'Safe' Is Not A Word In My Vocabulary

“So, why are we going again?” K-9 asked when I got home. I’d just changed into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with white writing that said ‘kiss me at midnight’.

“We are going because it’s our job to protect humans.” Damien answered. I rolled my eyes and translated; “And because we aren’t going to let the Cullen’s have all the fun.”

K-9 smiled grimly and we walked towards the clearing a little slower. Damien walked ahead of us, still wearing his face. Well ‘Chris’s’ face anyways.

“So, killing vampires; what’s that like?” K-9 asked and I laughed. “Very fun, kind of a challenge, kind of a rush, but otherwise it comes naturally.”

“And your such a natural,” Damien muttered. I glared at his back playfully and pouted. “I am.” I stubbornly said, just as the first sounds of the Cullen’s were audible. I grinned and eyed my brother(s) “Behave,” I said stiffly before I ran into the clearing.

Emmett and Jasper were warming up while Alice and Rosalie cheered them on. Esme and Carlisle were talking quietly off to the side. The latter looked up and smiled at my approach.
Edward and Bella were still missing, as were the wolves.

“Emmett!” I cheered tackling him when he finished with Jasper. We wrestled for a few minutes while Damien and K-9 caught up. Carlisle greeted them and I was soon pinning him beneath me.

Rosalie growled and Alice laughed; Emmett cussed and I let him go.

Bella and Edward came a few minutes later. Bella stared at the guys before she pelted me with question.

“Why are they here?” she said while I sighed. I explained how K-9 was a wolf, and left out how Chris and Damien and Bones were the same person.

She hit me lightly with her good hand.

“You didn’t tell me!” she accused and I groaned. I didn’t want to do this now. Edward calmly told her that I was trying to protect K-9 from the crossfire and she let it slide.

“Incoming.” K-9 muttered; dude had good ears.

“Damn,” Emmett said grinning, Bella squinted into the darkness. “What is it? I can’t see.” She grumbled. Edward wrapped an arm possessively around her.

“The pack has grown,” he murmured and I scowled into the forest.

I could see them clearly now, while Bella still couldn’t.

It was easy to put names to the faces and I pointedly ignored the large russet colored wolf in the beta position.

Quil gave me a wolfy smile and my face thawed, I waved towards him and Bella stared in wonder.

I saw the eyes travel to K-9 and my brother and I rolled my eyes. K-9 looked at Sam and
laughed. “Black, of course; must be an alpha thing.”

Chris/Damien glared at him.

“Welcome,” Carlisle greeted.

“Thank you,” Edward responded smoothly.

“We will watch and listen, but no more, that is all we can ask of our self-control.”
Carlisle smiled warmly “That is more than enough, my son Jasper has experience in this area; he will teach us how to defeat them.”

“They are different from you?” Edward responded and Carlisle nodded. “These vampires are new, children in a way, they will have no experience; only brute strength.” I sat on the ground to wait. Damien came and sat next to me. K-9 hung back, his nose wrinkled and his hands shaking.

I sighed and fell back onto the ground so I was staring at the shrinking moon and cloudy skies. Jasper wouldn’t be showing anything I didn’t already know.

He took center stage and called Emmett forward after explaining to the wolves what not to do involving the newborns.

Emmett lost and the wolves murmured their appreciation.

“My turn,” Edward called and I sat up; interested. Jasper smiled and shook his head.
“In a minute; I want to show Bella something first.”

“Centhua,” He called. I grinned and jumped up. Bella’s heart beat accelerated and several of the wolves snarled.

Jasper ignored them. “I know you worry about her,” he said, addressing Bella, “I want to show you why that’s not necessary.

I leaned forward eagerly and he crouched.

“Fifty bucks on Cent,” Emmett muttered, shaking hands with Edward. I stuck my tongue at them and Jasper lunged.

I expected pain.

The fight was over quickly, Jasper and I were evenly matched in skill, but I was faster. I ran circles around him for a while, moving so fast I saw Bella was losing it.

I teased him a little, ducking under him and dancing around his death grip until I got sick of the game. I flipped over him and grabbed for his throat.

I pinned him beneath me, my face smug. He chuckled and I dropped my chokehold on his neck.

I sat silently by Damien again and I could feel more eyes on my face.
Edward jumped up next, shoving Emmett a fifty and ruffling my hair on his way to the front.

Bella was now entirely focused on him.

