Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. I am only putting my spin on Stephenie Meyer's already created world of the supernatural.
Warnings: Violence/Gore, mentions/attempt of suicide and character deaths
This wasn't what dying felt like. I wasn't with my dad, I wasn't overcome with blackness or cold. Instead, I was flying. But I wasn't me. I had no body, no clue of direction, no sense of touch or smell. The single sense of sight was all I had left as I moved fast—too fast. I was out of control, the world so far below. It was a nightmare, one that felt like it'd never end.
Discomfort pricked along my bare soul. The wind whipped me as I flew through the skies, lashing at this exposed, sensitive non-form. I wasn't sure how long I was whizzing around, disoriented, lost. Blue to black, I seemed to be circling the world over and over again.
But something yanked me off course.
Hooks that dug deep into my consciousness reeled me all the way back to Washington, to the reservation. Home? I hoped for home, to get even an imagined look at my family. I got Billy's house instead, Rebecca's room.
Peter was sitting on Rebecca's bed, grading papers. Watching him was the calm in the middle of the endless nightmare. He was so tranquil, taking sips of coffee, yawning when he checked his wristwatch.
"It's under the bed," he said, underlining a sentence in red on a paper.
Just when I got the urge to draw closer to him, an invisible explosion threw me out of the house.
The force was impossible to fight against, I couldn't redirect myself. I arched over the earth, crashing back down into Helsinki. I fell through the roof of Hotel Kämp, through the ceiling of the Mannerheim Suite. I landed—
"Whoa!" I shouted, shooting up to my feet.
My eyes opened a second later and I saw that I really was in the Mannerheim Suite. I was standing on the bed, its rich green duvet saturated with my blood. Underneath the overwhelming scent, it still smelled a little like Bella…
Oh God, Bella! I'd forgotten about Bella!
Was she ok? Where did Garrett take her? How'd I get back to the hotel? Wait, what the hell was I wearing? Baggy men's clothes were thrown over my ruined outfit from last night, tags still attached. And what time was it even? By the light pouring through the cracks of the closed curtains, it had to be early in the morning.
A wheeze caught me off guard and drew my eyes to a corner of the room.
There sat Jacob, flushed a bright red, drenched in sweat as he panted. "Hey."
I ran over, taking his face between my hands. He was burning up, so hot to the touch that my fingers stung. "What happened?"
"Bitten," he whispered through chapped lips.
I carefully scooped him up from the floor, carrying him to the blood-crusted bed. When I put him down and drew back my arms there was a new, shiny coat of red on them. Fresh crimson was also sprawling on the pillow he was laying on, coming from under his neck. I rolled him onto his side and spotted the source of the bleed with a lump in my throat. A bite. Its smell was unmistakable, I knew it was Garrett's work.
"It's gonna be ok," I said, more for myself than him. I had to keep my cool or things would get even more un-ok than they already were.
"It burns" he rasped.
I dug through my memory pool for every bit of nurse wisdom my mom had ever given me. "Your pulse is fast but you're not pale and…" I trailed off, lifting his hands to check his fingernails. Healthy color. "You're not in shock, just poisoned. Right? Just poisoned?"
"Jabbed me." His eyes slid closed.
"Jabbed? What's that mean? Where?" He didn't answer, unconscious in an instant. "Hey, don't sleep right now!" I grabbed his shoulders to try and shake him back up but his eyes flew wide open when I gripped him.
"Agh!" The agonized yelp scared me off of him.
After he relaxed again I moved to strip. I had to see where he'd gotten "jabbed" and hope whatever did it wasn't still in him. I was never that lucky, though. When he couldn't lift his arms due to the pain, I tore off the stolen, bulky sweatshirt, It exposed the metal embedded in his left shoulder so deeply that it protruded the skin of his back. Must've missed major arteries, though, or he would've bled out while I was unconscious. It was surprising that he hadn't anyway with the anticoagulant effect of the venom.
"You're a real fighter, Black. No one can ever take that away from you," I said before going to the bathroom. I needed something to help the bite clot, it was bleeding way worse than his shoulder.
The most sterile thing on hand was the untouched hand-towels on the racks in the bathroom. I grabbed every towel I could, choosing one of the white washcloths to press to the back of his neck. As soon as the gentle cotton brushed the seeping bite a guttural, throaty groan scraped out of his throat.
"It's not gonna be easy but you'll live."
Minutes passed before the bite built up frail clots but he still suffered. The venom encouraged the fever that had him on the edge of delirious. There had to be some way to help him. Carlisle had used Seth's blood to try and flush the newborn venom out of my system that day. Edward had even sucked some venom out of my bite when I'd died. It was way too late for me to try to extract any venom from Jacob, though. The venom had to be all throughout his circulatory system by now. We weren't the same blood type, either, but it wasn't like I knew how to do a direct transfusion anyway.
He started shivering while I was debating on what came next, which was no good. I pulled the side of the green duvet over him, rubbing his right arm from over the soft fabric. Jacob's quiet moans shooed away any true as I kept firm pressure on the bite.
My mom had a huge stash of medical stuff at the reservation since pack injuries were typical and some healed slower. I could've actually done something for Jacob back home. I wanted to help him here, now. Knowing what getting bitten felt like all too well, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I wouldn't even wish it on Jacob.
