Black Cloud by A. R. Teller (good books to read for teens TXT) 📕

“Like this?” I asked again. I swung my arm up, barely smacking Jake in the face before he was able to grab my arm and twist me around. It’s almost like an aggressive dance, which Jacob was usually an expert at, but this time I was faster. I flipped through the air like a flying drill, pushing Jake to the ground by his shoulders. He grabbed my wrist at the last second, and pulled me down with him. I slammed down on top of him, hearing the audible thud.

“I win,” he said. I laughed, and he kissed me. Every kiss is like a little crack of electricity. A spark that left me wanting.  I pulled myself up onto my elbows, facing down at Jacob.

“You know, we’re supposed to be practicing, and this is the fourth time I’ve “fallen.” You’re getting lazy Jacob and my kisses don’t come cheap,” I warned, pecking him on the lips. He smirked, seeming victorious, but I simply pushed his face away playfully. I picked myself off the ground, dusting the grass and dew from my shirt. I pulled Jacob up by his arm, but just as I tried to turn and walk away, my hand was gripped and I’m twisting around. My hand slammed into Jacob’s chest, while my other hand remained entwined in his. He kissed me on my forehead, and gave my hand a squeeze.

“You guys are horrible fighters,” Seth commented from the house. Jake winked at me, I giggled, and he sprinted into the house. I heard the loud crash of whatever had fallen, and just like that, Jake was out to assert his alpha status by roughhousing. I could hear the taunting, followed by Seth’s submission after Jake’s headlock practically choked him. I cracked a smile.

It’s been months since our little vampire infestation. Spring came and went, and the midst of July is the perfect time to catch up on our fighting skills. Apparently, Jacob deemed me “incompetent” to fight, so obviously I had to teach him otherwise. My legs are healed up nicely, but I still have nightmares. I’m pretty sure the sweating and screaming is going to send Jacob over the edge. I can’t help it. It happens almost every other day now, and Carlisle is serious about a highly recommended therapist. Jake refuses to let me go to some random person to spill my guts, so he just brushes off Carlisle’s offer and continues holding me and calming me down until I fall asleep. So far, I’ve gone the entire week without waking with a single jolt. Let’s see how long that lasts…

Everyone’s much happier now that summer has come. Rachael and Paul postponed their wedding back in March, since Paul’s mom got sick. Now their wedding is in two weeks from today. I’m happy for them. Rachael is so nervous, and so excited. I’ve helped her with her wedding dress, especially since Leah is a horrible shopping buddy and Emily’s been busy. It was so thrilling to hear about Emily’s pregnancy. We were all excited and shocked when she told, and Sam was so proud and terrified to hear. Emily is due in November, and she already has a baby bump. I think it’s cute, but Emily thinks otherwise. She’s gone into her “I’m fat and the world hates me” mood swings, which is more dangerous than a werewolf on steroids.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I jog inside. Crap, one of the vases that was on the coffee table got smashed. Oh well.

This summer is going to be particularly hot, especially since it’s only early July and already reaching the 80’s. Jake hates the heat. He’s naturally hot, so more heat just makes him angry. Not hotter, angry. He gets moody and always goes running off to do patrol at nightfall, when the temperature drops down to the fifty’s. Edward objected to me taking lessons from Jake when he’s in this mood, but I came anyway. I think Edward was mostly worried about Jake’s hormone problem. Not only was he easily frustrated, but his hormones were so rampaged during the hotter days of July, Jacob couldn’t keep his hands off me. It was quite a test of my patience…and self-control. Because of course I loved him, but also I knew his advances were only fueled by hormones and not love. I rejected every daring move he made, and with urging from both me and my hovering, protective father, Jake learned to just grit his teeth. Whether he’s sexually frustrated or angry otherwise, Edward had had it. Seeing Jacob pull moves on his daughter was enough, but hearing Jacob’s thought made Edward want to rip his own head off.  He was much more controlled now, especially since he’s taken a lot more time to train with Sam.

I sat up on the barstool of the counter while Jake fetched us ice pops. Leah was flipping through the channels, giving up once the new came on. She sighed boringly and soon dives into a magazine. Pilly wagged her tail excitedly while Leah read, yipping for permission onto Leah’s lap. She allowed it. Pilly actually liked Leah. Of course, Jacob’s first comment to this observation was, “She’s the only one.” I smiled at Pilly’s mindless happiness as Leah pet her. For some reason, Leah and I have begun an unsteady, rocky, but still existent relationship. She’s come to my defense in fact, on a few occasions. She says it’s all for her reputation, but I doubt that she really cares about what others think. I grinned a little at the thought of me and Leah being friends someday. Then I turned my attention to the TV.

