The Promise
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 14:
Numbness filled her as she stood, hand still held out toward where her husband, the love of her life, had vanished. “Pete,” she whispered forlornly, “come back.”
“Oh my, you are right mi león, they are very sweet together… sickeningly so.” A heavily accented female voice startled Bella and she turned quickly, almost losing her balance in the process. She just managed to recover however, and pure hatred consumed her as she glared at none other than Jasper Hale and a hispanic female vampire whose lips were twisted into a malicious smirk.
Bella was done being nice. “What do you want, you no-good piece of shit?”
The female laughed and Jasper chuckled. “Well now, seems the kitten has claws. It’s too bad I can’t touch ya to see just how good ya are with ‘em.” He prowled around her and she followed him with her eyes and a slight turn of her head, still wanting to keep an eye on the female in front of her.
He finished his circuit and took his place next to the female again as Bella spoke again. “So, you just came to gloat for ruining my life then? If so, then you’ve had your fun. I’ll be going now…”
He held up a hand with a smile. “Not so fast little kitten. Ya see, I brought Maria along tonight in the hopes that you’d be out and about. I wanted her to meet ya. She has a natural shield, ya see and so I thought to have her try to get to ya.” He looked to Maria and gestured at Bella. “My love, if ya would, please…”
She pressed herself against him and kissed him. “My pleasure mi león.”
Bella’s heart picked up speed as the female approached, and her breath caught in terror as the female caressed her cheek without hindrance. Maria drew in a deep breath as death sparkled in her deep red eyes. “Oooh, you are right mi león, she smells devine, but I also agree she would make a special vampire.”
She turned back and walked to Jasper. “We should change her.”
To Bella’s surprise, Jasper frowned at Maria. “We’ll wait until the little ‘un’s born. It ain’t like we’re in a hurry.” He looked at Bella as Maria pouted. “When’s the little ‘un due?”
Bella, still shaken at the fact this female got past her protection, eyed them both suspiciously. “Why should I tell you anything?”
Jasper grabbed Maria as she snarled and lunged. “Because if you don’t, puta, I’ll just kill it and change you now!”
Jasper growled and twisted Maria’s arm behind her back, his voice low and deadly as he spoke. “No… ya won’t. We do this my way or we don’t do this at all. I’ve screwed my own family enough as it is. I won’t stand for ya takin’ it any further, ya hear?” Maria snarled and he wrenched her arm until she whimpered. “Ya hear me Maria?”
“Yes Major, I hear you.”
He let her go with a shove and she straightened and glared at Bella, but kept quiet.
Bella cut her gaze back to Jasper and wondered at the solemn expression on his face as he posed his question again. “When is that young ‘un due Isabella?”
Something in his demeanor warned her against antagonizing him and so she answered. “Three weeks, give or take.”
He nodded. “Fine, I’ll be watchin’ and I know where the ranch is darlin’. Don’t think I don’t. We’ll see ya then.”
They disappeared from the alley and Bella sagged in relief as she began her walk home, still keeping to the dark shadows.
Just as she approached another dark alley, she began to feel intense dread so she slipped her hand into her cloak pocket where she’d concealed a tiny, two-shot Derringer before leaving the house. ‘Yeah,’ she thought, ‘this kitten does have claws and is tired of being screwed with.’
Glancing up at the full moon, she quickened her pace as pain lanced through her at the decision she’d just made. She needed to leave this place if she wanted a chance at raising her baby—that was made very plain to her earlier—and she needed a full moon for the ritual. If she didn’t do it tonight, her baby might be born before the next opportunity and it would be too late.
She was just passing the alley when she was grabbed and a grubby hand placed over her mouth from behind as she stared into the leering face of another assailant standing in front of her. ‘Perfect,’ she thought, as rage filled her, ‘two assholes for the price of one. Just how do I keep winning the fuckwit lottery, anyway?’
