So, I love you all. You're incredible. Enjoy this chappy.

Chapter 32 – Explain

Edward's POV

I snaked my hand up into the girl's hair, looking into her eyes. I had managed to get her to go for a night time walk along the forest trail with me. I had held her hand, whispered sweet nothings in her ear. All the while, I kept a tab on my significant other, scrambling around in the trees above us. Jealousy coursed through her, along with blood lust and anticipation. It made me want to drag out the time I spent with this young brunette even longer.

My lips touched hers and, as with the rest of my prey, her knees weakened and she turned to putty in my hands. I pushed her back up against a tree, my free hand on her hip. Victoria dropped down, light as a feather behind us. Surprisingly, the girl caught sight of her.

"Oh," she said, quietly, pulling away from my mouth to indicate someone else had joined us. I glanced behind me and smiled, then turned back to the girl. Her eyes widened right before I snapped forward and bit into her neck. Victoria was at my side, keeping the girl's scream silent with her hand as she also latched onto our prey. I breathed in through my nose as I swallowed a particularly wonderful mouthful and felt it course through me.

It ignited me. I couldn't believe I missed out on this, for the past seventy some odd years. Victoria had been helping me pick out our victims, making it a game. We chased down, sometimes we seduced, other times we led them into darkened alleys, the curious fools. Victoria's hand slipped up under my shirt along my back and I gasped in.

The best thing about drinking human blood was the rush it gave, and then the heightened sensitivity, to everything. No wonder those who drank from humans were stronger, faster, braver. And more sexual.

With both of us feeding on her, the girl barely lasted twenty seconds. I stepped away first, feeling overly satiated. I watched as Victoria kept going for another second, seeming to have something to prove to the young brunette, who had gone unconscious and was two seconds from death. She finally pulled away, still baring fangs. She took the girls head and snapped it, letting her slip to the ground.

She stared at her for a second before looking back at me over her shoulder. Her eyes were vibrant, deadly, the same color as her fire engine colored hair. I tracked her thoughts, going through her flurry of emotions. She hadn't done well the last time I'd seduced a girl, either.

Before I could move, before I could speak a word to calm her, she was in front of me, pushing me back, onto the ground. I gasped, moving to get up, but she was already on top of me. She was straddling me, leaning down to catch my lips with hers. She ground her hips down onto mine and I groaned, thrusting up. Her tongue was searching my mouth violently, dominating me. Truthfully, I wanted to be dominated by her. It was the only reason she was still moving. I could have ripped her to pieces already, had I actually been angry with her.

Her hips lifted a little and her hand snaked down, snapping open the button on my jeans. Her little hand worked straight into my jeans before I could protest and then her fingers were gripping me. My back arched up off the ground as her lips skipped away from my mouth and she started sucking on my neck. I grabbed her hip, digging my nails in. She was sliding her hand up and down.

I panted, actually unable to read her thoughts, her feelings, or my own. I was in a frenzy. She had been showing me my more sensual side ever since I came to her. She was showing me things I'd never felt before. Never truly felt.

Within seconds, she had me wrapped in an orgasm that shattered my world. She kept a light stroke, bringing me down. I wrapped my arm around her and flipped her over, hovering above her. I rested my forehead against her shoulder, panting into her. She was breathless too. I had come to discover that a vampire's passion was contagious. I kissed her collar bone before pulling back a little and looking into her eyes. I pressed the hair back off her forehead and her eyes shut, reveling in my touch.

I'm going to kill her the first chance I get… She'll never take him from me. Her thoughts fluttered through my head. I tried not to show I'd been reading her. It was difficult. Sure, she'd thought some insane things. Every time we talked about killing Bella and the werewolf, I had to bare the gruesome sight of her thoughts, her hopes even. She couldn't wait to kill them both.

But now, her own motives were involved. Never before had she thought she was going to kill either of them for me. It was always because she wanted them both dead. She was worried now. She thought my intentions weren't true. She thought I would want Bella back at the drop of the hat. If Bella said she made a mistake, I'd take her back. Victoria couldn't live with that thought.

I suddenly felt myself in over my head. I needed to calm her. I lowered myself and kissed her, as passionately as I could manage, even though I was shaking. Yes, I'd told Victoria I wanted them dead. Both of them. It was a lie.

