𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬. sam uley

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

"You absolute idoit!" Sam roars as they walk back to Sam's house. "What is wrong with you?! Seriously?! Do you have a death wish?"

Paul grunts when Sam pushes him forward, holding his hands up in surrender. Jared walks beside him, remaining silent. He's got a plastic bag full of smashed bread-the shopkeeper wouldn't let them put it back on the shelves.

"Nothing's wrong with me," Paul argues. "What's wrong is that the bloodsucker is out and about like she's human. Need I remind everyone that she tried to kill me."

"And she apologized," Sam snarls, clenching his fists. He fights a shift because he's going to be sensible about this. He is not going to fight Paul because Sam is stronger and would win and it wouldn't be a fair fight, but ancestors, does he want to. "She apologized to you without a second thought and you still tried to goad her into a fight. And the things you said to Seth--!"

Sam cuts himself off, groaning. Paul says, "What, it's not like we weren't all thinking it. Jared?"

Jared shrugs. "They looked pretty cozy to me, Sam."

"Ever heard of people being friends? What? Do you think that every person Rebecca is friends with is a significant other? What about Kim?"

"Rebecca's not like that," Paul snarls. "She's a human."

"What-" Sam stares at Paul for a moment. "What does that even mean?"

"I'm just saying, do we even know if vampires can feel imprints? What if she really does have a thing for Seth and he has one for her and they start canoodling? We're not sure they aren't. Becs would never to that to me because we're in love and oh, right, I never kept an imprint from her."

Sam stops for a moment, anger disappearing for a moment. "So, you're saying that because you told Rebecca you imprinted automatically means she won't find someone better than you and think that they deserve a chance, too? Also, why argue that she's a human? Again, what does that mean?"

Jared snorts, throwing the bag in the air and catching it.

Paul says, "I'm trying to say that your little Sage, your imprintee dearest, is a vampire. And what do vampires do. They manipulate and deceive to get what they want. She could be doing that to Seth right now, and we wouldn't know. And it seemed like Seth didn't mind it, either."

"You're absolutely ridiculous," Sam says angrily. "Absolutely. And listen," he stops again, pulling Paul back to stare directly into his eyes, "if you ever say anything ill towards her again, I will make you regret every word that escapes your mouth. Every. Word. Do you understand? And I won't even have to shift to do it."

Paul's eyes are irate as he stares at Sam, but Paul knows a threat when he sees one and Sam is not bluffing. He will make sure that Paul regrets it if he doesn't stay in line. Sam's eyes don't waver.

"Whatever." He pushes past Sam roughly. "Things were so much better when Jake and them were here and you weren't imprinted to a vampire."

And Paul says nothing more, but it gives Sam something to think about.

He hears the thoughts, of course, because they can't hide them when they're shifted, so he knows that Paul and Jared are a little angry about Jake leaving and taking Seth, Leah, Embry, and Quil with them. Brady and Collin couldn't care less, but he thinks of the hurt and rage that sifted through Paul's thoughts, about how he missed them even though he pushed them away as soon as he conducted them.

Sam knows now that Paul misses them a lot more than he lets on.

He doesn't know what to do with that information.

❧

Leah comes later, and immediately runs at Paul in her wolf form, howling and growling and so, so angry.

Paul curses and shifts himself, and there's claws on skin, and Sam knows that Paul will feel remorseful after Leah scuffs him up a bit.