Magic Shop - Paul Lahote FF

Thirty One

They say nothing. An eery silence filling the room.

Nova and I wait patiently for them to speak. Riley has his eyes closed, hugging his knees to his chest. Dani shakes her head before finally letting out a loud, humorless laugh. "Is this some kind of sick fucking joke to you two? Julian drowned. That's what the police told us. Vampires and werewolves aren't real!"

"I can prove it." Dani huffs before motioning for me to continue. "You still keep that stuffed care bear in your pajama drawer?" She nods, and I sprint to her room.

Only two seconds have gone by when I return to the living room, care bear in hand. Dani catches it with an open mouth and stares at it. "Holy shit. This is real?"

"Yes. Vampires, werewolves, banshees. They all exist." I didn't tell them the Cullens are vampires, or that Paul and Embry are shifters. If the story of the Volturi taught me anything it's that they don't like humans knowing their secret. I would only be putting Dani and Riley in danger by telling them.

"And you only realized you were a banshee when you saw..." Riley speaks for the first time. His eyes are red, streams of tears coating his cheeks. I nod wordlessly. He sighs.

Dani sits back down on the couch. "Julian's dead." She clutches the care bear in her hands. "A part of me didn't believe the police. I mean, how could Julian just be gone? But you saw him, you watched him-you watched him die."

I sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and hugging her tight. A heavy weight lands on my knee. Riley sits on the floor in front of us, resting his head against me. Nova sits next to him and holds his hands in hers.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." My voice sounds so loud compared to the quiet sobs and sniffles emitting from my friends. "I thought by keeping this from you I was protecting you, that you would be happier. But you guys need to know what's out there. Vampires are real. And they took Julian. I won't let them take any of you."

"How are you going to do that?"

I share a look with Nova. By doing what Cyhiraeth said. I have to stop the creature from being born.

~~~~~~

Isabella's dead.

I was with Emily when Sam told us. The thing inside Isabella had killed her.

Sam says now is the time to attack. The Cullens are distraught from Isabella's death, they're weak. We have to act now before we lose our chance.

Paul, Quil, and Embry join Sam, Jared, and I in the woods just outside the Cullen's house. The six of us share sharp nods before the boys shift into their wolf forms.

The Cullens, Leah, and Seth are outside waiting for us. I'm not sure who makes the first move. All I know is Alice is the first to reach me. With her ability, I know it won't be easy defeating her going hand to hand.

She lands a kick to my side, knocking me onto my hands and knees. I quickly turn my head towards her, open my mouth, and scream. As expected, she saw it coming. But she wasn't able to get out of the way fast enough. The force pushes her into Esme, who was fighting against Jared, and the pair tumble to the ground.

Cold hands wrap around my arms, lifting me to my feet before my back is suddenly slammed into a tree. "Come on, Liner. I taught you better than to rely on your ability."

The smirk on Jasper's face is wiped away when I grab his wrist and twist until his skin starts to crack. "You also taught me to always go for the hand in this situation." I drop his hand, sidestepping away so my back is no longer against the tree.

"Why are you doing this? We've been nothing but kind to you. We took you in. We cared for you."

I scoff at him. "Cared? You didn't care for me. You used me! You wanted me to help you protect your precious little human. You forced me into a fight I wanted no part in, all because I had an ability!"

"We were there for you."

"And where were you when Julian died?" The question seems to startle Jasper, so I continue. "I lost my best friend, and none of you were there for me."

"Stop!" My eyes flicker behind Jasper, where Jacob storms out of the house. "It's over! If you kill her, you kill me!"

Everyone stills in realization. "Jacob imprinted." It's Edward who speaks. He looks at Jacob, both gratefulness and a slight disgust in his eyes. "They can't hurt her. Whoever a wolf imprints on can't be harmed." He locks eyes with Sam and smirks. "It's their most absolute law."