Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the love and feedback, I really appreciate it!
I just wanted to make a quick announcement that there will be no chapter next week. Next week was supposed to be my wedding, but due to the pandemic we had to postpone. Instead, we'll just be taking some time to ourselves for a few days. Thank you for understanding!
I'll be back on October 6th with a brand-new chapter for you, I promise! (Ps: it's a big one)
Chapter Eight: Interview with the Vampire
"So, is anyone going to explain why we had to book it out of there like we robbed the place?"
Mike was complaining loud enough to slow even Jake's determined step, but not quite enough to stop us. He trailed just behind Embry and Leah, conveniently clustered with Eric, Jess, and Angela between us and the rest of the Pack. I suspected that was an intentional move by Jacob.
"I'll explain back at the house," I promised over my shoulder, doing my best to keep up with Jake's swift pace. Not that he would let me fall behind- his arm around my waist kept me as close to him as physically possible- but if I stumbled, he was likely to sweep me into his arms and sprint to the truck. I didn't think we needed to cause any more confusion than we already had.
The town had drifted into slumber much faster than the last time we visited, with barren streets and dark 'open' signs. We rarely had to slow our journey aside from looking both ways before crossing the road. I was silently thankful for that.
Our retreat from the restaurant had been rushed and panicked; Jake was still reeling from the stench of vampire clinging to the docks, so his instructions were brusque and harsh. He told rather than asked the others to leave, and stormed off without further discussion, dragging me along with him. I didn't hear what the Pack said to get everyone to follow, but I had a feeling Embry took the lead on that particular task.
Mike was the first to summon enough bravery to ask a question, and my lackluster response seemed to have temporarily dissuaded any further inquiry. It didn't last. Thankfully, we'd almost made our way back to the cars before anyone spoke again. This time, it was Angie.
"Is everything okay?" She fell into step next to me, her eyes darting worriedly to my phone. She'd made the connection between our abrupt departure and the phone call I'd gotten in the bistro, but she had no way of guessing the details. I planned to keep it that way.
"Everything is fine," I assured her, trying for a smile. I failed miserably; it felt fake even to me.
"It doesn't feel fine!" Jess snapped, appearing out of nowhere. Mike grabbed for her arm, but she slipped easily away from him. She skidded to a stop next to my truck, blocking the passenger side door that Jake was trying to usher me into. I winced. "You've been acting strange all day, Swan. Now I've had about enough of all this mystery and secrets. Tell us what's going on."
Jacob bristled beside me, but Jess was right. They deserved answers- whatever answers we could give them, anyway. I wasn't sure how much information was the right amount, but I had to start somewhere.
"The phone call was from Charlie," I admitted, sharing a look with Jake, seeking guidance. He didn't stop me, his attention focussed on our surroundings, making sure we weren't being followed. He was itching to get out of here, but we had to stay together. Some honesty was required for that. "He's worried about us being out of the house."
"I thought you said he was on board with the 'living normally' thing?" Eric frowned, sounding much calmer than Jess. "We wouldn't have gone out if-"
"He was," I interrupted quickly. "But he's been trying to get clearance to come escort us home, and the more road blocks he hits, the more suspicious he's getting. He called to tell me that not even emergency vehicles are being permitted through, so he thinks we should hunker down at home until he figures this out."
"Why couldn't you just say that at the restaurant?" Angie took my hand tentatively in hers; supportive, but questioning. "Why did we have to run off like that?"
Because there was a vampire.
"I'm sorry," I said sincerely, wishing I could offer a better excuse. It was a good question, one that I just couldn't answer honestly. "Dad was worried about starting a panic, so he told me to keep it from the locals. I didn't think I could say anything back there without anyone eavesdropping."
It was a weak explanation, even I knew that. Angie's face hardened before my eyes, the knowledge that I was lying to her erecting a stone wall of betrayal between us. My heart stuttered. As disappointed as she was, Angie hadn't turned away from me. There was time to fix this, but I had to act fast.
I couldn't lose my friends again. Vampires ruined my relationships once; I wasn't about to let it happen again. Jake was going to hate me for this.
