CHAPTER TWENTY
With Laurent gone, there was no more excitement for a while. Well, Jacob and I had plenty. Our first couple of days of phasing together with the pack gave us an idea and the following weekend, when Sam took Emily out for a day, we phased in the woods and ran together just for the fun of it. I tried phasing on the run again and for the first time managed it with my eyes open and without falling over anything. We let our thoughts go wherever they wanted and discovered we could torment each other by visualising ourselves together, kissing, touching, licking. Just as the week before when we had been trying not to do it, one of us would get an image in our head and share it until both of us were frustrated beyond belief. Then we raced back to the house and fell upon each other as if we were starving. The game proved great fun, but I knew I was going to have to make more effort to keep things in my mind shut away when the others were phased.
The next Sunday, we had a visit from Quil. Obviously Jacob, Embry and Jared still saw him at school in class, but he had kept out of their way during breaks, spending his time with his new friends. Consequently the others hadn't noticed much change in him so when he arrived at Sam's just as we were all tucking into one of Emily's brunches, several mouths fell open. I hadn't actually seen him myself since the birthday party in January.
Quil appeared around the side of the house and then hesitated when he saw the five of us all sitting there like brothers. Jacob and Embry glanced at each other and I knew they felt guilty for leaving him behind. However, it looked like he would soon be catching up. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, his shoulders and arms bulging with muscles.
"Here comes number six," Jared whispered.
"I talked to his grandfather a couple of days ago," Sam said. "He didn't think it would be long. Hey, Quil. Come over and join us, there's plenty of food."
"Hey, guys." Quil sat down and Emily brought him a plate.
Jacob and Embry began talking to him as he ate and he soon seemed to relax amongst us. After brunch, I took Jacob and Embry back in the house while Sam and Jared talked to Quil. When Sam called us out again later, Quil was beaming from ear to ear. He leaped up excitedly.
"I can't believe it! All this time! I wish I'd known, I thought I must have pissed you off or something."
"You're happy about this?" Jacob said in surprise.
"Hell, yeah! Who wouldn't be? Finally I made the pack! You know, I would've kept it to myself, you could have said something. I know, I know, you couldn't." Quil had always been a chatterbox and now his tongue continued to flap away in excitement until Emily started to clear away the brunch dishes. "Woah, wait, don't waste that bacon!" He grabbed his fork again and jabbed at the last couple of pieces left in the dish. The rest of us exchanged glances and couldn't help grinning. Six was a good number and Quil was certainly going to be a great addition to the pack.
It was only three days before Quil phased. His grandfather sent him to see us on Wednesday night just as everyone was getting ready for bed. Jacob was staying over and he and I and Sam gathered at the door a minute after Quil knocked. He was wearing only shorts and sneakers, sweat running off him in rivulets. He looked up at Jacob in surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
"I stay over most of the time."
"With...?" He eyed me for a second. "Oh!"
Jacob grinned.
"Let's get out of here," Sam said. "Come on guys."
The four of us went to walk around the meadow but we had barely gone one lap when Quil stopped suddenly, panting.
"I feel weird," he said. "Chest hurts. Hot."
Jacob and I backed away and Sam began to take his jeans off.
"What are you...?" Quil phased before he finished his sentence and Sam followed suit in the blink of an eye.
"Shit, that was quick," I muttered. "Better join them."
Jacob and I dropped our pants and phased quickly. Somehow since last week when the two of us had played around together, I seemed much more efficient at it. Finally I could just imagine myself in wolf form and I was, instead of having to conjure up horrific scenes in my head of Jacob being hurt.
"Wow! I can't believe I'm really a wolf! Awesome!" Quil was exclaiming, prancing around in a circle, his tongue hanging out. He stopped suddenly and looked down at himself. "What the hell colour am I?"
"Chocolate," Jacob said.
"Weird." He eyed the rest of us - black, russet and grey. "Cool, though. What about Embry? And Jared?"
"Grey and brown," Jacob said. "And Embry's kind of spotty."
