Ghost Road - Chapter fifteen

[herumtreiber]

Title: Ghost Road
Chapter fifteen: The Ghost Road
Author: herumtreiber
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: None
Characters: Jacob/Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie
Chapter length: -6,890
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, not me. This is for fun, not profit
Summary: Jake wakes up and notices some differences.


Table of contents

Chapter fourteen: The tale of the two wolves



JPOV

The transition was fast. One moment I was in the woods and the next, everything went dark.

Didn't know what happened. I only felt someone holding me whose name I had on the tip of my tongue.  Things were limned in purple spots, and the sensation of cold arms beneath me eventually faded.

I caught whispered words in a language I didn't understand. Flashes of muted color passed by in a blur. I was trapped like those insects held in amber the prof told me about in the school whose name I could no longer remember.

My mind drifted out of this strange vision which shrank until there was blackness, and the swinging motion stopped.  

I drifted up in a vivid dream and then the world exploded in a frenzy of colors. I was walking in a field. I didn't know who I was, but the beautiful grass and flowers were soothing. Someone was missing, though, to complete the picture of happiness.

I started running and a few seconds later the ground trembled; I turned my head and saw a wolf trotting beside me. Its fur was beautiful, a bright color I couldn't name.

It was awkward running on two legs so I shrugged and became an animal. Tilting down my chin I gazed at my blurry paws which were a reddish hue.  

I looked sideways at my wolf companion and saw him sharper, in vivid colors.

It was refreshing being this animal because I didn't feel tempted to speak. Words escaped me like the running waters of a half-forgotten river. I turned my muzzle and spoke with the wolf like I did with my brothers.

I growled softly at that; I dimly recalled being the only male child. The confusion didn't bother me much because my thoughts were as fuzzy as the edges of the meadow. When we approached the limits of the field it got sharper but the woods farther along remained misty.  

The wolf flooded my mind with imagery. The woods were his home; they had teemed with animal life but lacked people. He had waited patiently for ages, in the manner of wolves. One day, having arrived in canoes, a group of tired men and women walked up to the woods. 

And the wolf grinned savagely and changed them into his own image.

During this silent communion, my memories slowly seeped back. The boys I dimly recalled weren't really my brothers but my pack mates. The gnawing hole I felt in my heart pulled at me relentlessly because I missed a man. He was left behind and I cared about him a great deal.  

There was a trick he had pulled on me, though. He wanted me to make a pup with the girl!

I stopped and furiously pawed at the ground; I watched the dried leaves fluttering up in the sharp colors I had known when I shifted into a wolf.

The Silver wolf growled, nipping my shoulders lightly. I flattened my ears and whined in submission until he huffed softly, rubbing his muzzle against mine.

'I'm afraid the time has come for you to grow up, pup.'

'What do you mean?' I lifted my tail while I raised my paw, examining the fur. I remembered the color was called 'russet'. The word felt odd, though, as if it had shifted just like I had and changed its meaning.

'Ephraim's heir must choose!' The Silver wolf backed away and raised his muzzle, howling at the sky which darkened in seconds. There was a new moon, so the spattering of stars was interrupted only by the wide swath of the sky river which bisected the heavens.

I mulled over the wolf's words, stepping back from him. We had been talking in Quileute. I did speak another language which I couldn't remember. I knew it was the tongue I used when I spoke with… Edward.

My heart sank further when I finally grasped the situation. I had passed away and now trod the path of my ancestors. Dad had told me about the custom of the Oglala Sioux to soothe their deceased. I wondered if he was appeasing my ghost by feeding my spirit. In this timeless place, I suspected he had mourned a whole year and had fed my spirit for the last time. I lifted my muzzle to howl at the Milky Way, for it was the Ghost Road I would shortly walk along. My campfire would finally add to its aura.

I tilted my chin to follow the path of the stars above which was so clear. If everything failed I would join them shortly. I hoped I would find the peace that had escaped me my whole life.

And I despaired for Edward because my lover would end up bereft in the cold world. 

I wouldn't go willingly. This fight against destiny wasn't new for me; after all, I had been waging it ever since the fateful day I met Bella at First Beach.

I turned my head and bowed at Q'wati, the Silver Wolf. My eyes narrowed as I wondered how to convince him to give me a second chance.

