His Sweet Girl (P. Lahote)

Chapter 14

Bella brought Janie with her to the Cullens' place because Edward smelled another vampire in Bella's room last night and over the couch where Charlie was napping.

Edward paces, frustrated. Alice is stressed. Bella tries to track their fast-paced conversation with Carlisle, Rosalie, and Esme. Janie is worried for her sister.

"Who was it? Someone we know?" Alice asks.

"Just a stranger. I didn't recognize his scent," Edward claims.

"A nomad passing through?" Esme asks.

"A passer-by wouldn't have left Janie and Bella's dad alive," Rosalie says.

Bella and Janie are chilled by the thought. Esme wraps an arm around them both just as the door bursts open. Jasper enters.  Jasper wraps his arm around Janie as she goes to him.

"His scent disappeared about five miles south of Bella and Janie's house," Sam says.

"Someone's orchestrating this," Edward says.

"Victoria?" Carlisle assumes.

"I would've seen her deciding," Alice says.

"It has to be the Volturi," Edward says.

"I don't think it's the Volturi either," Alice claims. "I've been watching Aro's decisions, too."

"So we keep looking," Emmett says.

"We also take shifts, guarding Bella at her house," Carlisle says.

"Another protection detail?" Rosalie asks. "Janie has the pack in La Push, she's protected but..."

"Rosalie," Carlisle warns.

"No, she's right. You can't protect me, watch my dad... ... and search for the intruder," Bella says. She doesn't include because Rosalie's right, Janie has the werewolf pack. "And keep yourselves fed."

"I'm not leaving you here defenseless."

"Are you dense?" Janie asks as she pulls away from Jasper. "She won't be defenseless. She has the pack. The wolves. I'll call Jake and Paul. Paul will deal with the vamps because this one was in the house, in the room right across from mine."

Janie goes out onto the balcony and she calls Paul.

"Hey, beautiful," Paul greets.

"Hey, we have a problem," Janie says.

Paul sits up. "What's wrong, Jane?"
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Edward stands at the curb, frozen in place, waiting eyes unblinkingly watching the front door. Finally, it opens. Bella and Janie exit. Behind them, Jacob and Paul.

Edward meets them halfway. Edward is cool, calculating; Jacob hotheaded, fractious; Paul calm and keeping his anger at bay out of respect for his imprint. Edward can see that in his head and he can respect that.

"Whoever it was, he left his stink behind," Jacob says and Paul nods in agreement. "It'll be hard to miss when we cross it again. We'll handle it from here."

"We don't need you to handle anyone or anything."

"It won't be a choice, man," Paul says. "Sure, Bella's in danger but they were in Janie's, right across from her room. She's human but she'e part of the pack. We protect our own. We will help protect them. We just gotta run it by Sam."

Edward hesitates but he sees Janie's annoyance. She thinks this wolf/vampire rivalry is childish. She understands it but it's still childish. Edward hide.

"Alright, so you need to coordinate. You know, schedules and stuff," Bella says when she sees that Edward agreed with the wolves.

Neither says anything. Bella sighs. Turns to Paul since he's being reasonable. She assumes his reasonable side is because he's the third in command to alpha. He'll be Jared's beta.

"Would the pack prefer days or nights?" Bella asks.

"Nights," Paul answers honestly.

Bella nods and she turns to Edward. "Will days work for your family?" She asks and Edward nods. "Good. See? How hard was that?"
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That night, Janie looks out the window and she sees Paul's wolf with Embry's. The others are in the woods. She smiles down at the wolf as he looks up at her. Janie goes to take a shower since she feels secure. Jacob is on the other side of the house near Bella's window.

Janelle puts on some pajamas and she goes back to her room. She starts looking through her closet for two outfits: one for graduation and one for the graduation party Alice is throwing after. Since she feels safe with the wolves outside, Janie is relaxing a little bit.