A/N: Hey hey, I'm back! Ok, lots going on lately so I haven't had time to write (we're buying our first house!) but inspiration struck today and I sat down and hammered out this chapter! It's even longer than I usually make them! Also, I made a mistake in the last chapter and called Seth's mate April when it's actually Amber. Oops! Anyhoo, hope you enjoy, lots of action going on here! And a slight plot twist that even I didn't see coming when I started this!
Chapter 13
Jacob barreled through the door to backstage, nostrils flaring as a series of scents hit him and nearly overloaded his senses. He forced himself to pause, breathing slowly as his wolf sorted through the scents and categorized them. "...perfume...alcohol...sweat...pup...Seth..."
He strode quickly to the door where he could smell his packmate, picking up the underlying scent of what he guessed would be Amber and knocked. Seth pulled the door open immediately, his wolf having sensed the Alpha's agitation, and Jacob caught a glimpse of a pretty brunette behind him, her eyes widening when she saw him and he glanced away, hoping she hadn't noticed his eyes. "It's here. With Bella."
Seth's eyes flashed as his hackles raised, stepping forward to follow Jacob, but he shook his head and placed a hand on the younger wolf's shoulder, his voice low. "No, you stay here with her. Your wolf will be distracted over her and the baby's safety. I need you to call Sam, get them in here."
Seth nodded reluctantly, Jacob could feel how torn he was between protecting his mate and backing up his Alpha, and he gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before he headed down the hall. His wolf scented the air as they silently followed the sound of Bella's heartbeat, pausing when the smell of rotting flesh hit him like a smack to the face. His wolf growled low, Jacob repressing the urge to echo it so he wasn't detected, tuning his ears into the conversation behind the door.
"You've been ignoring my calls. Haven't we talked about that before?"
The possessive tone made Jacob's hands clench, hearing Bella's heart pick up as her angry but unsteady voice shot back ,"What we've talked about before is that it's over!"
The leech didn't reply right away, his sudden movements only detectable by Jacob's enhanced hearing, and he heard the rustle of Bella's bag before several thuds of things hitting the ground. "Going somewhere?"
Bella stayed quiet, her heart sounding thunderously loud, before he heard her gasp and whimper as the leech hissed, "I asked you a question!"
The next sound was splintering wood as Jacob kicked down the door, his whole body trembling with rage as he resisted the urge to phase in the small room. His eyes darted around, taking in Bella's terrified eyes and the hand that gripped her arm, seeing red as he let the Alpha timber roll through him with a growl. "Let. Her. Go."
The leech hissed at him, blood red eyes widening when he caught Jacob's scent, and he tugged Bella closer to him as he tilted his head. "So that's why you've been ignoring me. Found yourself a pet. Shame we can't keep him."
Jacob growled again, feeling his bones creak as he fought the urge to let the wolf rip the leech to shreds, taking a step forward. "I said let. Her. Go."
He stopped when the leech wrapped an arm around Bella, positioning her in front of him and flashing a dangerous grin far too close to her neck. "I don't think so. Bella and I have become quite close, we're just having a lovers quarrel. Isn't that right ma' Cherie?"
Jacob's blood boiled at the term of endearment and the leech gliding his nose along the column of Bella's throat, her frightened gaze begging him to save her. "There's no way you're getting out of here alive, if you let her go I might consider making your death a little less painful."
He laughed, tugging Bella back a few steps with him towards the window as he tilted his head. "Against one wolf? You may be strong but I doubt you'd be able to kill me before I snapped her pretty little neck."
Jacob roared, trembling with the urge to leap forward as the leech gripped Bella's throat. The vampire's eyes suddenly widened as more growls echoed behind Jacob, Sam's voice rumbling, "He's not alone blood sucker."
Jacob sensed Embry and Quil behind him, all three of them ready for him to give the order to attack, but there wasn't room for one wolf in the dressing room, much less four. The leech edged nervously toward the window again, halting when Jacob snarled, "I'm not going to tell you again. Release her!"
Bella was gasping softly, her air restricted from the hand on her throat, pushing against it in a desperate attempt. "James...please..."
He loosened his grip, allowing her to gulp in air, growling into her ear, "Don't think I won't be back. The dog can't keep you safe. You belong to me."
Jacob's snarl was lost in the commotion as James suddenly shoved Bella away and jumped through the window, shattering glass hitting the pavement outside as he dashed down the alleyway. "After him!"
The three pack members darted through the room, Jacob kneeling beside Bella as she coughed and gasped for breath, a bruise already blooming on her skin. "Jacob...go..."
She pointed toward the window, anger simmering in her eyes, and he obeyed without hesitation as Seth came barreling into the room. "Stay with her!"
Reining in the urge to phase was difficult, especially with Bella's injuries in the forefront of his mind, but he was able to stifle the urge as he ran after his packmates, the long brown hair of the vampire just out of their reach. He saw two people turn into the alley, eyes widening as he recognized Paul and Rachel, seeing the former stiffen as he caught the scent of the leech racing towards them. Before he could shout out a warning, Paul shoved Rachel to the side behind a dumpster and charged at the vampire, his instinct to protect his imprint causing him to shift just before they collided.
