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Chapter 180
New Relations
Edward
The day with our best friends at the fair had been really wonderful. The weather was beautifully cloudy. The mood cheerfully exuberant. The children's faces lit up on the merry-go-rounds or with sweets.
I was with Daniel on a ride, at the sight of which David thought he was definitely too old for it. I had enjoyed being spun in every conceivable direction high up in the air. Daniel as well, even if he was a bit pale afterwards.
With Bella, I sat on a nostalgic horse-drawn carousel, which had been a real attraction in my human days.
David and I had had a street artist draw us funnily. With both of us, it had become the hairstyle that the cartoonist defaced.
Well. Twice I had to put my fatherly foot down. Once, Ced didn't want to get off the merry-go-round I was riding with him. A little later, he tried to steal Emma's cotton candy.
But now, on the ride home, I had the sweetest and, above all, the dearest baby again.
Ced was asleep!
"How are you?", I asked my beloved just before we reached our street.
She had not been able to refrain from eating pretty much everything that could be found at the fair. At random! And in between still all kinds of sweet stuff. In addition to the beverages. Not less at random! Cocoa, honey wine, eggnog, milkshakes, coffee, lemonade.
"I feel sick!" she grumbled.
I smiled, although I was also worried.
I wouldn't be surprised if she threw up half the food again.
I pulled into our driveway and as soon as the Jag was parked, Bella rushed purposefully toward the front door.
Fortunately, she rushed carefully, considering the snow and her natural balance issues.
She had left her purse behind, only her key was in her hands.
So I took it and freed my son from the many straps of the baby seat. In the process, he woke up, rubbed his little eyes cutely and then beamed at me.
My son. Tomorrow he was four weeks in the world. Four wonderful weeks. There were moments when I still had not fully grasped that a creature like me, a monster, a being of darkness, could be so lucky to be blessed with this family.
"We're home," I said happily to my baby.
His little cap had slipped off his head and his chocolate-colored thick hair stood out funny on all sides.
So far we had refrained from a visit to the hairdresser, but we would probably not be able to postpone it for too long. Rose was looking forward to cutting his hair for the very first time and was already making plans for possible hairstyles. With the twins Rosalie bit with new hairstyle proposals permanently on granite. Becky let her cut - if at all - only the tips. Likewise Jake.
Ced knew what exactly home meant. Our house in Saco. This is where we spent most of our time.
He smiled. I took my son and of course I did not forget to take his Kraken with me from the back seat.
Very important!
I handed him my keys. With that, you could give him real pleasure at the moment.
The many silver pieces shone so beautifully, along with Alice's little vampire, a somewhat failed attempt from Jake's wolf carving for Bella's music box, a colorful ribbon from Leah, and two car keys. BMW and Jaguar, since only I drove these cars.
"On there," I pointed to a button on the Jaguar key.
My son did it and noted quite enthusiastically that the car's turn signals had lit up once, as well as an implied honking sound. He repeated it, several times and with increasing enthusiasm. With all the buttons that were present, which is why the BMW next to it also blinked.
"I certainly hope you have more criteria for your own car later than the effects of locking it up!", I raised an eyebrow in amused shock.
His eyes grew wide in disbelief and a hand came to rest on my chin.
Ced very rarely spoke, and when he did, he only addressed us. Instead, he constantly used his gift to talk to us. Now he was thinking about his own car! As colorful and as fast as the one we had sat in on the carousel.
"Agreed, but we'll probably have to have a very serious talk about the color!", I admonished. The car in the carousel had been a very glaring pink. Really. Very glaring! It looked like a sugary princess gumdrop with glitter in it. A very old Ford convertible. Rose would be thrilled to get one of those to tinker with. And I agreed with the top speed of the carousel as well. At least nothing would happen to my little darling with it, although he would certainly prefer a little more speed one day. "But don't tell Mommy of this!", I said conspiratorially.
This one also just called, which is why I briskly went into the house.
Bella stood in the doorway to the living room, her jacket not yet completely off, but just pushed a bit over her arms.
I peeked into the living room.
"Oh ...!" was all I said. I wasn't sure what else I should have said to that. Leah and Nanuk were asleep on our sofa, completely unclothed. Lovingly facing each other.
Ced chuckled with his fingers placed in front of his mouth when he saw the two.
"Weren't you going to the bathroom?", I asked Bella first.
"Oh yes," she said frantically, with me holding her jacket with one hand and hanging it on a hook.
I also took off Ced's jacket and mine and put Bella's purse aside.
"Then we want to wake up your big sister," I said.
Ced nodded, scrambled ahead, and I helped him up onto the sofa still.
