AN: GA! Please don't kill me! *begging* I don't really know what happened. I was trying to focus on writing this chapter. I knew how it was going to end, but the middle was just so hard! :( I couldn't figure out how to connect the two pieces I had created, and I got caught in a great fanfic. So, though I hate excuses those are mine. I hope that this chapter makes up for you having to wait. Please enjoy. ^^ Happy moments and Plot moments in a single chapter! Who could ask for more?
Oh! I just want to remind you of the rating. This is rated M for a reason. *grinning* no, sorry no lemons, but definitely some adult situations. Also for violence, little graphic action, and cursing. Please don't read if you think it will give you nightmares! (aka little kiddies too young to be reading this story!)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the plot, characters, or themes of the Twilight Saga. Honestly, if I did, why would I be here? *sigh* These awesome characters belong to Mrs. Meyer alone. I am not trying to infringe on her. Promise!
8 ~ Family
My head whipped around as a sound completely feral and animalistic ripped from Seth's throat. His body was vibrating far too hard. Shit! With a violent ripping noise, a wolf took his place. His wild eyes searched for a way out. He bounded to the door before anyone else could react, which was extremely fast given most of the company could move at vampire speed.
"Jake, I know you don't like to use the Command, but he cannot go to Clara now." Dad said quickly.
Jake's eyes flashed. "I cannot do anything that might harm his imprint."
"Get him." My dad growled. "We have time before they get here. We cannot have him do anything reckless until we know more."
Jake gave him one more hard glance before he too was bounding outside. I didn't take long for me to hear a wailing sound echo through the forest. Seth was in pain. I saw my mom cringe.
"Who is it, Alice? Volutri?" Grandfather Carlisle asked.
Alice couldn't answer her hands grasping at her head tightly. Her eyes completely unfocused. She was muttering what sounded like curses under her breath.
"Edward?" Grandfather turned to him instead.
Dad was frowning. "I don't understand." His eyes met Grandfather's. "It's the Egyptians."
I saw the spark of something I didn't understand lit Grandfather's eyes. "Why would the Egyptians harm her?"
Dad looked back at Alice his frown deepening. "From what I saw, it looked like," he shook his head; still trying to understand, "Carlisle, it was too random for me to make much sense of. Case was there with three Egyptians that usually handle problems over here."
"It must have something to do with his work then." Jasper surmised.
Dad nodded. "I think so. There was another vampire there as well. I have never seen him before."
"What did he look like?" Rose asked.
"Middle aged, white male with short salt and pepper hair. Red eyes. Oddly civilized clothes, but nothing too distinctive. Though I have seen very few who make the change at that age. Most die before the process is complete."
Grandfather nodded. "I have met only a couple myself. What part did this new vampire play?"
Dad frowned. "I don't know. He was standing there watching as Case burned Clara." I saw Leah's fists close. She was angry. I shared that anger. I didn't know Clara very well, but she didn't deserve to burn to death. I mentally shuddered at the scene playing before my eyes.
"Is that it?" Grandmother Esme said with a frown.
Alice's eyes come back, but I was frightened by the emotion in them. "Yes, I can't see anything anymore. The second Seth made a break for it, the vision disappeared into that cloudy hazy mess."
"Carlisle, I don't think Jake, Seth, or Leah will want Clara to go back home with this mess. I think she should come here so that we can keep a closer, safer eye on her." Dad suggested as Leah nodded.
A small frown graced Grandfather's face, "Her father will not be pleased with us kidnapping his daughter."
"She could just come over to spend the night right? I'm sure she could tell her father that. Besides the weekend is coming up. It'll be fine." Nessie hedged, but I could see the worry in her eyes. Despite Clara being a human, I knew Nessie cared for her deeply.
"You are sure she knows nothing about us?" Jasper asked my father.
"I'm positive. She has no idea what's coming for her."
"Do you think that we can keep up the façade with something like this coming?" Mom asked in a worried tone. "If she found out, it would be easier to protect her." She said as she stole a glance in my direction.
"Until the Volutri find out." Dad said as he shot Mom a look that held a deeper meaning. There was so much I didn't know about my human mother. This was just another thing.
"Why don't we just change her first?" Emmett said.
"NO!" I saw startled at the wide-eyed look Leah possessed. "No." She said lower, but with more menace.
"Leah?" I put a soothing hand on her arm. It did nothing to stop her wild gaze.
"You cannot turn her." Her voice dropped to a terrified whisper. She shivered. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my father flinch.
"Leah, why?" Mom asked gently trying to calm her.
"What do you think the imprint is for? To let us pass on the strongest genes! Do you have any idea what it would do to him for her to loose the reason why he imprinted on her?" She shivered again as if imagining it happening to her. "It could damage the imprint, it could damage my brother. Please, don't even think about it."
Could you really break an imprint? How much pain would that involve? I hadn't even thought of it like that, but it was obvious to me that Leah's reaction wasn't normal. It was instinctive. Changing Clara was now out of the question. This had got immensely more difficult.
"So we would have to pretend to be human the whole time? With vampires coming for her? Why don't we make this even harder?!" Rose exclaimed throwing her hands up in frustration.
"How long till they get here?" Mom asked.
"I would say two days is the least, three at the max. So either, Saturday, or Sunday." Dad said.
"It was night." Alice added.
