Chapter Four: Discoveries

"Where did they go?" Quil wondered.

"Emmett!" Alice said sharply. "You pulled its tail off!"

"You could have gone with it," Rosalie informed him.

Emmett shrugged, unperturbed as always.

"Enough," Sam said coldly. "The others are coming."

A moment later, demons of all shapes began to emerge from the trees. In unspoken accordance, each of the immortals grabbed hold of a demon and vanished into the air.

As each of them vanished from the field, they found themselves in a place that looked almost like a receiving bay for trucks. Instead of trucks, different kinds of demons scurried through the bay, in a hurry to go this way and that, some of them carrying things—including dead bodies.

Jacob and Gracie were there, waiting for them. Gracie cut straight to the point. "Niki's scent continues here," she said anxiously. "We can follow it, but I have to admit I feel conspicuous. We might be attacked."

"We," said Embry, indicating himself and the pack, "can just go into wolf form. We'll fit right in."

"As for us," Carlisle began, "we can stick to the shadows and keep our heads down. We'll fight if we need to. With all the business going on here, I doubt anyone will notice us."

Some of the werewolves were already phasing, while others chose to remain human. Soon everyone was ready to go.

"Get on my back again," Edward told Gracie. "If there's a confrontation, I can outrun it more easily than you. Despite what Carlisle told the werewolves, running would be more prudent than fighting."

Gracie obediently climbed onto his back, her arms tight around his neck. She laid her head down on his back and breathed in his cool cinnamon scent. She knew that she should be worried right now, worried for Niki and for everyone who was going after her, but it was hard to worry with Edward's scent surrounding her. The coolness of his skin wasn't unfriendly, the way she might have imagined; it was calming, soothing.

Edward, meanwhile, tried to ignore the way her blood was singing to him. He could smell her, cold mountain air and fresh, clean pine needles. Inhaling deeply, Edward shook his head, trying to dispel the enchantment her blood had over him. Yet, he was beginning to wonder if it was just her blood that called to him. "Let's go," he said, his voice harsher than he had intended.

They followed Niki's scent, the werewolves spreading out, the vampires sticking to the shadows. They mostly avoided any kind of conflict, fighting or fleeing as needed.

"Her scent is getting stronger," Jacob breathed, eyes wide. His breath was coming short and quick; he was nearly hyperventilating. "We're almost there."

Gracie straightened up a little. "In there." She pointed.

Jacob started for the door, but Sam, in wolf form, stopped him and nodded to Jared and Embry, who were human. Jared very slowly, carefully opened the door and Embry slid inside, looking around for enemies. He saw none and relaxed, beckoning to the others. Jacob darted into the room, looking around frantically for Niki. The others followed, some holding their noses against the awful stench.

Jacob was hyperventilating again. "Oh my God," he gasped, falling to his knees and hauling the huge dead spider off of Niki's stiff body. He very gently turned her over. Her eyes were open, staring straight ahead, and her skin was terribly pale.

"No," he said brokenly. "Niki, no... Niki!" His voice rose. "NO!"

Carlisle gently pushed his way past the others and knelt by Niki. Jacob looked up at him and growled, pulling Niki's stiff body away from him, but Carlisle reached for her. "I'm a doctor, remember?" he said gently.

Reluctantly, Jacob surrendered her to the blonde vampire. Carlisle felt for a pulse on her neck—Jacob growling softly at the sight of his fingers on her throat—and very calmly pulled her eyelids up one at a time, checking her eyes.

"Paralyzed," he said at last. "Unconscious, but alive." Frowning, he felt along her back until his fingers touched the demon spider's fangs. "Ah," he said. "She's still being poisoned. Here—hold her like this." He propped her up against Jacob's shoulder with her back to Carlisle. Brushing her hair aside, he hooked his fingers around the fangs and, drawing a deep breath, yanked them out.

Gracie's eyes went wide. "Oh, no," she whispered. Turning, she grabbed Jasper's hand and stumbled out of the room, pulling him along with her.

