Four Paws

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

A car driving past stops our argument. It's one of the Cullen's cars, and it drives past Bella's, coming to a stop a few metres away. Inside I can smell the awful aroma of a vampire, but it's slightly different from Victoria's. It's more masculine and has a less metallic scent. It's still disgusting though and causes me to scrunch up my nose.

"Is that him?" I ask quietly.

"Who else?" He scoffs, lounging against a mossy log. I remain standing. "He can read minds too, thought I'd let you know." Jake adds, speaking of Edward as if he is an abomination. I reserve my opinion until I actually meet him but I find myself unnerved by that newfound information. How could you possibly hope to fight someone who can read your every thought? Not that we'll be doing any fighting, Sam's orders. My whole reason being here is to stop any fights.

Suddenly the passenger door flings open and out storms Bella, her hands balled into fists. This doesn't look good. She is headed in our direction and I see Jake stiffen beside me. The driver's door flings open with incredible speed and the vampire who I know as Edward rushes toward Bella, wrapping his arms around her waist. The movement is so quick that I am sure to any human he would have appeared as a blur. He isn't what I expected. Edward Cullen is the first vampire I have ever seen in person and like most vampires, he is blessed with incredibly good looks and unnatural grace, to a human that is. Edward appears somewhat reflective with angular features, almost like he is a moving crystal. He also looks younger than I imagined, no older than seventeen. But how old he is in reality, I'm not sure. His hair is also an unusual bronze colour that is styled messily. I'm sure he has the capability to make any female's knees weak, but I don't find him attractive. He's not warm like my Seth. He doesn't make my heart race like he does. In fact, if you compared the two, Edward would seem bland when placed against my imprint. A small smile flitters across Edward's face and I feel my stomach church. I forgot he could read minds. Hopefully he doesn't keep grudges too.

"Let me go! I'm going to murder him! Traitor!" Bella shouts in our direction. Beside me, Jake scoffs.

"Charlie will hear you," Edward warns her. "And once he gets you inside, he may brick over the doorway." Bella glances behind her.

"Just give me one round with Jacob, and then I'll deal with Charlie." She struggles futilely to break free and I can't help but chuckle at the scene before me.

"Jacob Black and Farren Call want to see me. That's why he and Farren are still here." How does he know who I am? I answer my own question. Mind reading.

"Farren's here?" She asks confused as the fight drains out of her. "Talk?"

"More or less."

"How much more?" Her voice shakes as if she's worried. Worried about what? Edward smooths her hair back from her face.

"Don't worry, he's not here to fight me. They're acting as... a spokesperson for the pack."

"Oh."

Edward looks at the house again, then tightens his arm around her waist and pulls her toward the woods where we are standing. "We should hurry. Charlie's getting impatient."

I can hear their feet crush leaves as they walk through the woods. Jacob's face remains hard and bitter. I watch as the two of them come into the clearing that Jacob and I wait in. Jake looks at Bella, then at Edward and his mouth stretches into a humourless sneer. He shrugs away from the tree, towering over all three of us. He stands on the balls of his bare feet, leaning slightly forward, with his trembling hands clenched into fists. Edward had stopped as soon as they saw him, leaving a wide gap between our two parties. The wolf shifters and the vampire and his lover, what a crowd. He shifts himself so that he's covering Bella but she peers around from him, eyes staring accusingly at Jake.