Breathe In Union
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 15
Cold terror gripped her as she stared at the vampire who'd just stepped into the meager light of her bedside lamp. "Wh—what are you doing in my room?" she choked out in a trembling voice.
He smiled a genial crooked smile. "Like I said, I think we need to talk and due to your friends, this was the only time I could think of to do it."
She nodded and backed up until her legs hit the mattress. "It's the only time you could get to me, you mean."
Again, he flashed the crooked smile. "Po-tay-to, po-tah-to," he said with a shrug. He tilted his head and furrowed his porcelain brow. "You're terrified," he stated and she scoffed as anger overrode fear for a moment.
"Of course I am asshole! You sneaked into my fucking room like some common pervert! Does Angela know you stoop to such lows?"
His hand was wrapped around her neck and he was hissing in her face faster than she could register movement. "She has no idea about any of this, and I intend for it to remain that way!"
"Please, don't hurt me…" she rasped out as tears traced down her cheeks and her whole body trembled.
She watched as his eyes widened slightly and the next instant, he was across the room with both hands gripping his hair. "Oh god, I'm so sorry Bella," he said, his voice laden with anguish as his desperate gaze locked with her terrified one. "It's just that I'm terrified of losing the only good thing that's ever happened to me in my very long existence. I love her—desperately—and I just can't bear the thought of losing her."
Bella rubbed her neck and tried to calm her breathing as she watched him warily. "You have one hell of a way of showing it. I'm sure choking her friend to death would endear you to her for sure," she sneered even as she wondered just where in the hell she found the courage to do so.
She would never know his response however, because his head snapped up at a terrible crashing noise from down stairs that seemed to freeze him in shock just long enough to mutter, "Why can't I hear him either?" and then he was gone straight through the glass of her window just as a furious Paul crashed through her door.
He paused long enough to make sure she was fine and then he too went through the window.
Shaking though she was, she managed to pull on some clothes and shoes before Charlie was there with his gun drawn, looking surprisingly calm, though fierce. "What the hell's going on Bella?"
"Vampire," she spluttered weakly, "in my room…Paul went after him." With that, she rushed out and down the stairs, intent on getting outside…getting to Paul.
Choosing to avoid the destroyed front door, she went through the kitchen and out the back, racing as quickly as she could into the trees behind the house. She could hear Charlie running and calling for her but she couldn't stop. She could literally feel Paul's rage and pain as he fought and it drove her forward into the darkness of the forest.
As she drew closer to the sounds of fighting, she began to make out a thinning section of forest where the moonlight broke through the canopy, but before she could reach it, she was plucked from the ground by strong arms, the comforting heat of which was the only thing that kept her from screaming in fright. "It's me Bella…it's Sam and I need your help."
That got her attention and she looked up into his face. "What do you need me to do?" she asked in a deceptively calm voice.
"It's Paul…I need you to get through to him and stop him from destroying the leech completely because he's a Cullen and he didn't technically break the treaty we have with them. Paul doesn't see it that way though and now all the rest of the Cullens are here. They're not fighting yet, but that could change any second." He set her on her feet. "If Paul goes through with this, it'll mean war between us and the Cullen leeches."
"Okay," she agreed with a sharp nod. "Take me to him."
He picked her up again and ran through the rest of the trees and into a clearing where she could make out the forms of the Cullens. She knew it was them by the eerie way they reflected the moonlight. Toward the back of the clearing though, was something that resembled a whirlwind to her human eyes; the fight between her silver wolf and the vampire that had been in her room.
Sam walked forward cautiously and the closer they got the more horrified she became. There were small, glowing chunks scattered about; chunks she soon realized were pieces of vampire flesh. 'Oh god,' she thought in nauseated horror, 'Is that an arm?!' As she stared, she saw the hand twitch and grip the ground as it dragged itself forward inch by inch. "Sam," she croaked, "put me down, quick!"
He set her on her feet and she hit her knees to fight back an overwhelming wave of nausea.
"Bella, are you okay?" Sam questioned as she closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She was in the process of nodding when a leg landed not far from her. "Oh god," she whimpered.
"Alpha, you must end this!" a frantic voice called out and she watched Sam nod grimly.
He looked back at her and she stood while taking deep breaths to stave off the nausea. "I'm okay Sam," she reassured as she turned back to the fight that was still impossible to focus on.
An anguished scream shot new terror through her veins and she screamed, "Paul!"
It was as if someone had flipped a switch and before she could blink, the whirlwind fight halted. Now she could clearly see her silver wolf, with hackles raised, standing over the whimpering remains of a vampire who was doing his best to drag his mangled body away from the snarling wolf with the two limbs he had left.
"Paul?" she coaxed as she walked toward him slowly. "Baby? Come back to me? I need you."
The silver wolf backed away from the vampire and trotted over to Bella, all the while growling at the wary Cullens. He circled around her and chuffed at the lingering scent of vampire before shimmering back to his human form. As soon as this happened, Bella launched herself into his arms. "You came for me," she cried against the heated skin of his chest.
"Of course I did baby, of course I did," he said as he rocked her side to side.
"May we collect Edward's parts now?" a mature looking blond male vampire asked, and Paul's head snapped up, his eyes glowing in fury.
"His existence is forfeit!" he shouted as his whole body trembled anew. "That thing will burn for even thinking of approaching my mate!" He moved Bella to the side and stalked toward the blond male, heedless of his nudity. "He was in her room! He laid his filthy, dead hands on her! How do you justify this?!"
The blond male held up his hands, palm out while Bella ran forward and grabbed Paul's arm, even as Sam shouted to her to stay away. She couldn't listen though. She had to try to stop this. She wasn't sure why, but she knew deep down this couldn't happen. Despite what had happened, she knew deep down that the Cullens were important for the future. "Paul! Please don't do this!" she begged while clutching to his arm.
He turned his furious gaze on her and growled but didn't shake her off. "Why not? That thing deserves it!"
She cupped his tense cheek. "I don't know how I know this, but something tells me they are needed for the future," she pleaded.
His brow furrowed and uncertainty filled his eyes. "Why Shorty? I need to kill the fucker for good! He touched you! He invaded your room for fucks sake!"
She held his face in both hands now as she met his eyes. "I know baby, but I feel this strongly and I can't explain it." She closed her eyes, dreading the words she was going to say next, but there was no other way… Opening her eyes, she stared deeply into his and prayed he wouldn't throw this back in her face. "I need you to trust me Paul…please," she entreated. "I know I don't deserve it and I haven't earned the right—"
He cut her off by pulling her close and burying his face in her curls. "Stop Shorty. You do deserve my trust…but this is so damned hard…" He trembled against her and breathed deeply for moments before meeting her eyes. "But I will. I'll trust you…BUT, you're moving in with me on the rez so the fucker can't get to you so easily, and if he ever tries again, all bets are off." He turned his gaze to the wary blond male. "You hear that? One wrong move and I take that fucker out for good and nothing will stop me…not my mate or some ancient treaty or even God himself," he sneered. "He—Will—Burn."
"I understand," the blond male conceded in his most soothing tone. "You have my word as leader of this coven—"
Paul snarled at him. "Hear me leech—save your words! They mean NOTHING to me! What matters here is my word and you already have it."
The blonde male hung his head and merely nodded before looking to Sam. "Alpha, I would like to meet with you when you're available. Now is not a good time for either of us for obvious reasons but I beg leave to contact you to set something up very soon."
Sam stood rigidly, arms crossed over his chest as he inclined his head. "You have it. We have much to speak about, not least of which is the human girl your coven member is involved with. Now, collect your pieces and go."
Paul held Bella tightly, just taking in her scent and calming himself until a honey-blond male slowly approached. He met Paul's gaze steadily while giving him a shallow nod before speaking in a softly accented voice.
"For what it's worth, from one warrior to another, he had it comin'."
With that, he turned and disappeared into the trees.
Cold terror gripped her as she stared at the vampire who'd just stepped into the meager light of her bedside lamp. "Wh—what are you doing in my room?" she choked out in a trembling voice.
He smiled a genial crooked smile. "Like I said, I think we need to talk and due to your friends, this was the only time I could think of to do it."
She nodded and backed up until her legs hit the mattress. "It's the only time you could get to me, you mean."
Again, he flashed the crooked smile. "Po-tay-to, po-tah-to," he said with a shrug. He tilted his head and furrowed his porcelain brow. "You're terrified," he stated and she scoffed as anger overrode fear for a moment.
"Of course I am asshole! You sneaked into my fucking room like some common pervert! Does Angela know you stoop to such lows?"
His hand was wrapped around her neck and he was hissing in her face faster than she could register movement. "She has no idea about any of this, and I intend for it to remain that way!"
"Please, don't hurt me…" she rasped out as tears traced down her cheeks and her whole body trembled.
She watched as his eyes widened slightly and the next instant, he was across the room with both hands gripping his hair. "Oh god, I'm so sorry Bella," he said, his voice laden with anguish as his desperate gaze locked with her terrified one. "It's just that I'm terrified of losing the only good thing that's ever happened to me in my very long existence. I love her—desperately—and I just can't bear the thought of losing her."
Bella rubbed her neck and tried to calm her breathing as she watched him warily. "You have one hell of a way of showing it. I'm sure choking her friend to death would endear you to her for sure," she sneered even as she wondered just where in the hell she found the courage to do so.
She would never know his response however, because his head snapped up at a terrible crashing noise from down stairs that seemed to freeze him in shock just long enough to mutter, "Why can't I hear him either?" and then he was gone straight through the glass of her window just as a furious Paul crashed through her door.
He paused long enough to make sure she was fine and then he too went through the window.
Shaking though she was, she managed to pull on some clothes and shoes before Charlie was there with his gun drawn, looking surprisingly calm, though fierce. "What the hell's going on Bella?"
"Vampire," she spluttered weakly, "in my room…Paul went after him." With that, she rushed out and down the stairs, intent on getting outside…getting to Paul.
Choosing to avoid the destroyed front door, she went through the kitchen and out the back, racing as quickly as she could into the trees behind the house. She could hear Charlie running and calling for her but she couldn't stop. She could literally feel Paul's rage and pain as he fought and it drove her forward into the darkness of the forest.
As she drew closer to the sounds of fighting, she began to make out a thinning section of forest where the moonlight broke through the canopy, but before she could reach it, she was plucked from the ground by strong arms, the comforting heat of which was the only thing that kept her from screaming in fright. "It's me Bella…it's Sam and I need your help."
That got her attention and she looked up into his face. "What do you need me to do?" she asked in a deceptively calm voice.
"It's Paul…I need you to get through to him and stop him from destroying the leech completely because he's a Cullen and he didn't technically break the treaty we have with them. Paul doesn't see it that way though and now all the rest of the Cullens are here. They're not fighting yet, but that could change any second." He set her on her feet. "If Paul goes through with this, it'll mean war between us and the Cullen leeches."
"Okay," she agreed with a sharp nod. "Take me to him."
He picked her up again and ran through the rest of the trees and into a clearing where she could make out the forms of the Cullens. She knew it was them by the eerie way they reflected the moonlight. Toward the back of the clearing though, was something that resembled a whirlwind to her human eyes; the fight between her silver wolf and the vampire that had been in her room.
Sam walked forward cautiously and the closer they got the more horrified she became. There were small, glowing chunks scattered about; chunks she soon realized were pieces of vampire flesh. 'Oh god,' she thought in nauseated horror, 'Is that an arm?!' As she stared, she saw the hand twitch and grip the ground as it dragged itself forward inch by inch. "Sam," she croaked, "put me down, quick!"
He set her on her feet and she hit her knees to fight back an overwhelming wave of nausea.
