"So how did you do it?" my eyes popped open as Rosalie spoke. I was lying across the backseat of the Range Rover with my arms over my head, trying to suppress my nausea. After requests for Rosalie to pull over so I could throw up, Kaya felt it would be better for her to sit up in the front seat so I could focus more on channeling Jacob and less on my motion sickness. "I distinctly remember reading your obituary years ago."
"Ooh, you did? What did it say?" Kaya asked, a little too excited. Amused, I rolled my eyes before closing them to channel. "I never read it."
Rosalie just chuckled but didn't speak for a minute. "Times change so fast, it's actually nice to see an old face. I wished it was under different circumstances, of course."
"Oh, don't get all soft on me, Rose," I could hear the smirk in Kaya's voice. Rose? That felt so familiar. How strange was it to think that once upon a time, Kaya and Rosalie knew each other before I was even a blip on a map.
With Rosalie not needing to sleep and her also driving like a drag racer on cocaine, we had been on the road for a little over 24 hours and were quickly approaching Denali. The pack had gotten there in half that time; I told them to keep their distance. If Bella or Edward or even the Denali even got a whiff of wolf, this whole operation would go to shit. We needed to find Renesmee and Jacob as quickly and quietly as possible. We needed to get Bella and Edward back to Forks so Bella could be dealt with. Kaya, Ephraim, and I had been going back and forth on how to deal with her. Ephraim, being a true wolf leader, he was, was leaning toward destroying her, but I couldn't stomach that as an actual option until we understood how dangerous she was.
The thought of destroying Bella was really hard for me and I couldn't figure out why. I think it was because of Renesmee being so young. Even if Rosalie was the sole maternal figure in her life, nothing is more devastating than losing a parent. Your blood. Half of who you are. I didn't want to be the one to take that away from her. She was a kid, a baby. Kaya suggested that we leave Bella in the care of Carlisle, who was more capable than all of us to help her. Rosalie reluctantly accepted a call from Carlisle while we were driving. He let us know that he was brainstorming if there was a way for them to rehabilitate her. If they could somehow strip the hunter instincts in her, then we would reconsider letting them stay in Alaska unsupervised. As long as they stayed there forever and never contacted Jacob ever again.
God, I missed Jacob. I had never spent so much time trying to feel something—anything—that would connect me to him again. Other than the little poppy seed in my belly, it was like there was a huge part of me missing. My partner was out there, probably hurt, and I wasn't there. My eyes were stinging with tears again and that damn lump formed in my throat. Placing a hand over my ring, I let out a slow breath. Emotions were not going to help me figure this out.
"Little one?"
I lowered my other arm from over my eyes and looked up at the front seat. Kaya was wearing a concerned look on her face. Sitting up in my seat, I offered her a smile. "I'm alright," I reassured her.
"You don't have to lie, Leah," she said, softly. "I can feel you missing him."
"I'm just trying to figure out how to play this," I mumbled, distractedly buckling my seatbelt. "We can't just go into this, guns blazing. I wish we could all just sit and talk about this. We don't know where her head is at...we don't know what her plan is. I just want to know why she did this." I paused. "I just want to make sure he's safe."
Rosalie guffawed, "Do you really think we needed your whole pack and two dead people to have a sit-down conversation with Bella? That doesn't sound like your best plan, Leah."
"Well, I don't have anything else!" I snapped. "I-I'm not quite in a place to be physically fighting anyone and what I really want to do is punch her in her fucking face and I can't do that without..." I trailed off. Without her hauling off and potentially hurting the baby, of course.
"Cool, so what are you going to do? Talk her to death? She's a predator, Leah. Baby or no baby, you need to be on defense, no matter what," Rosalie commented.
Kaya sighed, "She's right. You didn't spend all of those months training for nothing."
"We started those trainings for a massive threat. A real one. This is just—"
Rosalie slammed on the brakes, making Kaya and I plunge forward with a loud gasp. She pulled over to the side of the road and whipped around to face me, snatching her sunglasses from her face. Her dark eyes were wild with irritation and her pale face was hard as stone. "So, this isn't a real threat?" she sneered. "What do you consider a real threat, Leah?"
