Chapter Seven
How To Be Dead
Please don't go crazy, if I tell you the truth
No you don't know what happened
And you never will if
You don't listen to me while I talk to the wall
This blanket is freezing, it's been out in the hall
Where you've had me for hours
Till I'm sure what I want
But darling I want the same thing that I wanted before
So sweetheart tell me what's up I won't stop no way
Hunting had been very bizarre for Edward at first. He'd thought it was going to be something that would take years of practice to fully understand, but it had been quite the opposite. Once faced with a potential meal, Edward lost himself completely to his instincts and before he knew it he was sucking on a wild animal's neck. It had been like a dream – some mysterious force that overtook Edward's every muscle and controlled him and made him act in ways that he would never have thought possible.
It was the same, he realized, when he'd been dealing with Bella's potential murderers. He had fought them with surreal senses – it was as if a whole other side of him that he had never known had been unleashed. Edward sincerely hoped that that instinct would kick in every time that he was forced to fight, otherwise this other persona of "Hero" would be a lost cause.
"Edward!" Oliver called over from his favorite spot in the sycamore tree. "Have you had your fill, then?" When Edward nodded, Oliver positively beamed with anticipation. "Then can we try this out? Are you prepared?"
It didn't take Edward long to answer. He could not wait to get back out into the city – even if it was incognito.
"Yes. Let's do it!" Edward enthused.
Oliver's face promptly went utterly blank and his eyes took on a certain glaze that clearly told anyone who was watching that he was incomprehensive at the moment. It only took a minute for the vision to come to the clairvoyant, and at the precise moment it did, the image cropped up in front of Edward's own eyes.
It was the Commerce Bank in the slums of Port Angeles and a dark figure loomed on the roof of it. The figure was tall and built, but he wore black and a stocking over his head so that Edward could not recognize him. The figure was equipped with a rope and he was cutting a large hole in the bank's glass window rooftop with a gadget that Edward had never seen before – it seemed to be of the topmost technology. Almost like a light saber, but with fire. A blue flame extended a few inches from the handle of the tool, and the fire took the image of a switchblade. It was something that was new to Edward's eyes, and though he was quite in awe of the technology, it scared him a little bit, too. This criminal would have to be a mastermind to make that – or to know someone who could make it.
Edward had seen enough.
"Alright, Oliver. I'm going." He announced, and the image abruptly stopped. Edward pulled on the costume that Oliver had provided for him and was about to start running when his friend stopped him.
"Wait," Oliver said with a wicked little grin. His thoughts were naught but the tune of the song "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne. Annoyed, Edward attempted to block the incessant bubbly pop song, but could only reduce it to a dull roar as Oliver continued. "No hero should have to run to his job," Oliver began, withdrawing something from his pocket. "So, I may have gone and picked a little something up for you…"
Oliver tossed Edward a key and then walked through the house to the garage, Edward close on his heels. At the swinging open of the door, Edward was greeted with a most remarkable sight.
Sitting in the garage, sparkling as if it were parked in the sunlight, was a beautiful, shiny, silver Volvo. Edward rushed forward to greet the car – he'd never seen such a beautiful sight. It was his… all his. "Oliver…" he started, "you shouldn't've…"
"Ah, but I did," Oliver stated simply, winking.
"Thank you, so much. Thank you, Oliver!"
And Edward threw his arms around Oliver's torso, feeling a surge of gratitude that was at a level he had never experienced. As Edward stepped back, suddenly feeling embarrassed at the emotion he'd shown, Oliver was looking down at Edward's face with a new kind of twinkle behind his eyes. It was as if he were thanking Edward for being a son to him – for showing him the kind of love that a son shows a father. Edward had thought he'd never see anyone as a father again after such a horrid accident had taken his own, but there was an undeniable bond between him and Oliver that Edward had come to regard as only that which a father and son can experience.
"You're welcome, Edward. Now go and, ah, give 'em hell."
Edward bit back the laughter at the sound of Oliver's refined English voice using such context. He nodded and then climbed swiftly into the driver's seat of his new Volvo. Turning the key in the ignition, Edward relished in the purring sound that the engine made, loving the Volvo more and more with each passing minute. With a final nod in Oliver's direction, Edward backed the car out of the garage and sped out and onto the highway.
