The sky was overcast, broad strokes of light gray painted across the heavens, and the wind was cold. I turned the collar of Jasper's oversized coat up against the biting chill as an enormous wolf brushed by my leg. Jacob was smiling at me, as best he could as a canine. I pulled Jasper's scarf up over my chin. I think I was wearing half his closet, in an attempt to mask my scent.
"Tell them to get closer to their land," Jasper told Jacob. The three of us, along with Alice, were standing at the edge of a clearing about 10 miles north of Jasper's house, waiting. Jacob was meant to be our radio for the rest of the wolves, giving them Jasper's marching orders. Alice was, as always, our early warning signal. Jasper was the radar, scanning the wilderness around us for signs from the bait: his friends Charlotte and Peter.
I'd met them only briefly that morning. Charlotte was beautiful. Her hair was so light that it seemed unnatural, and her features were small and delicate. She reminded me of a porcelain doll, except for the red eyes. Peter was tall and muscular, with long blond hair and a devilish grin.
"You'll get us all killed," I heard Peter tell Jasper as they stood on the front porch while I ate my breakfast in the kitchen. Alice had tried to make eggs, but she burned them beyond recognition and had cracked the window to let out the smoke. I had cereal instead. "It'll be a hell of a fun time, though."
"I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think you'd be up for it," Jasper replied, his drawl more noticeable than before.
"I'm always up for a fight when you need me, Jasper. You know that," he said. "But you do understand that if anything happens to Charlotte that I'll tear you apart myself, don't you?"
"Expect the same if something were to happen to Bella."
"This human is the real deal?" Peter sounded surprised, but not condescending.
"She's more real to me than anyone ever has been. I look at her, and I'd be willing to walk through fire and tear the world apart just to keep her safe."
"You'd tear apart the world anyway," Peter said.
"It's different now," Jasper replied. "The way I feel now is the way I wanted to feel with Alice. And Maria. I knew I had it in me, but I still couldn't feel it. Now, I look at Bella and it's like looking into a mirror. I don't have to guess what being in love feels like anymore. I know, and I know she does as well."
Peter sighed. "She's human though, Jasper. I don't doubt your feelings. I've never seen you this worked up. But she's so fragile! What you have with her, you can't have it forever."
"Humans don't have it forever, either. But they enjoy it while they can." Jasper's voice had grown quieter.
Peter gave a low whistle and chuckled. "You gonna start writing poetry next, Jasper? C'mon. We're about to do risky and fun things. You can recite a sonnet later."
"I will, too," he said with a soft chuckle.
I smiled, remembering their good natured teasing. The joviality was over now. Jasper's eyes were shut, but his features creased with concentration as he scanned the forest.
"Charlotte found them," Alice said. "Or, she chose the right path and will meet them soon."
We had Jacob and the wolf pack on our side. We had Jasper and Peter, both very skilled and deadly vampires. We had Alice, with her premonition and speed. And we had her new mate (boyfriend? husband?) though I had neither met nor seen him. But if we were to be successful, it all came down to Charlotte.
"Should I call Peter yet?" Alice asked.
"Not until you see how they react to Charlotte," Jasper replied without opening his eyes.
A few moment, or several minutes, passed in silence. Then, next to me, Alice went stiff as she did when she was getting a vision.
Charlotte is standing before Maria. She's still soaked with Peter's venom, and Maria can smell it.
"One of mine?" Maria asks. "Or are you one of Jasper's?"
"Listen to me, Maria. I need your help."
Maria laughs. "My help? I ordered you dead decades ago, and I can smell Jasper on you. I can't think of a reason not to make you into a bonfire."
"If Jasper finds me, he'll kill me too, and not just because I just killed his best friend. I have information."
"Explain yourself," Maria says patiently.
"You're here with Victoria, to kill the human girl named Bella, aren't you? They're planning something, and I can give you the details. In exchange for that and my physical assistance, you and Victoria protect me," Charlotte says.
"Tell me why you would need protection from Jasper Whitlock. Last I knew, you were in debt to him for your life. Both you and your mate."
