Aiyanna
The fight with Emmett was cadenced by the sound of his grunts, the barks that would escape me or his feet landing on the ground before rushing towards me again.
The same flow repeated itself : attack, escape, attack, escape...
Although we both were limited in our attacks as we didn't wish to hurt or worse kill each other inadvertently, having Emmett as an opponent was an experience I was glad to have accepted. In wolf form, our height were almost similar and none of us had to envy the other in terms of strength.
After testing him for a while, my teeth eventually found a way near his neck. My teeth loudly chattered once next to his ear, signaling that in a real fight I would have ripped his head off.
"Ah Emmett, didn't I warn you already ? You don't want to fight with me." I provoked him, letting Edward translate my thoughts.
I stepped back and Emmett turned towards me, grinning from ear to ear contrarily to his reaction earlier, when he lost against Jasper.
"Damn ! That was excellent fun !" He exclaimed. "Again !"
Sparring with him felt like a real challenge. There were no special gifts involved and it was surely different from sparring with our own kind as we both were so used to.
I had to admit that I did enjoy it too.
"Hell no ! My turn !"
"I already said no, Paul."
"It's tempting me too..." Ricky admitted.
Jasper walked towards us, laughing. "I'm impressed. I hope one day you'll accept to go against me." he suggested.
I nodded vigorously as I quickly came to like the idea of fighting against vampires.
Jasper then turned to the pack and the rest of his family.
"As you've all seen, while Emmett's offensive attacks were more upfront, Aiyanna kept aiming for his sides and back. The trick is to never face off a newborn and take them by surprise. Counter their strength with speed and agility. However, never stop moving even to decipher their next move. Since you weren't supposed to kill each other, I'll give you credits for that Aiyanna. But during the battle, it is best for you to not give them time to think. Once they do, it's over for you."
Jasper went on with the training with the rest of his family while the pack and I watched alertly, sharing images among ourselves once we saw something worth being noted.
Due to Edward's mind reading gift, fighting with Jasper was quite long and without a clear conclusion on who the winner was. Carlisle had to call it a draw once seeing that neither of them could gain an advantage.
Once Alice's turn came, it felt as if both her and Jasper were dancing without touching each other. Even with her visions being blurred out because of our presence, she managed to anticipate each of Jasper's attacks and always landed on her feet like a ballerina.
Rosalie looked as fatal as Jasper. He didn't need to fix much in her stance. Judging by how insisting Emmett had been to have a chance to fight with me, I doubted Rosalie didn't have to deal with his provocations as well.
Although the idea of killing someone, whether it was a newborn or a mere human didn't delight Carlisle, I was surprised to see him having not much difficulty in front of Jasper.
Esme on the contrary, was the one who needed Jasper's assistance the most. She never had to kill any vampire before and didn't seem to take part in the friendly fights the Cullens would have among themselves, which would explain her difficulties. While taking it slow with her to fix her form and offensive attacks, Esme was able to improve after six or seven tries thanks to Jasper.
Watching the Cullens go after each other allowed us to be well-equipped to take out any vampire.
Jasper turned towards us again. "We'll be doing this tomorrow. Please, feel welcome to observe again."
"Yes. We'll be there." Edward spoke for Sam. "I think it will be helpful for us to be familiar with each of your scents, so we don't make mistakes later. Would you consider letting us get a whiff of your scents ? It would be easier for us if you could hold still."
Edward translated Sam's suggestion to Carlisle who accepted and summoned his family members who stood in a line in front of us.
Being around the Cullens whether it was at school or at their residence made me used to their scents. Like us, along with their common burning scent, they did smell slightly different. My senses were biaised though, with Edward's natural aroma that seemed to have been curated for me.
The pack grumbled at the prospect of being so close to the Cullens. Sam hushed them, reminding them of how wise it was for us to do so.
Mirroring the Cullens, we also made a line but this time, based on our ranks. Sam led the march and was followed by me, Jacob, Jared, Embry, Ricky, Paul, Leah, Quil, Seth, Collin and Brady.
