Disclaimer: This story is rated T/ M (Mature) Content may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. It will most likely contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, suicidal ideations, and strong language.
Layla's Pov
Sunday was crammed with studying and catching up on missed or messed-up sleep. I wasn't sure if any of it helped; I still couldn't focus this week.
How could I, with Niccolo compelling himself into my sleep?
Mistaking one textbook for another, I had to double back for my locker after the bell between classes.
I twisted the dial, but it kept getting stuck. When it finally gave way, water balloons fell out, assaulting me and splashing to the ground. I yelped in surprise as red paint exploded from them. One full balloon that didn't pop rolled across the ground. It was leaking a small stream out of it, making a squealing noise as it released.
My locker was salvaged, but I couldn't say the same for the floor or myself. A paper with the message 'Red will bleed' was taped inside my locker door.
I ripped it off and balled it up for the nearest bin. I slammed the locker behind me and marched towards the main office to report the vandalization.
By the time I cleaned up and dampened the ends of my hair in the bathroom, Jacob had found me. "Where have you been?"
"Nowhere." I rushed to my seat to fill out my latest test with the last precious minutes of class.
I felt a slight tugging on my hair. Jacob had picked off a wad of red paint that had clung there.
I bit my lip and ignored his questioning glances.
To no one's surprise, word got around about the paint. The janitor did a poor job of cleaning up the mess. It smeared and dried a funky color on the tiled floor.
I brushed it off when the guys asked, saying the school must have been repainting some lockers.
I didn't miss Seth placing a familiar balled-up paper in Jacob's hand. I had made it around the corner and down the hall before Jake caught up. No one could outrun him with his long legs.
"Layla, I don't like you hiding things from me." He ripped the unraveled paper in his hand.
"You take things too seriously. Someone's just peeved about the play. It's some sick joke." I rolled my eyes, brushing it off, but it greatly troubled me.
"I don't think it's funny. Red will bleed. That's a threat." He pressed, clearly upset, like I should've been behaving.
"Who knows? I doubt they'll try it again. They pissed off the custodian."
Jacob walked silently in contemplation next to me, then intertwined his fingers with mine. Jake wouldn't let me go until I promised to inform him if anything like that happened again.
From then on out I avoided my locker as much as possible, but on Friday, I couldn't neglect it anymore; I stopped by end of the day.
Jacob shadowed me. When I opened it, a popping sound made me scream and jump back.
Other students laughed around me as the party favor popped, exploding confetti in my face.
Jacob had pulled me aside, glaring at the students laughing the hardest.
"It wasn't us." Some guys lifted their hands in innocence. I peeked around Jacob for what was left behind.
Jacob pulled the locker open, assessing it for me. 'Bang!' in Big Comic Sans letters were taped up.
"Do you know who could have done this?" He brushed the colored confetti off my head.
Two messages in one week. I had no idea who it was or what it meant if it was an innocent pranking or something more malicious.
"No," I answered in a monotone. Okay," Jacob grumbled. I wrote off the childish pranks toward my usual bullies, but what if it wasn't Molly and her crew or the girls I tried to befriend earlier in the year?
I couldn't get past the eerie feeling building in my chest. Like something bad was going to happen.
"What's up?" Jacob asked on the commute. "I can't wait for tonight to be over. Just three more shows, and I can call it quits." I sighed.
"Me too. I'd like us to go on a date again- you know, do something fun." "Sure, Jake," I whispered, somewhat detached.
I didn't want to use Jacob as my only source of comfort, but his presence was addicting like heroin, and I hadn't had a hit in what felt like a long time.
Plus, he was always there, pushing me to spend more time with him. It's not like I didn't try healthily dispersing my social life—the friends who would still pick up the phone or the kids in Forks willing to hang out with me- but it never seemed enough. I felt like I was balancing on a high-stakes high beam, and if I leaned the wrong way (or on Jacob), I would fall.
"What is it?" Jacob dropped me off at the theater. "Speaking of fun, are you coming to the Halloween party? Technically, it's the cast party, but I thought it would be better to join the two." I asked. "Sure. Where at?" Jacob asked.
"My dad's old place in Forks. EJ's Godparents helped clear it out. All that's left is decorating."
"Why not have it in La Push?" Jacob's question stole some of my enthusiasm. "I didn't want to work around Syd. You know how he gets with guests."
And it would make me feel better to have that old house occupied one more time.
"Let me know if you need help setting up. We can swing by the thriftway on Sunday if you'd like."
"Um, it's actually Saturday night," A week before Halloween. "Tomorrow night? Why didn't you tell me?" I had all week to tell him, but midterms were on my plate.
"I barely did any planning. I offered my place, and EJ and Iris took it over." I sighed, exasperated.
"Okay. Don't stress." Jacob placed his hands on my shoulders. "I'll be there." He kissed my cheek.
"Okay." I smiled hopefully up at him.
