I am absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of support and nice things people had to say about the last chapter. I am in complete awe. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed the story. I'm just going to get on with it as I know a lot of you are anxious to know what happens next. I hope you enjoy it.
BELLA'S POV:
"When will she wake up?" Paul's low gravelly voice growled from my right. He was right next to me, and I assumed the warmth radiating around my right hand was his hand clasping mine. I'm waking up, I was screaming. It only registered a moment later that I hadn't said it aloud. I tried to flex my fingers or open my eyes, but my body was not playing around. As much as I tried, I could not get the tips of my fingers to cooperate. Exhaustion waved through me. I'd only been able to hear for a few seconds but I was already so tired.
I could feel the blackness started to claim me again. Panic set it. Falling back into the empty pit of darkness was terrifying. When was I going to wake up? When were I going to be able to know what the hell was going on and what had happened?
"When she's ready Paul. Her body needs to recover. She's been through a lot." Who was that? I recognised the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint it through the haze.
"When I saw Edward stood with her wrist to his lips, I thought we were too late…I don't know what I would have done if…" Sam's voice chimed up to my left, further away from me than Paul's was, but still in the room. He quickly got cut off by another voice. A voice again, I couldn't pin-point.
"She's here Sam." It was a female voice. "She's safe. You did get to her." Sam sighed. I left the slight breeze of his breath dance across my face. He must be closer than I first assumed.
"I shouldn't have left her that morning." Sam spoke in a defeated tone. That morning? The words rang through my head. How long had I been in this darkness for? Confusion flickered through me, taunting me. So many unanswered questions, where was Edward? What had happened to him? What had happened to me? Were all the wolves okay?
"You weren't to know Sam. Plus the pack needed you." That woman's voice spoke softly again. A warm wet sensation spread across my forehead. Someone was wiping it with a towel. I was grateful. My head was pounding like it had never done before. Somehow I couldn't see it being Paul doing such an affectionate motion. The woman spoke again. "Where…" She started. "Where is Edward?" I listened intently. This just got interesting.
"We dealt with him." Paul snapped tightly. What did that mean? Give me more I begged.
"Is he alive?" The woman asked. A silence filled the room. What did that mean? Was he? Wasn't he?
Darkness began to spread through my mind again. Oh no, I sobbed internally. Every part of me was aching and tired, but I was petrified. I didn't want to go back to that eternally black place. Everything began to fade away…
…
"…it was not the thorn bending to the honeysuckles, but the honeysuckles embracing the thorn." I knew that quote. Jared's voice was gentle as he read to me my favorite book. Wuthering Heights. The familiar voice and the familiar quotation from the book made me feel safe, made me feel at ease.
Light began to dance behind my eyelids. I was finally coming around, I could feel it. Jared kept reading softly as I focused on moving my fingertips. Jared's warm hand was wrapped around mine, repeatedly drawing soft circles into my hand with his thumb. After what felt like hours, I managed to regain the strength to flutter my eyes open. I blinked a few times before they focused on anything.
Jared carried on reading and I didn't want to stop him quite yet. Although curiosity burned through me like a flame, I looked around the room, quite content right at this moment of time. Last time I had been listening to everyone's conversations I had assumed I was in my bedroom. It took me by surprise to realize I wasn't. Taking in my surroundings I frowned. I was laid on a very large, king sized bed, that had four posts t each corner, with a silk canvas covering the top. The bed took up the majority of the room but there was a chest of drawers and a desk in here as well. On one of the walls there were double doors that I could only assume contained a wardrobe. The room was painted in a deep cream color which made it feel clean and welcoming.
The bed sheets I was laid in were red and satin. How anyone actually slept in this bed without slithering right on out of it I would never know. I turned my head and watched Jared for a second. He was still reading the book, in fact he was quite engrossed. He seemed to be enjoying it.
"I hate him for myself, but despise him for the memories he revives." I smiled weakly. He looked about as comfortable as a bear in a circus cage. Opening my lips, I managed to find my voice.
"Jared." I whispered out in a croak. Jared's eyes snapped to mine. Worry flooded in them, followed very quickly by relief.