"Rose—," Kaya started.
"No, hush," Rosalie held up her finger to Kaya. She never took her eyes off of me when she spoke again, "I think that's the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever heard you say. If you don't think this is a real threat, you're even more naïve than I gave you credit for. I have been giving you all props for handling this as well as you have and now, you're making me regret that.
"You wanna know what she's been saying? You wanna know what makes this a real threat? I could always hear her leaving in the middle of the night to go to the treaty line when she thought no one was paying attention. I even followed her a couple of times. I watched as she stalked you for weeks. I listened to her tell Edward how she'd gladly be rid of you because you have ruined her chance at her true happiness.
"Let's talk about how excited she would get, just talking about how she wanted to kill you. She's fascinated with how strong she is now. How easily she could just throw you around like a fucking ragdoll. I, of course, didn't think she had the balls, but that was stupid, given what happened. She hadn't been tracking Jacob, Leah; she was tracking you. Figuring out which patrol shift Jacob was on so that she could catch you alone. Calling your house at all hours to see if you were home. Because there's something so poetic about finishing you in a place that made you happy. A place where someone you love would find you. She was going to kill you and use your body as a fucking trophy. And then she was going to figure out how to keep Jacob for herself, after you were out of her way.
"Bella is dangerous, Leah. The other night, when Jacob found a scent on the trail, that was Bella coming for you because she knew you'd be alone. I was the one to go get her and bring her back. Do you know how hard it is to follow someone's footsteps exactly as to not raise more attention to ourselves? I tried to knock some sense into her since all Edward could do was cower in a fucking corner. His balls live in her pocket." Rosalie shook her head and chuckled, mirthlessly. "He didn't think she was serious about hurting you, no one did, but the signs were always there. Edward is an idiot. He still sees her as the lamb, but that girl is the lion now. She's out for blood. I know that you want this to be easy, but it won't be. So, I need you to stop being so fucking soft and start thinking like a predator. You think she's going to just back down when you show up? Absolutely not. Boss the fuck up. That's the only way we'll get Jacob and Renesmee back. Ok?"
"She's right, Leah," Kaya said softly.
My eyes were wide with shock. In the years that I'd known Rosalie, that was the most she'd ever spoken to me. And I was feeling her words down to the core of my being. Was it possible that I hadn't even thought about the possibility that I was the one being hunted this whole time? It would explain why Ephraim would be watching me instead of Jacob. Kaya, my appointed guardian and predecessor, was here on Earth and couldn't be an omniscient presence for me. Jacob is missing because everyone had to shift focus. They weren't just looking out for me; they were looking out for the baby too.
This was the first time that a Quileute baby would be born from two shape shifters. We don't know how powerful this baby will be once he or she is born. Logistically, I understood this. But also, this was my child, and Jacob was this child's father. What scared me more than having a baby was having a baby without him.
Life isn't rational. Not everything fits into a neat, little box and I'd been spending months and months trying to make it that way. Learning to be an Alpha to me had been about theoreticals. In my head, if I could factor everything, then, theoretically when it happened, we would be prepared. Jacob and I planned for everything, except for this. We didn't factor in what to do when one of us was completely unreachable and most likely incapacitated. Every time I heard Kaya say, "Something big is coming," I had always thought that whatever it was, Jacob would be right beside me to handle it.
But he's not. And he needs me. Rosalie is right. I needed to boss the fuck up. "So, what would you do?" I asked Rosalie. Our eyes were locked in a stare-down as I ran every single scenario played out in my head. Me fighting Bella, me fighting Edward, me killing one of them, me killing both of them. "Say Bella is standing in front of you with Renesmee in tow and she's threatening your life. What do you do?"
Rosalie's lips twitched upward before resting into her regular pout. "You already know the answer to that question," was all she said. Rosalie turned around and pulled off the shoulder, back onto the road. Kaya gave me an encouraging, soft look before settling in her seat. All of the signs were pointing to a brawl, an outright riot. And right there in the middle would be me and Bella in a fight to the death. And that was a battle I wasn't willing to lose.
Leah...a chill rippled up my spine as the whisper breezed through me. I gasped a little as my body felt the incredibly weak connection to Jacob. It was just that little bit of warmth; that was all I needed.
