The Taming

Author's Note: Thanks to all those who reviewed. Here's the ninth installment to The Taming. Hope a few things can be answered here (:

Chapter Nine: The Liar

It is now a little after breakfast. Emiline went with Samuel to explore the villages and have a little time alone. According to her father, yesterday was the first official day that they had begun to court each other. Angelina came back to breakfast to help serve, but she was sullen and down most of the time. It was unlike her, they said. But only I knew the real reason.

I kept quiet about her little secret. Angelina has enough to deal with and she does not need the maids to start acting petty towards her. She told me Embry will not see her anymore. She loved him very deeply at one point, but the hatred towards him is slowly overtaking the love that once stood there.

Jacob, from the breakfast table, had been giving me the same strange looks that Alice had hated the day before. But this time they were more intense, like he was trying to beckon me over to him with eye contact and body language. His spell could never work on me. I push away any fluttery feeling in my stomach that I get when he smiles or gives me a wink.

Lady Portia sat properly at the table, nagging Emiline and the other noblewomen about the customs here. Whenever she'd look at Jacob, she'd get a flustered look on her face and turn her head to the side, biting her lip and blushing. And I'd glare because I knew her dirty little secret.

I'd recalled upon the incident and confided privately to Alice, and she had told me with a little giggle that she was always right when it came to those sorts of things. I'd noticed a funny thing while at breakfast. Jacob would barely acknowledge Portia. He wouldn't treat her the same way as when compared to the day when she first arrived.

He'd bent and kissed her hand. He put on his welcoming smile and defended her. Now he gave her a bored look when she called his name, and walked away, pretending not to hear that she'd called. And I'd remembered what Emiline had told me about him not wanting to be married.

It sparks a little flame inside my mind, wondering if he was jaded with her already. Alice also had commented how she wouldn't be surprised if he was done with her too, because she gave her body to him on the first night that they were ever together. Emiline had spoken of "the chase" and for Jacob, the chase was over with Portia.

And now, I sit in the gardens at ten o' clock in the afternoon by the little creek that runs past the wooden gazebos. I've kicked off my stockings and lace up boots and sat with my feet in the cool water that tricked through the dirt. I hear footfall coming towards me, but I don't look up. I don't need to.

He sits down next to me, staring straight out at the rows and rows of perfectly planted flowers swaying in the cool summer breeze. My hair is thrown up in a messy braid, wisps of hair bowing around my face. The sun is hot that day; it beats down on the both of us and makes our eyes permanently squinty.

"I have not spoken to you for some time," he finally speaks up, his deep bass cutting the silence between us. I try to tune him out with the sounds of nature. There's the sound of the birds chirping, the rustling of the leaves as the wind blows through them, the trickle of the water as it runs over my bare toes.

He turns his head to look at me. I feel his eyes analyzing me as I stare out into the distance. For the first time, I think I've rendered him speechless. He gulps, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Isabella…" comes his husky whisper. "I'm sorry."

I still refuse to look at him. I blink my eyes out into the sunlight and feel the warm rays kissing my face. "For what?" I ask him softly. He gives a little sigh; my tone must tell him that everything between us is okay.

It's not.

He licks his lips, wrapping his muscular arms around his legs. "It was wrong," he says. "How I treated you."

This time I look at him. The sunlight almost blinds me, but I keep my eyes locked on his anyways. "You thought it was right at the time," I counter back at him. "You just left me there. I saw it in your eyes, Jacob. You believed me but you still defended her and made me clean up the mess. I was…humiliated."

"I couldn't have…" he trails off, shaking his head and looking out towards the meadow. I frown at this. It hurts me.

"What? You couldn't have defended a lowly maid, right? Even though I told the truth?" To this he doesn't respond. Again, I've rendered him speechless. I shake my head and smile even though there's nothing to smile about. "I know how it works. It's been that way my whole entire life."

He clenches his jaw together, gritting his teeth hard. He seems disappointed in himself, but it could just be an act. "Isabella, please…" he murmurs.

"Why does my forgiveness matter? I'm almost positive you've never cared a lick about anyone's feelings before." I laugh humorlessly because I know that it's true. And by the way he turns so red in the face, I can tell that he knows it too.

He bobs his head, sucking his lip into his mouth. He lets my words sink into his thick skin. "Because you are…you are…a friend."

"A friend," I repeat slowly, making sure that I heard him right. He nods head. I frown at him, narrowing my eyes. "I'm not your friend."