"Bells." He whispered back. Taking the hand of mine he was holding to his lips, as he kissed each knuckle gently. An aching pain in my left shoulder ignited like a forest fire. I winced in pain. "Are you okay?" He asked me as he put the book on the side and leaned in closer to my face.
I nodded. I just needed to know what had happened.
"What happened?" I asked in a weak and pathetic voice. Jared's face fell. He looked away in utter disgust.
"I think I need to tell Paul and Sam you are awake." He told me. There was a strange look on his face. I wasn't sure what the emotion was, but it was something. There was something going on.
Jared stood slowly and let go of my hand, walking to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" I called after him all in a panic. My heart rate began to escalate. The thought of being by myself at all right now was the worst thing I could imagine. Fear set in and a few tears dribbled down my cheeks and onto the side of my mouth.
"Woo." Jared quickly jogged back into the bedroom and cupped my face with his hands. He rubbed the tears away and kissed my forehead. "I'm just going to the top of the stairs so I can shout for Sam and Paul. They need to know you are awake. We've all been going crazy." My stomach settled. The aching inside of it loosening. My heart began to calm down, and my breathing returned to normal. What was wrong with me?
I nodded in understanding. Of course they deserved to know.
Jared walked to the top of the stairs, but before he left the doorway, he turned and winked at me, that playful glint that I was beginning to fall for regaining its rightful position.
"Sam…Paul." I heard Jared holler down the stair case. There was a commotion downstairs followed by two sets of footsteps taking the stairs two by two. Jared re-entered the room with Sam and Paul not far behind him. Sam quickly pushed around Jared and came to my side. Taking my face in his hands, he pushed his head against mine.
"Isabella." He breathed my name as if it were a song. He put his nose into my hair and took a deep breath. I cringed a little. I probably smelt like crap. I wish he hadn't done that. I hunched my shoulders trying to move my head away from Sam, but the pain in my shoulder multiplied into a tearing sensation.
I threw my head back in pain and cried out.
"AHHHH!"
"Don't move Isabella." Sam steadied my movement and hushed me. "Are you okay?" Sam turned to Jared as I nodded. "Get the doctor." He ordered him. "He can give her more pain killers." I sighed. The thought of painkillers right now was beautiful, just what I needed. Jared darted out the door and I heard him run down the stairs.
"Lahote." I turned to Paul and smirked. Paul looked back at me and raised an eyebrow. He crossed his arms across his chest.
"Swan." He greeted me back, the exact same amount of sass in his voice. He was trying to act tough and un-phased but I could see the worry and concern in his eyes.
"What happened?" Sam looked down and sighed.
"I will explain everything, just let the doctor give you so more medicine." I nodded, my shoulder was really hurting and I was becoming aware of pain in other regions of my body as well. My back was sore, my hands…
Jared re-entered the room, followed by the doctor. I took my eyes off Sam's defeated face and looked towards the man that would give me the drugs to feel better. But I went into shock by what I saw. My heart stopped dead and my breathing ceased.
"Bella, I am just here to help I promise." Carlisle Cullen. He was one of the last people I had expected to see right now.
"What the hell is going on?" I looked to Jared, who looked down, I looked to Paul who turned his back towards the doctor with a low growl and finally I looked at Sam, he looked straight back at me with pleading eyes.
"Just let the doctor give you something to ease the pain and I will explain everything, please." Sam was begging me. I wasn't saying no to letting Carlisle help me. I was just confused and upset and hurting.
"Ok." I nodded in agreement. Carlisle quickly came over to me and sat down as Sam stood and went over to Paul.
Carlisle got on with his checks, looking into my eyes, checking my pulse etc, before he put a small tube of painkiller into the needle that was currently residing in my hand.
"I'll leave you to it for a while. I will come back in four hours and check on you Bella." Carlisle told me as he stood, picking up all his equipment.
"Bella." He addressed me as he walked towards the door. "I hope you are okay." He looked straight towards me with sincere, apologizing eyes. The thing with Carlisle was as much as you wanted to be angry and to blame him, you just couldn't.
"Thank you." I offered him a smile and it was fondly returned before finally, he left. I turned my gaze back to Sam.