"Oh my god," I breathed.
"Get him to your common, Leah. Now." Kaya instructed. "Rosalie, step on it."
I nodded my head as I closed my eyes. Jacob, baby, we're coming to get you.
I need you... he said.
I know. I'm coming. Go to our place, Jacob. Meet me at our common place. I swallowed as I forced my body into a relaxed state. I curled my toes as I felt them tingle and slowly blew my breath out. I let Kaya's words from our trainings flow through me. Now, place your energy into your partner. Feel every single part of your partner. Let your separate auras melt to one. Let your breathing synchronize, let every cell and molecule connect. Let your spirit walk to your common.
My head slumped forward as I felt my spirit lifting outside of myself.
I opened my eyes to a bright and warm sun beaming directly above me. I shot up, gasping as I looked around for Jacob. His body lie on the other side of the clearing, barely moving. "Jacob?" I called. His head lobbed to the side and his beautiful face lit up when he saw me. Jacob held out his hand to me. I carefully stood up and stepped toward him, the soft grass brushing against my feet.
I knelt down next to him and watched as he leisurely placed his hand behind his head. His brown eyes twinkled as he took in every detail of my face. I felt warm all over. It was him. I was feeling him for the first time in what felt like too long. I threw my arms around him as my eyes filled with tears. He chuckled a little before slipping his strong arms around my torso. Jacob buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. "God, I missed this," he whispered. I nodded, fervently as I took in his wonderful woodsy scent. When we finally broke apart, Jacob sat up and ran a hand through my hair. He smiled before placing a gentle kiss on my lips. "You're more beautiful than ever, Leah."
"Please tell me, when this is over, we never have to be apart ever again," I said through my tears. He studied my face more, twiddling a lock of my hair between his fingers. He didn't say anything. I reached up and brushed my thumb across his cheek. It was smooth. "Jacob...I can't do this without you."
He sighed, "Come lay down with me." He laid on his back and closed his eyes. I didn't question it. As I tucked my hair behind my ear, I cuddled up next to him with my head on his chest. It was so peaceful here. Much like when Kaya came to me for the very first time, I could feel my spirit rejecting fear. Because here, we were safe. The birds flitted around us as a soft breeze danced around us. "It's crazy," he started. "Before every patrol shift, I pray to Taha Aki to keep you safe while I'm not there. You, Dad, Rach, our little baby...I guess I forgot to include myself on that list."
"This isn't your fault, Jacob," I reassured him. I relished in the familiarity of lying with him. But I couldn't help but feel sad that this was just a spiritual illusion. Our consciousnesses were together, but I missed him so much. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Jacob started to run his fingers up and down my arm. "Just lay with me for a second, Lee," he said.
"We don't have time, Jacob," I argued.
He quietly shushed me. I could feel the soft rhythm of his breathing and I think I understood what he was doing. He was relishing the moment. Even in an emergency, he understood that it was important for a moment, even a small one, to be cherished for what it was. The trauma of it all could be left behind just for a second. And we could enjoy our spirits being at peace. Until we could be together again.
"We underestimated her big time," he spoke. He shuddered a little as he relived what he went through. "She caught me by surprise. Came down on me from the trees and just started squeezing me around the throat. And the needle was in her hand, ready to inject me. I managed to fight her off, but she's so fucking fast..."
I swallowed hard. The imagery felt more real in here. The feelings he was emitted were rawer; it was so harsh. "Ok...you don't have to keep telling me if you don—"
"No, it's ok," he said as his thumb stroked my arm. "She had my hind legs gripped so tight, I thought they might snap like twigs. And then she...she threw me against a fucking tree. I felt the needle in my neck before I realized what was happening and I cut myself trying to get it away from me."
"That explains the blood we saw..." I mumbled.
Jacob continued to run his thumb in small circles on me and I was cursing myself for feeling so relaxed. Everything he was saying was so fucked up and I wanted—more than anything—to be enraged. And I physically, or I guess spiritually, couldn't. "It took another full dose to slow me down...and a third to get me down fully. Before everything went black, I just remember using the last of my energy trying to call out to you. To anyone."