So far he made no effort to start walking so soon. He was already pulling himself up onto his legs, but always dropped back onto his bottom very quickly. Apparently, the strength in his legs was not yet sufficient to carry the baby, who seemed to be about six months old. Sonya had theorized about this. He was too sure and too quick about crawling to have felt induced to take his first real step. Carlisle, on the other hand, was of the opinion that he would probably start walking just as unforeseen as he had started crawling, and when the time came he would walk as surely and as naturally as he already did when crawling.
I took the blanket from the back of the sofa and spread it over the two sleeping people.
"Leah, my darling," I whispered, crawling with my fingertips over her cheek.
"Five more minutes, Dad," she mumbled, pushing my hand aside and burying her head a little more in the crook of the young man's neck.
Her hand she also put back on that same male body.
That was definitely not her bedspread. Or anything similar that would usually be found in her bed.
She began to blink.
"Nanuk!" she stated as she sat up with a jerk.
She rubbed her eyes and looked at me, startled. Even though there was very clearly a little fright in her eyes right now, I still recognized a glow underneath that I hadn't seen since Marcus had left.
"Yes, that's Nanuk!", I confirmed, smirking inwardly.
Immediately, Leah chewed on her lips in embarrassment and lowered her gaze.
"Nanuk," Ced agreed wholeheartedly.
"Mmm ... mmm ...", the latter uttered half asleep, but continued to sleep unmolested.
Only with difficulty did Leah look at me, with a distinct red glow around her nose.
"Are you mad at me?" she muttered.
"Why would I be mad, Little one?", I asked back.
"Well ..." my princess said indeterminately, casting a shy glance at the young man next to her.
"There's no reason to be mad at you," I interrupted her word finding.
She looked at me irritated and could not explain my non-existent annoyance.
I would have to be very disappointed after all. For several reasons. She had not gone to Boston with Jake and her friends, as she had told us she would this morning. She had been enjoying herself on our sofa. And then with Nanuk, too.
"We know ourselves how versatile our couch can be used," I said vaguely.
"IIIIHHH ... DAD!" she retorted in horror and immediately jumped up from the cushion, awkwardly holding the blanket over her.
I chuckled.
Yes, I talked about pretty much everything openly and honestly with my kids, but just not really about everything.
Ced couldn't possibly understand what had just gotten into Leah, but he obviously found it funny. He was lolling on the sofa laughing.
"Maybe you should wake Nanuk up so he can get dressed," I smiled gently at my daughter.
I gave her a kiss on the forehead and went into the kitchen with Ced.
The angel of the house needed a stomach-soothing tea and had muttered in the car something about a hot water bottle.
On the way, I took miscellaneous items from the dining table with me.
Apparently, the wolves had eaten together and then exchanged the edible dessert for a much sweeter one. A muffin tin lay untouched.
I was curious, so I listened, even though it wasn't proper, while Ced made tea for his mommy. I almost didn't help at all.
"Nanuk," Leah pulled the young man out of his nap.
With a little restlessness in his voice.
The person addressed quickly opened his eyes and immediately sat upright, somewhat irritated by Leah's tone. Their eyes met and for a moment everything else seemed to become unimportant. It was quite unequivocal what Leah and Nanuk had done on our sofa, but looking at that look on their faces, I really just wondered how they had been able to avoid it for two weeks. There was so much emotion in their eyes. So much affection.
I purposely clinked two cups noisily against each other so Leah wouldn't forget they were no longer alone.
"My parents are here," she then immediately remembered.
"What?!" replied Nanuk, startled and about two and a half octaves too high, which made me chuckle.
Hectically, he jumped up from the couch when he realized that he was lying naked on the cushion in the public living room. He tangled his legs in the blanket that Leah had wrapped around herself as much as possible and they fell back onto the couch together.
Now I was no longer smirking. I laughed.
As did the two of them. And Bella laughed, too, when she entered the dining room through the back door and glanced over to the living room.
"Hello, Nanuk ... Leah," she greeted the two teens as they walked by, as if it were a perfectly everyday situation.
Bella made only a very moderate effort to hide her chuckle.
How could Leah think that I or we could be mad at her. She was happy, so we were too.
Quickly, the young people gathered their clothes and incidentally noticed the time.
4:23 p.m. They couldn't have slept very long, as I gathered from their very embarrassed thoughts.
"Are you feeling better?", I asked my angel as she arrived in the kitchen and leaned against the kitchen counter.
"Yeah, a little bit. It's rumbling pretty good in there," Bella said with her hands on her belly.
"I hear it," I stated teasingly. I had warned her, after all.
The kettle whistled and I poured the bubbling water over the tea.
Ced then proudly pushed towards his mommy the cup he had made almost all by himself.
"Be careful. That's hot!" I warned, but by then it was too late.
The water had spilled over and hit Ced's fingers. Immediately he cried, but just as immediately his hand was between mine.