Sam approached Carlisle first and couldn't help but wince slightly at the burn in his nose. I managed to not flinch once I was in front of the head of the Cullen family, since I got used to their scent due to my growing proximity with them.
As they've been asked, the Cullens didn't move or even breathe.
I moved to Esme whose eyes softened once meeting mine, then Jasper who was probably staying on his guards in case any of us lost control, Alice who winked at me so quickly I almost didn't catch it, Rosalie who looked the happiest for her ability to hold her breath indefinitely, a grinning Emmett who probably saw in us new sparring companions and finally Edward.
All the stress from my pack members as they filed past the Cullens got shut once I stood in front of Edward. I purposefully took my time with him, touching the crook of his neck with my muzzle, knowing perfectly that I didn't need to do all that to catch his scent. I could smell him anywhere.
"You're repelling more than one here, Aiyanna." Sam reminded me, monitoring us once he stepped back from the Cullens.
As if I was being brought back to reality, the pack's thoughts became clearer to me again. Although they couldn't really say anything about someone's imprint, the glares addressed my way for slowing down the torture they were going through spoke for their deepest thoughts.
"Sorry." I told them while stepping backwards where Sam was waiting for us.
"We're going." Sam announced.
The others joined us little by little. The first five of them followed Sam into the trees while I waited for the youngest to retreat to the forest's edge where I was waiting for them.
Once Leah, Quil, Seth, Collin and Brady joined me, I gestured for them to join the others and go back to our land while I remained behind.
"Thank you." Edward translated my thoughts.
I was thankful that the unexpected cooperation between both of our clans happened without any difficulties.
"Do not hesitate to contact us if needed." Carlisle answered.
I nodded at him before my eyes finally landed on Edward.
"Aren't you coming Aiyanna ?" I heard Sam call me through our own mind reading link.
I sighed, knowing I had fulfill my duties and come out of my fantasies. The closer Edward and I got to each other and the more difficult it was for me to walk away from him. The next 24 hours would probably be the longest ones of my life.
I'll see you tomorrow - I told him.
Edward nodded. "Take care of yourself."
I nodded back before I pivoted and ran towards the forest to join my own clan.
~~
As if to let out their frustration for not being able to train with the Cullens, the pack made me play the vampire to put to practice what they saw during training.
If there weren't much to change in our oldest members' fighting techniques, the youngest ones managed to get better after several tries. Therefore, when it was time to meet the Cullens again the next day, only half of us came while the rest watched from the images we would send them.
I watched the Cullens going at each other in a crouched position along with Leah, Quil, Seth, Collin and Brady who were in different spots of the field so that they could have a different perspective on the moves the Cullens would be doing.
This time, I didn't take part in training. My role was to watch, and store up their fighting tricks so I could think of ways to out-maneuver them and use them during our own practice sessions.
While Jasper and Rosalie practiced with Emmett for a two-on-one, I heard Carlisle, Esme, Edward and Alice plan their next hunting trip before the battle. They agreed on going after practice and go for a two-day trip. Edward, on the other hand, decided to hunt for one day only.
Alice had told us that the newborn's number had gone down to nineteen overnight. But in reality, I suspected them to actually be twenty. Alice could only see newborns and Riley Biers who was sub-leading all of this. If my theory was right, if Victoria was really behind all this, then they were actually twenty.
"Urgh, when is this supposed to end ? Rather than sitting like this I'd rather be at Claire's house." Quil complained.
"She's a child for God's sake." Leah answered, annoyed and disgusted. "It's past midnight. She'd be sleeping by now."
"She wakes up sometimes. I like to make sure she's okay."
"She has parents for that."
"They don't know her as much as I do. Most of the times, I have to howl so they can wake up to check on her."
"Wow...you really need to get a life Quil." Seth intervened, as surprised by Quil's confession as the rest of them.
I stayed silent, knowing very well how Quil felt. My situation was no different, except that Edward didn't sleep and I had no problem sleeping for the both of us.
