Author's Note: Wow, chapter ten! :D I'm already halfway to 100 reviews! Yay! When I saw all the reviews, favorites, alerts and views I got, I swear I was doing a happy dance. XD Lol, enjoy the chapter because I had a lot of fun writing it.
Thanks to my anonymous reviewers!
Disclaimer: nothing belongs to me.
Jane's POV
"Come on now." The soft and luring voice came again, and I slowly came out from behind the tree, looking at Esme. The woman was only in her mid-twenties but there was something about her that reminded me of my own mother that I could vaguely recall from the last few centuries. I looked down at the long, swooping dark ebony dress that Bella had picked out for me because Alice was still mad at me. It reminded me of home, so I took comfort in that. I still felt a little wary here, but with something that reminded me of Volterra, my nerves were calmed a bit. And Jasper was around here somewhere, and for once, I was grateful to him for that.
My red eyes flashed around the desolated forest. I could hear the chirping of the birds and the scratching of the squirrels as they pawed their way through the trees, collecting their acorns but there were no humans in sight. The closest was probably five miles away from here. Esme was smiling broadly at me with Bella and Edward by her side. I was finally learning to hunt for something other than human blood. Edward yanked at the rope that had me bound by my wrists. He gave it a gentle tug which caused me to move forward. I hissed at him in defiance while Esme was scolding Edward. He glared at me disapprovingly, but I felt the smugness radiate off me as Esme reprimanded him. It had taken the whole Cullen coven to get me out of the house. They were all here at the moment, guarding different parts of the territory, just in case I decided to make a run for it so they could capture me easily. I couldn't see any of them, but I could smell them and hear them complaining. I had put up quite a fight, almost twisting off the burly one's head, but Carlisle and the blonde had ripped me off him before anything happened. So I guess that's how I ended up being led here by a rope. Edward made his way over to me and took the rope off my wrists. He looked at me, blinking once.
"I know that human didn't appease your appetite," he whispered to me in a low voice. "I know your thirst isn't quenched." He shot a look at my eyes that were a dull red color. The burning sensation in my throat had returned. "But you cannot drink from humans here." Edward looked at me and beckoned around the area, "But feel free to hunt whatever you need to here." I glared at him, showing no move to do what he told me to do, and Edward sighed. "Or you can starve. Your choice." Edward shrugged and sauntered back to his mate, Bella who was watching me carefully. Her face was a composed mask.
I sniffed the air cautiously, hoping to get a whiff of human, but there was none. I smelled wet dog, Jacob, who was watching over Renesmee a couple yards away but nothing else. I stalked around the area, hiding from tree to tree, sniffing every area. My eyes darted at every sound, and I hissed in frustration. The wind was blowing this way and that, making it hard to identify any smell. It was easy when I was finding a human because they stood out for some reason.
A low growl interrupted my thoughts, and I gasped as I saw a mountain lion glare at me from a few feet. It was perched atop a boulder, and it licked its lips once it saw me. I guess it didn't know I wasn't exactly human, but I was still prey. I was frozen, trying not to move. It did the same. Another low rumble came from its throat, making the ground shake slightly. It lunged, and I had to roll out of its way just to dodge its attack. I felt its paw come dangerously close to my face and it let out a furious yowl. I tried to remember as much as I could; Demetri had taught me the basics of fighting, but I never needed to use the moves on anything. Out of my peripheral vision I saw Esme start to move towards me, but then, I caught Edward shaking his head no. I was dodging and dodging the attacks as they came again and again, and I yowled when the beast's claws caught my arm, even though it didn't hurt. I skidded a few feet in the dirt before looking up at the mountain lion, hissing at it. The creature was so sublime and imposing that it almost scared me. I was getting beat by a lion because I couldn't fight. I needed my gift if I was to make a fine opponent. I was able to stay concentrated long enough to be able to make it feel unbearable pain. The mountain lion rolled on its side, hissing and scratching and flailing. I was able to regain my footing before going up to the lion and towering above it. Its eyes were fearful, and I laughed in triumph. "Someone's been a bad kitty," I taunted and leaned down to twist the creature's neck. I smiled down at it then looked to Bella. She nodded encouragingly.
"No, drink from it," she prompted, running over to me. I leaned down closer to the thing's neck and inhaled. It smelled of warm blood although it didn't smell as appetizing as I hoped. For once. I obeyed. My lips went to the creature's neck, and I drained the mountain lion. Licking my lips, I blinked once at Bella, and she smiled at me. I was officially a vegetarian vampire if that's what you want to call it. "Good," she praised, her voice all-too cheerful. I nodded.
