166*Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable; all those rights go to Stephenie Meyer. All song rights go to the listed artist. I only own any original characters.
A/N
sorry for the lack of updates.
thank you to Louise M Frost for the review it meant a lot as I've been doubting myself for so long and your review got me motivated to post the next chapter.
This is mostly a filler to set up chapter 38. We are almost to the part everyone is waiting for where Jacob and Bella start to find their way. That said my muse won't allow me to jump right to it till I set up everything just right in hopes of minimizing plot holes.
That said on with the story
I'm here for you
Neither death or life,
Could ever separate.
When you call me
I'm closer,
With every step you take.
Until the very end…
I'm here for you
Song~ Here for You
Artist~ Devin Williams
The plank of the old porch step creaked as his weight came to rest upon it. His eyes immediately began to ping-pong back and forth as he watched the swing sway amongst the trees, not missing the smile that tugged at Bella's lips as her hair whipped back and forth in the breeze, her eyes locked onto the lake's choppy waters.
Paul didn't bother to hide the slight smile pulling at his lips. He saw Bella for the first time in such a state of peace. There was no plaguing guilt, fear, or worry pulling at her young features. For once, she was just like him, at ease.
The crinkling sound the wind had created from the paper in his grasp melted away his contentment, making his smile droop slightly, only to entirely fall away as the scent behind him filled his nostrils.
"Finish tinkering?" Paul murmured
"It's not tinkering if you know what you're doing," Cruz scoffed. "How'd you know I was behind ya?"
The sound of a pop top and the slight bitter smell told Paul his new friend was on a beer break. A small chuckle escaped. "The wafting stench of Stetson cologne," a devilish tugged at his lips. "Pretty sure you bathed in it, Hoss."
"OR maybe that big sensitive nose of yours doesn't know good taste," quipped out as he handed a beer over Paul's shoulder.
Grunting a small laugh, Paul grabbed the offering and quickly popped the tab before taking a swig. "Your taste in beer is as good as your taste in cologne."
A tsking sound filled the space. "Now, don't go and judge it because it's served in a can and not a bowl."
Paul laughed, "bowl or can... this," Raising the can above his head, "would still taste awful."
"Well, hand it back then because I'll finish it with much less bitchin'."
"Might taste like piss water, BUT I never said I wasn't thirsty," Paul quipped with a lopsided smirk.
Cruz chuckled as he came to sit next to the hybrid, his eye line following that of Paul's. "She's one of you, isn't she?"
Silence hung in the air briefly as Paul took another sip. His eyes pulled shortly to his left to examine the man beside him. This man was indeed an enigma. Without hearing the story himself, he would never have equated him as a parasite. He smelled human, his features that of a mortal man, yet he had all the supernatural traits of a vampire. This man's vampiric gift was truly one of a kind; the perfect camouflage.
Paul took another sip of his beer as his eyes shifted to Bella. She was the reason this perfect killer didn't die that night. That, and Cruz's extreme tie to his mortality, didn't hurt either. Those two things kept him from meeting his proper end. Paul saw him useful for the long game, and as much as he hated to admit it, he had come to enjoy the tick's company.
Paul sipped again at the drink, "Yes and no," as a slight chortle left him. "She is like me, yet she is so much more." Covertly whispered from his lips as he saw a furrow mar the vampire's brow from the corner of his eye.
"Well, that explanation is shit," Cruz grunted.
"It's the best I got for now," Paul sighed, taking a swig from his can.
"Oh yes, the big ole secret. When do I get to know the secret handshake?"
Paul snorted "when the ringmaster behind this shit show decides to endocrine you into the secret society."
Cruz took a long pull from his can, deciding to let the matter rest. He hadn't known Paul long, but he knew enough to know he wouldn't tell a secret that wasn't his to tell. That and this overgrown Fido wouldn't let anything happen to Mia, and he would protect her with his last breath. The reality of that sentence caused him to snort.
"Something amusing?" Paul muttered in curiosity
"Nah. Not so much amusing, just more like this reality." Cruz paused as his gaze shifted slightly to see Paul was listening. The slight raise to the wolf's brow showed he was looking for him to elaborate.
"It's the fact that I'm talking to an actual werewolf, that my niece," he paused as his face scrunched slightly in thought, "niece, no, that's not right. Mia is now my daughter," the words softly falling off his lips. They felt right, yet simultaneously, he felt a twinge of sadness in his heart.