"Can you tell me what happened now?" Sam looked round at Paul and Jared and then back to me. He was hesitant. Worrying was written all over their faces, but they knew they needed to tell me the truth and exactly what had happened.
"What do you remember?" He asked me as he sat back down on the side of the bed and picked my hand back up.
I thought back. "I remember looking over to see Jared, and I remember Edwards lips being close to my wrist, and a roar, like nothing I've ever heard before." Sam took a deep breath.
"Oh Bella…Well…" I settled into my pillow, I had a feeling this would be a long story.
…
JARED'S POV
I quickly shifted back from wolf form to human form, Sam had decided that someone needed to be in human form to comfort Bella, and Paul was too worked up to even consider phasing back yet.
Pulling on my shorts that were secured around my ankle, I ran into the clearing. It hadn't taken us all that long to find Bella with Edward, but it had felt like a life time.
"Edward! NO!" Bella's scream radiated through my body. Anger surged within me. I needed to keep this under control, if I didn't I would phase back and not be able to be there for Bella when she needed me.
Jacob phased back and stood next to me.
He looked at me as I looked straight forward. Right now, I didn't care about him. I didn't care about anyone. I cared only about getting Bella back.
We ran towards the little clearing where Edward stood with Bella.
"It's okay. It'll only hurt for a little while." Edward cooed at Bella as he took her wrist towards his mouth. The sight of them both had me gagging. I'd never felt so sick in my life.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER." I shouted through the fresh air as myself and Jacob appeared at the edge of the clearing, followed by Sam, Paul and Embry. The rest of the pack moved around the clearing, spacing out so that Edward had nowhere to run to, no where he could take Bella and escape to.
Bella's head turned towards me, even though she was in unimaginable danger right now, she almost immediately calmed down at the site of me. My heart thumped in my chest, the sickness not easing up in the slightest at the sight of them both together. Edward still had a very tight grip on Bella's wrist. I could feel my inner wolf fighting against me. He wanted to get out and rip that bloodsucker limb from limb, but he was too close to Bella.
Edward's seething gaze focused on me. He opened his mouth and spoke one vile word.
"No." Absolute fury washed through me. I took a few deep breaths. Think Jared. Normally I would have Sam there telling me exactly what to do but he was in wolf form, he had to be, as much as he hated it, so he could lead the rest of the wolves. If I transformed now, Edward would see it as a threat and would kill Bella, of that I was sure.
Bella turned her sights back to Edwards, I watched in utter disgust as she blinked once. Her whole persona changed.
She lifted her hand slowly, it was trembling. She was frightened and there was nothing I could do about it right now. Sadness bit through me. Bella placed a hand on the side of Edwards face. Pure jealousy and rage consumed me. I gritted my teeth and my hands clenched into a fist.
There was a low growl from my left. Paul. He was not happy, not in the slightest about Bella's change of tactics. None of us were, but if it kept her alive, I didn't care if she had to do a strip tease for the fucker.
"Please Edward, you are hurting me." My heart fell out of my chest. Those words should have never had to leave her lips and if Edward just stayed away and let us look after her, they never would have done. I shook like I'd never shook before. Edward's grip loosened slightly on Bella's arm. Even if I didn't like it, her tactics were working.
"You heard her Cullen. Get off her." Edwards hand grasped tightly as Bella's arm again as Jacob spoke, even harder than before. Bella winced in pain. I internally cursed at Jacob. If he had just stayed quiet, Edward may have let her go. I knew he was only trying to protect her, but it wasn't working obviously.
In one quick terrifying moment, Edward's lips darted towards Bella's arm. My heart fell to my stomach as everything converted to slow motion before my very eyes.
Sam lunged forward with every ounce of strength he had, followed very quickly by Paul. I tried to follow them, but in my human state, I was much much slower than the two of them and not much use.
Bella's high-pitched scream echoed through the opening, bouncing off every tree and rock as Edward's teeth bit into her wrist. NOOOO! My head began to spin, but I knew I just needed to get to her.