"And there's… one other thing."
Jacob's gaze whipped to me in an instant, vehemently warning me to keep whatever I was about to say to myself. I couldn't listen to him, not this time. His main concern was keeping everyone safe, but that wasn't possible if we left the others in the dark. I needed to do better. I needed to give them more.
"I think that Corey guy has been following us."
"Corey?" Angie scrunched her nose, clearly not expecting that line of thinking. "You've seen him around?"
I nodded, ignoring the burning glare Jake was giving me.
"I've been bumping into him everywhere," I continued, feeling the eyes of the entire Pack on me now. "I caught him standing outside the restaurant while I was on the phone with Charlie. It kinda seemed like he was listening."
Realisation began to dawn in Angie's face, her mouth working silently as she pieced together what I was implying. For the sake of everyone else, I pressed on.
"That's why I ran." I risked a peek at Jake, but his face gave me nothing. "I tried to confront him, and he took off. He's been acting really strange, and I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but with everything going on… I don't know, it weirded me out. I just wanted to get out of there."
I could've left it at that. I was pretty confident that my half-truths would be enough, but 'pretty confident' wasn't 'totally confident'. I had to jam that final nail in the coffin, the one that would get everyone on my side.
"It felt like…" I took a breath, praying that I sounded convincing. "It felt like I was being stalked."
A heavy silence fell over us.
That was a cheap card to play. Everyone knew that Edward had all but put a GPS tracker in my car when we were together; stalking was a sensitive subject for me. If I felt like Corey was following me and I needed to get the hell out of there, no one would argue.
That's all I needed: for people not to argue.
Mike looked like he wanted to say something, but he bit his tongue. He hated Edward almost as much as I did, and he didn't usually pass on an opportunity to dump on my ex. Today though, things were different. The quiet dragged on, everyone wondering what had happened between myself and Corey and no one brave enough to go near the topic of Edward to ask. It was a strategic choice by me, and it was working.
"If we're going to hole up in the beach house," Angela began, drawing attention away from me at last. "We'll need to grab a couple of things. You guys head back; we'll stop in the grocery store on our way."
My shoulders instantly sagged in relief, and I smiled gratefully at Angie. She returned it, discreetly squeezing my palm out of view of everyone. There was a worried crease in her brow, and I suspected she still didn't think I was telling the whole truth, but she was trusting me. I nearly cried.
"Keys?" Jake asked, raising his eyebrow at her.
"Under the flower pot on the front step."
With a decisive nod, Jake resumed ushering me into my truck. Everything happened very quickly after that; the Pack piled into Sam's van, Angie, Eric, Mike, and Jess hopped into Jess's car, and Jake took the driver's seat of my truck. We were out of the parking lot in under a minute.
"Is it following us?" I asked as soon as we were moving, gripping the seatbelt until my knuckles turned white. As nervous as I was when I thought this was a human problem, the involvement of a vampire made my skin crawl. I wasn't ready to go through this again.
Jake paused, inhaling deeply, before he answered.
"No, I don't think so." His voice was tight, controlled, but I could feel the lingering tensions coming off of him in waves. "The smell is getting weaker."
"Do you recognise it?"
Jake shook his head. I didn't know if that made me feel better or worse.
We were speeding now, Sam's van trailing close behind us. I didn't want to think about the conversation happening in that vehicle; involved in the disappearances or not, the Pack wouldn't be content leaving a vampire hanging around.
"What did Charlie have to say?"
My heart seized in my chest. I'd almost forgotten the news in all the chaos, but Jacob had to know. I told him everything I left out of my explanation to the others, making sure not to skim over any detail, no matter how small. Jake listened in stony silence, his teeth clenched.
"It's too big of a coincidence," he sighed eventually, his controlled mask slipping for an instant. I caught a glimpse of how tired he was, how stressed. I bit my lip, laying my hand gently on his knee. He managed a soft smile. "There's no way the leech isn't involved. Eighty women is too much for a human to manage in a couple of days."
"It could be multiple humans," I suggested, thinking back to Charlie's mention of human trafficking. "If there's a group of them working together, it's doable."