Niki, fortunately, couldn't feel a thing. But all the hustle and bustle was waking her up. The clatter of voices around her was distracting, and the light in the room from the door stung her eyes. She tried to move, but she couldn't. She tried to cry out, but she couldn't.

Jacob cried out for her.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? LOOK AT HER! SHE'S BLEEDING NOW! GET ALL THE DAMN BLOODSUCKERS OUT OF THE ROOM! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

Carlisle, calm as ever, turned to the other Cullens. "Go on," he told them. "You can only hinder, here."

They filed out silently. Embry, Jared, and Sam followed.

Everyone was quiet as Carlisle carefully unhooked the fangs from Niki's torn skin. Jacob was really hyperventilating now, tears streaming down his face as blood spread along Niki's back. Paul was white underneath his tan, fists clenched in fury. Leah concentrating on remembering to breathe, having difficulty with her lungs. Quil had his hands over his face, whispering, "No, this can't be happening. Oh, my God. Oh, Niki. This can't be happening."

"W-what's happening?" Jacob asked, frightened. Blood had begun to drip from the corner of Niki's mouth. "Carlisle?" In his terror, he forgot to think of something insulting to call Carlisle. "Is—is she okay?"

"Yes, but the next few minutes are not going to be pretty," Carlisle said quietly. "You should leave. All of you."

"I'm staying," Paul said, though his voice shook ever-so-slightly. The others chimed in with agreement.

"No." Jacob's voice was low and rough. "Get out of here. All of you—go."

"Jake—" Quil began to protest.

Jacob looked up at him, eyes dark and haunted. "Get out," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Come on," Leah said. "We're not doing any good arguing, and we can't be of any help here." She left, and hesitantly, the others followed. Paul glanced back at Niki, whispering something that sounded like, "Tinkerbelle." Then he vanished through the doorway, closing the door softly behind him.

Niki started to shake, slightly at first, then violently. She flinched once, then again, then started flailing. Tears of blood ran from her eyes, red fluid dripping from her ears, nose, and mouth. Blood still pumped from the two puncture wounds at the top of her spine.

"Hold her down," Carlisle said quietly, easily pinning Niki's wrists to the floor. Jacob quickly grabbed her ankles.

She was kicking, her muscles twitching involuntarily, her skin shivering. Her legs twisted and her elbows lifted off the floor and then banged back down. Jacob bit his lip, tears blurring his vision. He was glad. He didn't want to see Niki in such pain.

Then came the screaming.

She had a voice like a banshee, high and piercing, emerging from a tiny throat. Her scream fluctuated, dipping and soaring in pitch, agony clearly present in the sound.

Outside the door, Gracie covered her ears and turned away, burying her face in Edward's chest. He folded his arms around her without hesitation, thinking about how she had screamed nearly the same way during those three days after he bit her. He rocked her from side to side, stroking her hair. At the moment he wasn't concerned about feeling unfaithful to Bella. Gracie needed him.

And that was when he realized that he wanted to be there when Gracie needed him, whenever she needed him. He wanted to be the one to hold her, to comfort her. He wanted to be the one who could tell her everything would be alright.

Lowering his face, he touched his lips softly to her hair. Jasper and Emmett exchanged a look.

Inside, Niki abruptly stopped screaming. Jacob caught his breath. "Is she okay?"

Before Carlisle could reply, Niki whispered, "Jake?"

"Niki!" He instantly swept her up, cradling her like a doll to his chest. He was quickly smeared with blood, but he didn't care. "Niki, are you okay?"

"Jake..." Niki started to cry. "What's going on? Everything hurts..."

The sight of her tears, mixing with the drying blood on her face, tore into his heart. He held her closer. "Niki... it's okay... I'm here, Niki. I'm here."

She clung to him, sobbing. Jacob looked up at Carlisle pleadingly. "Shouldn't we stop the bleeding?"

"No. She's bleeding out the venom. She'll be bleeding very heavily for a while, so don't come out until it gets a bit better, alright? I doubt Nikita would appreciate being drained of blood by Gracie or Jasper right after being rescued." He left.

