The Consequences {Jacob Black}

Chapter CXLV

Jake told most of the legends that night, Billy sitting by his side, grinning like the proud father he is. My wolf kept his hands clasped around my shoulders and his chin resting atop my curls. After the legends, which many of the imprints were hearing for their very first time, Jake turned the conversation to wolf thing. By the time they were finished with their conversation, most of us imprints were asleep. Well, with the exception of Nate. And the next thing I knew, I was lying with my head resting against Jake's chest. "Sh, baby. We're almost home," he promised. What did I care where we were? I was quite content here in his arms. But I must've made some kind of noise. I wasn't really aware.

I snuggled my face deeper into his chest and managed to draw one lid open to look around. Jared had Kim in much the same position that I was in. Actually, looking around told me all of us girls looked a lot like each other, bundled in the arms of the Warriors that we loved. But the person that was the most shocking was Penn. I knew that she was sore, that she was tough and hard headed. Tonight, however, she had her arms wrapped around Embry's neck, her head resting against the column of his neck. And for the first time, I thought that I could see her smiling in her sleep. Behold the power of an imprint.

The others fell out of my view when we veered off towards the house. I heard his bare feet pad up the wooden porch stairs and then there was orange behind my lids. "Go to sleep, Annie," he muttered. I could feel myself falling out of his arms, but I didn't want to let him go. I coiled my arms around his neck, holding myself to him as he tried to shake me off. "Let go, babe," he commanded. I'd noticed that in the last few days, he'd been calling me by pet names more and more. And I kind of liked it. It wasn't in a disgusting fashion or in a way that made me think that we were becoming one of those obnoxious couples. It was just him saying it.

He pried my fingers from their spot around his neck and laid me down on the bed. I felt his lips against each calloused tip of my finger as he drew the lightweight blanket up my shoulders. But he made no move to get in the bed with me. Asshole. We both knew that I couldn't sleep if he wasn't right there next to me. The dreams would get to me. I rolled myself over, suddenly more awake than I had been the last... I don't even know how long ago it had been since I'd fallen asleep at the bonfire. There were lingering memories of strong arms pulling me against a solid chest. There were even impressions of the searing heat from the flames drawing away from my face. But I was never really cold. I pursed my lips and rolled on my side, grabbing his pillow and clasping it tight to my chest.

A creak from the hallway drew my attention. Jake was leaning against the doorway staring at me with the most amused expression I had seen in a while. "What are you thinking?" I asked him, sitting up with my back against his bedroom wall. The movement almost made me laugh, almost made me think of all the times that I'd sat there throughout the years and complained about whatever was going on in our lives. Jake was right, he always had been. Our relationship hadn't changed; we'd just grow into something greater than I had ever thought we could be.

"I was thinking that I love you," he whispered. "And that you're beautiful." I blushed and looked down. I highly doubted that I looked very pretty at the moment. I smelled like campfire and probably had sand buried in my hair. God knows it would be days until I got it all out. "What's that look about it?"

"Nothing," I quickly lied. It would only make him frustrated with me. And I wasn't one of those girls that needed someone to tell her how beautiful she was every moment of the day. "I was just thinking."

He pulled his shirt over his head, leaving him in only a pair of boxers that he must have put on while he was in the bathroom. Any thoughts that I had were out of my head now. I was looking at the flat eight pack of his stomach, the expanse that ended in a deep V that promised wonderful things to come. I bit my lip as he crossed the room and came to sit next to me on the bed. "About what?"