As always, I only own the plot and my original characters

Chapter 12

Numbness.

It wrapped around Evie like a heavy blanket. Here, the blinding pain that had debilitated her as she cast the spell was gone, and in its place was…

Nothing.

No fear, no anxiety, no pain. But no happiness either. On some level, Evie knew that she should be scared, that she shouldn't enjoy the numbness, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was at peace and that was all she wanted – no…needed.

Until she felt the heat.

It seemed to seep through the fog and coil itself over her entire being like a rope, pulling her away from the nothingness - which had turned cold, she noticed. Where she was being pulled to, she didn't know but she didn't care. The warmth soothed her soul and that was all that mattered.

Then it hit her.

A cacophony of indiscernible voices thundered through her ears and for a moment, she wanted to run back to the nothingness. The heat, however, kept pulling her forward and as it did so, she felt a pressure on her being – almost like an embrace. She pushed back, forcing herself to somewhat return it and the cacophony got even louder.

And suddenly…

EVIE

I had to struggle to keep my eyes open as the light hit them.

"You're okay," murmured Paul from above my face. The look in his eyes made my chest tighten; even though I somehow knew he'd never say it out loud, his didn't need to. His eyes said it all: Thank God.

It was then that I realized that my hand was boiling hot and I looked down discreetly to see my hand interwoven with Paul's enormous one. I let my fingers lightly rub his palm and gave him a small, shaky smile. "Aren't you supposed to be at a funeral?"

An emotion I couldn't identify flashed through his eyes but just as quick as it had come, it was gone. A small smirk appeared on his face. "Somehow, making sure that Bella wouldn't have to attend another one was more important."

I let out a tiny chuckle, and tried to sit up. "Evie…" started Paul in a warning tone, but I ignored him, instead forcing my legs off the couch.

"I have been on my back way too much in the past two days," I ground out as I forced myself into a seated position. It was only after I was fully upright that I realized just what I'd said. "Damn…I did not mean that as it sounded."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Paul and Jake cracked small smiles and Bella disentangled herself from Edward and came to me, wrapping me in a bear hug.

"Ouch…easy, Bells," I muttered. "Unlike your boy, I need to breathe and I do feel physical pain."

Bella retracted herself, giving me a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry…I'm just glad you're alright," she murmured before flitting back to Edward's side. I nodded, before glancing at Alice. "Sorry that you got hurled into the couch, Alice."

The vampire in question shook her head. "Don't worry about it; I'm just sorry I couldn't help more."

I waved a dismissive hand at her, before glancing at Edward, who'd remained stoically silent the entire time. Bella noticed and was quick to cut through the silence. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine. But I won't be doing anything like that again any time soon, that's for damn sure." Bella shifted her weight uncomfortably and Edward, who'd remained stoically silent, finally spoke.

"Thank you," he murmured. "For doing this."

Paul growled from beside me and I fixed him with a sharp look, knowing full well that his rage was the last thing we needed. In an instant, he calmed down, and I don't know what shook me more – the fact that he did or the somersault my heart did when my eyes locked with his.

"You're – no, you're welcome," I said, shifting my gaze to Bella. "But if you ever do something that stupid again, you won't have to worry about a fucking redhead." Bella visibly flushed and tugged herself closer to Edward, whose eyebrows had furrowed in confusion.

"Wha-"

Before he could finish asking the question that I knew was coming, I fixed him with a glacial glare. "And you. If you ever hurt her again – in any way – you won't have to go to the Vol – whoever the fuck they are; I'll gladly deliver it to you myself." How I'd do that, I had no clue, but there was still time to figure that out.

"Evie, there's no need…" Bella began.

Edward nodded. "I understand. Now, what's this about a redhead? Are you talking about Victoria?"

"Yes she is, Edward," Alice replied somberly. "Victoria attacked them both after Evie stopped her from jumping off one of the cliffs at the beach."

Edward's face immediately hardened. "Why on Earth would you do that?"

