Chapter 52
“As soon as my furry friends here tear her to pieces, along with any members of your family who try to protect her, we will be together, Edward…forever.”
Aha. So this was the reason why Edward was to be spared by the wolves. In exchange for Tanya’s information about me, the wolves pledged to leave Edward unharmed while they murdered the rest of our family.
Only Tanya could come up with a plan so…twisted…and, not to mention, ridiculous. As if Edward would just sit by and watch his family be slaughtered by the wolves in order to leave with Tanya.
She was even more insane than I had first thought.
Poor Edward seemed completely gobsmacked by Tanya’s words; her thoughts must have matched what she had just spoken as he seemed absolutely horror-struck by her plan.
I wasn’t surprised by Tanya’s apparent delusions; I was growing angrier by the second, but I somehow managed to obey Carlisle’s wordless request to stay where I was and let the events unfold…for everyone’s sake. Starting the violence by attacking Tanya would only endanger all of us.
I really wished that Jasper’s gift worked on me better. He had influenced my mood that one time when he had increased my and Edward’s passionate feelings, but that was the only time it had been effective, and I didn’t have time to wonder why. I just wished for him to fill me with calm before I came totally unglued in the face of Tanya’s twisted and evil delusions.
It definitely took all of my control, plus some additional praying, for me to remain where I was, my jaws clenched in fury as I stared at Tanya, wishing that I could sink my nails into her, rip her to shreds, and burn every piece in a roaring bonfire.
I only wanted a little justice.
Really.
“But Tanya,” Irina said, stepping toward her sister, her expression a little confused. “That is not what you said when we discussed Edward’s transgressions before. You said that you wanted revenge for Edward’s taking another mate instead of you after he had pledged his loyalty, his love, and his life to you. Are you saying that Edward made you no such promises? I would not have acted against our family for anything less than a broken pledge between sworn mates.”
“Tanya, be reasonable,” Carlisle spoke soothingly. “If Edward said that he made no such promises, then he is not pledged to you as a mate. As you have seen, Edward is spoken for; he and Isabella are engaged to be married.”
“NO!” Tanya screeched. “Edward is mine, and all of you are keeping him from me! He wants to be with me—don’t you, Edward? You are mine as I am yours, are you not?”
Her wild eyes were truly frightening. I was beginning to believe that the news of my and Edward’s engagement had pushed her over the edge. She seemed completely unbalanced.
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.”
Paul looked me evenly in the eyes. “Damn straight,” he sneered.
Growling, I crouched lower in preparation to leap the river and wipe that smug sneer right off Paul’s face…and perhaps decapitate him while I was at it.
However, Edward stepped in to prevent my launching over the river and taking out the annoying werewolf by grabbing both of my arms and wrenching them behind my back as I growled in frustration.
“It’s not safe for Mrs. Jane,” he whispered in my ear, and I dropped my attack posture reluctantly, recognizing the truth to his words.
But how to get Mrs. Jane away from these beasts safely?
A silent witness to this verbal swordplay between mythical monsters, Mrs. Jane’s eyes remained huge with shock and wonder at the conversation between vampires and the giant wolves that constantly paced behind Paul. But if anyone could handle a glimpse into the supernatural beings that roamed this planet, Mrs. Jane could.
“So, Paul,” Carlisle started, and it seemed as though he was trying to keep the agitated werewolf (or shape-shifter or whatever he was) talking…because keeping him talking was preventing him from doing anything violent to his hostage or to us. “Allow me to restate your position to be certain that I understand you correctly: You and your pack wish to attack my family because we changed Isabella into one of our kind in order to save her life, a life that was nearly lost because of the actions of one of your pack—“
Paul interjected quickly, “A member of our pack that you leeches murdered in cold blood. Yeah,” he spat rudely.
Rosalie stepped forward, her eyes snapping with unconcealed rage. “I am the one who killed Jacob Black, so I would appreciate your directing your rudeness to me,” she stated with a kind of majesty that was truly awe-inspiring.
The row of wolves on the other side of the river growled viciously at Rosalie; only Paul’s quick hand motion settled them back into their impatient waiting mode.
Paul turned his eyes on Rosalie who stood there, her golden eyes snapping defiantly. “So you’re the one I’ll be killing first,” he said softly.
I stepped forward to explain. “Rosalie was protecting her mate whom Jacob was attacking. And Emmett was being attacked because he was protecting me.” I took a deep breath and leveled my glare on the cold-eyed alpha across the river from me. “Jacob came after me, Paul, a defenseless human. His plan was obviously to kill me. He ripped into my throat. And not only was I a mere human, I was still recovering from Jacob’s first attack—the one that you yourself witnessed. The one that Sam and Emily rescued me from.”