It happened again. The sixth attack, and the second within the month. Things in Washington had been heating up, with “animal” attacks being scattered all over. Same thing every time. Violent beatings, followed by all victims losing three-fourths of their blood. They were mostly centered near Olympia, and with our faith in the Volturi slows diminishing over time, we were sure the Cullen coven would once again have to take matters into our own hands. Jake said the pack had caught a few vampires in the recent months, but the attacks had yet to cease. I could feel my nails dig into the laminated countertop until a grey force blocked my few of the TV.

“You okay?” Jacob asked. He was carrying my ice pop, so I lightened up a little. His grey shirt was wet around the collar from the sweat, and his usual smell of cinnamon was replaced by this spicy, very hot smell. Like when you smell popcorn right out of the microwave and it burns the inside of your nose. I wrinkled my face.

“Yeah. You should shower though,” I commented, ripping the plastic off the ice pop while trying to seem less aggravated about the mystery killers. I had even gone on a few patrols with Jake. The jolt and adrenaline you feel going after a vampire is riveting, but I hadn’t killed one yet. Jacob said he wouldn’t want me too. I was “too delicate to be doing such horrifying work.” I’d always silence him with a smack upside the head. I knew he was just trying to keep my childhood innocence going, but eventually, I would have to kill. For safety.

“Oh, I should shower?  You’re as sweaty as me,” Jacob said, running his finger down my arm. “Gross.”

“Oh, ha ha. Says the one who smells like wet dog,” I said. He laughed, and I felt my heart skip a few times.

“Yeah, well, go clean up. We’ve got a big night,” he said, pulling a finger under my chin to peck me on the lips. I smiled, bit the ice pop in half, and put it back on the plastic lying on the counter.

I sighed and went to Jake’s room. Half of it had been dominated by my stuff, all my clothes and shoes and little trinkets. I resided there on the weekends, since those were the only days Jake has beyond his patrols. I took a shower and scrubbed the sweat and dirt from my skin. After I got out, I dried off and dressed in a lilac purple sundress and slipped into some black sandals. I pulled my russet curls up into a ponytail. The small, sparkling crescent on my neck smiled evilly at me. I sighed and ripped the hair tie out, letting my hair fall over my shoulders, hiding the scar. Ever since my encounter with the red headed girl, that damn crescent has refused to fade. I ran my fingers across the rough pattern and sighed. Maybe it’ll never go away. I wondered if I only meant the scars, but brushed off the shutter of fear on memory of the nightmares.

Anyway, tonight was Rachael and Paul’s rehearsal dinner. Well, technically, it will only be the first rehearsal dinner. There would be two rehearsal dinners, excluding the actual dinner, since Paul’s mother was so particular. She wanted to make sure everything would be perfect. Rachael was over the top nervous, but I knew she’d be fine. If Paul’s mother approved of her, she had nothing to worry about. Opposite from me, who was firmly despised by Paul’s mother. Paul’s mother was not only extremely suspicious of the Cullen clan, but she was also a strong believer in all things Quileute. Being extremely cautious with anyone outside of the tribe, which also particularly includes “Chief” Jacob’s girlfriend/imprint, she had never even tried to at least act civil towards me. All I got are stiff hellos and aggressive orders. Sure, I respect the customs. In the norm, a werewolf marries a human girl he imprints on. This is usually because vampires and werewolves don’t have many pleasant interactions, so there’s practically 0% chance a werewolf would ever imprint on a vampire. Billy thought it had something to do with the half-human side to me, but even with that it was a low chance to begin with. But it happened and Jake had me on his arm as proof.

But trust me, no amount of Paul telling his mother to back off will ever work. Even when he was very blatant about it, his mother was convinced that imprinting was a casual thing that happened to every wolf.

“It’s not like you’re the one getting married,” I heard Seth call from his room. It’s supposed to be reassuring, but right after he says it, and before I allowed the worry to sink in, I felt Jake’s warm, gigantic hands around my shoulders before the feeling of distress come on. He just knew…

“What if she kicks me out? Or just doesn’t like me? Or makes me-”

“Relax Ness. I have to agree with the pup on this one.”

“I am not a pup anymore!” Seth retorted.

“Still haven’t grown into those paws yet Seth!” I reminded him. He huffed and continued getting ready. Sure he'd twenty six now, but he'll always be my little brother.

Jacob chuckles while he rests his chin on my shoulder. His breathe on my stone hard skin makes me so comforted; I tried to comprehend how I still had the energy to stand straight.

“Rachael and you are good friends, and I don’t think Paul’s the type to kick you out. He’s not that much of an ass. Besides, I’ve got rank over him. He wants to kick you out, and I go with you. And if all the Alphas in the region aren’t present, it’s a huge embarrassment to the family. AND, she’s my sister. We have a say too,” he whispered in my ear. He’s right, and since Sam and Jacob are the only Alphas in this region, they’re the two-man “guests of honor” so to speak.

The whole time he was whispering to me, I just kept