Hey guys, I noticed that within an hour, five people had already read chapter 24! The first person to R&R (read and review for you newbies) this chapter gets a special mention…
(Note, the review part is essential if you are going to get that mention.)
Previously:
Nessie
"Aah, Renesmee, I see you are back. I was about to send Demetri. You may sit here, next to me." He pointed me towards a tall cushioned chair at the front of a fair collection. Below us, off the rock, Jacob and Luke stood at opposite ends of the field. "Let the fight…"
"…Begin!" even at Aro's loud cry, neither of the boys I loved moved an inch. Jacob looked up at me as I wiped tears from my eyes. I was being firmly held by Dad, and I knew he wouldn't let go for anything. Jacob's attention returned to his opponent. He stood tall, thinking, before taking a few steps back and sprinting forward. He leapt up, exploding into a giant russet wolf, taller than any man, and as strong and fast as any vampire.
As my Jacob crouched ready to spring, Luke started to run forward and looked like he was going to jump Jacob. But at the last minute, as Jacob stepped aside, he disappeared, and Jacob yelped in pain.
Luke
Blanking still felt unnerving for me, especially when I used it to kill. It was obvious, as my world went grey that no one knew of my gift. Even Edward hadn't seemed to have picked this up.
"I can't pick up his thoughts; I can't sense him within miles…" Edward was saying from on the rock. Normally I would have been able to hear the rest of what he said easily, but leaving my vampire self behind, and taking on my soul form, meant going back to human senses, strengths and weaknesses. If Jacob swung in the right direction, he could have knocked me cold. I'd never used this in a fight before, and therefore couldn't know for sure.
I kept my momentum and crashed into Jacob's flank. He yelped, but it hurt me more than it hurt him. I backed out of the way to recover slowly. When I'd put some reasonable distance between me and him, I let myself back into a physical form, gasping. Once back to my normal self, I healed fast and was ready to go. Everyone turned towards me, Jacob the most confused. I reminded myself that Nessie was the only one who knew. She looked at me, shocked that I'd use it on Jacob. I sighed and decided to just fight plain vampire for a bit. If one of us was going to die, I wanted the deciding to be fair.
Jacob
You can't just disappear, It's impossible. Yet Luke just so happens to vanish, and something not really there crushes my ribs. I felt a few crack, and if I'm going to keep moving, they might take a while to heal. When he reappeared quite far off, I decided to play it full on.
I charged toward him, teeth bared and ready to do what I did best. I'm a vampire hunter, slayer, killer. Call me what you like, but I was bred to kill these things all the same. I had to try and let our friendship be forgotten, lost in my waves of anger. If I couldn't do this for me, I'd do it for Nessie. She would do the same for me.
The vampire stayed 'there' this time, but he jumped in the air and landed on my back as I rushed into the space he been only a second ago. I knew from several years ago, that if a vampire got its arms round your neck, you were doomed. As he reached to wrap his arms round, I threw back my head with a force strong enough to break bone. He was knocked about 20 feet back, but stood up clutching his chest in agony. I wasn't doing to badly.
Nessie
I couldn't face it, and yet I couldn't turn away. I stared through dry eyes, unable to say or do anything but wish in my head that something or someone would stop this.
I screamed inside when Luke reached for Jacob's neck, But Jacob was a born warrior and knocked him flying. Thing is, I expected Aro to go and do something crazy like this. He never leaves a place without some entertainment. Duelling for a lady seemed right up his street. My eyes were locked on the raging battle, and I never noticed the eagle flying overhead carrying a pair of shorts into the trees beyond.
Luke
I was hungry, I hadn't fed in days. This battle was exhilarating, even as I was sent flying over 20 feet of cold, solid earth. I landed with a thud, knocking the bones that had been broken by Jacob's tough skull. I kept charging in his direction but he could always see me. I wasn't going to go throught the pain of blanking again.
Instead I tried sprinting circles around him so he couldn't see where I was. I closed in slowly, and when he pounced, I passed just out of his way and collided with his side again. This time, I could hear bones crunching from the impact. He yelped for the second time so far. I tried to flip and land on his back, but he'd seen where I was and got out of the way my fingers ended up ripping a gash in his fur.
Coat sodden with blood, he turned towards me, growling and snarling. I could see why he'd been picked as Alpha, even without 'royal' blood. He wasn't the biggest of the pack, but he had some serious skill. I knocked into his mind as we circled each other in a stand-off.
