Chapter 35
I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR CHARACTERS
There was a split second in which nothing happened and Kate winked at her, and then came the pain.
Jolts of electricity shot down her arm and along every nerve in her body like gleeful sprites, playing havoc on her muscles and straightening her spine like a two-by-four never could. Bella swore and she snarled and shook, fangs flashing at a heedless Kate. She trembled wildly, and barely, barely remembered that she was supposed to being trying to stop this.
On purpose, that is.
Come on. Come on, come on, come on! Make it stop. Come to me. I know you're there. I know I can. I did it before. I know I can make this stop! So why the fuck am I not making it stop?
Nothing happened. No fluttering of power, of heat in her bones and fire in her heart. After what must have been a solid sixty seconds, everyone seemed to realize how hopelessly she was failing, so Kate decided to up the ante a little bit.
Or a lot a bit.
"Maybe this will help you out…" Kate drawled.
The painful static turned to lightning lancing through her and Bella yelped in agony. Like a gunshot to the base of her skull, she snapped from consciousness to instinct before she could stop it. She hit her knees, hissing like a viper pit, and when it became clear that she had lost it, Kate abruptly let go of her hand.
The pain stopped and Bella curled in on herself in dead silence, shaking. All around the wolves and vampires watched with thinly disguised disappointment. She could feel the shame and frustration creeping up on her sanity.
Bring it back. Stop. Calm down. I am not mindless. I am human. I am Isabella Swan. I will not lose it. I will NOT lose control…
Her training hadn't been entirely useless, it seemed. She managed to calm down even before Alice came over and began whispering soothingly to her, rubbing her back gently, and with one heavy breath she brought herself back together.
"Again," she said the second she did.
"Bella…" Alice murmured worriedly as Kate's eyebrows shot up.
"Maybe we should take a break," Carlisle tried to intervene.
"No. Again," Bella snapped, standing up quickly. "I'm going to do this."
She shoved her hand at Kate stiffly, determinedly.
I mean it. I'm going to do this if it kills me. I have to. I have to prove to them that I can protect them with these stupid powers. I have to make sure I don't get everyone killed. I can do this. I have to do this.
"If you insist…" Kate cocked her head slightly.
If Bella wasn't mistaken, she thought she could see respect forming in the blonde's expression. A moment later Kate's slender hand wrapped around hers and they were off.
It was a repeat of the first attempt. A lot of pain, a lot of Bella not being able to use her gift, and ending with her on the verge of losing all control. By the time she stopped gasping for air, her whole body buzzing, she was already on her feet.
"Again," she said, holding her hand out. Kate hesitated, clearly surprised as the Cullens all voiced protests. Even several of the wolves loosed woofs of concern for their Mother of the Sun. Leah came trotting up and growled at her as if to admonish her for her stupidity, but Bella ignored her.
"Bella, honey, please…" Alice pleaded with her, gently grabbing onto her outstretched hand but Bella turned on her fiercely.
"I'm going to do this. I'm fine, Alice. I can do this. Trust me," Bella begged of her fervently, meaning it.
Kate's powers hurt a lot, but she'd had worse. Much, much worse at the hands of the Volturi. And no way would Bella ever let that happen to the people she loved so much. So she was going to keep going until she got it or her body gave out.
There was nothing else for it. She was not motivated by her own strength -not in her mind— but a horrible fear for the lives of the ones she loved the most in the world.
Alice paused for a long moment, gazing into her eyes searchingly. Bella drank up all her love and concern greedily, taking in her lovely burnt amber eyes and apple cheekbones, her soft pink lips.
For Alice, she was going to do this.
For Alice.
"Okay," Alice relented softly, and slowly let go of her wrist. "Okay, Bella. I trust you."
Bella's heart swelled, and then she turned back to Kate and repeated herself.
"Again."
A flicker of a grin appeared on Kate's face before it became a somewhat impressed smirk.
