Chapter 34 – Vampire Cookies

EDWARD

Once I had the water going, all I could do was wait and hope the house would be safe.

Demetri watched me come back in. I started blocking up the windows and any other cracks I could find. The smoke from the fire was seeping into the house. I didn't need to breathe, but Mittens did, and so, I was working hard at trying to keep the air quality somewhat breathable. I was sure Mittens was curled up and hidden under the bed somewhere on the ground floor, and I hoped she had enough air. If I could find her, I would move her to the basement, but that would draw attention to her, and I didn't know how Demetri would react to Mittens.

We could hear the hissing, as the fire fought to come closer to the yard. Walls of steam and smoke surrounded the house. Demetri's thoughts were panicked and angry. He was pissed he had followed me to his death. The house was getting hotter, and one would think we were vampire cookies baking in a house-shaped oven.

I was worried the temperature would be too much for Mittens. It was time I found her and checked on her personally.

I tried to focus on her heartbeat. I could hear the power supply beeping, signaling the power was out. I moved down the hall towards Bella's room, thinking that was where Mittens would be hiding.

I could hear her heartbeat.

"What are you doing?" Demetri asked, annoyed.

"I hear a faint heartbeat."

I looked under the bed, and sure enough, curled into a ball and tucked into my shoe was Mittens, and she was barely hanging on. I grabbed her and rushed down into the basement. There was a little more air down there, and the temperature was not as high. I knew I had to do something, or she wouldn't be making it out alive.

I looked around the basement, and Demetri looked at me confused. "What the hell do you have there? Some sort of rat? I know you're an animal eater, but saving your snack is ridiculous! Please, tell me this is not why you're here, because I'll report to the rulers that animal eating has truly driven your coven insane!"

I tucked little Mittens into my shirt, hoping the material would offer another filter for her air, but still, I knew she would not survive if I didn't do something fast. I needed to get lower than the smoke.

Down. I needed to go further down. I punched through the cement floor and pried up a section. "We need to get lower!"

I started digging with my hands at super speed, piling dirt up over everything. Once I thought the hole was big enough, I jumped down into it, and Demetri followed quickly. I pulled the cement slab I had pried up over us and huddled in the bottom of the hole with little Mittens, hoping she would be okay, hoping she was getting enough air and was cool enough, though it still felt hot. Demetri was scowling at me and thinking of different ways to kill me for getting him into this mess.

Water started seeping into the hole with us. "The sprinklers must've gone off. The house is on fire," I said, hoping the temperature would stay reasonable. I kept telling myself that heat rose, but it didn't seem to be doing that in this case. I was pretty sure a vampire couldn't be boiled to death, though. I held Mittens close above the water after it started to get hot. She was damp, but I doubted it was enough to keep her cool. The poor thing was overheating.

I heard the sound of a tanker plane fly overhead, and I hoped it dropped its load on us. Mittens must have been praying for the same thing, because the slosh of fluid surrounded the house. I smiled at Demetri. "The fire is out!"

He only growled at me. He did not appreciate all this drama. He thought the Volturi brothers were bad, but I was insane!

I pushed the cement block from the opening. It took all of my strength, since the house had come down around us. I climbed out of the smoldering ash and looked around. "So, which way are Jane and Alec?" I asked, smiling.

Demetri growled, deeply furious with my casual attitude. We were soaking wet and muddy, but I would say that wasn't a bad thing at this point. I could see his mind was pointing toward the clearing. It looked like the majority of the way had been doused.

"Do you want me to look with you?" I asked.

"NO!" he said, stomping off to the fire's edge. "Jane! Alec!" he called. I knew they wouldn't answer, but if they had been alive, they would have been able to hear him.

Another plane flew overhead, dumping fire retardant slush over our heads. Demetri looked pissed, but I just told him it was a good thing, as we were going to have to get out of here soon. He darted into the freshly doused section that led to the clearing, and I followed him, curious to see if he would know it was Bella who had caused their demise.

He looked down at the ash surrounding us. "They're not here," he said solemnly, his mind registering that they were dead.

"Maybe the fire covered their scent or whatever it is you track, and they got out of here and are on their way home." I tried to give him hope where I knew there was none.

He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"We should get out of here," I said and nodded back toward the creek we had first soaked in. He nodded and followed me, racing back to where we knew it was safe. The fire had not reached the creek yet. We quickly jumped into the water that was now running gray and sludgy from the northern source.

"We need to get further away," I suggested. I needed to get Mittens to fresh air. "Is there anywhere else they'd be?" He shook his head no. "We can check around town, maybe they wanted a snack?" I offered.

His eyes narrowed. "Like your little snack there!" he snapped, suddenly furious at the whole situation and taking it out on me.

"Look at my eyes, Demetri! There's a reason I'm not with my family!" I growled in response, hoping my bravado would be enough to stop him. "The only reason I have this kitten is because it didn't run when I grabbed it! When's the last time you were able to approach any kind of animal!"

He smirked at me. "So, you're lonely? You left your coven, indulging in your true nature, and now, you've become attached to some odd little creature?" he said, laughing at me. He thought my predicament was hilarious.

I just scowled in response.

"Hey, where are you going?" he called after me.

"To town, I want to get her to a vet. I don't think she's doing very well," I said, pulling the small creature from my shirt. I could still hear her heartbeat and her faint rasp of breathing.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you to make sure you're still sane enough to leave unattended."

I rolled my eyes at him and took off toward town. It was only minutes away, and I burst through the door, causing the woman at the counter to scream in shock. I knew I must have looked a sight, and when I saw her perception of me, I was right. My skin was covered in soot, and my clothes were still smoking. There were holes showing my muddy ash and slurry-covered legs. I held out the kitten I had cradled in my arms. "She was in a house that was in the wildfire. Can you help her?"

The woman dropped her focus to my proffered kitten, and she immediately started to asses her. She needed oxygen and quickly whisked Mittens away into the back room, as I listened to them treat her for smoke inhalation and dehydration. They wrapped her in damp towels to help cool her body, and as we waited, the receptionist came out with cups of water for us. I took mine, smiling gratefully, and Demetri grimaced, but he took it to uphold his cover as a human.

"Are you guys okay? You should probably get yourself checked out."

"We were," I answered. "They wouldn't let us leave to bring her until we were checked out, that's why we couldn't get her here sooner," I lied smoothly, but the woman believed it.

"What's the kitten's name?" she asked.

"Mittens, her name is Mittens. Is she going to be alright?" I asked.

"Yes, she should be fine once we're done treating her. She shows no signs of burns at all, you really did a good job of protecting her from the flames," she said, looking at my burnt clothing.

"Thank you. When can I take her home?"

"Later this evening."

"Alright, thank you," I said and grabbed Demetri, who was eyeing the woman with dinner in mind.

Her being his.