I met with the other vampires the morning of the fifteenth. Carlisle informed the school that Alice would be missing today. We had planned to head out together, hunting along the way. Felix was joining us for the first time. I felt for his reaction as he took down a cougar. He was disgusted, but not unsatisfied.
He looked to me, knowing I was watching. "At least they have more blood than a person." He dropped the carcass. It was true. What it lacked in punch, it made up in volume. Alice made do with an elk while I searched for another cat. I wanted the extra kick today. If they weren't hibernating, I'd aim for a bear.
After we'd each taken down something, we waited on the outskirts of Seattle for the wolves. They were due anytime. The snow had just started to really come down, obscuring the horizon.
"I'm going to be blind in eight minutes. Anything you'd like to know before then?" Alice wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah, how's Bella."
Her expression softened. "Absolutely fine. Watching TV." It was later afternoon; she'd be home now. Probably hiding from this storm that was blanketing Forks, if only a little less than Seattle.
"Thanks. We can do this?" I asked her, always needing more reassurance. Not for myself. I didn't really care whether or not I walked away. I needed to be sure she and Bella would be safe. Neither of those women, Maria or Victoria could escape today. I needed to know we would be that successful.
"Keep the wolves on the other side of the warehouse, and yes, everything looks fine."
That had been her call. By putting them that far from her, she could still see what would happen to us, if not to them.
"Five minutes," Alice said with a sigh.
Once they arrived we took positions on opposite doors. The loading doors looked perfect for the wolves. We would file in the office door. Alice warned all of us to stay out of sight of the doors for another hour.
"After that, no one else will come or go." Sure enough, an hour later a newborn came running up an alley, a girl on each arm, neither conscious. He stopped when he caught our scents. He looked for us, but soon slipped through the office door. They knew we were here now. As soon as the door closed we surrounded it. I heard the girls' screams; they didn't last long.
I stood shoulder to shoulder with Carlisle. I could feel how nervous he was. "Alice said this is going to go fine," I reminded him.
He nodded.
"Now!" my pixie called from behind me. I ripped open the door and heard a howl from the other side of the warehouse as the wolves burst through the loading bay door. I charged in first, the newborns hot on me, but they were predictable. The first lunged for my throat; I ducked and tossed him behind me. The second tried to latch around my chest; I spun, coming behind him and knocking him to the ground. I didn't stop moving, throwing off as many as I could, trying to reach the center of the warehouse - from there I would be able to see where the fighting was hottest. I kept my eyes on Carlisle. Alice had assured me we would all be fine, but I worried about my father. He wasn't skilled, and he hated doing this. He would hesitate, and it could get him killed.
Venom stung in my arm as one female caught me. My heart broke as I recognized the young woman. How many of these faces would I know? How many were the lost children from the shelter, just looking for love? They would never find it now. I took her head quickly and easily. As I did, I saw Kate dropping target after target, Eleazar and Carmen moving behind her. There were too many, Kate wouldn't keep them all off, and they were already circling the mates. Irina stood at Felix's back, moving with him as he plunged into the crowd. The wolves were a mass of fur and howls as they ripped through the wall of white that blocked them. Already it looked like there were less of them pushing, like some had gone down. I only saw six. That was all the time I could spend surveying the battle. Ariel's head was off and I was evading three newborns, choosing my next target.
The warehouse was filled with the sounds of growling, grinding, metal on metal. It was a maelstrom of violence, anger, desperation and fight for survival. The singularity of the emotions made it easy for me. I was violent, angry and desperate. I had to win. I had to help my side win. There were two emotions that didn't blend into the fighting frenzy with the others. One was jealousy. Someone was reclaiming what was theirs. The other was anticipation. Who could be waiting for something? This was it, wasn't it?
I used my technique to move one combatant into another, leading the newborns in a deadly dance until I was able to pull another head from shoulders. As I did, I heard a deafening crash and the building shook. Someone had just gone through a wall, someone small - Alice. She was fine; she had told me so. I dodged another newborn, thankful that Alice had found such a bitter night for our attack; no one would be noticing the commotion we made.
A flash of red caught my attention. One of the newborns took advantage of my distraction to latch onto my leg before I had finished my jump to intercept Victoria. I growled and curled, using momentum to throw the boy from me. He crashed into another of his cohort. Their numbers were dwindling.