Being a vegetarian vampire was alright. It was like eating tofu every day though. It would satisfy your thirst but you felt like it was too bland or whatever you wanted to compare it to. I would miss the human blood I still thirsted for, but I'd be alright I guess. I sighed and rolled my eyes at the beaming Bella. If only Alec saw me now…
OOO
"What do you suggest we do about this, Alec?" Aro smiled pleasantly at the younger vampire, his teeth a pearly white. Alec bit down on his bottom lip, trying to remain emotionless like his sister but failed miserably. Looking around his home once more and at the Volturi guard, he sniffled. Jane should be in that empty spot right there. Instead, she was held hostage by some werewolves. The grand hall was very quiet as if it was awaiting Alec's answer as well. Aro looked at him expectantly. His desperation grew significantly.
"You have to help me," Alec's voice cracked, "they have Jane as prisoner." Aro glared at Alec and ran all the way towards him, searching Alec's eyes and placing his hands on top of Alec's, seeing if it was true. Aro's red eyes flashed in disbelief before he shook his head and clicked his tongue disapprovingly, his greasy-looking hair shining. Aro sighed.
"Oh my…" he said, smiling a sickly sweet smile. "We have to do something about that, don't we?"
OOO
Seth's POV
As Embry and I walked down the trail, I ran a hand through my hair as we aimlessly walked through the woods. Our feet were silent as we walked, and I didn't even flinch when my foot hit a thorn. We had just finished our routinely patrol, and it was getting dark so we decided to walk back to La Push. Embry began to complain that it was taking too long to go the long way so we cut through the woods, walking along the edge of the river. I inhaled and sighed, knowing we were at the border between our territory and the Cullens. I took a discreet and fleeting look at the direction of their house, trying to see Jane. A stab of pain went through me.
It had been a week since Jane went to go stay with the Cullens, and I missed her. A lot. Embry sighed and rolled his eyes at me knowingly before taking my arm and dragging me further into the woods. "Come on, dude," Embry sighed, "Let's go." I let Embry drag me off, but then, I froze when I picked up her oh so sweet scent in the wind. I froze which made Embry groan in anger and frustration. I put up a hand, trying to calm him down.
"Wait a sec," I nearly pleaded with him, trying to at least catch a glimpse of Jane. The wind blew gently before the scent grew closer. I also caught a whiff of Edward and Jasper as well. And then, I saw them. Their sickly sweet scent filled my lungs, and I tried not to whimper as the all-too sweet smell hit me with full force. I should be used to it by now, but sometimes I can't help it. First I caught sight of Edward. He was running at the speed of light, hurdling over fallen trees and chasing after what seemed to be a deer. Then Jasper was in pursuit. The man's blonde hair was whipping around his face like a hurricane. He nimbly dodged the trees that came at him full speed, and Jasper sprinted after Edward. Then, I saw her. I saw tiny, little Jane. She looked reluctant to go after the two Cullens, but after biting her lip in hesitation, I saw her run after Jasper. Her silky blonde hair was pulled back in a bun but pieces of her bangs slid into her face, making her seem less intimidating. On tiny legs she ran after the two Cullens trying to catch up. It seemed like she was dancing out of the way of the trees as she hurtled over logs as well, all-too graceful for a human being. I heard a squeal and closed my eyes, looking away, knowing that Edward had caught up to the deer. I heard Embry scoff and roll his eyes before shaking his head and muttering to himself how he just wanted to go home. Jasper and Jane leapt gracefully over a fallen tree. The tree was more than a few feet off the ground but it was on top of some boulders, making the task all the more challenging. Along the side were more trees, but mostly branches. It didn't take that much effort for Jasper, but for Jane it did. I saw her face contort in silent fear as she tried to make the next leap, but she was snagged back by something. My heart leapt in fear, and I whimpered to myself, but Embry just laid a hand on my shoulder. Jane was caught by a branch, and she was flailing in the air, like she was hanging from the tree. Jane struggled to get down, and I saw Jasper look at her, unsure of what to do. Edward had killed the deer, but I wasn't sure where he was. Mentally, I was begging him to help her. I instinctively wanted to go and help Jane myself, but Embry caught me by my wrist.
"She's in their territory," he hissed quietly to me, but his eyes were sympathetic. Jane was only a few yards away from me. It would only take a leap across the river to save her. Holding onto her neck and trying to break free by the chain or whatever she wore on her neck, Jane glared hatefully at Jasper and then Edward, who appeared by her side. Edward put up his hands in silent defense as he tried to persuade Jane. Her feet were flailing as she tried to free herself, but with every struggle the noose—er, chain only tightened. I saw it cutting into her pale skin even further, and I was afraid it would decapitate her if someone didn't do anything. A normal human would be dead by now, but Jane was still alive (sort of, anyways) as she struggled more violently, screaming to herself in silent frustration.
