XVII
Bella cowered into my side as the pack emerged, a single entity, from the forest. Their faces all turned from curious and cautious to furious in the same split-second, making my heart hammer in my chest.
"What have you done, Jacob?" Sam demanded.
Paul thrust past Sam and spoke before I could defend myself. "Why can't you just follow the rules, Jacob?" He yelled, throwing his arms in the air. "What the hell are you thinking? Is she more important than everything – than the whole tribe? Than the people getting killed?"
"She can help," I insisted quietly, trying to keep my voice calm.
"Help!" Paul scoffed. His arms began to quiver. "Oh, that's likely! I'm sure the leech-lover is just dying to help us out!"
"Don't talk about her like that!" I shouted back, squeezing Bella's hand as mine reflexively balled into a fist.
A shudder rippled through Paul, hunching his shoulders and shaking down to the base of his spine.
"Paul! Relax!" Sam barked.
Paul shook his head back and forth as if to clear it. I wasn't completely sure he was in control of the movement.
"Jeez, Paul," Jared muttered under his breath. "Get a grip."
If I was in a better mood, I probably would have rolled my eyes at him. Jared never learned not to poke an angry bear.
He twisted his head toward Jared to show his teeth in irritation, then shifted his glare to Bella. I took a step to put himself in front of her, knowing what came next.
"Right, protect her!" Paul bellowed.
Paul roared in outrage, another convulsion heaving his body forward. He threw his head back, a growl tearing from between his teeth.
"Paul!" Sam and I shouted together.
Paul fell forward, vibrating violently. Halfway to the ground, there was a loud ripping noise, and he exploded. Dark silver fur blew out, coalescing into a shape more than five times his size – a massive, crouched wolf, ready to spring. His muzzle wrinkled back over his teeth, and another growl rolled through his colossal chest. His dark, enraged eyes focused on Bella.
In the same second, I was running across the road, straight for Paul.
"Jacob!" Bella screamed.
There wasn't time to wonder whether or not this would freak her out. Mid-stride, I let the heat shaking my arms send a tremor shivering down my spine. I leaped forward, diving headfirst into the air, and tore into my other body.
We settle this like men, Paul assured me.
I wouldn't have it any other way, I replied.
I charged, attacking head-on, as was my way. Paul snarled and snapped his jaws at me, baring his teeth with lips curled back tightly against his nose. I rammed my shoulder into his, again and again, knocking him back toward the trees, trying to get away from Bella.
Don't want your girlfriend to see you lose? Paul taunted, snapping at my shoulder.
"Take her to Emily's," Sam shouted toward Jared and Embry.
You wish, pip-squeak, I responded, succeeding in shoving us off the road. I grabbed his ear with my teeth, pulling us past the tall ferns bordering the trees of the forest.
We finish this, Paul declared, lunging at me and pushing me down to the ground. I'll kill you now, traitor!
I shoved him off me easily, tossing him into a nearby tree with a thud.
I didn't betray the pack, I snarled. She can help. She knows what the redhead wants.
Sure she does! I know what the redhead wants, too. It wants blood! What a surprise! Paul growled.
SILENCE!
Sam had shifted.
Jacob, tell me what you did, he ordered.
I explained quickly, going over the major points of the conversation in my head, trying not to linger on the werewolf secrets I'd given away. They focused on those, though, interrupting when I got to the part where I called the meeting.
God, Jake, why don't you just invite her to join the council, Paul growled.
Shut up, Sam ordered.
I continued by telling them the stories were all true about vampires with extra abilities, earning a few choice words from Sam and a string of profanity from Paul.
When all was said and done, we shifted and headed over to Emily's to update the others. My stomach twisted with nerves to see Bella again. Would she run screaming? Had I lost all my humanity in her eyes?
Sam ran ahead once he saw the tiny house, leaving Paul and I in his dust.
"Isn't it sad?" Paul asked as Sam disappeared inside.
"What?"
"He's like her slave," Paul explained, scrunching up his nose. "You should be more glad you didn't imprint on Bella."
I laughed. "He's still got it, though," I quoted mockingly, unable to agree.
We walked through the door together, still laughing. The smell of fresh blueberries and eggs frying made my mouth water. Paul punched me on the shoulder and I went in for a kidney jab, then scanned the room for Bella.
All was normal, but it felt different. Lighter. More friendly. On the kitchen table, where Embry and Jared were already dipping their forks in for seconds, was a cracked blue-and-white china pitcher overflowing with wildflowers. The house was brighter than usual, more welcoming, and I realized why as soon as my eyes landed on Bella.
She was leaning against the counter in the far corner of the kitchen, pointedly looking at anything other than Emily and Sam. It was always good to see Bella, even when she smiled back awkwardly, eyes guarded.
"Hey, Bells," I greeted cheerfully, grabbing two muffins as I passed the table. I leaned against the counter with her, trying to look casual as the knot of excitement tightened in my stomach.
