold finger down her cheek. “You’re worth it.”

 

“Emmett…” She bit her bottom lip, the gloss pretty much gone by now, sighing with a heavy heart. “Look, I know you like me and everything…”

 

“You like me.” Emmett cut her off, pulling her to press against his chest, running his cold hands up and down her covered back. “We don’t have to rush anything.  We can take things as slow as you want.  I just…I just want to be with you, Talyn.  I don’t care what it takes, what I have to do.”

 

“Why do you want to be with me?” She whispered softly, locking eyes with him, looking very confused as she tried pulling away from him. “Emmett, I’m a human and you’re a vampire.  How can you want to be with someone you want to kill?”

 

Emmett frowned, pressing her hands against his covered chest, wearing a simple black thermal shirt with dark blue jeans. “Talyn, no matter how much I thirst for your blood, I could never hurt you.” He assured her, noting the apprehension in her eyes. “You’re scared of me.”

 

“No!” She protested somewhat hastily, lowering her eyes from his. “What about the bloodlust?  Surely that can’t be easy to get over.  Emmett, I don’t want to cause you pain and I know that’s what happens every time we’re together.” Talyn wanted to make him understand, reaching up to run a warm finger down his ice cold neck, feeling his Adam’s apple with a sigh. “You constantly have to watch yourself when you’re with me and that’s not fucking fair.”

 

“I don’t care.” Emmett knew what he wanted, cupping her face in his icy hand, capturing her lips in another soft kiss.  He pulled back when a soft moan escaped her lips, their eyes locking again. “We’re not leaving these woods until I know you belong to me, Talyn.  I know the risks and I know I can resist the temptation.  I can overcome anything I set my mind on and there’s no way I could ever even think of taking your life for my greedy needs.”

 

“It’s not fair to you.” She whispered, knowing the resolve was pretty much shattered thanks to Jacob, not having any strength left inside of her to fight.  She wanted to be with Emmett too, knowing she was developing strong feelings for him, not caring if he wasn’t supposed to exist. “Alright.”

 

“Alright?” Emmett questioned, feeling more alive around Talyn than he had since Rosalie, swallowing hard. “What do you mean alright?”

 

“Alright as in…alright.” She caressed his face with the back of her hand, knowing he was probably in pain right now, trying not to think about that. “You are fucking stubborn.” Talyn muttered, lips mere inches from his, their noses practically touching.

 

Emmett chuckled, topaz eyes lighting up as he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up as he spun her around in circles. “Hell yeah I am!” He set her on her feet, laying a soft passionate kiss on her lips, knowing he could never lose control with her. “Are you sure about this?” He mumbled against her lips, feeling her nod, and groaned as he deepened the kiss more.

 

Talyn completely lost herself against his hard marble lips, running her hands up and down his equally solid chest.  Emmett was very different from Jacob, ice cold from the top of his head to the tip of his toes, though Talyn found the contact mesmerizing.  She enjoyed the coolness of his skin against hers; especially with how muscular he was, knowing his arms would be the death of her.

 

“I promise this will work out.” He whispered softly, his mouth right by her ear, the cool breath sending shivers down her spine. “Are you cold?”

 

“No.” She pulled back enough to stare in his eyes again, looking worried. “Look about my appearance tonight…”

 

Emmett pressed a finger to her lips, stopping her from going further. “I love how you look, no matter what you wear.  You could show up with no makeup on and I wouldn’t feel or think any differently of you.” He assured her, kissing her lips again, not able to get enough.

 

That was the difference between Emmett and Jacob, Emmett respected and accepted her for who she was.  Jacob was trying to change her and that was never going to happen, even though she didn’t mind what Samira did.  She knew Emmett meant what he said, wondering if he preferred her with less makeup, deciding it didn’t matter.  She would wear and do what she wanted, groaning when something occurred to her.

 

“This means I have to give my smoking up right?” She sighed heavily when Emmett nodded, knowing that was a change she could deal with. “Then you’ll be dealing with a big bitch for the next several weeks while I try to quit.”

 

Emmett chuckled softly, lifting her up as her legs wrapped around his waist, holding her as if she weighed absolutely nothing. “I can handle anything you throw at me.” He assured her, loving the feeling of her arms wrapped around his neck, kissing her softly again. “Though, you do look beautiful tonight.  I love the outfit too.”

 

Talyn smacked his arm playfully when his eyebrows rose suggestively; rolling her eyes, and ran her nails through his short dark brown hair. “You’re a big pervert.” She wondered if being this close to him was painful, deciding Emmett could handle it, burying her face in his neck as she breathed his wonderful scent in.

 

Emmett would definitely have to hunt more often now that Talyn was his girlfriend, honestly not minding it.  He did hunger and thirst for her blood, but what he craved more than that was her beating heart.  Slowly but surely, Emmett was shattering the walls around it, refusing to let her go without the fight of his immortal existence.

 

After a few more minutes of holding her, Emmett guided Talyn back to her car, knowing she had to get home.

 

Chapter 12

 

Talyn paced back and forth in the front yard, needing some air, her cell phone pressed to her ear as it rang.  She couldn’t believe she was doing this, raking a hand through her hair, wearing simple thick black eyeliner.  She didn’t want to get black lipstick all over her phone, knowing this was going to be a rather long conversation.

 

“Hello?” A deep tired voice answered, sounding gruff.

 

Closing her eyes, Talyn could already feel the tears building in her eyes. “Brandon.” She breathed, opening them as she walked further away from the Weber house.

 

Brandon bolted upright in his recliner, eyes wide as saucers. “Holy shit, Talyn?!” He exclaimed, raking a hand through his black hair, standing up. “Girl, what the hell is up?”

 

“A lot.” Talyn knew this was wrong, but she was shaking badly and pulled out a pack of smokes, not caring if Emmett found out. “How are you?”

 

“Same old shit, different day.  You know how it goes.  Working at a factory now…I dropped out of school.” He stated, pulling out his own cigarette and lit it up. “It’s great hearing your voice, baby.”

 

Talyn nodded, taking a deep long drag of her own cigarette, needing a nicotine fix in the worst way. “Yeah I know, it’s good hearing yours too, Brandon.”

 

“So what’s up?” He sat back down, propping his aching feet up. “You never call unless it’s for a reason.”

 

“Brandon, I called you because I’m not coming back to Chicago…ever.” She swallowed hard, only ever getting nervous when it came to him, closing her eyes as she took another drag. “After what happened to Serena…”

 

“Shut up.” He ordered in a grave voice, sitting up as his dark green eyes flashed. “I don’t want to talk about that, Talyn.  I don’t even want to hear her name spoken.”

 

“Fine have it your fucking way.” She snapped back, shaking her head as she flicked ash away, the cool night air blowing through her hair. “That still doesn’t change the fact that I’m not coming back to Chicago.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I’ve met someone.” Talyn admitted without hesitation, the thought of Emmett sending a tingle throughout her body. “I can’t keep living in the past, Brandon, and it’s time to move on.  I was meant to come to Forks and live with my godmother.”

 

“So you’re just gonna give up on us, just like fucking that eh?” Brandon growled, not believing what he was hearing, flicking ash in the tray beside him with a snort. “You’re a fucking bitch, Talyn.  You honestly believe that prick can make you happier than me?”

 

Talyn blinked as tears slid down her cheeks, not believing how much this hurt, knowing Brandon hadn’t been expecting this. “Yes I do.” She whispered, not trusting her real voice at the moment. “We have to stop wishing for something that won’t happen, Brandon.  We broke up because of what happened to Serena…”

 

“STOP IT!!  STOP TALKING ABOUT HER!!” Brandon bellowed, causing Talyn to pull the phone away from her ear so he didn’t blow her eardrum out. "You listen to me you little ungrateful whore, you belong to me and nobody else!!  You know nobody can love you the way I fucking can, Talyn, so remove your head from your ass and stop playing games with me!!”

 

“I’m NOT playing games with you!” She shouted, suddenly overcome with emotion, flicking her cigarette away as more tears fell. “Do you think this is easy for me?  Do you really think this is easy for me to tell you that nothing is left between us?!  You and Serena were my best friends and, after she died, we died!!  You loved her and not me, admit it!!”

 

Brandon could feel his temper boiling, clenching his fists tightly at his sides, green eyes nothing more than acid. “What if I did?” He countered, folding his arms in front of his massive chest, standing well over six feet tall. “What if I did love her more than you, Talyn?”

 

“Then why were you with me to begin with?” Talyn demanded, her heart nearly stopping at the next set of words that resonated in her ear.

 

“I was using you to get to her.”

 

Talyn could feel her chest constricting painfully, clutching the phone as she pressed it harder to her ear. “You were using me…” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, eyes moving back and forth. “Brandon, I gave you everything I had, including my virginity!  How could you say you loved me all those times if you didn’t mean any of them?!”

 

“That’s really simple, Talyn baby,” Brandon paused, chuckling demonically. “They may have been said to you, but they were meant for Serena.  I loved her, not you.  I wanted her, not you.  And you took her away from me.”

 

“It was YOUR fucking idea in the first place to do it!!” Talyn hissed angrily, the tears instantly drying up, wishing Brandon was right in front of her so she could kick the living hell out of him. “YOU’RE the one who took us there that night!”

 

“You didn’t have to go.  You could’ve stayed home and, because of your stupidity and ignorance, she’s dead!  You killed her, Talyn, not me!” Brandon snarled, pouring himself a shot of Jack Daniels, needing something to take the edge off so he didn’t do something stupid…like hunt her pert ass down.

 

“Fuck you!!” Talyn jeered, fighting the temptation not to throw her phone against the tree in front of her, knowing it would shatter. “You’re the one who forced us to go there that night because of blackmail!  You swore you’d make our lives miserable if we didn’t do it!!”

 

“You love blaming others for your mistakes, but this is one of them you can’t escape, Talyn.  Serena is dead and it’s your fault.  If you would’ve just STUCK to the fucking plan, she’d still be here and I’d be happy with her right now.  We all three would be happy and not apart!” Brandon downed another shot, staring out the window as the rain poured over the Chicago skyline, knowing he was tearing Talyn apart. “So is his dick good?  Does he know you’re nothing more than a fucking criminal and murderer?”

 

“No, that’s you Brandon.  Get your fucking facts straight!  I didn’t kill her, you did.  You murdered the supposed love of your life and you’re trying to blame me for it!!  Go ahead, have another shot of Jack.” She snorted, hearing a rip roaring growl resonate through the phone, honestly not caring. “Oh and one more thing, Mortar, all those times you fucked me, I FAKED IT BITCH!!”

 

Brandon blinked when he heard that, dropping the glass as it shattered to the wooden half-rotted floor, hearing a dial tone seconds later. “FUCKING BITCH!!” He roared, throwing his phone against the wall as it smashed into a million pieces.

 

A knock on the door only flared his temper more as Brandon stalked over to it, ripping it open, only to feel his heart lunge in his throat.

 

~!~

 

Later that night, Talyn was in her room when she heard something tap her window, arching an eyebrow.  She set her book down and slid from the bed, walking over to see who it was.  Surprise entered her eyes at the sight of Jacob Black standing below, having thought it was Emmett, wondering what he wanted.

 

Jacob waved his hand to her to come down, needing to talk to her.  He paced back and forth, wearing simple cut off black jean shorts with sneakers, no shirt, not needing it because of his constant fever.  Looking up when she walked out with a long sweater and black slippers on, Jacob knew Talyn was getting ready for bed and probably caught her at a bad time.

 

“What are you doing here?” Talyn demanded, rubbing her temples, really not in the mood for Jacob’s antics. “Make it quick, I need to get some sleep.”

 

Jacob knew he couldn’t lose his temper and took a few deep breaths, wondering if what he’d heard around the reservation was true.  He seen the distance in her eyes, noting the lack of makeup, and took a step toward her.  She immediately took one back and Jacob could feel his heart pick up in pace, having a sinking feeling.

 

“Is it true?” He finally demanded gruffly, taking another step closer to her.

 

“Is what true?”

 

“Don’t play that game with me, Talyn.” Jacob ordered, trying not to sound angry, but he could already feel every tendon of his body erupt in flames. “Is it true?”

 

Talyn couldn’t handle this right now, not after the conversation she had with Brandon earlier that day, swallowing hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jacob.  I don’t have time for riddles.  Just flat out ask me and you’ll get a fucking answer.”

 

“Are you dating that bloodsucker?” Jacob snarled, dark eyes flashing as he stopped her from backing away, his hand wrapped around her upper arm. “Is it?”

 

“First of all, get your hand off of me.” She ordered in a grave voice, sick and tired of Jacob thinking he could dominate her.  When Jacob just tightened his hold, Talyn swallowed hard, seeing the fire in his eyes. “You’re hurting me, Jacob.”

 

“Are you with that bloodsucker?” He growled viciously, yanking her against his rock hard scorching body, already seeing the truth in her eyes. “Do you have any idea what he could DO to you?!”

 

“No more than what you’re doing to me right now.” Talyn couldn’t raise her voice because that would wake everyone in the Weber house up, refusing to do that. “I said let go of my arm NOW.” She ordered in a stronger voice, gasping when he tossed her over his shoulder, carting her into the woods. “Jacob!!”

 

He wasn’t listening to her, wanting to tear the bloodsucker apart, holding her firmly on his shoulder so she didn’t fall.  She could kick and scream all she wanted, it didn’t matter to Jacob.  He had to keep her away from the bloodsucker and knew the only place he could take her would be the reservation.

 

Suddenly, Talyn was dropped to the ground as she scrambled back, hearing growling and hissing, eyes widened in shock.  Jacob had phased into a beautiful reddish brown wolf and Emmett was blocking her, feeling as though her heart might leap out of her chest.  Talyn held her arm, knowing she’d have a bruise there come morning, breathing heavily as the wolf and vampire circled each other vehemently.

 

“I believe she said to let go of her, DOG.” Emmett snarled, every muscle in his marble body tensed, ready to uncoil on this filthy mutt if he didn’t keep his hands off of his girlfriend. “She belongs to me.”

 

Jacob growled furiously, the fur on his body standing up on edge, looking deadly and dangerous with razor sharp teeth that snapped.  His eyes glanced over at Talyn, who looked downright terrified, before moving back to the bloodsucker.  He knew he probably crossed another line, but there was no way he was going to stand by and allow Talyn to make this mistake.

 

Talyn finally regained her equilibrium, standing up on shaky legs, slowly stepping in front of a hissing Emmett. “Stop it both of you!” She ordered, feeling Emmett’s arm wrap protectively and possessively around her waist, leaning back against his chest. “You know you can’t attack each other because of the treaty.  Don’t violate it because of me!”

 

“You’re worth it!” Emmett growled, his eyes never once leaving Jacob’s, eyes blackened with hidden rage. “You told him to let you go and he didn’t listen!  He deserves to be torn to shreds!”

 

“Emmett, stop it!” Talyn couldn’t let them attack each other, knowing it would only cause anarchy throughout Forks and La Push, turning around to stare into two black holes. “Please…please I’m begging you not to do this.  Just let it go.”

 

Emmett growled more, feeling her warm hands cup his face, their eyes locked together. “He hurt you.” He stated heatedly, though he couldn’t help letting her calm him down, knowing deep down she was right. “He needs to learn his place and not lay his hands on you.”

 

“I know.” Talyn murmured softly, hearing more snarling from behind, knowing Jacob did not like the fact she was being held in Emmett’s arms. “And he will, but you have to calm down.  Please, for me, calm down.”

 

“Fine.” Emmett grumbled, pulling her to stand behind him, feeling her hands caressing his shirt covered back. “Did you hear that filthy dog?  She’s MY girlfriend and you need to keep your hands off of her.  These aren’t your lands and, if you do touch her again, I will kill you!  Do I make myself clear?” He demanded, feeling Talyn cringe behind him.

 

Jacob snorted, not buying a word he said, and walked back behind a tree to phase back into human form.  He slipped his shorts and sneakers back on, dark eyes glowing with fury, refusing to take them off of the bloodsucker.  He could smell the fear coming from Talyn because of his overreaction, raking a hand through his hair hastily.

 

“She doesn’t belong to you.” Jacob growled in a low tone, stepping forward, not backing down an inch when Emmett did the same thing. “Let’s just end this right here and now!”

 

“NO!” Talyn was standing between them, holding her hands up as she looked from Emmett and Jacob, breathing heavily. “You can’t fight each other!!  Stop being fucking idiots and realize what you’re doing!!”

 

“You’re human, Talyn, you don’t belong to him!” Jacob shouted, reaching out for her arm, only for Emmett to pull her back fully against him.

 

“It’s her choice who she wants, DOG, and she chose me.” Emmett stated, splaying a cold hand on her stomach, which was currently covered by a tank top. “She is mine and NOBODY will take her away from me.”

