A/N: James got away, Victoria is ash, and Laurent has been captured. Will James get to Bella before Jasper can? Enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 21 – Protect and Serve
Jasper ran through the trees, pushing himself to go faster and faster. He had to reach Bella, had to see for himself that she was alright, and he had to make sure James could never reach her.
James… James was there that night when Jasper met Bella. James was the man he was supposed to meet. James was now the vampire the Texan wanted to rip apart piece by piece, to bring him pain and torturous suffering like the nomad had undoubtedly done to others. James was enemy number one, and although they knew Edward would be back that very night, the little prick could be dealt with a lot easier than the stranger.
Pushing even harder, Jasper soon cleared the tree line and was inside the house seconds later. If he had a heartbeat, he was sure it would be pounding out of control right now. Already his emotions felt out of control and panic was starting to set in. He needed to find his mate. "Bella?" He called out to her, needing to hear her voice.
"Jasper, what happened?" Carlisle asked. The leader could hear the desperate note in his son's voice.
The southern vampire whipped around and faced his elder, "One of 'em got away. Where's Bella?"
"I'm right here!" Bella exclaimed as she rushed down the stairs towards her mate. Her eyes swept him from head to toe looking for injuries or problems, however, since she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, she lost her footing and started to fall down the stairs. Before she could hurt herself though, the brunette found herself cradled inside her lover's embrace, "JW?"
"I got ya darlin'," he grinned down at her, squeezing her a little tighter, grateful to the fact he didn't have a beating heart because between James and Bella, it just might have exploded at this point. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her the remaining way down the stairs and put down on a flat, stable surface and then held her close to his side.
After Bella was once again out of danger from injuring herself, Carlisle addressed the southern man again, "What happened at the school? Where is everyone else? What do you mean that one of them got away?"
Burying his free hand in his hair, Jasper groaned, "Just like Alice saw, there were three of them. We were able to get two of 'em, well I think one surrendered, and of those two, one is currently laying in a fire pit." He proceeded to tell them everything that happened, including his failure to secure the most dangerous of the three.
Bella could feel the guilt and desperate need to protect her coming from her mate and leaned against him a little more, "It wasn't your fault."
"If I would have…" Jasper started.
Esme cut him off, "She's right. It wasn't your fault. You did what you could and hindsight is 20/20. You will know what to do next time."
Smiling at his wife, Carlisle nodded, "For now we need to decide what we are going to do next."
Silence engulfed the small group momentarily before another snide voice joined theirs, "So your saying he got away and is following this little human's scent? Wouldn't he go to her house first?" Rosalie's haughty expression challenged Jasper and gave a harsh reality check towards the only human in the room.
Eyes growing wide with fear and concern, Bella grabbed Jasper's side, her nails scraping against the hardened skin, "JW, what if he follows my scent to my house? My dad could be hurt or killed! We need to…"
Jasper projected calming waves over his panicking girlfriend and explained, "I have already thought of that darlin'. Your father won't be home until much later. I'm gonna have Char and Pete watch the house."
The thought of the two nomads protecting her father did little to calm her nerves. Although she liked Peter and Charlotte, they still drank the blood of humans. What if her father cut himself working on a new lure or while cleaning his gun? If they smelled blood, would it send them into a frenzy? Would her father really be safe with Jasper's friends watching him? She wanted to believe in them, but there were too many what ifs and possibilities.
Before she could speak, Jasper already knew what she was going to say, "Bella, most vampires who feed regular can control themselves. Peter and Charlotte have had over a hundred years of practice. They aren't newborns and can handle the job."
"But what if…" Bella would have continued, but a hand over her mouth prevented her from speaking comprehensible words.
"Honey, trust me. They can handle this," Jasper pushed. Slowly he removed his hand and said, "They won't do anythin' to your dad and won't let anyone get near him."
Her fears were still not calmed and she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, "And if he cuts himself or they smell blood?"
"Then we'll deal with it. Don't worry nothings gonna happen to your dad. We can smell blood without needing to drink. Yes, it makes us crave it, but we know how to control ourselves. A cut is nothing," Charlotte gave Bella an understanding look as she walked into the house.
Smiling, Peter nodded, "Right. It isn't like we would be going into a situation where blood is gushing and covering every surface."
Bella paled at the picture the vampire painted and could already feel herself starting to hyperventilate as her heart rate started to increase. She could hear the pounding in her ears, and the images she saw through her eyes started to take on a fuzzy appearance. Her head was spinning and she felt like the floor beneath her feet had started to tilt on an axis. Normally this is what happened when she smelled or saw blood, but right now, the image of a blood bath was more than enough to induce the same kind of reaction. And just as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
Jasper had pulled Bella into his arms and started to speak in a soft low voice into her ear as he sent peace and tranquility throughout her body, while at the same time giving Peter a murderous gleam. Slowly, he started to hear her heart rate slow down into a normal range, the color started to return to her cheeks, and she stopped sagging against his chest. "Ignore everythin' that asshole just said Bella. Just listen to my voice. That's it darlin'. I will not let anythin' happen to you or your dad… and neither will Pete or Char. Trust me honey. Your dad will be safe and Peter will shut his trap if he knows what's good for him. Just breathe with me." Another glare was sent towards his best friend as he slowly inhaled and exhaled to help calm his mate even further.
Breathing in and out, Bella felt at peace and the panic had left, but she knew that Jasper's gift had something to do with it, "I'm alright."
"Where are Emmett and Alice?" Rosalie asked.
"They'll be here soon. They were dousing the fire and bringing the prisoner… not sure why we didn't kill him along with the bitch though," Peter grumbled.
