A/N: Happy Wednesday/Update day!

Another warning about the violence so no one is surprised.

Thanks for all the reviews/favorites!

As always, because we writers are pitiful and need constant feedback/validation, I'll give my weekly plea for both:

Feedback is fuel :)

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

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Leah

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"What are you doing?"

Leah glanced up at Seth in her mirror. He was standing in the bedroom doorway, one brow arched curiously, and looked frumpy in a pair of loose shorts and a baggy white tee shirt. His hair was ridiculously mussed.

"Did you go to school like that?"

He shrugged. "Changed when I got home."

"And the hair?"

"It's a thing, Leah." To her overly skeptical look, he said, "Shut up."

She rolled her eyes and released the last section of her hair from its clip. "What's mom making?"

"Sablefish, roasted potatoes, and some kale salad I am not eating."

Leah could feel Seth watching her even after returning her full attention to the hair she was curling. Cross-legged on her floor in front of a body-length mirror, hair and makeup products scattered around her in a wide circle, she imagined it did look a little odd to him. Leah didn't do this sort of thing often. She liked the way she looked – makeup or no makeup – and didn't feel the need to do much most days. Shower, washing her face, blow-drying her hair; just the basics. It was ridiculous that she was doing this now. Unnecessary. And yet…

"What the hell are you doing?" he finally asked. "Are you going somewhere?"

"No."

Just dinner. Here, at her house, with her family. And Jacob. (And Rachel and Billy, of course)

"So what's with the full detail? Nobody's even coming over."

"Billy, Jacob, Rachel –"

" – Okay, but they're, like, no different than mom or dad. Nobody gives a crap if you're wearing makeup or that your hair's curled."

Leah switched off the curling iron and returned it to its metal mount. "Get out and shut my door."

"I'm not in your room. Technically, I'm in the hall –"

She whipped around, grabbed one of the throw pillows she'd meant to put back on the bed, and chunked it at him. "Out, Seth!"

The door slammed shut to block the blow.

Leah sighed and studied her reflection. Why was she going to the trouble? Because of Jacob? A month of late-night conversations and early morning texts; seeing him at least once a day most weeks and thinking about him when she didn't. Such a stark contrast to how they used to function. Less intent, more natural progression. Their lives orbited the same sun – the Blacks and the Clearwaters, one family, one unit. It was the way they've always been.

And, yeah, maybe there'd been a few times over the years when they were playing around and she'd felt herself getting a little… fond, she guessed. They might flirt sometimes. Leah could even admit that they'd done it more lately than usual. More touching. More loaded, heavy looks that she couldn't for the life of her understand without him giving some context.

Okay.

Fine.

But nothing had changed.

Not really.

Sue's voice echoed up the stairs. "Leah, come set the table!"

She stood and slid out of her shorts, grabbed her jeans from the bottom of the bed, shimmied into them, and moved to the closet. Which shirt said confused, intrigued, and surprisingly receptive without being too obvious?

"Leah!"

"I'm coming!" she shouted back.

Earth tones had always looked best on her, but the attention-seekers were tempting; corals and peaches and even orchid or rose gold. They popped on her warm, copper skin and reflected interestingly in her brown eyes. Her makeup was pretty neutral. Anything would work. Leah grabbed a white sweater and immediately changed her mind. This material would be a static nightmare with her hair. She tossed it back into the closet and grabbed a thin, short-sleeved V-neck that was entirely inappropriate for the weather outside. But they wouldn't be outside, and she liked this mossy color.

Leah pulled it on and released her hair from the back and sleeves. She backed up to the mirror and turned a slow circle. The cleavage was a little much. And it was pretty tight, considering she'd normally wear a tee-shirt and pajama pants to a dinner like this.

The door flew open, and Seth shook his head. "What are you doing?"

"Leah! Set the table!" Sue's voice was strained and slightly muffled in the kitchen.

Seth smirked. "Mom wants you."

"Oh my God, I'm coming."

"That's what she said."

Leah groaned and did one more turn. "You're such a worm."

They both heard Billy's chair clanking up the front porch steps.