I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong about my eerie feeling. The vampire didn't show up Friday night, and the flowers were absent.
Saturday afternoon's play also went without a hitch, and I was so happy that I could skip off stage.
My euphoria ceased when I saw the entire dressing room mounted in red roses—mass bouquets draping over everything.
There was no room to move, let alone to change out of my attire.
"Who did this?" Paige gasped in delight. "It's amazing!" Tiffany, giddily, glided over to her vanity.
"A private investor has generously donated a lump sum to our department. Thanks to all of your performance! Take as many roses home as you would like." Mr. Thompson gushed. Surely, he thought it was because of his incredible directing skills.
I parted, choosing to keep my costume on for the evening's festivities. I've been too busy to pick a costume, so why not?
"Why don't you take some?" Tiffany dumped a bundle of roses into my arms.
"Um, Thanks." I stuffed the stems into my basket and tried to dip before Jacob found me. Per usual, he had his way of honing in on my location.
He saw the bountiful display, and the look on his face held every ounce of unease I felt and concealed.
"Come on, Jake. We have some work to do..." I pulled him away.
Author's Note: Some may consider The Halloween Party section 'filler.' Feel free to skip down two or three line dividers for more plot-related content.
Forks, Pinecrest Hill, The Farmhouse
Layla's Pov
"Leave it to EJ and Iris," I gasped in surprise. "I forgot how secluded this place was," Jacob mumbled.
Jacko lanterns lined the road leading up to the house on the hill. The old farmhouse was covered in cobwebs, LED lights, and accent strobes in the windows.
"Excellent job, guys." I ran over to the garage, where our book club was conjured. Chad filled wide basins with water from the hose meant for bobbing apples, and Devin hung twisted streamers.
"Can you give us a lift for the disco ball?" Sally asked Jake. "Let's give you the grand tour." Iris, dressed as Velma, met me, and I noticed the rest were the classic mystery crew members.
"I figured you'd be Daphne, considering your hair." Iris shook her head, and the natural pumpkin curls swayed, brushing her shoulders. "Someone threw a fit when they found out Chad was Fred." She jerked her head towards Sally, directing Jacob.
"And what are you supposed to be?" I asked EJ, who wore a long, enveloping trench coat. "Well, if you don't know I'm Dr. Who, then I'm going to change." EJ pouted, marching up the stairs.
Iris laughed and brought me around the first floor, which was set up like a dancefloor. The kitchen was wall-to-wall with festive food—one room held a fog machine stuffed inside a cauldron. Upstairs, the space was cleared out and transformed into a vampire lounge lined with wax candles. Aside from the bathrooms and closets, all the doors were removed to create an open space.
"You guys really went for it." I gawked at the glow-in-the-dark, dripping hand prints on the walls and the bloody footprints on the floor.
"What's that?" I asked, seeing something sway in the trees outside.
"Emmett bought and stuffed a bunch of pinatas and strung them in the trees behind your house. I can't say all of them have candy in them." EJ stepped out looking very much like a vampire now- all black, fake blood dripping from his lips, face paint shadowing his eyes, and was in the process of gelling up his hair.
"Much better," I laughed, approving of his costume. Somehow, he could pull off the bloodsucker get-up without looking cheesy.
"What do you mean by that?" Iris questioned him.
"Come on, we needed a Trick-or-treat factor. We might have filled them with shaving cream, slime, or live dirt and worms." EJ's grin grew, exposing his fang-like teeth.
"That's genius," I complimented. "Don't forget about the obstacle course!" Iris pulled me over to the next window. "It's a maze," EJ corrected.
A makeshift maze of stacked hay bales covered in black trash bags stretched from one side of the house to the woods.
"How long did this take you guys?" I gasped.
"Don't worry about it. My family has Aunt Alice to plan things out. She's sort of the family party planner. If Alice had been here and had her way, there would have been an entire graveyard out front," EJ explained. "Really?" Iris looked a little disappointed. "Esme was worried someone would fall into an open grave," EJ shrugged.
"Heather's here, and some guys with speakers arrived." Sally dressed as Daphne poked her head into the room.
"Great! I'll be right there." I bounded down the stairs to help out and be a hostess.
This night was going to be unforgettable for Forks. When word got out, more people came. Plus, ones became twos, and so forth.
The DJ the Cullens hired was amazing. The food was gone before midnight, and most importantly, I was able to push away my rose provoked anxieties and have a good time with friends.
I managed to pull Jacob on the dancefloor, who stood in the corner, wary of knocking anyone over with his two left feet.
EJ was the record-best at apple biting when it came to bobbing, and I didn't think I'd ever seen Iris let loose like this.
Soon enough, Seth and some of the pack showed up. He and Joseph volunteered to be our maze 'Killers.'
They would dress in murderer costumes and chase kids who ran through the maze.
We started the line after giving Seth and Jo time to get ready and hide. The book club mystery gang ran in first.
"Are you coming?" EJ asked me. I shook my head. "You can't have too many people go in at once," I explained.