To my surprise, Paul laughed. “Yes, that was Sam. He’d rather take you to the leech” he nodded toward Carlisle, “than let you die. The rest of us had no such qualms. You would have been better off dead, then as well as now.”
He took a step closer, his eyes no longer cold but alight with malice. “You, Bella Swan, will be the first to die tonight…well, after Blondie here. It will be my pleasure to rip your head from your body and burn you to ashes.”
“You will have to get through the rest of our family first,” Edward stated, his voice low yet filled with repressed emotion.
“That was what I was hoping you’d say,” replied Paul smugly. The other wolves crouched further, ready to leap the river and attack at the merest signal from their new alpha. Only one wolf was not spoiling for a fight—a smaller sandy-brown wolf whose eyes shone at me with a trace of…compassion?
But I could not recall any of Jacob’s La Push friends who had been kind to me at all, except for Sam at times.
Yet the expression in those great brown eyes, the only pair not vindictively narrowed at me, seemed familiar.
Wait…could that lone wolf possibly be…Seth?
Little Seth Clearwater who had hero-worshipped at the shrine of Jacob, who never missed the opportunity of hanging out at the Blacks’ hovel. I remember his eyes clouding with confusion when Billy would say or do something hurtful to me, always turning to Jacob with questions in his clear eyes…questions that remained unanswered.
Seth could be on our side. But I didn’t know how the alpha-thing worked; perhaps Seth would have no choice and would be forced to fight against us.
Fight and be killed.
My heart wept for the sweet, young boy I had known a little—not that Billy had let me out to see him much, but he was forced to let some people see me from time to time in order to stave off rumors regarding his treatment of me. And the Clearwaters, with Harry being Billy’s best friend, were the ones I saw the most. Leah didn’t care two figs about me; Sam was the only thing on her mind back then…before Emily came along.
But my memories of Seth were suddenly clear and very sweet, for he reminded me of another young Quileute boy who also used to have clear, earnest brown eyes.
My Jacob.
But I steeled myself against my memories, against Jacob, against the pack of wolves the boys I had known had become. All my powers of concentration were needed now to defend my new family from my old one.
My musings about Seth had taken only a split-second; Paul still glowered at us, obviously ready to start what could be a decimating battle, one which I knew our family would win.
But at what cost?
Paul turned his eyes back to me. “Billy asked me to kill you first, Bella, and to make your death as long and as painful as possible. He said that you deserve pain and suffering, Bella Swan. First you robbed Billy of his wife and his ability to walk. Then you robbed him of his only son, the real alpha of the pack. So let’s see what happens now.”
Before I had a chance to refute Billy’s accusation, Paul, grinning maliciously yet with alert eyes, pulled Mrs. Jane closer against his side. Her eyes were huge with fear, yet her lips were folded in a line of determination.
“Before we get started,” Paul drawled, “our witnesses are welcome to leave. In gratitude for their invaluable assistance, I suggest that they leave now to avoid any…errors in judgment…that could occur in the midst of battle. I’d hate for one of us to kill one of you by mistake.”
Tanya tossed her strawberry blond curls, her eyes resting on Edward with such heat that he looked down, embarrassed.
“Very well, Paul,” she agreed smoothly. “Just remember our deal. Kill the new girl—kill them all—but save Edward for me. If you harm him, I will bring the Romanians down upon your little pack, and they will not be forgiving of you for killing vampires. You’re lucky to have escaped their notice thus far.”
Paul gave Tanya a curt nod of agreement. “We will do our best to keep him out of the battle.”
Edward’s low growl did not bode well for that promise being kept. It was my turn to restrain him with my newborn strength to keep him from leaping the river and attacking Tanya and Paul at that point.
Tanya gave Edward one parting glance over her shoulder, winked at him flirtatiously, then ghosted into the trees, leaving her family behind without a thought.
Eleazar cursed under his breath. “I had no idea that her mind had unhinged thus,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I knew that Tanya thought of herself as attached to you, Edward, but I never foresaw her doing anything like this. To abandon her own family so heartlessly to fight a battle without her aid—it seems impossible.”
Kate rolled her eyes as she replied, “I, too, knew that she was very attached to Edward, but I think seeing him with Bella and then seeing the proof of his regard for her with their engagement put her over the edge. Literally.” Sadness as well as anger and frustration colored her tone as Kate gazed into the trees through which Tanya had vanished.
