Forks
2 Weeks Later
Jake
"Have I mentioned how much I really, really love you?"
The gorgeous brunette in the tight jeans and v-neck blouse that showed just enough cleavage to have me thinking twice about my plans for the evening spun around and gave me the evil eye from my desk chair. The yellow glow from the antique desk lamp shone across her face, creating mysterious shadows that danced through chocolate eyes and across warm skin I knew as well as my own. In the hazy glow she was enchanting and enticing, the curve of her lips sending tremors through my stomach. Not for the first time that day I cursed the fact that I was getting dragged out in the middle of the night instead of getting to go home and fall asleep curled up next to my wife.
Especially when that wife tipped her head to the side, running her fingers through her hair and showing off the lacy black edge of a piece of underwear I was pretty sure I'd never seen her wear before. Maybe I could accidentally bump another button or two on her shirt. You know, just to be sure. Hate to be putting away laundry and not know who it belonged to…
"Yes, but now would be a really good time to remind me, since this is the third night this week I've been in here straightening out your mess instead of home, reading a book with my favorite little lapdog curled up at my feet."
"Lapdog?"
I straightened up from where I'd slouched against the office door, doing my best to look insulted while not giving away the fact that I'd been staring down her shirt and had only caught about half of what she just said. Hey, a guy might give up a few things when he owns a business, is raising two kids and running a pack, not to mention trying to keep up with three sisters, but just because we were rolling up on 7 years of marriage didn't mean I was going to let my wife get away with thinking I was all domesticated. Once that started, there was no going back.
"Please. Don't even try it." Bella's eyes glowed with amusement before shifting back to the pile of paperwork in front of her. "That big bad wolf routine of yours went out a long time ago. Everyone knows you're basically harmless."
Ouch.
"You think so." Stalking into the room I leaned over, setting my hands on my desk with a satisfying thunk. Bella could be a little bit sensitive from time to time about the fact that not very many of the members of our close circle of friends were 100% human (Emily, Max and Andy being the few exceptions) so I tried not to use my supernatural powers for evil. I really did. But when you tear vampires apart for a living (one you don't get paid for, but whatchya gonna do?) having a puny human call you harmless just…no. Nuh uh. So in the blink of a supernatural eye I reached over, swept her out of the chair and scooped her up into my arms.
"Jake! Damn it, put me down!"
She was shrieking loud enough that I was glad everyone else had gone home for the day, clinging and laughing with a smile so bright it could have lit up the night sky. Something inside me always went a little mushy we she did that, not just because I'd been stupid in love with the woman since before I knew what being in love really meant but also because not too long ago, she wouldn't have been laughing. She'd have told me to stop goofing off and let her get back to work. As hard as it had been to let her go, that year in Italy had done wonders for both her stress levels and her self esteem.
"Who's harmless now?" Growling down at her I backed up, bumping into the door and 'accidentally' flicking the lock. "Oops. My bad."
The love and first hints of lust on her face when she realized what I was doing sent a rush of liquid heat racing through me. Dipping my head, I just drank her in. Mouths locked in an intimate tango of dancing lips, tasting tongues and whispered, heated words we stumbled across the room, where I unceremoniously dropped her on the couch. A single twist closed the blinds that gave me full viewing access to the garage and voila!
"No witnesses now," I said, doing my best Bella Lugosi, "and nobody can hear you scream."
When I'd dropped Bella over here I really had planned on just spending some time snuggling up to my wife. Honest. Places to go, people to see, and so on and so forth. With her there looking rumpled on the couch, the windows blocking us from the eyes and ears of any humans who happened to come wandering in and a very clear understanding between Embry, Quil and I that I would be happy to kill them and turn them into throw rugs if they ran their mouths about anything they may have seen or heard after hours, temptation turned out to be too much to resist.
"Weren't you supposed to be meeting Carlisle and Eli tonight?" Bella asked, swatting my fingers away when I reached up to toy with the buttons on her blouse.
"Mmmm hmmm."
"You're going to be late."
