I'm posting this chapter a few days early, folks. Why? real-life drama and health issues mean I might not get to post next Friday. Rather than make you all wait without explanation, I'm posting now.
Unfortunately, this also means y'all will be waiting a few extra days for the chapter after this one.
And this one? Yeah, please don't hate me. :)
When the following weekend arrived, Bella, Leah, Quil, and Embry drove an hour away to a remote camping location beside a spring-fed lake. The girls used the same tent they'd used on their trip while Quil and Embry shared the other. The boys had smuggled alcohol along, making a fun addition to the Clearwater Cocoa tradition.
Quil gave Embry a sweet kiss in front of them for the first time that night and Bella couldn't stop grinning. Shocked and amused by the display, Leah declared Quil a 'Puss Puss' and yanked Bella to her for a lip lock that both stole Bella's breath and curled her toes. Quil cackled and cheered while Embry dropped his jaw… thus the explanation of the gradual changes in each of their relationships began. When they went to their tents that night, the friends felt closer to each other than ever.
They went swimming the following morning before Quil produced the fishing rods he'd brought along. They cooked freshly caught and cleaned fish over the campfire like Quil's father taught him as a child (followed by an entire twenty-count package of hotdogs and enough S'mores to feed an army). The weather stayed pleasant, the company entertaining and comfortable with relationship dynamics 'on display,' and the scenery was breathtakingly peaceful. Overall, they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
It was early Sunday morning when everything went to shit.
Bella was the first to awaken and carefully extracted herself from Leah's embrace before quietly unzipping the tent door. There were still hot coals from their campfire and Bella added a few pieces of firewood to make breakfast for everyone.
As she gathered what she needed from the cooler, suddenly her surroundings went silent. Bella raised her head from her task to listen, noting the birds, the sound of Quil's snoring… Hell, even the breeze had gone still. The sensation of being watching raked down Bella's spine like nails on a chalkboard, making her cringe as she glanced about their surroundings.
And then, the sound of many heavy footsteps cracking through underbrush made her spin around, coming face to face with a sight Bella believed she'd never see again. The breeze suddenly set back into motion as it tousled red hair against ivory skin. Dirty, torn clothing covered a heaving chest as unnecessary breath panted underneath, making it rise and fall comically, and rapidly. But nothing humorous accompanied the complete rage and torment on the vampire's face.
Bella took a step backward, only to trip over the cooler and land directly on her ass beside it. She glanced toward the tents where her loved ones remained sleeping and shuddered.
A sweet, child-like voice, completely devoid of all humanity by now, crooned, "Don't worry about your sleepy little friends, pet. I'm here for you."
A little louder than intended in her newfound panic, Bella asked, "What could you possibly want from me?"
"Exactly what you deserve… A mate for a mate, if you will," Victoria said, grinning as several other hungry, red-eyed vampires made their way to the edge of the woods. It seemed Victoria had found herself a new coven after losing James and Laurent's abandonment now that he was mated to Irina. But what good, what revenge could be gained by targeting a human the family of vampires no longer wanted? Bella hadn't killed James. James tried to kill her!
Even if Victoria promised to leave her friends alone, that didn't mean the others would. They were all about to die.
Bella's breath came in sharp, ragged gasps as her fear spiked and the overwhelming memories of James' attack flooded her mind. Those thoughts were followed by flashes of Charlie and Sue, Tiffany Call, Joy, and Old Quil gathered around a mass grave. The image alone made a sob catch in her throat.
As she swayed dizzily where she sat, collapsing against the cooler, Victoria laughed. She squatted in front of Bella, placing one frozen finger under Bella's chin, forcing her to look up.
"Is your delicate little human mind struggling to cope, my dear? It's too bad you can't sift through the ashes of your mate. Then, you'd understand true pain."
"You know I'm not Edward's mate, right? I'm not his girlfriend or his pet. I'm not even in contact with the motherfucker! You don't have to do any of this…"
Bella was far more worried about her sleeping friends than herself. She'd never had a hard time sacrificing herself for those she loved. Truthfully, it seemed rather easy to do. It was the thought of those she loved getting hurt in her place that she couldn't fathom. It took the entire Cullen clan to bring down James. What could Victoria and a small army of vampires behind her achieve?
A sudden sharp sound like a balloon popping and shredding fabric filled the air behind them, pulling Bella from her dizzy, frozen stupor. After seeing Victoria's eyes widen in surprise, Bella glanced behind her just in time to see the remnants of the tent Quil and Embry were using fluttering through the air like giant snowflakes. They fell, settling around the two largest wolves Bella had ever seen as the plastic tent frame bounced beside them. It was as if every nightmare she'd ever had suddenly come to life as she stared at the two furious wolves, too stunned to wonder precisely where her cousin and friend had gone.
