A/N: Thanks for keeping up with me, everybody. We got in the triple digits, woohoo! I have a YouTube trailer made by a fan on my profile page if anyone was interested. I also had an amazing banner made by my good friend Don'tcallmeleelee and the link is also on my profile page. Check them out!
Song: Hearing Damage by Thom Yorke
Chapter 7:
Bella kicked off her flip-flops and set her beach bag on the ground. She'd gone to First Beach plenty of times before with Jessica and her group of high school friends. But the only difference now was that Bella was alone. The beach wasn't too crowded that day, but there were a decent amount of people there.
She wore a white cover-up over her new forest green bikini that Jess had begged her to buy. Apparently it looked 'so totally cute' on her, which in Jess' mind meant that she had to buy it.
She lay down her towel on the sand and headed out towards the ocean. It was chilly in September, and Bella had to get out and have some fun before her vacation from work ended. She owned a little coffee pub named 'The Java House' and could take vacations practically anytime she wanted.
For some reason, she felt as if the entire male population was staring at her exposed flesh. She tugged on her straw hat and peered around through her light brown aviators.
The waves licked at her feet. Bella cringed and jumped back instantly. The water was freezing; she was lucky if her toes didn't blacken and fall off from the sheer lack of heat.
She began to walk down the beach, trying to get used to her chilly surroundings.
Bella walked along the shoreline, kicking away sea shells that were in her way. She remembered when she used to travel to the beaches in Arizona when she was younger and still lived with her mother. The memories of building sand castles with Renee and collecting sea shells in a bucket were still very much alive in the back of her mind.
A series of whoops occurred from behind her. Bella wondered if she dared to turn around and look. Her curiosity got the better of her and she foolishly turned to look as a young man was heading straight towards her in a path of destruction—he wasn't looking where he was going. She rushed to move back, but it was too late. A volleyball soared over her head as the heavy body collided with hers, knocking her over.
He twisted in mid-fall, his upper body pinning her legs to the sand. His hands braced his fall, his face landing into her upper thighs. Bella gasped as the young man looked up with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry about that—" he began to say, until he took in her physique. His apologetic expression was gone instantly to be replaced by a familiar smug grin.
He laughed loudly, making Bella's eyes widen in shock. She knew who he was. He knew who she was, as well.
"Out of all the pussies on the beach, I fall into yours. Now how fortunate is that?" he asked arrogantly.
"Paul!" she shrieked, trying to wiggle out from under his grasp.
But he kept her locked in place, crawling up her body until his upper half crushed hers. Bella groaned in discomfort, not liking the position at all. Her breasts were squished against his chest, and his prominent erection was rubbing against her thigh.
"Get off of me, you big lug!" she hissed, pawing at his muscled shoulders with her tiny hands.
"Baby," Paul pouted. "Don't you love me anymore?"
"You're a joke," she spat angrily as she felt the vibrations of feet bounding her direction. A pair of strong hands grabbed Paul by the neck and flung him back. It was Jacob—her hero here to rescue her.
"I swear, you have no fucking decency!" he growled, shoving Paul back in anger. Hothead charged at Jake, but Jared stood between them, holding a hand out to stop Paul in his tracks.
Bella lay on the sand, eyes wide as saucers underneath her aviators. Embry extended a hand out towards her, helping her up. He had to take a second look at her before he realized who she was. "Cabin girl? Hey, honey!" He swung her in for a bear hug, his massive arms enveloping her.
A swarm of girls gawked at the sight, scoffing in jealousy. Bella couldn't help but smugly smile at them. Their jaws dropped as they huddled in to gossip about her.
"Hey, Embry…" Bella murmured. His chest was sizzling hot, like he'd been roasting in an oven for hours. His temperature was identical to Jake's. He released her from his hug, allowing her to look around. Jake was still spewing out angry curses at Paul, and Jared was still trying to keep both of their tempers under control.
She shrugged off her wet, sandy filled cover up in disgust. She threw it back to her towel. She hadn't noticed the boys' shocked glances.
"Um…hi, Bella!" Seth greeted eagerly. Bella grinned widely and went to hug him. She definitely had a sweet spot for the young boy with the dark features. He was always so polite to her. He ran his hands over her back warmly. He was burning up just like Embry and Jake.