"I know, I heard you. But it'll be over soon, ok? We're coming to get you."
"I'm not worried about me..." he murmured.
"I am. She probably has you locked in some dungeon somewhere."
He shook his head. "I've been heavily sedated in a cushy bedroom that locks from the outside and windows that are sealed shut. They feed me through a tube. All of the medication coming through the IV has my body in paralysis and, somehow, I'm still the least miserable in that house."
"What do you mean?" I asked, lifting myself up to look at him. Jacob placed a gentle hand on my head to lay me back on his chest. His fingers glided through my locks of hair, so gently.
"I can hear everything, Lee. I can't open my eyes or talk. And for two minutes a day, I can muster up the energy to project to you before Edward can hear me trying to reach out to you and they come in to re-up my dosage and then I'm comatose again. But I can hear every single thing that's going on. Edward is miserable; he's lost any ounce of self-respect all because he wants her to have what she needs to be happy. He feels so guilty for trapping her into this life. All he does is let her scream at him about how unhappy she is. When he's not letting her scream at him, he's trying desperately to make this circumstance less fucked up for Nessie and Bella. And Nessie..." he trailed off. "She finds more solace sitting in a room with me, someone who can't talk to her or comfort her, than with her actual parents. She reads to me and talks to me. She's told me all about Rosalie and Emmett and how they've been raising her and how much she misses them."
"Rosalie has been a huge help. She misses Renesmee just as much. I wish you could tell her that."
"She's a bright kid. And I don't know if she knows that I can hear her, but that little girl tells me everything that she hears. There's good information and there's some not so good information," he told me. He sighed, "God, I wish we could just stay here forever. Skip the drama."
I rolled my eyes before sitting up, "It's not drama, Jacob. This is life or death."
"Yeah, but not in the way you think," he sat up with me, his face settling into a serious expression.
"Rosalie already told me she was hunting me and not you," I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Then you know what happens next then," he shrugged. "You need to be careful, Leah. She knows you're not going down without a fight. She's counting on it. If she can get rid of you, there's nothing stopping her from keeping me and Nessie here forever. You're the only one threatening her eternal bliss. If you don't kill her, she will kill you, Leah. You understand that, right?"
I let out a shaky breath before looking up at the trees. "I don't know if I can do it..." I admitted. "How am I just supposed to kill someone who's a mother? A wife?"
"A neglectful mother. An abusive wife. Bella may be Nessie's mother, but she's not a mom. Nessie needs Rosalie. Bella's obsession with her idea of happiness is borderline psychotic. She doesn't care how she gets it; she doesn't even care about Edward anymore. She just wants what she can't have or what she feels like she deserves. She needs to be stopped before she hurts someone." Jacob grabbed my hands and laced our fingers together. "If she hurts you, she'll hurt our child. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to meet the little person that we've created. I'm ready to hold her and give her kisses and give her a name. I want to see her have a future and it will tear me apart to see you and our baby destroyed before we've even had a chance to be a family."
I had always kept the idea of me getting hurt in the front of my mind because of the baby. But what Jacob was saying—what he was asking me to do—was to fight to keep our baby safe. I wasn't just fighting to bring him back; I was having to fight to bring our family back together. I didn't have a choice. The healer in me wanted to do this the soft way, but if she was as aggressive and abrasive as people kept saying, the dominant side of me was going to have to come out.
"We've trained for this. We've been through it. I would do it myself if I could," he continued. "Fight for our family, Lee. And fight for Nessie's too. That little girl deserves the world and all she's known in this life is pain and fear."
I felt my head nodding because I knew he was right. Mothers lift cars off of their children. I was a fucking shape shifter. An Alpha. Bella might be strong, but I'd give anything for my family. I'd give anything for everyone to walk away from this happy. But if this was the only solution then so be it.
All of a sudden, Jacob gasped softly. When I looked at him, he was looking at me and smiling. "Do you feel that?" he asked. It was a familiar tug; something that I knew all too well. He was close. We were close. "You're almost here. It's almost time for you to go. Leah," he held my chin in his hands. "Let's end this shit, ok? You know what to do."
"I do?"
