Wolf Boy
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!
Part Thirty-Two
Bella fumbled with the keys to her house. Lily stood beside her, still talking at a hundred miles an hour. Lily was so hyper that Bella decided that as soon as she got her safely inside, she was going to call the hospital. She couldn't believe they had allowed Lily to leave when she was clearly in such a manic state. Finally, she managed to get the key in the lock to turn it. A rush of cold air ghosted out of the house, chilling her skin and sending her nerve endings tingling. Bella glanced nervously toward the trees, expecting one of the wolves to rush out and join her any minute. She didn't know who was supposed to be on Bella watch while Jacob was away. She knew it wasn't either Quil or Embry. They had already taken their turns. It had to be one of the others-maybe Paul or Jared.
While still looking over her shoulder Bella pushed Lily into the house, quickly shutting the door behind her. A strange sense of foreboding was making her heart race. "Wait there, Lily. I just have to make a call." She said, reaching for her phone.
Another rush of cold air ruffled her hair, suddenly she found herself with her back pressed against the wall. A blond boy was standing in front of her, he was muscular and tall, probably around her age. It was his eyes that caught Bella's attention-a dark vivid red-they bored intently into hers.
"Riley!" Lily chirped. She threw herself against him but he shoved her impatiently to one side. Tears rolled down her face, her teeth biting hard into her lower lip, drawing blood. "Riley, please." She whispered, heartbroken. "Don't push me away."
Riley's reddened eyes left Bella's briefly as they darted to Lily. He froze, his gaze zeroing in on the blood dripping down her chin from the cut on her lip. His eyes turned almost black with thirst. He blinked a few times, his own lips pressing into a tight line. "Get out of here!" He growled at Lily.
"Riley?" Lily sounded like a hurt child as she backed away from him. "Please don't send me away."
"GET OUT!" He yelled at her again, his tenuous hold on his self-control slipping.
Lily dissolved into tears, falling to the floor and curling up into a tight ball as she cried. "Why are you so angry? Why? Why? I did what you wanted!"
"Fuck." Riley cursed.
Bella's heart beat a staccato in her chest as she watched their strange interactions warily. This had all been a set up. Somehow Riley had persuaded Lily to lure her back to the house and she had fallen for it. She presumed he was going to kill her now. It was clear that Victoria must have changed him the same night he had been the victim of Trent's violent assault. He was young, a newborn. He was blind with thirst. She was amazed that he had enough restraint not to kill her straight away. The fact that he was able to resist the blood dripping from Lily's mouth was a testament to his willpower.
Lily was still crying. Her whole body shook as she mumbled incoherently. She was clawing at her hair now, gripping it hard and pulling it from the roots. Riley cursed again as he looked wildly at Bella, he seemed to be wrestling with indecision.
"Help her." He said eventually, his voice ragged with strain. He pushed Bella none too gently toward Lily.
Bella didn't understand why he was hesitating. What was holding him back from killing them both right now? He was acting as if he was actually concerned about Lily, which went against everything he was and everything that Bella had been told about him. Bella's heart continued to beat furiously, loudly in her chest as she bent down next to Lily and gently coaxed the other girl onto her feet.
"Put her somewhere, anywhere she can't hurt herself." Riley ordered abruptly. His crimson irises danced with pain as he watched Bella guide Lily into the front room, making her sit down on Charlie's recliner. Immediately Lily curled her knees up to her chest and bawled loudly.
"She needs to go back to the hospital." Bella struggled to hide the tremor in her voice.
"No one can help her." Riley's soft voice was coloured with tenderness. "I tried and look where it got me."
Confusion swept over Bella's face. "You tried to help her? But I thought...?"
"What?" Riley said sharply. "Did you really believe the lies that Trent told you?"
"I don't know what I believe anymore." Bella hugged her arms around her body, feeling lost and bewildered. "Are you not here to kill me?"
"No, she wants that pleasure." Riley's voice was compelling, almost hypnotic as he rounded on Bella.
By 'she' Bella knew he meant Victoria. Her plan was as obvious now as it was practical. Riley was sent to capture her and take her straight to the evil red head. Bella felt her face and body burn with anguish at the thought of what her death would mean to those who loved her, especially Jacob. The thought of his reaction crushed her spirit and she stared at Riley in agony. All she could hope was that it would be quick-Victoria would have no time for games here-but it would be thorough. Something that it would be impossible to recover from. Maybe Victoria would stop her heart. Perhaps a hand shoved through the chest, crushing it. Something along those lines.
"Not you, too! I've had enough of emotional females!" Riley said testily as he grabbed Bella's arm and dragged her back onto her feet. His restless wild eyes flickered between her and Lily. Tension rolled off of him, nearly visible in the air.
A short distance away, a wolf's howl echoed in the still air. Riley's head perked up, his crimson eyes widening. "Ah, the calvary's arrived at last. Took him long enough."
"What?" Bella muttered in shock. She expected Riley to grab her and run. Instead he swung her onto the sofa as easily as if she was a baby bird and sat down gracefully beside her.
"Now we wait." He said with a determined jerk of his chin.
"You want to wait?" Bella exclaimed. "Jake will kill you!"
"You're forgetting I'm already dead." Riley responded sarcastically. "Her sick brother made sure of that." His narrowed gaze darted to Lily.
"I don't understand." Bella whispered. None of this was making any sense. Riley didn't seem to be the devil that Trent had painted him out to be. In his rough way he was concerned for Lily, he hadn't kidnapped her like she expected, and now he was waiting for Jacob, not seeming to care that he might just about to get ripped apart.
"You're my insurance policy, darlin'" Riley tensed, his whole body becoming as still a statue. "There's not a chance in hell he'll touch me with you in the way."
Bella couldn't read his intentions. Just what game was he playing here? What did he hope to gain from all this? There were so many questions running through her mind that it made her head hurt. "What do you hope to get out of this?" She said frantically. "Do you just want to taunt Jacob or something?"
"God, you're an idiot!" Riley retorted impatiently. "I'm here because I want an alliance. I want Victoria dead and I can't do it alone. She's too strong and wily for that. I want rid of her. I want rid of that fucking asshole Trent. But I need help." His lips thinned again. "The truth is I don't know what I'm fucking doing. Every day I try to fight the blood lust. I want to kill you so bad. I want to kill her…." His voice grew hoarse as he stared at Lily in despair. "I loved her once. But her brother's a damn psycho when it comes to her. He manipulates and controls her in order to keep her isolated. He spun a whole web of lies about me and because Lily's so fragile and so vulnerable she believes him."
"I can't believe it." Bella whispered in horror.
"You have to believe it. Your boyfriend needs to believe it too." Riley snapped. "I'm on the level here. You have no idea of what Victoria is capable of. And if she does decide to turn Trent then god help us all!"
Riley suddenly stopped talking. Bella noticed his jaw tighten; he squared his shoulders. His eyes emptied; his face devoid of any emotion. He tensed himself, his whole body preparing for an attack. "He's here." The words were barely out of his mouth before Jacob came bursting into the house.
A/N-thanks for reading!