"Geez Bells," Jake said, falling back on the bed. Bella wiped her mouth and looked up at him.
"Miss me?" she asked, softly.
His response was to grab her waist and pull her down beside him, wrapping his arms around her. His hand traveled down to her inner thigh and he looked at her with a question in his eyes.
"Thanks Jake, but I'm not really in the mood," she said, answering the unspoken question. He nodded and moved his hand back up to the top of her thigh, slowly tracing shapes on her leg. Facing away from him, Bella looked out his small window, and through the rain she could see a giant shape move across the backyard.
"Is the pack out there?" she asked, rolling over to face Jake.
"Of course," he replied. They're all taking shifts to watch the property."
Bella was relieved and embarrassed at the same time.
"So…they heard…"
"Yep," Jake said, trying and failing to hide his grin.
"Shit," Bella mumbled. "Show's over!" she yelled in the direction of the window, and a few barking laughs rang through the air outside. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Jake, snuggling into his chest. With their reunion being so overwhelming, Bella had almost forgotten about the situation at hand. "Any sign of Laurent?" she asked, hoping for one answer, but pretty sure she would get another.
"Nope," Jake replied, propping himself up on his side with his left elbow. Bella sighed and looked into Jake's umber eyes. He stared back and then gently put his hand on her waist to pull her into his body. He nestled her head under his chin and relaxed back onto the bed. "We're doing our best."
"I know J, I'm already so grateful for everything you and the pack are sacrificing just for me. I wish there was something I could do to pay it all back."
"Bella, please, this is what the pack is for. No thanks necessary."
She was quiet for a moment before relaxing into his body and letting her eyes drift closed. She listened to Jacob's heart beat rhythmically. It sounded fractionally slower than her own, but much stronger. A memory of Edward came crashing into her consciousness, but it wasn't as painful as she expected it to be. It was the first night Edward had spent with her, at least that she was awake for. She had cautiously nestled into his cold, hard side and when she had laid her head on his chest, there was nothing. No warmth, no sign of life, and certainly no heartbeat. The juxtaposition was shocking. With Jake, there was no need to be wary of how thirsty he was, or how he would react to physical touch. There was always warmth, which Bella seemed to be needing more of these days. Jacob looked down at Bella's tiny form, resting lightly on his body. Even though she was right there, and half the pack was surrounding the property, he wouldn't be comfortable until Laurent was out of the picture. Of course, he knew the pack could handle a single vampire no problem, and he tried to act unbothered around Bella, but the idea that someone was actively hunting her had him a bit on edge.
"Hey, I haven't forgotten about the shirt, did you bring it?"
Bella shifted and looked up at him, blinking a few times.
"Oh…yeah. It's in my truck." She yawned and started to get up.
"No, I'll get it, you rest," Jake offered, slowly moving himself out from under Bella and standing up. Bella mumbled a small, "thanks," before curling up again and closing her eyes. Jake headed out into the rain to Bella's truck, and popped open the passenger side door. Even through the rain, his adept hearing could pick up footfalls approaching him from behind. It was unmistakably a pack member. The sound was distinct; heavy footfalls but each one well placed. Jake grabbed the shirt and turned, dangling it in front of Paul's face. Wolf-Paul jumped back in disgust, wrinkling his nose. He took another cautionary step back before phasing.
"That's definitely the scent we picked up around here last week,"
"Yeah," Jacob agreed. "At least we know there's just the one leech. Any other scent trails out there?" Jake asked, squinting through the rain.
"No...it's strange. Maybe he's just waiting for the right moment. We'll stay alert, don't worry." He phased back, about to head out into the woods again.
"Thanks, Paul, and tell the rest I said thanks. Oh, and get rid of this,"
Jacob said, extending his arm to give the shirt to Paul. Wolf-Paul bared his teeth at Jacob before pretending to gag, and then snatched the shirt out of Jake's hand. He pivoted and then crouched low, springing off into the downpour. Jake laughed and turned back toward the house. Before he stepped through the door frame, he shook out his hair to get some of the water out. Having it trimmed was much easier to deal with; there were no long strands sticking to his cheeks when his hair got wet. He stepped inside the warm house and quietly shut the door behind him. Carefully stepping over the squeaky part of the floor, he walked down the hall and poked his head into his bedroom. Bella was curled up in a tight ball, facing toward the window; away from him. It was almost seven, but most of the fading light was being blocked by a massive shape that guarded the window from outside. It was Seth. The corners of Jacob's mouth turned up in a small smile. Seth must have seen him leave the room, and moved in for better protection. The mousy-brown wolf turned his head to the side and caught Jake's eye. Jake nodded at him and mouthed, "thank you," before quietly backing out of the room and closing the door, leaving just a crack. Billy was in the kitchen putting the dishes away. Jake usually had to help with the ones that were kept in the higher cabinets but Billy did as much as he could.
Jake grabbed a pan and set it on the stovetop.
