A/N: I am blown away by how well my last chapter was received. I cannot thank everyone enough for their patience and kindness during this time. It means so much to me.
My RL is still insane, so I will not have a set schedule for updates.
I don't own it. I am just playing with the characters.
Both Aro's and Lea's phone conversations will be italicized.
FYI: Marigolds may be pretty to look at. However, they have the most vile scent. That is why I chose that flower.
DPOV
Felix and I had resumed our patrol of the outlying area the moment Master Marcus had bid Miss Swan farewell. We immediately returned to the area that we had abandoned earlier in order to search for Miss Swan while she was missing.
While tracking was my supernatural gift, I needed to have a "feel" of the individual I was tracking. I have never met this Victoria before. Unfortunately, I was working off of a blank slate. It was quite frustrating for me. It was nearly enough to cause me to pull out my own hair. The knowledge alone that my hair will not grow back is what kept me from doing something so drastic out of exasperation.
We desperately searched for any type of sign or clue that would lead us to Victoria or her whereabouts. Anything at this point would be welcome. It was not unheard of for us to climb trees, enter caves, or to even crawl on all fours to catch just a glimpse of something out of the ordinary. We used our heightened sense of smell as well as sight the most in these instances. We took every advantage at our disposal to aid us. As members of the Volturi guard, anything less than us doing our utmost to succeed would be highly frowned upon.
Since we were unable to find anything on the surface to lend us aid, we both agreed that it was more probable that this Victoria made her way about by moving higher up from tree to tree. That way, she was less likely to leave her scent around where other vampires could easily discover it. It was a well thought out plan. Now all we needed to do was find at least one tree that carried the remains of her scent, if her scent did in fact remain. The weather in this area was working against us since it always seemed to rain around here.
Felix and I each quickly scrambled up two nearby trees. Inhaling deeply, we scurried as closely to the top as we dared being mindful of not breaking any branches on our way up. Even though we are vampires, we are more than capable of doing things as delicately as necessary.
After a few minutes of us hopping from tree to tree, Felix called out excitedly, letting me know that he came across a vampire's scent. I immediately glanced over to his direction and noticed how high in the tree he was. In fact, he was only a few feet from the top. This Victoria knew what she was doing by trying not to leave her scent anywhere it could be easily discovered.
"Fix, break off a branch with her scent. We will need the other guard members to take a whiff of it," I instructed him while watching him comply.
We both simultaneously jumped down from our positions in the trees. I walked towards him and could immediately pick up Victoria's scent. The aroma was that of wet dirt, marigolds, and what I could only assume was the scent of rotting flesh. It was still quite pungent. Her stench was revolting to me, and from the look of disgust on Felix's face, he felt the same way.
"Ugh, that is unpleasant. She must have the most abominable scent I have ever encountered. I would much rather smell the scents of those shapeshifters. It leaves one to wonder what type of vampire would smell like that," I sneered.
Felix grunted, "I agree. I always thought our kind was supposed to smell enticing to not only lure our prey but also our mates. This doesn't make any sense," he said while gesturing to the branch. "We need to get this to Master Marcus immediately. He would definitely have more insight on why she smells of decay."
"Indeed! Let's head on over to headquarters." We both sped off toward our base with Felix making sure he protected that branch. It was our first clue in regards to our foe, and we could not afford to have anything happen to it.
Within a mile of our destination, we ran across that scent, and it was fresh. We promptly stopped, listening to the forest around us and hoping we could hear a disturbance. A snap of a twig sounded from the east of us, and we took off in that direction. The scent trail continued to get stronger as we closed in on the culprit.
Directly ahead of us, we were able to make out a female vampire with a head of curly, red hair. Her clothing was filthy, and her hair was a tangled mess. She continued to dodge us while picking up speed as she fairly flew through the vegetation. It was obvious Miss Swan's analysis of Victoria's possible gift was correct. This female was gifted in evasion if the way she bobbed and weaved through the forest in order to elude us was any indication.
I signaled to Felix to loop around in front of her so that we could attempt to box her in. While it seemed that we may have been closing the gap, she unexpectedly darted off toward the west. We continued to chase her for a few miles until she ran across the shapeshifter's border. Knowing full well of the treaty, I called off the chase, feeling disappointed in not having captured her.
