CHAPTER IX

The rest of the family slowly left while I stayed wrapped up in Alice's and Rosalie's arms. I don't know how long it had been, but I was comfortable with their arms around me; I felt at home.

But I knew we were losing precious time, so I slowly extricated myself from their arms.

''I'll go talk to Emmett,'' I said softly as I wiped away the remnants of my tears. Rosalie and Alice slowly let me go and I felt Rosalie's worry spike.

''He didn't mean it, Bella,'' she pleaded but I shook my head and stopped her with a kiss on her cheek.

''I know, I'll go apologize,'' I informed them. I could still feel Emmett's anger as I stood outside his bedroom door. He was huffing so loudly, annoyed by my presence, no doubt, but I couldn't bring myself to open the door yet.

''What do you want?'' he spat from the other side of the door. ''If you came to say goodbye, you can save it. Just leave.'' I closed my eyes as I cringed from the pain and resentment he was feeling. I braced myself and slowly opened the door. He had shattered some objects in the room out of anger, we had heard the commotion earlier but decided to give him some time. He was now on his bed with a book in his hands and he hid it under the pillow as soon as I entered the room.

''I didn't come to say goodbye,'' I told him and I felt his hope rise, ''I'm not leaving,'' I confirmed with a shy smile. I could feel his happiness explode, but he kept his features neutral.

''Really?'' he made sure. ''You're not just going to leave as soon as we turn our backs on you?''

'' 'Til death do us part,'' I recited with apprehension, then I winced. ''Which might be sooner than-'' I was going add ''expected'', but he came to grab my waist to spin me around the room so fast I didn't get to. The smile he gave me alone was worth staying and I ended up laughing too as his feelings were very powerful and they were hitting me in constant waves.

But I was also very happy he wasn't mad at me.

When he finally put me down, I brushed my hair out of my face, still smiling and my eyes fell on the pillow as I thought of the book. ''So, what are you hiding under there? Is it a dirty book?'' I teased as I reached under the pillow to get it.

''No, wait!'' he tried to stop me, but I was faster than him and I read the cover to find it was a book from my research at the library.

''I thought books weren't your expertise?'' I frowned, as I showed him the book, confused as to why he would have one with him. He oozed embarrassment but shrugged with the purest feeling of devotion I could feel.

''I wanted to help you too,'' he admitted shyly and I smiled again, sending him as big a wave of gratitude as I could muster and I went to hug him again. ''I'm glad you're staying, Bella,'' he breathed in my hair and I couldn't help but smile too.

''Me too,'' I admitted, even if I was the most scared I had ever been considering that for the first time in a long time; I had something to lose.

!

I could feel the newly found determination inside the Cullen coven. They fought with more agility, dynamism, endurance, strength. I couldn't get them to stop training, even for a minute unless it was for hunting. When neither Alice nor I were training, we were holding hands to make the connection stronger through her gift, and Rosalie ended up grabbing my other hand simply out of comfort, but it always brought a smile on my face.

Jasper was keeping all his attention on training the family and I knew it had something to do with his messed-up lustful feelings about me. It made his internal wall slip as I could feel all of the happiness he felt when he was fighting and training, and I could hear his thoughts; he wasn't singing in his mind anymore. He was solely focused on the fight and he reveled every second of it.

I knew we were playing close to the Quileute's borders but it was part of the plan. We stopped all training when we heard the first growl. Emmett had stepped on the border and they didn't like it, Edward translated. As soon as I knew Emmett was the cause, I ran to him, making him jump in surprise at my closeness but then he started laughing.

''Hey!'' I called out to the big black one as soon as I caught a glimpse of him. ''Remember me? I have a favor to ask!'' I connected to Edward's mind to hear the wolves' response.

'Who is she?'

'I don't know.'

Images of the fight I'd had with the Alpha projected in the others' minds through their connection. I saw the big wolf scratch me again and the red angry marks starting to appear, getting bloodier by the second when he had caught me with a paw.

'What the hell!'

'Vampires bleed?!'

''I bleed.'' I corrected.

'Black, go left. Seth, right. Do not move unless I command it.'