Q'wati growled softly. 'Do not fret, pup. You will see your mate again. You must learn to work with him.'

Then the Silver wolf nipped my flank playfully. 'What will you choose?  The tribe or yourself, Alpha?'

'I will do what an Alpha must.'

'Your path doesn't end here.' The Wolf pawed the ground with such force that clods of grass shot up into the blackness. They broke up into small pieces which became translucent until they glimmered, studding the heavens among the other stars.

'Your road may never end; it's one of the possibilities.' The Wolf perked up his ears and turned to look at the hazy woods. 'The earth that wrought you, the woods that nourished you – they need your magic. Predators and prey will…'

'Suffer…?' I whined softly.

'No. They will die if you do nothing.'

'What do I have to do, then?'

The Wolf walked towards me and when I stared at his black pupils I saw a small, bright whirlwind composed of tiny silver specks whose pattern seemed oddly familiar. I had seen it before when I looked at the sky over the woods up north, after I ran from my troubles and sought peace and freedom. The Wolf's eyes held the Milky Way.

 I didn't have time because everything shimmered and became blurry. I yapped at Q'wati in despair. 'What do I do? Answer me, dammit!'

The Wolf's growls became as indistinct as the rustle of the twigs, but I grasped the meaning.

'Follow the Wolf's Trail, pup.'

Then darkness enveloped me and I knew no more.

oOoOo

 I drifted back to the world, dreaming of nasty bloodsuckers that held me prisoner. They sunk their teeth into my arm and crotch. The leeches taunted me with insults while they relentlessly took their fill of me.  Where the hell was Edward that he didn't save me from them? 

I slipped in and out of consciousness but the constant itching on my arms and lap remained.  

People mumbled around me in a strange language I almost grasped. I recognized Edward's voice, though his tone wasn't smooth but harsh and weary.  I struggled to open my eyes, squinting at the blurry light above.  

His voice rose and I almost caught the meaning, but I was too weak to speak. His enticing scent drifted down; it was a pity that the awful stench of the medicines drowned it. Edward's sweet coldness was near, so I reached towards it and caressed his skin with my fingers.

But his scent also brought up the painful memory of wanting me to father a pup with someone who had rejected me. It enraged my wolf so I turned away from Edward. 

The small gesture had tired me and I drifted back into uneasy sleep.

Later I would dream that Dad was by my side, speaking about our fishing trips and all the fun we had shared. It was soothing because I understood him perfectly, unlike Edward and other people who talked in gibberish.

I lost track of time; the only constants were the annoying pinpricks all over my scalp and the itches in my arms and crotch. My fingers had touched the smooth tubes running down from my forearms; there were a lot of them.

As the nurses made their round, they would speak to me and I slowly began to understand them. It had to do with their voices; they seemed kind, like my mom talking to me.

It became easier the more I heard people speaking. The meaning was sharper, though some words remained puzzling.  

After dozing off for the eleventh time or so, I heard Seth telling me about his comic. I mentally shook my head at the kid; leastways he wasn't into video games like Emmett. I wondered where the big guy was. And Edward?

Then I smelled his scent and I fought to open my eyes. The vampire was above me, and I drank in the sight of him. Edward appeared disheveled; to be frank, he always looked like he had come from a romp in his bed.

After Edward offered me water and I shook my head, his face twisted in a grimace. I felt guilty because it was my fault. Obviously something awful happened and I was in the hospital. My vampire looked weary and defeated.

Too weak to speak, I raised my eyebrows in question. Edward muttered that it wasn't anything important and I should heal completely.

My heart flooded with tenderness at his words. Even in the midst of that odd vision, when I didn't know who I was and my mind was blank, I had known there was someone missing, a desire I wanted to fulfill. Edward was the love that awaited me, his was the yearning that called me home.

I raised my hand to touch his beautiful, cold cheek and said, "Stay with me forever."

I waited for his reply but it didn't come. My words were clear and besides, he could read my damned mind. Instead, Edward just frowned at me!  

I gulped when I realized he was like that girl after all. As I lay wracked with pain, I had poured out my feelings to Bella and she just walked away.

I growled and shrank back from him, turning to face the damned monitors so he wouldn't see me cry. I hoped he would just go away and leave me alone; obviously he was here out of a sense of duty.  