"She must have been attempting to spy on us. It's odd that she chose to run on the ground instead of up in the trees like she has been doing," Felix speculated.
"I think you're correct. This was definitely not her usual method of doing things. She is obviously gifted in evasion. At least we now have a good idea what she looks like not to mention having her scent to pass around to the others. We'll get her when the time comes," I said trying to sound positive.
Felix just grunted clearly annoyed with Victoria getting away from us. "We better get this back to base. Master Marcus must know why she wreaks the way she does."
"I don't think Master Marcus will be too pleased that she got away. At least we have made some type of headway," I said.
We arrived back at headquarters shortly thereafter to find Master Marcus finishing a call to Masters Aro and Caius. We stood by and waited patiently while he concluded his business. Master Marcus bid them farewell and turned to us, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Well, I take you have something to discuss with me," he stated while looking sternly at us. "I did not call you two back."
Bowing my head in respect, I replied. "Master, we have news. We managed to find her scent. While on our way back here, we happened to crossed her path. We chased her as far as we could, but she crossed into the shapeshifter's borders."
Felix stepped forward to hand our master the branch which he gingerly took while sneering in disgust. Clearly he was as appalled by the aroma as we were. Felix and I glanced at each other in question.
"Are you certain that this is Victoria's scent?" he asked looking back and forth between myself and Felix.
"Yes, Master, it is definitely her. We were able to validate that when we came across her," I replied.
"Her scent is vile and reeks of something decayed," Master Marcus commented as he walked over toward the chair directly situated in front of the enormous bay window that looked out over the forest. Sitting down, he frowned as he thought of the implications regarding Victoria's rancid scent.
"To be honest, she doesn't look much better either. She is filthy and clearly does not care for her person," Felix told him.
I nodded my head in agreement. "She reminds me of a rabid animal. She had a rather disturbing look about her." At this, Master Marcus raised a curious brow. I continued, "I should also mention that Miss Swan was correct in her assumption about Victoria having a gift of evasion. She seemed to instinctively know when we were going to make a move and counteracted it. We made every attempt to catch up to her, be we lost her when she went into the shifter's territory."
"Hmm...I think it is time to call the remainder of the guard back here. The two of you will see to it that everyone not only gets a whiff of her scent, but I also want you to give them a detailed description of her. Demetri, make the call. I need to call Aro back," he ordered turning away as he dialed his cell phone.
MPOV
I needed to run this information about Victoria through Aro. I had a pretty good idea of why her scent was so off. I just needed confirmation from him though. Thankfully, he picked up on the first ring.
"Ciao, Marcus, what could possibly have happened in the few minutes since we hung up with one another?" Aro greeted in his normally chipper tone.
"Demetri and Felix returned with news regarding Victoria. They not only managed to come across her scent, but they also found themselves in a chase with her," I informed him.
"I take it that they were unsuccessful in capturing her," he quietly mused.
"Unfortunately, my mate was correct about the possibility of her having a gift for evasion. Demetri claimed that she intuitively knew when they were about to make a move and counteracted it," I replied tersely.
"Ahh..That is most unfortunate. It will make her capture a bit more difficult."
"I had hope that this would ended sooner rather than later. At least we now have her scent, and Demetri will be able to track her. We just need to formulate a plan to capture her and deal with those newborns," I sighed in annoyance.
"I advise you to meet with the shifters. Combining your efforts makes the most sense and will also help to protect your beloved mate," he suggested.
"I had planned on it. Aro, there is something else I wish to mention and to get your thoughts on the matter. It is in regards to Victoria's scent," I informed him. I stood up from my place at the chair and walked towards the window not really paying much mind to what I was seeing.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Her scent is vile even more so than the shifters. She reeks of decay and rot. According to Demetri and Felix, she also resembles a rabid animal and cares not for herself. I have some speculation as to why that is the case, but I wanted to get your thoughts on the matter," I responded.
The line was silent for a few moments before Aro replied. "I believe that this is due to her mate having been destroyed. As you well know, we vampires have soulmates not just mates as some would believe. It would seem that upon his final death, her soul began lashing out. To be blunt, her soul is dying due to the fact that she has opted to hold on to the agony and anger from losing her mate instead of trying to deal with it."