Black. As in Ephraim Black, I realized.

''There you are!'' I exclaimed at the caramel-colored wolf that was starting to walk left. The wolf lifted his head to look at me closely, then, back to his pack master. I muttered under my breath. Why was the real Alpha cowering under a false king?

'Wolf business doesn't concern us, Bella,' warned Edward. I turned to him, annoyed.

'Maybe he could help us. His great grandfather made the treaty happen, he would listen to us and maybe join us. We might need the numbers, there must be a way to make them help us,' I countered. I sauntered over to where the big black wolf was and I got close to his ear. I saw him recoil a little and tense but he didn't step away. ''I won't tell if you listen to us,'' I sang into his ear. A deep rumble in the pit of his stomach started and I decided to take my face away from the dangerous proximity of his fangs.

'Listen to what?' Even in his thoughts, I heard the wolf spit the syllables.

''The vampire authority. They want me and they will kill anyone who tries to hide me,'' I said.

'So, what, Sam? Let them have her,' another wolf thought.

Sam – the Alpha – growled, the memory of our fight playing in the back of his thoughts; the day I needed to blow off steam because Edward had read my thoughts without permission.

Boy did we come a long way in a short amount of time.

''We have no evidence that the fight is absolute, but they are coming, and there will be bloodshed,'' I explained.

'Good riddance,' one growled.

''If the Volturi come here, they will smell you and they will get rid of you at the same time. Do you think they will just disregard their oldest natural enemy? They will annihilate your whole pack,'' I stated in all seriousness, ''They are itching for a good fight. They've been cooped up in their underground hideout in Volterra for centuries now without a single soul strong enough to betray them. If they come here, they'll want a fight. So, let's give them a good fight. Let's give them their last fight. Together, we have a chance. And a chance for the Cullens is all I want.''

I heard a flicker of sense coming from the descendant of Ephraim Black, but the Alpha growled and squashed it. I turned to Edward.

'See what I mean? 'I thought with a raise of my eyebrows and tight lips.

He stood still, considering our options. I turned again to the wolves. ''I apologize for playing near your border. We needed to start our training to be prepared and we needed to make sure we were far enough from humans. We really need to get back to training, but you're welcome to stay around and learn how to actually fight a vampire.'' I looked at Sam and smiled sweetly. He growled and clapped his fangs together in my direction. ''Please,'' I muttered. ''I can take you down in minutes. I already have.''

I heard growling from all the wolves, but Black. He was crouched, ready to attack if need be but he was calculated. He wasn't going in headfirst. Unlike another.

'Paul, no!' Sam growled.

I barely had time to react that another wolf had jumped on me. He was snarling and clapping his fangs inches away from my face. I saw all the Cullens take a step toward us. ''Don't,'' I warned, ''I need to show them their weaknesses.'' I grabbed Paul's throat and pushed him off me with all my might. He flew meters away from me and charged again as soon as he was on his paws. I jumped and twirled in the air, landing on his back. He snapped his jaw as close to my face as he could but it was no use. I wrapped my arms around his body and started crushing.

'Bella.' I heard Edward warn in my mind. I rolled my eyes and a growl escaped my chest.

'Can you not worry for one second? I know what I'm doing.' I grunted in my mind.

I put all my weight down on the side of Paul's body, making him lose his balance and crash on the ground. He was trashing and crashing in my arms but my grip was relentless. I searched for Jasper with my eyes.

''A little help?'' I asked and he nodded. At the same time, we projected the biggest feeling of lethargy we could muster. His dose was a lot stronger than mine, but he had years of controlling his gift on his side. It worked anyway and Paul was fast asleep, turning back in his human form as soon as he was out. I pushed him off me and Jasper offered me his hand to stand. I thanked him with a nod and turned to the rest of the pack.

''Not the fight I expected, but good enough, I think,'' I thought aloud. The wolves growled again. ''Oh, come on! He's just asleep,'' I defended myself. ''Like I said, I want you to fight with us; I'm not about to start killing numbers just for the fun of it. Although it was fun,'' I considered again, bringing on more growls. Sam came closer to check on Paul. He started sniffing around and pushed him with his muzzle. ''He's fine,'' I said, annoyed. ''I can hear his heartbeat all the way across the field.'' He growled but after checking in on Paul himself, he faced us.