"You're either stronger than I gave you credit for, or stupider, Miss Swan. But very well," Kate replied, and grabbed hold of her hand again.
The process repeated for an entire hour, by which time night had begun to fall and no one moved or did anything except watch her and Kate in their twisted dance.
After about an hour, there was the tiniest little bit of progress. Bella was in the midst of being shocked for the tenth time when she became so infuriated at the pain that she felt a tug in her gut and before it could slip away, she latched onto it and pulled with all her might.
Stop!
Kate gave a little start and jerked back as Bella gasped. The nomads and the wolves all stirred in excitement as the pain faded away and Bella slowly stood upright.
"Did I do it?" she demanded, massaging her aching wrist.
Please tell me I did.
"Did she, Kate?" Emmett asked eagerly as Kate examined her own hand curiously.
"I'm not sure. I felt something. She may have flicked off the switch, or maybe not. Let's find out…?" Kate answered them slowly, and then held her hand out for Bella's again.
Nervously but with a growing hope, Bella tentatively put her hand in Kate's. Their eyes locked and Kate's narrowed when nothing happened for a brief moment, but then a tingle started up that quickly turned into a buzz, and then suddenly there came the familiar arcing bolts of pain.
God mother-effing bless it! Bella thought furiously.
She yelped and Kate let go immediately with a scoff.
"So you kind of did it, but not really. Would you like to continue?" Kate inquired drolly as Bella scowled in frustration.
Son of a bitch. That's not good enough. That was like a kitten scratch compared to what I know I can do!
"Again," Bella said and ignored Alice's anxious sigh, the worried murmurs of the Cullens, the watchful stares of the nomads and the wolves.
Again. Again and again until I do this right.
Kate clasped hands with her once more, and they continued.
But after that, there was no more progress, only failure, failure, failure. Pain, pain, pain. The most she could manage was to cut Kate off for the most split of seconds, and it got to the point where Kate wouldn't even let go of her hand, just wait for her power to come rushing back after a moment.
Electricity and agony and the struggle for control all blended together until Bella thought she might actually scream in absolute frustrated fury.
Kate eventually suggested they try shocking Alice again, but Bella refused outright. It was practically cheating. It wouldn't really count. It would be entirely involuntary if Bella used her gift to protect Alice. It wasn't the same as mastering it and doing it on purpose, on her own.
She knew she could do it. She knew it so very truly deep down inside, but over and over again, she didn't. Again and again and again and a-fucking-gain she tried, but couldn't do it.
Until, finally, she did.
Something finally seemed to flicker to life in Bella as she went to her knees, shaking with fury and frustration that outweighed the familiar crush of instincts beginning yet another onslaught on her senses. It was a soft, breathy thing, swirling up slow and thick before gaining momentum, gaining strength.
Come on. Come on, come on, come on! She thought desperately, lips parted in pain.
The power trembled, hesitating, slipping through her fingers like sand, sensing a weakness in her willpower.
NO!
She realized what the problem was with a startling clarity. She couldn't beg this power to come to her. She had to demand it, use every bit of willpower she had to make it do her bidding.
I will stop her! I will do this! Right. Fucking. Now!
STOP!
With a jolt that was, for the first time, not the result of Kate's power, heat came searing up through Bella's body and punched the blonde in the chest with an existential force that knocked her staggering back.
The clearing lit up with yelps of shock and excitement from wolves and vampire alike.
"Did it work?" Bella gasped immediately, practically choking on her own spit as she heaved for air, the exertion pulling her down.
Kate's only response was to stick out her hand for Bella's, and after the slightest hesitation, Bella took it.
But she knew. She somehow knew that this time, she'd really done it. After a solid thirty seconds in which nothing happened, Bella grinned broadly as Kate let go of her and held up her hands in defeat.
A cheer of delight went up all around. The wolves yelped and the nomads leaped to their feet, pumping their fists.