But Edward held my chin and softly nudged it so I faced him. He said he was sorry and I was surprised as the words poured out of him in a rush. He said he loved me, that I was the sun. He said so many beautiful words that made me want to smile and cry at the same time.  

I felt a rush of heat go through my chest, just like when I lay on the beach up north and soaked up the midday sun.  I reached for the nape of his neck and pulled him down. I yearned to kiss Edward's pain away, to make it up to him and erase the grimace that distorted his beautiful face. I would make it all right because I promised him long ago in the meadow where I shed the tears he couldn't cry. Because I loved him with all my soul.

I wanted to devour him, to knock him out with the kiss but my strength failed. It was sweet and tentative but the wolf inside demanded more, to mark him as my own.

"Edward," I moaned against his lips.

I panted after we broke our contact.

He said, "Please, Jacob, don't ever leave me. Stay with me forever!"

Edward went on and his smooth voice washed over me as the words fit together like a puzzle that finally made sense.

He confessed he didn't want to turn me, that he was willing to let me die. If the tables were turned, I wondered if I would have been as selfless. It made my heart soar that he had the strength to resist what must have been overwhelming need.

He mentioned our date in the meadow and I nodded. This led me to recall the time I carried Bella through the woods. The remembrance felt strange though; in my mind the flowers shined more brightly with odd colors. The scents of the grass and trees were sharper, just the way my wolf saw the world.  

My heart beat madly when Edward told me he would always follow the path that led to me. I knew then that we would find our way together on the road of my ancestors.

Too weak to speak for long, I raised my eyebrows. 'You're mine forevermore.  I'll never let you go.'

He didn't say anything and it was unnerving. I whispered, "Answer me!"

Edward caressed my cheek; his voice was tinged with regret when he told me Carlisle operated on me. Something had changed, and he could no longer read my mind.

Silly vampire! It didn't matter at all because I cared about his mind, his body and soul, not his damned powers.

Since the spoken word was the only means of communication we had, I framed my thoughts carefully as I struggled to express myself. "Doesn't…matter. Stay with me… forever!"

"Always, Jacob; you won't get rid of me."

His words matched my feelings, but by the way he hunched his shoulders I could tell there was something more.  "What else?"

He didn't answer immediately; instead he bent down and picked up something. I craned my neck to see better while he held up the stuffed wolf I gave him.

The fact that Edward remembered and brought it here touched me deeply. I beamed at him. "Wolf!"

He laid it next to me and I patted the soft furry head. It made me recall the Wolf of my vision and my spirits sank a little.

Edward grasped my hand and entwined our fingers, twisting his wrist to avoid touching the tube going down my forearm.

He said my father and pack mates had visited. I couldn't believe his next words though, he said that as a result of the operation I would never imprint!

I just had to make sure, so I said with a croak, "Sure?"

Apparently, Carlisle was convinced and that was enough for me. The Doc was very professional.

Edward licked his lips and leaned down. I tilted up my chin, expecting his kiss; but the door swooshed open and a nurse came in.  The woman started lecturing Edward; she said he was bothering me. It was funny and hot as hell watching Edward being so bashful when I knew he could pretty much kill anyone. My vamp was a man full of contrasts and it was one of the many reasons I loved him.  

The nurse popped a tablet into a bulb and I drank the bitter liquid through a straw. To irk my lover, I grinned at the helpful nurse which made her smile at me.

"Atta boy!"

Had to admit I preened a little.

The nurse looked at me over her funnily-shaped glasses; she told me they'd give me real food in the morning and take me off the drip. Then she fiddled with a weird box and lifted the head of the bed; this allowed me to gaze at Edward's lean body. His clothes were very rumpled and his hair disheveled; all in all, he looked entirely edible.

The nurse left and I leaned my head on the pillow as I yawned. The conversation with Edward had drained me. He bent down and put the wolf on the bed, next to my hip. He asked me if I wanted anything, because he couldn't read my needs he sounded frustrated.

"'m fine; thanks!"

Edward walked towards the night table; I felt desire rush through my body at the sight of his lean figure. Since he couldn't read me anymore, I hid my smirk as I plotted ways to surprise him. I wanted him to lose his cool; to make him forget he was a vampire, if only for a moment, to finally claim him as mine.

