You guys give awesome prompts… and tbh I was fairly tempted to go with "eavesdrop"…

But I couldn't resist, lol… Scooterstale, you got this one, cause that's how we roll.

Prompt #26: Dickhead

The angry shrieks of my siblings in my head were almost as loud as the rumble of the mutt's godforsaken motorcycle. In fact, between Alice's lunatic-style ranting and Jasper barking commands as though I were some kind of wayward foot soldier in training, it took all of my century's worth of practice to tune them out.

See, I had more pressing matters to attend to.

Contrary to recent events, I was fairly certain that I could handle one dog, especially with my family around as back up. Yet I sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that.

First and foremost, the idea of the mutt phasing – which he would do if he found me – anywhere near my Isabella was intolerable. But two, beyond the risk of him exploding into a furry ball of teeth and fury, considering the manner in which she lost her father, I just didn't think she would take well to seeing two supernatural beings play a round of immortal combat on her doorstep.

Okay, fine, and thirdly, if I were being honest, I still hadn't come up with a rational explanation for my presence here in Forks, at least not one that I thought she might believe. And I really didn't want to fight with her. Her, less so than the dog.

As such, stealth and circumspection was the name of this game.

As I looked around the small girlish space, however, I quickly decided that a) hiding in the closet wouldn't do me a bit of good, b) same for under the bed, and ultimately, c) I couldn't really hide anywhere. Because in reality, if the dog came inside the house at all, it just wouldn't matter. Even in his human form, with his heightened senses, there was no way that the damnable mutt wouldn't smell me.

In truth, when I really stepped back and evaluated the situation, I was admittedly in a bit of a predicament – again – and at this point, the only thing I could really do was cross my fingers and hope that the beast would stay out in the front yard on the complete other side of my entry point and where the wind just happened to be in my favor tonight.

In other words, I just hoped that he'd stay outside where he belonged.

Every muscle in my body tensed when tires crunched across the gravel drive. And when the engine puttered out and died, my fingers automatically curled into tight fists.

Because absent the infernal racket of his bike, his mind was far, far too easy for me to find.

Namely, because in it, was a much clearer-than-average view of the object and motivation for all my recent blunders.

I supposed those heightened wolf senses were good for something after all.

"Bella, come on," he snapped, as she clambered off the bike and began stalking toward the house.

"No," Isabella snapped right back as she stepped up onto the front porch, not even bothering to turn to speak. The taut set of her shoulders told me she was seconds from boiling over.

"It's stupid for you to be here," he growled. My fists twitched at his tone and then again when, through his eyes, I watched her halt and her spine straighten.

"Jake, I'm staying here tonight," she yelled, abruptly spinning on her heel. Her mouth drew into the same hard line I knew oh-so-well. "It's not up for discussion!"

That was my girl.

"Don't be so hard-headed!" The one she called Jake closed the gap between them, stopping just in front of the porch, less than a foot away from her. "Just come back to the Rez and stay with me."

My hand was already on the door knob when he put his meaty paws on her biceps. Honestly, I nearly tore the door off the hinges, stopping myself only because she glared daggers at him and shrugged him off. "No, thanks," she said. "I've had quite enough of you and all the pack's nonsense for today."

"It's not safe for you here alone." He crossed his arms in defiance and attempted to tower over her.

Jerk.

Isabella rolled her dark eyes up to the sky. "God, save me from heroes!"

In his mind, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a mustached man lying on the forest floor, broken and bloody, followed by a flashing image of another creature, the same blond vampire I'd seen in the collective mind of the pack, being torn limb from limb before being tossed into a raging bonfire. I could smell him burning, acrid yet at the same time sticky sweet.

"I'm serious!" Jake argued. "It's not safe for you out here. We can't protect you!"

"What are you talking about?" Her hands were on her hips in challenge and almost too sweetly, she said, "You killed those two, remember?"

Instantly, the blond's mate appeared in Jake's thoughts, replacing the images of her dead father and his attacker. Only she wasn't mangled and burning at all. No, she was streaking through the nighttime forest at lightning speed, racing far and away from all the carnage. Two hulking brown and black wolves bounded behind her, but she was faster.

Nice to know I was looking for the red-head now, not the blond.

"Yeah, of course we did," he lied. "But still, just come back with me." His voice was almost cajoling now. "I don't get to see you much anymore anyway."

Huh.

Interesting that beyond lying about the red-head's non-oblivion status, he didn't bother mentioning… me either.

Or the little ruckus my family had caused when they swooped in to save me.

I quickly grasped that apparently, he and the rest of the pack had already decided to keep her in the dark about all of this, never mind that were the red-head to return, Isabella would be the one most at risk.

Controlling asshole.

No, controlling idiot asshole.

"No, I'm staying here," Isabella huffed, narrowing her eyes. "It's my damned house. Plus, I'm taking Dad's old truck and leaving first thing in the morning anyway."

"What?" he barked, moving in closer.

"I told you, I'm going back to school," she shouted, still fisting her hips. How he missed just how irate she was I didn't know. She was spitting enough venom to make me question whether she was human at all.

Understand, on one hand, it was rather gratifying knowing that it wasn't just me who garnered her particular brand of… affection.

On the other, as I hid away and listened to their argument, I decided that at this instant in time, I would have truly given every single thing I owned to hear her mind. Just once. Because while I appreciated her anger at the mutt, something wasn't quite adding up – specifically, just what he'd done to make her this furious. This was beyond some disagreement over whose roof she was sleeping under.

"Bella –"

"No, you listen to me! You don't control my life. I'm so sick and tired of all you people thinking that you do." My brows shot up and I made a quick mental note – mistake to not make.

"So unless you have a really fucking good reason that you want to share concerning why I can't stay in my house by myself and why I can't go get a degree that my dead father's insurance is paying for, then go home, Jake."

"But–"

"And if you ever try to kiss me again, I won't just punch you. I'll stab you."

PROMPT #27?