 

“Jacob, you need to leave now.” Talyn ordered softly, placing her hand over Emmett’s as their fingers laced together, her heart doing a funny leap in her chest. “I want to be with Emmett.  He accepts me for who I am, makeup and all.”

 

“Only because he likes it.” Jacob retorted, feeling his heart give a painful lurch, eyes narrowed to slits. “Just remember one thing, Talyn, he can’t give you what I can.  Your heart beats like mine does.  He can never give you the level of passion I can because he can break you in half.  He can never lose control with you like I can and already did.  Remember that every time you kiss his rock hard cold lips because you won’t be able to forget how warm, hot and passionate ours was.”

 

“LEAVE NOW!” Talyn screeched, not caring who heard her by now, knowing Emmett was going to lunge if Jacob didn’t leave right now. “GET OUT OF HERE, JACOB!”

 

Jacob smirked wickedly and saluted her sarcastically before running away into the dark woods, leaving Emmett and Talyn standing there.

 

“Emmett…”

 

He whipped Talyn around and pressed his cold lips to hers, not wanting any words spoken between them right now, remaining gentle because he knew Jacob was right.  He could never give her the full passion he craved without killing her…not unless he changed her.  Emmett wrapped his hand in her hair, pressing her against his stone body, groaning when a soft moan escaped her.  He broke the kiss moments later, their eyes both smoldering with desire for the other, and took her hand in his own.

 

“Come on, you need to get back before someone wakes up wondering where you are.”

 

Nodding, Talyn walked with him toward the house, smiling when he kissed the back of her hand. “Will you be upstairs waiting?”

 

Emmett nodded, having stayed with her for the past two weeks ever since they started dating, and waited until she entered the house before climbing up with ease to her window.  He watched her through the darkness as she headed toward the bed, grabbing her arm gently, and pulled her down in the bed.  Talyn sighed in contentment and immediately closed her eyes, letting the darkness completely envelope her body, knowing when she woke up Emmett would be there watching over her.

 

Chapter 13

 

Emmett Cullen was going to die.

 

Jacob could not believe Talyn agreed willingly to date that bloodsucker!  What in the hell was she thinking?!  It had to be a relapse of insanity or maybe she was as sick and twisted as the Cullens.  Either way, Jacob felt sick to his stomach, not believing a human girl could even THINK about dating someone who could potentially make her their next meal. 

 

The faster Jacob ran, the angrier he became, until finally he couldn’t take it anymore.  Leaping in the air, not caring if he shed his clothes, Jacob phased into a wolf, landing on all fours seconds later.  He didn’t stop running, needing to find a way to release his aggression.

 

No good bloodsucking leech!! Jacob shouted in his head, not caring if the others heard, loving how the cold night air blew over his fur.  He had to fight temptation to turn around and go back to Talyn’s so he could rip Emmett Cullen’s throat out. She has no idea what they’re capable of!  She’s going to end up dead or, even worse, one of them!!  That’s fine though because once that happens, the treaty is over and I’ll be able to kill all of them without any consequences!!

 

Jacob, who the hell are you talking about? Leah Clearwater demanded, a beautiful grey wolf running alongside him, snorting when Jacob tried ignoring her. You do realize it’ll come out sooner or later right?  You might as well just tell me.

 

Go away Leah. Jacob ordered, clearly not in the mood for her attitude, running even faster. I want to be alone.

 

HA!  Fast chance of that happening, Black. Leah snorted, keeping up with him, running more gracefully with her nose in the air. You know Sam is going to force it out of you.  You can’t keep secrets from any of us, remember?

 

Has anyone ever told you how incredibly annoying you are? Jacob growled, wondering what part of wanting to be alone she didn’t understand.  Leah was the only female in the pack, Emily not having the gene in her blood, even though she was Leah’s cousin. Just leave me alone, Leah.  You don’t want to mess with me right now.

 

Ooo I’m so scared I’m shaking in my paws! Leah taunted with a roll of her eyes, not even flinching when Jacob let out an ear piercing howl. Great job genius, now everyone is going to come running from Emily’s.  You’re such an idiot sometimes.

 

Better than being a bitch in heat twenty four seven. Jacob shot back, having said the same thing to Talyn, causing his blood to grow hotter.

 

Oh screw you, Black!  Don’t be mad at me just because your little human filet mignon decided she wanted vampire meat instead of yours! Leah jumped back when Jacob lunged, watching as he unceremoniously tumbled down a hill, smacking into a tree.  The tree immediately gave way, not needing more than a little push from the wolves because of their strength. TIMBER!

 

What the hell is going on? Sam demanded, his fur a sleek pure black coat, along with three other wolves.  One was dark silver, which was Paul, one a sandy color, smaller than the others, which was Seth Clearwater, Leah’s younger brother and a deep brown wolf, who was Jared. Leah, can you please tell me why the hell Jacob just knocked a tree over?

 

He tripped. She snorted, sticking her nose and tail up in the air, walking away from the group coughing, their way of laughing. It was rather amusing.

 

Leah, go home. Sam sighed heavily, having a feeling she baited Jacob, shaking his head sadly. Seth, make sure your sister does as she’s told.

 

Yes sir.

 

Why don’t you mind your own damn business, Sam? Leah growled, clearly not amused he was sending Seth to babysit her. I can clearly make it home on my OWN.  I am older than him or have you forgotten that?

 

Then start acting like it.  Now get home, both of you, NOW. Sam wasn’t playing anymore games, watching as Jacob walked up to them, not looking worse for the wear.  He was already healed from slamming into the huge oak tree, wondering exactly what got him upset.

 

SCREW YOU!! Leah screeched, causing all the wolves to start whining because her voice echoed in their heads, nearly making them explode.  She took off through the woods, not waiting for Seth, who was busy trying to rub his ears into the ground to get the ringing out of them.

 

Damn she’s got a set of pipes on her! Jared groaned, having a feeling the ringing wouldn’t go away any time soon, sighing heavily. What’s going on Jake?

 

Nothing. Jacob wasn’t going to talk about it, his eyes showing it, walking past them as he rubbed his own ears with his paw.  Leah Clearwater was also going to be on his people to kill list if she didn’t watch it.

 

Why do you want to kill Leah? Sam demanded, watching Jacob freeze, wondering if it’d be easier to do this in human form.  Then he reminded himself that they couldn’t hear each other’s thoughts, deciding wolf form was better. Jake, what happened?

 

I was woken out of a dead sleep with a beautiful woman in my arms.  If you don’t tell us, I’ll hurt you. Paul snarled, the hothead of the group, already poised and ready to attack.

 

Man that is my sister! Jared groaned, fighting the urge to rip Paul's throat out, growling fiercely.

 

Get over it, boy.  She wants me and there's nothing you can do about it.

 

Don’t even THINK about it, Paul. Sam ordered gravely, knowing fighting amongst the ranks was the last thing that needed to happen. Clearly something is bothering Jake, we have to help him.  So if you can’t do that, then just leave, especially with that temper of yours.

 

I’m BEGGING you to make a move, Paul.  I need a good fight. Jacob practically pleaded, eyes flashing wickedly, sighing when Sam immediately stepped in between them.

 

Paul, leave now. Sam ordered, wondering what the hell had gotten into Jacob, looking over his shoulder at Jared. Are you going to throw your damn two cents in too?

 

No, can I leave and go back to sleep? Jared coughed a laugh when Sam just nudged his head, giving him the permission to do so. 

 

Okay, do you want to do this in wolf or human form? Sam demanded, refusing to let Jacob walk away without knowing what had him so upset.  He had a sinking feeling it had to do with a certain human girl who moved to Forks a month ago. You can choose, but we’re having this conversation before you end up going off and doing something stupid.

 

I can’t phase until I go to Billy’s for some more clothes. Jacob grumbled, knowing he’d ruined the rest of his when he phased without undressing first.  Then again, most of the guys didn’t do that, which is why they didn’t have expensive designer clothes. Where do you want me to meet you?

 

The cliff, it seems you need to get rid of some aggression as well. Sam noted, deciding cliff diving was the way to do it, knowing it was just the adrenaline rush Jacob needed to help calm him down. Go now.  You have fifteen minutes.

 

Jacob rolled his eyes, not believing he was being forced to talk about this, sighing resignedly.  Sam was right though, if Jacob didn’t talk about it and get it out of his system, he would just end up doing something stupid…like tearing a certain bloodsucker’s head off and breaking the Quileute treaty.  That couldn’t happen; no matter how badly Jacob wanted it too, knowing he had to wait until the Cullens made a mistake before acting on impulse.

 

It took five minutes for Jacob to arrive at Billy’s, knowing his father was sleeping, heading into his small bedroom to pick out some clothes.  He was completely naked, having phased before entering the house, and slipped into a pair of blue jean cut off shorts.  He was running out of clothes fast, deciding he would ask Emily very nicely to go to Forks for a restock.

 

He decided against putting a shirt on, knowing it would just get ruined when he phased again or jumped in the icy cold ocean water.  Jacob looked around, slipping into fresh black sneakers, and took off out of the house as he headed through the woods up to the cliff.  He knew Sam would already be waiting, already feeling the tendons in his body lighting on fire, trying to force them away.

 

He couldn’t think about Talyn and her sweet soft lips against his, her body pressed tightly against his.  Her heartbeat could still be heard in his ears, feeling her pulse racing, soft hair in his fingers.  Jacob snarled, eyes narrowed to slits, knowing she was in the cold careless arms of that bloodsucker and he could do nothing about it.  He felt helpless and backed into a corner, which made him want to fight that much harder.

 

Maybe he wasn’t fighting the right way because obviously Talyn didn’t like the aggression and being manhandled.  Maybe Jacob had to do something different, something that he knew Talyn would at first suspect, glad he wasn’t a wolf anymore.  He didn’t want the others hearing these thoughts, deciding there would be no more antagonism. 

 

When she visited the reservation –Jacob knew she would because of Samira -, he would be a perfect gentleman and not lay his hands on her.  As hard as it would be, Jacob would be her friend; be there for her for anything and everything she needed.  He knew it would be sneaky, but at this point, Jacob honestly had nothing to lose, spotting Sam up ahead.

 

“Okay Jake, what the hell is this about?” Sam demanded, folding his arms in front of his chest, wondering what was going through the man’s mind. “You nearly lost it back there with Leah and Paul.  I want to know why.”

 

Jacob sighed heavily and sat down on the ground, Sam joining moments later, both staring out at the ocean waves. “Talyn is dating one of the bloodsuckers.  I overheard it in Forks from Angela Weber.”

 

“You were spying?” Sam groaned when Jacob just lowered his head, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Okay, she’s dating Emmett Cullen I assume?” He knew it couldn’t possibly be Carlisle or Jasper. “What happened tonight, Jake?”

 

Taking a deep breath, Jacob used the advantage of the ice cold ocean air to calm him down. “I went to her place and confronted her about it.  I know it was wrong, Sam, but I had to know for my own peace of mind.  She didn’t answer me right away and…I sort of lost it...” He swallowed hard, remembering the fear shining in Talyn’s eyes. “I grabbed her arm and demanded for her to tell me.  Then I threw her over my shoulder when I saw the truth in her eyes and I was going to bring her back here…then I was attacked.”

 

Sam’s eyes narrowed to slits, not liking the sound of this, folding his arms in front of his chest. “The bloodsucker attacked you?” He demanded hoarsely, trying not to lose his temper because, if what Jacob said was true, the Cullens had violated the treaty.

 

“No, he didn’t touch me actually.” Jacob sounded disappointed, which he was, clenching his fists tightly in front of him. “He pulled her away from me because he didn’t want me bringing her here to safety.  Sam, she is a HUMAN with a beating heart and racing pulse!  He could kill her with one pinky if he wanted to!”

 

Sam sighed heavily, knowing this was quite a predicament, especially since their lands were not in Forks.  So technically nothing could be done, Talyn was able to date who she wanted, even if it was a bloodsucker.  With how angry Jacob currently was, Sam knew the man felt something deep for the girl, which made this even more complicated.

 

Definitely not a good thing.

 

“So he didn’t touch you at all?” Even if it was just a brush, that would be enough to violate the treaty in their eyes, sighing sorrowfully when Jacob shook his head. “Well, until they do something to break the treaty, you need to stay away from her.”

 

Jacob already knew that was coming, knowing there was no point in arguing, standing up as the ocean waves completely consumed him. “I know she’ll come down here, with me here or not, to see Samira.  I’m not going to touch her anymore.  I have to gain her trust because I know I lost it tonight when I tried kidnapping her.”

 

Sam nodded, not able to deny that fact, standing up as well, already knowing what Jacob was going to do.  It looked like suicide to the regular people, but Sam knew the harsh waves would be nothing Jacob couldn’t overcome.  He knew Jacob needed this and patted his shoulder, sighing deeply, feeling just as helpless as Jacob did because he wanted to get Talyn away from the bloodsucker too.

 

“What do you mean you need to gain her trust?  What did you do to her?” Sam hadn’t gotten that full story yet, watching Jacob’s shoulders slump in defeat. “Jacob…”

 

“I grabbed her arm and I know I left a bruise.  I wasn’t thinking and I didn’t let her go when she asked me to.  I just had to get her away from there by any means necessary and totally blew it out of proportion.” Jacob explained regretfully, raking a hand through his hair hastily, dying to feel the icy water against his scorching body.

 

“I’m making it a rule right now: Whenever Talyn is down here, you are not to touch her in any way, shape or form unless she wants you to.  Is that clear, Jacob?” Sam used his alpha voice, knowing Jacob could defy him if he wanted, but also respected Sam’s word.  Jacob was his most trusted and useful pack member, he didn’t want to lose him over a human girl’s stupidity.

 

Jacob didn’t respond, just simply nodded, deciding for once he would actually follow Sam’s word.  He felt Sam walk away from him and didn’t waste another second, diving off of the cliff as the air engulfed him.  He felt like he was falling at a rapid pace and hit the icy water moments later, relishing the feeling of it surrounding him. 

 

Instantly, his hot blood simmered as Jacob stayed under water, knowing he could handle it.  He stayed under until he could no longer breathe, needing oxygen in his lungs, and resurfaced with a content sigh.  That was until another wave crashed over him, being swirled around, but with his strength he could fight through the current.

 

He resurfaced again, running his hands through his hair, blinking water out of his eyes as he stared out at the storm approaching.  He honestly didn’t care and did a back stroke, diving deeper under the water and doing a back flip.  When he resurfaced again, Jacob knew he had to swim to shore and began doing so, his large muscular arms slicing through the water in smooth strokes, completely forgetting about every problem in his life momentarily.

 

Including Talyn Willow.

 

Chapter 14

 

“I swear I’m going to kill Jacob Black slowly and painfully!”

 

Talyn sighed as she sat on the porch with Samira, the sun surprisingly shining brightly, the skies pure blue.  It was very rare to have days like this, especially in late October.  Halloween was quickly approaching, Talyn’s favorite time of the year, and was excited about it.  She couldn’t believe she’d been in Forks two and a half months, wondering where the time had gone.

 

“Believe me; Emmett was really close to tearing him apart.” Talyn assured her, sighing when Samira cringed, knowing this was hard for her. “Look Mira, I know your loyalty lies with these guys and I don’t blame you a bit for it, but I’m with Emmett.  I want to be with him.”

 

“No, no I know that sweetie.  I know you’re happy with Emmett Cullen and I totally respect it.  My brother and his goons will just have to get over it.” Samira smiled sweetly, wearing tan Capri’s with a short sleeved dark magenta top, her feet bare because she loved the sun beating down on them. “I swear, if I could walk around barefooted for the rest of my life that would be bliss.”

 

Talyn laughed softly and nodded, having kicked her black sneakers off, wearing black Capri’s with a black tank, nothing special.  She knew she would be coming down to the reservation that day after school, after promising Emmett for the thousandth time she would be careful, and decided to somewhat dress for it.  Talyn had simple black eyeliner on with Chap Stick since her lips were chapped; flat out refusing not to be herself no matter where she went.

 

“It is beautiful down here today.” Talyn looked out at the water, remembering when she first met Samira on the beach, the memory making her smile. “I still can’t believe we’re friends.”

 

“Why do you say that?” Samira asked, leaning forward as she stared Talyn with a raised eyebrow. “Because of how you dress?”

 

“We’re opposites…” Talyn sighed when Samira shrugged, not able to help a smile crossing her lips. “I guess that doesn’t matter though right?”

 

“Nope, not in the slightest because you are my best friend.” Samira stated confidently, taking Talyn’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I already think of you as family, Tal.”

