*** Hello everyone! Thank you as always to the lovely comments you all leave, for following this story, favoring it, and doing the same with me! I have been crazy busy lately and wanted to do this chapter justice. For your amazing levels of patience, here is an exceedingly long chapter! I hope it helps make up for the long gap between the last update and this one!
I will warn all the readers now, the battle takes place in this chapter and there is a post battle adult scene. If that makes you uncomfortable, I'll signify when you need to skip and where to skip to! ***
Lily normally enjoyed nature. Anyone who ever spent any amount of time with the pixie blonde would know she has an amazing affinity for plants. she had never gone camping before this moment.
Lily was sure she would refuse to ever go camping again after this experience.
The wind shook the tent that she, Bella, Edward and Jacob were currently sharing. Jacob, his higher-than-average body temperature thanks to his shapeshifting abilities, was immune to the awful weather outside. Edward, being a vampire, also was unaffected.
Bella and Lily were not so fortunate. Regardless of Lily's abilities, she was still mostly human and susceptible to the elements.
Bella was just plain miserable.
The weather kept dropping as the storm outside raged.
Bella, stuttering from the cold, turned to face Edward who was staying as far away as possible from the two shivering girls. "W-w-what t-time is it?" she forced through her rattling teeth.
The girls were dressed in as many layers as they could be and wrapped together in a camping blanket, but it didn't fend off the cold.
"Two," Edward answered, his face full of concern. "Maybe. . . "
"No, I'm f-f-fine, r-really. I don't w-w-want to g-go outside." Bella argued.
Lily sighed at the response. Edward had been trying to convince Bella to make a run for it a dozen times already, but Bella refused each time.
"What can I do?" Edward all but begged.
Bella chose to shake her head rather than answer verbally.
Outside in the snow, Jacob whined unhappily.
Bella, unhappy with Jacob for something Lily wasn't sure of, ordered Jacob to get out of the area.
"He's just worried about you," Edward translated. "He's fine. His body is equipped to deal with this."
Bella looked ready to argue, but apparently decided it wasn't worth the energy.
Jacob whimpered, a high pitch, grating sound of complaint.
"What do you want me to do?" Edward growled, too anxious to bother with politeness anymore. "Carry them through that? I don't see you making yourself useful. Why don't you go fetch a space heater or something?"
"W-w-why didn't anyone anticip-p-pate the storm?" Lily asked, tired of the fighting. Just then the wind rocked the tent roughly, causing Bella and Lily to shake in tandem.
A sudden howl ripped through the roar of the wind, and Bella covered her ears against the noise. Lily just shrugged. It wasn't worth losing her small amount of accumulated body heat to move.
"That was hardly necessary," Edward muttered. "And that's the worst idea I've ever heard," he called loudly.
"Better than anything you've come up with," Jacob answered from outside of the tent. Lily was surprised he had shifted back into his human form in this weather. "GO fetch a space heater, "he grumbled. "I'm not a St. Bernard."
The zipper around the tent door was undone after that last comment. Jacob slide through the smallest opening he could manage, while arctic air flowed in around him, a few flecks of snow falling to the floor of the tent.
"H-h-hey s-snow dog-g" Lily joked, causing Jacob to give her a small smile.
"Hey popsicle" he said in response.
"I don't like this," Edward hissed as Jacob zipped the tent door shut. "Just give her the coat and get out."
"The parka is for tomorrow- she's too cold to warm it up by herself. It's frozen." Jacob dropped the parka in question to the floor by the door. "You said they needed a space heater, and here I am." Jacob held his arms as wide as the tent allowed. He was only wearing the essentials that the pack usually wore which consisted of a pair of sweats, no shirt, and no shoes.
"J-j-j-jake, you'll f-freez-z-ze,"" Bella tried to complain.
"Not me," he said cheerfully. "I run a toasty one-oh-eight point nine these days. I'll have you girls sweating in no time."
Edward snarled, but Lily quickly unzipped the sleeping bag/blanket combination her and Bella had been snuggling up in for warmth.
"H-h-hurry up snow-w d-d-d-dog," Lily teased.
Jacob moved to get into the sleeping bag with the two girls, but Edward's hand was suddenly hard on his shoulder, restraining, snow white against Jacob's russet skin. Jacob's jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring, and his body recoiling from the cold touch. The long muscles in his arms flexed automatically.
"Get your hand off of me," he growled through his teeth.
"Keep your hands off of them," Edward answered blackly.
"D-d-d-don't f-f-fight," Bella pleaded.
"I'm sure they'll thank you for this when their toes turn black and drop off," Jacob snapped.
Edward hesitated, then his hand fell away, and he slid back to his position in the corner. His voice was flat and frightening. "Watch yourself."
Jacob just chuckled. "Scoot over Bella," he said, reaching for the sleeping bag once more.
Bella stared at him in outrage having finally realized what his plans were. "N-n-n-," she tried to protest.
"B-B-Bella, I'll s-s-strangle y-you myself-f-f-f if you d-d-don't move the f-f-fuck over," Lily snapped, having had enough of the cold.
"Don't be stupid," Jacob said, exasperated. "Don't you like having ten toes?"
He crammed his body into the nonexistent space, forcing the zipper up behind himself.
Lily wasted no time in snuggling up under one of Jacob's arms like he was a body pillow. Bella, after feeling his radiating heat, did something similar.
"Jeez, you're freezing Bella," he complained.
"Jasper is going to be furious with you Lily," Edward said snidely.
Lily closed her eyes to gather her temper before opening them once more and faced Edward to respond.
"I am here because of you, Edward. I'm going to ensure I survive with or without anyone's approval. Besides, Jasper can suck a lemon if he gets mad at me for trying to stay warm. But he's not an idiot."
"You're supposed to be his mate" Edward pushed.
"Hard to be anybody's anything if I'm frozen to death Edward," Lily said tiredly.
"Try to relax," Jacob suggested after another shiver rippled through Bella violently. "You'll be warm in a minute. Of course, you'd warm up faster if you took your clothes off."
Edward growled sharply.
"That's just a simple fact," Jacob defended himself. "Survival one-oh-one."
Lily pinched Jacob in his armpit for being fresh. He helped before glaring down at her. "I'll tell Leah you were gross if you don't stop" Lily threatened.
Bella tried to tell Jacob to cut it out, but her teeth were still chattering.
"Don't worry about him," Jacob suggested in a smug tone. "He's just jealous."
"Of course, I am." Edwards's voice was more under control again. It seemed to relax Bella, but Lily found his voice unsettled her. "You don't have the faintest idea how much I wish I could do what you're doing for her, mongrel."
"Hey!" Lily shouted at the slur, causing Jacob to send her a look that showed he was unimpressed with her interruption.
"Those are the breaks," Jacob said lightly turning back towards Edward, but then his tone soured. "At least you know she wishes it was you."
"True," Edward agreed.
The storm howled like an animal attacking the tent, but eventually Jacob and Bella fell asleep. Lily texted Jasper to tell him she was okay but did tell him she had to snuggle up to Jacob to keep warm.
Jasper messaged back shortly after saying he understood with the weather and that he loved her. He begged her to stay safe and out of the fight.
Lily replied that she wasn't planning on being a hero, she would save that for the supernatural of the town.