"If that is the case, then why didn't that happen to me?" I asked, the curiosity was eating away at me.
"I cannot be certain, but I can tell you that you are much stronger than you give yourself credit for. You felt heartache at the loss of Didyme's, but you did not latch on to anger and hatred. I believe that makes a great difference. In addition, your destiny was still in motion. The fates chose another for you, one that would do you credit. It seems as if your Isabella has already begun to help you," he told me.
I smiled as I thought of her genius insight to Victoria's gift. Even as a human, she was more perceptive than some vampires I have met. "My thoughts run along the same lines in regards to both Victoria's scent and my mate."
"Be careful. Describing Victoria as a rabid animal is more accurate that you know. She will be fixated on one goal, killing Isabella. You cannot reason with her. I would hazard a guess and say that her mind is not all there. Plan your attack, capture her, and be sure not to offer any mercy. Her actions have warranted the final death. I wish you well and the best of luck, brother."
"I will keep in touch," I replied ending the call.
I stood there gazing out the window for a while. My thoughts were dark as I thought of the threat that Victoria presented. I would do everything within my power to protect my new mate and see to Victoria's end.
BPOV
When I finally reached the Quileute border, Jacob was there and ready to escort me home. Although he was in his wolf form, I could see how agitated he was. A tense wolf shifter is never a good thing.
I parked in front of the house, quickly got out of my car, and hurried up the porch steps. Jacob ran around back near the trees to shift back into his human form. I went inside and waited for the argument that I was certain would soon occur.
Jacob threw the backdoor open and stomped inside. He marched right over to me and began his tirade. "Do you know how worried I've been, how we've all been?"
I sighed in exasperation while trying to remain calm. With a firm voice I replied, "Need I remind you that you are not my parent, and I don't answer to you. You need to check your tone when speaking to me, or you will be ignored." I glared at him and walked away.
"Oh, hell no! What you did was reckless. You could have been killed," he bellowed angrily.
I halted midstep. Remembering what Marcus said to me about mine and Jacob's bond had me pause for a moment while I figured out the best way to handle this situation. I was angry and rightfully so. However, I didn't want to say anything I would later regret.
Taking a deep breath, I responded. "Let me be succinct here. You are angry that I had agreed to meet with Marcus. I get it. You're a shifter, and the vampires are your natural enemy. What you don't understand is the fact that Marcus and I are mates. You don't have to like it or even agree with it. You do, however, have to show me the proper respect and accept that I am an adult, older than you are, and I am quite capable of making my own decisions." Jacob attempted to interrupt but I shut him down. "No, you will stand there and keep your trap shut until I am finished saying what needs to be said. What you said to me was uncalled for and very insensitive. You implied that it was somehow my fault that Charlie was killed. That was the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to me and that includes all of the bull shit the Cullens spouted." I fumed while a poking him repeatedly and paying no mind to how that action actually hurt. "I lost the only real parental figure I have ever had. It's not my fault. You feel the need to blame someone, then you can go right ahead and blame the Cullens. They dragged me into their world and then dumped me when it was convenient for them to do so. They left a vengeful vampire out there so that she could hunt me. The blame lies solely on their shoulders."
"But…," he sputtered.
"I am not finished!" I bellowed. Jacob's eyes widened in surprise when I raised my voice. I almost never raise my voice. "You need to get it through your thick head. You are like a brother to me. But that is it. You have no business talking down to me or even trying to boss me around. If you were human, I would have broken your damn jaw a long time ago. Be that as it may, I will make sure you get your ass handed to you. You know how I will get it done."
"Okay, fine, I won't boss you around anymore," he said in a snit.
I shook my head, "That's not good enough. You need to show me respect. Whether you like it or not, I am older than you, and I do have more experience than you do. Deal with it. Also, you need to deal with the knowledge that I am a vampire's mate. He's not just any vampire either. And if you think I am pissed at you for how you have been treating me, imagine how a vampire will treat you for disrespecting their mate and hurting them. It wouldn't be pretty."
I stomped over to the kitchen sink. After grabbing myself a glass, I poured some water for myself and took a big gulp. My head was killing me, and all I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep. Neither of which I could do until I finished dealing with Jake.
"Are you threatening me with you new boy toy?" he growled lowly.
