The Jaguar Versus the Wolf

Chapter 24 – I Admit It, I Need Help

Orbiting Satellites Book Two, Chapter 24 - Where Is He? companion


How was it possible?

I tried again to capture, or kill, or maim, or even just unmask my father when he yet again attempted to dump another woman's dead body in my motel room. Knowing that he was coming I tried a different approach this time. Clearly faking sleep wasn't going to work but I thought if I stayed away, just out of sight enough and masked my scent so that he couldn't smell me in the area, I would be able to sneak up on him as he dumped the body... but that didn't work either.

He'd somehow snuck in and out, leaving the body, and I never even saw him.

I had waited hours for him to show up, all through the night and most of the morning but as the sun rose through the sky and I hadn't seen him, I went back into the room in the afternoon, like I had for the past four days to get some sleep, and there she was lying on the bed.

My choices were limited. The motel wasn't close to any woods, parks, or any nature anywhere. Winter was settling in and New Hampshire being so cold meant the ground was already frozen solid. Using my enhanced strength to dig the hole, burying the body would not be difficult, once I got her there, but it would take time. And the cold temperatures meant it wouldn't decay, more likely to be found, preserved, in the spring. That wouldn't work. I worried a fire would be too easily detected, the smoke would be seen, people would be curious, and where could I do it without burning the entire complex down? I didn't want another visit from the Cullens. It had been a mistake coming here. I should have found something more on the outskirts of town like the previous motels. It was risky but the dumpster seemed the ideal place to leave the body.

After wrapping the body in a shower curtain I threw it in the dumpster, knowing that it would be discovered eventually, but thought the plastic would give me more time. It would contain the stink that would eventually come as the body decomposed, as well as help keep animals away, and seal in any leaking bodily fluids. I didn't take into account how full the dumpster already was. It was just my luck that when the garbage truck came to empty the bin some of the contents spilt out, dead body included.

I was going to have to move again. A dead body meant police, investigations, and questions. There wasn't time to move everything, so I grabbed as much as I could carry and took off in the opposite direction the sirens were coming from. But I didn't go far. At least not right away. I stayed just long enough to eavesdrop and find out what the police knew.

My name, or rather Nick Rodriguez, the name the Cullens had put on my other credit card that I had used when I checked in was mentioned. The fact that all of my clothes were missing was suspicious. How ironic.

Over the next several days every guest of the motel for the past year, save me, was located. That made me suspect number one in the eyes of the police.

That fake identity was burned. And worse I was out of cards. The Cullens had only giving me the two.

As much as I hated the idea, I was going to have to go back to the Cullens. I needed help. They already thought I was behind this; I doubted I would even make it past the front door. As soon as one of them sounded the alert the others would attack. The only hope I had of survival was the possibly of Edward hearing me first.

I knew he had about a three to five mile range so as soon as I within six miles of the house I started mentally screaming how I needed to talk to him, to explain.

I thought my luck was finally starting to change when Edward greeted me at the door but Rosalie was right behind him and nearly took my head off.

"It wasn't me. Please just let me explain," I screamed, just before Edward stopped her. Maybe I should have specifically thought about how I suspected Joham was behind all of the bodies. "I'm being set up, that's why I'm here. I need your help."

"Yeah, right. You just don't want us going after you and ripping your head off. Looks like that plan backfired," Rosalie laughed.

I knew she didn't really liked me, or want me anywhere near her niece, but for all her threats I hadn't thought she really wanted to kill me.

"Rose, I think I can handle this. Why don't you go see what Nessie and Jacob are up to in the garage?"

She didn't seem to like Edward's idea, but left anyway.

"Nahuel, why don't you come into the house and we can talk," Edward said as he led me through the front door.

Him being a mind reader was a great timesaver in times like this. I quickly rethought of every body discovery I made since I had left.

"I'm sorry we doubted you. I'm sorry I doubted you, Nahuel. I should have known that the change you made for my daughter was permanent."

"No, it's partially my fault as well," I admitted. "It was what I did in my past that made you think what was happening would in any way be attributed to me."

"You're a Vampire. We all have inhuman urges and desires. I've read the minds and thoughts of some of our kind that have done much worse. I even know of some humans who have done worse."

"Renesmee!" I exclaimed as she and her dog joined us in the living room. "I'm so glad to see you again. I was so worried after you ran off, at the motel. You never called me. It seems you all have been under the impression I've been recklessly feeding from humans once again. But I have assured Edward that this is untrue."

"It seems we jumped to conclusions and were wrong about him, Renesmee," Edward said, backing me up. It looked like she believed me… or him. But the dog clearly didn't.

"Then who was the woman at the motel?"

"That was my sister."

"No it wasn't her." What? Yes it was. Why did Edward say that? "It was one of his other sisters, Maysun," he then clarified. Oh, someone must have mentally asked him a question.

