Pinned but Fluttering

Chapter 52

     But Paul was obviously tired of Tanya’s histrionics and wanted the attention back on himself and his agenda.

     “No matter the reasons,” he stated smoothly, “we obviously have an impeccable source regarding Bella’s change. Tanya and her sister are witnesses to Bella’s present state. Plus, they were witnesses to your discussions of Bella’s change: you admitted to them that you were the one who bit her, Edward Cullen. And since you changed her, you Cullens have broken the treaty of peace between the Cullen Coven and the Quileute Tribe…which now permits us to declare war on you and fight to the death. And so we’re here to claim our right to attack.”

     “You could not care less about Isabella’s change. You never cared for her, never stepped in when Billy locked her away for years, abused her, let Jacob abuse her— ” sneered Edward, but Carlisle motioned him to stop, and he reluctantly obeyed.

     Paul didn’t respond to Edward’s challenge except to grin smugly, his arms folded across his chest.

     “Before you attack,” Carlisle addressed Paul calmly, “you need to be aware of the conditions of Isabella’s change.”

     Paul remained silently impassive, so Carlisle continued. 

     “Edward and I had no choice but to change Isabella because Jacob attacked her. You accuse us of biting Isabella, Paul, and we admit to doing so, but only because Jacob bit her first, severing her carotid artery. The result of Jacob’s unprovoked attack against an innocent girl caused life-threatening injuries. Despite our best efforts to save her, Isabella was on the point of bleeding to death. Only when there was no hope of preserving her human life did Edward transform her into our kind. Truly we had no choice; she nearly didn’t survive as it was. Even her transformation to a vampire form was touch-and-go for a while. And the fault was not ours. Had Jacob not attacked, we would not have transformed Isabella.” Carlisle’s detached, clinical tone should have convinced Paul and the members of the tribe, but he gave no sign that he was convinced of anything.

     I shivered for a moment at the thought of where I would be if the Cullens had not changed me, if Jacob had not attacked me. I would still be a weak invalid, perhaps just now starting physical therapy to learn to walk again. I would have been a fragile human, beloved by the Cullens but not their equal—as I now was.

     Come to think of it, I could almost thank Jacob for the results of his unprovoked attack. I loved this “existence”—I couldn’t imagine being happier than I was with Edward.

     Unfortunately, Carlisle’s clear, logical reasoning seemed to make no impact upon Paul.

     “It would have been better for Bella if you had let her die rather than changing her into a soulless monster,” Paul growled low in his chest.

     His response sparked my temper. “Better in your opinion, maybe, Paul, but not in my opinion. I am so grateful for the Cullens who helped me to recover from Jacob’s attack on the beach, then fought to protect me from all of you when Jacob and the rest of you decided to attack me and my family here. When Jacob tried to rip my throat out, the Cullens defended me. And when I was dying after Jacob ripped open my throat, the Cullens saved my life by changing me.” I laughed derisively. “But I suppose that my opinion as the victim here means nothing to you.”