He waited with me until we heard laughter and screams on the other end.
"I bet I could get through the maze before you." EJ challenged me. "Okay, bet." I accepted.
"I call left!" EJ ran. "What happened to counting to three?" I went right sprinting to catch up.
I almost ran head-first into a wall twice when a trash bag moved like a curtain, and a ghost face killer stepped out with a knife.
I squealed, running down the next opening. The fake ghost face killer was hot on my heels until I turned the wrong way again.
"Okay, okay, you got me." I panted, laughing. Ghost face marched closer and thrust the knife hard at my head.
I barely dodged it, and it landed on the plastic-covered hay bale.
"Good one, Seth. You can get back to chasing me if you want. If you let me get a head start." I backed up a few steps.
He yanked out the knife, and I noticed it wasn't the prop provided. In the sporadic strobe light, it glistened with real steel and rivets.
Then I noticed things. Not Seth things. He was taller and leaner than Jo, too.
Before I could decide if the costume made him look bigger, the Ghost face dragged the knife along the wall, ripping it as he ran at me.
The scream in my throat was building as I took off running again. The second ghost face killer jumped out at me.
"Ah ha!" This one was undeniably Seth. Even though he lacked terror, the surprise released my screech.
I kept running. The first Ghost face disappeared, and I thought I was in the clear.
The maze was simple but well thought out. I circled the center, seeing EJ blur by in a flash. He mocked me by sticking his tongue out.
"You!" I panted. The two shadows emerged, one taking each side of the circle. I followed EJ's direction, knowing he was my best bet to get out of here.
"We're going to get you, Layla!" I heard Seth. Part of me wanted to yell back at him that the ghost face killer was supposed to be silent.
But it was comforting to know which one was still Seth. However, it disturbed me that his voice was farther away.
That meant the other mystery man was closer. I had to be near the exit. I could tell. I was at least two turns away. EJ was cheering that he already won.
The Ghost face I was worried about jumped out of another tarp, and he stood there, blocking my path.
"Okay!" I spoke loudly. The mystery man stepped toward me slowly.
"I get it! I lose." My voice dimmed like a light switch. I backpedaled, refusing to remove my eyes from him. His approach quickened.
I didn't care so much if I ran into Seth now. The game was over; I hurried to retreat.
The Ghost face lunged at me, and at the same time, Seth grabbed me from behind.
I screamed again, but this time in genuine fear. "Layla, it's okay. See-" Seth gradually let me go, and he lifted the mask with his free hand, but I clung to him.
EJ was back in a flash, fangs out. The Ghost Face I didn't know stumbled away from a hissing EJ. He lifted his hands in surrender and backed up.
"I'm okay, EJ. He's good at scaring people." I muttered. His stance didn't move much as the other Ghost face retreated behind the plastic tarp, disappearing from view.
"It's best that we don't play with real weapons, though." I picked up the knife that had fallen and handed it to Seth.
"Layla!" Jacob hurdled over the wall and landed beside me. "Jake!" I ran over to him, hugging his core. "Are you alright? I heard you scream from inside the house."
"I'm fine. We played a game, and it got the best of me." I laughed it off lamely.
"Sorry, Seth. I found a Freddy Kruger costume. Will this work?" Joseph came around the bend.
"Yeah, sure. But then, who'd you give the other ghost face costume to?" Seth looked between us, but I stared back, just as ignorant as him.
We migrated to the woods next to part take in EJ's ingenious trick-or-treat pinata game. Iris stated the rules and dispersed the wooden baseball bats.
I stood back with EJ for the first couple of rounds to witness the fruits of his Uncle Emmet's labor. The first pinata exploded over Chad and most of his friends in shaving cream. Sally and some other girls screamed when live fishing bate splattered over them. Then Iris and I looked at each other, hoping this giant paper pumpkin didn't have the equivalent or something much worse. We were fortunate for the hard candy pellets to rain down upon us. Jacob, Embry, and Quil took out a pinata, each with one impressive swing. Surprise slime slung over Jake's shoulder, live bate was Embry's portion, and Quil came out eating his candied prize from a paper skull.
The festivities lasted until 2 am. Paper streamers splayed the ground as we made the last rounds, locking up the house.
EJ dumped out the ice chests, and Iris locked up the garage. I trudged upstairs tiredly with Jacob behind me.
I had to disperse one couple making out in the corner. "Do you mind checking those rooms?" I asked Jake, pointing to the other side of the house. "Sure."
After Iris gave me the tour, I hadn't stepped foot upstairs in the fake vampire lounge, which was creepily similar to the real one I'd frequented in Seattle. The colored party lights spun up the stairwell as the music played out. And all the candles were a mood—no wonder the couple lingered behind for some necking.
But in the silence alone, the many clusters of candles were chilling. I ducked into the master bathroom, checking all the spaces. Other than a glitter-bombed toilet, everything looked fine. I gasped, running to a ghost face mask hanging over the frosted glass shower behind the bathroom door.