The moment that he was already a big boy who could almost prepare tea for his mommy on his own was already over and I had my baby back. How lucky I was. If it were up to Ced, he would get his own car tomorrow, but he would also be walking through the forest with us tomorrow.
Leah and Nanuk were dressed in the meantime and approached the kitchen door very sheepishly.
I asked if they wanted tea too and they nodded.
Silent.
So I took two more cups while Bella blew on Ced's fingers. He was no longer crying, but he was sniveling right now.
We went back to the cozier living room after I put the rest of the water in the hot water bottle. Bella snuggled into the corner of the sofa, wrapped in the blanket, the hot water bottle on her stomach and two pillows behind her back. I prepared one more bottle of blood for my son before sitting down on the sofa as well, and Ced crawled toward me excitedly. I picked him up in my arms.
Like a real baby, I smirked in my mind. Meanwhile, the times of the feeding with blood were the only minutes Ced was willing to behave according to his age of four weeks. Otherwise, he tended to sit upright on the arm. As much as possible at eye level with whoever was carrying him.
Leah and Nanuk, on the other hand, stood indecisively in front of the sofa, not knowing where to go with themselves.
"Well, then, tell us," I asked the two of them.
Bella looked at them as questioningly as Ced did.
Not that Leah had to give an account before us, but we were simply curious. After all, this morning Leah had fought against Nanuk and for the continuation of his engagement. Something seemed to have changed in that regard.
Leah sat down at the end of the cushion after all, Nanuk behind her on the sofa armrest.
"Actually, I wanted to go to Boston with the others," my princess began guiltily.
I nodded.
That was the only thing, if anything, that I could have been mad about. That she didn't tell us about her changed plans. We would have come back earlier so she wouldn't have been alone all day or taken her with us if she had felt like it.
"But on the way here, when Jake was thinking about how the day could have turned out, I didn't feel like it. Me alone among the three couples. Nah, thanks!" she sighed, and Nanuk promptly put a hand gently on the back of her neck.
She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Nanuk. They both smiled.
"So you wouldn't know I didn't drive with them after all, I was here briefly with Jake and Becky, but then ran off into the woods. I didn't want you guys to worry, I just wanted to be alone."
"I was supposed to go with Kate to her parent's today, but I had a strange feeling that something was wrong with Leah, and I should be with her. Under the pretext that Kate sees her family far too rarely and then also mostly with visitors, Kate drove alone and I immediately ran into the forest. At the cabin by the lake I found Leah ...", Nanuk told.
He squinted his eyes painfully before continuing.
I did the same as him, because the image he had in his mind's eye hurt me as much as it hurt him.
Leah reacted on it.
Unconsciously and instinctively, as I often saw Jake do. She said nothing, just leaned back more against Nanuk and put her arm over his leg, which was hanging to the floor beside her. And it worked immediately. The memory of the huddled girl lying on the ice-cold wooden dock, crying incessantly, faded instantly. Instead, other memories appeared as Leah also turned slightly toward him so that she could look at him. Memories I didn't want to see from my daughter. I guess that would be the disadvantage of their connection now. So a disadvantage for me. As for the permissiveness of his thoughts, I would have to start all over again.
"Nanuk. I'm well aware that Leah isn't a little girl anymore and you won't just be holding hands, but you don't have to show me that in great detail!" I said very matter-of-factly.
My baby laughed out loud when Nanuk slipped off the armrest and landed on the floor.
Bella chuckled, too.
Only Leah and Nanuk turned scarlet red in the face, whereby Leah also hid her face with her hands and pressed herself into the sofa as if she wanted to hide in it.
Ced immediately continued drinking unimpeded as Nanuk got back on his feet.
"And now? What's next for you?" asked Bella, when the glaring hue on their faces had subsided somewhat.
"We admit defeat. The bond between us is too strong. We can't fight it anymore," Nanuk said, but he didn't really like the words.
They sounded so forced and matter-of-fact to him, but he didn't actually feel that way. He was already correcting them on his own, too, putting a hand on Leah's shoulder to emphasize his words.
"Leah is the most important person in my life. I can't live without her anymore and I will do everything in my power to make her happy for the rest of her life," Nanuk stated emphatically.
Leah turned in his direction and they looked deeply into each other's eyes for a long moment.
He was completely serious. He would never again allow that this beautiful young woman to shed tears because she was sad. Never again was she to despair of emotional chaos. Never again to be deprived of the love whose power Leah had opened up to him like a whole new world. He would live for that! And Leah's thoughts were the same.
They kissed each other and I looked down at my son, who was sucking the last drops from the bottle.
"Your sister is in love!", I murmured to Ced, who chortled happily.
Bella also smiled contentedly as she hugged her hot water bottle.
