Chapter Ten: 30 Days of Night

"What the fuck," Embry cursed, lurching back from the boathouse in disgust. He almost collided with Jake, sending them both into a jumbled pile of limbs in the sand. Jake caught him at the last moment, steadying him. "What the fuck."

Too startled to be embarrassed, Embry just stared.

"Shut up," Jake hissed, his words strained and crackling. He was rattled, just like Embry, but he couldn't show it. Not when he was the only one around to take charge. "Help me lift her out."

He was leaning over the body now, sniffing as delicately as he could. I wondered for a minute if the scent of decay was masking more important notes that he was trying to pick up on, but quickly dismissed the idea. There was no unpleasantness that I could smell, so Cecilia couldn't have been out here long.

Just then, as he was reaching for Cecilia's pale, limp arm, the meaning of Jake's words hit me.

"We can't touch her!" I gasped, clutching Jake's arm in a panic. "What if this wasn't a vampire? We'd have to call the police, and then your DNA and prints are all over her!"

"This was 100% a vampire," Jake muttered, almost more to himself than to me. He didn't touch the body though, just reached around it and began inspecting the rest of the boathouse. It was smaller than I would've expected, more of a shed than an actual building, but it was just large enough to fit a dory.

"It stinks of leech," Embry agreed, covering his nose and trying not to retch. I couldn't smell what they did, but I couldn't deny there was an eerie sense of being watched hanging in the humid air. Maybe I was just projecting, but to me, the tragedy was palpable.

"Is it the same one that was following us before?" I wondered, guessing from Jake's clenched jaw that it was. He nodded.

"How did it slip past us?" Embry cursed, kicking violently at an unsuspecting piece of driftwood. "We've been snooping around since we got here!"

"What do you mean?" I frowned. "Can't you track it from here?"

Jake, Embry, and Seth exchanged a look.

"Normally, yes," Jake sighed, leaning back on his haunches. "But there's nothing to track from here. The boathouse is drenched in leech stink, but it doesn't go anywhere."

"How is that possible?" I took a half-step to look around the back of the building, expecting to see a hidden passage somewhere. "If it dragged the… the body here, then it would've had to leave a trail, wouldn't it?"

"There are ways to cover scents," Seth murmured, staring intently at his hands. "If it did that, it must've known it was dealing with wolves. And that we'd be looking out for it."

"Which means it knows more about us than we do about it," Jake growled. "And that pisses me the fuck off."

The feeling was very much mutual as silence descended, reflecting on the gravity of the situation we were now in.

"What do we do?"

Seth was the one who'd asked, but we were all thinking it. What the hell were we going to do now?

We had a body, a vampire, a massive missing persons case, and no answers.

"We can't tell the others," Jake concluded suddenly, straightening. From the look on his face, I could tell he hadn't found anything useful in his prodding. "There's a vampire around here, and it's taken a life. If we tell everyone what we've found, police will be here within the hour. We can't risk any more lives."

"So, we're just going to hide a body?" Embry snorted, dumbfounded. "That seems smart."

"Yeah Embry," Jake rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Let's just bury it here in the sand, great idea."

"Well what do you want to do?" I interjected quickly; Jake and Embry hardly ever seriously fought, but with stress as high as it was, I didn't want to take the risk. "We can't just leave her here, can we?"

"We'll have to," Jake sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He looked years older when he did that. "Leave her here exactly as we found her. We'll try to keep the others away, but if they stumble across her there isn't much we can do."

Embry and Seth dipped their heads silently. I bit my lip, but also said nothing.

I was thinking about Sawyer, still wondering, still hoping that her niece would walk back through the front door, sheepish smile on her face. Praying that this was all a big misunderstanding, that, in the worst-case scenario, she'd fallen off the wagon and would turn up eventually, broke but alive. We now knew that would never happen, and we were purposefully keeping it from her.

I knew why we were keeping it from her, but the taste it left on my tongue was decidedly sour.

And what about the other 79 women out there? Were they dead too? Would we find them, drained and pale, scattered throughout the forest?

Jake's hand appeared at my back, startling me. I peered up at him, lip caught firmly between my teeth. He knew I was upset; how could I not be? But he also knew we were doing the right thing.

I forgot sometimes how smart Jake is. I mean, I knew he was smart, but I was so used to seeing him as the big, lovable goof ball that tried to set a soccer ball on fire last spring break just to see what would happen. He's fun, and he's funny, but that's not all he is. He's also the true Alpha of this pack. And he could read me like an open book.