Lily eventually fell asleep, the stress of the upcoming battle and energy she lost shivering tiring her out.
Lily woke up several hours later having slept through the rest of the storm. Bella was awake as well and struggling to free herself from the tangle of limbs that currently made-up Jacob.
Lily felt sweaty after being cocooned all night in the sleeping bag with two other people, one of them running at a much higher temperature than the other.
Jacob was also snoring, which Lily found funny and poked his cheek, but he didn't stir.
Edward met Bella's gaze; his expression was calm, but his eyes looked uneasy.
"Is it any warmer out there?" Bella asked in a hushed tone as not to wake Jacob.
"Yes. I don't think the space heater will be necessary today."
Bella tried once more to free herself from Jacob as did Lily, but both girls were unsuccessful. Jacob simply held them tighter in his sleep, muttering in his dreams.
"Some help?" Lily asked towards Edward. He looked amused at the prospect of her asking him for anything knowing how much she wasn't a fan of him or Bella.
"You seemed to enjoy it last night" Edward said teasingly. Lily glared at him in response.
"Please?" Bella asked, trying to get them not to fight.
Edward smiled at Bella. "Did you want me to take his arms all the way off?"
"No, thank you. Just get us free. We're going to get a heat stroke."
Edward moved and unzipped the sleeping bag in a swift, abrupt movement. Jacob fell out, his bare back hitting the icy floor of the tent.
Lily, unfortunately, tumbled out with him.
"Hey!" the two dislodged teens shouted, Jacob complaining as his eyes flew open.
Lily sat up on her forearms and moved to a crouched position while growing erupted from all around.
Edward had moved to grouch in front of Bella, his snarls ripping angrily out of his chest. Jacob was half-crouched, too, his whole-body quivering, while growls rumbled through his clenched teeth. Outside the tent, Seth Clearwater's vicious snarls echoed off the rocks.
"If you boys are done measuring your dicks, we'd all appreciate it," Lily snarked. She was not in the mood for Jacob to phase this close to her nor did she like the scared face Bella was wearing. She knew Bella loved both the guys and was probably hurting seeing them argue like this.
"Stop it, now!" Bella pleaded. She put one of her hands on each of their chests to try and separate them. Edward wrapped his hand around her waist, ready to yank Bella out of the way if Jacob did shift.
Jacob kept his eyes on Edward, still shaking.
"Jake, you're scaring Bella" Lily said quietly, knowing he could hear her anyways.
Jacob began to calm himself after that. The shaking slowed, but his teeth were still visible, and his eyes were focused solely on Edward.
Seth continued to growl, a long unbroken sound, a violent background to the sudden silence in the tent.
"Seth, everything's okay. You can stop growling now" Lily called out to the young wolf. Seth quieted down but was still grumbling outside.
"Jacob? Are you hurt?" Bella asked.
"Of course not!" he hissed.
Bella turned towards Edward. His expression was hard and angry. "That wasn't nice. You should say sorry."
His eyes widened in disgust. "You must be joking! He was crushing you!"
"Because you dumped him on the floor! He didn't do it on purpose, and he didn't hurt me or Lily."
Lily was surprised to be included, but quickly let it fade from her mind. Her gums were aching with the potential threat around her letting her know her fangs were going to drop if she wasn't careful.
Edward groaned at the idea of apologizing. However, he slowly looked up to glare at Jacob. "My apologies, dog."
"You guys are immature with the name calling," Lily grumbled, knowing neither testosterone filled idiot was listening to her.
"No harm done," Jacob said, a taunting edge to his voice.
"I'm going to go take care of human things while you guys continue to measure your dicks," Lily announced to nobody in particular. Standing up, she reached for her bag to find her toiletries and left the tent.
Outside the day was beautiful, if still a bit chilly. The sun was shining, there were birds chirping in the trees, and everything seemed like it would be a wonderful day.
If only there wasn't a looming battle involving immortals and wolves coming later in the day.
Lily pet Seth on his head behind one of his big furry ears. "I'm just going to use the bathroom and freshen up a bit. I won't go far, but try not to listen, okay?" Lily asked. Seth bobbed his head signifying he understood before she walked into the woods.
After competing her morning bodily functions, she pulled out some baby wipes to clean herself up. She was feeling sticky after sweating all night with Jacob and Bella. She ended up changing into some of jaspers clothes as an added protection that he insisted on.
She was wearing one of his grey tank tops that came down to her knees that she tied up around her waist to keep from getting tangled in it. She wore some black leggings underneath and hiking boots. She put her hair up into a messy curly bun before getting ready to head back to the tent.
Suddenly, a howl tore through the woods that sounded as if the owner of it was in horrible pain. The howl choked off into a peculiar, gurgled sob, and then it was quiet again. Lily quickly scrambled bag to the tent to find Seth clearwater curled up on a patch of dry pine needles in the shadow of a thick spruce, his head on his paws. His sand-colored fur was almost invisible against the dead needles. Bella had run out of the tent, although Edward seemed to be trying to hold her back.
She shook him off as she stomped into the trees. He followed behind her once more as they disappeared.
"What happened?" Lily asked Seth but knew he couldn't reply in his wolf form. Lily shrugged, texted Jasper to see how he was doing and if everything was set up and grabbed a granola bar and some water from the stores.
Seth jumped to his feet suddenly, the hackles on the back of his neck standing up stiffly. Lily looked around but saw nothing. He growled, a low warning sound, slinking toward the western rim of the camping site.
"It's just us, Seth," Jacob called from a distance.
Edward walked into view first, his face blank and smooth with Bella following behind him and Jacob.
Seth went to greet Edward, looking intently into his eyes. Edward nodded slowly, and worry creased his forehead.
Lily felt her phone vibrate with jasper's text message response but didn't immediately check it.
"Yes, that's all we need," Edward muttered to himself before addressing Seth. "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. But the timing is going to be very close. Please have Sam ask Alice to try to nail the schedule down better."
Seth dipped his head in understanding.
"Bella, Lily, there's been a bit of a complications. I'm going to take Seth a little way away and try to straighten it out. I won't go far, but I won't listen either. Bella, I know you don't want an audience, no matter which way you decide to go."
Lily was lost, but after taking in the pained faces of Bella, Jacob, and Edward she didn't need three guesses to figure out something had happened.
"Hurry back," Bella whispered before Edward kissed her on the lips and disappeared into the forest with Seth at his side.
"I'm. . . just gonna go into the tent to give you guys' space I guess. . ." Lily said awkwardly before going into the tent with her breakfast and zipping the tent up.
She checked her phone to see what Jasper's reply was.
Jasper- "Hey Doll, I'm glad you were able to stay warm. Fuck Edward trying to stir up shit. He's just pissed because of everything else. Don't leave the tent. Alice is having some vision changes, but everything still ends up in our favor. Stay safe and know I love you."
Lily smiled reading his message before frowning, realizing things weren't going to plan. Realistically she understood that plans rarely every stayed the same, but it still made her uneasy. She hit reply on her phone and typed her response.
Lily- "I love you more. Playing third wheel sucks by the way. Maybe I should have snuggled up with Seth instead?"
His response was immediate.
Jasper- "Leah would murder you if you did."
