Ch 11: Protector

EPOV

I went slower than usual on the highway, in part because I wanted to delay being parted from Bella´s side and in part because I didn´t want the movement of the car to wake her. She sighed next to me and I smiled. Such little things she did somehow made me feel whole. She could never hope to understand how she moved me, when she did little trivial things that most humans never noticed.

However, my bliss was cut short when I caught the scent of werewolf, and not just any werewolf.

I struggled to keep from growling. It was irrational for me to be surprised that Bella´s new boyfriend would be lurking around her house, but the idea of him being so close to her at night bothered me, even though I had always done the same thing. There was no sight of him as I pulled into the driveway, but his thoughts were unfriendly.

´I should have never let her answer that damn phone,´ he thought, ´This bastard would still be on the other side of the world… Who does he think he is, looming over her like that?´

I pulled Bella into my arms, being careful not to wake her. I could see how I looked to him. I did sort of look like I was looming. Regardless, I now knew where he was from his line of sight. I stared into the expanse of trees, into his glowing eyes. The dark couldn´t keep me from seeing him. Having been found out, he immerged and approached. My grasp on Bella tightened a little. He didn´t like that.

There was nothing left of the boy I had seen before I left Forks. Jacob looked like years had passed, like he was in his mid-twenties. He was much taller and much rougher. Since he wasn´t wearing a shirt, I could see how muscular he was. He practically looked like a man, not just a man but a criminal. Like the murderer you see around town who has been recently paroled, and everyone is terrified that he will kill again. I didn´t doubt that humans would be intimidated by him, though I of course had nothing to fear. There was still some slight bruising on his shoulder from where I had broken his bone. He healed fast, but the boy was lucky I hadn´t killed him already.

"Give her to me," he growled, "Hand her over and get out."

I held her closer to me. Perhaps he did have more of a right than I had to touch her, but I couldn´t bear to give him that satisfaction. "I´m taking her to her bed. Stand down." I said calmly.

He let me pass, but followed me every step of the way. ´As soon as you do, you´d better damn well leave . And I´ll make sure you don´t come back.´

I grimaced. I wouldn´t be able to watch over her tonight, even from outside. Was Jacob to take my place as protector as well? No, he couldn´t have that. It was all I had left.

I deposited her in her bed. She rolled over with a groan and relaxed. I longed to run my hair through her hair again, but the werewolf was watching from next to the window. I didn´t doubt he was looking for a reason to attack me. I pulled the covers over her and turned towards him. I didn´t say anything. I didn´t have to. Jacob knew perfectly well that I could read his mind as he stared at me, ´You fucked up her life once before. I won´t let you do it again…´ He stepped out of the way of the window, ´She´s mine now. I will not let you take her away.´

I nearly laughed. He had nothing to worry about then. I had let the effects of the night carry me away into another fantasy land. I might love her the same as always, but things would never be the same between Bella and I. She was with Jacob now. I could only be her friend.

The idea of this werewolf being with her made me physically sick. They were violent creatures. Anyone they knew could be hurt by them easily. All they had to do was get a little angry and Bella could pay for it with her life. At once, I was infuriated. If he so much as harmed one hair on her head, I would show him no more mercy, no matter how much Bella begged me. Anyone who hurt Bella did not deserve to breathe.

I made my way to the window, and spoke to him softly, "If you hurt you, I will rip you to pieces."

He growled low. ´I´m not you, you bloodsucker. I would never hurt Bella.´

He had better be right about that, for his own sake. "Just so you know," I whispered, "We´re staying. We are going to make sure that those vampires don´t hurt her."

"We don´t need your help," He hissed, "We can take care of her ourselves."

I narrowed my eyes at him. As if what he did just days ago would have just faded from my memory. I couldn´t stop the bitterness as it poured from my lips, "Yes, letting her ride a motorcycle with no helmet just screams protection."

His hands were at my throat. I was suddenly consumed with fear, not for myself, but for Bella. It was stupid to make him angry enough to transform when Bella was around. I pried his hands off of me, trying not to break them, and retreated to the window, hoping he would be satisfied that I was leaving. Apparently he was. The fury in his thoughts faded away with every inch I moved away.