 

“Same here Mira.” Talyn replied, already knowing Samira had slowly but surely taken over where Serena left off, though she wasn’t a Goth like Serena was.  It was a fresh breath of air having someone like that in her life though and Talyn wouldn’t trade it in for anything. “Thanks for inviting me down today.”

 

“No thanks needed.  We haven’t hung out since that whole fiasco with Black.  I missed you.” Samira stood up, slipping on her flip flops before taking Talyn’s hand, guiding her off the porch.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“I want to walk on the beach and talk.” Samira grinned, loving the ocean almost as much as Talyn, even though she’d only lived by it a total of two and a half months. “Besides, you never told me about your phone call with Brandon.”

 

Talyn sighed heavily, lowering her eyes as they slowly walked toward the beach, not wanting to remember it. “It was painful, but everything that was said needed to be.  I had to tell him that I found someone else and he wasn’t happy with it.” She could already feel the twinge of pain within her heart, sighing heavily.

 

“What did he tell you?” Samira asked, stopping when she saw the pain in Talyn’s eyes, frowning. “Oh Talyn, please don’t cry.”

 

Talyn couldn’t help it when she blinked and huge tears slid down her cheeks, knowing she was acting like a crybaby, but Brandon’s words cut her like a sharp knife.  He was her best friend, along with Serena, and now she had lost both of them within a year span.  It was a lot to take in and hurt more than Talyn wanted to let on, though she knew she could cry in front of Samira and not be judged.

 

“I fucking hate him so much.” Talyn whispered, swallowing past the lump in her throat, feeling Samira’s arm wrap around her waist as they began walking again. “I can’t believe I was so damn stupid to believe that he actually loved me all that time.”

 

“What happened sweetie?” Samira felt her heart ache because of how much pain that emanated from Talyn, knowing she’d been holding this in for awhile.

 

Talyn sighed heavily, wiping her tears away, honestly not caring if the makeup came off.  She took the bottom of her black tank top and wiped her eyes, sniffling gently, and chuckled watery when Samira took her thumbs to wipe the rest of it away.  The black eyeliner was only on the bottom of her eyes now, fully showing the woman behind the makeup for the first time.

 

“Thanks.” She took the tissue from Samira, knowing more tears would be falling because there was Talyn couldn’t cry talking about Brandon. “Do you want the long version or short?”

 

“Long.” Samira wanted Talyn to trust her with absolutely anything, not caring if she was dating a vampire or not. “You need to talk to someone about this, Tal.  I won’t tell anyone I promise.”

 

“I know you won’t, Mira.  I trust you fully.” Though Talyn wasn’t going to tell her about what happened to Serena, knowing that story could never be revealed to anyone.  She would have to take that part of her past to the grave. “Brandon and I dated extensively throughout high school.  From the time he moved to Chicago until right before I moved here and we were inseparable.  Everywhere he went, I went and vice versa.  He’s the only guy I’ve slept with.” Talyn admitted, stopping as Samira turned to face her with wide eyes. “Yeah I know, scary huh?”

 

“Wow, so you gave him everything…” Samira shook her head, wondering what happened to make such a strong love deteriorate, suddenly thinking of her and Paul. “So what happened?”

 

“I moved here because of trouble at school.” Talyn lied smoothly, having done the same thing with her godmother, knowing nobody could ever know the truth about what really happened. “Brandon was devastated, especially with our best friend’s death.  He felt like I was abandoning him, but I did what I had to do in coming here.  I don’t regret it either because I met you and Emmett.”

 

Samira smiled when she heard that, taking Talyn’s hand and squeezing it encouragingly. “So, did you promise Brandon you’d be together after you graduated from here?” She already knew Talyn wanted to get out of here after graduation, which made her sad because Samira didn’t want to lose her best friend.

 

“In a way, yes.” Talyn sighed heavily, remembering the last time she saw Brandon and how distant he’d been. “He told me that he’d wait until graduation ended and then I could move in with him in Chicago.  He said he loved me and nothing would keep us apart, not even the distance…”

 

“And then you met Emmett.” Samira could already tell, just by the sparkle that lit Talyn’s pale blue eyes, she was deeply in love with the vampire. “What made you decide to give him a chance anyway?”

 

“I don’t know.  I just…there’s this connection with him and, I know this is going to sound really weird, but the thought of him thirsting for my blood entices me.” Talyn bit her bottom lip when Samira shivered, chuckling. “Sorry, I told you it sounded really weird.”

 

“I can’t imagine dating a vampire.  I’d be too scared to sleep at night.” Samira replied seriously, also knowing it could never be allowed since she lived on the reservation. “So what happened when you called Brandon to tell him about Emmett?”

 

Talyn cringed, swallowing hard as the memory crashed over her, and suddenly had to sit down.  She sank to her knees in the sand, trying to blink the tears away, and wrapped her arms around herself as the cool ocean breeze blew through her bluish black hair.  She was in physical pain and Samira wondered if Talyn could even tell her, sinking down beside her best friend, holding her.

 

“Damn it, I have to stop this shit.” Talyn growled, no menace apparent in her tone, shaking her head sadly. “I called him and told him we both have to move on with our lives and that I wasn’t moving back to Chicago after graduation.”

 

“You’re…not leaving now?” Samira couldn’t help letting a spark of hope ignite through her, chewing her bottom lip.

 

“Not unless Emmett does.” Talyn replied, refusing to be anywhere without him.  Emmett had stolen her heart and Talyn knew she’d do anything to be with him, including being turned immortal. “I love him.”

 

“I knew it!” Samira giggled, very happy for her friend, and hugged her close. “I don’t care if he does feed off of animal blood, if he makes you happy that’s all that matters.”

 

“That really means a lot to me, Mira.  You have no fucking idea how much.” Talyn hugged Samira close, knowing the Weber’s weren’t too keen about her dating Emmett Cullen.  Talyn didn’t care because he made her the happiest she’d ever been, more so than Brandon Mortar even thought about.

 

“Hey, what are friends for?” Samira retorted with a smirk, both girls laughing softly. “So, have you told him yet?”

 

“No.” Talyn looked out into the ocean water, the waves crashing gently against the shore, closing her eyes momentarily. “I will soon though.  I just have to find the right time.”

 

“So go on, what else did that jerk have to say to you?”

 

“He revealed to me how he truly felt about me all these years...that Serena was the one he truly loved and wanted to be with.  He was basically using me to get to her, which I really don’t understand considering Serena had a mind of her own.” Talyn heard the gasp of surprise from Samira, picking up some sand as it gently fell from her hand. “I gave him everything, including the one thing that meant more to me than my own life, and he took it for granted.  I thought he loved me as much as I loved him, but that all changed when Emmett came into my life.  All he did was use me to try to get to Serena and she’s dead now and he blames me for taking her away from him.”

 

Samira couldn’t believe the audacity of this Brandon to treat Talyn like complete trash, shaking her head in disbelief. “What happened to Serena wasn’t and isn’t your fault, Talyn.  I know I don’t know exactly what happened and I know you won’t probably ever tell me, which I fully understand.  But I am here for you if you ever need to talk about it.  It’s not healthy to keep it bottled up, sweetie.” She wanted to make Talyn realize she’d be there for her through anything, even if she did decide to become a vampire with Emmett.  She would STILL be her friend and nobody would stop her from doing so. “I’m here for you, Talyn.  And just for the record, that asshole doesn’t deserve you and never did.”

 

Talyn cracked a shaky smile when she heard that, not believing how truly lucky she was to find a friend like Samira. “Thanks Mira, it means a lot to hear you say that.” She truly meant it, bending her knees to rest her elbows on them, getting more comfortable. “It doesn’t matter to me what Brandon thinks anymore.  It fucking hurt to hear him say those words, don’t get me wrong.  He was the first love of my life, the man I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with, but not anymore.  Emmett is the one.”

 

“I know and you have no idea how much I’m glad for that.” Samira would really hate to hear about Talyn leaving Forks after graduation to go back to this Brandon. “Emmett appreciates and accepts you, just like Paul does with me.  I know they’re supposed to be mortal enemies or whatever, but if they love us enough, they will make it work because I’m not losing your friendship.”

 

“You damn right you’re not.” Talyn chuckled, suddenly deciding to turn the conversation on Samira, raising a slow eyebrow. “So what’s up with you and the hairy one anyway?”

 

Samira turned three shades of red, lowering her eyes to the sand, a content sigh escaping her. “I still can’t believe we’re together.  It’s so great being held in his arms and did I mention the man is built?”

 

“You talk about being built.  Emmett’s arms give me chills.  They feel rock hard, but also hold that comfort and protectiveness.” Talyn raked a hand through her hair, the biggest smile coming to her face. “Do you love Paul?”

 

“Yes, without a doubt in my mind.  After he made love to me, he told me he imprinted on me.” Samira chuckled when Talyn rose a slow eyebrow, knowing she would have to explain the process. “Imprinting happens with the pack whenever they meet their soul mate.  Do you know Leah Clearwater?”

 

“Vaguely, why?”

 

“Well, she and Sam were together at one point, but as soon as he laid eyes on Emily, who is her cousin, he immediately imprinted on her.  He left Leah to be with her.”

 

“Wow, what a dick!” Talyn snorted, rolling her eyes, though Samira shook her head immediately.

 

“No, no you don’t understand Tal.  Sam is really cool and so is Emily.  You see the guys can’t help who they imprint on and, no matter if they’re with that person or not, they will never love anyone as much as them.  They will be there for them for anything they need, whether it is a protector, brother, lover, best friend, anything they need.” Samira explained quickly, remember how Paul explained to her. “And the feeling is mutual with the person they imprint on.”

 

“Wow that sounds incredibly deep.” Talyn blinked, looking down at the sand as she picked up a shell, fingering it thoughtfully. “So it’s stronger than that love at first sight shit?”

 

“Yes, much deeper and more powerful.  I swear, whenever I’m in pain or in trouble, Paul is there in a split second.  It’s like he KNOWS when I need him the most.” Samira sighed languorously, the thought of Paul sending shivers throughout her body. “Is that how you feel about Emmett?”

 

Talyn knew love made people do crazy things, but she wasn’t sure if she felt that strongly for Emmett yet. “It’s only been a month and a half since we started dating.  I have to give it more time, but I already told you I do love him.”

 

Samira nodded in complete understanding, seeing the sun was starting to set on the horizon, knowing the guys would be back from their daily patrol soon. “Well I’m sure you feel that way about him and you just haven’t realized it yet.  Then again, he’s not a wolf.” The girls laughed as they stood up from the sand, walking back up toward Samira’s home. “So when will I see you again?”

 

“Soon, I promise I won’t stay away as long as I did last time.” Talyn knew she’d hurt Samira, but after what happened with Jacob, distance had been the only thing she could think to diffuse the situation. “I’ll call you in a few days.”

 

Nodding, the girls embraced before Talyn slid in her car, driving away from the reservation.

 

Neither of them saw the deep dark eyes watching the entire time and overheard everything that was said.

 

Chapter 15

 

Halloween night.

 

Staring in the full length mirror, Talyn was waiting for Emmett to come pick her up.  They were going to his house for a party to celebrate Halloween, which Talyn couldn’t pass up even if she wanted to.  This was a special occasion and Talyn didn’t disappoint with her outfit of choice, deciding on a long black skirt with flowing voile, jagged hemline. 

 

It was black velvet with several layers of flowing and slightly transparent fabric with an opaque black underskirt.  It went to her knees with the jagged hemline going further down parts of her legs and clung to her waist.  The top she chose was a simple strapless dark aqua corset that had a sweetheart bust line, hugging her curves, and clipped up the front.  It had black lining on the top and bottom edges.

 

Her nails were painted the same color as the corset with black tips, having gotten a French manicure with Angela the previous day.  She couldn’t believe she actually enjoyed it, though they looked spectacular and fit the outfit perfectly.  The top of her hair was pulled back, wisps of hair framing the sides of her face in an angled style.  

 

It was simple; she didn’t want to go too overboard.  She had a simple black choker around her neck that had aqua embroidery within it along with her usual cross, ankh and pentagram.  Talyn never left the house without those three necklaces on, knowing she had a ritual to perform that night as well.

 

Her makeup completely made the simple outfit and, being as it was Halloween, Talyn went a little dramatic.  She had cream colored foundation that made her paler than usual, though she wasn’t pure white like Emmett.  Her eyes were outlined in black eyeliner, though halfway across the lids it fanned out into a beautiful feather design. 

 

She did it to both the top and bottom, leaving the inner part of the eyelids for a deep shimmery aqua eye shadow.  She added little clear jewels to the end of the feather design eyeliner, fanning a little of the aqua shimmer over them too for a dramatic effect.  Her lips were simply painted black, after putting a coat of Chap Stick on to make it stick throughout the night.

 

To finish the outfit off, she wore two inch knee high heel boots that laced up the front for style, but zipped up the side to slip on and off easily.  She pulled the black velvet cloak over her shoulders, tying it around her neck, and threw the hood up over her head before walking out with her ritual bag in hand.  It had the candles and anything else she would need, knowing they would have to do it in the woods at the stroke of midnight.

 

Emmett was waiting in the driveway, leaning against his black Mustang –a birthday present from Carlisle and Esme-, watching as his gothic girlfriend stepped out of the house.  He wore a simple black ruffled poet’s shirt with black dress pants and shoes, arms folded in front of his chest, not bothered by the cold air.  His breath was completely stolen away as she inched closer to him, trying not to look surprised by the graphic makeup.

           

“Wow.” He took her hand in his, pulling her against him, and carefully pushed the hood from her head. “You look captivating.” That wasn’t a strong enough word for it as he gently leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

 

“It’s fine, it won’t come off easily without hot water and soap.”

 

She wasn’t taking any chances that night, moaning when his arms encircled her waist, kissing her more zealously, putting that statement to the test.  When Emmett pulled back, her lips remained black as night, his topaz eyes glowing.  It was a beautiful cold night, stars glittering and a full lit moon that looked bigger than normal.

 

“Come on, everyone’s waiting.” Emmett stated, both of them slipping into the car, stealing another kiss from her lips.

 

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” She smirked when Emmett grunted, taking his hand in hers since the car was automatic, their fingers lacing together. “Don’t forget, I have to do my ritual tonight.”

 

“Don’t worry; there’ll be plenty of time for that.” He assured her, bringing her hand up as his lips brushed against hers. “Tonight will be memorable.”

 

Pale blue eyes radiated with excitement as Talyn looked out the window, watching the wooded area pass her by.  She felt like herself and sighed with sheer contentment, wondering exactly what the Cullens did for Halloween.  Emmett pulled up to the house ten minutes later, which didn’t surprise Talyn because she was used to his fast driving.  They stepped out and Emmett took her hand, guiding her inside the house.

 

“Well, look at you!  You look wonderful!” Alice crowed, walking over to embrace Talyn, grinning from ear to ear.  She was in a simple deep red strapless dress that went to her ankles, her hair fanned out over her shoulders. “Happy Halloween!!”

 

Talyn chuckled with a nod, nodding at Jasper before embracing Esme and Carlisle, already thinking of the Cullens as her family.  Esme was in a beautiful shimmery gold gown that had long sleeves and hung off her shoulders.  Carlisle and Jasper were in the same type of outfit Emmett was, though Emmett looked the best in Talyn’s eyes.

 

She was very biased though when it came to him, thinking he looked good in anything.  Emmett had an arm wrapped around her waist the entire time as they congregated in the living room, talking and whatnot.  It was nice and Talyn felt completely at home, sighing gently as she leaned against Emmett, having ate before she left the Weber house.

 

“Oh by the way, Em, Edward called and told me to tell you hello.” Esme announced, holding her husband’s hand, everyone missing Edward deeply.  He was currently staying with their cousins, the Denali, up in Alaska.

 

Emmett smiled and nodded, thanking Esme because he wondered how his adopted brother was doing.  They talked for about two hours, just hanging out with the family, before Talyn left with Emmett to go do the rituals she had planned.  Emmett didn’t know about one of them and Talyn hoped he didn’t mind, heading into the woods with him following.

 

They walked for about a half an hour before finally stopping, Talyn finding the perfect spot to set the ritual up.  Pulling a black velvet blanket out, she spread it out on the ground, after kicking off of her shoes, sitting on her knees.  She pulled out five black candles and a container of white salt, looking over her shoulder as Emmett watched silently.  She placed four black candles in a square shape, setting a rock and a pure black feather, knowing she was close enough to the ocean to use that.

 

“Earth, Air, Fire and Water…” Pulling out a thin fabric from the bag, Talyn could already feel the tears sting her eyes, inhaling the scent of the black and white bandana in her grasp.  “Serena…” She whispered, placing it in the center between the rock and feather, sniffling.