I put the empty baby bottle aside and Bella immediately snuggled up to me, whereby I gave her a kiss on the forehead. I also continued to cradle our baby in my arms as long as he still allowed it and didn't think he was too big for that.
My twins were now both happy again, which pleased me very much. I was only very sorry for Marcus, how things turned out now after all. He had foreseen that sooner or later it would come to this between Leah and Nanuk and had not wanted to stand in Leah's way in this case. But he himself still suffered from the breakup. The separation from Leah, but also from the family that he had gotten with it. I resolved to pay Marcus a visit in the next few days. Rose had said she would need a few more days for the bus, as not all the spare parts had been delivered yet, but I wanted to know how Marcus was doing. I was concerned about his welfare as if he were still together with Leah. To me, I think he would continue to be a part of the family and I knew Jake, Becky, and Bella felt the same way.
"You still have your dessert," I remarked after the young people eventually broke away from their kiss.
"What?" asked Leah, completely lost in thought of the dessert they had actually indulged in, and inevitably blushing by doing so.
However, I pointed to the dining table.
"Oh, I see," she said sheepishly, picking up the mold, which had cooled enough by now. "Mom, would you like one?" she asked as she took the little cakes out of the mold.
"I'm not eating anything until Christmas!" claimed Bella, however, already turning a tiny bit green in the face at the sight of the cupcakes.
Ced then unfortunately crawled out of my arms after all when he discovered what Leah had in her hands.
My son liked cake very much. All of them, in fact! In all imaginable variations.
Only now did Leah really notice that Bella seemed a bit groggy. She had been busy with other thoughts the whole time. This led to a question in her head, the wording of which she was still thinking about while she gradually gave Ced a piece of cake.
"Then you're not kind of disappointed or anything? ... I mean, Marcus just broke up with me a week ago and already Nanuk is here," Leah asked.
"But no, Leah," Bella said immediately.
"It may seem ruthless to outsiders that you replaced Marcus so quickly, but we do know what was actually behind it. You guys have fought so vehemently, against your destiny, that this is exactly what is not happening here. To preserve what you two love and not to hurt them. You have held on very bravely, especially since Marcus is gone. But now you are just tired of the struggle ... We are happy that you are happy again," I completed.
My daughter jumped right next to me on the sofa and gave me a big kiss on the cheek. Bella got one too, of course. And Ced then demanded one too.
"And let's face it. The imprinting meant well with you. The fate could have also chosen Tom for you!", I teased her a little bit.
"IIIIHHH ... Dad!" she went, and immediately jumped up again.
Nanuk fell silent, a little embarrassed.
He had understood the subliminal compliment.
"So have you thought about how this will work out practically with you guys when Nanuk has to go back to Boston?", I inquired cheerfully.
Yes, the two of them had already talked about it and we ended up in a pleasant chat. I actually liked Nanuk quite a bit, but still I doubted that he could ever take Marcus' place with me.
I also had another question, but Nanuk answered it mentally because he kept thinking about the procedure, so I didn't have to say the question.
What was with Kate? Nanuk was officially still engaged, but he would change that today. There would right away be a dinner at his house with his and her family to see the 'kids' off back to Boston for the time being. At that, he would bring this up. He wondered what the most appropriate time would be. Before? Then the dinner would probably fall through entirely and the Eversons would go home. The entire family and quite angry. After? Then the guests would possibly feel somehow deceived because not a word was said during the dinner. He didn't like that, because they would most likely talk about the wedding, which should have taken place in not even four weeks. But the fact remained that he would no longer be engaged at the end of the evening, because he was not a person who put things off. He hoped that Kate would demonstrate understanding, but rather expected the opposite. Even if she suspected that in the long run things might not go on with Leah and Nanuk as they had been, the finality now would still alienate her. He didn't want to hurt Kate, his love for her was still there, but he couldn't stay with her anymore. Not after these past hours with Leah, which had fundamentally changed his life.
In the course of chatting, Nanuk also became aware that in this house you didn't hide your feelings just because you were sitting with your parents.
They sat on the carpet and played with Ced, who also seemed to get along splendidly with Nanuk, and the teens kissed each other regularly.
I begrudged the two their love, against which they had struggled so much. As I had once considered at the beginning. The attraction and the protective instinct were so serious through the imprinting that it would lead to real love within a very short time. I had been right about that. Oh well. According to Jasper, who inevitably knew better about feelings, the love between them had been there for a long time. They had only suppressed it. Now it was over with that, and they seemed to me almost as if they had always been together.
I was just making Bella another cup of tea when Jake and Becky came through the front door.
The two first stopped right in the doorway and tried to understand the picture that presented itself.
Leah and Nanuk kissed each other impressively lying on the floor, while Bella was just upstairs with Ced to re-diaper him.
"Hello?!" Jake said indeterminately, but obviously surprised. He was still wondering whether he should intervene or not.
