Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of the amazingly talented Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
Firelight
By literaturelover
I watched as the firelight flickered against Bella's cheekbones as she processed the legends that she was told by Old Quil and my dad, her brow furrowed in concentration, completely enraptured at what she was hearing. I had heard these countless times from my brothers, but it rekindled a new curiosity within me watching Bella react to the stories of our people.
Once the legends were told, I glanced at Sam whispering in Emily's ear and couldn't help but feel envious of their relationship, and of how much they both loved each other. Why couldn't Bella see how much I loved her and love me back just as Sam and Emily do? I didn't want to be the first one to break the silence between us because she probably needed more time to process things. No one spoke above a whisper, probably afraid to ruin the magic of the night. Somewhere along the line, Bella fell asleep and it was nice to look at her face uninterrupted. God, she was so beautiful. A slideshow began playing through my mind: Bella's hair wind blown from the gales blowing off of First Beach, her face when she laughed alight with happiness and her hand curled up in mine so miniscule in comparison, but still impossibly beautiful.
A tremor of hot fury suddenly ran down my spine after I thought about that bloodsucker that she loved, and I fought even harder to keep the heat of my temper from consuming me after I imagined his lips curling back and closing around her neck, drinking from her. My muscles were tensing, preparing to burst into a more agile form. By now, my whole body was going into convulsions at not only the thought of his lips sucking the life out of her, but his lips moving with hers in a way that I couldn't help but be jealous of. Either way, he was taking her away from me, away from what we could be. That is why I have to fight hard for her - I have to fight for her life, and she will thank me later. Then my anger unexpectedly turned towards Bella and my thoughts snarled at her. How could she want to be one of them? How could she leave everything that she had here, for a dark existence full of bloodlust?
Paul, of all people, sensed my internal struggle and casually said, "Dude, chill or you're going to wake Bella." Once I saw Bella's shaking frame, caused by my anger, I immediately stopped.
"Sorry", I mumbled hurriedly, as if I was apologizing to Bella. Good thing she was still asleep, she looked like she needed it, with darker shadows formed underneath her eyes. Still, she was the most beautiful thing my eyes had laid on. Just then, Sam locked eyes with me and seemed to read my jealousy and anxiety in a matter of seconds. He understood. Slowly, he walked towards me, his gait and stance still powerful, the dying embers of the fire accentuating his powerful jaw line. "Jacob, its getting late and Bella should go home." He said it gently, but with an authoritative ring.
I swore under my breath, the condensation showing in the air, knowing at once what I was going to have to do. Sam had not yet walked away but shot a warning glance that seemed to say, 'Don't get out of control' at me before slowly returning to Emily's side.
Before I registered what I was doing, I had the small silver phone clutched in my hand and was trudging farther away from the moonlit tide and towards the tree line. I had a mantra buzzing through my head immediately at the thought of actually having to have a conversation with the leech. In time with my pounding heart was,Don't loose control, this is all for Bella incessantly going until I had the tremors of anger down to just occasional aftershocks. I didn't know Edward's number so I was forced to sort through the address book to find the number to the crypt. My fingers raced over the keypad so fast that I was sure if Bella were here, she would have hardly been able to see the blurs of tan.
He picked up before the first ring was done. "Hello, love" his voice said rather breathlessly, as if he had been waiting for the phone to ring.
"No. Try again." I said in a mocking tone. I no longer had to hide my revulsion for the creature now that Bella was out of earshot.
"What happened to Bella? Tell me now, or I will personally break the treaty by breaking you in half." He snarled out, each syllable more biting than the last. I knew he meant what he said, although I would have looked forward to a good fight.
"Nothing happened, okay? She just fell asleep and I thought I'd call and tell you that I was taking her home." I replied tersely.
"No. I will pick her up at the boundary line," the bloodsucker said with a bleak undertone.
"Fine" I breathed with an air of obstinacy "I'll be there in ten minutes or less."
"Goodbye, Jacob Black," he said curtly, just before the line went dead.
Why does he always have to get the last word in? I grumbled to myself while I paced across the damp earth back to the fire. When I returned, everyone was looking at the glowing embers wistfully, probably not wanting this night to end. Swiftly, I picked Bella up from the log, and was grateful that no one had awakened her. With a pleasant nod to everyone around the fire, I strode towards the familiar silhouette in the darkness, my Rabbit.
Ahh, I internally sighed as I creaked open the door. Placing Bella's slight frame on the cloth seat her hair splayed out all over her back. I inhaled the familiar scent of pine, rain water and… ugh, now the sickly sweet scent of them was trailed in my car. Great. Just great.
Carefully, so as not to wake her, I closed the door until I heard a 'click', then proceeded to walk around the front of the car and turn on the ignition until I heard a slight rumble and felt a miniscule vibration of the engine underneath me. Turning on the heater, I started to go on the winding roads that led me to the boundary line. The tempo of Bella's breathing and the smooth curve of the roads helped me to relax before I knew I was going to have to be in close proximity with my enemy in more ways than one. When I could start to smell the leech, I decided to interrupt Bella's peaceful looking slumber.
My fingers almost incased her toothpick-sized forearm as I shook her awake, "C'mon, Bells, we're here"
As I thought of her going to the bloodsucker instead of me, I felt bitterness wash over me, but when I drew my hand back, a poignant silence fell over the air, as I pondered when I would see my Bella again.