Adventurous
It was almost summer now. That meant that Jacob would have a two week vacation from work soon. Unfortunately, that also meant that he would be working overtime and hence wouldn't be able to come over for a while. We mostly text each other a lot while he's at work and a short time after he gets home. Right now, I was lying in bed, getting ready to fall asleep.
How much longer will it be before you have the two weeks off? I pressed send and waited for his response. A few short minutes later, I heard my phone vibrate. I opened it and looked at his response.
Tomorrow will be my last overtime day. I was thinking, has Edward or anyone taken you camping? I don't mean 'camping' as in hunting, I mean real camping. I thought about it for a second. I didn't think so. I've been in the woods for hunting, but that was it. I don't think I'd ever spent the night in the woods and treated it as anything other than dinner time.
No. I don't think I have. Did you want to? I waited a few minutes before he responded. Seth was handling patrol tonight, so I was glad that Jacob wouldn't need to be in a hurry. I opened my phone when it vibrated.
Yeah. It could be for the whole weekend. I could still do my patrol and all, I or someone else in the pack would just stay close by and make sure nothing happens. Saturday to Monday. What do you say? It sounded like fun. I had never been camping before, and as long as Jacob was around, I could have fun doing anything and nothing.
Sounds like a lot of fun. Did you already ask daddy? I didn't wait a minute for his response.
Yeah, I did. He said as long as you never left my sight, he was fine with it. I just hope you didn't inherit Bella's hatred of nature. She's not one for camping. I giggled. I heard momma ask daddy why I was laughing. Daddy told her what Jacob said and just laughed softly and said it was true.
I doubt it. Do you have camping gear? I know I have plenty. I laughed lightly at my comment. I hoped he would to. I got a response within a minute.
Don't I know it? I have plenty of camping gear. I would like to use one of the tents that your family has. I know you guys have a huge yellow one somewhere. We won't even need to pack food. We can just hunt.
That'll be a relief. I sent my message and waited for his response. It wasn't long before I got it.
I bet. You better get to sleep, Nessie. You and I can text some more tomorrow. Night.
Night, Jacob. I put my phone back on my bed side table and went to sleep. The next day, daddy helped me pick out things that I could use to go camping. Jacob was taking me out towards the western part of the woods. He said there was a wide array of wildlife in that area and it had beautiful scenery.
We texted each other throughout the whole day. He didn't have any new crazy accidents to report to me, only the usual oil changes and so on. I had everything packed and ready within two hours, and played the piano with momma and daddy for the rest of the day. Most everyone was out hunting right now. Momma and daddy had already hunted a few days ago and didn't need to go.
When it was ten o'clock, daddy told me it was time for me to go to bed. We walked to the cottage all hand in hand. I did my nightly routine and got myself ready for bed. Momma and daddy kissed me goodnight, I texted goodnight to Jacob, and turned in for the night. I woke up that morning to the sound of a large, powerful heartbeat. When I was finally able to open my eyes, I saw Jacob sitting next to my bed smiling at me.
"Morning, Nessie." I smiled back at him.
"Morning Jacob. Is it time to go already?" He nodded.
"Yeah. Time for you to get ready." I smiled and got out of bed. When I was done brushing my teeth and washing my face, I decided to take another shower. I felt dirty for some reason. When I was done taking a shower, I went to my room and changed into a pair of blue jeans and my hooded sweatshirt.
Jacob was waiting for me in the living room talking to momma and daddy. Somehow they had gotten on the subject of when I would start learning how to drive and how daddy would skewer Jacob like a cabob if he even dared to try and teach me how to drive a motorcycle. Momma was trying to convince him that there was nothing wrong with it, but daddy wouldn't budge.
"I'm ready to go." Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. Jacob got off of the couch where he was sitting and walked over to me.
"Awesome. Edward already put your backpack in my car, so we're ready to go." I smiled. He took my hand and led me to where his car was. When I saw the car he was taking me to, I was speechless. When I was able to speak, I was barely audible.
"You finished the rabbit I got you." Jacob's smile beamed and he ran his finger through my hair soothingly.
"Yeah. I got it working last night and I finally finished the interior and the paint job. The interior is all black with leather seats. What do you think of the color?" I walked closer to the newly finished rabbit. It was a bright red, like his old one had been. I had to admit, red looked ten times better than blue would have. I was glad he didn't go with blue like I had originally suggested.