 

Emmett knew she had to do this alone, fighting the urge to go comfort her, knowing she was in pain.  He could feel it radiating off of her in strong waves that nearly overwhelmed him.  He blended in with the night, but Talyn knew he was there, glad he wasn’t interfering with what she knew had to be done.

 

Take me now, take me now

For to face the other side

By the earth and wind and the fire and rain

I’m on my way, remember me.

 

Take me now back to the earth

From which we spring and then return

I shall cross over, now it is my turn

I am not afraid, remember me.

 

Blood of my blood

Bone of my bone

Flesh of my flesh

Keep my soul alive

I will live on, within your hearts

I am not afraid, remember me.

 

Standing up, Talyn wiped the few stray tears away, looking up at the night sky, having taken her cloak off. “I’m so sorry, Serena.  I wish you could be here so I didn’t have to do this.  You will always be my sister in mind and spirit, no matter where I go or what I do.  I have to let you go now and I know this is what you would want.  Goodbye my sister.” She picked up the bandana and set it on fire, tears shimmering on her face, feeling Emmett come up as his arms wrapped around her waist.

 

“Are you alright?” He asked, knowing the ritual was over as he watched the bandana burn at her feet, not close enough to light her on fire.

 

“Yeah, I will be.” Talyn murmured, turning around as she stared into his topaz eyes, kissing him soundly as her arms wrapped around his neck.

 

Emmett slowly pulled back, knowing she was trying to find a distraction, placing his rock hard cold hands on her bare shoulders. “What happened to her, Talyn?” He watched her entire body stiffen, feeling it beneath his fingertips, sighing heavily. “You still don’t trust me.”

 

“It’s not about trust at this point.” Talyn pulled away from him, wrapping her arms around herself, staring down at the four candles that were still lit. “Emmett, you will never fucking look at me the same way again if I tell you what happened.”

 

“How do you know that if you don’t tell me?” Emmett demanded, his voice a little edgier, turning her around by the arm as their eyes locked. “Talyn, whatever it is, whatever happened, I will still love you as much as I do right now.”

 

“You…love me?” When he nodded and cupped her face to softly kiss her lips, Talyn knew she had to come out with the truth. “I love you too, Emmett.”

 

“Then tell me.” He whispered, running a finger down her lower cheek, not wanting to mess up her beautiful artwork. “Please.”

 

Nodding, Talyn took his hand as she guided him over to the blanket, both of them sitting down on it.  She blew the candles out, knowing she would need to use them later for her second surprise ritual.  Talyn closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, and couldn’t look at Emmett before she didn’t want to see any amount of emotion in his topaz orbs.

 

“You know Brandon and I dated and we were all friends.” Talyn felt him nod, squeezing her hand once to acknowledge he was listening. “We used to get into a lot of trouble, caused a lot of chaos throughout the city.  We carried guns and knives, anything to defend ourselves, and nobody messed with us.  One night, Brandon was driving when we came across this liquor store and decided he wanted to rob it.  We’d done it before to other small businesses after hours…” She swallowed hard, not believing how horrible this sounded and what she put her parents through, everything being put in perspective.

 

“Go on.”

 

“Brandon decided we had to plan this out because he knew the liquor store owner packed heat.  So we had the perfect plan in mind…or so we thought.  Basically, we were going to make it look like Serena was in trouble, have her scream down an alleyway near the liquor store.  The store owner bought it the night we decided to strike, but I had second thoughts and told Brandon I didn’t want to do it.  Brandon called me a stupid bitch and robbed the liquor store on his own.  The owner had Serena captive…” Talyn had to stop, already blinking as more tears slid down her cheeks, biting her bottom lip. “I saw it because I was outside keeping watch like a good little bitch and watched the liquor store owner drag Serena back down the alleyway toward me.  He had his arm wrapped around her neck, a gun pressed to her temple, daring me to make one move.  I’d never been so scared in my life and put my hands up, pleading with him not to hurt her.  He pulled the gun from her head and pressed it against her back.  His eyes were crazed and he shouted at me to get back just as Brandon came out with a bag full of money from the store.  Brandon tried calming the guy down and the guy demanded him to drop the money.  When Brandon did, he also reached for his throwing knife, embedding it in the owner’s shoulder.  Brandon didn’t know about the gun pressed against Serena’s back and as soon as he threw the knife, the owner pulled the trigger and shot her right in the spine.  It killed her instantly because it completely severed her spine and there was so much blood…” She started sobbing, trembling from head to toe, and shaking her head repeatedly. “Brandon…forced me to get in the car to flee the scene and took the money with him.  We found out a few hours later from Serena’s parents she died from blood loss.  I was responsible for her death…It’s my fault she’s gone!!”

 

Emmett immediately pulled her into his arms, not believing the story he just heard, rubbing her back soothing as her face buried in his neck. “You came here because of him didn’t you?” He whispered, feeling her nod mutely. “What did he threaten you with?”

 

“That if I told anyone what really happened he would kill me like that fucker killed Serena.  He made me promise to move back to Chicago once graduation was over with so we could run away together.  When I called and told him I wasn’t moving back, he called me a whore and told me he’d been using me all along to get with Serena, that he loved her and not me.” Talyn hadn’t told Emmett about the phone call, hoping he wasn’t angry with her, the way he held her reassuring.

 

“You are safe here, Talyn, and what happened to Serena was not your fault.” Emmett pressed a finger to her lips, hushing her. “You tried stopping the guy and you didn’t go in that store with Brandon.  You did the right thing by backing out at the last second and its Brandon’s fault she’s dead.  He’s the one who decided to try saving her by throwing that knife; you had nothing to do with it.”

 

“Emmett…” She sobbed against his neck, knowing her makeup was probably being destroyed, honestly not caring. “I just want to forget.  I want to forget my life in Chicago and focus on us.” Talyn pulled away from him, knowing he was probably wondering what she was doing.

 

“Talyn…”

 

She held her hand up and pulled out two huge candles, one silver and one red, which marked each of their zodiac signs.  Talyn placed them in the middle of the black velvet blanket, setting them on fire.  She turned back to stare at him before lifting both candles in the air, staying like that for one full minute, and set them back down as a gush of wind came along, blowing them both out at the same time.

 

Standing up, Talyn smiled when Emmett did the same thing, kissing him passionately as his stone arms wrapped around her body. “Now you know.” She breathed once they parted, not seeing anything different in his eyes, sighing with great relief. “Has anything changed?”

 

“No.” Emmett answered without hesitation, his voice strong and sure, knowing that’s what she needed to hear. “I love you even more for telling me.”

 

Talyn smiled and hugged him tightly around the neck, breathing in his scent, knowing she did the right thing by telling him about Chicago. “You can’t…”

 

“I won’t tell anyone, I promise Talyn.” Emmett vowed, also making a silent promise that nobody would ever touch her again, that he would protect her with his own existence.

 

They sank down on the blanket, just enjoying the night and being in each other’s arms, and Talyn ended up falling asleep just as the sun rose over the horizon.

 

Chapter 16

 

“Why do you have to go down there?” Emmett asked, not believing he was actually driving his girlfriend to the treaty line, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

 

“Because Samira invited me.  I already told you I’d be careful, Emmett.” Talyn sighed, wishing he would just drop it, staring out the window. “We have this argument every time.  When are you going to realize that I’m not a porcelain doll you have to fucking protect constantly?”

 

“When you stop putting yourself in dangerous situations.” Emmett snapped, not appreciating her tone, turning the curve that lead to La Push. “When you realize that these dogs are dangerous and so is Samira.”

 

“Samira isn’t dangerous!  How dare you say that about her?!  She’s about as dangerous as fucking Alice, you asshole!!” She shouted, getting very defensive, pale blue eyes flashing angrily.

 

Emmett didn’t say another word to her, knowing it was no use and having learned quickly over the past two months how stubborn Talyn could be.  Once a week Talyn would go down to the reservation, which made Emmett crazy because he wanted her with him.  Talyn couldn’t be watched by Alice because she was around the dogs, which completely destroyed Alice’s vision.  Every time Talyn went down to the reservation, she put herself in danger and Emmett hated it.

 

“Look, all I’m saying is…”

 

“No, go fuck yourself, Emmett.  Samira isn’t dangerous and neither are the guys.”

 

Over the past month, Talyn had gotten to know the Quileute protectors, finding them to be extremely hilarious.  She loved hanging out with them and even stopped wearing dark makeup.  Hell, Talyn had even hung out with Jacob, though it wasn’t alone and he hadn’t touched her since that night outside of the Weber house.

 

“Why are you getting angry with me?  All I’m trying to do is protect you…”

 

“No, you’re acting like a dick right now and a big one at that.  Just go away, Emmett.  Don’t bother waiting for me tonight because I don’t want to even look at you right now.” Talyn snapped angrily and yanked her arm out of his grasp before stepping out of the car, slamming the door shut with authority.

 

Emmett growled from low in his throat, gripping the steering wheel tightly in his hands, and squealed the tires as he peeled out of there.

 

Talyn was ticked off and it clearly showed as she stalked through the woods, wearing black cargo pants with a long sleeved dark blood red top that had black mesh over it, along with fingerless gloves.  Her anger radiated, steel toed boots crunching on the fresh snow that’d fallen a few days ago, heading toward the reservation.  There was no way Talyn could tell Samira what Emmett said, trying to think of another reasoning behind her anger, deciding just to blame it on the Weber’s.

 

“What happened?”

 

Talyn stopped at the sound of Jacob Black’s voice, really not wanting to tell him about her argument with Emmett. “Nothing of importance.” She slowly turned around to face him, thick black eyeliner outlining her eyes.

 

Jacob was glad she stopped wearing the black on her lips, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed in front of his chest, in the usual wear of shorts and sneakers. “You’re lying.” He pushed away from the tree, heading towards her. “Come on, Mira’s waiting for you.”

 

“I need a minute, Jake.” Talyn sighed, running a hand through her hair, knowing by now she would’ve lit a cigarette.  She quit though for Emmett and that just angered her even more.

 

“You know if you go in there looking like you want to kill someone, Samira is going to cotton on that it’s more than just the Weber’s.” Jacob pointed out, a smirk curving his lips. “But if you talk to me about it first, and get it out of your system, you could go in with a clearer head and neutral face.  The choice is yours.”

 

“What the fuck do you want me to say?” She snapped, though no venom was apparent in her voice, just annoyance if anything.

 

“You could start with the truth instead of always blaming it on the Weber’s?” He suggested smugly, raising a dark eyebrow, standing in front of her now. “What happened Talyn?”

 

Talyn stared in his deep brown eyes, having developed somewhat of a trust toward Jacob, especially since he hadn’t laid his hands on her.  Not even one finger, his dominating and manhandling having subsided drastically.  She didn’t understand it, wondering what made him change, suddenly grabbing the same arm he had that night.  She remembered the deep black and blue bruise that took at least a week to heal, knowing he was probably terrified to touch her after pulling that stunt.

 

Jacob noticed the arm she grabbed and felt a twinge of guilt pierce through him, sighing heavily. “I never did apologize for that night did I?” He asked solemnly, having simmered down his anger immensely.

 

“Only a thousand times.” Talyn stated, chuckling softly, and reached out to place a gentle hand on his arm. “You have to stop apologizing, Jake.  I know you didn’t mean to do it.”

 

“Yeah I know, I still feel bad about it though.” Jacob sighed, wishing he could reach for her hand, but Sam’s words kept going through his mind.  He had to obey the alpha, though right now she was technically touching him first. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me, Talyn.”

 

“I’m not.” She stated, slowly pulling her hand away. “I’m not afraid of anything or anyone.”

 

Jacob rolled his eyes and decided to break Sam’s rule, reaching up as he gently ran a finger down her pale cheek. “Don’t you ever get tired of being tough?” He murmured softly, searching those pale blue eyes, knowing she came from a very rough city. “Talyn, it’s alright to let your guard down once in awhile.  You don’t always have to have your guard up.”

 

“Yes I do.” Not having her guard up would make Talyn vulnerable and that couldn’t happen. “I can’t change who I am, Jake.  I’ve told you that already.”

 

“You would for the bloodsucker though.” He contradicted, watching her eyes narrow slightly, pulling his finger away from her cheek with a heavy sigh. “So you’re a hypocrite if you say you won’t change for anyone.”

 

No matter how much Talyn wanted to be angry at his words, she knew he was right.  Talyn would change for Emmett in more ways than one, even though she currently wanted to rip his head off.  She loved him unconditionally, more than she ever thought possible with Brandon, and knew if Emmett wanted to change her immortal she would do it in a heartbeat.

 

“You can’t help who you fall in love with.” She whispered, knowing it killed Jacob to hear those words, but they held truth.  They both didn’t sugarcoat anything and told it like it was. “Vampire or not.”

 

Jacob nodded stiffly, even though he wanted to oppose her. “So what did the bloodsucker say to piss you off?” Jacob asked, switching gears, finding secret enjoyment that Talyn was against the bloodsucker right now.

 

“His name is Emmett, please don’t call him a bloodsucker.” Talyn rarely used the p word, remembering her encounter with Jacob a few months back, sighing. “At least while I’m around.”

 

“Fine, what did Cullen have to say?” He refused to use the man’s first name, folding his arms in front of his chest. “You talk, I’ll keep my mouth shut and we’ll walk to Emily’s.”

 

“Why should I tell you?” She shot back, walking with him in spite of everything, staring straight ahead. “It’s not really your business.”

 

“Yeah, but it will be everyone else’s if you show up looking like you want to rip someone’s heart out of their chest.” Jacob reminded her, keeping his arms at his sides. “So out with it, what did Cullen do?”

 

Talyn knew he wouldn’t leave her alone until she spilled what happened, finally deciding not to fight him. “He told me Samira and all of you were dangerous and I should stay away from you.  The mere fact that he fucking mentioned Samira pisses me off.  We go through this every time I come down to La Push.  He drives me down here and argues the entire way, trying to convince me not to come.  It’s bullshit and I’m sick of it.  I’m not a fucking porcelain doll and, the sooner he realizes that, the better off we’ll both be.” She ranted, finally stopping as the tears stung her eyes, looking away from Jacob.

 

Jacob could sense her distress, stopping as well, standing right behind her and aching to place his hands on her shoulders. “Talyn, in a way he’s right, but you’re in more danger with him than you are with us.  We don’t want to make you a meal.” He watched as she whipped around, eyes full of blue ice. “You know I’m right whether you want to believe it or not.  We have no reason to hurt you, they do.”

 

“I know, but you still shouldn’t say that.” Talyn stated heatedly, watching Jacob roll his eyes, tilting her head slightly. “You’ve changed ever since that night.  Tonight was the first time you touched me.  You haven’t once tried kissing me or anything.”

 

Jacob raised an eyebrow, surprised she’d point out the obvious. “Why does that bother you?  Do you want me to go back to the way things were?” He shot back, stepping closer to her, eyes darkening slightly as the scent of cinnamon engulfed him. “Because, if you want, I could shove you against this tree and kiss the breath out of you.” His lips were mere inches from hers, their chests practically touching. “The choice is up to you though, Talyn.”

 

With how fast her heart currently pounded, Talyn was really surprised it hadn’t just given up and stopped beating.  The look in his eyes completely stole her breath away, wondering if he was serious.  She was with Emmett, but Jacob had shown her a different side as of late, and she couldn’t help harboring some kind of feeling for him.

 

“You already know the answer, Jake.” She said in barely above a whisper, watching the smirk curve his lips, and smacked him on the arm. “You’re such an asshole.”

 

“I know.” Jacob chuckled harder, not believing she actually thought he wanted to kiss her, even though secretly he did.  He longed for her warm red lips against his, but she was dating a bloodsucker and currently that scent was too strong to ignore. “Though, I’m going to be honest with you about something.”

 

“What?” She grumped, suddenly not thinking about what Emmett did, wondering if she even wanted to know this revelation.

 

Jacob reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear gently, his thumb running across her cheek in a soft caress. “If you weren’t taken by Cullen, I would be kissing you right now.” He confessed with absolutely no shame, sighing when her eyes lowered to the ground. “Talyn, I’ve liked you for a long time.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.  A blind man could tell how much I like you, but I respect you enough not to try anything while you’re with Cullen.”

 

“Jake,” She paused, slowly removing his burning hand from her face. “I love him.  I love Emmett and I don’t think I’ll ever leave him.  He’ll have to leave me first and I don’t see that happening.  We love each other and…” She knew this probably wasn’t the best time to bring this up, but figured they were being brutally honest with each other. “I’ve already told him I want to be changed.”

 

Every tendon in Jacob’s body lit on fire when he heard that, but he had to maintain control, taking a step away from her. “Talyn, step back.” He ordered evenly when she took a step forward, holding his hand up to stop her. “I mean it, stay back.”