Speaking of Edward, I watched him dismiss himself from his discussion with his family to walk to the south end of the clearing, where I was waiting for Carlisle and Esme to go against Emmett once Jasper's and Rosalie's turn was over.
So you're leaving today ? - I asked, realizing how short were the times we were given together.
Edward sat beside me and stroke his hand in between my ears, making me unconsciously close my eyes in satisfaction at the contact.
I abandoned my assigned task, believing that the five of them were enough to watch the training, and allowed myself to enjoy Edward's presence while I still could.
"I will be back before you notice my absence." Edward answered.
You're underestimating me. I'll miss you before you even leave.
When I opened my eyes, Edward was smiling. His fingers never stopped moving in my fur. On the contrary, he ran his hand through my two-toned coat from my head to as far as he could reach on my back.
Shivers ran down my spine. I found myself purring like an ecstatic feline, and had to remind myself that we weren't alone.
Edward must have forgotten that there was a human female hidden underneath this long fur. One who could feel the urge to deepen the contact with her imprint.
Both Edward and I froze. If his stillness could be explained by the realization of the power his touch held, mine was explained by the emotions and thoughts I caught from my pack.
"I think I'd rather hear Quil talk about Claire all day." Brady let out, grossed out by the thoughts they all heard.
"I'm sorry." I told them, shameful. "The Cullen's training is coming to an end. Those who want to go home can. We will practice before meeting with the elders."
More than happy to be dismissed, Quil was the first one to canter into the trees with only one destination in mind : Claire's house. I watched the others disappear into the forest as well and did the same only to change back to human. Once dressed, I walked back to the field and grabbed the hand Edward was offering once I stopped beside him.
"I didn't mean to put you in an uncomfortable position." he told me.
"You didn't." I answered, squeezing his hand in reasurrance. "Sharing emotions is not enough for a wolf that hasn't imprinted yet to really understand the power behind it. So, whichever couple it is, they will always feel grossed out. I have to get used to it."
Edward nodded, always listening intently and being understanding when I talked about our species.
We walked hand in hand towards the middle of the field, where the rest of his family was. Jasper finished giving advice to Carlisle and Esme after their practice with Emmett, before going back to Alice while Emmett stood behind Rosalie, with his hands resting on her hips.
"That's it for today." Jasper announced.
"Thanks again. We will practice again before I leave the pack in La Push." I said.
"The plan starts today ?" Emmett asked.
"As soon as we're done meeting with the elders, yes."
Alice knew the way the newborns would take to get to me, so Sam and I agreed for me to use the same trail to lead them to the baseball field with my scent. To avoid having our scents mixed, a few members of the pack would stay connected to me in La Push, in case a rogue vampire would come around town while I would stay in Forks by myself.
Before that, we had to meet with the elders. It was our first time going to a litteral war against vampires. Not only to discuss about our unity during battle, it was also an opportunity for them to see us before anything happened.
I didn't like the pessimism behind this, but we had to think of all possibilities. No one was a hundred percent sure of coming back unharmed or alive.
"We will be hunting and will come back on Friday morning." Carlisle officially told me.
"I will come back on Thursday evening." Edward added while squeezing my hand.
"If you need more time..."
Edward shook his head. "I've been hunting in the area every other day, so I wouldn't stay away from you for too long."
"Did you settle everything with Bella ?" I heard Esme ask Alice.
Alice nodded, proudly smiling. "She's taking a plane to Jacksonville to see her mother on Friday morning. The perfect graduation gift."
It was indeed perfect that Bella would be out of town and therefore, not become a collateral damage as she called herself.
Everything seemed to go smoothly for now.
Rather than being stressed out, I was being expectant of what was going to happen. If Victoria wasn't really the one being this newborn army, which wouldn't make sense to me, I didn't think I would sit around and wait for her to trespass on our land again.
I needed her to die. I needed to hear her painful cries while I'd rip off her limbs. She deserved to suffer way more than Nana did in her last moments.