"What's wrong?" Jacob joined me."Nothing. Can you check the closet?" I peered in the shower with anticipation. I could tell nothing was there, but I still wanted to be sure. Phew, nothing. Then I heard a crash.
"Jacob?" I ran out of the bathroom. "I figured out where they stashed everything," he mumbled, stuffing the spillage back in.
"It's okay, leave it. I'll get it tomorrow." I picked up the closest candles and began blowing them out. "We're heading out!" Iris announced.
"Okay! Thanks, guys!" My response echoed throughout the empty house. We were left with the faint whine of the disco lights.
I pulled up my red hood when a chill ran through me. "Did you have a good time?" I asked Jake, blowing out the next candle.
"Of course. I loved seeing you happy." "No, seriously. What was your favorite part?"
"Every minute with you." He blew out the next candle, coming in from the opposite side. "That's so cheesy." I giggled.
"It's true, but I guess, if I had to choose, witnessing Seth as a villain was funny." "Yeah, he was more like a border collie than anything scary."
"That was almost as entertaining as watching you bob for apples." Jake continued. "Hey, my lips are still bruised from that."
"Last one." I lifted it to my face between Jacob and I. He leaned toward me in the darkened room.
I wasn't sure if Jake would blow out the candle with me or if he wanted to kiss me.
A crash in the next room made me jump. The candle released and spilled hot wax on us as it fell to my feet. Its flame went out, and the candle tumbled across the hardwood floor.
"What was that?" My heart hammered. "I'll check it out." Jacob was already out the door looking for the source.
I froze in place, listening to Jacob's footsteps descend. When I found my feet could move again, a dark shadow stood in the entryway.
"Jake?" "I hope you're not attached to the fog machine. I think it killed itself." The dark figure was Jacob.
"No, that's fine." I held his hand on the way downstairs. There was no reason to be scared. I let out a breath. Then, I saw a string swaying from the attic.
Jacob's head could have knocked it, but I brushed it off. All that was left to do was shut off the green and purple disco lights.
"You don't want one more dance?" "Now?" He pulled me gently into the center of the room.
"No one has to witness my bad dancing." Jacob pulled me closer with the two step I taught him. "Have you been practicing?" I teased him. "Maybe."
I started humming the song to the play as our playful footwork became a more intimate swaying. Now that the jump scares were over, I felt safer in Jacob's arms.
I leaned into him. "And no one has to hear my bad singing." Jacob dipped his head and lifted my chin. "Wait-" My lips brushed his.
"Why not? I'll be careful." I stared up at him—a mistake, looking into his handsome face. I was unable to compute a response.
I wanted to say a possessive tyrannical vampire would eventually come for me. The weird gasping stammer came out again.
Just as I tasted Jacob's lips on mine, a louder crash startled both of us. My nails dug into his shoulders. "Jake-" "I'll get it." Jacob gently pried me off.
"Whoever it is, needs to get out!" Jacob raised his voice. This time, I ran behind him. The kid in a ghost face costume descended the stairs.
The same eerie feeling twisted my stomach. "Parties over. Get out." Jacob jerked his head to the exit.
The masked killer watched us evenly until he reached the exit; that's where he bolted.
"Wait." I ran out into the yard. He was gone. "Do you want me to go after him?" Jacob asked. "No, let the weirdo go. Let's get home."
Author's Note: End of 'filler' if you are skipping ahead for the plot.
According to Tiffany, the Halloween party earned us some cool kid points for the drama club. I wasn't intentionally trying to gain our popularity, but I was glad everyone had a good time. Everything worked out wonderfully, and it was the pick-me-up I needed.
However, because of this newfound popularity, the following finale weekend for the theater was booked.
The downtown traffic was terrible, costume prop pieces were missing, and the auditorium was packed because someone had unlocked the lobby too soon.
I was fully dressed, sitting at my vanity, waiting for the curtain call, when my garter kept painfully snapping off my thigh-high socks.
The costume choice for this was for practical reasons on rest breaks. "Damn it." That's going to leave a mark.
Jacob came to set a single lily on the tabletop for me. "I know I've been complaining a lot lately, but I hope you're not tired of them."
"You didn't have to…ow." I fudged it up again. "Layla, five minutes!" The stage manager called.
"Let me help. What are you trying to do?" Jacob knelt in front of me.
"I'm trying to clip my sock in place." I lifted the hem of my layered skirt, allowing him to help me with the time crunch.
"Thank you," I smiled fondly at the lily, thinking of my mother. He knew I missed her, and this was his way to include her presence. Jacob saw the sadness there, and I answered his question before he could ask.
"Lilies are lovely, but so delicate and easy to die," I whispered the last part, wishing I could keep this flower from Jacob forever.
"I almost got you red tulips, but I figured you'd be sick of seeing red." Jacob's white grin ignited my own.