How does it feel to hear my thoughts? Weird, right? Just let me hear yours. Go on, it won't be that bad…
He shook his head, trying to get me out of his head. His barriers were weak, and it wouldn't have been hard to eavesdrop on his thoughts if I'd wanted to. I cut off the connection while he was distracted, turned and leapt backwards. I landed, straddling his big, thick neck. I wrapped my arms around him, hesitated, and pushed his chin upwards. The bone snapped, and the wolf fell to the ground, limp. I dismounted the fallen wolf who was my friend, and yet also always my enemy in a battle I didn't have a hope to win. I'd killed the opposition, but to what gain? She would never love me. Not now.
Nessie
"NO!" I screamed for the first time since I had got here. "No…" I cried desperately, tears streaking down my face. Dad let go of me as I almost fell down the slope of the rock and ran towards my fallen love. "Jacob…" I whimpered softly. I lay down beside him, his body still warm. A shadow cast over me.
He was crying too. The killer, the murderer. "I'm so sorry. I'll never expect you to even look at me again. I never meant for this to happen." He sighed pleadingly through his own tears. Luke, who never cried, never softened, just stayed unaffected and emotionless and hard.
"I know. It's not your fault. I can't condemn you for that." I replied quietly. "But if you want, you can make me happy one last time. I want to die the way he did. Snap my neck and let me be with him." When I turned around I saw his sad face, wide eyed and doubtful. "Please."
"I can't do that." He shook his head.
"It's not what he would have wanted. He fought so hard to keep you living, he wouldn't want you to die for him." Said a faintly familiar voice; only a few feet away.
I turned on him, and got up to face him. How dare he, shifter or not, come along and just start claiming he knew my Jacob, knew what he would have wanted. He'd never even spoken to him. I didn't know him; he didn't know me or Jacob.
"Is now not a good time?" he asked, in an almost careful voice.
"You think?" I raged at him. "What do you want?" I snarled.
Just at that moment, Aro came over, smiling like it was a happy day, full of joy and merriment. I disliked him before, but right now, it was his head I wanted to see rolling on the floor, and I would not rest until I had dead proof. When I turned around to find the eagle boy, all I saw was a bird in a far off tree, perching near a branch that held a pair of shorts.
He hadn't gone then.
As Aro strolled over I Felt the urge to rip his head off there and then, but mum was on the rock and Jane was here, as fearsome as ever. I decided not to try anything.
"Congratulations, my boy! It appears you have won the lady's hand, but between you and me, her love might be harder to retrieve seeing as you just murdered her soul mate before her delicate eyes. As the victor of this duel, you may now kiss the lady." he glanced between Luke and I, expecting a deep show of passion. He started to look frustrated.
I put my hand on Luke's shoulders, with a sad look in my eyes.
It's ok.
He sighed and put his hands on my shoulders, leaving mine to hold his arms. He studied me for a moment before placing a light peck on my forehead.
Aro looked bored, but who cared what he thought? Unless his opinion would cause death and heartbreak that is (a very common occurrence in the specified subject). Luke pulled me into a hug, and we held on tight for a few seconds. "How touching. You have finally won her heart. I think this is cause for a celebration." I broke out of Luke's hold, strolled over to Aro and slapped him, hard, across the face. When my hand came into contact, I showed him what I thought of him. When I was done, I made a sort of 'hmph!' sound and strode purposefully into the trees behind. On my way through the first line of the huge trunks and falling leaves, I dared to take a quick glance at the eagle sitting in the high branches. He seemed to get the gist.
I didn't stop until I reached Cherry's hollow. I crawled inside and just…existed. I did nothing, made no sound, thought of nothing, until the eagle boy arrived, a boy once more.
"Does his tribe burn the dead?" he said. For a moment I had no idea what he meant, but I remembered Jacob, lying motionless in the field.
"I think so…" I seemed to remember that that was what they had done with the few that hadn't made it in the fight with the newborns, many years ago (although I did have to rely on snippets of what Jacob and Mum had told me about it).
"They won't burn him until dusk then. He isn't dead." He said matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean? Of course he's dead." I blasted in his face. I hated it, but it was the truth and I was going to have to accept that.
"Did you check for a heartbeat?" Come to think of it no. But he couldn't be alive. It wasn't possible.
"In that case, there's a chance he still lives. Trust me, I've dealt with this kind of thing with my own tribe tons." He said as he traipsed back towards Big Field.
"Why are you helping me?" I asked.
"Because you're a pretty girl who needs it and as a self-respecting gentleman I couldn't deny it to you in any form." I gave him a look. "Plus I'm bored."
I wondered then whether to trust him. I knew nothing about him, and he didn't know much about me. But he wanted to help, and that was all that mattered. I could get my Jacob back.
My Jacob…