"Yes, I did owe him a debt. But he's asked so much, Maria. Over the years, Peter and I have came whenever he asked. Now, he's asked again. And we came. He wanted us to stay here and guard his human indefinitely. He wanted us to feed on animals, as he does. We'd be like pets. Guard dogs forced to survive on scraps. For how long? Until the human dies of old age?" Charlotte's voice is rising, and her breath is quickening. "So I told Peter 'no'. I told him that we'd done enough, and this was too much to ask. But he was devoted to Jasper. We fought and... I didn't mean to. I mean, I thought he would give up and walk away for a while. But once it got physical, I just couldn't control myself. Peter is... I...I didn't..." She chokes back a sob. "Peter is dead."
"You killed your mate?" Maria is no longer patronizing. Her mouth hangs open shock.
"I didn't mean to!" Charlotte shouts. "But once I started, I just couldn't stop. I was so angry with him! We had our freedom, but we could never enjoy it. You don't understand."
"You don't have to justify murder to me," Maria replies. She sounds impressed.
"Peter is dead. And once Jasper finds out, he'll track me down and kill me. So, in exchange for protection, I will tell you their weak spots. I will help you kill the human, and Jasper, because if you kill that human he will never stop hunting you down. Then, we'll part ways." Charlotte is breathing hard. If she could cry, tears would be rolling down her face.
"You think I couldn't do this myself?" Maria asks.
"You know Jasper. He won't stop. And he's such a warrior, he would be an easy match for two vampires."
Maria sighs. "It irritates me that he survives. Victoria was so desperate that she tracked me down and offered me three decades of service for my help with this, but I would have done it for one. He's wasted here, feeding on animals and trying to assimilate with the humans. It's like a human grazing with cows. Unnatural." She shrugs her shoulders. "Fine. I'll summon Victoria. Then you tell us everything you know."
"That could not have gone better," Alice chirped. "That was seriously impressive."
Jasper gave a small nod, but didn't look back at Alice. Charlotte's words, though we knew them to be a ruse, still cut him. I pushed my hand into his pocket and intertwined my fingers with his. He sighed softly and gently squeezed.
Phase one was complete.
"Keep the pack south, Jacob. The wind is slowing down and we don't want their scent to drift," Jasper said. The wolf gave a grunt of assent.
By the time Alice's next vision came, my legs had grown tired and I'd taken a seated position at Jasper's feet.
"The three of them are together," Alice said in the deadened tone she had when the visions came. "Charlotte is telling them that Jasper has fallen out with the wolf pack and they're refusing to help each other." A pause. "She's telling them that I returned briefly only to turn around and leave once I discovered that Bella and Jasper were lovers." Another pause. "She's telling them that you plan to leave tonight for Alaska. And about the panic room. She's making sure they understand that you are at your weakest now."
Jasper opened his eyes and looked behind himself to Alice. His face was unreadable. When Alice's eyes flickered open, she smiled.
"They're coming."
Jasper flipped his phone open and dialed in a number. He switched on the speaker, but hesitated as he turned to hand it to me.
"I can do this," I said.
"Bella, the things they'll say. You'll never be able to forget them," he said.
"I can't fight. I can't manipulate them. I can't help in any other way. Please, let me do this," I said.
He smiled down at me. His features were soft with fondness. "I know you can," he said. With that, he handed over the phone.
The phone was connected to an intercom system that Jasper and Jacob had installed in his house sometime during the night. While I appreciated the sleep, I wished I could have been there to witness them working together. After the intercom, they reinforced the door to Jasper's basement.
"It doesn't have to be vampire proof," Jasper explained to me that morning. "It just has to be vampire resistant. Enough to slow them down and get them talking. Maria won't care either way, but Victoria will want to torture you." His voice grew harder. "She'll want you to be afraid. That's why she's been hurting people around you. She doesn't just want your life. She wants your happiness. Your sanity. Your hope."