The car was everything that Edward had expected and more as the vehicle whizzed past all the other automobiles on the street, the speedometer needle inching towards one hundred and sixty-five, steering with ease and precision. Edward loved it, and, as the car raced towards the city-lines, he vowed that, someday, he would take Bella in it.
Edward reached the Commerce Bank that Oliver had seen in his vision before sundown. He wasn't sure when the man was to come, but it had at least been darker than twilight. So Edward sat and waited in his new car, constantly vigilant and wary of his surroundings. To his surprise, the criminal appeared at the early hour of eight-thirty.
Edward watched as the figure proceeded to find a way onto the roof before he left the fortress of his car, mask in place and hackles already raised. Edward was caught completely off-guard when he recognized the voice of the thoughts. He'd heard that voice before… but where? Whose voice was it? Why was it so familiar? And why was there a subconscious fondness attached to the sound?
…Don't know what's gotten into that old man lately. Honestly! Making me rob banks? What'll he have me doing next? Killing? But… I have to do it… otherwise… he'll hurt Bella. I can't let him hurt her… I'm in love with her…
That caught Edward's attention. And it made him absolutely furious. Not only was someone threatening Bella, but someone else – whoever this boor was – was claiming to be in love with her! There wasn't enough room in this world for someone else to be in love with her – Mike and Edward were bumping arms as it was. And it wasn't fair that this guy had more of a chance with her than Edward – just because Edward was supposed to be dead.
With the newfound energy that his fury had given him, Edward scaled the building and approached the tall, dark figure noiselessly. The man had tied a rope around his waist and to a pipe that was sticking out of the roof. The glass had already been cut, and he was about to lower himself into the bank when Edward decided that he should make his presence known.
"What are you doing?" he asked, mocking true interest. The man whirled around, obviously having been taken off guard. The stocking that was over his head made his facial features hard to see, but Edward was fairly certain that seeing the whites of his eyes meant that he was bewildered.
"Who're you? What are you doing up here?" the startled man quizzed.
"Ah," said Edward, sneering. "I believe I asked that question first. You failed to respond to it, though I don't think it takes a genius to figure out the answer." Edward's voice was cool and condescending. "However, it will take someone special to stop you from doing this. I happen to be special," his voice was coming out in a low growl at this point, and the man stood up to face him. His height might have been intimidating if Edward were not indestructible, but he was and the stranger's looming nature had no effect on his confidence.
"You don't understand," the man said in a voice that was almost pleading. "I don't want to hurt you!"
Edward actually laughed at that – it was a harsh, barking sound, but a laugh nonetheless. "I can guarantee you that you will not harm me in any way," Edward assured.
"Please, sir. I don't know who you are, but an innocent life depends on this robbery. I know that sounds awful, but really, it's the lesser of two evils. Just let me go, and I'll-"
"Enough! I'll give you one chance – leave now and I'll let you go. But the consequences will be dire if you do not retreat, now." Edward stared at the figure, who seemed to tremble at these words.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," the stranger said in a much huskier, more dangerous voice.
If I have to choose between this guy, and Bella… It's always going to be Bella… Sorry, guy, but if someone's going down, it is not going to be me…
Before Edward could react to the thoughts, the man seemed to fall into an epileptic fit. Edward was in his right mind to call 911, but then, the seizure-like shaking stopped, and the man before him exploded into a surreally large wolf. The size of a draft horse, the creature wasted no time in springing towards Edward, but his reflexes were too quick and he dodged the attack without a second thought.
Actually, his first thought was how in the world this had happened! One moment a man, the next a wolf… but Oliver had mentioned werewolves in his story of transformation – so perhaps it was not that jarring of a happening. But, still! This had been the last thing Edward had expected in coming to this place.
Edward jumped off of the rooftop, luring the beast to a lower, more sturdy level. As the enormous creature made its bounds for Edward, he continued to leap out of the way, letting the animal's nose bash into brick wall, time after time again. The effort was little and so was the damage – but Edward was nervous in getting too close to the dog. It was, after all, the only thing – other than another vampire – that could do any true damage to him. Edward wanted to retaliate offensively, but all he could safely do was dodge the blows again and again.
Meanwhile, a question was burning inside of him – what did this monster know of Bella? As he yearned more and more for the information, curiosity finally got the better of him and he shouted at the monstrosity: "How do you know Bella Swan?"
A glaze seemed to appear over the fury in the monster's eyes, and the next thoughts that Edward could discern were: He knows Bella?
