Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Chapter 23 - Bloodlust

We all pile into the car and drive down to the beach. Lynn holds my hand while driving, as usual, but chats animatedly with Becca and Jacob and I'm starting to feel better about this trip. Like I told Jacob, it's nice to see people I care about get along and despite the initial tension I'm sure we will be fine.

We park in a clearing near churning waves, gritty sand, and the surf-sprayed, barnacles-encrusted rocks that dot the shore. Mike's old station wagon and Eric's beat up van are already there. The boys have all donned their wetsuits, but seem more interested in posturing and self-aggrandized than in doing any actual surfing. The girls, swaddled in their warmest parkas, take turns urging them on and making fun of them. I greet them jovially and introduce them to Jacob and Rebecca. Lynn makes the boys swoon with a gorgeous smile and a charmingly spoken 'good morning'. A couple of Quileute youngsters, Seth and Sam, join the group. They brought along their own wetsuits and boards.

Pestered by Jacob and the others, and unwilling to show weaknesses in front of their girlfriends, the guys finally jump into the freezing waters. The girls put their thermos to work and pass around warm tea. Lynn and I, our escorts always nearby, hang back with them.

Angela, at first, is the only one brave enough to address Lynn directly, but Jessica and Lauren eventually follow suit. They also have many questions for Jacob and Rebecca about life on the reservation. We also watch the surfers, greatly entertained, as Eric and Mike seem to spend more time splashing about than doing anything else. Jeff, on the other hand, manages to stand on his board a little longer with each try. After a few more futile attempts to imitate him, the others finally seem to get the hang of it, drawing enthusiastic cheers from their girls. When they drag their boards out of the water, their hair drenched and their limbs shaking, they go put some warm clothes on, using Eric's van as a changing room, and join us for lunch.

In the afternoon the steady drizzle that lasted throughout the morning finally stops. The cloud cover remains thick, stifling, but the waves that crashed against the rocky shore have turned to milder swells gently lapping at the beach. My friends, joined by Jacob and Seth, kick a soccer ball around for fun. Jeff teases Mike about his lack of skill, but Mike replies he's too busy with football and basketball to practice inferior sports. My rib is still healing so I can't participate. Lynn sits with me, her side always pressed against mine. Angela and Rebecca, uninterested in sports, keep us company.

Around three, the high school gang has to take off. Some of their parents want them back at a reasonable time. Lynn and I have our own ride and no such curfews, so we decide to stay at La Push a little longer. As long as I'm home in the evening on school nights my dad leaves me plenty of freedom. He also trusts Lynn, fast becoming one of his best friends, will keep an eye on me and he knows I'm not a particularly wild teenager. Like mom, he thinks I'm mature beyond my years. They should know; they made sure I had to be.

Despite a slight frostiness between Rebecca and Lynn, overall the day has been a success. It's easier to fear, or hate, somebody you don't really know. Lynn didn't leave my side a moment, but she clearly enjoys yakking with Jacob about cars, the one topic I have no interest in. She claims Rosalie is the real expert in the family and she mentions she owned an Aston Martin, making Jacob visibly drool. He looks shocked when she explains that it belongs to Rosalie now. They talk about engines next, and I stop listening; I'll pay attention when they start speaking English again.

Even though she's talking to Jacob, Lynn often presses harder against me to remind me that she hasn't forgotten me. I hug her and talk with Rebecca about werewolves, assailing her with multiple questions. She admits that they will live much longer than normal human beings, and that they can heal much faster. She calls it 'enhanced healing'. She makes a small incision in her arm, spilling a few drops of blood, to demonstrate. Lynn doesn't notice, or pretends not to. I wonder if Rebecca really wanted to test her self-control; that'd be sneaky…. The wound heals so fast it's gone within seconds.