"Jennifer is normally the only sister I stay regularly in contact with, but I enjoy Maysun's company as well, from time to time." Our previous love of feeding styles had meshed very well. But that was in my past, and Renesmee didn't need to know we would sometimes engage in orgy feeding feasts together over the decades. I could see that Edward hadn't liked that revelation, but thankfully didn't mention it. "I'm sorry if I caused you any confusion or undue stress, but you ran off before I could explain."

"I'm sorry. It was just a shock and I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Can you forgive me?" Renesmee asked.

She didn't even need to. "It's alright; I understand how you may have thought that. Now that you're here, I was wondering if I may talk with you, in private."

It looked like she wanted to come, but the dog held her back.

"Jacob, let her go," Edward told him. "She'll be alright."

"Come on, let's go for a walk in the woods, behind the house," she said. "Jake, go back to the garage. I'll meet you there when I'm done."

"No way," the dog practically growled to Edward, "he's not sa-"

"I can take care of myself," she cut him off. "And if it makes you feel better, I won't leave my father's range." That seemed like enough of a guarantee for the dog that we were allowed to leave.

"You left," she said to me when we got to the woods. She seemed angry, but not as much as I thought she would be.

"Yes," I admitted.

"You said you just needed time to think about things; that you just wanted to take a break for a while, but you've been gone for months."

"I'm sorry I didn't come back earlier, but I needed time to think and it took a long time to figure out what I wanted. But once I did I should have come back and told you of my decision."

"Why didn't you?"

"There were... complications." In truth I was scared partially that her family would kill me for what my father had done (once I realized it was him at least) and partially I didn't want to come back. We were done. Through. Over. She didn't need me, she had the dog. My coming back wouldn't change that. Nothing I could do would change that.

"But now you're back," she said again.

"I need help," I told her.

"So, I'm not the reason why you came back. It's only because of Joham."

"Yes," I admitted again.

"Boy, you sure know how to make a girl feel special." I could tell by her smirk, that she was trying to make me feel better; get rid of some of the tension that was present, but all it did was make me angry.

"You want me to make you feel special? That's a joke right? I tried for months to make you feel special. And what did I get for my time? A few kisses. A hug or two."

"But I… I…" she stammered.

"I did everything I could think of to make you happy. And what did I get for all my troubles? You ran around with a DOG behind my back!

"I told you about us!" she yelled back.

"Only after I discovered his scent in your room." Argh! This is not how I wanted this conversation to go.

We yelled and screamed at each other some more until I think both of us got everything out of our systems.

I knew they didn't care about me but it was surprising that no one from her family came to make sure she was okay. We were loud enough that they must have been able to hear us. At least the odd grunt or growl, if not the actual words. But no one did, and eventually we stopped yelling and started talking. Really talking. Probably for the first time ever. If we had talked like this when we were dating we might have actually made it. Dog or no dog. But now I guess we'll never know. Being back in her presence made me quiver, shaking my resolve, she was just so beautiful, and our children... No!. She made me see that we weren't right for each other. Something slipped out why we were yelling. I never meant for her to know, but once it was out there she finally made me realize that wanting to be with her so I could father a child was not enough to build a relationship on.

I thought she would have been madder. I had wanted to use her, for my own selfish reasons. And she was mad. But then I could see the anger slowly dissipate. It didn't completely disappear, but she said how she understood, her getting concerned about her own reproductive deadline as well. I could potentially father a child at any age. She had only a little over a year left.

"So I guess this is goodbye again then," she said as we walked back to the house after we had worked out all of our issues.

"I hope not."

"Nahuel, I thought you understood. We can't-"

"No," I smirked. I was not trying to get us back together again. "I mean I was hoping to stay. The complications I mentioned earlier… I need your families help… and protection."

That got her attention.

"Of course you can stay," Esme said, exiting my former room. "Everything is just as you left it in there. Edward briefed me on the situation, I just changed the bed linens and brought in fresh towels."

"We should have a family meeting," Edward said. "Bella, Carlisle, and Jasper should be home any minute. Nessie why don't you go get Jacob in the garage. Esme, can you track down Alice? I believe I heard her mention something about swatches," they both nodded before taking off. "And I'll see if I can interrupt Rosalie and Emmett," he shuttered. "Just have a seat in the living room Nahuel. Everyone should be here soon."

The meeting went well. Everyone (mostly) believed me (and Edward) and the Cullens thought that if I was staying with them Joham wouldn't risk dumping more bodies on me. The next step would be to locate him, to discover whatever his plan was. Alice couldn't see him, since she couldn't see hybrids, and my father was always around one of my sisters. Jennifer didn't know where he was. And even though I had just seen Maysun I couldn't get in touch with her, or Serena, so for now it was just a wait and see game to see what my father did next.


A.N. thanks for reading and please review