Chapter 17: Second Chances
The first creature to step forth in the clearing was black and rugged looking, with mud clinging to its already matted fur. Its round head tilted sideways as its upper snout retreated, revealing sharp fangs. As they stepped out of the shadows, I gasped, when I saw their pointed ears and familiar body structure. They were wolves, definitely larger than any I'd ever seen before, but wolves none the less. With another growl, two others entered the clearing, one was silver and the other a darker gray, each one snapped in our direction.
I was paralyzed as I watched the gigantic monsters stalk towards us with open mouths. Their body structure and outward appearance looked like a wolf, but they were much too big. Even my previous appraisal, a bear, was miniscule in comparison. My body began to quake with fear, they were almost half way towards us.
Much to my surprise and utter horror, Melena took a confident step towards them, raising her arms and bending at the waist, almost like a bow of respect. I looked at her with an incredulous stare; what the heck did she think she was doing? Vampires were the strongest creatures on the Earth, the thought calmed me a little, however there were three of these enormous wolves.
For a brief second, I wondered if this was the reason the Cullens stayed off the Quileutes' land. That logic would only make sense though, if these wolves posed some threat. My brow furrowed as I continued to watch Melena advance slowly towards the wolves, which had stopped moving all together. Maybe that was it; these enormous beasts could harm vampires.
A loud roar snapped me from my thoughts and I looked back, just in time to see a sandy brown mass sail over my head. I watched whatever it was fly straight into the three wolves, forcing them to scatter in all directions. The thing then stood on two legs and I found myself scooting to the edge of the forest.
The new creature stood on two muscular legs and it had to be at least seven and half feet tall. Its body was covered in rippling, fur-covered muscles, and a head that looked much similar to a bear. As the wolves circled it, the bear-like creature took a step back and erupted into a chorus of inhuman roars.
My hands flew to my ears, as the loud bellowing threatened to destroy my ear drums. The huge wolves yelped and hopped back, clearly confused by the loud noise, but quickly regained their composure and began stalking towards Melena and the creature.
With a simple hop, Melena stood beside the massive sandy brown animal, and realization dawned on me. My memory retreated back to a
conversation I had had with Ary once. It seemed like almost a lifetime ago
that she had told me Argos could transform into a bear-like creature. With that knowledge, a smile spread across my face, I knew I was safe. Argos reached out and snatched one of wolves in his massive jaws, which made the remainder of them lurch forward and attack him. However, Melena skimmed through the air and caught one of them midstride, kicking them across the field. It landed in the distance, a tangled mess of fur, and scurried on the ground in, what looked like, an attempt to regain its composure.
Some movement beside me caught my attention, and, as I looked, another blurred object moved through the open space, and collided with the last wolf. When the form stopped, I recognized the distinct outline of Eric McRae.
With an agile leap, he positioned himself behind the last wolf, the dark grey one. Eric wrapped his arms around the dark grey wolf's body and appeared to squeeze it tightly. The monster in his grasp began to writhe and cry out in pain, occasionally turning its head to try and snap at its captor. Eric simply laughed and tossed the massive beast into the air, sending it spiraling in the sky.
Argos, meanwhile, had released the wolf from his jaws and was squaring off with it. The large monster seemed very intimidated by the enormous bear-like creature, and showed it by taking hesitant steps forward and quickly retreating a few paces back. Argos lowered himself down, so he was standing on his arms and legs, appearing to equal the ground between the black wolf and himself. The dark creature seized the opportunity and jumped at Argos, biting into the back of his furry neck.
Another blurred figure shot through the open air and, as I tried to follow its trajectory, it rammed right into the black wolf. When it stopped, I laughed incredulously when I saw it was little Skye. The Asian vampire flipped over the fallen beast and grabbed hold of its hind legs. With a twist, I heard a sickening crack and I cringed as the wolf howled in pain.
"Interesting sight isn't it?"
I screamed and snapped my head to the right as Avarice materialized beside me. He smiled apologetically at me and crossed his legs on the ground. He sighed, as if he was bored, and leaned against me.
When I finally found my voice, I shifted to look at him. "What's going on?"
Another horrifying crack filled the air, and I noticed one of the wolves dragging a limp leg behind it. I couldn't help but cringe at the sight; fighting always made me squeamish.
"I'm sorry you had to see this, Bella," Avarice said with a frown, but before he could continue Eric approached us.
"Avarice," he said in a stern voice, no trace of the Eric I knew in his tone."We're ready."