As I looked for Victoria, it occurred to me that I hadn't seen Maria. With fewer and fewer standing, she should be easier to find. I spied the redhead, launching herself from the crush of furred bodies into the air. She had blood on her face, werewolf from the smell. I jumped again, and this time I did connect, but she landed on top of me. We rolled several times. I used her to shake off newborns; she tried to lose me in her few lackeys. Neither of us were completely successful and I earned another scar on my shoulder as I spun from another newborn. I couldn't stop. Victoria kept the upper hand. She wasn't only slippery it seemed. Another newborn latched onto my leg, severing it at the knee. I went down, Victoria on top of me again. Her mouth was coming for my neck. This was bad. I made one last try to throw her off.
Everything went red. Thirst ripped through my throat. New strength surged through me. I knew that smell. Bella. Bella's blood. Through the blood rage I saw Victoria, her head snapping up and looking to the wall. I only needed the moment. My throw succeeded, and I flipped her, taking her head while she was fixated on the source of the scent. Bella.
Bella wasn't here. How could I smell Bella's blood? If it weren't for my missing leg, I would be running in the direction the scent came from. I found my appendage and stood, my thirst driving me still. I stopped at a growl. One of the wolves stood ahead of me. I met his eyes and my vision cleared. The scent was gone. Not all of it, I could still smell Bella. I could smell spilt blood, but the fresh blood was gone. I could hear her heart, racing, but steady. I couldn't see her, the wolf, Seth, was in the way. Alice gripped my arm.
"No closer, Jazz. We have to stay here."
I stopped to survey the room. The Denali vampires, like me, stood nose to nose with the wolves. They made a semicircle around the hole in the wall. The hole wasn't large. Carlisle approached the barrier and walked through. When they parted for him, I saw Bella, clutching a red cloth to her arm, slickly wet with blood. She was pale, almost green, and she wobbled a little. Now that the battle rage was gone, none of us was thirsting for Bella as we had been a moment ago. Well, except Felix. Irina was pulling him farther from the ring of wolves.
"Carlisle," Bella said with relief as he approached. "The blood is making me..." She still got nauseous at the sight and smell of blood. I rose on my toes and Seth crouched very slightly, letting me see over him.
"Thanks," I told him. He nodded.
I saw Bella unzip the pouch around her waist and hand a plastic bag to Carlisle. Then she turned and vomited. I surged forward to comfort her, but Alice held me tight and Seth rose, growling.
"We can't, Jazz. Carlisle has to do this. I'm sure it won't take long." Jacob left the circle and phased to stand beside Bella. He put an arm around her shoulders.
"Here, Bells, don't watch." He buried her face in his chest, stroking her hair, while Carlisle held her arm, untying the towel wrapped there. "That's my hero, third wife."
The smell made me see red. I pulled Alice tighter, clutching her and fighting the urge to rip Seth apart in order to reach Bella, to taste her blood. I wouldn't stop short of drinking her dry. Alice held on as tightly; her reaction no less than mine. I wondered if the others were have as hard a battle. I couldn't think clearly enough to know. I couldn't separate their thirst, their self-doubt, their guilt. All I could feel was my own, and the need to drink the hot, sweet blood.
It wasn't long, bare seconds, and the smell was muted again, bandage back in place. Carlisle pulled off his shirt and used it to sling Bella's arm as her face emerged from Jacob's chest. Tears streaked her cheeks. I had calmed enough to try to sense the emotions around the room. The wolves were edgy, obviously still anticipating friendly fire. Eleazar and Carmen were shocked, probably that they hadn't attacked. They weren't much more familiar with this lifestyle than I was. Kate was filled with concern. It seemed directed at Irina who was clutching Felix. He was trying to rush the wolves, even now, but not harder than Irina could hold. I could feel his thirst, but his care for Bella, deep beneath it, warred with him. Guilt was beginning to creep up as the thirst faded. Relief best described Tanya. Whether it was relief at not attacking Bella or relief that the fight was over, I couldn't tell.
It was over. None of the newborns moved when Bella's blood flowed the second time.
And, aftermath to come. (along with a little of what the hell just happened ;)