Snarls and hissing filled the alleyway, prompting Jacob to pour on the speed, but just before the four of them reached them he heard an audible crack and Paul's howl of agony as he collapsed. James jumped past the wounded wolf, giving Jacob a mock salute before he vanished around the corner and Jacob growled as he skidded to a stop next to Paul, knowing he couldn't chase the vampire on the street in broad daylight. Kneeling beside his pack brother he winced as Paul's human form curled into the fetal position, clutching his arm as he grit his teeth against the pain. "What in the world were you thinking?"
Paul glared at him, hissing as his bones started trying to knit themselves back together, and Jacob gestured for Quil and Embry to help him up. "One of you go get the car and get him in without anyone seeing. Sam, go grab a blanket from the dressing room, tell Seth to get Amber and Bella out of there. We can't chance the vamp won't come back, we need everyone back to the Rez now."
"Jacob?" A frightened voice spoke up from behind him and he turned to see Rachel staring at them with wide eyes, Paul whimpering at her tone and trying to go to her. Jacob stopped him, turning back to Rachel and grabbing her by the shoulders to force her to look at him and not Paul.
"Listen to me. We don't have time to explain, we have to get out of Seattle and back home. You're coming with us, no arguing. I'll explain everything later but right now Paul needs you near him. He would never hurt you, you need to understand that, and you being close will help him stay calm and heal. Do you understand?"
She nodded wordlessly, though he could still see fear behind her eyes when she looked at the wolf in front of her, and he passed her off to Paul's side as he finally followed the pull back to Bella. Sam passed him on the way with several blankets in his arms, stopping Jacob with a hand on his arm. "Jacob, what about Leah?"
Sighing Jacob clasped Sam's hand and gave him as sympathetic look as he could manage. "We can't stay and track her down Sam. We have to get Paul back, I think the leech shattered his arm and I don't think it's going to set right without help. Once we get things calmed down, you and Jared can come back and check on her, ok?"
He knew Sam wasn't satisfied with his answer but his Beta also knew he was right and he nodded as Jacob walked past and ducked through the window into the dressing room. Bella was sitting on the couch, Amber clutching her hand as Seth paced in front of the door. He nodded to the younger wolf to go get the car, kneeling in front of the girls as he shot Amber a quick grimace before focusing on Bella. She gave him a weak smile, wincing as she swallowed and he growled at the deep, handprint shaped bruise on her throat. "Bella...I'm so sorry. I should've come with you."
His wolf whined as she shook her head, cradling his face in her hand. "You saved me Jacob. Did you..."
He shook his head, shame at his failure burning his skin as her eyes flashed with fear. Cradling her hand he pressed a kiss to her knuckles and reluctantly stood. "He got out in public before we could stop him. Paul tried but...he's hurt. Bad. We need to go, he's going to need medical care and we can't take him to the hospital. You two going is no longer optional, Rachel is coming too. Grab what you need, we'll send Sam and Jared back for the rest."
Amber nodded, rising carefully with her barely there bump and hurried back to her dressing room. Jacob assumed Seth must've filled her in with as calm as she was, turning his attention back to Bella as she started picking up the things James had dumped from her bag, her shaking hands urging him to kneel beside her and clasp them in his, gently turning her face to his. "Bella, he's not going to hurt you again. I swear. You'll be safe with us, all of you."
His thumb caught a tear that spilled over, her breath ragged as she nodded and suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist as she buried her head in his chest. His wolf purred, happy that she was turning to them for comfort, and he breathed in before wrinkling his nose. "Don't take it personally if the guys keep the windows down in the car, freaking leech rubbed his scent all over you."
Bella let out a hiccupping laugh, pulling away to sweep the last few things in her bag as Seth reappeared in the doorway. "Everyone's ready. Paul's in pretty bad shape, gonna be a long ride."
Jacob nodded as he rose to his feet, grasping Bella's hand to help her up, snatching a scarf from the costume wrack and gently wrapping it around her throat. "You might want to wear one of these for awhile."
She squeezed his hand gratefully, following as he and Seth led the way out to the cars, and he tugged her over to the small truck they'd rented to move her things. "We'll drive this, the rest of you take the cars. We don't stop until we're home."
He helped Bella in before climbing into the drivers seat, winding down the window to keep the fresh air moving as he pulled behind the other cars, his wolf relaxing as they made their way out of the city. Bella was quiet in the passenger seat, her knees pulled up to her chest, and he cleared his throat to get her attention. "You can sit over here if you want, sorry it's cold with the windows down but I run warm and it might help."
After a moment she nodded, unbuckling to slide across the bench seat and fasten the seatbelt, hesitantly leaning against his arm. Chuckling he wrapped it around her, pausing to make sure she relaxed and was fine with his touch. He felt her snuggle closer and within minutes she'd been lulled to sleep by the sound of the wind and road, Jacob humming under his breath as he silently promised to her that he would always keep her safe.
A/N: So, that all happened! Honestly this story has changed a lot from when I first started it, definitely going to be longer than I thought! Let me know what you think, did y'all see that plot twist coming? Drop a review and thanks for reading and sticking with this story!