Charlotte || Jacob Black & Paul Lahote

Twenty-Five: Vamps Don't Taste Cool

I lay awake in bed, listening to the sound of fingers drumming against my window. It was locked, blinds drawn, but I knew that it was Paul. Guilt consumed me as I ignored him, but he couldn't see my wrist like this, not at least till I'd figured out a good enough excuse as to how I'd done it. I wanted to rat on the leech so badly, wanted to see the wolves tear him limb from limb, but I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk starting an all out war. That meant lives lost. 

I got out of bed, the drumming of Paul's fingers on the window and the throbbing pain from my wrist bothering me. I headed downstairs, making sure to pull a hoodie over me to hide the cast around my wrist, just in case Paul caught me walking past a window.

"You still awake kid? Your wrist hurting?" Dad asked as I joined him on the sofa. I nodded, and he threw a blanket over me.

"Wait a sec," he groaned as he stood up. He disappeared off into the kitchen, returning with a mug of steaming milk and two painkillers. I accepted it gratefully. The milk had honey in! It worked it's magic well, and I soon found myself drifting off. 

Jacob's POV

I arrived at Sam's early, it wasn't even 7 by the time I'd got to his house. It'd been another early start, but the house was already bustling. The full pack was there, and Emily was awake too, raising our moods with pancakes and coffee. 

Paul sat on the end, closest to me, looking utterly miserable. I thought he'd spent the night with Charl?

"What's up with your face?" I questioned, taking in the sour look. He didn't reply, just focusing on the mountain of food in front of him.

"Oi, fuck's up with you?" I snapped, shoving past his chair and sitting on the other side of him.

"I slept outside Charl's last night," he replied, sounding as tired as he looked.

"Why?" I questioned as I helped myself to Emily's cooking. 

"Window was locked, blinds closed and all. I knocked for ages, didn't reply."

"What's up with her?"

"I don't know. She asked me to pull out the fight, I said no. Maybe she's annoyed at us, we're actually in the doghouse?" He suggested, a frown on his face. I dropped my voice, using the chatter and clinking of everyone else to keep myself covered,

"Should we drop out?"

Paul looked horrified, his face contorting into one of shock and surprise.

"I don't know," he replied, thoughtfully chewing on a handful of bacon. God, he's so gross. What does Charlotte see in him? 

"She seemed miserable yesterday, and now she's shutting us out. What if she won't forgive us?" 

"I know, but what if, we're not there. A few slip past and hurt her. Jacob, I couldn't live if she got hurt. And this is our job, we're designed to do this. I hate saying it, but she just doesn't understand that."

"But what if we don't go back to her and we die with her ticked off?"

"We die knowing she's safe."

"She'll forgive you. She's your imprint, you'll work it out," Sam interrupted. He hadn't brought the attention of anyone else, but had clearly noticed our discussion. Sam was right. She was our imprint, it'd work out. It had to. 

Breakfast ended far too soon, each of us washing our plate, despite Emily insisting that she could do it. Each of us disappeared into the woods, shifting and regrouping. The pack mind was buzzing, all of us being in wolf form at once. Seth was so excited, just thinking about all the action he was gonna take part in. What he didn't know yet was that he was on Bella duty, so would be stuck at a nearby campsite with the girl and her leech, very much away from the action. 

We raced through the woods, fooling around as we did so. I'd tackled Quil twice, Seth 3 times and Embry twice, by the time that we reached the clearing. The vamps were already there, practicing. We were also getting some practice in today, and I couldn't wait.

The only one missing was Edward, but he arrived shortly, pulling up to the clearing in a big fancy sports car. Bella stepped outside the passenger side, and I nosed over. Had they brought Charlotte?

"No Jacob," Edward replied stiffly. He looked paler than usual, and stiff. Tense. Bella wouldn't make eye contact either, her eyes trained on the fighting, not once glancing my way. Weird. 

I could smell Charlotte though. I could smell her on Edward, which was weird. All the time he'd spent in the Swan house, and I'd never caught a whiff of her off him. Bella always had a tinge of Charl's rosey scent, but Edward never did. That was really strange. In fact, I'd noticed it when I first showed up, around the doctor.

"Jake, concentrate," Sam snapped, just as the large vampire came hurtling at me. I yelped, but leapt out of the way, snapping my jaws in warning. He kept coming though, and I kept dodging. I decided to change tactics, opting for offensive rather than de. I charged at him, rotating as he leaped and catching him in my jaw. I kept my hold soft to not damage, but firm enough that he couldn't escape.

"Well done Jake! That was so cool," Seth praised as I let the vamp go. It didn't taste cool. I gagged and retched, licking a tree just to get the vampire taste out of my mouth. My mind wandered, thinking of Charl's soft red lips, how good they tasted, her whine-

"Jacob!" Paul's growl came through the pack link. Right. Everyone saw that. Um. Edward. Vampires. New-born Army. Not Charlotte, not her hair or her lips or her ass.

"Jake that's gross," Embry whined and I just snorted. He's only jealous. He snapped his jaws at me, and I bit back, the pair of us rolling over and over and over. I only won when I sunk my teeth into his shoulder. 

Training was adjourned after a few more hours. I managed to get my teeth round the little female one, the doctor and the big one a good few times. I was so upset that Edward wasn't taking part, desperate to get my teeth in the leech. He didn't even respond when I thought of it, something was really off with him.

The pack headed off for Emily's, but I went a different way, heading straight for Charl's home. As Paul had said, her window was close, blinds drawn. It was only 4, had she not gotten up today? I shifted back, pulling a backup pair of shorts on. I climbed up the side of the house, knocking on the window like Paul had. No answer, not even a twitch of the blind. I knew her light was on, able to see it shine. She was up. Why was she ignoring me?

I climbed down, heading for her front door. I slammed my hand against it.

"Woah Jake, you alright?" Charlie asked as he opened the door.

"Is Charlotte okay?"

"Yeah Jake, a bit sore, but she's fine. I'll get her to give you a ring tomorrow, okay? Head home."

I nodded as he shut the door in my face. A bit sore? What does he mean? 

I didn't go home as instructed, instead I shifted back and lay in the woods, eyes fixated on her window. I lay watching long past her bedroom light clicked off, staying awake to keep her safe.