This was my part in Jasper's plan. Ten miles away through his phone, I would talk to my tormentor as if I were trapped in a basement panic room while Jasper was out looking for Peter. Charlotte would convince Maria to come away with her to hunt Jasper while Victoria stayed behind for me. Then, with the two women separated, we would make our final move.
Through the phone, I heard a crash.
"They're here," I mouthed.
"Jasper? Is that you?" I called into the phone.
"See? I told you he wouldn't be here," Charlotte said. "He's probably out looking for Peter."
"Who is that?" I asked.
"Where is the room?" asked another female. A voice like scratching glass. A voice I could never forget.
"The basement. Come through here," Charlotte said.
Jasper leaned forward and whispered something to Jacob. I breathed heavily into the phone. I didn't know if the vampires would be able to hear it, but I didn't want to take the chance of Jasper's voice transmitting.
"Who is there?" I repeated, unnerved.
"Oh, Bella." A knocking sound. Victoria was standing in front of the basement door. "I've been looking for you."
"I'll go around to the kitchen. If we can't get the door open, we can break through the floor," said a third voice. Jasper winced at Maria's cold tone.
"Who is there?" I shouted. "Whoever you are, Jasper will be back any minute."
"What's the hurry?" Victoria asked. "If we kill her before I get to play, then where's the fun?"
"You aren't paying me to play with your food," Maria snapped. "Hurry up and get her over with so we can get ready for Jasper."
"I hired you for Jasper. The female was always mine," Victoria replied. Then she turned her attention back to me. "How is Jasper, Bella? Is he as good as Edward was? So quickly you moved on."
"Victoria," I said.
"Oh, you've been expecting me. Why don't you come out so we can talk? I have so much I want to make you say."
"Leave me alone!" I said. "Jasper will be back with his two friends any minute."
"I'm afraid that's not true," she replied. I could hear the smile in her voice. "You see, one of his friends is dead, and the other is already here. She's the one who told us you'd be here all alone. The pink haired woman was all alone, too. She even invited me in her home. She put on a kettle for tea, and I drained her dry before it even whistled."
"Please. Stop." My voice caught. No, I wouldn't have to be an actress like Charlotte. My disgust for Victoria was very real.
"I don't want to listen to this," Maria chimed in. "It's boring, and it's not helping us deal with the more dangerous of these two."
"We should go out and look for Jasper ourselves," Charlotte said.
"Why?" Maria asked.
"Go ahead," Victoria said. "I'd like some time alone with Bella, anyway."
"No," Maria said. "Two of us may be able to take him down, but three guarantees it."
"Bella, do you know how good your father tastes?" Victoria continued. "It was hard to walk away without finishing him off. That must be where you get it. The girl with the delicious blood."
"Stop it!" I yelled. Jasper dropped to his knees next to me and rested his hand on my back.
"We could at least see which direction he went," Charlotte said.
"We're staying here," Maria said. "Victoria, move it along."
"Do you know what love feels like, Bella?" Victoria said. "Do you know what it feels like to have part of yourself walking around in another person? Edward risked his life coming to find you in Arizona. And here we are, less than a year later, and you've moved on. So fickle. I'd been with James for centuries. He pursued me, did you know that?"
"He's the one that tried to kill me," I said.
"Of course he did. You are food. You may keep company with vampires who forget who they are, but I know who I am. I know my place in the world, on the food chain. And soon, so will you."
"Maybe we could go on the roof? We could see him coming then," Charlotte said, trying again.
"Why are you so keen on getting me out of the house?" Maria asked.
"Oh, just go!" Victoria shouted. "I've been waiting for this moment, and you two can't appreciate the poetry happening here. I'm going to talk to her until she is crying so hard she can't breathe. Then I'm going to rip apart this house to get in that 'panic room' so that I can break every bone in her body before I drink her dry. You see? I can hear her sniffling now."
"Jasper will come back for me," I said, my voice broken with sobs.
"We should all go after Jasper first," Maria said. "After he's disposed of, Victoria can play with the human for days for all I care."
"She would escape," Charlotte said. Her voice was starting to show panic. Maria was not cooperating with the plan.
