Edward POV
"You okay back there, Charlie." I heard Emmett shout over the roar of the wind. We were halfway up and moving way too slowly for vampires – for humans, we set a skyrocketing pace. I had the advantage of being first on the climb so I could move faster than the others but Carlisle insisted I temper my speed in the off chance that Charlie could see me through his snow covered protective eyewear.
"Fine, Emmett. Can't see shit but doing fine. We're moving kind of fast aren't we?"
"We caught some great ridges. It's making it easier to move up." Emmett explained, the lie rolling easily off his tongue.
No matter what happens, Edward…always remember I love you. Startled by the sound of Bella's voice in my head, I nearly stumbled and lost my foothold. Her voice echoed through me like a caress and I felt the warmth of it flow through my veins, eagerly ingesting it in like a starving man that was offered the most succulent of foods. It was the sweetest sound I had heard since Bella's disappearance.
So entranced with hearing the sound of her voice, in my head, at first I didn't think about the ramifications. As I tried to wrap my thoughts around it, a hard knot of panic in my chest grew swiftly. I glanced down at Carlisle to see if he heard it too. In his mind I heard no thoughts that conveyed he had heard her. Why? Why could I hear her, now, suddenly and like this? It was as if one of my fondest wishes had come true under the very worst of circumstances. It reminded me of the short story, "The Monkeys Paw" * that I had read many years ago. The words weren't audible in the traditional sense, they were in my head. Why did it sound like she was saying goodbye?
"No!" I growled pushing myself to move faster ignoring Carlisle's demands to slow down. He didn't realize the stakes had just gotten higher. Don't give up, Bella. Don't you dare give up! I'm almost there. I repeated the words, a frantic mantra in my brain willing her to hear me. Please, I begged.
No longer did I care about whether or not Charlie could see me as I raced up the mountain. Carlisle's worried thoughts barely registered as he followed. There was no time to respond. Sam, seeing me fly up the mountain, quickly followed. His thoughts were erratic, wondering what could be the cause of my sudden burst of speed.
As I reached the summit, my eyes scanned the frozen wasteland in front me be looking for any sign of inhabitants. Sam and Carlisle caught up, both flanking my sides for very different reasons.
"What's wrong, Edward?" Carlisle asked me. You took off so fast.
"I heard her call to me." I explained stiffly, still searching the snow-covered silence.
"Heard who?" He was confused and rightly so. I was confused myself. "I didn't notice anything."
"Bella. I heard Bella."
Interesting. "What did she say?" Carlisle's mind was processing the information, quickly coming up with various theories.
"She told me, that no matter what happens to remember she loves me." My voice cracked in a sob, no longer able to bear the weight of the meaning behind her sweet verbal embrace. "Do you know what that could signify?"
"That we need to find her and quickly." We will have more time to discuss the possible causes and implications of this later.
And just like that, he cut his mind off to me, refusing to reveal anything further and it scared the hell out of me.
Emmett, Charlie and Jasper joined us moments later. As Jasper helped Charlie down from Emmett's back, I prowled forward.
Shit, Edward. One minute you were right there, the next you were like a cannonball. Where's the fire? Emmett's thoughts were screaming at me.
Fire! That's it. My brain registered the scent of cold embers from burned wood not too far in the distance.
"This way" I pointed, running as fast as I could allow. So close…we were so close.
We arrived at the campsite and found it abandoned. As I got closer to it, it was obvious that there had been a struggle. Blood, both Bella's and the mongrel's stood out in bold relief against the pristine white of the snow it rested on.
"Jasper, keep back." I called out to my brother in warning.
"My son has a problem with the sight and smell of blood." Carlisle offered in way of an explanation to Charlie.
"Guess he and Bella belong to the same club." Charlie supplied. But Charlie wasn't doing so well with the sight of Bella's blood either. His faced was pale but I sensed in him a determined resolve. He examined the sight carefully as he would any crime scene.
He kneeled down observing the footprints and indentations in the snow using a high powered flashlight. "There was a struggle here" He pointed, aiming the beam of light across the snow and got up to follow the disturbing patterns in the snow. "There was another struggle here and it looks like she may have gotten away but he followed her…that way." He gestured towards the dense woods. "The fires old but the tracks look fresh enough. I don't think we're too far behind them."
I didn't wait, I ran trying desperately to ignore that the larger human prints had turned into wolf prints along the way. I can't see you, Edward. Why can't I see you? It was her voice again, calling out to me desperately. I'm right here; I wanted to shout to her.
Sam caught up to me, matching my stride. "He's phased." He sounded worried but it was no match for my own worry. His mate was safe at home.
"I'm aware of that fact, believe me." The echo of Bella's plea still reverberated through my head.
"I never thought he'd hurt her." He shook his head in confusion.
"Didn't you? " I seethed. "You need to be more aware of your own pack, Sam."
"Hey, I'm not the enemy here. I want to help Bella."
"But you want to help your mutt friend more." He wasn't fooling me. "I told you I am not making any promises and I meant it. As it looks now, I don't think I could keep one if I did."
I felt my whole body ignite in terror as I heard a high pitched scream…Bella's scream, quickly followed by an angry roar.