"You have got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed, making all eyes swivel to me. "What? I mean given that you were just setting yourself up to be killed because you thought Bella had died, that's a stupid question." Alice glared at me while Paul and Jake tried to muffle their chuckles.

"Evie!" tutted Bella.

"Don't get mad at me for pointing out the truth!"

"That was - !"

Before the spat could progress any more, Alice intervened. "Why don't we let the two of them catch up?" she said. "Besides Evie, I think we should let Nayeli know that you're alright." I couldn't help but notice that Alice shuddered when she said the name.

"So just call her," Paul said, as if it was the easiest solution in the world.

"Something tells me she wouldn't just take my word for it," she said bitterly.

"So must put Evie on the phone if she doesn't."

Alice 'hmmphed' in annoyance. "She still wouldn't believe it, shifter. Not unless she saw it with her own two eyes. She has to see you in person; we have to go."

"Are you sure? She didn't seem to happy to see you yesterday," Paul said.

Alice glared at him. "We've already got enough problems with Victoria – we certainly don't need to add an angry witch to the mix."

I ran a hand over my face and let out a sigh of exasperation. "Guys…GUYS!" I yelled, causing the ruckus between Alice and Paul to stop. "For Christ's sake…you both have valid points, so just chill for a second and don't shout – I don't want a headache!"

"We'll take her." Jake's voice was firm, cool and decisive as he spoke for the first time. When Alice looked like she was about to interject, he barreled on. "I'm sure Paul remembers the route, and from what I was told…" I couldn't help but notice the glint in his eye when he said that. "…The only person she seemed to have a real problem with was you."

"He speaks! And words of wisdom, to boot," I deadpanned. When I looked over at Alice and saw her stricken look, I couldn't help but sigh.

"Alice…Jacob's right – Paul's more than capable of getting us there and like you said, a pissed off witch is the last thing we need. Besides, you should get in touch with the rest of your…family, let them know Edward's okay."

Alice sighed in resignation, while Jake and Paul exchanged a look. "I'll be back in 15 with your truck, Paul," said Jake, heading toward the door.

Paul looked like Jake had just threatened to cancel Christmas. "What do you mean my truck, Black? And…damn it, the keys were in my suit…"

"No worries," he said, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a set of keys. "I made sure to grab them for you."

Paul's eyes narrowed and I was damn near certain he was going to kill Jake right then and there, but before he could do anything, Jake tore out of the living room with a smile on his face; I couldn't help but notice that it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Shortly after Jake left, I decided that I couldn't take the tension between Edward and Bella. "Uh…I'm going to freshen up a bit; just because I feel like hell doesn't mean I should look the part."

In a flash, Paul helped me to my feet and walked with me toward the stairs. "Need help?" he asked. Just like yesterday, his eyes were pleading and I couldn't say no even if I wanted to. Instead, I nodded and he trailed me carefully, a hand on my back as I made my way up the stairs.

When we got to Bella's room, I marched inside and went rifling through my bag for my essentials, feeling Paul's eyes on me as he leaned against the door frame.

"Yes, Paul?" I said, trying to go through a mental checklist of all the things I needed.

"I didn't say anything."

"True." I turned to face him. "But you want to; I can feel you staring. What's on your mind?"

Paul stiffened. "Nothing."

I rolled my eyes heavenward. "And that," I said, turning back to actually gather what I needed. "Is what I call a tall glass of bull." Whatever; it's his business if he wants to tell me or not.

I strode to the door and made to squeeze past Paul but he placed a boiling hand on my shoulder.

"Evie, I…" His dark eyes bore into my own. "You have no idea how relieved I am that you're okay," he said softly.

Damn, he makes my heart flutter.

"Thank you, Paul…that…that means a lot," I said, trying to keep my voice from breaking. We stood in silence for a few seconds before Paul finally took his hand off of my shoulder. When he did, I darted for the bathroom and cleaned up. As much as I tried to hurry myself up, I couldn't help but feel like I was prepping slowly as I redid my ponytail for the fifth time; suddenly, taking a trip to Nayeli's didn't seem like such a great idea.