Asshole number one who had grabbed her, spun her around and she grinned maliciously as she stuck the tiny gun between his ribs and pulled the trigger. She was still smiling as she watched surprise bloom on his homely face just before he dropped like a sack of bricks.
She turned to take care of Asshole number two and gasped in shock to see him dead on the ground with a smirking Jasper standing behind him. “Just protecting future assets darlin’. No need to thank me.”
Stowing the gun back in her pocket, she stepped around the body of Asshole number two and sneered at Jasper as she continued her walk home. “I wasn’t about to, jerk-off.”
He fell into step beside her. “So I reckon ya do have claws after all. That’s good. I like an assertive woman.”
Staring straight ahead, she replied, “That’s too bad. For one, I’m married. Two, I fucking hate you and will kill you the first chance I get. Those two points tend to put dents in your future relationship plans.”
He chuckled darkly. “Who said anythin’ about a relationship darlin’? I just wanna fuck ya. I bet you’re a real hot filly in bed.”
She glanced over at him with a curled lip. “I wouldn’t fuck you if you were the last cock left on this planet.”
He hooted and laughed. “Damn girl, Pete know ya got such a mouth on ya?”
She resolutely ignored him and quickened her pace.
“I bet he don’t. I bet there’s a helluva lot he don’t know about ya. Ya seem like the type with a lot of secrets, especially since ya knew what I was right off, not to mention that nice bite mark ya got on ya wrist.”
As she neared her home, Jasper stopped at the unseen barrier she’d set up and watched her walk to the door. She was just about to go inside when he called out to her. “Isabella?”
She turned to him with a raised brow.
“What’s a jerk-off anyway?”
She smirked as she opened her door and stepped in. “Go look in a mirror.” With that, she shut the door and he shook his head.
“Damn.”
Walking over to the nearest tree, he hopped up into the branches and settled in to watch, leaning back casually against the trunk. He was gonna make damn sure Maria didn’t show up to cause trouble. He knew she was pissed off and a pissed off Maria was never one to underestimate. He knew the bitch would stop at nothing to have her way but he also knew she was afraid of him and with good reason. This might just be the cause of them finally going their separate ways, but he’d be damned if he let her hurt that baby.
Once inside the house, Bella’s bravado dropped and she rushed upstairs to get her satchel and gather all the supplies she’d need. She had to hurry because the moon was about to reach its apex.
Once she had it all together, she hurried back downstairs and out the back door, eyeing the open space between the house and privy as she chewed her bottom lip. She didn’t have anything available to make a perfect circle and she didn’t have the time to locate something, so with a shrug, she began pouring the salt, sending up a prayer that it would be sufficient.
Just as she was setting up the candles, a voice intruded. “What the hell are ya doin’ Isabella?”
She looked up at Jasper, who was still safely outside her protection boundary. “You’ll see,” was all she said to him as she continued getting everything set.
When it was done to her satisfaction, she sat in the center, lit all the candles, glanced up at the moon and began the ritual. Just before she disappeared, she looked at a bewildered Jasper and spoke with tears clearly tracing down her cheeks. “Tell Peter I love him, and he promised.”
Jasper watched the strange, beautiful girl disappear in a flash of white light and loosed a growl of frustration as he leaned into the unseen barrier that collapsed as soon as the light dissipated. He rushed to the circle she’d been in and cursed her absence once again, even as he tried to take in the fact that she seemed to be some sort of witch. “Damn!” He ran a hand through his honey-blond hair as he loosed a low growl. She was gone all right, with not even a hint of her scent left behind.
The lone wolf had just finished his mournful howl when another bright flash temporarily blinded him. He blinked a couple of times as he tried to clear his vision and when he could see well again, he was shocked by a form now lying in the center of Bella’s circle. It looked like a girl, but the dress was different from the green one Bella had just been wearing, so he stuck his nose in the air as he tried to sample her scent. ‘Holy shit,’ he thought. This girl smelled like Bella, but there was also a hint of vampire mixed with it and so he growled lowly as he moved forward cautiously.
