Defective - Jacob Black {1}

Chapter 56: Loyalties

No one moved for the entirety of the night. Stuck with the expression of horror and grief on our faces, waiting for Alice to come back with more information for us. But she never did.

Carlisle was the only one sane enough to move and explain it all to Jake and Seth, Jake's arms clung to me, getting tighter with each word that left Carlisle's mouth. Carlisle reciting the story just made it so much worse, so much more real and that was truly terrifying. Even Emmett didn't intervene, he just stood there taking it all in for the second time.

When the sun began to beam over the horizon, I knew that nothing would have kept Alice away from us for this long. We needed more information for Renesmee's sake, just a few simple answers something for us to hold on to and use.

I couldn't bring myself to sleep, but Jacob and Seth had shifted during the night to remain in contact with their pack and Sam's to alert them with what was going on. Sleep had claimed them about two hours ago after having long patrol hours during the day beforehand but they wanted to feel ready in their wolf forms so they didn't phase back.

The sunlight broke in through the back windows, the room glittering as the light bounced off the family's skin, breaking me out of my trance. I scanned the room, my eyes locking on Bella and Edward, her hand still hovering over Renesmee as the couple kept their gazes locked.

He noticed my stare and shifted slightly to speak. "Alice," he said.

"She's been gone a long time," Rosalie murmured, surprised. I turned to look at her too, the worry was creeping up on everyone. What could possibly be taking her this long? Why hadn't she come back? What was wrong?

"Where could she be?" Emmett wondered, taking a step toward the staircase.

Esme put a hand on Rosalie's arm. "We don't want to disturb..."

"She's never taken so long before," Edward said. His thoughts erupting into new worry of possible reasons why Alice and Jasper hadn't returned to us. Then his expression sprung to life again but not with excitement but with fear because the darkest thought entered his mind. "Carlisle, you don't think - something preemptive? Would Alice have had time to see if they sent someone for her?"

Aro's sickly pale face shuttered through my mind, and the blood eyed of Jane eliciting her pain upon her victims. Even Jasper was no match for her.

Emmett stomped his foot to the floor shaking the house with his anger and cussed loud enough that Jacob and Seth lurched to their feet with a growl. In the yard, their growls were echoed by Jake's pack. The family were already a blur down the stairs.

"Stay with Renesmee!" Bella all but shrieked at Seth as she sprinted out the room.

Jake moved to follow but I held my hands up. "Stay, please." I shot my eyes at the level of the house Renesmee was on so he knew why he was needed here. "If I need you I'll call for you."

Then I was gone, blurring out of the house myself and catching up with the family in no more than two seconds. I surpassed Esme and Rosalie, and then Emmett a few strides after that until I pushed past Bella and Carlisle and was up front with Edward, tracking Alice and Jasper's intertwined scents.

"Would they have been able to surprise her?" Carlisle asked, his voice as even as if he were standing motionless rather than running at full speed.

"I don't see how," Edward answered. "But Aro knows her better than anyone else. Better than I do."

"Is this a trap?" Emmett called from behind us.

"Maybe," Edward said. "There's no scent but Alice and Jasper's. Where were they going?"