'What do you expect from us?' He thought as he barked.

I shrugged. ''Like I said. I don't want anyone to die. The more we are, the less the Volturi would want to fight us. We have something going on that attracted their attention. We need the element of surprise on our side and wolves would be a great help to do that.'' I could see him falter, but he wasn't convinced. ''Alone, we stand no chance against the Volturi. Let us at least teach you how trained vampires fight. No strings attached,'' I proposed. I felt the uneasiness of everyone around me and I dared a look in Jasper's direction, wondering if he had felt it too. He nodded, letting me know he had, but then he nodded in Black's direction and I focused on him. He felt friendly, or maybe not quite friendly, but he was definitely open to our proposition.

''Maybe then the fights will be fair,'' Emmett commented from the other side of the field. His comment released some of the tension and I turned to him with a smile.

''I'll fight you, Emmett. If you're not too scared,'' I mused, he snorted.

''Let's see what you got, Mighty,'' he laughed as he got into position on one side of the field and I casually strutted over to the other side.

''I'll fight you with just one arm, that way it'll be fair,'' I winked and put one arm behind my back. He snorted again.

''Don't hold back for me,'' he said cockily.

''You wouldn't survive,'' I simply stated with a laugh. I beckoned him forward and he charged. I focused on power, because so would the Volturi. I tried hearing his thoughts, but he was more of a head-in-first kind of guy and he wasn't thinking about strategies or weaknesses. He was just charging forward. Alice's gift would be useless too so I used Jasper's. I felt Emmett calmer and he lost some momentum, shook his head, and pulled through. I confused him, next, and the same reaction happened. He was on me then, but with his momentum lost, he wasn't as strong as he would've been. I dodged his first and second punches, and then I knew what to do. Every time he attacked, he would go in without a second thought, and so on his third punch, I struck hard on his stomach, making him topple over. I jumped, intent on landing on his back and faking a head ripping, but he dodged my landing and rolled over onto his back. As soon as I landed on him, he turned us so he was back on top. He grabbed my only fighting hand and broke it off with a loud clack. A bone broke through the skin, making blood spill around fast.

I cried out in pain as I also felt everyone cringe around us and turned around in his arm. The wolves were getting agitated around us because my arm was bleeding a lot. Even Emmett seemed unsure of what to do next, so I didn't lose a second and turned, using the weight under me, I pushed him off me and he flew a few meters away, coming back on his feet, he charged again, but I was losing a lot of blood and I needed to repair that arm fast before I lost too much. When he came back to charge, I was ready and dropped him on the floor with one kick, landing my fangs millimeters away from his face as soon as he hit the floor, making the earth beneath him tremble.

The field was the quietest I've ever heard it and I pushed away from Emmett to tend to my wound. I replaced the bone with an uneasy crack and the wound took a few more minutes than a scratch did to heal but it healed nonetheless. When I looked back around, I saw a wolf sniffing at the blood on the ground where I was. He then turned to the rest of his kind and sneezed. There was a mix of snorting and growling which I decided to interpret as laughter. The wolves started to fall back and left the forest without further word or thought. I decided to take it as a good sign and wait and see if they would come back again tomorrow.

The sound of laughter filled the whole field and I turned around to see Emmett was the one laughing his ass off. Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy but then one by one, everybody slowly started to laugh and join in on his hilarity.

''Jasper, I think we've finally found you a worthy opponent,'' Emmett said in between laughter. I exchanged a look with Jasper but quickly averted my eyes as I felt his lust.

''Maybe some other time, let's go, I need to feed a little,'' I said, motioning to the blood on the floor. One by one they all left but I hung back, trying to cover my blood by pushing some dirt all over it.

''I highly doubt that'll help,'' Jasper said behind me and I jumped, not having thought he had stayed behind. My anxiety grew as he took a step closer.

''Where's Alice?'' I asked trying to sound nonchalant but failing as he could feel my emotions.