"She's human. What is she going to do? We'd find her," Maria said reasonably.
"The wolves will come for me," I yelled. "They're my friends. If Jasper isn't here, they'll come." Jasper smiled at me, proud of my quick thinking.
Maria cursed loudly as Charlotte backed up my story. "The wolves won't speak to Jasper, but if she called them and told them she was alone, they'd come."
"Something isn't adding up," Maria said.
Jasper leaned over to Jacob and whispered to him again.
"You show up and tell us everything we need to know to get us here, and now you're trying to separate us. This doesn't feel right," Maria continued.
Alice slid her phone open and started texting.
"Do you hear that?" Maria yelled. "She has a phone in there with her. We need to finish her and leave."
"No!" Victoria screamed. "I've waited too long for this!"
"Then good luck to you," Maria said. "I'm finished. Get yourself killed to avenge your mate, Victoria."
Jasper stood up. "Now," he said.
Somewhere, miles south of where we stood, a pack of wolves heard his word in their heads.
Somewhere, maybe west of us, Peter and Alice's mate got a text.
Now, the battle would begin.
I can't say for certain what happened. I could only hear the commotion through the phone. The wolves arrived first. I heard the glass breaking and their low growls. Maria shouted curses as she fought them. Victoria, or at least I assume it was her, only pounded on the basement door.
Next, I heard Maria shriek Peter's name in surprise. Jasper had offered to let him sit out the fight, since they had drained so much venom from him to make the murder story viable, but he said he'd grab some (animal) breakfast and meet us at the party.
"I have to go help them," Jasper said.
"Please don't leave me," I said.
"They're dangerous. I can't ask my friends and your friends to risk their lives unless I'm willing to risk my own as well."
"But I don't want you to go," I sobbed.
"I know," he whispered. "Please, let me go anyway."
I looked up into his eyes. They were darker than normal, even though I knew he was well fed. He was shaking with anticipation, his features taut with fury. It wasn't just honor or fairness. Jasper needed to go. He needed to end Victoria himself. Quickly, so I wouldn't change my mind, I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his.
"I love you, Jasper," I said. "Come back to me, as quickly as you can."
"Before you'll get a chance to miss me," he said.
Then he was gone.
Jacob gave me a loaded look, and bounded after him.
I looked to Alice, and she smiled. "They'll be fine," she said.
"You saw that?" I asked.
"I know that," she said.
The battle raged on over the phone. I heard Jasper's voice bellow in rage when he arrived. Then I heard him yelling, "Bella! Alice!"
Alice jumped to her feet. Her knees were bent as she crouched ready to spring.
"What's happening?" I asked. But before she could answer, I saw a blur of red coming right for me.
The pain. Oh, the pain. I know the pain couldn't have started before I was bit, but I remember it like it did. The blur of red hit Alice at full speed. It was like two boulders colliding just in front of me. I scrambled to back away, but I was too late.
Victoria was too fast for me.
She caught my leg, my right leg just as James had done before her. Alice was clawing her back, and I heard the growls of the approaching wolves, but they were all too late. Victoria's teeth grazed my ankle as she was pulled away, and after that the only thing that existed in this whole world was pain. It was like being lit on fire, but rather than burning my skin the fire coursed through my veins.
I heard them rip her apart. The sound of tearing vampire flesh is like that of a car being crushed but wetter. My eyes were squeezed shut in agony, but I heard it all. I probably would have closed my eyes anyway.
"Bella!" Jasper's voice was husky from rage and overuse. "Where are you hurt?"
"Leg," I manage to cough. I thought I'd heard once that if someone experiences too much pain their brain would make them pass out. As a mercy. Where was my mercy?
"Alice!" he called.
"Damn!" she said. "Jasper, I tried. I tried my best."
"What do we do?" he said.
"Suck the venom out? Could either of us do that?" she asked.
"What happened?" Jacob's voice boomed.
"Bella's been bit," Alice said.
"Get back. Both of you. Get back!" Jacob yelled. "Your eyes. Get back!"
Then my brain finally showed mercy. I passed into oblivion.