I would use her to kill the werewolves, and then I would whisk Bella away with me. The thoughts were overbearing on my mind. Every night Victoria and I sat in the trees together, I wondered if the Volturi had decided when they would make their surprise appearance to see if Bella had been changed. Every night, I tried to think what would happen if they found she hadn't been changed. Every night, I saw her lying at my feet, because I was too late to save her. Her body was oddly bent, broken, weak and still. The werewolves were all slaughtered.

No one could protect her but me. And I'd been doing a poor job of it. I breathed in and pulled away from Victoria, pretending to hear something in the distance. She looked up at me, curiously. I glanced back down at her and then hopped to my feet. I offered my hand to help her up and then buttoned my pants again. She slipped her fingers between mine as we started walking.

My mind was still whirring as she spoke.

"So why didn't you ever turn that little brat?" she asked, glancing at me. I kept my head straight, watching her out of the corner of my eye. "I mean, not that I'm not grateful. But at the time, you thought she was your soul mate."

I took in a short breath and then shrugged a little, not wanting to delve into too many details. She felt she knew me. I didn't want to be known.

"I never wanted her to turn into a vampire. She wanted it, back then. I never wanted this life for her," I said, glancing up into the trees. She was silent a moment, but then went on.

"So what were your plans, if you weren't ever going to change her?" she asked. I stopped and turned to her. This was the root of her suspicion. I had to stamp it out, otherwise, she would never trust me how I needed her to in order for this to work.

"Vic, none of this matters any more. My plans before had been to die when she did. But she's broken my heart. I want her dead now. I only want you, baby," I said, running my hand through her hair and looking deep into her eyes. "Now, she doesn't want to become one of us, and I want her dead."

She looked back at me, searching for her answers in my eyes. I hope she found the right ones. I blocked all my hopes and dreams with Bella from my heart and willed her to only see my hatred.

Jake's POV

I stepped into the house and shut the door behind me silently. I knew it would take more than a creaking door to wake up my dad, but it was courteous all the same. I ran my hand through my hair and made my way down the hallway to my room. When I opened the door, my heart lifted. I saw Bella sitting up on my bed, looking out the window. As soon as she heard me, her head snapped to look at me. A bright smile swept over her face and I tried to smile back.

She was dressed back in my large shirt now and I saw a wide expanse of leg as she jumped off the bed and came to me. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her to me tightly.

Instantly, thoughts assaulted my brain. What would I have done if everything had gone horribly wrong tonight? What if the Cullens had taken down my pack and then made it to Bella? I squeezed her, even tighter. I buried my nose into her shoulder. I couldn't protect Bella…

"What happened?" she mumbled into my chest and I let out a deep breath. I tried to compose myself. I recalled Sam's conversation, knowing what I had to do. I pulled her back and looked down at her, than guided her to the bed.

"The Cullens came early. All in all, we're redrawing up the treaty. We don't think any of them had to do with what he did, and-"

"You're letting them stay? What if Edward comes back-" she started, her eyes wide as she looked up at me from sitting on the bed. I could see all the fear, all the pain that was caused simply by just thinking about Edward. He had broken her, in so many ways. Would she ever live without looking over her shoulder? Would she ever be able to sleep without checking the windows and doors to make sure they were locked?I lowered myself to the floor, kneeling in front of her. I took her hands in mine, shaking my head.

"They won't let him. Carlisle basically disowned him right before us. None of them were happy when they heard what's been going on, Bells. They care about you, I saw it," I said, peering into her eyes. I rubbed my thumbs over her hands, trying to reassure her. She looked anything but.

"Is there more?" she asked. I let go of her hands and slid mine up and down her arms, slowly. I couldn't bring myself to look up into her eyes anymore. I concentrated on the bed instead.

"Alice wants to see you. She wants to talk to you, she thinks everything is her fault," I said, my eyes shutting at the last word. My teeth were also clenched. Bella jumped out of my arms and I watched her from the floor as she paced, spouting off angrily.

"Of course Alice would want to talk to me. I told you she was tipping Edward off. I want to talk to her! I want to yell at her for what she's done, for what she let him get away with!" she cried out. I got to my feet and went to her, cradling her into my arms as she stood turned away from me. I rested my chin on her shoulder and breathed in, trying not to let her anger become mine.