"Hey, what about me, sweetheart?" Quil asked, opening his arms to her. She went to hug him, feeling the warmth radiating from under his skin.
"It's really nice to see you guys," she said sheepishly as Jake approached her, his face still flaming. But he but a smile on his face once he saw her, rushing to her and embracing her sweetly.
"Bells!" he cried, gripping her tightly to his scorching body. He pecked her cheek reflexively, making her think of the night before. Bella felt herself become aroused all over again. "You okay? You took a hard fall…thanks to that jackass over there."
She laughed. "I'm okay. It was just an accident."
"Hell it was," Jake grumbled, glaring back at his pack brother. Paul looked at her and grinned.
"Sorry sugar," he apologized.
Bella gulped and nodded. "Yup."
Jake tightened his grip around her waist and followed his friends up to the rocky cliffs. "Where are we going?" she asked, eyeing the cliffs in wonder. She'd heard about people cliff diving before, and she'd heard that it was dangerous.
"The boys are going cliff diving," Jake replied casually—like diving to your death in an icy ocean wasn't that big of a deal. "You're not going cliff diving, so don't even think about it."
"Excuse me?" She couldn't help the surprised huff of laughter that escaped her from her lips. He tensed up almost instantly, a muscle twitching in his jaw. He shook his head, realizing his possessiveness.
"Sorry," he muttered his apology, looking down at his clenched fists. He was fighting his wolf's urge to control her in order to keep his imprint safe. But the human side of Jacob didn't want to come off as a domineering and controlling freak.
Bella's expression of confusion fell into one of amusement. "It's okay. I only want to know why I'm not going cliff diving."
"It's dangerous," he replied instantly. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"You're such a gentleman, Jacob." Bella smiled and laced her fingers through his, catching him off guard. He stared at their hands for a moment in shock before squeezing her hand in approval. Bella beamed at that same group of girls that had fussed about her before when she'd hugged Embry. She guessed they were all fans of Jacob's little group. She gave a little wave to them, watching as they muttered curses at her under their breaths, rolling their big Bambi eyes. Bella glowed with satisfaction.
Once they reached the tops of the cliffs, Embry prepared to make his dive. "No one ever comes up here but us," Jake pointed out. "They all think we're crazy for jumping this high. Most people jump from lower. Like down there," he pointed to a small ledge closer to the water.
"Sam got pushed off these cliffs once by accident and said it was a rush so it became our tradition to have the newest member of our, uh, patrolling group to jump off of these cliffs from the very top. Y'know, to see what they're made of. This is Seth's first time cliff diving."
"It'll be mine too," Bella commented.
"No."
She snorted.
Jared and Seth fooled around at the edge of the cliffs while the other people at the beach ogled them with fright. Paul and Embry smiled at Bella, who blushed in response. Jake practically growled at them.
"Here, put this over you," he instructed, handing her his navy blue towel.
"I'm fine. It's not that cold," she replied with the quirk of her lips.
"No…I, uh, just think you're drawing the wrong kind of attention. You don't know what they're thinking." Jake spluttered in frustration, his face turning beat red.
"And you do?" Bella chuckled.
Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do, was what he wanted to say, but he just settled for, "I've known these guys for a while now." He watched as Bella accepted the towel, wrapping it around her body. That familiar ache that Jacob felt emanating from his groin faded slightly, to his great relief.
"On the count of three, Clearwater!" Jared shouted. "One…"
Seth assumed his stance, his hands shaking slightly with fear.
"Two…"
Bella saw Seth muttering a prayer under his breath, his eyes shut tightly.
"Three!"
The young boy, with all the courage he could possibly muster, dove off of the cliff with ease. Bella gave a small gasp of fright and scurried to the cliff's edge to peer over with the others. They watched as Seth broke the icy surface of the water and disappeared below the surface. For a few moments, they were utterly silent as they searched for Seth.
Seconds passed and nothing happened. The water was still. "Did he drown?" Bella asked in fear of sweet little Seth's life.
"Nah," Quil said. "Give him three seconds."
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
"Seth!" As if on cue, the boy's head popped out of the water and he whooped in achievement. The others called to him, howling their congratulations. Embry dove in after Seth, Jared following behind him.
