Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga or any of the characters in the story.
Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the delay, but my grand father passed away a few weeks ago and so I flew home for the funeral and to be with my family. He lived a good, long life and I know that he is happy now, but it wasn't exactly easy for me to motivate myself to write after flying back home. I'm terribly sorry for that, but now I am here and I will be be back on a schedule of posting either everyday, or every other day! I've missed all of you and I hope you like this chapter, even though it's a few weeks late! ~W.M. Hunt
Chapter Twenty Two
By the time Jake had driven Bella back to his small cottage she was beginning to wonder if this storm was ever going to end. The way the thunder continued to rumble dangerously overhead and how the rain only seemed to pelt down harder on the top of the truck made her think that she would be stuck in the purgatory of never seeing the sun again.
"What are you thinking about, Bells?" Jake asked as he put the truck into park and cut the engine. Bella stared out at the torrential downpour outside of her window and sighed.
"I sort of was missing the sun... Arizona was actually the complete opposite of this place... I guess I just miss it a little more than I thought I would..." she replied still looking out into the rain. Jake was quiet in the seat beside her, his large hand that had encased hers throughout the entire ride, squeezed gently. Her eyes flickered back to his handsome russet face and she frowned slightly at the look on it. He looked almost ashamed of something.
"Why are you upset now?" Bella asked.
"I'm just sorry that you miss your home. Maybe you should go and visit sometime, your mom still lives out there right?" he asked her in a calm, determined voice. Bella's mind kicked into gear as she suddenly seemed to recall that her mother did actually live there still.
"Oh Jake! We should go and visit her sometime! That would be wonderful! I could show you around, and it would be some alone time for us! Maybe over Christmas break, so it wouldn't be suspicious," Bella smiled at him, trying to put some positive energy back into the air. However he only looked at her with a serious expression.
"I can't exactly leave the reservation, Bells. The tribe, and the pack need me. I can't leave, even for a short amount of time. Especially not now, after what happened with the Cullens," he said in a soft voice.
"Speaking of that, we have to discuss where I'll be living," Bella said. Jake's eyes watched her carefully. She realized he was waiting for her to get upset over how he could not leave the reservation. Sighing, Bella unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted across the seat, nestling herself into his lap. Jake's arms instinctively wrapped around her small frame as she looked into his face.
"It's not a big deal that you can't leave the reservation, Jacob. I understand your responsibilities. How can I get mad at you for being reliable to the people that depend on you? That's silly. But that doesn't mean that I won't go and see her at some point. Maybe it's for the best that we don't travel together... I was getting a little ahead of myself,"
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go by yourself... Without me around you there's no telling what could happen," Jake stated quickly and Bella froze on his lap.
"I'm sorry, what?" Bella asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"Bella, what if that leach came back and followed you to Arizona? I wouldn't be around to help and you definitely wouldn't be able to handle yourself. It just isn't safe," he said to her, his face entirely serious.
"You're telling me that I can't take care of myself... When clearly for twenty three years I've been doing just fine? Not to mention I can't go and see my mother in Arizona, because there's a vampire after me, even though said vampire can't go in the sunlight?" she asked.
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Her eyes stayed locked on his own. Neither of them were going to back down off of this topic. Tension rippled in the air between them as the aggravation became more and more palpable.
"Take me home," she said finally as she removed herself from his lap and out of his arms, placing herself back against the window on the other side of the cab.
"What?" he said.
"You heard me, take me back to Forks. I don't want to be here right now."
"I'm not taking you back to your apartment. You agreed to staying on the reservation," Jake said in a stern voice. Without missing a beat Bella opened the door and jumped down from the cab. Ignoring the fact that she was being entirely soaked by the downpour she looked back at Jake.
"Fine, but don't bother coming back tonight. I need some time alone," she said to him in a level voice before shutting the truck's door and walking towards the small shack. As she opened the door she heard the roar of the engine start up again, but she did not turn around to watch him leave. She had been serious in saying she had needed time alone.
The intense aching sensation that appeared in her chest both from her anger at Jake and having to listen to the truck's sound grow further away from the cottage made furious tears appear in Bella's eyes. She stood in the small entryway inside of the shack and tried not to recall the intimate moments she had shared with Jake only hours ago. It was interesting how quickly such a wonderful day had gone completely into a downward spiral.