"Possible, but I don't think so." Jake took the turn into the beach house road sharply, making my hand slip from his knee to his thigh. I didn't bother to move it back. "Too many opportunities for mistakes. The police would likely have a lead by now if this was a human attack."
I thought back to Paul's story from the other night. Jake was right; it didn't fit in with a human perpetrator.
"Corey knows something," I insisted, feeling the truth of that statement in my gut. "I don't know what, but he's involved somehow. We need to talk to him."
"That's going to be our first step," Jake agreed. "That, and tracking this vamp."
He gave me an exasperated look, and I knew he still wasn't happy that I'd spilled the beans about Corey, but we had bigger things to worry about. I squeezed his thigh in what I hoped was a comforting gesture, but I think my shaking took away from the moment.
We drove on in silence, my attention fixated on the thickening trees. It struck me again how dangerous the woods could be; it was impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction. Anything could be hiding in there, just out of sight. Vampires, humans, werewolves, anything at all. When I eventually decided to settle down and buy a house, I was moving as far away from trees as I could.
The road turned to gravel, which eventually gave way to sand. Before I knew it, we were back at the house.
The Pack pulled up next to us in a matter of seconds, practically flinging themselves out of the van, a cacophony of irritated voices following them. I made to open my door, to see what the commotion was about, but Jake stopped me with his hand on mine. He caught Embry's attention with a quick tap on the window, signalling to send everyone else inside without us. I watched him curiously, but he didn't say a word until the front door was safely shut.
When we were alone, Jake let the tension bleed from his body. His shoulders slumped, his breath leaving his lungs in a great whoosh. His carefully assembled front of confidence crumbled before my very eyes in less than a second, leaving a jumbled mess of exhaustion, pain, and fear.
I swallowed hard. My hand was still on his thigh, twisting now to lace my fingers with his. When he spoke, it was so quiet that I almost missed it entirely.
"I'm sorry, Bella."
I blinked. "For what?"
Jake heaved a great sigh, shifting in his seat to face me properly. He returned my steady grip, tracing circles across the back of my hand with his thumb.
"I promised that I'd keep you safe this week," he murmured, his jaw twitching. "I told you not to worry, that I'd handle it. And I'm failing, miserably."
"You are not," I insisted hotly, using my free hand to rip my seatbelt off. I shuffled angrily across the middle seat, bringing myself within a foot of Jake. "Jacob, we'd be falling apart without you. I'd be falling apart. Don't say that about yourself."
"I let a leech get within sniffing distance of you," Jake cursed, fire igniting in his eyes for a flash of a second before dying out again. "If I'd been just a minute later finding you-"
"But you weren't," I told him firmly, dropping his hand to place my palms on either side of his face. I held his gaze, trying to communicate how much I needed him here with me. "You found me. You saved me. There's no one on this earth that I trust more than you. We can do this, okay? We'll figure this out together."
A ghost of a smile passed over his lips, bringing life back into him.
"I thought I was supposed to be the one reassuring you," he teased, his arms gently wrapping around my waist. I smiled, absently fixing a lock of hair near his ear that had blown out of place.
"Well, you're doing a shit job of it."
He laughed then, a real laugh, and I felt the warmth of it surge through me. Jake just wasn't Jake when he didn't have a stupid grin on his face.
"We're going to handle this," he vowed, resting his forehead against mine. I nodded gently, feeling the movement of his skin against my hair. "I won't let anything happen to you, Bells."
"I know," I whispered, suppressing a shiver as I felt him swallow beneath my fingertips. My hands drifted absently down to his chest, drawing my attention to the feeling of his heartbeat. "Just… don't let anything happen to you either, okay? I don't know what I'd do if…"
He made a low sound in the back of his throat that could've been confirmation, but I barely noticed. Jake was so close to me, his breath ghosting over my suddenly flushed skin, his hands large and warm against my back. When did I close my eyes?
"Bella?"
My name left his lips as a question, soft and fleeting, like the touch of an autumn breeze on your cheek. This time I didn't bother to hide my shivers from him, leaning into the spark of electricity bouncing between us.
