Chapter Seventy One
Embry
We felt our brothers deaths as we sat impotent, too far away to be any help to them, and realized as the voices were cut off abruptly that we three were the last of the Quileute wolves and not only that but the only three survivors of our tribe. Seth looked at me,
"What do we do now?"
Quil was still running patrol so I called him back, it was too dangerous for us to be separated now. We weren't sure how many vampires were in the house and there were two presumably on their way back. Coming to a decision I took Seth with me and set a watch for the killers to return. When Quil joined us we fanned out to wait for them. It would be little revenge but better than nothing. Then we should find a way to let the guardians know what had happened although I had no idea how. Sam had only told us that in an emergency they were the only ones who could help us.
Hearing running feet we crouched ready to attack but then Quil who was the first to see the leech shouted to us to stop, let him pass. and we did waiting for an explanation before seeing for ourselves. Over the vampires back dangled Emily, so she at least had survived or had she? As they passed I smelled the taint of leech in her blood. Either Edward or the other vampire had bitten her. We gathered together and watched as Carlisle came outside to speak to the unknown vampire. His words proved what we already knew, the tribe was destroyed and Emily had been bitten, so she would wake up a leech herself.
"What do we do now Embry?"
I shook my head trying to think, we could attack but we were vastly outnumbered and this unknown was a very skilled fighter or we could wait and see what happened. Hopefully they would split up and give us a better chance of defeating them.
Carlisle
I sensed there were wolves around but Stuart seemed unaware and I didn't want any more killing so I kept silent. When he went inside I cradled Emily's squirming body in my arms and spoke quietly hoping the wolves could hear me,
"This is not my doing and it is something I regret deeply. I will try to find a way of getting revenge for you but please do not harm my family, Edward worked alone and he is dead, the other is not a family member. I will look after Emily and help her all I can."
Embry
Then he turned and walked back into the house with Sam's wife still in his arms. Quil snarled quietly,
"He thinks excuses will save him and his precious family. He's even crazier than I thought."
I stopped him, suddenly realizing I had taken on the mantle of Alpha without even thinking about it.
"We wait and watch. If they split up then we take on the weakest group first. There aren't enough of us to do anything else."
Seth and Quil nodded their shaggy heads and we watched from the thick undergrowth as the fighter came out once more to be met by a helicopter, so he was beyond our reach.
"Now?"
I shook my head once more,
"Wait just a little longer."
Seth growled this time but they obeyed me and a little while later we saw Carlisle leave alone.
"Now?"
"Just wait a minute, there may be others around. We'll make a circuit of the area just to check, Quil you do five miles out, Seth two miles and I'll keep watch here. Meet up again in half an hour and if there are no others around we go in then."
The the two left and I sat down to think. I was pretty sure there were only females left in the house now, Esme and Alice Cullen along with Emily. What to do about Emily? If we took her away with us what would we do when she woke up? Our dilemma wasn't made any easier by the alternative, to kill her before she woke up. Although I knew she wouldn't want to live as a leech it would be hard to kill her, our Alpha's wife, one we all saw as almost a mother figure. My other problem was how to contact the guardians, I had no idea.
Carlisle
I had no alternative but to leave the girls here with Emily although not for long. Rose and Emmett were returning on the plane I would take back to Alaska. I hoped the wolves who had survived would decide to wait and watch, after all they hadn't made an attack thus far so they weren't the hotheads I had feared. I got the feeling the wolves left were the younger ones, more cautious without their leader. Also Emily's presence would make them think twice, what did they do with her if they took us out? I had told the girls to stay together with Emily in the upstairs rooms and stay there until Emmett and Rose joined them. The downstairs were still not fully secure but the attic where I'd put Emily was accessible only by a steep staircase, not easy for a wolf to climb or jump so I was reasonably sure they would be safe enough and if the boys phased back to their human forms they would be easier to deal with.
Esme
Carlisle had warned us to stay put until the others joined us but I thought it would look to the wolves that remained we were scared of them and guilty. I wanted to speak to them but Alice wouldn't let me leave the attic,
"Esme, they know the tribe has been wiped out and seen Emily arrive having been bitten. There's nothing you can say that will placate them. You'll just be putting yourself in danger and I can't do this on my own."
"Look Alice and tell me what happens, I have to know."
I watched as her eyes glazed over as they always did when she attempted to see the future rather than just wait for it to reveal itself to her. As she opened them she looked at me biting her lip,
"Jasper will do it with Bella's help. He'll avert a war but there will be a cost, the remaining wolves wont leave without at least trying to get us."
"Do they succeed?"
She nodded and I saw fear in her eyes so I hugged her and smoothed her hair,
"Listen carefully Alice. The others will be here soon. I want you to lock this door and stay with Emily. I'll try talking to them, see if I can hold them up. They wont attack straight away, they haven't so far. If...if anything happens I want you to tell Carlisle that I love him and I'll be waiting for him,"
Alice clutched me tight and shook her head and I knew what she'd seen but I pulled free of her hold and stepped to the door.
"Alice, you are my daughter and I love you. I can't sit here and wait for you to be torn to pieces by them. Now hush and stay with Emily please."
Without waiting for her to answer me I slipped out taking the key with me after locking the door. It was the one room in the house with a door strong enough to contain a vampire. Carlisle had constructed it when Emmett was a newborn for the times we couldn't control him any other way and now it would keep my daughter safe.