Exhilaration flooded Bella as a grin split her face even as the sensation faded. Though it had been a much weaker use of her gift than what she'd become known for, it still cost her heavily.
She felt dizzy and weak as she struggled to her feet, fighting vertigo.
But she had done it.
I did it, Bella thought elatedly, laughing when Alice came rushing over and threw her arms around her neck, squealing. It practically knocked her over and she didn't even care.
"You did it, Bella, you did it!" Alice cried as Bella fought to keep her feet. "I'm so proud of you!"
Somehow everything seemed worth it when the girl you loved was telling you how proud of you she was and kissing you with peppermint lips. She didn't even really mind the PDA.
But of course she still blushed anyway.
"Well, I'll be damned. It only took, what, an hour and a half? But you weren't lying when you said you could do it on purpose. I think I lost my touch," Kate drawled and poked Garrett experimentally in the shoulder, who flinched, then laughed when nothing happened. "I really hate this feeling, honestly…"
Bella would have felt bad if Kate hadn't spent the last hour and a half using her like Benjamin Franklin supposedly used his old kite and key.
"Well done, Bella!" Carlisle clapped her on the shoulder and Bella practically collapsed to her knees because of it.
If they hadn't spent all day wearing her out, the small use of her gift probably would have had a much less significant effect on her, but as it was, she swayed and Alice immediately slid an arm around her waist, supporting her.
"But… I think that's probably enough for today. We have all worked very hard, and now that we know we have a way to train Bella's gift, we should probably stop and continue on another day," Carlisle said in response to Bella's exhaustion, turning to address the rest of the people standing around as Bella gave her lover a reassuring smile even as a headache started up in her temples.
What was that old saying?
Ah, yes. Rome was not built in a day!
Bella's figurative empire would have to take a breather for now.
Leon and Jacob seemed to agree with Carlisle, and the wolves all gathered up to leave. As they did so, they did something that made every hair on Bella's neck and arms rise up with some foreign, primal sensation, and made every vampire flinch and hiss nervously.
They howled.
Like one sentient being, they threw back their heads and howled up at the full moon. The sight of it was ethereal in its beauty, but the sound made Bella's heartbeat quicken, her stomach jump, her muscles ache with some queer desire to run like hell, but not with fear; with freedom.
The nomads and the Cullens didn't share the sentiment; their faces screwed up and they flashed their fangs at the oblivious wolves. A piercing howl, higher than any other went up, and with a start Bella realized it was Leah.
Her cry was sweeter than any of the males, and Bella watched in awe as the ashy gray wolf that was her best friend howled frosty white breath to the moon in an ancient cry.
After a long, long moment, the howling trailed away, and every wolf turned to Bella with their huge yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness.
Whoa…
For the first time, Bella truly felt like the stuff of their legends, like the Mother of the Sun they praised. Their howling seemed a sign of respect for her, a battle call, a wild declaration Bella both understood and did not.
When Bella looked to Leah, she could see a canine smirk on her face that Bella could only shake her head and smile at.
Finally, with one look from Jacob and Leon, the wolves all turned and sprinted away into the darkness and the trees. Before Seth left, he nuzzled Leah one last time, cast one last look at Bella, and disappeared with the rest of them.
It was an incredible experience.
"What a bunch of fucking mutts," Kate spat.
"Agreed, my lady sailor," Vladimir drawled with disdain, his red eyes watching after them.
There was hissing in agreement and more vocalizations of disgust for the display that crushed any hope that the hatred between the wolves and the nomads had dissipated even a little bit.
Idiots, Bella thought, rolling her eyes, and all together everyone seemed to realize at the same time that there was still one 'mutt' left in the clearing when Leah's growl rumbled throughout the air.
They all turned to her. Leah's teeth weren't showing and her hackles weren't up, but the growl was low and steady, aimed directly at Kate.
Kate's eyes flashed.