The hubcaps were shiny and new, the tires too. I could smell the gasoline he had just filled it up with. I opened the passenger's side door and saw the interior. It was all a beautiful jet black. It even had that new car smell. I wonder how he did that. It was beautiful. I got out of the car and ran over to Jacob and hugged him.
"It's beautiful, Jacob." Jacob chuckled and hugged me back.
"I'm glad you like it. I hope you're not mad at me for not making it blue." I shook my head.
"Not at all. It looks great in red." Jacob lifted me into his arms and I rested my head on my nook. He was the only one who ever held me like this anymore. Partly because now he was the only one who could still do it without it being awkward, balance wise.
"Do you want to see the key chains I have on my keys?" This surprised me. Jacob with key chains? That was a very odd thought. I nodded my head. Jacob reached into his pants pocket and took out his car keys. I took the little key chain in my hand.
Now I understood why he wanted me to see it. It was a small key chain that was squared and had a small heart in the top right and bottom left corner of the frame where my picture was held. It was the picture grandma had taken of me in front of the five foot sand castle me and the local kids had made. Jacob had said this picture had been his favorite.
I was standing in the picture to show just how tall the castle really was. I was standing in front of it with my hands on my hips and a proud smile with my hair being blown elegantly to the right of me. The camera had even caught the subtle glitter of my skin. I looked at Jacob with a sweet smile and he smiled back.
"It's really nice." Jacob grinned wider.
"Yeah. Renee was finally able to send me some pictures. She was sure to make enough for me and the rest of the family. I liked this picture the most." I hugged Jacob around his neck and he hugged me with the arm that was holding me up. When he put me down, daddy cleared his throat.
"What time are you planning on bringing her back on Monday?" Jacob thought his answer and daddy nodded his head. "Twelve to one sounds fine." Jacob smiled politely at daddy and nodded his head. Then he turned to face me.
"Let's get going, Nessie." I nodded my head and ran back to the passenger's seat of the car. After we had driven for a few minutes, I started a conversation.
"Are you planning on keeping your other car?" Jacob shrugged.
"I want to. I don't know if I can though. I'll have to see if I have enough money to pay insurance on both cars. If not, then I'll sell my car to this one guy on the Makka reservation. He said he would give me five thousand for it." I suddenly felt bad.
"I'm sorry. I should have thought of that. I know you put a lot of work into the other rabbit." Jacob chuckled. He never took his eyes off the road, but he ran his fingers through my hair once, trying to sooth me.
"I put a lot of work into this car too. More so in fact if you include the paint job and interior that I did. And this is a gift from you. That makes it all the better." I felt myself blush when he said that.
"I'm glad to hear that." Jacob smiled again. We talked about everything when we were on our way to the camp site that Jacob had told me about. It didn't take long to get there. There was a long trail that led into the woods, then stopped abruptly. The car was towered by trees and leaves. It was cloudy outside, like it usually was. Alice said that it would be raining on and off throughout the day, but that was at the house.
"Is this where we're making camp?" Jacob nodded.
"Yeah. There's plenty of room here for a tent and for everything else that we need. And the areas around here are great places to hike. I'm amazed no one's come across it sooner." He was already taking everything out of the car's trunk and placing them where they would be set up. I started setting up the fire pit. Jacob had already brought plenty of wood from first beach.
"Do you pass this place a lot when you're on patrol?" Jacob smiled and took the last thing out of his trunk.
"I've only recently been coming across this spot. It reminded me of the one place that Bella and I went hiking a few years ago. I think this area's prettier though." This confused me.
"I thought you and momma never got to the meadow together." Jacob shook his head and shrugged.
"We didn't. It was the first time I had ever gone on patrol after becoming a werewolf. We saw a vampire that was too close to Bella and I wasn't willing to wait and see if he would actually do anything. I'd already had so much going on, I didn't want to lose her too. I saw the meadow then." Oh. I nodded my head and got back to what I was doing.
Jacob started setting up the tent once everything was out of the car. We worked in silence as I thought about what Jacob had said. I knew that momma and Jacob were just friends, but also knew that at one point, emotionally, they had been more. I never got why this fact bothered me so much, especially since that wasn't the case anymore. But just the thought that Jacob and momma had ever felt that way about each other, whether they had ever been together or not, bothered me.
"You don't feel that way anymore right?" Jacob looked up from what he was doing and looked at me with a confused expression on his face.
"Don't feel what way anymore?" His voice was concerned, almost as if he was prepared to explain himself for something he didn't even know he did.
