Chapter 6, Reunion
I was reaching to knock on the door of Apartment 302 when an exquisite scent floated around me.
There was a tinge of the cold vampire smell but it was balanced with a wild musk that set my nerves on fire. I turned to see what I’d been fighting for so long. I shook my head, dazed, and let this vision of perfection approach. He was looking cautious, hesitant, and something else… bemused?
I longed to run my fingers through his hair. It was a desire I hadn’t had since Sam… I stopped the thought. Sam is nothing now. Nahuel is my life, my breath, my being.
He stopped, a wariness in his eyes I couldn’t understand.
I walked slowly toward the man I could not live without. This half vampire. I did not shudder at the word. I would not fight the universe.
I breathed his name, like a song on my lips, “Nahuel.”
He shuddered and took a breath, then looked into my face, wonder shining in his gloriously beautiful eyes. “Leah.”
It was a recognition of names. Names neither of us had spoken in this way before. So unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.
An eternity passed while I looked into his eyes. I smiled. This man is no monster. He was the very essence of my being, and I could not live without him. I drank in the perfection of his face. Suddenly, he was holding my face in his hands. I saw the tears in his eyes, and I wept for my selfishness in running away.
He watched the tears glisten on my eyelashes and reached out gently to gather them on his fingertips. His touch was whisper light but his skin burned into me.
Desire for his touch overcame me. I pulled his mouth to mine. He gathered me into his arms and we kissed, his lips moving desperately with mine. Suddenly, he released me and stepped back, a look of confusion shadowing his features. “I don’t understand…”
I laughed, the relief of tension almost as unbearable as my previous pain. “We have a lot to discuss, don’t we?”
Nahuel nodded, then unlocked his door, and we stepped into his apartment.
Huilen looked up from the oven. She was pulling two plates out from under the broiler. The delicious scent wafted in the air. My mouth watered. It had been a long time since I’d eaten anything but raw elk.
I knew she was a vampire and didn’t eat anything but blood. This must be for Nahuel. Her topaz eyes, the same color as the Cullens, met mine. I saw a question there, but I didn’t know what she wanted from me.
The table was set for two. I glanced at Nahuel, “Were you expecting anyone?”
He grinned at me, and my heart turned over. My breath caught. How can anyone be so insanely beautiful?
“Just you… I’d hoped.”
I drew in a sharp breath, and a crease formed between my brows. “But how?”
“The Cullens are pretty good at guessing… but I’d like to hear more about you.”
I clenched my jaw, anger rising in me, but I stopped, remembering why I was here. I looked into his warm brown eyes. I could refuse him nothing. I cleared my throat. “What did you want to know?”
“Well, the beginning is a good place… tell me about your family.” Nahuel pulled out a chair for me and I obediently sat down.
I looked down at my plate. A halved avocado was filled with a tomato/chicken blend then covered with Monterey jack cheese. The cheese had been broiled until it was golden brown. I took a small bite. The blend of dill, tomato, mayonnaise, chicken, cheese and avocado was a delight to my senses.
Sour dough bread on the side and some red grapes completed the meal. I sighed. Huilen seemed to know just what my deprived palate needed. How can a vampire know how to cook?
Nahuel poured some bubbling white grape juice into my fluted glass. This seemed like a celebratory meal, but I couldn’t comprehend what inspired the occasion.
I took another bite, then a sip of the juice. I glanced up at Nahuel and wondered where to begin.
“If it helps any,” Nahuel finally spoke, “I know you’re a shape shifter.”
My brows drew together. “But how?”
His eyes crinkled in amusement. “Your scent…”
“Oh.” My eyes widened in surprise. I’d forgotten about his vampire senses. Then I said “Oh” again, this time in consternation. I’d never thought about how I might smell to a vampire. Maybe I stunk as bad to him as vampires did to me. But he didn’t stink. His scent was… alluring. I blushed. It had been a long time since I’d blushed.
Huilen had been standing in the background. I’d hardly noticed her except for the burning in my nose. She quietly left the room. I was grateful for her departure. It made it easier to breathe.
Nahuel hesitantly lifted his hand and gently caressed my reddened cheek. “Beautiful.” He breathed, then “What’s this for?” indicating my blush.
“I forgot your vampire,” there—I said the word without a shudder, “senses. Do I stink to you?” Blunt, as always. I can’t change who I am.
He laughed a gentle chuckle. “On the contrary—I find your scent… fascinating.”
“Fascinating?”
The backs of his fingers softly stroked my cheek again, a mesmerizing movement I didn’t want to stop.
He took a deep breath. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever smelled before. Musky. Woodsy. And very,” he smiled again, “feminine. You don’t smell anything like your male friends.”
I never realized I smelled different from the guys in my pack. We are all wolves. I thought we all smelled the same. Huh.
I took a steadying breath to slow the acceleration of my heart. Then I looked down and took another bite of the delicious dish. I was famished, but I was starved for Nahuel’s voice, too.
“Do you know the history of the Quileute people?” I asked, looking at my fork, another bite on its way.
“A little. I talked a bit with Jacob and Seth after your mother’s wedding.”
I swallowed the bite, relishing the distinct flavors. So much better than raw meat. “I guess you know I’m descended from a long line of shape shifters, then. Sue is on the tribe council.” I paused. “As far as I know, I’m the only female shape shifter ever.” I looked through my eyelashes at him.
He seemed to understand my hesitation. “Well, I’m the only male half immortal I know. I guess we’re both really one of a kind.”
I sighed in relief. He didn’t seem perturbed by who I was. “My upbringing was pretty normal, I guess, if you’re a member of the Quileute tribe in La Push. Small town, near the ocean. My parents were good to us—Seth and me. Seth is quite a bit younger than I am, even if he’s a foot taller now. I graduated from high school, but I’ve been kind of drifting…” I didn’t really want to think about the past year. I’d spent most of it as a wolf.
I looked away, envisioning the quaint little town. “Tribal lore has it that the vampires create a change in us. It’s their proximity to our land that forces us to change.” My eyes focused on him. “We believe that there would be no werewolves in La Push right now if the Cullens hadn’t settled here again. There haven’t been any here since the Cullens left the first time. And there have never been so many werewolves in our tribe. The amount of vampire activity here has increased our numbers by leaps and bounds.”
Nahuel could hear the bitterness in my voice, and his eyes clouded in pain.
Sheesh. I can’t even get imprinting right. What is wrong with me? Didn’t the guys say that they were everything their mates wanted, right from the start? I’m not supposed to hurt Nahuel like this. I am a freak, even in the werewolf world. I shuddered then tried again.
“Sam was the first werewolf in two generations. He really didn’t know what was going on and thought he was going crazy at first. It was easier for the rest of the pack because he helped them adjust, but it wasn’t so easy for me. How can anyone help you adjust when you’re the only one of your kind?” I didn’t want to talk to Nahuel about Sam and Emily. My infatuation with Sam seemed silly, juvenile, and I didn’t want to think about it.
/> Nahuel’s eyes warmed as they looked into mine. “I think I can understand.” His warm hand rested briefly on mine.
I didn’t want to protest. Maybe he can.
I quietly finished my meal, wondering what I could say to this magnificent creature. The imprinting was mine, not his. He was a male. Would he respond to the absoluteness of an imprint the way the female objects of imprinting had? I snuck a look at him. He was looking at me with a bemused expression. I blushed again.