Jacob paced back and forth, cradling Niki gently, whispering assurances to her. Gradually the bleeding slowed, and with it, the tears.

For the first time, Jacob noticed the dead bodies around him. It made him sick to think that Niki had very nearly joined their ranks. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again," he told her.

"Good," she said, her voice muffled since her face was buried in his chest. Then, attempting a weak stab at humor, she said, "But you do realize that means following me to hell, right?"

"You're not going to hell."

"Oh, yes, I am. Didn't Paul tell you what I did to Bella?"

"He told me." Jacob nuzzled her neck. "I'll plea-bargain with Saint Peter if I have to, but you're not going to hell."

"I don't think you can plea-bargain with the saints."

"I don't think you can go to hell for breaking someone's nose, especially when she deserved it."

"I don't think God lets bad people into heaven."

"I don't think the state of your soul depends on how nice you are."

Niki smiled and buried her face in his hot neck. "I guess we'll find out when I die."

"That isn't going to be soon."

She sighed, still trembling gently. "Can we go home now? I want to go see Mother Wolf." Her nickname for Emily made Jacob chuckle weakly.

"Yeah." He nuzzled her neck again. "But we have to get you out of those bloody clothes—otherwise those bloodsuckers are going to eat you alive."

"Gracie won't eat me. And she'll make sure Jasper doesn't, too."

"Well, sorry, Niki. I still don't trust any of those filthy bloodsuckers."

"You should. Gracie loves me. She's my friend. She would like you, too. She's funny about werewolves. She doesn't mind them. She doesn't even think they smell bad."

Jacob frowned. "Really?"

Niki laughed. "Yeah, really. She could kill me without even meaning to, but that's just because she's not used to being a vampire yet."

Jacob leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips. "Oh, Niki. Niki. Why didn't you stay behind like I told you to? I was so worried about you. I'm going to murder Leah for convincing me to let you go."

Niki ignored him, kissing his shoulder and his neck.

"Honestly, though. That has got to be the stupidest thing you have ever done. I'm never letting you come with us again."

"I thought you were never going to let me out of your sight." She reached up and nipped his ear.

"I'll stay with you. The others can go without me. I'll lock you in a steel box and throw away the key."

"I'll starve." She kissed him just beneath the jaw.

"I'll have a slot to give you food. It will need voice identification to open. I'll be the only one who can get to you."

"I'll go on hunger strike."

"I'll go in there and force-feed you."

"But you threw away the key."

"There will be a secret backdoor with fingerprint identification so that only I can open it." Now he was just arguing for the fun of it.

"I'll wait until one of the others comes by and I'll tell them to knock you out and use your fingers to open it."

"It's soundproof."

"That's an interesting box you have there." She smiled. "I'd never escape if you locked me up in there. But if you locked me up, I couldn't do this." She threw her arms around his neck, pulled herself up, and kissed him hotly on the lips. He felt her tongue along his bottom lip and forgot to breathe. His legs went weak but his arms were stronger than ever, pressing her to him.

Gasping, he pulled back, turning his head so that she didn't just attack him again. She grinned. "Hey, you're supposed to kiss me every time I do something stupid and dangerous, right?"

"Hmm. Yeah. Here, come on. We need to get all the blood off you..." He frowned. "Those clothes are beyond saving."

"Oh, you're just trying to get me out of my clothes."

He blushed. "Niki!"

"Kidding, Jake. Is there anything else in here that I could wear? I'm not wearing something that a dead person had."

They both looked around. "Ooh, check that box. I think I see cloth," Niki said. Jacob began to lower her, but she clung to his neck. "No, no! Don't put me down."

Jacob laughed. "Alright, alright." He walked over to the box. "See any clothes?"

"Yeah. They're going to be way too big for me, but it's okay. Lean down a little?"

He did, and she reached out to grab the clothes. "Okay," she said. "Now we have to get Carlisle to fix me before I change—otherwise I'll just bleed all over the new clothes."

"Doctor Cullen!" Jacob called.

Carlisle was inside already. He walked over to Niki, his doctor bag in his hand. "Here. I've got peroxide, anesthesia, and bandages. The others might still be able to smell the blood, however, so try to stay away from most of us. Sit down with your back to me."

