A/N: I know, I know, I'm evil for leaving you guys hanging like that. I apologize. -bow- Be warned, there is a tad bit of language in this one. I hate using the f-bomb, or any curses in general (as you can probably tell, since I don't use them that often). I would much rather come up with something creative, like, "DON'T YOU FISH-STICKING TOUCH HER!" but I don't think that would get the stress of the situation across. XD
bellasucksballs: You, my friend, made me giggle very much!
littlehampir13: While the thought of killing Bella is tempting, I do think Edward is a good guy (though a creeper) and would not like to hurt his feelings (although he kind of deserves it...nah, Jake can do better than Bella so it's good that Eddie came back). :( Will seriously maiming her suffice? :D
Things occurring in my life you guys probably care nothing about:
1)I dyed the tips of my hair red! :D 2) I just found out there's an anime con close by and I am SUPER excited about it. Any ideas of who I should cosplay as (if any of you like anime, that is)? Feel free to suggest your favorites! (I'm thinking Axel from Kingdom Hearts 2, because I LOVE that boy...I'm not sure I can make the Organization cloak though. T_T )
Enough of annoying you guys! Sorry, I'm really lonely so far away from home in my cold college dorm. T_T Thanks to all who reviewed/favorited/alerted! I really appreciate it! :)
Disclaimer: Haven't done this in a while, so I think it's time. -sigh- Obviously I do not own anything Twilight related. If I did, Bella would cease to exist, Edward would find someone actually worth his time, and Jacob would be the happiest man alive ever. :)
Chapter 19
The tension in the air was so thick it was suffocating.
Bella stood with her arms crossed, eerily still due to the lack of breathing in her lifeless body. The wolf pack glanced around nervously, their eyes flickering between Jake and Bella. Jake moved me to stand behind him, keeping on hand on my hip.
"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of the whole pack," Jake stated, his voice pure venom. Bella let her eyes roam over the pack, a small smile gracing her frozen lips.
"Good idea," she smirked. Her face contorted with anger, her jewel toned eyes locking on Jake as if she were a viper about to strike. "You hurt my Edward. I daresay you know what that means for your…mate."
I felt Jake tense and the group shifted into a tighter circle around us. Leah let out an exploding snarl and lunged forward, only to be held back by Paul and Sam. She snapped at both of them and glared back at Bella.
"Leah, calm down," Sam ordered, his voice ringing deep with authority. Leah stopped snarling but her body still trembled. Sam watched her for a moment before stepping forward, nodding at Paul. I watched in horror as Sam's bulky form walked dangerously close to the demon woman, his muscles bulging to their full size.
"Are you saying you're going to break the treaty, Isabella?" he asked calmly. Bella's eyes narrowed at the sound of her full name, but she kept them trained on Jake. His grip on my hip was getting painful, but I remained tucked into his back.
Bella was going to break the treaty because of me? What did I do?
I shivered uncontrollably at the memory of Jake ripping Edward's arm off, his face a mix of hatred and wild fury. I jumped as Bella's honey-arsenic voice floated through the air.
"An eye for an eye, I always say. Or in this case, an arm for an arm," she hissed. I hasped as Jake's fingers dug bruises into my hip, his body rumbling with a deep growl.
"What is this crazy lady talking about?" May whispered in my ear. She looked not the least bit frightened, her big green eyes narrowed in suspicion. I put a finger to my lips to silence her, but she merely rolled her eyes and stood back, crossing her arms. Ah, to be innocent again.
"Oh, don't worry about her now. I'm not stupid enough to take on all of you at once," Bella stated arrogantly.
"But stupid enough to come tell us about it. I mean, really?"Collin snorted. Sam growled at him in warning. Bella chuckled and I could feel her crimson eyes piercing through Jake's body to glare at me.
"I'll come when you least expect it. When you think you're safe. And I'll rip you apart right in front of Jacob's eyes," she hissed. I clung closer to Jake's body as he snarled threateningly, squeezing my eyes shut and counting to three to pretend it was a dream that I would wake up from any second. There was a sound of rushing wind and then silence. I opened my eyes and glanced around. Bella was gone.