Mia had always been Manny's little girl, but now he felt like he had slipped into that role. Snorting to himself at being hit with the realization that the fun uncle role felt foreign, shifting at some point into the more profound presence of a father. Manny used to say he was finally starting to grow up, which he brushed off, but now he knew how correct that observation was. His years raising Mia while his friends were off for weeks shifted the dynamic in the role he played.
"Think she will go for that?" Paul pondered as his head jerked to the swinging girl.
Cruz thought about those words briefly as he nursed his drink. "That's up to her. I know I won't ever replace Manny. I just know I'll take whatever role she wants to call me and accept it. But in my heart, she's my daughter."
Paul nodded his head softly. "Seems right. Born with a shit one, seems fitting she gets two great ones to step in."
Cruz chuckled tensely. "I'm not Manny."
"NO, you're not, but you love her more than anything?" Paul queried as he shifted his focus to the man next to him. Cruz snorted and shook his head yes.
"You might have started in another role at one time, but as time changes, so do dynamics. Initially, you weren't the man to play the fatherly role but shifted into that role with time. You weren't what she needed at the start, but you are what she needs now. Seems like something great to me," Paul shrugged before turning his gaze back to the swinging girl.
Cruz felt at peace with it for the first time since the realization came to him. It no longer felt like he was stealing her away but that he could be that missing piece she needed and that he would be more than just an adequate stand-in for the role.
"You were saying?"
Paul's words pulled Cruz from his thoughts and shifted back to their conversation before it derailed off track. "Just that this world isn't so black and white as I used to think it was. That here I am sitting next to a werewolf."
"Hybrid," Paul cut in, trying to be accurate but slightly a pain in the ass.
Rolling his eyes, "And exactly a hybrid of what?. Oh, that's right, it's classified till I get my decoder ring," Cruz mused with a smirk. "Here I sit drinking a beer with a HYBRID, my Mia being the same or something similar." Pausing briefly in thought, "I get she doesn't know what she is yet and why. But I can't help but wonder if she will accept me at times. We are technically mortal enemies," Cruz sighed in frustration.
"I'm a vampire now. Who isn't just a vampire but a freaky weird one that apparently drinks blood but can digest food."
"I think. You give your girl too little credit. And that last bit is your gift," Paul sighed.
"Hardly. Nothing about this curse is really a gift," Cruz scathingly bit out.
Paul turned his head and glared at the vampire as an annoyed snort left him before turning back to watching Bella's peaceful expression. "You just spewed all that crap about how you see her. Yet you see this as a curse?. Would your brother-in-arms have given anything to be cursed like you?. Allowing him an eternity with her?" Paul asked as he took his last sip before setting the can on the step by his foot
"I think he'd have taken this curse, as you call it, over a final curtain call. You get something he won't; you'll be able to watch Bella grow, watch her live life. Not going to lie because at times it will be a hard one, but you get to be what he can't; here and a part of it." Paul bit out in annoyance. "So don't spew she's your girl if you can't appreciate this opportunity. Normally, I'd agree with you that being a tick is a plague and a curse. Though you have me seeing it differently when it comes to you." Pausing a moment, Paul stretched slightly, giving time for his words to sink in.
"You're different not just because of what you can do but because you don't think like most. You have a moral compass; most of all, you're someone your girl needs. Even when you were lost in that shit storm transition fog, you deep down held to a morality that most would ignore," jutting his chin out to where Bella swung. "She anchored you even when you didn't know it."
A smile tugged at Cruz's lips. "She is special."
Paul snorted as if to say no shit, "more than anyone knows yet." Sighing softly, he continued, "Way I see it, you got yourself a gift, a second chance." pausing, he jerked his head towards the swings. "And that right there is far from a curse," he could see the solid nod from Cruz out of his Peripheral, "but becoming a walking corpse wasn't what I was talking about. Sometimes, you bloodsuckers and other members of the supernatural community have enhanced attributes. They are considered to be gifts." His tone holding an edge, "So when I say gifts, I mean enhanced trait. Like your kind, for example, there are hundreds of trackers, mind readers, seers, etcetera. Though each one's talents vary in a way. Yours, though, was one I'd never seen before. You gain the abilities of a vampire but keep the ability to remain human. Now, that gift will cause a lot of envy."
