A/N: So, I went on vacation and enjoyed a little break from writing, but then I came back ready to go, and work said, "nuh-uh, here's 5 tons of paperwork for you to deal with." I've been going stir crazy not being able to dedicate time and attention to TA, but I have finally had the chance to update. Thanks for your patience!
As always, this story is rated M for violence, language and sexual content.
*** Chapter 13: Aftermath ***
Bella fed quickly, taking the time to wash off in the river before making her way to the reservation. Not surprisingly, she found them gathered at Sam's house, the early morning light spilling through the windows onto the group sitting at the overly large dining table. Emily had tried setting out a few items of food, but for once, the men didn't bother touching it.
The weight of losing Leah was hanging in the air and pressing down on everyone gathered, so much so that words spoken were slightly muted and eyes barely met across the wood grain surface of the table.
For a moment, Bella felt like an intruder on this little family of hers, that in being the very thing that had caused such pain, she might carry some of the guilt and responsibility for Leah's death. Mat had felt her arrival to the gathering and watched as feelings warred across her features, waiting for her to look his direction before extending a hand to pull her back to them, to him.
The others barely nodded in her direction when she came in the room, still sitting stoically in their chairs and saying little to nothing. When she reached his side, Mat tipped Bella's chin up and moved in to give a gentle kiss of comfort before noticing the tell-tale crimson flecks that had invaded her irises. His nostrils flared and Bella froze, eyes locked as hers silently pleaded for him to understand that she couldn't explain everything right this moment. Trusting her to tell him everything later, he moved his lips to her forehead and placed a feathered kiss at her temple before pulling her into his side. Bella tried to relax, but remained taught with tension over a discussion that she refused to have in front of the others.
Jake broke the silence first, "What are we looking at here, Bells?"
She hated the understanding that settled in his eyes before she had verbalized an answer. He could read her face like a book, she could hide nothing from Jacob Black, "There will be more. Maria has decided I'm a threat, and she wants me destroyed. When she realizes her plan has failed, she'll fight back harder."
The rest of the pack looked at their leader, who was gritting his teeth in frustration over her news. Per typical werewolf style, some wanted another chance to get revenge, payment for the loss of life they had experienced. The more mature members only saw more fighting, more danger to their tribe, more lives that could be lost.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, "for bringing this on you, on the tribe."
Getting up and coming to stand in front of her, Jacob waited until her eyes met his. If he took any notice of a change in Bella, he pushed past it without reaction.
"You're always telling me to let go of my guilt when it comes to what happened to you that day in the meadow, but I'm asking you to do the same now. You're part of us, and we would fight to protect you just as much as we would fight to protect any other member of our family."
Bella nodded slightly, looking around the room, focusing in on Seth and only finding acceptance on his face, not hatred or blame.
"Now, how much time do they think we'll have till they return?"
"I didn't get a chance to talk to Jasper about that, I just needed to get away from there. I can call him if you'd like."
"I think it can wait for now, don't you, Jake?" Emily interrupted the discussion, "We need to arrange a proper goodbye for our friend, our sister."
"She's right," Sam agreed with his wife, "There will be time for fighting again, but enough blood has been spilled for today."
Reminded once more of the girl they had all loved, the group turned their attention towards saying a final farewell.
They had barely broken through the trees into a small clearing, when Mat turned on her and started pacing back and forth through the grass, his eyes never leaving her face until he had taken hold of himself and was able to phase. A gentle rain fell from the sky, causing Bella's paleness and Mat's deep bronze to stand out in stark contrast to the newly livened green that surrounded them.
"Why?"
One simple direct question was all he could manage.
"I had to, I needed the strength to deal with questioning Maria's guy. I had to be strong enough to have the upper hand against him."
She watched his now human form take a page from animal behavior as he once again stalked the ground…left to right….right to left, every muscle in his frame flexing and relaxing as he paced, a beautiful picture of man in his finest form. Finally stopping, he turned to face her once again.
"Did you enjoy that? Human blood?" He examined her face for the truth of the answer before she could speak a word.