"Why the hell did you have to keep chasing after them, huh? What's wrong with you?" He gulped, wincing from the action, but didn't get around to responding. I sighed and tucked the duvet so it wasn't chafing his chin.
Was it even safe for me to go out there? I had no clue what'd happened last night. The only thing I knew for sure was that it didn't end well for Jacob and it ended quickly. After all, I hadn't bled out before he circled back.
"Why'd you even come back for me?" I wasn't sure why I bothered asking. He didn't respond, of course.
What did it matter anyway? All that mattered was that we'd both survived and we had to get home. Well, he did, but it wasn't a safe bet for me to try and escape with him. Neither of us was with Bella, so that meant Alice could see her, which meant the Cullens were on their way. What if they were already here? I had to try and touch base with them. They could help me get Jacob out, at least.
Snagging up the landline from the nightstand to the right of the bed, I dialed Carlisle. My heart racing faster and faster for each number I pressed but it turned out to be wasted anxiety. He didn't pick up all four times I called. So, then I dialed Esme. Alice. Jasper. Emmett. Rosalie, who I'd already guessed wouldn't answer. My last hope was Edward.
He didn't pick up, either, and his greeting message was a million knives to the chest. "Hello, you've reached Edward Cullen's voicemail. Please, leave a message and your name. I promise to return your call as soon as possible."
The beep came for me to leave a message, startling me into a panic. I hung up quickly, slamming the handset back down to its base a little too hard. The whole thing shattered and Jacob winced at the sound. He definitely had a migraine—dammit, I had to focus!
"No idea where the Cullens are. Probably here." I checked the bleeding of his neck again. I didn't think it'd get any better in his condition. "Rest assured, nothing's gonna stop you from getting home."
"No," he whispered, breathing hard.
"No? Why not? Too many memories of Bella there? Grow up."
"Don't deserve to go. Don't deserve anything." My stomach dropped as Jacob abandoned our usual script. "Shouldn't even save me. Should just die."
"Hey, don't talk like that," I scolded him. He flinched away from me, looking so much younger at that moment.
In the world of the supernatural, age became so irrelevant. It never mattered, people were always more aged than they seemed. Trauma, immortality, whatever did it, you were rarely ever your age, maturity-wise. But as I looked at Jacob, I saw a boy. A horrible boy who'd left me to die and put the pack—no, the entire tribe at risk. But, a boy, all the same. One who even sorta reminded me of, well, me.
Ugh, what was my life coming to? Was I really about to be nice to this complete and utter douchebag? I missed being heartless.
"Y'know," I started, hating where I was going already. "When I drove Emily's car into a lake, I thought no one would forgive me. Look at us now, though. 'Course, you wouldn't know because you've been M.I.A. But, anyway, we're close again."
"You drove a car into a lake. I broke ancestral rules, abandoned the pack, my dad. Can't live this down." He tried to roll over and I rushed to stop him. He couldn't afford the metal rebar to move. "And Bella… Couldn't save her."
It got tiring listening to all the guys who thought Bella's safety was their full-time job. "It wasn't up to you to stop her from getting turned. In fact, she used you to make sure it happened."
"Wasn't thinking straight."
"Neither was I after Sam dumped me and started dating my cousin. I got held fully responsible for that, though." Ok, this wasn't about me. "Bella chose this. She wouldn't have let anyone stop her and that's not your fault."
"Stop defending me," he growled weakly. "Almost killed you."
True. I was still pretty pissed about that, too. "But then you brought me back here, while poisoned. And, unlike everyone who was around me during my breakup with Sam, I don't believe in giving up on people."
"Don't wanna move on. Wanna die."
I picked up a hand towel, holding it to his shoulder wound. "Way to to prove me immediately wrong about the whole being a fighter thing."
It was so much easier to get the shoulder wound to stop bleeding. The unfortunate part was how close the metal was to an artery. One jostle too rough and Jacob would bleed out internally in seconds. I had to secure the object and I was lucky I knew how to. I could thank the pack's roughhousing this one time.
"Padding," I whispered the first step as I remembered it.
I rolled up the clean hand-towels from the bathroom, hesitating to put them on the sides of the metal. If I moved it too much in any direction, I could be doing more damage than good. Didn't have many choices, though.
"Don't," Jacob ordered, eyes open again. He looked so drained. "Please, just…let me go. Sick of this life. I lose everything."
"Can't lose what you don't have and you've never met your imprint." He quieted then, which I hoped meant he'd finished wallowing.
With ultra steady hands, I stacked the rolled-up towels as padding around the metal pole. Then I realized I had nothing to wrap it all up with. I could try ripping up clothes and using them like dressing but that'd only solve one issue anyway. I still needed medicine for his raging fever and something for the pain.
It couldn't wait anymore. "I have to go buy some stuff. I'll be back."
Jacob didn't acknowledge me and I couldn't wait for him to.
I ran to the shower, scrubbing off his blood and my own dried blood after tearing my clothes off of myself. Stray suds slipped down my arms as I ran back out to dig through my suitcase. No time to dry, I shoved on my clothes, fabric sticking and hitching against my skin. My feet squished in my boots, still wet enough to squelch when I walked.
"I'll be back in five minutes, tops," I said before running out of the room.
Since no one was around, I jumped down the stairs and then speed-walked to the front desk. The man who'd attended Rosalie before was there.
"Hello, ma'am. How may I help?" He eyed me with a sour look on his face. I knew I looked uncouth.