Jacob sat on the ground and settled Niki in her lap, facing him. Carlisle ripped the neck of Niki's shirt professionally, examining the puncture marks. Then he got to work.

Niki took every sting and burn silently, staring up into Jacob's dark eyes, clutching his hands until her knuckles were white. Soon Carlisle had done everything he could and he fixed a bandage over the wound with medical tape. "There," he said. "Get dressed and then join us outside. We have much to discuss." He left.

Niki started taking off her shirt. Jacob turned his face, blushing again. "Niki!" He strained away from her.

She paused. "What?"

"I—you—you're undressing!"

"Yeah. So?"

"Niki!"

"Uh, Jacob, I've seen you naked, remember? If you want to close your eyes, you can."

He did so quickly, burning with embarrassment and uncomfortable curiosity. He felt Niki crawl off of his lap and heard her shuffling about. Then she, still laughing, said, "I'm dressed."

He opened his eyes and saw her sitting in front of him, fully clothed. The clothes fell around her in vast, baggy folds. With a quick sniff, he decided that she must have scrubbed most of the blood off with her old clothes.

Niki was watching him with a strange gleam in her eye. "What would you have done if I'd been lying?"

"Huh?"

"If you opened your eyes and I wasn't dressed. What would you have done?"

Jacob's eyes widened. "Niki!" He covered his face, blushing madly, his mind filled with guilty images.

She laughed. "I know. I'm so bad." Then she frowned suddenly, worried. "Jacob, do you love me?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

"Even though I'm bad?"

"You're not."

"Yes, I am, and if you keep denying it I'm just going to think you love who you think I am instead of who I really am. Do you love me even though I'm bad?"

He leaned down and kissed her softly, lingeringly. His hands slid tenderly up her arms. "I love every part of you—the good, the bad, and the naughty."

She smiled. "I love you, too, Jacob."

He grinned crookedly. "Do you know that's the first time you've told me you love me?"

She laughed. "Don't worry. There will be plenty of other opportunities. Come on—Carlisle's waiting for us."

They walked out of the room. Gracie was instantly beside Niki, hugging her tightly around the waist. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Umm, Carlisle said I was supposed to keep my distance from you vampires until I stopped bleeding..." Niki said nervously.

"It's not that bad for me, actually. Niki, you know, you smell really good. You smell like brown sugar and vanilla. I'll bet you taste like a cookie."

"Gracie!"

"What? You probably do."

"And I'll bet Jake would love to find out," Leah said dryly, so low that Jacob couldn't hear her. Niki, however, could, and smirked at her friend.

Edward walked over to Niki and Jacob, looking strained. "I would appreciate it," he said stiffly, "if, in the future, you would keep your hormones to yourself."

Jacob stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, then began to laugh. "I forgot about your little gift!" he crowed.

Edward gritted his teeth and turned, starting to walk away, humming loudly to block out Jacob's thoughts. Gracie sighed and followed him.

"So what now?" Emmett wondered aloud. "How do we get out of here?"

"Should we is my question," Alice replied. "There are too many question left unanswered, and we might be able to find some hints here. Why was someone trying to kidnap Niki? Why bring her here? What is this place, anyway? Who created it? Who summoned all the demons? Why would they do that? How would kidnapping Niki help?"

"I can answer those for you," said a soft, sweet female voice.

Everyone looked up, startled. A small girl with black hair, a white face, red eyes, and Mexican features stood in the hallway a few feet from them. She had ghosted up without anyone noticing.

Jasper growled, low and menacing. "Maria."

Maria laughed, a high, clear, innocent sound. "Jasper, dear! It's been too long. We really must set aside some time to catch up." She smiled seductively, showing perfect white fangs. "I've missed you so much."

Alice stepped up next to Jasper, snaking her arm around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulders in a clear message.

Maria shrugged, unperturbed. "Another time, then. Now. I believe you had questions?" She smiled cutely.

"Who the hell are you?" Leah demanded rudely.