"Jake, I-"
A sharp buzz sent me jolting backwards, startling me out of whatever spell I'd fallen into.
"Shit." My phone rattled violently on the dash, the screen announcing a text from Angela. She wanted to know if we needed anything from the store. I didn't answer right away, locked in Jake's paralyzing stare.
His arms kept me from escaping too far from him, but I could tell from his dazed expression that the moment was gone. I wasn't sure if the feeling rushing through me was closer to relief or searing disappointment.
Maybe it was a bit of both.
"We should go inside," Jake muttered eventually, searching my face for something. I didn't know if he found it, but something happened. I could almost see Jake withdrawing from me, closing off in a way that he never had before. I didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, I knew I had only a second to stop it. "The Pack will come looking."
He retracted his arms, lengthening the distance between us. I needed to say something, I needed to-
My phone buzzed again, and I turned to look. I shouldn't have turned to look.
"Answer that," Jake said, his voice like stone. I flipped my attention back to him, pleading for something, I just didn't know what. His expression shuttered, and I understood that whatever happened now, I was powerless to stop it. "Angie will worry."
I nodded mutely, slowly sliding back onto my side of the truck. The cold assaulted me immediately, leaving me aching to return to him. Jake opened his mouth to say something, and then thought better of it. With a half-hearted attempt at a smile, he opened his door and unfolded himself from the truck.
The image of the unoccupied driver's seat struck me with a twinge of regret that I was too shaken to explore. I wasn't sure what had almost just happened between us, but I was sure that it wouldn't have been anything simple. This was better. This was the correct outcome.
Then why did it feel like I'd lost some part of him?
With an unexpected emptiness growing painfully in my chest, I sullenly followed him into the house.
In the brief minutes that Jake and I were alone outside, I'd forgotten the boiling chaos that clung to the Pack as they filed into the house. Jake opened the door with a creak that should've been deafening, if not for the eruption of angered voices that met us like a wall of humidity.
"How about now, Paul?" Embry snapped, jabbing his finger into Paul's chest. They were in the porch, having completely missed our entrance, while everyone else was scattered generously throughout the living room and kitchen. "Think we're all overreacting now?"
Paul growled in response, taking an abrupt step closer to Embry. Embry never faltered, impressively holding his ground.
"What the hell is going on?" Jake tried absently, but his attempt at intervention was ignored. To his credit, he hadn't tried very hard. I think he was still in shock.
"We're fucking werewolves, Em." Paul rumbled on, walking chest first into Quil's hand, which shot between them. He pushed back against Paul, trying to keep him a safe distance from Embry. "We're built to deal with vampires! If you're all going to pussy out at the first sign of trouble, then maybe you shouldn't be in the Pack at all!"
"There are people here!" Embry shot back. "People that don't understand the danger we're in! Are you such a goddamn prick that you can't summon an ounce of sympathy for them?"
"Hey," Jake barked, leaving me at the door to insert himself between Embry and Paul. Quil lingered to help, keeping his forearm flat on Paul's chest. "Let's all just cool off for a second, alright? We have bigger things to worry about; we can all talk about how much Paul sucks later."
Embry huffed, staring Paul down for just a second longer than I was comfortable with. Eventually though, Jake's hulking presence dissuaded him and Embry took an accommodating step backwards.
"Alright," Jake sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. I wasn't sure if it was the stress he was under, or the leftover tension from our conversation, but he looked tired. Tired and fed up. "Everyone, listen up. Bella has some updates from Charlie."
Startled at being addressed so suddenly, I stumbled a bit over my words before I was able to relay everything I'd learned during my brief phone call. The Pack listened intently, digesting the information with careful consideration before commenting.
When I was done, the room felt heavy with dread.
"Eighty women?" Leah's mouth was set in a potent frown, drastically deepening the lines in her forehead. "That's insane even for a leech."
"Bigger than any attack I've ever heard of," Quil agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. "What is it doing with them? No one's found any bodies, have they?"
