Izzy braced herself and opened the door. Just as she feared, Kim, the Black Pack member responsible for all hair canine and human, hadn't come alone.
"Sorry, Izzy," Kim said as a pack of overgrown children rushed past her. "They overheard us talking and insisted on coming along."
Kim had yet to learn there was no such thing as a private phone call in their house.
"It's alright," Izzy sighed. "There's nothing you could have done to stop them."
Jared wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist. "Couldn't let Kim have all the fun."
Fun. The word made Izzy's entire body tense up. Something always ended up broken when the pack had "fun."
"Dude!" Embry exclaimed. "Take a look at this place!"
She should have known better than to think her friends would pass up an opportunity to tour the infamous Cullen house.
Quil whistled. "You could fit three of our house in here!"
He wasn't wrong. The entryway alone dwarfed their cozy little house.
"I heard they have a full recording studio in the basement!" Embry shouted.
Also true. It was a birthday gift for Edward.
"I heard they have an Olympic-sized pool down there!" Seth exclaimed.
"There's no way they have a pool in the basement," Quil said.
Quil was right. The pool was in the backyard. Had they put it in the basement there wouldn't have been enough room for the home theater.
Quil leaned towards Seth. "I hear they hid their victim's bodies down there."
"Really?" Seth whispered.
"Yep," Emmett said, wrapping his arms around their shoulders. "All thirty of them."
Seth slowly turned around and came face to face with Emmett's fangs. The color drained from his face. He looked like he was going to either vomit or wet his pants. Either way, Izzy wasn't cleaning it up.
"Seth, aren't you a bit old to believe in ghost stories?" Jake asked.
Her personal sun had arrived wearing battered Converse and a leather jacket.
"Might as well come in, Jake," Alice said. "Everyone else did."
Izzy offered him an encouraging smile. Jake was quick to reciprocate. Something inside Izzy stirred. The same thing that almost kissed him in their bedroom.
Jake only made it one step into the entryway before being intercepted by Emmett.
If Emmett's appearance was off-putting to Jake, he didn't show it.
He kept smiling and offered Emmett a handshake. "Jacob Black."
"I remember you," Emmett said, crossing his arms. "You're the one who crashed Bella and Edward's engagement party." He smirked at Seth who still looked a little pasty. "He threw up in the pool."
The song ended and Bella let go of Jake. She'd agreed to one dance. It was hard to decide if she was relieved or disappointed that it was over.
"What are you doing here?" Bella asked Jake. "I know you didn't come all the way here for one dance."
Jake looked down at his scuffed dress shoes. "I came to deliver a message."
"About what?" Bella asked.
"About the treaty."
Bella rolled her eyes. "I already know all about the treaty."
She should have known Billy Black was behind this. He had been ranting about the treaty to anyone who would listen since the Cullens moved to town. The tantrum he threw when she started dating Edward was legendary.
"Then you know that if you go through with this. If you marry him, the treaty will apply to you too," Jake said. "You won't ever be allowed to return to La Push."
While disappointed, Bella wasn't surprised. Rose received the same warning when she married Emmett.
"You and I won't be able to be friends anymore," Jake continued.
"Your dad can't stop us from being friends!" Bella exclaimed.
She'd always thought Billy would come around eventually. He'd warm up to Edward when he realized how happy he made her. She never thought he'd stop Jake from seeing her.
"Please, please don't do this Bella," Jake begged."Go to college. Travel the world. Find things that make you happy. Join the circus if you want. Just don't marry him! Don't throw your life away for a Cullen!"
"I'm not throwing my life away for him!" Bella exclaimed.
She was so tired of this same stupid fight. She'd already been through it a half dozen times with her father. Why couldn't they understand? She loved Edward. Marrying him wasn't throwing her life away.
"When was the last time you drove your truck?" Jake asked.
Her truck? What did that have to do with anything?
Bella shrugged. "I don't know…a month or two."
Edward always picked her up for school. He helped her run errands and took her to the bookstore in Port Angeles. Edward didn't mind driving and Bella liked spending extra time with him.
"When was the last time you picked your own clothes?" Jake asked.
Bella looked down at her dress. It was a beautiful blue silk with an eye-watering price tag. While Bella would have preferred something simpler, rejecting Alice and Esme's gift would have been rude. Just like it would have been rude to reject all of the other gifts filling her closet to the brim.
"When was the last time you spent a day with your dad or came to visit me in La Push?" Jake asked.
Bella was ashamed to admit she didn't know. Edward always had something planned for them. They spent spring break on Isle Esme with his family. They went to dinner at fancy restaurants in Port Angeles. He took her shopping for a new car in Seattle.
"Did you even want this party?" Jake asked.
Why wouldn't I want to celebrate my engagement?" Bella replied.