Near sunset, a strip of blue sky peeks from under a hood of clouds poised on the edge of the horizon, flooding the area with indirect light that manages to make Lynn's skin glow a little. The underside of the clouds burns purple and magenta. Jacob looks at the dark blues of the water and suggests going to the cliffs. On the way, Rebecca tells Lynn, her tone neutral, that many kids like to practice cliff-diving not far from here, where a straight wall of granite withstands the endless assault of the ocean.

We reach a small meadow nestled between hills, close to a strip of sand sandwiched by boulders half submerged in the foamy ocean. A small bay harbors a clear pool of deep dark water to our left. A narrow path winds up to the top of the slope next to us, a good thirty feet above the surface of the ocean. Beyond it, a forested ridge connects with the lower slopes of a mountain close by. It's quite a jump, I think to myself. I wouldn't try it for any amount of money but I've seen Jacob and Rebecca do it before. I envy their guts.

Lynn and I sit on a log near the beach, with a good view of the cliffs. A dark shape, clearly human, is looking down at the roiling surf.

"That's Seth," Rebecca explains. "That boy is fearless. He was already doing those jumps years ago, when he was only twelve."

We watch him leap into the air, arms straight in front of him, his whole body angling into the dive and then straightening before hitting the water like an arrow.

"My turn." Rebecca says, throwing off her parka and suddenly stripping to her underwear. It's very difficult not to notice she has a beautifully trim and muscular body, especially since she seems to be doing her best to show it off. Her caramel skin looks flawless too and she's exposing plenty of it. If I took a video of her performance youtube would probably ban it. Lynn mumbles something unintelligible, probably a commentary on slutty wolf-girls.

Feeling the cold, Rebecca runs up the trail. Jacob limbers up a little and starts stripping; he will go next. Seth splashes to the beach and bids us good evening before collecting his clothes and departing. Meanwhile, Rebecca has reached the edge of the cliff. She keeps running and then pushes out at the last second. After a somersault in the air she's still able to adjust her body and hit the waves with hands splayed in front of her at a perfect angle.

She's soon back at the beach, water dripping off her sculpted curves. Jacob is already trudging up the slope in a pair of shorts.

"Wanna try it, Lynn? Or are vampires afraid of water?" Rebecca asks my girlfriend with undertones of antipathy only partially concealed by superficial facetiousness.

Lynn laughs.

"No, water is not a problem for us. Actually, we don't really have to breathe. But I'd rather sit with Brandon."

She nods.

"Wise. Better not to let him here alone with me…" She smirks. I roll my eyes but then I remember what Lynn just said.

"Wait… You don't have to breathe?"

"Well," She frowns, maybe still worried she'll scare me. She should know better by now; I just want to learn more about her. "Our body doesn't seem to need oxygen. We don't like to hold our breath, though. We rely on our sense of smell a lot so it becomes uncomfortable after a while, very uncomfortable."

"Wow." What else can you say to that?

Jacob is still clambering up the slope…..

(And here, dear reader, I have to confess that I haven't directly witnessed the next important part of the story. I'll need some assistance if I want to show you what happens.

"Jake, buddy, can you help me out?"

"Sure, man. Let's do it.")

Jacob:

I slog it up the slope, eager to cut through the sky and plunge into the pool. My sister is still hanging out with Brandon and his vampire girlfriend, down below.

Now, that's one odd couple if you ask me. I can't believe a human would want to date a leech, but Brandon is obviously really into her. She's attractive, of course, but she smells of dead things… Yuck. He certainly doesn't see it that way.

I'm a little worried about him and what the future has in store for them, but I don't have a right to tell him what to do. If they really love each other I'm sure they'll find a way to be together. I don't want to think of him turning to an undead thing though, so I decide to focus on something else.

I make it to the jumping spot we like, and I look down at the restless waves below me. They are not as rough as earlier on, but they still keep battering the cliffs that keep them at bay. I breathe in the clean, cool air, and look at the tint of the sinking sun, wishing I could paint my new car in the same color. The paintjob will have to wait; I gotta complete the engine first.