Maria glanced sharply at her. "A little respect would not go amiss, dog," she snapped. "If you recall, you are currently surrounded on all sides by my warriors." She meant the demons, of course. They would all come running at the snap of her fingers.

Offended by her tone, Quil, Embry, and Jared all stepped up behind Leah, growling softly. Paul took two steps, ending up in front of Leah, and there was nothing soft about his growl. Sam restrained him.

Maria wholly ignored them, eyes traveling from Leah back to Jasper, then on to Carlisle. She smiled. "Carlisle Cullen, I presume? A pleasure to finally meet you. You are something of a legend down south, did you know?"

"I wasn't aware of that," Carlisle said, his tone polite, his eyes cold.

Maria shrugged carelessly, her eyes flickering over the other faces until she came to Niki. There she stopped.

Smiling her vampiric smile, the black-haired girl sighed. "Ah, yes. Nikita Scarlette Shahar. The real belle of the ball. The reason we all gather here today." Her smile widened, showing gleaming white teeth. "I've been looking for you a long time, Nikita."

Niki turned away from her, holding her arms up to Jacob. He picked her up and held her against his chest, never taking his eyes off Maria. Niki wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her arms around his neck.

"What do you want with Niki?" he growled, dark eyes darker with fury.

"Yes, that is the question, isn't it?" Maria said playfully. "Or is it? Maybe the question you should be asking is 'What is Niki, anyway?'."

"Tinkerbelle?" Paul said, confused. "She's evil, that's what she is. She's a little beast."

"Hell child," Leah said at the same time. "Demon spawn."

Niki ignored them both.

Maria chuckled. "Well, you're certainly right to call her a beast. At least, according to our calculations."

Anyone else would have asked what she meant about calling Niki a beast, but something else caught Rosalie's attention. "'Our'? Who else is there, besides you?"

Maria smiled. "There is that, isn't there? I suppose Nikita, at least, has a right to know." Turning slightly, she called over her shoulder, "Nathan, dear."

Jacob felt Niki stiffen.

A man appeared suddenly next to her. His dark hair was clipped short, framing his almost delicate face. His skin was white and his eyes were red, showing vampirism.

Nathan smiled charmingly. "Cullens," he greeted with a bow. "Quileutes." He looked Niki and smirked. "Niki."

"I don't wanna look. I don't wanna know. I don't want it to be him." Her voice was muffled by Jacob's shoulder.

"Wait—him?" Jacob repeated. "Not Nathan as in—your brother?"

Nathan laughed. "So she did tell someone about her tragic past. Hmm. How's mother, Niki?"

"Dead," said Niki, face still buried in Jacob's shoulder. "She committed suicide three years after you... uh... left?"

He laughed again. "I did almost die, by the way, Niki. Just in case you were wondering. I was shot in that gang fight. Thanks to Maria, however, I live to fight another day."

Niki lifted her head. "Good for you!" she yelled without turning to look at him. "Can we get the hell out of here now?"

"Mmm, no, I don't think so." Maria was smiling. "You've only just arrived, you see. And you had questions, didn't you?"

"Yes, we did," Sam said coolly. "If you're going to answer, please do."

"Ask away," she said smugly.

"Why did you kidnap me?!" Niki yelled, still not looking at them.

"Ah, but that's not a good question to start with," Maria told her, wagging her finger. "You must ask the right question."

"Why call Niki a beast?" Esme asked softly.

"Now there's a good question!" Maria laughed jovially. "Because Niki dear is very special."

"Really?" Niki finally turned to look at her. "How?"

"Because you, Nikita Shahar, are the last of the Cherokee werewolves."

Niki snorted. "I'm not a werewolf, lady. Go get your myths and legends sorted out."

Maria grinned, shaking her head. "That's where you're wrong, Nikita. You are a werewolf. The last of the Cherokee stock. The Cherokees were a very special breed of werewolf, you see. Stronger, faster, and much more powerful than any other kind. More than that, though, they were not merely bred to defeat vampires. They were cultured as protectors of humankind from all enemies, including demons. This power, of course, is why we wanted her with us. I did my research, trying to find you. When I met your brother, he told me all about you. I thought you might be it. So I had all of my demons out looking for you. When one of them brought you back, I called them all back here."