"Dad didn't say," I admitted, shrugging. "I would lean towards no. Once murder is involved, it's a lot harder to keep that a secret."
"So, what do we do?" Seth looked anxiously between everyone, waiting for an answer that we didn't have. Jake was the first to speak, using his deep, steady voice to hopefully instill confidence in us.
"First thing's first," Jake rumbled, "we need a plan. Did everyone get the leech's scent?" Murmurs of confirmation. "Good, that's a start at least. Makes tracking easier."
"We can't all track it," Embry argued, "the humans will be left vulnerable."
"And what about Corey?" I hadn't meant to interject, but I didn't want him to be overlooked. "We still don't know how he's involved."
"What makes you so sure he's involved?" Paul scoffed. "He's a human. We can't waste resources on him just because he creeps you out."
"No, Bella's right," Jake quipped, his tone firm. "Corey's scent outside the restaurant was almost mixed in with the vampire's. Whether he's aware of it or not, he's involved. We need to find out more about him."
"I can talk to Eric," I volunteered, voicing my thoughts from earlier. "See if he knows anything."
"Some of us to track the leech, some of us to tail Corey, and some of us to stay here and protect the house. This is getting complicated fast," Jake groaned, rubbing his palm over his eyes. "Before, we were just worried about keeping everyone safe."
"Isn't that still what we're worried about?" Seth asked uncertainly. "We're just waiting until Charlie can come get us and then we're all going home, right?"
"We can't just leave these people to the mercy of a vampire," Leah shushed him. "It's our job to deal with this threat. We can't go home until we kill it."
"Maybe we should call Sam," Embry suggested carefully, making tentative eye contact with Jake. He shrunk a bit when Jake turned away, but he continued anyway. Maybe he knew Jake's sour mood wasn't necessarily directed at him. "He'd want to know what's going on. Maybe he can come help."
"Sam and Emily aren't home," Leah said frostily. "They went camping in Red Brook. No service."
"Then I guess we're on our own," Jake finally returned Embry's stare, less hostile than before. I felt a pang of unsubstantiated guilt; the Pack was working so hard to deal with this situation, and the best I could do was gather information on a guy that might not even know anything. Being a human in a werewolf world had its downsides. If only I could-
I froze, my spine jerking straight, as I realised that there was something I could do. But no one was going to like it.
"Well," I hesitated, knowing full well that my suggestion was not going to be met with enthusiasm. My tongue felt thick in my mouth, moving slowly and clumsily over my words. "There is someone who might be able to help."
I glanced at Jake, anxiety weighing heavily on my shoulders. A split second of confusion flashed across his face before it hardened into a steely mask of understanding.
"Not a chance," Jake dismissed immediately, his temper already flaring. "I'm not letting that bloodsucker anywhere near you after what he-"
"Not Edward," I interrupted quickly, realising he'd jumped to the wrong vampire. "Emmett. We still talk sometimes; I could text him and see if he knows anything. I'm sure he'd help us."
And I was. Some of the Cullens had fallen out of touch with me even after they returned to Forks, namely Rosalie and Jasper, but I still had a friendly relationship with the others. Emmett and I in particular developed a solid rapport over text, usually regaling each other with the latest stupid joke we'd found on a cereal box or gum wrapper. Emmett still liked me, and he'd told me on multiple occasions that he missed having me around. If I asked him for help, I had no doubt he'd do what he could for us.
Jake, surprisingly, seemed to mull it over, observing me closely as he thought.
"I don't like it," he admitted eventually, heaving his shoulders in defeat. "But I trust you, Bells. If you think it's a good idea, I'm on board."
That, I wasn't expecting.
A shocked smile sprang to my face before I could stop it- both from relief at Jake accepting my idea, and from the prospect of seeing Emmett again. I realised too late that Jacob only read the latter, a pained expression passing over him just long enough for me to see it. I schooled my features again, but the damage was done.
Uncharted territory between me and Jake was unheard of. I felt like someone dropped me in an Olympic swimming pool and yanked out all the ladders; if I didn't find a way out soon, I was going to drown. Things with Jake were never awkward, never weird. He was the physical embodiment of comfort, and I desperately wanted to get back what I threatened to lose. We were going to have to talk about what happened, but now wasn't the time. For now, Jake was on my side.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one I needed to convince.