I look again at the waters, revelling in the thought that fear doesn't have any hold on me. I started cliff diving long before my new abilities revealed themselves. I suppose that now, being stronger and capable of much faster healing, this is much less of a challenge than it used to be. I still enjoy the freedom of flying toward the waves, the wind lashing out at me as I make my dizzying descent, the cold shock that awaits for me down there. It's always a pleasure to be released from the world of routines we normally inhabit.

I visualize the kind of jump I will perform and take a deep breath, thinking I'm ready, but I end up stopping myself at the last second. I just smelled something odd. I take another deep breath and realize I was right. I caught a familiar scent. The scent of vampires. It's not Lynn though. I'm upwind from her and, besides, this is different. This is the vile stench of vampires who feed on humans. Maybe it's the drifters Brandon told me about. They probably don't even know about the presence of werewolves in the area but I snarl and seethe, resenting the fact they dared to enter our land.

I briefly debate whether I should go back down and get Becca and Lynn to join me before I go looking for them. I decide against it. The unknown vampires seem to be moving away. With every breath their presence seems to become a little fainter. I phase, and let my instincts lead me as I run up the slope, toward the top of the nearest peak and then over it and then downward again. The vampire is somewhere below me. His scent is growing stronger and in my wolf-shape it fills my mind, stirring my thoughts and almost physically pulling me toward my prey.

I'm getting closer, I can sense it, and I run faster and faster, less human and more feral with every step, my mind consumed by the frenzy of the hunt. A red mist has descended over my eyes and I only want to rip and tear and claw. There is more than one way to leave our everyday life behind us.

Still rushing downhill, I glimpse a humanoid shape half hidden by branches and leaves. One of the vampires, with his back to me. I try to pounce through the vegetation before whatever is left of my human mind can voice doubts about such a direct strategy.

Our elders taught us to go for vampires' necks and try to sever their head from their body. That's their only real weakness, but it's all easier said than done. And this one is ready for me, probably what my human thoughts were trying to warn me of, and he's so damn fast. He slaps me aside and moves out of the way all in one fluid movement.

I skid in the dirt but quickly dig in and power toward him again, overcome with bloodlust. I vaguely notice that he's a white male, blond hair, scruffy-looking.

And once again he's prepared. He grabs my neck with one hand and holds on even as I try to maul his arms with my paws while my jaws snap at thin air. I think I can find a way through his defense but I need more time, time I seem to have run out of.

I feel four cold, remorceless hands grab me from behind me and the next thing I know I'm flying through the trees and over the edge of the cliff. I briefly enoy the freedom I was craving only a few minutes ago, but when I land against something much harder than water I mercifully pass out and slip away into the darkness.

("Back to you Brandon. Gotta take a break now."

"You're a pal, Jake. I owe you another one.")

Brandon:

I watch my old friend stand at the very edge of the rugged cliff. I tried looking down once, wondering whether it was as easy as my friends made it look, and had to hastily withdraw. I know for Jacob it's just fun and games. He seems about to leap, but suddenly I feel Lynn tense up next to me.

"What is it?" I ask her, frowning. Rebecca turns to look at us and then stares at his brother again. He's phasing now, and then running up the hill before we have time to react.

"I wasn't paying close attention, but he thought he caught a scent…. Maybe the drifters. I can't sense their presence, though. They must be pretty far from our position." Lynn explains in a hurry.

In the meantime, Jake has already disappeared in the vegetation choking the mountain's slopes.

"Can you still hear his mind?" Rebecca asks Lynn, still undecided on what to do, nervously alternating looking at us and back at the silent forests above us. She's too far from Jacob to catch up now. Lynn is hugging me protectively and scanning the scenery.

"No. He's just out of range."

We all shout as a figure, clearly wolf-like, suddenly detaches itself from the greenery on a farther slope and plunges downward, toward a rocky outcrop dark and slick with water. He hits it with a loud, sickening crunch and we immediately jump to our feet. Jacob's mangled body, returned to a human shape, slides into the froth in a tangle. The water immediately turns dark red. Rebecca has already started swimming toward him. Lynn has taken a couple of steps forward, but now she hesitates and looks back at me. I know she doesn't want to leave me here alone.