Within seconds, the smell of more vampires on the slight breeze had his hackles rising and he rushed forward, baring his teeth at the two who emerged from the woods.
“Oh stuff it Fido,” the short female groused. “You’re not on your territory, so back off.”
As much as he hated to admit it, she was right, so he took up his watch-post once again as he cursed them in his mind. “Damn Cullen’s. What the hell are they doing back here anyway? Haven’t they fucked up her life enough already? She just got over that anemic asshole, and now they’re back…”
All attention was drawn to the circle when the girl began to stir and mumble the name ‘Pete’, and the wolf watched as the short girl motioned toward Bella while speaking to the male she was with. “Pick her up Jazz and carry her to her bed.”
He shook his head as his brow furrowed. “I don’t know darlin’, the last I remember, I couldn’t touch her.”
The short girl slapped a hand to her forehead. “Shit, that’s right. I forgot you told me that.” She sighed and tapped her foot before tossing a hand in the air. “Well, give it a shot. If you can’t, then I’ll try. If that won’t work, then we’ll just have to get Fido to carry her and tolerate the stench because we can’t just leave her there on the ground. It’s cold out and the baby…”
Jake cut her off as he slipped into some shorts, his mind reeling. “Whoa… Hold the fuck on… Baby?! What baby?”
He stopped at the edge of the circle and stared at Bella as he continued firing questions. “What’s going on here anyway? I watched her disappear wearing a green dress, and a couple minutes later she reappears wearing this one!” He gestured at the curled up, sleeping girl in the circle. “And now you’re mentioning something about a baby? Bella’s not pregnant! We just had dinner together earlier this evening and she was not pregnant!” He furrowed his brow. “At least she didn’t look pregnant…”
The short girl cocked a brow and pointed at Bella. “Well, take a look sherlock.”
He curled a lip as he glanced at the vampire. “I have been. Can’t exactly see shit with all the layers she’s wearing!”
Alice rolled her eyes and glanced at Jasper. “This is getting us nowhere. Try touching her Jazz and we’ll go from there.”
He stepped forward cautiously and hissed when a barrier around the circle shocked him as he tried to cross it.
“Shit,” he said as he shook out his stinging hand. He glanced at Alice and smirked. “I forgot just how painful that could be. It hurts worse than Kate’s gift at its best.” He frowned and pulled Alice to his chest. “Ya sure ya wanna try it Ali?”
She reached up and patted his cheek as she rolled her eyes. “I love that you worry about me Jazz, but it can’t be all that bad.” Having said that, she zipped over to the circle and reached out a hand just as Jasper began to speak again.
“Ali, I don’t think you under—…” She shrieked and fell back on her butt as Jake snickered and Jasper muttered out the rest of his sentence, “…—stand how bad it really is.”
She looked at her husband with wide eyes. “Shit, that hurts,” she said with awe in her voice as Jasper nodded.
She hopped to her feet and brushed herself off. “Okay Fido, you’re up.” She waved a hand at the circle and Jake swallowed thickly as he crept toward it. He slowly extended his hand and poked at the air above the drawn circle, finally relaxing a bit with a nervous chuckle when nothing happened. He poked again and Alice scoffed. “Oh for fucks sake! Pick her up already! We don’t have all night.”
He scowled at the tiny vampire. “Don’t get your butt-floss in a knot princess. I’m gettin’ there…” So saying, he stepped into the circle and scooped the unconscious Bella into his arms, just then noticing the satchel still clutched in her hands and the very big belly that had been concealed by the full skirts of her dress and cloak. He turned and looked at the two vampires with shock-widened eyes. “She is pregnant!” He stared down at the girl he loved, still not believing what he was seeing. “She’s like, really, really pregnant…” He looked at them again. “How the fuck did that happen in the two damn minutes she was gone?!”
Jasper smirked and Alice shrugged a petite shoulder. “Well, you see Jacob, when a man and a woman are attracted to each other…”
He rolled his eyes and cut her off as he marched by. “Fuck off shorty. Let’s get her home.”