"The way you did about momma." His face became aware. He took a deep breath and walked closer to me and hugged me tightly before answering me.
"It's not like that. Not anymore. I still love Bella, yes, but not the way I used to. Now she's more like my sister. We've been through a lot together and that made us really close. But I don't feel that way about her anymore." I couldn't help but ask. I remembered daddy telling me that I was the reason for that. I wondered why.
"Daddy told me one time that I was the reason for that." I felt Jacob experience a mixture of emotions. First his body went stiff with anticipation, then he softened as if he were really happy. "Why?" Jacob rested his head on top of mine, and I rested my head on my nook.
"It's too complicated to explain it to you now. I know you're tired of hearing that all the time, but that's all I can say." Now I was annoyed.
"Why does everyone keep telling me that? What is so complicated about this that no one will explain it to me?" Jacob lifted himself slightly so that we were facing each other now.
"Because I want you to decide for yourself what happens. I don't doubt that you could understand this perfectly if I explained it all to you, I just don't know if you're ready to. There's a lot involved with imprinting." This just made me more confused. What did he mean by 'let me decide what happens'? What could possibly happen?
"What is there to decide?" Jacob looked at the ground now, like he was guilty. He knew something, of this I had always been sure.
"A lot, Nessie." I sighed. If I asked what, he would just tell me the same thing he'd said before. Then another thought came to me.
"Jacob?" He looked back from the ground to me. He still looked guilty, but he was smiling at me, and that made me feel better.
"Yeah?" I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure how he would react to my next question. He stood quietly, waiting for me to ask my question.
"Why is it that…..it always bothers me when we talk about momma, and how close you two are and what you used to feel about each other?" I was certain he knew why. His face changed again. It almost looked prideful and overjoyed. His expression was that of a man who was looking upon the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "What?" He chuckled lightly.
"Nothing. I just spaced out for a moment. To answer your question, I don't know why. That's something you'd have to ask Edward about." He didn't stop smiling as he walked back to the tent and finished it up. He was like that for pretty much the rest of the afternoon. Jacob finished putting up the tent quickly and was sure to make it really sturdy. Jacob announced that he was hungry when he finished setting up the tent.
"You want to go hunting, Nessie?" He was already taking off his shirt, waiting for me to go ahead so he could tie everything around his ankle. No one would ever believe that he'd never set foot in a gym. He was really muscular, but not obnoxiously so. And his skin was naturally tan. I smiled at him when he smiled at me.
"Sounds like an idea. Do you think they have any cougars around here?" He chuckled.
"I'm sure they're around here somewhere." He nodded in the direction he wanted me to go, and I started walking. When I heard him faze, I started running. It didn't take long for him to catch up to me. We ran for a few minutes before I smelled something decent.
"Jacob, this way." I nodded my head to the left and Jacob gave me a nod and a bark. I went to the left and he followed close behind me. I found three large cats that were eating a deer. When I was close enough, the cats became aware of my presence, but it was too late for that anyway.
I pounced on the largest cat that I could get a hold of. Jacob attacked the other two cats before they could get to me. He killed both cats quickly and I was drinking the cat's blood in no time. Jacob started eating his cat. I had the cat drained clean in a matter of minutes.
"Jacob?" Jacob lifted his nose from the cat, his mussel covered in blood, and looked at me with brilliant black eyes. He nodded his head, letting me know he was listening. "Do you mind if I drink that cat's blood too?" I pointed to the cat that was right next to him, not the one he was eating now.
He looked at the cat I pointed to and then back at me. He gave me his wolfy grin and cocked his head at the cat, letting me know that he was okay with it. I smiled back at him and walked over to the cat in question.
"Thanks." Jacob grinned one more time before getting back to the cat he was eating. I finished drinking the cat's blood in a little more than five minutes. When I was done, Jacob was halfway done with his food. He never ate the organs, he didn't like them. He always stuck with just the meat itself. I sat next to him and just watched him eat like I usually did.
When he was done with the first cat, he went to the other two cats that I drank dry. He was done eating in about twenty minutes. I just sat next to him and watched him, petting his fur and scratching every now and then. He groaned whenever I scratched his ear and neck. When he was done, I followed him back to the camp site. He stayed a few feet behind into the trees when we got there. I heard him faze back and waited for him to come out of the woods.