"I wonder," Seth began, backing up slowly, "if Jacob knows you're in here dressing up for him?"

Leah's eyes narrowed. "Seth," she warned. "Don't start."

"What? I totally ship you guys. It's kinda cute. Best friends turned lovers, right?"

The part that made her want to gag was that she was almost certain, if they were on the front porch, that Jacob could hear this entire conversation. Leah didn't do embarrassed well. As the heat crept up her neck and into her cheeks, she did what came naturally when she was uncomfortable.

She decided to murder her brother.

Seth, the little shit, knew her well. "Let's ask him!"

He had a head start, but she was quick and far more agile. As he took the stairs, one by one, Leah followed halfway and then pivoted left and over the banister. Her feet hit the floor and she rushed forward, just barely grabbing the door handle before Seth made it. Leah snatched it open to Billy's hand raised midair, and three sets of wide eyes looking at her.

"Hello," she huffed.

Billy smiled. "Where's the fire?"

"Actually," Seth drawled, popping his grinning face around the door to see them. "Leah and I were just –"

She balled her fist and aimed low. Seth crumbled. "Just proving I'm still faster," she said around a toothy smile. "C'mon in."

Leah stepped out of the way as Jacob pushed Billy into the living room and parked him by the couch. Rachel was last and paused, giving Leah a once over. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," Leah insisted. Seth laughed and dodged when Leah struck out at him again. He jogged into the kitchen, still snickering. To Rachel's curious look, she said, "He's been bugging me all afternoon."

Rachel snorted and continued to the kitchen. "Little brothers." She smacked Jacob's shoulder as she passed. "Gotta love 'em."

Leah wasn't so sure at the moment.

Harry shuffled into the living room, two Rainiers in hand. He tossed one to Billy and flopped down on the couch. "Whaddya say, old man? Basketball or hockey?"

"B-ball starts at seven. St. Louis and Philadelphia hit the ice at six so… in three minutes."

"Hockey it is," Harry grunted.

Jacob's expression was split between bemusement and dry disapproval when he turned to face her. Neither Billy nor Harry should've been drinking beer due to a variety of medical problems. They never listened.

"Hey," Jacob said.

Leah swallowed and realized she was still holding the door open. She pushed it shut – harder than she meant to.

Billy and Harry both jumped. "Damn girl," her father groused. "Easy on an old man's heart."

Leah ignored them. Now that he was in front of her, she wasn't sure what to do with him. There was a small amount of space between them. Part of her wanted to cross it; shove his shoulder, poke his ribs, feign confidence and pretend like she didn't have popcorn in her lungs. Like there wasn't a huge bubble of tension and newness sucking all the air from the room.

She wondered if he was ready to talk about it. Leah wasn't adept at subtlety. Whatever this was, it was driving her nuts. "Hey," she finally said.

Jacob was and had always been traditionally handsome; square, firm jaw; straight nose and high, defined cheekbones; generous lips and sleek, black hair. His brown eyes were so expressive that they could speak on their own. He'd grown tall at the start of high school and was in good shape after years of sports. It was different now, though. According to Rachel, the wolf pushed him up in the high six-foot range – almost seven. He hadn't been immediately as bulky with muscle as he was now. That, Leah thought, came from weeks of running miles and miles on all fours. Still, he was bigger than Embry. Bigger than Paul, Sam, and Jared. Wide shoulders and upper back, thick arms.

Due to the nature of their relationship, she'd never thought of him as sexy before.

That's the first thing that came to mind when she saw him tonight. He hadn't done anything special. Simple, tan cargo shorts and a well-fitting black tee. But then she supposed it was less to do with how he dressed, maybe even less to do with the changes in his looks, and more how he now carried himself. Jacob was historically laid back. Passive, even, most days. There was a confidence, an assertiveness, that was both new and not. Like something she'd known was there in him, he just didn't use or promote often.

Leah mentally shook herself. She needed to stop.

"You good?" he asked, watching her expression carefully.

"Yes. Yeah, I'm good." Leah started to cross her arms, remembered the low neckline, and stopped, dropped her arms back to her sides. "You?"

"Yep."