There was a long silence, where everything seemed to hang in the air. Bella's decision. It was her choice. I wouldn't take this away from her, if she wanted to see Alice. But what if Alice talked to Bella, and made her realize they could protect her better than we could?... What if Alice got Bella to see that their whole family loves her, and they want her to stay with them? Would she cast me aside?

I swallowed, loudly. Tears pricked my eyes and I let out a heavy breath. The thought of losing Bella… It drove me insane. I needed to know.

I started to turn her around so she would face me. She looked up at me, her face full of hatred and irritation. As soon as she saw mine, it all fluttered away, and concern donned on her. Before she could speak, I shook my head as my hand came up to caress her cheek. Her eyes fluttered as she leaned into my touch. I cherished her in that moment. I took every inch of her in and ingraved it into my head. No matter what her decision, I'd always love her. I felt the tears welling in my eyes. Her eyes got wide, both her hands coming up to grab my face.

"Jake, what's wrong-"

"Bella, I need you to tell me the truth… I need to know what you want, and what you think is best for you-"

"Jake, what are you doing-"

"Just promise me, please!" I nearly cried, grabbing her hands and engrossing them in mine. I pulled her hands to my chest and looked into her eyes, bending down a little so I wasn't staring down at her. I searched her, begging her to comply with me. She looked like she didn't want to answer me. She was probably afraid of what I was going to ask. Either way, she nodded her agreement.

I wetted my mouth and swallowed, looking into her eyes. Right now, I was the only lie detector. I needed to know the truth. No matter what it was.

"… Do you want to go back to the Cullens? Do you want to be away from me? Could they protect you better?" I asked, a single tear finally making its way out of my eye. Her appearance fell from everything she'd been feeling. She looked shock. Then she was smiling, warmly. She wiggled one of her hands free from my rock like grip. Her fingertips skimmed my cheek and I shut my eyes, leaning my forehead against hers as she pulled me closer.

"Jacob Black… I will never leave you. Not ever. I have faith in you. And you will protect me better than anyone else on this planet," she said. I felt relief flood through me. So much that I couldn't bare not to look at her. I pulled away and looked into her eyes as she continued.

"You're a werewolf… You're my werewolf. And I AM your imprint. I can't stand not being near you. I can't run off to live with vampires, when one of them is after me, Jake, so stop worrying about me leaving," she said, looking deep into my eyes. I felt her urging me to believe everything she said. Her final words nearly made me crumble. "I would be nothing without you."

I wrapped my arms around her tightly and buried my nose into her hair. I let out the longest breath I'd ever held and felt my heart beating so incredibly fast. Bella was mine, in every way. She wasn't going to leave me, and she thought I was enough. She thought I could protect her. I was enough for her. Another tear leaked from the corner of my eye and got lost in her hair.

I stumbled back towards the bed and laid down, her lying on top of me. I kept my arms tight around her and focused on the feel of her hand as it went up and down my arm. I was in shock. Everything good that could happen had happened. The only thing that was left was killing Edward, and that was on the back burner. I needed to make Bella feel as wonderful as she made me. I stroked my hands up and down her back for what felt like hours. Lying there in bliss was better than anything I'd ever felt.

After a while, I felt Bella's body starting to tense, even with my hands constant assault on her back. It wasn't noticeable at first, but it slowly got worse. I stopped moving my hands and just felt her back under my hands. I couldn't go without knowing what was wrong.

"Bella?" I asked, my voice a whisper in the room.

"Yes?" she asked, lifting her head and laying her chin on the indent of my chest. My fingers touched her face briefly, taking in the stress and worry lines on her forehead.

"What's wrong, love?" I asked, rubbing my thumb over those lines, trying to smooth them out. Her brow just furrowed a little more. She seemed to think, for a minute or two, before she spoke.

"I just… I need to see Alice. I'm so furious with her, I need to yell at her, or something. I need to talk to her," she said, and I gave a little nod, biting on my tongue. She had already confirmed she wasn't going to leave me. I had nothing to worry about. Except protecting her. She went on.