His face turns redder. "You…"

"I won't be pulled into your web of lies, Jacob. I'm not like the others!" I shout at him, my face turning red as well. I'm angry. I'm upset. And I've got a right to be.

"I know!" he raises his voice. "I know you're not!"

I quiet down a little. I shove my foot into the mud aggressively. He watches me do this with interest, his breathing slowing as he calms. "Then why…" I whisper. "…are you still here?"

He is quick to answer. "Because," he says. "Because you are different."

I lift my feet from the water. I grab my boots and stockings and push myself upon my feet. He watches me intently before copying me. "Where are you going?" he asks me, sounding a little annoyed that I got up and left.

"If I wanted you to come with me, I would have invited you." I snap at him, my face burning red beneath the sunlight. My feet pad against the grass, feeling the soft tiny buttercup flowers between my toes.

"Goddammit Bella…" he growls, trying to keep up with me. "Just talk with me! I deserve your voice, at least. Let me ex—"

I whirl around with fury in my eyes. "I don't owe you anything. You don't deserve my voice. You don't even deserve my presence! Gods, I can't even look at you right now." He ducks his head and looks forlornly down at the grass. "What you did…"

0o0o0o0o

JACOB

"What you did…"

I squint my eyes down at the grass as the memories of last night flood into my mind.

"Shh," I cup a hand over Lady Portia's gaping mouth. I still my movements and my body completely. She looks at me with widened eyes, breathing softly. "I think I heard someone." I pull out of her body and slide off of the bed with ease.

Slowly, I make my way over to the door. It's cracked open. Goddammit…I'd told Portia to shut the door completely but she obviously didn't. With a shaky hand, I swing open the door and peer out into the blackened hallway. At the very end I can catch a glimpse of something. A little candlelight and a mane of beautiful waves of chestnut hair.

I know it's Bella without even seeing her face. My stomach churns as I hang my head with disappointment. I close the door and lock it. I grit my teeth together, trying not to rip something apart. Portia sits up in bed.

"Did someone see us?" she questions, her big blue eyes shining brightly with wonder. I shake my head.

"No," I say. "There was nothing but blackness out there."

"I think you're hearing things," she giggles, flopping her naked body back down onto the bed. I can't help but look upon her creamy white skin with disgust. Her small perky breasts, the apex of her thighs…the things that once enticed me to fuck her completely repulses me now. I turn away.

"You should return to your room," I say to her, slipping on my trousers. She gasps and sits up in the bed. I don't look her in the eye. I throw my shirt over my head and tie the top together. I don't want to be naked for longer than I have to. Over the years I'd learn to accept that my scars were there, but I'd still never accepted the reason why they were there.

"I don't understand. You didn't finish," Portia whines. Tears begin to well up in her eyes. "Didn't I please you? Oh, I tried…"

I inwardly groan. I can't be dealing with her right now. I've lost any interest I'd had in her before now that I know Bella's seen me with her. She already thought I was some horrible beast of a person and what she'd just witnessed had proved it a lot more.

I almost feel disgusted with myself for betraying her like that, even though I have no reason to feel like I've done wrong. I don't owe her anything. Portia's crying in the background only agitates me more.

"Oh Jacob," she sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't please you."

My hands twitch at my sides. I feel like I'm going to phase. I need to get out of here, and I need to get out now. "Wasn't you," I lie with a grumble. I think of something to say to her so that she'll stop her crying and leave me. "Wanted to…pleasure you only."

She sniffs a little, wiping at her eyes. "Oh."

I swing open the door and dart down the hallway. The beast within me is just itching to free itself.

0o0o0o0o

BELLA

I watch him as he stares with disappointment down at the grass. He squints his eyes shut and shakes his head. "You know what? You're right. I don't deserve anything that has to do with you." Jacob mumbles. He seems angry with himself. "I…apologize for any pain that I might have caused you."

My dress blows in the wind that sweeps through the garden. The summer morning is hot and tiresome already. He seems genuine with his apology. The gentle breeze runs its fingers through my hair and I close my eyes to fully embrace it. "You should go." I whisper. "You're probably wanted somewhere."

"Nowhere," he responds quickly.

"Portia will be worried," I say, beginning to walk away. "Don't leave her too long. You eventually have to choose a wife, you know."

"And she's not the one."

I frown at him. "How many times have you said that?"

"Plenty," he confirms, with a smile. It's the type of smile that melts my heart in an instant. This isn't good. I'm not supposed to be feeling like this for him. I should despise him after what Angelina told me, and what I saw with my own eyes.