That didn't give us much time. My mind wandered to my still developing skills. I hadn't tried anything as large as a human yet, and wasn't sure if I could manage it. Especially if it came to a fight. It was significantly harder to keep up the cloak when my pulse was raised. I wasn't especially thrilled about a fight. I knew Emmett, Jasper, and probably Jake wouldn't mind, but I didn't want to loose one of my family. If I lost Leah now… I let that thought trail off unsure if I wanted to know where it led. But the thought alone made my hands instinctively flex to grab her. To bring her closer to me, to make her safe. I couldn't loose her. I needed her to be complete. If I thought about it, I supposed it would seem depressing how attached I was, but it wasn't to me. It was just the reality of our relationship. My eyes were drawn back to Leah. She looked tired and worried. I didn't want her to look like that.
I noticed Leah yawn. Sure she would be tired; she had to put up with the Terrible Two trying to poison her and an attack on a future member of her pack. I nudged her in the side. She looked back at me. "What?" She whispered. The rest of the family was deep into what ifs.
"Wanna go up to my room?" I said with a lopsided grin I had picked up from my father. I wanted to mess with Leah's mind for a while. To get her off such distressing thoughts. Plus, it was so much fun.
She blinked at me for a second before her eyes sparkled. "You mean," she bit her lip and cast a quick glance at my father who took that moment to let out a large sigh.
"For the love of- Leah," he growled as he focused his golden, annoyed eyes at my mate, "please keep those thoughts to yourself and you know the rule!"
I laughed at where Leah's mind had taken her, pleased at how much I could affect her. She glared almost sheepishly at me, obviously embarrassed about how she had taken my comment. "In a hurry?" I whispered in her ear as her scent surrounded me.
I felt the heat rise to her cheeks. Her pulse heightened pushing a stronger wave of her scent towards me. I drank her in and felt at home, at peace. "Amun." Her growl did nothing to faze me. In fact, being as close as I was, it only made me want "alone time" sooner. I took her hand and lead her upwards to my private floor tired of being around the adults.
"Don't you think we should stay?" She asked with a backwards glance.
"You didn't see Jake and Nessie leave five minutes ago?"
"What?! Jake should havebeen there. That idiot Alpha neglecting his pack." She finished in a mumble.
I shrugged. "I can't blame him for wanting some time with Nessie." I felt better now that I had some physical contact with her, but it wasn't enough tonight. "Let the parents worry. We're teenagers. Didn't you learn what teenagers do? It's all they talk about in Sex Ed." I teased again.
"Amun, quit that. You're going to make me sic Edward on us again."
"You need to learn how to manage your thoughts. I never knew you had such a dirty mind." I smirked down at her.
"Like yours is any better, the only reason you don't have your father breathing down you back is because of your gift." She fired back.
"True." I conceded as we entered my room. I tossed Leah on the bed which I had neglected to make that morning. She bounced once before I was on top of her. Enough playing.
"Am-" I didn't let her finish. I had been deprived of her touch for too long. Far too long. My lips crashed down against hers. Her lips parted with a sigh. I drank in her earthen scent. Her warm hands moved up my arms to the back of my head. She fisted it and brought me closer to her. We stayed that way, drinking in each other slowly until she arched her body into mine. That extra touch sent a jolt of electricity through me. I parted from her lips with a gasp and looked, probably crazed, back at her.
Her hair was fanned out in a dark curtain around her head. Her eyes were dark, filled with passion I hadn't known she possessed a couple days ago. My eyes traveled down to her pink swollen lips that parted with her ragged breathing. I felt my blood start rushing downward. Damn hormones.
My eyes quickly were brought back to her lips as they twitched into a smirk. One of her hands drifted back to my face as hot searing fire was left in its wake. How did she do that? "Amun…" her voice was deep, silken. I was so in over my head. Her hand traveled to the front of my shirt and fisted. She pulled me towards her. "Come back here."
Like I had a choice now. I found myself completely unable to resist her request as I captured her lips again. She groaned in pleasure. I moved my lips down to her throat placing feather light kisses on her jaw as I went. Her hands moved to my back and pressed me down, urging me to close the small distance between us. If it was what she wanted, I found I couldn't refuse. I closed the distance and suddenly I was completely aware of every part of her body as it pressed against mine with her quick breaths. It was then I found the area I had been searching for – her collar bone. That piece of flesh had been tempting me for way too long.
I gave it all the attention it deserved, kissing and sucking on it. I found a vein and let my lips rest against it to feel her pulse. Her breathing hitched. "Amun?" I smirked against her skin and nipped at her flesh. She gasped. "Amun!" Her voice frantic despite the residual pleasure.
"I was just teasing." I soothed her as I came back to her lips. "Were you scared?" I asked with a kiss as I looked into her dark, deep pools.
She looked back and bit her lip. "I liked it." My mind went blank for a minute as more blood went southward. Damn her. She took advantage of my moment and flipped us so that she was on top. Her eyes looked cautiously at me. "Stay still." She commanded.
I did my best impression of a vampire and lay immobile as she moved her hands to the bottom of my T-shirt. I raised my eyebrow but otherwise didn't move. She said nothing but moved the corner of it up. "Leah."
In a flash, my shirt was off and Leah was sitting up staring at my pale chest. She let out a shuddered breath as her eyes raked over my exposed skin. "See something you like?" I teased her probably a little too huskily. I was having trouble controlling my breathing. Her eyes flashed up to mine only for a moment.
"Yes." She hissed as her hands connected with my lower chest. My muscles rippled under her touch. Her warm hands glided upwards as she caressed my skin. It was becoming extremely hard to stay immobile under her soft assault. She had to know what she was doing to me. I closed my eyes to saver her touch when I felt her hot breath against my own neck. My eyes shot open before she connected. Her warm lips brushed gently around my neck and shoulder. I melted under her touch. Damn she was good. As she kissed, I moved my own hands to caress her body. They started at her waist as I marveled at how small she seemed with my hands around her. I moved them up and down knowing that I wouldn't be able to control myself if I took her shirt off.