 

“Jake, please…”

 

“Just…give me a minute…” He whispered, turning his face away from her, trying to take deep breaths like Sam taught him.  He couldn’t lose his temper because that would destroy the trust between them, not to mention obliterate their building friendship.

 

Talyn really needed a cigarette right now, having not craved one in two long months, but right now she had a lot going through her mind. “Are you okay?” She asked hesitantly, looking up into his dark eyes, standing right in front of him. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Jake.  Shit, I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s fine, it’s not your fault.” Jacob placed a hand on her shoulder, being extra cautious because the anger still flooded him. “You do realize that once you are changed, you will no longer be allowed in La Push or the reservation, right?”

 

Talyn chewed her bottom lip, looking away from him, knowing he was right again no matter how much she wanted to deny it. “I know.” She whispered, feeling her heart flood with sadness.

 

“That includes Samira.” He watched her head snap up, noticing the tears shining in her eyes, and stepped away from her as his hand slid from her shoulder. “Talyn, I’m not saying this to upset you, but I also won’t hide the truth and realization.  Once you do change into a bloodsucker, Samira is off limits.  She lives on the reservation and you’ll be too dangerous for her to be around.  Do you understand?”

 

“I can’t have both.”

 

Talyn felt helpless, swallowing hard, knowing she would be giving up this part of her life to be with Emmett forever.  She blinked as huge tears slid down her cheeks, wondering if going to the reservation anymore was such a good idea.  She’d already told Samira the possibility of being changed, but Emmett had asked her a few days prior, and she accepted.

 

“I’m sorry.” Jacob’s voice was low and gruff, already sensing she was getting ready to head back to Forks. “Talyn, wait…” He reached out to stop her, wrapping a gentle hand around her upper arm, turning her to face him.

 

“I have to go, Jacob.  I shouldn’t make her anymore attached.” Talyn’s voice cracked on the word attached, more tears falling, though she was no longer ashamed of them. “Jacob…”

 

His forehead pressed against hers, pulling her against his strong burning body, knowing this would probably be the last time he saw her. “I have nothing to lose.  Just don’t fight me for once.” He murmured, wrapping a strong arm around her waist, and lowered his mouth to hers.

 

Talyn knew she should be fighting back and pushing Jacob away, but something inside of her exploded when his lips scorched hers, gripping his arms for leverage.  She felt as if her knees would give out, overwhelmed with how much emotion and feeling went into this kiss.  More tears fell from her eyes as she cupped his face in her hands, her heart splitting in two, knowing she wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to Samira.  Jacob had been right, she wouldn’t be allowed down here anymore once the change commenced.  When they parted, Talyn stared into Jacob’s dark eyes one last time, and shoved away from him before running in the opposite direction of La Push. 

 

Jacob finally allowed the anger to completely consume him and leapt in the air, changing into a reddish-brown wolf, and let out a heart shattering howl that echoed through the cold night.

 

His goodbye to Talyn.

 

Chapter 17

 

It was a Friday evening and the Weber family had gone out of town for the weekend to visit Mandy’s parents.  Talyn was shocked when Mandy gave her the option to stay behind in Forks if she wanted, having gained their trust over the past almost four months.  Friday began Christmas break from school and Talyn, surprisingly, hadn’t skipped any classes except that one with Emmett. 

 

Talyn had gone out with Emmett for awhile after school, walking through the woods, and they even went to see a movie in Port Angeles.  Of course he didn’t take her out to dinner, but had bought her some fast food, which Talyn fully appreciated.  They decided they would be leaving Forks first, after graduation, before he changed her.

 

They knew once they broke the treaty, all bets were off with the wolf pack.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” Talyn asked with a smirk, wearing dark blue jeans with a long sleeved black velvet top, her hair partially up with black eyeliner and clear gloss.  She’d toned down her look somewhat, knowing the Goth look was childish, and she was growing up. “You know the warden isn’t home…”

 

Emmett groaned from low in his throat, not believing they’d been together nearly three months. “You’re tempting me.” He growled, burying his face in her neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent of cinnamon. “I need to feed first if I even think about spending the night with you, Tal.”

 

“I know that.” She ran her fingertips down his cheek, staring deep into his eyes, pressing her forehead against his. “I’ll wait for you.”

 

He smirked wickedly, nodding. “Give me a few hours.  I need to talk to Carlisle about some things regarding school.” He kissed her lips so softly, barely brushing them, knowing that’s all he could do for now. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too.  Thanks for taking me out.” She smiled, feeling her heart burn with need, aching to feel his rock hard cold body against hers.  His lips were mesmerizing too, feeling like stone against her own. 

 

“Anytime.” He kissed her once more, his throat burning with need, suddenly very thirsty. “I’ll be back shortly.”

 

Sighing as she watched him get in his Mustang and drive off down the road, Talyn shook her head and turned around, walking up to the front door.  She slipped the key in the keyhole and turned it, pushing the door open, stepping inside.  Talyn set her bags down, having left school and went straight with Emmett, so she hadn’t been home yet. 

 

Before Talyn could flip the hallway light on, she suddenly saw complete darkness as her body slumped forward, crashing to the hard wooden floor.  Two figures stood behind her, watching with identical sick smirks, knowing they didn’t have much time to do what they came to do.  Talyn was knocked completely unconscious, a bit of blood coming from her head as it dripped on the floor, her body being dragged down the hallway.

 

~!~

 

Alice could NOT believe this!  She tried flooring it from the airport in her yellow Porsche, worried sick because Emmett wasn’t answering his cell phone.  He had to be hunting; she knew it because she saw a vision of him in her mind.  That wasn’t all she saw each other as she whipped her cell phone out, barely watching the road, swerving to go past cars left and right.

 

Carlisle felt his phone vibrating and sighed, not able to answer because he was in the middle of a very important surgery.  He wondered what Alice wanted because she kept leaving him voicemail, deciding he would have to call her immediately.  Esme and Emmett were both out hunting at the moment with Jasper, who had stayed behind while Alice went to Italy for a few days.

 

“DAMN IT!!” Alice shrieked when she didn’t get an answer, covering her mouth with her hand, trying to stay calm.  It was incredibly hard though because her vision made her dead heart feel as though it would leap out of her marble chest.  Edward wasn’t even answering his phone; she felt so helpless, wishing this car would go faster than one twenty so she could help her friend. “Hold on Talyn, please hold on!”

 

~!~

 

About an hour later, Talyn’s eyes slowly fluttered open and groaned, a bright white light shining on top of her.  Her head pounded something fierce, brain incredibly fuzzy, trying to blink to clear her blurred vision.  What the hell was going on?  She went to move her hands and frowned through the haziness, wondering if Emmett was playing a trick on her.  Though he would never hurt her and her head felt like it would split in two.

 

Something wasn’t right.

 

Talyn tried moving her hands and finally felt the binds, swallowing past a dry lump that formed in her throat.  They were tight, almost cutting off her circulation, but she couldn’t panic.  Forks was a relatively safe town with little going on, besides a missing hiker here and there, nothing like Chicago.  She inhaled deeply, trying to place a scent, but all she could smell was the cleaning solution Mandy used a lot to keep the house in top shape.

 

So she was in the Weber house.

 

The light was killing her head and Talyn couldn’t take it anymore, grunting at whoever had her captive. “Turn that goddamn light off!” She growled, feeling weakened from her head, vision still somewhat blurred.

 

“I don’t think you’re in any position to give orders, little bitch.” A dark voice resonated around her, causing Talyn’s eyes to narrow slightly, trying to place it obviously. “You’re lucky your head is the only thing bothering you right now.”

 

“Who are you and what the fuck do you want?” Talyn demanded, sick and tired of these games already, always one to get down to brass tactics. “Oh fuck my head…”

 

A loud cackle echoed next, telling Talyn there was more than one person in the room, clicking their tongue.  They still hadn’t stepped into the light, wanting Talyn to sweat it out a bit more. “Hmmm I’m hurt she doesn’t recognize us.” The woman’s voice crooned almost soothingly, mockingly. “Should we reveal ourselves, baby?”

 

“We’ll do whatever you want.” He growled back and they were so close Talyn could practically feel their body heat, yanking on the binds harder.

 

“Who the hell are you?!” She shouted, ignoring the splitting in her head, not remembering anything past walking through the front door. “Goddamn it, show yourselves now!”

 

“Very well.” The woman sighed resignedly and walked over, sliding her hand slowly on the wall before flipping the light switch. “Since you’re so damn insistent.”

 

When Talyn looked up, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, all the color draining from her face.

 

“Serena?”

 

~!~

 

Emmett had just gotten back from feeding, along with Esme and Jasper, watching as his cell phone vibrated against the computer desk.  He looked over and watched Esme and Jasper checking their phones as well, wondering what was going on.  Flipping his phone open, Emmett was shocked when he heard Alice’s voice on his voicemail. 

 

Judging by the mortified looks that crossed both Esme and Jasper’s faces, Emmett knew Alice had called them too and left the same messages.

 

“DAMN IT, EMMETT, YOU NEED TO ANSWER YOUR PHONE RIGHT NOW!!  WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYONE??  TALYN IS IN DANGER!!  I HAD A VISION AND SHE WAS BEING HELD CAPTIVE, TIED TO A CHAIR AT THE WEBER HOUSE!!  YOU NEED TO HURRY AND HELP HER!!  I’M ON MY WAY FROM THE AIR-”

 

The phone slipped out of Emmett’s grasp, crashing to the floor as it shattered, staring at Esme and Jasper. “Emmett, wait!” Esme ordered, but the man had already flown out the door, groaning as she looked at Jasper. “Jasper, stay here and wait for Alice…”

 

“She’ll go straight to the spot she had the vision.” Jasper stated in a monotone voice, knowing he couldn’t let his emotions overtake him. “We have to stop Emmett before he does something incredibly stupid.”

 

Esme nodded, both of them flying out the door after Emmett. “Try using your mood control.” She ordered, watching Jasper focus on the woods where he knew Emmett cut through to get to the Weber house.

 

Emmett growled, the panic overtaking him, but also felt a calmness wash over him, snarling softly. “Damn you Jasper!” He hissed, not stopping in his task to get to Talyn, hoping she wasn’t dead already.

 

~!~

 

“Surprise, Talyn!”

 

“How…What…” Talyn could not form a single sentence, staring back into the cold acid eyes of Serena Willis; the best friend she thought was dead, having watched it with her own eyes.

 

“I’m sorry sugar; I can’t understand a WORD you’re saying!” Serena smirked over at Brandon, who just stood there as still as a statue, both of them dressed from head to toe in black. “Why don’t you try it again?”

 

“You’re alive…” Talyn blinked as huge tears slid down her cheeks, every part of her body growing numb, the shock completely overtaking all sense of rationality and anger. “How…?”

 

“Oh, that, well it was a piece of cake really.  Nothing like trying to set up your best friend to blow up in your face, eh?” Serena sighed wistfully, studying her black fingernails, her fiery red hair pulled back in a ponytail with black painted lips and eyes. “All of our hard work for nothing, Brandon baby.”

 

He just nodded and held a nine millimeter gun in his hand, not saying a single word.

 

“What…I don’t…”

 

“You don’t understand, which I completely understand, and I’m going to explain everything to you.  It’s really quite a tale and you’ll get a kick out of it.” Serena promised, pulling up a chair and sitting across from Talyn, her legs having been bound along with her hands. 

 

They were taking no chances.

 

Talyn couldn’t stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks, trying to wrap her mind around this, not believing Serena was alive with a beating heart.  She wasn’t dead and buried six feet underground like Talyn thought.  She was alive and breathing with a pulse, not bleeding to death by a severed spine!

 

“So where do I begin?  I guess the beginning right?” Serena crossed one leg over the other, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You know how Brandon really feels about you now, so the fact he’s here shouldn’t surprise you.  But of course, ME being here should be throwing your little ass for a loop.  Anyway, the robbery was all a master plan that Brandon and I concocted together.  You see, you were trying to take away the man I love with everything inside of me and I couldn’t let that happen, Talyn.  We had the liquor store owner, Gary, in on it too.  He was the one who ‘shot’ me and made it look like I’d bled to death.  He had these huge capsules he smashed against my back and...It was rather gruesome.  You ruined everything when you decided to have a conscience and didn’t go through with the robbery.  You left Brandon alone and tried saving little ol’ me, when really, you were the one was supposed to die that night…for real.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Talyn was very confused now, the shock slowly wearing off, blue ice entering her eyes. “What do you mean you wanted to frame me?  What the fuck is going on Serena?”

 

“Wow she speaks!” Serena laughed, rolling her eyes as she stood up from the chair. “We wanted you to take the fall for the robbery so we could get away with the money.  Gary wasn’t doing so well financially, but we couldn’t possibly give him his share of the money.  It was nothing personal…”

 

“You…killed him?” Talyn blinked, not believing her two best friends from Chicago were murderers.

 

“Yes, I killed him after Brandon fled the crime scene with you.  It really was nothing personal, but there had to be enough blood to make it believable, you know?” Serena’s eyes suddenly narrowed, spitting green acid at Talyn. “You didn’t follow our plan and ruined EVERYTHING!!”

 

“I saw you at the funeral…I WATCHED as they buried your body and even said goodbye to you!  How the hell are you alive right now?” Talyn demanded, tired of her beating around the bush, struggling harder against the bounds around her wrists. “TELL ME!!”

 

“Lord you still have that hot temper.” Serena snorted, taking the gun away from Brandon, who was completely fawning over her. “The body wasn’t mine obviously.  We found a look alike and drugged her.  Brandon was the one who did the killing and we did a few minor changes.  We made sure it was her and scraped her fingertips clean so they couldn’t do fingerprints.  We made her face unrecognizable and I placed my pentagram around her neck.  It was very easy to do really.  Completely flawless and even my dipshit parents bought it.”

           

“W-Where the fuck have you been all this time then?” Talyn demanded angrily, not believing the betrayal, but she couldn’t think about that right now.  She had to figure a way out of this mess and fast before they finished the job once and for all. “Serena, I never even THOUGHT you loved Brandon!!”

 

“Oh please!  You constantly talked about him around me and made me a bit jealous…” Serena ran the barrel of the gun down his chest, licking her lips voraciously. “You never could get the job fully done, sweetie, sorry.”

 

“I don’t fucking care about that!!” Talyn screamed, growling when Serena slapped her across the face moments later, ordering her to shut up. “Fuck you!” She spit right in Serena’s face, only to get slapped again, this time on the other side of her face. “Christ, I never did anything to you two besides love you both with everything inside of me!!”

 

“Yeah, funny how jealousy works isn’t it?” Serena stepped back as she held the gun up, pointing it directly at Talyn. “You took everything away from me and now I’m going to take your life.  You couldn’t follow orders that night and made us lose EVERYTHING!  You couldn’t just be a good little bitch and do what you were fucking told!  And now you’re going to pay for it, Talyn!  First Brandon and then the money…I know you took some of it because I saw you stuff some in your bra before Brandon dragged you away!”

 

“ONLY BECAUSE HE TOLD ME TO!”

 

“It doesn’t matter anymore, I hate you and I want you dead.” Serena clicked the trigger back, ready to pull the trigger, but then stopped. “But first, there’s one other piece of business I need to take care of…”

 

Talyn watched in slow motion as Serena turned on Brandon, who barely had time to react, before the bullet fired from the gun and lodged deep in his heart.  She watched his big body drop to his knees, clutching his chest, the blood pouring and coating his black shirt at a fast rate.  His gray eyes rolled in the back of his head as his body crashed to the hard wooden floor with a sickening and profound thud.

 

“Now then,” Serena cracked her neck, acting as if she didn’t just kill the supposed love her life, the gun training back on Talyn. “It’s your turn.  You both can rot in hell for what you’ve done.”

 

Before she could pull the trigger though, a deep growl sounded from the doorway.

 

Chapter 18

 

An enormous reddish-brown wolf stood in the doorway, snarling and flashing its white teeth, growling dangerously.  Serena’s eyes were as big as potatoes, staring at this monstrous beast, holding the gun shakily in her hand, backing up slowly toward Talyn.  Those deep eyes told Talyn exactly who it was, though she kept her mouth shut, knowing Serena was distracted for the moment.

 

“Get back!” Serena growled, acid eyes fixated on the monster, momentarily forgetting all about Talyn.

 

When Brandon collapsed a knife slid from his holder at Talyn’s feet, though she hadn’t drawn attention to it.  Serena’s hatred was clouding her judgment and all sense of rationality, which Talyn had warned her of repeatedly whenever they broke the law together.  Those times were the past and Talyn knew she had one chance to get out of this alive. 

