Bella
"I'm so sorry Bella!" Lacey fluttered over me as I lay in the snow trying to ignore the pain of my severed leg. Edward growled at her and she backed off, tears falling down her pale cheeks. He held my hand as Carlisle secured my limb in place so it could mend back together. My annoyance was clear on my face. Jake had been trying to get her in control of her shifting for three weeks and she's barely made progress. Jake wanted to lift the stakes, so he put me in her line of attack. It didn't work. She didn't shift back until they had already found my leg in the woods.
Jake led Lacey away from us, she wasn't helping the situation and we were certainly not helping her erratic shifting. Maybe it's a good thing American Cheetahs are extinct. I tried not to scream in pain as my body healed itself. Edward was already furious. Emmett had to keep him from killing Lacey right after it happened "You could have defended yourself you know." He huffed next to me, casting death glares in Lacey's direction. "You have got to be kidding me!" Edward swore and stood up just in time to slam the attacking cheetah against a tree. A deafening crack filled the suddenly silent night air and the cheetah crumbled to the ground. No one moved, it was as if time stood still. A giant wolf barreled through the trees toward her.
I tried to sit up but Edward held me down with a disapproving look. "She's fine. She'll heal." His face was hard but his eyes gave him away. He felt guilty but would have done it again to protect me. Carlisle and Jake examined the animal warily. "This is getting ridiculous; she's going to kill someone." Edward said examining my leg. We looked up to see Alice and Renesmee coming through the woods toward us. Renesmee took one look at Lacey and he hand went protectively to her stomach. The Wells were helpful when it came to Ness' questions. Her skin would push outwards to accommodate the growing child. It would be like sculpting marble and would be painful. Edward told me she was already starting to feel the discomfort but wouldn't tell anyway. Other than that it would be a normal pregnancy as long as you appeased to growing child. Lacey never liked blood but it would differ just like with a human pregnancy. The Wells helped Ness out a lot and they grew closer to her and Jake throughout the past three weeks.
"Zafrina and Nahuel should be here soon." Alice said as she took in the carnage around her. Ness looked like she could throw up, product of her child no doubt. I gasped as my leg finally reconnected. I lifted it slowly and pleased that it worked just fine and jumped to my feet just in time for Ness to throw up. "I'll take her back up." Alice said and began steering Ness back toward the house.
"You're okay right mom?" She asked before following Alice. I told her I was fine but she still didn't move. Her hand found her belly again but she didn't say anything. She looked at Jake who was holding down the cheetah and sadness entered her eyes. What was the matter with her? She looked at Edward meaningfully and he nodded. She turned and followed Alice back to the house.
"What was that about?" I asked him. He snaked a hand around my waist and pulled me close. He smiled at me and kissed the top of my head.
"She's just afraid that that," He gestured to Lacey, "will happen to her baby. She doesn't want her baby to hurt us." He said this with exasperation. I shook my leg and didn't think it was a ridiculous fear. "She made me promise we would help her. She's scared." Just as he said that a blood curdling scream echoed throughout the forest. Edward and I ran through the woods and were at Ness' side in seconds. Jake was right behind us. She had her hands clamped over mouth and her face was white. She stared at a very confused Nahuel. "Jeez Nessie, sorry I didn't think I'd scare you that much. I was just trying to play a joke." Nahuel was saying. I could hear Ness's heart beating very quickly. She put her arms down and hugged Nahuel.
"Sorry, I guess I'm just a little more sensitive, or something. I'm so happy you're here. Where is Zafrina?" Jake was beside Ness then and didn't allow Nahuel to answer. "Wait a minute, what the hell happened?" Jake glared at Nahuel.
"Relax, Jake. Nahuel just popped out of the woods at Ness and she freaked out." Edward placated Jake. "Let's go say hi to Zafrina at the house." His body was rigid and I knew he was thinking the same thing that I and the absent Alice had thought. Nahuel and Lacey.
"Where is Carlisle?" Zafrina asked as she embraced all of us. "I haven't seen him in decades and now he's hiding. O Renesmee! You look gorgeous!" She kissed Ness on the cheek. Zafrina nodded at Jacob who did not look pleased to have her there. No one answered her question. The Wells sat alone on the couch in the living room. Edward stepped forward to introduce them. They nodded to each other, neither Zafrina nor Nahuel looked impressed. I wondered if Nahuel had reconnected with his sisters. It was an awkward evening. Jake left a few minutes after arriving to go back to help Carlisle with the broken Lacey. The Wells went home shortly after. Edward told them quietly that Lacey had fallen asleep in our little house. They were content with that and relieved to get away from the strange amazons.
Edward and I escaped as soon as Carlisle came back. We went back down into the woods. Lacey was sitting against the same tree but she was in human form again. Edward snarled at her and she started to cry again. I looked at him with the same disapproving look he had given me. "Bella, Edward, I'm sorry I didn't mean to!" I went to sit next to Lacey. It was a little difficult as Edward refused to let go of me.
"You'll get a hang of it Lacey. Look," I bent my leg, "I'm fine." I could feel Edward roll his eyes. He was avoiding making eye contact with her. "Come on lets practice again but this time I will fight back." Lacey gulped, Jake had a mischievous grin on his face and Edward did not look happy. "Let's go." I stood up and walked into the center of the clearing. I crouched down, ready, waiting. Lacey got to her feet in one fluid motion and joined me in the center. "Alright Lace, bring on the cheetah."
