Chapter Fourteen
Emmett's dark eyes were wide with incredulity. "Bella?" he gasped.
I ignored him for the moment, automatically sensing that Jacob was almost over the edge. "Jake," I murmured, taking his warm face in my white hands. They shook along with the rest of his body. "It's okay, Jake. It's a Cullen. Emmett Cullen. Focus. Calm down."
Jacob reluctantly focused his gaze on me. "Calm," he echoed. The shaking became less intense.
"That's right," I soothed. "Calm. Focus." Then I turned to look at Emmett, whose face was still disbelieving.
Emmett met my stare for another moment, stunned, and then suddenly a wide grin flashed across his face. "Bella!" He took an unconscious step toward me, his arms stretched wide to sweep me into a bear hug.
One step too far.
It took no more than a millisecond for Emmett to realize his mistake, and to step back over to his side. But it was too late.
"Jacob!" I screamed—once again, too late.
With one last shudder, Jacob exploded into his wolf form. An earsplitting howl, loud and long, sounded from between his teeth. I recognized the sound: it was the Red Alert call. He was summoning the others.
"Ugh, Jake, you idiot!" I clenched my fists in frustration. He didn't realize how much harder he had made things. And, from his expression, he didn't care. He growled softly, defensively at me, showing his canines. I hissed back, baring my teeth in kind.
"Bella?" Emmett's voice was confused. "What's going on? And why are you with a—"
"Be quiet, Emmett," I said, under my breath. "More of them are coming. Ugh! I don't want to have to deal with this. Emmett, just…don't say a word, okay? Leave the talking to me. And whatever you do, don't show any aggression."
I glanced at him—and almost snorted at my last remark. Even in one of his tender moments, Emmett would look aggressive. It was impossible for him not to look dangerous.
Jacob-wolf seemed to note this, too. He sat on his haunches, as tight and tense as the spring of a jack-in-the-box, watching Emmett. His look was heavy with abhorrence.
It was pitch-dark outside now, and uncharacteristically quiet. Animals in the immediate area had instinctively sensed the danger that we represented, and fled. The sliver of moon that had been visible a few minutes ago was hidden by a small clump of clouds. The faint wind whispering in Jacob-wolf's fur was one of the few sounds to be heard.
It wasn't too long before I could hear sounds of their passage. There were only four wolves coming, and at a remarkably slow pace; Sam ran in his human form.
Behind me, Emmett caught their scent and hissed with disgust.
"Be quiet," I cautioned.
The pack approached slowly, with Sam at their heels. Hungry snarls rumbled in their chests. Their eyes flickered from Emmett to me, back and forth. Sam's arms were shaking, and his eyes burned with hatred. With hatred, and with the need to tear, to rip…
"It crossed the line?" Sam asked quietly. Behind me, Emmett was as silent and still as stone, but I him fighting himself, fighting the same instinct that drove the wolves. The mighty revulsion in the air was almost tangible.
Jacob-wolf nodded, baring his teeth at Emmett. Emmett responded with a low snarl, despite my cautions, and I sighed in exasperation.
"Then we kill it," said Sam. His voice held the ring of an order, and his shape was already beginning to blur—
"No!" I shouted. Oh no, they wouldn't. Not if I had anything to do with it. Unconsciously, I moved backwards, towards Emmett, and pulled into a defensive crouch. The wolves stirred in surprise.
"Bella." Sam's voice was hard with authority. "Move aside."
My body tensed deeper into its defensive stance. "No, Sam, I won't. You're being ridiculous."
Sam's face blackened; his hands twitched in irritation. "The leech crossed the line," he said coldly. "It broke the treaty."
"What does it matter?" I demanded. "He didn't mean to. It was an accident!"
"Whether it meant to or not isn't relevant," Sam replied. "It broke the treaty."
Emmett shifted behind me, finally provoked. "Come, on, then," he challenged. "Try me." Apparently he thought he could take on the whole pack alone.
The wolves snarled again. They began moving, orienting themselves around where Emmett stood without crossing the line. They surrounded him from all sides.
"Gladly," Sam drawled. I had never seen him around a Cullen before, and I didn't like what I saw now. Calm, cool Sam was suddenly arrogant and irrational. "If you don't want to die alone, bloodsucker, then this would be the time to call your coven over."
