CHAPTER 30

*****JACOB POV*****

SEVERAL TENSE MINUTES passed while none of us had eyes on the leech and we just had to hope that she stayed on the course she had been on. Everyone's thoughts were still, and I could hear the gentle sounds of the forest all around us… a rare thing when we were all in wolf form.

Out of nowhere I felt a stab of pain in my back and left side, and I yelped as my legs gave out a little. The pain changed to an ache and then Bella was calling for me… and for Sam. Was I feeling her pain!? A soft whine slipped out of my throat.

What is it, Jake? What's wrong? Sam asked.

Its Bella. She's calling for me… and for you Sam. My thoughts were confused as I tried to figure out what this meant. She should be safe at Emily's. I also think I'm feeling her pain. I whined again. She's so sad.

My side and back continued to ache, but now my heart was aching at the sadness coming through… I could feel her, not just hear her, and she was sobbing.

The ache and the sadness faded as suddenly as it had come as Bella's mind turned away from me. I shook my head, trying to bring my focus back to what we needed to do. But why in the world would she be calling to me right now?

Come on man, pull it together! Paul thought as he head butted my shoulder.

I was still shaking my head, trying to refocus when I heard her again. I huffed a sigh of relief. She's fine. She had that damn nightmare again.

I could feel both relief and irritation roll through our minds. I knew who the irritation came from but blocked it from my thoughts. I was tuning back into what Embry was seeing when I heard her one more time: And Jake… take down that red-headed leech!

Yeeees! I growled and snapped my teeth, feeling her determined energy, her certainty in us to get this done. It amped me back up, even more than I was before. Let's do this!

Oh yeah, he's back! Paul declared.

We all focused back in, watching intently through Embry's eyes as he scanned the southern edge of the field. As the seconds ticked by, we started to get antsy and worried that she had turned away too soon, but there was a new energy buzzing through us. Bella's last thought had supercharged me, and it seemed to be affecting everyone.

Then she was there, red hair blowing in the breeze, right at the southern edge of the field. Still as a statue, she crouched and stared across the large open space, her head moving minutely every few seconds as she scented the air and scanned the trees, a wild look in her eyes. Her head swiveled around to the direction she'd come from and for a moment it looked as if she was going to run back the other way. Then she moved. Unable to resist investigating Bella's scent, she dashed across the field.

NOW! Sam and I commanded loudly at the same moment.

We all pushed forward at full speed to close in and surround her. She reached where the pillow lay in the tall grass and hissed her frustration just as I came rushing out of the trees in front of her, teeth bared and snarling. Recognition dawned across her face… did she remember that I was the one who ripped off her arm? She turned and dashed back to the south but pulled up short when she saw Sam coming at her from that direction. She turned to go east, then west, but was blocked from every side. A ferocious frustrated snarl ripped from her throat, echoing off the trees all around us, but was immediately drowned out when the entire pack answered her with simultaneous growls, sounding like thunder reverberating around the field. Sam and I closed in on her and the others were in two rings around us with Paul, Jared, and Quil in the inner ring and Embry, Seth, and Leah in the outer ring. Teeth barred, we were all snapping our jaws and there was a constant growl bouncing around us… the energy flowing through us was incredible

We started circling her, making sure not to allow any holes and moving the formation closer to the center of the field, further away from the trees to the north. There was still the chance that she would try to leap over us, but she wouldn't be able to get any run at it, so that would limit her some.

Sam and I stayed on either side of her as she hissed at us, moving with her as she turned, looking for a way out. The two of us each took turns lunging toward her, snapping our teeth at her, but not trying to grab hold of her yet. Toying with her at this point to try to increase her desperation and hinder her judgement. The others just kept the rings moving and were only to attack if she made a run for it, to ensure that we didn't leave a hole for her to slip through. We were not going to underestimate her ability to get away, or her strength. She was trapped, but she could still do damage to one or more of us before we could take her down if we weren't careful.

Finally decided to make a bigger move, Sam lunged much closer to her and went for her neck. She jumped back and I moved with her and lunged at the same time, getting my teeth on her hand. She screamed and did an acrobatic flip, aiming for my back. Circling my body quickly around, I wrenched my head, throwing her back to the center and removing her hand… again. I gave it a hard toss to make sure it landed outside the outer ring as I moved back into position to her side. She was raging now, but there was also fear in her eyes.

Suddenly, she took one bounding step and then leaped high over the heads of the rings. I huffed in frustration. There was no way we could reach her at that height, and it was unlikely we'd be able to catch her, though we would definitely try.

