Between the Perennial Blooms || Paul Lahote

Forty Seven | Bluemink pt. 2 (Bonus)

"I begin now to perceive the nature of my soul, the soul I inhabit as punishment. Inflexible, even in hunger."
—Louise Glück | excerpt of 'The New Life', in Vita Nova

• • •

"Get Bella out of your little fantasies, dog. Or we're going to have a problem," Edward bit out through clenched teeth as he read the things Jacob Black was practically screaming in his mind.

The two Swan sisters had fallen asleep some time ago — both of whom tossed and turned in the cold despite the sweat now dotting their brows — and now lay oblivious to the conversation taking place above them. The Vampire and Werewolf had occupied their time with watching them sleep for a few hours; however, the longer they waited for the first rays of morning light to peak through the fabric of the tent, the higher the tension between them seemed to build.

"Payback for listening to my thoughts," Jacob smirked as Bella huddled into his side closer.

Edward scowled at the sight, but otherwise chose not to comment. "Trust me, I'd shut you out if I could," he muttered instead. Then, pausing, he contemplated whether to say his sudden thought aloud before finally deciding to go through with it anyway. "Your hatred for my kind runs deep, I know. But what makes you think you're so much better for her than I am?"

Jacob snorted. "Is that even a question? I can give her a future — a normal life. A life where she doesn't have to constantly worry about getting sucked dry if she gets so much as a paper cut. A life where she can settle down, grow old, have kids." He looked the Vampire right in the eye. "A life where she isn't constantly on the verge of death."

"I can see you believe all those things to be true, but tell me, how is Bella's life with me any different than Bailey's life with Paul?" Edward countered intuitively. "We've all seen her leg, we've all seen what one of your kind is capable of and not just in her case, but in Emily Young's as well. One split-second of lost control resulted in pain, mutilation, and if it hadn't been caught quickly enough, could have possibly even led to death," Edward ranted. "So tell me, how are you any different? How is your kind, by any stretch of the word, superior to my own?" He questioned him. "How could a life with you possibly be any safer than one with me?"

Jacob tried to procure a response; truly, he did. However, as Edward's words registered in his mind, he quickly found that he couldn't. There was no refuting that what Quil had done to Bailey was awful — no matter the fact that it was an accident of the very worst kind. It had scarred her, had left her terrified and sorrowful and fed a newfound insecurity in her any time she was forced to look upon the skin that had once been smooth and silky and was now indented with a memory she would never be able to rid herself of. A part of Jacob blamed himself for what had happened. After all, Bailey would have never found out about wolves and shapeshifters and the legends of his people had he not dragged her headfirst into it in the first place. Flashes of that night he had shifted in front of the two Swan sisters burst forth in his mind and he shuddered at the memory of the horrified look on Bailey's face. She had looked so scared then, so incredibly small in that moment, and in comparison to what he felt when she looked so effervescent and bright and happy, seeing her like that was like having his heart ripped straight out of his chest. Because he loved her — not in the way he loved Bella, of course — but in the way he might have grown to love his own two sisters had they not left him and his father when he was so young. Because she was one of those people his life would forever be changed for, and when it came to the people he loved as dearly as he loved the sleepy kitten of a girl currently astride his chest, he would do anything so long as it meant they stayed as happy as she was when the sun beat down on the golden curls atop her pretty head.

"You see," Edward murmured quietly, reading the solemn thoughts in Jacob's mind. "We're not all that different, you and I."

Jacob snorted but otherwise didn't argue.

"We both love them and in different ways," Edward continued. "But we're both too selfish to want for them a life without us in it," he said. "So neither of us is better than the other. And if there's one thing I've learned from all of my years on this earth, it's this: We don't get to make that choice."

Both of their gazes traveled over to the two sleeping Swan sisters and lingered there.

"They do."

• • •

Author's Note

So instead of writing out the scene where Jacob and Edward pretty much profess their love for Bella and talk about how grateful Edward is for Jacob in her life despite the fact that he poses a threat to their relationship, I decided to put my own spin on it! It's short and sweet and is really just a little blurb of an update but I wanted to include it anyway. So I hope you guys liked it and are looking forward to the next chapter!

—Vanillarain13