Chapter 25 I like it like that
Renesmee's POV
I look over, watching as he moves slightly in his sleep. A smile crosses my face, as I turn away from him. He's doing much better now, and they say he'll be able to leave the hospital soon. My Jacob is just beside me, his warm arm radiating heat through my body. Daddy went out to get us some food, and I've just been sitting here watching Michael sleep. I just want him to be okay again because I feel like this is somehow my fault. The red hood, and the vampires. Who else could've caused this? I frown at the thoughts again.
They've been running through my head, never giving me any rest, but my Jacob is helping me through it. He opens his eyes, and I see the look of love in his eyes. I smile back at him, before doing something not even I was expecting. I lean in and press my lips to his. He seems surprised for a moment, but then leans in to kiss back. I smile bigger, as he grows more comfortable in the kiss. We sit there on the chair, our lips locked for a few minutes, until we finally break apart, when the door opens. I look up.
The nurse is standing in the doorway, and she has this big smile on her face, as she crosses the room to inspect Michael's condition. Wordlessly, she does her routine, before leaving us again. I turn to look at him, and he smiles at me, before jumping to his feet. I stare after him, but he just takes my hand, and pulls me from the room. I look back at Michael once more, as we go down the hall, his hand locked in mine as he tows me along. We turn down another hallway, before he turns to face me with a grin.
I see the possibilities of the abandoned hallway, and decide to go for it. I push him against the wall, and pull his face down to press my lips to his again. He kisses me back tenderly, pulling me off the ground, and backing me against the wall. His lips are on mine, and we're kissing so romantically. I open my eyes, and his are right there. They are so warm, and almost trembling with love. I smile, before closing my eyes to enjoy the enormity of the kiss happening right now. I'm actually kissing my Jacob right now.
Lucas's POV
I look out over the darkening driveway. A small squirrel dashes from view. I smile at the sight of the animal before me. It's weird because I used to be so scared of the harmless things. It causes me to laugh, just before another flicker of movement catches my eye. I look closer, and see with apprehension a group of people on the edge of the trees. I'm just about to freak out, when Alice comes into view. I relax, before running to the door. I've missed her. I jump from the porch, and dash across the yard, just as Emmett joins us in the dusky yard.
"Alice, it's so good to see you!" I say, running into her arms. I look at the group of vampires behind her. There are eight of them. I look to the clear leader, as he stands a few steps in front of the others. He has dark hair, and light blue eyes. I smile at him, as he takes in my curious expression. I wonder where they're from.
"Alice, you didn't tell me your family had gotten so attractive" the man says, never taking his eyes off me. I know in that moment that he's Russian. He also just called me attractive.
"This is my brother-in-law Lucas, but he's taken" she laughs, coming over to us. She gives me a huge smile, before turning to Emmett.
"Where are the others?" he asks her, as she gives him a tight hug. Alice sniffs, rolling her eyes before deciding to answer.
"They went to gather the Scandinavians, before meeting Carlisle and Esme." She explains, and I smile sadly. I was really looking forward to seeing Chloe. We've barely gotten to see each other since she came back.
"Come on, let's head inside. My body is tired, from the traveling. I need to sit down" she says, everyone knowing that vampires don't get tired bodies. I smile, as we head inside. The Russians file in, unabashed at the unfamiliarity. I look at the leader again, not knowing the feeling in my stomach.
"By the way Lucas, I am Julian" the man says, as I let him past me in the room. His eyes linger on my, and I feel guilty for a moment. I love Emmett, and he is literally everything to me, but here I am letting this guys flirt with me?
Once we're all inside, I look for Emmett. He is occupied by Alice, and one of the Russians. I take a seat on the edge of the couch, hoping to avoid Julian, but he takes no hints, and sits on the arm of the couch beside me. I look at him, and see his eyes locked on me. I smile at him, brushing my slightly overgrown curls from my forehead. I really need a haircut. I scoot over, trying to put some distance between us, but he just takes that as an invitation, and slides into the space I created. Now our arms are touching.
