'Safe' Is Not A Word In My Vocabulary

“I don’t believe it…” I muttered. I felt like crying, both from joy and pain. Carlisle hugged me.

“I take it you want to be the one to tell him,” he said, seeing my tense state.
I nodded mutely.

“I’ll keep my mouth shut when I check up on him.” he whispered.

I had explained that I’d be going out of town for a few days, but not my reasons why. The last thing I needed was for him to tell Jake I was pregnant, especially if I didn’t come home.

There was no way Jacob was going through that.

There was no way anyone should have to go through that, especially if Jacob lost it. He might hurt someone, or, a worse possibility, himself.

“I’ll make you a sonogram appointment in a few weeks?” he said snapping me out of my thoughts. Talking as if he were asking for permission.

I nodded again. “I’ll call you as soon as I get back,” I said lightly. He smiled and left the room.

If I get back at all.

I erased that thought quickly, making myself believe.

There were no need for thoughts like that anymore; I had Bree and Damien to help me, and a new reason to fight.

I would come back.

For Jacob.

And for our baby.

XxX

Well, I assume you already know my regrets.

I know I’ll make it out of this, but if I don’t, there will be a lot of blood on my hands.

Jacob’s POV

Quil and Embry came in about two hours after Cent left. The latter leaned up against my wall and Quil shut my door before sitting in my computer chair. It was a wonder we all fit in here, and then I found myself wondering why they were here at all.

“S’up guys?” I asked sitting up some.

Quil grimaced but Embry relaxed.

“How you’ feeling man?”

“Okay, I guess.” I hedged.

“We heard Cent left” Quil blurted.

I glared at him. “Yeah so?”

He spun around in my chair. “So, do you know where she went, or even if she’s coming back?” he asked irritated. I sighed “No, I don’t know where she went, but I know she’ll come back.” My tone was defense and Quil scoffed.

Embry glared gently. “Dude, she left before, didnt she?” he asked, his voice was sympathetic.

I glared at him, causing him to hold up his hands defensively. “No offense intended.” He added quickly.

I sighed deeply, wincing when the temporary cast got tighter.

“Is there a point to this lecture?” I asked; irritated. Quil sighed too and continued the speech. “We all love Cent, but we just don’t want to see you get hurt again, and Centhua’s been keeping a lot of secrets.”

I cringed at that. Thanks for the reminder.

“Like the fact that that trip she’s taking, she’s going with Chris.” Embry muttered.
I heard.

“What!?!” I growled, Quil glared and my heart took off like a speeding train on a collision course. I swear I just heard it rupture.

Embry grimaced and my breathing came out in startled pants. I was shaking slightly, although I was in too much pain to phase.

“I’m sorry,” Quil whispered, still mad at Embry.

I wasn’t; I wasn’t mad at him, and I wasn’t mad at Cent.

I was mad at myself.

I’m such an idiot.

Of course she left with him, of course she did. I doubted she was coming back too now.
“I think you should leave guys,” I said hoarsely.

They didn’t argue and they left me to wallow in my own misery. I’ve been doing that a lot since I imprinted on Centhua.

That wasn’t the worse part for me though, the worst part, was that I knew I still loved her.

Centhua’s POV

Bree, Damien and I took a plane to L.A.

A plane was the only way we could be sure no one would follow our scents to Puerto Rico.

Yes, that was where we were going, although we had to keep it on the down low. I had fessed up about the note the Cross Fire had sent after the fire, about the victims and Damien didn’t seem surprised. After we landed in Los Angeles we took a cab out of the city.

And then, it was all a blur.

Plane after plane, and eventually a few boats. It’d been three days since we’d left Jake, and I hadn’t told anyone I was carrying his kid.

I think Bree knew though. She eyed my stomach when no one was looking and her face was disapproving.

Okay, scratch that, she knew. I had managed to pass off my getting sick as just motion sickness on the plane rides and boat trips but Damien wasnt as observant as Bree so obviously was.

Damn vampires.

I knew she wanted to confront me, but she didnt want Damien to be around. So when we finally reached our destination and got a hotel, and I offered to go get food, she came too.

I kept a quick pace through the streets of my homeland, my head down in case Jeremiah had spies and my muscles tense in case Bree turned on me.

I trusted her, but she was a vampire.

Damien was only being so overprotective for that reason.

“Centhua, can I talk to you.” Bree said tensely. I sighed deeply while pushing a metal shopping cart through a store. “Shoot,” I muttered avoiding her eyes. I knew what she'd say.

“You’re pregnant,” she stated sadly.

I sighed deeply “Yeah, what of it?” I asked and she was quiet for a long time. “By whom, may I ask?”