Awkward.

"Leah! You still haven't set the table!" Sue's head popped through the kitchen threshold. "How many times – oh. Hi, Jacob, honey. How are you? Can you do me a favor?"

Leah scoffed as Jacob said, "Of course."

"Can you insert the table leaf while Leah gets the plates?" Sue shifted a pointed look to Leah. "And the napkins, and silverware. Hmm?"

Jacob snorted. "Yes, ma'am."

They worked quietly; Jacob pulling the table apart and securing the leaf, Seth pulling two extra chairs in from the garage, Leah putting out the placemats, the plates, silverware, cups, and napkins. Jacob crouched down to check the fastenings and, behind him, Seth made obnoxious kissy faces at Leah.

"Who's ready to eat?" Sue called. "Harry, Billy, turn that damn game off, you're not eating in the living room."

There wasn't much organization in the kitchen. Everyone grabbed their plate from the table and filed in to pick through what they wanted. Billy and Harry joined Seth in avoiding the kale salad and overloaded their plates with the fish and potatoes. Leah was painfully aware of Jacob at her back, following along the grub line. His body since phasing ran significantly hotter than what was considered normal. It seeped through her shirt and into her skin. She stopped, scooped some potatoes onto her plate, and glanced back at him.

He was already looking at her.

"You're wound tight tonight," he whispered. Rachel glanced back at them as she finished up her plate but didn't say anything. "What's going on?"

Leah waited until the others disappeared into the dining room. Rachel was last, arching suspicious looks over her shoulder between the two of them. When she was gone, Leah turned to face him. "You ready to talk yet?"

"Ah." He smiled, but she could see the slight flex of his jaw. "In here?"

She glanced at the archway to the dining room. Harry was ragging on Rachel about something – Billy laughed, and Sue chastised them both.

"Speed talk and we might get through it before someone interrupts," she decided.

"No such thing as privacy around here," Sue said, bustling in, grabbing a roll, and then bustling back out.

Jacob raised a brow. "You were saying?"

"Fine, maybe now's not the time."

They continued along the counter and Leah picked them both a piece of fish, distributed it between their plates. Jacob cleared his throat. "You look beautiful, by the way."

Her hand froze over a roll for a fraction of a second as heat bloomed over her chest, neck, and face. She grabbed two.

"Thank you."

It felt like she was trying to swallow a still-beating heart. What the hell was happening to her life?

She turned around to face him, toe-to-toe, and had to crane her neck to meet his eyes. His brows were furrowed, as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle or sort some riddle. Maybe he was. This was new territory. The amazing part was that neither of them had even said anything. It had all been a series of lingering looks and subtle shifts.

Jacob looked over her shoulder to the side door that opened up into the garage. "Damn," he said, just before it opened.

"Oh, hey guys." Embry didn't come all the way in. He was shirtless, barefoot, and filthy. "Jake, Sam wants you."

"Now?"

"Yeah, he's out back."

"I'm coming."

Embry slipped back out and Jacob set his plate down on the counter. "Dad, I gotta go," he called, and received a litany of replies from Billy and Harry and Sue. "I'll stop back by if I get a chance, Sue, I promise."

He touched Leah's side as he passed. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," she said. "Later."

.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

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Jacob

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They'd been chasing it for almost twenty-four hours when he caught Bella's scent.

Jacob had stepped out of the Clearwaters' place straight into an argument with Sam. The vampire crossed over onto Quileute land several times before moving north into Forks. Jacob thought they should follow. Sam did not. In the end, Embry's memories of that woman's dead body flooded through the pack – milky eyes and blue-tinted skin – and the images fueled Sam's temper. Whatever issues Sam had with Jacob were forgotten when presented with a greater threat – a threat not to him or his position, but to the innocent people of Clallam County suffering from the presence of this creature. For the first time, they'd followed the scent beyond the borders as a pack.

Bella was back up near Tassel Creek but had swapped directions and was moving east. The vampire, this time, seemed to be following her. It wasn't taking a direct route but crossed her path multiple times without making contact. Jacob's muscles were screaming as he pushed himself to run faster. Their objective shifted as they drew closer to Bella. The vampire was fast and, if it wanted, could tear her apart without ever stopping. One swipe. One good swat to the head and her neck's broken or her skull's cracked open all over the forest floor.