I shake my head. "Leave me be, Jacob." I tell him. Those four words are painful to say but they have to be said. I have to look out for my best interest. This relationship between us is unhealthy to say the least.

He shakes his head slowly before carefully enunciating the word, "No."

"You must," I hiss at him.

"I can't."

"You can, and you will." I respond. My face reddens and I turn away from him, speeding down the grass to reenter the castle. I don't want anything to do with him. Right?

He pursues me on fast foot. "But I won't," he retorts back at me. "You want me as much as I want you."

"No," I growl at him. "No! I don't want you!" My face grows redder, if even possible.

He stands there and looks me dead in the eye. "You are a liar, Isabella Swan." Jacob whispers with another smile. Damn him. He grins even wider because he knows that he's right. I do want him. And any female in the kingdom would want him, too. But I can't go through with it. I won't be thrown away. I refuse to be trash again, and again, and again.

This time when I turn away, he doesn't follow me. He lets me go.

0o0o0o0o

Emiline stares at me with interest. "You've not said a word for nearly an hour," she points out. "What's gotten into you?"

I sigh and rub my eyes with my fingers. "Tired, I suppose." It's a lie. I know the exact reason why I've been mute for said hour. It starts with a J and ends with a B.

"Hmm." Emiline seems to know that I am lying. We stand on her balcony with our fingers curled around the railing made of cold marble. It is a beautiful day in Canavar and it is one well spent with nature. "You know, he's told me that he does not like her."

I turn my head towards her. "Whom do you speak of?"

She snickers at me. "Jacob," she replies. "Don't try to be clueless, Bella. I see right through it."

My face turns red as I look over the edge of the balcony. "Emiline, I—"

She cuts me off. "We were speaking yesterday. He told me that she already gave her body to him. But you already knew that, didn't you Bella?" I don't respond. She sighs. "He's horrible, I know. Everyone knows that. But he's had a rough childhood. He hates talking about it."

I don't know whether or not Emiline wants me to question further about Jacob's past. I lean against the balcony and stare at her with interest. "Alright." It's all I say because I've nothing else to say.

She smiles at me. "I'll tell you. Father is a hard man. Believe it or not, Jacob was a sweet child. I remember it, even. He'd play with me and kiss my cheeks and call me his 'sweet sister.' He'd laugh and he'd smile…all the time. But that was all before mother died. When she…passed, he took it pretty hard. And father hated that Jacob was full of such emotion. Father thought he was weak. And that's when it started."

My eyes widen. "When what started?"

"The lessons. Father taught Jacob how to fight. But he didn't want to learn how to fight. And when he refused father, he'd get a whipping. He'd come back crying, blood streaming down the deep gashes in his back. And father would tell everyone to laugh at him when he cried, not to feel pity. He wanted to make him a king, not a weakling." Emiline sighs. "I was the only one that didn't listen. I'd clean his wounds for him and tell him that it would be okay. And that was only the beginning. I began to lose him with each 'lesson' that father gave him."

The story upsets me to the point where I can feel tears at the corners of my eyes. I look away from her.

She continues the story. "He was whipped almost daily. Trained to the point where he'd be on the verge of passing out. And sometimes he would pass out. That would really tick father off. Father taught him how to phase, how to hunt, how to kill…father taught Jacob everything he knows."

I shake my head and look down at my feet. "Emiline…why are you telling me this?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Because I thought you were the most worthy of hearing it. Everyone's portrayed him exactly how father wanted him to be portrayed—like a monster. A beast. He'd probably kill me if he ever found out that I told you…because he'd learned to respect father for his teachings. What else could he do? He was afraid. Father made him kill. Father made him fight with older boys that were much stronger than him. Sometimes he got hurt pretty badly, but father didn't care." Emiline licks her dry lips and sits down on a seat she'd brought out from her room. "He doesn't hate his scars anymore. Over the years he accepted everything wholeheartedly. But if you've ever seen him unclothed…you wouldn't be able to count them."

I still don't look at her.

"Bella," she whispers. "Trust me, I understand. Everything people have told you…it's most likely true. He's killed men. He's bedded many. But no one knows the true Jacob. And when I've observed you two together, I can see him again. I haven't seen the real Jacob in ages." A tear trickles down the scarred ridges in her cheek. "You don't know how much you've missed someone unless they've been gone for a really long time."