"Really, let's not pretend, little puppy. You are hopelessly outmatched here," Kate sneered, a flash of fang coming out. "I think my power is coming back already. Do you really want to start up with me?"
She waggled her fingers tauntingly at Leah, and Bella could faintly hear the sound of electricity stirring to life in them. She wished desperately she had gotten better quicker at using her gift and that Kate was still effectively spayed of her power.
Leah's snarl was immediate. Her hackles stood as if possessed. But she remained where she was, her luminous yellow eyes piercing the twilight haze, cutting through Kate with fire.
Bella tensed, wanting to slap Kate across the face for talking to Leah like that.
"Stop it," she snapped at her angrily. "Leah, you too. Both of you! This is stupid!"
"Bella is right. This is ridiculous!" Carlisle threw in, holding his hands out in a desperate bid for peace.
"Kate!" Tanya hissed to her sister.
But Kate still didn't quit.
"Don't forget, my deluded doggy friend. We are stronger than you when it comes down to it. I've seen your kind before, far away in Alaska where all the mutts are as white as the snow. Even the biggest and baddest of you is no match for any vampire with a Midas touch, and I have learned through them that great pain will make you all too human. And you know what I carry in my fingertips? Pain. And you are nothing without your furry little tails…"
The revelation that there were shape-shifters even in Alaska did not get the chance to sink in, for a very simple reason.
Kate was very old, but she didn't seem very wise. She had a temper that could match any wolf's and liked to run her mouth even when she shouldn't. She also clearly had a bad habit of antagonizing people, and before Bella could get a full grasp on her fury for Kate's idiocy, Leah was finally moving.
And sprinting.
Right towards Kate.
Instinct kicked in.
The nomads all leaped to Kate's side, baring their fangs, crouched low, hissing a warning as Leah came barreling towards them. The Cullens seemed torn, unsure of who to face, as Bella whirled on every vampire furiously for looking at Leah like that.
As if they wanted to kill her.
Fuck that.
But as Leah came running full tilt towards them, she shifted. Leah transformed mid stride, shedding fur on the wind, the sound of snapping and popping bones echoing, shrinking and going from four feet to two as she sprinted straight up and into a snarling Kate's face.
"If you think I won't wear your ass out all over this forest with or without my furry little tail…" Leah snapped even as Kate jolted in surprise, nose to nose with Leah's human form. The nomads all stopped hissing and stood up straight at the same time, almost comically, as if gob smacked at the idea that a wolf would willingly go human in the face of a herd of furious vampires.
Leah was also very, very nude, so that probably had something to do with it.
Bella partly wanted to cover her eyes and also cover her friend's modesty, but Leah was utterly shameless. Proud, in all her beautiful, coppery glory. She stood with her shoulders back, her eyes still flashing shiny gold, long black hair swaying freely in the faint breeze.
She was wild, untamed, and fearless. More than one vampire seemed suddenly confused at how attractive this filthy mutt really was, sexy in all her defiance. Bella heard Rosalie scoff, but totally agreed when Emmett let out a whistle of disbelief at Leah's gall.
"You'd better think again, little kitty cat. And remember your place in the food chain," Leah hissed, her whole body shaking with rage, her skin rippling. The willpower it must have taken to stay un-shifted was unreal, and Bella stood in awe of her friend as did everyone else, the clearing stunned into silence.
Even Kate, for a moment, seemed lost for words.
But then she found them again, unfortunately.
She was good at that.
"You talk a big game, but in the end you're still a little bitch, remember?" Kate cocked her head and Leah bared her teeth with another rumbling growl. "You think you can handle me? Then go ahead and prove it."
Kate stuck out her hand and Leah didn't hesitate for even a second. She clasped it in an iron tight grip, squeezing so hard that Kate's sneer became a lock jawed grimace.
Bella wasn't sure whether her friend had proverbial balls of steel or was just really, really stupid.