"Sorry about before," I muttered under my breath, aware of all the heightened hearing in the room. "How are you holding up?"
"Don't worry, I'm okay. Good muffins." She picked one up from the counter and nibbled on the edges.
"Oh, man!" Jared wailed, interrupting us. I took the opportunity to shove half a muffin in my mouth.
Bella watched as Jared and Embry examined the fading pink line on Paul's forearms where I'd managed to scratch him.
Embry grinned, exultant. "Fifteen dollars," he crowed.
"Did you do that?" Bella whispered to me.
"I barely touched him. He'll be perfect by sundown."
"By sundown?" She asked incredulously, looking back at Paul's arm.
"Wolf thing," I whispered.
Bella nodded, face blank.
"You okay?" She asked suddenly, running her eyes up and down the length of my body.
I grinned, smug. She was so obvious when she checked me out. "Not a scratch on me."
"Hey, guys," Sam announced, still standing at the stove with his hand touching the small of Emily's back. "Jacob has information for us."
Paul sat back in his chair, shoving a whole muffin into his mouth, looking bored. Jared and Embry looked up at me, curious.
"I know what the redhead wants. That's what I was trying to tell you before." I kicked the leg of Paul's chair for emphasis.
"And?" Jared asked impatiently.
My voice got serious. "She is trying to avenge her mate – only it wasn't the black-haired leech that we killed. The Cullens got her mate last year, and she's after Bella now."
Bella shivered next to me. Jared, Embry, and Emily stared at her in open-mouthed surprise.
"She's just a girl," Embry protested.
"I didn't say it made sense. But that's why the bloodsucker's been trying to get past us. She's been heading for Forks."
Bella ducked her head when they kept staring. I was just about to smack the shocked look off Embry's face when Jared spoke.
"Excellent," he exclaimed, a smile beginning to pull up the corners of his mouth. "We've got bait."
It took me less than half a second to grab a can opener from the counter and hurl it at Jared's head. It took Jared the other half to catch it, just before it hit his face.
"Bella is not bait," I growled, clenching my fists at my sides.
"You know what I mean," Jared said, unconcerned by my temper.
"So we'll be changing our patterns," Sam said, ignoring our antics. "We'll try leaving a few holes, and see if she falls for it. We'll have to split up, and I don't like that. But if she's really after Bella, she probably won't try to take advantage of our divided numbers."
"Quil's got to be close to joining us," Embry murmured. "Then we'll be able to split evenly."
I looked down at the floor, hopeless against my friend's inevitable fate.
"Well, we won't count on that," Sam said in a low voice, then continued at his regular volume. "Paul, Jared, and Embry will take the outer perimeter, and Jacob and I will take the inner. We'll collapse in when we've got her trapped."
Emily looked at Sam in worry, and Bella glanced up at me with the same expression.
Sam caught Bella's eye. "Jacob thinks it would be best if you spent as much time as possible here in La Push. She won't know where to find you so easily, just in case."
"What about Charlie?" She demanded.
"March Madness is still going," I said. "I think Billy and Harry can manage to keep Charlie down here when he's not at work."
"Wait," Sam said, holding one hand up. His gaze flickered to Emily momentarily and then fell back on Bella. "That's what Jacob thinks is best, but you need to decide for yourself. You should weigh the risks of both options very seriously. You saw this morning how easily things can get dangerous here, how quickly they get out of hand. If you choose to stay with us, I can't make any guarantees about your safety."
"I won't hurt her," I mumbled, looking down.
Sam pretended not to hear me. "If there was somewhere else you felt safe…"
Bella bit her lip, choosing her words carefully. "I don't want to lead Victoria anywhere else," she whispered.
Sam nodded. "That's true. It's better to have her here, where we can end this."
Bella flinched, looking back up at me with unconcealed worry. "You'll be careful, right?" She croaked.
I laughed, and everyone but Emily joined me. "Food's ready," she announced, effectively ending any conversation for the next fifteen minutes.
Bella spent the rest of the day at La Push, most of it at my house, waiting for my fleeting breaks from running around as a wolf. Charlie brought over two pizzas, looking at all of us suspiciously, and I was glad that I wouldn't be the one to explain anything to him. Bella couldn't wipe the worried expression off her face when I walked her to the truck after dinner, so I lingered by the window, waiting for Charlie to drive away.
"Don't be afraid tonight," I said while Charlie pretended to be having trouble with his seat belt. "We'll be out there, watching."
"I won't worry about myself," she promised grimly.
"You're silly," I grinned, leaning forward subconsciously. "Hunting vampires is fun. It's the best part of this whole mess.
She shook her head. "If I'm silly, then you're dangerously unbalanced."
I chuckled. "Get some rest, Bella, honey. You look exhausted," My eyes traced the dark circles beneath her eyes, fingers twitching to run along her cheekbone.
"I'll try," she said doubtfully.
Charlie honked his horn impatiently.
"See you tomorrow," I said. "Come down first thing."
"I will," she promised, then started the truck.