"Honestly? It was different, but yes, I suppose you could say I did. It was a rush, it felt amazing, like I could feel it rushing into every cell in my body," her hands were animated in her explanation, and she watched him try to conceal the way his body wanted to cringe at her transparent confession, "But what did you expect? This is what I'm made to do. Feeding off of human beings is what is expected of me, and I deny that every day. Do you deny your body the nutrition it needs? Has anyone asked you to abandon those massive mountains of food you and the pack consume in exchange for artificial vitamin-packed protein shakes? You can't fault me for feeling like the world had finally clicked into focus, and everything was in its place."
Bella stood with shoulders back, refusing to cower in shame over her actions. Mat crossed his arms and the pair formed a stand off, eyes locked as he processed her words.
It was an open and shut case, an easy verdict to reach, finding her guilty of drinking the blood of a human, right?
But Bella had possessed sound reasoning. No one had asked any of the wolves to sacrifice as she had from the moment she woke up as an immortal creature. It wasn't as if she had gone on a blood-thirsty killing spree, taking out entire households, the essence of the inhabitants dripping off her chin as she searched for her next target.
She still looked like his Bella, though he could detect a slight difference in her scent. And staring into the stubborn face of the woman who he knew he'd get no apology from, Mat knew without a doubt, this was still the Bella who owned every part of him.
Mat ran a hand through shaggy hair that was slightly wet from the rain as he, once again, tried to reconcile what had been engrained in him from his first days as a wolf and what he knew to be reality.
Good and evil, life or death, right or wrong, nothing was clear cut anymore. Honestly, he was fucking tired of trying to figure out where the line was. He just wanted her. Screw the rest.
"Fine."
"Fine? What the hell does that mean?" Bella sought clarification.
"It means you're right. I have no idea what it's like to live as you do, to deny the hunger inside you every day, to surround yourself with humans and care for them, knowing that part of you desires to take, even just the smallest amount in order to quench the thirst," Mat conceded, "And, even though I can still see the tiniest flecks of red in the color of your eyes, I would spend every day I have left on this planet waking up searching for them, even if they turn the darkest crimson because I am in love with you."
Frozen in shock at his unexpected revelation, Bella stood there, lips parted as any words she had planned to argue further with fell away.
"I, I…love…I love you too," She managed to stutter in response.
Mat cocked his head to the side and smirked, "Aren't vampires usually smoother with their words? Is it possible that I have actually taken the most powerful creature your kind has produced by surprise?"
Bella closed the distance between them and placed her cool palms on the sides of his face, "I don't care what title or description they wish to assign me as long as I will still be yours and you will be mine. That is all that matters."
Mat shook his head in agreeance before he met her lips with his, heated satin gliding over cool silk, letting his tongue dip in between her lips until each unique flavor blended together into his favorite taste.
She watched Mat sleep, thinking over his words, remembering every sensation of their bodies that had molded together with aching slowness as he had made love to her, how he had covered every inch of her body with his, vibrated to the point of being able to pierce her flesh again, letting the earthly smell of his lust invade her senses as she quickened around him while he came into her again and again as the sun traced a path across the sky, marking her as his once more. It was deliciously satisfying to let go and let him take what he needed from her, to relax in his hard embrace and trust that he desired to satisfy her, she only need to submit to however his body led him to do that.
The moon hung high, illuminating the edges of a cloud filled sky while she kept silent watch over him until she heard the soft sound of feet approaching the cabin at a lightening quick pace. Bella instantly placed a shield around the cabin, barring entrance while she made her way to the door to find out who had decided to pay them a visit.
Jasper was standing at the edge of her barrier, holding a bottle in each hand in a gesture of peace offering. Bella arched an eyebrow in question.
"Felt you might need a drink after all that's gone down. I always liked a good pint of tequila after I'd washed the blood from my hands."
Nodding in agreement she met him where he was and tilted her head away from the cabin, leading him into the forest till they found some dead trees they could sit on. She kept her hearing attuned to the sound of Mat's heart, feeling an invisible string tying the two of them together.
"I see and smell that someone has reclaimed his territory," Jasper observed while he handed her a full pint of Jose' before opening his own and taking a swig.
"I don't even think about it anymore. I suppose I do smell like him, don't I?"
Jasper nodded, "Your scent is still there, but he's done a good job of mixing it with his. It's an odd mixture because I recognize my own kind, and at the same time, there's that hint of something that wants to put me on edge. But even more curious is how he managed to pierce your skin and leave his mark behind?"