 

First she had to get freed of the binds on her wrists and they were almost done, having been rubbing them against the sharp metal pole of her bed frame.  Her head was pounding fiercely, but Talyn had to stay focused, knowing the wolf would distract Serena long enough.  She felt her hands come free as the binds slid from her wrists to the floor, bringing them around to rub them.  She bent down and picked the knife up, undoing the binds on her ankles, a wave of dizziness overtaking her.

 

“Jake, enough.”

 

Talyn slowly stood up from the chair with Brandon’s knife firmly in her grasp, ignoring everything else her body felt at the moment.  Her cheeks were already turning bluish black from the hard slaps from Serena, but that was nothing compared to what Talyn was going to do to her.  Serena’s eyes narrowed to slits, still holding the gun, suddenly getting a crazed look in her eyes.

 

“I’m not going down alone.” Serena vowed, a scream sounding from her mouth just as she pulled the trigger, the gunshot echoing throughout the room.

 

It never touched Talyn.

 

Reacting on pure instinct, the wolf dived in front of the it, the bullet piercing its chest as it fell to the floor with a sickening thud.

 

“NO!!  JACOB!!” Talyn screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks, dropping to her knees in front of him as her head snapped up.  Serena went to shoot her again, but nothing fired, the gun empty.  Brandon’s cheap ass always did load the guns with only one or two bullets and Serena had used her final one. “YOU STUPID BITCH!!”

 

The knife flew through the air and embedded right in Serena’s shoulder, the velocity causing her to fly back against the wall, planting her there.  It was a beautiful dagger at least four inches long with a black and red handle with gray throughout it.  Brandon never left anywhere without it and Talyn was thankful for that as she watched Jacob quickly phase back into human form, blood coming from his mouth.

 

“FUCK YOU!!” Serena shrieked, trying to pull the knife out of her shoulder, but it was no use.  She knew how strong Talyn was, especially when it came to tossing knives, and felt the tears pour down her cheeks. “YOU CAN’T DO THIS!!”

 

“Jake!!  Jacob, stay with me please!!” Talyn begged, crying harder than ever, the bullet having pierced the middle of his chest. “Jacob, please don’t do this!!  You can’t fucking die on me!!”

 

The door burst open moments later as the Cullens rushed inside, the smell of human blood instantly filling the air.  Carlisle could handle it, but knew the others weren’t as capable of holding their own.  He stared at Talyn with those wide golden eyes, wondering what happened, seeing a dead man on the floor while the other woman was nailed to the wall by a sharp blade.

 

“Carlisle, please help him…” She pleaded in a whispered gasp, refusing to lose another one of her best friends, knowing that’s exactly what Jacob had become.  He and Samira had become her best friends, taking the places of Brandon and Serena. “Please, I know you don’t like him, but…”

 

“I’ll do what I can, Talyn.” He promised softly, not having anything against the wolves, and immediately got to work while she stood up with Jacob’s blood on her hands.

 

Talyn suddenly felt a surge of anger flow through her, seeing Emmett and the others in the doorway, holding their breaths to keep the scent of human blood from entering their nostrils.  She walked right up to Serena, who was slowly bleeding to death, icy blue locking on acid green.  All this time she thought her best friend had perished because of her and, to find out she was alive was a betrayal unlike any other, Talyn knew what she had to do.

 

“You want to be with Brandon that badly?” She growled, slapping Serena across the face, and pulled the dagger from her shoulder as the blood ran out of the deep wound. “You both can burn in hell!” Holding the bloody dagger, Talyn did a slash move with her arm and slit Serena’s throat, her cries muffled as the blood flowed from her neck.  Talyn stumbled back away from her best friend’s body as the life drained out of her. “Now you both can be together in death.”

 

Emmett couldn’t believe he watched Talyn kill someone, everyone’s eyes as wide as saucers as she dropped the dagger, blood coating the room.  It looked like a huge massacre had transpired, but it was also self defense.  Talyn dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself, the blood on her hands smearing on her arms, not honestly caring at the moment. 

 

“Finish them both.” She whispered, knowing the bodies had to be disposed of, hoping they didn’t make too big of a scene for the neighbors. “Carlisle…”

 

“He’s barely hanging in there.  I have to get him to the house now.” Carlisle stated, nodding at Emmett and the others, watching them walk over to the bodies as the fresh flood completely consumed them. “Esme, she has to come with us while they clean this up.”

 

Before anyone could leave though, Sam and the other members of the pack rushed inside, surveying all the blood.  They watched as the Cullens feasted on two human bodies, though Sam held his hand up from allowing the pack to rip them apart, when he saw Jacob’s prone body in Carlisle’s.  Something happened and Sam knew they couldn’t react without finding out the entire story, especially since Talyn didn’t look worse for the wear.

 

She was also still human.

 

“Sam, please, I have to get him out of here and take him back to our house.  He was shot.” Carlisle was holding Jacob’s body in his arms, knowing the boy lost a lot of blood, pleading with Sam not to attack them. “Please, you’ll get the full story.  We’re not doing what you think we are.”

 

Sam hesitated, looking over at Talyn, who simply looked a million miles away. “Were they already dead before they began feasting?” Sam demanded gruffly, watching Talyn nod without hesitation, though she couldn’t speak. “Fine, go.  The rest of you stay here and find out what happened from the Cullens.  I’m going with Carlisle, Esme and Talyn to find out what the hell went on and how Jake got shot.”

 

“Why should we trust them?” Paul demanded angrily, not believing how calm Sam was being about this, snarling. “They KILLED these people!”

 

“No they didn’t.” Talyn said in a monotone voice, feeling Esme’s arm around her shoulders, still not believing how well her and Carlisle handled themselves around human blood.  There was so much of it around them right now.

 

“Paul, you are not to do anything foolish while I’m gone.  We do not act like animals if the treaty is not broken!” Sam ordered, using his alpha tone, and followed Carlisle out with Jacob.

 

Talyn was guided out of the Weber house, still completely shocked by everything that happened, closing her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks.  Esme held her close, whispering soothing words in her ear, but it was no use.  She wanted Emmett right now and knew that wasn’t happening because he was too busy getting rid of the bodies with the others.  Carlisle laid Jacob in the back with Talyn and Sam, both of them watching over him.

 

“Jacob please live, please don’t die on me.” Talyn whispered, burying her face in his shoulder, while Sam just silently prayed for his friend. “You are such a fucking idiot, why did you jump in front of that bullet?  You could be standing right now instead of like this!  My life isn’t worth fucking protecting that badly, you dumbass!”

 

“Better than…being a smartass…” Jacob grunted in pain, causing a gasp to sound from Talyn’s lips, more tears streaming down her cheeks.

 

“Jake?” She held his burning hand in her own, hope shining in her pale blue eyes, the black makeup having wiped off with how much she’d cried. “That phrase is supposed to go the other way around.”

 

“Who cares?” Jacob coughed, squeezing her hand gently but firmly, letting her know he was alright. “Oh man that hurt.”

 

“You gave us quite a scare.” Sam grunted, knowing they weren’t out of the woods yet. “Stop talking, you need to save your strength.”

 

“What happened?” Jacob whispered, his dark brown eyes looking up into the tearful pale blue ones of Talyn, swallowing hard. “Talyn…”

 

“Serena wasn’t dead.” She lowered her head as more tears fell, the shock of everything suddenly overwhelming her, crashing harder than a tsunami wave. “My b-best friend from Chicago…” She looked up as Carlisle stared at her through the rearview mirror. “Emmett knows everything.” Talyn couldn’t talk about it and felt Jacob squeeze her hand again, letting her know that was fine. “Why did you jump in front of that bullet for me?”

 

“Because I love you.” Jacob stated in a raw tone, grunting in pain. “I came to tell you tonight…because I couldn’t let you…change into a bloodsucker…without at least telling you how I felt…”

 

“Jacob Black…” She whispered, pressing her forehead against his upper arm, closing her eyes tightly shut.  His hand suddenly went limp in hers as Talyn whipped her head up, groaning as a wave of dizziness overtook her.

 

Sam sighed heavily, the entire pack knowing for awhile how Jacob felt for this girl, shaking his head when she swayed against him. “Talyn?  Talyn??” He watched her body slump across Jacob’s head resting on his lower stomach, reaching over to feel her head, blood coating his head. “Carlisle, she’s bleeding.”

 

Carlisle nodded, already knowing that, and punched down on the gas harder as they drove back to the Cullen place.  They arrived in record time and Carlisle immediately carried Jacob inside while Sam had Talyn.  Jacob was the number one priority because he’d gotten shot.  Carlisle knew Talyn probably had a major concussion because of the blow she’d taken from Alice’s dream.

 

“CARLISLE?” Alice shouted, rushing to the door, gasping at the sight of Jacob Black and Sam Uley, eyes even wider at Talyn. “Oh my god, is she dead?!”

 

“No.” Carlisle breathed, walking down to the basement, all of his medical supplies below.

 

“Alice, take care of Talyn.” Esme ordered, smelling something else in the house, eyes narrowing when she walked in the sitting room. “Well, look who decided to come crawling back to us.”

 

The beautiful blonde stood up from the couch, clasping her hands in front of her, looking somewhat nervous with topaz eyes. “Where’s my husband?” Rosalie demanded, having heard commotion, but all she cared about was talking to Emmett. “I demand to speak with him.”

 

“He’s not here right now.  That will have to wait.” Esme replied, already knowing something bad was going to happen now that Rosalie decided to come back. “Did Alice bring you here?”

 

“Hell no I didn’t!” Alice exclaimed, looking just as irate as her adopted mother, both of them crossing their arms in front of their chests. “You are not welcome here anymore, Rosalie.  Things have drastically changed since your absence.”

 

“Now now Alice, we have to worry about Talyn.” Esme stated, making Emmett’s girlfriend their first priority. “When Emmett returns, I’ll be sure to give him the message.” They both walked out while Rosalie scowled after them.

 

An hour later, Emmett walked inside the house with the others, including the wolf pack, everyone in understanding about what happened.  The treaty wasn’t broken because the Cullens weren’t responsible for the deaths of Talyn’s attackers. Emmett immediately rushed upstairs to check on Talyn, worried sick about her, when he felt an arm grab him from behind.

 

He turned around and blinked at the sight of Rosalie, his wife who abandoned him, eyes narrowing. “What the hell are you doing here?” He demanded, seeing the look come over her golden eyes. “Rosalie, leave.”

 

“No, not until I talk to you.” She demanded, not releasing his arm and stopped him when he tried heading up the stairs again, blocking his path. “You’re still my monkey man, Em.”

 

“No, not anymore.  I’ve found someone else and she’s currently upstairs waiting for me.” Emmett growled, shoving her away from him with authority, knowing she could handle it. “Rosalie, I’m warning you…”

 

“You mean to tell me you’ve moved on with a HUMAN, a pitiful HUMAN?” She gaped when Emmett nodded, pulling him toward her into the sitting room. “You don’t need to worry about being with her because you have me.  Emmett, I made a mistake when I left and I love you.  I came back for you.”

 

“I don’t care!” Emmett shouted, shoving her away from him harder, eyes blackening with anger. “You think you can just walk back in here and pick up where we left off, Rosalie?  You LEFT me for absolutely no reason!!  You hurt me and I found someone who wants to be with me for the rest of my existence!  She loves me and I love her!”

 

“You will never love a human as much as you love me, Emmett!” Rosalie snarled, eyes flashing, and yanked him against her when he tried walking away again. “You still love me, I know you do!”

 

“NO!” Emmett roared and shoved her away so hard, she flew out the window, crashing through the window.  The other Cullens came rushing inside, seeing the glass sprayed on the floor, while Emmett stormed past them upstairs.

 

Rosalie sat there with shock in her eyes, looking down at the gash marks on her arms, which quickly healed. “I’m leaving, I’ll be back later.” She announced and turned around, hopping out of the window.

 

Alice and Esme just stared without any emotion on their faces, knowing Emmett wouldn’t be taking Rosalie back.  He had Talyn and, when she was changed, Rosalie would be long gone.  They all walked out of the sitting room while Carlisle stayed behind to clean up the glass, not believing how much they put up with in one night.

 

Emmett was so angry that he just left the house, not going to check on Talyn, needing to get away for a few hours.  He knew she would sleep throughout the night and flew through the trees, just losing himself in the cold air.  He would be back before she woke up, knowing he’d never be able to forgive himself for not being the one who saved her.

 

Instead, the dog Jacob Black had.

 

Chapter 19

 

Christmas break came and went, though Talyn hadn’t fully recovered from everything that happened.  Physically, she was fine, but mentally and emotionally she was a complete wreck.  Serena had been alive all this time, a girl she considered her sister, and she ended up betraying Talyn in the worst way.  Not only had Serena stolen Brandon and corrupted him to her sick way of thinking, but had killed him right in front of Talyn.

 

Nightmares plagued her that was filled with blood, violence and engrossing death.  Every time she closed her eyes, Serena and Brandon were there in all black, looking like demons ready to snatch her heart out.  Talyn dreamed they actually won and shot her, waking up in a pool of sweat clutching her chest, only to find absolutely nothing.

 

She hid the dark circles under her eyes by makeup, just trying to focus on school and Emmett.  Of course, that had grown complicated because Emmett grew distance from her since that night…the night his wife, Rosalie Cullen, returned.  Not to mention Talyn had slit Serena’s throat, committing murder, right in front of him so she wondered if that bothered Emmett.

 

Talyn still couldn’t believe Jacob jumped in front of the bullet for her, which was a clean shot surprisingly.  It didn’t puncture any major organs, which Carlisle was shocked by because of how much blood there was.  Jacob had some internal injuries, but those healed within a day or so, Carlisle still didn’t understand how the wolves healed so fast.

 

When Samira found out about the attack, she was absolutely devastated, not believing Serena had been alive all this time.  Paul assured her that everyone was fine, including Jacob, but refused to let her leave the reservation.  Samira understood why, especially since the pack wasn’t sure if the attacks were over with.  According to Talyn, the only other person, involved in the robbery in Chicago, was the liquor store owner Gary and Serena killed him that same night.

 

Before anyone knew it, two months had passed since the attack.  It was mid-February and colder than ever, the snow having come right before Thanksgiving.  The trees glistened with ice and snow, the sky a constant gray during the day and cloudy black at night.  The ocean hadn’t frozen, though the water was too cold even for cliff diving, even though their body temperature never changed no matter what kind of weather.

 

Talyn sat on the window ledge of her room, wearing black pajama pants with a long sleeved shirt, knowing another sleepless night was approaching.  No matter how hard she tried, Talyn was diving further and deeper into depression.  It didn’t help that she rarely saw Emmett and already knew what was happening, having accepted it long ago.

 

She was just waiting for him to tell her.

 

A knock sounded at her door and Talyn didn’t move, staying exactly where she was, staring into nothing. “Talyn, you have a visitor.” Mandy said quietly, sighing heavily at how defeated her goddaughter looked. “Do you want me to tell them to come back later?”

 

“No.”

 

Talyn stood up from the ledge robotically and walked over to the bed, slipping her black hooded sweatshirt over her head.  She sat on the bed, slipping black sneakers on, wearing simple black eyeliner under her eyes, not caring anymore about her appearance.  It didn’t matter what anyone else thought about her because Talyn could not be hurt anymore than what Serena and Brandon did.

 

She was dead inside, the fire in her pale blue eyes diminished.

 

Mandy watched her goddaughter walk out past her, drawing the hood up over her head, sighing heavily as she closed the bedroom door gently.  Something happened the weekend her family went away to her parents, but for the life of her, Mandy couldn’t get Talyn to talk about it.  She’d tried so many times, but all Talyn told her was that the past had come back to haunt her and it was over.

 

The Weber house didn’t have a speck out of place by the time the Cullens and wolf pack had finished cleaning up the mess.  While the Cullens ripped the bodies apart and drained them, the wolves proceeded to clean up the blood splattered walls, even going so far as to repaint the room.  The floor wasn’t stained, thanks to Emily’s secret mixture for hard wooden floors, and they replaced anything that was destroyed.  The bodies were burned deep into the woods, their ashes scattered to the wind, knowing everyone thought Serena Willis was already dead to begin with anyway.  Brandon Mortar wouldn’t be missed, especially since he had several warrants out for his arrest in Chicago and his parents were murdered at a very young age.

 

Talyn walked down the stairs slowly, seeing Emmett standing there waiting for her, and took his extended hand without a word.  They walked outside and Talyn allowed him to guide her wherever he wanted to go, keeping her head lowered, not even applying pressure to his hand.  She just didn’t have the will and drive to feel alive, the betrayal of the only two people she would’ve trusted with her life too much to handle.

 

They headed into the woods and no words were spoken between them, finally stopping as Emmett released her hand.  Talyn just stood there, sliding her hands in the front pockets of her sweatshirt, staring at the snow covered ground.  She could already feel the despair seeping into her heart, mixing with the sorrow, surprised when no tears stung her eyes.

