Chapter 4: Marked

Edward got up slowly, the colossal force of impact wearing on his body. He could still feel the electrical tingly feeling he had when he touched her; the jolt went from his hands and straight to his heart. He looked down at them and realized that his flesh was exposed, his skin completely burnt off from where he had contact with her body. Shit, he thought. It didn't hurt much but it was gonna sting like a bitch when he got it worked on.

He thought back to what happened and was completely and utterly speechless; what he had seen on her neck had changed everything and it was about to get a whole lot worse.

Bella reluctantly sauntered up to her front door with Jacob by her side, not feeling like explaining anything to Maria who would most likely catch onto Bella's mood. "Its cool dude, I'll be waiting for you upstairs. Just put on a smile and say you're tired then come up; I've got some stuff to talk to you about." Bella furrowed her brows, wondering what would be so important, and then nodded silently as she entered the house and was welcomed to the familiar scent of lasagna baking in the oven.

"That you, Isabella?" Maria called, stepping out into the hallway with her favourite wooden spoon in her palm.

"Si," She replied, walking over to greet her with a peck on the cheek before turning to the stairs, "I'm really tired, mama, so if you put some in the fridge for me, I'll get it later, okay?" Maria always insisted on eating dinner at the table and Bella hated to disappoint her but she just had more important things to think about.

Maria frowned but just nodded and said, "Okay, mija. Just call if you need me, yes?" She smiled at her lovingly before disappearing into the kitchen again.

Bella jogged up the stairs and decided to go into the bathroom before facing Jacob. She stood at the mirror and rested her palms on the sink below it, hanging her head and sighing deeply. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying to extract the memory of those piercing green eyes from her mind. Despite the situation, she never saw anything evil in them, they were just emerald pools of mystery; a mystery she so wanted to solve but knew she shouldn't.

Her thoughts flew to Jacob and how he'd heard her cries and looked after her like he always does. His smiles might not always reach his eyes, indicating he's hiding something, but she knew he cared for her a lot and she cherished him for that.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the mirror; I still look like Bella, she thought pointedly, so why don't I know who Bella is? She sighed longingly, then undid her messy bun and shook out her hair. As she ran her fingers through her long locks she accidentally touched the back of her neck and winced as a sharp pain attacked her. Bella gathered her hair to one side and exposed her neck. She turned to get a better look at it, but it was useless, there was no way she'd be able to see what was there.

Determined, she rummaged through the small white chest of drawers next to the bathtub until she came across the small pink hand mirror Maria had gotten her for her 11th birthday. It was encased in glittery pink plastic, with old, dulled rhinestones clutching on to the handle. She smiled as she held it, remembering the joy she felt when Maria gave it to her; to know she loved her enough to make up a birthday when Bella didn't know hers herself and to get her a present? Well, that was beyond considerate and made Bella that much more grateful to have Maria as a parent.

Pulling herself back to the present, she went back to the mirror above the sink and angled her head and the hand mirror so that she had a clear view of what was there. Bella froze as her eyes registered what she had found. It was some sort of tattoo; one that didn't look tattooed on, but a part of her skin. The shock of it nearly made her drop the mirror but she held it firmly, literally unable to take her eyes of the mark. "Ay, dios mio!" She whispered in utter awe, "It's beautiful."

Her pupils focused on the mark and tried to take in every last detail. It was a large round circle that took up most of the back of her neck. It encased a large S- looking swirl; its tail reaching out of the circle and trailing down the nape of her neck with ancient markings that surrounded it. Many intricate swirls and curls slithered in and around the circle. Magnifico.Bella's mind was so entranced with what she was seeing that she never bothered to think about how it got there. "Okay, even though it's pretty, how the hell did I get it? Did Jake do this while I was sleeping because…" Her babbling got cut off by Jacob 'poof-ing' into the bathroom.

"Holy, shit!" He exclaimed as his eyes zeroed in on Bella's mark. Instead of trying to get a closer look- which Bella thought he would do- he backed up slowly and said, " Oh no, no, no, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen yet! It's too early! Oh shit, what am I gonna do?" Jacob grabbed tufts of his hair and fisted them as his eyes darted everywhere and he walked the width of the bathroom back and forth. "Schiesse!" was the last thing Bella heard from him before he left with a POP!

"What the hell just happened?" Bella let go of her hair and placed the mirror in the sink before running out of the bathroom and into her bedroom to see if Jacob was there.

Unsurprisingly he wasn't. Bella exhaled loudly and fell back onto her bed with a sigh. "Jacobin Lapsus Black! You'd better get your ass over here right now and explain this shit to me because I will literally kill you when you come back!" Bella roared, wanting to hear that 'POP' sound before she exploded.