I slipped away into the night, hoping that Jacob would depart, but I saw through his mind that he was sitting down in the rocking chair, guarding her. Though I had done the same thing on innumerable occasions, the idea of him watching her sleep disgusted me. At least I had a reason to watch her sleep. Bella had always wanted me to stay there with her, even when I couldn´t sleep. It wasn´t like I could join her in slumber, so what else was I to do? I tried overlooking the fact that I had also sneaked into her room before she had known about it, but somehow it didn´t feel as wrong to be as this. I had only wanted to protect her. It felt like Jacob was guarding her like some piece of meat. I clenched my jaw hard and held back a growl. I loathed him. I had done no differently than him but I loathed him for staking his claim on her, like he was rubbing my face in it.

Regretfully, I knew I would not be able to watch over her tonight, but it was clear that Jacob would remain. I had to be satisfied with that, as much as it pained me.

I caught one last glimpse of Bella through Jacob´s mind as I pulled out of the driveway. Of course, the sight of her was enchanting, and he was no stranger to this look, but he could never appreciate her grace like I could, especially when he was so filled with possessiveness.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. He had better keep his anger in check. I meant what I said. If I found out that Bella was harmed in any way, I would annihilate him.

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BPOV

The song was clearly to me tonight, as though it had never been gone. My fantasies had been filled for months with the sounds of my lullaby, but I was so certain I had forgotten it. I had been terrified that I was forgetting. It was a huge relief to know that my dreams were holding on. I dreamt that I was floating on a cloud, but I was in Edward´s arms. Oddly, they were soft and warm. It was surprisingly comfortable. He hummed the lullaby to me like he did so many times before. I was warm from the inside out, lulled into a near comatose state by the gentleness of his voice.

When I woke up, I could hear the birds chirping over the sound of my radio alarm. With a grimace, I remembered that it was Friday. I probably shouldn´t have stayed up so late at the Cullens´ house. How embarrassing to have come over only to have fallen asleep and have them drag me back home again.

I turned over to find the alarm, but something caught the corner of the eye, something that was moving. I yelped, the sound barely higher than the sound of the alarm, and a hand covered my face. I stared wide-eyed at Jacob, shushing me with his finger and then signaling in the direction of Charlie´s room. I shut off the alarm and asked him, trying very hard to keep my voice light so as to not wake up Charlie, "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I´m supposed to be guarding you, remember?"

"Yeah, from outside."

He snorted, "Might as well be inside. You never know what kind of trouble you´ll get into, being the clumsiest girl on the planet."

I rolled my eyes at his teasing. Surely I wasn´t that incompetent… "You act as though I can´t even make it around my own house without hurting myself."

"Okay, then," He learned closer to me, and my heart became anxious, "Maybe I just really wanted to see you again. Is that so bad?"

I hesitated for a long while. This wasn´t something I had expected. What was I supposed to feel at a time like this? "No… I guess not. It´s just that I´m not expecting company in the morning, on a school day, no less."

He clucked his tongue at me, "Aren´t you the responsible one. Come on. Let´s play hooky and go hang out with the pack. Whaddaya say?"

I looked out the window. Cloudy as ever, but with that thought came the realization that the Cullens wouldn´t be absent today…

"I don´t know, Jake."

"Aw, come on! You´re just starting your last semester, right? Nothing important happens at the beginning."

"Shouldn´t you be at school too?"

He shrugged, "Not really. They are looser with rules than your typical schools."

"Well too bad that isn´t mine. I´ve already skipped class enough."

It felt bad to lie to him. It was true that I had missed class enough, but that wasn´t really the reason I wanted to go.

He frowned and sighed, "Well… I guess I can´t stop you… Will you just promise me one thing?"

"Sure," I said.

"Stay away from the Cullens."

My heart froze. I had been separated from them for so long that I didn´t think I could bear to part from them again. Apparently, they were here to stay, for my sake. Who knew what would happen when Victoria was gone? They would probably leave again. For the sake of my own sanity, I had to savor this little time I had with them. I couldn´t just stay away.

