Chapter 16
"Come on, my darling… We have to get up. Jake will be over soon to go through your training. Emmett already texted him. We don't want them storming up here impatiently and finding us in this state" Alice whispered and Bella groaned as she rolled over effectively untangling her nude body from her lover's and buried her face in the pillow, not wanting to get out of bed. Bella had finally gotten back on track with Alice and didn't want to spend one second doing anything besides relishing in their closeness. If there was one thing that Bella was certain of it was that nothing would ever be worth distancing herself from her imprint ever again. No matter the issue she never would put either of them through that pain again.
"Bella…" Alice purred, running a fingertip down Bella's neck causing Bella to groan as she instantly became aroused at the touch, forcing her to wake up.
"Ugh, fine. But you're going to finish what you just started, later." Bella finally sighed and got out of bed and quickly pulled on an older pair of light denim jeans with holes at the knees and a loose fitting green shirt. Bella slid on a pair of faded black converse and threw her hair back into a messy bun as she jogged down the stairs while fixing her side bangs with Alice trailing behind. Bella stopped at the front door and took Alice by the hand, intertwining their fingers.
"Let's see what I can do" Bella smiled and exited the house with Alice by her side meeting up with the rest of the family.
"Sorry, we got a bit, er… tied up" Bella nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of neck as Alice grinned.
"You're right on time, please." Carlisle smiled and walked out to the front area where Jake was waiting patiently.
"Yo, good morning sleepy head!" Jake laughed as Bella rolled her eyes.
"So, what's the plan?" Bella asked as Alice moved a few steps away to stand between Jasper and Rosalie.
" Easy. Your opponent is me. I want to see what you can do in this state first and then we can strip at our designated areas, phase, and then the fun will truly begin!" Jake grinned, " Keep in mind this is only for sparing purposes. You just have to go against me as it may be hard for one of the Cullens to heal from on your attacks" Bella nodded and shot an uneasy glance at Alice, remembering that all too well.
"Why not just skip to phasing then? This honestly feels like a waste of time to me." Bella asked as she stretched out her muscles, feeling them pop into place.
"Because, the wolf form only enhances your brute strength. This form, at least in your case, will help with speed and agility. Having brute strength will be helpful but if you don't have control of your speed and agility, it won't make a difference" Jake smiled as he got into a defensive stance. Bella simply nodded and got into one as well. Her sharp jade green eyes locked onto Jake.
Bella took exactly one step forward when she was hit with a paralyzing feeling of terror. Bella froze, her eyes wide, and her body trembling uncontrollably. A feeling of adulterated agony flooded throughout her senses and body, causing her to fall to her knees, one hand bracing herself against the warm dirt which prevented from falling face first into the ground, the other clutching her tightening chest as she gasped in vain for air. Bella's vision became tunneled. She could only faintly hear Alice scream her name. Bella's unfocused eyes looked through Jake and the rest of the Cullens, past Alice, towards the direction where she felt the presence that was causing these emotions and reaction from her.
' Enemy' Bella heard run through her head, following by a sickening sweet smell, worse than Bella had endured with the experience with Edward. It made Bella gag, and her nose began to bleed. Bella quickly put her head back, allowing the blood to pool at the base of her throat, suppressing a gag from the sickening metallic taste. Every one of the Cullens had told her how appealing her blood smelled but Bella couldn't see it.
As suddenly as it had happened, the presence faded. Bella trembled as her eyes refocused on Alice who was down on her knees, her hands on Bella's shoulders.
"Bella, what the fuck just happened?" Jake asked as he ran a hand against her sweat laced brow, "Jesus, fuck. You're warm to even me."
"Maybe this was just too soon? I mean, I feel like we are expecting way too much out of her. It hasn't even been three days and here we are expecting her to pull off miracles. She is still part human you know." Rosalie suggested as Bella shakily stood up, her jaw clenched as she swallowed the residual blood in her mouth with a grimace, her body threatening to reject the action almost instantaneously.
"No, something happened. I'm sure of it. Her emotions were an honest to God mess. She looked like Alice does when she gets a vision." Jasper murmured, his concerned eyes locked onto Bella, feeling a great amount of fear and confusion coming from her.
"Bella, sweetheart. Please, talk to me.?" Alice pressed, her eyes begging for Bella to say something, anything.
"I don't know what happened. I… I was just suddenly frozen in pain and this horrible sickening sweet smell. It was terrible. It completely shut me down. I had no control. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. Alice…it was terrible. Please don't make me talk about it anymore. " Bella finally said, her eyes still locked onto Alice's as she pleaded with her to understand.
"Bella, that is how vampires smell to shifters. Maybe you are finally seeing what the Cullens smell like to us now that you're more in tune to your wolf side." Jake mused but Bella shook her head.