"Mmmm hmmm."
"No, Jake, seriously." She giggled when I accidentally tickled the top of her belly. "You're going to be seriously late if you keep this up."
I looked up at her then, mouth curving into a wolfish grin. "I know."
She was right. By the time I finished with Bella and headed for La Push I was, indeed, very late (but it was oh, so worth it).
Everyone else was already there. Eli, the pack alpha from Jazmine's old tribe in the Mojave, stood next to Sam, David hovering at his shoulder. The old lobo was thin, lanky and didn't look old enough to drink, much sit at the top of a pack that was easily twice the size of ours. According to Jaz he hadn't lost a fight in over a century. I wasn't about to find out.
Eli looked over, nodded once, then went back to his conversation. Politics. Make nice with the neighbors, etc., etc. He and Sam had come to an agreement years before. They'd stay out of our business, we'd stay out of theirs. Until I'd met Jaz we hadn't even known the other pack existed. It seemed reasonable. And last summer had been the first time that agreement had been broken for the greater good.
Ever.
Unfortunately, he wasn't happy about the fact that his pack had gotten called in to clean up what he saw as Carlisle's mess, since it was the Volturi and his ex-girlfriend who caused all the trouble, and while he obviously still got along with Sam he wasn't fond of the fact that I, who had married Edward's ex-girlfriend and had a pretty good relationship with the rest of the Cullen clan, was now in charge.
The Cullens weren't even allowed on Mojave land, so it shouldn't have been a shock to find out that he fervently disagreed with the fact that I still endorsed the new treaty we'd made with Carlisle. The one that abolished boundary lines and made them a welcome part of our lives. The only good vampire is a dead vampire, etc, etc.
Jerk.
My eyes caught David's. He lifted his chin in hello, but stayed to listen to whatever Sam and Eli had to say. That was fine. I didn't need to dip my nose into their business; Sam would catch me up next time we phased. Which wasn't very frequently these days, come to think of it. Damn it, I was going to have to pick a new beta soon.
Now wasn't the time to think about picking a new beta though, or about how screwed up my living situation was at the moment with Embry underfoot (who was good in a fight, didn't piss me off on a daily basis and didn't lose his temper, making him the most logical choice for my new beta if he could ever get his personal life straightened out). I had other fish to fry, starting with why the hell I was out in the woods in the middle of the night instead of home making love to my wife.
"Carlisle!"
The blonde vampire immediately appeared out of the shadows, flanked by Alice on one side and Jasper on the other. So. We'd all (more or less) shown up with our seconds in tow. What the hell was going on?
Another shadow melted out of the trees behind Carlisle. What the fuck? He hadn't mentioned anything about bringing company. Whoever it was, they were all but hidden under the black cape that covered their face and dropped down to their toes, and they reeked of vampire and expensive shoe leather. Then he flipped back the hood of his cape and I found myself staring into a thin, pale face stretched tight across high, European cheekbones, olive skin framed by dark, curly hair…and bloody red jewels staring out at me where his eyes should have been.
Shit. Double shit.
I shifted between the new vampire and the others gathered around the campfire. Heat crawled up my spine and my hands started to shake. A low growl came from behind me, telling me that someone-probably Eli-had already phased. Damn it, I couldn't phase without Edward there to translate or I'd never know what was going on.
Now I understood why the Cullens had been putting some distance between themselves and the wolves. Sam and Eli were safe enough, as long as they didn't piss him off, but David was completely human. No sense in leaving him just lying around. Unless they planned on serving him up as an hors d'oeuvre.
It was a safe bet that Quil wouldn't mind. He'd probably offer to put the mustard on himself.
"Peace wolf, I mean you no harm." The vampire bowed low, making sure his head stayed below mine. Fucker was almost as tall as I was. "I am but the messenger."
"Demetri is a member of the Volturi army," said Carlisle calmly, his face smooth although his eyes were shooting rapidly from the new vamp to Eli and back again. "He brings news of an uprising in Volterra that will overthrow Volturi rule once and for all."