Lily laughed at that, knowing it was probably true.
Lily- "Oh? But you'd be completely fine with it?"
Jasper- "You're trying to goad me you evil little thing. Once this is over, I'm going to get you."
Lily- "Promises, promises"
Jasper- "I love you. Alice is calling me away to get into position. Promise you'll stay safe."
Lily- "I promise to do my best cowboy. Go kick some newborn ass!"
Jasper stopped responding after that, so Lily pulled out a notebook to practice some sketches. She was working on what her surroundings looked like, zoning out.
At least, that was until Bella stormed into the tent and threw herself face down onto the sleeping bag.
"You okay?" Lily asked, concerned for the brunette.
"No" came the mumbled reply.
"Need to talk about it?"
"Like you care" Bella replied, face still buried in a pillow.
Lily sat up at that point from her slouched position. "Bella, I don't like you toying with people's emotions. That's not you issue, it's something I dislike about anybody. That, and the fact that you and Edward seem obsessive about each other. But its not my opinion that counts." Lily shrugged at her comment. "But I do care if you're hurting or upset. So, if you want to talk about it I'll listen. If you want my opinion I can give it, or I can just let you vent."
Bella turned her face from the pillow to look at Lily. Lily thought she looked. . . like her lips were swollen? "Jacob kissed me."
"Oh. . ." Lily said, shocked that she had actually opened up to her. "Are you okay?"
"I love him. . . But I love Edward more."
"I meant did he kiss you against your will," Lily said gently.
Bella looked shocked before shaking her head. "No, I asked him to. He's going to get hurt or worse out there."
"Bella don't think like that. Everyone will be okay. Otherwise, Alice would have never let this fight happen to begin with," Lily tried to comfort the girl. The statement felt like a lie in her mouth though. She knew that realistically someone was bound to get hurt at the very least.
"You can't actually believe that" Bella said, scowling. Lily took a hard look at Bella before reaching into her bag and pulling out the baby wipes and passing the package to the other girl. "Here, your face is all blotchy from tears and everything else. You'll feel a little better if you're clean." Lily also pulled out some chocolate she had packed in her bag and tossing a pack of M&Ms at Bella but accidentally hit her in the forehead making Bella yelp.
"Sorry!" Lily said quickly, throwing her hands up. "I thought some chocolate would help! Didn't mean to hit you with it."
Bella just sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No, its not your fault. I have crappy luck. Thanks for this." Bella sat up, cleaning her face and hands like Lyly had suggested before opening the bag of candy. She popped a few in her mouth before looking at Lily once more. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
Lily sighed, pulling her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees. Jasper's woodsy smokey scent clung to his shirt comforting Lily. "I'm not actually a bitch. You just. . . bother me. A lot. But I have a feeling we will be in each other's lives for a very long time. . . I'd rather we not be antagonistic towards each other."
Bella snorted. "I wouldn't be too sure. Edward's. . . really against turning me."
"Didn't the Volturi order it though?"
"Yeah," Bella confirmed before passing some of the chocolate to Lily, which she happily threw into her mouth all at once. "But he has conditions if he's going to be the one to turn me."
"Conditions?" Lily asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Bella just nodded. "He wants us to be married first." Bella practically spat out the word married.
"Um. . . do you want to get married?" Lily asked, sensing that Bella very much did not want to be married.
Bella just shrugged. "I don't, but I want him happy. He's very old fashioned. He's afraid he's stealing my soul, so he wants to do this."
Lily rolled her eyes. "You can't blackmail someone into marrying you."
"It's not blackmail, it's a compromise," Bella said, looking affronted at the idea of Edward blackmailing her.
"So, you said yes?"
"I did. . ." Bella looked down at the now empty bag of candy. "And now Jacob knows too. . ."
"Maybe he will move on now, what with you being a taken woman and all that jazz. Not to mention becoming a vampire."
Bella just frowned at Lily, looking unhappy with the thought.
Lily bit her lip before bringing up a topic she knew was sensitive. "If you really are set in having him in your life. . . maybe you could have an open relationship? I know people talk bad about them but to be honest everyone's relationship is different. These nothing wrong with that if everyone involved agrees."
Bella just shook her head. "No, I don't love Jake like that. He's my sun. All warmth and brightness. He makes me happy. But Edward. . ." Bella paused, whipping away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. "Edward is my soul. I can't live without him," she said quietly.
Lily didn't like that Bella thought she couldn't live without Edward, but then she thought about the idea of losing Jasper and her heart practically stopped beating at the idea.
No, she wouldn't survive without Jasper. The mate bond had already taken hold and was growing every day.
Bella was watching Lily as her face broke at the thought of life without Jasper. "You know what I mean, don't you," Bella asked, pushing for confirmation.
Lily couldn't breathe, her heart was beating too fast at the thought of Jasper getting hurt in the fight or worse. Bella scurried over to Lily to rub her back, trying to soothe her. "I didn't mean to. . . to make you upset," Bella said guiltily.
Lily reached into her bag once more and took some of her fast-acting anxiety medicine. She was glad Jasper made sure she packed it. Bella frowned at the motion.
"Lily. . . do you think I could have one?" Bella asked quietly. Lily just shrugged, not ready to talk yet before passing the girl one of the pills. They weren't addictive by any means, and she knew she wasn't supposed to share her medication, but she felt that if someone was in need, she should do her best to help them.
Bella took the pill before reaching for her bottle of water and swallowing some. "Thanks Lily."
"No problem" Lily managed to say, the tightness in her chest lessoning.
The girls sat in silence for some time after that, listening to the birds slowly stop chirping. The woods got quiet. Edward came back shortly after.
He held Bella to him once he entered the tent. Seth stayed outside like a sentry. Bella and Edward spoke quietly between each other before Seth howled stridently outside the tent. Bella started to bite her nails at the sound, worry everywhere on her face. Lily was holding her legs to her chest again trying to pretend it was Jasper holding her.
"It's going to be fine, Bella" Edward promised. "We've got skill, training, and surprise on our side. It will be over very soon. If I didn't truly believe that, I would be down there now, and you'd be here, chained to a tree or something along those lines."
Lily snorted at the visual it gave her. As if Jasper would have ever left her tied up anywhere without him there to be involved.
"Alice is so small" Bella moaned, afraid for the small vampire.
Edward chuckled. "That might be a problem. . . if it were possible for someone to catch her."
Seth started to whimper.
"What's wrong?" Lily asked.
"He's just angry that he's stuck here with us. He knows the pack kept him out of the action to protect him. He's salivating to join them."
Edward paused before tilting his head as if listening to something far off in the distance. "The newborns have reached the end of the trail — it worked like a charm, Jasper's a genius — and they've caught the scent of the ones in the meadow, so they're splitting into two groups now, as Alice said," Edward murmured, his eyes focused on something far away. "Sam's taking us around to head off the ambush party." He was so intent on what he was hearing that he used the pack plural.
Bella wasn't breathing as Edward narrated everything. Lily wasn't much better if she was being honest with herself. "Breath" Edward coaxed them.
"The first group is in the clearing. We can hear the fighting." Edward laughed suddenly. "We can hear Emmett, he's enjoying himself. The second group is getting ready; They aren't paying attention. They haven't heard us yet." Edward growled after that.