"You know I can´t do that, Jake. They go to school with me, and besides, they are my friends."

He stood up and walked towards my window. At first I thought he was leaving, but he just stared outside. I couldn´t see his face from where I was sitting, but his body was impossibly still, as though he wasn´t even breathing.

A shiver of cold ran through me. I had no idea where it came from.

" They´re not human, Bella. They are monsters."

I shivered again, this time from anger. "You know that isn´t true. They are the only vampires who are not monsters. You can´t judge them like the others."

"Why can´t I?" He said, but in his tone there was the anger of a yell, "Just by being here, they have put your life in danger. If they had never come here, you wouldn´t be being hunted down by that woman. If they had never come here, my tribe wouldn´t have become something… more than human. If they had never come here, you wouldn't have suffered like you did last year!"

I bit back tears. The pain was still so fresh. Jacob only had had a vague understanding of the pain I was going through, but I had never revealed the extent of it to anyone. Before I could stop it, tears spilled over onto my cheeks. Suddenly, Jacob was at my side again, wiping them away, his face filled with nothing but regret. "I´m sorry… Please don´t cry. I just don´t want to see you get hurt again."

"I won´t."

"They'll have to leave soon enough."

I shook my head. I couldn´t even fathom the thought of facing the world without them again. But these were the very thoughts that were running through my head, the thoughts of what would happen when they left again, as they inevitably would. Edward had said himself that it was time for them to move on. It was only a matter of time before everyone realized that they weren´t aging. The danger I was in was the only thing holding them to this place. By the time they came back again, I would be long dead. How could I manage to grow old without Edward by my side? Would I try to keep myself alive for an impossible amount of time, just in case he came back, just so I could get a glimpse of his face again? Even if I died an old widow, it would have been enough just to see him again.

Jacob took my face in his hands. "I won´t let them destroy you, Bella. I am going to protect you from them."

I found no comfort in his words. I didn´t want to be protected from them. The very thought that Jacob was in my room as I slept, I realized, repulsed me. I had only ever wanted Edward to do that. That was the only time I truly felt protected. I had lost that comfort long ago.

"They are my friends, Jake. I can´t just ignore them."

He frowned, his eyes became hard, and ran his hands down my arms, "Then at least stay away from Edward."

My blood turned to ice. "He´s my friend too, Jacob."

His body tightened, his hands suddenly constricting over my arms. It hurt. "Your friend? After what he did to you? You call him your friend?!"

"Shh!" I hushed, his voice was rising in volume, "He´s a good person. It´s not his fault that I reacted the way I did when he left."

He scowled, "I can´t believe you wouldn´t hate him after what he did. Do you still have feelings for him?"

When he asked that question, his voice was black. My heart sped up, but it was not pleasant. This was nothing like the rush I felt with Edward when he held me close…

I was truly afraid of his reaction, so I lied to his face, "Of course not… Please… let go."

He looked at his hands, and realizing he was holding on too tightly, let go.

He took a few labored breaths, clearly trying to get his temper under control. It was odd that the only thing that ever really set him off was Edward. Was he really so angry at him because he was a vampire, or was he just angry because he had been with me? "Look," I said, "I need to get ready for school. I promise I´ll come over afterwards."

It was the only thing I could say that I knew would appease him. He clenched his jaw. I knew he was still upset. "Fine."

I did the only thing I knew I could do to lessen his anger that couldn´t come in words. I gave him a sweet, long kiss, holding his rough face in my hands like I truly meant it. It was innocent, but certainly enough to make him react. I could feel his roughness melt off his body. When I pulled away two seconds later, he had visibly improved. Not completely better, but he looked satisfied. If only he knew how much it took me to do just that.

"I´ll drive you," He said suddenly.

I was taken by surprise. "You don't even have a car. What are you going to do, carry me to school?"

He chuckled. It was a pretty silly image. I imagined how my classmates would react if a giant wolf suddenly leapt onto the parking lot with me on its back. I shouldn´t have delighted in the thought of panic, but I knew most of my human friends would faint at the sight, especially Mike.