"Yeah, you'd better run you pale faced ninny!" May growled, shaking her fist at the dark forest ahead of us. Paul chuckled and came to stand beside her, slinging one arm around her shoulder and kissing her frowning face affectionately.
"That's my girl. You aren't scared of no vamps are you?" he smiled. May turned to him, her eyes full of question.
"Vamps? What have you been smoking, dude?" she asked. Paul stood there looking sappy for a moment before he eventually snapped out of his daze.
"Um, I mean, she's pale and scary like one, right?" he stammered. May shrugged.
Sam pushed through the crowd to stand in front of Jake. They stared into each other's eyes, seeming to read the other's thoughts even without being in wolf form. Jake nodded and released my hip, instead gripping my hand. He pulled me into the house and shut the door behind him, then took me to sit on the couch. He sighed and leaned back, not releasing my hand, and rubbed his face.
"Can I have a hug?" he asked suddenly. He held open his arms and I threw myself against him, feeling instantly comforted in his arms. I gave him the biggest squeeze I could manage and smacked a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you for protecting me," I said, smiling at him. He shook his head, but his mouth twitched suspiciously as if he were hiding a smile.
"I'd give my life to protect you, Ina," he said. His eyes gazed at me with intense emotion and I felt myself slowly melting to the floor. He looked confused for a moment before he picked me up and set me on his lap.
"You okay?" he asked worriedly. I nodded and he frowned before pulling me into his chest. "I think you need some rest. We'll stay here tonight, okay?"
"Will Mom and Jathan be okay?" I asked.
"We'll send someone over there to keep watch. I don't think they'll be in any trouble since it's you Bella wants," he replied matter-of-factly. I felt a chill run through me and shivered.
"Why does she hate me so much?" I wheezed, my lungs feeling constricted. His mouth turned down into a tight frown and he sighed.
"It's my stupid fault. Basically, since I hurt Edward she thinks she has a right to hurt you."
I squirmed uncomfortably at that thought, imagining Bella's arctic fingers closing around my throat. Jake noticed and hugged me closer to him, his eyes staring off into space.
"I won't let her," he said hoarsely.
Sam and Emily let us stay in their spare room without us even having to ask. Sam assured me that a few members of the pack were out patrolling, while others were stationed either at my house or around his for extra safety.
Emily came some time later with a pile of pajamas for me to borrow, a smile quirking her marred lips.
"She's so dangerous, that girl is so dangerous, that girl is a bad girl," she sang teasingly. I shook my head at her and took the clothes, then walked into the bathroom to change. When I came back out she was leaning against the wall.
"So, how does it feel to be on the black list of a vampire?" she asked, grinning widely. I cocked an eyebrow at her in question.
"You sound pretty gleeful about the situation," I remarked. She giggled.
"Oh, I hope that girl dares to come here. Sam looks so sexy when he fights," she sighed.
"Um, you mean with the fur and teeth and everything?" I gaped. She nodded and I smacked my palm against my forehead. I heard a high pitched squeal and when I looked up Emily was being held up in Sam's arms.
"Talking about me behind my back?" he chuckled. Emily batted her eyelashes and smiled.
"You know it," she replied. I groaned and quickly walked back to the spare room to avoid seeing anything embarrassing. Jake was sitting on the end of the bed just staring at the wall, still fully dressed.
"Jake?" I asked, walking over in front of him. He grunted in reply, but kept staring off into space. I waved my hand in front of his face and did a little dance but he didn't budge, his body tense with stress. I huffed and squatted down to begin unlacing his shoes, then pulled them off. He finally stopped staring at the wall and looked at me curiously.
"Earth to Jake, it's time for bed," I teased.
"Oh."
He shrugged off his shirt but still sat there at the end of the bed, chewing on his bottom lip in thought. I rolled my eyes and pushed against his shoulders, and amazingly he actually reacted and grabbed my wrists.
"I'm not sleeping," he stated. I continued trying to push him back against the bed, but my puny human arms were no match against his body of pure muscle. I jumped behind him and tried to pull him, but that didn't work either. He suddenly whipped around, making me fall back against the mattress. He leaned over me and glared.