He nodded, assuredly. "If I was there, you'd have no trouble formulating a plan. Make your moves as if I'm right beside you." With a kiss on my forehead, he whispered, "They chose you for a reason."
As I came back, I took a huge deep breath in and squeezed my eyes tight. I felt a gentle hand rubbing up and down my back. "Just ease back into it," Kaya's soft voice crooned to me. Her natural rose aroma lifted off of her skin as I realized that my head was lying in her lap. The radio played quietly in the background. My whole body was tingling like a light version of when your foot falls asleep. My eyes blinked open and I started to wiggle my toes and roll my body to shake the tingles. "Good job, little wolf."
I groaned as I started to sit up, "Where are we?"
"Pioneer Peak," Rosalie answered. "We're about 130 miles from Denali. We're safe out here for now."
"How long was I gone?" I rasped.
"You've got great timing, little wolf," Kaya said. I felt the car make a left turn and then we were all of a sudden driving on uneven ground. I sat up quickly and looked out the window to see a blanket of fresh, white snow as we drove off the road. In the distance, I could see a cluster of colors in the sea of white. A cluster of furry colors to be exact. My pack stood strong and tall from afar. "We're here."
As we approached, one by one, the boys phased back human and covered themselves. "I hope you have a plan," Rosalie muttered to me under her breath as she shifted the gear into park.
"It's coming together, I think," I said back. Jacob was right. If he was here, I would have the confidence and conviction to get a plan together without a second thought.
Ephraim opened the door for us, holding out his hand for me to climb out, then Kaya. He kissed her hand before speaking, "You all made good time. We were just talking about a plan of attack."
The wolves circled around me and I could feel they were vibrating with anticipation for what was coming. It had been so long since we had had any kind of action. "Shouldn't Leah be the one to come up with a plan, Eph?" Kaya asked in a stern voice. "She is the acting Alpha. You can't just make a decision like that without her."
Paul stepped up, "Actually, I suggested a variation of one of our trainings. It's a standard draw out and ambush. Catch them at the house, destroy, get Jacob back. Easy."
I shook my head. I understood how he thought that that would work. But we were in foreign territory. This wasn't Forks; we weren't surrounded by anything familiar. I glanced around for a second. We weren't surrounded by anything, really. "Too messy," I commented. "We need a different approach."
"I thought we were trying to do this quickly," Jared remarked. "12 wolves. 2 bloodsuckers. It's child's play."
"Bella's expecting us. An ambush doesn't retain the element of surprise that you think it does," I countered. "We also don't need to be making new enemies. The less vampires that hate us, the better."
"What do you suggest then, Aileah?" Ephraim asked from behind me.
As I turned to answer him, I was fully prepared to once again repeat that I didn't know. But then something happened. Something sparked in my mind that was so creative, it might just work. As I looked at Jacob's doppelganger's face, I felt it. "I think I know what we're going to do."
XXXXXXXXX
Let's break this down a little. Every living thing has a distinct scent, just like they have a distinct aura. It's just another one of those things that make us different, like fingerprints. Since Jacob and Ephraim are of the same bloodline, their scents are very similar. They're just similar enough for someone, particularly a vampire, to confuse the two. It was fine that Bella was expecting us; what she wasn't expecting was us having another ancestor at our disposal. The guys had a lot of questions about this plan and I really hoped that, by some miracle, it would work. If we could use Ephraim as a means of distraction so we could take the attention away from the real Jacob, then it wouldn't take anything but a minute for me to wake him up so we can bring him home. Their scents, their faces, even their wolves looked almost identical. I just kept going over the conversation in my head.
"So, what's the plan, boss?" Paul asked.
I started by splitting the wolves up into two groups. Paul would lead the first group with Seth, Embry, Brady, and Kai; Sam and Jared would take Colin, Quil, Topher, and Ephraim in the second group. And Kaya, Rose, and I would watch, just out of sight or scent as to not be detected or sniffed out.
"How is splitting us up going to work?" Jared asked. "Especially if we're just going to kill them. Come on, Leah, confront and attack."
"Because the objective is not to kill them. The objective is to get Jacob and Renesmee to safety," I answered.