"What?" Bella gasped, afraid of the worst.
"They're talking about you." His teeth clenched together. They're supposed to make sure you don't escape. . . Nice move, Leah!" hmm. . . She's quite fast," Edward said in approval.
"Damn straight" Lily said, even though she knew her best friend couldn't hear her words of approval.
"One of the newborns caught our scent, and Leah took him down before he could even turn. Sam's helping her finish him off. Paul and Jacob got another one, but the others are on the defensive now. They have no idea what to make of us. Both sides are feinting. . . . No, let Sam lead. Stay out of the way," he muttered. "Separate them — don't let them protect each other's backs."
Seth whined.
"That's better, drive them toward the clearing," Edward approved.
But then there was the absence of sound.
Bella started freaking out as the silence grew.
Suddenly, Bella and Lily were on their feet as the tent was collapsing around them in ragged shreds.
Lily blinked, shocked, into the bright light of the sky. Seth was only six inches away from Edward's face. They were staring at each other with absolute concentration for one final second. Edward then whispered urgently, "Go, Seth!"
The huge wolf wheeled and disappeared into the forest shadows.
Suddenly, Bella was pulled away by Edward and he was guarding her. He held himself in a defensive position, half crouched, and his arms extended slightly.
Lily realized two things in that moment.
The first was that something was coming for them.
The second was that push come to shove, Bella was Edwards's priority. Not her.
"Who?" Bella whispered. Lily couldn't believe Bella would talk right now, but then again it didn't matter if something found them.
Edward snarled. It was a sign that it was far too late to hide. "Victoria," he said, spitting the word, making it a curse. "She's not alone. She crossed my scent, following the newborns in to watch. She never meant to fight with them. She made a spur-of-the-moment decision to find me, guessing that you would be wherever I was. She was right. You were both right. It was always Victoria."
The feeling of being vindicated only lasted for half a second in Lily's mind. She was trying to remember the battle plan she and Jasper had come up with on the rare chance that she did come across a vampire. Her biggest defense was that the other vampires had no idea what she was or what she could do. Playing the innocent defenseless human was her best chance at getting them to underestimate her.
She kept her mouth shut to hide her fangs which has dropped. Her hands were clenched into fists to try and hold off on having her claws form.
Edward shifted slight, telling Lily exactly where the danger was coming from. She knew that realistically wherever she stood she was a sitting duck. Maybe the danger would be focused on Bella and not her, allowing her to go unnoticed.
She felt guilty at the uncharitable thought, but push come to shove she had survived too much to be taken out by Bella's shitty luck.
Two vampires edged slowly into the small opening of the camp, eyes intent, missing nothing. They glistened like diamonds in the sun.
The first was a blond boy, someone not much older than she was. He was tall and muscular. His eyes were the brightest shade of red Lily had ever seen. A few feet to the side and back of the blond vampire stood a female vampire with flaming red curly hair tumbling down her back. Her eyes were black with thirst. She didn't smile, instead her lips wre pressed into a tight line.
She had an almost feline quality to her, akin to a lioness waiting for an opening to spring. Her restless, wild haze flickered between Edward and Bella before looking over at Lily and returning to Bella. Lily knew that this must have been Victoria.
Lily realized that Victoria's plan was as obvious as it was practical. The blonde male would attack Edward. As soon as Edward was sufficiently distracted, Victoria would finish Bella off and likely herself.
An immense distance away, from far across the black forest, a wolf's howl echoed in the still air. With Seth gone, there was no way to interpret the sound.
The blond male looked at Victoria from the corner of his eye, waiting on her command. Victoria jerked her chin toward Edward, wordlessly ordering him forward.
"Riley," Edward said in a soft, pleading voice.
The blond boy froze, his red eyes widening.
"She's lying to you, Riley," Edward told him. "Listen to me. She's lying to you just like she lied to the others who are dying now in the clearing. You know that she's lied to them, that she had you lie to them, that neither of you were ever going to help them. Is it so hard to believe that she's lied to you, too?"
Confusion swept across Riley's face. Edward shifted a few inches to the side, and Riley automatically compensated with an adjustment of his own.
"She doesn't love you, Riley." Edward's soft voice was compelling, almost hypnotic. "She never has. She loved someone named James, and you're no more than a tool to her."
When he said James's name, Victoria's lips pulled back in a teeth-baring grimace. Her eyes stayed locked on Bella.
Riley cast a frantic glance in her direction.
"Riley?" Edward said.
Riley automatically refocused on Edward.
"She knows that I will kill you, Riley. She wants you to die so that she doesn't have to keep up the pretense anymore. Yes — you've seen that, haven't you? You've read the reluctance in her eyes, suspected a false note in her promises. You were right. She's never wanted you. Every kiss, every touch was a lie."
Edward moved again, moved a few inches toward the boy, a few inches away from Bella.
Lily did her best not to breath. She didn't want to break the spell Edward had seemed to pull over Riley.
Victoria's gaze zeroed in on the gap between us. It would take her less than a second to kill me — she only needed the tiniest margin of opportunity. Slower this time, Riley repositioned himself.
"You don't have to die," Edward promised, his eyes holding the boy's. "There are other ways to live than the way she's shown you. It's not all lies and blood, Riley. You can walk away right now. You don't have to die for her lies."
There was nearly a foot of space between Edward and Bella now. Riley circled too far, overcompensating this time. Victoria leaned forward onto the balls of her feet.
"Last chance, Riley," Edward whispered.
Riley's face was desperate as he looked to Victoria for answers.
"He's the liar, Riley," Victoria said, and Bella's mouth fell open in shock at the sound of her voice. "I told you about their mind tricks. You know I love only you." Her voice was not the strong, wild, catlike growl Lily had imagined with her face and stance. It was soft, it was high — a babyish, soprano tinkling. The kind of voice that went with blond curls and pink bubble gum. It made no sense coming through her bared, glistening teeth.
Riley's jaw tightened, and he squared his shoulders. His eyes emptied — there was no more confusion, no more suspicion. There was no thought at all. He tensed himself to attack.
Victoria's body seemed to be trembling, she was so tightly wound. Her fingers were ready claws, waiting for Edward to move just one more inch away from Bella.
Lily had finally had enough. She had figured Seth was somewhere nearby, waiting to pounce as soon as the moment was right. It was a gamble, but Lily couldn't stand the game of cat and mouse any longer. She was tired of being toyed around like some sick plaything for everyone else.
Her claws came out and she slashed Riley across the face. The sound of metal crashing against metal rang through the trees at her surprise attack.
Riley, not anticipating anything coming from the miniscule blonde human who happened to be there, cried out in shock. Lily's wings came out briefly as he tried to throw her, allowing her to be flung across his back like a backpack instead of into the side of the mountain where Bella was.
Chaos ensued.
"No!" Victoria screamed, her baby voice shrill with disbelief.
Lily had her claws wrapped around Riley's neck and sunken deep into his skin, her fangs barred at Victoria. Riley was frozen, unable to think of what to do with the strange monster girl who currently had her claws at his weak point.
"Riley, she's lying to you," Lily pleaded quietly into his ear. "Don't do this. Your life isn't worth her lies."