She loved Edward. Marrying him was a dream come true.
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you outside?"
The DJ. The crowd. The ice sculptures and chocolate fountain in the entryway. It was all just a bit… much. It was a far cry from the small gathering of friends she'd envisioned.
"I just needed some fresh air," Bella said.
"Can't you see?" Jacob said, grabbing Bella's forearm. "He's changing you! The clothes. This party. The fancy outings. None of it is you! You don't belong in his world!"
Bella gave up on fighting the tears. She was the awkward daughter of a small-town cop. What did she have to offer to someone like Edward?
"Come back to La Push with me," Jake said, squeezing Bella's hand. "We could be gone before anyone notices."
For a split second, Bella allowed herself to imagine what would happen if she said yes. There would be no more uncomfortable clothes or overpriced food. There would be no more fighting with her father. She wouldn't have to say goodbye to Jake.
"Are you okay?" Edward asked Bella. "I heard yelling."
Bella felt strong arms wrap around her waist. She'd been preoccupied with her thoughts to notice Edward and Emmett approaching.
"Everything is fine," Jake replied. "Bella and I were just having a little talk."
"Have you been drinking?" Edward asked.
Bella knew the answer to that question when Jake stumbled into the yard smelling like a brewery.
"I think it's time that you left," Emmett said to Jake.
Jake narrowed his eyes at Emmett. "I'm not leaving without Bella."
Edward loosened his grip around Bella's waist. She could have slipped away, but she didn't. She wouldn't leave Edward. Now or ever.
"I'll rephrase that," Emmett said. "You're leaving. Now. You can leave on your own two feet or be carried like a toddler. The choice is yours."
"I'm not leaving!" Jake shouted.
Emmett smiled. "Suit yourself."
He picked Jake up and carried him away fireman style, a choice he'd instantly regret. His shirt and the pool paid the price when Jake's dinner made a reappearance.
They never talked about that night. How quick they'd both been to throw away their friendship. Thankfully, they ended up reconciling but Izzy couldn't say for sure that would have been the case if she'd married Edward.
"Did you really throw up in the pool?" Embry asked Jake.
"At least I didn't cut my hair with a hedge trimmer," Jake said with a smirk.
"Jake!" Izzy hissed.
She knew that gleam in his eyes. It was the same look that resulted in Paul's broken nose.
Emmett, being Emmett, was quick to take the bait. "Says the one who almost burned his house down making pizza!"
"I caused minor smoke damage," Jake replied. "You almost killed your professor with a firework!"
"At least I didn't almost kill my father!"
"Because you were too busy letting your brothers join a cult!" Jake snapped, poking Emmett in the chest.
Unlike everyone else, Jasper didn't hesitate to jump in. He wedged himself between Jacob and Emmett grabbing fist fulls of their shirts. He looked back and forth between them the scowl on his face daring either man to make a move. He let Emmett go after a few seconds. Jake wasn't so lucky.
Most people would have been terrified. Not Jake. He didn't even flinch when Jasper started sniffing his neck.
"It's okay, Jasper," Izzy said, keeping her voice low. "Jacob is one of my friends from La Push. You can let him go. I promise he won't hurt you or Emmett."
Jasper continued his sniffing.
"Careful, Jazz," Emmett said. "You don't know what kind of diseases he's carrying."
"If anyone's got diseases it's you, Cullen." Jake fired back.
Jasper bared his fangs at Jake. Jake didn't seem at all intimidated. He had more important things to worry about, like winning his staredown with Emmett.
"Why don't you help Kim set up in the living room?" Alice asked Jasper. "Izzy and Jake will go make some snacks for our guests."
Jasper licked his lips and let Jake go. Before Jasper could change his mind, Izzy grabbed Jake's hand and ushered him into the kitchen.
Jake sat down at the kitchen table with a huff. "I have to ask, what's his deal?"
"I'm sorry about Emmett," Izzy said as she stared into the empty refrigerator. "He's had a rough morning."
Izzy made a mental note to stop at the grocery store. They couldn't survive off baking soda and questionable Chinese food. Emmett would riot if they missed a meal.
"Not him," Jake said. "Jasper. "That was one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen. I thought he was going to go for my jugular vein."
Izzy would have never guessed that Jake was afraid. Maybe he'd been wrong to turn down that movie role. Acting skills like that would earn him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"Jasper would never intentionally harm someone," Izzy said.
What happened with Esme was an accident. Jasper hadn't meant to hurt her. He was just scared.
"That drunk driver didn't mean to run a red light," Jake said. "Doesn't make my mother any less dead."
The dead mom card? Seriously? She thought they agreed that was a cheap move.
Izzy sat down next to Jake. "You didn't come here to sightsee, did you?"
Jake's silence said everything.
"You don't need to worry about me," Izzy said.