"Bella, you coming?"
"Yeah!" she replied. Jake caught her arm, giving her a worried look.
"No." He repeated.
"C'mon Jake. Let me have some fun."
"It's dangerous," he replied defiantly.
"Come with me then!"
"No."
"Seth survived. So did Embry and Jared." Bella gave him her prettiest smile, clasping her hands together in excitement. He still shook his head.
"They're boys," he protested.
"What are you suggesting, Jacob Black? That I'm not strong?" she put her hands on her hips and stuck her nose into the air.
"No honey, that's not what I meant…Bella!"
"Here, hold your towel Casanova." Bella tossed him his towel and neared the edge of the cliff with Quil and Paul. Paul shot Jake a smug grin as he inched closer towards Bella as she prepared to take her dive off of the cliff.
Jake threw the towel aside and started after her. Bella looked back to see him nearing her, a frightening storm brewing in his eyes. "Dammit Bella, I told you it's dangerous!" he growled.
"Jake—"
All of the sudden, Bella's feet flew out from underneath her and she went spiraling down into the water. She screamed in alarm as she plummeted towards the water.
"Oh, shit!" Paul cried out in shock.
0o0o0o0o
He'd seen the terrified expression on her face as she fell backwards off of the cliff into the water. His wolf howled with anger and horror inside of him. He rushed to the cliff's edge, watching as she hit the water. "Bella!" he cried.
Without hesitation, he whirled around and ran down the path to the beach. He swore he couldn't reach her fast enough. He rushed into the water as Embry and Jake held her up. She coughed and rubbed water out of her face.
He rushed into the water, stealing Bella from their grasp and clutching her to his body.
Instead of how he'd originally thought she'd react (crying, shaking with fear and pain) she began to laugh and clap her hands. "Jake," she whispered, her lips trembling from the freezing water. "That…was...amazing!"
He clasped her tighter, never wanting to let go. His heart was nearly beating out of his chest, his breathing minimal. She hugged him back, burying her head in the crook of his neck.
Suddenly, she was pushed away by his heavy arms and her shoulders were gripped by his strong hands. He looked at her sternly, like she was a child that he was scolding for stealing a cookie.
"Bells," he breathed, trying to keep his temper under control and not phase into his wolf. "What in the hell were you thinking?"
"Sam was right," Bella spoke, ignoring his comment. "That was a rush. Jake, can we go again—"
"Are you kidding me, Bella? What you did was so stupid! You almost died!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the bystanders. Bella wrenched herself out of his grip.
She grinned and smacked his ass, "You're just overreacting. Come on!"
His mouth hung slack, still unbelieving of what she'd just done.
She just slapped my ass. What the hell?
The rest of the boys bounded down the pathway to the cliff. "Bella!" Paul cried out, an expression of genuine worry embedded across his handsome features.
"Cabin girl, you okay?" Embry asked, his brow knitted together in fear for her well-being.
She nodded and smiled. "Never better," she replied. "Let's go up again!"
The others cheered and escorted her back up the cliff.
0o0o0o0o
Jacob slammed her truck door tight before grasping the steering wheel tightly. She pulled the towel tightly around her shoulders. "I'm ready."
Embry, Seth, Jared, Paul and Quil were still cliff diving when Bella decided it was time to go home and start on her dinner. Bella had convinced Jacob to dive with her after she'd daringly smacked him on the ass. But Jacob had refused to let her cliff dive without him by her side. Not that she cared at all.
Jake drove the Chevy down the road, away from First Beach and his friends. His face was stuck in an emotionless plaster, his lips pinched tightly into a straight line, his body tense and his dark eyes locked on the road ahead of him.
"Are you all right?" she asked him. He stared towards the road, his knuckles turning white from gripping the wheel so hard. "You've been acting kind of funny all day."
Jacob knew that the imprint's bonds were getting harder to avoid. He'd had a heart-attack when she'd fallen off of that cliff, and his wolf was savagely demanding that he stand by her side and protect her at all costs—it was his wolf's way of acknowledging what had happened that day and telling him that it would damn well never happen again.
He forced a smile, the scent of her filling his nostrils. "I'm sorry, Bells. There's just something on my mind right now."