A small knock at the door made me jump a foot in the air. "Evie? Are you okay in there?" called Paul.

I ran my hands over my shirt to smooth it out before opening the door and sticking my head out. "Yeah…I'm fine."

Paul shot me a devilish smirk as I walked out of the bathroom.

"That's what I call a tall glass of bull."

Just as Paul and I finished getting down the stairs, Jake burst through the front door. "Truck's outside," he said briskly. "I'm assuming you're driving?"

"Hell yes," said Paul vehemently, stepping forward.

"Jesus Christ and this is that it's just a car," I muttered, causing Jake to grin. "Imagine if it was a girlfriend."

Paul stilled for a moment and for an instant, I could swear I saw a rose-colored hue creep into his cheeks. Before I could blink, though, the hue was gone. "What can I say? I protect what I love," he said, trying – and failing – to sound nonchalant. "Black, you're in the bed."

My eyes widened. "What? No, no, Paul – I can fit between the two of you," I said. Paul's face contorted into a grimace, and Jake shook his head.

"It's okay, Evie. If the two of us," he said, pointing to Paul and himself. "Try and fit in the cab of that truck, especially with you in it, we'll break it."

I shook my head. Although the cold was a welcome relief from Florida's scorching temperatures for me, it was still freezing, and I didn't want him riding in that cold. "Oh come on, Jake, I'm sure you wouldn't break it. Besides, it's still cold out – too cold to ride in the bed all the way to Port Angeles."

He shook his head. "Trust me, I don't feel it." I must've still looked skeptical because Paul added, "It's a wolf thing; we run at about 108 degrees – the cold doesn't bug us at all. If anything, it's a welcome relief."

Just then, Bella joined us by the stairs and the door, and much to my ire, she was still apparently welded to Edward. "Wait a minute," Bella chirped from beside him. "Why do you have to go, Jake? I'm sure that Paul can handle it without you."

"That doesn't matter," he snapped bitterly. "It could be dangerous. Besides, given the current situation with the redhead, Sam prefers if we pair off anyway – better to have backup and not need it than need it and not have it." He glared at her before glancing at Paul and I. "I'll be in the truck bed. Hurry up so we can get this over with."

Without so much as a 'so long' to Bella, Jake stormed out of the house and if it hadn't been for Paul catching it, I'm sure that Bella and I would've had to explain why the door had been embedded into the wall of the foyer.

"You better not have a fucking temper tantrum in my truck, Black!" Paul called out as he followed Jacob out of the house.

Bella looked as though she'd been slapped, and it took every fiber in me to keep my eyes from rolling. Instead, I hugged her quickly. "Catch up all you want, but make sure that Uncle Charlie doesn't see him – and if he asks, I texted you and decided to go exploring."

"Okay," she said in a small voice. "Text me if you need anything."

I nodded before stepping out of the house. "Freakin' stupid…summons her vamp lover and expects her wolf bestie to be hunky – friggin' – dory," I muttered, stomping to the car.

"You okay?" asked Paul as I threw myself into the passenger's seat of the truck, muttering as I did so.

Taking a breath, I nodded. "Yeah. Now let's get this over with."

The ride to Nayeli's was quick – not as quick as the one from the day before, but I was more than grateful for that. As soon as we were in the vicinity of Nayeli's shop, Paul started looking for a parking spot.

We ended up having to park one street away because the area was unusually busy for a Saturday afternoon but I didn't mind; the bad feeling that I'd gotten in Bella's bathroom hadn't abated one bit.

"Are you sure you're okay, Evie?" asked Paul as he opened the passenger's side door and helped me out of the truck. "If you want, you can wait for us in the car; it'll only take Jake and I a second."

I shook my head. "No, no…I'm fine. Besides, she probably wouldn't believe I was okay unless she saw me, remember?"

