Sign Of The Times || Jasper Hale

chapter 90

Sam and Jacob charge at a newborn. Each wolf grabs an arm in their mouths and rip, the newborn falling to the ground in agony.

Paul is surrounded by three newborns but Emmett comes to his aid. They share a look, some sort of battlefield rapprochement.

Carlisle and Esme move in on a newborn but she backs up frightened. Esme and Carlisle share a look. They relax their attack stance, try to calm her, talk to her. Let her know that she has a choice.

Alice darts from newborn to newborn, not even looking at them, knowing their next move. She sweeps their feet, keeping them off balance, confusing them. To her, it's a dance.

Alex is totally different, letting her anger take over. Where Emmett uses his force to rip them apart and tackle them, Alex simply bites their head off, searching for the next.

Jasper is a step behind the two women, trying to give them cover. A newborn notices Jasper's protectiveness towards the two and decides to make a move.

One of the newborns must be a bit older because he ducks away from Alex' deathly bite but she swipes her feet underneath him. She pummels him down and, finally, maneuvers herself behind her, giving him in a death grip.

Only a few more are left and Alex sees Jasper holding one of them. Jasper has the newborn tackled to his knees and she makes her way towards him and gets behind the two, wrapping her arm around his head and squeezing it until a crunching of metal is heard and she is holding his head.

The last one runs towards her and jumps but she drops to the ground as she grabs the newborns arm and flips it over her head. The newborn bites her in her leg and she sees Emmett approaching to help but she snarls at him. She turns around, seeing red and she simply wraps her hands around the newborns throat before seeing the life fade out of it's blood red eyes. She let's it's head fall and kicks against it, it's head not going far and she grumbles as she grabs her foot.

"Are you okay?" Jasper hurries towards her, they both heard the crunch.

"Never better." She replies but she already feels the burning in her arm, the venom of the first vampire bite finally getting into action.

She sits down and the Cullens all start to gather the parts that are left of the newborns to incinerate them. The wolves quickly joining. A purple- black smoke rises from the massive fire. Edward and Bella race out of the tress, bee-lining for Alice and the rest of Cullens gathered near the fire.

"How long?" Edward asks and Alex doesn't even notice the worried look he is giving her. She already feels the fever kicking in.

"Few minutes. Maybe ten." Alice replies while Bella scans the field for Jacob.

"They timed their arrival well."

Emmett snorts at his wife's remark. "Probably hoping the newborns took a few of us out." Edward stops as he sees someone by the fire.

"What's she doing here?" Bella looks to the fire, by which a newborn cowers.

Esme steps forward. "We offered her safe haven if she stopped fighting. She took it."

"The pack needs to leave." Carlisle looks at Sam. "The Volturi won't honor a truce with werewolves."

"That sounds about right." Alex chuckles bitterly before it goes over into a cough. Both Carlisle and Jasper rush over to her.

"Are you okay?" Jasper asks and Carlisle takes her hand.

"What's your normal temperature?" He grabs her pulse and narrows his eyes. There wasn't one.

"Sometimes it does that." She says and points towards her heart. "No need to worry about that." She tries to stand up and both of them grab her arms. "I just really need to lay down." Edward looks over towards her and frowns. "Yes yes," she waves towards him. "I'll show my face to them."

"Where's Jacob?"

Edward looks around and spots him. "There."

Just out of the treeline, Jacob emerges. Bella sighs with enormous relief. He sees her as well and makes his way towards but stops once he hears a vicious snarl coming from behind him in the woods.

A light grey wolf corners one last male newborn who was hiding. The grey wolf charges and Edward's eyes widen.

"Leah, don't!" 

The male newborn maneuvers out of her way, spins and grabs her furr,fiercely yanking at her paws but Jacob leaps on the male newborn, tackling him. The two of them roll into the clearing where Jacob bites a piece of his face off.

The newborn gets his arms around Jacob and crushes him, making Jacob howl in agony. Bella sees this from afar and her eyes widen with fear.

"Jacob!" The other wolves are instantly there and pounce on the newborn, their teeth forcing him to release Jacob who crumples to the ground. While the wolves pull him apart, Edward and Carlisle appear at Jacob's side.

Bella races across the field to reach Jacob. He transforms back to human, his body grotesquely twisted and broken, barely able to breathe. Carlisle quickly examines him as he writhes in pain; Edward steadies him, gripping his hand.

"Jacob - hold on - Carlisle will take dare of you."

"The bones on his right half of his body are shattered." Jacob, in excruciating pain, squeezes Edward's hand. Bella reaches them and drops to her knees beside Jacob. She strokes his face, trying to comfort him.

"I'm here, Jake, I'm right here." Sam, Paul, Embry, Quil and Leah, now in human form - all of them clothed - race up.

"Jacob, you idiot, I had it-.." her voice filled with guilt but Sam gives her a look.

"Leah."

"I need to set the bones before his accelerated healing kicks in- it's already starting." Carlisle tells them and looks Jacob over once more.

Edward turns to Sam. "We have to get him out of here before the Volturi arrive. We won't win a fight."

"Go. I'll be there as soon as I can." Carlisle tells them and Sam nods.

"We'll bring him to Billy's."

"Hang on, Jake." Jacob cries out in pain as they lift him. Bella agonizes as she watches them disappear into the woods. She and Edward exchange a look of shared concern but not for long as Alice announces that they're here.