We grabbed our items and started walking. It was late, but there were still a few people on the streets.

“My...ex-boyfriend, his names Jacob, and he doesn’t know...I was talking to him before we left, but I didn’t even know at the time.”

That wasn't a lie I hadn’t known at the time, I’d guessed as much sure, but I didn’t know.

“Your still planning on fighting.” Her voice was as cold as ice, no, as cold as her skin. “Yep,” I said ignoring that.

She huffed but didn’t say anything. When we got back to the hotel she whispered quietly, so it was almost to herself.

“Just be careful, the last thing you want to do is hurt either of you.”

I pretended to ignore that.

XxX

“Okay, so know we’re here, where does dear Uncle Jed want us?” Damien asked sarcastically. Bree partially glared at him for giving Jedediah that ludicrous nickname and shrugged her pale tiny shoulders.

“You tell me, he said you would find him yourselves.”

Damien let out a gusty sigh. “Helpful…” he muttered glaring back at her. I stepped in between them when his hands started shaking. “Easy bro, it’s not her fault she wasn’t informed. If we have to find him, I suggest we start looking.”

Bree shook her head.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, looking could take a while and leave scents everywhere. Jedediah’s tricky, and if he wanted you here for dramatic reasons, then his location will be dramatic too.”

Damien’s face softened and his eyes widened. “She’s right.” He growled pounding a fist on the table he was pushed up to.

“Damn, damn, damn…” he kept muttering.

I rubbed his shoulder and something kicked inside of me.

I tried not to jump as my baby squirmed around a little in my stomach and turned my attention to the TV no one was watching. I wondered randomly if it was normal for a baby to be moving around so early, but there was nothing normal about a werewolf pregnancy.

Bree was just as occupied as Damien so neither of them paid any attention to me, lunging on the sofa.

They started discussing every possibility while Damien ate and I went back into my room.
There were two separate rooms in this suite.

One for Damien and one for me, mine was smaller but I didn’t care. It had a TV, a bed, a sofa and matching loveseat and a black metal wire table in a corner identical to the one outside.

I fell exhausted into the bed and stared at the ceiling. Without my realizing, my hand started to rub in circles on my slight bump of a stomach.

The baby was squirming and I rubbed where its head must’ve been, trailing down and feeling its tiny body. It was small, very small I guessed I was probably around three to four weeks along. I couldn’t remember.

I sighed deeply and heard Damien and Bree still talking. I curled in a ball pulling one of the thick covers over me. My eyes caught sight of the phone and my hand twitched towards it.

I picked it up after a deep sigh and dialed.

It rang, once, twice, three times before someone answered it.

“Hello?” someone answered. I remembered they were four hours behind us so It was only six there.

“Hey K-9,” I said quietly. There was the sound of something crashing, like metal on linoleum and Ammo’s muffled ‘who is it?’ I imagined K-9 shushing him and K-9 started talking again.

“Where are you guys? You disappeared right after the fight and everyone’s been going crazy.”

His voice was practically a whisper but there was urgency to it.

“Look, I can’t give you specifics okay, the last thing we need is someone from back home trying to catch us.” I said in the same whisper.

“What do you mean catch you? Cent what’s going on?”

“K-9 you’re gonna have to trust me okay? Damien and I are in trouble, but we’ll explain everything when we come home okay?” I heard an intake of breath and realized K-9 must’ve had me on speaker.

“What kind of trouble?” he whispered quietly. I sighed, “I told you I’ll explain when I come home, just, don’t talk to anyone ok? And that goes for you too Ammo.” I added.

He cussed and K-9 punched him. I heard the sound of muscle on muscle. Ammo cussed again.

“When are you coming home?” Ammo asked.

I took another deep sigh.

“Soon,” I answered, hoping I wasn’t lying.

XxX

The next morning Damien was tense. Bree, on the other hand was twitchy and bubbly. It made me realize they’d found something and I put my bagel down.

I was really craving bread, meat and apples right now, but that didn’t matter.

“What’d you find?” I asked excitedly.

Damien grimaced but answered. “The most dramatic place to fight a werewolf is in the Rio Camuy Caves, that’s where the original ones would hide their young during times of siege. It was said to be easily defendable...from the inside at least.”

Bree nodded and continued. “Jedediah would know that too, it seems pretty dramatic, don’t cha’ think?” I nodded and turned partially to Damien.

“The ‘original one’s’ meaning the first children of the moon, right? Like the werewolves that were around hundreds of years ago.”

He nodded, his face still tense but oddly…pleased.

“Exactly,” he said.

The whole ‘home sweet home’ term has apparently lost some of its meaning.