"Thus the rush of demons," Edward said thoughtfully.

"But why bring Niki here?" Emmett wanted to know. "What is this place, anyway?"

"A simple dimensional bubble, created with simple magic," Maria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I had Niki brought here, of course, because I never expected you to be able to get in here. And yet here you are!" She clapped her hands giddily, as if their appearance was simply a pleasant surprise.

"Here's my question," Leah growled. "You called me 'dog' earlier. Did you mean...?"

"Yes, I know you're a werewolf." Maria turned dismissive again. "It's supposed to be a great secret, but anything can be found out with a little research. You see, I stumbled across the Quileute legends while researching the Cherokee werewolves." She smiled. "But none of you has asked the big question yet—the one that must be on all of your minds..."

"What is this all about?" Gracie asked quietly.

Maria giggled, clapping her hands again. "There it is! The big question! It's all about power, my dear girl, power and territory. Conquest. Authority."

"How original," said Rosalie sarcastically.

Maria shrugged, unperturbed. "Many have wished for it and many have gained it. I'm a simple girl, you see, a simple girl with simple pleasures."

Paul snorted.

"And now, of course, since you know the plans and everything... well, now I'll just have to kill you." Maria smiled sweetly. "It just makes me so happy for someone to know my plans. It ups the stakes. Heightens the suspense."

"You always did like a challenge," Jasper said dryly.

"Yes, Jasper. I love a challenge. And you... well, you are definitely a challenge."

Emmett and Paul attacked at the same moment. Jacob tightened his arms around Niki, who grumbled, "I really miss my katana."

"I would have picked it up, but I was too busy being dragged around by Gracie."

"Gracie should have gotten it, then!"

"She was too busy dragging me around."

"Hey, Tinkerbelle," called Paul. "Catch!" He tossed her the katana, sheath and all, and went back to fighting.

Niki squealed. "I LOVE YOU, PAUL!"

Jacob looked at her.

"Oh, don't you give me that look, you know what I mean!"

Jacob's eyes widened suddenly, looking over her shoulder. He ducked out of the way just in time as Nathan took a swing at him that would have sent his head flying.

"Put me down, Jacob! I can fight."

"No."

"Put me down!"

"No. You're still too weak from that venom."

"Jacob! You need my help! Paul and Gracie won't let anything happen to me."

"Put Tinkerbelle down!" Paul roared. "We need her help!"

"Yeah, let the Hellchild loose," Leah added.

Unwillingly, Jacob allowed Niki to slide out of his arms and dive into the battle.

Maria was tough and experienced. Nathan was fast and strong. They were up against an entire coven of vampires, one extremely powerful newborn, a pack of werewolves designed to kill them, and a psychotic Cherokee with a katana. But the one factor that everyone seemed to have forgotten was the demons.

Maria put her fingers to her lips and whistled shrilly. There was a frozen moment, then a rumble. Hordes of demons began careening around the corner into the hallway.

"Oh, damn it all," Edward hissed. "Gracie, get on my back now."

Gracie didn't stop to think about the order. She instantly obeyed, leaping onto his back and kicking a small monkey demon in the face. He took off, weaving between and jumping over demons as needed. Alice and Jasper were right behind him, with Esme closely following. Sam took off after them, with Leah, Jared, Embry, and Quil following suit.

Carlisle held Maria off. "Get out of here!" he yelled at the remainder.

"Emmett, come on!"

"No, Rosie, I have to—"

"Well, I didn't want to do this, but..." Rosalie lifted Emmett bodily and threw him over her shoulder, dashing off after the others.

Niki tugged on Paul's arm. "Come on!"

"No! I'm going to fight! I'm not going to run like a chicken!"

"PAUL YOU IDIOT WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! LET'S GO!"

Jacob grabbed Niki's shoulders. "Come on, Niki!"

"No—I have to—Paul—"

"GO, TINKERBELLE! I'LL CATCH UP!"