"She's moving into a clearing. Looks like she's stopping." Embry was faster than the rest of them; he was smaller, and could creep along behind Bella without drawing as much attention. "Yeah, she's stopping. Dropped her bag."

Jacob's lip curled. "That fucking meadow."

"Push," Sam said, "We need to be there if it approaches her."

And it did approach her. He did. A vampire with dark brown skin and hair in dreads. His eyes were glowing red. The experience did not match the stories. While it did shimmer a bit in the sun, the effect was mild.

Sam's lips vibrated over his teeth and he crouched low, prepared to break the trees.

"Wait," Jacob said, listening to the vampire's voice. "He's talking to her about the Cullens."

Over the course of about two minutes, Bella lied poorly and the vampire gave them far more information than they'd had before. The other vampire, Victoria, was out for revenge.

"She thought it more appropriate to kill you than Edward – fair turnabout, mate for mate," the vampire said.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Paul asked. They were all on their bellies – low among the underbrush of the forest, breathing slowly, trying to be invisible. "Did something happen before the Cullens bailed?"

Jacob searched his memory and remembered Bella disappearing to Phoenix last school year. Charlie had been out of his mind. She'd broken her leg, severed her femoral artery, and knocked her head pretty good in an 'accident'. He showed it all to the pack – everything he remembered from the story. "It must have happened then," Jacob realized. "Whatever went down with these other vampires, Bella lied to Charlie to get out of town. It all happened in Phoenix."

"He's done talking," Embry warned, shifting in the dirt.

The vampire shushed Bella as she prepared to beg. "No, no. Don't be afraid. It would be so much worse if she found you. I promise, I'll be quick."

"Now," Sam decided, and the pack moved as one.

The vampire paused in its attack as they broke the trees – slowly, at first, on all sides but one. North, where they could chase him without running into civilians. "I don't believe it," the thing drawled, smirking.

And then it turned and ran.

Bella stood still as they blew past her. Jacob gave her a once-over but didn't slow. She looked okay. The vampire was fast – faster than they'd given it credit for. Embry was at the front, pulling up about ten feet in front of Jared, and then Paul.

Something occurred to Jacob. "Embry, Jared, break off. Go around."

Sam was nearly shoulder to shoulder with him; bit him lightly on the neck when they brushed. "You're not in charge," he barked through their link, teeth snapping as they ran.

Paul growled. "Not the time, Sam. What do you want us to do?"

"We need a direction," Jared echoed.

The indecision pounded through the pack for a solid thirty seconds. Sam growled one more time, knocked into Jacob's shoulder, and said, "Go. Head him off."

Embry and Jared immediately broke line – one left, one right – and Paul, Sam, and Jacob continued forward. They were frustratingly close; right on the edge of grabbing him and missing by inches. Dodging trees and trampling through underbrush kept them from closing that gap. Until, finally, it played out just as Jacob had imagined it when he'd sent the other two off. Embry managed to get far enough ahead, doubled back, and forced the vampire to a stop.

Time seemed to slow.

The vampire turned around to face them and Paul hit it first. He caught a fist to the left shoulder and was thrown wide into a tree. Jacob and Sam were close enough that it didn't have time to brace after Paul's attack and they both grabbed a side. It was nothing like Jacob imagined. Per the legends, the cold ones were cold and hard, like ice. Pulled apart and shattered like glass. Not the case. Jacob's teeth broke through the toughness of the skin and crushed into dense muscle and bone. Blood gushed into his mouth and it was nearly enough to toss his stomach; thick and putrid, long-dead flesh and rot mixed with its latest victim. There was no ice. No crystallization. The outside was rough with death and the inside was the same as Jacob imagined he would be; wet blood, squishy organs, and bones that snapped under pressure.