I rolled my eyes at his childishness. "I am doing you a huge favor by warning you. Vampires are extremely protective of their mates. You need to get that into your thick skull before you really screw up." I placed my now empty glass in the sink. Seeing that the conversation would only keep looping, I decided that I was going to bed. "Since you refuse to acknowledge anything I have said, I am going to bed. I have no desire to waste my time, time that would be better spent with me sleeping."
As I tried to walk around him, he grabbed my arm to yank me back. "We aren't finished," he growled at me.
I attempted to remove my arm from his grip, but he held onto it too tightly. I could feel the beginning of a bruise starting to form. "Release my arm now," I ordered. He refused to not only let me go, but he tightened his hold even further. Sadly, my arm was beginning to throb.
Since he refused to let me go, I did the only thing I could do. I pulled out my cell from my back pocket and called Lea. She answered after a few rings.
"Hey, girly, what's up?" Lea asked.
"I need your hand. Can you come here asap? I have a problem, and you are the only that can help me," I responded through tightly clenched teeth.
"I'll be there in a minute. I just finished my patrol, so I am nearby," she answered.
I hung up, counting the seconds it took for Lea to arrive. Jake still had a firm grip on my upper arm and showed no sign of letting it go anytime soon. He was shaking slightly which had me hoping for Lea to arrive sooner than the minute she predicted.
I heard the front door slam shut, and then Lea called out to me, "Are you in the kitchen?"
"Yes, hurry!" I yelled out getting more nervous as Jake's shaking continued to increase.
"What the hell, Jake?" Lea screeched when she saw the position I was in. "Let her go now! You're going to hurt her."
Jake didn't seem to be listening at all. Lea stepped closer. She grabbed his arm that held me in tight grip. "Release her now," she snarled.
Fortunately, Sam barged right in the house. "Jake!" The deep timbre of his voice startled me. "You will release Bella now!" he ordered. "That is an order!"
Jake's shaking increased further as he fought his Alpha's order. Lea, seeing the imminent danger I was in, took matters into her own hands. She reached out with both hands and grabbed a tight hold of Jake's neck. She began to put enough pressure on his neck to cut off his oxygen. A moment later, he released me to make a grab and the hands locked around his throat. Sam quickly yanked me into his arms and moved me to a safer distance. We watched as the fight left Jake and he gasped for breath.
"Lea, release him," Sam ordered.
Lea reluctantly complied and came over to protectively stand next to me. She gently lifted up my arm to check it out. It was already a hideous shade of purple.
"Now, Bella, could you please tell me what this is all about?" Sam asked while keeping a close eye on Jake.
"It's simple. He threw a temper tantrum because I went to meet Marcus not to mention the fact that I just verbally eviscerated him for speaking to me disrespectfully," I bluntly replied.
Jake chose that moment to open his mouth to argue, but Sam cut him off. "Keep your trap shut, Jake. When will you get it through that thick head of yours that you are not Bella's father? When has she ever let you speak to her like that? That would be never."
Jake snarled, "She was with that vampire. She has no right. Clearly she didn't learn the first time."
"Oh, hell no!" I screeched. I marched right up to Jake. Turning to Lea, I asked, "If you would be so kind.." I said while putting my hand out for her to place hers into. A soon as I had a hold of her hand, I lifted it up and took a swing. Her open palm connected with Jake's jaw. Thankfully, she put some serious power behind the hit because he flew backwards and hit the kitchen counter. With a grunt, he slid to the floor while rubbing his jaw.
"I have had it. If you continue with your childish behaviour, I will have no other choice than to not only move out but cut off contact with you. I will not keep myself in a position where I constantly have to be on guard. I will never again tolerate anyone treating the way the Cullen's did," I angrily informed him.
"I do not treat you the way those blood suckers did!" Jake roared. He scrambled to get up off the floor. Sam stood over him, guarding his every action.
"Oh, really? I was treated like a child that was incapable of making any decisions regarding my own life. I was controled. I was told what to say, think, and do. They even tried to control what I ate and the music I listened to. I was to answer to them for everything. Does any of that sound familiar?" I challenged with a sneer gracing my features.
He began to deny it, shaking his head in disagreement. "I have not done that," he replied weakly.
I raised my brow at his reply. "Really, because by the look on your face, you know I am right."