Sam was the first to get to Edward, tearing at his shoulder and dragging him away from Bella with such force that I thought her entire hand may come loose from her arm. Thankfully, it didn't. But an agonizing crunch filled the air as Bella's shoulder popped from its socket with the force of the confrontation. The noise of my brothers growling and attacking was enough to deafen a mortal human being.
Paul ran to Sam's side to help him keep Edward aware from Bella as I finally got to her. Bella fell backwards as I navigated through the bodies of fur and muscle. As Edward had bitten into Bella, all of the other wolves had come out of hiding and were now sprinting towards Sam and Paul.
I managed to break Bella's fall before she hit the ground, maneuvering so she didn't take the brunt of the fall on her now dislocated shoulder.
Laying her down gently, Jacob ran to my side, soaking in the view of Bella's wriggling body as the vampire venom spread. I hadn't ever felt the effects of the venom but I knew it hurt, felt like a fire radiating through your body.
"What do we do?" I asked Jacob in a pleading voice. I sounded pathetic and heartbroken but I didn't care. Jacob looked up, guilt and sorrow in his eyes.
"Jared…" Defeat in his voice.
"Don't tell me there isn't anything we can do Jacob, there has to be." I looked down at Bella. There just had to be something. Bella was writhing around on the wet floor in pain. Her eyes were scrunched shut as she took the brunt of all the pain throughout her body right now.
A load roar from my left erupted through the forest. I snapped my head up and watched as Sam prowled around Edward, Paul stalking the other way. I have no idea how Edward managed to get out of Sam's first grip, but Paul had a nice gash to his back. That had to sting.
Edward sneered at the pack as he kept moving, probably to try and stop one of the wolves attacking him from a side.
"She will be mine." He taunted Sam and Paul. Did he really think teasing us was the best idea right now. A jostle in the bushes to my right caught my attention. Both mine and Jacob's heads turned as we watched the two young male Cullen's bolt towards the pack, their hands upturned in a sort of 'do not hurt us, we aren't here to fight' motion. The doctor Cullen and a woman ran towards myself and Jacob. The doctor dropped to his knee's by my side.
"I'm not going to hurt her. She's like a daughter. Please let me help." He begged me, a sincerity in his eyes that was not faltering. I looked at Jacob. He looked straight back at me. He was having the same internal battle I was.
"Fine." I said through gritted teeth, even a vampire doctor was better than her turning into one of them herself.
Carlisle took Bella's wrist into his own and looked sadly at my Bella.
"How long ago was she bitten?" He looked up at me. My breathing was erotic and my thoughts irrational.
"I…" I swallowed…I needed to get myself together. "I don't know. Maybe a minute?" Carlisle nodded.
"You aren't going to like this." He told me in a tone that sent a chill across my body. "But if I don't do it, Bella will become one of us." I swallowed, I didn't know what he was going to do, but I knew I was going to utterly hate it.
"What exactly are you planning on doing?" Jacob questioned him. Carlisle looked at Jacob, regret in his expression.
"I need to suck the venom out." I gagged.
"You are joking?" Jacob and I said at the same time. We were both obviously thinking the same thing.
"You'll kill her." Carlisle looked from face to face and then back down to Bella.
"She only has limited time. Either I do this or she turns to one of us, what would be your choice?" Carlisle looked over his shoulder to the commotion with his sons. I wasn't sure what was happening but it wasn't great.
"Do it." I said as I looked back to Carlisle. He nodded.
"If I don't stop and she stops moving, break my neck." He told me. Would that work? I wasn't convinced but I wasn't about to say no. The woman vampire who I had completely ignored up until now bent down next to Carlisle and spoke for the first time.
"Are you sure you are strong enough to do this?" She spoke softly but anger surged through me. She was trying to stop Carlisle from helping Bella.
"Alice, I have no choice." Carlisle took hold of Bella's wrist and bared his fangs. I swallowed again. My throat was dry. I felt like I was about to heave. Watching a bloodsucker literally remove the venom from my imprints veins was not something I saw every day and I was definitely not comfortable with it to be.