"Man, I'm stuffed." I looked around to face Jacob. I laughed lightly. His mouth was covered with smeared blood from the cats. He looked at me questioningly. "What?" I laughed a little harder and walked over to him. I touched his hand and showed him the image of him in my head.
Once I showed him the image, he playfully glared at me. He walked over to the tent and into his backpack, looking for some cleansing pads that daddy had packed for me. He wiped the blood away from his face and put the used wipe in a little plastic bag that we were keeping the garbage in. When he was done, he came out of the tent, still playfully glaring at me.
"Oh, come on. You can't say that you didn't see that coming." He chuckled and I laughed with him. He walked over to me and hugged me. I hugged him back.
"Why don't you ever get dirty when you're eating?" I giggled into my nook.
"Honestly, Jacob, I'm a Cullen. We don't get dirty." Jacob's bass laughter rang through the forest. He laughed for a moment and I only giggled into my nook. When Jacob was done laughing, he pushed me away from his chest so that I was facing him.
"What do you say we get to work on dinner now?" I gave him a shocked look. Why would he want to eat now?
"We just ate. You can't possibly be hungry again already." Jacob chuckled lightly.
"I'll be hungry again in a few hours." I kept the same look on my face.
"Then why do you want to get dinner now?" Jacob kept chuckling.
"Because fish take time and patience to catch." Oh. He wanted to go fishing. But I thought that was strange. The idea of fishing seemed horrible. Grandpa insisted that it was a very relaxing activity that could be fun if you had a friend and some beer. I, on the other hand, saw it as a simply boring activity.
"Fishing?" Jacob smiled and lifted me into his arms to carry me. When I was comfortably in his arms, he went to the bag that he had at the door of the tent, grabbed it, and took us in the direction he wanted.
"It's a relaxing thing to do, Nessie. And besides, it's a great catching up and talking activity. It's socializing while doing something productive." I rolled my eyes.
"Is that so?" Jacob chuckled at my sarcasm.
"Yeah. Billy and I used to do it all the time when I was younger. We would go fishing and we would bring the fish to Harry Clearwater so he could make his homemade fish fry. It's too bad you never knew him, he was awesome. You would have loved the man." I smiled at Jacob.
I rested my head into my nook and waited for us to get to the place Jacob wanted to fish. With a fast pace walk, it took us thirty minutes to get to where he wanted to go. His heart was beating loudly and steadily. It was making me drowsy. He nudged me when we got to our wanted location.
"We're here, Nessie." I opened my eyes and looked at where we were. It was a large pond that seemed to go on forever. It was lined with rich green trees and colorful flowers. I heard birds singing all around us. I could see the fish in the clear water. There was a land mass that went into the pond, most likely made by one of the creatures that lived here. It couldn't be a beaver though. This wasn't the right environment for them.
"It really is pretty here." I felt Jacob smile and beam with pride.
"I knew you'd like it. Now let's get out on that ledge and get dinner." He took us out to the edge of the little bridge that was in the pond. I could still see the fish going by, and I saw them scatter when Jacob's fishing line landed in the water. I sat in Jacob's lap while he fished, and I rested my head against my nook and watched the water.
We sat there quietly for a few minutes. It was a comfortable silence that was soothing. The fish weren't biting at first and I was beginning to get drowsy again. Jacob's heartbeat was loud and strong. His heartbeat had become my favorite lullaby. And his woodsy, musky scent made me feel light headed, but in a good way. His voice took me out of my drowsiness.
"Leah's moving away." I turned my head to look at his face. He looked a little sad. He and Leah were friends, despite the fact that she hated me.
"Is she?" Jacob nodded his head.
"She's moving to Seattle. She found a job there working for a big law firm."
"She's a lawyer?" Jacob smirked a little.
"She is now. She just got her degree. She got really good grades in her classes and her school helped her find a good job. She's moving next weekend."
"Will you miss her?" Jacob shrugged a little before answering me.
"Yeah. It's funny. I used to hate her because she was so bitter and seemed determined to make the rest of us as miserable as she was. But once I really got to know her and understood her, she really became a friend." I nodded my head and looked back at the pond. A fish took the bait and Jacob started reeling the fish in. It wasn't a very strong fish, so Jacob didn't need to put up much of a fight.
Jacob finally got the fish out of the water and it landed right next to us and was twitching around. When it stopped, Jacob reached for it and put it in a little basket that he had rested next to us that he had brought with us. I didn't know what kind of fish it was. It wasn't a fish that I had ever learned how to cook. I only ever cooked tilapia and salmon.