You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed Carlisle's announcement. The only sounds I heard were the rustling of the dead leaves swirling in the evening breeze and the scamper of small feet racing through the forest floor, completely oblivious to the predators standing in their midst.
"That's correct," said Demitri finally, his head still bowed to the ground. "For many years now a small but growing rebellion has been broiling beneath the streets of Volterra. I believe with their help you could rid yourself of the Volturi threat to your family once and for all."
"Right. And Alice here is going to be President of These United States. I suppose you've got some beachfront property you'd like to sell me while you're at it, right?"
The vampire straightened, tipping his head to the side in confusion. "I don't understand."
"He's being facetious," said Alice quickly, stepping over to lay her hand on his arm. "He doesn't believe you're telling the truth."
"Ah, I see. You're wondering what I stand to gain by bringing you this news, si?"
"Basically, yeah. What happened? You weren't good enough, so Aro kicked you out?"
Demitri's eyes flashed with fury. I instinctively braced myself. It wouldn't be pretty, but if I was going down, he was going down with me. In the blink of an eye, however, the rage was gone, replaced with a cold indifference that was somehow more chilling than his anger had been. It was, I realized, the same look I saw on Sam right before he ripped your head off.
Oops.
"Well done, Alpha. You nearly provoked me into a fight, which I'm sure was your intention. But tell me, where will your precious Bella be without me here to save her, hmm?"
Oh, this was too much. Bad enough he was here breathing air on our land, and probably planning to feed somewhere between here and Seattle, since even vampires didn't usually decide to walk cross country before taking a swim in the Atlantic. Now he was bringing Bella into it? Hell no.
An arrogant smile slid across his face when I made the first lunge. Carlisle and Jasper were immediately there holding me back.
"Let me go," I snarled, pushing at their arms. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Sam, standing with his hand on David's shoulder, and Eli…where was Eli? There, in the trees, nothing but the whisper of a shadow. He was flanking the vamp so that if I decided to end Demitri's miserable existence we'd have the upper hand.
"Jacob!"
Carlisle's voice, saying something about hearing him out, was just a buzz, easily drowned out by the rushing blood in my ears and the steady haze of red that all but obscured my vision. I could already feel his bones crushing beneath my teeth. I just needed one good bite, that's all. Just one, and he'd never bother us again.
A second later a cold hand slapped me across the face hard enough to bring tears to my eyes..
"That was unnecessary, Jasper."
"Perhaps, but he's coming out of it."
Their voices still floated down a long tunnel.
"Jacob? Can you hear me? Jacob, he's here to help. Do you hear me? He's here to help."
I stared at Carlisle blindly until he came back into focus, then pulled my arms away from the vampires' grasp. My heart was still hammering, but the change had stopped climbing out of control. This time, they let me go. I stepped back toward Sam, shrugging off the hand he laid on my shoulder, and nodded to Eli. The disgruntled wolf slunk out of the woods, snapping his jaws at Demitri before coming to stand next to me.
"Fine. You want to talk, talk. And make it good, because next time," I looked down at Eli, who obligingly bared his teeth, "I'm not gonna hold him back."
"Thank you for that." Demitri looked more amused than scared. Stupid vampire.
"To be a member of the Volturi was once a great honor," Demitri said, his eyes going glassy, his voice lapsing into a storyteller's lilt. "We were the keepers of the peace. For centuries it was my job to track down our criminals and dispense justice, and I did it well."
"Hey, we met one of your kind around here last year. Crazy blonde bitch, went by the name Natalya. Got her jollies turning bad little vampires into crispy critters. Sound familiar?" I saw Carlisle flinch when I mentioned Natalya's name. Demitri just grinned.
"Amazing, isn't she? She has the most unique trait of making sure her victims always die happy. Pure pleasure to watch."
That was our girl. Sick fuck.
