First Blood | Ed. Cullen & B. Swan

Chapter 16

Not much had happened within the last week. Simon had tried his best to spread his attention out to all of his friends, but he found that most of them were busy with their finals. He hung out with them during a bit of their free time, but other than that, Simon spent his time between Bella and Leah. Edward was always with Bella, so Simon hung out around him, too. They had yet to talk about the incident between them, but Simon didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

He had watched the remainder of the Cullens and Bella graduate earlier that day, and they were all currently at the party that Alice had decided to throw. Bella was off somewhere else in the house, and Simon was having fun surrounded by the newly graduated students. Jess and Angela had split off a while ago, and Simon was currently dancing amongst many of the ex-students. He was trying to keep himself from boredom, but he felt it creeping up on him. The room was packed to the brim and the close proximity was waning on his conscious as he breathed in the scent of warm blood.

His attention was suddenly snapped away as he recognized an approaching scent. His focus left the group, and he moved through the crowd to the other side of the room. He pulled the said person into a hug, much to the wolf's surprise. Leah pulled back, a frown taking over her face as she took in her friend. She raised her hand, brushing Simon's hair away from his face.

"Are you drunk?" She asked, her voice laced with surprise as she noticed his dilated pupils. "You reek of alcohol. And people. How long have you been dancing with the crowd?"

"Not too long. Emmett found someone to make alcohol at a strength we can feel," He murmured as he rubbed at his eyes. "What're you doing here?"

"You asked me to come, remember? You said to bring some other people, too, so I brought Seth and Jacob. Jake's talking to Bella, and Seth wandered off."

Simon nodded his head as he tried to sober himself up.

"Right, yeah, sorry. Uh, we should probably go find Seth. He's the youngest person here, most likely, and it smells like someone spiked the punch."

Leah rolled her eyes, but she listened to him anyway. She grabbed his hand, tugging him along as she pushed her way through the crowd. Simon followed after her, snatching a cup of alcohol out of a young teen's hands on his way and dumping it in a nearby plant. She stopped walking suddenly, causing Simon to mutter a small curse as he ran into her.

"Your pixie friend seems to be having a moment," She said, nodding her head over to the stairway.

Simon was moving before he could even process her words, appearing next to Alice on the stairs. He heard Bella quickly approaching with Seth and Jacob, but he was already leading Alice back upstairs before they could ask questions.

***

"They'll be here in four days," Alice spoke to the occupants in the room.

"This could turn into a bloodbath," Carlisle murmured as he leaned against the table behind him.

"Who's behind it?"

"I didn't see anyone I recognized. Maybe one."

"I know his face. He's local. Riley Biers. He didn't start this." Edward spoke as he wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulders. She leaned into his side, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Whoever did, is staying out of the action. They must be playing with the blind spots in your vision."

"Either way, the army is coming and there aren't enough of us to protect the town," Jasper cut in as he entered the conversation, standing next to Alice.

"Hold up, what damn army?" Jacob finally asked, unable to follow the conversation.

"Newborns. Our kind."

"What are they after?" Leah asked as she stepped closer to Simon, her shoulder brushing against his. He reached down, faintly squeezing her hand before letting it go. She always moved closer to people she felt safe with whenever she was feeling anxious.

"They were passing around Bella's scent. A red blouse."

"They're after Bella? What the hell does this mean?"

"It means one hell of a fight," Simon muttered, "Probably with lives lost."

Jacob and Leah shared a look before they both glanced back at Seth.

"All right," Leah spoke up, "We're in."

"No. You'd get yourselves killed. No way," Bella said firmly as she sat up fully, moving away from Edward's side.

"We weren't asking for permission," Leah said as she met Bella's heated gaze.

"Edward?" Bella asked, before her gaze drifted back over to the wolves and Simon. "Simon?"

Simon didn't answer his mate, keeping his gaze on the floor with his shoulder brushing against Leah's. He didn't like the awkward silence that followed, but he was on Leah's side for this one.

"It means more protection for you," Edward finally spoke up as he shifted his attention away from Simon and to the woman next to him.

"Leah, Jacob, do you think Sam would agree to an understanding?" Carlisle asked as he stepped forward, standing closer to the wolves.

"As long as we get to kill some vampires."

"They'll give us the numbers. Newborns won't know they exist. That'll give us the edge," Jasper murmured as he held onto his wife.

"We'll need to coordinate."

"Carlisle," Bella cut in, "They're going to get hurt!"

"We'll all need some training. Fighting newborns requires knowledge that Jasper has. You're welcome to join us," Carlisle spoke to the wolves, ignoring Bella's pleads.

"All right. Name the time and place," Jake spoke after sharing another look with his pack members.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"Izzy, please," Simon faintly spoke up, his gaze falling onto his partner as he ignored the presence of everyone else in the room, "We're all going to protect you. Whether you want us to or not. We know what we're doing. This isn't pretend, Izz. It's dangerous, and it's happening no matter what."

Bella fell silent as she stared down at the ground, crossing her arms over her chest. She sighed faintly before she nodded her head.

"Alright, let's do this."