Paul growled. "Damn that," he snapped, but he didn't protest further as he moved to stand on my left while Jacob to the right. Then, in our tiny triangle formation, we took off.

As we walked down the street and made our way toward Nayeli's, that bad feeling suddenly got much, much worse and to my horror, I was overcome with that horrid sense of déjà vu. I closed my eyes, desperately trying to get rid of it, but it only got worse as the vision came into focus.

In an instant, my eyes snapped open and I gasped. "Shit."

"What is it?" barked Paul, pulling us to a full stop.

"No, no, no! Keep moving." I tried to keep walking but he and Jake had me trapped. "Damn it guys, keep moving," I hissed, not daring to speak above a whisper. I grasped Paul and Jacob's hands and trucked down the sidewalk, barely managing to pull the two massive men with me.

A few shop doors down, I spotted an alley up ahead. Though the idea that was brewing in my head was a long shot, I had to give it a shot. "Listen to me, both of you, when I squeeze your hands, we're going to turn into that alley up ahead and run like hell, do you understand?"

"Wait, what's going on? What did you see?" whispered Jacob urgently.

"No time!" I squeezed against Paul and Jacob's hands as hard as I could before careening to the right. "Run, damn it, RUN!" Still grasped tightly to Paul and Jacob, I managed to use their strides as momentum and was sprinting right beside them. For one brief second, I looked back, hoping to God we weren't being followed. Fuck…why isn't this déjà vu going away?

The moment I looked ahead, flames erupted in front of us and we jerked to a stop.

"What the f – " swore Jacob as a figure stepped forward from the flames.

My heart lurched in my chest; if my vision was right, we had mere seconds. Paul let out a low growl and I felt him pull me backward, trying to get me behind him.

The figure's face – which was marred with a blend of dark tattoos and deep, angry scars – contorted into one of sick amusement. "So much power…and I don't just mean you," he said, pointing to me. "Your bodyguards have it too…"

Another growl ripped through the air, this time from Jacob, but before he could utter a word, there was a flash of light in front of us and – as if she'd formed out of thin air – there was Nayeli.

Huh…guess this is how the guys felt. "Nayeli?"

Instead of answering me, Nayeli began to chant; even if she'd been going slowly, I couldn't have understood a word she was saying. As the words flowed from her mouth, the tattooed man started to writhe and scream in pain, only stopping when he exploded in a wave of black particles.

"What the hell did you do?" I asked.

Again, I was ignored. "Go to the shop and stay there; I've warded it so you and your shifters will be safe."

"Safe? But what - ?"

"Just go!" she snapped. Without another word or thought, the three of us bolted for the shop.

"Everyone okay?" Paul asked gruffly as he opened the door to the shop.

Jake shook a bit. "Other than severely freaked out, yes." He pulled his hand from mine. "Can you all do that poofing in and out business?"

I shook my head. "To my knowledge, each witch's power is different – at least that's what my mother told me."

Jake nodded but he didn't look convinced at all as he stepped inside. Much like I'd done the day before, he glanced around the shop in a state of semi-wonder.

"That doesn't matter right now – what's important is that she showed up when she did. What about you, Evie? Are you okay?"

"Fine," I murmured, trying to keep my voice steady. Just as I was about to step inside, I felt myself being pulled back and turned, and my eyes soon met Paul's.

"You sure about that?" he asked, his voice much gentler than it had been moments before. As much as I wanted to say yes, something told me that if my mouth opened, all the fear that I'd desperately been trying to hide would gush out so instead I nodded and went into the shop, pretending not to notice Paul's sigh as he followed me.

As soon as the door closed, Nayeli appeared from the back of the store drinking from a teacup. Giving her a tiny nod, I smiled shakily. "You're all alright, yes?" she asked after taking a sip of her drink.