Jacob yanked his head to the side and the vampire's arm came with it. It screamed – a startlingly human reaction. Sam mimicked Jacob's movement and it threw the vampire off balance as its other arm was pulled from its body. The vampire hit its knees. Paul, recovered, hit it from behind and took its head. They all stood panting for a long moment, studying the dismembered body. Jacob's nose and throat burned from the god-awful smell; the rotting body they'd found stashed in the woods mixed with the painful sweetness that was vampire. It was all over them – thick blood with bits of flesh and meat caught in their coats, splattered all over the forest floor.

"Jesus," Jared said. He sounded uncomfortable. Sick. "I thought they were – I didn't think it would be like this."

Neither had Jacob. Neither had any of them. God, that taste.

"We need to burn it," Sam said, and it was shaky. His wide eyes glanced over the severed head and caught on the veins and meat and bone sticking out of the wounds. "The Council says the bodies have to burn or they don't die."

"Left my lighter in my other pants," Paul quipped, but it was weak. Humor to mask his discomfort. Jacob could feel nausea moving through the pack like poison. "What do you wanna do? Carry it all back?"

Sam took in a deep breath and, rather than steady him, he heaved. It was a ripple effect through him, Jared, and Embry. "Everyone – all of you grab a piece."

"Fucking disgusting," Paul groused.

They did it, though. Picked up the pieces of the vampire and trotted back through Olympic Nationa Forest, through Forks and farther west, onto Quileute land. Once within the safety of their territory, they paused. Sam was unsure.

"What is it?" Jacob asked.

Sam was hesitant but eventually said, "I don't wanna – I don't think we should take it to my house. Emily. She's –"

" – You don't have to say anymore," Jacob assured him. "I understand. We'll go to my place. We have kindling. A burn pit."

They picked up and continued on. Sam didn't say thank you, but Jacob felt it through the line that connected the two of them – that invisible cord that threaded between Sam's chest and his own. Moments like this, Jacob could forget why he hated Sam sometimes. He could see him as something other than the jerk that was constantly picking fights with him and disregarding everything he said. He felt the kinship that should have been natural between them as members of the pack and it was… a relief. Like a weight being dumped from his shoulders.

Jacob wished it could be like this all the time.

They approached the house from the south and, after checking the area, moved into the backyard. Jacob phased and scaled the back porch, then pushed through the backdoor with a little more force than he meant to.

"Jacob?" Billy wheeled around the corner, Rachel on his heels.

One of her hands was clutching the collar of her shirt. "God, Jake, we hadn't heard from you and – shit, what? Are you hurt?"

Jacob glanced down at himself and swallowed thickly. He started pulling open drawers in the kitchen. "It's not mine. I'm okay. We're all okay."

"You stink to high heaven, boy, what is that?" Billy pulled his shirt up over his nose. "Where've you been?"

Jacob found one of their grill lighters and turned for the door. "We got one of them."

"You got one – what? Jacob!"

It didn't occur to him until he reached the burn pit, naked and human, that his body was shaking. The others had piled the thing into the circle and were tossing sticks and leaves on top of it as he bent over and stuck the lighter head beneath it all. He struck it a few times – the click, click, click obnoxiously loud in the silence – until it finally ignited. The fire was slow growing. Jacob watched a bit of orange spread over one leaf, and then two, a little bit of smoke puffing here and there. The orange hit a stick and a small flame lit, and then it took off, bit by bit, and the vampire's body was engulfed within minutes. Everyone was quiet. Pensive.

Billy and Rachel reached them just as the fire began licking upward in a blaze.

"Is that –" Rachel broke off, eyes glittering with orange and yellow light. The vampire's face still had its shape. She sucked in a breath. "It looks so… human. So normal."

Paul grunted. "Yeah, more than you know."

"Where was it?" Billy looked them all over. "What happened?"

Sam launched into the story, albeit more sullenly than usual, and explained it in detail. He told them about Bella, too. About what the vampire said to her.

"So this isn't over," Rachel surmised. "There's another one and she's here for a reason."

Billy was frowning. "This is… tough. Charlie could be in danger. Bella certainly is. Who knows who else is involved in this – knowingly or unknowingly?"