"Good." Avarice stood as Skye, Melena, Ira, and Dante—who I didn't even see arrive—pulled the three limp wolves in front of him. He squared his shoulders and took a step forward. "I think I have an understanding of your purpose, and I won't contest your right to exist." He threw a look at Argos, who was once again human and wearing tattered clothes. "But if you ever set foot on our property again, we will not hesitate to protect ourselves. Is that clear?"
The black wolf nodded.
"We will stay off your land, if you stay away from us," Avarice said formally and I realized what was going on. The McRaes were making a pact—but why were they making it with these creatures? It would seem more adequate to make a truce or agreement with the tribal elders, unless these gigantic wolves had something to do with the tribe.
The animals rose slowly off the ground and limped away, disappearing into the forest, and I turned to see the McRaes retreating in the opposite direction. I was about to follow them, when I felt a soft tap on my shoulder.
"Are you okay, Bella?" Eric's soft, luxurious voice calmed my nerves slightly. I turned and found him staring at me with concern. "I'm sorry about this."
"W-What?"
I was speechless; the last time I had seen Eric had been when he dropped me off after our botched date. Now here he was, eyes pouring over me and his face wrought with worry. I couldn't shake the memories of the previous evening, when he had left me in silence. Now, he appeared to be acting like nothing was wrong.
"Those giant wolves roam the La Push forests," Eric continued, moving his gaze to the forest where the massive beasts had disappeared. When he spoke again, his voice was laced with malice and venom. "Last night, they broke away and decided to pay us a visit."
"Is everyone okay?" I implored, still taken aback by him.
He turned back to me and smiled. "Of course."
That was it. Something about the way he looked at me made me lose my nerve. One moment I was standing a few feet from him, and the next I was rushing forward and hugging him tightly. Maybe it was the fight I had just seen or possibly the way Eric had pulled from me the previous night. Whatever it was, I felt exhilarated and refreshed to be so close to him.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
"Eric, I'm so sorry," I sobbed into his frigid chest and lifted my eyes to find him chuckling.
"What on Earth do you have to be sorry for, Bella?" he asked, his eyes glittering in the hidden sunlight, before stroking my hair. "Unless you were the one who sent those dogs after us."
This was where I pushed away from him and gawked like he was completely insane. Was he really asking that question? What did I have to be sorry for? "Are you kidding?" I wiped a stray tear from my cheek and shook my head bitterly. "I called you Edward after we kissed."
Eric blanched a bit before recovering and shortening the space between us. "I will admit," he said steadily and crossed his arms. "You caught me off guard with that one, Bella, but I wasn't born yesterday."
I raised my eyebrows to him, not sure what he meant.
"I know I'm not the first to come into your life," he said and, with a small scoff, he added, "hell, I'm not even the first vampire."
"I just don't know if I can—"
Eric closed the remaining distance between us, and swept me up into his arms. As his scent washed over me, my voice cut off, and I immediately found myself basking in my own personal utopia. Eric's strong hands held me up while his lips found my ear.
"I won't push you, Bella," he whispered, sending goose bumps up and down my body. "If we're to develop into anything more, it's going to be because you want me."
I shivered against his icy touch and the lick of warmth hidden in his words, and I found my head reeling with possibilities. Was Ary right? Did I have another chance at happiness with Eric? Moreover, did I desire another chance—did I want to forget Edward? The questions were endless but, for now, I pushed them to the corners of my thoughts, and let myself be happy in that moment.
Eric lowered me to the ground after a few seconds and seized my hand.
With a goofy grin, he led me back in the direction Melena had pulled me from, and began whistling happily. I trailed after him, not knowing where we were headed, but too emotionally spent to really care.
"Tell you what," he called over his shoulder after a few minutes of silence. "How about we scratch what happened last night and start over?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well…" he paused to help me over a huge tree root before continuing. "How about you come over to the house tonight and we'll just—what's the term your generation uses—hang out?"
A soft flush spread across my cheeks as I muttered, "Okay."
He smiled, as if thoroughly pleased by my answer, and continued moving forward. Every now and then he'd lift his head a little higher and inhale deeply, and divert slightly from our path.
After a minute or two of this, my curiosity got the better of me. "Where are we going?"
"Back to your friends," Eric replied with a cheery tone and looked back at me. "Of course, this would go much quicker if I could run."
I groaned, remembering my jaunt through the woods with Melena a few minutes ago, and with Edward a few months prior. The hole in my chest had been surprisingly tame today, but I didn't want to risk it. Still, I had a sneaking suspicion that Eric didn't want to be in the woods anymore than I did, and I didn't want to inconvenience him. So, with a hesitant smile, I nodded.
