Love for Eternity (Seth's Imprint)

Chapter 16

Seth's POV:

I was waiting with Esme on the porch for Nessie to get back with the new girl, whose name I had been told was Dixie. They had already warned me not to make fun of her name, which was Dixie Ruby James, but honestly I thought it sounded kinda cute. Different, but cute. I heard someone rushing through the woods and subconsciously smoothed my shirt as I stood from leaning against the railing.

"Nessie there you are we thought....what's wrong?" (E)

"Grandma, Seth, there are two nomads in the clearing! They came across us and starting speaking a different langauge. Dixie understood them and told me to run and stayed behind. We have to go back and help her!" (N)

I saw Emmett and Rosalee rush from inside the house and towards the clearing with Esme right behind. I jump off the front porch, phasing in mid-air and run alongside them. I reach the the clearing the same time that Rosalee does, but to my surprise she stops and just stares. I look forward and see one vampire standing in front of the pieces of two others scattered around the forest floor, a hiss dying from it's lips as it stands there. I ready myself for the fight as I snarl and jump towards it, while it's back is turned.

She turns toward me and I hear her whisper Jacob, and I find myself wondering how she knows his name, right before I sink my teeth into her right arm and my front claws into her stomch. I hear her hiss and cry out in pain and it's then I realize that she doesn't taste like or feel like a vampire. In fact, I taste blood in my mouth. I let go of her arm and see blood coming from it and her side where I dug my claws across her. I hear her whimper in pain and I look up meeting her red eyes before I feel my entire center shift.

I've just hurt my imprint. I've just hurt the most beautiful creature in the world. I whine some as I see the extent of the damage I've done to her before she hisses at me and makes a weak attempt to swipe at me. I easily dodge it, whining in worry as I do. I phase back, pulling on the gym shorts that were tied around my ankle as quickly as I can. I walk up to her as she tries to stand, before she sees Esme, Emmett, and Rosalee at the edge of the clearing still in shock. She gets on her feet and looks back at me with fear in her beautiful red eyes as I step towards her.

"Get away from me!" (D)

"Please, let me help you. I didn't know who you were. I'm so sorry." (S)

"No, get away.....Esme help me please...." (E)

I watch as her eyes start to flutter and she sways on her feet before Esme catches her into her arms. Emmett and Rosalee start setting the pieces of the other two on fire as I quickly follow behind Esme and my imprint.

"Seth, we should have stopped you but we were in too much shock. This is Dixie Ruby James, the half-vampire." (E)

"Ruby, my precious little Ruby. May..... Esme may I carry her back to the house? Please?" (S)

I watch as Esme looks at me with surprise then her face softens into a look of understanding and she gently places her into my arms. I listen to her breathing and I hear her incredibly slow, but steady heartbeat. She's so beautiful, just like Nessie said earlier before she left to go find her. So beautiful, and I've already hurt her. I see the blood continue to seep through her shirt from the slash marks and drip from the bite wounds on her arm. I feel panic start to set in as I start running back to the house. I'm up the stairs and in the door as Nessie runs to meet us.

"Is that what they did to her?!?" (N)

"No, it's what I did before I knew who she was." (S)

"Oh Seth....." (N)

I don't look back at Nessie and I feel my heart break as I run her up the stairs to Carlisle's study. He's already zooming around the room prepping everything he needs when I set her down on the table as gently as I can. I hear someone come in behind me but I don't look up from her face to see who it is. I feel his hand on my shoulder and without looking up I know it's Jake.

"You should leave Seth, she probably won't want to see you here when she wakes up." (J)

"I'm not leaving her, not after what I've done." (S)

"Seth, it's not a great idea after what you did. She'll be fine, but she'll probably need time to cool off. Will you make me command you to leave?" (J)

I feel a part of me twinge at his words, knowing that I have hurt her more than I'll ever be able to apologize for. A small part of me wants to listen to his request before he commands me to leave instead. But I won't leave her side, not after what I've done. He must understand that, surely he must. I shake my head again as Carlisle starts cleaning blood off her arm, looking up to see Jake staring at me with stern eyes.

"I can't leave Jake, she's my imprint. I can't leave after what I did to her. Please I.....I can't leave her now." (S)

I see his face change into shock then sad understanding. He squeezes my arm once before walking back out. I turn to see the doctor cutting away her shirt, and I hate myself even more as I see the eight ragged looking slashed I put into her right side. I take her left hand into mine and squeeze gently, begging for her forgiveness as I stare at her before snapping my attention to the concern lacing Carlisle's voice.

"Hmm well this makes things a bit difficult." (C)

"What does?" (S)

"Her blood is dissolving the stiches. I'll have to bandage them and wait for her to wake up to see if she can tell me what else might help." (C)

"She's going to hate me." (S)

"You don't know that Seth. You're a good man with a kind heart. This was an accident, and in time she will know that. Have faith." (C)

I watch as he leaves the room for a moment with Esme coming back in with a t-shirt of hers and sliding it over Dixie's head, taking her boots off before she leaves the room again. She then brings a chair in for me to sit on, while she takes the one on Dixie's opposite side. I see her sigh some as she gently moves some of the hair out of her face.

I sit down on the chair before I gently kiss her hand and take in her scent, like daffodils in the rain with a hint of the bitter sweet smell that vampires have but it doesn't disgust me. It smells like the perfect mixture, my perfect little imprint. I open my eyes to find Esme smiling gently at me.

"I'm glad that you've found her Seth." (E)

"Thank you Esme. I've waited so long....I just, I hate myself for how I met her." (S)

"I believe you should take Carlisle's advice. She will forgive you, she has a kind heart just like yours. The only thing she fears is rejection, even from us. You simply have to show her how much you accept her." (E)

"First, I have to get her to accept my apology and I have to get her to see I didn't mean for any of it to happen." (S)

"Well actually first, we need to see if we can wake her up." (C)

I see Carlisle come back in with what look like and smell like smelling salts, and a cup of blood. I see Esme hold her breath and smile at her husband's idea. Carlisle holds the smelling salts under her nose and I watch as she starts to come around with a soft moan coming from her beautiful lips.