I exhale deeply. What Emiline's just told me completely makes me rethink Jacob. He's still messed up, and he's far from perfect. But I guess I didn't ever notice the fact that he was different around me. He'd actually apologized.

And that meant something, even if it was just a few words.

0o0o0o0o

He's eating lunch with Portia under the protection of the gazebo's roof. Some servant boys carry out the food to them both. Portia hasn't stopped staring at him for five minutes straight. They can't see me; I'm gardening with Alice virtually out of view. And even if they bothered to look, which they wouldn't, we'd be unrecognizable with our bandanas on our heads and dirt on our hands and faces. The day turned from nice to extremely hot as the afternoon hours ticked on by.

"Can I have the potato seeds?" I ask her. Alice grabs the little pack and hands them to me. I dig a few holes into the ground, making sure to space them out perfectly, before plopping the potato seeds into them.

Alice sighs. "I feel like I'm going to faint in this heat," she complains to me. "I don't know whose brilliant idea it was to garden in this sort of weather."

I shrug my shoulders. "It needs to be done," I tell her. I've been gardening like this for plenty of years when I still lived with Constance. She didn't care about the weather. Her motto was that if it needed to be done, it would be done—whatever the circumstances.

She digs her hands down into the dirt, muttering a few choice words. "Do you see them, Bella?" she raises the question up into the air, swerving her head around the shrubs that covered her line of view of the prince and the lady from Belgras.

"Yes," I whisper. "I can see them."

"And?" Alice pops up onto her knees. "What are they doing?"

I look up from planting the potato seeds. "Just talking," I reply.

"That's all?" Alice frowns.

"That's all." I agree. "If we're quiet, we might be able to hear their conversations."

Alice and I both silence ourselves and perk up our ears. "Will you be coming to my chambers tonight, Prince Jacob?" Portia says in a seductive voice. This catches Jacob off guard. He chokes on his food and tries to regain his composure. My heart speeds up greatly. I wonder what he'll say.

"Portia…" he begins. "I am training tomorrow. I told you that. An early start means an early night."

"Now that's a lie," Alice giggles to me. "The chase is over for Jacob so he doesn't want Portia anymore."

The blonde girl frowns. "But surely you can make it in…and then return to your chambers?" When he doesn't respond to her, she frowns again, tears pooling in her eyes. "I knew you were lying last night, Jacob Black. If you don't want me, then I should just leave her right now!"

"Portia," he growls. "Stop jumping to conclusions! I…I want you."

"Liar," Alice whispers to me. "He never truly wants any of 'em."

He doesn't want to bed Portia tonight. Alice and I both know that if Jacob wanted something bad enough, he'd find a way to get it. It almost makes me feel better, knowing that he doesn't want to go through with it anymore. That apology is being proved true. Except he doesn't even know that I am listening.

Portia whispers something to him that Alice and I can't hear. And she grabs his hand and pulls him off, leaving the food untouched. I look back down to the seeds. Alice is laughing. "What a tart," she says to me.

I'm not upset. He isn't mine. He isn't mine. He isn't mine.

I go back to my work, planting potato seeds, picking weeds, and watering flowers under the blistering heat of the fireball in the sky.

0o0o0o0o

Hours and hours have passed. Most were spent in the garden, and the others were spent at lunch and dinner. A break has been my reward, gifted from Emiline. She told me I should go outside. Feel the fresh, cool air of the dying summer day. Smell the lilacs and river water on the breeze, and watch the colors bleed into the sky as the sun sets.

I wear my brown work dress that I'd cropped up to meet my knee, and the top to cover my shoulders only instead of my whole arm. I wear my white bandana over my braid, which was once nicely twisted together but now it remained messy from the day's work. I'd shed my stockings and brown lace up boots for the simple barefoot look.

I pad outside into the gardens just a little before the sunset happened. And that's when I see him. He's alone, sitting under a sycamore tree with a half-eaten apple in his hand. He turns the fruit and bites into it, one knee drawn up to his chest with the other lying flat on the grass.

So this is why Emiline suggested I go outside.

He's watching the sunset too.

I head out a little further in the gardens, moving past the nearest gazebo, trailing my fingertips across the soft flowers that lay planted there. He's sitting there, just gazing out ahead of him so peacefully.

Should I join him? I want to. But I shouldn't. No, I really shouldn't.

I feel a burst of something inside of me and suddenly my fear, my hatred is gone. A little adrenaline rush and my feet are moving, bringing me towards him, towards the sycamore tree.

