Love Just Isn't Safe (Paul LaHote)

Chapter 13

In the time it takes to take me home, is what I said. I really should have known to voice my conditions better. Because now Paul is inching towards the  town at a whopping ten miles an hour. Cars honked and passed every chance that they got, I looked to the rear veiw and sighed at the line of cars that never ceased their honking. I've never been to New York, but I imagined they suffered similar racket.

"Are you going to start talking now? We're damn near half way to town," I pressed my lips in a hard line with anticipation.

"We aren't the monsters you should be afraid of Elsa," he began. I blinked at the absence of subtlety, but nodded, urging him to go on. 

"The werewolves were designed to protect the tribe from their enemies, not to kill them. When they come to this town, it triggers the gene and we burst into giant wolves. It's happened to Sam first, but he had to endure it alone. He wandered around for nearly two weeks, thinking he'd gone insane. Eventually he calmed himself down enough to turn human again. Sam had no idea what was happening to him and kept his distance from everyone, including his family and his girlfriend. When Old Quil Attera came to visit his family, he shook Sam's hand and about had a heart attack, realizing what Sam had become. The elders have seen our grandfathers turn into giant wolves and knew immediately what happened to Sam. They spoke to him and explained everything, the fever, the phasing, our purpose, and who else he should expect to join the pack." Paul looked over to me for the first time since we've been driving.

I nodded along with him, "Everyone else? But why are there so many when in the legends there were only three or four? You've got ten wolves at least."

Paul narrowed his eyes at the road and ground his teeth, "How many wolves we have in the pack is determined by how many of our enemies there are near our land."

"Your enemies? Who are your enemies?"

Paul looked over at me and pursed his lips, "They're the ones who have been killing hikers, and we've been chasing them all around the forest but we always get to them a little too late. They've killed the human, completely sucked their blood till they were dry. Without a single care about their life." he clenches the steering wheel tighter out of frustration. I could tell the pain he felt from not being able to save all those hikers like they were meant to. The urge to reach out and touch him was strong , but held back. I still hadn't made up my mind about him. He looked over and into my astonished eyes, "Vampires."

"V-vampires?" I stutter and run my fingers through my hair, bringing my knees to my chest. What on earth was going on with this town? I stare out the window as Paul accelerates the gas a bit. Everyone behind us stopped with the honking, but my old truck could only go fifty-five so they weren't happy for long.

I had learned too many things today, just a few hours ago I was perfectly happy with Paul again. Though apparently we were never allowed to be happy for very long, there must have been some sort of rule in the universe about such things. First Paul is a werewolf, and now vampires existed too. There was also the questions about imprinting, but I didn't even want to touch that quite yet.

"You said that the more vampires there are, the more Quileutte's turn, there are ten vampires in the area?"

"Seven who have been in the area for a few years now, other nomads pass through which triggers the wolf gene, so more and more join as time goes on and the vampires stay."

"Wait, there are seven vampires living here? how could I have missed that, and why on earth are they still here if you are meant to kill them?" I was completely transfixed now, so many questions and only so much time before he pulled into Charlie's. Paul knew that he had me hooked and risked going regular speed.