Wanna bet!? Leah was airborne a millisecond after the leech left the ground. She's not getting away this time! The completely vertical height that Leah was able to achieve was extraordinary… I had never seen any of us jump like that! She easily latched onto the leech's ankle then twisted her body and whipped her head to fling flung the red head back toward the center of our trap.

Overshooting the center, the leech landed hard on Paul's back. She immediately drover her fist into his shoulder and a loud crack reverberated around us as Paul went down with a howl of pain. Wasting no time, her arms reached around his neck, her goal surely to break it. I was already there and grabbed her waist, biting down hard, causing her to scream in anger and pain, and flung her off of Paul. My teeth had damaged her, but bloodsuckers healed almost instantly if left intact.

Letting the momentum of my toss turn me in her direction once more, I watched as she landed face down. Without hesitation, before she could recover, I sprung at her again, going straight for her head this time. My teeth crashed against her marble skin as I made contact. I braced my giant paw against her back and twisted hard. With a loud metallic screech, I felt the give as her head detached from her body. Sam was right there too, wrenching off her arm, and then we all started tearing her apart, not taking any chances.

When we had finished dismembering the bloodsucker, we looked around at each other in silent wonder. I let out a triumphant barking laugh. We had done it! We had finally taken down the red head. It felt surreal. One threat that Bella was finally safe from… not to mention the unknown innocent people that this leech would no longer be hunting. Several of the others started howling in victory, but Sam quickly silenced them. We were far too close to town to risk that much noise.

Paul!

Remembering he was injured, I quickly phased, not bothering with the cover of the trees, pulled on my shorts and went to him. He had phased back to human and was lying on the ground holding his left arm, grimacing.

"I think the freaking leech broke my shoulder," he spat out angrily.

"Can you handle running back to Emily's like this?" I asked him.

"I think so," he grumbled, struggling to get his shorts on and then stood up, holding onto his arm. Jared offered to run back with him.

"Here," I said, ripping of a few strips from the bottom of my shorts and fashioning a crude sling to stabilize and partially immobilize his arm and shoulder.

"Thanks man," he said, and they took off at a fast jog.

Everyone else had quickly gathered all of the pieces of the leech and set them ablaze, a thick, foul-smelling smoke rising from the flames. We knew this might draw attention also, but with it just being one leech, it should burn out quickly. We all stood, in human form now, and watched as the red headed bloodsucker turned to ash, everyone but me talking enthusiastically. Each of the guys came up and smacked me on the back in celebration and congratulations. The relief that I felt could not be measured, but my mind was starting to turn back to Bella and the pain she was in.

I looked around at them all celebrating, my eyes stopping at Leah. As I approached her, she looked at me, her expression souring a little.

"Leah, that jump was absolutely incredible! Thank yo—"

"You can save it. I didn't do that for you or your little leech-loving girlfriend."

Irritation flared through me, and Sam started to reprimand her, but I put my hand up toward him to stop him, remembering Bella's words that kindness might be the better response for her. I took a breath to calm myself and try once more.

"I'm sure you didn't do it for either of us," I said calmly and put my hand on her shoulder, "but I'm thankful all the same."

A brief moment of shock crossed her face, but she quickly covered it up with a glare, shrugged my hand off her shoulder, and walked away.

Huh. Leah normally would have had a comeback and tried to get the last word. Maybe Bella was right.

Anxious to get back to Bella, I grabbed her pillow and the bag it had been in and took one last look back at my brothers and the dwindling flames. I caught Sam's eye and we nodded at each other, then I turned and ran into the trees to phase and head back to Emily's.

.

*****BELLA POV*****

WHEN CARLISLE ARRIVED, he became visibly concerned at the looks on our faces.

"Has something else happened," he asked anxiously.

"Victoria," was all I could manage to say from my place on the couch.

He gave me an understanding look and after a pause quietly said, "Well let's get you checked out, shall we?"

As he knelt down next to where I was still lying on my stomach he noticed Angela, who had cautiously moved far away. "Who's this?" he asked in a calm, gentle voice and smiled at her.

"This is Angela," I said, "she's a friend of mine from school. Another of the pack members imprinted on her last week."

His eyes widened and looked at me, knowing this meant the imprinting was becoming less rare.

"It's nice to meet you Angela," he said, looking back to her.

She just continued to stare wide eyed.

"It's okay Angela. You don't need to be scared of Carlisle," I said trying to reassure her.