Jake, who'd been engrossed in examining the contents of the shelves, whirled around in surprise (though I couldn't figure out why, given his "superior senses," or so he said). "Yes, we're fine; thank – " His words died away and his face exploded into a million different emotions that I couldn't decipher, except for one – happiness. The smile he gave her was nothing like the one I'd seen yesterday on the beach - this one was a million times more joyful, warm and full of light. Not even the sun can match it, I mused.

Nayeli gulped and coughed slightly – no doubt that Jake's expression had caught her off guard. "What's with your friend?" she asked, not breaking eye contact.

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" murmured Paul.

"What?" I asked. "It's just a smile."

"If only it were that simple," Paul ground out.

"Why isn't it?" I asked. By now, Nayeli's eyes were narrowed in either confusion or anger – I couldn't figure out which one - and her mouth had twisted downward. "What? What am I missing here?" I repeated.

Instead of answering, Paul stepped closer to Jake and punched him in the arm, causing him to break his gaze from Nayeli and turn to growl and glare at Paul. "What the hell, Paul?" he spat.

Before Paul could speak, I interjected. "As you can see, we're fine," I said brightly to Nayeli. "Thank you for showing up when you did, Nayeli – I don't know what we would've done…"

"Not a problem. Thankfully, I wasn't too far away."

That seemed to pull Jake from his angry staring contest with Paul. "How did you get there so fast? Are you like Evie?"

"Not in the way you'd think," she muttered. "You didn't really see me at all."

"What?" I asked, my own eyebrows narrowing in confusion. "Of course we did, you were right there."

"No," she repeated, dragging out the 'o' as she made her way behind the counter. "That was my astral projection. If it had been me, I would've used my power and not a vanquishing spell." I opened my mouth but before I could, she leaned over the counter and glanced at me. "So, what brings you back here? Thought you could convince me without the vampira around?" The edge in her voice was as sharp as a sword.

"Actually," I said, trying not to sound icy or too proud of myself. "I managed to summon Edward back here, and…I'm fine!"

Nayeli's stern expression turned downright lethal. "What?"

"She summoned him," Paul repeated, stepping slightly in front of me, as if to protect me from her glare.

Nayeli glared at him for a moment before turning back to me. "Tell me something Evie, had you ever met him before?"

"What, Edward?"

"Yes, Edward. Had you ever met him or formed a connection with him before you cast the spell?"

Now I was starting to get nervous. "Uh…no. Alice showed me his picture but I…"

Nayeli waved her hand at me, silencing me. "Did you at least cast a circle?"

I shook my head slowly. "No…I just…"

One of the jars on a shelf behind Nayeli burst, sending shards of glass and herbs in every direction behind her. "Shit," she swore, running her hand along the back of her neck.

Paul shoved me behind him unceremoniously and growled at Nayeli, causing Jacob to growl and semi-sprang forward. "Are you okay?" he asked her, worry apparent in his tone.

"I'm fine," she spat. Nayeli grabbed a broom that was beside the shelf and began to sweep, muttering under her breath.

"So she summoned him, so what?" Paul hissed. "That's better than killing herself trying to get from country to country and back again."

Nayeli scoffed and set the broom against the counter before stepping out from behind the counter, hands on her hips. "No, actually, it's not. Because instead of killing herself, she's now got people – if you can call them that – willing to take care of that for her."

"What?" growled Paul.

"I don't understand," I said at the same time.

Nayeli let out an exasperated, angry noise. "That demon I vanquished wasn't any demon, Evie. He was a tracker demon. And if my hunch is right, those vampires – the ones that Edward went to, the Volturi – sent him to find and kill you."

Author's Note: Hi Readers! First and foremost, my sincerest apologies for the length of time that it's taken to get this chapter up. To all of you that have read/reviewed/alerted/etc., I thank you. Your feedback and support are what keep this story alive.

So, it appears that Evie managed to get Edward back, but as Nayeli promised, with SEVERE consequences. And judging from Jake's reaction, we'll be seeing a lot more of Nayeli. As always, R&R. Evie and I appreciate it. ;)