Online Predator Chapter 64

Jasper walked onto the reservation slowly. Not only was his gift outstretched, locked on to the only other being out there, but his other senses were trained on them too. Their heart beat, but that didn't necessarily mean they were human. They were feeling scared yet determined. They were also feeling fiercely protective and Jasper vowed to work out why.

They were hiding in one of the houses, which Jasper found to be odd. Why not just be out in the open? What were they hiding and why? Jasper knew gifts could be involved; a vampire had been able to kidnap his mate under the noses of two others. This could be a trap, he knew that, but with them hiding away, he had little choice but to march in there and accept whatever consequences there were.

So, that's what he did. He didn't rush in there, he didn't break down the door, but he walked in blind. There was one being in the house. They were male, they looked human, but also they didn't. They were tall, their skin was pale and flawless, they looked strong.

"You're not a human," Jasper said, crossing his arms against his chest, staying near the door.

"I am," they replied. "Please don't do this the hard way."

"And what is the hard way?" Jasper asked.

They didn't answer him, instead they held out their arm. "Taste my blood if you want, see that I am human, but I assure you that I am."

It was a tempting offer, but one Jasper wouldn't take, that could be part of the trap, tainted blood, all of that.

"This isn't a trap," the human said.

Jasper growled, what was he? A mind reader? A seer too?

"What is your gift?" Jasper asked.

"I…" he started, but paused, he was hesitant and scared, then he was decided. "I can control other people's gifts and use them as my own."

That sealed his fate, he was to die, as soon as Jasper got the information he needed. Such a powerful being, and while still being human, couldn't exist, it tipped the scales too much and Jasper wasn't sure in what direction; his or someone else's.

"What is your name?" Jasper thought he'd start easily.

"Emmett McCarty," he answered strongly.

"That's a lie," Jasper said, feeling the deceit, "or at least, partly."

"I am a Cullen," he said, "but I was a McCarty."

"One of Carlisle's children," Jasper growled, "I shouldn't be surprised, he seems to have a knack for collecting humans with gifts. Tell me, does he know of your power?"

"No, no one does, only my girlfriend Rose. We… We understand the stakes, as I'm sure you do too, we don't wish to seek power or anything like that. Rose is pregnant, she never wanted to become a vampire, and I have decided to stay human with her. I can feel the change already, my gift is weakening, it's starting to fade."

"You're sad," Jasper said.

"Yes," Emmett agreed, "After learning about Carlisle and vampires, I'll admit that I wanted that life. I wanted to be strong and fast, I wanted to be able to prove my strength, but I've come to understand that I don't need to be a vampire to achieve this. I will be a good father and husband, I plan to become a firefighter, to gain strength and use it to help others. It's hard to let go, but Rose taught me that staying human, well, honestly, it's the better choice. We will live our life together, just us, and our little family, then, when it's our time, we will die."

"Do you think I'm dooming Bella?" Jasper asked.

"I think everyone has a different path," Emmett said, "Bella was always meant to become a vampire, she is meant to stand by your side, she is the only one who can truly save you."

"I don't need saving," Jasper growled, "I am free of Maria, I am out of the wars."

Emmett didn't say anything, in some situations silence was better. He could tell that Jasper understood him, he just wasn't willing to admit it. That happened a lot, people knew the truth, but they were scared, and for Jasper, to know his salvation lay in the hands of another, a human at that, well, he'd have to work up to accepting that.

"What's your plan here?" Jasper asked. "Why do you care? As I've asked before, what stock do you have in all of this?"

"I have no stock, not really," Emmett said, "first, it was because Bella was Rose's friend, she was my friend, but I took us out of the equation and you always seem to conquer Maria and her army. As of late, selfishly so, I don't want Maria to bring the fight here. Rose and I can get out, I know that, but Carlisle, Edward and Alice are my second family and I don't want any of them to die, and some will, it changes who. The only way, in my mind, is to bring the fight to her. She's gaining traction, she's heading this way, she has started to grow her army. You can still defeat her easily enough, but as her numbers grow as does her strength, and the closer she gets to finding you here, the worse the fallout will be. As I said, Rose, me and the baby can get out, and we probably will if it comes down to it, but I had to try and get you to see reason. You have to take the fight to Maria and end it once and for all. It's the only way."

It wasn't the only way, it was just the best way.

"I need to assess all of this information," Jasper said.

"Of course," Emmett said. "When you need, just message me, I am willing to help, to an extent, and we can meet here again if need be."

Jasper stared at the human, he wasn't going to kill him, not yet. Emmett didn't seem like a threat, but they were still too powerful to live. Jasper was going to follow him and make sure everything he was saying was truthful.