However, while she admired the fact that Jake was clearly only looking out for her well being, he was too stuck in the alpha state of mind to see how absurd he was being. If she was going to be shrouded in complete sunshine for most of the time she would be visiting her mother, there was no reason to worry. A vampire would not be able to reach her without drawing the attention of others. She would be completely safe, and aside from that, she was capable of taking care of herself, even if she was a weak, normal human being.
Bella realized that she was shivering while standing in her soaking clothes, which it dawned on her were actually Jake's. Teeth chattering, Bella walked back into the small bedroom and stripped off the soaking wet clothes, tossing them unceremoniously onto the ground before she climbed into the rumpled sheets of the bed. They still smelled of Jake, and despite the fact she was upset with him for being so silly over something so simple, she could not resist the pleasurable shiver that shook her spine as his scent invaded her nose once again. She could not help the thrill of desire that washed over her as she imagined Jake's body covering her own.
For a while Bella lay wrapped in the scent-soaked sheets trying to come up with a plan of how to convince Jake that she was capable of taking care of herself. After all, how long did he suspect she would be in danger from this Cullen boy? It couldn't be more than a month, which would mean that she would be perfectly safe if she went to visit Renee for Christmas, or maybe even Thanksgiving.
He couldn't expect her, an example of a responsible twenty three year old to take orders from a nineteen year old boy. Even if he was the alpha of a pack of werewolves and could easily pass as a twenty five year old man. Not to mention his knowledge of the supernatural world was much deeper than her own... But still, Bella could not imagine that she would truly be in any real danger after a month or so. The threat would pass and everything would return to normal... Or as normal as she imagined it could get as long as she was secretly having a relationship with one of her students behind closed-doors.
-8-
With a violent jerk Bella's entire body was slammed into consciousness. She had slipped into sleep in the afternoon without her even realizing while she had been so deep in thought. However now she was completely aware of her surroundings.
The world outside of the small window in the bedroom was slightly darker than it had been when she had fallen asleep, but the constant sound of battering rain was still present. There was no explanation for why Bella had been woken up so quickly and violently, but she could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up as she realized that she was entirely alone in the small cottage.
A large crack of thunder made her body jerk again and she slipped from the bed, reaching for a large shirt on the floor of the bedroom and pulling it over her head to conceal her nakedness. Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest as she walked out into the small living room. The sound of two boulders smashing overhead sounded and Bella wondered if the storm had grown more violent as she had been sleeping.
Turning on the two lights in the living room Bella went to sit on the worn in chair across from the television set. And then, out of nowhere there was a knock on the front door. Bella growled in the back of her throat.
"Jacob Black, I told you I needed to be alone!" she whispered angrily as she stalked towards the front door, opening it without a second thought. Immediately, though she regretted this decision. In front of her stood a small, spritely looking girl with jet black hair, golden eyes and paper white skin. A vampire.
Bella's mouth opened to scream, but her shock seemed to freeze her vocal chords as she stumbled backwards into the shack, trying to find a safe place.
"Bella? You're Bella, right?" the vampire girl asked in a soft, wind chime like voice. The words were rushed. Bella still did not answer as she kept her eyes locked on the girl who had not taken a step into the cottage. The rain was spattering the floor as it blew into the house, but all Bella could focus on was how she knew that her death was iminent. If only Jake had stayed with her... Surely he knew that she was in distress at this point.
"I don't have much time, Bella. My siblings are leading the pack towards the Southern border, but they'll catch on quickly. You need to listen to me carefully, alright?" she said urgently, pleading with her golden eyes, "My name is Alice Cullen. I'm Edward's sister. I don't know how much your mate has told you, but I thought I should tell you myself. You must understand that Edward is your singer. He is attracted to your blood more than any other human's. He will stop at nothing to kill you. He's fast, and he's smart, Bella. You must stay close to your mate. The dogs will keep you as safe as they can, but you can't take any chances, do you understand me?"
Bella had heard every word that the vampire had said, but with her heart racing in her ear and her mind fizzling out, when she had opened her mouth again, the only thing to come out was a blood curdling scream.