Before he had decided on either, Bella was already coming down the stairs and Ced wanted to be on Becky's arm.
That's what he mostly wanted when the two of them arrived home. And at the same time Ced smiled extremely charmingly, so that my older son once again became jealous. A little bit, at least.
Quickly, however, they were enlightened about Leah and Nanuk and they were generally pleased.
For Leah, but also that this indecision was over, which had teared at each of us somewhere. Because none of us really knew how to face Nanuk and Leah in light of the unwanted imprinting.
Jake, however, tormented some questions about it.
What would Marcus say about this, and was he allowed to remain friends with him now? Would he ever be able to see a brother in Nanuk, as he felt with Marcus? It would certainly be quite annoying to now also have to watch in Nanuk's head what his little sis was up to!
I would talk to him about it later.
Of course, he could remain friends with Marcus, Leah wouldn't mind that either, but maybe he shouldn't tell him anything about Leah for the time being. Time would tell everything else.
"I'm afraid I have to go in a minute," Nanuk then said when it was close to half past five.
The family dinner was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. It took him barely fifteen minutes for the way, but he wanted to talk to his family beforehand to give them a heads up, and then to Kate.
My princess' liberated and elated smile immediately died, and she involuntarily got up from the sofa.
"I'm coming with you," she said firmly. She wanted to stay by his side as long as possible, but also to stand by him as best she could during the difficult conversation with Kate.
Nanuk also rose and took her face delicately in his hands.
"Please don't, Leah. I don't want to expose you to Kate's anger. If you're there, she'll blame you for everything. We all know that's not the case, but Kate won't care at that moment. If she attacks you in any way, I will only hurt Kate more because I couldn't let that happen," he asked her calmly, undergirding his words with a gentle kiss.
Leah thought about it, but then nodded in surrender.
It was certainly hard enough for Kate, so Leah didn't need to incite her anger by her mere presence.
So we took in turn saying goodbye to the young man, whom we would certainly see very often here in the future. I also expected to see him regularly at the breakfast table, if his lectures would permit it time-wise.
"Go on, say goodbye to Nanuk. He has to go home to his parents," I gave my baby to understand. It was never too early to teach your child a certain amount of politeness.
"Nanuk," Ced said in response, holding out his arms to him.
On his arm, he first asked with his gift about the really important things. Whether he would bake such delicious cake again next time.
Nanuk promised it and my son grinned pleasingly.
Then he may come again. As soon as possible!
"Very generous!", Nanuk stated to him.
Ced also extended a hand to Leah, who offered him her fingers.
We would still have to teach our baby sensitivity. He let Leah know that Nanuk would hopefully stay longer than Marcus.
Leah narrowed her eyes and swallowed audibly. But immediately she opened her eyes again and looked at Nanuk.
I hadn't even noticed it right away. Ced touched them both. He created the spiritual connection between them, and I didn't know how to put into words what was slowly building between Nanuk and Leah.
They were reliving the moment of their imprinting. It was so intense that they both held their breath and were caught in each other's gaze. I heard them flooded with warmth emanating from their hearts.
I wanted to get up from the sofa, take Ced to be on the safe side, in case the feelings became too comprehensive.
I was only the proverbial eavesdropper on the wall, but it took me away in such a way that I was unable to move.
"Jake," I barely brought over my lips, and he reacted appropriately.
He took Nanuk Ced off his arm, but held him in such a way that his brother continued to reach both of them. Jake had already noticed what was going on.
Bella addressed me, but I could not turn my concentration away from the young people.
I also heard Becky ask what was happening right now, but she didn't get an answer either.
Jake watched in fascination, and I was caught up in the thoughts of both of them.
The world inside spun incessantly that I almost knew what vertigo felt like. The pervasive but not searing heat of the two transferred to me as well. I felt hot and cold at the same time. I saw so many fleeting images before me. Little details of Leah and Nanuk's faces. The freckle on Leah's cheek. The birthmark under Nanuk's eyebrow. Exposed teeth as they smiled. Angry narrowed eyes. A gentle look. A delicate touch with the fingertips. The images did not stop. It went on and on, without my being able to escape it. Leah as a small child, running after Jake. Nanuk on a romantic beach. Leah in a white dress with a veil. A brightly shining full moon and two champagne glasses. A golden ring which was slipped over Nanuk's finger. A horse ride and a hill in the sunset. A white wolf in the dark night. Nanuk and Akai as Native American children. Cries of pain. A newborn baby girl in Leah's arms. A filled cake fork and cream that clung at Leah's lips. A little boy learning to walk on Nanuk's hands ... The images changed faster and faster that I barely recognized anything, but it ended with right now and right here. The room around the two of them spun, but it slowed down until it stopped altogether and Leah and Nanuk fell into each other's arms. Not a kiss, which is what this connection resulted in with the rest of us, but a hug. They held on to each other so tightly, like they were keeping each other from falling over. I saw that my daughter was crying and heard that she didn't know how to react to what she had just experienced. Just as Nanuk did not know.