"Hi, is there a place around here to get some aspirin or acetaminophen that takes U.S currency?"
He cleared his throat, clasping his hands on the clean counter. The ends of my hair were still dripping, cold spreading on my shoulders. "There's a general shoppe down the street from us that should—"
"Ok, thanks." I ran out of the hotel, Carlisle's money heavy in my jeans' pocket.
It was easy to find the store. The place had a sign in their window declaring they "accept U.S dollars...oh, and tourists". I might've laughed at it if everything didn't suck so hard. The actual hard part of my trip was running through the store without bumping into anyone. I snatched up painkillers and put together a rough first aid kit. Fresh clothes went into the handcart, too, since I didn't have the key to get into Jacob and Bella's room to grab his bag. Idiots gawked as I hurried around them but I ignored it. I focused on snagging fruit with high sugar and drinks loaded with electrolytes. They'd help Jacob replenish some of the blood and energy he lost.
The employee that rang me up stared as she scanned my things. It made her slower and I couldn't afford the time. "Faster," I snapped at her, using the glare I usually reserved for red-eyed cold ones.
She balked and scanned at hyper-speed while I rapped my fingers hard against the counter. When she finished, I laid down a hundred-dollar bill before snatching my bags and running.
I paid no mind to anyone as I raced back to the suite. It was a blur until I made it back. Slamming the door behind myself, I ran to the bedroom only to find Jacob face-down on the floor close by the bed. Intangible fingers of fear raked up my arms, leaving goosebumps instead of wounds. I was too panic-stricken to make a sound as I sprinted over to him, turning him over.
He was alive, conscious even, but he was crying. Silently and fiercely. His whole face was wet with tears that wouldn't grow cold on his skin. "Tell me," he demanded with a wobbling voice. "How did you go on? When everything happened. How?"
"There's no magic answer, I lived for the people I loved. That was all that got me by for a while, until I realized something. Giving up wouldn't stop anything worse from happening, it just got rid of the chance for things to get better. Take it from me, things can change fast. My life's been the most up-and-down experience for the past two years but I wouldn't miss one up to skip a few downs. I wouldn't miss Edward to skip Sam. You have to keep going because you just never know. The best thing you'll ever have could be right around the corner."
He wiped his face with a big hand. "Hard to believe that." I picked him up, minding the rebar in his shoulder as I deposited him back on the bed.
"Impossible to disprove, too." I emptied the bags of supplies onto the mattress, searching for the dressing first.
It was creeping into the afternoon outside. People chattered, a stream of noise picking up from the park below. Suitcases rolled through the hallways, some traveling up to the lounge. It was during times like these that understood a common phrase used in the pack.
"Same planet, different worlds," I muttered as I wrapped up Jacob's makeshift padding. Medical-grade padding hadn't been available at the store, so I was sticking with the towels.
"Unwilling aliens."
"Great band name."
I popped open the acetaminophen, pouring out a triple dose of what he needed. He was already prone to burning off medication, so I had to be sure these actually got into his system with his fever. "Fair warning, this is gonna feel like liquid ice. So, don't chug." I twisted the cap off the bottle, breaking the seal. A soft, fruity smell emanated from the drink.
After a quick adjustment of the pillows, so he wouldn't drown, I pressed the rim of the bottle to his bottom lip. His breath was searing hot when he sighed, reflex wanted me to yank my hand back.
"I got it." Jacob surprised me by reaching up with a shaking hand to hold the bottle, himself. He even accepted the pills I offered.
The good news was that, before long, Jacob emptied the whole bottle. Thirstiness meant he wasn't that nauseous, which meant he wasn't as poisoned as I was from the therapies. That tracked since I'd injected poison into my bloodstream for days and he got bitten once. I would've died if I hadn't phased the way I did. I'd give it a couple days for him to bounce back because of the whole impaling thing.
"I'll give you some fruit in a little while since you're drinking so well." I cracked open another bottle, handing it to him.
While he drank whatever he could get his hands on, I started peeling an orange. And plotting. How could I get him out of Finland? TSA line at an airport seemed like too big an ask for him, especially since he was so sad. Sadness always seemed to slow the healing effect of our shapeshifting genes.
"Feel any better?" I asked after he ate his first orange wedge.
"No," he whispered, closing his eyes.
"Great. Think you can handle a ferry ride out of here? You'd have to go alone." He didn't even react, lying there like he was sleeping. "People will understand, Jake."
"Maybe, but I'll still feel this shame."
"Shame?"
"Yeah," he answered, swallowing. "I don't even know myself anymore. I look in the mirror and see a stranger. I started reflecting back on everything, everything I've done since phasing and…it's not me. Hell, I hadn't even gotten into a fight at school before all this. Now, I'm, what, a killer? A guy who can't take no for an answer from his best friend? A runaway, a sore loser. The worst part is I still don't even look as old as I feel."
I sat on the edge of the bed, studying his face as he kept his eyes closed. "Well, I see is someone who's had a very hard life, from losing his mom at a young age to falling for the completely wrong girl."
He frowned. "Was she? If the Cullens never showed up—"
"Maybe you would've even gotten married before your imprint came around. Imagine that." He opened his eyes, tears trailing from their corners. "You made mistakes, you did bad things, got your heart broken—a few times. Sound familiar? They'll welcome you back with open arms if they made me second. Trust me."