He lingered at the door. I felt Edward's presence across the room as I drifted to sleep. It was comforting, like being in the woods.

oOoOo

In the morning, the nurse introduced herself as Anna Franklin, but all sympathy I had for her vanished when she called the male nurse who roughly took out the catheter. It left me with a weird itch inside my shaft. Was uncomfortably when I moved and I hoped my fast healing would take care of that.

The morning passed in a blur while Doc Cullen rushed in and out of the room; he said he was filling the paperwork so I could leave for Forks. Carlisle had called Dad on the phone last night to arrange his signature on the release form.  

The sun was higher in the sky when the Doc examined me, shining a light into my eyes.  

"How are you feeling, Jacob?"

I sighed. "I'm good, Doc, and ready to go home."

He pointed at the window. "The sun doesn't bother your eyesight?"

"Nope, the sun's fine."

He took a step back and sat on the chair, puzzling his eyebrows. "What is fine?"

"Sun." I repeated patiently. My voice was still croaky; Nurse Franklin had trouble understanding me, too.

Carlisle shook his head. "The word you said… sounded like you were speaking Quileute."

Reviewing my words, I realized he was right. I had said 'Qahla' instead of 'sun.'

I nervously tugged the hem of the hospital gown. "You mean I've been speaking in Quileute? But I thought it was English!"

"Only some words, Jacob." The Doc put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. "It may be due to the nature of your lesions. It would seem that Quileute feels more accessible to you when you voice certain thoughts. The brain heals in different ways, Jacob."

The Doc smiled at me. "I'm sure your mastery of English will adapt and it will be just as before. Frankly, I'm impressed that seems to be the only problem I have detected in your recovery."

"Are you sure?"

"I am, Jacob. I would advise you to take this into account if you have trouble communicating with people."

His words brought to my mind the conversation with Edward. No wonder he hadn't said anything at first! The poor vamp didn't get what I said and, since he was unable to read my mind, he had no way of knowing. I lowered my chin to hide my blush.

"I trust you will heal fully," Carlisle said. "The mobility tests I've performed indicate you should be able to walk soon. Your lucidity is astounding for a person who recently underwent brain surgery. I think the explanation lies in your shifter chromosomes. The extra genes allow you to heal at this phenomenal rate.  You should be as good as new in a few days at most."

"That's good to hear, Doc." I shifted my legs on the wheelchair because I had a certain problem. Carlisle had told me that my hypothalamus, whatever that was, had been affected by the operation. It was why I would never imprint. The Doc had mentioned this part of the brain controlled the sex drive. Judging by the way the slightest touch sometimes made me horny, that could be a problem.

The freedom from the imprint had released something in me because my libido was stronger than ever. I wanted to be near Edward, to touch and caress him. I wanted to do so many things to him which would make my vamp blush if he could.

With the threat of the imprint gone for real, I felt I could unleash my feelings for Edward; I was sure the damned imprint wouldn't yank us apart and our relationship could continue on an even footing. I didn't want to leave him high and dry like Bella did with me.

That reminded me to talk with Carlisle about my remembrance of her which felt different now.  

I looked at him. "Doc, there's something I want to tell you."

"Go on, Jacob."

"My memories of Bella feel… changed." I held up my hand to so he would allow me to finish. "The colors are way sharper and scents more vital. Feels like I'm watching her through the wolf's eyes." I frowned in puzzlement. "But the emotions are kind of dulled."

 "You mean you remember her as…"

"A good friend, but nothing more. I know I loved her passionately, but now it all seems faded, like those sepia photos Dad hung on the wall."

Carlisle steepled his fingers and seemed to choose his words. "Not that I doubt you, Jacob, but how can you judge these memories changed? Maybe that's the way they have always been."

I shook my head vigorously. "Nope. I recall her when Edward was present and I can feel the passion then. My memories of Bella with Edward are normal. When I was alone with her, there's this weird change I just told you."

Carlisle stood up and fished his pen from the pocket of his lab coat. He leaned back in his chair and opened a drawer on the desk, rummaging inside until he took out a notepad. He wrote down for several minutes.

 Gazing up at me, he smiled disarmingly. "I think more clearly when I write, Jacob. It just doesn't feel the same when I type. I guess I'm old-fashioned."