Then, time seemed to stand still. Both monsters turned their noses to the air, smelling the same thing at the same time – sweet, floral odors drifted through the air and the wolf and the vampire turned their noses in the same direction as they both realized what the scent meant.
Speak of the Devil and the Devil shall appear.
A car door slammed and Isabella Swan stepped out of her truck, obviously unaware of the fierce battle that had just been taking place a block away. As the wolf stared at Bella, he took a step in her direction. Inconceivable rage took over Edward. There was no way on this earth that Edward was going to let this mutt near Bella – who did he think he was? Grabbing the dog by the tail, Edward swung the beast around, letting its body crash into the brick wall of a warehouse.
The fight that Bella had previously been oblivious to caught the girl's attention. There was a gasp, and Edward suddenly felt very guilty for frightening her. But as the werewolf staggered into a standing position, he shoved the emotion away. There was no time to feel guilty when this monster was prowling around, able to hurt Bella at any time.
"Lay a paw on her," Edward hissed, menacingly, "and I swear, by all that is holy, it will be the last thing you do.
The wolf blinked belligerently at Edward. Edward tensed, expecting him to lash out, but was taken completely by surprise when the beast turned tail, running into the darkened streets. Edward could have followed – would have followed – had it not been for one thing.
Bella's heartbeat was racing, pumping adrenaline through her system with increasing rapidity. Edward took a moment to compose himself before making his way over to her.
Her eyes were wide and fearful, and her face was paper white – too white. It looked as if she were going into shock.
"Are you alright?" Edward asked in a silky voice, trying his damnedest not to scare her. As he came closer, the scent of her blood smacked into him as if he'd run headlong into a brick wall. He felt the venom begin to secrete itself, pooling in his mouth. The hot, dry, burning sensation in his throat made itself known, and his eyes turned black with thirst. Some little voice in his head told him to drain Bella – that when her blood touched his lips, the suffering would go away. But Edward refused, swallowing the venom that had pooled in his mouth and taking slow breaths in attempt to immunize himself to her scent.
Edward didn't know why Bella's blood smelled exceptionally more delicious to him than any other human's had, but it did. And it took every ounce of his concentration not to let his instincts have their way and murder the one person that he'd ever truly, madly, and deeply loved.
Bella's eyes flickered around, wildly, for a moment before she met his piercing stare. "I- I think so… what was that?" she queried, staring in the direction that the large wolf had gallivanted off into darkness.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," Edward wryly informed her. Just as he knew she would, Bella snapped to attention at the challenge.
"Oh really?" she began, cocking an eyebrow, daring him. "Try me."
Edward couldn't – and didn't bother to – fight the smile that twitched across his face now. Yet another characteristic he loved about Bella – her intuition. It seemed as though she were a human lie detector. She always had a knack for knowing when someone was deliberately keeping something from her or lying to her face.
"Would you believe me if I told you it was a werewolf?"
She looked in the direction of the monster's disappearance again, thoughtfully. Edward waited, studying every muscle that twitched in her face, trying to decipher her reaction by the clues that her expression revealed rather than her thoughts. It wasn't getting him anywhere. Just when he thought he'd go mad from waiting, Bella turned her face back to him. "I believe you," she stated simply, her face somber and contemplative.
Bella's gaze was excruciatingly calculative. Her eyes searched Edward's, and for a moment he feared she'd recognize him by something she saw in his eyes. She didn't, however. She simply looked deeply into his eyes, seeming to work up the courage to say something.
"What was he doing here?" she said after a long moment of silence – not an awkward silence, but rather an inflected peace; a quiet that had meaning in its quiet.
"Robbing a bank."
Her impassive yet calculating expression did not waver. "Why?"
Now Edward faltered. "I don't know."
There was another highly thoughtful silence after which, Bella asked a question that Edward would never had expected. "You're not human. So. What are you?"
It felt like his stomach was in knots – like he might throw it up. How would Bella react if he told her the truth? How would she feel if he told her that he lived because he sucked the life out of others? He didn't know if he could bear it if she ran off screaming, but it would be the only normal reaction. After all, she did smell exceptionally good to him for reasons unknown, and it could be so easy for him to lose control around her. Perhaps it would be best if she knew. Perhaps it would be best if she left now, while she still could, while she was still safe.