"You wanna spill?" she asked sweetly. "I'm all ears."
He chuckled lightly, loosening his grip on the steering wheel. He made a right turn down her road. "I can't spill, honey."
"Keeping secrets, are you?" Bella waggled an eyebrow, giggling at his expression of ridicule.
"I wish I could explain, but I literally can't. Have you…have you ever had a secret that you couldn't tell anyone? One that wasn't yours to tell?" he asked. Bella urged him to go on.
He pulled up into her driveway, and pulled the key out the ignition. The engine spluttered and died down. He dropped his head, sighing. "Well it's like that for me. But worse…way worse…"
Jacob looked at her, shifting in his seat. "Honey, you have no idea how tight I'm bound."
"What, do you have a secret love child or something?" Bella asked, raising her eyebrows.
Jacob gave her a funny look, laughing in surprise. "No, honey…"
He swung open the truck door and stepped out. Bella grabbed her beach bag and her gripped the towel around her body, following him up the gravelly path in her hot pink flip-flops. She guessed he wouldn't be telling her anything anytime soon.
She stepped up onto her porch beside Jacob and fiddled with the key in the lock. "Again, thanks for driving me home. You sure you don't wanna stay for dinner? I'm makin' a pot pie." Bella smiled at him.
He shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Rebecca, my other older sister is coming home tonight and I gotta be there. I would if I could."
Bella hung her head inattentively, turning back to go inside. "Okay. Have fun." She shut the door in his face, making him feel like the biggest piece of shit on the face of the earth. Did she think that he was mad at her?
First he screamed at her at First Beach for accidentally falling off of a cliff. Then he wouldn't tell her his secret or spill his guts to her, and now he ditched her. He sighed, knocking on the door again. He heard her light footsteps near the doorway as the doorknob turned. She opened the door, staring at him in the face.
Jake gave her his most handsome smile, leaning back so he could look at her fully. "Save me some pot pie," he murmured. Then he lurched forward and captured her lips, one hand cupping her chin and the other trailing down the side of her slightly exposed breast. Breaking away, "I'll be back for it tomorrow." He winked at her.
She stood with her eyes as wide as saucers and her mouth dangling open in astonishment. "O-Okay."
He delivered another quick kiss to her lips before turning on his heels and dashing into the forest.
0o0o0o0o
Bella had finished her pot pie and completed the task of scrubbing her dishes around seven o' clock at night. She'd been rummaging through her suitcases for something to do when she'd found a new book—The Great Gatsby. Bella as a collector of the classics and The Great Gatsby happened to be her mother's old book. Renee loved that book, and gave it to Bella as a parting gift when she moved to Forks with Charlie.
She loved reading outside where she could be surrounded by nature. She was halfway into the book when she heard sticks snap and leaves rustle. She marked the page she was on and looked out towards the trees. Had Jacob ditched his dinner with his sister?
She stepped off of her porch, walking down the tree line. The figure stepped out of the forest once she came close to him. He was an African American male from France—someone she recognized very well.
"Laurent?" Bella gasped, eyes flying open in surprise.
He took a step forward, the white shells embroidered into his long, black dreadlocks clacking together. "Ah, ma fille douce," he murmured. "I did not expect to find you here. I went to visit the Cullens, but I found that their house was empty. I'm surprised they left you behind. Weren't you sort of a…pet of theirs?"
Bella's eyes widened at the remembrance of the painful memory named Edward Cullen. "Edward and I…we aren't…"
Laurent frowned sardonically. "So sorry, Bella. I knew how much you two cared about each other."
She tried to push the thought away. Everything that had happened when she was with Edward, she wanted to forget. And she'd come up to this cabin to escape everything, to forget.
"And you left your father?" he questioned, licking his lips.
"I moved out on my own. I'm nineteen." Bella replied, shaking nervously.
Why? Laurent's a friend. He warned us about James.
"Still young to me," the vampire chuckled.
Bella nodded her head, popping the question that would turn their conversation from bad to worse. "Why are you here?"
"Ah. I came as a favor to Victoria. But she is dead, killed by a fatal wound to her neck. I told her not to look for you in these woods alone, but alas, she did not listen." Laurent was now looming three feet away from her.