"I doubt I actually have a choice."
"Maybe you aren't completely stupid, after all." He scowled at my remark and I returned it with a grin.
He peeled off another orange wedge, popping the whole thing in his mouth. "Catch me up, will ya? Wanna know what I'm going back to."
"Kinda more worried about getting you out of Finland right now."
"Look, however you're planning to do it, I bet it's not until night. Now, catch me up, will ya?"
If we waited until nightfall, I could drag Jacob around a lot easier. I was the best at stealth in the whole pack and that was true even in my human form. Sneaking him out to a ferry in the dead of night sounded like a cakewalk.
"Fine, but no interruptions. You can ask your questions when I finish."
"Fine."
Telling him about things that took place in the pack, alone, took over an hour. Everything else I told him took us into nighttime. It was like I couldn't stop saying all the things I'd kept inside. So much had happened in a month and saying it made it feel even more unreal. Jacob couldn't seem to believe half of it either. His expressions told the story of his thoughts; from his skepticism to his horror, I saw his opinion on it all.
By the end of my spiel, Jacob was breathing without wincing and way less sweaty. He was also quiet even though I'd finished talking. "Any questions?" I prompted him.
"How'd we end up in this mess?" He shook his head, glancing at his bad shoulder. "Don't answer that."
"Wasn't gonna. Any real questions?"
"First, I wanna say Jared's an idiot but you should remember he's ambitious. 'Sounds to me like Sam's being an idle alpha with his wedding and all, too. I bet that won't lead to anything good."
"Sam has nothing to worry about from Jared." Jared had fallen in line pretty well.
"If you say so," Jacob commented, glancing off to the side with a humorless smile. "Also, the vampire's gone but shouldn't be forgotten. Sounds like they did recon, so they'll be back. And the pack needs a day every month to mess around and remember shapeshifting can be fun, that it's even an honor. You train 'em too hard, they'll lose steam."
"That it?" I'd need a pen and paper if he said another word.
"The key to that Alarie guy is his family. How's no one talked to them yet? Don't you have her social media?"
"I mean, yeah—"
"Would be a little suspicious, though. Someone needs to see them in person. I could do that, easy. I'm already in Europe. Plus, then I'd be bringing something back with me—information—and I'd be in good shape again. It'd make people way less pissed off." He looked at me like I'd even consider the idea.
"You're out of your damn mind."
He snorted, sporting a wolfish grin. "C'mon. I'll be fine, you'll help me."
I forgot to tell him the tiny part where I couldn't leave. "I can't."
"You've gone all Mother Theresa since I left. Won't you help the sick?" He gestured to himself with a lackluster flourish.
"No," I replied, throwing a strawberry at his face. It was fun to throw things at him with his slowed reflexes and bad arm. Most times, I hit my target square in the nose.
He picked up the strawberry, saying, "That's not very saintly of you."
"Don't get it twisted, Black. I'm no Mother Theresa. I'm still gonna beat you once you're all better for ditching me in that alley. It'll be biblical, our descendants will tell stories of it for generations." I smiled when he let out a genuine laugh, looking off to the side.
"Wouldn't expect anything less from you, Clearwater." To think I'd managed a brittle peace with Jacob days before it would be irrelevant. "So, why won't you help?"
"Other than the fact that it's a super stupid idea? The Volturi wouldn't let me go back."
"You said Caius wouldn't—"
"It's not about Caius, it's something else. And it's complicated and I really don't wanna talk about it. I just want to get you out of Finland."
Jacob stared at me, his expression strange. "That's it? You expect the pack to just let this go?"
"I expect that between you, Paul, and Jared that Sam will be convinced enough to make the tough choice."
He ate the strawberry, avoiding my eyes then.
I got up out of my chair by the window, fixing my t-shirt. "Anyway, tell me what happened last night so I can know what we're walking out into."
He wiped some sweat from his eyes. He was still sweating like a dog but his skin had regained its color. "Not much. Fought Garrett and lost. He took Bella and ran. It all happened in about two minutes, from me leaving you to coming back for you."
No way were the Cullens still in Washington. "Did any of the Cullens call you?"
"Sure did. Your leech kept asking for you in the voicemails. Went on for about four minutes before it was dead silence."
I didn't even want to think about why Edward had stopped reaching out. "Ok, here's the plan. I'm gonna go out and find a ferry place, buy you a ticket, and then I'll come back for you."
"You think it'll be ok?"
Jacob, poisoned and impaled, alone on a ferry. "Sure. Probably. I mean, it'll have to be. You can't stay here."
"Comforting."
I left, confident he could handle laying around until I got back. The hotel lobby had some brochures that I took with me as I went out to search for Jacob's ride. After more than a few stops at various ferry lines, I started to relax. There'd been no vampire anywhere in sight. The coast was clear and putting so much effort into keeping my eyes peeled seemed pointless. I decided to put all my energy toward narrowing down the more reasonable ports to ship Jacob off of.
And then a cold one with red eyes rounded the corner I was heading toward.
He was huge, a bronze pallor to his luminous skin. Bigger than Emmett. "Like what you see?" He asked as he walked toward me. I'd been staring too long, frozen in place.
"Sorry." Better to act like a polite nobody. I wanted to be as insignificant in his memory as possible.