 

Her tear ducts were completely dried up from crying so much over the past two months.

 

“Just say it.” Her voice was soft and ethereal, absolute defeat shining in her eyes, just wanting to get this over with.

 

Emmett stared back at her with a raised eyebrow, seeing how she carried herself, sighing deeply. “Talyn…” He took a step toward her and reached out, only for her to flinch away from him. “Talyn, something has happened between us and I think we both know the distance speaks for itself.”

 

Talyn nodded, sucking in her bottom lip between her teeth, the cold completely enveloping her. “I know.” She whispered, completely agreeing with him. “I accepted it when she returned, Emmett.”

 

“She’s my wife.” Emmett felt powerless, not believing Talyn figured it out, wondering how long she’d known. “It’s not that I don’t love you because I do…”

 

Talyn looked up and couldn’t believe she felt huge tears cascading down her cheeks, little snowflakes falling from the sky. “You know who you can’t live without.” Her chest constricted painfully as Talyn took a step away from him. “You never fully got over her and used me to try.”

 

“That’s not true!” Emmett growled in frustration, raking a hand through his short brown hair, pacing back and forth in front of her. “I didn’t use you, Talyn.”

 

“Yes you did, Emmett.  I know you used me to get over her and you tried making yourself believe you loved me.  But of course it wasn’t enough because true love rarely exists.” Talyn reached her hand up to wipe the tears away, stepping back when he tried doing it for her. “You’ve made your decision; I just wish you would’ve told me sooner.”

 

“With everything that happened recently, I figured you couldn’t handle this.” Emmett replied gruffly, eyebrows drawing together. “How long have you known about her?”

 

“The night she returned, the night from hell.” She wrapped her arms around herself, just wanting to be back in her room at the Weber’s, more tears falling. “I woke up without you by my side and I overheard Alice bitching about Rosalie returning.  She called Rosalie your abandoning wife, which you never told me about.”

 

Emmett was going to kill Alice, not believing her big mouth, scrubbing a hand down his face. “So you overheard everything she said and that’s why you’ve been distancing yourself from me.” The pieces were finally coming together, though that didn’t change how Emmett felt for his wife.

 

“You distanced yourself from me just as much, Emmett.  This isn’t my entire fault.  I was betrayed and nearly killed by the only family I’ve really ever known.  I thought my best friend, my sister, was dead and it turned out she was alive all this time that I grieved for her.  I found out that the man I lost my virginity to wanted her and not me, that I was just a pawn in their sick game to gain a fast dollar.” Talyn could feel the anger consuming her, something she hadn’t felt in so long, and embraced it with open arms as it flowed through her veins. “You have no idea what I feel inside right now, no idea how many times in the past two months I’ve woken up screaming and crying, only for Mandy to come comfort me, when you should’ve been the one to do it.  And I can’t tell her what happened because she doesn’t know what you or the others are.  So don’t you dare stand there and blame me for distancing myself when you couldn’t even be honest with me about being back together with your WIFE!”

 

“Talyn, I don’t know what you want me to say.” Emmett felt like the biggest piece of garbage at that moment, hearing her words cutting through him like a sharp knife.

 

“You could start with telling me why you didn’t tell me about your wife.  You could start with telling me why you weren’t honest with me all this time.” She suggested coldly, the blue fire erupting in her eyes, tears drying up because she was so angry right now about everything that she nearly saw red. “You could tell me why you waited TWO FUCKING MONTHS to tell me you were back together with her!”

 

“I didn’t tell you because I honestly didn’t think she’d ever come back to me.” Emmett admitted, squaring his shoulders, trying to find an ounce of dignity, but she was cutting him down every which way. “I loved you…”

 

“No you didn’t because, if you did, you wouldn’t have kept her a secret from me and used me to get over her!” Talyn shouted, refusing to believe a word he said, raking a hand through her hair. “You’re just like Brandon.  You’re a user to get over your own emotional turmoil and you don’t care who you hurt in the process!”

 

“That’s not true!!  I did love you and I still do!!” Emmett shouted, taking a step toward her, though he didn’t grab her because he knew he’d hurt her. “You have no idea how hard this is for me, Talyn!”

 

“Oh fuck you, Emmett!  You know exactly what you want and what you’ve always wanted and it’s that blonde prissy bitch of a wife you have!!”

 

“SHUT UP!!” Emmett roared and shoved her back against the nearest tree, swallowing hard as her body crumpled to the snow covered ground, and backed away from her instantly.

 

Talyn couldn’t believe how much force Emmett used as she held her back, trying to stand up, but it was no use.  She gave up and curled in a tight ball, the pain coursing throughout her entire body.  The cold wind blew over her as her bottom lip trembled; hoping she didn’t have a fractured spine from how hard her back hit the tree.

 

“Get away from me.” She whispered, flinching when Emmett went to touch her, shaking her head as the tears streamed down her cheeks once more. “Just go away!!”

 

“Talyn…” He whispered, knowing better than to touch her, closing his eyes when he felt a presence behind him. “Carlisle…”

 

“Go home right now, Emmett.” Carlisle ordered gravely, walking past him toward the defenseless human girl.  He saw the whole thing, but didn’t want to start a fight with Emmett, not believing he actually put his hands on Talyn. “Rosalie is waiting for you.  You two are not welcome here any longer.”

 

Emmett had already decided Forks wasn’t the best place for him and Rosalie to be, especially since he just shattered Talyn’s heart into pieces.  He just backed away in the darkness, the faint smell of cinnamon mixed with blood entering his nostrils.  He knew he’d hurt her head again, remembering how long it took for her major concussion to heal, though he’d barely been around to witness her pain. 

 

“Goodbye Talyn.” He whispered into the night air, heading back to the Cullen house to retrieve his wife and belongings.

 

Alice had the vision of Emmett hurting Talyn in the woods, which is why she’d sent Carlisle after him, blackened eyes narrowed when he walked up.  She couldn’t help herself and stormed up to him, slapping him as hard as she could across the face, clenching her jaw tightly.  Jasper immediately pulled her away, using his mood control on Emmett so he didn’t retaliate against Alice, his arm wrapped securely around her waist.

 

“Enough love.” He whispered in her ear, feeling her body slump against his, knowing her heart broke for Talyn. “Emmett, you are very lucky I don’t snap your neck right here and now.”

 

“Whatever.” Emmett grunted, looking up when his beautiful wife walked out of the door, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder right in Esme’s face.

 

Esme narrowed her eyes and shoved Rosalie down the stairs, watching as she unceremoniously tumbled and hit the car, leaving a small dent in it. “You two are no longer my son and daughter.  Leave and never come back.” She ordered and stormed back inside the house, knowing her husband would be busy with Talyn.

 

Emmett just helped his wife up as they both slid into the car, identical glares on their faces, peeling out of there hastily.  Alice leaned back against Jasper, closing her eyes, trying not to let anymore anger consume her. “I hope she’s alright.” She whispered, slowly extracting herself from Jasper’s arms, not believing what a fool Emmett was.

 

“Can you see anything?” Jasper asked softly, watching Alice’s eyes slowly turn back to the deep golden topaz.

 

“Carlisle is taking her to the hospital for x-rays to be on the safe side.  Emmett made her leave a dent in the tree…” Alice wanted to kill him, holding her breath to calm down, and slowly felt Jasper turn her around as their eyes locked. “She’s been through so much, Jas.  What if she can’t bounce back from this?  She’s been having constant nightmares and barely gotten any sleep.”

 

“Then perhaps she needs to get out of that house.” Jasper suggested, knowing sleeping in the same room she was nearly filleted in probably wasn’t helping. “I hate saying this, but maybe she should go down to La Push and stay with Samira Tinsel for awhile.”

 

“The dogs?” Alice blinked, surprise evident in her eyes, tapping her chin in thought. “You know what, that might be just what she needs as much as I hate agreeing with you.”

 

“When Carlisle gets home, we’ll sit down and talk with him about it.  I think he wants to leave Forks because he received a better job offer in Canada not long ago.” Jasper said, knowing they’d been around a few years too many. “It’ll probably be after our graduation.”

 

“Canada?” Alice sighed heavily, lowering her eyes to the ground, and placed a hand on Jasper’s chest. “Jas, I think it’s time we leave him and Esme alone.  It’s time we find our own path.”

 

Jasper sighed solemnly and pulled Alice into his arms, kissing the top of her head, knowing deep down she was right.

 

Chapter 20

 

So did you hear that Talyn is staying with Samira and Jared? Paul coughed a laugh when Jared scowled, who clearly wasn’t not happy with the arrangement.

 

Shut up Paul. Jared growled, both of them walking with Jacob through the forest, each keeping on the lookout for any danger.

 

Talyn’s staying with you? Jacob tried not to sound surprised, but it wasn’t happening, not having seen her in over two months. When did that happen?

 

Last night. Jared grumbled grudgingly, snorting when Paul coughed another laugh, and growled from low in his throat. Knock it off Paul.  It’s not funny okay?  First my sister decides to be with you and now she’s invited the bloodsucker lover into our house.  My parents even said it was fine!

 

Considering your parents are never home… Paul snorted when Jared growled again, rolling his eyes, just standing there on all fours watching uninterested as Jared’s brown fur stood up on edge. I do like going to your house, especially in the middle of the night…

 

SHUT UP!

 

Jacob groaned, really not wanting to hear this, shaking his head when Jared couldn’t take it anymore.  Paul was crossing lines thinking about Samira in certain positions, which made Jacob groan even more.  He was tempted to phase back into human form just so he didn’t have to hear Paul’s thinking and it got worse the more Jared attacked him. 

 

Her thighs are so creamy and smooth…

 

STOP IT PAUL!!  DAMN IT!! Jared was losing his temper and fast, proceeding to lunge as they both knocked down trees in their haste, wanting to rip his eyes out.

 

And I love it when she pulls my hair while I’m-

 

THAT’S IT!!

 

Jared went for his throat and Jacob knew that was dangerous territory, immediately jumping into the fight, having healed fully from being shot.  He had a small scar right over his heart, not believing how lucky he’d been to survive.  Jacob thought for sure he was a goner, but the tribe ancestors had watched over him that night he saved Talyn’s life.

 

Paul was coughing so hard from laughing, it sounded like hacking as he shoved Jared off of him with his paws, grunting when Jacob shoved him back. Did I mention she does this thing with her back? Jared snarled angrily and tried shoving past Jacob, but it wasn’t working.  Jacob was almost as big as Sam and he was one of the smaller wolves of the pack unfortunately.

 

Knock it off before he really does hurt you, Paul. Jacob was trying hard not to find this amusing, though Paul was the antagonist and hothead of the pack.  It didn’t surprise him in the slightest when he started sending images to both of them in a precarious position Samira was in. Oh my…Damn she really does that?

 

JAKE!  Damn it, that’s my sister!! Jared was floored, eyes as big as saucers, wondering where the hell Samira learned that. I’m never going to be able to look at her the same way again!!

 

Mmmhmmm and you should see how far those thighs can spread… Paul coughed louder because he was laughing again, along with Jacob, while Jared just stood there not knowing what to do or think.

 

Wow… Jacob knew they had patrolling to do, swallowing hard, wondering if he indeed would ever be able to look at Samira the same way again. Okay we really need to focus and stop talking about Mira.  Damn she’s like a sister to me too; I’m never going to get that image out of my head.

 

Just imagine Talyn doing that. If Paul could smirk as a wolf, it’d be wide because he suddenly saw the images of Talyn in the same positions as Samira. Of course, nobody can do it quite like my angel.

 

I don’t know, I think Talyn could give Samira a run for her money, man. Jacob argued promptly, hearing Paul growl, and coughed out a laugh as they all started patrolling again.

 

Jared tried blocking that image out, but even he had to admit it helped not to think of his sister in that position.  Paul knew he’d gotten to both guys, which made him chuckle on the inside, shaking his head.  Jacob had it bad for Talyn, his feelings for her growing stronger now that the bloodsucker was out of the picture.  He hoped Jacob didn’t push the girl too far, especially with everything that’d happened lately.

 

After patrol was over with, Jared, Jacob and Paul all went over to Jared’s place, the wonderful scent of food lingering in the air.  They were starving, having gotten up at the crack of dawn to patrol, thanks to Sam’s current overprotective streak with the reservation and Forks.  The Cullens had left town around two months ago –shortly after Emmett left town with Rosalie-, but Sam still wasn’t convinced the area was fully safe.  They had a job to do and Jacob understood it, but getting up at four A.M., after patrolling until midnight, was getting to be a little strenuous.

 

“What smells so damn good?” Paul demanded, walking inside, grinning from ear to ear as he watched his girlfriend cooking over the stove with a white apron wrapped around her waist. “Besides you of course.”

 

Samira rolled her eyes playfully, finishing cutting up tomatoes, knowing the guys were probably starving. “Dinner is almost ready.  We’re having tacos tonight.” She announced, sighing when Paul’s arms wrapped around her waist, leaning back against him. “Hello there.”

 

“Hey.” He rumbled, his mouth right by her ear, loving the feeling of her soft body against his.

 

Being the person who always ruined a precious moment, Jared didn’t disappoint as he cleared his throat hastily. “Paul, haven’t we had enough public displays of affection between you and my sister for one day?” He demanded gruffly, watching his sister turn her head to stare at him confused.

 

“Shut up Jared.” Paul growled, not believing what a big mouth the boy had on him, eyes narrowed.

 

“What the hell are you talking about Jared?” Samira demanded, turning around with the cutting knife still in hand, arching a slow eyebrow. “What do you mean public displays of affection?”

 

Jared ignored Paul’s deathly glare, snorting, and Jacob backed up because he knew what was coming. “Jared…”

 

“While we were patrolling today, your WONDERFUL boyfriend decided to think of you in SEVERAL positions that I NEVER want to see my sister in!” Jared’s voice grew high in pitch because he wanted to emphasize his point. “I can’t believe you do some of the things he showed us, Mira!  Where the hell did you learn how to bend your knees like that?!”

 

By now, Samira had turned four shades of red and looked like a strawberry.

 

 “Jared, shut up!!” Paul growled, wanting to kill the little pipsqueak, deciding he might because he could feel Samira tense in his arms. “Angel, don’t listen to him…”

 

“Oh no, go ahead Paulie!  Tell her exactly what you said about her thighs being creamy and rubbing it in our faces all to get my goat!” Jared snapped, clearly not amused, and that just made Samira turn redder with embarrassment.

 

“Jared, I’m warning you…”

 

“Or how about when she pulls your hair?” Jared kept going on and Jacob was slowly backing away, seeing Samira trembling from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. “Go ahead; tell her since you obviously don’t respect her!”

 

“That’s a load of bull and you know it!!  I love her with all of my heart, why the hell wouldn’t I respect her?!” Paul snarled, releasing Samira, who was simply standing there with the knife full of tomato juices.

 

Jacob knew what was coming and immediately ducked, watching as the knife whizzed in the air, nearly hitting Paul, and embedded into the wall.  Both Jared and Paul stared at Samira in shock, watching her blink as the tears cascaded down her cheeks like two rapid streams, clearly embarrassed by what Paul did.  When Jared moved toward her, he got a spatula thrown at him; barely ducking because he knew it would hurt if it struck.

 

Paul blinked, turning to face Samira, who had pure acid coursing through her eyes. “Angel…”

 

“GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!” Samira screeched at the top of her lungs, suddenly not caring about making dinner. “YOU ARE THE BIGGEST PIECE OF SHIT I’VE EVER MET IN MY LIFE!!  GET OUT!!”

 

“Angel, please…” Paul ducked when the cutting board went flying next, tomato splashing the walls, coating Paul and Jared because Jacob had decided to move out of the way.

 

“DON’T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT, YOU ROTTEN BASTARD!?” Samira couldn’t help letting more tears fall, not believing Paul actually baited her brother with their sex life. 

 

Was he out of his mind?  Apparently so because he kept trying to come toward her, only to get clocked with a pan moments later.  Jacob and Jared both winced at the same time, knowing that would leave a mark, though Paul would heal within seconds from the blow.  Samira had a mouth on her and was currently letting every cuss word fly out of it freely, throwing everything except the kitchen sink.

 

Paul was coated from head to toe in food, looking like a standing taco, but he still wasn’t leaving.  He was standing his ground, letting her get all of her emotions and anger out, slowly inching toward her.  He knew Samira well and she was slowly running out of steam, groaning when another handful of onions went right into his eyes.

 

“I SAID GET OUT!  What part of GET THE HELL OUT do you not understand, DOG?” She demanded angrily, backing away from him slowly, the tears not stopping. “If you even THINK you’re getting any from me, you can THINK again because we’re OVER!!”