Jacob’s POV

Damn! Paul thought.

Who knew she could do that? Embry thought.

I did, Leah was smug, and a little envious.

I tuned them all out, entirely concentrated on Centhua who was now sitting with that Chris guy. I was one of the ones who snarled when she went up to fight. The others being Quil and Leah.

Even know, with the rare chance to watch the vampires fighting techniques and weaknesses I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her.

All too soon, the vampires killing games stopped.

Edward was trying to resurrect a half awake Bella and Cent it looked like was texting again.

She smiled at something I couldn’t see and showed the phone to Chris.

He smirked and I felt my eyes narrow. Paul snickered mentally.

Look who’s getting all territorial. He thought smugly. I barely resisted growling at him.
The pack started sniffing out the vampires and I tore my gaze away from Cent so I could meet Bella’s wondering gaze.

I smiled at her and she giggled. I trotted over to her and I felt numerous eyes on us, and many thoughts trained on mine.

Not the one I wanted paying attention though.

“Jake?” Bella breathed and I chuckled.

She stroked my fur and I licked her.

Everyone was disapproving now, and the eyes I’d wanted the attention of were watching now.

“Eew gross cut it out Jake!” Bella said and I dodged the hit she threw I was laughing too now. I sensed Quil go up to Cent out of my mind and had to struggle to focus on Bella.

Everyone was retreating except for us and Quil nudged Centhua. She stroked his fur and he whined. She giggled and apologized for not visiting him.

Bella got my attention again.

Centhua’s POV
Quil took off into the trees and I heard him phase. He was back in half a second wearing only a pair of sweatpants.

“S’up?” I asked when he reached me. He shrugged his giant shoulders. “Not much; just didn’t want lover boy over there to be able to read my thoughts.” He jerked a thumb towards Jacob and I snickered.

His gaze fell on Damien for a half a second and he grinned.

“Hey, Im Quil.” He said holding out a hand. I saw Damien’s mouth turn up in a small smile, probably imagining having to introduce himself again, as another person.

“Chris,” he commented shaking Quil’s hand from his spot on the ground. I rolled my eyes.

This was gonna be a long night.

“So what’s your story?” Quil asked sitting beside us.
Damien/Chris smiled at me from the corner of his eye.

“Im K-9’s brother, I’m a bloodline wolf but he isn’t, I changed him a few weeks ago.” His voice was innocent; a perfect charade.

I saw Edward look up curiously from where he was translating for Jacob. Jacob looked up too but I kept my eyes on my brother.

“Changed?” Quil asked surprised. ‘Chris’ explained the whole process to Quil and I jumped up to go by Edward. I ignored Jacob and Bella struggled to stay awake.
Jacob looked at me before trotting off into the woods.

“Where’s he going?” Bella mumbled. Edward glared into the woods when she wasn’t looking before his face smoothed out.

“He’ll be back; he just wants to be able to talk for himself.”

Sure enough, a few seconds later Jacob jogged into the trees. My phone buzzed with another text, so that only made it all the more easy to ignore him.

“Ok bloodsucker, what’s so complicated about it?” he asked when he reached us.

Edward frowned, obviously not liking the turned conversation. “I have to consider, every possibility, what if someone gets by you?” I caught on immediately.

Bella, on the other hand, did not.

“Are you talking about me?” she asked pouting. Jacob smiled slightly but he was watching me again.

“Just wondering what he plans on doing with you, during the fight.”

They really, got into it then, discussing all the possibilities while most of the Cullen’s left. In the end, they agreed she’d been back and forth too much.

Jacob snorted. “Hide her here; there are a million possibilities, places that either of us could be in minutes if there’s a need.”

Edward shook his head and explained the scent issue, although Im sure he was taunting
Jacob just a bit.

That got me thinking.

Jacob, was a reeking mutt (to vampires at least) I doubt anyone would want to stick their nose near that…Edward cut off mid-sentence and he looked at me. I scowled back.

“Hmmm…interesting,” he murmured, side-stepping around Jacob so he was talking only to
me.

“Do you think that would work?”

I rolled my eyes. “You tell me, it’s your nose.” He looked at Jacob for a half a second then nodded. “It’s a better idea,” he admitted.

Jacob glared, though not as harshly at me.

“What are you to babbling about?” he snapped and Edward sighed impatiently. He talked to Bella now.

“Bella, Centhua had an idea that might confuse the scent, would you be willing to try it?”
Bella stared at him confused and she nodded.