Bella sat brooding for another 25 minutes until she heard Jacob's arrival. "Took you long enough, I told you to be here almost half …" Bella's jaw dropped and her heart rate spiked as her eyes locked on to where Jacob just materialized. But he wasn't alone; with him was the new guy at school; the same one who had grabbed her earlier; the one with the sparkling emerald eyes.

…25 minutes earlier…

Jacob dematerialized in panic and materialized again in the alley that Bella said she was taken to and then shape-shifted into a wolf so that he could track the bastard who hurt her. He wagged his tail and sighed internally in content at the freedom of being the wolf he loved to become. Shaking out his body, he looked down at his sandy-brown fur and smiled, baring his deadly fangs as he slowly padded over to the dumpster where he found a piece of black silk. He lowered his wet nose to it and got a sharp scent that he recognized to be Almorean, then captured it between his jaws and dematerialized every few miles, tracking the scent he'd found.

He kept going for a while until he came across a penthouse apartment in Manhattan. He changed forms in a corner; with night's darkness hiding him from any onlookers. And despite the fact that he had a calm exterior, inside he was freaking out completely. I haven't done this in years! What if I get myself killed? No, I shouldn't be thinking like that; it's my responsibility to care for Bella, and if I get killed in the process, then so be it. Jacob thought; his mind now matching his body's instinct as he walked up to the front door of the apartment.

He waved his hand around the lock on the door and whispered "Aperio." With a click, it opened and he got in and quickly shut it behind him. At the door he focused his mind and said "Occultus."; making himself invisible. He learnt this invisibility spell by the time he was 5 and it was one of his greatest defenses. I feel like I'm under Harry's invisibility cloak! He thought, chuckling to himself before he poof-ed up to the 2nd floor, where the scent was more prominent.

Cautiously, he tiptoed through the dimly-lit corridor but stopped abruptly when he heard voices coming from the door on his left. Stealthily, he leaned his head towards it and tried to make out what they were saying.

"She has the mark, Emmett!" One of them exclaimed; sounding a bit restless.

"You've been telling me that for the last half hour! Stop freaking and let's just work this thing out." Another deeper voice said.

"Yeah, you're right. So who is she? If she's one of us then why is she in the human world? She's not in the League, so why would she be so far away from home?" The first guy wondered.

Silence fell between the two after that and Jacob took this as his cue to jump in.

He materialized into the room and observed the situation. The apartment was a vast space of beauty. The furnishings were very modern and ranged from a 50-inch plasma TV mounted on the wall, to black leather sofas with plush silver-silk lined cushions. Jacob focused in on the two men, one had a large build and a menacing look on his face which heightened Jacobs anxiety, what the hell does that guy eat? Shit, dude, I'm not even gonna try and take him on. He thought to himself.

His eyes then darted to the smaller one of the two who was pacing around the room; he was about 5'11, had bright green eyes and a mound of bronze fluff stuck to his scalp. Does he actually think he looks good? He needs to wash that mop and comb it out man!He said internally chuckling to himself.

Realising that the threat wasn't too large, he muttered, "Ostendo," revealing his form to the men.

"Sup guys?" He called out nonchalantly, before waving his hands in their direction; making them fly to the other side of the room; effortlessly pinning them to the wall. Keeping his hands up he stalked over to them and said, "So, which one of you attacked my charge?" None of them spoke. "Which one of you attacked my charge?" He repeated, almost growling with anger. "Not saying a word huh? Well," He chuckled evilly, "I think it was you pretty boy." He gestured to Edward, trying to communicate the threat with his eyes as he bore into Edwards'.

"Yeah it was; I can see it in your eyes. And I overheard your little convo, so I know that you know what she is. But what you don't know is that she is Isabella Swan and I am Jacobin Black; her guardian for life." Edward's eyes widened at the mention of their names, "So whatever you want from her, you're not gonna get. Do you understand me?" They never answered so with a flick of his right hand, his grip on them tightened; restricting their breathing. "Do. You. Understand?" He repeated, menace emanating from his every pore.

A/N: Oohh ! Things are getting a little heated there dont ya think ? xD I really liked this chappie ! I wrote alot more but I felt like I was revealing toomuch too soon so you'll get more in the next one . I finally have a Beta everyone ! Its Lily CullenSalvatore and like me, she's a vampire diaries/twilight fanatic LOL !

Oh something has happened to my hits/visitors thingy ! It all just disappeared and now theres nothing there ! = [[ I liked seeing how much people had read each chapter buh now I can't = [ ... so could you guys review instead please ? So I know that you're reading it at least ? = ] .

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- Naeema xx