Falling for Autumn | Jacob Black

Chapter 44 [edited]

Just a little before sunrise, I woke up to Jacob silently moving away from Bella's side of the couch, switching places with Edward so he could cool her down while she slept. Stretching as I sat up, I smiled at Edward before motioning for Jacob to help me to my feet, my body protesting from the awkward position I had curled up in.

"Are you going to be okay here?" Jacob asked when we stepped out onto the porch, breathing in the fresh air. I nodded sleepily.

"Are you going for a run?" I asked him, pulling the blanket draped over my shoulders closer to my chin.

"Yeah, I'm going to check the route for the Cullens, see if Sam or the others have been around or not so they can go hunting."

"Make sure to check in on Leah and Seth... I know they don't need a babysitter or anything, but they have been out there all night."

"I'll make sure they're okay." Jacob said, kissing my forehead. "Are you going back to bed for a while?"

"No, I think I'm going for my own walk. There's a small meadow down the creek behind the house, I want to be there when the sun rises. Try some of Giuliana's magic lessons. That kind of thing."

"Be careful. Take Alice with you or call Chloe over. I don't think he would, but we don't know for sure if Sam won't attack you trying to get to the Cullens."

"I'll be careful, I promise. And having someone with me isn't a bad idea. See you around breakfast?"

"It's a date."

With another gentle kiss, Jacob was gone, running through the woods as the air shimmered around me in his wake. Smiling to myself, I headed back to the house to change and gather my bag before getting a cup of apple cranberry black tea from Esme.

"Alice is out back waiting for you," Esme said with a smile as she stirred a spoonful of sugar into the mug. "Enjoy the sunrise."

"Thanks, Esme. I'll see you in a few hours."

Alice sat perched on the railing on the back porch as I exited the house, her eyes shining with excitement.

"I hear we're doing some magic today."

"That's the plan," I beamed, patting my bag. "I have one of Giuliana's journals in here that I've been reading and there are a couple of things that piqued my interest."

"Like what?" Alice asked curiously as we set off down the path along the water.

"Like connecting my mind to the pack's over long distances... I was able to link to Jacob's a few days ago when we were out front with Edward, but that's only a few feet. This would expand miles, if done properly. And there's this incantation for summoning the elements, like I did against the newborn army, only this is supposed to help me stay grounded."

"Almost like controlling the elements but calling them at will kind of thing?" Alice clarified.

"Exactly."

A comfortable silence fell over us as we entered the meadow with about fifteen minutes until the sun broke the horizon. Alice bounced over to a fallen log, sitting quietly as she watched me lay out a blanket and set up a makeshift altar on top of a semi-flat boulder. Propping Giuliana's journal up so I could see it while sitting cross-legged, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, clearing my mind so it was a blank slate.

Reciting the words in my head, I concentrated on Seth first since he would be the closest pack member to me. The air around me shimmered and I could feel the link between us establishing itself as the wind blew a gentle breeze around the back of my neck.