"Jane…" Edward murmured slowly and quietly to the vampire that was at least six feet above him, "Let me help you…" Jane struggled more viciously, trying to break free, but I could see that the thing was cutting into her throat. She'd die if no one did anything. I had to bite down on my lip to stop myself from acting stupid then being the reason why she was killed. Embry had his arms around me in a bear hug to restrain me from running to her aide. My heart was beating so hard now, I thought it would burst out of my chest. Her face was shining, but she managed to talk to Edward, disgust evident in her voice.
"No!" her voice was rasping as she forced herself to talk and kept struggling. I looked at Edward pleadingly, silently asking him if I could help him. Please Edward… my desperate eyes met his, and Edward nodded, beckoning to me to come across the border. He looked at Embry once who immediately got the signal. Sighing, Embry released me and watched as I ran, crossing the river expertly without even tripping.
"Be careful, kid," I heard him mumble. Soon, I stood next to Edward, staring up at Jane. She was glaring down at me, her pallid skin gleaming. When I took one look at that desperate face, I hoped to Ephiram Black that the vision I saw was accurate. Without any hesitation, I reached up so I could lay a hand on her very small foot that was covered by a baby blue converse sneaker. Her foot lashed out and hit me in the face. I winced in pain as the force hit me hard, and I clutched my now broken nose, but it started to heal within seconds. I saw Edward flash me a concerned look, but I told him mentally I was alright.
"Do you need some help there?" I asked her, tilting my head up so I could see her face. it was completely dark now, and the moon overhead illuminated her face so I could fully take in her beauty. But there was something that startled me about her. Her eyes. They were a beautiful gold color rather than shocking red. I stumbled back in surprise, my mouth open in shock. She had turned vegetarian? Reading my expression, Jane began to curse under her breath before responding, hanging limply now.
"I'm fine!" she snapped, jabbing a finger at me to prove her point. I saw her begin to cough as the chain started to cut off her circulation. I looked up at her pleadingly, biting down on my tongue to stop myself from saying anything stupid. I bounded up the boulder so I was next to her, eye-level this time. She was glaring at me with those beautiful eyes.
"Nice look," I smirked at her, but Jane just tried to scoff, glaring at me.
"Just shut up." Her voice was lowish as she tried not to use it so much. I made a tentative move towards her, but Jane's cold hand collided with my wrist. Her eyes narrowed into slits. "If you free me yourself, I will personally snap your wrist then yank your arm out of its socket. Got it?" she snarled at me, and I just blinked. I wasn't scared of her. She didn't intimidate me and I would definitely not let my imprint have any control over me. Jane didn't have to be the dominant one. Things needed to change around here. I shrugged my arm away from her then maneuvered into the tree, perching myself lightly on a branch above the one Jane was caught up in. She was hissing defiantly at me, but I ignored her. I saw what was trapping her: a necklace. I gently tugged at it, unclasping it from the tree. Jane dropped from the branch ungracefully as she fell, and she hit the ground with a hiss. I was concerned because I heard her cough and hack as she tried to catch her breath and stand on her feet again. I leapt off the branch, landing on my feet before holding the golden chain out to Jane. She was glaring at me hatefully, but I just continued to hold the locket out to her. Jane snagged it away from me, her hand lightly caressing mine by accident as she grabbed it and put it back on. As her icy hand touched mine, I jumped back in shock. I knew Edward probably already saw my previous vision, and I knew he was looking into this one as well. The vision hit me full in the face.
"Seth, wait for me!" Jane's girlish trill of a voice came from behind me, and with her amazing vampire speed, she easily caught up to me so we were running side by side. In my wolf form, she seemed so small, and I let out a bark-like laugh as I gave it some thought. As I ran faster, picking up the pace, I ran into the woods and phased back into my human form, throwing on a pair of shorts before darting back to go see Jane who was waiting patiently for me on the beach. I grinned mischievously, loving the time I had with her. I scooped the girl up bridal style, and Jane laughed, throwing her head back as I spun her around, laughing as well. I watched as she settled herself comfortably against me, resting her head on my chest and sighed. I smiled down lovingly at her before planting a soft kiss on her cold lips and hugging her closer against me, feeling the very cold gold locket that she always wore touch my skin. I held one of her tiny hands in mine and brought it up to my lips. My eyes never left hers as I did this, and her pretty gold eyes were locked onto my brown ones. "I love you," she breathed, and a flash of warmth spread through my body at those words. The sun was setting behind us, making the scene all more romantic than it was.
"I love you too," I agreed, not even wanting to take back those words. I gently tucked a stray piece of her blonde hair behind her ear. Jane sighed and smiled to herself. Her ruby lips pursed in thought as I began to carry her back to the rez.
"And just thinking that we have forever together makes me feel so much better," she added, and I nodded, kissing her once more.
Author's Note: Wow that was long. :D Lol, not really. I thought it would be interesting to put in these visions until they actually come true, which I know all of you can't wait! :)