"Jake, it's not like that. The Cullens smell sweet to me but not like this. It honest to God burnt my nose to the point where it actually bled. Besides, I would have noticed this when I first got back from the island if that were the case." Bella argued with a slightly trembling voice, still trying to recover from the experience.
"Well, I didn't notice anything new…" Jake began but was silenced as Sam and the some of the pack suddenly appeared.
"Bella, thank God. You're okay." Sam sighed in relief.
"Why wouldn't she be? What's going on?" Rosalie asked, her gaze shooting to Sam.
"Can I speak freely?" Sam asked, looking at Alice, who nodded.
"Yes, it's fine. Somehow she found out what happened…" Alice sighed in slight frustration, memories of the damage that the whole ordeal had caused, and the pain that it had caused both her and Bella coming back to the front of her mind.
"Yeah, I wonder how that could have happened" Sam paused to shoot a hard and knowing glance at Jake before shaking his head in disappointment and clearing his throat, " Victoria was close. Looks like she is staying just out of ours and your sensory levels but the breeze shifted and we got wind of her, faint, but still there. We followed the faint scent this direction until it vanished." Sam said slowly, causing Rosalie to sigh in annoyance.
"Bella, do you think that is why this all just happened?" Jasper asked with a raised eyebrow, sending waves of comfort both to Alice and Bella.
"What happened?" Sam asked as he looked at Bella with a gentle gaze.
"She just froze. Completely shut down by pain, anxiety and fear. It's almost like she lost control of her body." Esme replied, her worried gaze looking up to her husband.
"But shouldn't Jake have sensed this as well?" Carlisle asked.
"Not necessarily. Like we said, it was very faint. Almost nonexistent. Bella likely was only able to sense what none of you could as a defense mechanism for her imprint." Sam replied, his eyebrows furrowing as he was growing concerned for Bella, who had visibly paled.
"This is a lot of movement on her end. We need to come up with a plan. I don't think we can wait any longer to address this threat. At this point, we're all just sitting ducks and I don't care to be that any longer. I think it's time we get the upper hand in this situation" Carlisle sighed as he looked at his family, knowing the risks.
Bella's eyes had not left Alice's since she had come back to the real world. She heard the conversation and the debates between the Cullens and Sam about what would be the safest and the most effective course of action, but it was all faint. Alice of course had gone through plan a to plan z and back again, trying to come up with a solution, searching through every possible scenario with her visions.
' She's gone through every possible scenario and all I can do is memorize every single detail of her face as this may be one of the last times that I see it. The threat had presented itself and I had become frozen, paralyzed and overcome by anxiety. As her fiancé, her imprint… I failed… and I can't allow that happen again.' Bella thought to herself as she felt an unfamiliar burning sensation running up and down her spine, followed by a slight rumbling sensation. Bella blinked and came back to the world as Jake shook her shoulder.
"Bella, do you have any input? Apparently, none of us can agree on the proper course of action at the moment." Carlisle sighed and shook his head in annoyance.
"I do… but I know that no one will like it," Bella paused before looking at the ground. Bella took a deep breath and raised her head to look at the Cullens, " But first, I need more information. How did she escape all of you?"
"That's her gift, as far as we can tell anyway. She's very elusive. I guess you could call it a gift of heightened self-preservation. As long as she feels as if there is a threat, she will be able to escape. None of us are fast enough to catch her." Jasper replied with a tilt of his head as he felt Bella's curiosity and determination peak.
"Well… I think than you already know what I'm going to propose…" Bella began but was interrupted by Alice, "Bella, no! That's just too risky. You haven't even been trained to use your full potential yet!"
"Alice, I don't have to know my full strength to deal with her. I just need to use my speed to catch her and the rest can be done. Don't you see? As is, I have the fastest reflexes of anyone here. I know I can't run as fast without phasing, but my elusiveness may be right on the same level as her own. I have the best chance." Bella calmly responded, walking over and taking Alice's hands into her own, willing her to understand.
"But look how Victoria's presence alone affected you, Bella. It'll be much worse in person. If you freeze up like you did just a few moments ago, she will not hesitate to kill you" Alice responded and Bella nodded. It was a completely valid point.
"Alice, Bella's reaction to Victoria was likely because this was the first time she sensed Victoria in her "complete" form, if you will. It's very tough and painful for a shifter to be near an enemy, especially when one's imprint is in danger. Now that the initial sensing has taken place, Bella's shifter side should take over as a defense mechanism, preventing her from freezing. The need and desire to protect you should overcome her shifter's feelings of the initial threat that Vitoria possesses." Sam replied, earning nods from the other tribe members.