We didn't need to ambush them to finish this. What we needed was to separate Bella and Edward long enough for me to find Jacob to wake him up. We needed to send them on a wild goose chase. We needed to send them on a chase that was so crazy, that it would be impossible for them to make it back in time to get Jacob and Nessie. Here's the thing: I knew Bella wanted a fight with me. If the timing was right, I'd give her exactly what she was looking for.
"Didn't you say that they know we're coming? We need to play this right." Seth commented, uncertainly. "How do you know they'll fall for the bait?"
It's really quite simple. Bella will get a whiff of wolf and start to chase it thinking it'll lead to me. Because, where there's one wolf, the pack follows. On the other side, Ephraim will go after Edward, who will immediately think Ephraim is Jacob and send himself into a panic to regain control, in the complete opposite direction. Rosalie would have enough time to grab Nessie and get her somewhere safe and Kaya and I could get Jacob and finish this shit.
"Wait...shouldn't it be the other way around? Ephraim should go after Bella because Edward could just read his thoughts." Sam's face was worn with concern. "I don't know about this, Leah."
"I need you to trust me, guys. This is all a diversion. I just need you all to get them far enough so I can get Jacob off of the medication." I turned to Rosalie. "How often do you guys hunt?"
She shrugged before crossing her arms in front of her, "Once a week? Sometimes a couple times a week. It depends. With Renesmee living with them, they probably hunt more. She's a growing girl; she needs all that she can get."
I nodded before asking Ephraim, "You think you can catch him while he's hunting?"
"Definitely," he gave a small nod. "What about the mind reading?"
"Put up your strongest walls, Eph, and clear your mind as much as you can," Kaya said. "When in doubt, think like Jacob."
"Well, what does Jacob think about?"
"Leah," all the wolves resounded.
So, right now, Rosalie, Kaya, and I were sitting in the Rover a couple miles away watching an unsuspecting Edward zoom just into our sight, hunting down a giant moose. We were all sitting quiet, still. All we could do was watch; we couldn't risk communicating with either team until it was time. I could feel the wolves surrounding the perimeter in case anything went wrong. My heart was racing a little, but I willed it to slow down because literally anything could blow this plan. If I had had more time, I would have been able to consider all of the factors. But real life doesn't always give you time to consider the factors; you can only do with what you're given. Kaya put her hand over mine and squeezed, not saying a word. I could tell she was nervous too. Her hand was vibrating just slightly.
"What if Renesmee is with them? I don't want to hurt her," Ephraim pointed out.
"Renesmee doesn't know how to hunt," Rosalie shook her head. "And Edward likes hunting alone. He hates for other people to pull his focus."
"Ok, what do you want me to do?" Ephraim asked.
"Whatever you can to get his attention," I said, nervously.
Edward geared himself up to pounce as he gained on the moose. A large russet wolf raced after Edward, jumping over his head and tackling the moose to the ground as it wrapped his jowls around his neck. Well, that's one way to get his attention. Ephraim whirled around to face a wide-eyed Edward, his teeth baring as blood caked around his mouth. Edward shook his head, furiously, as he backed away. And I watched as he mouthed the words, "It's not possible."
Ephraim menacingly stalked up to Edward, a growl barreling deep from his core. Did you really think you could keep me down, motherfucker? Ephraim asked, imitating Jacob's voice perfectly. He snapped his jaws at Edward, who found himself falling then scrambling backward to get away from the wolf who was towering over him. I'm done being a pawn in your fucking game.
"And how long do you suppose they'll actually fall for this? How much time do we really have?" Sam asked.
I thought about it for a second. It was a good question. "All I need is ten minutes."
Ephraim turned around and raced the other way. The opposite direction of the house. Edward roared a loud "Fuck!" before taking off after him at full speed. I waited until they were out of view before saying, "Go, Rosalie. Go now." She threw the Rover in drive and sped toward the house. Denali was the highest mountain in the whole country which meant it was perfect for anyone looking for privacy. Makes sense why the Cullens landed her. It also makes sense why they left. Rosalie says they missed being normal; they were too far removed from people as to not be exposed but missed everyday life.