''She's gone with Edward. They've been spending a lot of time together,'' he noticed as he turned his head toward me, never leaving my eyes. I felt the need to turn my head too and mentally cursed when I felt myself copying his movement. ''Did Alice see something?'' he asked suddenly.

''What do you mean?'' I breathed heavily as his lust was crashing into me in waves.

''I mean; she's been distant the last few days. You would know if she saw something, wouldn't you?'' he asked again, turning his head to the other side and I had to force myself to not copy him this time.

''Probably, yes,'' I admitted as he took another step closer and I took a step back. It only seemed to turn him on even more and I understood it suddenly felt like a hunt for him. I saw images of what he wanted to do to me and since Edward was too far, Jasper must have been thinking very loudly.

''So, did she see something – how did you say it – absolute?'' he growled the last word and that was just not fair right now.

''Nothing is absolute. Especially the future.,'' I breathed out huskily, trying to step away again but I butted against a tree and Jasper grinned. I had never seen him look more like a predator than at that moment. He grabbed for my hand and rubbed the skin where the bone had just pierced, sending shivers through my body and I couldn't be sure if he was using his gift to enhance it or if it was all-natural.

''Show me again,'' he asked as he rubbed the skin inside the crease of my arm, going higher and higher with each circle of his thumb. I saw an image of my scars in his mind so, I made them appear on my arms, thinking it would make him happy enough and it would satisfy his desires enough. ''More,'' he growled and I could almost feel the purr in his voice. I tried to resist, but there was something commanding about his voice. Something about it made me want to follow his orders, and as I made the other marks, brands, tattoos, and scars appear on my body, I knew exactly why they called him the God of War.

I was entranced by his eyes as he followed the lines on my body, tracing the ones he could reach on my arms with his fingers, sending multiple shivers down my body. Sending multiple waves of desires around us. I don't know who leaned in first, but I knew our lips were locked before I could stop it. He grasped at my waist, molding his body to mine and I felt just how much he wanted me, and it wasn't just because of his gift. I couldn't contain a moan from escaping my mouth and he used the opportunity to discover my mouth with his tongue. My hands flew to his head as he let go of my lips and pushed down my neck with his forehead to bite and suck on the skin between light kisses. I opened my eyes in surprise as he bit down harder and broke some of the skin, lapping at it with his venom to make it feel better.

Something dragged my attention away as I tried to focus more on my right wrist. There was a symbol etched on the skin, some scars were covering some parts, but the symbol was familiar. The contours of the mark were curved, like rays of sunshine, a form was just inside the half-circle before it turned to a system of intricate lines, but it suddenly stopped straight on one side, as if incomplete.

''Jasper, stop!'' I roared as I pushed him, focusing on the mark etched in my arm in bewilderment. I was shaking and I was barely noticing Jasper having a hard time getting up again as I stumbled through the woods to get back home, forgetting to cover the rest of the scars on my body. ''Rosalie!'' I screamed as I reached the door.

She came to meet me in a flash and when she saw me, she gaped. ''Oh, my God, Bella, what happened? Did the Volturi attack?'' She was hysteric and I couldn't understand why when I noticed the rest of the marks were still on my body. I shook my head, trying to make the rest of them disappear while still holding on my arm with the mark.

''Don't worry about those, they've been there forever, but apparently, so has this!'' I tried to bring her attention to my mark since she was still gaping as my body covered with scars. I sent her a wave of calm and she finally focused on the mark as she grabbed my wrist as well.

''Bella, is that-'' she was so stunned she couldn't finish her sentence.

''It sure as hell looks like it!'' I exclaimed. She dragged me to the stairs all the way up to the library, never releasing my arm from her grasp. She got the book about mythical creatures from the beyond and found the bigger sketching I had made of the Time Keeper's mark. She put the sketching side by side with my wrist and looked back at me with glee and wonder.

''It's a map,'' she breathed.

!

Everyone came to assist my research once they had something to lead them. They all had individual copies of the drawing of the now completed mark and they were cross-searching every other possible map to find where this one actually was.

''Rosalie, what was the date of the book?'' I asked again as I rubbed my temple. She didn't have to check the book again to tell me.