"Over my dead body," Paul snorted, snarling in disgust. "We're trying to catch a leech, not buddy up with one."
"The Cullens have always been respectful of the treaty," Jake rebutted, jumping to my defense much faster than I expected. That gave me hope. "Carlisle has been true to his word and kept as much peace between us as possible. I don't think we have any reason to dismiss the idea without at least some discussion."
"They're vampires, Jacob," Quil complained, tentatively siding with Paul. "Living next to them is one thing, but working with them? Like Paul said, we're designed to hunt them down, why do we even need their help?"
"The number of people who've gone missing is… scary, even for a vampire," I explained, trying not to fiddle with my clothes. "If one's gone rogue, we need to deal with it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the vampire council will take notice and this whole town will be swarming with them."
I didn't know much about the Volturi, only what Alice told me after Edward pleaded with me to take him back last year. He mentioned something in passing, something about a 'vampire suicide', but I didn't want to hear him out at the time. Instead, I asked Alice, and learned about the highest execution of vampire law.
"The Volturi's only goal is keeping order and secrecy," I pressed on, leaning into the questioning looks I was getting. If nothing else, it was keeping me distracted from the growing hole in my heart. "If they find out a vampire is on a mass killing spree, they'll be here faster than we can blink. Our only saving grace right now is that the killings aren't public, so we can assume that the Volturi doesn't know about them yet. If we want to prevent a bunch of old ass vampires from invading Washington, we need to use every available resource we have. That includes the Cullens."
"How do we know the Cullens won't call in this council thing?" Seth piped up, speaking for the first time since Leah snapped at him. "They're vampires. Wouldn't it be like… reporting to their government or something?"
"I can't speak for all the Cullens," I hedged, "but I know at least some of them don't like or trust the Volturi. They'd be just as interested in fixing the problem before it reached Italy as we are."
A hush fell over everyone, heavy with uncertainty. I waited, teeth nearly piercing my own tongue.
"I like Emmett," Leah announced suddenly, flooring us all. "He was the big, black-haired one, right? He's funny."
I gaped, wondering if my ears were working right.
"I say call him." Leah shrugged, aware that we were all gawking at her but looking like she couldn't care less. She probably couldn't. "We're already dealing with one leech. What's a few more?"
"Let's vote," Jake rushed in, taking advantage of the collective confusion Leah had created. "All in favor of letting Bella ask the Cullens for help, say aye."
A smattering of 'aye's rippled through the Pack, skipping only Paul and Quil. Majority rules.
"Then it's decided," Jake clapped his hands conclusively, but his expression was still riddled with questions. I tried my best to just take the win, but even I wasn't expecting the conversation to go quite like that. "Bells? Call him."
Despite Jake's suggestion, I didn't actually call Emmett. I didn't know where he was or who he was with, and I couldn't ignore the superhuman hearing of vampires. If he picked up the phone around Rosalie or, worse, Edward, there was almost no chance they wouldn't hear me.
I was already taking a risk with Edward's telepathy; I didn't need to worsen my odds.
So, I texted him instead. Emmett was decent at texting, although he reminded me a bit of a middle schooler with his borderline annoying use of emojis. Every sentence was punctuated with a minimum of two images, sometimes completely unrelated to the topic. I'd been meaning to ask him if he actually understood the point of emojis, but I hadn't gotten around to it.
Hey Emmett, this is a bit of a weird question. I'm on vacation with the Pack and some of my school friends, and I think we have a vampire problem.
Before I could put my phone away, he responded.
What? Two gasping faces. What's happening?
I explained as best as I could, leaving out as few details as possible. When I was done, I had several walls of text. Emmett must've been reading as I was sending them, because he responded again right away.
Haven't heard anything. Thinking face, shrugging man. I'll look into it and get back to you. Stay safe!
"He's on it," I announced, feeling only slightly better. Jake dipped his chin, accepting but not overly happy. That was better than I could've hoped for. "What do we do now?"