A cat demon suddenly bounded forward and slammed into Paul, bowling him over.

"DAMN IT, PAUL!"

Jacob was distracted, fighting off a cow-sized bat demon. Carlisle was still stalling Maria. Paul was pinned to the ground by a cat demon.

Out of the blue, Nathan swung up next to Niki. He didn't waste time with chatter, leaning down to lock his teeth into the side of her neck.

Niki screamed piercingly and sliced blindly with her katana. Nathan pulled back from her with a cry of pain, holding the stump where his hand used to be. Niki stared in horror at the stump, which was neither bleeding nor healing. His hand lay twitching on the ground.

"Niki, come on." Jacob swooped in to scoop her up. Paul was on his feet again, and Carlisle was dragging him off after the others.

As they all ran, they felt pressure building in their ears. Gracie winced and, pulling her arms off of Edward's neck, placed her hands over her ears; then, reconsidering, she placed them over his, since he was holding on to her legs, which were wrapped around his waist.

"Thanks," he told her. It helped a little.

The pressure continued to build as the coven and the pack ran together, sometimes backtracking when they were met with a wall of demons. Abruptly, the pressure bubbles popped. And they weren't the only thing.

There was a flash of searing white light, and then they were running through the rolling green field. Instantly slowing, they all looked around.

"The dimension bubble... popped?" Alice said in awe.

Rosalie put Emmett down. "Thank you," he said grouchily, straightening his clothes.

Jacob set Niki on her feet and crouched by her. "How do you feel?" he said anxiously.

Niki stared at him in stupefied shock, lifting one hand to touch her neck. "He... bit me."

Jacob's eyes went wide. "He... he... the bloodsucker bit you?"

She nodded. "It stings, but... I thought it was supposed to hurt more than this."

"It is." Carlisle came to kneel beside her. "Let me see."

The bite wasn't even bleeding. It had already faded to a silvery crescent-shaped scar.

Carlisle frowned thoughtfully. "All I can come up with is that maybe your werewolf blood counteracted the venom."

"I still can't believe that," Niki said with a nervous laugh. "Me? A werewolf?"

"Great. Just what we needed," Rosalie complained. Emmett elbowed her in the ribs.

Gracie laughed. "One new vampire, one new werewolf. The balance has been restored."

Leah shook her head. "The way you two have been knocking us about? No, I don't think balance will ever be restored to this peaceful little world of bloodsucking vampires and death-dealing werewolves."

"I miss the good old days," sighed Jasper, "when 'peace' meant 'the Union leaves us the hell alone'."

Alice laughed. "Still the Confederate soldier, I see."

"Always will be," he replied smugly.

"Can we go now?" Edward snapped. "I don't want to be in this field any longer than we have to."

"Let's go home," Niki sighed.

Niki ended up at Jacob's house instead of Emily's. He claimed it was because his was closer, but she had the sneaking suspicion that this was part of his plan to not let her out of his sight.

"So. Where's this box of yours?" she asked dryly as he carried her through the house.

"Hmm, I dunno. I think Billy threw it out." He laid her down on his bed. "Get some rest. You've had a crazy day."

"I've had a crazy week."

"That's right. Now go to sleep." He settled into a chair to watch her.

"Aren't you tired too?" She patted the bed next to her invitingly.

"Oh, no. I have a hard enough time protecting my virtue from you as it is."

She sighed dramatically. "And here I thought I was getting somewhere with you. Oh well. You'll crack someday."

"Go to sleep, Niki."

"Hey, um, Jacob? While I'm sleeping will you get me some of my clothes to wear?"

"Nope. I'm not moving an inch while you sleep. When you wake up, we'll go together."

"You really aren't letting me out of your sight, are you?"

"Absolutely not. Now go to sleep."

She sighed and lay back on the bed. "Jacob? You know that I love you, right?"

"I know, Niki. Now shut up and go to sleep."

It didn't take long for her to drift off. Jacob sighed in relief and scooted his chair a little closer to watch her.

"Jacob." Billy's voice came from the door. Jacob turned. Billy rolled into the room in his wheelchair.