Emmett left the house and went back to his Jeep. He knew Jasper would be following him and he didn't care. He knew this would take time, he knew it would be a battle. The first step had been achieved, it was to get Jasper to meet him, to get him to start seeing things in a different light. Bella was doing well on that front, but Jasper needed to move faster. They couldn't let Maria bring her army here, the cost would be too great.

"How did it go?" Rosalie asked Emmett the moment he returned home.

"As good as can be expected," he answered. "He has a thick skull, but I'm sure he will make the right decision, if not…" Emmett trailed off.

"Did you tell him that part?" Rosalie asked.

"No," Emmett said. But now it was time, while he wasn't in the same room as Jasper, where he wouldn't be killed in the vampire's rage. "It's not certain anyway," Emmett said, "it's just a possibility. Bella might still survive, Maria might not kill her."

"But you're certain it happens in Forks," Rosalie asked, "and nowhere else?"

"Yes," Emmett said, "out on the reservation, that part never wavers."

They heard Jasper's roar from here, and then, he was gone.

"Did we do it?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, babe." Emmett hugged her close, his hand resting on her stomach, on their growing baby. There had been a slight chance that when Jasper found out, he'd burst in and try to kill them, thankfully it hadn't come down to that.

"Where is he now?" Rosealie asked. "Is Bella safe?"

"Yeah," Emmett said, "he's gone for a run. He might seek out Peter or Garrett, but he won't go to Bella when he's this angry. He knows the stakes, he knows she's the only one who can save him."

"Look," Charlie said, "I'm not angry at you, I just need to know the truth."

"I can't," Carlisle said, "people will get hurt, innocent people, and I can't have that."

"If I'm your mate," Charlie stepped closer to him, "you can trust me."

"I don't understand why you need to know. It happened over fifty years ago, it's in the past."

Charlie stared him down. "Do you think I'm your mate?" he asked.

"Y-yes," Carlisle stammered.

"Then tell me, I will not accept you until you do."

Carlisle didn't answer.

"What happen to the Quileutes?" Charlie asked. "Were you there?"

Carlisle dropped his head. "No."

"But you know what happened?"

"Yes."

"Tell me what happened."

"It was the Volturi," Carlisle said, "they came in and wiped them all out. They didn't like the idea of them, they were a threat to our kind."

"That's not the whole story," Charlie said, crossing his arms against his chest, it was an intimidation tactic he'd picked up from Jasper, "tell me everything."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Innocent people will get hurt."

Innocent people? Charlie's mind went a mile a minute, processing all the information he had gained over the past few days, and then it hit him.

"Some live," he said, "don't they?"

Carlisle said nothing.

"You saved them," Charlie said, slowly piecing it together, "that's why you're so worried about it all, you're afraid if the Volturi find out, not only will they kill you, but they'll kill the survivors too."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Carlisle stepped away, but Charlie followed him.

"You don't need to be afraid," Charlie said, "or even disgusted, you saved some of them, the tribe still lives."

"Yes," Carlisle turned back around, "but I only saved three, and they lost everyone. They didn't get to grow up on the reservation, in their homes. Generations of Quileutes lived there and now no one does. Their mothers and fathers were killed, everyone else was killed."

"Who did you spare?" Charlie asked. "Were they children? Where did they go? Where did you place them? Why have they never returned?"

"I don't know," Carlisle said, "please, just leave this buried where it belongs. No good can come from this. If Aro ever found out what I did, he'll kill everyone I ever loved. He'll kill you."

"I don't care about that," Charlie said, not only misunderstanding the severity of the implication, but also missing the fact that Carlisle had admitted that he loved him. "Just tell me the whole story, I could probably piece it all together anyway."

Carlisle knew he was right, and he felt compelled to tell his mate. He took a deep breath and spoke the truth for the first time ever.

"I heard about the attack," Carlisle said, "I couldn't stop it, I was one vampire against the most powerful army. I couldn't make it look suspicious, I had to make the Volturi believe that everyone was killed, it was the only way. I spoke to the elders and we came up with a plan." He paused. "It wasn't the best plan, I regret it actually, but it's all we had at the time. Each of the elders gave up one of their sons; William Black, Quil Ateara and Joshua Uley. I sent them all in different directions, I helped them get settled, and for all I know, they married outside of the pack and have children of their own. I do not know if the shape shifter gene was passed down onto their children or if it died out."

"The book was right," is all Charlie said. He was remembering the book Bella had gotten him on vampires, the one that mentioned the Cold Ones and the Shape Shifters. It was all right, there were other supernatural beings out there aside from vampires. And, the Quileutes hadn't been wiped out, some still lived, humans who turned into wolves… If the gene had been passed down, which Charlie hoped it had.

He had a new mission now, it was to find these wolves and see if they could be of any use to Jasper in his fight against Maria.