DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Y'all know that by now, right? I can assume smeyer herself isn't reading this and planning a lawsuit? I can imagine her rubbing those grubby little hands together in front of her computer screen and it's making me so paranoid.
Again, I am indebted to NeedMoreZzz's for reading through this chapter and interpreting what I mean by my lazy little notes. It's nice to know someone who understands more than I do about grammar is going through this before it goes out into the world. (Seriously – THANK YOU! And check out her work, it's really good.)
To everyone who has been reading/commenting/reviewing – I also owe y'all a huge hug and a cup of expensive coffee. Did you know the most expensive coffee in the world has bird shit in it? On purpose? I don't mean that sort of coffee. Something good without bird shit in it.
XXV
The wolves were on high alert.
Hikers continued to disappear. Two more kids from Forks – Angela Weber and Ben Cheney – went missing after going on a picnic. We found their blood splattered against the trees on the mountains, seconds too late. We followed the trail of blood and the sickly sweet scent of another unfamiliar vampire until it hit the Hoh rain forest, where the constant precipitation washed it away.
Bella was rattled. She barely ate for a week after her friends disappeared, and her skin became paler than usual. I worried about her more often than not, but there were other things to keep my mind occupied.
The whole town was up in arms now. Anyone with a gun had volunteered their time to rake the forest for mutant wolves. Avoiding them was easy, until they started going missing, too. One of the state troopers was grabbed, prompting the forestry department to close Olympic National Park for the wet season.
We convened on the mountain, trying to figure out what was going on.
It's like they know when we run, Embry complained.
The smell is stronger, Paul commented, scrunching up his nose.
I think there's more of them, Seth observed. There's a few different scents now. I'd guess four or five.
Has she been changing them? Sam wondered, horrified.
Maybe she invited friends, I suggested.
How do we keep missing them?
Where are they hiding?
She's taking people Bella knows.
She's obsessed.
Why stop at five? Who's to say she won't make more?
Is she getting ready to fight us?
What, like she's building an army for us?
The pack went around in circles, asking question after question, but getting no answers. We suspected she was turning at least a portion of the victims into leeches; how many, we couldn't say. All we could do was speculate, and in the end, the only solution anyone had was to keep watch and patrol more often.
We ran constantly, only breaking to check in at meals. I snuck away occasionally, but Sam forbade it after I got caught. I barely ever slept, and always as a wolf. My human hours were too precious to waste them dreaming.
As the school year wound down to an end, Bella became a near-permanent fixture at Emily's house. When she wasn't working the register at Old Quil's corner-store – a job given entirely based on being Charlie Swan's daughter – the two of them were constantly cooking, making enough to feed the small army tracking mud through the house. In the brief periods during the day when I was able to break from patrol and see her, I always found them joking with each other, laughing and talking about their werewolves.
One day, as I rushed to the door, I caught a snippet of their conversation.
"… I wonder if it's going to be the last time I'll ever see him. How do you stand it?" Bella's voice asked. I heard the sizzle of bacon in a frying pan and floated closer on its mouthwatering aroma.
"One day at a time," Emily replied patiently. "You have to trust them. They'll find the red-head, and then this will all be over. You'll see," she added confidently.
When they weren't at the stove, the girls were elbow-deep in wedding plans. Leah, Kim, and Bella were going to be bridesmaids, though Leah was reluctant when Emily gathered them all at the kitchen table to ask.
"I promise I won't make you wear anything ugly," Emily vowed.
"Do I have to do any planning?" Leah asked.
"Of course not," Emily replied. "It's going to be in the backyard, anyway."
"Can we come with you to pick out the dress?" Kim interjected, her wide face eager.
"I'm going to need your opinions," Emily replied. "Leah, you won't think about it when you're a wolf?"
"I don't need to come to that, I don't think," Leah said, standing up from the table. "I have to go," she added, excusing herself to turn into a wolf.
The memory was still rattling around her mind afterward, so we all knew about it.
You could just say no, Embry suggested. Nancy Reagan it.
You could just butt out, she snapped.
Bella said yes to Emily, though she wasn't very interested in the dresses and flowers aspect. She was in charge of the practicalities. She did all the paperwork to get the marriage license, booked the officiate, and a bunch of other things I didn't know you needed to do to get married. Once the business end was done, she complained about having to participate in "arts and crafts," to make the decorations. Most of the time she dutifully followed Emily's instructions, but I could tell she wasn't very excited.