"I love her" was all Riley said before he twisted and grabbed Lily with his vampiric speed.
A snarl came from the woods.
A mammoth tan shape flew through the center of the opening, throwing Riley and Lily to the ground. The huge wolf ripped and tore at the blond vampire beneath him. Lily rolled onto her feet like she had practiced with Jasper and crouched down behind Edward next to Bella.
Victoria did not spare one glance for the boy she'd just pledged her love to. Her eyes were focused on Bella looking deranged.
"No," she said again, through her teeth, as Edward started to move toward her, blocking the path to the human girls.
Riley was on his feet again, looking misshapen and haggard, but he was able to fling a vicious kick into Seth's shoulder. Lily heard the bone crunch. Seth backed off and started to circle, limping. Riley had his arms out, read, though he seemed to be missing part of one hand.
Only a few yards away from that fight, Edward and Victoria were dancing.
Victoria moved from side to side, trying to find a hole in his defense. He shadowed her footwork lithely, stalking her with perfect concentration. He began to move just a fraction of a second before she moved, reading her intentions in her thoughts.
Seth lunged at Riley from the side, and something tore with a hideous, grating screech. Another heavy white chunk flew into the forest with a thud. Riley roared in fury, and Seth skipped back — amazingly light on his feet for his size — as Riley took a swipe at him with one mangled hand.
Victoria was weaving through the tree trunks at the far end of the little opening now. She was torn from what Lily could see. Her feet pulling her toward safety while her eyes yearned toward Bella.
Edward could see it too.
"Don't go, Victoria," he murmured in that same hypnotic tone as before. "You'll never get another chance like this."
She showed her teeth and hissed at him, but she seemed unable to move farther away from Bella.
Lily hissed back with her fangs flashing the insane woman just daring her to try. Lily had enough of vampire lover bullshit to last her a lifetime.
"You can always run later," Edward purred. "Plenty of time for that. It's what you do, isn't it? It's why James kept you around. Useful, if you like to play deadly games. A partner with an uncanny instinct for escaping. He shouldn't have left you — he could have used your skills when we caught up to him in Phoenix."
A snarl ripped from between her lips.
"That's all you ever were to him, though. Silly to waste so much energy avenging someone who had less affection for you than a hunter for his mount. You were never more than a convenience to him. I would know."
Edward's lips pulled up on one side as he tapped his temple.
With a strangled screech, Victoria darted out of the trees again, feinting to the side. Edward responded, and the dance began again.
Just then, Riley's fist caught Seth's flank, and a low yelp coughed out of Seth's throat. Seth backed away, his shoulders twitching as if he were trying to shake off the pain.
Lily had to decide in that moment what to do. She could continue to guard Bella, or she could help and possibly save Seth's life.
The answer was easy.
Lily attacked Riley once more, distracting him from Seth long enough for Seth's healing to take effect. Her swiped at her, trying to get his arms around her but Lily had sunk to her feet and kicked his out from under him.
As he fell to the ground, she ripped into him with her claws as viciously as she could manage, taking chunks of his chest with her.
Lily knew she couldn't keep it up. She just needed to distract him.
Riley kicked Lily off him, sending her flying close to the cliff face by Bella once more. Her wings once more coming out and softening her fall as she rolled on the ground, arms tucked into her chest.
Victoria was suddenly interested in her partner's fate.
Seth, having healed enough, snapped at Riley, forcing him back again, and Victoria hissed.
Seth wasn't limping anymore. His circling took him within inches of Edward; his tail brushed Edward's back, and Victoria's eyes bulged.
"No, he won't turn on me," Edward said, answering the question in Victoria's head. He used her distraction to slide closer. "You provided us with a common enemy. You allied us."
Lily, bleeding now, managed to stand back up in front of Bella. She was hurting, but she refused to back down.
She wasn't a helpless little girl anymore.
Victoria clenched her teeth, trying to keep her focus on Edward but her eyes kept flickering toward Lily.
"Look more closely, Victoria," he murmured, pulling at the threads of her concentration. "Is he really so much like the monster James tracked across Siberia?"
Her eyes popped wide open, and then began flickering wildly from Edward to Seth to Lily.
"What is she?" Victoria snarled.
"A fucking blessing you bitch," Lily snarked back.
"Impossible!" Victoria screamed.
"Nothing is impossible," Edward murmured, voice velvet soft as he moved another inch closer to her. "Except what you want. You'll never touch her."
She shook her head, fast and jerky, fighting his diversions, and tried to duck around him, but he was in place to block her as soon as she'd thought of the plan. Her face contorted in frustration, and then she shifted lower into her crouch, a lioness again, and stalked deliberately forward.
Victoria was no inexperienced, instinct-driven newborn. She was lethal.
Edward shifted, too, as they closed in on each other. The dance increased in tempo. Sharp crunches and crackings reverberated off the cliff face whenever someone slipped in their formation.
Riley was distracted by the violent ballet, his eyes anxious for his partner. Seth struck, crunching off another small piece of the vampire. Riley bellowed and launched a massive backhanded blow that caught Seth full in his broad chest. Seth's huge body soared ten feet and crashed into the rocky wall over the girl's heads with a force that seemed to shake the whole peak. The breath whooshed from his lungs, and Bella ducked out of the way as he rebounded off the stone and collapsed on the ground a few feet away from the girls.
Lily growled at the male vampire, warning him to keep his space. A low whimper escaped through Seth's teeth.
The very trees themselves seemed to fight back at the invaders in the woods. Branches bent down from the mighty trees surrounding the cliff face, wrapping Riley up in their embrace. He struggled, managing to snap some of them before others wrapped around him as well like a never-ending tangle of bark and leaves.
Bella watched as Lily rushed forward once more, trying to rip Riley's head off as he was trapped by the very nature around them. Thorned vines started to grow from the ground causing cracks to form on the cliff face as they tangled around Riley to tighten their hold on him. He was snarling and breaking the tree limbs as fast as Lily was getting them to surround him.
Bella, knowing there was no chance of running away, picked up one of the jagged rocks that had fallen from the cliff when Seth was thrown into it.
Riley had managed to break free from the trees grasp, his neck filled with cracks from Lily's attack. She had gotten close to getting his neck off.
Close, but not close enough.
He threw Lily down onto the ground hard as if she was no more of a nascence than an angry cat that had attacked him.
Lily cried out in pain when the ground met her shoulder. Riley kicked her, sending her flying once more towards Bella.
Suddenly, Bella gasped as she had cut her arm with the rock she had grabbed, determined to distract the vampires long enough for Edward and Seth to get the upper hand.
Victoria had flown out of the blurred formation and smashed into a tall spruce about halfway up the tree. She dropped back to the earth already crouched to spring.
Simultaneously, Edward — all but invisible with speed — had twisted backward and caught the unsuspecting Riley by the arm. It had looked like Edward planted his foot against Riley's back, and heaved —
The little campsite was filled with Riley's piercing shriek of agony.
At the same time, Seth leaped to his feet. Lily was trying to get up to hers, but was having some difficulty.
Victoria looked over at Bella, and Lily could see the female vampire smiling cruelly.
Victoria coiled and sprang.