Before we pulled up to the house, I heard Kaya project out, Give us an update, Paul. How's it going?
We're headed north off the trail. She's about 50 meters behind us. How far do you want us to take this? Paul responded instantly.
As far as you can, I answered.
The house had been sitting abandoned for at least 50 years, but it was a stunning place. Huge. As we sped up the long driveway, I only had a second to take in the three story, gray cabin with very few windows. Very different than the manor back in Forks. "It was better to be a little more discrete back then," Rosalie sighed before parking the car. She looked at her watch. "5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, an attic, a basement. 4 floors, 8 minutes."
As we rushed into the house, I looked at Kaya and said, "I need you to find where they're stashing the medication. Dump it, flush it, do whatever you can. Just get rid of it, ok?" She nodded before stopping to look at me with a hint of pride. Kaya sent over a rush of admiration toward me before taking off down the hall.
From what I could see, most of the house still looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. The furniture in the living room was still covered in plastic with a distinct small person sized print in the left cushion. Dust covered most of the surfaces in the open living room and kitchen like the large plexiglass coffee table, the marble countertops, and the mantle over the fireplace and it was really, really creepy quiet. Other than mine and Kaya's, there were two heartbeats in the house. One steady and one that was a little faster than average. "Upstairs," I told Rosalie. We rushed upstairs to find a dark hallway with every door shut. Most of them locked from the outside. I closed my eyes to focus on where each heartbeat was. The faster one was a little fainter; it must belong to Renesmee.
"6 minutes, Leah," Rosalie reminded me.
It was most important to get Renesmee out before anything else happened. She was practically defenseless, and I didn't believe in collateral damage. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she got hurt. There were two bedrooms side by side with padlocks on the outside of the doors. One of them locked and one unlocked. I pressed by ear up against one of them to hear for Renesmee. Her breathing was quiet, but definitely noticeable. Rosalie stood next to me, her ice-cold skin radiating as she hovered next to me. "Open it," she was just short of begging. "Renesmee?" she called as I opened the door. There was no answer.
The room was a little girl's either biggest dream or worst nightmare. It was hideously bubblegum pink with white lace covering every single surface it could. The canopy full sized bed remained perfectly made and completely buried in stuffed animals. A dresser sat on the wall next to the door with a white music box sitting on top of it. The little ballerina rotated in slow circles as a familiar tune played out of the box. I struggled to place it as I looked around the impeccably pristine room. I whipped around when I heard a small slam, only to see Rosalie had shut the box with a look of disgust on her face. "I fucking hate that stupid lullaby," she said before moving into the room more. There was clearly no one in the room. Rosalie huffed, frustrated, "Where is she?"
I shushed her quietly before closing my eyes again. "Keep the time for me and keep a watch on the door. I'll find her," I promised. I stepped toward the closet and heard the heartbeat grow a little louder. Opening the closet, I found nothing but ruffle dresses and frilly shit. Jesus, Bella was deep in her delusion. I carefully moved the clothes from my eyesight to once again see no one. Where was she? I listened for her breathing and called her name, "Renesmee."
Nothing. "3 minutes," Rosalie called out.
I closed in on her breathing before pressing my ear up against the closet wall. Her steady breathing was coming from the other side. "She's in the other room," I called out to Rosalie. She rushed out of the room, me right on her heels. I reached up and yanked on the lock on the other bedroom door one good time. The shackle and body clanked on the ground as I dropped it. When I swung the door open, my heart dropped as I took in an unconscious Jacob just as he said he was. In a plush queen-sized bed, he lie right in the middle on his back. The IV was sticking out of his right arm and...he looked so small. "Jacob..." I breathed.
Rosalie grabbed my elbow. "Come on, Leah, we're running out of time."
I ripped my eyes away from Jacob before taking a look around the otherwise empty room. "Get that thing out of his arm now," I ordered Rosalie as I spotted a closet that would be sharing a wall with the closet in Nessie's room. Opening the door, it was deeper than the other one and laying right there in the middle of it with large over the ear headphones on, eyes squeezed shut, and clutching a little bunny was a 10-year-old looking Renesmee under a blanket. I breathed a sigh of relief as I crouched down to brush her curly brown hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered open before widening in shock as she started to back away from me. "Hey, hey, hey," I soothed her. I held my hands up as a sign of understanding. She had every reason to be afraid and she had every reason not to trust someone she's never seen before. Our eyes locked and I saw a glimmer of recognition in them. I offered her a comforting smile. "Hey cutie," I said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"You're Leah," she said in a small voice.