"Where are the vampires? Can you sense their presence?" My voice is high-pitched, frantic.

She bites her lip.

"Not right now, no. They can't be close by."

"They must be heading away from here then. I'll be fine, Lynn. Go help her. Please. They need you too now."

She nods, still reluctant to leave me, throws off her boots and jacket and goes in. Strong and fast as she is, she catches up with Becca and passes her within seconds. I see her disappear in the surging swells. Becca follows suit. I watch impotently. I'm not worried about Lynn. She said she doesn't have to breathe. She'll be fine. Rebecca is stronger than humans too. I'm only really scared for Jacob, now. Enhanced healing or not, that was brutal.

I see three heads emerge from the surf. Lynn and Rebecca drag Jacob's limp body ashore and lay him out on a stretch of dry sand.

I rush to their side, painfully aware that there is probably nothing I can do and then I think of the blood. It's everywhere. It soaks the sand next to Jacob and paints a gory path back to the shore. It doesn't bother me but I remember the kind of effect it can have on Lynn. I look at her, my eyes full of worry, and rush to her side, hugging her as tight as I can despite her wetness.

As if I could hold her, I tell myself when I think of what she showed me in our meadow. She could probably snap both of my arms in an instant but I trust, and hope, that she won't harm me. I should be scared, but I don't have the time.

She laughs, hugging me back and soaking me in salted sea water. She whispers into my ear.

"I'm fine, Brandon. You are my life now. The temptation of human blood is nothing. Helping your friend is all that matters."

I smile and give her a brief kiss.

"That's my girl." I tell her before looking back at Jacob, concerned with my buddy now that I'm sure Lynn will be fine. He comes to and instinctively turns on one side to spit out sea water. He immediately screams, an expression filled with pure agony contorts his features, and he faints again. The left side of his body took the brunt of the fall and it appears maimed. Both his left arm and left femur are bent at unnatural angles, floppy. "What's happening?" Rebecca gasps… "Why is he in so much pain? His healing should be kicking in."

"It is," Lynn says, a deep scowl lining her face. Her clothes are soggy and stick to her body. It's hard not to think about the shapely forms beneath them… She lifts a bruised arm, his right, and I manage to refocus.

"Smaller injuries are disappearing right now, but he has major breaks. The forces trying to heal him can't fix that, not correctly. In fact, they might knit the bones at weird angles. Somebody needs to set his fractures first. We need to take him to a hospital."

"Becca, listen to her." I implore her.

Rebecca, scared and confused, covers her face with her hands and growls, but she seems in control soon afterwards.

"I believe you, but no hospitals." She weezes. "They would notice something is odd. Can you do it?" She looks at Lynn now, pleadingly. Tears fill her eyes.

"I'd like to help but I can't, Rebecca. I have medical degrees but very little practical experience. But I know somebody who can, and who won't betray your secrets. My father can do it. Let me call him, and get some help so we can take Jacob home."

"I know Doctor Cullen. My father would trust him with his life. So would I." I add for good measure.

She wipes tears from her eyes and the warrior side of her personality reasserts control.

"Okay, but I have to talk to Billy, first. I'm sorry. I don't have the authority to let a Cullen in on my own."

"Alright. Here. Do it quickly" I give her my cell. Her wet clothes cling to her like plastic wrap and I really don't see cellphones anywhere.

I hold Lynn's hand. She says Jake is in bad shape; some of his fractures need to be taken care of right away. She quietens when Billy answers the phone.

"Dad!" She hollers. "There was an accident… No, no, nothing to do with Lynn. It's Jacob…. He's an idiot. He went after some intruders on his own, probably the drifters they warned us about. They threw him off a cliff. Thankfully our blood is not appealing to their kind but he hit a rock. He's in bad shape…. Lynn helped me get him out of the water but he needs medical assistance… I know, no hospitals, but there is another option…. Who? Dr. Carlisle Cullen, he works at the hospital. Brandon and his father trust him completely. They say he can help, but only if we let him come to the rez…. Okay…. Send Seth and Sam right away. We need to get Jacob back. Bring a stretcher if you can get one."