But I was able to move again after this even for me unbelievable experience let me go.
So I directed my family to the kitchen so that Leah and Nanuk could be undisturbed and process the images that were still swirling around in their heads.
Bella was feeling better by now, but the question of what had happened was written all over her face.
I put my arms around my angel's waist and kissed her as I lifted her onto the kitchen counter.
"Our daughter will be very happy with Nanuk!", I whispered.
"How do you know that?" she asked incredulously.
Ced didn't make a sound and looked quite grief-stricken, as if he would start crying at any moment.
That's how I took him from Jake.
"What's wrong, my darling?", I asked him.
I smirked as he explained his mood to me through his gift.
His head hurt because he had seen so much at once. He was afraid that he had done something wrong. That he might have hurt Leah and Nanuk, too. He didn't want that.
"You did nothing wrong, my little angel. You gave Leah and Nanuk a truly incredible moment," I reassured my son, but immediately looked back at Bella, who was still waiting for an answer. "I saw it. I can't explain what happened there between the two of them," I said, still completely blown away. "Past, present and future all mixed together in their minds. Maybe it was what fate had destined for the two of them. Or maybe it was just what the two of them promised or dreamed of from their love. I didn't get to see everything, but what I did see was gorgeous ... We will have at least two sweet grandchildren!"
"Are you serious?" asked Bella incredulously, but her face quickly changed to touched.
"Yes, my heart. I mean it. I also saw Leah in her wedding dress," I whispered and hugged my beloved wife. My twins would be as happy as I already was.
I still had Ced on my arm, which I now inevitably put a little on Bella's legs. He took the opportunity and showed Bella what he had witnessed. A moved tear rolled out of Bella's eyes.
In the living room, meanwhile, they kissed each other devotedly and intimately.
They also didn't know exactly what they had seen there earlier, but that it could have been a prospect for their future together moved them both equally. Since we had already said goodbye to Nanuk, we stayed in the kitchen as Leah and Nanuk went out onto the terrace.
Nanuk had to go home and took off his clothes.
"It remains so, Leah. When I arrive in Boston, I'll call you. And tomorrow I'll come here," Nanuk reminded again, while they were in love in each other's arms.
"Okay," Leah sighed. She would love to go with him.
It took a little while before Leah joined us in the kitchen.
Smiling subtly, beaming beyond measure and a little reddish tinged because we all anxiously looked forward to her.
"What's for dinner, anyway?" she asked evasively thereupon.
"Air and love?" offered Jake, chuckling, at which Leah turned a shade more reddish.
The twins hugged each other laughing, both happy that Leah could laugh heartily again. But meanwhile we were discussing about dinner.
Bella still wasn't hungry, even though she didn't seem to be nauseous anymore.
"What do you guys think?" then Becky offered a suggestion. "Bella retires to the sofa, I cook, and you guys go into the woods until then. Then you won't have to leave again later."
The proposal was generally accepted.
The twins ran upstairs once again. They both wanted to go to the bathroom beforehand and get comfortable clothes ready down here for later. Leah also put her cell phone on the charger, because she wanted to make a little phone call later.
Ced, of course, wanted to go into the forest with us.
"You have to watch Mommy for so long. That she doesn't trip or hit her head," I told to my baby quite seriously and he looked back no less seriously.
I helped him onto the sofa, and he sat down cutely at Bella's feet, as if he immediately didn't want to let her out of his protective eyes.
Leah came down the stairs first, still carrying an empty glass, which she took to the kitchen.
I put a hand to her forehead as I passed.
"Are you sick? You don't usually bring empty dishes back down without asking!", I asked skeptically.
I pointed evocatively at Jake, who indeed came with only clothes in his hands, although there stood currently two plates and three glasses by him.
"Nonsense. Sick," she rebuffed teasingly and kissed me on the cheek, chuckling.
But not a second later she was lying in my arms. Leah's glass slipped from her fingers, and she slumped. The impact of the glass on the soft carpet seemed to echo throughout the room.
"Leah!" sounded in several voices.
Also from me. My daughter was a strong Spirit Warrior. She didn't usually have circulation problems or anything like that, which did happen with Bella or Becky. For example, if they got up too fast or something like that. It was then always over very quickly, as apparently also now with Leah.
She put a hand against her head, shook it once, as if she wanted to shake off this feeling of weakness, and immediately stood on her own legs again.
"Already over," she mumbled, already sounding composed again.
Uncertainly, however, she looked toward me.