Suddenly, I felt her hands dipped to the button of my pants. I surge of raw male emotion was almost too much for me to control. My arms locked securely around her so much smaller wrists. She stilled and looked back up at me. Her eyes glazed. She had lost control. I smirked. I reveled in the fact that I had better control than Leah.
"Amun," her low, sultry, confused voice whispered, "what's wrong?"
"Leah, I have one word for you." I replied as I tried to imagine it was my sister on top of me. It allowed me to keep my very small control. The image was so wrong.
"What is it?" She asked as her lips connected with my jaw line again, her body dipping down against mine. Her hair created a curtain that seemed to separate us from the rest of the world. Her scent seemed amplified, but I could still think, thankfully.
"Edward." I said quickly as my control started snapping.
She kept kissing my face as she answered. "What does you fath-" I heard her gasp as she shot upwards. Her eyes wide. She blinked down at me. I raised my eyebrow.
"You ok?" I asked her as my lips formed a wry smile.
She looked down at her still encircled wrists. "Damn," she looked up sheepishly from under her eyelashes. The expression so much more arousing when she did it than Charlotte did. "Sorry, Amun, I lost control again."
"I noticed. Wonder why Dad didn't come in."
She looked embarrassed. "I didn't have any coherent thoughts. He probably thought I was sleeping."
"I doubt he thought that." I commented with a slight chuckle.
She sighed as her shoulders slumped. "Can you let me go now?"
I shook my head and tugged her hands down. She moved back down and lay beside me. My hands released her wrists only to move around to her back. Her face rested against my exposed chest. Her warm breath fanned across it. "Never." I said into her hair.
One of her hands moved lazily across my chest until it wrapped across the expanse. I brought the blanket to cover us. "Good." I heard her mumble sleepily into my chest.
A wide grin spit across my face as her breath evened out into sleep. I lay trying to calm my body down for a while, contented to just watch her sleep before I felt my own body pulling towards rest. For the third time I could remember, I rested completely at ease.
I awoke when the left side of my body was suddenly cold. I blinked as I noticed Leah rummaging in my closet. I frowned. "Leah, come back here." I commanded.
She turned around. Her hair messy and her clothes crinkly from sleep. It was her eyes that made me smile. They were light and happy. Leah never really showed her happiness like that. "Mind if I borrow a shirt?" She asked.
"You might as well move all your clothes over." I said as I got out of bed. Leah's eyes went again to my exposed chest. She eyed it hungrily. It took her a second to respond.
"Why?" She asked when she was finally able to look back into my eyes.
I raised an eyebrow. "You aren't expecting to sleep in your room again are you?"
A pleased smile pulled her lips upward. I noticed they were still a little swollen. "You want me to stay?" Her voice sounded more excited than I had ever heard it.
I rolled my eyes. "No, Leah," I saw her eyes fall, "I announce my love for you, sleep with you three times, and make out last night, yet I don't want you to stay permanently. Are you insane?" I asked as my hands looped around her waist locking her to me.
Her eyes took on a mischievous glint. She curled her hands around my neck and pushed herself up so that her lips rested on my neck. Then she bit me.
"OW!" I exclaimed in shock as my hand went to cover my exposed neck. "What was that for?" I asked the smirking wolf girl in front of me.
"Payback, did you see what you did to my neck?" She pointed to the already fading burse on her collarbone. Something completely testosterone based inside me was pleased at my mark on her. It would warn others to stay away from her. She was mine and now everyone could see. I frowned at how light it was. Guess I'll have to mark her more often. I smirked at the thought.
"What?" She asked curiously.
I shook my head and placed my lips against her soft forehead. "Nothing, but you better get down stairs before the boys start yelling again."
She rolled her eyes, let of a long-suffering sigh, but agreed although very reluctantly. "Yeah, yeah."
Her fingers lingered over my chest as she moved towards my door. I watched as she pulled the crumpled T-shirt off her body. I felt blood pulsing extra quickly with my heart rate as she displayed her exposed back to me. The only fabric covering it being the small strips of her lacy black bra. She slipped on the oversized T-shirt and for the first time I was extremely pleased it didn't fit her very becoming curves.
"Bye, bye." She said as she closed the door. It didn't take a mind reader to know she had been teasing me. I ran a frustrated hand threw my hair as I resigned myself for a very cold shower. A very long cold shower. With one last curse directed at my wolf, I moved towards my private shower.
I was shaking my wet hair when I entered the kitchen. Leah had long finished cooking and eating breakfast. Alice was busy on some strange new hair creation as Nessie talked with Jake and Seth. They were discussing what to do with Clara when she got here.
"I think we should just chill in the house." Seth said obviously worried about putting her at risk.
"Awwww!" Nessie wined. "That's no fun." Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she locked eyes with the Alpha. "I know! We should take her to the pool."
Leah's eyebrows twitched upwards. "Pool?" She asked incredulously. "What pool?"
Nessie turned her overly bright eyes towards Leah. "The one Jake and I found the other night." I had to stop the chuckle that threatened to escape my lips as I noticed Dad's murderous glare at Jake who didn't dare make eye contact but I figured was apologizing nonstop in his head while trying not to relive whatever they did.
I looked at Leah to notice her too trying to hold back her laughter. It was too much as Seth looked our way. All three of us lost the shaky control and burst out laughing. Nessie cocked her head as a quizzical look overtook her features. "What?"
"Never mind." Jake said with a mini, annoyed glare towards us.