While I waited, I tapped my fingers against the armrest of the wheelchair. It felt comfy; I would have to write down the model so I could buy one for Dad when I had enough money. Looking down at the sheet of paper, I saw Carlisle had drawn many diagrams.

Finally, the Doc put his pen back into his pocket and smiled at me. "What is really intriguing is your unconscious use of Quileute. Is it your mother tongue?"  

"Mom and Dad always spoke to us in English and Quileute." I shrugged. "And when I started school, we tended to speak English."

"That's interesting." Carlisle paused for a few seconds. "I thought that your mind would use older knowledge preserved in other areas of your brain. But what you have just told me…"

"Yeah?"

He looked sharply at me. "The way you remember with the eyes of a wolf and the fact that your memory seems intact suggests your wolf had a major part in your healing process."

"How so?"

"I believe your wolf is always inside you in a latent form, so to speak." Carlisle leaned towards me, fixing me with his stare. "Your wound erased memories, but they aren't really gone because your wolf remembers them. His magic helped restore them; that's why they seem to be overlaid with the wolf's senses."  

"Do you think the wolf is taking over me?" I shook my head after I voiced that stupid question. "Forget I asked, Doc. I don't feel any different or angrier than usual. Matter of fact, I feel calmer."

"It's good to know." Carlisle nodded sagely. "I don't believe your wolf can overwhelm you. As I said, he's been with you all your life, seeing through your eyes until the moment came when he felt he was needed. That's why your wolf part can reintegrate your memories so smoothly, recreate the remembrances you would have lost as a result of the wound in your brain."

"Why is it that only my memories of Bella changed like that?"

"I would say the wolf felt connected to her." Carlisle stood up and grabbed some forms on the desk. "I would hazard that's the reason you were so attracted to her, akin to the pull Edward felt towards his Singer. The wolf sensed something in Bella or her future which pushed him to be near her. Because Bella is gone, the wolf no longer feels that attraction. Instead the wolf is liberated and his memories, which are enmeshing with yours, feel different. Since the wolf is part of you, that sense of liberation also affects you."

Carlisle went to the door. "Now if you will excuse me, Jacob, after we pass this final hurdle the ambulance will take you home."

"Where's Edward?"

"He has other business, I'm afraid."  

oOoOo

The stubborn Director of the hospital wouldn't release me until I had a full battery of exams. Claimed it was unprecedented policy to release a patient so soon after brain surgery. To appease the guy, Carlisle conducted the tests personally. He injected me with some stuff; I suppose to fool the machines so they wouldn't detect something unusual.

Afterwards I felt very tired and woozy. I was nearly unconscious when I waved good-bye to the friendly nurses at the ward.  

The lulling motion of the ambulance made me fall asleep. I woke up when we got to the Cullens, and the paramedics helped me to the wheelchair and rolled it inside the house.

I thanked them and waited until they were gone. Then I decided to test my legs and stand up.

I rose up slowly from the chair but my knees buckled; luckily, Esme was at my side.

"Easy does it, dear." She gently lowered me to the chair. "Jacob, do you want me to carry you to your room, or would you rather watch TV?"

I blushed because I didn't want Esme to carry me like a child; only Edward was allowed to do that.  

I didn't want to disappoint her though, because Esme was such a nice woman. I sought the easy way out and pointed at the screen. "I'll watch TV."

She rolled the wheelchair towards the couch and I stood up tentatively to step towards it, wobbling a little as I lowered myself to the couch.

"Are you hungry, dear?" Esme said, fingering her locket.

I patted my stomach because I was starving; the meal at the hospital had been bland. Nurse Franklin had advised me to take light meals for the first weeks, but obviously she didn't know the capacity of my stomach.

I smiled up at her. "Yes, Esme."

"Good." She smoothed her black dress. "Carlisle let me know when you'd be coming, so I had time to fix a little something."

That little meal turned out to be huge and delicious. A thick and juicy steak dripping with delicious sauce, lots of veggies and several slices of cakes. There was plenty of lemonade to wash down the meal, too.

I grinned when I pictured what the nurses would say if they could see me now.

When I was chomping down on the steak, I asked her, "Do you know if Leah or Seth called?"