Unlike Melena who had pulled me on roughly, like an old backpack, Eric picked me up gently and waited for me to get a strong grip before moving forward. He didn't start running right away, instead he broke out into a slow run, which steadily increased, and soon the trees were blurring on either side of me.
Instead of hiding my face, like I did with Edward, or shut my eyes, I let myself see everything that was happening around me. I'm not exactly sure what changed, maybe it was because we started off slow and worked out way to this speed, or possibly it was because I trusted him. Whatever the reason, the air filling my lungs and the forest moving around me made me feel surreal and free of the weight I'd been under since the Cullens left.
Two minutes later, Eric abated his speed to a steady walk and lowered me to my feet. He explained that my friends were just over the hill, and the other McRaes were waiting with them.
"Thanks, Eric," I smiled and hugged him softly. "I'll see you later?"
"Of course," he replied and kissed my forehead.
The butterflies in my stomach began to flutter and I felt my face flush brightly. When Eric pulled away, I covered my face quickly, not wanting him to see my tomato face, and headed towards the hill, a smile spread across my face.
Ten minutes later, I was safely inside my truck, on my way back to Forks. I grinned as I remembered how, as soon as I rejoined the group, the McRaes had headed the expedition to find the way out of the wilderness. They, of course, led us back to our starting place without requiring any navigation, and not having to explain how they knew exactly which way to go.
"You're coming to the house later, yes?" Melena asked after we hugged beside Argos's black truck.
Argos had not spoken once to me since I had returned to the group, which made me a little uneasy. I wanted to ask Melena about it but decided it was best saved for later. Right now the most important task was getting away from the woods and La Push. The memory of those wolves still clung to my mind and sent shivers down my spine.
"Of course," I responded and hopped into my truck.
When I arrived home, I was deeply relieved to see my father's cruiser parked haphazardly in the drive way, and amused to find him passed out on the couch. I moved quietly upstairs and gathered a blanket and pillow from his bedroom and made him a little more comfortable.
My stomach rumbled a bit, so I headed to the kitchen and made myself a quick sandwich. While chewing, I glanced down at a stack of newspapers strewn over the table. On top were one of Charlie's files from work and the Seattle Times; both of which were resting on USA Today. I stopped momentarily to read the headlines on the two papers.
Seattle Times—String of murders leave Detectives baffled.
USA Today—Strange home demolition in North Texas; no sign of explosives or fire.
"What?" I mumbled and read the article in the USA Today further.
Apparently, a family of four returned to their summer home to find it completely destroyed. The detectives had sent arson investigators and scientists in, but they had all come up with nothing. It was almost like the house decided to explode on its own.
With a sigh, I closed the paper and finished my sandwich. As I drank the last of my milk, I glanced at Charlie's police file suspiciously, curious to know what had kept him out so late. However, as I was about to make a grab for it, a familiar grumble told me that Charlie was awake.
"Bells?" I heard his gruff voice call me, so, instead of making him rouse from his makeshift bed on the couch, I made my way over to him. He was half sitting up by the time I got there, and I cringed at the sight of his bloodshot eyes. "Hey, kiddo, how was hiking?"
"It was great, dad," I said and took a seat on the recliner next to him. "How was your day?"
He sighed and hung his head, obviously hearing the hidden implication in my question. Where had he been all night and all day? "There've been some strange things going on south of Forks, Bella."
"What kind of strange things?"
He rubbed his forehead and sat up completely, pulling his legs from under the blanket and placing them on the floor. He turned his eyes to me, the darkest I'd ever seen them; I'd never seen my father look like that before.
"A couple hikers, who've been missing," he said seriously and laced his fingers together, "we found them—at least, I think we did."
"You think you did?" I didn't like the way my father looked. Charlie and I had always withheld our emotions from other people, so to see him this shaken was bizarre to say the least. "What happened, dad?"
"Bella," he said, sternly changing the subject. "I don't want you driving south of town by yourself, do you understand?"
The first thought that ran through my mind was my plans with Eric tonight.
"What? Dad, I—"
"This isn't up for discussion." Charlie's voice was hard and final, making me realize that there was no way I would dissuade him from this he had seen must have been bad. However, as my face fell, he sighed and added, "As long as you have someone driving with you, Bells."
Well, that seemed easy, I was more than positive that one of the McRaes would come pick me up. However, as the bigger picture painted itself, my face fell. Groaning internally at the ramifications of this, I painfully realized that Charlie was going to meet Eric.