"So the pond?" Mom came to Jake's rescue before Nessie could ask again. It worked as Nessie took a deep breath obviously intent on a long, probably excited, explanation. I was not disappointed.
"OH! Mom," she gushed, "it was so beautiful! A little less than a mile northeast of here. I know we don't normally hunt up there, so that's why we hadn't found it. But it was so cute. There's even a mini waterfall," her eyes had turned wistful and vacant, much like Alice's when she got on a tangent about overpriced shoes. I sighed. "It was natural where this large rock had been eroded over time, you know. It was really slick. The algae made the rock look green. The water was cool too. Not like shower water, not like rain water either. It smelt different!"
"Hey, Nessie, I think it's time for school." I hedged when she took a breath. She looked over to me with a frown.
"I haven't finished."
"You don't want to see Clara?" I asked with a slightly upset look on my face, correction, fake slightly upset look on my face.
"NO! That's not it. I was just telling Mom-" her eyes lighted up with a sudden thought, "I know! I can finish on the way to school." Nessie turned her attention back to Mom. "Can you ride in the Jeep?" She grimaced. "I cannot ride in the Volvo." She shot Dad a mortified look. I sighed. She was such a kid. I wondered how Jake put up with her, then remembered he wasn't much better.
"Sure, I don't mind." Mom said as she patted Nessie's golden locks. Dad looked up at me.
"Do you mind riding with me, Amun? The jeep would be too crowded."
I felt a cold hand wrap its way around my arm, forcing me towards the cars. "Of course he doesn't mind, Edward. I have something I need to talk to him about anyway." Alice finished as I sighed. I tossed a look back at Leah which read: you-know-how-Alice-gets-I'm-sorry-talk-to-you-later. The smirk and falsely cheery wave that she threw back reminded me of how sarcastic she was.
"Have a good day at school." Grandmother smiled from the porch steps before she rushed back in probably making sure the house was presentable for our guest. Not there was ever a speck of dust in the first place.
I turned my attention to Alice. "What did you need, Alice?" I looked back to see her frowning. Her eyes glassy again. "Alice?"
She huffed and turned toward me. "What?"
"You ok?" I asked her cautiously
"No!" Alice's voice rang out. "I can't see anything clearly. I can't help my family." I felt a sudden wave of self-hatred. It was because I was a half that Alice couldn't see. If I had been a normal vampire, or even a human, she could use her ability just fine. But she couldn't, because I existed.
"Amun." I caught my father's eye through the review mirror. "Don't blame yourself for Alice's outbursts." How does he do that? Dad claimed he couldn't read my mind, but honestly I didn't believe him at times likes these. Probably had help from Jasper who was feeding the car with waves of relaxation.
"Alice, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked before she could speak.
She furrowed her eyes like she was trying to remember something. "Oh, that's right." She gave me a huge smile that showed off all the teeth. "I just wanted to sit with you today!"
I looked at her incredulously. "Really." I deadpanned. She nodded her head, but I looked to my father for conformation. He gave a lopsided smile that I knew too well and shook his head. I frowned. He and Alice were too close. I could never use one against the other.
"Well," she looked down slyly then looked up from under her lashes which she batted at me. She looked like an evil pixy. I knew Alice too well to fall for her charms. "There was something else."
"What is it, Alice?" I asked hoping it didn't involve new clothing.
"You see, there's a dance coming up." She began.
"I know, Alice." I said loosing my patience. Why did she have to bring up that stupid dance? Then it hit me. "Oh, no." I told her.
She frowned. "You don't even know what I was going to ask."
"Like Hell I don't!" I exclaimed as my own visions of what Alice wanted to put me through came to my mind. "I am not going shopping with you!" I stated a little nervously. Alice always got her way in the end.
That deceivingly innocent smile adorned her features. "It wouldn't take long. Only a small fitting. I already have the tux ordered."
I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. "Damn, Leah was right." I couldn't believe her. Alice had done it again. Well, I was not giving in. "No. I am not going to the fitting. I know you'll end up making it into some big shopping spree."
Alice's eyes drooped a bit. A forlorn façade tookover her face. I had to pull my eyes away or I knew I would give in. "Amun." She whimpered. Control. Control. She's an evil shopping addict. Ignore. Ignore. I was doing really well at ignoring her when she hit below the belt. "Leah wants you to do it."
I whipped my eyes back around to her. "What?" I asked slightly breathless.
"Leah would be upset if you didn't dress up too." Alice explained with that sweet, evil smile on her face.
"Probably just wants me to share in her misery too." I grumbled.
Alice pretended she didn't hear my complaint. "You don't want Leah to be angry at you, do you?" I gritted my teeth together. No, I couldn't stand it if she was mad at me. Even the thought made my body ache in pain. Damn, imprints were hard to handle.
"No." I admitted to the car window as we pulled into the parking lot. It dawned on me that Dad had driven slower today. Sometimes his closeness with Alice really ticked me off.
Alice made a high-pitch sound of excitement. "Yay! I knew you would come around."
"Yeah, yeah." I grumbled as I got out of the Volvo. The wolves had already gotten here. Probably passed Dad while Alice was busy coercing me into doing her every bidding.
A warm hand pressed against my own as I wallowed in self-pity. None of these humans had to put of with an unstoppable force like Alice. Why did the world hate me so? "Why are you sulking?" Leah asked.
I looked moodily back at her. "Alice."
The knowing look on her face did nothing to dislodge my mood. "I wondered when she would get you."
"Why didn't you warn me?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Would it have really helped? You know Alice always gets her way." Yeah, I definitely knew that. We walked silently into the school.
