Hells Angel

Jacob eyed the mysterious new woman strangely, hesitant. He clenched his hands into fists and backed Avery another step. “Who are you?”

Bella's eyes never left the woman. “Don't,” she warned.

“I'm Caitlyn,” the woman said, smiling.

“I'm warning you,” Bella said softly.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “Frank, my love, what do I always say about people who threaten me?”

Frank looked up. “My lady says it's a waste of time because she's never afraid.”

“I didn't threaten you—I warned you,” Bella hissed.

Jacob watched the exchange, confused. “What are you?” he asked, thinking it was a more appropriate question.

Caitlyn crossed her arms. “You're a very observant dog, aren't you?”

“Watch who you call a dog, lady,” Avery said, leaning over Jacob's shoulder.

Caitlyn smiled. “I'm a death mage.”

“And that is...?” Quil asked.

“Don't they teach you kids anything worthwhile in school anymore?” she asked, sighing. “I can possess the dead, simply put.”

“Why would you want to do that?” Sam asked.

Caitlyn shifted her gaze to Bella. “Do you want to answer that one for me, Bella?”

“No, I don't,” Bella said through gritted teeth. She was holding the edge of her jacket tightly in her hands.

“I think maybe you should.”

Jacob growled at the sound of Edward's voice. “What are you doing on the reservation, leech?”

“I followed Bella.”

Bella sneered at him. “You followed me? Why?”

“Because you were lying to me. And I was sick of it,” he told her. Edward turned to face Jacob. “It was never my intention to break our Treaty, Jacob. I can assure you that after this matter is settled, my family will never step foot on your lands again.”

“See to it that they don't,” Jacob hissed.

“So... Who's going to explain what's going on? Who attacked me and why?” Avery asked, stepping around Jacob's arm. She looked from Bella to Caitlyn, from Frank to Edward. “Anyone?”

“Bella hired me to possess her, so she could attack your little girlfriend—Jacob, is it? So she would still look like a victim,” Caitlyn explained, sending a mocking, pathetic smile to Bella. “Isn't that right?”

“No, she's lying,” Edward said, eying his wife. “Bella?”

Bella said nothing, avoiding his eyes.

“She's telling the truth?” Edward asked. “How could you do that?! Jacob was nice to you when he had every reason to not be. And this is how you repay him?”

Never in a million years did Jacob think he would hear a leech defending him—especially Edward.

“How could you do that, Bella?” Caitlyn asked, taunting her. “Poor little Jacob who used to be in love with you. What ever did he do wrong?”

Bella clenched her fists and hissed, lunging forward toward Caitlyn with her fangs bared. Frank narrowed his eyes and jumped in front of Caitlyn, colliding with Bella and pushing her aside, growling, his eyes fierce and protective. Edward ran to Bella's side and grabbed her arms, keeping her from lunging again.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Edward screamed.

“It's all your fault!” Bella yelled at Jacob. “I will never forgive you for this! Nessie is gone because of you!”

Jacob's breath caught in his through and he looked over at Avery, studying her facial injuries—the cuts, bruises, her swollen jaw. He shook his head and looked back at Bella. “You did this to Avery because a vampire killed Nessie? You want to blame ME for not protecting her? YOU should have protected her!” he yelled, refusing to be blamed anymore. “You are her mother! Where were you? You were right there and you did nothing to protect her!”

Bella shook her head. “No! No, this isn't my fault,” she repeated to herself, over and over.

“No one could have prevented what happened, Bella,” Sam said softly. “No one saw what was coming—not even your sister leech who can see the future. No one could have stopped this.”

Bella continued to shake her head, tears falling from her eyes as she fell to her knees. “No. No, Nessie, why are you gone?”

“It's okay, Bella,” Edward said, sinking into the ground next to her, arms wrapped around his wife.

Jacob looked over at Avery again, who had her arms crossed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders—he could tell she was tense. She rolled her eyes as she watched the scene in front of her. Jacob tightened his hold on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asked, voice low.

“It's not nice to think things like that, mortal,” Edward told her, his eyes leaving his wife for the briefest of moments to stare at Avery with a hatred more intense than anything she had ever experienced.

“It's not my fault she's fucking insane,” Avery muttered.

Caitlyn eyed the girl, smiling to herself. She had to admit that the girl had spunk. “Why do you say she's insane, mortal?”

Avery glared at the mage. “Don't even get me started on you. Possessing people for, what, a couple hundred bucks? That's pathetic.”

“More like a quarter of a million dollars,” Caitlyn said, examining her fingertips that were still encased in her gloves.

Edward turned to Bella. “Where did you get that kind of money, Bella?”

Bella sighed. “I took it from your family.”

“Is there anything else you want to fucking tell me since I clearly don't know you at all?” Edward asked.

“Yeah, she's fucking insane,” Avery repeated.

“I didn't ask you, dog lover,” Edward said.

Avery scoffed. “You're kidding me, right? She fucking hires a mage to possess her, so she can attack me—and I assume she actually wanted to kill me—and now she wants to play the victim and I'm not allowed to call her out on it? That's completely asinine! She may not be clinically insane but she has issues. And yes, I understand that her daughter's dead and she blames herself. But how is killing me supposed to help that?” Avery asked. “Answer that for me.”

Jacob sighed. “Avery—“

“You have no idea what I'm going through,” Bella whispered.

“You'll forgive me for not caring,” Avery told her.

“Don't do this,” Jacob whispered. “You're upset.”

“You're damn right I'm upset! She tried to kill me, Jacob! Over something that has nothing to do with me! And I'm not allowed to be upset or harsh? I don't care that her daughter died. I don't care about her. If she were to burst into flames right now, I wouldn't shed a fucking tear,” Avery told him. She knew she was being harsh but she had no reason to spare Bella's feelings.

“I'm sorry,” Bella whispered.

“No, you're not,” Avery said.

Jacob bit his lip and looked over at Bella and Edward. “I suggest you two leave. You've done enough damage to all of us.”

Edward stood up, pulling Bella with him. “That would probably be wise.”

“Perhaps we should go, too, my lady,” Frank suggested, keeping his voice low.

Caitlyn watched him for a minute, trailing her fingertips over the scorpion tattoo on his neck. “Perhaps you're right, my love. I've wreaked enough havoc for one day,” she said, smiling.

“The fact that you derive some sort of sick pleasure from this just proves you're insane, too,” Avery said, calmly.

Caitlyn shrugged. “The way I live my life has never affected you before, and it won't now. I do what I'm paid to do, mortal. I'm not paid to care about people's feelings.”

Avery nodded. “I can tell.”

“Let's go, my love,” Caitlyn said. “I believe nothing will be the same once we leave...”

“It never is where you're concerned, my lady,” Frank said, smiling softly.

Jacob watched as Edward and Bella ran off without another word, as Caitlyn and Frank seemed to disappear without a trace into the trees. He met the eyes of everyone in the pack and he could tell they were just as confused as he was. Some things had been explained but it didn't erase the uneasy feeling they had. Jacob turned back to Avery, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She was shaking.

“They're gone. It's okay,” Jacob said.

She shook her head. “It's not okay. Nothing is okay, Jacob.”

“You're safe now,” Jacob whispered. “I'll never let them hurt you. I promise.”