Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.
Chapter Seven
Sam's POV
I listened intently as Bella went about making Paul something to eat. Emily was sitting beside me, her head against my shoulder.
"What is he saying?" Emily whispered, unable to hear what was happening in the next room.
"Nothing. I think he's watching her," I answered softly.
The sound of a plate being put down on the table drew my attention back to the kitchen.
"Looks good, Swan."
None of us could figure out why Paul insisted on calling Bella by her last name. Occasionally, he would use her first, but only when he seemed to forget himself. Bella didn't seem to mind. In fact, it was almost like she enjoyed it and the way he insulted her.
They definitely had a strange relationship.
"What's happening now?" Emily asked.
"He's eating," I told her with a wry smile.
"What about Bella?" Emily frowned.
"She's sitting on his lap," I said.
"My Paul."
"Holy…" I gaped, sitting up straighter.
"What?" Emily asked, worried.
"She just spoke," I answered, my voice breathy from shock.
"She did?" Emily piped excitedly, jumping up in her seat.
"Shh, Em. Calm down," I insisted, not wanting to give away that fact that we were listening in.
Of course, Paul could probably hear us, but Bella would be unable to. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable by eavesdropping.
If Bella was speaking, maybe we could get her to talk about what had happened between her and the leech. The emotional trauma she was going through had to be a result of more than just being left by the leech coven.
"Do you think she's going to be okay?" Emily asked, her voice barely above a murmur.
"With Paul helping her, I don't see how she couldn't be," I admitted, kissing her temple.
Paul's POV
I fought off a growl as I listened to Sam and Emily talking about Bella. The wolf didn't like the fact that they were talking about her behind her back, despite how positive they might have been. Sam had to know I could hear them, but they talked about her anyway, as if it didn't matter.
"What happened?" Bella asked, her voice slightly stilted from her crying fit earlier.
Not needing further explanation, I shifted her so she was seated more comfortably against my chest before answering.
"We ran across a red-headed leech a few miles away, chased her to the coast. No way of knowing if she'll come back or not. Hopefully we scared her off and she stays gone," I explained.
Her breathing grew ragged and her fingers clenched against my chest, nearly drawing blood as her nails pierced the skin.
"Breathe, Swan. Tell me what's wrong," I demanded, leaning into her.
"Red… hair?" Bella gasped.
"Yeah, she had red hair. Why?" I frowned, worried when her shaking increased.
"I… I have to… I have to go!" Bella cried, struggling against my grasp.
"Jesus, Swan! Chill!" I shouted, pinning her arms to her side.
"No! You don't… understand! I have… to go!" Bella panted, still screaming as she tried to get away.
"EASY!" I yelled before nipping her neck.
She stilled instantly, submitting without a second thought.
"Easy, Swan. Just take it nice and easy," I murmured, stroking her back.
My ears twitched, alerting me to Emily and Sam in the doorway. I chose to ignore them in favor of the girl in my arms. Once she had settled down and her heart didn't sound like it was about to pound right out of her chest, I shifted her so we were face to face.
"Alright, Swan. Let's try this again. What's wrong?" I asked, making sure to keep my voice calm.
"Her name is Victoria," Bella started monotonously.
"How do you know her?" I pressed.
"Her mate attacked me in Phoenix last March," Bella continued in the same creepy voice.
"Is that where you got the scar?" I asked, my fingers rubbing the raised edges around her wrist.
She nodded absently, her eyes staring vacantly into mine, as if she wasn't really seeing me. My wolf whined piteously, craving her attention.
"What else can you tell us, Swan? What else do we need to know about her?" I asked.
"I… I don't… I…" Bella tried to speak, shaking her head.
"Shh. Alright, alright. Easy, Swan. I've got you," I murmured, running my fingers through her hair.
I heard Sam and Emily make their way back to the living room, talking softly amongst themselves. I vaguely registered Sam picking up the phone and dialing Jared's number to share the new information. Almost all of my attention was focused on the girl in my arms.
"I'm scared," Bella whispered, burrowing into my neck.
"I know, but I won't let her hurt you," I swore, kissing the top of her head.
She wrapped her arm around my chest, holding on tightly. I sighed into her hair, my thoughts racing on how to keep her safe. There was no doubt in my mind that the redhead was here for Bella. Just as strong was the knowledge that I would do anything to keep her safe.
"Come on, Swan. Let's get you to bed," I urged, lifting her in my arms as I stood.
