Twilight: Blood calling

Nate, who was thrown from the cliff, broke out of the water, sweeping his wet hair back, looking up to see the boys who had just thrown him, laughing their asses off.

Sigh, he sighed, hearing the water splash next to him as Embry swam near him.

"I see they got you too," Embry said, laughing as Nate nodded, looking back up to see Jared jumping first, Paul jumping right after him, and lastly Sam, showing off by doing a swan dive.

Each splash was big enough to spray water over Nate and Embry's faces.

"Shit," Embry said, as the boys slowly started resurfacing, swimming toward both Nate and Embry.

"So, what did I miss?" Embry asked Sam, while looking at Nate, who was busy glancing back at the cliff he'd just been thrown from.

"Nate here is going to help us hunt the red-haired vampire," Sam said to Embry. Nate turned back just in time to see Embry swimming towards him and jumping on him.

"Hell yeah!" he said, while simultaneously pushing Nate under the water, holding onto his shoulders and laughing, while Jared, Paul, and Sam shook their heads, also laughing. None of them noticed the water bubbling until suddenly Embry was thrown into the air, landing on the beach as Nate resurfaced, looking a little miffed.

"God, what's with you guys and physical abuse whenever you're happy?" he said in mock anger. Jared, Paul, and Sam glanced at the still-laughing Embry, who had been flung five meters in the air just moments ago.

"Alright, let's swim to the shore. We can talk about the details of what we're going to do there," Sam said, as they all swam to shore, with Embry getting out first due to the "boost" Nate gave him.

As Nate got out of the water, he felt around his pocket, his hand finding the unmistakable hardness of his phone. "Shit," he muttered, catching Sam's attention as he approached him.

"You good?" Sam asked, just as Nate took out his phone, realizing why he'd cursed. "Oh?" Sam said, watching as Nate opened the flip phone and saw it was still working, making both of them sigh in relief.

"Well, that's a good sign," Nate said, laughing as he noticed Sam's worried expression soften.

"Thankfully," Sam replied, and they walked over to where the other boys were sitting on the beach. Nate sat down next to Paul, while Jared was saying something to Embry.

"So," Nate said, getting all of their attention, "how are we going to do this?" He finished, looking each one of them in the eye.

"I know you guys have a system for patrols, but I want to know how quickly and effectively we can reach this vampire?" He directed the question mostly at Sam, as the boys exchanged glances.

Sam nodded before saying, "Yeah, we take shifts," while Nate tried to concentrate, though something seemed to be distracting him. As Sam explained the patrol schedule, Nate's gaze drifted to a familiar figure sitting in the distance, looking at the waves.

"Embry and I usually take the morning shifts, while Jared and Paul handle the evenings." He noticed Nate glancing around the beach.

"And at night?" Nate asked, his eyes still scanning the beach until they locked onto a figure sitting alone in the distance, unaware of him and the boys.

Sam started to answer, but Embry chimed in first, "We flip a coin," he said, grinning as Jared elbowed him, seeing Sam's unsatisfied expression.

Nate looked back at the boys in bewilderment. "You... flip a coin?" he asked, mainly directing it at Sam.

Sam nodded as the other boys chuckled lightly, and Nate shook his head in amusement and confusion.

"None of us enjoy patrolling at night," Sam said before Paul raised his hand. "I like it, though," he said, only to be punched by Embry. "That's a lie, and we all know it," he laughed, and Paul made a move to retaliate but stopped at one look from Sam.

Nate, who'd been listening carefully, got an idea to solve their night shift issue. "Well, I guess I know how I'm going to fit into this," he said, gaining their attention, though his gaze was still on the girl in the distance.

Sam turned to him. "You'd patrol at night?" he asked hesitantly.

Nate, watching Leah begin to stand up, replied to Sam while rising to his feet. "Well, bats are nocturnal, and it just so happens that I am, too." The boys followed his gaze, realizing why he'd stood.

"But I'm going to have to cut this conversation short," Nate said, looking at Leah. Sam also stood, seeing that Nate's attention was on her.

They locked eyes briefly before Sam nodded. "We'll continue this later, then." Nate nodded back, waved to the boys, and started jogging toward Leah.

"LEAH!" he shouted, nearing the girl, who stopped walking when she heard her name.

Leah, seeing Nate running towards her, frowned but waited to hear what he had to say.

Nate stopped in front of her, taking in her expression and the anger on her face before he sighed. "Can we talk?" he asked, reaching to touch her shoulder, but she stepped back, refusing his touch. Nate awkwardly took his hand back, watching Leah, who stood silently, waiting for him to explain himself.