I looked down to seem demure and he chuckled, the sound so deep it almost sounded like a growl. He passed by me and I kept my head ducked down as I started walking again. He gave a discreet sniff, one that mortals couldn't have noticed. His breath hitched at the unexpected smell of me.
"Wow. Use medicated shampoo. And deodorant," he muttered to himself, so quiet I could've missed it. I had to stifle a laugh.
So, there was one vampire to worry about. That wasn't so bad.
"Psst. Leah, over here."
I stopped in place, looking toward the whisper. It'd come from a backstreet between a row of boutiques and a shopping mall.
"Psst! Come over here!"
"Ok, already!" People stared at me for my outburst. I ducked my head again, heading for the voice.
Usually, I made it a rule of thumb not to go into a dark, isolated place by myself when vampires could ambush me. But I had a feeling this vampire wasn't with the Volturi. Call it a hunch. I ventured into the backstreet to verify it.
A good distance in, a barrel to my left asked, "Did a vampire the size of a house pass by yet?"
"Yeah."
The barrel started rocking back and forth. I pulled off its lid, too impatient. "Hey." Garrett grinned at me from where he'd cramped himself inside the small container. He popped up from his hiding place, eyes sweeping over me. "Wow, you're well. Also, you're alive. Very impressive of you."
"Hold the applause. Why are you even here?"
"Great question. Well, it's definitely not because I want to be." He dusted off a weird-smelling powder on his jacket. "My initial attempt at a graceful exit was halted by said house-sized vampire."
I couldn't stand going a second longer without asking— "What happened last night?"
"What didn't? I saw a man explode into a wolf and then had him chase me across rooftops, butt-naked. Imagine if I'd died that way after all these years. Bella want't lying when she said she kept an eventful life."
"Ok, move on. What came next?"
He puffed a frosty breath, scratching his jaw though I knew it couldn't be itching. "Hm, what next? I ran, of course, after disabling him. I took Bella to the spot where I'd been planning to turn her."
"Did you?" I asked, too impatient, too desperate to wait for him to get there.
"Long story short? Yes."
I shoved him and his barrel swayed, knocking him back against the wall. "I thought we were on the same page!"
"Hey, I didn't want to! But what's a vampire to do when a girl takes advantage of your location being an abandoned crack house? I was in the middle of calling Carlisle when she slit her own throat with a broken beer—"
"Jesus!"
"I know. I was lucky not to drain her with all that blood but I did it. Bella's pretty unhinged and not always in the fun way."
My stomach turned, making me sick as I couldn't help but imagine it. Imagine Bella finding the right shard, holding it to her neck— "God, this is so screwed up."
"Is it? No one's died so far, I think we've been pretty lucky."
I took in his words, evaluating them. Jacob got poisoned but he was still alive. Bella would come back. I'd managed to scrape by, too. "This is some terrible type of lucky."
"I can agree on that."
"Did the Cullens find Bella?" Was Edward in Finland? Could I see him one last time?
Garrett laughed at my question, climbing out of his barrel then. "I'd guess so, them having Alice and all. But Bella and I were dragged to Italy seconds after I turned her. Turns out some spies followed wolf-man to come see us. You're not a wolf, too, are you? I mean, I'd say so but I wouldn't want to just because you two look…similar."
I rolled my eyes. "We're both wolves and we're both Native American but we're not related. Satisfied?"
"Not until I'm off this continent."
Garrett seemed to remember his situation then. He reached into the barrel, grabbing something out of it: A bag, packed full. A part of me thought it might've been a betrayal for him to leave Bella like this. But he hadn't known her that long and if it were me, I'd be gone, too.
"We don't have much time to sit around and chat. Anything else you wanna know?
"Why are you even being chased?"
"Oh, it's not news, wolf-woman. Santiago's been chasing me for years." He scoffed harshly then, spite seeping into his orange eyes. "Caius encouraged the conflict when it began, so it burns to this day. Sadistic bastard."
Caius. Every mention of him made me dread our meeting even more. "Took you a while to lose this Santiago guy."
"You have no idea." Garrett's eyes scanned over my appearance again. "Durable as you seem to be, he could crush you like a juice-box. The way he got recruited by the Volturi was by fighting Felix for two straight weeks before losing. But then Felix decided not to kill him because he could be a bigger asset than a threat."
"Fantastic."
"Isn't it?" Garrett asked, matching my level of sarcasm. "I have to get out of here before I get caught."
"Me too," I replied.
Garrett didn't miss a beat in the conversation. "Come with me, if you want."
"To be your 'companion'?" I asked, using aggressive air quotes at him. "I guess you'll just offer that role to any girl you meet."
He laughed, taking it in good humor. "No. And I only offered that to Bella to keep her out of trouble. I'm offering you a way out because I owe you. You took a crippling blow for me."
"Well, I could use a ride somewhere. Have one?"
"I do. A nice boat is waiting for me, if I can get to it." Right, he had mentioned a boat in his story of finding Bella. What a lucky break in the middle of all this misery.
"Since you owe me, I'm assuming you'll do me a favor."
He smiled and the action was noticeably stilted. "I know I'm going to regret this but…sure."
"Take wolf-man home."
"No way."
He waltzed back to the sidewalk and I followed him. "He's sick because you bit him. Your venom is toxic to us, so he can't handle being on his own right now and—"
"You want me to take care of the guy who tried to kill me?"