"What kind of fish was that?" Jacob sighed.
"It's a trout. A very small trout. I'm hoping to catch a few bigger ones." The fish didn't look that small. It wasn't huge, but it still looked fine.
"Do you know how to butcher a fish?" Jacob just started laughing lightly.
"Of course I do. I grew up fishing. It was one of the many things that I've done with Billy when I was a kid." I giggled at his tone. It was like this information had been obvious. Jacob put more bait on the hook and threw the line. We waited calmly for something to happen.
"I've never made trout before, so I hope you have." He chuckled.
"I have. It's no different than cooking any other fish. I even brought a whole bunch of spices for you to play with. Cook it the same way you would cook tilapia, just a little longer." I shrugged. I rested my head back into my nook and watched the water, waiting for something to happen.
After a half hour of nothing happening, I finally fell asleep in Jacob's arms. I wasn't sure how long I had been asleep. I ended up waking to the feel of a warm hand brushing through my hair. My face was rested against my nook now and my ear was right above the powerful beat of Jacob's heart. I opened my eyes and looked up. Jacob was looking at me with a smile on his face.
"Did you have a nice nap?" I smiled back at him and nodded my head. I looked around and noticed that we weren't at the pond anymore, we were back at camp. Jacob was sitting against a tree next to the basket of trout that he had caught. I looked back at him after looking at my surroundings. I didn't really feel like talking at the moment, so I didn't bother. I reached my hand up to touch his cheek.
It was a very nice nap, thank you. How long was I asleep?
"Not long. About four hours. I didn't want to wake you, so I just carried you back. You slept the whole time." He chuckled lightly and I smiled back. I looked at the basket that was close to us. My hand was still on his cheek. Jacob was now holding my hand in his against my cheek.
Did you catch anymore trout? Jacob grinned widely.
"Yeah, I did. I caught five more while you were asleep. After the fifth one, I didn't feel like doing it anymore. This is enough for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow."
Were they bigger this time? Jacob kept his grin on his face.
"Yeah. I managed to catch one that was almost four pounds. It was great. The rest are two pounders and that small trout that I caught while you were awake." I nodded my head.
What time is it right now? Jacob's face became thoughtful. Then he stood up, me still in his arms, and walked over to his car where he was keeping his phone. He opened the driver's side door and reached for his phone that was rested in the front seat. I saw the time. It was six thirty.
"Six thirty, Nessie." I breathed deeply, trying to wake myself up.
"Do you want me to make some dinner?" Jacob chuckled lightly and gave me a guilty smile.
"It's okay, I'll make it." I shook my head.
"No, let me. I'd like to have some involvement in it since I won't be eating it." Jacob gave me a crocked smile and lifted one of his eyebrows.
"How do you know you won't like it? You've never tried trout before." I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Jacob, I've tried trout before, and I hated it. It was like eating soggy moss. I'll pass." Jacob started laughing and started walking over to the basket of fish. I finally saw all the fish that were in there. They were all huge, and they looked really slimy. I scrunched my nose at them.
"You want to learn how to butcher it?" I smiled at him.
"I might as well. What's one more trade?" Jacob and I laughed lightly. Jacob had already set up a little table that he could use to butcher the fish. He put me down and I sat in one of the lawn chairs that were next to the table. He took the seat right next to me.
Jacob started showing me how to cut open the fish and how to remove everything that he wouldn't eat, like the organs. Removing all the pin bones was a pain, even if I was just watching. It didn't take him very long to finish all the fishes. About a half hour. When he was done, he cut them up into smaller fillets.
"Do you have a pan for me to use or am I just cooking them off the end of a stick?" Jacob laughed lightly at my comment.
"Yes, I have pans. Esme was even nice enough to let me bring her spice rack with us so you could be creative. I will admit though that you're stuck with the fire as far as heat is concerned. But don't worry, I have a little wrack for you to keep the pan on." I giggled at Jacob and took a few of the fish fillets with me to the little fire pit I had made this morning. Jacob lit a fire. We were safe from most of the rain thanks to the trees above.
The flames that appeared were all blues and greens. They had all the salt water in the bark. It always made the fire really pretty. It also meant that the fire was hotter. Jacob pulled the cooking rack in the middle of the flame and handed me a pan and a bag full of the spices from Esme's spice rack. I settled with just putting salt, pepper and lemon juice on the fish before putting it in to cook.