"How is she?" Billy asked quietly.

Jacob shrugged. "Tired. She's doing okay for pain."

"Good, good." Billy seemed to hesitate, then asked cautiously, "Did you find anything... odd... about her? On your rescue?"

Jacob frowned. "I found out that the bloodsuckers think she's a werewolf, if that's what you mean."

"Ah. Yes." Billy nodded.

"You knew about that?"

"I had suspicions." Billy rolled right up next to Jacob to look at Niki. "No one will ever be completely sure unless and until she turns sixteen and begins to phase. I do strongly suspect, however."

"What do you know about it?"

Billy sighed. "There are stories and legends about the Cherokee werewolves, of course. The Cherokees were a strong people and, as such, they made strong werewolves. Their Protectors were the greatest and most noble of any of us."

"I have to admit, that doesn't sound like Niki," Jacob commented.

"Hush and listen, Jacob. Since the Cherokees and their kin—like us—were humankind's main defense against leeches and other such creatures, they were also targets. One alliance of bloodsuckers found a virus that would destroy every one of the Cherokee Protectors. They unleashed it on the Protectors, and all of them died. However, at the time, the youngest Protector was not present. She was out on a scouting mission. When she returned and found her pack dead, she knew she would be next. She fled and found refuge in the body of a human child, infusing her soul with that of the child's."

"And that child..." Jacob looked at Niki. "That was Niki?"

"I think so."

"Wow." Jacob watched Niki as she moaned quietly and rolled over. "I wonder if she knows any of this."

"I doubt it."

"I'll tell her when she wakes up."

Billy nodded and quietly rolled out of the room.

"So, that Indian lady—she's in my body now?"

Niki was riding on Jacob's back as he ran to the place where they had first met. They were going to pick up clothes for her at her house. Niki said that Dane was always drunk out cold at this time of week.

"Yeah, that's what Billy says."

"Wow."

"Yeah, that's what I said."

"At least I served some purpose," Niki mumbled.

Jacob stopped so suddenly that Niki almost flipped over his shoulders. "What did you say?"

"I was a mistake, remember? My parents were both falling-on-the-floor drunk at the time. Neither of them wanted a kid."

Jacob slid her off his back, turned around, and leaned down to kiss her hard. "You are not a mistake. You have a purpose. Even if this is it—" he closed his arms around her, "—you've brought me back from the dead. Niki, I love you. You're my life. If you'd never been born, right now I'd still be running away from everything that ever happened to me."

Niki stared at him in shock at the passionate words, touched. Her eyes filled with tears that she fought to hold back. "Jake—"

"Shhh." He kissed her again, softly, his lips molding to hers. "I love you, Niki."

She threw her arms around him. When she was sure she could speak without choking on her words, she asked, "Why?"

He held her to him, stroking her hair as he considered the question. "There are a lot of reasons, I think. The way you are. The way I am. The way we met. The choices we make, about ourselves and each other. Maybe even destiny. But, Niki, I think the real reason that I love you is because you need me to... and you will never stop needing me to."

"Never," she whispered, hugging him more tightly.

"Come on." He picked her up gently, bridal style this time. "Let's go get your clothes."

Niki entered the house quietly. When Dane was drunk, World War III could happen under his bed and he wouldn't wake up, but it never hurt to be cautious.

Sneaking past her father's bedroom door, Niki entered her own room. She looked around with distaste. She had never liked this room anyway, and now it brought only dark memories. Shaking her head, she set to work gathering everything she wanted to take with her, wrapping her clothes and shoes in a blanket while she slid her iPod into her pocket. She tossed her favorite book, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, in with her clothes. Grabbing her baby picture—her only baby picture—off her dresser, she folded it in half and shoved it into her pocket.

She was creeping back through the house when the front door slammed. She stopped, confused. Why did Jacob come in here? He said he was going to wait outside.

Then she heard something shatter, and loud cursing from the front room. Her eyes widened and a foul word slipped from her lips.

That definitely wasn't Jacob.

Dane was home, and he was in a mood to kill.