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━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ❝ YOU'LL TEAR THE TREATYAPART. ❞ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
THE SKY WAS STILL cloaked in gray, heavy clouds stretching low over Forks, but the rain had finally let up. Everything glistened—pavement slick, leaves dripping, the air carrying that sharp, clean scent that only came after a storm.
Jacob's truck rumbled to a stop in front of Bella's house. Talia exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding the moment she spotted the empty driveway. No sleek Volvo. No red truck. No police cruiser. Relief softened her chest.
Embry killed the engine, hopping out first. He circled the front of the truck quickly and tugged the passenger door open, offering her a hand like it was second nature. His boyish grin peeked out when she rolled her eyes at the gesture but took his hand anyway, stepping down from the truck.
"Always a gentleman," she teased.
"Always," he shot back, voice low, certain.
She turned toward the front door, her damp shoes crunching against the gravel. But before she could take more than a step, a gentle tug on her wrist stopped her. She looked back, and there he was—leaning lazily against the truck, eyes locked on her like she was the only thing in the world.
"Embry—" she started, but he didn't let her finish.
In one smooth motion, he pulled her into him, his hands anchoring her waist as he bent to capture her mouth. The kiss was warm, tasting of relief and something deeper—something like home.
Talia gasped against his lips, then laughed, the sound bubbling up unguarded. Her arms slid around his shoulders as she kissed him back, her laughter melting into his smile. For a moment, there was no witch bloodline, no Volturi, no threats waiting around the corner. Just the boy who kissed her like she was his entire reason for breathing.
When he finally drew back, their foreheads brushing, he whispered, almost smug, "Had to do that before you went inside. Couldn't wait."
Her chest fluttered, and she shook her head, still laughing softly. "You're impossible." She pulled back with a reluctant sigh, brushing her fingers against his chest before stepping away. "Come inside with me. I'll be quick just gotta pack some stuff up before my parents start worrying."
Embry's brows furrowed for half a second, like he didn't want to let her go just yet. Then, as if a switch had flipped in his head, his expression lit up with a mischievous spark. "Wait. I wanna try something."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean, something?"
His grin widened—boyish, daring, the kind of smile that meant trouble. "Come on." He tugged at her hand, pulling her around the side of the house, to where her guest bedroom window sat on the second floor.
