Author's note: Chapter has now been edited. Thank you to my beta Fainting Fancies 04/19/10
Chapter 21 – Confrontation in the Meadow
June 2009 – Present
Amy couldn't believe her eyes. The largest elk she had ever seen had been thrown like a sack of rocks onto the grass in front of her. Astonished, she looked up at Edward. He stood next to the creature's head and nudged it tentatively with his foot. The animal was still alive, but its neck was twisted and broken. It now lay only a few feet away as Amy sat crouched beside Jacob's body.
"Where should I put it?" Edward asked her softly as he, too, got down on his knees. He sat back on his heels with his hands braced on his thighs, but his concerned eyes were watching Amy. It was obvious she'd been crying. "Don't worry. If we can get him to drink, he's bound to regain his strength." Frowning, he looked down at the dying elk. "But I think we'll have to move him a bit closer."
Although her insides were churning, Amy tried to regain her composure and push her feelings aside as best she could. This was no time to fall apart. "You're right. Can you pull it over here, right next to him? I'll lift Jake's head," Amy directed. "Maybe if he smells the blood—"
"That should be easy," Edward said confidently as he tugged the elk's bulk into place. Although Jacob was still in wolf form, his body remained unresponsive to the fresh kill. He was as limp as a rag doll. Although it seemed impossible to tell if Jacob was simply unconscious or just too weak to move, Edward was beginning to have doubts about the wolf's condition. The vampire wasn't getting a single thought from Jacob's mind. It was as if he were truly dead.
Amy was struggling to get to the elk's neck since she had her hands full with Jacob's massive canine frame. "Here, let me make a cut in the jugular," Edward offered. After lowering his head to the elk's throat, Edward ran his teeth in a swift line across the flesh, digging with surgical precision through the thick hide. The resulting cut emitted an immediate fountain of life-giving blood.
The intense fumes from the fresh release of blood hit Amy like a magnetic storm, the tortuous urge to drink almost overwhelming. She'd eaten her fill earlier that day when she and Edward had been out hunting, but now, after all that had happened, the vicious hunger had returned. Fighting back the need, Amy found herself leaning forward. As she did, her hair began to fall in dark chocolate waves from her shoulders, threatening to spill into the growing puddle of red. Irritated, she tried to toss her head, but Edward reached out and pulled the unruly tresses out of the way. He was rewarded with a brief, but thankful look as their eyes silently connected. But the stolen moment didn't last.
Forcing herself to focus, Amy turned her attention back to Jacob. With cautious hands, she turned Jacob's head into the stream of hot liquid. She knew she had to be careful. If Jacob was still alive and still breathing, his need for oxygen was critical. She would have to make sure nothing blocked his airways. As the blood spilled over his snout, she pressed her fingers along either side of his jaw, trying to open his mouth. "Come on, Jake," she murmured in encouragement. "Open up. It'll taste good."
At first there was no response, the wolf's muscles remaining slack and flaccid. But after a trickle of the elk's blood managed to enter his mouth, Amy noticed some movement. They could both see Jacob's nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air. Then, like a miracle, his soft, pale tongue stretched out slowly to lap up some of the crimson flow.
"That's it, Jake. Come on, drink up." As she directed Jacob's mouth closer to the animal's neck, his tongue began to lick faster. "Edward, look," Amy blurted excitedly. "Oh, my God, he's drinking it. Look, he wants it. He's really hungry."
Edward laughed softly in relief as Jacob began to lick furiously at the liquid. The wolf couldn't seem to get enough. Better yet, Edward felt his mind stirring. Most of Jacob's thoughts were muddled and weak, but one thing floated to the surface. Amy was right; he was starving. "I'm going to have to get another one at this rate."
"Poor Jacob, he hasn't eaten anything in a whole week. No wonder he's so weak," Amy said sadly as she continued to stroke his fur. "But if he's able to drink blood, does that mean he's a vampire? Could he be a wolf-vampire?" she asked as she tried to puzzle it out. "Or is he still alive?"
"A wolf can drink blood, too. I would think a real wolf – a live wolf – could get nourishment from any type of protein. Just because he's drinking doesn't mean he's over this."
"Damn it, Jake, what did we do to you?" Her voice was filled with pain, but as she looked up into Edward's eyes, he did not see condemnation in her gaze, only grief. And it was her use of the word 'we' that had taken him by surprise.
Gently, Edward placed his hand on hers as she stroked Jacob's fur. "No, Amy. I did this. It was my fault."
"But, I asked you to save him. You didn't know—"
"That he was a wolf? That he was a special wolf that lives only to clean the world of vampires? Yes," Edward replied bitterly. "I knew. I've known for most of my existence – for all of Jacob's life. He and his tribe are descended from wolves. They return to their natural form when we … when vampires are near his people."
"He never told me." Amy shook her head. "I grew up with him. My mother taught at the res school. We were kids together. We were friends. How could I miss something like that?"
Edward remained silent, but his hand still covered hers. Beside them, Jacob continued to lap hungrily at the puddle of blood.
Amy tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, the golden irises locking in on Edward's face. "And you," she began and took a deep intake of breath, once again forgetting that she didn't need to.
Edward raised an eyebrow at her statement, but waited for her to continue.
"You're a vampire. All this time," Amy said softly, "even when I was a child. You came to my house, taught me to play, taught me to—"
"To love."