Everyone seemed too nervous to do anything. Nobody wanted to provoke the situation further, cause Leah to shift or Kate to go vampiric. Even Carlisle seemed too worried to try to stop it.
"You say you've got the Midas touch? Then prove it," Leah snarled, echoing Kate's words back at her.
"Leah, don't-" Bella gasped, but it was too late.
Kate smiled.
A second later electricity rippled through Kate and into Leah's palm, streaking up her arm. The snarl Leah let out sounded absolutely painful, but she didn't let go. She didn't even flinch. She just clutched tighter to Kate's hand, her mouth hanging open, her whole body trembling with the desire to become wolfen, animal, and rip Kate apart.
But she didn't.
She just kept staring Kate down, furious and silent, refusing to let out a sound of pain.
Everyone watched in surprise, Bella most of all. She didn't even think to attempt to use her powers again, and apparently she didn't even need to.
She knew personally how badly Kate's gift could hurt, had crumpled like a little baby under it, but Leah stayed upright, shaking, shivering in her ferocity, refusing to look away from Kate's eyes.
Kate's lips parted, disbelieving. She stared Leah down as Bella heard the faint sound of a thousand birds shrieking, the sound of Kate's electricity shooting through Leah like a wildfire.
"Color me impressed," Kate murmured with a slow smile, her fangs peeking out.
"Color me not," Leah ground out through clenched teeth. "That the best you got, leech?"
Kate's smile became sweet as molasses.
Bella really wished they would just stop.
"Not even close, puppy," Kate said.
There came a piercing sound and Leah's face contorted in agony. She let out a yelp and clutched at her own wrist. Even the nomads grimaced at the sound.
"Kate, stop it!" Alice yelled at her. "This is stupid! Let her go, damn it!"
"That's enough, Kate!" Tanya shouted to her sister.
"Kate, control yourself!" Irena cried.
Kate ignored all of them, and Bella's mind clicked into that place where she was going to do something about it, and real fucking soon. She hissed with fury as Leah's whole body began to tremble with pain that she couldn't conceal, but still she didn't look away, didn't let go.
The nomads all watched in silence.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" Kate whispered as Leah's knees began to buckle.
Bella was about to show her hurting.
But Leah, unbelievably, grinned through her grimace.
No really. She was absolutely unbelievable.
"Not… A damn… Bit…" she breathed, and Kate gawked.
Bella was torn between face palming herself, or punching Leah for this nonsense, or ripping out Kate's throat for hurting her. No one seemed to know what to do and didn't want to make it any worse.
"Just admit it and I'll stop," Kate demanded, and Leah gasped for air as Kate's power continued to course endlessly through her.
"Never," Leah bit out, her voice guttural.
Kate's eyes flashed at the defiance, and Bella snarled herself when Kate's hand suddenly crushed Leah's, and her gift seemed to go rushing through Leah's bloodstream like a live wire. The shapeshifter shook, and for the longest second, it seemed as if even this all out assault from Kate wouldn't be enough, that Leah would withstand it. Kate's eyes widened in disbelief, but a second later Leah's knees hit the ground and she gave a soft cry of pain.
The effect was immediate; Kate let go and Leah gasped for breath as Carlisle and the Cullens immediately surged between them.
Bella lunged forward to hit Kate out of instinct, but Alice got in her way, pulled her back just in time.
"I think that's enough for today!" Carlisle got out, his voice tight with anger.
No, really, Carlisle?
"Everyone, scatter. Go home. Clearly tempers are too high and we could all use a little time apart," Carlisle said quickly as Bella struggled wildly with her lover, losing it.
"Stop it Bella, stop, it's over…" Alice whispered to her ear.
Bella was way too sick and tired of people picking on Leah. She writhed in Alice's arms, furious.
"Kate, I'd like a word with you," Esme hissed, not nearly as good at hiding her anger as her husband.