'What could it have been?' she asked me mentally, so as not to worry her mother.
"I don't know. Heart and breathing are absolutely normal by wolf standards," I replied in a whisper, holding her face in my hands and looking at her pupil reaction for another moment. Normal, as was her temperature. "How do you feel?", I asked in a normal volume.
"I don't know," Leah reflected, sitting down in a chair. "Physically, as always. But somehow I have a bad feeling."
This was the moment Jake sought my gaze.
Bad feeling. He knew that. From the morning Becky had been raped. And hadn't Nanuk also felt he had to see Leah this morning, even though there was no just cause to assume anything might be wrong.
"Do you feel like you need to go to Nanuk?" so I asked pointedly.
She put a hand against her heart and immediately the same thoughts went through her mind.
Was the imprinting so strong that you could feel when the other needed you? But what should have happened already. It was by now six o'clock in the evening just past. Perhaps Nanuk had already spoken to Kate and was in a sense attacked by her. Whether physically or verbally. Nanuk was a strong wolf after all, and he could take a lot. Perhaps he simply wished that Leah had been there after all, and Leah received that wish despite the distance.
My princess looked up at me and nodded.
"Then we run to him," I said.
So we set out on our way.
In a backpack I took the twins' clothes with me, since we would thus pay a little visit to the Latham family after all.
We hadn't been on the road long, had just passed our property and had reached the woods of Hollis when we stopped abruptly.
Facing us were two vampires. Two women who, by human appearance, were barely older than me.
"Oh ... shit!" the blonde exclaimed, as soon as she recognized my twins.
"Then that must have been their puppy back there!" the black-haired girl murmured.
I saw an encounter in their minds and my Spirit Warriors already drew the right conclusions from the few words. The vampires had encountered Nanuk when he was on his way home. An encounter that had not ended well for Nanuk. Whether he was still alive, I could not tell from the memories. If so, he would need medical attention as soon as possible so that the broken bones would knit together properly.
"Hey, you!" the dark one addressed me.
"These beasts are dogged and dangerous. You should be on your guard to approach them!", the blonde said.
I saw that these two ladies had not been able to fall back on any supernatural gifts to defend themselves against Nanuk. My twins stood to the right and left of me, still thinking whether they had really understood the words concerning a puppy correctly. But also the smell that emanated from the bloodsuckers was quite unambiguous. The aroma of musk was in the air. Wolf smell. And the smell of blood, which was not hidden from the wolves.
"That's right!", I confirmed in a general way, putting a hand at each of Leah's and Jake's shoulders.
The vampires stared at me in disbelief while my children began to growl.
"Kill them!", I urged my children.
A howl like thunder rumbled through the black forest as my wolves charged toward the two.
The vampires' eyes widened in terror as the massive beasts drew ever closer to them.
They knew what kind of danger they had run into. The smaller wolf had already been not without, and they had been able to put him only in twos out of action. These were two and much bigger. They also seemed to know what they were doing. The one before had seemed a bit clumsy in places, although that didn't make him any less dangerous.
I left my children alone with the certainty that nothing would happen to them.
If the couple had had problems against Nanuk alone, they would have absolutely no chance against my twins.
I hurriedly ran on through the forest. Tracked back the smell of the strangers and kept a lookout for Nanuk.
On the way, I was already calling Carlisle and explaining what I knew so far.
That Nanuk had been attacked and I had no idea how he was doing. Whether he was still alive or not.
I followed the short but sometimes very violent fight by means of the twins' thoughts as long as I was still close enough to be able to follow their thoughts.
Leah was driven by fear and thirst for revenge alone and did not spare the women. She almost destroyed them alone. The vampires' screams of pain resounded through the night until they shattered into millions of fragments. Leah set right after me while Jake was still lighting the broken pieces. She had a few unsightly scratches on her shoulder, but she didn't have time for that right now. She was only afraid for Nanuk.
I ran as fast as I could, as did my daughter, who almost caught up with me.
Then I found Nanuk.
Blood had stained the snow around the human body red. It dripped from countless injuries. He was still breathing, but his heart was beating so softly that I could hardly hear it. Apparently he had tried to drag himself away from here. He was lying on his stomach, one arm outstretched, but he couldn't reach anything to hold on to. Only snow.
"Nanuk!", I addressed him and immediately sat by his side.
"Edward," he breathed softly.
I turned him onto his back, looking for injuries I could treat until Carlisle would arrive.
But the many wounds from which he was bleeding looked quite harmless. Most of them were only superficial and could not be fatal. There were three deeper welts on his stomach, but even these could not possibly be responsible for Nanuk's frail condition. Still, Nanuk was so weak that I feared for his life. His temperature should be high, the wolfish healing should be making him burn inside, but his body was doing the opposite. The fingers that wanted to claw for help seeking in mine were cold and powerless. Even in Seth there had been more life when I had carried him unconscious to Carlisle.