Something small and white whistled through the air and collided with her mid-flight. The impact sounded like an explosion, and it threw her against another tree — this one snapped in half. She landed on her feet again, crouched and ready, but Edward was already in place.
Victoria kicked something aside with a flick of her bare foot — the missile that had crippled her attack. It rolled toward the girls, and Lily realized what it was.
The fingers were still twitching; grasping at blades of grass, Riley's arm began to drag itself mindlessly across the ground. Bella looked like she was going to be sick. Lily didn't blame her as she was holding herself back from throwing up at the sight as well.
Seth was circling Riley again, and now Riley was retreating. He backed away from the advancing werewolf, his face rigid with pain. He raised his one arm defensively.
Seth rushed Riley, and the vampire was clearly off-balance. Seth sunk his teeth into Riley's shoulder and tear, jumping back again.
With an earsplitting metallic screech, Riley lost his other arm.
Seth shook his head, flinging the arm into the woods. The broken hissing noise that came through Seth's teeth sounded like snickering.
Riley screamed out a tortured plea. "Victoria!"
Victoria did not even flinch to the sound of her name. Her eyes did not flicker once toward her partner.
Seth launched himself forward with the force of a wrecking ball. The thrust carried both Seth and Riley into the trees, where the metallic screeching was matched by Riley's screams. Screams that abruptly cut off, while the sounds of rock being ripped to shreds continued.
Though she spared Riley no farewell glance, Victoria seemed to realize that she was on her own. She began to back away from Edward, frenzied disappointment blazing in her eyes. She threw Bella one short, agonized stare of longing, and then she started to retreat faster.
"No," Edward crooned, his voice seductive. "Stay just a little longer."
She wheeled and flew toward the refuge of the forest like an arrow from a bow.
But Edward was faster — a bullet from a gun.
He caught her unprotected back at the edge of the trees and, with one last, simple step, the dance was over. Edward's mouth brushed once across her neck, like a caress. The squealing clamor coming from Seth's efforts covered every other noise, so there was no discernible sound to make the image one of violence. He could have been kissing her.
And then the fiery tangle of hair was no longer connected to the rest of her body. The shivering orange waves fell to the ground, and bounced once before rolling toward the trees.
Everything seemed to be frozen in that moment.
Then, just as quickly as time froze, it began to tick again.
Edward was in motion. Swiftly and coolly businesslike, he dismembered the headless corpse. He didn't look over at Bella, but Lily saw Bella watching him with wide eyes. He piled the quivering, twitching limbs and then covered them with dry pine needles. He darted into the forest after Seth.
Bella reached down and helped Lily to her feet at that moment, having realized the poor girl was still on the ground from where she had been kicked across the campsite.
Edward returned with his arms full of Riley. Seth was carrying a large chunk – the torso– in his mouth. They added their burden to the pile, and Edward pulled a silver rectangle from his pocket. H flipped open the butane lighter and held the flame to the try tinder. It caught at once; long tongues of orange fire licked rapidly across the pyre.
"Get every piece," Edward said in a low aside to Seth.
Together, the vampire and the werewolf scoured the campsite, occasionally tossing small lumps of white stone into the blaze. Seth handled the pieces with his teeth, not having shifted back yet.
And then they were done, and the raging fire was sending a pillar of choking purple toward the sky. The thick smoke curled up slowly, looking more solid than it should; it smelled like burning incense, and the scent was uncomfortable. It was heavy, too strong.
Seth made that snickering sound again, deep in his chest.
A smile flickered across Edward's tense face.
Edward stretched out his arm, his hand curled into a fist. Seth grinned, revealing the long row of dagger teeth, and bumped his nose against Edward's hand. Lily smirked and snorted at the makeshift fist bump.
"Nice teamwork," Edward murmured.
Seth coughed a laugh.
Then Edward took a deep breath and turned toward Bella. Lily, taking that as her cue to leave Bella to her savior, went over to check Seth over.
She was limping, but Seth realized she was heading towards him and met her halfway. She ran her fingers through his fur, feeling for blood.
"Seth, are you hurting anywhere?" Lily asked, concerned.
Seth shook his big furry head no.
"Don't lie to me, Leah is going to be pissed if you're hurt. I'll be pissed."
Seth just did his grumbling laughing sound once more before licking her face. Lily squealed at the gestured before trying to whip off his drool with jasper's shirt, which was now torn, covered in dirt, and had some of her blood on it. Lily frowned as she noticed the stains. It was just a cheap tank top, but it had been Jasper's.
Lily heard Edward tell Bella everything was fine and over. Lily's shoulders relaxed as the stress of everything leaked out of her muscles.
Just then a blur came into view, revealing itself to be Jasper. His eyes were black, his blond curls were messy, but he was in one piece. He stopped long enough to realize his tiny fragile mate was there before he vamped over to her, picking her up in his arms, and running far away from the camp site, leaving Edward, Bella, Seth, and the pyre in the dust.
Lily, unsure what was going on but finally feeling utterly safe after everything being held in her mate's arms, rested her face against his chest.
Jasper ran, faster than she had ever experienced with him before, until they stopped in a clearing that had sun shinning down onto them. There were flowers blooming prettily, oblivious to the devastation that had occurred nearby.
Jasper put Lily down but did not let her go. Lily realized his eyes were not only black, but completely devoid of their normal amber shade.
"Jazz?" Lily asked, her right hand coming to rest against his left cheek. "Are you okay?"
Jasper didn't answer, just growled as he took in the shape of his mate.
She was no longer actively bleeding, her body having healed reasonably quickly after the fight, but her blood was still present on her clothes.
"Who touched you" he said in a low, dangerous voice.
Then it clicked in Lily's head.
Jasper wasn't home right now.
The Major was out to play.
"Major, he's dead. He's been ripped to pieces and burning as we speak," Lily said gently, trying to reassure him.
"Not good enough. I want his name."
Lily sighed. "His name was Riley. Victoria turned him and used him like a puppet. She's burning too."
The Major continued to look through Jasper's eyes, taking in every minute detail of his other half.
"I failed you" he said simply, but Lily felt the horrible guilt and devastation he was feeling as his powers escaped out of him in a rush of emotion.
Lily wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly to her as she kissed him deeply for several moments before breaking their kiss. "You did no such thing. I fought back."
The Major, realizing she was alright, shifted gears. The adrenalin from the battle moving from blood thirsty rage to something much more passionate but just as crazed. He took her lips with his roughly, causing Lily to moan with pleasure.
One minute they were standing, the next she found herself being placed lovingly on the bed of flowers beneath her.
The sound of clothing shredding rang out in the distance, but Lily couldn't focus on where. She was too preoccupied by where the Major was touching her, kissing her, loving her.
He moved from her lips down her neck, living bruises that healed moments later in his path. Lily's mewls of pleasure pushing him to continue. Her nails raked against his back, the feeling of his scars adding to the sensation of her fingertips.
"My mate. Mine. Never again. Never leaving you again." Jasper whispered between each kiss and nip.
"Mine. My mate. My jasper. Yours." Lily said back, panting as her heart beat out of her chest.
Jasper looked at Lily in the eyes, the blackness of the Major bleeding back to amber. "Hello cowboy" Lily said gently.
"I-"Jasper started to say, but Lily stopped him with a kiss. "Don't stop, Jazz. Please. I need you," she whispered.