The gray wolf with black spots turned large, worried eyes on Bella, and she couldn't help but notice the intelligence behind them, far too human-like for any ordinary wolf. But these were far from ordinary wolves. One alone would not have fit inside the tent, and Bella could tell from her terrified seat they could easily look Jacob's giant ass in the eye without man or wolf having to bend.
"Impossible," one of Victoria's companions growled. The blonde boy hovered just to her right, as though depending on her protection rather than attempting to protect her.
There was a soft curl in the chocolate-brown wolf's fur. It was thicker than the gray and black one, muscles bulging under every tiny movement like steel under velvet. Absolute rage burned behind hazel eyes so distinct that Bella couldn't have mistaken them if she'd tried.
Barely more than a whisper, Bella said, " Quil…?"
She glanced toward the tent where Leah remained hidden, directly meeting her equally terrified brown eyes through the screen. The tent quivered, as though so filled with Leah's fear and fury that it had gained a life of its own. To Bella's disbelief, Leah scrambled from the tent with clenched fists, her entire body shaking, her breath escaping in heaving gusts as she struggled to remain where she stood, ignoring the snarls and snapping jaws of the wolves beside her.
Leah scrunched up her nose as if she smelled something foul and her voice was thick with emotion. "Bitch you need to get the fuck away from her. Now !"
Victoria giggled, amused by the two wolves and human girl who was no match for her tiny pseudo army. A few of them stepped forward, preparing for a fight. Bella choked back a sob over the sudden realization that not only was Sam's 'gang' entirely composed of the wolves of their legends, but Leah already knew.
It wasn't the hurt or sense of betrayal accompanying the realization that broke her heart, though. She didn't have time to examine those details, so it was a moot point. What broke Bella's heart was the dread that had settled into the pit of her stomach as she realized two shapeshifting spirit warriors and two human women could never win against Bella's waiting executioners.
Priorities, of course.
"Please, Leah, stay back…" Bella choked out, daring to wrap her fist in Victoria's filthy shirt to grab her attention. "Don't touch them. They weren't there when the Cullens saved me from your precious James. They have nothing to do with this! "
Victoria flicked Bella's grip on her shirt away like she were only a flea, but she might as well have struck Bella with a crowbar as the smaller woman's forearm snapped and a pain-filled scream filled her throat. Bella slid away, near landing in the now-blazing campfire - all to Victoria's amusement. Bella felt relieved for the sudden ten feet of distance between her and the handful of red-eyed vampires, futile as it was. They could be on her, draining her in just a blink even if she were a football field away, thus the twinge of relief she felt instantly got blown to smithereens.
Bella squeezed her eyes shut in pain as her arm throbbed, then cringed over the sounds of tearing flesh and snapping bones, praying to whatever gods might be listening as she waited for the agony and then nothingness that didn't appear. She was momentarily oblivious that the noises were not the sounds of herself being torn apart.
She whipped around to look for her friends, fearing the worst and entirely shocked by what she saw. Bella gasped as a silver and white wolf stood on quivering legs in Leah's place. Their eyes met, and each froze. Even as a wolf, Bella could see the love and adoration for her behind Leah's eyes.
Quil and Embry's mouths hung open in shocked wolfy horror, seeming as astounded as Leah was herself. She was much smaller than them yet practically buzzed with strength and power as they immediately moved to flank her on either side. Bella remained frozen as she watched Leah gain her bearings, her rage overcoming whatever other emotions she felt as she stood taller, prouder under Bella's tear-filled gaze.
The wolves crept closer as a single entity, toward Bella as she silently begged them to stay back, clutching her broken forearm to keep it still as the surrounding flesh rapidly began to swell and bruise. They did not stop until they had surrounded Bella, with Leah placing one long, massive front leg over Bella's shoulder, draping it across her torso in a protective stance. The growls of her companions were deafening, yet oddly fitting as Bella shook between them, overwhelmed.
A hysterical laugh escaped her as she suddenly realized how unbelievable it was that she hadn't fainted yet, making Leah whine as she nuzzled her massive wolfy head against Bella's shoulder.
And then, like in her nightmares, five massive wolves crept out of the woods behind the vampires with the solid black wolf dead center. Their footsteps were soundless, like ghosts, and she couldn't comprehend how beings so enormous could be so inconspicuous. Bella wiped the tears from her eyes with her good hand to see better as a warning growl thundered from Leah's chest.