I cooked three fillets for Jacob. He was going on patrol tonight, so I wanted him to have a full stomach before going. He wouldn't have to go for another hour. Alice hadn't seen any vampires coming around the area near the house or near Forks. But she couldn't see La Push or the wooded area that we were in. Jacob and his pack usually stayed around La Push unless Alice anticipated a vampire's arrival in a different part that was nearby or coming close.
Jacob was planning to stay in this area. Not only because he wanted to make sure that I would be okay, but also because he wanted to make sure that the area was safe and that nothing would happen. He would easily be able to call for back up if he needed to. Jacob took his time with his food. It was eight now, so he was planning on going on patrol when he was done eating. I had already used some mouth wash, since I couldn't use a tooth brush out here. I never planned on using mouth wash again, that stuff was vile.
"Nessie." Jacob's voice was suddenly very serious. This worried me.
"Yeah, Jacob?" He put down his plate, which wasn't completely cleared of his food, and looked at me with serious eyes.
"I smelled something on our way back to camp." I kept my face composed.
"What?" Jacob took a deep breath.
"It was sweet. Too sweet. It wasn't any of the vampires that I've met before that were friends of you family and it wasn't anyone of the Cullens either. I don't want you walking too far from this camp okay. Whoever it is hasn't drifted around here since they smelled me, so I think you'll be okay as long as you stay here."
"Are you sure you didn't recognize it? I don't remember smelling anything."
"That's because you were still asleep when I caught the scent. I'm sorry I didn't bring it up earlier, I didn't want you to be worried. But everything will be fine as long as you stay here okay, Nessie." I nodded my head.
"Okay. I'll stay here." Jacob smiled, picked up his plate and sat closer to me on the ground. When he was close enough, he put one arm around me to hug me and kissed the top of my head.
"Thanks, Nessie. That gives me a lot less to worry about. We'll catch whoever it is, don't worry." I nodded my head and rested my head against his chest, then his arm when he went back to finishing his food.
When Jacob was done, I went into the tent and put on my pajamas. There was only one sleeping bag in the tent. Jacob had been planning on sleeping outside as a wolf to make sure that nothing would happen. Once my pajamas were on, I walked out of the tent to say goodnight to Jacob. He had already fazed into his wolf, but he was waiting for me. I walked over to him and he bent his head down so I could hug him around the neck.
I buried my face into his neck and fur. It was rough, but the undercoat was soft. His coat was a lot softer if he fazed right after he'd taken a shower. I took in his masculine, musky woodsy scent. I always felt safe and relaxed when I took it in. He lifted his head out of my arms when I released his neck and gently licked my face. I laughed lightly and he gave me a barking laugh and his wolfy grin.
"Be safe out there okay." Jacob nodded his head and continued to grin at me. I patted his head and he licked my hand. He backed away, slowly at first, then after about seven feet, he turned around and ran into the woods. I waited until I couldn't hear his footsteps clearly anymore. I went back into the tent, made myself comfortable in the sleeping bag, and went to sleep a few minutes later.
I woke up with the sound of a loud nose. It sounded like a roar. I wasn't sure if it was Jacob or just another member of the pack. But then I could swear I heard something else. It was a high pitched, frightened sound. It sounded like a woman now that I thought about it. Then the high pitched sound eventually stopped completely. I stepped out of the tent to see what was going on.
When I got out, I saw a shadow in the distance. The moon was bright outside from behind the clouds and the shadow looked human. I didn't hear a heartbeat, though. I took in the smell of the air, then I realized what was in the distance. It was a sweet scent that I didn't recognize. It smelled like sugary passion fruit and hibiscus. The smell was so intoxicating. But I knew better.
I tried to stay very still. Now that I was really listening, I could hear the faint heartbeat of his victim, and I could smell their blood. It was a delicious smell. I could feel my heartbeat get faster. I was too scared to move. I didn't know this smell either. I started trying to move closer to the tent so I could go back in there and hide. I knew that wouldn't do me much good, but it would at least make me feel better to be out of site.
I heard a loud crack, then something falling to the ground. I tried to move as quietly as I could. But my loud heartbeat was what gave away where I was. Whoever it was heard my heart and became aware, but didn't make any movement towards me. But then, suddenly, the shadow was gone. I sighed a breath of relief. It seemed that Jacob's scent chased away whoever it was. I straightened up from being hunched over and started to back up towards the tent so I could get in.
