Chapter 24

PAUL-

"You are insane, dude. You know that?" Embry joked when I sank into a wooden chair in front of Emily's cooking. I was really late for supper, because even after Lynn left, I stayed out there to calm my raging hormones.

I knew what the girl was planning, I could see it in her face and how she hid all anger. She wouldn't do that unless she was determined for something. But she looked so damn gorgeous in her low cut pale green cotton long sleeve with that little silk bow that practically framed her cleavage and those tight-ass jeans.

"What the hell am I supposed to do when she comes over like that, and is so close to me? Ugh, stop making me talk about this! It shouldn't be your business." The boy just laughed at me, making me feel even more rotten than I was before being made fun of.

"Well we can't do a thing about that. Wolves know everything about each other. Man, she looked pretty nervous though when I went to talk to her." Jacob pulled out the chair across from me and sat in it backwards, facing us. I sighed. Never again would I have the privacy normal people are granted.

"She was here for you, though." Jake lifted an eyebrow with a sly grin.

"Doubt that. She may have an easier time talking to me, but you were right in the beginning. She's gotten over me." I slammed a fist in the wooden tabletop which brought Emily's attention from the other room.

"Don't you destroy this house, Paul. Go outside if you want a fight." I didn't want a fight but I was prepared to get away from these yapping mouths for a little while. I shouldn't have come in the house in the first place, since the second I did, I was getting hounded.

While I trudged through the woods, I saw Bella drive down the road, headed towards Jacob. She finally got around the pact of us wolves. I was starting to think Jacob actually found someone.

But I kept going, that is until I saw something flash in the trees. The redhead!

I snatched off my belongings and let my body ripple with heat. I could smell her now. I ran after the female vampire. We killed another vampire recently and I was guessing she was with him. Now she was after revenge. But she was too close for me to let go. I tore through the trees and bounded down the slopes until dead in my tracks, I stopped.

The redhead was racing through Billy's backwoods. My heart leaped in my throat and I made a howling sound, hoping Sam could hear this far away.

The only ones that heard were the people in the house nearby and the redhead. That bloodsucker stopped when she saw I paused and she processed what could have made me do that.

The only person in the house at the moment came out to the back porch. Lynn searched the line of trees.

"Paul? Was that you?" She called out loud enough for both of us non-humans to hear. The redhead moved slightly and I slung all the force in me to speed over to her. She took the step back again and was running again through the woods. Not for long.

She jumped into the water and disappeared into the distance of the sloshing waves. I lost her. And now she knew yet another way to get at the pack.

When I bounded back through the place I stopped, Lynn wasn't where I last saw her. Now was the best time for her to come back to Sam's.

I went back to tell the wolf leader just that but saw Bella and Lynn side by side with the rest of the group in the living room of Sam's home.

When I got there, Lynn refused to look at me. But Jacob, Embry, and Jared all did. Jared, the kid who worked together with Embry and ganged up on me. He had been gone training with Sam for several days.

"You didn't catch her, did you?"

"No. She swam off. I called you guys for help, but no one showed up. She figured out Lynn has something to do with us though, she saw her come out and call me." I glanced at her, almost an arm's length away on my left. She didn't acknowledge me. If she did, she was good at hiding.

"Well, we have to keep both you girls here now, then. Because Bella just informed us that the redhead is Victoria, and is after her because the Cullens killed her mate. And now she would have access to Lynn is she stayed at Billy's."

"This is going to be one cooped up house. Can we build some extra rooms, because I'm not sharing my bed with anyone. I need my beauty sleep." Jared joked and Embry laughed in agreement.

"We're taking shifts now that we know the redhead- Victoria is after Bella."

"Cool, we have bait!" Jacob glared at the thought of Bella being used to lure a vampire.

"Hold on a minute! I don't see a point in me being here when I'm not helping at all. I don't need you guys protecting me when you have too much to do anyways." Lynn threw her hands up in the air to get everyone's attention, seeing as there were several conversations going on at once, joking and serious all aside now.

"Lynn, you're staying here." I warned her. She finally turned to me, pissed.

"Says the one who was trying to run me off the other day. I doubt that Victoria will even care about me."

"You're wrong. She'll use any means. She was able to find out everything about me and know my whole life story. She can do the same for you because you're friends with Paul." She snorted as Bella mentioned being friends with me. I guess she was done pretending not to be mad at me. It was a little aggravating. I think I liked her pretending better, because she would talk to me then.

"I don't care. I'm not getting in the way. And if she comes after me, I can at least try and lead her away from your trail and distract her so you can catch her unawares."

"Stop being unrealistic, Evelynn." I growled, only my head turned to face her to know I wasn't going to use all my force to show her, that I wouldn't back down.

"Shutup Paully. You know as well as I do that it could work. Even if there's a chance it won't, it will take her a little bit to tear my tough skin." She was back to joking at least. But I didn't find that funny in the least. I even growled as she said it. She just faced away to the rest of the group, not caring that I was agitated.

"Lynn, I still think you should stay here for the time being. Besides, most everybody will be taking turns going to watch Bella's house." Sam was a natural boss, but Lynn used to always fight off his orders, even though she couldn't stop herself from doing it. It was no different now. She glared at him and turned on her heel.

"I'm not staying here. You'll have to tape me to a chair." She walked into the other room, as if she was going to walk out the front door but only sat in the corner of the couch. It almost made me smile seeing her indignant like that. But this was serious business.

"Paul, you're in charge of watching her. Jacob, Embry. You guys follow Bella home and watch her back. Jared, you come with me to see if Victoria is still out in the water." We all nodded and followed his direct orders. It figures I would get just what I wanted in having to talk to Lynn, whether she liked it or not.