When the black wolf's eyes met Bella's, it nodded to her once in recognition, and even in wolf form, Bella finally recognized the now familiar eyes and furrowed brow.
She gasped, "Sam…"
The russet wolf to his right was even more massive than Sam, and she did not doubt as she looked into his large kind eyes that it was Jacob. The silver wolf allowed its tongue to loll out in a wolfy grin, and Bella knew he was the one she'd spotted in her backyard.
"Paul…" She mouthed, not wanting to give them away. He gave a subtle nod and closed his mouth, his features hardening as he crouched, focusing on the vampires before them.
She assumed the others were Jared and Seth, and her heart ached for the fourteen-year-old, far too young for such responsibility. Both of Sue's children were here, in danger, and likely to die, even if evenly numbered. Every close friend Bella had surrounded her now, facing almost certain death, and it made her want to scream.
"What a surprise." Victoria laughed. "I thought we were far enough away from your little wolfy friends, but you brought a few with you. I might have let them live if they were human, but they've been a real pain in my ass the last few months."
Months?
The gray and black spotted wolf growled and snapped its chops at her.
God, that's Embry. It was odd to see him so fearsome, even in this form. He'd been telling the truth that day she'd nearly run him over… Sam was trying to protect her. They all were.
Sam's hatred of Bella's prior connections, his wariness and awareness of her 'safety,' isolating her from the wolves as they joined his ranks, recognizing her scent, and Seth's newfound dislike of Bella immediately made sense. And the oddest part was that Bella not only understood it, but she forgave it. How could she not? Clearly, Bella was nothing if not a danger magnet, drawing vampires and other monsters to her like flies, and completely disrupting their lives.
I should have moved to Florida… They'd all have been safe if she'd hidden in the sunshine state that the diamond-skinned vampires avoided.
Now they'd all die, and it was her fault.
"You should have just let James kill you, Pet," Victoria crooned, still unaware of the pack steadily approaching the others behind her.
Bella was unsure how they'd remained unnoticed this long, but the memory of their legends held wisdom she'd taken for granted… until now.
"I tried that, dumbass." Bella laughed, though it sounded forced. She might as well provoke the bitch if she was just going to kill her anyway, and per usual, even in this new form, Leah's presence both grounded and encouraged her. Bella hoped running her mouth would distract long enough for the wolves to have a fighting chance. "I snuck away from them and met with James. Handed myself right to the sadistic sonofabitch."
Victoria bared her teeth at Bella and hissed. "But, they followed. You should have done a better job losing them."
Bella scoffed. "Can you hear yourself right now?"This psychopath will justify anything to exact her revenge. "I was trying to escape a psychic, a mind-reader, and an Empath who kept me sedated for two days while we drove across the country. It's a wonder I escaped any of them at all."
Victoria's scowl deepened, her features appearing nearly cartoonish as she slinked closer. Despite how ridiculous it looked, it was also utterly terrifying. She yelled, "My James died for you! A pitiful, weak little human."
Leah's paw slightly tightened against Bella's side, reminding her of everything at stake. And it pissed her off. She'd only just begun loving Leah openly, to feel whole again.
Her tone hardened, thick with anger and grief over everything she might lose. "Your dipshit boyfriend died because he insisted on hunting me despite being protected by seven other vampires. That's on him, Victoria. Not me! You know for all the superiority talk your kind preaches about themselves, some of you are truly fucking brainless goddamned wonders."
She nearly smiled as Quil made a choking sound, similar to his laugh before resuming his fearsome snarl.
"Now, see," Bella continued, less angry but determined to remain a distraction. "My weak human ass could never have defeated James. I knew that when I gave myself up. I got my leg and wrist broken, fractured ribs, a concussion, cuts from head to toe after being thrown into a glass wall, and bitten for my efforts."
Bella held up her wrist to let Victoria see the imperfect crescent shape where James' teeth had marred her skin. "Your precious James even had a little video camera so he could record my death like the sadistic prick that he was. Unfortunately, he didn't consider he'd record his own. I think Alice still has the tape."
Feeling stupidly triumphant over the devastated agony on Victoria's face, Bella added, "Luckily for you, Edward sucked the venom out after James bit me. He did that while Jasper and Emmett killed James. That you think I deserve to die for his stupidity is fucking laughable. You're lucky I didn't turn, Vicky. Otherwise, I'd send your ass to hell with him myself."
And then, as though she'd sounded the call to attack, like lightning, the wolves behind the group of vampires struck.
Shit. A Cliffy. Feel free to rant or rave in the review section. xo.