"Figures, his face is pretty spotty," snorted Quil. "When are we all going to do this together?"
"Saturday," Sam said. "Come over at nine."
"At night?"
"No, in the morning, doofus," Jacob replied.
"Sure, ok. Hey, when are we going to kill some vampires?"
"Hopefully not yet," Sam said firmly. "It's not something to be excited about, Quil."
"Sorry. This whole thing is exciting. Finally I got my friends back!" He phased back at that moment and the rest of us followed quickly, grabbing our pants from the ground where we had left them.
"Damn, that was over quick," Quil said, looking disappointed. "What happened to my shorts?"
"You tore them off. I'll get you a spare pair." I left them and sprinted over to the house.
Quil stayed that night on the sofa and then set off for school with Jacob in the morning. They left early so Quil could collect his school things on the way to the bus.
When we all got together at the weekend, it became clear that Quil had dropped his new friends like hot potatoes and was spending his time with Jacob and Embry again, and Jared too.
Soon after this, much to everyone's surprise both Leah and Seth Clearwater phased. Sam had always suspected Seth might, but he was only just fifteen and his body hadn't even begun to fill out. As for Leah - that was the biggest shock. She was the first known female to shift, the shock of Harry Clearwater having a heart attack and dying causing it to happen. Seth's premature phasing seemed to have been caused by seeing his sister suddenly turn into a wolf, when he knew nothing about the shape-shifters.
So the pack became eight, although it wasn't a particularly happy eight. Both Jacob and I agreed everyone would have been better off without Leah. Because she had loved Sam and was now bitter that he had Imprinted on Emily and in turn Sam was pained that he had hurt her, the rest of us constantly had to hear their thoughts, which Sam had always been able to keep to himself before Leah's arrival. Now he was unable to stop himself responding to the misery and anger she emanated and the rest of us suffered alongside him. At least it helped keep my mind off sex, which was obviously a great relief to the others.
Eventually the pack continued in a similar way to how it had been before we killed Laurent - phasing together, running and sparring as we knew worse was to come. Victoria was still around somewhere and it would only be a matter of time before she came back to avenge James' death and try to kill Bella.
Nothing actually happened until after school ended. I went into Forks with my tutor to take my exams while the others did theirs at school, although I was allowed to attend graduation. I was delighted - and Sam proud - when I passed all of my exams with flying colours; even history. The others all did pretty well too and when it was over, the Cullens threw a graduation party at their house. Jacob, Embry and Quil went, mainly because Jacob wanted to see how Bella was doing. I guess I should have gone too, but I didn't like the girl and I liked the Cullens even less, so I stayed home with Sam and fidgeted all evening, missing Jacob.
"You could have gone to the party," Sam said with a grin when I had crossed and uncrossed my legs a dozen times and bitten half the nails off my fingers.
"Yeah, I know."
"What are you worried about, anyway?"
"Nothing, I just miss him."
The door flew open moments later and Jacob came in. Even after the seven or so months since I Imprinted, nothing had changed for me. I still ached like part of me was missing when he wasn't with me and then filled up with excitement the minute I saw him again. I knew it was the same for Sam too, with Emily, but at least they were barely apart for more than an hour or two at a time.
"How was it?" Sam asked now.
"So so. We have a problem." Jacob sat down on the sofa next to me.
"Go on." Sam looked at him expectantly.
"Alice Cullen, the one who has visions, has seen an army on its way. An army of newborn vampires. They're after the Cullens and Bella."
"An army? How many?"
"I don't know. She couldn't see the numbers. She doesn't know who's leading them either, but they're going to need some help from us."
"Shit," I muttered. "How soon?" I almost wished I'd gone to the party after all.
"I don't know. They're gathering in Seattle apparently. I said we'd help." He glanced at Sam. "Sorry."
Sam shook his head briefly. "It doesn't matter. I would have said the same."
"Carlisle Cullen suggested we all get together to train if you agree," Jacob went on.
