Vengeance

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter 26

Escape.

I now understood why Edward had said Jacob’s scent would never be appealing to me.  His blood tasted like wet earth, soggy dead grass, and garbage—dirty, moldy, garbage.  The moment his essence touched my lips, I found myself sputtering to rid my mouth of the morbid taste, even going so far as to wipe my tongue on my sleeve.  The smell of these wolves was atrocious enough when the blood was inside their bodies.

I waited with suspenseful awe for the venom to trace its way through Jacob’s body.  His arms and legs curled inward, like a dying butterfly, and his screams echoed throughout the forest.  His chest heaved violently, proof that his immune system was fighting a losing battle, while sweat poured down his face.  Finally, after a guttural outcry, Jacob’s breathing stopped and his heart ceased any sign of life. 

Jacob Black was dead.

A good distance away, I could hear the howling of the remaining wolves, mourning the loss of one of their companions.  I briefly wondered how many losses our sides had sustained and, after remembering why I was still alive, spun around in horror. Now that my attention was no longer focused on my enemy, I became aware of the commotion behind me.

Rosalie and Emmett were dancing around a massive grey wolf, which I recognized as Leah, making every attempt to subdue the animal.  My jaw tightened as I surveyed the carnage surrounding them; Maria and Paulo had been torn to shreds, and were now scattered across the ground.  Maria had been destroyed while trying to protect me, and Paulo had done everything he could to avenge his maker’s death. 

“Bella!” Rose called back to me as she and Emmett finally restrained Leah.  “You need to get out of here!”

“No!” I replied and shook my head defiantly.  All I needed was a few minutes to put Maria and Paulo back together, and then I could head out.  Maria had saved my life; now, I was planning on saving hers.

“Bella, what are you thinking? Go!” Emmett thundered as Leah bit his arm and head butted him.  He flew a few feet and crashed to the ground before charging back toward the animal.  “Now!”

I was just about to connect Maria’s head to her shoulders when both Rose and Emmett cried out.  Glancing up, I was horrified to discover that Leah had slipped from their grasp and was making her way in my direction.  Her voracious eyes were fixed on me, and she was about two seconds away from ripping me apart.

From the treetops, moving at the speed of a bullet, came the lithe, slender body of Esme.  She connected with Leah, thrusting her shoulder into the wolf’s ribs, sending the giant beast tumbling to the side.  While Leah tried to find her footing, Esme fell into a protective crouch before me, snarling viciously.

Rosalie and Emmett rushed to her side, each one mimicking her defensive posture when Leah climbed up and snapped in our direction.  A series of howls filled the air, and I realized that the remaining wolves were coming to aid their sister.  How many had survived?  Had they overpowered the others?

“Esme, take Bella and go,” Rosalie said without tearing her eyes from the massive beast before her.  “We’ll rendezvous later.”