Her arms moved to wrap around my neck as I carried her to her room. When I moved to lay her down on the bed, she whimpered softly, her arms tightening around me.
"Shh. I'm not going anywhere, Swan," I whispered, sinking onto the bed beside her.
She instantly pressed into me and I wrapped my arms around her, drawing her in as close as possible.
"Sleep, Swan. I'll be here in the morning," I promised, nuzzling her hair.
I ran my fingers through her hair, hoping to help calm her down. For a long time, we simply laid there, neither one able to fall asleep. Eventually, I felt her lashes flutter against my neck and when they stopped, I knew she had fallen asleep.
Gently extracting myself from her embrace, I crept out of the bedroom and to the living room. Jared had already arrived and was sitting on the couch while Sam stood against the wall. I flopped down onto the couch next to Jared, groaning with exhaustion.
"Where's Em?" I asked.
"I sent her to bed. She doesn't need to be a part of this," Sam frowned.
"So, what are we going to do about this leech?" Jared asked.
"Kill her," I growled, my fists clenching.
"How are we supposed to kill her if we can't even catch her?" Jared huffed, frustrated.
"We set up a trap," Sam answered wearily.
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously as his feelings of regret and hesitation washed over me through the pack bond.
"No," I said, low and strong.
"It's the best chance we have," Sam argued weakly.
"Would you put Emily in danger that way?" I snapped, standing up.
"It's different," Sam defended, though he did wince at my implication.
"No, it's not. Jesus, Sam. Just because it's different than what you and Jared experienced doesn't mean it's not the same thing. So what if the Elders say she isn't my imprint. Damn it, I love her!" I roared, forgetting Bella was asleep a few rooms away.
The only sound to be heard was my heavy breathing as I stared my Alpha down.
"You want to use Bella as bait?" Jared asked, catching on to what was happening.
"We don't know what the redhead is after, but if she is after Bella, it would be easy to draw her out," Sam reasoned.
"You are not putting her in danger," I snarled, my entire body trembling.
"We would be able to protect her, Paul. Nothing would happen," Sam assured me.
"No. We're not doing it. We'll find another way," I said heatedly.
"And while we're trying to find another way, she's out there killing innocent people," Sam snapped, becoming more animated.
"I don't care. I'm not risking Bella," I growled.
"Why do we have to decide anything tonight? This was our first time trying to catch the leech. She may not even be interested in Bella. Let's just wait and see what happens," Jared soothed, the voice of reason.
"I don't care what happens. I will never let you put her in danger like that," I insisted before walking away.
When I walked back into the bedroom, I noticed Bella had curled in on herself. She was shivering with just a sheet pulled over her shoulders. I slipped into bed beside her, drawing her back into my arms. She snuggled in close, pressing her face into the crook of my neck. Her soft breath washed over me and allowed my wolf to settle down.
"I do love you," I whispered in the dark.
Her only response was to shift a little bit closer. Burying my face in her hair, I felt all the pressures of the day roll of my shoulders and I finally slept.
Aw! He finally admitted he loves her! So sweet, right?
I can't believe we're almost at 300 reviews. Seriously? You guys rock! And I do love every one of you who reviews, even if I am slightly terrible about responding to everyone. Sorry about that… I've never been very good at replying, but I do try to if you give me something to bounce back on. Like, if you make an interesting comment or ask a question that I'm particularly giddy about. No, I am not trying to get you guys to change the way you review! Most of you send me at least a sentence or two, which I love and enjoy just as much as those who write five or six sentences! I am writing this story to entertain myself as well as all you lovely readers (not to mention it helps keep me sane and my doctor says that's a very good thing!), so good/bad/wonderful/flaming reviews will not affect my updates.
Speaking of updates, you can expect the next one to come around… Saturday/Sunday. Depends on whether or not I can write another chapter or two before Saturday. I've completed up to Chapter Ten and we've still got a ways to go. No, I will not update early. Don't ask. I'm saving them in case I hit a dry spell. Then you guys won't be without an update while I scourge around for my muse!
One last note before I sign off. A few of you have mentioned that you wanted to see BELLA'S POV. Caps it to grab your attention if you just scrolled past all this bold stuff. Now, I did warn you guys that her POV would be severely lacking in this story. I do plan on bringing her in, but not right now and not within the next few chapters. Unless I manage to get in everything I want to in the next two or three chapters. If you can stick it out, though, I promise I will bring her into this story! Just be patient. It is a virtue, after all.
Okay. Really long A/N is over!
See you guys next chapter!