Sorry I've been gone for so long. Things have not been good. It's better now. Thank you to all who reviewed for me on anything I've written.
I stared incredulously. "Bella?" I asked, uncertain. What on earth was she doing here? Jake shifted suddenly, blocking my view and trying to shove me back into the house. He was much stronger than me, but I was able to resist him since he refused to turn his back on Bella.
"I'm not here to hurt her," Bella whispered, sounding strained.
"Sure you aren't," Jake answered sarcastically. "You just felt like visiting a girl you barely know without calling or bringing your bloodsucking mate."
Bella flinched at the animosity in Jake's tone. Her curious eyes had gone coal-black, and when she fixed them on me, I fell back an involuntary step. Jake took the opportunity to shove me into the hall and pull the door shut. Furious, I jerked on the handle. When it didn't budge, I slammed my fist angrily against the door.
"Jacob Black – let me out of here before I crawl out a window!"
"Damn it, Cat! Will you just trust me and stay in there!?" After a pause I heard him say quietly, "I don't need your two-cents, leech."
I crept silently along to the living room, and edged the window open. The old wood screeched in protest as it slid against the casement. Alerted, Jacob crossed the porch in a flash, and slammed the window back down.
Fury boiled in me, pushing me beyond reason. I ran to the front door as quickly as I could. Luckily, Jacob was distracted by Bella, and I made it out before it even occurred to him to block the door again.
"Cat!" he growled. "You're not making this any easier!"
"You can't tell me what to do," I snarled back, equally incensed.
Bella watched the exchange between us with a trace of wistfulness. Her mouth curled into a reluctant smile, and the color of her eyes lightened slightly to a coffee shade.
"She's special, isn't she, Jake?" Bella asked softly.
"We're not friends, okay Bella?" Jake snarled. "I'm not going to spill my guts to you." The coldness of his voice faded as he spoke, and he sounded more pained than angry. "Why can't you just leave?" he pleaded. "I don't want to hurt you."
Bella blinked, looking desperate. "I just wanted to see her," she insisted weakly. "I wouldn't hurt her!"
"Just go!" Jake snarled.
Bella tossed one last glance at me before nodding at Jake, and taking a careful step back. As she turned to leave, Jake stiffened again. In a blur of motion, Bella's beautiful husband, Edward, appeared at the edge of the yard.
"Bella!" he cried fearfully, but his amber eyes were on me. He strode across the yard at human speed, wrapping Bella in a tight embrace as he surveyed me. His eyes bored into mine, as if he were trying to read my mind. I watched, awestruck by their combined beauty, as he whispered something in her ear, his long fingers stroking her hair. She shook her head slightly, in answer to whatever Edward had whispered.
Edward took a deep breath, and looked up to Jake. "I apologize," he said stiffly. "This was a mistake – it won't happen again."
Jacob looked close to the edge of phasing. I stood back cautiously. Only my pride prevented me from jumping into the house and bolting the door. His fingers curled into tight fists, Jacob growled from between gritted teeth, "Leave. Now."
In another blur of motion, they were gone. I waited cautiously at the edge of the porch until Jacob had regained control of his temper.
"Jake?" I asked nervously. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he sighed wearily. "Fine."
"Do you want to lay down?"
Jake stood a little straighter, raising one eyebrow. "You nearly got eaten. Do you realize that?"
"I don't think she was going to hurt me," I said – and I believed it.
Jake shook his head. "You're just like her, but so different."
"Like who?"
"Nobody." He shook his head. "We're going to have to keep an eye on you. It looks like one of the leeches took a liking to you."
"Why don't you call her Bella?" I asked. I swallowed nervously. I knew it was dangerous, provoking Jacob – but I could see that whatever he might claim about being over Bella, he still harbored some measure of pain over the way things had gone between them – her betrayal.
"Because she's not Bella!" He roared, turning on me. "She's not the girl I used to know – she's a monster!"
I nodded silently, knowing I had gone too far. "I'm sorry," I said quietly, looking at my feet.
Jacob said nothing. Before I could look up to gauge his reaction, I felt his arms closing tightly around me. "Don't be sorry," he whispered, his lips moving against my hair. "I should be sorry."
"Why should you be sorry?" I demanded.
He sighed, defeated. "Because I'm a monster, too."
Sorry it's short. I've got a lot of catching up to do. The next will be longer, I promise.
In the fourth paragraph, when it says, "I slammed my fist angrily against the door," I accidentally wrote, "I slammed my fish angrily against the door." I couldn't stop laughing because I had this image of Cat beating a cod against the door.
