Hopeless Devotion ~ A Jasper Hale Story

Chapter Twenty-Four - The Battle

I woke to cold seeping through everything—my fingers stiff, my breath fogging the air inside the tent. Bella was still curled beside me, her warmth familiar, grounding. For one long moment, I stayed still, listening.

No screams.
No fighting.
No disaster—yet.

I eased out of the sleeping bag and unzipped the tent as quietly as I could. The mountain greeted me with silence so vast it felt deliberate. Low clouds pressed against the treetops, and the air smelled like frost and pine. I sat there a bit till a notice two people talking in the distance.

Bella was already up.

She stood a short distance away, arms crossed tight over her chest, facing Jacob. He towered over her, rigid, his expression torn between fury and pain. Even from here, I could feel the heat of their argument—the kind that had been simmering too long to ever end cleanly.

I didn't need to hear the words to know what it was about.

I turned away before they noticed me.

Edward stood near the fire pit, motionless, as though he'd been there all night and simply decided not to move when the sun came up. His eyes flicked to me immediately.

"Morning," I murmured, my voice rough.

He inclined his head slightly. "You slept."

"Eventually." I hesitated, then glanced toward Bella and Jacob, lowering my voice. "Is there... food? Or is this another survive-on-sheer-anxiety kind of morning?"

That earned me a real smile—brief, but genuine.

"I brought something," he said. "It's not much, but it will help."

"Good," I exhaled. "Because if I have to listen to that on an empty stomach, I might throw someone off the mountain."

His eyes softened. Not amused—understanding.

"I'll get it for you," Edward said quietly, already turning. "Stay close."

I nodded, hugging my arms around myself as I watched him go.

Bella's voice cut through the trees—sharp, breaking, pleading.

"I don't want you to fight," she said, and even without looking, I knew her face would be streaked with frustration and fear. "Please, Jacob. Don't do this."

I didn't turn around.

Some moments belong to the people inside them, and this was one of those. I let the sound fade into the forest, like the mountain itself was swallowing it.

Edward returned with a small pack and handed it to me. "Eat," he said gently. "You'll need the strength."

I took it, fingers brushing his. "You don't have to pretend I'm not scared," I said quietly.

His gaze sharpened—not alarmed, just attentive. "I wasn't pretending."

I huffed a soft breath. "Good. Because I am. Terrified, actually. Not of the fight. Of waiting."

He considered that, his expression thoughtful. "Waiting is often the hardest part," he agreed. "You don't get to do anything. Just trust that the people you love will come back."

I swallowed. "You're very good at that."

"I've had practice," Edward said softly.

For a moment, we stood there—siblings in everything but blood, sharing the same quiet fear for the same girl. Then his eyes flicked toward Bella again, instinct pulling him away.