I feel my stomach doing flips, as he reaches for my hand. I'm wondering how to get out of this, when Emmett joins us. He takes in my expression, and Julian's wandering hand. A humored smile lights his face. I groan internally, just before Alice comes to my rescue.
"Julian, can I show you guys where you'll be sleeping?" she asks, and he snorts with laughter. I look at him, confused.
"Alice, what do you speak of? We need no sleep," he explains, as if she's gone crazy.
"The new type of vampire that you've become does sleep. You can now eat food, and your eyes are the color they were as a human. You no longer sparkle, and you'll need these." She explains, handing them each a daylight ring. He looks at us, and a smile forms on his face.
"You've given us so much; you've given us our heartbeats. We will forever be in your debt" he explains, before turning to his people. His attention finally away from me. I smile with the look of happiness on his face, they're happy.
"Do any of you have any gifts?" Alice asks, getting to the good stuff pretty quickly. I look around, as they freeze. One of the women steps forward, as does Julian. I wonder what they're gifts are.
"This is Nora. She is gifted, with a very powerful but limited gift." Julian explains, and I lean forward, intrigued by his words.
"What is it?" Alice asks, but as if on cue, Eleazor comes into the room. His mouth agape with shock. He stares speechless at us.
"She can turn people to stone. She can literally make statues of the Vulturi" he says, making the room go silent. Julian looks at him confused at his knowledge. I stare between the two, half expecting Julian to attack him, but then he looks down.
"My gift is the ability to alter people's emotions. I can make someone feel things artificially." He explains, meeting my gaze, as it clicks. He had me under his spell the entire time. I feel violated, but for some reason I likt it like that. I like him having the initiative to do what he wants, it's a weird thing.
Chloe's POV
I stand there, just looking over the edge of the cliff. The snow is thickly blanketed, as we wait in silence. I tried the whole Alice thing, but the guys didn't respond too well to that. It almost feels weird to be here with them. I half expect to wake up one morning, and find myself back in Georgia. I find it weird because I haven't felt that way in a long time. I vow to go back there, and visit my friends. I think of Michele. She had helped me through so much, and we just disappeared, never to be seen again.
"They're here" Jasper says, from nearby, and I look around. I'm just about to ask him where, when I spot them. Carlisle and Esme are slowly coming up the mountain, and I can see their smiles, before they reach the top. I know I've known them a short time, but they really do feel like family. I excitedly run to them, and throw my arms around Carlisle, partly because he's hot. Partly because I'm so over Jasper and Landon's silence. They look at me surprised at my enthusiasm. They must've thought I hated them.
"How are you guys? It's great to see you!" I exclaim, hugging Esme next. They're still standing there, surprised when Jasper joins us.
"We're doing well. How have the recruitments been going for you guys?" Carlisle wonders, and I look to Jasper, as he begins talking.
"We've had all good outcomes, but the Russians were definitely the toughest to recruit." He explains, looking at me slightly. I know he thinks I rushed into the Russian thing.
"Where are we headed now?" I ask them, and Carlisle looks into the distance of the mountains before us. He takes in the beauty of it all, before turning to face us again.
"We're off to the last coven I know. A dear friend of mine from the 1700's who will help us with anything" he explains. I wait for a location, and he finally follows through with the information. "He lives in Australia, so we have a long way to go, but then we'll be able to go home for this confrontation" he explains.
We take off a few minutes later, we decided to run the majority of the way, until we reach the edge of Asia, where we'll take a plane to Australia. The frigid air swirls around me, as I run through the Swedish mountains, the wind whipping in my ears. Everyone is in their own space, so I take the time to sift through my emotions, and my thoughts. I've encountered, and experienced a lot of things in the last few months. It may have driven a lesser woman mad, but I feel stronger through it all. I continue to run, as we make our way to the final coven that we hope will help us defeat the Vulturi once and for all. They've taken too much.