"We may need to talk to the girl," Sam agreed, glancing momentarily at Jacob. "Bella is at the center of all this. Whatever happened with the Cullens, she knows. I don't know of another way to get answers."

"Maybe." Billy tapped Rachel's hand. "I need to call Harry and the rest of the Council. They need to see this."

Rachel glanced over her shoulder as she walked up to the house. "There's some shorts in the shed," she called back to them. "Cover your junk before the others get here."

Paul's smile was real when he said, "Even me?"

She huffed, grunting a little with exertion as Billy's wheels caught in the grass. "Especially you."

"It's 'cause she can't resist me," Paul told them, smirking.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Or because she doesn't want you to be embarrassed."

Embry barked a laugh as they went in search of those shorts.

.

Everyone came.

The whole La Push Council: Harry and Sue Clearwater, Ruby Blankenship, Harold Lone Elk, Old Quil Ateara, and Deanna and Frank Littlefeather. Surprisingly, Leah and Seth came along, too.

"Are you sure it wasn't just hunting her to – to eat?" Deanna asked, crouched by the fire to study the remains. It was burning slowly. "You said it didn't attack her immediately. Perhaps it was just toying with her?"

Sam shook his head. "We heard it talking to her. They'd met before. He knew her name – knew about Edward and the other Cullens."

"He talked about something that happened," Jared added. "Named some other vampire. James, I think. Said this Victoria bitch has some sort of vendetta against Edward for killing him."

Sue tutted. "Watch your language, boy."

"Sorry."

Harry sighed. "So, she's here to stay until this gets squared."

"Only solution is to catch her and kill her," Old Quil said.

Sam nodded. "Agreed. What about Bella? Do we involve her?"

"Not unless it's absolutely necessary," Frank decided. "She knows she's in danger. She knows this has put her father in danger, too. Hopefully, she'll take what the vampire said at face value and proceed with caution."

Ruby scoffed. "She hasn't up to this point. All of this leads back to her. Our boys, these people – the vampire presence in Forks wasn't a problem until she came to town. Now, it's constant."

"Ruby," Billy cajoled.

She shook her head. "You're not on the police radio, taking 911 calls and listening to these parents and family members wondering what's happened to their loved ones like me. Or seeing these 'animal attack' victims firsthand in the hospital, like Sue. This has to stop."

"No one is arguing that point," Harry said. "We're all on the same page. We need to keep our heads. Stay level."

"We've done all we can for the night," Old Quil declared, looking over the group. "This one is dead. Take the win. Get some rest." To the wolves, he said, "You did well. Worked as a team and got the job done. Be proud of yourselves." He smacked Embry on the shoulder. "I am."

The group said their collective goodbyes and began dispersing. Harry, Sue, and Seth went inside with Billy. Jacob blinked at the fading tail lights of the other vehicles. He felt… odd. Detached. His muscles were noodly and he felt, for the first time since phasing, weak.

Sam's voice was uncharacteristically subdued when he said, "Quil's right. Take the night. All of you. Get some rest and we'll jump back on patrols tomorrow."

Leah was sitting beside Rachel on one of the logs around the fire. For a moment, it looked like Sam was going to speak to her. His eyes studied her head long enough that Jacob began staring at him – daring him to say something, maybe, as if he had any right. Defensiveness curled around that weak feeling and Jacob's eyes narrowed.

Sam turned his attention back to the wolves. His eyes were still his wolf's blue, but dim, and he looked directly at Jacob when he said, "I'm proud of you, too."

Defensiveness turned to ash in his veins.

Jacob nodded once, firm, and Sam jogged for the woods. Jared and Embry both tossed out quick goodbyes and left, too.

"Well," Paul said into the silence, rocking back on his heels. "What an interesting –"

" – Shut up," Rachel snapped, still staring at the fire. Maybe at the body in the fire, Jacob couldn't tell. "Don't joke. You disappeared over a day ago, no one heard from any of you, and then you two come back covered in blood and – and whatever all that is, reeking of death. It's not funny. We were fucking worried."

Jacob heard Paul swallow. His customarily relaxed features pinched and Jacob could see the stress more clearly. "Sorry," Paul told her. "Rachel." She looked up at him. "I'm sorry."

