My beating heart

Chapter 2 - Pryor wolf

"Human?" I whispered under my breath, looking down. I didn't want to believe what I was hearing. That was utterly impossible. Wasn't it? "I must be dreaming."

"Sweet heart, even if this was a dream, you would still be human." Jason said as I looked up into his eyes. The sight of him took my breath away, now that I was paying attention.

His skin was a few shades paler, but it felt normal to me. There was no other way to explain it besides that he looked perfect. He looked like a…vampire. But that still didn't quite fit. He still looked human.

Something bit at my memory, but I couldn't quite pull it up in my head. My vampire memories were still hard to access.

I put my hand up to his face and I felt his smooth skin. He looked normal, he even felt warm, but Jason was colder than I remember…

"What happened? All I remember is bringing Jason home and everyone beginning to work on him. I even remember starting to bite his neck. But the rest is…is blank. Well, besides the dream." I looked around and then a question popped to my tongue. "What year is it?"

"August third, two-thousand and nine." Jason said, still grasping my hand that was on his cheek. Again the sight of him flared something in my memory, but I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Nick came to sit beside me, which made me realize I was on the floor. Why was I on the floor?

"They didn't want to move you in case something was wrong." Syd answered from upstairs, clearly doing something else.

Of course she was going to answer me. My mind reader was back.

"Well you did bite Jason, that sent him into the changing process, but his was really weird. It took him three days like normal and he seemed to be doing fine. That is until he woke up and his heart was still beating." Nick looked over my body, still having a shocked expression on his face. He looked so beautiful.

"I thought he was going to kill somebody when he saw you, Claire." Skylar said. He smirked and then went on. "He was still a newborn, but he kept shaking until we told him to calm down. He stayed by your side until you woke up, which is right now. Nothing really exciting."

"Besides me being human."

"Right besides you being human." He smiled.

"It was so interesting." Nick said, looking upstairs. "It was like you were going through the changing process, only backwards."

"Thanks, Nick." I said with heavy sarcasm.

"Well her humor hasn't changed." Skylar said, ramming his elbow into Jason's stomach.

"What was your dream about, love?" Jason's voice was amazing. For a moment I couldn't speak and when he smiled back I felt a faint warmth in my cheeks.

"She's blushing!" Nick cried, bursting into laughter.

"Shut up!" I yelled with so much force, Nick looked at me with some fear.

"Amazing." Skylar said. "Even as a human she still strikes fear into us."

"Your dream?" Jason pressed, ignoring their jibes. When I leaned up a bit, he picked me up into his arms and set me on the couch. It was much more comfortable.

"Well I had left you and I didn't have to bite you. The werewolf side of your body saved you. Then we left and it was five years later. I was a mess. I didn't smile or anything anymore. Sam had died and everything was back to normal.

"Then we went to school in Alaska. I and Skylar were in history and then you came in, only I didn't know it was you. The kids loved you." I told him. He smiled. He slid under my legs and sat at the other end of the couch, watching me.

"Anyway, you asked us to say our names, but you weren't looking at us. When we said them you froze and turned around. We had a big scene of hugs and stuff. But do you know the first thing that I said to you?"

He waited. And when I realized he wasn't going to answer I spoke again. "I said, 'You-cut-your-hair'. It was pretty funny." Skylar looked at Jason with a weird face. I guess he was trying to imagine him bald or something. Jason touched his hair and gave me a wired look as well.

"So then you kissed me and then I stopped it." I didn't talk anymore. I didn't want to. The next part still scared me. I almost thought I was real if Jason hadn't of told me I had been dreaming.

"And?" Nick said, his voice coming from the kitchen. I even heard Trevor's, but I couldn't hear his exact words. This really sucked.

"I told him we couldn't do this because I was in love with Cody-" Jason growled. I couldn't believe that he had actually growled-"And then it turned weird. It was like a horror movie and then it all went black when Cody came into it. Then I heard you two and I woke up." It was amazing how well I could do with summaries.

Skylar looked curious, but Jason looked somewhat pained. Nick popped his head out of the kitchen. Then it wasn't long before Trevor went to see what the commotion was about.

"Hey she's awake!" Trevor yelled before Nick pushed him back in.

"Here eat this and shut up." Nick said, his voice wasn't very loud.

I kicked off the couch and went to go look into the mirror in the bathroom downstairs. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I could see in this girls' features, but she was so…different. The girl in the mirror had my same hair, only it wasn't as soft. I was still the same height and my face looked the same, other than I wasn't pale or perfect looking anymore. My eyes stood out the most. Her eyes were a deep blue. Not too dark. It looked almost purple.

But I did know this person. This was the girl I used to be when I was still human. I was still a little pretty, but I knew once I saw Angel or Bella my self esteem is going to drop big time.

"You were right about your eyes. They're so beautiful, just like you." Jason said, making me jump. He laughed. I didn't hear him come in. he was just so quiet and stealthy. He had to be a vampire, but then again, why was his heart still beating if he was?

