Taming Beasts » Twilight

R O Y A L T Y

a few months later

     "You know you can't get enough of me." Jared beamed. We were sitting on a play structure swing near the beach. His head rested on my shoulder and his arms were wrapped tightly around my waist.
     "Is that so?" I asked.
     "Yes, it is."
     "Why is that?"
     "Because," He planted a kiss on my hand. "despite your bizarre thoughts on what people think of you, you still wanted some of this hotness." I leaned my head back and laughed.
     "Remind me why I like you."
     "Like me?"
     "Tolerate you."
     "Oh you know you loooove me." I turned my head to catch a glance of his cheesy smile. I sat up and then sat on his lap again, but facing him this time. My legs hung over the back of the swing.
     "This is a very intimate position." He stated with cockiness. I rolled my eyes and leaned into his body, letting our lips collide. In that moment I was completely content. I was happy and attracted and awestruck. Everything a girl in love should feel. I pulled away and pecked his lips.
     "What was that for?" He whispered. I shrugged my shoulders.
     "The thrill of the ride." I replied, resting my head on shoulder.
     "So guess what I found out yesterday?" I asked.
     "What was that?"
     "Imprints." I felt his body stiffen under mine. "It's funny how it takes quite a long time for people to tell me things about myself. Vampires, not ageing, imprints..."
     "What's the point of this?" He asked. I sighed loudly and looked into Jared's eyes.
     "It's that it's supposed to be a love at first sight thing, correct?"
     "Right."
     "And I definitely didn't love you at first sight."
     "I did."
     "You loved my body."
     "Still do." He said with a wink.
     "Be serious!" I grew frustrated. "What am I going to do when you find your soulmate. Be happy for you?"
     "How do you think I feel?" He near shouted. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
     "Then why are we doing this?" I asked, eyes still closed.
     "Because I love you." His voice cracked. He's thrown around the word love very loosely over the last week, especially when the vampires dared to hunt closer to La Push, but he never truly told me. My face twisted in pain.
     "I love you too." I whispered.
     "Then why do you look like you're going to cry?" He asked, placing both his hands on my cheeks.
     "Because," My voice cracked. "if this love is so strong that you're willing to drop everything and run away with them..... If the love is as strong as ours is, but at first sight, if that is your true soulmate...then what is going to happen to us?"
     "We deal with it then." He said before kissing my cheek. I hugged him and let tears fall onto his jacket. I felt his tears fall onto my back, too. That night was the first time I ever saw Jared cry. I knew then that I didn't want to ever see it happen again.

     "Good morning." Jared whispered into my ear. I ducked my head and giggled, for his breath tickled my neck. I turned around to face him. He was staring at me in awe. I sighed and moved closer to him, kissing his cheek.
     "I love you." I stated happily.
     "I love you too." He whispered into my hair. "I also love breakfast so get up, we're leaving." I laughed. I sat up and hugged the soft blanket around my body.
     "Pass me my shirt please." I said with a yawn.
     "You could go like that." Jared winked.
     "Smarten' up and pass me my shirt." I rolled my eyes. I pulled it over my head and threw my hair in a ponytail. After I finished getting ready I walked out the door hand in hand with the boy I loved.
     We walked into Sam's house to find who I assumed to be Jacob's girlfriend, Bella, clinging to his arm. She seemed quite plain to me, but plain didn't mean ugly.  Her pale skin covered her bones tightly, making her seemingly more fragile. Her brown hair was wavy and alive, but the brown bags under her eyes made her look dead. I felt slightly bad for the tired looking girl.
     "Hi, Taylor, come meet Bella." Jacob seemed like he was trying hard to impress the her. You could see the eagerness in his eyes that he loved her. Each time he looked at her a smile would spread across his face.
     "Hi, I'm Taylor." I said, shaking her hand. "And you're Jacob's girlfriend." I smiled. Bella's face seemed to go beyond the grave after I said those words. Her obvious discomfort exhilarated. I turned to Jacob, finding an angry expression.
     "Thanks, Taylor."
     "What did I do?" I asked. Jared pushed me aside, trying to change the subject before I got myself in trouble.
     "So you're not going to introduce her to the best looking guy around?" He asked Jacob playfully. "I'm Jared, hi." He greeted Bella quickly before grabbing my hand and walking me to the kitchen table. I sat dow and ate quickly, eager the leave the uncomfortable atmosphere.
     "So Bella knows why the bloodsucker's won't leave us alone." Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to Jacob.
     "I thought we knew why."
     "Well, we kinda knew why. And it turned out there's more then one reason." We all waited patiently for Jacob to finish.
     "Well Bella's old vampire asshat killed Victoria's, the redhead's, boyfriend. So she's also here to avenge her mate." I felt bad for the pale lifeless girl. Jacob hesitated before speaking again.
     "Taylor, it turns out you're not just any other wolf, you're a, uh, Shewolf." I looked at him in confusion.
     "What does that mean?" I asked.
     "Practically, you're like the head of werewolfs, I guess. There's only one female wolf at a time. Your job is to kind of, er....oversee everything, I guess. You're the closest thing to royalty we have. Each time the Shewolf dies, another takes her place. There's only been about five in the some thousand years we've existed.
     And if a vampire risks their existence to kill one, it's a one way ticket to joining the Volturi. Vampire royalty, I guess." Jacob finished. I stayed locked in his eyes.
     "Where did you find all this?" I asked.
     "Bella likes to read." He answered.
     "I have the book in my car, I could go get it...?" Bella offered. Sam turned to her.
     "That'd be great." He said. Bella nodded her head and left the house with Jacob. I sat there, frozen. I felt everyone's eyes burning into me from all directions. I sat up and proceeded to leave the house at a regular pace. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I knew I had to go.