"I heard you." Her voice was still sharp, but her expression loosened… until she turned it on Jacob. "What about you? You sorry, too?"

"I'm sorry we worried you." He sounded uneven. Unlike himself. "But I'm not sorry it's dead."

Rachel nodded at him. Her lips pursed. "Yeah, me either." She glanced over at Paul and nodded to the house. "Let's get you cleaned up before you go home. Your mom'll flip if you come in lookin' like that" She stood and started to say something to Jacob, but he stopped her.

"I can take care of myself, Rach. Go. I'm fine."

Her hesitation was brief, and then she and Paul were walking back to the house. Jacob and Leah were left alone. She was studying the fire, elbows on her knees, hands clasped together. Her hair was plaited, and she was in black jogging pants and a white tee shirt; comfortable, like she'd been in bed when Billy had called the Clearwaters' house. Jacob didn't even know what time it was.

"Hey," she said, a tilt of amusement in her voice.

Jacob refocused and she was looking at him. "Hey."

Leah stood and rounded the fire, her attention shifting from the burning corpse to him. She stopped just short of touching. Her eyes moved up and down his torso, along his arms and shoulders, and then his face.

"Sure you're not hurt? That's a lot of blood."

"It didn't touch me." He inhaled through his nose and was disappointed to find the scent of flesh – both dead and burning – still stuck there. "He bled… a lot."

Leah's throat bobbed as she swallowed. "Okay." She didn't look entirely certain but was nodding. "Okay."

That detached, shaky feeling was starting to get on his nerves. He needed to do something. Without speaking, Jacob turned and moved into the shed he used as a garage. He had working electricity out here… and running water. In the third drawer of his tool cabinet were hand towels and a few bottles of fast orange pumice soap; he grabbed both and stepped to the sink, turned the hot nozzle, and braced both hands on the sides, gripping for purchase.

"Jake."

What was this? His chest was tight and his stomach wouldn't release from the knots that formed as soon as he'd bit down on that… thing. The taste and the smell and the consistency of it all in his mouth; feeling bones crushing and cartilage popping; the screams and the collective sickness running through the pack. He inhaled again and felt his chest rumble with frustration.

"Hey."

Leah stopped far enough away to be safe. Smart, he thought. "I'm okay," he said again – to her and to himself.

"You look like you're gonna hurl."

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Another shaky breath and then, "The smell. The taste. It's making me sick."

"Taste?" It dawned on her and she hummed with disgust. "Oh, shit. Right. Hey, use the soap. Put the soap on the towel and start washing. I'll be right back."

Jacob did, feeling like a robot moving on auto. He started with his face, his neck, and moved down to his shoulders.

Leah reentered the garage at a jog. "Here," she huffed, handing him a toothbrush and toothpaste. "A disposable. Rach said you can toss it when you're done."

As he pushed a glob of paste onto the brush and started on his teeth, Leah took the rag and pumped more soap on it, ran it under the water. She pressed it to the forearm he wasn't using and scrubbed. "Is this okay?"

He nodded.

They worked in silence until his mouth felt clean enough. He took the rag from her. "I'm okay. Just need a shower and a good night's sleep."

Leah grabbed his hand. "Then c'mon. Let's go up to the house." She tugged him along and, about halfway to the porch, said, "How bad was it?"

Jacob didn't have to think about it. "Awful."

"Are they really like ice?"

"No." He glanced at her face and then at their hands, still joined. "No, they're like… just like people. Only dead."

Leah swallowed and he felt her cringe.

Jacob heard her parents before Harry called out. "Leah!" They rounded the corner. "Let's go, sweetheart."

She squeezed his hand and let go, began walking backwards to the car. "Call me tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah?" Her eyes narrowed. "Yeah, like I will, or yeah like, maybe."

Jacob snorted. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay."

He watched them leave and felt moderately better when he inhaled and got a mixture of his orange soap and coconut and Leah. He flexed his hand and decided he'd have to think more about that later.

Take a shower.

Bed.

In that order.

The rest would have to wait.

.