But then I froze again. The smell was back. This time it was right behind me. I could hear them breathing in and out, but there was no heartbeat. I could even feel the cold from their skin, even though whoever it was wasn't touching me. I started shaking. I was scared. I couldn't smell Jacob or hear him. I was too scared to scream. It wouldn't have helped me anyway.
"What are you?" The voice was smooth as silk and a masculine tenor. He even sounded seductive. I couldn't talk. I was too scared to. "You smell so strange. It's human, but not quite." He laughed lightly to himself. Then suddenly he was standing in front of me.
He was tall and dark with bright red eyes and brown short hair. He looked Hispanic or Italian. Greek maybe. He didn't have an accent, so I assumed he was one of the American nomads. He wasn't someone I had never met before, though. His face was handsome. The kind of face that you saw in a commercial for cologne. His skin, though tan, was pale in the moonlight. His teeth were straight and white, gleaming too. He was wearing jeans and an opened button down shirt over a white tank. He came a little closer to me, a huge smile spread across his handsome face.
"You're Renesmee Cullen, aren't you?" I wasn't sure what to do. Maybe this vampire wouldn't hurt me if I answered him and didn't make him mad. My voice was shaky, but I did my best to answer him.
"Yes." He laughed lightly again when I answered him. He was amused by my fear it seemed.
"I thought so. I've heard a lot about you from my friend Peter. He said you were an adorable little thing. I see, now, that he was right." I kept shaking. I couldn't stop.
"You…..know..Peter?" He nodded his head, still smiling cockily at me.
"We're more acquaintances than anything. I liked him better than Jasper, though. Jasper always bothered me." I tried to back away from him, hoping that he was simply talking pleasantly with me. But when I moved away, he hissed and moved closer to me. He didn't reach for me, but he looked like he would if I dared moved again.
"What do you want with me?" He laughed again. This laugh was a maniacal, heartless laugh. The laugh of a man that was planning something evil. I wanted so badly to call for Jacob, but I knew that would only get me killed. He was stronger than me. Faster. I wouldn't be able to fight him off. I was much stronger than any human, but not stronger than a vampire.
"I'm not sure at the moment. You smell close to human, but not quite. I'm wondering if your blood would taste good at all. But then again, I could always keep you for myself, put you to good use." I didn't like the sound of that. I tried to laugh, but it was no good. I tried anyway.
"What good would I do you?" He laughed again. Almost with me, though my laugh was forced.
"Plenty, sweetheart. Plenty." He came even more uncomfortably close to me and caressed his hard, cold hand against my cheek. I shivered even more. He chuckled lightly when he felt me do so. "I could use you as bait for my prey. I think you would lure more people in, especially once you become a woman. And once you've grown, you could be a companion to me in more ways than one." His laugh was seductive again.
I didn't want to think of what he meant by that. I couldn't image any reason that a vampire would want a companion, even if it was just for sex. It just seemed so out of character for a vampire to want something so trivial and human. The hand that had caressed my cheek took a more secure hold of my face. It wasn't rough, but it wasn't necessarily gentle either.
"I don't know how much good I would do you. I've never hunted a human before. And I'm only a child." He chuckled.
"Ah yes, the famous vegetarian diet I've heard so much about. Worry not, my dear. I can teach you how to hunt. I can teach you how to fight too, put you to really good use. And," He looked me over once, "you won't be a child forever. Peter told me that you looked like a small five year old by the time he left your home. Now look at you. You look old enough to pass for twelve or thirteen when you should only be about a year and a half."
I was stone again. I couldn't get myself to move or speak. I wanted to run and scream for help, but I couldn't. He would catch me with no trouble at all. I was faster than any human, but I wasn't faster than many vampires. I finally worked up the strength to say something. I tried my hardest to sound strong and intimidating.
"You can't honestly think that you could get away with this. My daddy will find you. And so will Jacob. And when they do find you, you'll wish you stayed dead." His laugh was loud and strong this time. His other hand came to my face and he held my face securely so that he had my undivided attention.
"They'll be looking for a long time, sweetheart. You see, I have a gift of my own. It's the power to repel. I think of those that I want to keep away from me, and they stay a good distance from me. I guess you could say it's a shield. They can try all they want to save you, but they'll never be able to get to me." I got scared again. It reminded me a little of Renata's shield. But apparently, this guy could spread his shield over a vast distance. This man might actually be able to take me away.
"Just let me be. You can't force me to help you." He laughed again. He could. Very easily, he could.