"Aiyanna." Jasper called me, taking me out of my threatening thoughts. "You do very well on your own but if there is one advice I can give you, it is to not let your thirst for revenge get the best of you. You could get yourself hurt...or worse."
As he said the last two words that I easily interpreted, and so did the rest of the Cullens, Jasper glanced at Edward whom we all feared.
Edward had already told me about the state he was in after our break up. I couldn't bring myself to imagine how he'd cope with the grief if her ever saw me lifeless. If the tables were reversed, I knew exactly what I would do. It wouldn't be difficult for me to end my life. I didn't even think I would need to leave my house to do this. And knowing that I would leave my family behind wouldn't be a good enough reason to reconsider my choice.
Sadly, this was the only ending for any wolf who imprinted.
"What's with this atmosphere ?" Emmett intervened before he looked down at me. "Don't think of getting yourself killed anytime soon. I didn't get to fight enough with you."
"Does everything revolve around physical fights for you ?"
"You unfortunately became his new toy. Once he'll get the right amount of fun, he might leave you alone." Alice told me.
"It could take decades...maybe centuries." Rosalie added to make it worse.
I scoffed. "As if I am going to let him use me as his instrument to keep himself entertained."
"I'd be surprised if you did." Alice said, while approaching me with her arms open until she wrapped them around me. "See you on Friday."
Alice stepped back and walked back to Jasper while Esme mimicked her. "Stay safe." she told me.
"Everything's going to be fine." I said, both understanding the reason behind their worry since the newborn army was designed to kill me, but also not liking how no one thought about their safety.
As far as I knew, they had as many chances to get killed as I did.
"Have a nice trip." I told them once Esme let go of me and they all nodded, before they dashed out the trees one by one.
Edward remained with me.
I had let go of his hand when Alice and Esme hugged me and was now realizing how void my hand felt without his in it.
Edward kept a smooth mask on his face, lost in his thoughts. Without any second thought, I stood in front of him and took his face in between my hands, looking carefully into his eyes to read his expression.
"You know better than to worry for me too, right ?" I finally asked him.
"Do I ?"
I gave him a disapproving look and brought my hands down. "Is nobody going to trust me, really ? You know what, let's make a bet."
"You want to bet on your life, Aiyanna ?" Edward asked, dumbfounded.
Ignoring him, I rolled my eyes. "If I come out of this unharmed, I want you to put your undying trust in me whatever the situation. I am not scared for my life, Edward. That's how much confident I am about this. Don't just see me as I am now. See me as a co-leader to a pack of twelve huge werewolves. If they trust me, I don't see why you can't." I said, which made Edward sigh, closing his eyes while pinching the bridge of his nose. "But if I do get hurt, I am willing to do whatever you want me to."
Edward opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested.
"Of course, it can be negotiated." I quickly added, already regretting my word.
If another opportunity to kill vampires showed up again, and Edward asked me to sit out, of course it would have to be discussed. Edward's wishes could easily compete with Sam's orders on me.
"Whatever I want ?" Edward repeated.
I nodded. "Whatever you want with negotiation."
Edward took a deep breath and I was surprised that it sounded a little unsteady. Was he not sure of what he wanted ? Or was it my reaction he was not sure of ? What demand could he have that would torment him like this.
Edward brought his hand to the side of my face before he rested his forehead against mine. The proximity almost made me gasp. I felt my blood boil with the only aim to melt my body. There was one thing I wanted in this instant. It was to reduce the distance between our lips and kiss him.
But instead, before I could act on my thoughts, Edward let out a whisper I didn't expect :
"Marry me."
A/N : Had a two-week break from writing, which honestly felt kind of good after writing consistently for two months.
Now that I am confident that this story is going to end before the end of the year, the updates will be reduced to once a week, if not two weeks depending on my personal schedule.
I hope you liked this chapter. There's less than ten (hopefully not more than five) chapters left before the end of Eclipse ;-)