My first class was relatively calm. I was surprised that I saw neither Charlotte nor Amanda, though I was certainly not complaining. It was as I entered Sex Education that I found out why my morning had been so pleasant.
"Um, ah, Amun." I heard a timid, slightly frightened voice ask quietly from behind me.
I looked behind me to see one of what I called the "fainters." These girls were just as obsessed with me as Amanda and Charlotte, but seemed like they couldn't get close to me without feeling lightheaded. It actually happened one morning. I walked too close to one of them, and the girl let out a squeak before she collapsed towards the ground. Luckily, a friend of hers caught her before she hit the hard cement.
"Yes?" I asked softly hoping she would have an attack and pass out.
Her light green eyes widened, and her breathing hitched. She started picking at the bottom of her shirt as she looked at the ground. I heard her take in a shaky breath before she spoke. "Did you hear a-about wh-what happen to-to Charlotte?"
I had to physically fight the smirk that threatened to lift my lips. "No, what happened?" I asked with as much fake concern as I could manage.
"Sh-she went to the C-Classy Sass-sy last night. She was d-d-d-drugged!" She said to the floor.
"Is she alright?"
The girl shook her head. "No, Am-Amanda tired to he-help her-r, bu-but they fell-ll down the stairs. Amanda bro-broke her le-eg. Char-Charlotte is still in-in the hospital with an ove-overdose."
"Well that doesn't sound good." I commented.
She shook her head. "No-no. It-it's terr-terrible." Just like they are. I added in my head.
"Thanks for telling me, I'll see you later." I said with a genuine smile towards her. After all, she had given me valuable information.
She looked up in time to see the smile which caused me to instantly regret my decision. Why? She fainted. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she fell towards the ground. Fainters. I grumbled as I picked her up before she spilt her head opened and started bleeding. I wasn't sure if I could handle that. I sighed as I walked towards the nurse's office. These girls were troublesome. Leah might get mad at me for skipping Sex Education.
"Oh dear," the kind nurse said as I lay the girl down on the bed, "she fainted?"
I nodded and left. Strangely enough the day seemed to pass in a blur after that till lunch where it slowed just enough for Seth to convince Clara to come spend the night.
"No, Seth, you know my father won't let me." She said so subdued she sounded like someone had died. I hadn't noticed such a public display of the imprint since Nessie was little. It was slightly bizarre.
"Aw! Come on, Clara. Please, you can spend the night with me. It can be a girl's night in!" Nessie said from behind her in the lunch line.
I felt the waves of calm mixed with excitement flow over me and was surprised to see that Jasper had decided to help too. I saw Clara visibly relax. Her eyes stayed on the floor though as we lead her to our table. She looked up startled to see she had been steered towards the vampires – not that she knew what they were. Mom gave a huge smile that Alice mirrored almost completely. "Hi! You are coming over to our house tonight right?" Mom asked in a mock whisper. Her golden eyes twinkling with mischief.
"I can't." Clara explained again.
Alice looked hurt. I wasn't sure if it was genuine or acting, probably a mix of both. "Really? That's so sad. We had this big night planned. Didn't we Bella?" Alice said with a conspiratorial look towards my mother.
"We were going to go down for a swim with the boys." Mom explained.
Rose curved her lips into an elegant smile. "It's always fun when Alice dresses us." Since when did Rose care?
I saw Clara bit her lip. She looked conflicted. Seth took the moment to drape a massive arm around her shoulder. "It will be lots of fun. I promise." He said gently into her ear. Everyone at the table heard her heart rate accelerate just before a fresh wave of her waterfall scent crashed over us.
"Oh, yeah!" Nessie started. Everyone turned to her. "There's a rock side that looks like a waterfall. You have to come!!!"
I saw Clara's eyes widen a little in anticipation before she turned them down submissively again. Damn she was a good girl. The next words that came from her mouth were so low, I wasn't sure if she had expected us to hear them. "Father said he would be gone on a trip until tomorrow."
Seth's eyes practically glowed. "Awesome! You could come over and leave before he gets back. He wouldn't even have to know."
She looked up into his eyes and in that moment Jasper sent a wave of contentment over us all, not that the two needed it. "Yes." She replied breathlessly as a goofy grin split her face. Seth's answering one was just a large.
Alice and Nessie let out squeals of excitement and began into what would need to be accomplished for this monumental event. I rolled my eyes until the caught on the dark eyes that made my heart skip a beat. She grinned. "You know what this means right?" She asked as she sat down and snuggled into my neck. I tried to stop the sounds that would give away what she was going to me again.
"No, what?" I asked into her hair.
I could practically feel the grin that I knew was on her face. "Swimsuits."
My eyes practically popped out of my head. The little blood trying to make my brain work went southward as visions of Leah in a swimsuit filled my head. I noticed I wasn't the only one who had caught her explanation. In fact, it looked to me like all the males would be enjoying tonight.
The calm before the storm… My mind reminded me. I tensed as Leah looked up. I had almost forgotten what this was really about. I turned my head towards Clara. She was busy talking, laughing, and enjoying the company of my family. It was strange to me that she was human but yet not repulsed by the true vampires. Could she just be like my mother? Could horrible things just follow her around? Somehow at this point, I wouldn't doubt it. But seeing her right then as she looked as quickly as she could back at Seth hoping to go unnoticed, I realized I didn't want her to die. I looked around at the other humans in the room. Did any of the really deserve to die by something they didn't even believed existed? No, they didn't.