Nodding in understanding, "thought vampires go blank to their past and fully embrace their lifestyle change. From what you described, I can't see how any would envy this."
Paul chuckled. "I can think of one specifically," his thoughts instantly going to Rosalie and how pissed she'd be when she met this vamp. Who was human yet not, allowing him all she craved?
"You said the supernatural community gets gifts."
"Some do," Paul cut in, knowing where this was headed.
"Alright, some do. Are you one of those, is Mia?"
Paul debated the answer; he didn't want to give away more than needed till he knew if this new member would be green-lit by the chief bloodsucker. Laughing to himself while Cruz hadn't gotten the full-on welcome basket, the hybrid knew this man wasn't going anywhere. He'd never leave Bella, so secrets seemed moot. Sighing, "Yes and Yes," Paul could feel the man's eyes on him. "I can influence others. Make them complacent, driven to act or alter memories if needed." Paul rolled his eyes. "I don't abuse it," his lips pulling upward devilishly, "all the time," he chuckled.
Cruz shrugged; he couldn't judge him. If he had the ability, he, too, would use it to his advantage. "And Mia?"
"She got something, but until she's completed her transition, it won't fully be at its potential."
"Not going to tell me, huh?"
"Give me the secret handshake, and I will," Paul snickered as he held his hand out.
Cruz snorted. "Oh, I will the moment I learn it." Cruz didn't push on the subject anymore. He knew Paul wouldn't budge and respected him for that conviction. Shifting gears to move forward, the topic turned "surprised you're not out there frolicking with her."
"I do not frolic," Paul grumbled.
Causing Cruz to laugh because, like him, he knew if Mia asked him to, he'd be skipping amongst the fields with daisies in his hair. "Couldn't you choose your self-banishment to lick your wounds when we were working in the garage? No offense, but you're a shit mechanic."
"None taken." Paul shrugged at the statement; you couldn't argue with facts. When it came to mechanics, he was hopelessly lost. Machines held no interest for him. He wasn't sure why but chalked it up to living so many years void of modern conveniences.
"So why suddenly are you sitting over here brooding?" Cruz asked as he took the last sip of his can
Raising up his hand to show the paper within it, "because till today this little gem didn't arrive," Paul grouched.
Cruz glanced at the white paper, his brow furrowing in question. "I ain't no Superman, therefore no X-ray vision. So unless you tell me what it says, I'm at a loss."
"All the same perks as the mighty man of steel with this new body, yet minus the X-ray vision. What a bum deal," Paul mused. "It's a letter from the mastermind of this circus."
"And?" Cruz pushed, wanting him to be out with the details
"I've never seen her this way. Peaceful and happy, no monsters lurking," Paul sighed "shit, I've never in all my years felt this kind of peace till we got here."
"She's always been that way here. Something about this place is like a reset button." Cruz shrugged because, to him, it was no big deal; it was just a fact he had just come to know.
"Yeah, well, that peacefulness, that freedom she's feeling, is about to go up in smoke," Paul gritted out as he handed the paper over.
Cruz took the crumbled paper into his hands and opened it. "All it says is He is coming and tomorrow's date," a slow growl started in Cruz's throat. "Is this a warning? Is someone coming to hurt Mia?"
"Yes, someone is coming, and he already has," Paul growled.
Cruz's own growl deepening "must you always be so cryptic? Who is coming specifically, what did he do, and how did he find us?"
Paul shrugged. "Her brother," the last word making Cruz's growl morph into a brief snarl, "Yeah, that's about my thought on it too."
Cruz didn't need him to say more about why he was self-isolating. The thought of dealing with the storm brewing and breaking this peace had his blood boiling. He understood now why Paul chose to sit out; he didn't want to tip off Mia and ruin this tranquility they were encased in before he had to. "How did he know where we were? Did Mia tell him about this place?"
He doubted she would. Mia was candid in every detail of the tale she wove to him. From the moment she drove off that fateful night at the warehouse to the night where they were reunited. He knew she didn't trust her brother, and after the way he reacted to their years apart, he knew it would be hard to bridge the gap.
Paul chortled, "A crowbar wouldn't have pried this place out of her," sighing, "Remember when I said about gifts?" He could see the nodding confirmation. "Well, a mighty seer tattled on us."