She returns my device and tends to her brother. I hand my phone to Lynn after another look at her skin-tight outfit. Even if she had one, it's probably dead and drowned.

"Father… We need help, urgently…. No, no, it's not Brandon. Jacob Blake had an accident. We think he was chasing those vampires Alice told you about. We need your help. He has fractures that need to be set… Please….. Meet us at Billy Black's house. Go straight there, nobody will bother you…. Thank you."

With Seth's and Sam's help they manage to load Jacob on a gurney and load him on one of their trucks. I lend a hand but, let's face it, compared to werewolves and vampires I'm definitely a light-weight. Jacob often comes to, but screams and mercifully loses consciousness again each time. At his home, we get him into bed while Billy looks on, worry etched in his features. Lynn and I go wait in the living room while Rebecca tells Billy the whole story. When they come out, Billy thanks Lynn and shakes my hand. He also apologizes to no end for distrusting her in the past.

Carlisle arrives and goes straight to Jacob, the rest of us right behind him. He checks his left side carefully, inch by inch. In one spot, Jacob's bone has breached the skin. He gives his patient morphine and gets to work. I'm starting to look a little green and Lynn walks me back to the living room. We wait there in silence, leaning against each other on the sofa. "Your friend will be okay. Carlisle will fix him."

"I know." Sometimes, there is no need to talk. We caress each other's backs and let our foreheads touch. I cringe when new screams erupt from the bedroom. Billy rolls his wheelchair out of the living room, his skin turned to puce. He finds a spot near the fireplace and thanks Lynn again for her help. She keeps her melodious voice soft and polite for her reply.

A couple of hours and several heart-wrenching screams later, Rebecca and Dr. Cullen come back out. They reassure us that Jake will be fine. His bones are back in place and his healing powers can get to work. Even so, he has taken quite a beating; some of the bones had started healing, but in weird positions. Carlisle and Rebecca had to break them again in order to reset them. He will probably have to spend a couple of weeks in bed to fully recover. He's still pretty lucky; any normal human would be dead. Rebecca and Billy thank Lynn and Carlisle profusely and we exit their home after promising we will come back to visit soon. Lynn's dad wants to have another look at Jacob in a few days.

Outside, I also thank him. I also tell him about the amount of blood in the water and how Lynn wasn't bothered by it in the slightest.

"Lynn, you know Esme and I have always been proud of you. Your self-restraint has always been impressive, like your achievements in the arts and academia. Know that today you have made us even prouder." Carlisle tells her, gazing in her eyes.

She beams at me and gently pulls me in her arms.

"Father… It's because of Brandon. When he's with me I feel completely in control." She explains casually, as if it was perfectly natural.

"You would have done the right thing regardless, Lynn. Don't doubt that." I shoot back.

Carlisle steps back and looks at us. He puts one hand on my right shoulder and one on her left. He sighs.

"I'm starting to see what Jasper was saying about you two, the special moods you experience when you're together…. You make each other happier, even a blind man could see that, but you're also good for each other in ways that are much harder to define…."

He laughs a little.

"You have realy found your mate, Lynn." He says.

She buries her face in my chest, suddenly shy. Her human emotions really are coming back.

"And Brandon… Whatever happens in the future I want you to know that we all approve of her choice of a partner wholeheartedly."

"Thank you, Carlisle. That means a lot to me." I squeeze out, afraid I might cry again.

Lynn hugs him and he leaves, after which she takes me home for dinner. It's getting late and I'm famished. While we were waiting I let dad know there was an accident, something about an ill-advised cliff dive since I can't mention many other relevant details. He likes Jacob and he seems really upset by the news.

After my meal, Lynn meets me in my room. We lie in bed and talk about today's events until she hums the lullaby she wrote for me and I fall asleep in her arms.