Imprinted: A Jacob Black Fanfic

Chapter 17: Dogs

Margaret woke up lying in the dirt. There was a brief moment when she felt peaceful. Sunlight streamed through the branches of the trees above her. Soft moss made the ground feel like the world's most expensive mattress. Birds chirped and the breeze sang.

Then the pounding in her head came back, along with memories of the car crash. Margaret remembered Emily screaming, the car flipped, and the sinister yet musical voice of the very man her boyfriend was trying to kill. His words began echoing in her head. "I want your alpha," he'd said. And if anyone came with him he'd kill Margaret. Her stomach sank. She wanted to sit up and look around but she was scared. What if the vampire was still there? If she began moving would he attack her again? But, before Margaret could think about it too long the vampire spoke up from behind her.

"I can hear your heartbeat speeding up. I know you're awake," he sighed. "Sit up and look at me."

Margaret slowly sat up and turned around. She almost missed the vampire. He leaned against a tree on the edge of the clearing. Every inch of him was hidden in the tree's shadow.

"My name is Chance Von Tramps. Don't forget the S at the end." The vampire purred. He had the most pretentious voice on the face of the planet. It was thick with superiority. Everything about Chance Von Tramps radiated narcissism. From his bright red eyes to his matching red boots, he was pure ego. He'd even thought to match his leather gloves and tie. "Do you think it will take much longer for your dog to get here?" Chance sighed dramatically. He had an unconvincing French accent.

"He's going to rip you to shreds," Margaret coughed. Her chest felt tight.

"Sure he will," Chance vanished and reappeared in a shadow several trees over. "Now that I'm letting him find me I'm sure he doesn't stand a chance."

"Now that you've let him find you?"

"Yes darling, that's my little secret," Chance's eyes flashed at the opportunity to talk about himself. "You can call it a superpower if that's easier for you to understand. If I don't want anyone to find me, they simply won't."

So much began to make sense now. If the vampire had some sort of special ability to hide, that would explain why the pack couldn't find him.

Chance cleared his throat and glared at Margaret. He had to make sure she was still paying attention to him. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here. And why are you here." He paused as if he wanted an answer from Margaret. However, he didn't wait for her to give him one. "Life get's boring when you're the apex predator. I was looking for a new exciting challenge when I stumbled upon this little pack of dogs. I thought it'd be fun to try my hand against their little leader." Chance emphasized the word little. Every word dripped with judgment.

Margaret seethed. This man had probably murdered several innocent people already. Then he planned on murdering the man Margaret loved. She was sitting before him, but there was nothing she could do to stop him. There was no way she could beat him physically. She had seen how fast he moved. She had seen him flip a car. She didn't stand a chance. However, she could piss him off.

"That's fascinating. I have a question," Margaret said through gritted teeth. Chance twirled his hair around his finger and flashed his teeth in a threatening smile. "Mr. Von tramps," Margaret continued. "That's an interesting choice of shoe."

For a moment Chance straightened up. He looked proud of his shoe choice. Margaret let him have his moment, then continued.

"But it's a slightly different shade of red than your gloves so it wrecks the whole outfit." She shook her head in disappointment.

"What?" The vampire's face turned to rage. "What are you talking about? These perfectly match-"

"I get that you were trying to match everything to your eyes, but your eyes aren't that bright," Margaret grinned. "They're more of a burgundy. I wouldn't have thought they were brown if I hadn't triple-checked."