"You're saying a psychic just looked into a crystal ball, and it gave her the address like supernatural yellow pages?" Cruz grumbled in disbelief
"You're a vampire sitting here, next to a being that can alter people's reality and turn into a wolf, and this information seems unfathomable?" Paul asked, befuddled at how anything he said could seem outlandish anymore.
"Point taken," Cruz sighed as he rubbed his brow in frustration.
Paul hummed softly, "But to be accurate, she doesn't have a crystal ball. She just sees it in her mind. Sets her focus on something or someone, and BAM," Paul explained as his hands smacked together, emphasizing the bam, "she sees it like she is right there in person."
"A physic bloodhound," Cruz shrugged, wishing it was the weirdest thing he had heard in recent days, causing a deep snicker to escape Paul at the backhanded dig. "So what now? Why send him here? Can't she see Mia is at peace? Doesn't that count for anything?"
Paul leaned back, resting his elbows on the step behind him as his legs stretched out. "She sees it," he paused as his jaw ticked out in frustration, "and it doesn't count for shit," growled out as he took a quick moment to calm himself. "It's all about the end game. Therefore, that means there is no cost too high."
"She's a child of trauma, for Christ's sake. Mia has paid enough for crimes that weren't hers to be indebted to. How doesn't she deserve some respite?" Cruz bit out
"Unfortunately, her respite has been her downfall."
"What does that mean? Enough with the cryptic crap," Cruz snapped out as he cut Paul short.
A slight warning snarl came from Paul. He didn't like being talked over or disrespected. His pack status demanded respect. As the growl faded and a deep breath filled his lungs, Paul reminded himself that the vampire beside him didn't intend to be disrespectful. He was scared and worried about Bella, and the lack of knowledge made that fear rise.
Sitting up again, Paul rested his elbows on his knees, tongue darting out to graze his dry lips. "You asked about Bella having any special talents?" From the corner of his eye, Paul could see the man nod. "Well, our little lady is a shield." The furrowed brow on the vamp showed the need to elaborate. "Her mind deflects other gifts," Paul sighed. "While gifted. Think of Bella's gift as a rose. It has budded and is slowly blooming, leaving its full potential locked inside."
"With a metaphor like that, I'd say you would give Shakespeare himself a run for his money," Cruz smirked before wincing as a sharp pain spread through his shoulder. "Dramatic much," hissed out as he began to rub his tender arm.
Paul smirked "it was a hardly poetic asshole. And it was a great way to explain what I was trying to convey. Figures though you don't comprehend the underlying meaning," Paul's tone showing his annoyance, "I'd get out the sock puppets and do this muppets style for you, but I lack theater training and socks. I'll dumb it down for you."
An enormous tan middle finger rose in his direction, causing Paul to heartily chuckle. "A shield has a barrier around their mind, protecting them from all mental attacks. For example, a mind reader can't read those thoughts or allow me to influence them when it's up," Paul sighed. "Now, when it comes to Bella, because she has yet to go through the change, her gift is duller and less effective with the lack of control. It rises and falls depending on her emotions. So when I said this here," pausing, Paul gestured to their surroundings, "was her downfall. Once she came here, all that resentment and pain melted away, allowing the Great Wall to fall and the Trojan horse outside the gate to come right on in."
Cruz nodded. "You sure it was Mia she read? Maybe it was you?"
Paul shrugged. "Maybe. But doubtful, seeing I asked you not to tell me where exactly we are." Snorting, he continued, "Don't worry, Magellan, it didn't come from you. With this seer, she has to have some sort of contact with you to work this level of voodoo. Whether it be a one-time touch or an object of yours to tap into your head."
Cruz's expression turned thoughtful. "Do we up-stakes?"
Paul bit his lower lip as he mulled over the option. "No. She'll just find us again, no matter where we hide. Running bides up a time to delay the inevitable; we need to just let the band-aide be ripped off and let Bella salt and burn this last ghost."
"So, do nothing?" Cruz snorted
"That's not what I said. I said we can't keep running, that's all, so yeah, we let this happen." Paul paused as his expression turned pensive before softening. "We won't run, but we will be doing something. We will be there for the fallout, have her back, be a shoulder to cry on, and defend her, but most of all, we will be a compass when she becomes lost, helping to guide her back on her chosen path."