"I think you're right," I confessed. "Oh," I jumped at his warm fingers, finagling the clip and clicking it into place.
I stretched out my leg to make sure it didn't pop off again.
Jacob's fingers grazed the lace hem on the other sock on the inner thigh to check the following garter clip. I tried to contain the heat flooding through me.
Why did I allow him to help me again?
He looked up at me with those pitch-black eyes that could both solidify me in place and melt my core.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jacob's husky tone accused me innocently.
Jake's hands hovered downward to a less dangerous position but still teased at the skirt's hem.
"Like what?" I found it hard to blink, think, or breathe. The magnetism between us became so intense I thought I would fall into the abyss of his eyes.
"Like you want me." He said. My jaw popped open wordlessly, and I tore my eyes away as I heaved in a much-needed breath. The corset pinched uncomfortably.
"Four minutes!" The stage manager called out.
I slid off the seat, letting Jacob's loose grasp run up the sides of my body.
I pulled up my red hood bashfully. "I'm sorry. Thanks, Jake."
Jacob's Pov
Layla's red cape fluttered around the corner, and I chuckled to myself. She had nothing to apologize for.
I left backstage and sat behind Billie and next to Syd. On the other side of him was a man I hadn't met before.
"Wren, Jacob. One of Layla's good friends here on the rez." Syd introduced us briefly. So, this was Layla's father. I shook his hand.
Wren was of average height, with dark hair and copper skin. He was dressed in an expensive-looking navy suit and had an overindulgent watch hanging from his wrist.
"Wren Moon and you are?" he spoke over the crowd. "Jacob Black, Sir." Your future son-in-law, I thought to myself.
"Huh, Layla's never mentioned you." What? Had she never mentioned me once, or was he messing with me?
The auditorium grew dark, and the lights on the stage ignited. The curtains drew open, and the show began.
I wasn't sure if it was Wren who rubbed me the wrong way or if something else was nagging at me, but the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end.
"Do you smell that?" I heard Joseph whisper to Seth. "It's Carlisle and Rosalie," Seth whispered back. I gritted my teeth.
"Are you sure?" I heard Jo whisper. "Sh." Quil shushed them. "I dunno. Something doesn't sit right." I didn't like that confirmation.
Later in the show, I oversaw Layla moving across the stage, looking for anything out of place. As the play continued, Layla started acting strange.
I heard a distinctive ping sound when Little Red encountered the action sequence with the villain. Layla moved differently, grasping her side from time to time.
Then, she kept glancing at the crew off-set during her dialogue. Layla moved out of her usual place where the spotlight couldn't follow.
Stage left silently scolded Layla in hushed instruction. She resumed her ordained steps in delayed pacing, scanning the crowd.
Then I smelt another sharp vampire stench that didn't belong to the Cullens.
Moving closer to Daniel from the forbidden scene, she gripped his shirt. "Daniel, get down." Shoved him away.
A gunshot went off, and he fell, scrambling backstage with the remaining cast.
The whole audience froze, unsure if it was an act. The spotlight bounced, following Layla.
"It's me you want, isn't it?!" Layla called out into the audience. I bolted from my seat. Two more gunshots popped as she ran off stage.
The audience screamed, and chaos broke out in multiple directions, making progress in leaving difficult, tripping over seats and people hiding between them.
The screaming patrons swarmed the exits, making it impossible to get out.
Layla's Pov
My wardrobe malfunctioned again. Instead of the garter clip and the sock, a metal rod from the corset popped loose. It pierced my side, making breathing hard as I crossed the stage. I looked to the stage crew for help, but they were more concerned about why I wasn't in position. Sucking it up, I continued the show until I heard a low hiss.
The vampire was here. I could feel him near. I saw Greta's eager crimson eyes gleaming in the dark when I looked at the balcony.
I didn't want to glance again to find Niccolo, but I couldn't help myself. I fumbled my stage directions to peer past the lights into the darkness.
Before the spotlight locked onto me, I saw a glint of metal and sunkissed sandy hair exposed in the middle aisle. Logan.
As I rushed for the emergency exit side stage, I shoved poor, clueless Daniel to the floor.
I hoped by challenging the threat; Logan would spare the room and come for only me.
I sprinted across the lot. The gunshots popped off in the air, clashing with metal. How was Logan outside with me so quickly?
There was no time to look back. I ran in a zig-zag line, ducking behind cars when I could. His footsteps ate up the asphalt between us.
I ran for the tree line at the end of the lot and succeeded in breaching the woods.
I hoped the barrier of foliage would hinder him as much as it would hide me. Maybe we'd both get lost, and he'd give up.
My legs ached; I was not used to this much running, and the metal rod loosed from my corset jabbed inside of my core, making me wheeze.
"Layla!" How was he so close? Was I that so slow?
"I told you I'd be your worst nightmare." Greta's high-pitched giggle echoed around me as I continued to run.
I found her ahead of me, cloaked above the trees, leaning against a branch like the Cheshire cat.