"Aro was displeased when he discovered Natalya had been lost to him. He cut a bloody swathe through the streets of Volterra that will be talked about for centuries. Which is why I'm here." Demitri turned to Carlisle. "The Volturi court is not as it was when you were there. Aro is…not well. He is obsessed with Bella to the point of madness and will, I believe, stop at nothing to have her, regardless of the cost to our people. Marcus is as he always is. He surrounds himself with books and music and the day-to-day workings of the court. Everything else falls to Aro, a role he is no longer fit to fill."
"You want Aro gone so you can get back to your glory days."
Jasper frowned at me with disapproval. I shrugged. What? I wasn't here to play nice with the bloodsucker. I was here to find out what he knew. Then I was going to go home, bar the doors, lock the windows, grab Billy and Jenny and wrap myself around my wife so I knew she was safe until we could bring these fuckers down once and for all.
"As you will." At least he had the decency not to argue with me about it. "I have been acting as a double agent, you might say, relaying information about the Volturi to the rebellion. Word has spread. There is talk of acting at Ferragosto. I believe that your family, Carlisle, and your shapeshifting allies will be the key to their success."
"Who will step up if the Volturi are defeated?"
Was Sam serious? I really didn't give a rat's ass who they picked to keep order in Vampireland after the Volturi went down. Couldn't possibly be any worse than what they had right now. Then I remembered Victoria and realized that yes, it could get worse. It could get a whole lot worse.
"Whoever defeats the Volturi will step into their shoes. It's how it is done. You didn't truly believe that Marcus, Aro and Caius had ruled since the beginning of time, did you?" he asked. Genuine surprise flickered in his eyes. "To be that which the thing you fear fears, you have to rule in blood. That's how the rule has passed down, century after century."
"That would put you in charge." Sam crossed his arms, taking a step back. Demitri laughed, a golden sound that rolled through the trees.
"Oh no, wolf, I have no patience for politics. As a tracker, I consider it my very great privilege to be away from the court for months at a time. That's how I was able to be here without alerting Aro," he said, anticipating my next question. "I had business up north. No, stepping into the role of the Volturi would fall to the leaders of the rebellion. Other members of the vampire nation with the desire to restore the title of Volturi to its former glory."
"By business you mean execution."
Demitri simply continued to smile. I guess I should have been a little more freaked out by someone who traveled around the world killing their own kind, but really? With all the pleasure I got out of killing vampires it seemed hypocritical to be upset because he enjoyed his job.
"If we agree to risk our lives to help you do this, an agreement must be reached first."
"Of course." Demitri reached into his coat and withdrew a document, rolled and tied like an Egyptian scroll. "I would expect nothing less. Those that would rule have already drawn up and signed a treaty between our people and yours. I trust you'll want to look it over before you make any decisions." He passed the scroll to Carlisle. "You should find everything in order. I'll expect your answer before the New Year."
Carlisle nodded. Demitri flipped the hood back over his face, melted back into the shadows, and just like that he was gone.
"Well that was…interesting." I frowned at Carlisle. "You might have mentioned that one of the Volturi was planning on dropping by this evening. I'd have busted out the good china."
"I apologize Jacob. Demitri contacted me several weeks ago but asked that I keep the timing and nature of his visit a secret lest the wrong person find out. This is the equivalent of treason under our laws. If Aro were to become aware of what he was doing…"
His voice trailed off, but his meaning was clear. Stay on Aro's good side and you could anticipate a nice, clean death. Piss him off and…well, let's just say it was amazing what the body, especially a vampire body, could live through.
"Can he be trusted?"
Eli had phased back and was standing with his hands slung in his back pockets. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"What do you see, Alice?" Carlisle neatly ducked Eli's question. Slippery bastard. Alice sighed, then shook her head.
"I can't see the battle, but I wouldn't if the wolves were going to be there. I see…" She frowned, peering intently into a future none of the rest of us could see, then shook her head again. "There are too many variables. It's giving me a headache. I honestly don't know."
"Do we have any choice?" Everyone turned to look at me. "I mean, it's not like the Volturi are just going to go away. We have to do something. At least this way we'd have help with that something, whatever that something may be. It's worth the risk."
Sam nodded.