Numbness filled her as she stood, hand still held out toward where her husband, the love of her life, had vanished. “Pete,” she whispered forlornly, “come back.”
“Oh my, you are right mi león, they are very sweet together… sickeningly so.” A heavily accented female voice startled Bella and she turned quickly, almost losing her balance in the process. She just managed to recover however, and pure hatred consumed her as she glared at none other than Jasper Hale and a hispanic female vampire whose lips were twisted into a malicious smirk.
Bella was done being nice. “What do you want, you no-good piece of shit?”
The female laughed and Jasper chuckled. “Well now, seems the kitten has claws. It’s too bad I can’t touch ya to see just how good ya are with ‘em.” He prowled around her and she followed him with her eyes and a slight turn of her head, still wanting to keep an eye on the female in front of her.
He finished his circuit and took his place next to the female again as Bella spoke again. “So, you just came to gloat for ruining my life then? If so, then you’ve had your fun. I’ll be going now…”
He held up a hand with a smile. “Not so fast little kitten. Ya see, I brought Maria along tonight in the hopes that you’d be out and about. I wanted her to meet ya. She has a natural shield, ya see and so I thought to have her try to get to ya.” He looked to Maria and gestured at Bella. “My love, if ya would, please…”
She pressed herself against him and kissed him. “My pleasure mi león.”
Bella’s heart picked up speed as the female approached, and her breath caught in terror as the female caressed her cheek without hindrance. Maria drew in a deep breath as death sparkled in her deep red eyes. “Oooh, you are right mi león, she smells devine, but I also agree she would make a special vampire.”
She turned back and walked to Jasper. “We should change her.”
To Bella’s surprise, Jasper frowned at Maria. “We’ll wait until the little ‘un’s born. It ain’t like we’re in a hurry.” He looked at Bella as Maria pouted. “When’s the little ‘un due?”
Bella, still shaken at the fact this female got past her protection, eyed them both suspiciously. “Why should I tell you anything?”
Jasper grabbed Maria as she snarled and lunged. “Because if you don’t, puta, I’ll just kill it and change you now!”
Jasper growled and twisted Maria’s arm behind her back, his voice low and deadly as he spoke. “No… ya won’t. We do this my way or we don’t do this at all. I’ve screwed my own family enough as it is. I won’t stand for ya takin’ it any further, ya hear?” Maria snarled and he wrenched her arm until she whimpered. “Ya hear me Maria?”
“Yes Major, I hear you.”
He let her go with a shove and she straightened and glared at Bella, but kept quiet.
Bella cut her gaze back to Jasper and wondered at the solemn expression on his face as he posed his question again. “When is that young ‘un due Isabella?”
Something in his demeanor warned her against antagonizing him and so she answered. “Three weeks, give or take.”
He nodded. “Fine, I’ll be watchin’ and I know where the ranch is darlin’. Don’t think I don’t. We’ll see ya then.”
They disappeared from the alley and Bella sagged in relief as she began her walk home, still keeping to the dark shadows.
Just as she approached another dark alley, she began to feel intense dread so she slipped her hand into her cloak pocket where she’d concealed a tiny, two-shot Derringer before leaving the house. ‘Yeah,’ she thought, ‘this kitten does have claws and is tired of being screwed with.’
Glancing up at the full moon, she quickened her pace as pain lanced through her at the decision she’d just made. She needed to leave this place if she wanted a chance at raising her baby—that was made very plain to her earlier—and she needed a full moon for the ritual. If she didn’t do it tonight, her baby might be born before the next opportunity and it would be too late.
She was just passing the alley when she was grabbed and a grubby hand placed over her mouth from behind as she stared into the leering face of another assailant standing in front of her. ‘Perfect,’ she thought, as rage filled her, ‘two assholes for the price of one. Just how do I keep winning the fuckwit lottery, anyway?’
Asshole number one who had grabbed her, spun her around and she grinned maliciously as she stuck the tiny gun between his ribs and pulled the trigger. She was still smiling as she watched surprise bloom on his homely face just before he dropped like a sack of bricks.