Bella POV
I climbed as far up the tree as I dared after running around in seamless circles trying to disguise the direction of my footprints in the snow. By now, I had imagined Jacob being so angry, he had phased into his wolf form using his heightened sense of smell to track me. Years ago I had learned that wolves couldn't climb trees, so here I sat on the highest branch I dared to get to. I huddled into the branches hoping they would offer some shelter from the bitter wind which sent stabbing flakes of wet snow cutting into my cheeks. My teeth were chattering so hard every living creature up here must hear them…if anything could actually live up here that is.
Don't give up, Bella. Don't you dare give up! I'm almost there…please. It was a frenetic plea.
Edward! It was Edward's voice coming to me just like my old hallucinations when I craved all things that gave me an adrenaline rush in my desperate need for Edward. They had resurfaced. But where were the images that were supposed to come with the voice. Why couldn't I see him? Was this some sort of sick joke played by fate? I actually was sitting here, most probably at death's door…I couldn't feel my body anymore…and I was only allowed half a hallucination?
It's not fair, I wanted to cry out. I can't see you, Edward. Why can't I see you?
"Gotcha!" Jacob called out, jumping into my line of vision as I stared at the forest floor. He was actually grinning maniacally as if he just won some perverse game of "hide and seek". "I told you, you wouldn't get away from me that easily."
His wounds that I inflicted had already begun to heal. Dried blood, the color of rust streaked down his face making it look like war paint. The eye I came close to with the knife was completely bloodshot now making him appear more twisted than ever.
I felt the stinging tears roll down my face. "My God…I don't even know you anymore."
"Sure you do Bella." He said cheerfully. "I'm still Jacob." And for only a split second I saw a glimpse of the old Jacob, the Jacob that was my friend until his features slipped until an evil mask once again.
"No." I shook my head. "The Jacob I knew wouldn't do this. The Jacob I knew was kind and compassionate. He joked with me and helped be rebuild motorcycles and taught me how to ride them. No…the Jacob I knew is dead." And God help me because it was the truth.
"Come down from the tree Bella." His voice turned commanding now. "Don't make me come get you."
I gripped the tree trunk tighter and looked down. It was a fifteen foot drop and I didn't think the chances of jumping and getting away unscathed were any good taking into account the injuries I already had but I had to try.
"Okay. If that's how you want to play it." He started to climb up the tree. When he was just about in arms reach of me, I pushed out and jumped, praying that the snow would help break my fall.
I landed with an oomph and the momentum of my jump caused me rolled down hill into a clearing. Without any thought, I limped-ran and stopped when I saw what was before me. I was at a dead end. In one direction, Jacob was coming for me in the other nothing but a cliff and the sky.
They say when you are about to die you see your life flash in front of your eyes but they never tell you if it's the life you led or the life you're supposed to lead. Well, in that infinitesimal moment I saw both. Memories of my child hood mingled with the life I would have with Edward. And what a beautiful life it was. Until awareness came back to me once more.
I screamed just as I saw Jacob pounce on me with a roar. He landed on top of me throwing me to the ground so hard the wind was knocked out of me and I was grasping for breath. My frozen limbs started to tingle from the heat of his body pressed against mine. I struggled underneath his scorching body, kicking and punching but if he felt it, he gave no notice. He grabbed both of my damaged, bloodied wrists with hand and held them above my head.
"I should have thought of this before." He panted, his hot breath blowing in my face, his hips grinding into my thighs. "You can never be his, if you're already mine first."
"No!" I cried feebly as I saw his intent, my head flailing from side to side but I felt like I was drowning in something thick. Everything slowed down. I wanted my body to fight but I felt so weak and tired suddenly. No longer was I cold and I didn't know of it was from Jacob's heat or if something more dire was going on. His other hand made a grab for the bottom of my dress. I twisted my hips trying fervently to escape his probing hands.
"GET OFF OF HER!" The voice an angry, violent snarl but it was the most beautiful voice I ever heard.
Edward POV
The snow had all but abated entirely as Sam and I raced through the trees to where the sounds of struggle were coming from. The rest of our group weren't too far behind having heard the screams themselves but we would get there first. My mind envisioned all of the things that could cause Bella to scream like that and all of them sent stabs of pain through my once beating heart.
The trees gave way to a clearing and I saw them immediately; their bodies illuminated by the snow. Bella was struggling against Jacob, her face a picture of terror and his of maniacal glee. I halted in my tracks, hesitant to get too close for fear of what he might do. Even though all my instincts were shouting at me to kill the enemy, one false move and Bella could be lost to me forever.
"GET OFF OF HER!" I snarled, the words ripping through me as I clenched my fists at my side.
"Jacob!" Sam shouted simultaneously. "Stop this now!"
Jacob turned to us, a slow, evil smile spreading over his face. "Looks like the cavalry has come." He jumped up and grabbed Bella in a choke hold against him. She hung there like a ragdoll; her head would have lolled to the side if Jacob didn't have such a tight hold on her neck, most of the fight already gone out of her.
"Edward." She whispered my name ending in a gasp as Jacob tightened his grip on her. Her glazed eyes could barely focus on me.
