Chapter Twenty Three

Sam

I was relieved once we climbed out of the river safely onto Canadian soil and stood dripping while Brady phased back and untied the boy from my back.

"Is he wet?"

I had tried to keep my back out of the water especially once I realized there was a thin film of ice on the surface but I was still worried.

"Nope, looks like the plastic kept him dry except for his sneakers and socks and we can take those off once he's back in the warmth of the truck."

I nodded and moved away to shake the water from my fur before it turned to ice and then looked over to check on the others. The girl was on the ground still wrapped in the plastic sheet and after checking her over Colin nodded to me and put a thumb up, she too was dry. The others were all human once more and I was about to join them when I saw it, Jared was fighting with a vampire I didn't recognize. Was this one of the Cullen's friends who had joined them looking for the children? I would have expected The Major or Carlisle, not a blitz attack by a lone leech. As I watched I felt Jared's pain and then the empty nothingness as he died at the vampire's hand. I had the impression there was someone else there but I hadn't been able to focus on whoever it was and now...now we had no one at the reservation to keep us informed, my beta was dead, and it was left to me to tell the others.

There were curses, Quil and Embry wanted to head straight back to avenge their brother but I stopped them.

"Whoever the stranger was I don't think he was anything to do with the Cullens. It didn't feel right, I think it was a nomad and poor Jared was just not strong enough to take him. Our brother died doing his job and we will continue doing ours."

"So, we lose one of the pack and do nothing about it Sam? That's not right."

"You may feel that Brady but we are here to save the children from the leeches and no one is going back until our task is completed."

Of course Leah and Quil were understandably upset when they heard the news. She threw the sweatshirts on the ground cursing and kicked the truck's door,

"It's not right. Leave the kids for Johnny H's people to collect and let's go back. Jared was a brother, he deserves some payback."

I didn't bother arguing with Leah just grabbed her arm and pushed her into the truck,

"Embry, you drive. Leah, shut it….now."

She glared at me with hate filled eyes but she did as I said and as we drove on, the children wrapped in the new sweatshirts and the boy's sneakers and socks hanging over the heating vent to dry, I tried to think about my next decision, who would replace Jared as the pack beta. That was going to cause some friction because both Jake and Paul wanted the position and I wasn't sure either were ready for the responsibility, they were both hot heads where Jared had been thoughtful and a calming influence.

Jake

I should have known being left behind with Paul wasn't going to be easy, he never stopped bitching about being left out of the action.

"How come you always end up where the action is Jake? I should have been there watching Charlie's. I would have snatched the kids, locked him in the cellar after scaring the shit outta him with my wolf snarl and been up here with no crap going on. Now we're stuck here waiting to babysit Charlie and get the third degree from Emily while the others are putting their feet up in Denali and drinking beer with Johnny H."

"Yeah well, they are and we aren't. Besides I can imagine what Sam would have to say if you let Charlie in on our secret."

"Well maybe if Charlie knew a secret or two he wouldn't be so keen on his niece being married to a leech. He'd know her kid was a half breed and keep well away from him. You'd think he'd sense something was wrong with the brat."

I tried to tune Paul's voice out as he whined on hoping Emily wouldn't keep us waiting too long. I knew she wasn't going to be happy left in a hunting lodge on the edge of the reservation, she'd probably kick up a stink and insist we tell her what was going on. She hated the leeches as much as we did, after all they were responsible for turning her husband into a wolf and therefore for the scars she bore but even so I had a sneaky suspicion she wouldn't be too happy to hear we had kidnapped two young kids, even if one was a hybrid. Emily was very motherly and that was hard to overcome. As I recognized her car I warned Paul to keep his mouth shut and he sneered but I hoped he was listening.

Of course, I was right, she was fuming from the second she got out and approached us and Paul groaned,

"Fuck, look at the face on that. You do the talking Jake, I'll check on Charlie."

He avoided her and she made straight for me,

"What the hell is going on Jake? How can it be right to kidnap Chief Swan and transport him like this across the border? Sam is going to have some explaining to do but for now you'll do. Now start talking."

I shook my head,

"Can't do Emily, Alpha command"

It was a lie but she knew what it meant and sighed heavily,

"Well, I'm not driving across with him in the trunk."

"Not necessary, we'll get him across, you just drive through on your own and we'll meet you further down the road."

"How?"

"Trust me Emily, we'll get him across."

We walked back to join Paul who was looking in the trunk,

"He's out for the count."

He sounded gleeful and I looked at Charlie who was hog tied, blindfolded, and gagged.

"How is it he's still unconscious?"

"He wasn't but Leah gave me some of Sophie's shit in a hypodermic and I opened the trunk and stabbed it in his arm. That stuff works fast, he just stiffened and went limp."

Well, it was a good idea him being unconscious as we crossed the river but I didn't like pumping a load of crap into his system, he deserved better than this.

"Poor Charlie, I don't understand. He's a friend of the tribe, why would you do this to him? If Sam hadn't asked me to do this personally I would have refused."

Paul pushed her away from the trunk,

"Get in the car and when I shut the trunk you drive on to the border crossing. I wouldn't feel too sorry for the leech lover."

"Leech lover? Because he talks to the Cullens? Is that a crime now?"

"If it's not it should be, now go."

She glanced at me but I avoided her gaze and instead lifted Charlie out of the trunk and over to the trees glad of the darkness to hide our actions. I heard Paul bang on the car and the engine start seeing Emily's white and concerned face as she looked over to where we were hidden before driving off towards the border.

At the secret crossing place we phased after stripping Charlie's clothes off and sealing them in a plastic bag swam out into the icy river. I just hoped it wasn't too cold for Charlie as we tugged at his body held in our mouths by feet and hands. I thought he might have a few lacerations from our teeth but that couldn't be helped. Climbing out I phased first and used my own shirt to dry Charlie off as best I could before pulling his clothes back on concerned by the blue tinge to his skin. The sooner we got him back in the car and the heater on full the happier I would be. Paul stayed in wolf form to check out the meeting place only phasing back when he saw Emily pull up and I couldn't be bothered to remind him that Sam had said to stay human as much as possible.

We climbed into the car and I turned the heater controls to high while Paul almost dragged Emily out and shoved her in the back. If she complained about her treatment to Sam, Paul was in for one hell of a beating! When we reached the hunting lodge and told Emily this was where she got out she was livid and I was glad it would be Sam who had to face her wrath not me. I promised to tell him she wanted to speak to him urgently and we drove off relieved to be free of her for a while. Much as I liked Emily, when she got riled up she was like a tornado, ripping up everything around her.