"I brought my motorcycle with me," He hushed me before I could start to panic, "Don´t worry. Charlie won´t see it. I hid it. And I even brought a helmet with me this time. As much as I hate to admit it, the bloodsucker was right about that." I cringed. "Sorry…"

"Okay, get out of my house so I can get ready. I´ll meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes."

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It was weird riding with Jacob like this, with my arms around his waist. He didn´t have a shirt on and yet he didn´t feel the cold, but I was up close and way too personal with his body. Under normal circumstances, I would have to admit that he was truly something to see and feel, but unfortunately my heart was always elsewhere, and I couldn´t imagine myself desiring him as much as someone I was about to see.

Would I ever treat Jacob the way I should? Would I ever be able to be good enough for him, a good friend and a good girlfriend? I knew all along that my heart was still filled with Edward, but forcing him out of my heart was proving to be impossible. Perhaps I just wasn´t trying hard enough, it had only been a few days after all… I had to establish in my mind that Edward could only be a friend to me now, nothing more, and at the very least I had that.

When we pulled up to the school, it seemed like all eyes were on me, but what else was new? They looked at Jacob especially, no doubt wondering how someone could drive a motorcycle with no shirt on in the middle of winter.

Then I caught sight of the Cullens. Their perfect cars were side by side, and I couldn´t figure out why it wasn´t obvious to everyone that they were entirely other. Everyone knew they were different, but could anyone really suspect that they were average humans? Had I really thought they were human when I first saw them? I caught sight of Alice first, who had Jasper wrapped around her. She waved at me enthusiastically. Then Edward immerged from the car. When his eyes caught mine, my heart stopped, or sped up, I´m not sure which. I couldn´t really feel what was going on in my body when he looked at me that way. A smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Jacob´s sudden movement broke me away from my trance. "Okay, so I´ll pick you up after school?"

"You don´t need to do that. I can take the bus." I said, pulling off my helmet and handing it to him.

"You said you were coming over after school," he reminded me. "Since you don´t have a car anymore, you´ll be needing a ride."

I had almost forgotten about that. "Oh… yeah… Sure."

I adjusted my book bag onto my shoulder and turned away, "See you later."

Suddenly, he caught my wrist and pulled me back to him. Before I saw what was going to happen, his lips were against mine, powerful and yet still. I muffled a yelp of surprise against him. He was certainly becoming a lot more forward since our relationship started. But I couldn´t help the embarrassment from resurfacing. I was kissing him right in front of Edward, the man I still loved. It may not matter to Edward one way or another, but it mattered to me tremendously. I broke off the kiss. "Umm… Sorry. That caught me by surprise."

Jacob smiled a crooked smile. "I´ll see you later."

I smelled the exhaust fumes of the motorcycle as he hit the gas and drove away. Hesitant, I turned back to find Edward, but breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that he wasn´t there. Thank God. It would sure make things awkward between us, because we had a history together.

I tried to push the more fond memories of my past from my mind as I approached his family. They greeted me just like they always did, and we wasted time reminiscing about the night before. We would have been late for sure if the principal didn´t come out to give us a warning. I asked Alice where Edward disappeared to.

She said, "He had to go to a room quickly to drop something off. You´ll see him in class."

Sure enough, as I arrived in Spanish, he was seated one chair away from the corner, just like on Monday. Somehow that day seemed so far away. It was unfathomable, to think that I could have ever been angry with him at any time. I caught eyes with the other students and knew that our little drama on that day had not been forgotten. Hopefully their gossip would fade when they saw that we were on civil terms again.

"Hello," He said in his typical velvety voice, the same way he had said it when I first heard him speak in Biology so long ago.

"Hi," I murmured back, positive I was blushing.

He smirked, "I guess I still have the ability to dazzle you."

Ouch… That one was way too close to home. If only he knew how right he was... I thought it best to play it off, and teased back, "Like I said, it´s not like you can help it."