She turned to take care of Asshole number two and gasped in shock to see him dead on the ground with a smirking Jasper standing behind him. “Just protecting future assets darlin’. No need to thank me.”
Stowing the gun back in her pocket, she stepped around the body of Asshole number two and sneered at Jasper as she continued her walk home. “I wasn’t about to, jerk-off.”
He fell into step beside her. “So I reckon ya do have claws after all. That’s good. I like an assertive woman.”
Staring straight ahead, she replied, “That’s too bad. For one, I’m married. Two, I fucking hate you and will kill you the first chance I get. Those two points tend to put dents in your future relationship plans.”
He chuckled darkly. “Who said anythin’ about a relationship darlin’? I just wanna fuck ya. I bet you’re a real hot filly in bed.”
She glanced over at him with a curled lip. “I wouldn’t fuck you if you were the last cock left on this planet.”
He hooted and laughed. “Damn girl, Pete know ya got such a mouth on ya?”
She resolutely ignored him and quickened her pace.
“I bet he don’t. I bet there’s a helluva lot he don’t know about ya. Ya seem like the type with a lot of secrets, especially since ya knew what I was right off, not to mention that nice bite mark ya got on ya wrist.”
As she neared her home, Jasper stopped at the unseen barrier she’d set up and watched her walk to the door. She was just about to go inside when he called out to her. “Isabella?”
She turned to him with a raised brow.
“What’s a jerk-off anyway?”
She smirked as she opened her door and stepped in. “Go look in a mirror.” With that, she shut the door and he shook his head.
“Damn.”
Walking over to the nearest tree, he hopped up into the branches and settled in to watch, leaning back casually against the trunk. He was gonna make damn sure Maria didn’t show up to cause trouble. He knew she was pissed off and a pissed off Maria was never one to underestimate. He knew the bitch would stop at nothing to have her way but he also knew she was afraid of him and with good reason. This might just be the cause of them finally going their separate ways, but he’d be damned if he let her hurt that baby.
Once inside the house, Bella’s bravado dropped and she rushed upstairs to get her satchel and gather all the supplies she’d need. She had to hurry because the moon was about to reach its apex.
Once she had it all together, she hurried back downstairs and out the back door, eyeing the open space between the house and privy as she chewed her bottom lip. She didn’t have anything available to make a perfect circle and she didn’t have the time to locate something, so with a shrug, she began pouring the salt, sending up a prayer that it would be sufficient.
Just as she was setting up the candles, a voice intruded. “What the hell are ya doin’ Isabella?”
She looked up at Jasper, who was still safely outside her protection boundary. “You’ll see,” was all she said to him as she continued getting everything set.
When it was done to her satisfaction, she sat in the center, lit all the candles, glanced up at the moon and began the ritual. Just before she disappeared, she looked at a bewildered Jasper and spoke with tears clearly tracing down her cheeks. “Tell Peter I love him, and he promised.”
Jasper watched the strange, beautiful girl disappear in a flash of white light and loosed a growl of frustration as he leaned into the unseen barrier that collapsed as soon as the light dissipated. He rushed to the circle she’d been in and cursed her absence once again, even as he tried to take in the fact that she seemed to be some sort of witch. “Damn!” He ran a hand through his honey-blond hair as he loosed a low growl. She was gone all right, with not even a hint of her scent left behind.
The lone wolf had just finished his mournful howl when another bright flash temporarily blinded him. He blinked a couple of times as he tried to clear his vision and when he could see well again, he was shocked by a form now lying in the center of Bella’s circle. It looked like a girl, but the dress was different from the green one Bella had just been wearing, so he stuck his nose in the air as he tried to sample her scent. ‘Holy shit,’ he thought. This girl smelled like Bella, but there was also a hint of vampire mixed with it and so he growled lowly as he moved forward cautiously.