"I think we should work on making everyone feel safe," Embry mused, glancing around the room. "After what happened at the restaurant, they're going to be shaken up."
No one tried to argue with that.
"Charlie said we need to stick together, right?" Embry crossed his arms over his chest, continuing. "Maybe it would be best if we all slept in the living room. Move the mattresses out here, put pillows and blankets on the couches. Then we'd have enough places to sleep that only two people would have to share, and it'll be easier to keep tabs on the humans."
Embry punctuated his suggestion with a glance in my direction, and I got the sudden and intense feeling that he knew something happened between Jake and I. I couldn't explain it, but something about the way he looked at me made me squirm. What that had to do with the sleeping arrangements, I wasn't entirely sure.
Either way, it made me nervous. Being on the rocks with Jake was one thing, but having anyone else get involved was something I absolutely did not want to deal with.
"That's a great idea, Em," Jake slapped him squarely on the back. "I knew that brain worked sometimes."
"I have my moments."
"Bella and I can share," Leah suggested, almost too casually. I raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm sure Jake will feel better knowing his princess is covered at all times."
Jake rolled his eyes, but he didn't exactly deny it either. I glared pointedly at Leah, but it didn't have the effect I was expecting. She raised her eyebrows at me, communicating some secret that I didn't understand, but that she'd explain later. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but I knew we couldn't talk privately with the entire Pack present.
Leah glanced from me to Embry, and then I knew this wouldn't be good. Whatever was going on, I wanted no part of it.
With the weight of the decisions no longer in the air, the rest of the Pack seemed to relax. I knew they weren't completely on board with trusting any of the Cullens, but I couldn't blame them. They were quite literally hardwired to hate and distrust vampires, no matter the circumstance.
"Angie and the others should be back by now, shouldn't they?" Seth voiced suddenly, peering out the front window. I counted backwards in my head to around the time they'd left, and realised Seth was right. Even if the grocery store was packed, they shouldn't have been that far behind us.
"Probably just taking longer because of the road blocks," Embry shrugged reassuringly, dropping onto the couch nearest the kitchen. "Traffic's gotta be brutal with all the police presence."
Except that we'd gotten here without any trouble at all.
"It's nothing to worry about, I'm sure," Jake added, seeing me wringing my hands. I smiled gratefully at him, but I looked away quickly. I didn't want him to see how nervous I really was. "Besides, Angie's been texting you. I'm sure they're fine, but if they're still not back in half an hour, we can call them."
Having a plan in place did make me feel better, but my heart still leapt into my throat when I thought I heard the crunching of gravel outside.
"Did that sound like a car to you?" I asked suddenly, fast-walking to the front door. I flung it open quickly, nearly jumping out of my skin when I saw someone waiting on the other side. I took in the jean jacket, the band tee, and the brooding frown with almost surreal disbelief. This couldn't be happening again-
But it was. Corey was standing on the other side of our door.
"Corey?" I exclaimed, taking an involuntary step backwards. He looked surprised, like he wasn't expecting anyone to open the door. For a split second, he didn't do anything, like a deer trapped in headlights. And then he grabbed me.
"Hey!" I yelped, my hands shooting immediately to grasp his. Corey had me by the shirtfront, his fists wrapped in the loose fabric of my t-shirt, pulling me forward. I couldn't tell if he was tugging me against him or if he was leading me outside, but I didn't wait to find out. I clawed at his grip, digging my heels into the floorboards.
"Bella!"
I heard Jake's furious roar only a split second before his arms appeared around my waist, hauling me sharply backwards out of Corey's grasp. He didn't let go, ripping my t-shirt clean down the middle, but I didn't care. Jake had me now; I could worry about everyone seeing my bra later.
As it turns out, I didn't have to. Jake spun me in his arms, pressing the front of my body firmly into his, shielding my exposed chest. I huddled into him gratefully, squeezing my arms protectively around my torso.
Embry was suddenly blocking my vision, aiming a quick jab at Corey's head. Corey ducked, scrambling off the deck and onto the gravel. Embry started after him.