Nate, feeling guilty, realized how much he'd hurt her, remembering what Emily had told him just thirty minutes ago. Taking a deep breath, he summoned the courage to speak.

"I'm not going to come up with pointless excuses just to win your favor," he started, as the ocean winds blew, making Leah shiver a little, while Nate stood unaffected.

"But instead, I'll say I'm sorry I made you go through that." He looked directly into Leah's eyes, trying to be honest with her but keeping his secrets close. "I was upset, and you tried to help me. Instead of accepting it, I shut you out, and for that, I apologize."

Leah, who'd been watching him critically, finally spoke. "Will you tell me what happened?" she asked simply, though Nate already knew he couldn't.

He considered it before replying, as Leah waited for his answer, watching him think. "No," he said, meeting her gaze.

"Well, at least not yet," he clarified, and Leah gave him a look of both confusion and acceptance. After a moment, she suddenly punched him in the shoulder, hitting her mark as he stepped back, acting hurt.

"What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his shoulder as he saw her slight smirk.

"If you scare me like that again or push me away, I'll make sure it's ten times worse," she said before turning and starting to walk.

Nate, confused for a moment, realized this was her way of forgiving him. A smile broke onto his face, and he jogged to catch up, falling into step beside her.

"So, are we okay?" he asked.

Leah glanced sideways at him and nodded looking at his wet form already having seen him with the boys jumping from the cliff, and Nate sighed in relief.

They walked in silence along the beach, the sound of the waves soothing.

"So... Sam," Leah said suddenly, breaking the quiet.

He guessed what she was about to say and replied before she could continue. "I already know." Leah whipped her head toward him so fast he was sure she'd given herself whiplash.

They kept walking toward her house. "Emily told me," he said, watching her reaction as they continued in silence.

"It won't be a problem," Leah said suddenly as they neared her house, stopping in her tracks. Nate turned to face her.

"Even though it hurt, I can't stay mad at him forever, especially since he's with Emily," she said, looking down at her feet. Nate watched her before stepping forward and resting a hand on her shoulder.

"That's mature of you," he said gently, as Leah lifted her head, their eyes meeting. For the first time, Nate noticed how beautiful her eyes looked when the light reflected on them.

"You think we can schedule another tour anytime soon?" he said suddenly, pulling Leah out of her trance as a smile spread across her face.

She struck a thoughtful pose before replying, "That heavily depends on you," confusing Nate. She laughed at the expression he made before clarifying.

"What I mean by that is, you're going to have to be the guide this time," she said, Nate raising his brows.

"You do know that I'm new to this town, right?" he said, smiling. Leah nodded, also smiling. "So, what could I possibly show you that you wouldn't already know?" he continued, not realizing how close he and Leah were, eyes locked.

"Well, that's up to you," she said. Nate stood there for a moment, then she got closer to him before walking past him toward her house, where her mom was peering through the window.

Nate stood there, both amused and confused, thinking about what would make a good date idea, before he felt his phone vibrating.

Taking the phone out of his pocket, he glanced at Leah walking toward her house and up the porch, making sure to keep his gaze level, not looking down at her swaying hips. He answered the phone without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" he said, smiling as Leah waved back at him.

"Hello, Nate, is that you?" he heard a distressed voice on the other end. While he waved back at Leah, he pulled the phone from his ear to check the caller ID. He saw Bella's name, then quickly brought the phone back to his ear, his face turning serious.

"Jacob?" he asked, worried and confused as to why he was calling from Bella's phone. "Why are you calling me from Bella's phone? Did something happen?" he asked, starting to walk toward the forest.

"Bella... she's bleeding, and I don't know what to do. She told me to call you but..." Jacob's nervous, scared voice made Nate's demeanor shift completely.

"Alright, Jacob, I need you to calm down. I'll be there in a second," Nate said. Jacob, hearing Nate's calm words, felt relieved but confused since he didn't know where they were. Just as he was about to tell him, Nate hung up.

Already expanding his senses and activating his echolocation, Nate began to move into the forest. His ears picked up every little sound in the reservation and the surrounding woods. Like a beacon, he heard Bella's grunting voice and Jacob's soothing words. The moment Nate locked in on them, he took off like the wind, running faster than he ever had before, reaching their location in a matter of seconds, stopping behind the parked car.

"Jacob! Bella!" he shouted, seeing them in the distance, next to a rock with two bikes. Nate already deduced what happened as he jogged toward them.