"Of course. I'll call and speak to him myself and make the arrangements." Sam went into the kitchen to use the phone and Emily gathered up a couple of empty mugs and followed him.
"Hey, I missed you," I said at once, wrapping my arm around Jacob.
"Me too."
I kissed his ear. "Let's go to bed."
"Ok."
We got up and headed for my room, pausing as Sam emerged from the kitchen again.
"Training tomorrow, ten o'clock," he said. "I'll call Jared now and ask him to round the others up."
The next day was the first of several training sessions. We phased before going to meet the Cullens and the youngest male, Jasper, instructed us on how to kill the newborns, which were much more powerful than older vampires. If they had the chance to get their arms around us, they could crush our bones.
The Cullens then demonstrated their abilities so that we would know what to expect, before we took part in mock fights with them. My first dual was with Emmett, who I had already had a couple of altercations with in the past. I liked him even less than the others and as I prepared to spring, I heard Sam's voice in my head.
"Take it easy, Paul, this isn't real. Not yet."
I made sure not to bite, although I was sorely tempted. It turned out that we were pretty evenly matched with the Cullens, but as the newborns were more powerful, we would need a plan of attack.
After the sparring ended, Carlisle instructed that the battle would take place in the clearing where we had killed Laurent. They would wait for the army to appear and once the fighting started, we would use the element of surprise and ambush the attackers from the nearby trees. They wouldn't be expecting a pack of wolves to pounce on them and it would tip the scales in the Cullens' favour, regardless of the army's number.
We had only days before we were called upon. The plan was for Edward Cullen to take Bella up into the mountains away from the battle zone and keep her safe there while the rest of us fought. Seth had been instructed to go with them for additional protection. Sam didn't let on that the real reason was to keep Seth out of harm's way until the boy had already left, knowing he would be upset that he was to be kept out of it.
Everyone suspected Victoria to be behind the invasion even though Alice couldn't see her and when we all gathered in the woods close to the clearing, for once there was no fooling about, no laughing and joking from Quil and no teasing between me and Jacob. All of us knew we would be fighting to the death and it would only be luck if none of us got badly hurt.
We waited there in the trees, out of sight until it started. The Cullens could be seen at one side of the clearing and when they suddenly ran from the trees, almost faster than the eye could see, we all looked to the right and immediately saw the army heading towards our allies at similar speed. There appeared to be thirty or more of them and when the two groups came together, within seconds there were several dead.
"Now." Sam sprang forward and the rest of us went with him almost as one.
I bounded over a rocky outcrop, launched myself from the top and hurtled down towards one of the newborns. He never even saw me coming and my front paws hit his shoulders, my claws sinking into the hard cold flesh, bearing him to the ground beneath me. Stealing myself against the revolting smell, I thrust my head down, jaws wide and tore his head from his body.
As I lifted my head another of them came at me and I leaped again, but suddenly he was gone and I was clawing at the air. Something hit me in the flanks with as much force as a truck and my rear end sank to the ground as my legs slipped out from under me. I turned my head, snapping at the vampire who had knocked me down, scrambling to my feet again. My second attempt ripped one of his legs off and when he fell, I went for his throat.
I looked up again, glancing around me for my next victim. Much as I was tempted to keep my eye out for Jacob, I didn't need to look for him or the rest of the pack; I could hear every one of them. Their thoughts - satisfaction each time they made a kill, adrenalin pumping through them just as it was through me; their pain when one of the newborns hit them.
Quil and Embry each received a painful punch, but so far Jacob was unhurt. I killed one more before it was my turn to be on the receiving end. Two of them leaped on me at once and much as I attempted to jump clear, the pair overpowered me and I heard myself whimper as steel like arms began to wrap around me. That was the one thing Jasper had told us to avoid. I shook myself, but it was like trying to shake off my own fur.
Suddenly the creature who was gripping me was wrenched away from me, freeing me sufficiently to snap at the second and kill him. As soon as I had removed his head from his body, I turned my head to see who had saved me and was surprised to see Emmett standing there with a corpse at his feet. He nodded at me, then threw himself back into the fray.