Bella took a small step backwards. "I don't understand—" she began. The wind whistled through the trees, blowing her human scent towards his nostrils. Laurent inhaled, his red eyes rolling back in his head.
"Victoria would have wanted this," Laurent spoke, stroking Bella's pale cheek. His bright red eyes instantly turned black, lusting with hunger. "I hate to kill you…you were such a good little human. But I cannot help myself. You look so delicious…so mouthwatering."
Bella felt panic stirring in the pit of her stomach. "Laurent," she begged. "Please. Don't do this. I thought you were a friend."
In one step, the vampire was in front of her, caressing her face with his rough, cold hands. "No, no, no. Shh, mon cheri. I am doing a favor. The beasts in these forests are merciless. If they catch you, death would be a kindness."
What beasts? What is he talking about?
She tried to escape, but he swiped at her arm, his sharp nails making a clean cut through her skin. She gasped and clutched her bleeding arm. Pulling her forwards, he stepped back and raised his hand to the height of her head. "Laurent," she pleaded.
"Mon cheri," he spoke. "You will feel nothing." Laurent pulled his hand back, ready to strike, when a loud growl erupted from somewhere in the forest. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes turning from black to red in shock. He slowly turned to see a massive black wolf stalking forwards. Teeth bared, eyes filled with fury, claws sharp and ready to kill.
"I do not believe it," he whispered. Bella's eyes widened at the sight, and she took a few steps back. More wolves stepped out from the shadows, snarling and growling. She noticed that none of the wolves paid any attention to her, and she was thankful for that reason. The black wolf charged, causing Laurent to dart the opposite direction in a daring attempt to escape.
Bella gasped as the wolves followed the black one in pursuit of the vampire. Laurent raced off towards the woods, the giant bear-sized wolves following him, hot on his trail. The vampire suddenly skidded to a stop, his strong marble hands hitting the black wolf in the side and sending it spiraling back into the trees. The black wolf regained consciousness with a shake of its massive head and charged again.
A russet wolf stopped before her cabin, shooting her a sideways glance. Its eyes were so large—she could see her reflection in its eyes. She felt that she should be scared of the wolf, but her conscience was telling her not to be. The wolf growled lowly, taking a step towards her. The wolf noticed her wound and saw the blood seeping out from her closed fingers. It snarled, baring its teeth. Bella stumbled backwards in fright instantly, knocking over her wooden table and falling over it. The wolf whimpered and slowly trotted towards her.
0o0o0o0o
Jacob stopped before her cabin, shooting her a sideways glance. She saw that she was abnormally calm, staring at him in both wonder and fright with those big, brown eyes. She should be scared of him. He growled low in his throat, seeing the wound on her arm.
She should be terrified.
He snarled loudly, baring his teeth at her. That seemed to do the trick. Bella stumbled backwards, snapping out of whatever stupid trance she was in. She moved backwards into her wooden coffee table, and fell over it.
You asshole! Why did you do that?
He whimpered, slowly trotting near her porch steps. He wanted to make sure she was okay. 'Bella, I'm sorry,' was what he tried to say, but it came out in small whines. She clutched her arm, trying her best to get away from him. She pressed herself firmly to the door of her cabin, staring at him with her frightened eyes.
I'm a fucking monster. A beast.
He ducked his head, sighing in shame.
She thinks she can tame me. You can't tame a beast, Bella.
He knew he should be with the others.
But I can't leave her.
But he had to. There was no way he could stay when that leech was out there somewhere. He could have killed her.
Please…just don't give up on me.
He took a step towards the forest, watching her cautious reaction.
I need you.
Jacob ran off into the forest howling madly, in search of the bloodsucker that almost drained the life out of his imprint. He was going to kill that thing slowly, give him what he deserved. He was going to shred him limb from limb, claw him into tiny strips of flesh, and then burn him. He was going to revel in the scent of burning vampire flesh, getting drunk off of it.
No…no. You can't tame a beast, Bella.
0o0o0o0o
Please review!
Hugs and Smooches,
Courtney
Up Next: Welcome to the Club- Jacob reveals all to Bella, and she finds herself to be the fourth member of "The Club."