Edward looked at Bella with a peculiar expression on his face. He wanted to tell her the truth – wanted her to know what he was, what he was capable of doing to her. He owed her that much, didn't he? Some fair warning for her to get away now, before she got in any deeper. But could he handle it? If she ran from him screaming, could he take the utter agony that would surely follow?
Some tiny, hopeful voice in the back of his head then forced a new idea into his mind. What if she didn't find it at all fearsome? After all, she had just been in close proximity with a werewolf and seemed completely fine about it. How strange, Edward mused. Most people would scoff and doubt what Edward had said. Werewolves were supposed to be mythical creatures, but Bella had simply accepted the fact, and it seemed that she had done so because she felt that "Hero" would keep her safe. And then, a fleetingly beautiful thought struck Edward like lightening – if she accepted that a vampire could be a hero, perhaps she could accept that Edward was a vampire.
The idea was dangerously hopeful – sure to disappoint him. And yet, it was so tempting – like the Forbidden Fruit. What if he told Bella everything, and she could still love him? What if, against Oliver's wishes and Edward's better judgment, he told her every last detail since the night he "died" and she accepted who he had become? The idea was sweet, luscious, tempting him, drawing him into dangerous waters. But he could not resist now that the ploy had been conceived. His willpower was just not strong enough.
Edward did not think about it for long, deciding within seconds that he would tell her. "I don't want to frighten you," he murmured, staring intently into her eyes. She exhaled through her mouth and her hot, sweet breath caressed his face. When had they gotten so close? It had surely been an unconscious act on his part, and most likely on hers, as well. Bella seemed to realize that her mouth was open and snapped her jaw up, swallowing.
"I won't get scared," she said with a touch of defiance. The corners of Edward's mouth twitched upward and he sent a dazzlingly white smile in her direction.
"All right, then," Edward started, now looking at her face more carefully than he had ever looked at anything, scrutinizing the reaction that she could possibly have. The knee-jerk reaction to the words he was about to say would be to turn and run for her life. The next words he said slowly, annunciating each with wary precision. "Bella. I am a vampire."
Please keep your hands down
And stop raising your voice
It's hardly what I'd be doing if you gave me a choice
It's a simple suggestion can you give me sometime
So just say yes or no
Why can't you shoulder the blame
Cuz both my shoulders are heavy
From the weight of us both
You're a big boy now so let's not talk about growth
You've not heard a single word I have said...
Oh, my God
Bella had returned home from school that day with, instead of a brain, a blender of emotions. Guilt, anger, sympathy, sadness, confusion, blatant misery… and those were just to name a few. It had truly been a day from Hell.
All she wanted to do was be alone, but even that seemed impossible, as Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and – to her great displeasure – Mike came over to her house to take her down to Port Angeles for a bite to eat. Going to Port Angeles with a car full of people that she'd had it up to here with was not a very tempting idea. But now, she was so glad she'd gone.
The last thing she'd expected was to meet up with Hero, but that seemed to be the case. She'd driven down behind the midnight blue Kia Spectra that belonged to Alice. She'd told them that afterwards she'd need to run to the bank – her most recent paycheck needed to be cashed – but that they could all just go home.
She was hoping that the bank wasn't closed, but when she pulled up to the dark building, it certainly looked as though it was. Slightly frustrated, Bella decided that she could go for a walk, anyway, and parked her truck to start around the block. That's when she heard the commotion – someone was fighting. Bella peered around, staring blindly into the darkness, investigating the noises against her better judgment. If whoever was fighting found out she was here… she could be their next victim. But Bella was feeling restless with her life – she wanted to be scared. She wanted something big, something life altering to happen.
She didn't know that her wish was about to come true.
Upon her investigation, Bella found that it was not a gang fight like she'd assumed at all! In fact – it was merely two figures that battled in the distance. One was a man, and the other was a giant dog. Bella looked at the two going at it for a moment, and then the dog ran off. When the remaining figure turned to look at her, she realized – her stomach jolting – exactly who it was.
He'd approached slowly, as if he were afraid of her. Even though Bella knew it wasn't wise to talk to strangers, she felt as if this man could hold her confidence. She felt as if he were someone she'd known all her life, and she had no trouble trusting him.
So when he told her that the other figure had been a werewolf, it caught her off guard as she accepted it right away. After all, what reason had he to lie to her? And as Bella realized this, she also realized that there was no way this boy could be a human. If there was such a thing as werewolves, was it such an unrealistic idea that Hero was, perhaps, an alien posing as a Super-Man type figure?