"'Cause ya'll never know when he might be of use. He gave himself up and acted like he wanted to help. If he causes trouble, then we'll kill him too. Besides, if he was an immediate danger to us, Alice would have made sure he ended up on the fire too," Jasper growled.
Snickering, Peter agreed, "True. She always knows."
All the talk of setting people on fire and killing made Bella's head swim. Was it really that easy to kill other vampires?
"Darlin', if they're a threat or will do you or any of the family harm, then yes, we will kill them and not think twice about it," the southern vampire declared emphatically.
"So what's the plan major?" Charlotte inquired trying to bring an end to the killing talk and get their next moves put into action.
Jasper glanced at his friends and then gave them their orders, "You two will go to Bella's house and watch for the nomad. If you see him, I want him caught and stopped. Make sure nothin' happens to Charlie. I'm gonna have Emmett go with ya'll. We need to also be on the lookout for Edward since that prick has decided he wants to come back and take Bella as well."
"And what if I say that he isn't going to help in your little rescue mission any longer?" Rosalie hissed.
Snorting with derision, Jasper informed her, "It's not like it's your decision at all. It's Emmett's and you need to learn to back off or else."
The blonde scoffed, "Or else what?"
"You probably don't wanna push me," the Texas vampire warned.
Just as she was about to open her mouth, Alice and Emmett stormed into the house with their prisoner in tow. Emmett approached his mate and shook his head, "Shut up now. I'm going to help them and you have no say in the matter. Now you can either help or shut up… and if you keep pushing the issue, Jasper can and will drop you and there is nothing I can do to protect you."
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish several times before Rosalie finally stomped up the stairs. A few seconds later, a door could be heard slamming shut.
Sighing, Emmett shook his head, "Sorry about that."
"Not your fault," Jasper stated and then gazed down at the woman in his arms before returning his stare to Emmett, "I need you to take Char and Pete to Bella's house. You three are going to guard Charlie and keep your eyes peeled for our escapee and for Edward."
"I'll go with you. Better than being cooped up here with that human," Rosalie declared once again making an appearance at the top of the stairs.
"If you are goin' to do nothin' but cause trouble or get in their way…" Jasper snarled.
Glaring, the blonde snapped, "I won't get in their way and if I see Edward or a stranger, I'll even help catch them."
"So magnanimous of you," Peter's tongue was drowning with sarcasm.
Before Rosalie could retaliate, Esme stepped in quickly, "Thank you Rose for your help. I'm sure everyone appreciates it. So, let's all get along for the sake of getting through this."
"Esme's right," Carlisle backed up his mate.
Nodding, Jasper agreed, "True." He turned to the prisoner and asked, "What can you tell us about him?"
"James is a tracker and has a gift for it. He thinks of it like a game. I'm not sure what his connection is with Bella or Alice, but he seems to know both of them, and once he starts tracking, he doesn't like to stop. You killed his mate, Victoria, but I got the feeling that she was more invested in the relationship than he was. He will probably go where Bella's scent is the strongest," Laurent explained.
"Did you say Bella and Alice?" Esme inquired.
"Yes," the stranger replied.
Shaking his head, Jasper knew there was a mystery there, but it was something they would have to work out later. Right now there were other priorities, "Rose, Emmett, Pete, and Char it's probably best if you get to Bella's house ASAP, and make sure you watch the house and the surrounding areas. Alice, I want you to keep watch through your visions. If you see anything, let me know and we'll pass on the information. Carlisle, did you call Sam?"
"Yes, they are aware of what is going on and will be increasing their numbers at the borders, but will not do more than that," the leader answered.
"I didn't expect them to. The rest of us will stay here and keep watch over Bella. Since her scent could also lead James here, we need to be prepared for anything. Same with Edward. Who knows what that little shit has been feeding on or what he has been doing since he disappeared. Keep your eyes peeled. Both can be dangerous and I don't want anyone underestimatin' them. Got it?" Jasper dictated.
Everyone nodded their heads and spoke their affirmations. Their battle part two would be starting soon and everyone had their orders, and this time there were two different enemies to fight. With their instructions received, Peter, Charlotte, Emmett, and Rosalie left the Cullen compound and made their way towards Bella's house. Hopefully they would be able to stop both James and Edward without further problems, and without any more loss to human life.
The moment everyone else, Bella felt her strength drain from her body. What if her father came home early and James got there before the guards arrived? What if James found holes and still got to her father? What if someone was hurt, either at her house or at the Cullen house, trying to protect her and her father? She felt weak and helpless, and she hated it.
Sweeping her into his arms, Jasper took her over to the couch and laid her down. Brushing her hair back from her eyes, he told her, "Nothing is going to happen to your father, and they know how to take care of themselves. Everyone will be alright. Besides it isn't like we can die really easily. Did you see how Char had both of her arms?"
"Yah," Bella murmured.
"Body parts can be reattached. Nothing is dead and gone unless it is burned by fire," Jasper explained.
"I'm just worried about…"
"I know you are darlin', and that's a normal reaction. I'm just tellin' you that it'll be ok."
Nodding, Bella grabbed Jasper's hand and held firm, "I trust you JW."
"Good," Jasper gave her a small smile before leaning down and stealing a kiss. Pulling back slightly, he spoke against her lips, "I love you Isabella Swan and I will do anything to make sure you and your father are safe."
"I love you too JW," she whispered back and leaned forward to seal her lips to his once again. Bella knew that Jasper meant every word and promise he made to her, and she would believe in his conviction and words.
Bella's House…
Charlie had forgotten a file he had brought home with him the night before and returned to the house in order to pick it up; however, when he got there, someone was waiting for him. He tried to fight back, to resist, but he quickly realized that the person he was fighting was more than a mere human and soon his world turned black, his last thoughts were of his daughter.