Bella rubbed the bite mark exposed by her low-necked tee, the evidence that was imprinted on her skin permanently, the same place Mat had returned to earlier in the day.
"I don't know how he does it. It just sort of happened. It's as if he gets stuck somewhere in phasing, part wolf and yet still human. It's his canine teeth that make it through the barrier."
"Like a mating mark."
"Mating mark?"
"Animal nature, that male need to claim, to let others know that this particular female is his mate. Lord knows, vampire are animalistic enough that we do it, I would assume that werewolves would do it, but don't usually have mates that can handle the physical assault that a bite from them would inflict. But, Mat has you, so his inner primal beast is taking the chance to let others know that you belong to him."
"No more so than he belongs to me," she stated stubbornly.
"Yeah, I kind of picked up on that. You're as tied to each other as Alice and I or Emmett and Rosalie, but mates from different species of supernatural creature? That's a new one. Someday when this is all over, you can tell me how you two managed to collide together given the natural instinct to fight each other."
Bella smiled as memories of their earlier days came to the forefront of her mind, "Yeah, we weren't always so cozy with each other."
Jasper soaked in the warm wash of love and light and happiness that she radiated with her response, and was able to find the first beginnings of a smile since leaving the interrogation room.
"So, how is the pack doing?"
"They're devastated. Leah was a complete pain in the ass when she first transformed, bitter and angry about getting tied for eternity with the pack, refusing to even consider the possibility that she could one day be mated to one of them. But in the end, she was fiercely loyal and protective of all of us. As much as she would start shit with one of them, she'd take down anyone that tried to mess with one of the boys, especially the younger ones, or any of their imprints. She was my one female best friend, the one girl I could go to who understand what it was like to not be an ordinary human and we bonded over being forced into the other worldly. After that, we just stuck together. I loved her," Bella explained.
"So, will they do any sort of service soon?"
"Yeah, we need to send her off to the spirit world to meet her ancestors as soon as possible, so the reservation will observe the rights tomorrow."
Jasper and Bella sat companionably side by side, making their way half way through the bottle, a nice buzz settling into their brains. Bella thought about how things would go the following afternoon, well actually today, as it was past midnight.
"God, Jasper, the last thing I need is a pack of drunk wolves trying to take on a lethal unit of vampires that have been ordered to kill anything on four legs," Bella rubbed her temples, her head aching from the thought of what a disaster that would be, " How soon will there be another attack? Is there anything we can do?"
Jasper thoughtfully rubbed his chin before giving her a cautious side glance.
"What? What is it? Why are you looking like that?"
"Well, the truth is, Bella, I don't think we'll be able to take on Maria's fighters as we are right now. I hadn't intended to talk to you about this right now, but seeing as you mentioned Leah's funeral and given the circumstances surrounding that…" he waited a moment before suggesting, "I think we need to call in reinforcements."
"Reinforcements…"she thought over his words, "You mean other vampires? Like the Denalis up in Alaska? That shouldn't be so bad, I mean they follow the same diet we do."
"Certainly Tanya and the others will be helpful, and I have already sent for them, but I was looking towards my brother Peter and his mate, Charlotte, possibly a couple of other nomads that we've had the chance to fight alongside over the years."
"Ah….and they aren't so strict when it comes to their food preferences?"
"Exactly, but Bella, they're the best fighters I know, and I'm certain we are going to need them if we expect to come out of this thing alive. Not to mention, we could cover the entire perimeter the next couple of days, give your boys a chance to grieve."
Bella winced at the term 'your boys.' Before there had always been the need to include that one girl, but not now, no, Leah had left her alone with the 'boys.' She took several long pulls off the bottle of tequila in her hand, bracing herself for the inevitable decision.
"Call them in."
"You're sure?"
"Fuck, Jasper, I don't have a choice. Jacob's going to lose his shit over this, but he'll have to get over it. Anyhow, even with just vegetarian vampires running the treaty line, I figure we'll have some new wolves triggering any day now, and he'll be busy getting them acclimated to the pack. If he questions me, I'll play dirty and tell him I can't lose another member of my family, that after Charlie and Leah, I need to keep him, Cali and the twins safe. His protective instinct will kick in and he'll cave."