Cruz hated this; he didn't want to let her brother or anyone slip in and tear her apart, but the wolf was right. All three of them had spent the last few weeks mending the open wounds and burying the ghosts of the past. They had managed to suture and heal so many bloody wounds from that fateful night.
They had reunited, mourned the loss of their home and lifestyle, packed up what was left in that apartment they wanted to keep, and wiped away what was left to ensure no trace would be found. Most of all, they had finally mourned the loss of those who didn't come back from the dead. At this moment, Cruz realized Paul had used his talents to procure the information from the hospital about the remains of his fallen brothers. A tightening in his chest at remembering their fate. A pauper's funeral by cremation where they would be mixed and scattered with so many other unfortunate souls.
That information was what led to their trip back here to Yosemite. Not only did it get them out of that warehouse, but they could properly mourn their fallen. Cruz remembered the preparations of making markers from boulders found at the base of the small mountain. With the help of the man next to him, they set out to change their resting place and erect them in the small meadow at the heart of the property. While there were no remains to lay under them, the boulders adorned markings for each fallen brother, giving them a final and respectful resting place. To the average person, it would appear as some kind of abnormality Mother Nature had erected, but to Mia and himself, it was a place they could visit and reflect that honored those five people they loved deeply.
While he could admit that finally laying their missing members to rest more fittingly gave them much-needed peace. Cruz couldn't help but still feel a lingering anger towards Manny.
He had warned him numerous times that secrets; would bite them in the ass and that he needed to be upfront with Mia. To him, it was better she knew what could happen and what they were up against in case something happened. Cruz could feel his jaw stiffen in frustration at how keeping her in the dark could have taken an even worse turn. He was glad she didn't go hunting for answers and took the option to seek out her kin. Yet even though he was delighted she had chosen the right path to let sleeping dogs lie, he felt resentment at how she had to live with the unknown of not knowing why it all happened.
Secrets were a necessary evil in life; Cruz knew that. What he also knew was that at some point, those secrets needed to be brought to light; otherwise, the darkness of that secret would leave you open, unprepared, and so very bitter for the havoc that was sure to come when the truth surfaced. The truth allowed you to find a way to float among the wreckage before swimming to the shores of understanding and safety.
Just like now, Cruz hated the Charade they were playing. After that initial night and a weary Mia dozed off in her childhood bed, Paul coaxed the tired vampire to the living room. On guard, Cruz pulled two beers from the still-running fridge, tossing one to the almost seven-foot Behemoth that sat tensely on the worn leather sofa. He remembered standing just outside the living room as tension and curiosity ran like an electrical current through the air. They both nursed their drinks while observing one another. Finally, Cruz decided to step forward towards the recliner only to have his guest growl at his movement. He remembered rolling his eyes as he continued on his path till he reached the old chair, flopping into its dusty cushions and propping his feet onto the coffee table. The tense silence vibrated off his skin till the dark, brooding man spoke, weaving a tale as he asked pointed questions.
It was a long conversation, a time to fill in holes and confirm who and what he was while learning what Paul was. So much was exchanged that night, and while unnerving and leaving a lot to process, nothing upset him more than hearing Mia's lack of knowledge; her companion was a werewolf. 'Why leave her in the dark?' From experience, the choice isn't a great idea, Paul!. She deserves to know about you, me, and who she is to be," hissed out seethingly.
Swigging the last of the beer before slamming onto the coffee table. 'I agree. Bella needs to know. Didn't do me any good being in the dark when my did bit me in and ran, leaving me at the clan's doorstep. She should know who she is and what's to come to prepare. But it's out of my pay grade," Paul paused before a dark chuckle escaped. "I wanted to disobey orders and lift the veil of worlds to her. Taking her back to the clan and pack wasn't what she needed when we skipped town. I know what it's like to be haunted…" his voice tapering off as his memories of drowning in pain flashed to the front of his mind's eye. Shaking his reprieve and gesturing around the room, "this pain needed to be torched and buried before taking her back. So here is where I brought her."
"I understand, but she needs to know who she is and what we are!"
"Why? Has she asked? No. But why tell her when her plate is overloaded?" sighing, Paul drug his hands down his face. "don't think I didn't want her to know. I Almost let her know a million times. But when I look at her, I see it…. She's not ready," sighing harshly as he raised his head. "Look at me and tell me she's ready to enter the grey?" Paul's tone earnest as he eyed the vampire. "She needs to process the past couple of days first. Then we can reassess."