"I'm here, love." I said unconsciously taking a step forward, quickly assessing her condition with my eyes. Her face was bruised, scratched and bloodied and her wrists had suffered much the same fate but it was her color that had me worried most of all. Some of her extremities had taken on a blue-gray color and her heart was laboring in it's fight to function. Clearly hypothermia had already begun to set in and if we didn't get her warmed up soon, she would die. Even Jacob's extreme body heat was only helping minimally.
"Not another inch, leech…you too Sam." Jacob demanded as he pulled out a revolver from his waistband and pointed it at his former friend. Shooting me would be useless and he knew that.
"Jacob, you don't want to do this." Sam said holding his hands up showing no intent to harm. "She needs help Jacob..even you can see that."
"Don't you dare tell me what she needs, traitor. She's fine. Right Bella, tell them you're fine."
He nuzzled her face with the gun in a caress and my insides clenched. Bell didn't respond.
"This isn't our way Jacob. We're supposed to preserve human life." Sam pleaded still trying to get the mutt to see reason. Couldn't he tell that Jacob was far beyond reason now?
"But I am preserving it, Sam. While you're aligning yourself with the enemy, I am preserving it."
I heard Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper and Charlie come up behind us. Carlisle's thoughts were screaming at me. She needs a hospital…right now!
What the hell does he think he's doing with my sister Emmett internally shouted.
"Welcome to the party gentleman. Sorry we can't stay long." Jacob laughed at his own joke. There was nothing in his mind that suggested, he was the slightest bit unnerved. It nearly made me physically ill at the hold he had around Bella. She had yet to say a word. It had me troubled, since she was usually the first one to say something.
I looked at Jasper, silently pleading for any assistance he could give.
Already on it, Edward but he's fighting me. I think I can keep him from phasing though. And Bella is just numb.
We needed to get her out of here now. Desperation was clawing at me and I felt I could not maintain a calm façade much longer.
Edward. Stop! Do not let your emotions override your logic. Carlisle must have noticed the tension emanating off me as I debated on a method of attack. He was right, though. Any sudden move on my part could prove disastrous…for everyone.
This ends now was Charlie's determined thought as he took the safety off his own gun and aimed. "Put the gun down and let Bell go."
"You gonna shoot me, Charlie?"
The bastard was trying to act like his feelings were hurt. Charlie's hand wavered for a split second, then with a steely resolve held it firm once more.
"I'll do whatever it takes to bring my daughter home."
"Why? So she can marry him?" He nodded in my direction. "I won't let that happen."
"What about Billy, Jacob?" Sam pleaded. "You're all he has left. Don't do this to him."
"Shut up." Jacob shouted. "Don't bring my father into this."
"Bella needs medical attention." Carlisle's calm voice broke into the tension. "She'll die if she doesn't get it."
"You're one to talk about saving lives, doctor leech. Did you ever stop to think that I would rather see her die than be like him, like you?"
Jacob was coming dangerously close to revealing our secrets. So far, Charlie just thought Jacob's ramblings were that of a madman. I wasn't sure how long that would last however. Bella's condition was weakening and I didn't know how much longer I would be able to hold out without acting. Already, I noticed he was slowly backing up away from us towards the edge of the cliff. If I weren't so afraid Bella would be killed in any exchange between the wolf and I, I would have lunged after him before the others arrived.
Bella POV
Through the cold induced fog in my brain, I quietly observed the disturbing exchange noting that Edward's patience had reached the end of the line. There would be no favorable outcome, not this time. We were stuck at an impasse. Jacob wouldn't let me go and no one would act because they were afraid for me. This, I knew instinctively. Charlie still pointed the gun though looking for a clear shot. There was none. Jacob held me against him like a shield and I felt cold air wafting up and biting at me as we hovered too close to the cliff's edge.
Poor Charlie, I thought. It would kill him if he had to murder the son of his best friend even if it was to save my life. And Edward, he wouldn't survive my death…like I would never survive his. I had to create a diversion, at least do something to help them. If there was anytime I hated being a weak human, it was now.
Be strong Bella. You can do this. I repeated to myself as an idea came to me. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I closed my eyes and used the only weapon I had; my teeth. I clamped down hard on Jacob's enormous arm, my bite like a pit bull and I felt immense satisfaction of hearing him howl in pain.
It all happened so quickly after that. I didn't realize I was going for the gun until I grabbed it from Jacob's loosened grip. The shouts and snarls behind me barely registered as Jacob and I struggle for the gun.
"Take the shot." I heard Jasper scream out and I didn't know if he was yelling at me or at Charlie.
Two gun shots rang out echoing loudly into the night. I smelled the acid burn of gun powder the same time I felt Jacob's body jerk backwards pulling me with him and I was falling.
"NOOOO!" Edward's screaming denial was the last sound I heard.
A/N – Another cliff hanger!…don't worry I'll update soon!
*"The Monkeys Paw" by W.W. Jacobs (1902) - The story is based on the famous "setup" in which three wishes are granted. In the story, the paw of a dead monkey is a talisman that grants its possessor three wishes, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate.