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CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Ellie stood in the middle of the Cullen living room, eyebrows pinched and arms crossed carefully over her chest. The news they had just received was huge, and it took all of Ellie's control not to let her irritation boil over.
"Sam's lost the element of surprise and he doesn't wanna take you on outnumbered. So he's not gonna come at you head-on. He's got the place surrounded and he'll wait for his opportunity." Jacob explained with the entire Olympic coven gathered around him, watching his every move carefully.
Jacob turning his back on his pack in favour of the Cullens was a game-changer, but certainly a worrisome move with an entire tribe now coming straight for the coven and Bella's baby.
"He won't get through without a fight," Emmett stated, voicing Ellie's exact thoughts.
"No fights," Carlisle dismissed. "We won't be the ones to break the treaty."
"The treaty is void," Jacob revealed grimly. "At least in Sam's mind."
"Not in ours," Esme added.
"Carlisle, no one's hunted for weeks," Emmett said, looking over to his father.
"We'll make do," Esme assured.
Carlisle looked over to the werewolf in the room. "You've done us a great service, Jacob. Thank you."
Ellie glanced down worriedly, being deprived of blood wasn't good for any of them. Insanity could quickly take over, and with the need to stay on top alert through Bella's pregnancy and with the extra complications placed on top, it wasn't ideal. With her relative lack of control compared with her vampire counterparts, the news only added another layer of worry in her mind.
Jasper seemed to pick up on her distress, immediately threading his hand with hers then tugging her into his chest once the others started to vacate the room. Jacob off to join with the Clearwater siblings that had also deserted the pack to take watch, and the other Cullens to more mindlessly milling, anything to relieve from the situation at hand.
"Are you okay, El?" Jasper murmured gently.
"I'll be okay, and if I'm not I'll let you know, okay?" Ellie earnestly replied.
Tensions only rose higher as the days passed, the stress the family had been placed under was felt in every minuscule corner of the house, with the family reduced to wary glances out of windows, and conversations between the three wolves protecting them, rather than actually contributing to the problem that surrounded their house.
But they all found their own ways to contribute, Edward and Carlisle, completing as much research as they could into demon children. Esme's natural motherly instincts providing great use to the three wolves outside as she tried to make the environment as homely as possible despite Leah's negative attempts to refute Esme's offerings.
However, Ellie's gift was also proving immensely useful as the pain in Bella's body grew. Her ability to making the pain numb allowed Bella a fraction more comfort but her capacity to hold it up was quickly dwindling largely due to her blood lust. It had even gotten to the point where Jasper had had to distract her to a point where she would stop using her ability even subconsciously, Ellie's need to save Bella at all costs overwhelming everything.
She had eventually compiled with the firm agreement with Jasper that she would save her energy and ability for Bella's inevitable labour as the girl was going to need every help possible to get the baby out healthily.
A football game was playing on the TV but was practically being treated as background noise as the family had gathered in the living room, Bella in the centre, her whimpers and groans the forefront of everyone's mind.
"We need to find a way to get some food into her system." Esme declared, the football game long forgotten.
"If I could only see the fetus," Alice lamented.
"The baby." Rosalie strongly corrected.
"Maybe I could figure out what it wants." Alice finished.
"I think you might be right." Edward suddenly spoke up, looking over to the wolf. "Jacob just had an idea."
"It wasn't an idea. It was a snide comment." Jacob returned, chuckling slightly.
"What were you thinking?" Carlisle asked, his desperation for any clue to Bella's condition present on his face.
"That it's probably just looking for someone to sink its teeth into." Jacob retorted.
"He's thirsty," Bella commented upon the realisation.
"I know the feeling," Emmett muttered.
"If it's craving, it's not gonna want animal blood." Edward continued, glancing over to Carlisle.
"I have some O negative laid aside for Bella." Carlisle returned, before leaving the room, the vampires in the room looking after Carlisle with longing eyes.
"Walk with me." Alice requested to Jasper, looking over to Ellie who gave her a grateful nod.
Rosalie and Emmett also shared a look, the blonde nodding in the reassurance that it was alright for him to go.
"Hey Bells," Ellie said crouching in front of her best friend and getting her attention.
As much as she didn't want to, removing herself from the situation especially when there was blood involved and her newborn status, her departure was the best thing for everyone involved especially Bella.
"I'll be right back okay, I'm just going outside." Ellie continued, Bella weakly nodding in response. The brunette turned back to the other members of her family. "Let me know if you need anything."
Ellie joined the group of vampires outside, all of them turning towards her with understanding glances, as they tried their best to distract themselves from their senses going haywire at the scent of the blood and the sound of it being poured into a cup.
The brunette could sense when Bella had taken the first sip, the sound enough, but her subconscious ability to protect Bella had somehow kicked back in when Ellie had left her side, causing her to anticipate the moment Bella's pulse picked back up, her power over Bella retreating in unison.
"I can tell that you are doing it again," Jasper murmured in Ellie's ear as the brunette became increasingly distracted in wonder over her ability. "We talked about this."
"And now I can fully admit that I didn't mean to do it!" Ellie retorted, holding her hands up in mock surrender. The vampires collectively sighing in relief at the sound of Bella finishing up with the blood, before starting their return back inside, Ellie and Jasper lingering on the balcony.
"No more." Jasper chastised. "Promise, Ellie?"
"If I pinky promise does it mean more?" She cheekily asked, only to chuckle at the sight of Jasper's exasperated look. "Okay, okay fine. I promise no more powers until Bella goes into labour."