He sighed in defeat acknowledging the truth in my words. "I don't mean to hurt you or to even make you feel the way those Cullens did. I care about you, and I just want you safe. It killed me to see how much pain the Cullen's have caused you. I just don't want you to be drawn into a similar position ever again," he admitted softly with his shoulders slumping.
"That's the thing, Jake. I am not being pushed into a position like that. You need to accept the fact that I am a vampire's mate. Marcus is an honorable man. I may not have spent much time with him, but you can't miss how honorable he is," I reasoned.
Sam's eyes bugged out at the mention of me being Marcus's mate. "So you really are his mate?" he asked.
Nodding my head, I replied, "Yes, I am. I felt the mating pull the second our eyes first met."
"Okay, this makes things more difficult," Sam mumbled to himself.
"Actually, this is a good thing. A vampire is extremely protective of their mate. He will see to it that Victoria is both caught and dealt with," I said confidently.
"Sounds a lot like imprinting," Lea stated with a wry grin.
I grinned at her observation. "In a way, it is," I said in response.
She grinned, "Lucky you. You got yourself a sexy as hell mate who will do anything for you."
"Ah, come on! I don't want to hear that, Lea. You can't possibly find that vampire attractive," Jake spoke in disgust.
Lea crossed her arms over her chest. "So what if I do? I'm not blind. I can find a vampire sexy even though they are our natural enemies."
Sam and I cackled at Jake's look of revulsion. "Relax, Jake, no one is forcing you to find him attractive even though he is," I teased.
He sputtered before replying, "No, thanks! I don't do vampires."
Sam, Lea, and I cracked up laughing. "I wasn't referring to 'doing' a vampire, just to finding them attractive. I don't need to hear about you 'doing' anyone or anything. We aren't that close," Lea teased.
Rolling his eyes and blushing, Jake replied, "Very funny."
"I know," Lea jested confidently.
I threw my arms around my sister from another mister. "God, I love you, Lea. You always find a way to make Jake blush," I praised.
"He makes it easy," she responded while returning my embrace.
"While I do enjoy embarrassing Jacob, are we all good here? Jake, have you finally managed to pull your head out of your ass?" Sam asked.
Jake sighed. "Yes, and I am sorry for overstepping my boundaries and for acting like a jackass. I also apologize for hurting you, Bells. I can't promise I will never do it again. I will, however, promise to work on it," he said while absentmindedly rubbing his jaw.
"That's all I ask. As long as you try then we are good. But if you do continue with this behaviour, I will follow through with my threats," I informed him sternly.
"Well, since that is dealt with, Jake, you need to get ready for your patrol," Sam smirkingly told him.
"Huh? I am not due to patrol until tomorrow morning," Jake argued in confusion.
"That was before I needed to punish you for your behaviour towards Bella," Sam replied with a grin.
"Fuck my life," Jake sighed.
"No, thanks, you do it very well on your own," Sam joked.
Lea and I cracked up at that, enjoying the pack's alpha having a go at Jake. "Good one, Sam," I giggled.
"Fine! I get it. It's pick on Jacob day. I am going to head on out now so I won't be subjected to anymore of this torment," Jake said while heading on out the back door. The door slammed shut behind him as he stomped his way out to the back yard.
"Well, at least that is taken care of. I am going to head on over to the house. Emily was heating up some food for me," Sam said.
"Wait a second. Sam, how did you know to come over?" I asked him.
"That would be my doing," Lea interjected before Sam could respond. "I could tell by the sound of your voice that something was wrong. Also, whenever you ask for my hand, it always means that Jacob needs a good slap. So I called Sam and told him you needed help with Jake."
I hugged her again. "See, this is one of the reasons why I adore you so much," I told her.
"I am heading out. Have a good night, ladies. Lea, you have the day off tomorrow," Sam informed her while on his way out the front door.
"Hot damn! This gives us time to talk about that sexy vampire of yours," Lea jokingly said.
I smirked, "I will tell you all I know which isn't much. He did promise that we will spend time together to get to know one another better."
She linked arms with me and guided us toward my temporary bedroom so that we could have some privacy. I was excited to tell someone about Marcus, someone who wouldn't judge me. I couldn't wait to start gushing even if that meant that my sleep would have to be put off for a little while. It was so worth it!
