Seth Clearwater Imprinted With Trouble

Chap. 10

Edward POV

I closed my eyes and took in a deep, unnecessary breathe. Damn it all, I cursed myself mentally as I scowled. If only I could take it all back—if only I didn’t react the way I did! Now Seth is in… danger… and I—I can’t help him.

We all stood there in a stunned silence and stared at the wolf-boy in the corner, guarding his mate. The cacophony of loud growls, low whimpers, and harsh in-breaths disturbed our horrified mental thoughts.

If vampires could cry, half my coven would probably be in tears. Maybe not Rosalie, or Emmett, but Carlisle and Esmee would break down. Seth was so sweet; he was a friend, a good, dear friend.

And I hurt him and his mate for all his loyalty.

Not for the first time in my long existence, I wished vampires could go to hell.

It hurt to hear the thoughts of everyone around me; their thoughts burned into the center of my brain. Not because they condemned me or blamed me for what happened; but because they didn’t. They knew that it was my actions that caused this chain reaction. But they didn’t blame me for it.

Not even Jacob or Leah. They knew it was just because I had to protect my family. Just like they’d protect theirs.

It killed me to be inside their head right now. It was eating me alive.

Why? Why didn’t they blame me? It was my fault. It was… all… my… fault…

“Se-the?” a small voice piped.

I looked up again in time to see the shaggy body protecting the small voice shudder. A tiny head peeked out from behind a long leg.

“Se-the?” she asked again. Seth whimpered. I exhaled harshly. Both the girl—Clarianna?—and Seth quickly glanced over at me. Seth growled. A light frown touched the forehead of the little girl as she stared at me. She blinked and looked back up at the huge wolf overtop of her. She reached out and brushed a hand against his leg and immediately froze, her eyes growing slightly misty, almost shadowy. She seemed to sway for a long second, and then snapped out of it.

And then she did the single, strangest thing I’ve ever seen in all the days of my entire existence.

The kid scowled up at Seth. Her lower lip pouted out and she harrumphed. She ducked to the side of Seth’s body and turned back to face him. Seth, realizing that Clarianna had left his protection, turned to search for her.  As his large head came swiveling towards her, Clarianna reached up and grabbed a fistful of sandy red-brown fur and yanked.

Hard.

Seth yelped and his body was forced down to accommodate the small attached to the other side of his fur. As soon as his body began to drop, Clarianna swung up on top of him and straddled the spot just behind his broad shoulders. Another small, uncertain frown puckered her brow as she stared at the roiling mass of fur underneath her, but it was quickly replaced by a more determined one.

Her hand shot out towards the back of Seth’s head with the speed that only someone with half-vampire genes could. I just barely saw her hand, with her fingers pointed together like a dagger, connect solidly with the back of his neck. The sudden weight on his pressure point caused his body to freeze momentarily, to relax. A tiny shiver spread through his entire mass. It rode over his fur like a massive wake of ripples.

But the girl never stopped her movements to assess his reaction; her hands kept up a quick, steady dissent. She quickly grasped both sides of his head with her tiny, fragile hands. I could see the muscles flex, the joints bends, the veins tightening, as Clarianna forcefully twisted Seth Clearwater’s neck at an almost 180 degree angle.