Cruz's eyes shifted away. "No, she's not," he sighed in frustration. "What I can tell you, though, is secrets come out and have a way of blowing up in your face. I can say two things: she'll kill us both when the lie comes out. But also understand why not to say a word," Cruz's voice holding conviction as he raised his gaze, the wolf nodding his agreement to hold onto this secret for now.
As the memory faded, Cruz felt the rush to finally act
"MIA!" Cruz barked out, making Paul jump. As her eyes turned to him, he waved his arm, gesturing for her to come over.
"What are you up to?" Paul growled out
"She deserves to know and not have a surprise dumped on her tomorrow," Cruz stated stoically.
Paul grimaced at the idea, "You think she won't bolt when she hears who is coming to pay her a visit?"
Cruz shrugged. "she might wanna bolt, but we won't let her."
"Plan on handcuffing her to the bed, I see," Paul snorted.
"Nope. I plan on talking and making Mia see the reason. Sure, we could just let it happen and pretend, but from my recent experience, that never turns out well," Cruz scathingly bit out before snickering. "Besides, handcuffs won't work," his tone holding a playful mirth, "I taught her to pick those a long time ago."
Paul chuckled as he nodded, accepting the decision and somehow not surprised that the vampire next to him taught her that skill set. "I'll leave the icebreaker to you through."
A chortle filtered through Cruz's lips. "Chicken?"
"Wolf, actually," Paul quipped back with an impish grin as he stood up to lean upon the porch's support column just as Bella reached them.
Her bright eyes cautiously gauged their expressions, making her right brow lift in question. "Okay, what gives? You look like you're the cat that got the cream," she mumbled as her gaze settled on Paul.
An amused laugh slipped out. "That's because I did," Paul quipped. "For once, I didn't draw the short straw."
Bella's eye flicked back to Cruz, who was rolling his eyes. "Well, guess you didn't call me over to take out the dirt bikes, then," her tone showed her disappointment.
"Maybe after," Cruz sighed as his lips pulled upward into a small smile.
"Maybe?" Bella questioned, "Couldn't get them running, could you?"
"One," Cruz mumbled
"Told ya gotta stop patching it and rebuild the top end. Would take you two hours tops," Bella preached in a sing-song voice.
"Telling you the carb just needs to be rebuilt," Cruz muttered stubbornly.
"If you can't do it, admit it, and I'll crack the case and get it done. Bet I can do it in under two."
"Hey, I know how to rebuild a top end. Under two? Yeah, right," Cruz snarked, cutting her off.
"Bet ya' a hundred," she quipped as a devilish smirk took hold of her features.
"You don't even have a hundred bucks, Mia," Cruz griped.
"That's how confident I am," her gaze challenging as she eyed her mentor.
"Oh, it's so on," he chuckled in excitement as he started to get up.
"I hate to break this up, BUT aren't you the one who said she needed to know what going on before the big surprise?" Paul cut in, trying to get things back on track no matter how amusing the petty argument was.
"Yeah," Cruz sighed as he sat back onto the step, glad that the dark hue of his skin hid the heat he was feeling in his face at the embarrassment of getting sidetracked.
Bella's brow furrowed. "By that wording, I'm guessing this isn't a good surprise."
"You got that right," Paul grumbled as he looked at Cruz. "You wanted her to know, so tell her."
Cruz reached out his hand to Mia, "Come sit." The hesitation in her eyes almost broke his resolve to break the news. She slowly rested her hand on his as he guided her to the step to sit next to him. Releasing her hand, he ran his fingers through his hair before resting them on his thighs. "You're about to hear something you ain't going like, but I want you to listen to me the whole way through. Can you do that?"
He could see the worry in her eyes as she looked at him, trying to read what he was going to say. Slowly, her head nodded a hesitant yes. Cruz preferred a verbal answer, but he'd take this confirmation as her word.
"you know, for a moment, we thought maybe you were better off not knowing till the last minute, heck, even thought to pack up and hit the road and outrun it." He grumbled, "If I learned anything from what happened that night, thanks to Paul. It's that you can't outrun what is coming. It will eventually find ya no matter how hard you try and cover your tracks," Cruz sighed as he fought the pain that weighed on his heart. "after all that has happened, I learned being in the dark is never the way to go and that there is a lot more clarity in the light."