''432,'' she answered, ''Good idea,'' she understood with a nod as she went to get every map from 432. She handed each Cullen a book about each continent through the years.

These were mostly handwritten so it was hard to get exactly the same map. I felt confusion coming from Alice who had Europe. ''What is it?'' I asked at the same time as Jasper and we glanced at each other for a beat before turning our attention back to Alice.

''There's nothing about 432. I have 431 and 433, but nothing about 432, and it looks like the page has been ripped away.'' She turned the book to show it to us, and I had the feeling of familiarity again as I looked at it.

''Who would rip this?'' I wondered as I looked to Carlisle, wondering where the book came from.

''The Volturi gave it to me as a parting gift when I left their guard,'' he informed. I felt an uneasiness from everyone around, but the Volturi had no way of finding out about the marks, nor the maps, nor the date.

''It can't be them,'' I reassured them, ''There is no way they could've known anything about it.''

''She's right,'' Edward interjected, ''Even with a vampire that could have Alice's gift, it was too far down the road to be sure of anything and make a decision about it.''

I cringed and looked around the room, feeling the familiarity all over again. Jasper sent a wave of calm my way, but he never looked up from the book on his lap.

''Alice, can I talk to you for a moment alone, please?'' I quietly asked, but I knew everyone heard me, though they politely ignored us and tried to get back to their research. Alice nodded and followed me all the way outside as I wanted our conversation to be private.

''What is it?'' she asked, unable to wait any longer and I turned to her and bit my lip.

''Do you ever have feelings of déjà vu?'' I asked, wondering where they all came from. She smiled and raised an eyebrow.

''Well, feelings, no. I have seen it,'' she smiled all the more but I shook my head.

''No, like, something you haven't had a clear vision of and then you feel like you've seen it before?'' I pushed so she understood it was serious. She thought long and hard about it but ended up shaking her head.

''No, not really, it's just the visions,'' she said with an apologetic smile, ''You have those feelings?''

I nodded my head. ''Ever since I came here so I thought it was a side-effect of your gift,'' I told her, defeated, and looked back to her. ''I know it's silly to ask, but anything about Liam's whereabouts?'' I tried, but again, she shook her head. I knew if she had seen anything, I would've seen it too, but I still hoped maybe she had. I really needed to figure out why I was having so many déjà vu around them and maybe something from my past was triggering it.

I smelled the air and turned sharply towards the woods.

''Go, Alice,'' I advised her as she turned her head in the direction of the smell too. She puckered her face at the smell and I suppressed a smile.

''You sure?'' she asked, but I felt she didn't really want to stay around the smell of the wolves. I nodded with a smile.

''Yes, it's just the one, let me see what he wants,'' I assured her and she didn't need to be told twice as she headed back inside with a last warning growl in the direction of the wolf. I walked farther into the woods and sat on a rock as I waited. The wolf still hadn't shown himself but I knew he was lurking around.

''Come out,'' I said lazily and waited. The caramel-colored wolf came out; It was the trueborn Alpha. He whined, but with Edward so far, I couldn't understand what he was saying, I was only getting images of a fight, but I couldn't quite make out a clear sentence. ''Edward isn't around, and your thoughts are not powerful enough for me to hear them, I don't understand you,'' I explained on the same tone. He growled impatiently and it made me smile. He turned around to go behind a tree and came back a human. He, like most of the other Quileutes I had seen, had brown, short hair, toned muscles, and a pack's tribal tattoo on his shoulder. But he was also different somehow. He had Ephraim's eyes. ''What do you want?'' I asked then.

''I think I want to help.'' His voice was low yet very strong compared to his unsure words. ''I want you to teach me how to fight trained vampires. I know the basics; rip them apart, set them on fire, but I want to know more. I want to know how they fight. I want to protect my pack.'' His conviction made my cheek twitch. Spoken like a true Alpha. I got up from my rock and sauntered over to him, inspecting what I had to work with and testing his boundaries at the same time with my proximity to him. I could feel his anticipation, but he never even twitched.

I could work with that.

