The Gift of the Sea

Chapter 9

Being stabbed in the back. It comes with an understanding that the person who is doing it is trusted enough to get that close to you. What could be closer than family? All I have to do is make it to the phone. I pull myself up out of the water, switching to my human legs. I grab the phone and a shirt from the stack. I don't have enough time to stop.  They are too close. I dial Paul's number as I run. 

"Ethne?"

"Paul meet me at the cave," I huff as I run.

"Ethne!"

"Ethne, what is going on?"

"The cave, hurry, please," I beg as I hang up. I call one other number. It rings twice.

"Hello," a southern accent picks up the phone.

"Jasper," I huff as the sound of feet gaining on me, "I need help, the cave. Meet me at the cave. Titus wasn't gone. He found me, and I need h-" I trip over a log, dropping the phone.  Having no time, I leave it. 

"Ethne," Titus yells. The wind is starting to pick up and swirl. 

I keep running. I need to make it to the cave. I cross over the border onto the Cullen's side. I made it to the field I fought on not even three months ago. Then, the wind picks up and swirls around me, knocking me off my feet. I call on the rain that is almost always at hand here. Lighting rains down as I can't see outside the swirl. I know Titus is getting closer, but I don't know how close he is until the swirling stops.  He stands not even fifty yards away from me. I shakily stand to my feet even though the shirt that I hand put on at the start is ripped and torn, "Leave Titus. I am not your mate, and I never will be."

"I had a deal, and part of that deal was you as my mate," he hisses, "Don't make me have to use IT. It would be so much easier if I didn't have to."

As he goes to sing, I summon fire and shoot it at him. Knocking him off balance, I use what is left of my strength to charge him. My aim is true, but he moves an inch at the last second, causing me to miss his throat. Instead, my teeth sink into his left shoulder before he can throw me off. Slamming into the rock formation on the field's side, my vision blurs. A breeze rushes past me, and the sound of Titus screaming tells me that someone else is here. A hand touches me on the shoulder, "Easy, easy, Ethne," Jasper's southern accent calms me. That or he is using his power, "Emmett and I are here."

"Jasper," a snarl comes from my right. I latch my hand onto him.

"It's just the pack. Emmett, help the wolves with that thing."

"With pleasure."

I know Jasper is speaking to the wolves as he gets no response but a whine, "I need to get her to Carlisle; she hit her head hard.  Ethne, I am going to wrap my jacket around you," he does just that, going slowly and then lifts me into his arms. One arm is around my back, and the other is under my knees.

Third POV

Jasper leaves the others to take care of the trash and races back to their house with Ethne. Most of the guests had left. Only a handful remained, making it easy for Jasper to slip inside with her. The Denali's had left already, so Jasper was able to speak in his normal voice for Alice and Esme to finish sending the guest away and for Carlisle and Rosalie to join them upstairs, "Emmett and the pack are dealing with Titus.  She did a number on his shoulder before she hit her head on the rocks."

"Ethne, it's Carlisle, I need to know a few things," he starts  rolling up his sleeve as Rosalie grabs his bag for him,  "Can you answer a few questions?"

"Yes," she whimpers, "Is Rose there?"

Carlisle shines a light into her eyes, making them close, "She is coming," turning to his adoptive son, "Jasper, go change and help our mates downstairs."

"If you need me," he leaves the option open before leaving.

"Ethne," Carlisle moves to hold one of her hands, "I need you to look at me. Did he hurt you anywhere else?"

"No," Ethne states, "I told him that if he ever tried, he would not have a living mate anymore."

"Ethne, Carlisle," Rose calls out before opening the door, "I brought a change of clothes as well," she tells them after handing Carlisle his nag, "Do you want me to stay?"

With a nod of Ethne's head, Carlisle cleaned and bandaged all her wounds. Rosalie wipes the blood away from her mouth and brushes her hair out. They ignored the lengthened K9s in Ethne's mouth.  There was nothing that they could do about the bruises on her wrist, but the smaller cuts on her arms and back were cleaned, and the larger ones on her right leg and the bottom of her feet bandaged. The whole time, she didn't make a sound. 

Rosalie helped change her into a loose-fitting shirt and shorts. Carlisle leaves when the doorbell rings downstairs, "Ethne, can you tell me what happened?"

"Everything was fine," they lock eyes, "till it wasn't."

While downstairs, Carlisle and Jasper greet Sam and Paul, "Is she alright," Sam gets down to business, not liking being at the Cullens' home twice in one day. 

"I treated her. She is upstairs with Rosalie, changing."

"Where's Emmett," Jasper ingures.

"He is burning the body," Paul smirks, "wanted that pleasure for himself."

"You are more than welcome to wait downstairs with us," Carlisle motions for them to follow, "Depending on where she will want to sleep, I may need you to bring her back here in a few days."

Sam nods, "Do you know how this Titus got to her? Her brother and another male were the ones who collected her, saying that they dealt with him and that he was no longer a threat."

"Jasper," Rosalie's voice stops them. Jasper quickly joins the women upstairs, "Can you carry Ethne down? I need to clean up here."

"Ma'am," Jasper picks Ethne up the same way as before, "Paul and Sam are downstairs."

"Okay."

Moving at a normal human pace, he carries her down and seats her on the couch. However, when he moves to leave her side, she latches onto his hand. He sits down next to Ethne, shocking everyone there but Alice.