Within seconds, the smell of more vampires on the slight breeze had his hackles rising and he rushed forward, baring his teeth at the two who emerged from the woods.
“Oh stuff it Fido,” the short female groused. “You’re not on your territory, so back off.”
As much as he hated to admit it, she was right, so he took up his watch-post once again as he cursed them in his mind. “Damn Cullen’s. What the hell are they doing back here anyway? Haven’t they fucked up her life enough already? She just got over that anemic asshole, and now they’re back…”
All attention was drawn to the circle when the girl began to stir and mumble the name ‘Pete’, and the wolf watched as the short girl motioned toward Bella while speaking to the male she was with. “Pick her up Jazz and carry her to her bed.”
He shook his head as his brow furrowed. “I don’t know darlin’, the last I remember, I couldn’t touch her.”
The short girl slapped a hand to her forehead. “Shit, that’s right. I forgot you told me that.” She sighed and tapped her foot before tossing a hand in the air. “Well, give it a shot. If you can’t, then I’ll try. If that won’t work, then we’ll just have to get Fido to carry her and tolerate the stench because we can’t just leave her there on the ground. It’s cold out and the baby…”
Jake cut her off as he slipped into some shorts, his mind reeling. “Whoa… Hold the fuck on… Baby?! What baby?”
He stopped at the edge of the circle and stared at Bella as he continued firing questions. “What’s going on here anyway? I watched her disappear wearing a green dress, and a couple minutes later she reappears wearing this one!” He gestured at the curled up, sleeping girl in the circle. “And now you’re mentioning something about a baby? Bella’s not pregnant! We just had dinner together earlier this evening and she was not pregnant!” He furrowed his brow. “At least she didn’t look pregnant…”
The short girl cocked a brow and pointed at Bella. “Well, take a look sherlock.”
He curled a lip as he glanced at the vampire. “I have been. Can’t exactly see shit with all the layers she’s wearing!”
Alice rolled her eyes and glanced at Jasper. “This is getting us nowhere. Try touching her Jazz and we’ll go from there.”
He stepped forward cautiously and hissed when a barrier around the circle shocked him as he tried to cross it.
“Shit,” he said as he shook out his stinging hand. He glanced at Alice and smirked. “I forgot just how painful that could be. It hurts worse than Kate’s gift at its best.” He frowned and pulled Alice to his chest. “Ya sure ya wanna try it Ali?”
She reached up and patted his cheek as she rolled her eyes. “I love that you worry about me Jazz, but it can’t be all that bad.” Having said that, she zipped over to the circle and reached out a hand just as Jasper began to speak again.
“Ali, I don’t think you under—…” She shrieked and fell back on her butt as Jake snickered and Jasper muttered out the rest of his sentence, “…—stand how bad it really is.”
She looked at her husband with wide eyes. “Shit, that hurts,” she said with awe in her voice as Jasper nodded.
She hopped to her feet and brushed herself off. “Okay Fido, you’re up.” She waved a hand at the circle and Jake swallowed thickly as he crept toward it. He slowly extended his hand and poked at the air above the drawn circle, finally relaxing a bit with a nervous chuckle when nothing happened. He poked again and Alice scoffed. “Oh for fucks sake! Pick her up already! We don’t have all night.”
He scowled at the tiny vampire. “Don’t get your butt-floss in a knot princess. I’m gettin’ there…” So saying, he stepped into the circle and scooped the unconscious Bella into his arms, just then noticing the satchel still clutched in her hands and the very big belly that had been concealed by the full skirts of her dress and cloak. He turned and looked at the two vampires with shock-widened eyes. “She is pregnant!” He stared down at the girl he loved, still not believing what he was seeing. “She’s like, really, really pregnant…” He looked at them again. “How the fuck did that happen in the two damn minutes she was gone?!”
Jasper smirked and Alice shrugged a petite shoulder. “Well, you see Jacob, when a man and a woman are attracted to each other…”
He rolled his eyes and cut her off as he marched by. “Fuck off shorty. Let’s get her home.”
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.