"You're starting to freak me out," Mia whimpered as she looked at Cruz cautiously before darting her gaze to Paul, whose face was stoic while his eyes shined softly with sympathy.
Paul slowly pushed off the column, made his way back to the steps, and lowered himself to sit on Bella's open side, encasing her between them. "No matter what comes your way. We will be the shoulder you need to cry on, the bag you need to punch, the ear you need to bend, or whatever you might need. Just know Cruz, and I will be right here with you," his tone soft as he bumped his side into hers. Cruz grabbed her hand as a tear slowly tracked down her face; sniffling, she nodded.
Clearing his throat from the lump lodged, Cruz fought his emotions, hoping his tone would be steady and even. "Tomorrow, Mia," he paused, eyeing her to ensure he had her attention. "You have to face and bury your last ghost." he could see her eyes widen before pulling to the left, signaling her inner debate before widening again as if she was hit with a heavy awareness.
"Samuel," she bit out as she pulled her hand from Cruz, balling it.
Paul couldn't help but feel a little surprised she figured out that cryptic clue on her own but felt pride in how resourceful she truly was. She was going to be a great addition to the clan and pack.
Sighing, Cruz pried her hand out of the fisted ball, allowing blood to drip from where her nails took purchase. The blood didn't phase Cruz as he held onto her already-healing hand. "Yeah," he sighed, "Your brother is coming," his tone steady as he turned his gaze to her before using his free hand to guide her eyes to him, "and you're going to finally bury this ghost and the last of your burdens" his eyes pointedly making himself clear. At the same time, his voice found the right mixture of being reassuring yet holding authority to make her understand there was no running from this last trial.
Paul watched as Bella internally battled her mentor's words. "Okay," I squeaked out as an affirmative nod followed.
"Good," Cruz's lips twitching upward
"You know I'd still like to see who'd win that bet," Paul cut in, trying to break the tension, causing Cruz to laugh softly as his eyes flicked to the werewolf in a silent thank you.
"Bet ya would," the vampire snarked before turning to Mia. "What do you say? Ready to lose a bet?" Cruz quipped, hoping his voice sounded playful and she would go for the distraction.
As she tried to shake off her fears for tomorrow, Paul watched Bella's pain-filled expression. A soft smile tried to take purchase, hoping to hide her underlying dread, only for it to slip into something close to a grimace.
"I don't make bets; I can't win," her broken tone whispered, knowing this was a distraction from her worries and grateful for it.
"That's my girl," Cruz smiled as he jumped up, pulling her to her feet. He almost grimaced as he glanced at her tear-filled green eyes but caught the expression before it slipped into place. "Mia?" His soft tone pulled her attention "you got this," his fatherly instincts taking hold making his voice come out reassuring as he spoke, as her eyes flicked back and forth between his and the hybrids as if checking the truth in their words.
Slowly, a slight upward tick pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Yeah."
Cruz nodded as he released her hand and stepped back. "Lead the way."
Nodding as she drew in a deep breath, they watched as she started the trek to the detached garage. A sharp sting on the back from a hard smack caused Cruz to jump and growl as the werewolf beside him smirked. "What? Thought you'd appreciate a good pat on the back. I mean, not bad for a first-time dad speech."
The unexpected Complement caused a genuine smile to take hold of the vampire's features. "It's all in the approach."
A loud laugh caused Bella to stop and turn to see what was so amusing as Paul kept walking while Cruz paused. Making sure to keep his tone low for only those with sensitive hearing, "Just remember that method in about a year or two when it's time for the talk." Paul didn't need to look back as he reached out and ushered a confused Bella forward. Snickering slightly at hearing the grinding of the vamp's teeth, knowing that thought was burning away at him.
"You know I'm glad I didn't kill him. You're right; he is fun," mirth clearly evident in Paul's tone, but he truly meant it. Somehow, this vampire was becoming something he never had, a friend, and Paul couldn't help but like it. The distant muttering over my dead body and curse words of the vampire caught Paul's ear, causing his lopsided smirk to fully bloom into a smile as they entered the garage. 'This place really is special coursed through his thoughts as the garage lights flicked on.