I went to run past her, and when I blinked, she was gone. I tripped as the next gunshot shot off, blowing the bark of the tree next to me at head level.
"You don't want to do this, Logan!" I stumbled, and with a painful gurgled gasp, I kept moving. "It's you or me!" Logan yelled.
It sounded like he was getting closer, and then howling pierced the darkening, overcast sky.
I didn't mind the wolves; they were far away. My mind was focused on survival and keeping my legs moving through these thick ferns.
Raindrops invaded the sparse canopy of leaves, creating another troublesome obstacle.
To my left, I caught a glimpse of sandy blond hair. No.
"Please! Don't!" The shot came before the sound. This time, a burning, ripping feeling tore through my body. My distorted scream echoed into the forest.
The force threw me to the ground. Blood. There was so much blood.
I flipped over, pressing my back into a fallen tree. I tried to get up on pure adrenaline but slid back down, smearing the bark.
Black spots sparkled at the edge of my vision. Logan was closing in, several yards away.
His face was twisted in pain, his eyes manic, and his hand trembled on the trigger.
A fierce, groundbreaking rumble rolled like thunder, and a reddish-brown wolf flew over me and pounced on Logan.
Biting into his shoulder, the wolf shook Logan like an expired chew toy and tossed him into a stump.
Amid the wolf attack, a last gunshot spouted off. I cried out, and the wolf snarled.
Blood gushed out of the wolf's mouth as he came towards me. "No! Stop." I begged; I felt another part of me burn.
I looked down to see another wound. My breath was heaving short, quick, and painful. The wolf whined.
Greta hissed down at Logan, who was twisting in pain and crying on the ground. So she had been following us from the trees.
The wolf's head jerked up, and he roared louder with ferocity.
I whimpered back at the thunderous noise, only able to breathe deeply on one side. I stared at Logan, crumpled up, broken, and helpless, just as I was.
A white blur rammed into the wolf in midair, snapping at Greta. The wolf growled, tumbling down a ridge and taking several trees with him.
I recognized the blur when it stopped. Jean Augustine, another member of the Seattle Coven.
He looked over his shoulder at Greta and hissed darkly. "I'll take care of this, but you owe me,"
I crawled across the forest floor for the abandoned pistol hidden under the ferns.
I picked it up and poorly aimed it at the vampire within range. Jean laughed at the empty click.
I tossed the useless gun aside and continued army crawling with one arm toward Logan.
"Logan?" A pulse of pain and then numbness ran through my body.
Logan's head turned toward me. He was belly down, pressing into the red-saturated dirt under him.
It was becoming muddier by the second. His ocean eyes were deep with despair.
"Hold on. Help will be on the way." I choked out the lie. I wasn't sure where this sympathy came from, but as soon as I saw Greta...I knew it was her fault.
"It was you or me. Layla, I'm so-" A sickening crack of his neck. Jean had kicked the back of his head.
Logan was still facing me. I squeezed my eyes shut in time to see the light leave his eyes.
When I reopened my eyes, Greta's crazed crimson doll-like eyes burned down at me with a fury that would undoubtedly haunt me forever.
"Merci, Miss Layla. Niccolo will hear of this." Jean went to pick me up when Greta turned on him.
They blurred into the woods fighting where a chorus of more snarling wolves enclosed around us.
I struggled to breathe, focusing on staying awake and moving my body. I leaned into the remaining adrenaline and used the stump to pull myself up.
"Help!" I croaked a cry, irrationally wishing for someone to hear me. A branch snapped. The reddish-brown wolf clawed himself up from being tossed down the ridge.
I clung to the trees for support. The monstrous wolf's teeth were bloody, and his fur was torn up. "No. Please don't!" I gasped a wheeze.
Its black, intelligent eyes caught Logan's body twisted unnaturally and lifeless on the ground.
I began to hyperventilate upon seeing his body again. "Help!" I gasped again, tasting blood in my mouth and hearing ringing in my ears.
The wolf stared at me. He stepped closer again; I broke into painful, hysterical, broken sobs.
"Jake!" I called the name of the one I loved, hoping he'd find me in these woods.
"Help me, Jacob!" I cried harder, words no longer manageable.
The wolf whined desperately. I ran in no particular direction.
Seth's Pov
Shit. Shit. Shit. Like everyone else, I saw everything through Jacob's eyes.
I could also witness something snap inside Jacob as he watched his imprint run from him—bleeding.
Jacob tried going after her, but that made things worse. He backed Layla into a corner. She screamed, slipping on the wet leaves beneath her feet.
Layla's body checked a branch forcefully; it tossed her down a gully. Her red cape ripped as she tumbled.
It wasn't too far down, nothing more than a sloping hill that could manage a few bumps and bruises, but that couldn't have benefitted her condition.
Layla landed flat on her back. "I got her, Jake." I was running for her with Carsisle.
He paced at the top of the hill and bolted. Jacob was too scared to check on Layla. He couldn't handle it.