"They will be coming here shortly, Jacob." Her voice told me there was something going on, but when I raised my head to ask her about it Esme had vanished into the kitchen.

The remote control reminded me of Emmett. He was gone too; I couldn't sense Rosalie either. She had been a constant presence at the hospital. I had recognized her scent several times when I would briefly wake up.  

After I wolfed down the meal, I hobbled to go to the bathroom. My legs were shaky, but I didn't want to ask Esme for help. I wouldn't allow a stupid bullet wound to slow me down.

I climbed the stairs one step at a time, testing my weight on my foot each time before lifting the other leg. My progress was very slow, but I nodded in satisfaction when I reached the bathroom.  

Doing my business was painful because there was this twinge inside because of the awful catheter. Gazing at my reflection on the mirror, I grimaced because I looked like shit. My hair was shaved on one side of my head. Rubbing my hand against my scalp, I felt it was growing back.

oOoOo

After I made it back, I sat down and arranged my body lengthwise on the couch. Doc Cullen had said I needed sleep. My body had to replenish its energy to cope with the fast healing. He'd mumbled something about the extra chromosome pair which I didn't pay attention to.  

The comfy couch still had the lingering scent of my vamp. I was glad we had made up. Edward's face when he told me he was sorry, and the way his golden eyes shined when he said he loved me: that convinced me he was true.

I forgave him before I was shot. Judging from stories I heard from Charlie and Dad, when you lived with someone you had to forgive and just go on, or life became difficult.  

I snuggled into the pillow and fell asleep.

A cold hand gently nudged me awake and I looked up blearily at Rosalie's beautiful face. "Huh?"

Gazing at the window I noticed it was night.

"How are you, Jake?"

"Fine, blondie." I yawned and stretched my arms. "Where's Edward? Where's everybody?"

Rosalie sighed and stood very straight. She crossed her arms and gazed into my eyes. "Emmett, Alice and Jasper are tying loose ends; as for Edward…"

"Yeah?"

She frowned and cocked her head at me. "Listen, Jake; I'll be frank. I don't want any more fights between you and Edward."

"Why would we fight?" I blushed as I remembered our kiss on the hospital bed. "We just made up."

"You know how my brother is." She snorted. "As stubborn as a werewolf I've grown very fond of. The thing is, after they shot you I followed the scent of the poachers."

"And?"

"To make a long story short, Emmett and I tracked them. Your pack was nearby and they were very angry when they heard about you, so we coordinated our reprisal."

Something in her manner told me Edward was involved in the revenge. Knowing how protective Edward always felt about Bella, I would bet good money he'd gone berserk when they told him about those guys. He had done something drastic. Typical Edward!

I sighed deeply. "Guess my vamp got involved."

She looked sharply at me. "You don't look angry."

"What can I say? Those guys tried to kill me." Paul's advice regarding my fight with Edward made me see things from a different angle. "If someone tried to kill Edward…"

My nostrils flared angrily just thinking about it. I knew how the wolf would react if someone threatened his mate. "I'd hunt them down and make them pay!"

"Edward felt the same, but he did something you might not approve of."  

"So we will talk about it. By the way, where is he?" I sat up on the couch, my nostrils flaring as I inhaled his scent. "Cullen's here; why doesn't he come down?"

"He's afraid of your reaction, wolf, and he feels guilty."

"What did he do? Bite them?"

"Exactly. We had to find out more about them. Those guys were odd; Edward couldn't read the one who shot you very well. He felt he needed to use the leverage of pain to gain access to the man's thoughts so he bit him. There was an unexpected reaction though."

That made my heart beat fast against my ribs. "Please tell me he's all right!"

 I couldn't lose Edward just after he said he loved me at last; that would be like Bella all over again!

"He's fine, but his eyes… You have to see."  

"Where is he?"

"In his room."

I stood up and walked with a slow, wobbling gait towards the stairs. Rosalie held my arm discreetly, lending me support.

I climbed a bit faster with her help. Pushing open the door to his room, I found him sitting on the couch.  Edward had placed his head between his knees, his hand covering his face.

"Don't come any closer, Jake," he said. "I don't want you to see me like this."

"What's the matter?" I walked slowly towards him. "So you bit someone. Bet your eyes are red and all that. Told you I would take your bad side along with the good!"