"Bella, are you okay?" Sam questioned as she closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She was in the process of nodding when a leg landed not far from her. "Oh god," she whimpered.
"Alpha, you must end this!" a frantic voice called out and she watched Sam nod grimly.
He looked back at her and she stood while taking deep breaths to stave off the nausea. "I'm okay Sam," she reassured as she turned back to the fight that was still impossible to focus on.
An anguished scream shot new terror through her veins and she screamed, "Paul!"
It was as if someone had flipped a switch and before she could blink, the whirlwind fight halted. Now she could clearly see her silver wolf, with hackles raised, standing over the whimpering remains of a vampire who was doing his best to drag his mangled body away from the snarling wolf with the two limbs he had left.
"Paul?" she coaxed as she walked toward him slowly. "Baby? Come back to me? I need you."
The silver wolf backed away from the vampire and trotted over to Bella, all the while growling at the wary Cullens. He circled around her and chuffed at the lingering scent of vampire before shimmering back to his human form. As soon as this happened, Bella launched herself into his arms. "You came for me," she cried against the heated skin of his chest.
"Of course I did baby, of course I did," he said as he rocked her side to side.
"May we collect Edward's parts now?" a mature looking blond male vampire asked, and Paul's head snapped up, his eyes glowing in fury.
"His existence is forfeit!" he shouted as his whole body trembled anew. "That thing will burn for even thinking of approaching my mate!" He moved Bella to the side and stalked toward the blond male, heedless of his nudity. "He was in her room! He laid his filthy, dead hands on her! How do you justify this?!"
The blond male held up his hands, palm out while Bella ran forward and grabbed Paul's arm, even as Sam shouted to her to stay away. She couldn't listen though. She had to try to stop this. She wasn't sure why, but she knew deep down this couldn't happen. Despite what had happened, she knew deep down that the Cullens were important for the future. "Paul! Please don't do this!" she begged while clutching to his arm.
He turned his furious gaze on her and growled but didn't shake her off. "Why not? That thing deserves it!"
She cupped his tense cheek. "I don't know how I know this, but something tells me they are needed for the future," she pleaded.
His brow furrowed and uncertainty filled his eyes. "Why Shorty? I need to kill the fucker for good! He touched you! He invaded your room for fucks sake!"
She held his face in both hands now as she met his eyes. "I know baby, but I feel this strongly and I can't explain it." She closed her eyes, dreading the words she was going to say next, but there was no other way… Opening her eyes, she stared deeply into his and prayed he wouldn't throw this back in her face. "I need you to trust me Paul…please," she entreated. "I know I don't deserve it and I haven't earned the right—"
He cut her off by pulling her close and burying his face in her curls. "Stop Shorty. You do deserve my trust…but this is so damned hard…" He trembled against her and breathed deeply for moments before meeting her eyes. "But I will. I'll trust you…BUT, you're moving in with me on the rez so the fucker can't get to you so easily, and if he ever tries again, all bets are off." He turned his gaze to the wary blond male. "You hear that? One wrong move and I take that fucker out for good and nothing will stop me…not my mate or some ancient treaty or even God himself," he sneered. "He—Will—Burn."
"I understand," the blond male conceded in his most soothing tone. "You have my word as leader of this coven—"
Paul snarled at him. "Hear me leech—save your words! They mean NOTHING to me! What matters here is my word and you already have it."
The blonde male hung his head and merely nodded before looking to Sam. "Alpha, I would like to meet with you when you're available. Now is not a good time for either of us for obvious reasons but I beg leave to contact you to set something up very soon."
Sam stood rigidly, arms crossed over his chest as he inclined his head. "You have it. We have much to speak about, not least of which is the human girl your coven member is involved with. Now, collect your pieces and go."
Paul held Bella tightly, just taking in her scent and calming himself until a honey-blond male slowly approached. He met Paul's gaze steadily while giving him a shallow nod before speaking in a softly accented voice.
"For what it's worth, from one warrior to another, he had it comin'."
With that, he turned and disappeared into the trees.
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.