Chapter Eighteen

Peter

I cursed myself for my timing, a few minutes earlier and I might have saved Bella from the attack but I wouldn't fail this time. One way or another the wolf was coming back with me to answer The Major's questions. I hadn't liked the still silence of Bella either, that was not the way the change went, transforming was exquisitely painful and no one I had ever seen going through it lay as if dead. Pushing such depressing thoughts from my mind I ran on and knew I was catching up with the wolf as its scent was getting stronger. Now, would wolf and stranger fight or had he managed to get away? The wolves had a reputation was being the most dangerous guardians with the exception of Johnny H's bears but having never encountered one I didn't know how true that was...mind I had a sneaky suspicion I might be about to find out!

Half an hour later I heard snarling and the sound of snapping branches and leaves being scuffed under foot just up ahead, and slowed. If the stranger were fighting should I step in and stop him from killing the wolf? Much as it grieved me I knew that's exactly what I would have to do, after all a dead wolf couldn't tell us where the kids were or why they had been snatched. With a sigh of resignation, I hated saving a fucking fur face from a nomad, I went cautiously forward but something alerted them and there was a rush of noises all jumbled together including a loud yelp of pain and then everything went quiet. Only the sound of another vampire's running feet cut through the silence.

I walked into the trees ahead knowing what I would find and once more cursed my tardiness. There on the ground lay a wolf or what had been a wolf, it was now part wolf, part human, and both parts were dying. Blood was spurting from a wound in the boy's neck and I knew he would be dead within a minute at most. I knelt down and lifted his head as the rest of the boy emerged from a shadow of the wolf.

"Where are the children? What did you do with them?"

He smiled up at me blood welling from his mouth,

"You'll never find them, leech."

A bubble burst spraying me with his blood and his eyes glazed over, he was beyond my questions now.

I picked him up and threw him over my shoulder, I didn't know if we could use his body to barter with the Quileutes but it just might be necessary. Running back I found The Major still sitting in the same position, watching Bella who remained silent and utterly still. He looked up frowning.

"Who the fuck is that?"

I dropped the body onto the ground and wiped my hands on the grass,

"The wolf, the stranger got to him before I did. Must have turned back and laid in wait, he was dead before he could answer any questions, sorry Major. Do you know him?"

I rolled the body over with my boot to show his face and The Major nodded,

"Yeah, that's Jared, the pack Beta."

"So, maybe we can use him to trade. The kids for their Beta back?"

The Major studied me and I felt a chill run down my spine, he was beyond bargaining. The only thing he would accept was the death of every wolf and Quileute involved in the kidnap of the children and death of his mate.

I dropped to my knees beside him looking down on Bella, she was too still, too silent and I feared the worst but then I heard the faintest of heartbeats, she was still alive!

"Do you think she's going to make it?"

"She has to."

It was a simple statement of fact and I nodded.

"What about the others?"

"They were in the mountains hunting but they are on their way back. I'm expecting them any time now. Once Carlisle gets here I'll feel happier. Once he can take charge of Bella and move her I'm going to the village and damn the treaty."

"Not without me you don't."

We heard the sound of running feet, more than one pair and I stood whirling round to face the possible attack but then relaxed as I recognized the scents, it was the rest of the family. Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett. They came to a halt then moved forward more slowly watching The Major warily, they hadn't seen him in this mood before and were taking no chances. Carlisle put a hand up to stop the others and moved to kneel before Bella so I stepped over to the others and explained as much as I knew of the situation. Rosalie's eyes were flashing dangerously and it was all we could do to stop her ripping the body of the dead Quileute to pieces in her rage.

"I'm going into the village and I'll tear it apart if necessary but I will find my daughter."

Emmett grabbed her although he too looked like he was ready for violence.

"Wait, let's see if Bella is OK first. If the Quileutes had wanted the children dead they would have done it at Charlie's."

I wasn't quite so convinced but with Esme backing this assertion Rose allowed herself to be calmed a little.

Carlisle

This was an extremely volatile situation, I could see the rage and fear fighting for supremacy in Jasper's eyes and Rosalie was ready to slaughter the whole Quileute village. I had to calm the situation somehow or there would be a slaughter and if the whole pack was there vampires would die too.

"I think we can move Bella now if we are careful. I have no idea why she is so still, it could be because of her injuries. Until the venom heals the injury to her spine she cannot feel anything, not even the pain of transformation. In that respect she was lucky to have broken her spine so high up."

"Her spine or her neck?"

"Spine I think although it's hard to tell out here. Rose, you and Esme carry Bella back to the house and settle her. Keep watch because when she does begin to feel again it will be most unpleasant and before you argue Rosalie no one is going into the Quileute village to attack until I have spoken to the elders and Emmett will represent you there. Ask Justin to join us, he and Alice should have my surgery at the house ready for Bella by now."

Much as I wanted to stay with Bella I knew if I didn't act fast there would be a massacre and that might attract the attention of Johnny H and the Volturi neither of which we wanted. So I watched as the girls lifted Bella very carefully, Jasper steadying her neck, onto the makeshift stretcher we had picked up from the house on the way, a couple of flat boards and blanket strips for handles and started very slowly back towards the house.

Once they were gone I turned to the others addressing Jasper mostly,

"We will call the Quileute elders and ask for an emergency meeting at the treaty boundary..."

He started to cut in but I held up a hand to stop him,

"Edward can read their minds while I ask the questions. At least that way we can learn the truth. I want no blood spilled until we know what really happened. We only have Charlie's word for it that he THOUGHT the Quileutes were to blame for the children's kidnap. If it wasn't them then we need to be careful, do you understand Jasper?"

He turned winter ice eyes on me,

"All I understand is someone kidnapped my son and niece and almost killed my wife who was on her way to find them. You talk to the elders Carlisle but if I think they are responsible I won't be waiting for your permission to find out where they are."

Peter stepped up to stand at his shoulder,

"Same goes for me doc."

To my surprise Emmett took his place at Jasper's other shoulder,

"Me too, that's my daughter who's missing Carlisle."

I nodded,

"I understand but let me try my way first. Are you ready Edward?"

"Sure."

"Then let's go. Justin can catch up."

"That won't be necessary Carlisle."

Justin skidded to a halt and looked at us with a strange expression on his face.

"What's the matter? Is it Bella?"

He looked startled at Jasper's tone of voice,

"No, sorry no, nothing to do with Bella. They were taking her in as I passed them but I got a scent from her clothes. I know who the stranger who attacked her was."

Every eye was on him now,

"Who Justin?"

"He has nothing to do with the wolves or the children being kidnapped."

"Really? Well, we never thought he did ass hole. Just tell us who he is so we can track him down and rip his bollocks off."

Justin hesitated before speaking and I had the awful feeling we weren't going to like his answer.

"It's my brother James. We were turned at the same time and ran together until he got tied up with a red headed psycho called Victoria. She persuaded him to start hunting humans for sport and I didn't like the things they were doing so I left. I heard Victoria was killed about twenty years back and I kinda hoped James might have settled down again but it seems I was wrong. I was trying to track him down when I saw Alice.""

There was a shocked silence as the import of his words sunk in, it had been his brother who had murdered Bella's parents and caused her hellish life afterwards, both in that clinic and then on the streets!