"You know, you don't have to do this bridesmaid thing if you don't want to," I said to her one night.
We were sitting in the bed of the truck on one of the rare, cloudless nights when the stars were visible in the night sky. My arm slung around her shoulder lazily, and she nestled into my side the way a bird sits on eggs in its nest. We'd smoked some weed Paul gave me the other day; it was good stuff, though my metabolism burned through it in less than an hour. Bella needed to relax, so I'd gotten some from a local dealer a week ago. The first time we smoked together she only took two hits, choking on the smoke, but then she was back to being Bella for a few hours. My worry dissipated when she smiled up at me lazily with the same age-defying grin she shared with Charlie that crinkled up their eyes and stretched across her whole face.
I'd gotten permission from Sam to skip patrol and take Bella out, to celebrate that she had passed all her final exams. I skipped my tests to run, to Bella's dismay, but I couldn't muster up the energy to care much about school. I knew where my talents lie; they weren't in academia.
"I want to," she insisted. "Emily is my friend. A sister, almost. We're both wolf-girls," she joked, pulling herself up to kiss my throat.
I laughed, the sound vibrating in my chest. "I thought you didn't like weddings."
"It's not that," she said.
"Then what is it?" I asked, trying to keep the crucial curiosity I felt from tainting my voice.
She tensed, sensing we weren't talking about Emily and Sam anymore.
"Renee has a thing about marriage," she sighed. "She got married too young. She says she wouldn't change a thing, but I know she thinks it was a mistake."
"Would it be a mistake to marry me?"
Bella hesitated. "No," she finally said. "It wouldn't."
"Then why not?"
"I'm not that girl," she said defensively. "The one who gets married right out of high school and pops out a few kids before getting a minivan." I felt her eyes roll against my chest.
"What do you want to do, then?" I asked, turning on my side to face her.
Her eyes were dreamy. "Maybe I'll be a librarian. Or I'll write a book," she said distantly. "If I ever think of something interesting enough," she added.
"Will you let me read it before it gets published and sells a million copies?" I asked, only half-joking.
She giggled. "If you promise not to laugh," she qualified.
"I promise," I said, pulling her waist closer and pressing my lips against her cheek.
Bella and I had become nearly inseparable. At night, when I brought her home from Emily's, she would invite me inside to stay until Charlie came home from work. He had been staying at the station later and later, still working on finding all the missing hikers. Since I was keeping an eye on the house, Sam let me wait with her.
We couldn't keep our hands off each other. Maybe it was due to the looming threat of the leeches, or maybe it was just pure hormones. Whatever the reason, Bella and I always wound up intertwined on the couch in, ahem, provocative positions. I was getting better with the clasp on her bra, and I could take it off without help now. She was getting bolder, too. Her fingers unbuttoned my shorts with practiced ease, and I wiggled them down to my ankles so I could toss them off.
"Jake," she moaned, running her fingers through my hair. "Let's do it."
"Really?" I whispered, voice breaking. I probably would have blushed if all my blood wasn't pooling on the opposite end of my body.
"Yeah," she gasped, nodding hard and fast. "Let's run away together."
I sighed, collapsing on top of her. "I thought you were talking about something else," I muttered, voice muffled by her chest.
She laughed, throwing her head back against the armrest. "I am. If we ran away, we wouldn't have to worry about Charlie walking in."
I smiled, resting my chin on her sternum. My hands tightened on her waist hopefully. "I'll hear him before he turns the corner."
"You won't be distracted?" She asked, stroking my hair.
"I'll keep an eye out," I whispered, pulling myself back up to kiss her.
"Seriously," she said, stopping me by resting her hands on my shoulders. "Charlie's going to come through that door any second now," she insisted.
I groaned, putting my face back down on her chest, my lips tilted down in a pout. "I don't hear the cruiser," I said stubbornly.
"Oh, Jake…" she sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"
I opened my mouth to give her a few suggestions but groaned instead when I heard the cruiser's tires turn onto the street. Grudgingly, I got up and put my pants back on.