Emily was beside Angela and slipped her arm around Angela's shoulders. "Why don't you and I go for a little walk?"

Angela nodded her head as Emily guided her to the door. It looked as though she may have reached her limit for today.

"I'm sorry Carlisle. This is all so new to her."

"No need to apologize Bella. Not everyone handles learning of supernatural things as well as you do. I'm sure she is very overwhelmed right now."

"She has handled most everything better than I would have thought she might, but the worry of…" I couldn't finish that statement. "Well, today has been hard."

"Yes, I imagine today is hard for all three of you."

I closed my eyes and a few tears escaped. Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder to comfort me. "They are strong Bella," he said quietly. All I could do was nod.

He started removing the ice packs, telling me to just lie still. He gently lifted my shirt, feeling along my spine and ribs, causing me to wince a few times. He helped me to sit up then and tested the movement of my left shoulder.

"There don't appear to be any new injuries," he informed me with relief. "Everything just got irritated by the sudden jarring. You may experience some more pain for the next 24 to 48 hours, but it should calm down after that. I will leave it up to your judgement, but you may want to stay home and rest tomorrow and give it another try on Wednesday. It is very unfortunate that this happened on your very first day back. How were you doing before this happened?"

"Good. I was achy, but nothing I couldn't tolerate."

"Well, that's encouraging," he said as he stood and prepared to leave. "Continue icing the areas over the next couple of days and call me if anything gets worse."

The front door flew open, and I turned just as Jake came rushing in and straight over to where I was sitting. I let out a cry as soon as I saw him, and my eyes blurred with tears of relief. Collapsing to his knees in front of me, he gathered me onto his lap. I threw my arms around him, buried my face against his neck, and breathed a shaky sigh, followed by a small sob.

He stroked my hair. "We got her baby," he declared softly against my ear and let out a quiet laugh. "She's nothing more than a pile of ash."

I pulled back to stare at him. "Really!?" I breathed and he nodded.

"You're finally safe baby," he whispered. With a burning intensity shining in his eyes, he smashed his lips against mine with a fervent eagerness I'd never experienced before, immediately deepening the kiss until all my senses were consumed by Jake and I was clinging to him.

A few moments later, a throat cleared nearby and, lost in the moment as we were, we looked up in surprise to find Carlisle attempting to hide an amused grin. I buried my face in Jake's shoulder and started giggling.

"Sorry Doc," Jake said smugly as he shifted to sit up on the couch, still holding me firmly against him. "I was a little one-minded when I came in."

"Not to worry. I'm thrilled to hear your news!"

"Yeah, the plan worked great. We did have one get injured if you wouldn't mind hanging around for a bit to take a look at him… if he feels comfortable with letting you, that is."

"Who got injured?" I asked, alarm lacing my voice.

"Paul, but he's going to be okay," he reassured me then looked at Carlisle. "I'm honestly not sure how he's going to feel about it. We think she broke his shoulder though."

"I don't mind waiting. Perhaps it will be easier on the others if I wait in my car and then I can come back in if he wants me to take a look."

"That sounds like a good idea. Thanks Doc. He's in human form, so it'll take him just a little longer than the rest to get here."

"Not a problem." Carlisle was half-way to the front door when a commotion sounded outside, and he paused.

Jake set me on my feet, keeping one arm firmly around me as we went to see what was happening. Sam and Embry had made it back. Emily and Angela must have just been returning as well because both couples were embracing in the front yard, and I beamed at the sight.

"It's alright Doc," Jake called back over his shoulder. The two of us joined the others in the yard and had hugs all around as Carlisle skirted around us, heading to his car.

"Is he going to wait to take a look at Paul?" Sam asked Jake, motioning toward Carlisle with his chin.

"Well, he's waiting until we can see if Paul wants him to take a look," Jake clarified.

Sam nodded. "You're right, Paul may not like that idea. That's nice of him to wait though."

Sam went back to Emily and Jake turned toward me again, the fire still burning strong in his eyes. He kissed me again, with the same eagerness as before, only drawing it out much longer this time until I was breathless and trembling.

Since there was no way I would be easily standing if it weren't for Jake's pain relief, the two of us settled back on the couch with me on his lap. I reclined slightly against his arm as he cradled me there. We talked about him hearing me and feeling my emotions and pain, about the feelings I got before the final thought I sent to him, and then what that did to him and how it affected the whole pack. It was hard to fathom how my little thought had reached through Jake and energized them all. Of course, it hadn't felt like a normal thought, and I still wasn't sure where it had come from or what had brought it on.