"His name is Jacob Black, he's a descendant of the great chiefs of our tribe and he's only sixteen." Garrett glanced down at me but his expression was blank. This approach wasn't working. "Please? My other plan was to ship him off by himself and he's in way too bad condition to be alone."
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like a desperate woman?"
"Yes. With the big eyes peeking up through the eyelashes all twinkly and—stop it." I let my feelings show clear on my face, inching closer as we walked. "It's not gonna work."
As much as I believed him, I couldn't give up. "Please, Garrett. If he dies, it'll be because of me. I'm the reason for all these terrible things happening. I can't be responsible for this, too I just—I need help. Please."
He made a sound like he was gonna be sick. "If I do this, it makes us even."
I couldn't believe it. "Wait, really?"
"Does it seem like I'm joking?"
"No" I responded fast. "Thank you. I won't forget this."
"You better not. I'm transporting the guy who tried to murder me while trying to avoid the guy who's still currently trying to murder me."
"The hardest challenges make the best stories."
"Well, now you're speaking my language," he said with a big grin. He sobered to a small smile as he commented, "I am curious, though. If you're with Carlisle and his family, why don't you wait for them at the hotel? Surely, that would be the lowest risk."
"I'll wait but Jake can't. I've gotta get him out safe before everything comes to a head."
"You're not even coming?" He asked in a tone that suggested disappointment. "Well, I guess I can handle him alone. So long as he doesn't pull the wolf trick again, that is. Where am I taking him to anyway?"
"All the way to Washington. Drop him off by the Quileute Reservation. Just, uh, don't cross the actual boundary line, ok?"
Garrett swung his bag over his shoulder, his other hand going into his front pocket. His head was on a swivel as he answered, "I'll take your word for it."
"Don't mention what happened to Bella to him, either. And definitely don't mention that you were the one who turned her if you have to tell him she got turned. Blame it on a Volturi member or something."
"Great. Can we go faster now before a lunatic the size of a house finds us?"
"Yeah. The hotel's back this way." I sped up, leading him along.
It wasn't long before I'd backtracked us to Hotel Kämp. Too risky to stay outside, Garrett came up to the room with me.
Jacob was laying in bed with his eyes closed, breathing hard, a dimple between his eyebrows. "Who's with you?" He'd been trying to recognize the foot pattern, for sure.
"Your old pal," Garrett replied, looking around the place.
Jacob opened his eyes then, sneering at Garrett. I didn't have time for the little exchange, rushing around to pack all the medical supplies. I gave Jacob some more painkillers before stowing them away in my suitcase.
"Ok, let's go," I said in the middle of some unimportant comment Jacob was making.
"Cool," Garrett said, pushing off from where he was leaning in the doorway. "Hope the Cullens can pay for these damages. You two could give a rock-band in the 1970's a run for their money."
I snorted. "Uh, they'll be fine. I'm not even sure if they can go broke with Alice by their side." The mention of money reminded me to put my wad of cash in Jacob's pocket.
"You either became a drug dealer while I was gone or you borrowed cash from the Cullens. I don't want borrowed cash from them."
"And I didn't want to come to get your butt out of Finland. Life's full of disappointments."
"You're so young to be so disillusioned," Garrett teased. I smiled. I felt like I should since he was doing me a favor. "Should we go now?"
"Yep. Think you can carry him?"
Garrett smirked, strutting over. "I'm pretty sure I'm stronger than you." He touched Jacob's right arm and recoiled just as quick. "I see what you mean now."
"Yeah, he has a bad fever, strongman. For the sake of blending in, though—"
"I know. You're right." With a tiny sigh, Garrett reached for Jacob again. He got him off the bed, gritting his teeth as he pulled Jacob's long arm over his shoulders. "I'll make it."
"What about you? Can you manage?" I looked to Jacob who'd paled again.
"No," he wheezed. Circulation was better now that he wasn't lying down, which meant a sharp uptick in pain.
"I'll switch the way I'm carrying you once we break away from the general populace. You can make it," Garrett said, starting to walk to the door. Jacob's feet dragged uselessly along.
I opened the door for them, following them out with my suitcase in hand. The way to Garrett's boat was clear. Too clear. Santiago didn't cross us one time compared to the four from our trip back to the hotel.
"Where do you think Santiago went?"
Garrett glanced down at me. "Home. He lost me."
"You think it's that easy?"
He didn't give a response to my worried question but I saw how he tensed. Now, we were both paranoid. Jacob was out of it from the pain but if he was fully conscious, he'd be on his toes, too.
"Wait," Garrett whispered, stopping in place.
I held my breath, listening for whatever he'd heard. A second, then two passed before it came within my hearing distance. Footsteps, huge ones, pounding against soil with no breath or pulse to follow.
"It's him!" Garrett booked it and I kept up with him easy.
The two of us spoke in sharp, urgent whispers. "How could he have found us?"
"Not sure. Bad news, but we can lose him."
"And that took you how many hours the last time again?" He didn't answer. "Jake can't handle a long, high-speed chase or cramming into a barrel! We have to end this!"
"We can't fight him." He swerved, leading off to a deserted island that didn't seem to have a dock.
"A distraction," I proposed, catching his eyes for a split second. "Get him to Washington."
"I will. You're a good friend, Leah."
"Or a very stupid woman. The jury's still out."
We got to the boat and he dropped Jacob into my arms so he could get it running. I carefully laid Jacob down, putting my suitcase down close by. He'd woken up but was so exhausted by now that he wouldn't have kept his eyes open for an alien invasion.