Still on the side of the river opposite us, Irina stepped forward. “I refuse to fight against the rest of my family,” she told Paul in firm tones. “I was led here under false pretenses by my sister Tanya, and so I will not fight Kate, Eleazar, or Carmen…or Carlisle and his family, either. They’ve done nothing wrong as far as I can see, and I refuse to be party to your scheme to destroy them.”
“Are you finished?” Paul asked in even tones, glaring at Irina.
“Yes, I am. I will return to my family now.” But as Irina prepared to leap the river, Paul made a quick hand motion, and the dark brown wolf standing closest to Irina jumped her, neatly decapitated her, and then stepped back.
The whole incident had taken place in a split-second.
Paul’s malicious grin took in the various shocked expressions of our family as we watched the wolf drag Irina’s body, then her head, back toward a small campfire that had been burning in a narrow glade behind their line.
“Noooo!” Kate screamed, preparing to cross the river herself to save her sister.
“Stop her!” Edward cried. “We need to keep her on this side if we hope to avert a battle!”
Emmett grabbed onto Kate, but she shocked him as she attempted to free herself from his grip. Emmett, so strong and invincible, crumpled to the ground like a rag doll, his large body jerking in response to her electrocution.
Neatly dodging Edward’s restraining hand, I raced toward Kate, knowing that I was the only one who could possibly stop her. As I ran, I saw Kate preparing to leap the river to fight the wolves. But as she leapt, her feet leaving the ground and her body arcing gracefully over the river, I, too, jumped after her, wrapping my arms around her waist and bringing both of us down into the middle of the raging river.
With my newborn strength and my shield protecting me from her talent, I was able to wrestle Kate back to our side of the river within a few seconds, too quickly for the wolves to do anything about it.
But as Kate and I gained the river bank and flopped onto the grass only a few feet past Rosalie’s position in the line, Kate kept fighting me, struggling against me as she tried to attack those who were so brutally finishing her sister’s existence.
My arms wrapped securely around Kate, we both watched helplessly as first Irina’s body, then her head, were tossed into the fire. Plumes of lavender-gray smoke rose in graceful curls as Irina burned.
Kate stopped struggling in my arms, her flailing arms going limp as sobs began to shake her slim body pinned to the ground by my stronger grip.
“Kate, she’s gone,” I managed to whisper, my sympathy for Kate’s loss profound. “If we fight now, we could lose more of us. Do you want that?”
Somehow Kate heard my words and, I think, felt my sympathy. No longer fighting me, she lay flat on her back, me sitting on her middle with her arms pinned to the ground on either side of her head, and started choking out great, tearless sobs.
As soon as I got to my feet, Esme was beside us, taking a crying Kate into her arms to comfort her.
After all, in a way, Kate had lost both of her sisters this day.
My wet clothes dripping, I glanced across the river and gave Paul a withering glare, surprising a look of shock and disappointment on his face.
“Your little ploy didn’t work,” I growled at him in satisfaction. “You thought we’d all come flying across the river to avenge Irina’s death, didn’t you?”
Carlisle stood beside my dripping form, placing an arm around my shoulders and whispering, “Thank you, Isabella.”
I nodded in acknowledgement before glancing down our line to Edward whose eyes were alight with pride in how I had saved the tenuous situation.
Carlisle turned to Paul. “Shall we both just walk away now? There is no reason to allow additional lives to be lost this day, Paul. Please consider what is best for your pack, for your tribe.”
Paul was obviously incensed at this turn of events and at Carlisle’s offer of peace. His whole body was shaking, his large hands fisted in an attempt to retain his human form and not morph into a giant wolf.
“Time for Plan B,” he managed to grind out between clenched teeth.
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Thanks for reading, everyone!! The popularity of this story continues to astound me. You wonderful reviews simply make my day!!!
I’ve completed a first draft of the rest of the story except for the Epilogue. Here’s my plan for posting:
Chapter 53: Thursday, December 13
Chapter 54: Thursday, December 20
Chapter 55: Christmas Eve
Chapter 56: Thursday, December 27
Epilogue: New Year’s Eve
The “last” chapter took an unexpected twist, so I had to add an additional chapter in order to tidy it all up. I hope I haven’t left any huge gaps; I don’t have a beta or a pre-reader, so I’m flying completely solo. Be kind. ;)
I can’t believe that I’m this close to completing this journey. Thank you for your kind support. I wish I had time to respond to all of your amazing reviews, but I only have time to write in the wee small hours with my current schedule (I was up writing until 4:00 AM this morning), so I don’t have time to respond to reviews at this time. But I save each one in a special file. You all inspire me!!!
Thank you for everything!!
Much love,
Cassandra :D
xxxooo