His eyes dropped away from mine and he looked pensive. I wondered what he was thinking. Hopefully I hadn´t given too much away about myself. Of course, how could he not know that I still adored him. He might very well decide it wasn´t worth the time to hang around me when I was still so hung up on him. He was good enough a person not to want to lead me on… He would want to spare me the pain…

I tried to downplay it even more, "It´s not like it doesn´t work on everyone. I bet you had Brazilian girls following you around everywhere."

His head snapped up again. His eyes caught mine, and they seemed to be shimmering. There was something truly terrifying about the way he looked at me sometimes. Not terrifying in a bad way, just overwhelming, like I was going to melt into a puddle if he did it too long. I was terrified that I would lose myself to him. I couldn´t afford to, not again.

"Of course not," He said after a long pause, but his voice had a fierce edge to it.

That wasn´t an expected answer. After all, how could anyone not see how perfect he was, how beautiful his voice was, how kind his personality? Impossible. There was no way that someone couldn´t know him for a second and instantly fall for him. Surely he was lying. I rolled my eyes, "Puh-lease, Edward. You don´t need to keep secrets. Anyway, it´s none of my business, if you don´t want to share."

I turned away from him, feeling my cheeks begin to turn red. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming. Could I be any more of a loser? Why didn´t I just throw myself at his feet and beg him?

Instead he chuckled, "I had much more important things to do than chase after gorgeous girls, Bella."

The way he said my name, even as he talked about women that weren´t me, still left my head spinning.

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Berga, Spain

APOV

Their expressions didn´t change as they watched him writhing in anguish. It was even more impressive than Jane´s mental torture. Of course I felt no pity for the humans she performed her tricks on. They were nothing but a meal to us. However I couldn´t help but feel a tad bit of sympathy for this poor unfortunate vampire.

He screamed and cried and yelped in pain, his body twisting in every direction it could. I looked over at my comrades to find that their faces were just as unforgiving as my own, but they were filled with interest. I had always considered myself an aficionado of the arts and of science, so whenever I had my hands upon a project such as this, I knew there could be no greater thrill. I was willing to let as many suffer as I needed to keep the secret of our kind safe. This poor soul was just one of three from Spain who had grown careless in their secrecies, careless enough to be attempt feasting in the middle of a crowded club in Barcelona. Such foolish creatures were not worth the risk to our species.

Jane smiled at me, that childlike twinkle in her eyes anything but innocent, "It seems the formula has been mastered."

I smiled, gratified by the compliment.

The subject writhed and writhed, screaming out in Catalan, a language not too distant from my native Italian, prayers for mercy from us, prayers to God even. I laughed at that. God would not answer the prayers of our kind. He was doomed to rot in hell, but surely hell´s torture would never have been as grave as this. In comparison, he might even consider it a blessing.

What a coincidence, that his cries we silenced by the explosions and cheers of the annual Patum de Berga, now taking place just a few meters above us. The ground shook with explosions, Catalunyans dressed as devils, giants, and beasts drank and sang and danced in a parade of fire. Hell was already here on earth.

"Quan la Patum va patam! tots patim." I quoted the Catalan phrase… When the Patum goes boom, all are doomed to suffer.

The man continued to scream. I wondered if he was even aware that he was in the midst of Corpus Christi, in a festival he no doubt celebrated countless times. Had there not been any festivities on this day, I have no doubts that his screams would have been heard. His pupils flashed bright red as though they were about to lose blood. Yes, surely, hell had arrived here on Earth.

It only pained me that the next victim would be one I knew personally…

"No one will dare oppose us again." I said, to calm myself.

Another explosion shook the city.

To be continued…

La Patum de Berga is a pretty amazing festival that takes place in Catalunya, Spain every year during Corpus Christi, and is one of the major events in Catalan culture. Having seen it myself, I love the idea of hell-like chaos in the city while vampires are performing dastardly deeds below their feet.

I got this one out a lot later than I wanted to. I hope you´ll forgive the small delay even though I said it wouldn´t be this long last time. Anyways, please continue to encourage me with your kind words of criticism or support. I really feed on compliments