Battle Wounds || Jasper Hale {2}

Chapter 4

Ellie sat with her face buried in her hands. She could handle Jessica's ludicrous name calling better than she could take Evie's over thinking. Her sister just couldn't accept that there was no way to take away her calling. She was destined to fulfill the role that she had been bestowed, and nothing that either of them did would change that. Ellie was ready to pull her hair out.

Lifting her eyes to her sister, Ellie said, "You need to come to an understanding about this soon, Evie."

Evie stopped in her pacing, a hard glare aimed at her twin. "No, you need to understand that I don't want this. So I'm not giving up until I figure out how to get rid of this curse!"

Ellie's frown deepened. Their gifts were not a curse. Ellie may have thought they were once in her life, but she had come to learn that their powers were their way of protecting the world. It was the one thing that they could do to keep life balanced. She couldn't let Evie believe that her gift was a curse. Narrowing her eyes at the stubborn blonde, she said, "That's it."

Ellie stood from her seat and tried to hold back the storm that was brewing, but try as she might, Evie had said too much, and Ellie's storm was fiercer than any she had ever experienced.

"What you and I possess, that's not a curse," she said, taking slow steps toward her sister. "It's a gift. Apparently, it's a gift that you can't appreciate, but we're going to get through that because I'm not going to let you waste this opportunity that some people only dream about."

She was in her sister's face at this point, her hand gestures growing wilder with each word. "You have been given the chance to change the world, to protect it from the horrors that the supernatural often present, to stop incidents that we've both experienced from happening to someone else. You could be part of something bigger than yourself, and yet you don't want it?"

Evie's gaze shifted to her feet. "I—"

"No!" Ellie growled, pointing her finger toward her sister. "I've sat by and listened to you complain about your situation for days. It's time to stop walking on the proverbial eggshells of our relationship and get to the stuff you don't want to hear.

"You don't have a choice anymore. I'm not giving you any other options. You're going to pack your bags and follow me back to America where you will begin training for your new pack. You will learn to control your fire, and you will learn how to protect your pack, and maybe, if you're lucky, you'll learn a thing or two about letting go of the grudge you're holding against our world. Now, get up those stairs and start packing because I'm no longer taking 'no' as an answer. I will fight you if you make that a necessity, and we both know I will win because you have had zero training. Now, don't make me do this the hard way."

Evie frowned, knowing Ellie was right, but she couldn't help wishing that this was all just a bad dream. Shooting another angry glare at her sister, she begrudgingly did as she was told and took off up the stairs.

Ellie sighed. She didn't want to be rough with Evie, but her twin was being more stubborn than she was willing to cooperate with. The girl had to get her act together. She had other people to think about now.

Speaking of other people, Ellie was certain that the Quileute tribe would appreciate knowing that their emissary was active. There was only one person she knew would be the best to call.

Billy Black was ecstatic that the Cold Ones were gone.

His tribe had been fated to battle them for centuries, and the time had come for them to once again leave, but the tribe's warriors would be ready for their return. They were increasing in number every week, and if the spirits chose, his son would soon reign as the alpha.

Loud calls interrupted his musings as his son raced through their house, his friends tailing him closely. Their footsteps were heavy as they climbed the stairs to the boy's room, calling out hellos to him as they went. Those boys were always the fun seekers.

The telephone ringing brought a grin to his lips. Perhaps it was Charlie was up for fishing this weekend, or maybe it was Sue Clearwater with an extra batch of fish fry. Wheeling himself over to the phone, he took it off the ringer and answered with a bright hello, but the voice he heard was not one he had expected.

"Is this Billy Black?" the husky, alto voice questioned.

"This is him," he answered, curious at the new voice. "Who's calling?"

"Ellie DuPree," the voice answered, causing Billy to narrow his eyes. "I'm sure you've heard of me by now. I'm not calling to cause trouble. I have no issues with the wolves. I just wanted you to know that your tribe's emissary has emerged. She will be arriving shortly."

Billy was shocked. His tribe had not had an emissary since their emergence in the world. There had never been a need. This could only mean trouble was on the horizon. "She will be welcomed to our lands upon arrival."

"Thank you," she said before ending the call.

A sigh left Billy's lips. Things would only get worse from here.