''What scares you the most?'' I asked. He seemed caught off guard but it was an extremely precise question on my part; I wanted to know what he would be fighting for. What drove him to come find us and ask for help. He genuinely thought about it for a long moment.

''Losing someone I care about,'' he finally answered with a conviction I could almost taste. I saw an image in his mind of his pack being slaughtered by faceless vampires and he swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the feeling of dread. He didn't have to say anymore. He didn't have to. He was here, with me, without back up, to make sure he wouldn't have to end up regretting an unadvised decision from his Alpha.

''What's your name?'' I asked instead.

''Jacob Black.''

''Go change, Jacob,'' I simply said. I saw the shadow of a smile on his lips and he went back to hide behind the same tree he had a few moments ago. He came back a wolf and now that he was closer to me, I could actually notice how much bigger than Sam he was. I put my hand on his head and ran it all the way to his back as I kept it there. He didn't flinch. I patted his back as I spoke. ''You have a blind spot on your back, right here, so if it ever comes to fighting vampires, you need to watch each other's backs, literally. Work as a group. Of course, there's a reason your minds are connected. Now, let's see what you've got, wolf.''

He growled and launched first. I escaped him easily but I was surprised by his agility despite his enormous size. He attacked again, and again, his jaw snapping close to my throat, but never actually reaching it. He nibbled at my leg, making me fall over and he stood over me, licking his muzzle and salivating all over me. I tried pushing but he yapped and growled, pushing his big paw on my torso and pushing me back on the ground as I landed back hard. He went to my neck, but instead of biting, he licked once and froze. The air around him started moving and I found myself with a human on top of me, still frozen. I looked at him, uncertain, but then, I understood and I pushed him off me.

''Oh, right, I'm warm, you didn't expect that, did you?'' I said sarcastically. Jacob still hadn't moved and I started to feel self-conscious about it. ''Alright, it's not that big of a deal.'' He finally moved to look at me again, I didn't need Jasper's power to feel he was confused.

''You bleed, you're warm, your eyes change color, you don't even smell like the rest of them, what are you?'' he finally asked and I rolled my eyes, annoyed with that question.

''Well thanks for that, you don't smell so bad yourself!'' I said as I rolled my eyes.

''Is that why these… Volturi? Is that why they want you?'' he asked instead, understanding he wouldn't have an answer to his first question.

''Partly, yes. Though my human side isn't what they are actually after,'' I added and I could feel his curiosity spike as he thought back to our training session in the field. Images of Edward filling his mind.

''You can read minds too,'' he stated with a frown, remembering how I understood them as easily as Edward did. ''But you didn't understand me earlier. Tell me,'' he pleaded again.

I couldn't see any malice in his thoughts or feelings and I knew he wouldn't let go so easily. He wouldn't fight without knowing all the facts. I sighed and sat on a rock nearby as he came to join me, staying a few feet away for caution.

''I can duplicate powers,'' I finally told him in a breath and his worry increased. ''I can copy it and then I can transfer it to another vampire or keep it to myself,'' I added as he started walking around, kicking the dirt and rocks at his feet as his heart rate increased. He was starting to get scared but he couldn't form perfect sentences just yet as he opened and closed his mouth multiple times without as much as a heavy sigh coming out.

''What does that mean?'' he finally gathered up as he stood right in front of me again.

''They'll do anything to get me back,'' I said.

''Back?'' he asked then and I bit my lip, wondering if he should really know about this. I sighed, knowing he was my best option to gain the wolves' trust.

''I escaped them almost two centuries ago; since then, they've only become more powerful,'' I told him, but I only saw more questions in his eyes. I rolled my eyes again, knowing the questions would soon blurt out, so I laid comfortably on the rock and waited.

''How old are you?'' He said.

''Very old,'' I answered lazily. ''I might be the oldest.''

''What can we actually do for you, then?''

''Protect the Cullens,'' I said and he growled as a smile cracked my lips.

''Why?''

''Why not?'' I fired back and he growled again.

''What are you?''

''I don't know!'' I exploded, tired of hearing that question all the time. Jacob seemed surprised by my outburst and he took a few careful steps back as I calmed down.

