Jacob stumbled in from patrol and flopped down on the Clearwaters' couch. "I am actually too tired to eat," he announced to Leah. She put a pillow on her lap and indicated he should put his head down, then started to massage his neck and shoulders. He groaned in pleasure, and she could feel his lanky body relaxing under her fingers.
She bent to gently touch her lips to his neck, still massaging with her fingertips. "Mmmm, don't stop," he murmured. "I think I died and went to heaven."
"Nope, definitely not heaven," laughed Seth, walking in. He grinned at his sister and announced, "If it was heaven, we wouldn't have an emergency pack meeting." Jake groaned and sat up.
Leah winked and said "I'll make it up to you, I promise. What's going on, Seth?"
Seth's eyes sparkled with excitement. "It looks like there are some new vampires in the area. Charlie found a family of hikers, all drained of blood. Now that he knows about us, he went to Sam for our help. He figures we might be more effective than law enforcement. If he knew about vampires, he'd know just how right he is!"
Sam was pacing around the campfire as the pack members straggled in. He looked serious as he greeted each one. "I hate to do this, but we're going to have to double up our patrols. I want everyone in pairs until we do away with this new threat. We don't know how many vampires we're looking for, but we'll hopefully have surprise on our side if they're not aware of us." Each member knew that this was the reason for their existence, but the older wolves grumbled among themselves. The younger, less experienced wolves, including Seth, were more excited than nervous.
Seth was happy to find himself paired with Jacob to patrol that night. He already considered Jake his brother; it was just a matter of paperwork to make it official, and the wedding was only two weeks away. They traveled the perimeter in tandem, all their senses on alert.
Jacob stopped suddenly, sniffing the air. Seth followed his lead, and by now they could hear voices. They could identify one of the two, which was clearly Edward Cullen. The other, unfamiliar voice was raised in anger. As the wolves approached cautiously, they could see that Edward was arguing with a female vampire. She was tall and slender, shrouded in a black cloak, with red eyes glowing in the dark. As the startled wolves watched, she launched herself at Edward, seeming to fly across the ten yards that separated them.
Without a backward glance, Seth bounded across the clearing and leaped on the female, as Jacob watched in horror. "Seth, NO," he bellowed, but it was already too late. As Seth clawed at her face, she snarled, fangs bared, and bit his exposed paw.
Seth screamed and fell to the ground, writhing in agony. The pain was immediate and excruciating. He involuntarily phased back to human form, and Edward appeared instantly at his side. With a quick glance at the wound, Edward scrambled for something to tie off Seth's arm above the bite. He seized a thick vine and tore it loose, wrapping it hastily around Seth's arm just below the elbow and pulling it tight, effectively cutting off the circulation.
The vampire watched with satisfaction, noting the effect her venom had on the wolf. Taking advantage of the sudden chaos, she sped away into the forest. Jake started to give chase but was halted by Edward's voice. "Jake, quick, come with me. I have to get Seth to Carlisle right away." The alarm in his voice brought Jacob right back to Seth, who was now unconscious. His hand had turned a ghastly dark grey, which had quickly spread right up to the hastily contrived tourniquet.
Edward lifted Seth effortlessly and ran at full speed back to his house, with Jacob following on his heels. Carlisle, taking in the situation at a glance, hurried upstairs to his office. Edward placed Seth carefully on the exam table and quickly explained what had happened. Carlisle looked solemn and turned to Jacob.
"As you know, Jacob, vampire venom is poisonous to all of you shape-shifters. Edward may have saved Seth's life by applying a tourniquet, but it's not possible to save his arm. The only chance he has of surviving this bite is if I amputate his arm right now. There is no time to debate, and I won't ask you to make this decision. There are no other choices. Edward will assist me, and I suggest you go get Leah and bring her back here."
The Clearwater house was shrouded in darkness, and Jacob could detect neither light nor movement in any of the rooms. He phased and dressed quickly, then tapped lightly on Leah's window. Still groggy, Leah mumbled "What are you doing here, Jake?"