Kate seemed truly lost for words now. She gazed down at Leah with something like respect forming in her eyes-and something else unidentifiable. She looked up as Carlisle, Esme and her sisters came storming towards her, looking murderous, and rolled her eyes.
Then she looked at Alice with a wry grin, as if she found something funny. Bella hissed at her.
Unbelievable, the both of them!
You conniving bitch! I will kick your freaking ass! C'mere, you little-
Alice was really getting really good at holding Bella back lately. Bella couldn't squirm free of her, which was probably for the best.
Kate had about a thousand years of experience on her, after all. Bella really only had today.
"I think you had a point about the whole penis envy thing, Alice," Kate drawled, and then waved a hand at Carlisle. "Yes, yes, alright, alright. I get it-Tanya, don't look at me like that…"
Kate was dragged away amidst the sound of furious admonishment from more than one person as Bella finally began to calm, having become even better at controlling her instincts over the course of the day, The nomads all swiftly began to drift away from the drama.
Vampires weren't very good people-people, and having been forced to interact with their mortal enemies all day hadn't helped. They went willingly and quickly, melting away like shadows into the night, probably in search of blood to cool their rising instincts.
Bella still planned to punch Kate in her perfect little upturned nose the next time she saw her. So much for helping Bella learn to control her gifts. They hadn't gotten too far with that before Leah ended up being the one getting shocked.
Idiot. Stupid, brazen, prideful idiot.
Alice let her go when she seemed calm enough, though she herself didn't look too pleased with Kate at the moment. It was a testament to the fact that she didn't really hate Leah anymore.
Not really really.
"Leah-Leah, are you alright?" Bella asked her idiotic friend desperately as Leah stayed on her knees, her chest rising and falling quickly as she watched Kate walk away with vicious eyes. When she turned to Bella, her irises were shining like twin suns in the darkness.
"I think I'm in love," she said.
… What?
"Huh?" Bella jolted to a stop, staring at her in confusion.
Leah's grin was wolfish. Her breasts heaved with every heavy breath and Bella blushed, suddenly remembering how naked her best friend was. Emmett was staring at her unabashedly, and received a sharp smack across the back of the head from Rosalie for it.
"What a fucking woman. She really doesn't take any kind of shit, does she?" Leah panted, licked her lips slowly, then shook her head as if breaking out of whatever weird trance she seemed to be in.
"Still a total ice queen though," Leah sighed as she got to her feet slowly. "I'd say I'm sad to see her leave, but I'm really kind of not…"
Bella followed her friend's eyes all the way to Kate's ass swaying away into the gloom of the trees.
You have got to be kidding me, she thought.
"What is wrong with you?" Bella threw up her hands and Leah made a face at her.
Next to them, Alice started laughing. A second later, Emmett did too as Bella clapped a hand to her face, shaking her head in utter exasperation.
"You are one crazy cool chick, Leah," Emmett grinned as Rosalie rolled her eyes. Even Edward and Jasper couldn't conceal tiny smirks of amusement.
Not helping, assholes!
Bella scowled at them and shot a glare at an unrepentant Leah when she snickered.
"What?" Leah said defensively. "She's really good at that whole electric touch thing. I like the tingle," Leah shrugged, and by the knowing look on her face Bella knew she was just trying to get a rise out of her.
Alice actually started giggling, which made Emmett start sniggering again, and then everyone burst out laughing, including the broodier of the Cullen bunch. The whole clearing was just having a grand old time at Bella's expense, much to her outrage.
Bella was a second away from going off on her friend for scaring her like that over her damn pride and having the gall to be turned on by it all, but then an extremely familiar, terrifying voice entered the fray and stopped her.
"Yes, she's really good at that whole pain thing… But I bet I'm better at it."
Bella whipped around on her heels to the tune of wild, surprised hissing as Jane walked out of the cover of the trees and into the light of the moon.
And all Bella could focus on was how her ruby red eyes glittered, as if to prove that statement.