"You're not angry?" He said weakly.

I hated how tentative his voice sounded, but then I remembered he could not read my thoughts and my heart melted.

"Fuck, no! Would've done the same if someone tried to kill you."

He slowly lifted his chin and when I saw his eyes my steps faltered. I would have fallen on my knees but for Rosalie's steadying hand on my hip.

Edward's eyes were a vivid green.

"What the hell!" I felt weak all of a sudden and plopped down next to him. "What happened to your eyes? Shouldn't they be red since you bit the guy? It was a guy, right?"

"He was a man and yes, they should be red."

"I'll go now, guys." Rose said.

 I nodded at Rosalie while she was closing the door. 

"Your eyes are so pretty, though." I laid my hand on his cold cheek, my fingers tracing a path up and down his cheekbone while I marveled at the smoothness.

"They were this color when I was human," Edward sighed despondently.

I wondered if Edward had sex before the change. With eyes like his, framed by that handsome face, people must have been beating a path to his doorstep.

"It's so… you," I whispered.

He leaned into my touch. "You think so? I didn't know if you would be angry with me because I fed my evil wolf. I killed because I wanted revenge against the people who tried to murder you. I'm a mons…"

I put my fingers against his lips to stop him. "You're not, Edward. Told you I would do the same."

I lowered my eyes to the floor and whispered, "At the hospital, I didn't have the strength to say that…" I rubbed my leg against his because I missed the cold contrast. "I've loved you for a long time."

"You have?" Edward said tentatively.

"I had some kind of dream or vision after they wounded me." I looked up at him and leaned forward, brushing my lips against his cheek. "There was a field and forest. Didn't know who or what I was, but I felt someone missing…. It was you."  

I nibbled on his ear while my hand snaked beneath his shirt to trace the hollow of his collarbone. "It's always been you, Edward. When we fought over Bella? It made my day because I wanted to see you, wanted your golden eyes fixed on me. But you dismissed me every time and I got so mad!"  

Edward looped his arms around my back and pulled me towards him. We were so close; I doubt anything could separate us. Wanted to remain like this forever. His hand slipped beneath the collar of my t-shirt to rub my shoulders, sneaking down my chest to tease my nipples. It made me shiver with lust and I could feel his smirk against my cheek.

He sighed and his cold breath tingled my cheek. "I always tried to be fair to you, Jacob."

"Appreciate it, man. Didn't hurt any less, though."

I nibbled his upper lip until he opened his mouth and we kissed slowly, our hands greedily rubbing our bodies. I edged him towards the back of the couch; didn't want to fall to the floor in the restricted space.

I moaned when I felt his tongue trace my teeth. Grabbing his shoulder, I slid sideways until our bodies were aligned perfectly. Lips against lips, my arousal rubbing his.

My tongue entwined with his, and slipped inside his mouth. The sensations were overwhelming; the cold against my tongue, his bulge teasingly rubbing against mine. I needed more.

I broke the kiss and my hands cupped his perfect cheeks. I growled, "We've waited enough. The damned bullet almost robbed me of this chance. I want you now."

Edward's lips curled in his signature smirk. "Glad I have that effect on you, wolf." Then he frowned. "I called Carlisle and he mentioned something about your wolf's memories?"

I nodded. "He thinks the wolf's memories meshed with mine. That's why I can remember everything though some of them feel different, like my times with Bella. He says the wolf felt drawn to her and that's why there's this dull quality to those memories now."

He sighed. "He told me that; I'm just glad you didn't forget me. Are you truly healed?" 

I took his hand and guided it to my lap so he would feel how hard and needy I was. Edward moaned, and his palm rubbed my clothed erection. 

"I want to do everything with you," I said raspily. "But I'm whipped, man. Horny and tired, a bad combination, huh?"

"We can do something else, wolf." Edward looked at me with bright green eyes. "The rough lovemaking will come later."

"What do you…"

His hands moving in a blur, Edward unbuttoned his pants and boxers and shimmied them to his knees. He unclasped my jeans while I lifted my hips so he could pull the cutoffs down.

"… mean?" I finished with a shrug. Having a vampire lover surely saved time.

I wiggled my hips so our cocks rubbed against each other, smirking at how wet he was.

"You're just as wet, wolf."