''Your hair,'' Jacob breathed in wonder and I looked down to see the darker color it had taken. I ran my hand through it, making it a lighter shade of brown again as I breathed a couple of times.

''I'm hoping to find out soon,'' I added in response to his previous question. ''We are looking for a vampire with a gift able to get lost memories back. I've lived for so long; I'm thinking there might be something I forgot along the way.''

''Why would that help?'' he asked and I could feel he was genuinely curious about it. He wasn't asking to gain information to bring back to his pack, he wanted to know for himself. I focused and made the mark appear again on my arm, making sure it was the only mark that showed. I showed it to him and he frowned, grabbing my wrist to get a better look. ''How did you get that?'' he breathed as I felt waves of confusion, fear, and curiosity coming off him stronger than before.

''I don't remember; that's why we're looking for the vampire. We found the other end of it in a book with an illustration of some Time Keeper, but I don't remember ever getting that mark,'' I explained but I could feel too much surprise even after telling him about it so I looked up and saw he was still in shock. ''Jacob?''

''This is our mark,'' he breathed as he pointed to the yet unidentified form that was just inside the circle before it turned into a system of intricate lines. He then turned so his shoulder was exposed to me and I approached my wrist to it to compare to his mark. Indeed, it seemed like the form in mine was very similar to his, though his was more tribal signs, whereas mine showed the lines to the map. As I saw it against Jacob's mark, I could make out the form of a wolf. My whole body shivered as realization sunk in.

''What does that mean?'' Jacob asked as he felt apprehension. I shook my head, stunned.

''I have no idea,'' I whispered as an idea struck me. ''You have a lot of legends in the Quileute's tribe, don't you?'' I wondered and he was carefully thinking about his answer.

''Yes. Why?''

''Anything about a Goddess Keeper of Time? Here, wait,'' I grabbed a pointy rock and tore a chunk of bark on a tree and started carving the drawing of the Time Keeper. I showed my drawing to Jacob, pointing at the details. ''This would be blood down her cheek, down her lips too, and in her hand, that's an apple,'' I repeated the sentences from the only paragraph written underneath the picture: 'Made from ice and fire, made from moon and sun, a Time Keeper carries around a sacrificial weight. It feeds from life and brings death amongst friends or foe. If damaged, a Time Keeper would bring on the conclusion of all.' Jacob thought on it for a long time, letting me finish all my explanations before giving me his impressions with the new information.

''Ice and fire, moon and sun; what if you're the ice and the moon? And that Time Keeper; she's the fire and the sun? What if she's a wolf?'' Jacob proposed and I shrugged.

''Everything is possible, right now, but that doesn't help me much, since it doesn't help to find her. Can you look into the Quileute's legends if they have any information about it?'' I asked shyly.

''For sure, I'll look! I want to know why you're wearing a part of my mark.'' He seemed eager to figure things out as he grabbed the drawing I had made in the bark of the tree. ''I'd like to come back for more training too, if that's okay?'' It was now his turn to feel shyness and I reassured him with a smile.

''It'll be my pleasure,'' I said, ''Thank you, Jacob,'' I added and he smiled.

''Call me Jake.'' I nodded and he dived into the wood. I looked once more at my mark and rubbed my thumb against its edges. Maybe the Time Keeper was a werewolf, the sun and the fire, was my last thought before I headed back towards the house, but what was the connection between us?

By the time I got back, everyone but Alice and Jasper were seated in the living room and I frowned as I heard a commotion upstairs and Emmett cringed.

''What's going on?'' I asked since everything was fine when I left.

''Alice had another vision; she's going to Norway,'' Edward informed me with thinned lips.

''She found Liam?'' I hoped, since it was the only reason she would travel to the Nordic lands at the moments.

''Nope, wasn't Liam,'' Emmett said simply and I craved to know the truth, but Edward was thinking hard about the greatest towns in Norway.

''Why are you hiding something from me?'' I wondered out loud to get Edward's attention.