I nodded a confirmation, "I am." I held out a hand for her. "We're here to take you home. Is that ok?"
"Home?" she asked, her face lighting up.
"With your Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett. A little birdie told me that you were missing them a little extra these days. Just like I've been missing my Jacob." I watched as she carefully placed her hand in mine, and we stood up together. I gasped as a rush of images flooded my mind. Images of Renesmee crawling into the bed with Jacob with a new book in her hand for days. She would read to him to drown out the ear shattering screaming that was coming from her parents downstairs. She would play music for him and talk to him as if she knew he could hear her. Renesmee showed me Bella yelling at her to stay away from Jacob, but Edward seemingly "forgetting" to lock Jacob's room so that Renesmee could get her solace and relief. But today, Renesmee found herself locked in there with Jacob after falling asleep while she was reading that morning. She'd been in there all day and hid in the closet when she heard people—us—entering the house. When I gently snatched my hand from hers, I let out a breath. "Well...that's quite a little gift you've got there," I chuckled, a little uneasy. "Come on, let's get you out of here."
"1 minute, Leah," Rosalie called to me, appearing in the doorway. "He's not waking up!"
I grabbed Renesmee's hand and handed her off to Rosalie. "Auntie Rose!" Nessie exclaimed as she threw her arms around Rosalie. Rosalie's face broke into a wide grin as she held the small girl to her chest.
Incoming, Lee. Crazy's headed back your way and she's gaining fast, Paul let me know.
Edward's on his way back too. He figured out that Ephraim isn't Jacob and he's pissed, Sam chimed in. We're on our way.
"Ok, Rosalie, now. Get her out of here now," I ordered.
Rosalie hesitated, "Are you sure?"
"Get her somewhere safe. I've got it from here," I lied. I was feeling most unconfident, but I was hoping my poker face held up.
Rosalie nodded and picked Renesmee up, blurring out of the room. My stomach fluttered a little bit as I willed myself to prepare for what was coming. Good. We found Renesmee and Jacob. It's time to put a stop to all of this, was all I said as I walked up to Jacob's still body. His hair had start to grow out; it wasn't the same cropped style I was used to. And his facial hair was growing in fast, but he still had the same soft, peaceful face of a little boy. He looked rested. But he wasn't moving at all. "Jacob, come on. I need you to wake up," I willed him. I shook his shoulder a little aggressively. I wasn't counting on this. I hoped that his body would react faster to not being on the medication. Kaya, how's it going down there? I projected out. I waited a beat before calling her name again. Kaya?
The sound of breaking glass and a loud crash caught my attention. "No..." I whispered. I was out of time. Glancing back at Jacob, I searched for something. Anything that indicated that he was going to wake up soon. And I saw it. The slightest twitch of his finger was enough to fill me with hope before I booked it downstairs toward the commotion. As I came into the open space, I saw a struggling Kaya trying to get up from the shatters of the glass table in the living room. She groaned as she sat on her hands and knees with her head hung low. A large shard of glass stuck out of her arm and her legs were bleeding. "Kaya," I called.
She shook her head. "I'm fine, Leah. Nothing I can't handle." Kaya reached up and started to pull the glass out of her forearm. She looked up and glared in the direction of the front door. I followed her gaze to see a seething Bella Swan boring her blood red eyes into my face. That feeling of non-confidence flew out of the window as we locked eyes. As she crouched into an attacking position, I knew. This was what I was waiting for. The center of most of my frustrations, the cause of every crazy ass situation I've found myself in the past few years, the bane of my fucking existence was standing right in front of me. I didn't need Jacob to fight this for me. I was going to solve this the way I've wanted to for a long time. The best way I knew how.
I felt myself smirk as Bella started running toward me full force. I ran toward her with that same energy, ready as I've ever been. Bring it on, bitch.