When I had thought about drinking from humans before, I had thought about it as if someone I loved was the one who had been drained. I had known that I would never want Leah taken from me like that. But somehow, now I felt a deeper resolve to keep them alive. It wasn't just because they could be someone's mate; it was because they didn't deserve to die. Even if they were ignorant, they deserved a chance at life, at happiness.
Strange how time passes. Before I knew it school was over and we boys and been shooed out to the pool while the girls got dressed. We had horsed around for almost a full hour before the girls showed up. They were covered with towels so we could only see their exposed arms and legs. Even still it was arousing. Leah smirked at me as she dropped the towel to the forest floor. I swear if I hadn't been in cold water and my father's hand on my shoulder to keep me in place, I would have attacked Leah right then and there. She seemed just as enthralled with me despite the fact that my black short covered way more than her string bikini did.
That night was filled with laughs, jokes, friends, family, and love. Before I knew it the night was coming to a close. When Carlisle called us back to the house for bed, I couldn't remember being as filled as I was then. I was contented. After a chaste goodnight kiss, Leah had gone to Nessie's room where the girls were having their sleep over. I decided to go on a last minute hunt with the guys before I too went to sleep. From what I had overheard, Alice thought it would be tomorrow not Sunday that the vampires would come. I wanted to be as prepared as I could. Soon after I got back, I was asleep. My body seemed to know I would need extra sleep for tomorrow.
My eyes snapped open to the dark, cloud covered morning. Even as I woke, I knew something was … off. I couldn't lay my finger on what it was other than the fact that I felt like I would loose control at every slight movement. I hadn't been this flighty since birth. I dressed quickly and headed down stairs. Most of the vampire family was already in the living room. Alice looked stress and so did Dad.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Alice's eyes turned towards mine and lost the glassy look. "Amun, good, you're up."
I glanced quickly around and noticed Nessie and Clara were still missing. Seth was pacing quickly back and forth. His arms tingling. I frowned. "Are they coming?" I asked surprised. Alice had said that they would be here at night. It was seemed more like early morning to me.
"Someone is." Alice said. "I can't make out completely what's going on, but from the first vision, I believe it's the unknown vampire – the one who watched."
"Can't Dad hear him yet?" I questioned slightly surprised.
"I can't tell how far away he is; there's something very strange about his mind." Dad said towards the front of the house.
"Strange how?" My ability pulsed harder reminding me it would always be ready.
"It's almost nonexistent. Feeble. Muted." His eyes traveled to meet mine. "Or covered."
I knew of one other thing that seemed to have those characteristics. The rogue vampire that had been evading us in Hamlet from the beginning. "No way! Is this the same one that got Jake?" My eyes pealed over to study him. He looked ticked, but in far more control than Seth who looked read to take on a coven of vampire all by himself.
"Nothing is certain now." Jasper replied.
This was much sooner than I had expected. Way sooner. I was suddenly extremely apprehensive. Why would one vampire knowingly go into another's claimed territory knowing they would be outnumbered? This didn't make any sense to me. From the expressions on the other's faces, it didn't make since to them either. Dad seemed to tense for a second.
"He's coming into the clearing." He told us almost too soft and quick for me to hear.
"What about Clara?" Seth's nervous voice asked.
"Nessie will keep her inside."
"Please, tell me this means I can phase." Seth begged.
"No," Jasper commanded, "there can be no slip ups. Clara can have no exposure if we want to make sure the Volutri doesn't return."
Seth whimpered but didn't disagree. I knew his main concern was Clara's safety. We slipped as silently as possible out unto the porch as the whisper soft footsteps of a true vampire entered the clearing in front of our house. He was much bolder than I had expected. He moved until he was about five feet away from the front porch. I stayed back towards the shadows, but I knew his crimson eyes had spotted me in an instant. Judging by the vivid color of his eyes, he had recently fed.
His clothes were just as Dad had described. He looked more like an older lawyer than a vampire. He was even wearing shoes. I frowned. Was he more permanent than we had originally thought? Most of the rogues that I had met didn't wear shoes. His salt and pepper hair betrayed his age as did the slight pooch at his midsection. For a vampire, I had to admit he was among the plainest I had ever met.
His eyes landed on the calm golden ones of my Grandfather.
"Carlisle Cullen," his voice far from velvet or melodic sounds I was used to was harsh and coarse, "where is she?" The man's voice seemed to grate against my instincts. There was such an undertone of menace in it.
"Where is who?" Carlisle asked politely.
His eyes went wild. They raked across the front of the house and narrowed on the room I knew Clara to be in. "CLARA!!!" His voice bellowed through the clearing.
I heard a squeak from the upper floors followed by the sounds of two girls franticly whispering too softly even for my instincts to hear. I heard my sister gasp and turned to look at my father whose body was much, much too rigid. Clara came bounding out of the house then. I saw Seth try to take a step towards her, but without exposing everything, he wouldn't be able to reach her in time to stop her. Why was she running towards him anyway?
My father seemed still too busy processing whatever he had just heard to stop her. Since he made no move, none of us did either. Clara was allowed to run down the stairs with her head down, bowed in a similar submissive position. The second her eyes looked up she gasped.
"Father?"
The effect her one word had on me was like being hit by a ton of bricks. This was her father?! HER FATHER IS A VAMPIRE!!!!!! I felt a snarl building up in my throat, but I held it back barely. She had betrayed us hadn't she? She couldn't have kept this from Dad. That thought stopped the frantic pulsing trying to break through my mental barriers. Dad had vouched for her. She hadn't known. It was then that little things clicked in my head. Small things she had said ran back through my mind and now I was shocked I hadn't realized it before.