The next night, when I dropped her off, I opened the door of the car and a burst of cold air blew in, going right up my nose and burning the hair in my nostrils. For the first time since I'd shifted, the hair on my arms rose up in goosebumps.
"OH!" The breath whooshed out of me like someone had punched me in the gut. "Holy crap!"
I slammed the door and twisted the keys in the ignition at the same moment. My hands were shaking so hard I wasn't even in control of my movements.
"What's wrong?"
I revved the engine too fast; it sputtered and faltered. "Vampire," I spit, jamming the brake.
"How do you know?"
"Because I can smell it. Dammit!"
My eyes raked the street wildly, tremors rolling through my body as I realized how close this leech was.
"Phase or get her out of here?" I hissed at myself.
It only took a split second for me to see her horror-struck eyes and white face until I was scanning the street again. "Right. Get you out."
The engine finally caught, and the tires squealed as I spun the car around, turning toward the road. The headlights washed across the pavement, lit the front line of the black forest, and finally glinted off the car parked in front of the house.
"No, Jacob, Charlie's in there!" She shouted, voice going up two octaves.
I slammed on the brake. Sure enough, the cruiser was parked on the curb.
"Crap," I swore again, throwing the truck in park and hopping out of the cab. "Don't follow me," I ordered.
As always, she ignored my warning. Her nervous steps stumbled a few feet behind me. I was just about to rip open the door when Charlie beat me to the punch.
"Hey, kids," he greeted, smiling broadly. "I made dinner!"
I stared at him, eyes wide in shock, nose still burning. There had to have been one here, but wouldn't Charlie have noticed someone breaking in? He was a cop, for goodness sake! I itched to go in and inspect for myself, but he would get suspicious if I started turning over his house without an explanation.
"You guys okay?" Charlie asked after a moment, looking between us. "You weren't fighting, were you?"
"No," Bella said quickly, walking around and tugging me through the door. "Just surprised. You don't cook, Dad."
Charlie shrugged modestly. "I can boil water."
Bella sniffed. "Is something burning?" She asked, rushing into the kitchen.
I followed after her, eyes on the ground, avoiding Charlie's worried gaze.
"You're supposed to take the lid off," Bella called from the kitchen, voice somewhat hysterical.
"Oops," Charlie muttered.
She stood in front of the microwave pouring half a jar of sauce into a bowl. I strode quickly past her, trying to find where the scent was strongest. The trail led up the stairs, so I muttered something about needing to use the bathroom before taking them three at a time.
The scent led down the hallway and into Bella's room, which infuriated me to no end. I hated it. I detested this smell, not just because it meant there had been a vampire in her room, but also for the heat it spread down my spine like a wildfire. My whole body convulsed like I was having a seizure. I clenched my teeth, balled my fists, and took a deep breath in through my nose.
It was a few minutes before I could move. The mental image of a leech standing over Bella's bed - with teeth brandished, ready to sink into the soft flesh of her neck - kept popping into my head, and I had to start the whole calming process over again. I flushed the toilet in the bathroom to avoid suspicion and ran back down the stairs, legs still shaking.
"Jacob," Bella hissed as soon as she saw me, eyes wild with worry.
I leaned down to put my lips to her ear. "They were in your room, Bella," I whispered, low enough for only her to hear. "I have to go."
Bella's eyes went wide with panic. "What?" She squeaked.
Charlie eyed us suspiciously. "What are you two whispering about?"
"Sorry, Charlie," I apologized, turning to face him. "I gotta go."
"Oh," he said, eyebrows shooting up. "Does Billy have plans tonight?"
"Yeah," I lied, not offering any more details.
"I'll walk you out," Bella suggested.
"Bye, Charlie."
"See you, Jake."
She grabbed my hand and yanked me outside.
"What the hell is going on?" She hissed once the door slammed behind us.
"There was a leech in there," I growled, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples. "God, those things stink. We must have interrupted it."
"Victoria?" She gasped, clutching her chest.
"No, I didn't recognize it."
I shook my head and made for the Rabbit.
"Wait – " Bella cried, grabbing my wrist.
"I have to go, Bells."
"I love you," she whispered, her fingers going slack.
I turned back to look at her. It wasn't the first time, but everytime she said "I love you," my stomach filled with butterflies. I opened my mouth to say it back, but her eyes were wide with an animalistic fear, the kind of panic that flips your stomach and makes everything turn blurry with tears. A terrible, ghastly fear for her life gripped my shoulders and moved my legs back.