The battle came to an end much faster than we had anticipated. Despite the newborns' strength, united vampires and wolves proved stronger and we were left with nothing but bodies and one small cowering vampire girl who no one seemed to have the heart to finish off. We all moved away from the littered corpses and surveyed the damage, just as Edward and Bella appeared with Seth. Everyone turned to look at them.
"Victoria's dead," Edward said. "She and her new mate, Riley came after us."
"I got him," Seth boasted. "Tore him to pieces!"
"Well done, Seth," Leah said at once.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, one newborn that we had all missed rushed from the trees. It seemed to be making a run for it rather than attacking, but Leah who was closest turned and pounced without hesitation. Halted in its flight, the creature fought back and it was clear he was much stronger than Leah. He hit her hard in the face and threw her to the ground. Jacob was nearest to them and he went to her aid immediately, dragging the creature clear of her with his teeth embedded in its arm. It was the strongest of the lot and even with one arm useless, it kicked him hard enough to sweep his legs out from under him and when he opened his mouth, pulled free and thrust both arms around him.
"Shit!"
It was the exact same thing that had happened to me. I hurled myself towards them, my paws flying, snarling in fury as I heard Jacob's whine of pain. The vampire was beneath him, arms around his back and I collided with both of them, the impact knocking Jacob loose of the vice-like grip and throwing him clear. I spun around and leaped at the creature again, just as Sam did the same from the other direction. He took the head and I took one shoulder and we tore the two apart. Consumed with rage, I slammed both front paws down onto the corpse's chest, holding it still while I ripped off each arm with my teeth.
"That'll do, Paul, it's over," Sam said.
I backed off reluctantly and went to Jacob instead. Sam ducked behind the nearby rocks, phased back, grabbed his shorts and then went to speak to Carlisle and Edward. The other wolves went into the trees and changed back too.
"Are you ok?" I nuzzled Jacob's ear.
"Yeah, it didn't get chance to break anything, thanks to you."
I pulled my head away from his and growled angrily at the thought of the creature hurting him.
"Come on, you two, time to go," Sam called out. The rest of the pack were standing in a group now, dressed and waiting for us.
Jacob trotted into the trees quickly and by the time I caught up with him, he was already human and pulling on his cut-off jeans. I phased back quickly and dressed, then caught him in a hug before we went back to join the others. He wrapped his arms around me and held on tight.
"Thank God that's over," he sighed.
I pulled my head back to kiss him, then hugged him even tighter until he flinched suddenly.
"Shit, are you ok? Were you hurt after all?" I let go and backed off.
He placed one hand over the right side of his ribcage and grimaced. I grasped his free hand and led him back towards the others.
"Carlisle! Jacob's hurt!" I cried.
"Don't, it's nothing," Jacob protested.
Carlisle ignored him and came over at once. A quick examination revealed a broken rib.
"I'll come over as soon as I can and strap it up for you," Carlisle said.
"You don't need to, it'll heal in hours," said Sam.
"Then rest," instructed Carlisle. "If you have any further pain or shortness of breath - anything at all out of the ordinary - call me and I'll come straight over. You have my number, Sam."
"Sure. Thanks," Sam nodded.
We all made our way slowly back to Sam's and Jacob immediately went to lie down for a while. He said the pain had already diminished, but he would rest to make sure he didn't aggravate things. I stayed with him a little while and when he fell asleep I left the room and joined the pack. Everyone stayed for dinner, even Leah who wasn't really comfortable spending too long in Emily's company. When they all eventually left, I went back to my room and sat down next to Jacob. He opened his eyes immediately.
"Hey, how are you feeling?"
"It's fine, I think it healed already." He sat up and pressed a hand over his ribs. "Doesn't hurt at all. I'm exhausted though."
"Me too." I slid my arms around him and we lay down together still dressed. In minutes we were dead to the world.