"Alice, listen. Victoria killed my Dad. We all know that's what happened even though no one has brought it up. She wants to hurt me the same way she was hurt. She is going to target you and I and this family along with the tribe until we stop her. Our lives, our future, everything is on hold until this threat is dealt with. This isn't about me being selfless or reckless. This is not about me seeking revenge. This is about me taking a place in the family and protecting not just you, but our family as well. I'm not just a human anymore. I'm stronger, faster, and have healing abilities. This isn't about me protecting you either, it's about us working together to end a common threat. Alice, as part of this family I have a duty to protect, just like everyone else." Bella spoke softly, running her thumbs against the top of Alice's hands.
"Bella…" Alice paused to step closer to Bella, "You're right. The thought of losing you or you getting hurt still terrifies me but what you say is valid and I agree." Alice replied, her concerned gaze locked into Bella's jade eyes.
"I will be okay. I swear. I will come home to you, no matter what." Bella replied, leaning forward to kiss Alice's forehead.
"Bella, while this is difficult for everyone, I just want to say thank you for stepping up and for wanting to help protect our family. I've never been so proud to call you my sister. I can't wait for it to become official!" Rosalie smiled.
"Whatcha mean?" Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.
Bella's eyes shot to Jake's, remembering their short embrace just the day before. The way he had held her, the way he had comforted her, the way she had trembled at his touch. Regardless of her imprinting, she knew that deep down, he still had feelings for her and that this news would likely hurt him, but it had to be said. Alice seemed to notice Bella's hesitation, and looked up to Bella with concern. Bella bit down on her lower lip and took in an unnecessary deep breath.
" Jake… I know that this may come as sort of a shock due to how fast everything seems but… I asked Alice to marry me during the trip and she said yes. The wedding is just on hold until this issue with Victoria has been resolved." Bella explained as she put her ring on her finger that had been kept safe in her pocket.
Jake's eyes were glued onto the ring, and just for a brief moment, Bella saw his jaw clench and unadulterated rage flash across his dark brown eyes. Bella swallowed hard, hoping that no one else had noticed the brief but significant reaction. Her feelings had been right. After a second or two that felt like a lifetime to Bella, Jake lifted his gaze to meet Bella's and he finally smiled, though Bella could see right through the act and saw it was as fake as she had been when she had embraced Alice during the announcement of the engagement with the family.
"Congrats." Jake finally grinned and embraced Bella in a strong hold. Bella wrapped her arms around Jake, but couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. The way he held her no longer provided comfort, but rather made her skin crawl. It was a possessive hold, one that she had only once felt before and that was when she was with Edward. Bella put her hands to Jake's chest and pushed back, frowning slightly as Jake did not let her move. Bella shot her eyes up to Jake's who looked at her with a slight smirk. Finally, he released the hold and Bella took a couple of steps backwards, quite flustered by the whole experience. Bella found herself reaching out and pulling Alice tightly against her, and buried her nose in her lover's short locks, breathing in her scent deeply a few times before clearing her throat. Bella suddenly felt uneasy with her plan. Jake was a key component but she wasn't sure it was such a good idea anymore.
"Thank you, but back to the matter at hand…" Bella replied as she stole one last glance at Jake and nibbled on her bottom lip for just a moment before turning back to her family, " Victoria likely will not attack directly now with us all on high alert. I think that even though it's risky, I need to go with Jake only, as bait…" Bella paused as Alice interrupted her.
"Bella…"
" Just let me finish, love. I think it's possible to use the scent from the shifters to hide the smell of the Cullens. You all can wait, just outside of her main sensory zone. I can go with Jake to a predetermined location, once she appears, Jake can send word through his link with Sam and you all can join in. I will likely have the ability to catch her and then we can end this. She doesn't know about me being a shifter so she wouldn't feel threatened and surely, she wouldn't feel threatened by me walking with Jake. If anything, it may look too suspicious if I was walking alone. It should be more realistic for me to be walking with Jake." Bella finished.
"Alice, I know that you don't like this plan, but Bella makes some excellent points and from a battle perspective, I don't see any major flaws. It's better at least than anything we've been able to come up with." Jasper muttered, placing a reassuring hand on Alice's shoulder.
"Jasper is right. This is our best shot. As long as everything going as planned and there are no deviations" Emmett agreed.
"When are we to do this?" Alice finally asked with a sigh.
Bella took this moment to look at every single one of her family members, studying them, taking in every bit of information that she could as if it was the last time she would see them. She memorized Carlisle calm and thoughtful eyes, Esme's nurturing smile, Emmett's goofy grin, Rosalie's protective and loving gaze, Jasper's ever understanding half smile. Her eyes moved to Alice's, seeing the deep and unwavering amount of love, trust, devotion, and fulfillment all swirling in her golden orbs. The thought of never seeing any of them caused Bella to feel a knot grow in her stomach.