"You hungry?" he asked his dad. "I'm making something for Bella."
"No, I had a late lunch," Billy replied, wheeling across the small kitchen and putting the last plate away.
The two of them were silent for a second before they were interrupted by a sudden ring. Jacob looked at the phone and crossed the kitchen to go pick it up.
"Jake," Billy said, stopping him. "Let me. It might be Charlie."
Jacob nodded and let his father by. Billy got to the phone on the third ring and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" he asked, and then waited for a beat before saying, "Hi, Charlie."
Jacob had forgotten he was supposed to be gravely ill, and was glad his dad had been there to remind him. Billy listened for a while and then said,
"He's not great, but there has been a little improvement since yesterday."
Pause.
"Yes, I do. She's really helping him. Lifting his spirits, you know?"
Jacob watched his dad casually lie to his best friend, and felt bad that the pack required such secrecy, but Billy had no other choice.
"Oh, hi Sue," Billy said. "That's a great idea, and I'm sure you'll do a better job than Charlie would've." Pause. "Alright, we'll see you soon then–uh huh–-bye."
Jacob usually would have been able to hear the whole conversation, but the rain outside muffled his ability to pick up what was being said.
He waited for an explanation as his father hung up the phone.
"Sue is bringing a bag for Bella," Billy relayed. Jake nodded and opened the fridge to grab a block of cheddar, and then rooted around in the pantry for the bag of tortillas. He set them down on the counter and twisted the stove knob to light the bottom left burner. "Alright," Billy said, wheeling out of the kitchen onto the hallway carpet, "I'm headed to bed. See you in the morning."
"Night dad," Jake replied, turning back to the stove and impatiently floating his hand an inch above the pan to see if it had heated enough. It needed a bit more time so he busied himself by grating the cheese. He heard a door down the hall creak open followed by soft footsteps padding toward the kitchen. Bella came around the corner and stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, leaning against the counter.
"What time is it?" she asked, looking out the kitchen window. The light outside had faded to near black, and she looked at Jake, confused. He glanced at the microwave clock.
"Seven twenty."
Bella nodded and walked into the kitchen, plopping down at the small, wooden table.
"Are you hungry?" Jake asked, piling the grated cheese onto one half of the open tortilla.
Bella looked up and realized what he was doing. She opened her mouth to protest that she make it herself, but decided to let it go. She was used to doing everything herself, and even though she and Jake had been together for a while, she was still getting used to the different aspects of partnership. She folded her arms on the table and rested her chin on them, listening to the sizzle as Jake set the tortilla in the pan. Everything else was quiet apart from the food cooking and Jacob quietly humming a song. The sound was comforting, and Bella let her eyelids droop. Jake lifted his head at the sound of gravel crunching outside the house. Though Bella's ears were not keen enough to hear it, she did hear a car door slam shut soon after.
"Who's that?" she asked, lifting her head. Squinting out the front window was no use now in the dusk.
"Oh, Sue called from your place, she's bringing you some clothes and other things."
"Oh, ok," Bella said. "Did you talk to Charlie?"
"Yeah, he's fine, we assured him you were helping a lot and he seems a bit more relaxed about you staying now that he's talked to Billy."
"That's good," Bella agreed, yawning. The knock came soon after and Jacob turned to grab the door.
"Will you watch the stove?"
"Yeah I think I can manage that," Bella joked.
"Hey, Jacob!" Bella heard Sue say.
"Hey, thanks for bringing that over," he replied. There was a shuffling of feet before both of them appeared in the kitchen. Jacob went back to the stove and Sue walked over to where Bella was sitting.
"Here you go, Bella," she said, setting the black duffel she had packed onto the kitchen table. Bella unzipped the bag and rooted through what Sue had chosen. Most of Bella's favorite comfortable clothes were in there along with undergarments. She was about to zip it back up when a small, black box caught her eye. She started to uncover it, but read the word "TROJAN". Her eyes bulged for a second before she controlled her face, and she looked up at Sue, eyes still wide.
Sue glanced at Jacob's turned back and then gave Bella a quick smile.
"Just in case," she said in a low voice.
She and Jake both regularly got tested, but Sue was right; she shouldn't solely rely on the pill to keep her out of trouble.
"Thanks," Bella mouthed, and zipped the bag back up. It was nice to have a figure like Sue in her life when her mom was across the country, and it helped that she was in the loop about the pack.
"Well, I'm gonna head home, my two are almost off patrol and I know they'll be hungry."
"Thanks again," Bella said. Sue turned to leave, patting Jacob on the shoulder as she passed him. She grabbed her keys off the counter and stepped out into the night.
Jacob clicked off the burner and tipped the quesadilla onto a cutting board. After slicing it into fours, he brought it over and sat down, sliding it across the table to Bella. She smiled at him and picked up one of the triangles, slowly pulling it apart from the rest of the slices. The cheese stretched before snapping, and Bella took a tiny nibble off the corner. She pushed the plate toward Jake and said,
"You have the rest, I'm really not hungry."