"Not true, my dear. Not true at all." Then, he stood up, towering a foot or so above me. He wasn't as tall as Jacob or Emmett, but he was taller than daddy. When he stood completely upright, he lifted me up and over his shoulder and started walking away from camp and into the woods. Now I screamed and I began hitting his back. I wasn't sure if I was really hurting him. I think if anything, I was annoying him.
"JACOB!!!!" I kept screaming his name, hoping he would come and help me. Jacob could fight this man. "JACOB!!!!!!!" I suddenly heard several footsteps in the distance. Then the wind blew the scent in my direction. It was Jacob and the others. I felt such relief. The man, on the other hand, stiffened in fear. Good. I hoped he screamed when they ripped him apart. But then he went into a dead sprint.
We were going so fast, but I could still see everything. I was looking for Jacob or any of the other wolves. I held onto the back of the man's shirt so I wouldn't fall if he decided to drop me. Finally, coming closer, I saw a russet wolf running towards us. It was Jacob. He was flanked my Seth, Paul, Embry and Quil. I had come to recognize them by their coats. Jacob had what looked like fury in his eyes. They were directed to the man taking me away. I smiled at the sight and screamed Jacob's name again. He started running faster towards us. He was catching up fast.
Jacob roared at the man carrying me. I heard footsteps go around and near the front of us. They were going to try to ambush him. But the man had heard the footsteps and was already a few steps ahead. He looked behind him at Jacob. I saw his eyes start to concentrate. Then, before my eyes, Jacob was running away. He was looking at me the whole time, unsure of what was happening to him and the other pack members, but he was running away. Then he was out of sight. I screamed for him again, but all he could do was roar in response.
The footsteps I had heard in front of us were now running away and around us. So this was how his shield worked. I started crying. I didn't know what to do. There wasn't much I could do. My phone was in my backpack at camp and even if I had it, he would destroy it anyway. We ran for several minutes before he finally stopped. When we did stop, he threw me off of his shoulder and into the grass. He stood right in front of me.
"I won't have any of that." I was confused.
"Won't have any of what?" My tone was harsh. I was scared and I was angry. There was no way I was going to be polite to this man. He hissed at me and brought his face close to mine. Then he took my face in both of his hands.
"I won't have you screaming for anyone's help. I'll rip out your voice box if I have to, but I would rather it not come to that. Don't you think it would be best not to push me to such an extreme?" I forced his hands away from my face. It took every ounce of strength I had, but I got him to let me go.
He hissed at me again, and I glared at him. Then he suddenly started laughing. This just made me angrier. I wanted to go home. I wanted daddy and momma to hold me and tell me that everything would be okay. I wanted Rosalie to scream and yell at this man for ever daring to lay a single finger on me and have Emmett mutilate him while she did so. But most of all, I wanted Jacob. I wanted to be surrounded by his scent. Have him hold me close so I could rest my head into my little nook on his shoulder. He made me feel safe. Without him, I was scared. This man could do anything to me, and all I would be able to do to him would be to throw in a few good punches.
He laughed a little more before walking away from me to one of the trees. He looked around for something. Trying to see if everything was safe for him. I just sat there, staring at the ground. I wanted to maybe pretend that this wasn't really happening, even though I knew it was. His smooth, tenor voice took me out of my daze.
"Put this on. They won't be able to trace your scent for a while." He threw a pair of boy's jeans and a baggy shirt at me. They were a bit big and they were torn and covered in blood. I looked at him.
"I won't. They won't fit me anyway." Then he threw a belt at me. It was tattered, but intact and usable.
"Renesmee, I have no patience for your tantrums at the moment. Put on the clothes, and I won't force them onto you." His face was smiling, but threatening. I didn't want to see how serious he was, so I put the clothes on. He didn't even bother to turn away as I changed. I felt strange and uncomfortable while he watched me.
"There." He laughed again. He came closer to me and kneeled down so that he was facing me at my level.
"Don't give me attitude, darling. It will only make me angry, and believe me," He grabbed my chin with painful force, "you don't want me to be angry." He let go of my chin at last. "Learn to accept that I'm your new coven leader. You will do as I say, when I say it, and without question. Is that perfectly clear, Renesmee?"
I didn't react or answer him. I just continued to glare at him. He smiled at me. I was assuming that this was his charming smile. I wasn't noticing though. He stood up and looked down on me. I didn't look up at him. I stared at the ground, glaring at it.
"I am your leader now, Renesmee. You may call me Dorian."