Feeling her emotions mixing with his was enough to spur Jasper on. He took her lips once more with his, pinning her arms above her head. "I don't think I'll be able to stop if we continue," he whispered, his voice shaking.
"I want this. I want you. I love you" Lily said, trying to convey just how much she loved him for his gift to pick up on.
***** (Adult Mature content!) *****
Jasper moved her arms so that one of his hands held both of her small wrists as his other hand reached down between her slick folds, making sure she was ready for him.
He slid one finger in, then two, while using his thumb to stimulate her button. She moaned in pleasure at his touch.
"Jasper, please!" she begged.
Deciding she was close, he got her to see fireworks before he slid inside her fully to the hilt. She screamed in pleasure and pain as he broke through her barrier. He paused long enough to get her to be comfortable with his size before wrapping her legs around his waist and pushing forward.
Lily and Jasper were overloading with sensations. Jasper's emotions and feelings bleed into her, while hers bleed into him, making it a never-ending cycle of bliss and pleasure.
He felt her walls clench around him, signaling she was getting ready to climax once more. Jasper, completely lost in the mating bond with Lily, finished inside of her as she came, biting into her neck and completing the bond.
Lily threw her head back at the feel of his teeth sinking into her neck as she came and screamed in pleasure.
Jasper drank from her gently before pulling his teeth away from her, licking the wound to seal it with just the faintest bit of his venom inside. Not enough to turn her, but enough to signify to another vampire that she was a marked mate of one.
***** (End of Adult Mature content!) *****
He continued to lick the wound until it sealed, leaving his bite on her skin for eternity.
Lily was panting and shivering as the aftermath of what just happened rushed into her mind.
Neither spoke as the sounds of the forest returned around them.
"I love you" Jasper whispered into her neck as he kissed his mark. Lily smiled, turning her head to face the man she knew she would spend eternity with. "I love you too."
A rustling in the trees signaled to Jasper something or someone was coming. He quickly, despite his naked physic, crouched down in a defensive stance to protect Lily.
Leah, in wolf form, came bounding through the woods. She shifted into her human form elegantly mid stride and tossed a bag of clothes at the couple. "You have to hurry! She said frantically, completely uncaring that everyone was naked at that point. "Your royalty is coming to meet your family. You need to be there according to Alice. Both of you," Leah said, turning to face her friend who was trying to cover up her body with her hands and failing miserably.
Jasper nodded before fishing out clothes from the bag for Lily and him to wear. Leah transformed back into her wolf form and bounded back into the woods.
"Jasper, what did she mean? The Volturi is coming?"
Jasper helped her dress as she wasn't doing it quick enough. "I'm sorry Doll, but apparently they are. They must have come to investigate the trouble the newborns were causing." He quickly dressed himself before looking down at Lily in her sparkling green eyes, taking in her face. "Everything is going to be okay. I won't let them touch you."
Lily just hugged Jasper once more. "I know, love. Now, lets go find our family."
Jasper's smile at her words nearly blinded Lily. He kissed her deeply once more before picking her up bridal style and running back through the woods.
They eventually reached the clearing where the rest of the Cullens and Bella were, although Bella appeared to have passed out.
"Carlisle — it's been five minutes." Edward's voice, anxious.
"She'll come around when she's ready, Edward." Carlisle's voice, always calm and sure. "She's had too much to deal with today. Let her mind protect itself."
"Alice, how long do we have?" Edward demanded; his voice still tense; Carlisle's soothing words had not helped.
Alice was brightly chipper. "Another five minutes. And Bella will open her eyes in thirty-seven seconds. I wouldn't doubt that she can hear us now."
"Bella, honey?" Esme asked. "Can you hear me? You're safe now, dear."
Bella opened her eyes and immediately began asking about Jacob.
Rosalie and Emmett had come to stand by Jasper and Lily as Bella's feinting drama played out.
Emmett wrinkled is nose once he smelled what the couple had been up to. "Really?" he asked. "Where did you find the time to do the horizontal tango amidst everything going on?"
Rosalie hit him in the chest for his comment. "Ignore him. Congratulations" she said warmly but refrained from hugging Lily. As a mated pair, she knew exactly how possessive Jasper would be of her small human friend immediately after completing the bond.
Lily beamed up at Rose. "Thank you!"
"Three minutes," Alice said quietly to her family, keeping them on track for their visitors.
The Cullens stood in a loose semicircle around the bonfire. There were hardly any flames visible, just the thick, purple-black smoke, hovering like a disease against the bright grass. Carlisle stood closest to the solid-seeming haze, in its shadow so that his skin did not glitter brilliantly in the sun the way the others did.
Lily realized that there was an extra vampire in the clearing.
The girl was curled into a small ball beside the flames, her arms wrapped around her legs. She was very young. Younger than Lily — she looked maybe fifteen, dark-haired and slight. Her eyes were focused on Bella, and the irises were a shocking, brilliant red. Much brighter than Riley's, almost glowing. They wheeled wildly, out of control.
Edward must have noticed Bella staring at the girl, because he explained that she had surrendered.
The young female suddenly threw her head back like an animal and wailed shrilly.
Jasper growled at her and she cringed back, but her fingers dug into the ground like claws and her head whipped back and forth in anguish. Jasper took a step toward her, slipping deep into his crouch to protect Lily from the newborn. Carlisle was at Jasper's side in an instant. He put a restraining hand on his most recent son's arm. "Have you changed your mind, young one?" Carlisle asked, calm as ever. "We don't want to destroy you, but we will if you can't control yourself."
"How can you stand it?" the girl groaned in a high, clear voice. "I want her." Her bright crimson irises focused on Edward, through him, beyond him to Bella, and her nails ripped through the hard soil again.
"You must stand it," Carlisle told her gravely. "You must exercise control. It is possible, and it is the only thing that will save you now."
The girl clutched her dirt-encrusted hands around her head, yowling quietly.
Bella asked if she should move away from the girl, but Edward shook his head in the negative.
"We have to stay here," Edward murmured. "They are coming to the north end of the clearing now."
"Hmm," a dead voice murmured from the mist.
"Welcome, Jane." Edward's tone was coolly courteous.
Five vampires of various height and ages made their way into the clearing, their cloaks bellowing behind them. One of them winked and smiled at Bella. Despite herself, Lily giggled at the ridiculousness of everything.
Jane's gaze moved slowly across the luminous faces of the Cullens and then touched on the newborn girl beside the fire; the newborn had her head in her hands again.
"I don't understand." Jane's voice was toneless, but not quite as uninterested as before.
"She has surrendered," Edward explained, answering the confusion in her mind.
Jane's dark eyes flashed to his face. "Surrendered?"
The vampire that had winked at Bella and another shadow exchanged a quick glance.
Edward shrugged. "Carlisle gave her the option."
"There are no options for those who break the rules," Jane said flatly.
Carlisle spoke then, his voice mild. "That's in your hands. As long as she was willing to halt her attack on us, I saw no need to destroy her. She was never taught."
"That is irrelevant," Jane insisted.
"As you wish."
Jane stared at Carlisle in consternation. She shook her head infinitesimally, and then composed her features.
