Destiny

~24~

Sam started after them, kicking off his shoes.
"Take Bella to Emily's place", he ordered before he disappeared, leaving an eerie quiet.
"Guess the wolf's out of the bag", Embry said.

Embry was driving Bella's truck and pulled up to a tiny, weathered house with a window box full of marigolds. Jared, who sat in the back, jumped out and opened Bella's door. He and Embry headed toward the house. But Bella didn't move.
"Pay up", Embry said to Jared, "She didn't puke."
Jared, annoyed, handed Embry five bucks.
"Told you she was tough. She does run with bloodsuckers."
"Wait. We should go back, make sure Jacob's okay", Bella called out to them.
"I hope Paul gets some teeth in him. Serve him right", Jared noted.
"No way. Jake's a natural. You see him phase on the fly? I gotta fiver says Paul doesn't touch him", Embry complained.
"Easy money. Paul's been at it longer."
Bella looked at them, appalled. They realized that she was not following them.
"Come on in. We won't bite."
"Speak for yourself", Jared mocked.
Bella warily climbed out of the car and joined them. Embry paused at the door.
"Oh, hey, about Emily... Sam's fiancé... just try not to stare. It bugs Sam", he told her.
"Why would I stare?..."
But the guys were already entering. Bella hesitantly entered behind Jared and Embry. She sees Emily at a counter, popping fresh muffins out of a tin.
"You guys hungry? Like I have to ask..."
Emily looked toward them now, revealing the other side of her face. A scar was running from the hairline to the chin, three red linesthat pull down her eye and twist her mouth.
"Who's this?" she asked as Jared and Embry beelined for the muffins.
"Bella Swan. Who else?" Jared answered.
"So you're the vampire girl."
"And you're a... you're all..."
"Werewolves? I'm just engaged to one. But these animals..."
She slapped Embry's hand.
"Save some for your brothers."
Bella cautiously approached the counter, keeping an eye on the door for Jacob.
"Leave it to Jacob to get around Sam's gag order."
"He didn't say anything, or... couldn't."
"That's a wolf thing. Alpha's orders get obeyed whether we want to or not..."
"How 'bout you shut up now, Embry?"
"You know Jacob's gonna fill her in."
"Yeah, I know every stupid thought he has. Wanna know what he thinks of you?" he directed the last part to Bella.
"Like you need special powers to know that."
"It's another wolf thing. We hear each other's thoughts. Good for hunting. Embarrassing for everything else."
Jared leaned to Bella, with a challenging look in his eyes.
"Freaking out yet?"
Bella met his look.
"You're not the first monsters I've met.
Embry grinned.
"Jake's right. You are good with the weird", someone suddenly said.
Bella turned around to see Sam standing behind her, the front door open behind him. He came in.
"But I don't get... how? Why?..."
"Because there are bad things here."
"And they're getting worse."
Bella was chilled. Sam moved past her to Emily the sight of her instantly warmed his face.
"Hey, Em."
He kissed Emily's scarred face adoringly. Bella had to look away. Their utter devotion was a painful reminder of what she had lost. Fortunately, she was distracted by Jacob and Paul's arrival. They laughed and jabbed one another. Bella was relieved to find Jacob unscathed. Jared and Embry crowd them, finding a scar on Paul's arm.
"Ha! Pay up."
As Jared reluctantly handed Embry five bucks, Jacob's eyes found Bella's. He nodded solemnly to the door. She followed him outside.

The sun was just beginning to rise, reddening the clouds overhead. Bella paced by the cliff's edge, trying to come to grips with this new reality. Jacob kept his distance, trying to control his anger.
"You just have to... stop", she mumbled.
"It's not a life-style choice. It's in my DNA."
"Killing is in your DNA?" Bella accused.
"Man, I thought maybe you wouldn't be such a hypocrite... what, I'm not the right kind of monster for you? Can't measure up to your bloodsucking friends..."
"Hey, they manage to survive without hurting innocent people", Bella said, as well angry.
Jacob stopped as his anger was replaced by confusion.
"Wait... innocent?... so... you don't care that I morph into a giant dog. Just that I... kill people?"
"'Just?' Those hikers' lives mean that little to you?"
Jacob bursted out laughing. Bella turned to go, repelled.
"Oh my God."
"Bella... Bella wait..."
He stopped her.
"We're not killing hikers. We're trying to protect them."
"From what?"
"The only thing we do kill: Vampires."
Bella was stunned and reeled.
"Vampires? Jake, no..."
Jacob stepped back, looking bitter.
"Don't worry, we can't touch your precious Cullens... unless they bite someone and violate the treaty..." Jacob explained to her.
"That's not what I... you can't fight vampires. They're too dangerous."
"Please. We took out that leech with the dreads easy enough."
"You... killed Laurent?" Bella asked.
"He didn't seem like a friend", the shapeshifter said worriedly.
"No, God no. But... how?"
"It's what we do, why we exist. A few 'lucky guys' in the tribe have the gene. If a bloodsucker moves to town, our DNA kicks in, we reach the right age and the fever hits..."
"Mono", Bella realized.
"I  wish. Next thing I know, they're telling me, this is your life now. That future you saw for yourself?Gone."
Desolation filled him. She saw this.
"It's bad, huh?"
"I just hate feeling... out of control. Like maybe Sam is right. You shouldn't be around me."
"Like you could get rid of me."
"You've seen Emily."
That landed with her. She nodded.
"Sam lost it for a split second. Em was standing too close he was still messed up about it.
...
I don't want to be that kind of nightmare."
"You're not like that. You save people, right? You saved me from Laurent."
"Yeah, didn't mind taking him out. His red-headed girlfriend will be fun, too."
Bella stopped, chilled to the bone.
"Victoria. She's here?" Bella asked shocked.
"We chased her all the way to the border the other night. But she won't stay gone. Keeps coming back... if we knew what she was after..."
Bella thought up a lie. She knew that it would be Destinee who was being hunted. But she wanted the protection for herself. Bella faked the next expression.
"What?" Jacob asked.
"I know what she wants. Me."

"Excellent. If the redhead's after Bella, we've got bait."
With stunning speed, Jacob grabbed a four-pronged spading fork from some garden tools, and flung it toward Jared's head. But he easily and amazingly, caught it.
"She is not bait", Jacob argued.
A picnic table in the middle of this small, quaintly landscaped garden. Jacob, Bella, Embry, Paul, Sam, Jared and Emily were in the midst of a huge breakfast.
"I should leave town."
"Victoria will follow you and make it harder for us to catch her", Sam told her.
"No one can catch her. She can escape anything."
"Ooh. She has special powers", Paul said fake-scared.
"Some of them do", Bella said.
They all looked at her. She instantly regretted saying it.
"Like... what? Bella?" Jacob asked.
"The mind reader you said you knew. He was a suckhead? Can they all do that?" Jared wanted to know.
"That would blow", Embry meant.
"No, I... shouldn't have... no", Bella stuttered.
"She's still protecting them", Paul said.
"I don't know why. It's not like they stuck around to protect you..." Jared argued.
"Guys, back off", told them and looked apologetically at Bella.
She shrank. It stung.

Jacob brought her home and walked her to the door.
"Don't worry, we've got this place covered. She won't get near you, Destinee or Charlie."
Bella nodded. He saw that she was blue.
"Hey, we should do something fun. Like... cliff diving, right?"
"I could use the rush."
"Soon. After we catch her."
He offered a reassuring look before jogging into the woods.