Leah reached us only a few seconds after I had arrived at Nanuk. The white she-wolf was stiff with horror for a split second when she saw her lover lying there. In one fluid movement, she immediately sat at his side as human.
"Nanuk," she whispered, taking his hand and placing the other on his heart.
He smiled a little bit and his eyelids slid upward with difficulty.
"Leah," he murmured. "You're here."
"Yes, Nanuk. I am with you. Everything will be all right," she strengthened him.
But I was not sure of this, as Leah persuaded it on herself. I was still looking for the injury that caused this condition.
Nanuk tried to tell her that there were vampires in the forest, that she should be careful, but Leah reassured him. They had already been destroyed. Leah kept talking to her beloved, but he was getting weaker and weaker.
My princess looked at me urgently.
Pleading! Nanuk had to stay alive!
So I continued to search undeterred. Until I found the trigger.
Nanuk, the Spirit Warrior, was bitten by a vampire! The crescent-shaped scar lay hidden by his hair on the back of his neck.
I sat him up a bit, sliding him into Leah's arms so I could reach the wound.
I had no idea if sucking out the poison would help, but I had to at least try. Leah could not lose her mate.
I sucked vigorously.
The wolf blood was disgusting, but what did it matter. It was about the man who would make my daughter happy! In that case, personal sensations were unimportant.
I sucked and sucked, but the venom did not subside.
I had the impression that it became more and more poison, although I was careful not to inject even mine into the bloodstream. And Nanuk was getting colder and weaker. His breathing got shallow and intermittent, and his heart was beating slowly.
Jake arrived at us with Nanuk's bag in his hands, but he just sat at his feet and hoped.
"Leah ... Are you still there?" Nanuk asked, mumbling.
He lay in her arms with his eyes open, but he did not seem to feel or see her.
The life left his body. Stunned him.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, looked into my daughter's desperate eyes, and shook my head.
There was nothing I could do. If I took any more of his blood, I would only kill him myself. It was too late. Perhaps this attempt had been doomed from the start. It was said that our poison was toxic to wolves, but that no transformation would begin. We could suck it out of humans as long as the heart was not yet reached, but for wolves this little grace period apparently did not apply.
Leah painfully squinted her eyes, from which tears promptly sprang, but she forced herself to speak.
"Of course I am there, Nanuk. I will always be there!" she said quite composedly, with which she surprised me a little.
I heard Carlisle approaching, along with Jasper, as I took some distance with Jake and hugged him tightly.
I didn't want to be in the way of Leah and Nanuk at that last moment, and my son was in shock, so to speak.
Wolves could die. A fact that only just now reached him. So many injuries they had had. His shoulder joint had been shattered or bones stuck in his heart. Leah's lung had been bruised once and I had almost strangled her. But they had always escaped without a scratch in the end. His view of the world became distorted.
I quickly explained to Carlisle what I now knew. I had hoped that Carlisle would still find a way out.
But my father just shook his head.
The fact that I had the feeling of tasting more and more poison was due to the fact that the heart had already been reached. Once there, it was pumped briskly through all the veins. From that moment on, it wouldn't have mattered what we did. Nothing would have made any difference. Carlisle, however, was not sure that the possibility of sucking it out could have any effect on a wolf. According to the legends, our venom was poisonous to wolves per se.
So we could only watch helplessly as Nanuk passed away. How he snuggled up to Leah with the last of his strength. How his thoughts became darker and darker.
"I love you, Leah! Never forget that!" Nanuk breathed, completely at the end of his strength.
"I love you, Nanuk!" whispered Leah, giving his lips a soft kiss.
A gentle smile, a last heartbeat.
"Nanuk?" asked Leah in a panic, but Nanuk had passed from us.
My eyes burned painfully.
For a few minutes, nothing could be heard except Leah's silent sobs.
Jasper was already sitting with her, trying to make her suffering more bearable, but he couldn't get through to her with his gift.
I pushed my son into Carlisle's arms.
Jake was completely all over the place.
He could not comprehend what had just happened here. He did not want to.
I went to Leah.
She had lost her soul mate. If anyone could understand this, it was me, even though I had once left Bella of my own free will and she had not been torn from my life in agony. It had hurt unspeakably. Leah would certainly be much worse off than I was at the time.
She continued to hold Nanuk in her arms, unwilling to let him go and, of course, crying incessantly.
I wish I had the ability to express my feelings with it. Emotion or joy, but also sadness. Like now.
Leah also continued to talk to him, though I couldn't tell if Leah was aware of it, but Nanuk could no longer hear her. He was no longer among the living.
And I was scared by what Leah was muttering to herself.
"... The life is meaningless ..."
Thank you for reading!