The wolf inside consumed Jacob's mind. He couldn't take the pain of seeing his imprint this way.
Instead, Jacob was set on murdering the vampires fleeing from these woods. He was already out-pacing our brothers.
"She's unconscious from blood loss." Carlisle looked at me. I nodded once. "I'm taking her to the hospital before someone sees."
He carefully picked Layla up, and I followed him to the side of the road, where Rosalie discretely pulled their car around.
EJ's Pov
"Is she alright?" I held my bleeding friend in the back of Godfather's Audi.
"Seat belt on. Hold onto her tight." Rosalie ordered. She whipped the wheel and floored the gas pedal. Carlisle observed Layla's condition and kept track of her vitals.
My arms overlapped his so I could read his mind through touch. From what I could tell, Layla would make it, but she was hurt badly.
The bullet passed under her left collarbone between the clavicle and the scapula. The other wound was embedded in her upper arm.
Godfather tilted his head to hear her shaky breath and touched her side. "Punctured lung." He mumbled.
She was an easy bleeder, so we needed to get her patched up and infused quickly. He was already working with the tourniquet he had in the car.
What scared me most was not being able to read Layla's thoughts when she was unconscious like this.
We pulled up to the back of the hospital, and with great speed, Godfather was in the building in a blink.
"Wait," Rosalie ordered, locking the doors when I tried to leave. "I want to go inside," I argued.
"You can't be in an operating room. We have to tread carefully around humans." Rosalie explained.
"But-" "We wait. Carsisle's got this."
Layla's Pov
Beep, Beep... Beep, Beep.
What was that annoying sound? My face felt tight and constricted. A mask was over it, pushing oxygen in, chapping my lips.
"I think she's waking up." I felt someone squeeze my hand. Although I was bundled in blankets, my body felt cold and floating.
A foreign light flashed in my eyes. "I haven't seen heterochromia like yours before. It's fascinating."
That made me jerk up in bed. Then I felt it. "Careful. You have a good six weeks of healing ahead of you." Dr. Cullen described to me in detail the injuries.
"It's a miracle the bone was hardly damaged, but that muscle might need physical therapy. Your lung will take the longest to heal."
I assessed the damage, wondering why it didn't hurt to move more. "Don't remove your oxygen mask. You have three more hours of full expansion."
"I'm okay? Thank you." I felt like I was speaking in slow motion; it must be the drugs.
"You're welcome." He kept my hand from touching the IV bag. "You're cold," I noticed. "It is cold in here, " he repeated, twisting my words.
"Yeah." I agreed with him, leaning back. My lids grew heavy again; it felt like he had turned up the dosage of the drug.
"After treatment, you can go home. The morphine should last you the next 6 hours. Make sure you drink a lot of water."
"I don't like needles." I slurred, closing my eyes. "But you do a better job than the other one." "I'm the only one who's been in here." Dr. Cullen frowned.
The delightful drug-induced sleep overtook me.
I heard arguing in the next room. "You can't take her with you. She needs to stay immobile to rest." It was Syd.
"I think I know what's best for my daughter," my father, Wren, argued back and forth with him.
"It would be best for her not to travel extensively," Dr. Cullen said, siding with my grandfather. "Can I have a word?" A somewhat familiar voice sounded serious.
"Of course, Charlie. What is it?" Dr. Cullen greeted Officer Swan. "I need to ask the girl a few questions."
"Over my dead body." Wren stepped in. I trembled at my father's words, recalling why I was in the hospital.
Still, my eyes would barely open. Fresh tears leaked out of them.
"Let me see if she is able or willing." The doctor cracked open. "Layla?" He called for me.
"I didn't think so," Dr. Cullen declined Charlie's official request.
I went under again.
Niccolo's Pov
Layla stirred in her sleep.
I had compelled Wren to bring her here and hired a private nurse to look after my singer.
While Wren was at work, actively pressing charges against whatever wretched family this Logan boy came from, I sat at her bedside.
Greta had told me she saw the human threat and had killed him. Under my compulsion, the order I gave to all of my coven members was to protect my singer.
It's a likely story, but I needed to hear Layla's truth. I'd adjust my punishments accordingly.
I would have compelled my way into the hospital, but as Jean informed me from one of his scouting journeys, Carlisle Cullen was a head physician there.
"What a small world," I mumbled. Greta's head snapped up. She doesn't know of Aro's friend as I do. It had been nearly four hundred years since I'd seen him, when we both entertained the Voltori. Before my father misstepped, my power developed and eventually was revealed. They didn't like that much, did they? A more significant threat than an asset Jane said. She enjoys being a big fish in a small pond. On the other hand, Alec found me reassuring because no one else besides Aro or himself could keep his sister in line. Aro didn't like a divided courtroom or for anyone else to upstage his authority, so I was out. He said the elusion of democracy wasn't what he wanted. What a lie. Obviously, I escaped their wrath.