Clara hadn't betrayed us, but her father was not our friend. No, no matter how innocent Clara was, her father was different. This was the man who had bitten and almost killed Jake. We shouldn't forgive him for that should we? My mind was going around in dizzying circles as Clara spoke again.
"You can see!" She looked so excited I was thrown back into my conflicting thoughts.
Ok, I was confused. I admit it, alright. No, I didn't want to, but there was no way around it. There before me was the rogue who had attacked Jake. The one who had first started our problems in Hamlet. The one who's scent seemed to disappear the second you noticed it. Why were we not attacking him again? Oh right, Clara.
My whole body was tingling with the barely repressed pulse. It took all the discipline I had not to give in and attack the rogue. Heck, I was about to anyway. It had tried to kill Jake! But, I knew I couldn't. First off, he would notice if I was suddenly missing even if he didn't know what had happened. Secondly, Leah would know what I was doing and stop me. It wasn't worth the risk to her pack. That risk just happened to be a human girl with pale blond hair standing far to close to the vampire with red eyes.
"Clara, please come back over here." Seth begged the girl whose eyes never left the red eyes glaring down at her.
Clara's father whipped his eyes to focus on Seth. The bone chilling glare he sent Seth would have rivaled any I had ever seen. I was pretty sure I lost control for a second. He hissed and moved Clara behind him. "You will stay away from my child, wolf." His coarse voice demanded.
I saw Seth shaking so bad that I knew he was going to phase. There was no way he could hold on to control in this type of situation, but he surprised me. He held himself together just long enough for Carlisle to begin to speak again.
"We will not hurt Clara."
"Father," Clara said as she put a placating hand on the red-eyed vampire. I flinched. This was not safe no matter how full he was. "Seth is my friend. Please, I sorry I lied to you. Don't get too mad at them."
"Why are you associating with these?"
Clara's blush made most of us cringe. This was NOT good. Who knew when he would loose control and bit her? "Well, Seth and I are" she bit her lip before whispering, "dating."
"Do you realize just what he is?" The rogue hissed.
Clara frowned. "What do you mean?"
"NO!" Seth barked.
A demonic smile lifted his lips. "Your boyfriend is a werewolf." Clara stared blankly at him as his hand whipped out to gesture to all of us on the porch. "And these friends of yours, Golden Eyes." He snorted. "Vegetarian Vampires." His harsh voice mocking.
Her mouth opened in a small 'o' of surprise before she closed her eyes and crumpled towards the forest floor. Damn! She had feinted.
"Do you know why anyone would want to hurt Clara?" Carlisle asked the vampire who was holding the human girl to his chest. The vampire turned his lurid eyes towards us slowly.
"Are you threatening me?"
Alice stepped forward. "I have seen Clara's death. You will stand by and watch it. Who would wish to do this?" She said getting down to the point quickly before this standoff escalated to a fight.
The vampire kept his lips pressed into a thin line and turned around to leave when I noticed Dad nod to Nessie. My brow furrowed as she moved her hand to his cheek. A second later she released it almost like she had been shocked. What had she shown Dad? That was the last thought I had before the world around me shimmered and disappeared. WHAT?!
The sun was beating down on me again. I snorted, like that was any different than any other day out here in this withering heat. Why was I even here again? I looked up from the ruins I had been excavating to notice the hot, bright sun slowly sliding over the dunes of sand. Another day in Egypt and I was no closer to the artifact I was searching for. I bent back down hoping to get a few more hours in before it was too late. I wanted to get this done so I could go back home to my family.
"Dan!" I looked up as one of the college students tried to flag me down. They were such a waste. No creativity at all. No belief in the unnatural anymore either.
"What?" I called back to him irritated he had stopped me.
"We are all heading back in for the night. Are you coming?" He asked.
"No, leave me a truck I'm staying a little longer." I ordered.
"Sir, you know that book doesn't exist." The sandy haired teen told me.
Ha! Like he knew anything. "Whatever you say." I muttered as I got back to the ruins.
It was hours later. It was almost too dark, but I had made significant progress. The entire wall was excavated now. What was more were the hieroglyphics. I knew that goddess anywhere. Isis. My eyes widened at the artifact in her hands. A black square. My heart raced. This was more proof that it existed. I knew it!
I ran an egger hand over the marking and noticed the still perfect condition of it. It was so preserved! This could be it. I felt the grooves and noticed that the square artifact looked like it could be removed. I wasn't going to chance this. I had worked my entire career for this! Like Hell I would let one of the pathetic college students take this prize from me.
I slipped the book out and the grating of stone against stone was the only sound to pierce the night. The second the rock slipped out of its place, I sat it down on the ground. My hands trembled as I took my flashlight and pointed it into the space. I was met by a back flat stone with ruin markings on it. My eyes widened as I took the thin stone book from its resting place. I had found it! Isis's book existed!
I hugged the treasure to my chest and knew I could never give it up. Isis's secret book was mine. I was the only one who believed it existed anyway. No one would know that it was gone. The sly smile slid back onto my face. I knew that I had always had success in keeping artifacts for myself. I had always been able to keep others from knowing I had taken them. I slipped the cold stone into my pack, replaced the stone, and got into the truck.
The scene shifted again. Instead of the rugged desert, it seemed like I was inside a house. It was dark.
I opened the travel pack and took out my treasure. My eyes looked over the cover in something near lust. Isis's book of names was mine. It was all mine. I caressed the cover one final time before I heard my wife. She seemed like she had been calling for me but stopped. I looked up annoyed at the distraction to yell at her, but my eyes met the most horrifying sight of my entire existence. Red, blood red, eyes hypnotized me. The demon was beautiful and captivating even thought my body screamed to be away from her.