"Scent disguising is difficult," Jake told me, his voice warm and comforting. "Even if the vamp managed to cover its tracks around here, the trail has to pick up again close by. We'll find it. Find it, and end this."

He meant every word, but there was a lingering air of uncertainty that made me nervous. Whatever this was, we needed all hands on deck. And that meant updating the reinforcements.

"I should call Emmett," I whispered eventually, my phone weighing heavily in my pocket. If this vampire had killed a human, he'd want to know about it sooner rather than later. Jake's jaw twitched, but he didn't argue- not happy, but tolerating. It would have to do for now.

Emmett's conversation was still open from earlier, so I tapped on his contact and waited. No point worrying about whether or not he was alone, things had gotten too serious for that luxury.

"Hey Short Straw," Emmett picked up almost immediately, sounding as relaxed and carefree as usual. I would normally take that as a sign that Edward and Rosalie were nowhere to be found, but with Emmett, that wasn't always a guarantee. "What's up? Couldn't wait to hear my sultry voice again?"

"Hey Em," I rolled my eyes, smirking despite the severity of the situation. Emmett was a lot like Jake that way, easily able to make you forget about your problems without even trying. "Things have taken a bit of a turn here."

I glanced at Jake, who was keeping his gaze firmly on the horizon. I could tell from his posture that he was annoyed, whether that was from the knowledge that we were voluntarily working with a vampire or the fact that that vampire was always a bit too familiar with me, I couldn't say for sure. I was sure that he could hear everything Emmett was saying, though.

"What kind of a turn?" Emmett prodded, still not quite realising what was going on. "Don't tell me you have a craving for some fang and want me to take care of it?"

Jake made a low sound in the back of his throat, which Emmett heard. He laughed, big booming cackles echoing through the line.

"Relax, Bingo," he snickered, "I'm a taken man."

"Em," I cut in, noting a worrying vein popping on Jake's forehead, "there's been an attack."

The line went silent so quickly I thought the call dropped.

"What kind of attack?" Emmett asked suddenly, his voice hardened. I'd heard that tone only a few times before, and none were particularly happy.

"The vampire killed a woman," I explained, dropping my words to a whisper. "We found her body near the house. Jake says he can smell the vampire all over her."

Silence again, and then-

"Shit," Emmett huffed, and I could picture him running his hand over his face. "Shit, this complicates things."

"No kidding," I mumbled.

"Alright, okay," Emmett's brain was working overtime, I could tell from the tension coming through the line. "I can't do anything to help from here. I'll grab Alice and we'll come meet you to figure this out. Just tell your hound dogs not to attack us when we get there."

"No promises," Jake rolled his eyes.

"Where are you again?"

I told him.

"Okay," Emmett sighed. I heard shuffling in the background, like he was moving things around. "We can be there in a few hours."

"Be careful Angie and the others don't see you," I pleaded, knowing full well that he would be. Especially if Alice was tagging along to babysit him. "See you soon."

"Hang tight, Short Straw," Emmett took a moment to purposefully return some of the ease to his tone, sounding like he was forcing a smile for my benefit. "The cavalry is coming."

.

With nothing left for us to do at the boathouse, we closed the door and left everything exactly as we'd found it. Seth even trailed after us, using a branch to disturb the sand and mar our footprints. By the time we arrived back at the house, it was like we were never there to begin with.

We didn't talk much until we were within earshot of the windows. To my great relief, Jess's car was back in the driveway, which meant that we had to be careful about our story. First and foremost, though, we needed to find out if Leah had told them anything.

"Where the hell have you been?"

I didn't make it two feet through the door before I was harpooned, Angela colliding into me with the force of a freight train.

"I tried to tell them Bella needed some air after what happened at the restaurant, so you went for a walk," Leah called lazily from the couch, not bothering to sit up. She made eye contact with Jake, confirming that was all she'd told them, and I relaxed. "But they've been freaking out since they got here."

The other wolves were back too, communicating silently with Jake across the room. Paul looked more pissed than usual, meaning that they'd somehow lost Corey. Given the way the vamp had slipped past Jake, I wasn't entirely surprised.

"Of course we are!" Jess threw her hands in the air dramatically, stomping over to us. She was pissed, I could tell from the flare of her nostrils and the heavy wrinkle in her forehead, but she wasn't just pissed. She was scared too, more than she had been before. Something was wrong.