''It's not my place to tell, Bell's,'' Edward said, still sitting too squarely, even for a vampire. I tried to dig deeper into his mind but he jumped from towns in Norway to buildings. I glared at him angrily and headed upstairs to see what was going on for myself. As I stepped through the door, I saw Alice packing a bag and Jasper trying to keep her here.

''Alice, please, I promise, I love you,'' Jasper pleaded. Alice didn't seem angry, she seemed resigned. Jasper could most likely feel her resolve too, but he didn't seem to think about it right now.

''I have to go, Jazz. I'm sorry.'' She noticed me at the door and sent me a smile that didn't reach her eyes. ''I'm going to Norway. I'm going to find Liam myself and bring him back here,'' she said to my attention as I stepped into the room. I heard Jasper groan in displeasure, but his lust was around me as soon as he saw me.

''Then why leave, if you have no idea where he is?'' I asked, not understanding her motivations.

''We have to start somewhere, staying here is obviously not helping our research for Liam and you need to remember something about this mark. Someone has got to go there in person.''

''I'll go!'' Jasper proposed, but Alice smiled sadly at him.

''You can't go, Jasper, you have to help with the training,'' she reminded him as gently as possible and though Jasper knew she was right, he was trying to come up with another solution. ''I can't stay here, Jazz,'' she breathed as she glanced at me. ''It's too hard,'' she added, shrugging as she finished zipping her bag.

''Tell me what you saw, I'll make it go away,'' I promised her as I took a step forward and put my hand over the one that was holding her bag. She looked deep into my eyes and I saw her sadness as images filled into my mind.

Jasper and I were training in the woods, his eyes were more silver this time, a sign I knew meant he had fed from me again. We were both breathing heavily as Jasper had just trapped me into his arms. He was at my back, holding my crisscrossed arms in front of me, keeping me from moving with sheer force.

''You're stronger than me,'' I breathed as I tried to move my arms without success.

''I'm stronger than you,'' he echoed in my ear, growling and it sent shivers down my spine. He raised my arms over my head, making me spin so I was now facing him and his hands came to rest on my waist, steadying me in his arms. I was breathing hard as Jasper was heavily breathing me in and he growled again before bending his head down.

The image stopped as we were just about to kiss and I turned to Alice, feeling her heart break as I tried shaking my head furiously.

''My blood was still in his system, Alice. I know it's hard, but believe me, it's just chemicals. It's got nothing to do with the mating pull you two have!'' I desperately tried to keep her here, but how could I, really? Her man was desperately lusting over one of her best friends. Why did I even permit myself a say in this?

''That's just it, Bella. It's too hard to be left out right now. I'm going to find Liam, and I'm hoping that once I return, your blood will have gone from his system and he will be mine again. For now -'' she reached for her other hand and pulled at her wedding ring.

''Alice, no.'' Jasper and I both breathed at the same time, but Alice reached over to the nightstand and laid her wedding ring there.

''For now, you're free to do as you want,'' Alice repeated as she looked deep into Jasper and smiled. It was a sad smile, but it was honest, and honesty is all I could feel coming from Alice. She wasn't angry, she wasn't as sad as I thought she would be; she was resigned.

I swallowed hard as she reached me, standing in front of the door. She lifted her eyes to meet mine and in a silent agreement, I stepped away from the door to let her through with a heavy heart. She smiled sadly at me and went downstairs to say goodbye to the others.

''Godspeed,'' I said as I looked through the window to watch her leave. She turned around and sent a real smile in my direction.

''I'll call you if I have anything helpful for you. I take it you'll do the same?'' she asked as she turned her head to the left.

''I swear it,'' I vowed before gathering as much love as I could and sent it her way.

''I love you too,'' she smirked before turning on her heels and leaving the trail to jump into the woods. A heaviness set inside me as I saw her leave, thinking it should've been me instead. I felt the lust before knowing Jasper was next to me. He was also watching where Alice had disappeared with longing.

'I ache for you,' I heard him think as he kept his eyes outside in the distance.

''I know,'' I said breathlessly as I couldn't take my eyes off the spot either. ''It'll fade,'' I assured him as another wave of lust hit me. Hopefully.

I hope you enjoyed this one, thanks always for the reviews and favorites!

See you soon xx