"Aro hoped that we would get far enough west to see you, Carlisle. He sends his regards."
Carlisle nodded. "I would appreciate it if you would convey mine to him."
"Of course." Jane smiled. Her face was almost too lovely when it was animated. She looked back toward the smoke. "It appears that you've done our work for us today . . . for the most part." Her eyes flickered to the hostage. "Just out of professional curiosity, how many were there? They left quite a wake of destruction in Seattle."
"Eighteen, including this one," Carlisle answered.
Jane's eyes widened, and she looked at the fire again, seeming to reassess the size of it. Felix and the other shadow exchanged a longer glance.
"Eighteen?" she repeated, her voice sounding unsure for the first time.
"All brand-new," Carlisle said dismissively. "They were unskilled."
"All?" Her voice turned sharp. "Then who was their creator?"
"Her name was Victoria," Edward answered, no emotion in his voice.
"Was?" Jane asked.
Edward inclined his head toward the eastern forest. Jane's eyes snapped up and focused on something far in the distance.
Jane stared to the east for a long moment, and then examined the closer bonfire again.
"This Victoria — she was in addition to the eighteen here?" "Yes. She had only one other with her. He was not as young as this one here, but no older than a year."
"Twenty," Jane breathed. "Who dealt with the creator?"
"I did," Edward told her.
Jane's eyes narrowed, and she turned to the girl beside the fire.
"You there," she said, her dead voice harsher than before. "Your name."
The newborn shot a baleful glare at Jane, her lips pressed tightly together.
Jane smiled back angelically.
The newborn girl's answering scream was ear-piercing; her body arched stiffly into a distorted, unnatural position.
Lily had been told of Jane's power of creating the feeling of pain, but to see it in action terrified her. The idea that someone, anyone for that matter, could hold such power was terrifying. She wasn't sure which was worse, Jane's power or her brother's. She hoped none of her family would ever have to feel it.
Finally, it was quiet.
"Your name," Jane said again, her voice inflectionless.
"Bree," the girl gasped.
Jane smiled, and the girl shrieked again.
"She'll tell you anything you want to know," Edward said through his teeth. "You don't have to do that."
Jane looked up, sudden humor in her usually dead eyes. "Oh, I know," she said to Edward, grinning at him before she turned back to the young vampire, Bree.
"Bree," Jane said, her voice cold again. "Is his story true? Were there twenty of you?"
The girl lay panting, the side of her face pressed against the earth. She spoke quickly. "Nineteen or twenty, maybe more, I don't know!" She cringed, terrified that her ignorance might bring on another round of torture. "Sara and the one whose name I don't know got in a fight on the way. . . ."
"And this Victoria — did she create you?"
"I don't know," she said, flinching again. "Riley never said her name. I didn't see that night . . . it was so dark, and it hurt. . . ." Bree shuddered. "He didn't want us to be able to think of her. He said that our thoughts weren't safe. . . ."
Jane's eyes flickered to Edward, and then back to the girl.
Victoria had planned this well. If she hadn't followed Edward, there would have been no way to know for certain that she was involved. . . .
"Tell me about Riley," Jane said. "Why did he bring you here?"
"Riley told us that we had to destroy the strange yellow-eyes here," Bree babbled quickly and willingly. "He said it would be easy. He said that the city was theirs, and they were coming to get us. He said once they were gone, all the blood would be ours. He gave us her scent." Bree lifted one hand and stabbed a finger in Bella's direction. "He said we would know that we had the right coven, because she would be with them. He said whoever got to her first could have her."
"It looks like Riley was wrong about the easy part," Jane noted.
Bree nodded, seeming relieved that the conversation had taken this non-painful course. She sat up carefully. "I don't know what happened. We split up, but the others never came. And Riley left us, and he didn't come to help like he promised. And then it was so confusing, and everybody was in pieces." She shuddered again. "I was afraid. I wanted to run away. That one" — she looked at Carlisle — "said they wouldn't hurt me if I stopped fighting."
"Ah, but that wasn't his gift to offer, young one," Jane murmured, her voice oddly gentle now. "Broken rules demand a consequence."
Bree stared at her, not comprehending.
Jane looked at Carlisle. "Are you sure you got all of them? The other half that split off?"
Carlisle's face was very smooth as he nodded. "We split up, too."
Jane half-smiled. "I can't deny that I'm impressed." The big shadows behind her murmured in agreement. "I've never seen a coven escape this magnitude of offensive intact. Do you know what was behind it? It seems like extreme behavior, considering the way you live here. And why was the girl the key?" Her eyes rested unwilling on Bella for one short second.
"Victoria held a grudge against Bella," Edward told her, his voice impassive.
Jane laughed — the sound was golden, the bubbling laugh of a happy child. "This one seems to bring out bizarrely strong reactions in our kind," she observed.
"Well, it appears that there's not much left for us to do. Odd," Jane said, apathy creeping back into her voice. "We're not used to being rendered unnecessary. It's too bad we missed the fight. It sounds like it would have been entertaining to watch."
"Yes," Edward answered her quickly, his voice sharp. "And you were so close. It's a shame you didn't arrive just a half hour earlier. Perhaps then you could have fulfilled your purpose here."
Jane met Edward's glare with unwavering eyes. "Yes. Quite a pity how things turned out, isn't it?"
Edward nodded once to himself, his suspicions confirmed.
Jane turned to look at the newborn Bree again, her face completely bored. "Felix?" she drawled.
"Wait," Edward interjected.
Jane raised one eyebrow, but Edward was staring at Carlisle while he spoke in an urgent voice. "We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn't seem unwilling to learn. She didn't know what she was doing."
"Of course," Carlisle answered. "We would certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree."
Jane's expression was torn between amusement and disbelief.
"We don't make exceptions," she said. "And we don't give second chances. It's bad for our reputation. Which reminds me . . ." Suddenly, her eyes were on Bella again, and her cherubic face dimpled. "Caius will be so interested to hear that you're still human, Bella. Perhaps he'll decide to visit."
"The date is set," Alice told Jane, speaking for the first time. "Perhaps we'll come to visit you in a few months."
Jane's smile faded, and she shrugged indifferently, never looking at Alice.
"Who is the second. . . human?" Jane asked, confused by Lily's scent. It wasn't completely human.
"This is Lily, she is Jasper's mate." Carlisle explained. "I've written to Aro regarding her, so he is already aware of her and her circumstances."
That announcement seemed to shock all the Cullens except for Jasper and Lily. Lily had asked Carlisle to reach out to Aro and the other two kings of the vampiric world for information on what she could be. Aro had seemed delighted at the task and was currently researching. He did, however, request that Lily and her abilities be kept as close a secret as the vampire's kept theirs.
Jane turned to face Carlisle, nodding before speaking. "It was nice to meet you, Carlisle — I'd thought Aro was exaggerating. Well, until we meet again . . ."
Carlisle nodded; his expression pained.
"Take care of that, Felix," Jane said, nodding toward Bree, her voice dripping boredom. "I want to go home."
Edward pulled Bella's face into his chest to shield her from Bree being destroyed. Jasper felt no need to protect Lily from the scene, knowing she was strong enough to handle it.
"Come," Jane said. The gray cloaks disappeared into the thick mist.
It was over.