Jake gave her a concerned look.
"Are you sure?"
Bella knew he'd be much hungrier than she was, so she nodded and nudged the plate closer to him. They sat quietly, eating. The rain had softened and made almost no sound against the roof now.
When all that was left on the plate were crumbs, Jake picked it up and set it in the sink, scrubbing it with an old sponge before placing it on the drying rack. He could tell Bella was dead on her feet, and he walked over to her, scooping her up bridal style. He grabbed her duffel and she slumped her head on his shoulder as he moved them into the bedroom. Through the darkness outside, Bella could see a shape outside Jake's window that she hadn't noticed before. She stretched her legs out so Jake would set her down, and then walked a few steps to the window. It was hard to shove open but she managed to, and without the foggy glass barrier between them, she could see that the wolf was Seth.
He turned to face her as she slid the window the rest of the way open. The night air was cool, but not sharp against her face like it was in the fall and winter.
"Seth, go home," she commanded in a sleepy voice. She felt horrible for making the pack stay on patrol at all hours of the day, but when it came to Seth, the guilt was intensified. He whimpered, and though she wasn't a part of the wolves' secret language, she could tell exactly what he meant.
"I'm fine! I've got Jake, and Jared is switching out with you, plus the others around the perimeter."
Seth looked up at her with the most compelling puppy dog eyes Bella had ever seen, but she refused to budge on this one. After a few seconds of silence, he quit the coercion and brought his huge face up to hers. Even though he was the smallest pack member, the scale of his body compared to hers was incredible. He gently touched his cold nose to her cheek and stayed like that for a few seconds. Bella raised her hand to cup his muzzle against her face and whispered,
"Thank you, Seth. Sleep well."
The mousy wolf pulled back and nodded before turning slowly. He paced across the lawn and disappeared into the night. Bella watched after him for a second, and was about to turn to Jacob when Seth reappeared, walking back toward the house. Bella squinted and realized that it was Jared. As he approached the house, the differences became clearer; Jared was larger than Seth, and his coat was a flatter brown. He took his post in front of the window and shifted to get comfortable. Once he settled, it seemed he didn't move, even to breathe. Jake walked over to the window and closed the curtains.
"Do you want to get changed?" he asked Bella.
"Oh...yeah," Bella replied groggily. She slipped off her sweatshirt and put on a grey, cotton tee shirt from her bag. The material of her athletic shorts had no stretch, and she slid them down her legs, freeing her thighs from the tight polyester. Too tired to wash her face, she slumped into Jake's bed and he pulled the top sheet over her, gently tucking it around her shoulders. Jake moved the duffel to the floor and searched around in it. His hand landed on something crinkly, and he guessed it was what he was looking for. The blue package he had retrieved read 'facial cleansing wipes', and he lifted the plastic tab to pull one out. He wiggled it in the air to get rid of the moisture that had collected on the top wipe, and sat down on the bed next to Bella. She squeezed her eyelids as he touched the cold wipe to her face, but soon relaxed and fell back into a deep sleep. Jacob lightly moved the thin sheet over her forehead, nose, and down across her cheeks. When he thought he had gotten most of her face, he balled up the wipe, tossing it into the trash can in the corner of his room. Bella was already under the sheets, and he didn't want to wake her, so he slowly lowered himself down next to her, over the quilt. Rolling to face her, he leaned in and kissed her on the nose. Most of the moisture had dried, but the perfume of the cleanser still clung to her face. Jake wrinkled his nose as he pulled away. The wipes probably smelled good to her, but his fine-tuned sense of smell could pick up the chemical undertones. He watched Bella's chest rise and fall slowly, and was glad that she was finding some peace after the last couple of days, though he would be awake for many hours to come. Every time he heard Jared turn to look at something, he listened for a threat too, and when he heard a pack member moving across the yard he tried to figure out what they had seen. Jacob yawned and shifted so his back was against the headboard, settling in for a long night.
Didn't want to put this at the beginning of the chapter like I usually do as it would have disrupted the story. Sorry it's been a while since there has been an update. I have two jobs along with classes so writing is hard to fit in sometimes. I appreciate your patience, and I do have many chapters planned out, so I am not out of ideas yet, it just takes time for them to be planned and written. Important update: I found Pinterest to be tricky to work with, so I have transferred what was there to an Instagram page! Much easier to find and the chapters are broken down into individual posts. To refresh your memory, the Instagram is so readers can see visuals of what is happening in the story, from the outfits Bella wears to the places she visits. I am still cleaning up the page and adding highlights and such, but all published chapters are up and ready to be viewed! The page is therightkindofmonster and you can find it by searching that name or searching the hashtag #therightkindofmonsterstory . I also put story posts for when I am working on a chapter, so you can know when to expect new content. Enjoy, and as always, thank you for reading! Leave a review if you feel like it, they help me know what my audience thinks of the story so far and I always take suggestions into consideration!