"Tomorrow, I think. You all need to hunt to be at the strongest you can be. I will head back to the tribal lands and stay with Emily while you are all away so that I'm safe," Bella mused, " And Alice, you can join me after you finish hunting if you want."
The family nodded in understanding. Bella walked forward and placed her arms around Alice's waist before lowering her head down to kiss Alice. The two remained like that for a few moments. Bella finally stepped back.
" I love you so much, Alice. I swear, everything is going to be okay. I know you haven't seen anything with your visions to make you believe that, but you need to trust me." Bella said softly as she pulled back, their lips just an inch apart. Bella could feel Alice's cool breath move against her lips, her eyes still closed as the simple kiss had still provoked so many feelings to come to the surface.
"I love you too, Bella. I will see you later tonight after my hunt." Alice finally said after a few moments as she opened her eyes and turned around and joined up with the family. Esme put a supportive arm over Alice's shoulders, leading her to the forest, away from Bella.
"Please, keep her safe." Rosalie sighed lightly at Sam, who nodded. With that, Bella stepped behind a large pine tree and stripped. Effortlessly, she phased and picked her clothes up in between her teeth. Bella ran and joined the other shifters, enjoying the freedom of the run. They soon all reached the boundary line, and stepped onto tribal lands. Sam led Bella to a secure but private guest cabin.
"Just for some privacy," Sam smiled as he phased back and slid on his shorts. Bella walked in to the bathroom, phased back and changed before reentering the room.
"Thank you, Sam," Bella smiled. Sam nodded and left, closing the door behind him. Bella laid down on the large queen bed, her fingers playing with the plaid colored quilt. Bella sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Her mind was going a mile a minute, nothing new. She lay like this for a few hours before her door opened, and Emily walked in with a bottle of tequila and a basket of homemade biscuits.
"Figured you could use some company" Emily smiled as she sat down on the bed, handing the bottle to Bella who took a long sip.
"You always know what is going on in my head. I swear if you hadn't imprinted on Sam, we would have" Bella laughed as she gave the bottle back to Emily who also took a swig.
"Bella, you may be fooling everyone but I know how you are feeling. You've put a lot of pressure on yourself as always. Pressure that does not need to be there." Emily sighed as Bella looked out the window.
"I have to. This is my fault, not theirs. If I wouldn't have gone to that stupid baseball game, I wouldn't have run into the nomads. James would never have wanted me and he wouldn't have lured me into his trap. He wouldn't have been killed and Victoria would not be seeking revenge for his death. I can't have any of them getting hurt for me. I can handle this. I know I can." Bella finally replied, running her hand through her hair.
"Yes, yes you can, but at what cost? Just because you can doesn't mean that you should have to." Emily replied, running a comforting hand down Bella's arm as Bella reached for the bottle.
"Emily, if I can't protect her from this then I have no right becoming her wife. I can't let myself remain the weak link of the family." Bella finally said as she played with her ring.
"Bella, you deserve to be her wife for all of the wonderful reasons that you make you, well, you. Alice loves you more than anything. You have to believe that for once in your life, just being you is enough" Emily smiled as she patted Bella's leg. Bella felt the tears swell up and she quickly embraced her best friend. Emily ran her hand up and down Bella's back to comfort the young shifter.
A few moments later, Bella and Emily separated at the sound of a light knock on the doorframe where Alice stood, her soft gaze locked onto Bella and Emily, taking in the rather beautiful and comforting sight.
"I hope that I'm not interrupting anything." Alice said in a soft voice.
"No, of course not. Bella and I were just catching up." Emily smiled and stood up, " Eat something. You'll feel better." With that, she left Alice alone with Bella. Bella placed the basket of biscuits and the bottle of tequila on the adjacent bedside table before patting the bed and Alice curled up next to Bella, laying her head on Bella's chest to hear her heartbeat. Bella ran her fingers through Alice's soft dark hair.
"Emily is right. You should eat, you know." Alice mused as she closed her eyes listening to Bella's heart.
"Maybe later. My nerves are kinda shot to be honest. If I eat, I'll likely just get sick and no one needs to see that" Bella chuckled, " No, all I need is to be holding you, being with you. That's all I will ever need." Bella said softly.
Alice looked up to Bella's face and repositioned herself so that she could move upwards and kiss Bella on the lips.
"Then you should at least get some rest. Try and sleep." Alice soothed as she pulled Bella close and played with Bella's soft locks. Bella finally nodded after a few moments after releasing a sigh of contentment and allowed her eyes to finally close.
