Anna Begins [Paul Lahote]

Chapter Seventeen

Paul

After walking Anna home, I returned to the apartment I shared with Felicity feeling like I was walking on air. The night had gone so well. Anna and Felicity worked out their conflict, Anna opened up about her struggles, and we were all so happy as we played the game—even Anna. I lived to see that sweet little smile she probably didn't notice lingered on her lips. Her happiness filled me up, and my heart was practically a balloon.

Inside the apartment, however, Jacob's face was like sticking a pin in it.

"What?" I asked, pausing in the doorway.

"We have to go meet with the Cullens. Now."

Great.

***

Most of the pack gathered in the clearing, waiting for the vamps to show up and tell what was so urgent. Just the idea of something being important enough to call this meeting had most of us bristling. Even the few pack members who stayed on the reservation to run patrols were reflecting agitation.

They didn't indicate what it was about, Sam told the lot of us as he sat tall and proud at the front of our group, just that it was urgent.

Fat lot of good that does us, Quil grumbled from where he paced.

Just gotta be patient, Seth said from where he was running patrol. Maybe it was too important to tell without a proper meeting.

Quil's mind showed he was about to snap back, but Sam agreed before he could, I'm thinking you're right, Seth.

"He is right," the mind-reader said as he stopped on the other end of the clearing, the blondie, the war expert, and the little pixie with him.

The small one frowned in displeasure. "You couldn't have left at least one of you in human form so we could talk? This isn't ideal."

This is how we feel comfortable on such short notice, Sam said, no budge in his mind.

Blondie rolled her eyes once the message was relayed. "Leave them be, Alice. We don't have time for the bickering."

We perked up at that—why was there not time?

"My visions have been unclear," the pixie said with obvious discontent. "But Victoria is going to make a move—soon."

How soon? Sam demanded.

The vampire rubbed her temples as the mind-reader asked the question, albeit in a more diplomatic tone. "I don't know! She changes her mind every five minutes. But I think that means she's making a move sooner rather than later and she wants to confuse me. It's looking like we could have a fight on our hands as soon as this weekend."

The news dropped on the pack like a lead balloon. This weekend. So soon. But we knew this was coming. We'd been preparing.

We'll be ready, Sam was confident.

The scarred vampire nodded. "We will want to have a solid strategy in place. I think including the wolves should be a surprise. We could be the front line, and then you could sneak up on them once the battle has begun and they're not expecting it."

We can discuss, Sam said. I and a couple other members of the pack will meet with you in human form sometime in the next couple of days. For now I need to decide what distribution of the pack is best to keep our tribe and loved ones safe while most of us are away.

Most of the guys—and Leah—bristled at that.

We're not all going?

I can't stay behind!