Chapter Sixty Four

Sam

Jake had been watching the house for Charlie's return hoping Bella might be with him and as soon as he saw the female Charlie had with him he went closer to investigate and caught a strange scent so he called me and luckily I was close by. As soon as I smelled her I knew the scent, it had been explained to me by Old Quil. She was something out of the ordinary and I called the pack to join us immediately.

"What is she?"

"I'm not sure its her but that's the scent of a Changeling and I don't have time to explain or find out for sure now. We need to get in there and destroy her then question Charlie. There may be more of them."

Jake and I burst through the front door and confronted Charlie and the female in the kitchen. They stood there in shock as Jake herded Charlie to one side. As soon as I saw my chance I attacked, knocking the female to the floor and ripping her throat out with my fangs, choking on the taste of vampire flesh, so this wasn't the right one, we were looking for another. I twisted hearing Jake's snarl just in time to sweep Charlie from his feet with a paw. The claws dug in and opened deep furrows in his flesh but he came back again so this time I grabbed his leg in my mouth and bit down, enough to cause him to lose the use of it at least in the short-term and he fell heavily dragging himself to the female's side trying to stop me beheading her but I was too quick and I threw the head to Jake who was joined by the rest of the pack.

"Take that back to Quil he'll explain what to do. The rest of you get a good whiff of that scent and find the female. It's very important we find her and fast. Try the Cullen place first."

"What about the treaty?"

"They just broke it so they're fair game now. Go, but remember I want the female who smells like that."

They had only just gone when Carlisle and the two males arrived and went inside the house so I shrank back into the trees and watched. When Charlie came out with his hunting rifle limping badly and still bleeding but determinedly pulling the bolt back I knew it was time to get away from here so I headed for the Cullen house and the rest of the pack. If the men were here it meant the women, especially the Changeling, were alone at the house and that was an opportunity we couldn't miss.

Charlie

I heard running footsteps behind me and swung the rifle round to see Edward chasing after me,

"Charlie, you can't kill them with a rifle. They'll just regenerate in a while."

"Yeah well a bullet through the heart or head will slow them down enough for me to cut their heads off."

He flourished a huge carving knife he'd picked up from the kitchen.

"I'll go with you."

"Why did they do that Edward? Why kill Tanya like that? What's going on?"

"They think she's a Changeling, a spy for the Volturi."

"Why?"

"She smells like one but then so do we because we've been in close proximity to one."

"Who?"

"Josie but I didn't know until Jasper rang with the news. He warned us but it was too late. I'm so sorry Charlie."

I heard padding and lifted my rifle to see a huge wolf break through the trees to attack. Without bothering to aim I pulled the trigger and the wolf staggered so I shot again and this time it went down, blood frothing from its mouth, so a lung shot. I raced over and without a seconds hesitation cut its throat watching as it bled out.

"Take it Edward."

"What?"

"The head, take it."

I watched as he ripped the wolf's head off and suddenly it wasn't a wolf's head any longer but a young man's, one I knew, a boy from the Res, Brady.

Sam

We all felt Brady's death and it stopped us in our tracks for a few vital seconds before we collected ourselves and ran on towards the Cullen house. I caught up with the others as they attacked the place, crashing through the huge glass windows and sniffing the air for the scent of the vampires hiding within. I saw a movement on the stairs and snarled a warning as Jake and Embry started up. Standing at the top of the stairs, arms folded, was Esme Cullen, but not the Esme Cullen we were used to seeing, this one was a warrior ready to fight for her children, her visitor, the Changeling.

"Go home Sam. We didn't break the treaty, we only just found out what she is and I promise you she only arrived a few minutes ago. She hasn't done any spying and she's leaving now."

I phased to human form so I could speak to her,

"It's too late, you broke the treaty allowing one of them to live. Send her out and there need be no more deaths."

"More deaths? Who's dead Sam?"

"Send her down to us or we're coming up to get her and that means killing all of you. This is your only warning."

"You know I can't do that. You broke the treaty first by harming two humans. Its time this bloodshed stopped. Go home Sam and I'll speak to Old Quil or Harry myself. She won't do any spying here."

I shook my head and phased back, leading the pack up the stairs towards her but she didn't move continuing to block the stair determined to protect the others in the house.

Esme

I knew I was going to die but I couldn't let the wolves just take Josie, she was Edwards mate and she was under our protection, under our roof. As the wolves slunk closer I thought about Carlisle and hoped he wasn't already dead. I braced myself as Sam pounced protecting my throat as his claws ripped into my arms and we tumbled down the stairs, the other wolves streaming past us to find Alice and Josie and I heard a scream. Then a blur went past me as Carlisle arrived and tried to save the girls while Stuart wrestled Sam from me. He barked loudly and the other wolves came rushing down the stairs and out the broken door into the woods. Stuart helped me to a chair collecting the chunks of my body Sam had torn out and helping me fuse them back,

"Go and help Carlisle. I need to know the girls are OK, please Stuart."

He nodded and ran up the stairs to join the others while I leaned back closing my eyes as the agonising process of fusing parts of my body back on started. When I heard sobbing I opened my eyes again to see Alice being carried down in Carlisle's arms followed by Stuart with a body in his arms, Josie's head was missing and blood and venom mixed dripped to the floor so the wolves had achieve their purpose. Carlisle put Alice down beside me and I could see she'd lost an arm and had some terrible bites on her neck and one side of her face which would scar my beautiful daughter.

"Let me take Josie, you stay with Alice."

Stuart sat between us and arm round each and we leaned our heads on his shoulders as our bodies healed slowly but the sight of poor Josie's headless body continued to haunt me as I knew it always would.