Again something was tugging at my mind, but it wasn't clear. I saw a man. He looked familiar. Then it became so clear.

I ran out from the bathroom and went straight into the kitchen. Jason followed me quickly and I jerked one of the drawers open. I grabbed a knife and went back to where Skylar was standing.

"What are you doing?" Skylar was eyeing me, well more of the knife on my hand.

"Stand in front of me." I ordered. He took his place, but before he could say another word I shoved the knife into my shoulder. Blood spilled out, but I wasn't afraid of Skylar.

White hot pain flashed through my shoulder. I wanted to scream, but I ignored the feeling.

"What the-" Skylar began, but his head whipped around at the sound of Jason's snarls.

Jason was twisting uncontrollably. He trembled from head to foot as he fought back, trying not to kill me. Trying to fight the vampire in him. Though he did smell blood so his wild side was triggered. As he shook and trembled the others assembled into the living room, ready to fight. But I wasn't afraid. I knew what was going to happen and in a short moment, everything would be ok.

Then Jason erupted. In his place stood one of the most magnificent jet black wolves I had ever seen. He was about three feet taller than Jacob, and even he was a huge beast. The shaking stopped as he looked from side to side. His green eyes were too intelligent to pass for an animals. He was long and sleek. Jason had muscles in his calves that were two times bigger than Skylar and Nick's bodies put together. He looked directly at me with an expression that could not be mistaken. Jason was confused.

Skylar's eyes were wide. He looked back at me, my bleeding shoulder, then back to Jason. Angel was past words. Taylor stood ready with her hands up, but she lowered them slowly as Jason calmed down. Once everyone realized the danger had passed, they all stared at me.

I smiled.

"You knew this would happen?" Skylar asked, putting his hands on my shoulders. I cried in pain as he touched them. He pulled back, apologies on his face. Jason stepped forward, whining at my pain.

I knew that when Jason turned into a wolf that he would no longer feel the pain of a vampire. He wouldn't want my blood. His head would be calm. But I needed him angry so he would change. In this case he was fighting so hard his frustration grew and he changed.

"Of course I did." I said, sounding offended. "You don't think I would be so stupid to make myself bleed if there wasn't a reason, do you?"

Jason whined again, as he turned at Syd.

"Jason said he doesn't understand." Syd said quietly. She could read his mind like Edward did with the packs. Good. I needed a translator.

"What is he?" Taylor said, at my side in a flash. I still couldn't believe how fast she was moving. How fast I moved when I was a vampire. No wonder Jason got dizzy.

"He's a Pryor Wolf." I stated, walking closer to Jason. I put my hand on his neck, trying to reach up to his head. He barked and even though he was in wolf form, I could still see his smile. He leaned down and I scratched his ears.

"Sweet." Nick said, walking over to Angel, who was still at the foot of the stairs. "I always wanted a dog."

Jason growled.

"He said he's not anyone's pet." She paused for a moment. "Except for Claire's." Syd added. I rolled my eyes, still toying with Jason's hair.

Skylar looked at me with an expression I knew too well. But he seemed to let it go. "And how did you know this?"

Jason laid down on his stomach and I slid into the floor as well. I leaned on his side, closing my eyes. His stomach rumbled in pleasure.

"I met a guy once. Before I saved Skylar and he was, what he called a Pryor Wolf. Half wolf, half vampire." I made more clearly. "Jason will be exactly like a vampire in human form. He's strong, fast, and perfect. But he's like Sam so when he gets angry he's going to turn into a wolf.

"That's why I wasn't worried, but I wanted Skylar in front of me. Just in case." I yawned slightly, my eyes drooping. "When Jason's a wolf he won't have the craving for my blood like when he's in his vampire form. I think it's really cool."

"Why is he like that?" Trevor asked, coming in slowly. I saw Jason wink and when he looked at Trevor he flashed his teeth. Trevor bounced back a step, his eyes wider than Skylar's when he saw Jason.

"Well Jason was a full werewolf, just not full grown yet. Now when I vampire bites a werewolf, it kills it. But when a vampire bites a werewolf in the changing stage, it turns him into a half vampire, half werewolf.

"I knew I was getting real close to that fine line when Jason was complaining about the vampire smell, but I had to do something fast or he would have died. So in my defense he would have died either way if my plan didn't work." I shrugged my shoulders as they tried to follow along.

Syd spoke for Jason. "So I'm a vampire-wolf hybrid?"

I nodded. He grinned and howled loudly.

Ben put his hands over his ears. As did everyone else. "Ok, as long as he doesn't pee on the carpet, you can keep him." Ben laughed at his own joke. We all moaned.

"Come on that was punny! Get it? Food joke?"

Jason shoved his giant paw over Ben's mouth.

"Use for Pryor Wolf paw one-thousand and one: shuts vampires up." Angel seemed quite pleased with her joke and with a flip of her golden hair, she walked off.

I saw one of Jason's big eyes roll.