I compelled my guards to dismantle another vampire in my place, clothed in my scent, in my quarters. Alec burned the pile of pieces with my favorite signet ring. The one they knew I was too proud to part with, but I did anyway because the day I would get it back would be when I reigned supreme.
"I swear Nicco-" Greta prattled. "Silence. She's waking." I ordered.
Layla blinked. One of her eyes, an odd silver color, shined in the light. I moved closer, startling her with my abnormally quick movement.
She clung to the bed and frantically looked around. "You're inside your father's new apartment." Layla cleared her throat roughly.
I handed her some water from the trolly stationed by the bed. "What peculiar eyes you have." She flinched and covered her eye.
I lowered her hand and tilted her chin to see the swimming mercury. Layla's breathing became erratic.
"Although I enjoy your strong reactions to me, I need you to calm down and tell me the truth." "About what?" She caught sight of Greta seething behind me.
"I'd like to know exactly what happened in those woods."
She explained, and I compelled an answer to any elaboration for clarification. "I see. Have you encountered any other vampires?"
Layla's face twisted in confusion. "No, yours is the first and only coven I know." "Good. We will go over more later...Greta." I called for her.
She stepped into the peripheral of my vision cautiously. "What shall I do with you?" I mused darkly.
Layla glared at her and then looked at me with pleading in her heterochromia eyes.
A grin broke across my face, and I started laughing. This disturbed my singer and frightened Greta.
"Jealous are we?" I understood Greta's motives. "She's a distraction and a mere tool, so use her and get it over with," Greta defied, shaking.
"Oh, you know Layla Moon is more to me than that." I ran my fingers through my singer's hair and down her wounded shoulder.
My cold touch made her shiver, but it relieved her wounds, so she held my hand there.
"Hm, yes. I should be the only one allowed to torment you. Now, what punishment would be fitting?"
"You're going to keep a fucking rat? She almost killed me." Layla whispered, glaring at me now.
"She only acted out of her loyalty and passion for me." I chuckled at the heated response. Greta clicked her tongue and withheld a hiss.
"The 'what's mine is yours nonsense is bullshit then." Layla pushed my hand away and turned her face away from me. A potent sting of rejection and displeasure flooded through me.
"Language, my Bella. I know you are in much pain, but I want you to swear less." I waved over the nurse to insert pain medicine into her IV bag.
When the drug eased, she slipped back into bed and watched me make my decision.
"Greta, an attack on my singer is an attack on me. I'll forgive you this once, but in return, you must only feed on rats until I say so. No human blood."
"Rats?!" Greta screeched. Layla smirked in approval. "What if I run out of blood?" Greta demanded. Justina couldn't hold in her laughter from the other room.
"Pigeons," Layla mumbled. Closing her eyes, she grinned as the morphine hit. I chuckled harder, imagining Greta snatching filthy birds from the air.
Greta smashed something on the way out. "How was that?" I whispered. "You're horrible." Layla faintly smiled.
Her approval strangely pleased me. I stroked her hair again, enjoying the beautiful scent it wafted.
"Could you make this whole shooting thing go away?" Layla whispered. "There were too many witnesses to eradicate the mark."
"Please, downplay it. I want it to be a faint memory." Her whisper wained. "I'll see what I can do," I promised.
Layla melted into a stupor-like state.
When Justina pulled herself together and cleaned up the broken glass from the modern fireplace Greta smashed, she waltzed over to me with fresh blood for the both of us.
"What are you going to do about the Cullens?" Justina asked. "No one saw us at the theater, but they know of Greta and somewhat of Jean."
I swirled my glass and inhaled the scent. My nose curled. Justina tried to match Layla's blood scent by pulling her father's, but it didn't fool me.
"Please wait. Our most frequent blood donors don't get tapped as much as your singer has. Four weeks is your minimum, and you've been pulling from her every weekend this past month." Justina lectured me.
"Humans recover in 24 hours," I argued; taking a sip, I sulked.
"She's much smaller and weaker. I assume it takes Layla twice as long to recover Niccolo. If she doesn't have enough white blood cells, she's bound to become ill."
"I know, I know. You're right. But you don't know what it's like to want her like I do." I sighed, finishing my glass. I held it out for another.
"We should leave the Cullens alone for now. I have nothing against Carsisle; he voted against Aro's order to kill me."
"But his allegiance to the Voltori-" Justina pressed.
"He will eventually have to choose, but with his unconventional lifestyle, I'm sure he will be open to negotiate."
"Are you worried about their sister coven? The Denali."Justina leaned forward, licking her bloodied lips.
"Not really. They most likely hate the Voltori for taking their precious mother away. However, we have to move more carefully. I don't need whistle-blowers if their fear doesn't match their fury."
"Have I told you how wonderfully twisted and creative you are?" Justina's rare complement tickled me. The satisfaction with Greta's punishment matched her distaste for her.
"Salute." I lifted my glass to hers.