Edward sighed again and I whacked him. “Don’t be such a baby.”

I addressed Jacob now. “You’ll need to carry Bella,” I explained while Edward grimaced.

Bella blinking before scowling and Jacob smiled bleakly.

'Because you smell dip-shit.' I thought and Edward grinned at me. “My words exactly.” He whispered. I smiled slightly and Edward called for Jasper.

XxX

Jacob carried Bella around and came back, Jasper agreed it worked and that he should’ve thought of it himself.

“Not a chance.” Edward hissed while I looked up in interest. “I know I know,” Jasper
muttered. Alice stomped on his foot and he explained how Bella should be in the clearing, while trying to erase the idea from our heads to appease Edward.

Bella was thinking about it though, and I could see it in her face.

“Absolutely no way,” he said before looking at me wistfully. “Unless…” he started and I cringed. I knew that look.

It took only a second for me to get it.

I glared at him when I did.

“No.” my voice was final and he laughed.

I backed away from him and he grinned.

“Just ask him,” he suggested smiling. I snarled at him and Chris and Quil looked up in interest. K-9 left earlier.

“Chris!” he called and I grimaced when he got up.

“Run Chris,” I warned “Just run away.” Everyone had their eyes on us. He scrunched his eyebrows together and Edward walked over to him. He grinned briefly and after a scowl from me turned back to ‘Chris.’

“I have a proposition for you,” he said, but in Spanish so it sounded like “Tengo una propuesta para usted.”
I groaned and started muttering to myself.

I walked back to Bella. “C’mon Bells, K-9’ll get you home, this could take a while.” She frowned at Edward and I smiled.

“He’ll be there when you wake up, I promise.”

I looked back at Edward and Damien/Chris’s conversation. Damien was skeptic.

“And he’ll have an explanation,” I finished when I saw my brother was actually debating it.

Quil had left; he needed to crash. It was just Jacob, Bella, Edward, Damien, Jasper and Alice and of course, me.

K-9 picked her up in the same manner as Jacob, cradling her like a child and she closed her eyes obediently.

He jogged off into the trees and I pointedly turned away from Jacob.

“Hey Cent,” he said anyway. I grimaced and nodded back to him absentmindedly.

“Mind telling me what their blabbing about?” he asked I sighed (I knew how stubborn he was) and turned to look at him.

“Edward’s trying to convince D-” I cut off when I realized I’d almost called him by his real name. Wasn’t my fault, Jacob’s eyes were doing the smoldering thing though, wasn’t my fault.

“-Chris, to do him a favor.” I could tell he was about to ask more but at that second I heard Damien agree.

“Trying?” he asked and I gritted my teeth, ignoring him.

“Sunovagun.” I growled in a single breath Edward smiled apologetically at me.

XxX

“I can’t believe you Damien!” I shouted once we’d managed to ditch Jacob and Edward. Jacob was still clueless as to what was going on, but he’d find out soon enough.
Damien grimaced.

“Look Cent, Im sorry but she’s your friend…” he started, stopping when I snarled at him.

He took a few paces back and K-9 stepped in between us.

“Cent, come on, he has a point. If you want Bella safe, he’s gonna have to pretend to be her for a while.”

I glared at Damien, but stalked off to my room.

Stupid shape-shifter, why did have to agree? I don’t care if he can change his image and hide his scent; he’s still putting himself in the line of fire.
And he’s doing it in a bra.

XxX

“Kim! Open up chica!” I said tapping on her door. I heard her fall out of bed before stumbling towards it. She opened it, and her sleepy eyes widened and she threw herself at me.
“CENTHUA!” she screeched, I winced; I’d forgotten how loud she was. “Hey Kim,” I said grinning.

He pulled me inside and started talking up a storm. I eventually calmed her down and we got passed the whole reunion thing. I discovered something interesting though.
She didn’t remember the vampires.
This meant either;

A. She was sick and forgot.
B. She thought it was a random dream, or
C. They wiped her memory.
C, the answers always C.

XxX

“Why are we at Leah’s?” she asked when we stopped outside the Clearwater’s. I smiled and patted her head like a consoling grandmother.

“I need to talk to her for a second, you wait here; this won’t take long.” Kim sighed and I grinned.

“Then we’ll go to the beach, I swear.” I promised and she smiled.

I grinned too and walked up the porch. Leah, who had already heard me approach, was waiting inside.