"You're not human. So. What are you?" There. She'd asked it. Now she would wait and see if he could really hold her trust. If he lied, she would know. She could always tell when people were lying to her – even though she was a terrible liar herself. Hero looked at Bella with a calculating expression for a moment before he answered.
"I don't want to frighten you," he said, his eyes blazing with sincerity.
The breath wooshed right out of her, and she snapped her jaw shut. "I won't get scared," she promised.
"All right, then. Bella," his words were slow and precise. Easing through his lips with perfect clarity. "I am a vampire."
First, Bella felt the blood drain from her face. A vampire? An eternal life? A monster that sucks the life out of you so that it can continue to exist? How could… Hero be such a villain? Bella wasn't sure if she believed it, but when she looked back into Hero's red eyes, it held all the truth she needed to see.
At first, she admitted, she wanted to scream. But it was simply a reflex. Now that it was sinking in… it wasn't so bad. Hero obviously wasn't a bad vampire, otherwise he would have let the men that had attacked her last night… well… attack her. And he hadn't killed her, either. So perhaps this was a good vampire. A vampire sworn against evildoers and villains.
Okay, so Bella was getting a little too wrapped up in the whole… superhero thing. But, if he wasn't terrorizing the town, she could deal with him.
The next reaction that took over was the endless list of questions that cropped into her head. Her lips twitched into a smile as she looked into Hero's deep, scarlet eyes. He looked at her with obvious doubt for a moment before he spoke.
"You're not running away in terror," he stated.
Her smile grew and she shook her head. "Nope. I told you I wouldn't be scared. I'm tougher than I look," she insisted, grinning openly now. Hero's frown deepened.
"You should be scared. I am, after all, a monster. One of the undead. Normally, people don't face one of those with a smile." Hero's eyes flicked down to Bella's lips and then back to her eyes, his concerned and disapproving expression beginning to look as though it would never leave.
Bella narrowed her eyes. "How could something so beautiful be a monster?" she accused, immediately wishing she'd never opened her mouth. The heat crept to her cheeks, and she lowered her eyes from Hero's. There was silence, and when she looked up again, Hero had a look of complete scrutiny upon his face.
Bella decided she should steer clear of that part of the subject. "Wait…" she began, comprehension dawning on her. "If you're a vampire… one of the 'undead'… that means that at one point you were a human." She paused to look into Hero's eyes again. He blinked at her, his eyes beseeching. Was he begging her to continue, or was he begging her to stop?
"Does that mean… you were a person that lived here? Did I know you?" There seemed to be a ringing in her ears as she realized who this could be… and yet, it seemed so silly to hold hope that this was – dare she say it? – Edward. There were plenty of people around here who'd died. And… this guy didn't exactly look even remotely similar to Edward. Well, what she could see of Hero. Half of his face was hidden under a black mask. But his chin was strong and defined, and she could see that his muscles bulged through his clothes. Edward had been much more lanky than that. As much as she hated to admit it, Hero was much more beautiful.
Hero opened his mouth to answer, but then his head whipped around to look behind him where a figure was swiftly moving towards the pairing.
"Hey!" the dark shadow of a man called, some feet away. Bella groaned when she realized exactly who it was. "Get away from her!" Mike Newton shouted in Hero's face, trying to drag Bella behind him.
"Er…" said Hero, looking rather embarrassed. "I suppose I should be going then…" he mumbled turning to leave.
A sudden wave of alarm struck Bella. Go? But… he'd just been about to tell her something. Undoubtedly, he was about to tell her who he was. That was information of the utmost importance. Of course it would be important – it was coming from Hero! She wanted to listen to every single breath he had to take, let alone every word he had to say!
"No, don't go!" Bella told Hero with a panicked voice. Whirling on Mike, she cried, "Mike! What are you doing here? You were supposed to go home with the others!"
"I told them to drop me off because I wanted to keep an eye on you!"
Bella felt an unfathomable amount of rage boil up inside of her. "I don't need you to keep an eye on me, Mike. I'm perfectly capable of watching out for myself which is what I should be doing, now, seeing as we. Are. Not. To-ge-ther," she hissed through her clenched teeth, pronouncing each syllable with extra emphasis.
