Book Nine: Rikki and the Wolf Pack
Saturday – July 21, 2012
I heard people speaking around me before I was fully awake, "Ya her friends came to check on her," the voice from last night was saying.
"But she doesn't look, smell or act like one of them. I mean for god's sake you got a needle through her skin!" another voice was saying.
"Jake, calm down. I'm not going to do anything to her. I just wanted daylight on our side when we talk to her," the first spoke again.
"I am calm. It just looks to me like you're holding an innocent girl hostage," Jake said and I had to think it must be Jacob Black.
"I'm not holding her hostage," the first one was talking and I fought to place a name to his voice.
"Come on Sam. She smells like one of us for crying out loud!" Jake said again but in a more hushed tone.
So it was Sam, "Look I didn't think that the needle would get through her skin let alone keep her out for this long okay! I gave her a dose that should have only lasted an hour!"
"Next time can I not get knocked out?" I asked groggily, "I mean I totally understand why you did it but you could have used something a little less animal tranquilizer and a little more I don't know like rope or chains! My head is killing me."
"Well at least she's still alive," Jacob said and I heard his footsteps leave the room.
"Ya, sorry about that," Sam said, "But they were human sedatives not animal tranquilizers…"
"I may not be totally vampire but I haven't slept in almost two weeks. You could have been a little more sensitive to my situation," I said holding my head as I sat up.
"I didn't know I'd even get the needle through your skin," Sam replied, "You want to tell me why you had Bella bring you here in the dead of night now? Charlie's been calling like crazy because she said something about driving you home and then she never went home. I'd like to get my story straight for the town Sherriff."
"Two friends and I were coming up here for some summer fun when I hit an elk somewhere around the Cascade Range and we were dying in the road when James stopped by and turned us. Now that I think back on it a little more carefully the nurse at the hospital that he brought us to that turned us away was probably his mate Victoria… son of a bitch," I grumbled.
"Okay that much Bella explained to me. I want to know why you wanted to come here of all places. You should have known as a vampire you wouldn't stand much of a chance at living through that kind of ordeal," Sam said.
"I figured that a wolf I'd run into almost two weeks ago had the chance to kill me then but didn't. I took my chances. Besides, I'm obviously more human than vampire… actually I'm not even sure I'm more human than anything right now. My skin is like anyone else's, my eyes are normal, but I don't eat anything, I mean I feel nauseous from eating raw venison a few days ago because I think it's rotting in my stomach…And above all else I don't sleep. How is that normal for any supernatural or human being?" I was exasperated.
"You are in a unique situation. Bella said you told her you can hear thoughts too," Sam said, "Can you hear mine?"
"There have to be strong emotions tied to the thoughts of those around me for me to be able to hear them…" I paused; there was something off to the way the air felt. What is it about this vampire chick? I hate her and yet I can't seem to get her out of my head. Even her scent seems less revolting than the others… Why is this happening to me of all the wolves? Is this what an imprint feels like? No, Sam always feels better than this… "I think Paul…well at least its angry enough to be Paul, has something that you need to talk to him about…"
"What?" Sam asked.
"Paul thinks that he may have imprinted but he thinks it doesn't feel right. Like I said, strong emotions have to be tied to those thoughts…I guess Emily isn't quite as strong an emotion invoker than you thought because your thoughts are only like whispers," I said the tiniest of smirks on my lips.
I followed Sam out on shaky legs, still tranked up by the stupid sedatives. Paul was still standing in wolf form outside but Bella was followed by three other people that I couldn't quite recognize as the sedatives had impaired a lot more of my senses than I thought.
"Rikki! You're awake!" Bella shouted wrapping her arms around my neck, "I thought you'd be out forever!"
"Ya, I'm still not totally awake. I feel more human than I did when I was human. How do you stand feeling human anyway?" I asked.
"Easy, I haven't felt anything else," Bella laughed.
"Oh good you're all right," I recognized Lara's voice but my eyesight was still fuzzy with sleep.
"I feel like I was hit over the head with a sledgehammer," I complained and felt an ice cold arm wrap around me to hold me up. I hadn't realized I was falling over until the solidity of my friends beside me was there.
"You look like you've been to hell and back," Valkyrie was there too she sounded more herself too, "What'd they do force human food down your gut?"
"Na, just a date rape drug," I joked but I heard a non-approving snort from Sam, "So you have any idea what you did to piss Paul off? I mean I know it's not hard to do but you really got under his fur," I said to Valkyrie now that my vision was clearing a bit.
"It may have something to do with the fact that I accidentally ran over the treaty line before I realized where it was. The humans really should have placed their sign better," she laughed.
"Na, I think he's in love with you," I laughed.
"He so is not," Valkyrie replied a little too quickly.
"Well when you guys showed up his thoughts were all over the place about him imprinting on a, and I quote 'damn bloodsucker.' Who knew it'd be easier for me to hear wolves' thoughts than humans or other vamps?" I shrugged and finally found my legs stabilizing under me, "Sam you drug me again and I will kill you."
"Dually noted," Sam shouted from somewhere across a field. Paul had shifted back and he was now talking with Sam in hushed tones.
"So what brings you guys over the treaty line? James send you?" I asked.
"No, we actually came to make sure these animals weren't ripping you to shreds. Laurent was a bit freaked out when he saw Bella drive you over the treaty line," Lara said.
"Oh, ya…I asked her to do that… I thought maybe the pack would have more answers for me than James and his posy about what was happening to me," I replied.
"Well with the fact that you are running a horrible fever I think you may be right," Valkyrie said.
"I am not running a fever, you guys are just vampire cold," I barked back although I had to admit I did feel a little overly warm.
"No Rikki, they're right. You're burning up," Bella said placing a hand on my forehead, her hand felt like an icicle.