She crouched down and her body vibrated. She stood there quivering for at least five minutes. I could stay in this stance for as long as I needed to. Finally Lacey sighed heavily and her body stopped. She stood up straight and looked defeated. I caught Jakes eyes. He shifted in a second and ran at Lacey. Edward stiffened. Lacey shifted as she jumped out of the wolf's way. I stayed where I was. Edward walked over to me as I watched the wolf and the cheetah stare each other down. Would she lose control again? Unlike Jake, Lacey always surrendered to the cheetah characteristics, she let her animal instincts rule her.
"She's still Lacey, still thinking." Edward whispered to me but I didn't relax my stance. Not this time. "She keeps remembering how she attacked you. She feels bad." He relaxed then and let the incident go. "She's hungry." Despite Edward's words, the cheetah didn't pounce. "She wants us to show her how to hunt." Jake nodded. I looked at Edward and saw the same smile on his face.
"Can we join you?" Emmett and Rose were watching from one of the trees. "It should be more fun than talking about babies with them." His head tilted in the direction of the house. Rose looked like she would disagree but held her peace. She looked annoyed though.
"Let's go." We ran through the woods, Jake ran beside Lacey to make sure she didn't slip. Edward and I were close too so we would have some warning if she was about to lose control. We ran far, up the mountains and to the other side. We hadn't gone this far for a long time but Emmett wanted a challenge. Hunting bears while watching Lacey would certainly be a challenge.
"Jake thinks we should stay closer to home. He doesn't like hunting big game." Edward laughed, music to my ears. We haven't hunted for a long time. Too long, it was making everyone short tempered. I crouched down and let my instincts guide my body. I lovely, warm, scent filled my nose. I followed the mouth watering aroma of black bears. Emmett was right behind me. I forgot Lacey and raced my brother in law to the huge animal that should have been in hibernation. I sprung myself into the trees as I spotted the bears. There were three of them. Strange but it would certainly work. I decided to allow Emmett the largest one. I focused on the female bear as it passed beneath me. I flung myself at her and sunk my teeth into her throat. I held on as she tried to throw me off. I wasn't one to play with my food like Emmett who was wrestling his. I drank deeply, easing the burn in my throat.
I wiped my mouth off with the back of my hand as I stood feeling very satisfied. Emmett was no where around. I heard the padding of an animal behind me and barely managed to dodge the cat as it came toward me. She wasn't aiming for me though, rather my kill. Lacey gnawed the meat off of the bloodless bear in front of me. That was cheating. Edward came up behind me as I fought the urge to throw Lacey off my kill. He raised his brows at me and I shared my thoughts with him. He laughed, "Your bear love? I don't think you should get attached." He kissed me softly. Neither of us showed any evidence of our hunt.
"What did you get?" I asked him. His eyes were gold and happy but he shrugged noncommittally. "Tell me."
"Well I was trying to watch Lacey so I just went for the biggest thing in the area. Don't laugh."
"Why would I laugh?" I was just confused. Why would he be so ashamed about a big kill?
"Okay, I got a moose." I couldn't keep my mouth from twitching up. "You said you wouldn't laugh! The moose seemed very willing to be eaten." I couldn't help it I started laughing so much I almost fell from the tree I was perched in. Edward couldn't keep his serious face on anymore either. We fell from the tree in fits of giggles. It felt good to laugh with him. Life has been so serious here. It was nice to just be with him. He sobered quickly though and sat up. "She switched."
I looked at Lacey who was still eating but she was eating more ferociously and a low growl was forming in her throat. She looked up at us and Edward crouched in front of me, snarling back. "Don't hurt her," I watched the glint in the animal's eyes and for a second I thought Lacey got control. Then she turned and ran off in the other direction. "What happened?" I asked him, a little annoyed that she ruined my mood again.
"She found something else more appetizing." Edward started running after her and I followed.
"What, a human?" I asked him. He was faster and a little ways ahead of me but he still heard me.
"Nahuel!" I heard and I quickened my pace. We chased her back over the mountain. What was Nahuel doing out here? Was he hunting? I caught a whiff of Nahuel but Ness was with him too. What are they doing? Where was Jake? I saw Edward get to the little gathering just as Lacey pounced for Nahuel and I prayed he wouldn't bite her.
My fear was unfounded. Lacey shifted right in the middle of her pounce and crashed into a confused Nahuel. Renesmee threw up. I arrived at the same time as the others. Rosalie looked just as neat as Edward and I but Emmett's clothes were all torn up. He took one look at the lack of blood on me and laughed, he always told me I was too tame.
Lacey off of Nahuel were staring at each other as if they were in a trance. Edward took my hand and led me away from them. "What are you doing, one of them will get hurt." I tried to pull away from him but couldn't. The others followed behind. We waited for Ness to catch up.
"What are you doing?" She asked breathlessly, "Lacey will get hurt! Momma, do something." I was totally with her but Edward stopped to face us.
"No, they're fine. It looks like Lacey has imprinted." Emmett couldn't control his booming laughter.