"What happened?" I asked, taking Angie's hands in mine. She wasn't as angry as Jess, but she was definitely rattled. I knew Leah wouldn't have let them think anything was wrong, so whatever happened must've been on the drive back.

"A newscast came over the radio," Eric explained from the kitchen, fiddling with whatever he could get his hands on. "We didn't even make it to the grocery store."

"What did the newscast say?" I prompted. I was fairly sure I already knew, but I didn't want to blurt it out in case I was wrong. "Are they opening the roads again?"

Everyone shook their heads, unease palpable in the air. That one was a longshot.

"They finally made an official statement on what was happening," Angie murmured, reaching behind me to lock the door. She did it with a tone of defiance, as if she were warning it to stay that way. "Bella, there have been over 80 women that've gone missing in just the last few days."

"What the hell?" I gasped, trying to sound appropriately shocked. "How have we not heard anything? Do they know what's going on?"

"They're keeping the roads closed until they figure it out," Jess sighed, looking defeated. "They told everyone to stay inside as much as possible and to travel in groups."

"We're just glad you guys weren't out walking alone," Angie breathed, hugging me properly. I eyed Jake over her shoulder, silently asking him what we should do. He shook his head; we couldn't talk now. Later.

"Can your dad do anything, Bella?" Mike asked, sounding far more stressed than he had that morning. I couldn't say I blamed him. "He's gotta be able to do something, can't he?"

"He still can't get past the road closure," I told them. There was no point in hiding that; it was true, and it might make them feel better to see I was being more forthcoming with information. "He's keeping an eye on the situation and doing what he can to help, but it might take a few days. He won't give up on us."

That did seem to ease off some of the tension, an almost comfortable silence descending on the room. I took the opportunity to look around, noticing that in our absence, the others had gone ahead with our plan to pull the mattresses into the living room. Or Leah had gotten bored and done it herself.

"We should go around the house and make sure all the windows are closed and locked," Jake announced suddenly, double-checking the front door. Angela didn't seem to take any offense. "I think we'll be okay to head outside, but never alone and not after dark if we can help it. Every evening when we come back in, we'll check the locks."

"Good idea," Angie agreed, grabbing Jess by the elbow. "We'll split up and each take an area of the house."

"Bells?" Jake held his hand out to me, and I took it quietly, trying to hide my blush.

In spite of everything, Jake and I had just kissed. I couldn't just push that from my mind like it was nothing. Now, his little gestures of affection felt more intimate somehow, even though no one outside of us would be able to tell the difference.

Well, except maybe Embry and Seth.

Everyone dispersed at the same time, all but Leah, who hadn't moved from the couch. Apparently, she'd taken responsibility for the main area of the house.

Jake led me down the hall, checking the windows along the way. We didn't talk much, focussed on the task at hand, until we came to the room Leah and I shared. It was at the end of the hallway, so there were two windows on the far wall; Jake went directly to them and pulled the locks and shades. I expected him to leave again right away, but he didn't. He reached behind me and shut the door- only then did he speak.

"We don't have a lot of time," he mused, his eyes darting worriedly to the closed door. I guessed that he was listening to the others, sounds that I couldn't quite hear. "But I need to talk to you."

"Okay," I nodded, leaning as casually as I could against the oak dresser I'd claimed. "I think the newscast actually works in our favor. No one is going to want to explore anytime soon-"

"Not that," Jake cut me off, fidgeting in a way I'd never seen before. He was jumpy, on edge, like a jackrabbit sniffing for predators. I bit back a frown. "We'll have a meeting with the Pack later to go over… that."

"Okay…" I said again, slowly this time. "Jake, what's-?"

He shook his head sharply, signalling me into silence. I held my breath as he listened, no doubt recognising that one of the others had gotten close enough to eavesdrop. After a moment, his shoulders dipped and he exhaled.

"Listen," he stammered, a deep flush creeping up his neck. "About what happened on the beach. I don't want you to think- I mean I didn't just say those things because-"

I watched in a sort of dazed fascination as Jake tried and failed to articulate whatever was on his mind. He stumbled over word after word, never quite making it to the point. In all my life, I'd never seen him so tongue-tied. Except maybe when we took that Latin class.

"We're in a really stressful situation right now," Jake muttered eventually, huffing. "I don't want you to think I was trying to take advantage."

Trying to take-?