"They're gone, I promise," I said in a hushed tone, resting my hands on either side of her face. "You're going to be fine. I won't let them get that close again."
Bella shivered. "It's not me I'm worried about."
"Not this again," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "You don't have to worry about me."
"This means there's more vampires, doesn't it?" She asked pointedly. When I didn't respond, she continued. "I thought so. How many are there?"
I shook my head. "We don't know for sure – "
"Do you have an estimate?"
"Seth thinks four or five," I responded immediately, regretting it when her face fell in horror. "But we aren't sure. We think she might be creating more or something, I don't know – I – I – " My words stopped coming out, head turning towards the forest.
"I have to go," I finally said.
"Be careful," she pleaded.
I grinned half-heartedly, then leaned forward to peck her on the cheek.
"Always am," I replied.
I parked the Rabbit around the corner from Charlie's house and ran into the forest, shifting almost immediately.
There was one in her room, I snarled.
What? Sam asked.
Do we have a faulty connection? I asked sarcastically. A leech just broke into Bella's room, I explained, already following the trail as it wound back into the woods. The scent was fresh and noxious; even worse than usual.
Charlie wasn't harmed?
Didn't know a thing.
And Bella?
Worried, but that's nothing new.
Why were they there? Embry wondered.
I don't care, I snarled. They'll die soon enough.
A flurry of thoughts circled around in my ears.
We're with you, Sam assured me.
Yuck, that thing STINKS!
Yes! This is my chance, Quil enthused.
Not the redhead… Leah mused.
I'm coming, too! Seth insisted.
They all caught up with me, snarling and snapping at the burn in their noses. We ran together in a V-formation with Sam at the front, me on his left flank in the traditional second-in-command position, and Jared on his right. We followed the trail to the Hoh rainforest, where the scent got washed away with the rain.
I jumped on a tree and scratched it up with my claws, bristling with frustration.
They're purposefully hiding their scent, Sam inferred. They know we're here, and they're scared.
They should be scared, Quil growled.
Why were they in her room? Embry wondered. Why would they leave Charlie alone? Unless…
They were waiting for her, I finished for him.
No, if they were, they wouldn't have left when she came, Quil argued.
They might've smelled Jake, Paul suggested. I can smell him from clear across the rez.
Did they take something? Leah wondered.
I don't know, I admitted.
And I didn't find out until a week later when Bella complained about her clothes disappearing in the wash.
"When did you notice they went missing?" I asked.
She flinched at the sudden intensity in my voice. "I don't know. This weekend?"
"After your… visitor?" I asked through clenched teeth.
Her eyes went wide and she made a small choking sound in the back of her throat.
"We were worried about this," I explained. "I think they were trying to get your scent."
She nodded mutely, staring out the window the rest of the ride to La Push. I wanted to tell her it would all be okay, but it was a promise I knew I might not be able to keep.
The vampires' numbers were growing rapidly. More people kept disappearing even after the forest was off-limits to the public, and now there were reports of deadly maulings in the small town of Forks. More people went missing, mostly kids, and Bella became inconsolable when another girl from her class, Jessica Stanley, disappeared.
"Let me go to Victoria," she pleaded that night, while we were all gathered around Emily's dented-up coffee table discussing the new precautions we would have to take. "She wants to kill me, not everyone else. Please, this has to stop," she begged, tears building up in her eyes.
"Absolutely not," I growled. "We'll stop her, right, guys?"
"Of course," Quil agreed.
"You have no reason to worry, Bella," Sam offered.
"What about bait?" She argued stubbornly. "I could go out there and draw them in."
"No," I snarled, hands shaking.
She ran her fingers down my arm, trying to comfort me. "Jake, I have to help. I can't let all these innocent people die because of me."
"You are helping," I argued.
"By cooking?" She scoffed. "That didn't help Mike, or Angela, or Ben, or Jessica." A tear spilled over her eye and down her cheek.
I wiped it away with my thumb. "You can't blame yourself for this, honey. I won't let you." I kissed her forehead.
She sighed, getting up and going into the kitchen. I watched her leave, eyebrows furrowed.