Paul had reluctantly agreed to let Carlisle examine his shoulder while standing in the yard. His shoulder blade was fractured, but it thankfully wouldn't need surgery. With the accelerated healing of the wolves, Carlisle guessed that the injury, which would normally take six to eight weeks to heal, would likely be good as new in about ten to twelve days. The order for no phasing during the healing time and an immobilizing sling were going to present a challenge to Paul's self-control, but he grudgingly agreed to meet Carlisle at the hospital later to get the sling.

After Carlisle left, everyone came inside and for the rest of the afternoon stories were told and retold from all different perspectives—Jake, Sam, and Leah being the heroes of the day. I wished that I could have seen the leap that Leah had made, it sounded so incredible.

Jake kept me pulled close against him, not willing to let me move away… not that I wanted to. I often found him looking at me, and that intensity, though it was slightly diminished, continued to burn in his eyes, sending excited curls of warmth through me.

Emily finally kicked everyone out of the house so that she could make dinner, telling them to be back in an hour and a half. Jared and Paul left to head to the hospital to get his sling, Angela was helping Emily in the kitchen, and everyone else just went into the back yard, throwing around a football or sitting and just hanging out, leaving Jake and I alone again on the couch and he pulled me into his lap once more.

"I'm so thankful that you're finally safe from that bloodsucker Bella." He pushed the hair back from my face and caressed my cheek. "I haven't felt this light and worry-free in a very long time."

"Yeah, the relief is pretty overwhelming. Thank you, Jake, for always keeping me safe and taking care of me."

"Of course, baby. You can always count on me."

That intense fire still shone fiercely in his eyes and when he kissed me again, even though it was gentler than before, it was still much more powerful and deep than usual. He drew me in, and I lost myself… drowning in the feel and scent and taste of Jake. His hand was wound tightly into my hair while the other skimmed gently over my back. There was a tension vibrating through him and I knew that he was fighting to hold back, still on a high from their victory.

When we finally came up for air, I smiled playfully and gave his face a half-hearted push. "Easy there, tiger. I'd prefer to keep my hair attached to my head."

He let out a huffed laugh and released my hair. "Sorry. I don't know what to do with all this pent up… I don't even know what it is. Energy? Emotion? I feel like I could take down 20 more vampires and run a marathon and still not feel settled."

"Yeah, I can tell. It's the adrenaline, maybe? Why don't you go outside with the others and tackle some people? Or wrestle someone?" Jake laughed at my suggestion and my heart felt full at the light that danced in his eyes… it hadn't shone that brightly in way to long. "Just go do something to blow off some steam and celebrate with your brothers."

"Are you gonna be, okay?"

"Yes, I'll be just fine. The pain has calmed a lot throughout the afternoon. I'll just go sit in the kitchen and chat with Emily and Angela."

"That does sound like a good idea, if you're sure."

I nodded, noticing that he seemed genuinely excited about going to 'play' with the others.

"Alright then." He set me on my feet and stood up in front of me, still holding me close, a little smirk growing on his lips as he gazed down at me. "So, is 'tiger' my new nickname?"

I burst out laughing. "Maybe. I'll have to think about it."

He shook his head, still smiling. "Always overthinking things."

"Just go, rude boy. I'll see you in a little bit."

He kissed me on the forehead then stepped away slowly, making sure I was okay before he headed out the door.

Emily and I had already talked about me staying at her house tonight to avoid jostling me in the car ride home… and of course so I could stay near Jake until the irritation in my back and side calmed down more. Spending an hour away from him was tolerable, but I would get no good sleep if I wasn't with him tonight. Charlie called when he got off work—he was glad that I was doing okay and agreed that it was a good idea for me to stay put for tonight, but declined the invitation to dinner, wanting to relax at home and watch whatever game was on.

The atmosphere when the whole pack was together was always joyful, light-hearted, and loud, but everyone was so amped up over the victory that it was a whole new level of excitement. I encouraged Jake to eat at the table with his brothers… I really was doing okay with my pain as long as I was relaxing, so he agreed. It was fun to watch him take part in all of the craziness again after so much time of needing to stay right with me. I was propped up in the corner of the couch with my plate of food, joined by Angela, Emily, and Kim. Sue and Old Quil were each in one of the armchairs across from us with Billy between them in his wheelchair.

Eventually each of our guys came and sat on the floor in front of us, the rest of the pack scattered around either on the floor or on a kitchen chair they drug into the living room. When Jake first came over, he bent down to kiss me, and he seemed back his normal self, the expression on his face more reserved and calmer.