"I agree. Eli?"
The other alpha shifted uncomfortably. I knew how he felt. Taking a pack into Volterra was a little like walking into a bomb test site with a paper plate on your head and a target on your back. The odds of walking out alive were slim. But I'd walk to hell and back wearing nothing but a pair of boxers if it meant making sure the Volturi never got their hands on Bella, or the kids. It would be a lot easier if the Mojave pack would come along for the ride, but I could tell from the look on Carlisle's face that we were together on this one.
Whether Eli was in or not we were going to Italy whenever this Ferragosto thing was and kicking some vampire ass.
"I'll have to present this to the council," Eli said finally, shoulders slumped. "I don't have the authority to speak for all the alphas, but you're right. This isn't an opportunity we can afford to ignore."
"Of course." Carlisle nodded. "I'll make a copy of the proposed treaty and send it down with you. If you decide you wish to proceed, Jacob and I will travel to you and we can sign it together."
Politics. Paperwork. Bureaucracy. Unlike our pack, there were over a dozen alphas that took care of the various shapeshifters among the Mojave. Eli sat at the head of the wolf pack, but the cats and the coyotes and whatever else they had running around there at the moment would want the chance to read and sign for themselves.
"Will you be heading back to California right away?" Jasper asked politely.
Eli looked over at David, who smiled and rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Eli's heading back tomorrow. I told Max I'd bring her car up to Seattle for her."
Jasper let out a low, long whistle. "Don't suppose you'd say yes if I offered to take care of that for you?"
"Not a chance in hell, my friend." David slapped him on the shoulder. "I've been trying to talk her out of those keys forever."
"Almost as long as you've been trying to talk her out of her pants."
Alice rolled her eyes at me "How is Max?" she asked anxiously. "I haven't seen her since she got out of the hospital. We were going to give her a ride back to Seattle, but she said she had that taken care of."
I thought I saw David's smile get a little white around the edges, but it might have just been a trick of the fire.
"Yeah, I guess the guy she's seeing had a job in Port Angeles. He gave her a ride back up."
"Awww. How sweet." Alice beamed.
"Yeah, adorable."
Jasper arched an eyebrow. Alice's smile dimmed a bit, but she didn't say anything. David cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"You're, ah, welcome to come up with me if you want. She'd probably appreciate the company. Docs say it'll be at least another week before the swelling goes down enough for her to use that arm for anything other than looking pretty on top of a pile of pillows. That means work's out of the question, and she's going a little stir crazy."
"Oh, I wish." Alice hopped on her toes, the edges of her flyaway hair bouncing in the breeze. "This is the last weekend of good weather we're supposed to have for a while, which means it's all hands on deck."
"The campers will be coming out of the woodwork," explained Jasper, tossing his arm around her shoulders. "We're going to be busy."
That's right. I forgot sometimes that the Cullens were all gainfully employed now. Easy to see how, since they just spent a year in Europe and nobody said a word about it. Now that they were back Emmett had to report to Charlie at the police station (it was always interesting to see how that was working out-Emmett's disrespect for authority was legendary), Rosalie was single-handedly running the daycare for the pack she and Esme had started, and Alice and Jasper were the golden children of the forest department's search and rescue team.
None of us had to ask why. Finding a human lost in the woods was kind of like finding a hot dog at the fair. All they had to do was follow their nose.
"Next time?"
"Definitely."
After a quick round of goodbyes the Cullens headed home, Eli and David headed for Jaz's house and Sam and I started jogging back to La Push. The sun was just starting to break through the trees, which meant Jenny was probably up, which meant if I played my cards right I could talk Bella into breakfast before I passed out. Real food was going to be a necessity if I was going to have to listen to Quil bitch and moan all day about Eli and David being in town. Wonder if he'd take it the wrong way if I bought him a muzzle for Christmas.
Probably.
Lost in my happy place, filled with bacon and sausage and eggs and real pumpkin pancakes (not that crud you get in a box), I almost missed the smoke rolling up from my backyard…until I heard Bella scream.