Hero seemed to smirk as Mike glared at him. "I know," he said in a voice that was dripping with loathing. "And it's all because of HIM!" And before Bella knew what to do, Mike had thrust his right fist in an uppercut into Hero's jaw.
To Bella's surprise, Hero's teeth did not get knocked out, nor did he flinch when Mike's fist made contact with his face. On the contrary, his teeth sank right into Mike's knuckles with unreal ease. He really was a vampire…
Mike let out a howl of pain, yanking his hand away from Hero's mouth. Hero spit blood out from his mouth, but it was not his own. He continued to spit the blood from Mike's hand out of his mouth with obvious distaste, and Mike's screams of pain did not stop. Bella hastily wondered why he spit the blood out instead of swallowing it. If he was a vampire, wouldn't this be a nice little snack for him?
"What did you do to me?" Mike shouted in the boy's face. "What did you do?!" His face was twisted in pain and he was cradling his hand as if it were a baby. Bella's eyes widened in horror as Mike began to scream in pain, crouching into the fetal position on the street.
Hero stood there, his mouth revealing his shocked emotion, before he spoke. "You must come with me," he explained urgently in his velvet voice. "You have to, Mike."
Mike looked up at him through eyes that showed immense pain before spitting in his face. "Never," he whispered with difficulty, trying to straighten himself up.
"Mike!" Bella cried. "Mike, just go!" Her worry was obvious enough through her voice, but her face had drained of all color and her eyes were constantly flickering from Mike, to Mike's hand, and then to Hero's face. What was happening? She was beyond confused.
"I won't go anywhere with him!" Mike shrieked. Bella wasn't sure if he was talking so loudly because of the pain or because of his fury.
Without another word, Hero bent down and scooped Mike up in his arms, cradling him like a baby. His eyes met Bella's, and he said, "Goode-bye, Bella," before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Bella looked around in the darkness, mystified as to where Hero had gotten to so quickly. She heard a car start somewhere, and then there was nothing. And she felt as if the blackness that was enveloping her were suffocating her. Asphyxiating her in the overwhelming loneliness that pulled her heart into a black abyss when Hero had left.
She'd only felt this intensity of loneliness one other time – after Edward, the love of her life, had died on the hospital bed one week ago.
Please take it easy it can't all be my fault
I haven't made half the mistakes
That you've listed so far
Oh baby let me explain something
It's all down to drugs
At least I remember taking them and not a lot else
It seems I've stepped over lines
You've drawn again and again
But if the ecstacy's in the wit is definitely out
Dr. Jekyll is wrestling Hyde for my pride
Jacob ran. He ran for his life, he ran for Bella's life, and he ran with his anger fueling him all the way. His bear-like paws pounded the soft earth with urgency. What was going to happen now? He had failed his father… what was going to happen to Bella now? If that damned freak of a boy hadn't gotten in the way, Bella would have guaranteed safety. But someone had interfered tonight – someone had known of his plans to break into the bank. How, he did not know. But he was going to find out if it killed him.
For the time being, however, he simply had to face Billy's wrath. His father would yell and scream and drink more liquor than he used to and then he'd threaten Bella. Jacob didn't know what he'd do if his father laid even one finger on her. He found himself snarling at the thought.
Jacob stopped, immediately, ashamed of himself. Just because he'd been made into a monster did not mean he had to act like one. Just because he'd been forced to do his monstrous father's bidding, didn't mean he had to become what his father had. But he found it harder and harder to fight off the instincts that made him more and more like that which he despised.
He was always fighting with himself to be… just that… himself. Just because he had two forms, didn't mean he needed to have two personalities. He didn't have to be like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
As the big house that Jacob had once been able to call his home loomed into view, he slowed to a walk, his mind working furiously.
Who had that boy been that had tried to stop him? How did he know Bella? How did he know Jacob knew Bella? Whoever he was, he may have cost Bella her life. Jacob would see to it that his father would be terminated if he had any plans to touch that girl. And after his father was taken care of, he would find that boy and murder him for almost murdering-
But Jacob caught himself again. Why were these evil, horrible thoughts always trying to take him over? He couldn't kill anyone – ever! It just wasn't him. There had to be a way around the constant bloodthirsty dominance – there just had to be! Jacob vowed that he would find that way around. And he vowed that he would not harm anyone, ever. And he vowed that he would only use his wolf form when absolutely necessary from now on. And as he looked over his vows, Jacob wondered if he could keep any of them unbroken.