Carlisle brought Bella's wrist to his lips and began to suck gently, but within seconds things escalated. Carlisle grasped hold of Bella's upper arm and pulled her into him. He hunched over like a predator on its pray. Fear coursed through my veins, I began to shake. I was going to have to break his neck. Bella's body stopped thrashing as hard and she began to slump. Her open eyes, began to close slowly. The life was being drained from her soul. I stood up, getting ready to break Carlisle's neck. The girl saw me stand and kicked into action. She knew what I was about to do.
"Carlisle" Alice whispered in a hushed tone, she touched his shoulder and Carlisle sprung free from Bella, running half way across the field, blood dripping from his mouth, Bella's blood. I felt sick. I tore my eyes away from Carlisle and watched Bella. Placing a hand on the side of her face, I stroked the hair out of her eyes.
"Get her back to your house." Carlisle hollered at me from across the field. "She'll be okay. I just need to sort getting Edward out of here and then I will be with you to sort her shoulder." Sliding my hands under Bella's neck and under her knee's to carry her out of there princess style, I stood.
Jacob got up off the floor with me and ran a few meters away.
"I'm coming with you." He told me but before I had time to argue he had phased and was plodding back towards me. Shaking my head, I looked towards Sam and he nodded and me with his large, furry head.
I turned and began my journey to my house. Bella's house was closest but that was obviously comprised in its safety now. My house it was.
…
SAM'S POV
I tore my eyes away from where Jared had left the opening with Bella and back towards the vampires. Everything inside me wanted to tear Edward apart, but with five of them I knew it would be quite the battle.
Carlisle walked up behind me, where I was stood watching Edward very closely. A pain had made camp in his eyes. He'd finally realized he had lost. Bells wasn't his anymore and she wasn't going to be one of them.
"Sam please." He turned his attention towards me. How he knew who I was or which wolf I was, amazed me. He'd never met me before in his life. "I know what Edward did was utterly unforgivable and I'm not asking for you to forgive any of us, but please let him leave." A group of low rumbles erupted around me.
Tell me you are not considering this. Paul sneered at me. He turned his big grey head towards me and looked me straight in the eyes.
He tried to turn Bella into a leech! Leah agreed. I whipped my head to Leah. She never agreed with any of us. But she hated the bloodsuckers more than Bella.
I have to think of the tribe as well as Isabella. I told them all in the most alpha tone I could muster right now, but it sounded a bit pathetic. I watched as Carlisle and Alice walked to Edward and whispered something to him. I didn't quite catch what was said, but I didn't know if I even wanted to.
What are we doing Sam? Paul pushed me for guidance again. My stomach was turning. I felt nervous. Normally being the pack leader came naturally to me. But not right now. I couldn't think straight. Every part of me was screaming to be with Bella. My Bella.
My thoughts went straight back to our tribe. If we attacked now, 5 of them against the 8 of us, not all of us would make it out alive, of that I was sure. I looked between the Cullen's. Edward was looking at the floor, every part of him slumped. I'd never seen a man look so defeated. But I didn't care. I wanted him dead. I growled. The tribe, I kept repeating in my head.
"We will take him. You will never see us again, any of us. I promise." The young girl with the dark bob spoke up for the first time.
Paul growled a low long growl. He was getting really really pissed off. Not that I could blame him in the slightest. I stalked slowly to the left and nodded at the Cullen's for them to pass.
The need to protect my tribe was stronger than the need for revenge, but only marginally.
Carlisle looked towards the others.
"Go." He spoke in a calm yet strict voice. Much like my own.
The rest of the Cullen's whizzed past us in a line of light and were gone from view.
WHAT? Paul shouted into my thoughts, you are just going to let them go? You are being an idiot Sam.
I don't need your input right now Paul, I made a decision as an alpha. Paul grumbled in the back of his mind but shut up immediately.
Carlisle still stood in front of me. I cocked my head to the side, asking him what he was doing? Why wasn't he leaving like the others.
"I promised your brother I would come and see Bella. He took her to his house." He informed me. I nodded my large wolf head and sighed. A leech helping my imprint. This was nothing something I wanted to ever, ever, have to deal with again. I turned on my heels and began to sprint, as fast as I could towards Isabella. I needed to see her, to hold her.
Hope you like it!