"Down, girl. Stay," he ordered while pulling the blanket up around me. "Go to sleep. I'm going to keep watch." He watched me with a raised eyebrow until I closed my eyes. I peeked through one eyelid and he shook his head at me, so I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
It didn't work.
Even though Jake was close, I felt unprotected. I hugged my arms around myself and curled up into a ball, squeezing my eyes shut against the visions of pale skin and crimson eyes. I heard Jake sigh, then the bed creaked as his huge form crawled over to lay beside me.
"Your heart is beating really fast. You scared?" he asked, kissing my forehead. I opened one eye and peeked at him.
"No, I'm having naughty thoughts about you," I managed to say with a straight face. His eyebrows shot up into his hairline and I laughed, taking the opportunity to snuggle into him while he was frozen with shock.
"Liar," he hissed, chuckling.
"How would you know?" I asked teasingly. He patted his nose with his index finger and grinned.
"I could smell it if you were," he smirked. I flinched and rolled over to hide my blushing face.
"And that effectively ends that conversation," I said simply. He chuckled and I felt his arms wrap around me from behind as he buried his face into my hair. His breath heated the back of my neck and made me shiver.
"Don't worry about a thing, okay? I'm here to protect you no matter what. We all are," he breathed. I nodded and sighed as his warmth enveloped me. He started humming, his voice quiet at first, but soon I could pick out the words to my favorite song. I smiled and closed my eyes.
I will be your light in the dark
I will be the fire of your heart
I will always be close to you
I will always, always love you
A week passed without any sign of a threat from Bella, but we knew she was in the area. The guys said her scent was so strong it made their eyes water. They had trouble trying to catch her because of her shielding abilities, but she definitely made her presence known. Brady limped naked up to Sam's house one night bleeding a waterfall out of his nose and cursing like a sailor.
"I almost had her!" he whined while Emily tended to his wounds.
"You're all talk, pup," she chuckled. He grumbled under his breath while the other guys made fun of him.
Whether we liked it or not, we all had to return to school eventually. Sam refused to let the guys get comfortable, and still kept a few of the older ones out at night patrolling. He and Leah both were worn down from staying up all night almost every night, while Paul, Quil, Embry, and Jared took turns staying up with them. Jake was attached to my side at all times, shooting worried glances around as we drove or walked around the halls at school. With all the protection I had, I felt like the Godfather or something.
Seth and his cronies felt it was their utmost duty to terrorize anyone that even glanced at me. They'd walk down the hall in front of Jake and I hooting and pushing people out of the way like some kind of messed up body guards. I squirmed under all the attention they were making me get, not only from the jealous girls but also from the very annoyed guys. I told them they were taking it a bit too far when Seth chased a squirrel halfway down the street because it had 'looked at me the wrong way.'
"Aw, come on. We're just having fun," Collin argued. I cocked an eyebrow at him and then turned to Seth.
"Seth, can you please stop pretending like I'm the president's daughter or something?"
He grinned.
"Just taking care of our little sister who we love so dearly," he smirked from his towering height above me, patting me on the head. I stared at him for a moment before kicking him in the shin, which hurt my toe more than it did his leg.
"Jerk! Respect your elders!" I hissed while limping away in defeat.
I flipped through the static filled radio stations as Jake drove me to school. His fingers were gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles were white, and he kept taking deep breaths and glancing around with crazy wide eyes. I reached over and squeezed his leg in an attempt to comfort him, but only made him jump.
"Don't do that," he snapped. I quickly grabbed my hand back, feeling like I had been stung. He winced and grabbed my hand to place it on his knee again, giving it a squeeze.
"I'm sorry I'm being a jerk. I haven't been getting much sleep," he said, looking at me with sad eyes.
"I know," I whispered back, remembering waking up to empty arms as Jake paced the floor at night. He sighed as we reached a stop sign, closing his shadowed eyes as he pressed my hand to his lips.
"I'm really sorry," he mumbled at my skin. I shook my head.
