Broken shades (Twilight)(Embry Call)

The Echo of Fear

"There's something about the look in your eyes
Something I noticed when the light was just right
Uh, it reminded me twice that I was alive
And it reminded me that you're so worth the fight"
-Echo - Incubus

**Chapter 8: The Echo of Fear**

Quil didn't waste a second after seeing Paul's transformation. He sprinted through the trees, the forest blurring around him as he raced to Sam's house. Every heartbeat felt like an eternity, the fear pounding in his chest almost as loud as his footsteps on the dirt path. He had to get to Sam. They had to help Kayla. The image of Paul's expression when he realized the truth—when he understood what his father had done—played over and over in Quil's mind, fueling his desperate run.

When Quil finally burst through the front door of Sam and Emily's house, he was breathless, his words tumbling out in a frantic rush. "Sam! Sam, you need to come, now! It's Paul—his dad—something's happened to Kayla!"

Sam, who had been standing in the kitchen, immediately dropped the dish he was drying, his usually calm face now etched with worry. Emily's eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth in shock.

"What happened?" Sam demanded, already moving toward the door.

Quil shook his head, trying to catch his breath. "I don't know all the details, but Paul's dad... he's back, and Paul... Paul just realized Kayla's in trouble. He took off running."

Embry, who had been sitting quietly in the living room, stood up so quickly that the chair he was in toppled over. His heart pounded in his ears, and the blood drained from his face as the realization hit him like a tidal wave. Kayla. Something had happened to Kayla. All the anguish he had been feeling over not imprinting on her, all the doubt and confusion—it didn't matter anymore. She needed him.

Without waiting for Sam to respond, Embry darted out the door, his transformation into his wolf form happening so quickly it was almost seamless. The raw, animalistic urge to protect Kayla overpowered any other thought in his mind, and he pushed his body to its limits, his powerful legs propelling him through the forest at an impossible speed.

Sam was right behind him, but Embry didn't slow down. He couldn't. Every second wasted was a second that Kayla was alone, vulnerable. The pain of knowing he hadn't been there to protect her, to stop whatever had happened, gnawed at him, driving him forward even faster.

By the time Embry reached Kayla's house, his muscles were screaming in protest, but he didn't care. He shifted back into his human form mid-run, stumbling slightly as his feet hit the ground. His breath came in ragged gasps, his heart threatening to break free from his chest as he sprinted toward the house.

The door was ajar, hanging loosely on its hinges as if it had been slammed open in haste. Embry pushed it open further, his pulse pounding in his ears as he called out for Kayla.

"Kayla!" His voice echoed through the empty house, met only with an eerie silence.

Embry's eyes darted around the room, his heart sinking further with each passing second. And then he saw her—lying on the floor in the hallway, broken and bloodied, her small body crumpled like a discarded doll.

"Kayla!" Embry's voice broke as he ran to her side, dropping to his knees beside her. He reached out with trembling hands, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her face. The sight of her bruised and battered form nearly shattered him. How could this have happened? How had he failed her so completely?

She was so still, her skin cold to the touch. For a terrifying moment, Embry thought he was too late. But then he felt it—the faintest rise and fall of her chest, a fragile, shallow breath that meant she was still clinging to life.

"Kayla, please... wake up," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. He gently cradled her face in his hands, the glasses she had worn slipping off and clattering to the floor. Embry barely registered the sound. All he could focus on was her, his heart aching with the need to protect her, to be there for her in a way he hadn't been before.

As her sunglasses fell away, Embry finally looked into Kayla's eyes. They were bruised and swollen, but they were still *her* eyes—the eyes he had always loved, always felt drawn to. And in that instant, something shifted inside him, something undeniable and powerful.

The world around him seemed to fall away, leaving only the two of them. It was as if a string had snapped, tethering his soul to hers. The bond he had longed for, the connection he had feared he would never have—it flooded into him with such intensity that it took his breath away.

Embry felt it, the imprint, in every fiber of his being. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, an all-consuming need to be there for her, to love her, to protect her no matter the cost. He had finally found his purpose, his reason for existing, and it was Kayla.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he whispered her name again, desperate for her to respond, to give him some sign that she was still there with him. "Kayla, I'm here. I'm so sorry I wasn't here before, but I'm here now. Please, just... just open your eyes for me."

For a moment, nothing happened. Kayla remained still, her breathing shallow and labored. But then, just as Embry was beginning to lose hope, she stirred. Her eyelids fluttered, and she let out a small, pained gasp as she slowly blinked her eyes open.

"Kayla," Embry breathed, his heart swelling with relief. She was awake—she was alive.

Kayla's gaze was unfocused, her thoughts slow as she tried to make sense of where she was, of what had happened. But when her eyes finally met Embry's, she froze, something unspoken passing between them.

Embry's heart broke as he saw the fear and pain in her eyes, but beneath it all, he could also see the faint glimmer of recognition. She knew him. She saw him. And in that moment, he knew he would never let anything hurt her again.

"Embry..." Kayla whispered, her voice barely audible. She reached out weakly, her fingers brushing against his cheek before her hand fell back to her side, too weak to hold it up.

"I'm here," Embry said, his voice shaking with emotion. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? You're safe now."

Paul burst into the house then, his eyes wild with panic. He had heard Embry's thoughts the moment the imprint had snapped into place, and it had driven him to near madness with worry. He froze when he saw his sister lying on the floor, her beaten body cradled in Embry's arms.

"No," Paul whispered, his voice breaking as he rushed forward. "Kayla..."

But before he could reach them, Embry looked up, his gaze meeting Paul's with a ferocity that stopped him in his tracks. "We need to get her to the hospital," Embry said, his voice low and trembling with barely restrained rage. "Now."

Paul nodded, too overwhelmed by the sight of his broken sister to argue. He gently picked her up from Embry's arms, cradling her as if she might shatter into pieces, and the three of them ran out of the house, racing against time to save the life of the girl who meant everything to them.