"I mean, I know vampires are what I'm so afraid of… Because of him… But I miss them already, Jake… I miss Carlisle, and Emmett… I miss them all," she said, tears brimming at her eyes. I let out a deep breath, pressing a lock of her hair behind her ear as I watched her.

"They love you. Carlisle especially, he cares for you like a daughter… Most of me trusts them, most of me knows you'll be safe if you see them… But the wolf in me, Bells. It just can't trust vampires. It's the only thing keeping me from sending you off to those people right now," I said. She smiled a little, then glanced down at my chest. Her fingertips started to run patterns over it. I closed my eyes briefly, willing the hormones away. This was not the time. She looked up at me again.

"Will you come with me? When I talk to her?" she asked, and my heart slowed to a miserable pace. I leaned up a little, taking her with me.

"Why would you even ask something like that? I'll always be there. I'll watch you every moment, of every day. When you're eating, sleeping, just breathing… I'll always be with you," I said, caressing her cheek. She let out a small laugh and a smile worked its way over her face as she shut her eyes. She leaned into my hand and I smiled at her innocence. The moonlight shining in through the window lit up her skin, making it look like silk and cream. I leaned over and brushed my lips over her shoulder, unable to resist. Her lips went to mine as I pulled away and we shared a deep, sweet kiss. When we pulled away, I wrapped my arms around her tightly, bringing her closer to me.

"I just can't figure out how they didn't know… He was gone all the time, and when he was with me… He just looked so crazy. I don't see how they missed it. I don't see how Alice didn't see what he was doing," she said, her voice getting stronger, louder. She was getting more upset. I let out a breath and stroked her shoulder with my thumb.

"Everyone does crazy things when they love someone, Bells. And that whole vampire family loves you. I'm not making excuses for them, they should have seen what was going on. But maybe Alice was just blind because she was so afraid of losing you," I said, sick to my stomach. I was sticking up for a vampire. Not for the vampire's sake, but for Bella's. She loved that cult so much. I couldn't let her fall to pieces for caring for them so much. The wolf in me was revolting.

Bella moved away from me and got to her feet, pacing again. I sat up fully, watching her. Her small feet made no noise as they hit the floor with each step. After a few more paces, she turned to me. She looked at me for a minute, at least, then shrugged a little. Everything in her stance was irritation. She needed to calm down. She needed some sleep. I got to my feet and walked over to her.

"What can I do, Bella? You know I'll do anything for you," I said, tilting her chin up with my hand. I looked into her eyes.

Bella's POV

Fear. Betrayal. Irritation. Hatred. My body felt like pins were pressing in at my every pore. Part of the time, I felt like I couldn't breathe. The other part, I didn't want to breathe. Edward's actions were life altering. Knowing that Alice might have helped him in all of this? It was life ending.

I looked into Jake's eyes and all I felt was love. If there was one good thing in the world that I could concentrate on, it was that he would never, ever betray me. He would never hurt me, and I would never hurt him. We were too connected, too at one with each other. I would never hurt him, ever again.

"I just… I just need a shower," I whispered, nodding as I looked up at him. He bit his lip and I breathed in a little. Even when I was feeling angry, I couldn't help the dose of hormones he gave me every time he moved, breathed… Existed. Was this what it was like to be imprinted?

When he stepped away, I almost fell over. He was my everything. He was my legs, holding me up. He was my air, keeping me breathing. He was my world and nothing would ever come between us. Except space.

He grabbed a towel off the corner of his dresser and was back at my side the next second.

"Everything's already there for you. My shampoo and the soap and everything," he said, walking me towards the bathroom. I let out a soft breath and turned to him as I came to the door. I leaned up on my toes and kissed him, wrapping one arm around his neck to bring him closer. Briefly, I felt his hands slide up my back, beneath my shirt. I gasped out, feeling like thousands of little electric impulses were slamming through me. He let go the next second. My body cried out for him. His lips caressed my cheek.

"Go, Bells, please," he whispered. I took a step back, the bathroom door creaking open behind me. He took a step back also, watching me. My eyes raked over his body once more before I turned and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

A/N: Ooooo, do I have some FUN for you guys in the next chapter. What do you think of Ice-ward? Give me all your thoughts, my children!