"It's gonna be ok," I reassured him anyway like he was the scared one. "You'll get home, Jake. I promise."
"Anything I should know before leaving?" Garrett asked as he was raising the boat's anchor.
"If things get real bad for Jake, piss him off as much as you can. It'll make him change, which means he'll pull through. Just mention the other thing I told you not to, if it comes to that."
"Easy enough task. The real challenge will be living to tell the tale." His eyes glimmered at the prospect. He was a glutton for punishment, as much as he tried to pretend otherwise. "Good luck, Leah."
"Good luck, Garrett." I moved to go but Jacob's hand caught my arm. The grip was weak but the action itself stopped me.
Jacob mumbled with closed eyes. "I'm sorry, Leah. For everything."
"I forgive you." I'd figure out if I'd lied later. "Stay safe." I climbed back out of the boat then, bracing for the heavy vampire sprinting toward us.
"Garrett!" A deep, masculine voice called. It was frenzied and the same one from earlier that'd whined about my scent. "Why do you think I let you go earlier? I knew I'd catch you here!"
"Very clever, Santiago! Did your master tell you I'd be here?"
"Felix. He asked Caius, who asked Aro, who knew where you'd parked your little boat." He was close enough now to where he didn't need to yell and was gaining fast.
It was harder for me to see far in the dark but vampires were easier to spot since they always shined. Time slowed when I saw Santiago coming from the patch of forest that tapered off into the island's edge. A feral grin was on his pale, glowing face. I hadn't noticed before, but his hair was such a dark shade of black that it swallowed moonlight. His teeth seemed to gleam the brighter because of it.
The boat began motoring away. It got a twelve second start before Santiago got close enough to jump for it. I was lucky he'd underestimated my agility and especially my strength. I leaped to catch him by the ankle and, with all my might, I hoisted him away from his target. He slammed him back down into the earth, creating a hole in it with his body. Birds fled from the loudness, scattering, free to flee as they wanted.
In the distance, I heard Garrett whistle his awe but I kept my gaze on Santiago. He propped himself up on his elbows, head cocked unnaturally to the side as he examined me with red eyes. It didn't seem like I'd hurt him at all.
"You're dead." His voice didn't hold any special anger or intimidation. He'd said it in the same casual tone people used to mention the weather.
Santiago got up at the same time that I took off, running as fast as I could. We passed people as he pursued me but we were going so fast that they couldn't see us at such a close range. The few people around made startled sounds as the wind we displaced us hit them in delayed gusts.
"You won't get away," Santiago warned me. "Make it easier on yourself and stop before you really piss me off."
"Go to hell."
I kept running. Running and running and running. We raced across docks, across the boats beside them. Over rooftops, under underpasses, around suburban houses through their backyards. I couldn't lose him, even when I created distance between us, he never wavered, never fell off my track or my scent. I had no idea how Garrett had managed to hide from him.
"No more games!" Something whizzed past my head a second after Santiago's outburst.
Soil burst by my feet. I had to look back to understand what'd happened. He was holding a pile of rocks, arm up and ready to throw one right between my eyes. So simple but so effective for someone who didn't have stone skin. He'd turn me into Swiss cheese.
Dodging wouldn't be effective enough. I had to get out of range, I had to—
"Fuck!" I shouted. A stone went into my left Achilles tendon straight through the front of my ankle. I faltered and that was all he needed.
Pain lanced through my knee on that same leg, lodging in its cap. My leg was officially useless. I crashed down, collecting a mouthful of dirt and landing wrong on my right arm. The agony of it all was enough to have me cry out, the sound muted by earth. It sucked to have my own speed used against me.
"Finally," he hissed.
I pushed up enough with one arm to see out of the tiny crater I made, coughing. Santiago had done a good job of closing the distance, only about a foot away now. He looked demented, his mouth hung open in excitement from the hunt. Venom was visibly pooled, threatening to drip down his chin. Everything about him looked wrong, even the way he ran. He wasn't breathing, giving off the appearance of stillness even while he streaked straight for me.
"Stay back!" I bellowed, coughing out more dirt.
I crawled back with one arm and one leg, my base instincts screaming at me to phase, to fight, to kill as I was meant to. For the tribe, I pushed them away. I would sooner die for everyone I loved than be the reason they died.
Not again.
His huge shadow barreled for me in the dark, the crimson pools of sin in his face glowing bright with hunger. Not even thirst the way I'd seen in the Cullens' faces on a hunt, but hunger.
The terrible stories Old Quil and Billy had told me crept up from the back of my mind. A demon was closing in on me in the night with breath like ice and venom like fire. Chills rolled down my back as an inhuman growl built in the still air. All the bugs, all the animals, all of anything near us had already fled. The only noises left were my breathing, my heartbeat, his audible bloodlust.
I tried to get up, falling so pitifully back into my crater. My grave. I was so tired.
Santiago sprang, spearing toward me. His skin shone in indirect moonlight like misty quartz. White hands reached, fingers curled, false veins standing out on their backs.
A foot away from our collision, he disappeared.
Thunder echoed through the woods seconds later, coming from where Santiago had been. As I was debating crawling away, more random thunder ripped out into the air. I knew then that another vampire had come into play. Sight and sound were just disconnected due to the sheer speed of it all. Which was a big clue of who it was.