"It's not your fault," I replied, feeling my whole arm tingling from his touch. He sighed again and cupped my hand against his cheek, his expression miserable.
"Yes it is. It's entirely my fault."
I scooted over to him and wrapped him into a hug, resting my chin on his head.
"It's not your fault I'm sexy and make Bella jealous," I joked. I felt him smile against my neck and that made my day. His beautiful smiles had been scarce since the incident with Bella and Edward. He pulled away slightly and looked at me with half lidded eyes, his oddly pale cheeks glowing pink with happiness.
"I'll not sleep for five hundred years, as long as you're safe," he said. He leaned in slightly, the corners of his full lips turned up into a small smile.
There was a loud bang and the Rabbit lurched over to one side. I tumbled over against Jake and looked around, confused.
"Ina, get down!" he barked, pushing me down against the seat as something rammed into the car, making it roll across the road. The world was turned upside down and right side up over and over again, the roof of the car seeming to close in upon us as we tumbled into a ditch. I fell against the gear shift and gasped as it dug painfully into my ribs before being slammed against Jake and the roof once again. We finally came to a stop at the bottom of the ditch, gasping for air in the tight space the interior of the car had been reduced to.
"J-Jake I can't b-breath," I gasped out, beginning to panic when I couldn't get any oxygen into my bruised lungs.
"I'm sorry, honey, I'm trying to get us out of here," he answered as he broke the rest of the glass out of the windshield with his fist.
There was no need.
Grating metal screamed against my ears as the right side of the car was torn off. I heard Jake growl but it was cut off as he was thrown out of the car. Bella's sneering face appeared where the door had been, her teeth bared in a sick smile as her hand shot out and grabbed me by the hair. She yanked me out of the car and let me dangle in the air for a moment before she threw me against the rocky ground. I felt a sharp stinging and then warm liquid trickling down my face. I watched Bella inhale deeply and willed my heart to stop beating so fast as she stalked over to me.
There was a roar and Bella was screaming as a large russet wolf bit down on her shoulder, his fangs digging so deep her frozen skin cracked like a falling glacier. She grabbed hold of Jake's fur and threw him over her shoulder, but he took a chunk of her with him. He landed with a yelp on a pile of rocks and staggered to his feet, shook his head, then lunged again. Bella was ready for him this time, and I watched in horror as she and Jake whipped around each other, a biting, snarling mass of fur and ice. Jake tripped for just a second and Bella had her arms wrapped around his chest, her face contorted as she slowly crushed him in her arms. Jake snarled and yelped and I did the first thing that came to mind, grabbing a huge sharp rock and slamming it against her head. She hissed and dropped Jake to the ground, whipping around to grab me by the throat.
"You think you're brave, don't you?" she snarled, her face marred by jagged cracks through her skin. My worst dreams were coming true as her icy fingers began crushing my trachea, cutting off my oxygen. Her eyes were wild, swimming with bloodlust as she yanked me in close to her.
I heard a scream as she bit down on my shoulder.
Pain like I had never felt before raced through my veins like poison, tracing a searing trail through my body. I vaguely felt her teeth being ripped out of my skin as I collapsed to the ground, my vision going white. Someone was screaming so loud it hurt my ears. I felt like was on fire and drowning at the same time. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to move. Heck, it hurt to exist.
"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER!" Jake roared.
I couldn't breathe anymore, and my heart sputtered pathetically in my chest at the sound of his voice. I felt wet tears burning down the side of my face as I gasped for air, my throat constricting into a small hole that barely kept me alive. Every atom in my body was screaming with raw, blazing pain.
"Jacob, she's going to die if I don't," a melodic voice said calmly.
"I SAID DON'T TOUCH HER!" Jake snarled.
"Jacob. Ina. Will. Die."
I tried to call out his name in the blinding whiteness, but could only manage the first syllable. Another wave of pain ripped through me and my back arched off the rocky ground beneath me. The ear splitting scream, which I realized was my own, shattered the silence again. It was a while before my throat constricted again, effectively cutting off my air long enough to make the stark white world go black.