"Get dressed and meet me on the back porch, Leah. And don't wake Sue and Charlie if you can help it." With the sudden realization that he should be with Seth, Leah threw on clothes and sped, barefoot, through the silent house, throwing open the back door.
Panic gripped Leah and rendered her incapable of speech. Jacob grabbed her car keys from the hook by the door and put his arm around her shoulders, dragging her to the car. "I'll explain on the way," he whispered tersely.
Esme intercepted them as they came bounding up the steps. "Carlisle thinks he'll be okay, but he's just closing the wound. He'll let you see Seth as soon as he's finished." She led them to the spacious living room, where they huddled together in a corner of the huge sofa. As the agonizing minutes ticked by, Jacob cradled Leah in his arms, whispering words of assurance, somehow knowing that the sound of his voice provided more comfort than the words themselves.
Carlisle came down the stairs looking solemn. "I think he'll be okay, but it will be a day or so before we know if any of the venom got in his bloodstream. He's in a lot of pain, but you can see him now. Besides the pain, it's been a terrible shock to lose his arm."
Leah paled, though Jake had told her about the amputation. They followed Carlisle up the stairs and through the door to his office. Seth's features were rigid with pain, and the stump of his arm was glaringly obvious, swathed in white bandages.
"The physical healing process has already started," Carlisle reassured them, "but the emotional damage is more insidious." He checked the IV drip and then left them alone.
Leah collapsed into the chair beside Seth's bed. She took his hand between hers and kissed it, struggling to hold back the tears. "We're here for you, Seth. I'm just glad you're alive," she choked out.
"Well, that makes two of you," Seth replied between clenched teeth, his handsome face contorted with pain and horror. "Let me know if you figure out a use for half a man – or half a wolf, for that matter," he spat.
"Look, guys, Carlisle put some knockout drops in this IV, so I'm thinking it's time for a nap. With any luck, I won't wake up," he added morosely. "So just go home and tell Mom her perfect little boy is gone." He turned his head away from them and closed his eyes.
Leah rose and buried her face in Jake's chest. He enfolded her in his arms and led her from the room. "It will take time, Leah," he tried to reassure her. "Right now, we have to go break the news to Sue and Charlie."
By the time they got back to LaPush, the sun was rising. Charlie was eating breakfast and Sue was pouring her second cup of coffee as they walked in the back door. Sue took one look at Leah's tear-stained face and dropped her china cup on the floor. "No, he's okay," Leah tried to reassure her. "Carlisle had to amputate his left arm above the elbow, but he thinks he'll recover."
Sue sank into a kitchen chair and reached for Charlie's hand. Leah poured coffee for all of them, Jacob cleaned up the broken cup, and they sat down at the table to share the whole story with Sue and Charlie. "And Carlisle was sure that was the only answer?" Sue finally asked.
Jake nodded. "If that venom had circulated through Seth's body, it surely would have killed him," he said somberly. "There's no doubt that Edward saved his life."
That afternoon, Carlisle called to tell them that Seth was awake but not in very good spirits. He suggested that Sue and Charlie stop in for a short visit. Sue managed not to cry as she kissed his forehead and tried to reassure him. "I know it's too soon, Seth, but they do amazing things with prosthetics today," she said softly. Seth just nodded, his jaw tight.
"Mom, would you mind if I talk to Charlie alone for a minute?" Seth asked. Sue followed Esme down to the living room to wait for Charlie.
"Charlie, I need to ask a big favor," Seth began. "Would you fill in for me at Leah's wedding? I don't want her to be embarrassed, and I just can't give her away now."
Charlie spoke past the lump in his throat. "Seth, you don't have to decide that now. When the time comes, I'll certainly do it if you can't, but give it some time, okay?"
"No amount of time is going to grow my arm back, Charlie," Seth said softly. "And I have no intention of ruining my sister's wedding, focusing everyone's attention on the cripple instead of the bride. Thanks for understanding."
As Charlie left the room and quietly closed the door, Seth sighed and closed his eyes.