Something went rolling a few seconds later, taking down two whole trees. I managed to spy Santiago staring at me from where he was laying on the ground, dozens of feet away. He got onto all fours.
"Stay back!" A voice roared to my left.
I looked and saw Edward with wild hair, coiled into a crouch, shaking with rage in his bright eyes. I let out a noise of relief and he looked over at me, checking. I nodded as I got to my feet. I was ok. I wasn't dead, so I was actually way better than ok.
"How dare you! She was my prey!" Santiago called from afar. He sounded so human then. "Rude." I looked over and saw him standing.
While Edward was all aggression and anger, Santiago was completely devoid of it. He was neutral, his face a perfect mask even though his tone held a pout. His eyes flicked to me and suddenly I was staring at Edward's back.
"Look at her again and that's enough provocation."
Santiago cackled. "Really? Sheesh, she's not your mate, is she?"
"She's a member of my coven."
"Well, she's not a vampire, so I have a hard time believing that." So much for the whole dual citizenship thing working out. "And if we wanna go by treating her like a vampire then according to our rules, I get to kill her and you for standing in my way."
"Try it," Edward whispered, taking two casual steps forward. Santiago backed away five steps in response, gulping. He tried to cover it up by lightly chuckling. "Not to mention that Leah could gladly take you by herself under any normal circumstance."
"Oh? I doubt that."
"Did she actually ever fight you, Santiago? Did she ever hit you?" Santiago didn't answer. "That's what I thought."
Santiago backed behind a nearby tree, his frame not even a quarter of the way covered by its thick trunk. "I'll let it go this once, for old time's sake, Edward. It wasn't so long ago that we were hunting the same type of prey."
Edward snarled, "Long enough."
"Sure. But if she ever attacks one of us again, she's done for. You know that. And my masters will be seeing what she did."
"Will they? I suppose if you run fast enough, there's a chance."
Santiago ran, not sparing another word. Edward watched him go, seeing him long after he'd disappeared from my sight. I focused on trying to mask the pain of my leg in my head so he didn't have to feel it.
Edward turned around after a moment to face me. I winced as pain shot through my ruined leg at the barest pressure I put on it to try and go to him. In a flash he wrapped both his arms around my waist, picking me up in a hug. I hooked an arm over the back of his neck, closing my eyes as I squeezed.
"You're alive," he whispered, hiding his face in my shoulder. "Leah." I could tell there wasn't anything else coming. He was saying my name like a prayer, a thank-you, a complete thought.
He pulled away just enough to touch his forehead to mine, still keeping me off my feet. My breathing slowed to match his as I touched a dirty palm to his cheek. I opened my eyes to steal a peek at him and found him with his eyes closed, too. A cool sigh against my face made my eyelids flutter shut again. Blind, his sweetness robbed me of any other awareness I had of the outside world. I was safe, I was home. The tug of the bond was distant as he held me, muted by my own emotions.
"We're sorry to interrupt."
"He is, I'm not."
I opened my eyes again, turning my head to see who'd interrupted us. Carlisle and Rosalie stood a few feet away. I didn't only miss the sound of them approaching but I also didn't recognize their voices. If that wasn't proof of Edward's effect on me, I didn't know what was.
Edward probably heard but he didn't acknowledge them until I thought that he should. "She can't stand."
Carlisle came over, gingerly taking me from Edward's arms. "She won't have to."
Edward placed a hand on my shoulder. "You'll take care of her?"
"With my life."
"Better than you do," Rosalie replied at the same time as Carlisle.
"Rose," Carlisle quickly chided.
Edward ignored her, taking my hand in both of his. His eyes were scalding with emotion, most of which I couldn't dream of understanding. I was sorry, not for what I'd done but for how it had affected him.
"This is my fault. You must believe that," he murmured, guilty over something that absolutely wasn't his fault.
"And you must go," Rosalie hissed.
Carlisle intervened then. "She is right. My son, it's time. Alice was clear in her instructions."
"I know," he snapped before letting go of me. "Just—…don't ever leave her alone."
"I won't." Carlisle cradled me closer to his chest. "Go."
Edward flashed away but his presence lingered. Or maybe that was just my mind trying to make up for the fact that I'd probably never see him again. No matter what, my heart kept trying to hold onto him.
"Leto—Carlisle, let me carry her."
"I have her, Rose." He darted us off then, Rosalie following close behind.
It was a pretty silent run. I didn't like this silence, though. There was something too heavy about it. "Not gonna scold me or anything? I almost missed your lectures," I joked at Carlisle.
He didn't answer but his eyes grazed mine for a fleeting, hidden time. There was no fire, no disapproval on his face. He looked—...he looked sorry for me. I slumped in his arms, giving into the weighty silence.
I really was a goner, wasn't I?
A/N: Hey. I've returned. I broke my laptop, got a cat, and survived on the nourishment of your reviews. Please, forgive me. I hope you enjoyed this despite any inconsistencies or mistakes, of which I know there are always many lol. Yeah, so there'll be another chapter soon. Also, don't believe that. I always say that and I'm almost never right.
These reviews have been recently especially delicious. I've enjoyed the fact that someone's been analyzing this fanfiic because I do leave hints every now and then. But, of course, I appreciate every single review and thank you for taking the time to write them. I'm so grateful. Please, stay tuned as I work on the next two chapters.
