Revenant Paul Lahote

Chapter 21

"Sit still." 

"Paul, I'm going to be late for work." 

Paul was sitting on the couch with a determined look on his face, trying his hardest to form Caylee's hair into an acceptable ponytail. 

"There, all done," Paul smiled proudly at his work. It was slightly crooked, but nevertheless he did pretty good on his first try. 

Caylee quickly got up, rushing to the kitchen and pouring a cup of coffee for herself, dumping a splash of creamer in it and taking a small sip only to set it down and rush over to the table to look at bills. Paul followed, picking up her discarded coffee and taking a large gulp. 

"I'm going to try to work a double shift at the diner after I'm done at the bookstore. Hopefully that will make up for what I lost while in the hospital." Caylee's voice sounded stressed despite that for the first time in a long time she had finally slept throughout the night, no dreams straining her unconscious and sending her into an emotional fit, all thanks to the big wolf boy standing beside her. 

"Dr. Cullen already took care of it." Paul tried to keep his voice cool and monotone, knowing that Caylee could easily see through any lie that could pass through his mouth. So instead he distracted himself by taking another drink of coffee in hopes of not spilling any more information. He wasn't lying; Carlisle had in fact paid her hospital bills, but Paul wasn't prepared to go in depth about the whole Alice/Gran situation, and knew that that was a discussion best left for the little vampire herself. 

"Why would he do that?" 

Paul shrugged nonchalantly, praying that she'd let it go. Which Caylee did indeed brush it off, and instead checked the time and began to rush out the door. 

"Hey!" Paul shouted after her, holding his arms in a 'what the heck' stance. She blushed, running back up the steps of the porch and kissing his cheek only for him to grab her hand and tug her back again, kissing her deeply. Paul's hand was placed on her jaw, thumb stroking her skin gently when he felt her melt into the kiss. "Have a good day," he said once they pulled away. 

Little did she know that on her way to work, she was followed by a silver wolf with loving brown eyes. 

***

"Caylee!" Jared Cameron sat at the counter of the diner with a sickening sweet smile on his face. 

"Hey, what's up?" Caylee asked, suspicion heavy in her voice. 

Jared's eyes grew wide as if caught, and he leaned his elbows against the counter and began whispering quickly. "Oh god, you're hard to lie to. I swear you are like Emily 2.0. So there was a bit of an issue with that vampire family Sam told you about that I'm not allowed to tell you the name of so please don't ask or I'll probably tell and get in trouble, and we were chasing the redheaded chick that almost killed you in that car accident which by the way, you're looking great - don't tell Paul I said that. Anyway, one of them crossed over onto our land and Paul got super mad and they almost fought and we can't get him to come out of wolf form so we need you." Jared gasped, clearly out of breath from having ranted so much in so little time. 

Caylee blinked, processing for a moment before quickly taking off her apron and telling Theresa that she was leaving. 

Paul was huffing, growling loudly at any and all of the pack members that tried to calm him down. He didn't know why he was still so angry, he really didn't care about what had happened; he was more upset about the fact that Victoria had gotten away than anything. Especially with it being the red head that nearly killed the love of his life. 

The thought only made him angrier, roaring out in fury once again. 

"Paul?" 

He turned, meeting familiar green eyes, and huffed again, growing embarrassed that she was seeing him like this. 

Caylee, on the other hand, was mesmerized. Everything about Paul had changed in the physical aspect except his eyes, which softened as soon as they caught sight of her. As she approached she could hear him let out a whine, shrinking back a little as if to warn her to stay away. Paul was no stranger to what had happened to Emily, and Paul wouldn't be able to live with himself if he hurt Caylee like that. 

"It's okay." Her voice was gentle, lulling him away from the angry parts of his mind. "Do you trust me?" 

Paul wanted to smile, remembering how only a few days prior he had asked her the same question. His muzzle released a snort, and the closer Caylee got, the more she could feel the tufts of air leaving his giant body. 

Her hand reached out, stroking the fur along his cheek and down his neck, Paul having to lean much further down in order to meet her touch. His body shivered as his heartbeat slowed, and he nuzzled his giant head into her chest succeeding in his goal when she let out a small giggle. 

"Alright you big baby." 

Paul leaned closer into her hold and inhaled in her scent, letting it soothe the depths of his soul that only she could reach. Running off into the woods he left Caylee slightly confused, only for her to let out a lighthearted laugh when she saw Jared chasing after him with a pair of shorts. 

When he returned he smiled at his girl timidly, finding that she didn't shy away in fear or disgust, but instead she leaned up on her tip toes and hugged him tightly. 

"Let's go home." 

Just a short, not too heavy chapter <3