Carlisle and Edward opened the doors, and we poured in. I didn't keep track of our vamps, my attention going straight to Nessie and the piece of crap holding her by the arm. I lunged right for his throat, and he dropped her. Rather than give chase, I stood over her and tracked my pack. Seth and Quil had taken two at the front, Embry was helping Emmett with some strong SOB that couldn't be more than a few weeks old by the looks of him. Joseph was laying a licking on the one that had held Nessie for me. Good pup. Leah...
We howled as one. It was especially strong for Quil, Joe and I. We knew exactly what was happening. I didn't think any of us had ever been wolf when it happened before though. It was almost painful to feel her connection to everything stripped. Then she was gone. Don't stop, I ordered the others, planning to cover her back if she needed it.
What the hell was she doing? She had phased back. She was walking, naked, up to a stinking vampire. He was eyeballing her big time. Leah! Seth's thought came.
She's fine, Seth. I have no idea what she's doing though. She kept walking up to the vampire ignoring the turmoil around her. Most of it was quieting down anyway. Now I looked around the room. Jasper was next to me pinning the other crusty looking one to his chair. Bella was behind me; she had someone's head in her hands. Way to go, Bells! Kate had one incapacitated under her foot while another was in her jaws. Benjamin had pulled up some sort of wind and was keeping the skittish girl that had shadowed Aro at bay. That was one particularly slippery leech; I wished him luck. Esme and one of the Egyptian women, the older one, had two crusty women pinned at the back of the platform we were on. Alice and Edward each had a leech in a headlock. Rosalie had her knee on some bitch's back and her teeth at her throat Go Blondie, I thought, especially given how much trouble her husband was having with his. Garrett was fending off two at once, impressive.
Leah didn't seem to acknowledge anything in the room. She was still walking up to the crusty leech. The look in her eyes was adoring. Stranger still, he was looking back at her the same way. Well, she was butt naked, but he didn't even seem to be noticing that part, which was very impressive. Damn, Leah had a good body.
Gross Jake! Seth shouted at me.
Yeah, sorry, man.
"Hold, everyone," Carlisle ordered our group. He was the only one without a partner in this dance. Do what he says, I told the pack. Joe was the last to obey. I said stop, puppy.
I'm two years old! Haven't I stopped being the puppy yet? Joseph complained.
Nope, all three of us answered together.
The Dracula twins decided not to listen to Carlisle either and made a lunge for the one Jasper had pinned. Edward and Alice dropped their victims and were on the Romanians before they got two steps.
Damn those two are fast, I heard Embry muse. He was remembering trying to throw fast enough to tag them out on the diamond. I couldn't argue; they had wicked speed.
I turned my attention back to Leah. She reached out to the leech; she hadn't seriously imprinted on him had she?
Is that even possible? Joseph asked.
Can girls be werewolves? Can we imprint on half-vampires? I replied.
The crusty leech was speaking now. It was deadly quiet in the room so we could all hear him. "I didn't think it was possible. I didn't think I could..." He put out a hand to touch Leah's cheek, and she tipped her head into it. We coughed as one, all wishing we could empty our stomachs. That was so disgusting. And Leah? Was there are a more rampant leech hater? I didn't think so.
"I thought I was... wrong. That I couldn't." She was whispering now, and we shared with Joseph Leah's fears that she hadn't imprinted because there was something wrong with her plumbing. Apparently that wasn't the problem at all. I felt my stomach turn again, and Seth actually heaved.
The leech was pulling off his robe now and draped it over her. Then he hugged her. I looked away. I couldn't watch that. Next they'd be kissing. Damn it, Embry, look away! I begged him as I saw through his eyes that this was exactly what they were doing. Seth whined.
I phased back to get away from them and the images. "Nessie?" I asked. "Are you OK? Did they hurt you?" I put my hand to her shoulder. It was like the blood had just returned to a numb limb. I was pins and needles all down my arm as I made contact with her again. I dropped atop her and wrapped my arms around her, lifting her to me. "I was so afraid. Please, don't leave me. Never. Never again," I pleaded into her hair. She was facing away from me, looking in Leah's direction.
"Marcus?" Nessie whispered. Was that the leech's name? I really didn't care. "Leah?" I ignored her, putting my lips to her neck and drinking in her scent while I kissed her. I would never let her go.
She turned to look at me over her shoulder now. She had a small smile. "Does this mean you don't hate me?" She sounded fearful.
"I could never hate you, Ness. Myself, sure, but never you." I kissed her lips then and hoped it was as white as ever. She parted her lips and I broke the kiss shaking my head. "I don't believe you," I groaned. She giggled. Then she turned to watch the scene unfolding around us. We slowly rose to our feet. I kept my arms locked around her shoulders.
Marcus, if that was his name, was approaching Carlisle with Leah in the curve of his arm. "Is it difficult?" he asked. "Your way, after so long? Will it be too difficult for me?" he was asking.
Whoa. That was some serious crap Leah must have laid on him to have him 360 like that.
"Nessie told me, they don't attack you because you don't threaten their people. I must do the same now." He said it as though this were obvious. He gazed into Leah's eyes like he was seeing the sun for the first time. Usually that went the other way.
"No!" It came from one of the females in the back. Esme held her arms behind her back. "Marcus! You promised! She would hurt as much as we did." The pain contorting her face made Nessie wince. She had sympathy for this leech, one who had held her captive. My girl was amazing.
"Come with us, Suplicia. If one of us can be touched by one of them, perhaps another can as well." I heard coughs from the pack; they were definitely disgusted by that thought.
Carlisle spoke then. "And even if they can't, even if you don't find another among them, you will find our family bonds are much tighter. We can ease your pain, Suplicia. Please. Come with us." He held out a hand to her, and Esme dropped the wench's arms. She sagged but didn't approach Carlisle.
"You would devastate us twice, Carlisle?" It came from the one Jasper had pinned.
"You have held Marcus and others for longer than you had any right to. I am sorry for any pain losing Aro may have caused, but it is right that he was removed. His poison had saturated this place. Perhaps without him you can become what you once were. Patrons to our kind, not lords over them. I offered my way to you before. Any who would like to try now are welcome to join us. My family and I will leave you. I do not recommend coming for us again. I think you will leave even more fractured." He turned his back and stepped away.
One by one the leeches let each other up. Bella even put the head back on the shoulders of the one she'd attacked and helped him to his feet. I recognized him now, he was the one that had blinded us all. She was smiling at him. What the hell? The last to let go were Alice and Edward. As soon as they did the Dracula twins made a rush for the ancient Jasper had released. Two of the guard quickly dispatched them and Caius lit them up. I was kind of sorry they'd never get their retribution. The thought didn't get far though.
Leah and Marcus were at the front with Carlisle and Esme. She looked... ecstatic. I couldn't fathom it. Then she was kissing the leech again, and I had to look away. A few of the cloaked figures did follow us. The wench Esme had held. The one Rosalie had had pinned. The squirrelly one Benjamin had kept distracted. The others just let us pass. They knew better than to mess with us anymore. The crusty one in his chair was still shooting hatred at us. Tough shit, I thought at him. You aren't the big shot on the block anymore, and you aren't going to be ever again.
I didn't look back. I put my arm around Ness and walked her out of that hell, and back into my heaven, my life. I was never letting her go again.