Jasper studied her face, felt the emotions she had going on over doing what needed to be done, but feeling like she was being manipulative to get what she wanted. Between the questioning of their prisoner earlier and the evening's conversation, he had to give her credit for having a mind that was political and somewhat militant. She wasn't afraid to make the hard choices when they were necessary, even if she didn't "enjoy" it, and she didn't back down from getting her hands messy when the situation demanded. He respected her for it, and would stand proudly beside her in battle when the time came.
Tipping his bottle towards her he toasted, "To the end justifying the means."
She looked at him, felt the respect he was sending her way and nodded before clinking her bottle against his, "If we're going to hell, might as well do it thoroughly."
She drained the bottle of the remaining contents, letting the alcohol sand down the rough edges inside her that had arisen from their conversation when she thought of how the wolves would take the news. Leaving Jasper to make the calls he needed for back up, she returned to the cabin.
Still lost in slumber, Bella examined every inch of exposed flesh on Mat's body – the muscles in his shoulders, dark nipples that had pebbled in the cool night air, the line that lead down the center of his abdomen, that little dent in the muscles above hip bones, the darkened patch of hair that dipped below the cotton covering him.
Tequila buzzed through her body, awakening each and every one of her senses, and Bella's pupils dilated while she breathed in his scent mixing with her own state of arousal.
Crossing the room without a sound, she pulled the sheet away, exposing his manhood to her gaze, feeling her tongue slide along her lower lip in a predatory way. He shifted slightly in his sleep and Bella barely made the mattress dip when she sat beside him, letting one finger trace down the length of sex, hearing the way his body responded to her touch, heart rate picking up, blood starting to rush faster.
Vampire eyes watched with fascination as she could see how he hardened to her touch and she allowed her hand to wrap around silken steel, rubbing up and down the length. Eyelids fluttered, appearing to Bella that Mat's body couldn't quite figure out if it needed to be awake or continue to enjoy what must be the sweetest of dreams. A shiny pearl of precum formed at the tip of his now engorged head and she took the time to lick him clean again, pushing against the tiny slit in his skin with her tongue. A low growl tumbled from his lips as hips shifted and she took the encouraging movement as permission to take him into her mouth, one hand still working at the base of the shaft.
Sliding, swirling over his skin, in and out, she pumped him with her mouth. Blood continued to speed through his veins and she could feel the pulse of it beneath her tongue, could smell the metallic tang of iron under his skin, felt the desire to take not only his seed, but his life's essence as well. She suckled harder on his flesh, sending out a call to his heart to continue sending what she most desired to where she waited, her instinct trying to push her closer to the edge of baring her teeth.
Growls grew louder in her ear as his body was delirious from the attention she was giving it, pleasure pulling Mat from sleep to stare down to where his cock was sliding in between her lips again and again. He tried to pull her up to him, but she held him in her mental cage, unable to go anywhere until she was finished getting what she wanted. Feeling her tongue swirl around the head once more while her hand furiously worked his shaft and the other cupped his balls, his release poured onto her tongue and she lapped at his swollen flesh to the point that he felt he would pass out from pleasure that was crossing towards being painful.
In the instant her eyes finally met his, their black depths letting him know that she was slipping towards the edge, he shouted her name and she released him from her hold. It took seconds to have her pinned beneath him, arms pulled above her head, wrists locked in his grasp.
"What the fuck was that?!"
Her wicked laughter twirled through the air, entertained, "I do believe that is called a blow job, or giving head, sucking your cock, or going down on a person, you pick which term suits your fancy."
"That is not what I meant, Bella. What is going on in that head of yours? You're like a demon possessed, where are you right now?" He questioned.
Bella closed her eyes, listened to the rapid fire pounding of his heart, felt the heat of his anger, heard his concern.
Opening her eyes again, she whispered, "Pull me back from the edge."
Letting go over her hands, he let his thumbs trace under her eyes, watching their golden circles grow with each sweep. Leaning forward, refusing to break their stare, lips met over kisses that were slow and intentional, beckoning her back to his embrace until he could feel gentle hands trace along his shoulders and lightly running through the hair at the nape of his neck.
They'd fought back the devil lurking within.
This time.