"Emmett, shut up!" I howled. I moved a little closer to the pack, half-facing him, half-facing them. Trying to protect everyone. "Sam," I began, trying to remain clam, "this isn't happening. Treaty or no treaty, I'm not going to let you kill him."
Jacob whined softly, and Sam's face was incredulous. "You'll fight us, then?" he asked, unbelieving. "You'll fight us for that thing? Bella, he's a bloodsucker. A parasite!"
"So am I," I spat. "Or have you already forgotten? Have you already forgotten that I'm the exact same as he is?"
The wolves stiffened, and Jacob whined again. "You're a wolf, too," Sam pointed out.
"I suppose, in a way, that's true. But when it comes down to it, there's no real difference. We both drink blood, and we're both a potential danger to your tribe. We're both vampires. Now," I added, turning to face the wolves and looking at them one by one, "Do any of you guys want to kill me?"
No one spoke—no one moved an inch.
"Right. Well, it's the same thing. If you kill him, then you have to kill me, too."
As I spoke, I looked directly at Jacob. It was easy to see that my words had caused him pain. But he was the first to move out of his aggressive position, and sit back down on his haunches.
Sam's face was still undecided, however, and my voice turned pleading.
"Come on, Sam," I begged. "Jacob once broke the treaty—telling me about tribal legends, remember? But the Cullens didn't start a war over it, because he was just a kid who had made a mistake. Now, try to look at Emmett here like another kid who's slipped. The Cullens gave you a break; now's your turn to return the favor."
"Protectors don't do favors for vampires," Sam snapped. I could tell the logic was working on him…he was just angry at losing an opportunity to kill a vampire.
"Do it for me, then," I pled. "I'm part wolf, right? You said so yourself just a second ago. Well, just try to see it as doing a favor for your pack sister. That's not against the rules, right?"
"All of this is against the rules," said Sam. But he sighed in resignation, and I knew that Emmett was safe. I beamed.
Sam turned to Emmett. "You, leech," he said. "Where is your coven leader, Carlisle Cullen? I have to talk to him."
Emmett glared at him. "He didn't come with me," he hissed. "I came alone."
I didn't realize that I had been hoping to see someone other than Emmett until I felt the sinking feeling in my chest. Don't be an idiot, I chided myself. You're lucky to see anyone at all.
Sam pressed two shaking fists against his eyes. "If he isn't here, then we can't discuss whether the rules still apply." He flashed a glance at me, and then turned back to Emmett. "Since I'm not sure about the rules, bloodsucker, you're going to have to leave—whether you go of your own will or we have to drive you off. Whatever errand you came here for, you'll have to get it done quickly."
"I don't think my errand will take too long," Emmett answered. His voice was confident, but I caught him giving me a quick, speculative look.
"You have twenty-four hours," Sam warned. Then he turned and strode off in the direction of the Reservation. The others followed, but not before directing dark, meaningful looks at me—looks which I ignored.
Jacob-wolf sat still, looking at me. There was no look of betrayal in his eyes, only that of profound sadness. I could see how reluctant he was to leave me.
"Go on," I urged him. "Go with Sam."
With a sigh, Jacob-wolf heaved himself up from the ground. He turned, and disappeared into the dark forest.
As soon as Jacob's scent was gone, Emmett began laughing his booming laugh and shaking his head. "I never thought I'd see the day when you protected me," he said.
"The tables have turned, haven't they?" I agreed with a shy smile.
Emmett chuckled and opened his arms for me. "Come here, you."
I pulled into his cold, bearlike embrace with a strange sense of release. My mind drifted back to a time when I had thought that he would be my brother, and I sighed wistfully. "I can't believe it," I said, overwhelmed. "I can't believe you're here."
Emmett withdrew from the hug, but kept a burly arm around my shoulders. "I can't believe you're a vampire," he returned. He added almost to himself, "This changes everything."
I was about to ask him what he meant by that last statement, when he turned to me, hundreds of questions in his black eyes. "What happened to you?"
Author's Note: There's chappy fourteen. I'm so sorry that it took so long. But i think the chapters will be coming faster now. I also feel inclined to warn you all that Beauty and the Beast is slowly drawing to a close. There are only a couple of chapters left in the story. Many thanks to my dear friend and superlative beta Lomesir. Please review, as always, if you enjoyed it.
--Poola