"No! Bella calm down, I'm trying to help!" Alice put her hands up to try and look peaceful, and she took a small step into the cabin. This only made Bella scream once more.
"Jacob!" her scream was deafening, and over the rain, far in the distance a returning howl met her ears. He had heard her. He was coming. The relief she felt was quickly covered in heart stopping fear as the vampire girl suddenly appeared directly in front of her and grabbed Bella's shoulders in her ice-cold grip. Her golden eyes bore into Bella's as she spoke in a barely audible buzz.
"Oh, now you've done it. I told you, I'm trying to help. I have to go now, but if you have questions, come to my family."
"Bella won't be going anywhere near your fucking family," another female voice growled from behind the female vampire. The cold hands that had tightly gripped Bella's shoulders were gone in a flash and the vampire girl now stood calmly near the small kitchen. Bella's wide, frightened eyes landed on the rain soaked form of Leah Clearwater, standing in her doorway in what looked like a ratty sports bra and a pair of jean shorts. She looked like some kind of goddess of war come to save Bella from the demon that had infiltrated her hiding place.
"Leah Clearwater, isn't it? I'm Alice Cullen," the vampire said politely, as if they were being introduced on friendly terms.
"I don't give a fuck what your name is, leach. Back away from Bella and come outside so I can tear your fucking head off for crossing the line," Leah snarled again, slowly walking towards Bella while keeping her body facing the vampire.
"I was only warning Bella of the threat that my brother poses. She needs to know how much danger she is truly in. My family can help," Alice tried to plead with Leah now.
"We do not need any help that you want to give. Get out of this house, now, and hope that my brothers don't intercept you before you get to the border," Leah threatened in a menacing voice, that even Bella flinched at, although the vampire girl looked unphased. She looked at Bella one last time with her golden eyes, a silent plea in them, before Leah let out another terrifying roar and then the girl had disappeared entirely with the front door closed behind her.
Before Bella could even register that the vampire was gone she heard the loud howling of wolves extremely close by. She wondered if the Cullen girl would make it to the border before them or not. Some small part of her hoped that she would not, but at the same time with her heart pounding so loudly and her blood racing beneath her skin, she couldn't quite think straight at the moment.
"She didn't hurt you, right? I don't smell any blood," Leah said, turning to look at the crumpled mess on the floor that Bella had become.
"I-I'm okay... Just st-startled. She c-came out of n-nowhere. Like a ghost or s-something," Bella managed to stutter as she wrapped her arms around her knees, holding back the terrified tears in her eyes.
"Well you scared the shit out of all of us. Thank God I was still coming back from that run from Canada, I would have been with the rest of them if I hadn't... You sure you're okay, you don't look so well," Leah said carefully, laying a warm hand on Bella's shoulder.
Bella tried to nod, but her mind could only recall the cold and spindly hands of the vampire that had grabbed her shoulders. The freezing temperature and iron grip made bile rise in her throat and she leaned forward and started to wretch onto the ground. Her mind would not stop replaying the images and she found herself dry heaving while Leah tried to be useful around her.
"I need Jake," Bella managed to choke out in a sobbing voice as her stomach heaved again. Two vampires coming after her in twenty four hours. Her brain felt like it was in overload and her body would not stop its trembling. And then, she felt the warm, thickly muscled arms of her mate surround her, pulling her body close against his own. Incredibly, her wretching calmed as the heat of his body made the memory of the disgusting hands ebb away from the front of her memory. She could hear him murmuring to her, speaking in low tones, and by the slight quivering of his body she knew he was slightly out of control with worry and anger. However she was in such a state that she felt useless in helping to calm him down.
She did not know where Leah had went, or if any of the other pack had come inside of the cottage with Jake, but she clung to him and pressed as much of her skin into his own, needing to feel the comfort of his body. She needed him to protect her, even if the threat was physically gone. She needed him entirely. He was everything to her. He would always be everything to her. And in that moment, along with every other insane thought that buzzed around inside of her mind, Bella Swan realized that she had fallen in love with Jacob Black.
I hope that this chapter was okay for everyone after such a long time. I'm trying to get back into the groove after being in such a bad mood for the past couple of weeks. Feel free to leave some feedback if you want to, thanks for reading and I'll post again MUCH sooner this time!