I cut through the flowers, careful not to step on any of the delicate roots and sneak up behind the tall tree. My heart is pounding. I don't think I should do this. I look behind me. No one's there, no one's watching me. It's just me and him, all alone, in the circle of nature around us.

I sit down next to him before my mind can even register what exactly I'm doing. He looks over at me in agitation before he realizes who I am. His mouth opens a little before he snaps it shut and chews the fruit in his mouth. The sunset has begun to start, the colors bleeding out into the sky like a great watercolor painting being constructed before our eyes.

I can feel his eyes on me; he's not looked away from me since I've came. "Stop gawking at me. You'll miss the sunset." I say to him.

That's when he turns away and watches as the fiery blaze sinks below the mountain, pulling all the light with its magnificent presence. The sky darkens and the heat seems to sweep away with the sun as the soft chill of the night sets in.

He bites into his apple. "You like watching the sunset?" he asks me.

I shrug my shoulders. "I suppose that I do sometimes."

"S'beautiful, the way the colors spread out." He comments in his husky voice. The sky turns a greenish blue as the sun fades and the stars begin to faintly shimmer in the sky. I don't respond right away, so he looks away from me and bites into his apple.

"I've been thinking," I whisper. "About your offer…of friendship, that is."

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a shiny red apple and hands it to me. "A token, then." I look at him with interest. He nods his head at me, urging me to take the fruit. I accept the apple and bring it to my lips, biting through the soft flesh.

I feel like it's somewhat symbolic, accepting his offer of friendship as I eat his offered apple. I swear that it's the juiciest apple I've ever eaten in my entire life. He's tempting me with fruit to take a bite out him, guaranteeing me that it would be the best choice I'd ever made. And with the way his eyes sparkle, I can tell that my theory is right.

"So what changed your mind?" his deep bass cuts through the silence like a knife. "You were awful heated this morning…and rightfully so."

I watch him as he throws his apple core to the side and it goes tumbling down the hill. And as he extends his arm, I can see the little scars peppering his skin. I gulp down a bite of apple. "Things," I whisper.

He turns to me, his black hair blowing softly around his face. He pulls a little lopsided smile, making my heart flutter uncontrollably. "What kinds of things?"

"Not that important," I say back to him, shaking my head. I take another bite of the apple. My hair falls out of my messy braid some more. I can see him looking at me like I'm some sort of foreign beauty, something he wants to ravage, devour, conquer…

I clear my throat. "Stop looking at me like that," I scold him, beginning to feel uncomfortable under his heated gaze.

"Looking at you how?" he questions softly, cocking his head to the side.

"Like you want to…oh, I don't even need to explain. You know what you're doing." I hiss at him. "You know, I'll leave if this is how you're going to be."

"No," he blurts quickly. "Stay. Experience the beauty of the night with me, Bella." His warm hand folds over mine quickly. I try to pull my hand out of his but he only grips my fingers tighter.

It's not doing any harm, one part of me decides. The other says, Get away from him. It's sending him the wrong message.

It's not doing any harm…letting him hold my hand. I'd let a friend hold my hand. Right?

He moves his large body a little closer to mine. "I want to show you something. If you'll let me, that is."

I shrug my shoulders. "Well that depends on what it is."

"Luminescence," he replies. "It's one of the great secrets of Canavar. And it's not too far away from here. We could get there by horseback in a little under ten minutes."

"Wait," I say, shaking my head. "I can't. Emiline will worry and…and what about Portia? If she finds out that I am with you, she won't marry you."

"I don't care," he says, leaning his head against the tree's bark.

"Priorities, Jacob," I say to him, shaking my head in disbelief at his carefree attitude. "You'll be king someday. You need Portia and her kingdom's riches and alliance—"

"I have all the time in the world to worry about a wife and the upcoming responsibilities. For tonight, just live. With me." Jacob says to me, standing on his feet. "Let me show you this, and make it up to you."

He extends his hand. I sit there on the ground and just stare at it for a few good seconds. He nods his head at me. "Trust me," he says.

My fingertips meet his hand and he tugs me up onto my feet. And as I look into his eyes, I realize that I do want him…in so many ways. I want to be the one to tame the beast, but at the same time I'm cautious, afraid.

I'm a liar.

And he's known it all along.

0o0o0o0o

Snow days are good days to sit down and write for a couple of hours. Hope you guys liked this chapter. I think Emiline's

helped clear some things up, and I'd love to hear what you thought about it. I tried to include more Jacob and Bella just like some of you asked for. I love writing their stories.

Courtney xx