"Dan…" cold fingers seemed to touch my very brain. I shivered. "Dan, come with me…" The being in front of me had not spoken, but her command was something I couldn't fight. It was my own. I had to obey. My legs moved around my desk as I noticed in fear that the stone book was gone. That demon was holding it. When had that happened?
"You've been very bad." The woman's seductive voice purred at me. "You must be punished for taking our sacred texts." What was she?!
She was gone a second later. "Come outside to see your family…"My body instantly followed the directions. My mind was left unable to stop anything. This horror was happening. As I exited the house, my mind screamed in agony. My wife was in front of me with my daughter beside her. Neither of them was talking, but silent tears slid from their eyes. Two more of those red-eyed demons had their hair fisted to keep them in place.
"Do you know why this is happening to you, human?" One of the males asked.
I couldn't speak, and I was positive he knew my body wouldn't react. They had does this to me. Was this a curse for taking Isis' book? I didn't believe in curses. I never had, but ancient myths were different. These being were not human. I had brought them to my family. It dawned on me that I wasn't going to live. They were going to kill me.
"You never steal from Egyptians." The second male said as he grabbed my daughter's upper arm. Her eyes widened before her shriek of pain tore through me. My mind cringed away in agony, but I couldn't move.
"Daddy." She cried. "Please make it stop."
The demon laughed harsh and cruel. "Don't worry. It will all be over soon." He said as he smashed his foot down on her femur. My darling daughter made no sound. Her eyes widened and she screamed without noise before her eyes rolled back in her head. A second later, they opened again.
"Tut, tut." The female scolded. "You cannot sleep yet. Don't you want to stay with you Dad a second longer before you die?"
That being was keeping my daughter awake for this pain even as she kept me firmly planted to the spot I was on.
"I'm getting bored. Kill them now." The first man ordered.
The second's teeth bearing grin promised more pain for my daughter. He tore the limbs from her body as her ear-splitting screams filled the clearing. I felt the tears on my face as her eyes dimmed. To make sure she had died, they tore her head from her body. It rolled towards me. My wife screamed as they started biting her. BITING HER! They were sucking her blood. Oh, gods. These were some type of vampires. What had I done to deserve this? Hate boiled inside of me. I hated these being as they tore my wife's body to shreds why laughing.
"Take the knife and end your life." The order was too much for my brain to handle. I couldn't take anything more. They had destroyed my family. My daughter. My wife. For a book!
The woman gave a long suffering sigh. "He's pathetic. Already too shocked to answer my command." A wicked smirk pushed her lips upwards as she stalked to me. "I have a better punishment. With his body, he would never survive the change."
The second male, the one who had killed my wife and daughter laughed. "Bit him! Let him die by fire."
I felt her tear at my neck before her control on my mind slipped. I crashed to the floor, my eyes open unable to close. For my eyes were connected to the dead orbs of my only child. White hot fire licked at the wound on my neck before it seemed to combust and take over my wholebody. I was being burned! I screamed and breathed trying to get away from the paralyzing fire, but I couldn't. As the seconds past the only thing that held me to this world was the waterfall scent that my daughter's blood seemed to give off. With each passing second, I wanted to taste it more and more.
I blinked my eyes to clear them. What was that? I thought visibly shaking the vivid images away. Where those someone's memories? Waterfall scent? My eyes whipped across the clearing where the vampire whose name I now knew was Dan Barton. He stood completely still.
"Who-" He snarled before I heard Nessie give a breathy laugh. She was cradled into Jake's lap. A broad grin on her face. She did that?
"It finally worked!" She said before she closed her eyes and her breathing slowed.
"What did she do?" Dan Barton snarled.
"She showed us why someone wants to kill Clara." Dad explained.
"They don't know I'm alive." He said as he clutched Clara a little too hard to his chest. I saw Seth loose control and rip apart. His keening sound begged the vampire not to hurt her.
"Yes, they do. They are coming for you today." Alice said.
"Have you seen this?" He asked. Apparently he had one his homework.
"Yes, but we can stop it."
"I don't need the help of Golden Eyes." He scoffed as he turned to leave. He was met by a ferocious growl from Seth who blocked his way. "Move, mutt." He glared.
"Seth will not let you leave alive with his imprint." Jake warned. "You have two choices. One, you let Clara go and we help you keep her safe. Two, you try and leave and force us to kill you for the Egyptians. Either way you are not leaving to be a fool. Vampires never give up grudges. You of all people should know that."
I could tell the rogue did not like his options but even he wasn't stupid. He turned around and walked quickly towards the house without a word. As he passed, his old, dying scent hit me again. It was so strange. I had no time to dwell on it though. Dad was calling for me.
"You will need to practice now. They will be coming soon."
I nodded accepting the responsibility that they were giving to me. The life of Clara Barton.
Ok people. That extremely hard to write chapter is finished! *frowning* I'm saddened! I don't ever make those demands on having 'insert number' reviews before I put up the next chapter, but honestly, where did those nice review people go? If you knew how much it means to me just to get a "I liked it," I know you would review more. I do this for my friends and of course you guys so that you can enjoy it, but even I can get discouraged. So many people read without reviewing. Its rather frustrating. *sigh* I'll stop ranting now. Just wanted to remind you guys how much review mean to us writers.
So, let me know what you thought. Did anyone expect the rogue to be Clara's adopted father? Eh? I would like to know. I thought I did a pretty good job camouflaging it, but you never know. *shrug* Later, alligators. I promise, promise, the next chapter will be up this weekend! I know only a couple of days since I'm not going home this weekend. I seem to have trouble concentrating there. Oh well...