"I respect you enough not to tell you the truth," Jake said. "I don't think you're seeing things clearly."
Izzy bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The Cullen's haven't been on vacation."
Izzy was perfectly aware of where they'd been. She was reminded every time she saw Edward's broken body.
They didn't choose to join a cult," Izzy said. "They were abducted."
What made Edward's disappearance so hard to swallow was the lack of closure. Izzy didn't know if it was her fault that he left. Now she knew. Edward didn't choose to leave her. He was abducted.
"That doesn't change the fact that they spent years being tortured and brainwashed," Jake said. "You don't come out of that kind of thing unchanged. They could be dangerous."
"What are you saying?" Izzy asked. "The Cullens could be dangerous so I should just walk away?"
Since when had Jake been the type of person to shy away from danger? He was the one who introduced her to cliff diving and motorcycle riding.
"I'll I'm saying is be careful," Jake said. Don't let your guard down around them."
"I will," Izzy said.
Izzy didn't think she could let her guard down. Life had already taught her that would be a big mistake.
"I'm not kidding," Jake said. "That Eleazar guy, he's the real deal. He's a master manipulator who convinced dozens of people to drink human blood. For all we know the Cullens could still be loyal to him. If given the chance, they might want to go back to him."
"They wouldn't do that," Izzy insisted. "He tortured them. Emmett and Edward are terrified of him!"
Edward woke up screaming because of the things that man did to him. Why would he choose to go back?
"What about Jasper?" Jake asked. "Emmett looks the part, but Jasper doesn't look like he's been missing many meals. Maybe that's why he won't speak. Maybe there's something he doesn't want you to know."
"He did what he had to do to survive," Izzy said.
Izzy was well aware that questionable decisions may have been made. However, she'd never judge Jasper for that. He did what he had to do to survive.
"They're saying this may not be the first time Eleazar has done something like this," Jake said. "A man matching his description is wanted in connection to a doomsday cult in the Midwest. What if he does it again? He could show up here looking for recruits."
Seth and Embry entered the kitchen before Izzy could answer.
"Kim is about finished," Embry said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm 100% ready to get out of here. This place gives me the creeps. It's like being in a fish bowl full of predators with nowhere to hide."
"Agreed," Seth said with a shutter.
Even though they'd been arguing, Izzy didn't want Jake to leave.
Jake rose to his feet. "Are you coming, Izzy?"
It was then Izzy noticed how tired he looked. How tired they all looked. Not the usual hard day at work tired, something different. The kind of tired one felt from staying up all night worrying. It was a tired Izzy knew well.
Izzy made a snap decision. "Yes."
"Great," Jake said, grinning. "You can ride with me. I brought my spare helmet just in case."
In case what? In case he found one of the Cullens nibbling on her jugular?
"You're not going anywhere with them!" Emmett shouted.
What had gotten into Emmett today? She'd never known him to raise his voice, especially at one of his 'little sisters'.
"I'm just going back to La Push for a little while," Izzy said. "No need to worry."
"Worry is a pretty reasonable response to you running off with a biker gang!" Emmett exclaimed.
"They're not a biker gang, they're my-
"Family," Jacob said.
Izzy didn't correct him. While they weren't related by blood, her friends in La Push had been there for her through thick and thin. Family was the best way to describe a forged-by-fire relationship like that.
Emmett looked wounded. "I thought we were your family."
They were. Carlisle was still the closest thing she had to a father. She still thought of Emmett and Jasper as brothers. As for Edward…he was important to her in ways she couldn't yet define.
"You are, it's just-," Izzy started.
"They've been there for you the last few years and we haven't," Emmett said. "It's fine. I get it."
Izzy felt like she was being torn in two. Forks. La Push. Edward. Jacob. Did loving one mean turning her back on the other?
"You're still my brother, Emmett," Izzy said.
She'd make room in her life for them both. Even if it killed her.
"Just go," Emmett said without looking at her.
"I'll be back by bedtime," Izzy wrapped her finger around Emmett's. "Pinkie promise."
Emmett pulled his hand away. "Whatever."
Izzy knew it was probably just the trauma talking, but that didn't make Emmett's rejection of her sting any less.
Alice appeared in the doorway. "Everything okay in here?"
Emmett got up and left the room. Izzy flinched when she heard a door slam shut
"Give him some space," Alice said. "He'll come around."
On her way out of the house, Izzy stopped to retrieve the letters for Carlisle. If her heart hadn't already broken, it would have done so when she found a letter addressed to Rose in shaky handwriting. It was covered in chunks of Emmett's hair and stained with bourbon.
Izzy looked up at the picture of Rose and Royce. Royce had a clean crew cut, nearly identical to the one Kim had just given Emmett.
"Oh Emmett," Izzy whispered. "I'm so sorry."