Revenant Paul Lahote

Chapter 27

The air in the small home was almost suffocating.

As soon as she stepped in the door, Caylee was already leaning against the counter, hands gripping the edge impossibly tight. Her heart thrummed dangerously in her chest, only aiding in the concern the three wolves felt as they all took their places in the kitchen. 

Seth and Jared's eyes looked from each other to the couple and back again, unsure of what to do. Paul watched from the door frame he was leaning against, arms crossed in frustration as his imprint pushed on. Her small stature moved quickly around the kitchen to heat up some leftover soup and place it on the table before moving on to the coffee machine. 

Unsurprisingly it didn't work for her, sputtering and groaning in protest until she slammed the pot down aggressively, her hands reaching up to rub her exhausted face. 

"I got it," Paul spoke up gruffly. 

Caylee could have killed Isabella Swan. 

She knew logically it wasn't the girl's fault -  but as Caylee looked around the tiny kitchen she couldn't help the immense anger that overcame her at the situation. Seth's doe eyes looked up from his bowl just in time to catch her gaze and gave her his normal childlike smile. It made her throat close up, restricting her airflow as the young boy sat merely 4 feet away and continued eating innocently. Fearful thoughts flooded through her head threatening to make her dizzy. 

Paul knew she was just scared. Scared for what was to come. The news of the newborn army heading their way had come fast after Alice's vision, and the two rival groups had to work quickly to come up with the one solution that would suffice. He himself wasn't particularly happy with the information, having been one of the only wolves to step up and challenge Sam's reasoning. However, when Sam mentioned the potential danger Caylee could be placed in if he didn't comply, there was really no other option. 

"Stop thinking so damn much," he grumbled, placing a cup of coffee in front of his imprint only for her eyes to finally snap up to meet him; and he knew he messed up. 

Her eyes challenged him, and he had to hold back an eye roll at his own mistake. Caylee pushed the cup back forcefully, the hot liquid spilling over the rim and landing next to his hand - now he was irritated too. 

"Uh oh," Jared mumbled under his breath, making the younger boy look up at him in confusion. 

"What?" Seth whispered back. 

"Mom and Dad are fighting again."

"Excuse me for worrying about the well-being of my loved ones." Sarcasm dripped off of her voice. 

"Well there's nothing you can do about it so what's the point -"

Caylee cut Paul off with a glare, the anger fluttering between the two of them had Jared worried Paul might accidentally shift. "The point  is that it's dangerous. The point is that Seth is just a boy and is going to have to face an army of vampires all because of the drama between a barely graduated girl and her hundred year old supernatural boyfriend." 

"Hey -" Seth tried to cut in to defend himself only for Jared to quickly cover his mouth. 

"Trust me man - this is not a fight you want in on," the older boy whispered in his ear. 

"In case you haven't noticed, Seth can turn into a literal wolf and it's not like we'll let him do any of the real work," Paul fought back.

"The point is that he could get hurt. Jared could get hurt, Jacob, Quil, Embry," her breath hitched for a moment as she struggled to get it all out, "You could get hurt." Paul's face softened, and he took a step closer only for her to hold a shaky hand up to stop him. 

Jared and Seth got up and left silently, knowing the conversation had turned personal.

"Look around Paul," Caylee's voice cracked as tears threatened to spill. "This is all I have left. You are all that I have left. This house was suffocating when Gran died. It was like I couldn't breathe without you two in it. And I don't care if I sound cheesy or crazy," she shook her head as the floodgates opened, "But there is truly nothing left for me in this home without you in it. If something happens to you all I'll be left with are creaky floorboards, a leaky faucet, and quiet rooms. I'll be alone again." 

Paul watched his imprint with an achy heart. Her tears were not laced with sadness. It was pure and undeniable fear pouring from her body at this moment. Her body shook, her cheeks damp and her heart heavy with dread. A sinking feeling in her stomach as a looming cloud of bad feelings for what was to come hung over her head. She knew she couldn't see Paul's death, as they had already established since they first touched, but as he reached for her she unintentionally reeled back, fearful that one wrong move and she'd be forced to see the inevitable. The fear struck her body like a lightening bolt and a sob hitched in her throat as he approached her calmly, knowing how important it was to respect her boundaries. 

"Baby look at me," Paul spoke quietly, patiently. All of the frustration in his body had disappeared and was replaced with understanding. Guilt filled him to the brim at his own foolishness. 

His imprint's gaze was still locked on the ground, her arms hugging herself tightly as if afraid to let go and fall completely apart. His gentle voice coaxed her to finally look at him and he gave her a small smile. "That's my girl." He reached his hand up carefully, his eyes never wavering from her own as he waited for her nod to touch her. When she did his hands cupped her face and the pads of his thumbs wiped away the leftover tears. 

"I know you're scared baby, but I'm not going anywhere. You won't be alone." Paul could see that she was listening, his voice soothing her into a more relaxed state.

 "And when that day is over I'll be coming right back here to tell you just how much I love you."