Still Breathing [Jacob Black]

Chapter Five

Felicity

Someone was...growling? My brain was foggy, but even as I tried to wade back toward consciousness I knew that wasn't right. People didn't growl. Or at least, not like that. It sounded like an actual beast. And yet I somehow knew it was a person.

So someone was growling.

And my head hurt.

Groaning, I lifted a hand to my head, trying to feel for a bump. When had I hit my head? Did I—my thoughts stopped as my hand connected with another that was already feeling around my hair. A zing went through my body.

Snapping my eyes open, I squirmed. I was in someone's arms. His arms—the guy who'd sent that odd, thrilling warmth shooting through my veins. I was torn between staying there on his lap forever and running away. Before, running away had won.

This time, running won again. This was too weird. I'd only seen the guy and he'd set off such a response that I passed out. And now he had me in his arms and he was growling. I needed to get out of here.

"Wait," he pleaded. "You hit your head. I need to make sure you're alright."

The worry in his tone almost made me listen to him, but I was still too freaked out to listen. "No, no, no, I need to go."

"Jake..." a soft, feminine voice asked, sounding confused.

The guy—Jake, apparently—ignored her. "How do you feel?"

"Let go of me," I said.

"Jacob," a man ordered. I glanced over and saw it was Sam. Would he help me? I hoped so. "Give her some space."

Jake's growl kicked up a notch. I flinched and he immediately went silent. "Sorry," he murmured. "I don't mean to scare you. I just need to make sure you're okay. I didn't catch you. I should have caught you."

"I need to go home," I said, looking around. My eyes snagged on a friendly face, though he appeared kind of upset at the moment. "Paul! Help me. I want to go home."

Paul stepped forward. Jake paused feeling around on my head to shoot him a glare, but Paul's focus was on me. "How do you feel, doll? You seriously did whack your head pretty good on the floor there."

Why did they keep asking me questions. I wanted to leave, not sit here and chat about my throbbing skull. "I'm fine," I lied. "Now, can we please go?"

"Jake, what are you doing?" said the girl who I now identified as Isabella Swan. "Let her go."

Jake shook his head, his eyes on my face. "I need you to be okay," he whispered to me.

The solemn tone to his voice caught me off guard. This was our first meeting. I'd literally never seen this guy before in my life. But he was seriously concerned about me. Was it because I'd run into him? Did he feel responsible? It wasn't like it was his fault I couldn't watch where I was going. "I'm alright."

He frowned. "You're lying."

My eyes narrowed. "If I say I'm fine, then I'm fine. Let me go."

Paul's hand appeared next to my face. "Let her up, Jake. We'll bring her into the kitchen and get her some ice."

"But—" I started to protest.