"Wait-!" I tired to yell, but I was abruptly cut off. The commotion had moved outside, but the noise was as sharp and clear as it had been in the doorway. "Embry, wait!"
"What do you mean 'wait'?" Embry repeated incredulously. "Bella, that guy tried to-"
"Why are you following us?" I ignored Embry's complaints, craning my neck to see around him. I could just make out Corey's retreating figure, skidding precariously across the rocks. "What do you want with me?"
Jake tightened his grip on me, as if to stop me from running after Corey myself, but I wasn't going to. My question gave Corey pause, and I saw him slow his step.
"Were you taking pictures of me?"
Jake gave me a bewildered look, but he kept his mouth firmly shut. Now Corey was at a complete stop, facing away from us. Jake nodded at Embry, signalling for him to start closing the distance between them.
"What the hell do you want from us?"
I wanted to ask him why he smelled like a vampire yesterday, but that wasn't smart. He might not know he was spending at least some time with a member of the undead, and bringing it up unknowingly would only complicate things.
"What were you doing in the alley today?" I tried again. He wasn't answering my questions, but he wasn't moving either. Embry was only a few feet from him now, almost close enough to grab the back of his jacket. I swallowed hard.
"Why-"
My question was punctuated with a loud snap as Embry's heel crunched on a brittle twig. Corey jolted out of his distraction, sprinting around the side of the house, and crashing wildly through the underbrush. Embry lunged after him, but he was just a breath too late. Corey was already weaving through the trees.
"Shit!" Jake cursed. Every muscle tensed, coiled and ready to spring, but he stopped himself. He looked down worriedly at me, reminding himself that I was still without a proper shirt.
"What are you doing?" Paul demanded, shoving his way through the crowd of us collected at the door. "Go after him!"
Jake whipped his head around to bark at Paul, but Leah cut him off. She rounded on me, producing one of my tank tops that she'd grabbed from our room.
"Here, I've got it." I couldn't tell if she was assuring me or Jake, but in less than a second, my ruined t-shirt was on the floor and I was fully clothed again. I let the air leave my lungs in one breath. "Fucking prick. What is his problem?"
"He's getting away," Paul hissed, "that's our problem! We need to go after him, now!"
"You're right," Jake agreed, relaxing now that I was taken care of. One of his arms remained around my waist, and I relished in the warmth that radiated through me at that. "Some of us will have to go after him."
"Some?" Paul repeated, skeptically.
"He's human," Jake mused, calculating fast, "he won't get far enough ahead that we can't catch up. We know there's a vampire here somewhere, we can't just throw all of our eggs in one basket."
He paused, his Alpha voice coming out in full tilt.
"Paul, Quil, follow his path through the woods. Leah, stay here in case the others come back; we can't leave them unprotected. Embry, Seth, circle the house. Bella, come with me. We'll scan the beach."
"Shouldn't we all follow him?" Leah argued, annoyed at being instructed to stay put. I knew why Jake delegated that task to her, though, and so did she. Leah was one of the best fighters in the Pack, after Jake, and if any one of them could hold off a vampire alone until backup arrived, it was her. "He obviously knows something."
"He's just a human," Jake said again, drawing on his natural authority. "Paul and Quil can handle it. Go."
Without further argument, the Pack dispersed.
"Come on," Jake gestured for me to follow him, loping down the stairs with ease. "We'll head straight for the shore and double back."
"You don't want me to stay here?" I asked, afraid of the answer. Corey's interruption had put a temporary hold on any awkwardness between us, but the fact remained that we needed to talk. I didn't want Jake's sudden adrenaline to make him forget that.
He regarded me for a moment, considering something. For a breathless minute, I thought he was going to change his mind. Eventually, he smiled.
"Of course not," Jake snorted, holding out his hand to me. I took it suspiciously, falling into step behind him. "You're the only one with insider knowledge on leeches. I'm making sure you're on my team."
With a wink, he started off into the night.
In case you skipped the note: NO CHAPTER NEXT WEEK! Thank you again for reading, and I'll be back the following week. Cheers!
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