"Welcome to the pack," Jacob's voice sounded from somewhere behind me in a sarcastic tone.
"How is that even possible? I was bleeding to death on the side of the highway two weeks ago and then I was a vampire and now I'm turning into one of the Quileute wolves?" I asked my voice squeaking with every word.
"Can I please go and get Carlisle now?" Bella asked.
"No, we already have enough vampires over the border. I don't like putting the tribe at that much risk," Sam said.
"How about we go to them then? You guys can send a wolf or two with us. I'm sure the four of us are enough to keep James and Victoria at bay. Laurent won't come after us," Lara suggested, I heard worry strong in her voice. She thought I was dying, again.
"I'll go and take Seth," Jacob suggested, "If he wants to come."
"Hell ya I wanna come! Anything for Bella," Seth's young voice sounded somewhere in the crowd of wolves that was now gathering.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Jake," Sam said.
"I wasn't asking your permission, Sam. Besides, you let me have my own pack early," Jacob scoffed and I heard the bone breaking, skin ripping sound of him turning into a wolf.
Before I knew it Lara and Valkyrie were loading me into the back of Bella's truck, "Dante, ride in the cab with Bella," Lara ordered.
"Dante?" I asked.
"Oh, right…sorry," Lara said, "I have an ability by the way. I will things to be true and most of the time it happens. Callie, or a version of her is at the cabin and well Dante now actually exists in a corporeal form."
"That's great for you," I said though I wasn't sure exactly that I could wrap my head around the information.
"Can you drive any faster, Bella? She's warmer than one of those wolves now and I'm afraid it's frying her brain like those sedatives must have done to her," Valkyrie said placing an ice cold hand on my forehead.
I let my eyes close and felt the cold breeze over my body lying in the bed of the old truck. I felt like I was burning up again like the change from dying human to vampire but it was worse than that. It was like it started in my bones and burned its way out. The world was cold and black around me as I found I couldn't hold my eyes open even when I tried. When we pulled down a patch of road that was more like a forest path in feel I felt fear grip at my stomach, there was a smell of death in the air and I realized it must be me. I may have been ready to die quickly last night by the teeth of the wolves but I wasn't ready to die in this way that made me feel like I was a burning, rotting corpse.
"Something's not right. It doesn't smell like there's been anyone here since last night," Lara said.
I felt the burning intensify as the car pulled to a stop and the breeze stopped. Then I felt Lara leave the car and one of the cold bodies keeping me from burning alive was gone as well. I felt a scream rip through my throat but it was so dry that I feared it made no sound.
I heard a cell phone being dialed and Bella's voice, though it sounded so far away, "Carlisle? We're at the house… we've got a vampire here who's dying… ya I know it doesn't make any sense but you're the only one we could think of that might be able to help…" I felt another scream rip through my throat as the burning turned from unbearable to bone breaking unbearable, "Can you just get here as fast as you can? I don't know how much longer she has…"
"Stay with us Rikki," it was Valkyrie's voice, right in my ear. I realized she must be holding me flush against her since Lara was off somewhere else, "You'll be okay…"
"It burns," was all I could say and I felt tears of molten lava escape my eyes.
"Bella, she's crying blood!" Valkyrie cried.
I felt a cold rush of air and smelled Lara close by, "There's ice in the freezer and the house is colder than it is out here. Let's get her into an ice bath," she said helping Valkyrie lift me.
"Carlisle is on his way. He said it'll be at least ten minutes though. He and Esme were hunting in Canada when I called," Bella said and I knew we were in the house now because everything echoed.
"If I live through this…and it's because of those damn sedatives…" I breathed.
"Don't worry, we'll all kill Sam if this is his doing," Bella promised as I was eased into a bathtub full of ice. It made the burning worse. "But Carlisle will help with whatever it is…"
"He won't know what's going on," I managed through the pain, "I'm not a wolf, I'm not a vampire and I'm not human. How could he know what is going on?"
"Don't talk like that Rikki…" Lara, she sounded like she was crying, "You will be okay."
I felt more burning tears slip from my eyes as the pain worsened. It felt like I had been thrown into a volcano while it was dormant, I'd somehow managed to pull it into my very center and it was now erupting from inside my body. It burned everywhere and I felt like every bone in my body was shattering. Even worse my head felt like there was so much pressure that at any moment it would explode. "I guess I was meant to die on the side of the highway," I said allowing more burning tears to escape.
I felt cold vampire skin connect with my cheek, "Lara told you not to talk like that Rikki. You WILL be okay if I have to kill you and turn you back into a vampire again," Valkyrie scolded, "Carlisle will be here any minute and then you WILL be okay! Do you hear me?" she was crying now too.
I tried to answer telling her that I loved her and Lara like they were my sisters because it wasn't blood that connected us but our souls. But I was in too much pain and all that escaped my lips were another scream. And then there was blackness crowding over my body where the pain was and I felt the icy grip of death taking me for the second time this month. Maybe it was my time to go…I just had to believe that I would be going somewhere better. Maybe I would join that pack of wolves that I loved so much in the woods. Bryan and I could start a pack of our own, right? I knew he'd felt attached to me form the moment we met in that clearing.
I could picture him clearly, his black fur and his dazzling blue eyes. I could feel my hands in his ruff and my voice as I sung softly to him letting the breeze carry a silent prayer.
One day I'll be with you,
I'll run among you,
We'll sleep under the stars,
Talk about the peace that was.
But now you are lost to me,
So lost to me,
If only I could sing in the words of the wolf with you,
Then my soul would feel complete.
A/N: I'm so sorry I keep ending these chapters all sad and what not but ya...So who shall I continue in the perspective of? Bella? Lara? Valkyrie? Jacob? Seth? Well you'll see soon enough.