The only person I sometimes saw with anything but a smile on their face was Leah. I occasionally caught her looking at the eight of us—four happy couples lined up on the couch—with a mixture of longing and disgust on her face—I was always quick to avert my eyes so that she didn't see me notice.

At some point, I started playing with Jake's silky black hair, which had gotten noticeably longer than the rest of the guys, brushing against his shoulders in the back and reaching mid-cheek in the front. I realized that I did actually like it better this way and was glad that he had grown it back out.

Angela asked me about his hair being so much longer than the rest of them. I explained to her why they have to cut it short and why Jake had let his grow back out some.

"Did you used to have long hair Embry?" she asked.

He looked up at her over his shoulder. "Yeah, it was probably a little longer than Jake's hair is now. Jake's hair, though, was a lot longer… probably half-way down his back." He pointed to a spot on Jake's back to indicate the length, then started chuckling before continuing. "The first time he phased he looked like an overgrown sheepdog. You know, one of those ones that looks like a mop. It was pretty funny looking." Embry was laughing harder, then the others who had seen when he first phased, Sam, Paul, Jared, and Billy, all joined him in laughing at the memory. Jake mock laughed and pushed Embry's head playfully, Embry pushing Jake back half-heartedly. If they'd had more room, I'm sure it would have developed into more of a wrestling match.

It was about that time that I realized my position had shifted throughout the evening and my back was starting to ache. I pushed up, trying to adjust myself and a sharp pain shot up my back, causing me to gasp loudly. All conversations went quiet, and Jake had me in his arms in moments.

I sighed deeply once the pain was gone. "I'm okay," I said to Jake who had a worried look in his eyes. I then noticed everyone else was staring at me and heat rose in my cheeks. "I promise I'm okay. I just tried to adjust my position. With all the excitement, I forgot to take my medicine is all."

Emily jumped up off the couch. "Oh shoot, Bella, I forgot all about it too." She hurried into the kitchen to get it for me.

Angela moved to sit on the floor with Embry so Jake could sit with me on the couch

"I'm so sorry sweetie," Emily said when she returned with the pill and some water.

"It's not your fault. I should have remembered." I took the water and medicine from her with grateful smile.

"At least that bloodsucker can't ever hurt you again Bella," Seth said, and everyone agreed… all but one.

Leah exhaled in exasperation, looked as though she was going to say something when all eyes turned to her, but instead she got up and stormed out of the house, muttering something under her breath as she went.

A small growl rumbled in Jake's chest. "She needs to be careful how she speaks to you. I'm trying to do as you asked and be nice, but she's not making it easy." I rubbed soothingly on his arm. I hadn't been able to hear what she said, but apparently Jake had.

Maybe I should have felt anger, or at the very least frustration, at Leah for the way she acted toward me, but I couldn't find it in myself. All I felt was sadness at her pain and the fact that my presence in her life added to it.

"I'm so sorry about the way Leah treats you Bella," Sue was saying to me, clearly embarrassed at her daughter's behavior.

I shook my head. "It's not your fault Sue. It's not even Leah's fault really. She's been through so much and she's hurting. I'm just a reminder to her of what caused all that pain, so it's easy for her to take it out on me. I don't hold it against her or blame her."

Sue's eyes were filled with gratitude. "Thank you for your understanding, Bella. I hope she'll be able to find a way to heal soon."

"I hope that for her too," I said quietly.

Jake kissed my head as I laid it against his chest. Everyone had started their conversations back up and I sat quietly, just listening. With my ear pressed against Jake's chest, the rumble and vibration of his voice as he spoke lulled me into a dreamy, relaxed state. All the other voices turned into a distant droning, and I started to drift off.

I was still semi-conscious as people started to leave. When I heard Angela say that she needed to get going I made a concerted effort to wake up. I managed to say a groggy goodnight to her and offered Embry my truck to drive her home. A short time later I was in my jammies, curled in a ball in the middle of the bed, waiting for Jake to return from his shower.

"You okay baby?" he asked as he lay down behind me and pulling me against him, propped up on his elbow to look at me. I was relieved to see that all the fire and intensity from earlier was gone from his eyes and he was studying me with a calm, loving look.

"Yeah," I said sleepily, snuggling back into him. "I was cold without you here." I relaxed and uncurled a little as his presence warmed me. He leaned down and kissed my cheek before laying his head next to me and wrapping his arm around me. I was sound asleep a few minutes later.