Chapter 19: The Hunt
In the ruined engine he reasoned as Edward and Bella left the baseball field at full speed. Bella looked restlessly at Edward with her heart in her throat.
"We have to get away from Forks," Edward said, his jaw clenched.
"What?" No! "I have to go get my father," Bella replied, her voice shaking with worry
Edward shook his head, speeding up more. —That's the first thing James would do. He will track your scent, and your father's house is where he will be strongest.
Bella looked at him, her eyes filled with fear and determination. "I can't leave him, Edward." I can't!
They arrived at Bella's house in an instant. They hurried in and Charlie, bewildered, looked at her worriedly.
—What's going on? Charlie asked, frowning.
"I have to go," Bella said, almost shouting. While she went up to her room to put a few things in her suitcase.
The argument between father and daughter broke out, the words mixed in a whirlwind of emotions. Bella knew she had to get out of there before it was too late, so, in a fit of desperation, she ran out of the house and got into the car next to Edward, who was waiting for her.
Once they arrive At the Cullens' house, they find Lauren talking to Carlisle. Edward ready to attack is stopped by Carlisle, who clarifies that Lauren is not there to fight. Before leaving, Lauren gives them a warning about the other two vampires, she says that James is an expert and very skilled hunter while Victoria is also someone difficult to catch. With that, she leaves.
The entire Cullens gather in the garage to discuss how to deal with James. While everyone discusses a plan emerges, Bella will be escorted by Alice, Jasper and Edythe, while Carlisle and Esme will also be in support. Edward, Emmett and Rosalie will be tasked with diverting James' attention using Bella's and Edward's scents. At that moment, an idea crosses Rosalie's mind. "We should ask them for help," she says. Surprised, Edward asks if he thinks they will help them. Rosalie responds with doubts, but adds: "She told me that if she knew anything about the vampires that had been hanging around Forks to let him know."
Bella, intrigued, asks Edward who Rosalie was referring to. However, Edward evades the question and tells him not to worry about it. Then, Edward, Rosalie and Emmett rush off towards the usual meeting place between Ethan and Rosalie, while Alice and her group leave for Phoenix.
Ethan patrolled the territory as usual but they found no trace of the vampires that were roaming around. by Forks. Thinking they had retired. Then, his keen sense of smell detected Rosalie, but this time she was accompanied by two others. Without wasting time, he called his pack and together they headed to the meeting place
Upon reaching the river that divided the Quileute and Cullen territories, Ethan, in his wolf form, met Rosalie and his group. In his deep, powerful voice, he spoke, "What do they want, Cullen?" Edward began to recount what had happened. Inside Ethan's mind you could hear his pack arguing. Paul, the angriest, said, "Why should we help these bloodsuckers?" Several voices agreed. Ethan interrupted: "Silence." The voices stopped. "Paul is right to some extent, it's not our problem, but,
I remind you that this vampire named James is one of the vampires who has been causing trouble recently, and we have spent days tracking him and his companions. "Wouldn't it be a good idea to have our rematch? Who agrees to play cat and mouse?" Ethan added. Laughter from the pack echoed in response.
Ethan spoke again to the Cullens: "We accept, we have business with that group of vampires, but keep in mind that this will be the last time the pack helps them." Then, he added, "I'll need a piece of clothing from each of you, including one from Bella. This vampire James can track his scent, so we'll use his clothing to attract him." Edward, Rosalie and Emmett handed over their clothes along with one of Bella's.
Ethan gave them instructions: "Swim below the surface of the river to dissipate their odors into the air and leave only a trace of these clothes." The Cullens understood and jumped into the river. The last to jump was Rosalie, who smiled at Ethan and then winked at him before she disappeared under the water. Ethan, in his beast form, could only return the gesture with a slight wink.
Turning towards his pack, Ethan spoke: "It's time to hunt. We'll tie these garments around our necks and run to spread the scent around." "
James' Perspective:
James, he was always a natural hunter, and now he had found interesting game for the first time in years. He decided to kill the girl named Bella, and thus be able to have an interesting game with Edward, the hunter becomes the prey, he laughed at that thought and continued with his chase.
Following the trail of Edward and Bella, James perceived They were not alone, two other vampires accompanied him. He laughed to himself, more fun. He thought. When he reached a river, he noticed something strange, the smell was dispersed in an unusual way, he thought it was a silly way to make him lose the trail, so he jumped to the other bank of the river and located the strongest trail.
Later When he reached the heart of the territory, the smell of his prey was stronger. He prepared to attack. But he realized that there was no one there. Just a few clothes.
Furious, he tore the clothes apart and let out a roar of anger. That's when he heard the sound of footsteps. He turned towards the source of the noise and saw a group of gigantic wolves.
James ran, faster than he had ever run. The wolves were chasing him, but what alarmed him the most was a different sound that came from the other side. Something bigger and much faster he was approaching. James tried to reach a cliff, hoping that a jump into the sea would save him. With all his strength, he ran towards the edge of the cliff and jumped, but he didn't expect what happened next, the huge beast that was chasing him also jumped and by the neck.
Desperate, James tried to hit the beast, but his fist was blocked. On the verge of defeat, he cursed the Cullens for putting him in this situation. Before they knew it, they both fell together into the sea, where the beast's strength was limited by the water.
James noticed that the creature was having difficulty doing anything. Taking advantage of this hesitation, he reached his hand to the beast's left eye and, with all his strength, pierced Ethan's eye. The howl of pain echoed underwater, but Ethan didn't let go of James. On the contrary, he grabbed him harder and with a violent yank tore his arm off.
Ethan, running out of air, had to let go of James to be able to rise to the surface and breathe. Taking advantage of this opportunity, James escaped, swimming away from danger. Upon surfacing he saw the beast clinging to the cliff, holding onto its torn off arm. James knew that on land he wouldn't stand a chance, but underwater, the beast's inexperience had saved his life. With one arm less, James retreated, although with a slight satisfaction of having taken an eye from the beast
On the cliff, Ethan crushed James's arm, turning it into dust. As he climbs up, the herd watches him, worried about the wound in his eye. Ethan explained that the vampire was taking advantage of his inexperience in underwater combat. But to the surprise of everyone, including Ethan himself, his eye was beginning to regenerate. Within hours, he was as good as new, wondering what other boundaries he could break in transforming himself.