Bella's Little Sister

Chapter 45

A/N: Song for this scene: Ashes and Wine by A Fine Frenzy

I kept my eyes away from Edward's curious and slightly worried expression as I returned slowly to the campsite, almost in a daze. He was at my side in an instant, his hands reaching out to take my own.

"Jess-" he started slowly, and his tone was guarded, cautious.

"Don't." I stopped walking, my gaze fixed to the nearly blinding white blanket of snow. My mind was racing with Jacob's words, and I began to worry that this would be the ultimate break in our already strained friendship. If I could even call it that anymore... "Maybe..." I bit my lip. I really did not want to say the words aloud, knowing that Edward would be furious to hear them, but at the moment, I felt they needed to be said anyway. "Maybe it would be better if Victoria-"

His cool fingers took my chin firmly, lifting it until I was looking at him. "Don't you dare finish that sentence." His eyes were understandably angry. "I don't even want you thinking it."

My eyes began to fill with tears as I looked back at him, feeling torn between understanding the reasons behind his anger and the depth of my feelings. Slowly, I pulled away from him, my heart now pounding wildly in my chest. "Don't... please, I can't-" With a desperate gasp for air, I tugged painfully at the roots of my hair, leaving the strands tangled into knots. "I can't go anywhere or do anything..." I ran my nails down the length of my throat, leaving angry red lines behind in their place. "No matter what happens, I hurt someone. I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Edward wrapped his arms securely around me, leaving me breathless with how firmly he was holding me. "I know, love. I'm sorry." Though his tone was softer now, I knew that he was still angry. I knew that if we were not currently awaiting the arrival of Victoria, the discussion about what I said would be far from over. "But Victoria killing you is not a solution to the problem."

With my emotions still raging wildly, I pulled back again from his embrace. "Edward... I'm not worth all of this." I gestured to the area we were currently standing in. "You and your family should not be risking your lives for me. I'm-"

He pulled me close to him again, keeping a firm grip on me when I tried to back away again. "Don't say that. You are worth all of this and more." Edward ducked his head until he caught my gaze. A flicker of recognition and understanding suddenly crossed his features. "Jess, you don't see yourself clearly. You've always doubted yourself, haven't you?"

My lack of response was more than enough of an answer for him.

Edward was quiet for a moment. "I promise, as soon as all of this is over, I will help you through this. Would it be easier for you if we spoke to Carlisle about this?"

I could only nod silently, still struggling to regulate my breathing as I gripped his shirt tightly in my hands. A few tears escaped as I closed my eyes, resting my head against his chest. "I'm scared, Edward."

There was a deep worry resting in his gaze as he leaned back slightly to look at me. "You have every right to be. But we're gonna help you. I will make you feel safe again. I promise."

There was nothing I wanted more in that moment than to stay in that position for as long as was possible, just enjoying the silence that had overcome us. But unfortunately, there was still the matter of Victoria that needed to be dealt with. Seth entered the campsite then, his teeth bared as he growled softly.

"It's starting," Edward stated. His gaze began to wander as he tuned in to listen to Seth's thoughts.

The only way that I would even be able to remotely focus on what was about to happen was to return to my expressionless state. I knew Edward hated it when I resorted to the mask, but it would also help him focus on what he needed to do to keep me safe. When I looked up at him, he appeared to be far away as he continued to listen to Seth's thoughts, seeing the images flicker through them.

"Jacob just got there," Edward informed me after a while. "He's good."

It was not much longer before I began to see a tinge of worry gather in Edward's expression. A sick feeling washed over me as I studied his face, thinking that maybe someone had been hurt or worse. His eyes widened slightly as he reached out to take my hand, drawing me closer to his side.

"She's close. I can hear her thoughts." Edward turned to Seth, telling him to go.

Seth immediately disappeared back into the trees, waiting for just the right moment to come into the clearing so he could aid Edward in the inevitable fight. My grip on Edward's hand was firm, my anxiety raging despite the effort I made to keep my breaths even and steady. Edward informed me that Victoria had known we were not there with the others. She had picked up on his scent, and knew that I would be with him.

My eyes were never still as I searched the area around me, looking for Victoria. Edward's surprised statement of "She's not alone" made me worried. I gripped his arm as a boy no older than me entered the clearing we stood in. He was walking slowly towards us, and his steps were measured.

"Riley," Edward began. "Listen to me. Victoria is just using you to distract me. She knows I'll kill you the first chance I get."

I jumped slightly as Victoria appeared in a large pine tree, perching on a low-hanging branch just a few feet away. She was just as deadly as I remembered her to be. Her gaze was focused on Riley, listening as Edward stated that she would be glad to be rid of Riley once and for all.

"Don't listen to him, Riley," Victoria's words were spoken quietly.

Edward took a step back as Riley moved closer to us, his arm out protectively in front of me. "I can read her mind, Riley. So I know what she thinks of you."

Victoria shook her head as she met Riley's gaze. "He's lying."

Edward then released my hand to take a few steps forward. "Victoria only created you and this army to avenge her true mate, James. That's the only thing she cares about. Not you."

Riley, ever so slowly, turned his gaze upon Victoria, a flicker of confusion beginning to show within his stony expression.

I noted that Victoria seemed rather hesitant to return his gaze, because she knew very well that what Edward spoke was the absolute truth. Her next words were just loud enough for me to hear. "There's only you. You know that." Victoria sounded almost desperate, as though she were not only trying to convince Riley, but also herself. After a moment, Riley turned back to face us and his eyes were narrowed into slits.

"Think about it," Edward continued, taking yet another step away from me. I now felt exposed, worried that Victoria would see her opportunity and lunge for me at any given moment. "You're from Forks," Edward was saying. "You know the area, and that's the only reason Victoria chose you. She doesn't love you."

With every second that passed by, and every word that Edward spoke to Riley, he was moving farther away from me and closer to Riley. I flickered my gaze back and forth between him and Victoria, worried that she was going to make a move for me. But I also knew that Edward would never let that happen. He would return to my side before she could even get that far.

"I do love you, Riley." Victoria stated. "He's lying. Don't let him do this to us."

Riley's ruby gaze darkened considerably as he turned his attention back to Edward, before looking at me. With a faint smirk, he said the two words that began the fight: "You're dead."