The realisation hit me all at once, and I had to throw all of my energy into hiding my laughter. Jake was worried- worried that he'd manipulated me into kissing him. Worried that I'd just gotten swept up in the moment. Worried that I'd made a mistake.

I stepped purposefully across the room, stopping when I was directly in front of him. I placed my palms flat against his chest, spreading my fingertips gently across his collarbone. Jake watched me almost warily, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"Jacob, listen to me." I kept my voice low, so as not to be overheard, but my words were strong. "You have nothing to worry about."

He didn't look convinced, searching my face for any sign of doubt or hesitation. I almost rolled my eyes at the irony- not even an hour ago, he'd been passionately making his case as to why this was a good idea. Now, the roles were somehow reversed.

"I know things are… complicated," I admitted, pushing my tongue against the inside of my cheek. "But you were right before; I was scared. I still am scared, but more than that, I trust you. I trust you, and I believe you."

"Just like that?" Jake quirked an eyebrow, his lips pulled tight. "After everything, it's really going to be that easy?"

"Well, I wouldn't say it was 'easy'," I glared at him, "Leah's been pleading your case for a while. You should really thank her."

That threw him for a loop, but before he could ask me to explain, I pressed on.

"Jake, I've been unsure about this for a very long time," I confided, watching as a flicker of despair passed over his face. "I wanted to understand, but I couldn't, and I wasn't ready to take that risk. After talking to you today, I know that I'll never fully understand this. I just have to take your word for it, and I'm finally willing to do that. But if that's the case, then I need you to be sure for me."

"I am sure," Jake promised, covering my hands with his. "Bella, I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I just don't want you to commit to something if this isn't what you want. The most important thing to me is that you're happy, even if it isn't with me."

I suppressed a smile. Leave it to Jake to assume that this had anything to do with my attraction to him.

"Jacob," I smirked, eyes darting inadvertently to the vacant bedframes. "If there was still a mattress in here, I would've thrown you onto it the second you shut the door."

Jake's eyes rounded, his pupils dilating impossibly. I held his gaze, making sure he knew exactly how serious I was.

"I love you," I told him fiercely, my fingers twisting in the fabric of his shirt. "I'm trusting you with my heart. Please don't break it."

"Never," Jake vowed, his arms wrapping swiftly around my waist. He pulled me to him, crushing me against the hard contours of his body. "Isabella Marie Swan, I will never, ever hurt you. I swear to you-"

"Just kiss me again."

I didn't need to ask him twice. Jake's mouth covered mine with a tender intimacy that wasn't there the first time or, if it was, was masked by the urgency exploding between us. His lips were soft, savoring each kiss like it might be our last.

I wanted more than that. I'd been waiting years to kiss Jake, and I was tired of being patient. My hands trailed up over his shoulders to the back of his head, stretching through his thick hair. I pulled.

A low groan rumbled through Jake's chest, and when he looked at me this time, his eyes were nearly black. My heart skipped at the hunger I found there, devouring me with his intense gaze.

"Bells," Jake whispered, his breath washing delicately over my skin. I shuddered, leaning into his touch despite everything inside of me screaming that this wasn't the time, wasn't the place. Truth be told, I didn't care.

He was kissing me again before I had time to think about anything else, his arms winding around my body and encasing me in the heat of his skin, the scent of pine and rain drowning out all other senses. I felt my toes leave the floor for just a second, the brief sensation of weightlessness severing my last ties to reality.

My back collided with the wall, disturbing an unremarkable framed photo of a starfish hanging next to the light switch. I mewled, a soft, delicate sound that barely pierced the air directly around us, but that seemed to send a bolt of lightning through Jake. His entire frame tensed, fighting to control the sudden desperation sparking his touch. He broke away, breathing hard, trying to be quiet.

"We-" he paused, gathering his breath. "We can't do this here."

He was right of course, but the disappointment that surged through me was palpable on my face. Jake saw it, gazing longingly at my mouth.

"Embry's getting ready to bring the whole house in on us if we take a minute longer," he admitted, the words burning him as they left his lips. "I promise, that'll be a lot worse than him and Seth accidentally happening by."

"I know," I conceded, forcing myself to relax. We were at someone else's house, two rooms away from our friends, with a killer vampire on the loose. We couldn't have found a worse time if we tried. "Let's go, before Embry spills the beans on us."

"Oh, it's way too late for that," Jake groaned bitterly, rubbing the side of his neck in annoyance. "We're in for a long night, Swan, and not the fun kind."

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