Chapter 20

For a second we just stood there after Jacob had phased. It seemed like we had just gotten him back and now we were gonna lose him again. I couldn't believe the feelings I felt. Jacob hated me, I should be glad he was leaving again. But every time he left he tore our broken family apart.

I'm going to talk to Billy, run the perimeter. Sam thought as he dashed off, leaving us in the wood. He didn't say who he wanted on patrol but it was something to keep our mind off things so we all went. We ran, noses to the ground – smelling a trail only us had passed in months. All lingering leech scents were gone.

I don't know how long we ran before Sam came back. He couldn't hide his worry. Jacob had gone to the Cullens.

We have to go after him! Quil thought.

We can't, our presence might hinder more than help. Sam thought, sounding like the chief of the tribe.

Well we can't just sit here can we? Embry worried.

For right now, yes... I can't think of anything we could do. If we went to the Cullens, our presence might intimidate them and they would attack. Sam replied.

Worried thoughts bounced around our connected minds like a super ball. What if Jake attacked Edward? Edward's brothers would defiantly come to his rescue. Jacob was probably our best fighter besides Sam but no wolf could take on three skilled vampires. But like Sam said, there was nothing we could do but wait.

So we waited. Some of us ran the perimeter to keep busy, some just lounged on the forest floor, but none of us could keep our minds off Jake. The waiting brought my mind back to a dark day, the day my father died. I remember sitting in the waiting room with my family waiting for word on our father, not knowing if he was alive or dead.

It was an hour or so later that Jacob joined us. Jacob, Jake! We all chorused with relief in our thoughts.

Come home now! Sam's alpha voice ordered. Paul phased out to tell Billy he was safe. Jacob's thoughts were aggravated, worried and some indescribable emotion I couldn't put my finger on.

But then we saw the images in his head. We read the words on his thoughts. The images were of a indistinct Bella that didn't even look like her. Her face seemed pale and lifeless, her cheeks sunken in. But worse than that was her stomach – round, bloated and unmistakably pregnant. I watched the images in Jake's mind move like a horror movie – her stomach's form morphed around the thing inside. He's strong, that's all the Bella in the movie said, patting her distorted form lovingly. Then Bella's face was replaced with Edwards, his unbelievably looked worse than Bella's – it was incredibly paler than his original ghostly appearance, his eyes black not just because of hunger but pain. His face was furrowed in agony so hard it looked like it would forever be stuck like that, his mouth was gaping open in a silent scream. watching her sicken and waste away. . . seeing it hurting her. It seemed impossible to me for these stone creatures to have such emotion. Then the image switched again, this time to the blonde female, Rosalie. She hovered over Bella's tortured body protectively. Her eyes narrowed and her lips curled in a snarl. Bella's life means nothing to her.

Bella was pregnant and even the leeches feared the evil creature she carried. The thing she carried so lovingly, like it was a human child. It sickened me. Before we knew it we all were running to our haunted brother.

All of our thoughts ran at once – jumbling together and creating an unintelligible murmur. Once we were all together none of us could relax. Sam's hackles stood on edge and he snarled a stream of gurgling growls. Jared and Paul followed behind him like henchman, with ears flat against their heads. I stood ridged, shifting my weight from side to side. My tail twitched franticly along with my muzzle – bearing over my teeth. I felt a whining snarl come up my throat, joining the noise tumbling in our heads.

Something evil was growing inside the Cullen mansion.