"Hey, did you read my thoughts?"

Edward fisted our cocks and swirled his thumb over my cockhead. I whined and my hips jerked unconsciously. He chuckled as he gripped us tighter. "No, I just know you well."

He fisted our shafts for a few seconds and then he wiggled his eyebrows. "I know you feel weak, Jake, but please do something!"

I wrapped my hand around our pricks, just below his fist. We moved up and down in tandem, a lazy, sensual contrast of coldness and warmth that made us shiver. I blushed at the obscene, squelching sounds our fists made.

Edward sneered at me and I put my lips on his cheek, needing to kiss the sneer away.

It was too much; the sight of Edward's lean body so close to me, the scent of our musk which mixed so well, and our grunts when our cockheads rubbed each other particularly hard. The slippery motion of his cold shaft and fingers around me drove me wild. I thrust my hips against his, locked in a competition to see who would come first.

It made sense because we had always competed; even now, bringing each other to the brink of orgasm.

My other hand cupped his cheek and my thumb slipped inside his mouth. When Edward sucked it greedily, I was done for and came with a shout.

Edward grunted and he slapped my fist away, his hand moving up and down our shafts in a blur, the movement eased by my come. He whined low in his throat as he came.

I wiped my wet abs with my hand and slowly raised it to my lips, enjoying the way his eyes became darker with lust. I daintily licked my fingers clean with my tongue.

I didn't realize I was wheezing until Edward moved us so my head lay on his chest.

"Are you all right, Jake? I should've realized you were still weak."

"Nonsense! You take my breath away, is all."

I untangled my cutoffs from my ankles and used them to wipe us clean.

The narrow space of his couch forced us to cuddle together but I wasn't complaining. It felt heavenly to lay my head on his chest and look up at his face.

My fingers traced his eyebrows. "Love your green eyes."

He pouted. "Carlisle is analyzing my venom and blood samples of the poachers. He thinks it is a Volturi trick."

I shuddered. "But you are fine, right? It didn't work?"

Edward caressed my brow. "It didn't. I'm the same as ever, as I just proved to you."

"Good." I smiled lazily. "Glad I can see what your eyes looked when you were…"

"Alive." He smiled sadly. "It was so long ago that I had green eyes." He looked at the ceiling. "Carlisle is convinced their trick failed, which means my eyes will revert to their cursed golden color."

I held his chin between my thumb and index and gently tilted it down so he would face me. "Don't you get it? I love your eyes and their color doesn't matter. Green, golden, black, topaz. They show me what you feel and they're perfect, like you. I wanted so much to see you look at me like this, eyes darkened with passion. Color isn't important; it's the fact that they're yours."

I sighed in contentment. Edward was my home and all that mattered to me on this earth. I was glad I hadn't walked along the Ghost Road yet.

And if it should come to pass that my spirit rose to the heavens, Edward would find me there. I was sure our paths would always meet.

Chapter sixteen: The Alpha

Comments

[wirrrn.livejournal.com]

Awww! Sweet and romantic. As usual, loved your creative insight into lycanthropic biology, and the muted feelings for Bella.

Q'Wati was ace too!

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

I thought the wolf part is way more important than just the imprint, and the wolf felt drawn to Bella. Since there's no reason to feel the pull anymore, the wolf - and Jake - don't care that much.

Q'wati is interesting, it was fun writing him!

Thank you!

[wirrrn.livejournal.com]

The wolf was drawn to her to eat her, right?! :)

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

The canon version would be that the wolf was drawn to that part of her body and soul that would become the freaky baby Meyer forced upon Jake.

My version? The wolf knew she was a bitch! :))

[vanashta.livejournal.com]

Wow,this was really amazing!!!A beautiful piece of writing,you have such a way with words and you put so much time and efford in in it!!!

And the boys lying on the couch together,enjoying the afterglow!That image will stay in my mind for a very long time,so sweet and sexy!:)))

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

I did a lot of research into the legends and the wolf's body. It was difficult to return to Jake's POV but it was necessary for the story.

Yes, they are getting physical! They needed it after the hard time they went through! I'm glad you found it sweet and sexy, that's what I was going for!!

Thank you very much!

Loving this!

[(Anonymous)]

That was great! Good work! :)

Re: Loving this!

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you liked it! :)