AN: Here you go.
Thank you to my beta, mauigirl60!
Enjoy!
Chapter 2
Bella woke to sunny skies streaming into the hotel room. Its rays made the children's faces glow as they cuddled on each side of her.
Jacob was smiling down at them, his chocolate eyes dancing, causing her to shudder.
"Get up, sleepyheads, we have a big day ahead of us." He pointed to a table laden with odds and ends from a bakery. "I have coffee for you, my lady."
It was like the old days. She didn't trust this shiny, happy Jacob one bit. Who was this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
"Oh, thanks." She was still trying to come up with a way to escape. Bella wished she could trust that the lovely young woman would come here with a police force rescue party. The problem with Bella's wishes was that they never came true.
The children slowly woke up. Their eyes were bright with the promise of a new day, but faded quickly as they noticed the donuts their smiling father was holding. Her babies were good judges of character and even donuts sprinkled with pieces of candy happiness wouldn't ease their nerves.
He pulled her up from the bed swiftly. "Let's go, let's go! Time's wasting away!"
Another change was in the air and Bella didn't like it one bit. Things were about to get a whole lot worse.
XXXXXXX
They spent the day in the small town, dragged into gift shops and tiny cafés. Bella's eyes took in the smiling tourists ferrying their broods down the boardwalk. The parents were holding hands, smiles on their faces as they watched their children frolic.
She watched as Jason and Sarah forlornly took in the scene.
"Bella, the kids need new friends!" Jacob grabbed her hand in his; the action, which would have been one of comfort just a few months ago, felt like a trap. His sweaty palms felt revolting. He started pulling her and the children toward a toy store. "Let's get them stuffed animals. An elephant for Jay and..."
Bella couldn't really comprehend a word he was saying, as her mind whirled at the insanity. In the section containing the brightly-hued menagerie of creatures, both real and imaginary, Jacob tossed them around the aisle, searching. He was a man possessed.
"Jacob..."
"Hold on..." He pulled out a realistic-looking elephant. Its plushy form was shoved into Jason's arms, the little boy clinging to it. "Just let me find one more for Sarah."
More rummaging ensued, and a turtle hit Bella in the stomach. She pulled the children closer to her as she tried catching the eye of the shopkeeper. If he could just call the police department, Charlie could pick them up.
Jacob grabbed her arm, tugging her toward him. He hissed, "I have a gun in my waistband. Get that guy's attention and I'll blow his brains out, got it?"
Bile rose in Bella's throat. They needed to run.
A sick smile played on his lips, as he glanced down and pulled out a stuffed fawn. "Sarah, this is yours."
"I like the fairy, Daddy," Sarah squeaked. She held out a small fairy doll.
He grabbed it and threw it back on the shelf. "That's not your fucking spirit animal! Just do what I say and have a good day!"
Bella heard the finality in his voice. He was going to kill them all.
Two hours later, Bella was certain that in Jacob's delusional mind, he thought he was giving the children the perfect last day.
He'd been trying to feed them their favorite foods, but fear doused their appetites. A small nibble here and there was all the children could manage.
Sticky pink was dripping down their hands from barely-touched ice cream cones as they all stood in front of an antique store. Jacob pointed at the door. "I want to get you something, Bells. A token for the gifts you bequeathed to me."
He looked at the children with a smirk, as his phone rang. Bella watched him answer with a stoic expression. Sam.
Reaching into his pocket, Jacob pulled out a wad of cash, tossed it at Bella, and pointed to the door. She tried to take the children's hands but Jacob shook his head.
"Hold on, Sam. The kids stay here. Go get some earrings." He made his hand look like a gun and pointed it at Sarah's head.
Bella's eyes widened and she turned, stumbling into the shop. She was going to have to kill him.
She peeked at the window and observed Sarah and Jason were now sitting on a bench. The ice cream continued to melt all over their t-shirts. Jacob was yelling on the phone.
There wasn't much time. She rummaged through the bin that contained pocket knives. One stood out, i's ivory hilt brightly shining from the dull colors of its companions, as her mind went over all the instructions Charlie taught her about self-defense. This one was able to cause some damage.
Bella took another glance outside to see Jacob looking through the window. She needed to find his toxic gift quickly. A bracelet with onyx stones that reminded her of crow's eyes was on the counter. She grabbed it and noticed a tarnished copper lighter sitting next to it. It would normally be an object that Bella would overlook. She never smoked and never had any inclination to but, for some reason, it called to her. There was an illustration of a Phoenix etched into the metal. This might be her spirit guide, because she knew that she was going to kill her husband or die trying. If she survived this hell, Bella knew she would emerge something entirely new.
She threw the lighter onto the pile.
Jacob was finished with his call and watched her as she exited.
There was a new spring in her step, as she felt the knife and lighter rubbing against her skin from where they were tucked into her waistband.
"What did you get?" he asked, as she handed him his change. He looked interested, much to her surprise. She held out her wrist to him with a blank expression. He eyed it somberly. "I would think you'd have chosen something brighter."
"It called to me." It was dark like the fire in her soul. She was going to be rid of Jacob Black for her children's sakes. That was a promise.
XXXXXX
Bella found herself on the beach that night. A series of tiki torches were lit to make a path toward the water. Her two sleepy children clung to her, as their yawns filled the air. She gently touched the pocket of the forest green dress she'd chosen to wear for the mere fact that it hid her new acquisitions.
Jacob had made them dress up for an expensive dinner at a popular seafood restaurant in town. He ate heartily, while they watched him warily.
He meant it to be their last supper, and she hated him for it.
Afterwards, he dragged them to an isolated beach close to the woods. Bella remembered playing there when she was about Sarah's age. The contrast between the dark, deep woods and the open sky touching the water of the beach consumed her as she waded in to collect shells. She would just stare and imagine what was hidden beneath the waves and behind the thick trunks of the tree.