 

Paul sighed, knowing she didn’t mean that, and kept inching closer to her.  Jared had made a fast escape to his room, locking the door, and Jacob was currently outside.  He had no idea where Talyn was and knew if she was in the house, she would’ve come running already from her room.  He still couldn’t believe she was staying with Samira and Jared, but was glad for it. 

 

“Angel, I’m not leaving.  You know I love you…” He sighed when another splatter of food went in his face, but never stopped walking toward her. “I’m sorry Mira, I wasn’t thinking…”

 

“You damn right you weren’t!!  You have a funny way of showing how much you love me by embarrassing me like that in front of my brother and Jacob Black!!” She snapped, staring into his eyes, wishing she could hurt him for what he did. “I hate you so much right now, Paul.”

 

“I know.” He whispered, his hands running down her sides to grip her waist, feeling her try to push him away, grunting when she tossed diced celery in his face next. “Are you finished?”

 

“No, I’m not even CLOSE to being done!!” She felt him lift her up, planting her on the counter, not caring how destroyed the house was right now.  “Get away from me.”

 

“No.” He whispered, his mouth right by her ear, growling when she shoved against his food covered chest. “I told I’m not leaving and I meant it.”

 

“Get away from me!!” She shouted, though the venom was no longer in her tone, staring deep in his brown eyes. “How could you do that to me?” She blinked as more tears spilled down her cheeks, shoving him away from her again. “I thought you loved me!”

 

“I do!” Paul rumbled, burying his face in her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. “If I could take it back, I would.  You know I can’t help what I think about though when I’m phased.”

 

“Oh that’s rich!!” She snorted, pulling away from him, but really had nowhere to go as her head pressed against the cabinets. “Well, apparently, today was the ONLY time Jared really listened and paid attention huh?”

 

“I did it to antagonize him and it was wrong.” Paul grunted, hating to admit when he was erroneous, cracking his neck as more food fell from his rock hard body. “What the hell do you want me to say, Samira?”

 

“It just makes me wonder if I’m going to be able to trust you with anything personal.  Since you obviously can’t seem to control your thoughts when you’re phased!” She retorted, folding her arms tightly in front of her chest, wearing a deep red tank top with matching cotton shorts. “I was nice enough to make you dinner tonight and everything and you ruined it with your stupid antics!”

 

“I know, I’m sorry.” Paul tried untangling her arms, but it wasn’t happening, grimacing when she flinched against his lips against her neck. “Angel, please, I won’t do anything like that ever again…”

 

“I don’t even know what the hell to believe from you anymore.” She whispered, knowing she’d probably blown this out of proportion, but right now she honestly didn’t care. “I had something really important to tell you tonight too and you ruined that as well!!”

 

“Angel, you’re not making this any easier…”

 

“GOOD!  I want you to feel terrible for what you did to me!!  You embarrassed me in front of probably the entire pack with your stupid thoughts about us!!  You’re not touching me for a LONG time, Paul.  I swear on this tribe, you won’t be sleeping with me until I can learn to trust you again!” With as much strength as Samira could muster up, she shoved away from him, sniffling as she wiped her tears away from her cheeks.

 

“What the hell do you want me to do to make it up to you?” He asked resignedly, deciding he had a lot to make up for, watching as she pointed to the huge mess.

 

“You can start by cleaning this house for me, since you like making messes so damn much!” She snapped, watching him grimace again, honestly not caring. “Then you can tell me how the hell we’re supposed to raise a damn baby in this place if you insist on constantly hurting me!”

 

Paul had started cleaning up and froze in his tracks, slowly turning around to face her, his breath shallow. “What?” He blinked, watching as Samira’s hand trailed down to her stomach, swallowing incredibly hard.  It felt as though a frog was in his throat and he suddenly couldn’t think clearly, wondering if he’d be stuck like this for the rest of his life. “Samira…”

 

“Yeah, I’m pregnant you piece of shit!  Your demon seed is currently inside of me and I can JUST imagine that kind of antics this child will pull having a father like you around!” Her hormones were going a million miles a minute and Samira honestly didn’t hear half of what she was saying, crying even harder. “Are you happy now Paul?”

 

“Y-You’re pregnant?” He gaped when she nodded, eyes as wide as saucers, blinking repeatedly.

 

“Yeah I am and I’m two months along.  I’m going to make your life miserable for the next seven months for doing this to me too.  Now get busy.” With that said, Samira stormed out of the kitchen and down the hallway, needing a hot bath to cool off, leaving Paul standing there in shocked silence.

 

Chapter 21

 

Talyn was down at the beach –while Samira erupted and nearly took La Push with her - needing some air while Samira cooked, still not believing she actually agreed to move in with her friend.  Granted, she was shocked when Alice came to her the day before and told her they were leaving Forks.  As if Talyn hadn’t lost enough these days, that was the final nail in the coffee, but Alice was always full of surprises.

 

“Talyn, you need to get out of this house and start over.  I know the perfect place for you to go.” Alice had said, her eyes pleading with Talyn to trust her, and of course she did.  Even though Emmett had shattered her, Talyn still loved the rest of the Cullens like family.

 

Absolute shock was the only thing Talyn felt when Alice actually broke the treaty law and went on the reservation in her yellow Porsche.  What Talyn hadn’t known at the time was Alice had came here once before to talk to Samira about Talyn moving in with her.  Samira wasted absolutely no time and called her parents, who were always out of town on business, being partners for a company in Seattle, Washington. 

 

“Why are you leaving Forks?” Talyn had asked, while Alice fished in her trunk for Talyn’s belongings, tears streaming down her face. “Alice…”

 

“Because we have to, Talyn.  Carlisle received a job offer in Canada and Jasper and I are going our own way.”

 

Talyn remembered how much pain she’d felt hugging Alice goodbye, knowing she would never see her again.  Alice made her promise to live her life to the fullest, to heal and move on from what happened in Chicago, and to find love again.  All Talyn could do was nod as she sobbed silently, feeling Alice extract herself from her arms, and watched the yellow Porsche disappear into the night.

 

It was hard to believe that only happened the previous night.

 

The ocean waves blew her bluish black hair as Talyn wrapped her around herself, feeling so lost and confused.  So much had happened and Talyn wondered what was still to come, if she could conquer this; to move on like she promised Alice.  Would living with Samira really help her overpower the nightmares that plagued her day and night?

 

Apparently Alice thought so.

 

Then her thoughts turned to Emmett and Talyn touched the back of her head, closing her eyes painfully.  He’d shoved her so hard that it reopened the healed wound in the back of her head and pulled a disc out in her back.  After a month of physical therapy with Carlisle, she was healed, but the wound in her heart was still very fresh.  She still couldn’t believe he laid his hands on her, but Talyn accepted it, even though it hurt more than words could say.

 

The more tears that fell, the angrier Talyn became as she kicked the sand, hating feeling like this.  She didn’t want to cry anymore.  She didn’t want to hurt anymore.  She didn’t want to feel like her heart was being ripped out of her chest and stomped on repeatedly for the rest of her life.  Talyn wanted to heal and move on with her life, but had no clue how to go about doing it.

 

Sighing, Talyn finally turned around and headed back up toward Samira’s, knowing dinner was done by now.  She wasn’t hungry, but knew Samira would try getting her to eat something.  Talyn would try for her friend’s peace of mind, especially since Samira revealed earlier that day that she was two months pregnant with Paul’s child. 

 

Talyn was going to do everything in her power to make things as easy as possible for Samira.

 

What Talyn didn’t expect was finding Jacob Black sitting outside on the porch, looking very worried, and wondered what happened. “Do I even want to know?” She asked resignedly, walking up to him.

 

“No, no you really don’t.” Jacob replied, standing up from the porch, staring  back at Talyn. “Hey Talyn.” He cracked a hesitant smile, not having seen her in two months, and was aching to give her a hug.

 

“Hey Jake.” She greeted solemnly, trying hard to give him a smile in return, but it was no use. “How’ve you been?” Talyn asked, remembering the last time they saw each other he was shot in the chest, still not believing he survived. “You haven’t jumped in front of bullets lately have you?”

 

Jacob chuckled morosely, shrugging his shoulders. “I already told you I would do it again in a heartbeat.” He stated, standing a few feet from her, seeing how much pain swam through her pale blue eyes. 

 

For the first time, Jacob saw who Talyn really was without absolutely any makeup on her face.  No lipstick, no thick black eyeliner, it was just her and the natural beauty she possessed.  Jacob suddenly felt something spark inside of him, knowing exactly what happened, and pulled her by the arm gently into his arms giving her a nice comforting embrace.

 

He’d imprinted on Talyn.

 

Talyn couldn’t help it as the waterworks started up, blinking as tears streamed down her cheeks, swallowing hard.  This was the man who risked his life to save her, who took a bullet for her and didn’t realize, until that moment, how much she truly missed him.  Feeling his scorching arms around her just made Talyn cry harder, feeling her knees give out on her and felt Jacob lift her up to where her feet left the ground, his face buried in her neck.

 

Jacob’s heart completely shattered as she sobbed against him, not believing how much pain he felt radiating off of her.  He sank down to his knees, refusing to let her go, and closed his eyes as he let her cling to him.  He knew she didn’t feel the same way he did for her, but Jacob already knew he would never leave her side, being whatever she needed.  Never would he love anyone as much as this girl in his arms, who cried her heart and soul out against him, simply allowing it because he knew that’s what she needed.

 

They stayed like that for what seemed like hours before Talyn slowly pulled back, staring up into his deep dark eyes.  Jacob reached up and wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs, smiling softly down at her, knowing she was on the road back to recovery.  There was absolutely no judgment in his eyes, not even sympathy, just pure understanding and Talyn hugged him tightly around the neck.

 

“Thank you Jake.” She whispered in his ear, knowing she never did thank him properly for saving her life, tightening her hold on him. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now.  Thank you so much.”

 

“Don’t mention it again.” He murmured huskily, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her head, being very gentle with her. “Thank you for letting your guard down with me, Talyn.”

 

For the first time in months, a genuine smile crossed Talyn’s lips, knowing she had indeed opened up to Jacob.

 

~!~

 

Two months later, it was the middle of April and unseasonably warm with temperatures in the mid sixties.  Talyn and Samira were sitting outside on Emily’s porch, enjoying freshly squeezed lemonade.  Emily was currently cooking and had invited everyone in the pack over, including Leah’s new man Ross.  He recently moved to the reservation and purchased a piece of property nearby Leah.  He wasn’t a wolf, though Leah had imprinted and they got along great.

 

Talyn made the mistake of letting Samira do her makeup for the small get together, along with choosing her outfit, which had absolutely no black.  She felt foreign, but Samira assured her she looked incredible.  The outfit was a simple blue jean skirt that went an inch above the knee along with an off the shoulder wine colored top that had a criss cross design up the arms.  White sneakers were on her feet and Talyn’s makeup was very natural with clear gloss and dark blue thin eyeliner with tanned eye shadow.  Her bluish black hair had an angled design to it and layered to give it bounce, fanning her shoulders.

 

“Tal, I forgot to tell you how truly beautiful you look tonight.” Emily complimented with a smile, wearing blue jeans with a red and white flannel shirt, matching tank top underneath.  Samira had a light blue baby doll with black stretch pants, already beginning to show. 

 

“I know she does and Jacob isn’t going to know what to do when he sees her.” Samira smirked when Talyn’s cheeks tinged red, knowing the two had spent a lot of time together over the past two months. “What do you think he’ll do?”

 

“I’d walk right up to her and hand her this.” Jacob said from behind, holding a beautiful white lily in his hand, extending it to her with soft dark eyes. “And you look more than beautiful.  You look spectacular.”

 

Talyn blinked as she stared at the lily in his hand, tilting her head slowly, and reached out to take it as their fingertips brushed together. “Thanks Jake.” She said softly, feeling her heart slowly fill with warmth, not able to stop the smile from crossing her lips.

 

“No problem.” He smiled in return, glad she enjoyed it. “Anything to keep that beautiful smile on your face.”

 

Talyn blushed furiously and stood up from the chair, Jacob instantly bending as her arms wrapped around his neck, hugging him tightly.  Samira couldn’t stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks, not believing how sweet Jacob Black was, the moment truly touching.  Even Emily was crying, having watched through the screen door, feeling Sam’s arms wrap around her waist from behind.

 

Slowly but surely, Jacob was snaking his way inside Talyn’s heart.

 

~!~

 

“Where are you taking me, Jake?” Talyn demanded, having a black bandana wrapped around her head, shielding her eyesight. “You know I hate being left in the dark.”

 

“Will you stop complaining and just enjoy the anticipation?” He grumbled good-naturedly, his arm wrapped securely around her waist, kissing the top of her head. “I went through a lot of hell to get the night off.”

 

“Oh excuse me for being a little skeptical, Mr. Surprise.” Talyn snorted, though she couldn’t help smiling, finally allowing Jacob to guide her to wherever he wanted.

 

Talyn trusted him completely with her life.

 

It’d been three months since Talyn moved to the reservation to live with the Tinsels.  It was the best decision of her life because Talyn had slowly healed from everything that happened.  The nightmares slowly but surely perished and she hadn’t had one in months…ever since Jacob Black came into her life fully.  It was almost as if he was a dream catcher, taking away all of her pain and replacing it with happiness. 

 

“Okay we’re here.” Jacob was nervous, trying not to show it, wearing dark blue jeans with a long sleeved black thermal shirt since it was chilly.  “Are you ready for your surprise?”

 

“Been ready.” Talyn assured him, feeling the blindfold slowly leave her eyes, opening them and blinking several times as her vision came clear. “What…is…that?”

 

Jacob chuckled, tossing the bandana over his shoulder, his arm never leaving her waist, guiding her toward the huge structure. “This is a gazebo.  I know you’re really spiritual and need some place to go where it’s completely quiet.  This is about a mile away from Samira’s and it’s by a spring.  You can come here to do your rituals, meditation, whatever you do or just to clear your mind.” He explained, watching her eyes widen before slowly turning to face him, their eyes locking.

 

“You…You did this for me?” She stammered, truly touched because the gazebo was handmade and built from scratch with dark red oak wood.  It was truly stunning and even had a pentagram carved in the front on the top.

 

“Yes, this is my graduation present to you.” Jacob replied softly, running a finger down her cheek and catching a stray tear. “Congratulations Talyn.”

 

“Oh Jake…” She covered her mouth with her hand and allowed him to guide her toward the gazebo, which had everything she would need for the rituals she did.  Candles, salts, incenses and anything else imaginable. “This is…I don’t even know what to say right now.”

 

“You could say you love it.” Jacob suggested with a smirk, watching her slowly turn around to face him again, pale blue eyes shining with hidden feeling.

 

“Or I could just say I love you instead.” She whispered, giggling nervously when it took a second for Jacob to cotton on to what she said.

 

“What?” He blinked, not expecting her to say that, not daring to hope and believe the words that just came from her mouth. “Talyn…”

 

“You heard me right, Jacob Black.  I love you.  You’ve showed me so much affection and kindness over the past three months and somehow managed to worm your way inside my dead heart, bringing it to life again.  You picked up the shards of my heart and pieced it back together.” Talyn stepped closer to him, placing her hands on his strong chest, feeling the scorching heat through the thin material of the shirt he wore. “I fell in love with you, Jake.”

 

Jacob was having a hard time breathing, feeling as though his heart might leap out of his chest, the truth shining in her eyes.  She truly did love him and Jacob couldn’t stop himself from cupping her face in his burning hands. “I’ve loved you from day one, Talyn Willow.  Nothing has stopped it and nothing ever will.” He rumbled huskily and did something he’d been wanting to do for months. 

 

Jacob captured her lips softly, the passion quickly erupting between them, his arms encircling her body as their bodies pressed together.  Her hands slid up his chest to his shoulders around his neck, standing on her tiptoes, kissing him back with equal amount of love and passion.  Talyn moaned softly, completely melting against him and felt her feet leave the ground as her leg arched up, never wanting this moment to end.  Their bodies fit together perfectly and Jacob knew they were always meant to be together, even when she was with Emmett Cullen.

 

When the kiss broke, both were breathless as Talyn took Jacob’s hand in hers, their fingers entwining together as she lead him over to the gazebo.  She lit a silver and orange candle, feeling Jacob’s arms around her waist, and leaned against him as her eyes closed.  She’d done this once with Emmett, but knew deep down this was where she was always meant to be. 

 

“You know what’s funny?” Talyn asked, turning in his arms as her arms wrapped around his neck, pressing her forehead against his.

 

“What?” He asked, taking their hands as their fingers laced together, the candles burning brightly behind them.

 

“I never knew I needed you until now.” She smiled when Jacob grinned, their lips touching again, knowing both had finally found their way back to each other and refused to ever let go.

 

The End.