"Yes, and to grieve. But you were just like Jacob. You never told me either. And I never guessed. How could I have been so blind?"
"Not blind, exactly." A small smile fluttered across Edward's lips, but he quickly turned serious. "You were like most humans. You believed what seemed normal." He reached up and touched her cheek. "A brush of my icy lips against yours as we kissed, and you probably thought I was just nervous. You never even suspected that I was dead. You probably thought I just had cold hands."
She placed her palm against his and held it in place against her own pale face. "You're not cold now."
"No," he murmured. "I'll never be cold to you again." Edward looked deep into her eyes with a heated look of longing. "Amy, I—" he said huskily, but just as he started to move closer, Jacob's body went rigid.
"My God," Amy cried out. "What's happening?"
With a sudden jerk, Jacob went into a shudder of convulsions, his muscles vibrating like the strings of a plucked harp.
"Is this it? Is he dying?" Amy gasped. "Please, Edward. Help him." Amy had thrown herself down on top of Jacob's wild thrashing body, but it didn't seem to help. The wolf's tongue was clamped tightly between its jaws, and a red froth of foam began to form on his lips. Edward tried to help hold him down, but the animal's strength was overtaking both vampires.
Suddenly, from behind Amy, a shadow fell across the ground, blocking the orange glow of the setting sun.
"Stand aside."
Late May – 2009
"So, why can't you work at my house? Isn't my Internet access fast enough for you?" Jacob laughed.
"Well, actually, no it's not. I'm doing a lot of photo editing, and I'll need to upload stuff to my boss for approval. Why can't we stay at my apartment this afternoon?"
"What, and watch you work? That's about as much fun as watching grass grow. If we were at my house, at least I could sneak out and go fishing."
Amy slouched against Jacob's chest as they walked. It was a rare, sunny Sunday afternoon, and the couple was strolling through Pike Place Market looking for some fresh asparagus.
"I have to get this done," Amy explained. "Besides, you know you have to work the next couple of weekends. How long will it take to fix that darn road anyway?" She knew Jacob had been driving his work crew through several stressful six day weeks already trying to fix the mile long washout near the entrance to Olympic National Park. The spring rains had been brutal on the park's roads.
"Well, we still have a ton of gravel to haul out. And then there's a snag of trees blocking the eastern side. It looks like we may have to use explosives near the pass. If I had to guess, it's going to take another three weeks. Maybe more."
"But what about my birthday? I thought we could go hiking up by Hurricane Ridge," Amy pouted sadly.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could come, but maybe we can do it later on in the summer. If it makes you any happier, I'll be slaving away only a few miles from where you'll be hiking. Maybe I can try to meet you up there for lunch or something. But aren't you going with you pals from work?"
"Yeah, but they won't mind if I meet you for lunch."
"That's not why I asked. There's been a rash of mountain lion sightings up on the trails, and my friends even found some tracks. I don't want you going off alone. Those cats have no problems hunting during the day."
"You worry too much. I just hope I don't get called away to a photo shoot. It would be just my luck. But if it makes you feel any better, we have a whole group of people coming. I won't have a second to myself."
"Good. Now that we've settled that, all this worrying is making me hungry. Let's eat."
June 2009 – Present
"Stand aside, I said."
The deep voice of a male intruder startled both Amy and Edward. Spinning around to get a better view, Amy looked up into the deep red eyes of a tall, thin vampire. His clothes were black and heavy with a distinct military cut. A matching cloak covered the man's shoulders and head. Along with a rugged pair of black leather gloves, the only bit of skin left uncovered was the man's long, thin face. But Amy's gaze dropped to the vampire's chest. A 'V'-shaped medallion hung from a thick, silver chain around the intruder's long neck.
"What are you doing here? And who are you?" Amy demanded, her voice shaking with anger. "You can't just barge in here—"
"Do as my friend says, and you won't get hurt," another male vampire suggested calmly. He'd appeared out of nowhere and now stood directly beside Edward who immediately stood up.
"Edward, who are these people?"
Swallowing hard, Edward's lips curled with controlled fury as he spoke. "Volturi."
"Yes, we are from the Volturi," the calm one explained. "I am Alec, and my friend, here, is Santiago. Perhaps you have heard of us."
Amy looked confused for a moment. Why was Edward just standing there? Shouldn't he have tried to help her protect Jacob from these thugs? His accepting attitude was making her angry. Not only were these vampires annoying, they'd intruded at a very bad time. Jacob continued to thrash, and Amy put all her energy into trying to stop his flaying limbs. It wasn't until a third shadow fell upon the grass and across Jacob's prone figure that she looked up. Like the shadows before her, the third vampire was cloaked in darkness.
"Get out of the way," the newly arrived vampire hissed.
"No, back off. I won't let you touch him." Amy looked excitedly up at Edward, but he remained frozen in place.
The cloaked woman moved like a bolt of lightning. The suddenness of her attack, coupled with the frantic convulsion of Jacob's body, had caught Amy off guard. The two other Volturi lunged forward at exactly the same time, easily plucking Amy off Jacob's body. Instantly, the woman was at Jacob's neck. Her growl came from deep in her throat and sounded like a demon from hell. Amy screamed and kicked out with her foot, the tip of her shoe connecting with the woman's hood. The force of the blow was slight, but it had just enough power to knock the covering off the woman's head.
Amy gasped as a familiar face stared back. It was Bella Swan.
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