Tonight, the moon created a glow over a large rock, which made Bella think of the sacrificial altars she'd studied during her short stint as an archeology major, before she'd gotten pregnant with Sarah.
Jacob was looking over the water somberly.
Suddenly, she noticed the large blade on the top of the rock. She walked slowly over to it, her hands tightly gripping the children's. Her fingers brushed against the metal that looked dented, but was sharp enough to quickly slice through soft flesh.
That was how they were going to die.
"Jacob, when were you going to tell me that you were planning on gutting us like fish today?" She clung to the children, not watching her words around them. Sarah whimpered and Jason looked at her in confusion. She pulled him into her arms and grabbed the knife.
"Mommy?" Jason asked, one of his small hands holding hers tightly, as the other held the elephant.
Jacob held out his hand. "Give me the knife, baby. This has to be done."
"No!" She stumbled through the sand backwards and flipped off her shoes. The wet pieces of sand went between her toes, but it would be easier to run without them. "Stay behind me, Sarah! Reach into Mommy's pocket, honey!"
Bella could feel her girl removing the knife.
"Mommy, what do..." She held tightly to Bella's skirt.
Bella glanced down. "Protect yourself and your brother."
"Baby, I get to be chief!" Jacob said excitedly. "There needs to be a ceremony first."
"A sacrifice," she corrected him, eyeing the rock.
Jacob shrugged. "I guess you could say that. I need you to understand that I love you all, but I married outside the tribe. Leah Clearwater is my imprint, so I need to be joined with her sexually."
"You want a divorce? You got it, buddy!" Bella kept moving back toward the woods. "The kids and I can go to my dad's and you can sexually be with Leah Clearwater to your little heart's content."
"Our god won't allow it! He needs the children, so the wolves can enter us to shift at will." He looked at her, his eyes tearing up. "I was hoping to keep you alive, but you'll be food for the tribe after the transformation."
Bella's heart was beating like a thunderstorm inside her chest.
Only one thing was keeping her from fainting. Her mind was chanting:
Must save the children!
Must save the children!
Must save the children!
"You're insane!" Bella screamed.
Jason was crying, but Sarah was as calm as a shallow pond. She stared at her father, a determined look on her face. She was refusing to go down without a fight, just like her mother.
Sarah said quietly, "No matter what, I'll be with you and Jay in heaven, Mommy."
Her daughter was so very brave.
"No, you won't, kiddo, Unuck will be feasting on your soul," a voice stated. Bella turned around to see Sam, surrounded by four tribe members and Leah. "Hey, Bell. Sorry about all this, but you know our tradition."
Leah wrapped her arms around Jacob and kissed him. Bella wanted them both dead. "Why is the wife still alive?"
Jacob looked sadly at Bella. He still loved her, but power was far more important to him than his family. "Soon. The moon needs to be in the right position."
Bella kept moving the children back.
Sam approached Bella. "Give me the knife, lay the little guy on the rock and give him a kiss bye-bye."
He reached for Bella, making her stumble backward.
A scream pierced through the air, as Sarah rammed the pocket knife into Sam's gut. He fell over, face first, onto the ground.
"Leave us alone!" She pulled the knife out and dodged Sam who was trying to grab her leg. Sarah grabbed her mother and they all moved away as the rest of the pack moved toward them.
"Sarah, that's not what good little girls do!" Jake screamed. He was trembling.
"Good daddies don't hurt their kids!" she yelled back.
Bella glared at Jacob. "It's over, Jake! You're as good as dead!"
"Who's gonna help you, Bells? You're screwed!" He paused and sniffed the air. He looked at his old buddy, Quil. "Fuck! Do you smell that?"
"Fucking leeches!" Quil spat, as he began trembling.
The whole group was shaking, even the injured Sam. Their muscles were spasming and Bella watched as Jacob started scratching at his skin.
What the hell was happening?
"Well, howdy, puppies!" A blond man lazily walked up. His curls bounced as he moved. The man was as beautiful as a Renaissance painting. "We eating babies today?"
Another man jogged up behind him, a little smirk on his face, the beautiful man from the beach. His wild red hair was moving with the slight breeze that had picked up. Maybe he'd be their savior? "Now, Jazz, stop messing with the damned wolves. Maybe they want to play fetch? Hey there, pretty mama. You smell delicious."
He looked at her and her insides flashed warm and then cold. His eyes were as crimson as blood and she could see his sharp teeth as he licked his lips in her direction.
They were surrounded by monsters.
"You need to leave!" Jacob roared. Bella watched as his skin started bubbling up and hair sprouted from it. His nose was morphing into a snout. It was terrifying.
Jason screamed.
"Jesus, girl, shut that kid up! You're lucky the little bugger smells mighty unappetizing!" the blond one announced, as he looked at Sam's blood pooling in the sand. "Edward, I hate me some doggy blood. The mama, however..."
"…is mine," the beautiful one snarled, turning and holding a hand out to grasp Bella's arm.
Fear coursed through Bella;it was her new constant.
Jacob growled as he quickly completed the change from man to snarling beast. The rest of Jacob's friends, including Leah, changed with him and rushed at the strangers.
Jacob leapt onto the man and, without thinking, Bella plunged the knife into her husband's back.
The man, Edward, looked at her with a strange expression that had morphed into gratitude. Bella pulled the knife from Jacob's back. She was keeping it.
"Sarah! Run!" Bella gave one final glance at the man who had a new wolf after him, clutched Jason tighter and ran with Sarah toward the woods. The sand was flying up and hitting her ankles.
She prayed the woods would bring salvation.
She prayed that that her children would be safe.
She prayed for this nightmare to be over.