Total eclipse of a heart (Embry Call)

39. Stay with me

Harsh winter winds are hard to ignore, forcing me to shiver the moment I step outside the cozy motel room Embry had made a very tolerable temperature. His embrace is warmer than the sun and quite comfortable too, the beauty of intimacy making it all the more enjoyable.

Wrapping his arms around my waist, Embry pulls me back into that loving embrace, his lips brushing my earlobe with a whisper passing them: "You should have worn something warmer."

Smirking, my hands rest upon his warm hand, leaning into him with no hesitation, my cheek resting against his. "I would, but I have you. A coat isn't nearly as warm."

Pressing a kiss just under my ear, Embry makes me shiver, an undeniable smile spreading across my face. This moment, this small fraction of our lives, this is what life is all about. It isn't about hunting monsters and taking revenge, it isn't about the family business where your life hangs in the balance - it's about love in its purest form, the kind that is worth every sacrifice.

Before I had a chance to protest, Embry spun me around, holding tight to make sure I don't fall. His eyes bear a heaviness of the impending future, of the moment we can no longer pretend we're just two people in love. It is impossible to remain impassive when everything is at stake.

"When I shift, I won't be able to tell you anything so I am begging you again. Val, stay close to me. Okay?" The way his voice wavers with the question tugs at my heartstrings and I wish I could promise him I'd be fine and nothing would ever pull us apart but I can't...Alec will be there and I don't think he's coming as Aro's henchman. The dreams he planted in my head must have been what he wishes to do, what he'd want to happen and if I'm right, his goal is to make sure either Embry or I are forever lost. He'd kill him for sure, but me? I feel there's a fate worse than death awaiting me in case I'm his target.

"Sure you don't want the last thing I hear be I love you? Because I love you and I want you to know that it is an irrefutable fact. No matter what happens, at least we had this night. We had a little piece of heaven." I smile for his sake, putting on a brave face for him because I don't want him to worry. I never want him to worry.

"Of course I love you, Val, but we're not dying today. I'm sure there won't even be a fight and this is just a formality." The embers in his eyes burn bright, the warmth conducted with one look is unearthly and I can't help but wonder if this is also an imprint thing. Does he have the power to make me feel this way just by a single look filled with hope and passion that could consume the world if it ever escaped the confines of his immaculate body?

"I know." I nod with a tight lipped smile, taking his hand in mine only to hold his palm against my cheek. "When we get back tonight, maybe we can take a room again? I hear every time you do it, it just get better and better." Teasingly, I raise and eyebrow and revel in the slightest hint of blush spreading across his cheeks.

But then we hear a roaring howl and I know it's time. With a gentle squeeze of his hand on my waist and a rushed yet tender kiss against my forehead, nose and lips, Embry steps down and runs into the forest.

I follow after, wishing I had more time to say something meaningful just in case, to have him tell me it would be alright one more time, but I'm no match for a werewolf and as I pass the tree line I am met with Embry and his kind eyes now on a giant grey wolf - the kind I'd shudder at the sight of but I'm admiring him. This is always going to be difficult to comprehend but I'm surprisingly less shocked with each passing shift.

He lowers his body, his head bowed and ears down as if he's worried I might be frightened, but I'm not.

"It's alright, Em. I'm not scared. The only thing I'll be is pissed if I fall off." Cracking a joke, I find silence and a slight shake of his head as a response. With a sigh, I drape one leg over his back and grab onto his fur, using it to pull myself up.