Chapter 7

Embry ran as a wolf to his house before he phased back to a human upon smelling the Cullen's, Jasper in particular. He tried not to get jealous that someone else was giving attention to the girl he loved, even if she didn't reciprocate, yet. If he saw Jasper doing anything funny though, he might lose it.

He had hidden his clothes in a nearby tree and put them on before striding up to her window. He didn't know how she would take it if he wasn't wearing anything.

When he reached her window and peered inside he saw Anne sleeping peacefully. Jasper was not near her, but he knew that he was in the same room because the the scent was fresh and strong. He scanned the room and found the blond, shaggy haired vampire in a corner with a direct line of sight to Anne, but the expression on his face was a little out of place. He looked like he was concentrating, frustrated, and exhausted even though he knew that vampires didn't sleep.

Yikes, Embry thought, I don't think that her nightmares are just nightmares with how hard he is concentrating. It's almost like he is fighting a mental battle.

Embry thought this through in a second or two and carefully opened the window so as not to wake the peacefully sleeping and beautiful angel lying on her snowflake-patterned sheets.

Jasper heard Embry at the window and motioned for him to come into the room. Despite his best efforts, Anastasia did wake up, but not from the sound of the window opening. Cold winter air rushed into the room and swarmed around her like a moth to a light, shocking Anne awake, but she smiled when she saw Embry climbing through the window. Instantly, he saw Jasper lose his frustrated expression and glide over to him. Normally his instincts would be telling him to kill the vampire, but Jasper was a Cullen for one thing, and for another he was trying to help Anne.

After "Chief" Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, the treaty with the Cullens was changed so the Cullens could come and go as they pleased, mostly because Renesmee was always with Jacob, and he was either at his small red house (with her) or at her's in Forks.

"How is she?" Embry asked when he was back inside his warm house.

The blond vampire sighed and replied wearily, whispering so that Anne wouldn't hear, or more accurately, so Anne wouldn't worry. "These nightmares are not a product of her imagination."

Embry stilled. "Wait, you mean someone is making her have nightmares?" He asked in disbelief, and maybe a bit too loudly. Anne had since fallen back to sleep, but she stirred and shifted. They waited until she was asleep again to continue.

Jasper spoke so quietly that a human wouldn't be able to make out what he said, but Embry heard loud and clear. "Yes, she already knows that, but I think I know who is doing it. When I was a young vampire, I was part of a newborn army and one of our enemies was a vampire named Gabriel whose coven is not far from here." Jasper explained.

Pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place in Embry's head. "That is the same coven that the pack has been keeping tabs on isn't it?"

"Yes, but during the last battle that we fought against him, he and a handful of his vampires escaped and we lost them. One of them has control over dreams. She can make anyone have the dream that she wants them to."

Embry slowly absorbed this revelation. He looked over at his imprint, and instantly felt angered that anyone would want to harm someone as kind and beautiful as Anne. Her long blond hair fell over her shoulder as she slept, and she had a smile on her pale, peaceful face.

"Now that you are here, you banished her dream." Jasper explained.

"How?"

Jasper shrugged his granite shoulders. "Something to do with imprinting perhaps? I don't know. Carlisle knows more about it than I do." He said in his thick Texas drawl. "She feels safe now."

"I heard her screaming my name while I was on patrol." Embry hinted with a tortured expression.

"Yes, she was." Jasper looked at Anne, then at Embry. "It looks like she is in good hands for tonight."

Jasper turned to leave. Embry grabbed his stone arm and ignored the feeling of throwing his hand in ice water. "Sam ordered me to always stay with her until this is over." Embry informed the blond vampire.

"Then neither my, nor Bella's talent will be needed. Good night Embry." Embry let go of Jasper's arm, and he glided out the front door.

Embry crawled onto Anastasia's bed and wrapped his warm arms protectively around her. She shivered but smiled. He wasn't sure if she could hear him but he said, "From now on I won't leave you Anne. I'm staying right here."

I awoke the next morning to Embry's arms clasping me to him. "Good morning." I mumbled, still half asleep.

I got up and dressed and then Embry set me on the edge of the bed and sat next to me with a pained expression on his face. I sensed that he was about to give me bad news. "Anne. While I was on patrol last night, the pack figured out the the coven that we have been tracking and you are connected. Sam ordered me to protect you."

I interjected, my curiosity getting the better of me. "That's why you returned early."

He sighed. I knew I had gotten it right. "Yes, but I also couldn't stand your screams in my head."

I gasped slightly. "You heard me? But, you were miles away."

"It's imprinting I guess. Anyway, Sam told me that for the pack to protect you, you can't go outside of the reservation or Forks until these vampires are dealt with."

"Oh." I sounded like a sullen frog.

"Is that ok, Anne?" he asked me.

"Yes, it's fine." I said. Sooner or later though, I would feel caged, but hopefully this "town arrest" thing wouldn't last that long. Right now the only thing I wanted to do was get out of the house and get some fresh air.

"Can we get out of the house?" I asked Embry.

He smiled. "Of course. There is actually something that I want to show you." He had a mischievous gleam in his eye. I raised an eyebrow and he laughed. "Go get your jacket and I'll meet you out back." He stated.

"Ok." I met him outside a few minutes later after polishing off a homemade granola bar and was surprised to find that Embry was just wearing a pair of summer cut-off shorts. I was in full winter garb. I looked at him, puzzled. "Embry, what are you doing? You'll chill to the bone." I had momentarily forgotten that werewolves had a very high body temperature, about 108.9.

He smiled at me, and before my eyes heat radiated from him and suddenly a huge, spotted gray wolf with a gray nose stood where Embry had been. I was so startled that I fell back and scrambled in the snow. He laid down next to me and motioned with his big head for me to climb onto his back. I looked into his billiard-ball sized eye and saw Embry in there. I felt relieved that he had not completely turned into an animal and climbed onto his back, tangling my fingers into his thick fur.

He took off straight into the forest. The cold wind whipped past us, but I was perfectly warm on my friend's back. I closed my eyes and just nestled into his fur, nearly falling asleep. Eventually, he stopped and I glanced over his head to see why. We were where he had been taking me.

We were in the clearing that had been my last camp before I ran into La Push.