"Bella," he said, kneeling next to her. She looked up at him, her head covered in blood. The smell was overpowering, but Nate's worry was far too great to care.

"I tried to stop the bleeding, but it just won't stop," Jacob said from behind him. Nate turned to look at the boy, who was shirtless, holding his blood-soaked shirt in his hand.

"It's fine, Jacob, you did well," Nate said, turning back to Bella. He inspected the wound, which wasn't too serious but deep enough to require stitches.

"Ugh," Bella vocalized as Nate touched around the tender spot. "How does that feel?" he asked, looking at her carefully.

"It hurts," she said slowly, and Nate nodded before turning back to Jacob.

"Do you by any chance have glue in your car, or gauze?" he asked,Jacob's eyes widened.

"I have an old first aid kit in the back that my dad put in case of emergencies," Jacob said, Nate nodded at him.

"Alright, go get it, please," Nate said, Jacob didn't need to be told twice as he ran fast while Nate examined the wound further. The smell of blood made his mouth water, but he was too focused on helping Bella to care.

"I'm sorry," Bella said softly, Nate turned his gaze from the wound to her, seeing her guilty expression. He sighed before replying, "Just make sure not to move. I'll get this fixed up."

Bella could see the worry and frustration in his face as Jacob finally returned with the first aid kit and handed it to Nate.

Nate grabbed the green box with the white cross symbol on it, opening it to find gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, scissors, tape, tweezers, and a thermometer.

"Alright, this is good," he said briefly before using the antiseptic wipes to clean the wound and then applying the gauze to her forehead and taping it in place.

"Alright, done," he said, looking at Bella, who went to touch her head, but Nate stopped her. "We'll change that when we get home," he said,he then helped her to her feet, making sure she could stand on her own.

"How do you feel?" he asked, as Bella, still a bit wobbly, glanced at him and the worried Jacob behind him before answering.

"A little dizzy," she said quietly.

"Most likely a concussion," Nate replied, then turned to see the bikes lying on the ground. "Do you need help with this, Jacob, or can you handle it?" he asked, looking at the boy.

"I'll be fine here, Just get Bella home safe," Jacob said. Nate nodded at him before leading Bella to where Jacob had his car parked.

Approaching the car, Nate opened the door and helped Bella sit in the front passenger seat. "I'm going to go get the car, alright? I need you to wait here for a minute," he said,Bella, too distracted by the pain, to realize how impossibly fast Nate had gotten to them.

Bella nodded, likely still feeling the effects of adrenaline and shock. Nate hesitated for only a second, then jogged off to a safe distance so that neither Jacob nor Bella would see him. He quickly ran to the pack's lodge, jumped into his car, and revved the engine before heading back to where they were.

The entire round trip taking less than ten minutes.

When he returned, he saw Jacob loading the last bike onto the truck. He was surprised to see how easily Jacob lifted the bike, though he didn't dwell on it. There were more pressing matters.

Nate got out of the car and helped Bella to his car, waving to Jacob, who was also in his car with a worried expression. He then drove back to Forks, the ride silent, the only sound the engine and Bella's occasional winces of pain.

"Please don't tell Dad," she suddenly said. Nate, trying to concentrate on anything other than the smell of blood, glanced at her for a moment before turning his attention back to the road. He was clearly upset with her for putting herself in such a dangerous situation.

"Do you know what you did?" he asked, his voice tight.

Bella nodded, staying silent, waiting for him to continue.

"What do you think Uncle Charlie would have said if he knew I let you get on a bike and somehow died from it, huh?" Nate raised his voice slightly, emotion flooding through him.

Hearing the emotion in his voice, Bella reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder. Nate glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, seeing her guilty expression.

Nate, still frustrated, sighed and shook his head. "If you ever do something so dangerous again, I swear, Bella..." He didn't finish, as she interrupted him.

"Never again," she said, keeping her hand on his shoulder.

Silence fell over the car as Bella kept her hand on Nate's shoulder, and he focused on the road to avoid thinking about the smell of blood.

"I won't tell him," he said quietly, just as they entered Forks. Bella sighed audibly before adding, "Thanks."

After a while, they pulled up to the house. Nate parked the car on the street, and both of them sat in silence. Bella, trying to lighten the mood, suddenly said, "You should try it though, riding a bike."

Nate turned toward her, bewildered, before he saw her smiling. "It's fun," she said, Nate realizing she was joking.

Scoffing, Nate opened the car door, and Bella got out as well.

Walking beside her to make sure she didn't fall due to her concussion, Nate helped Bella up the small flight of stairs to the porch and stood by her side as she opened the door.

Inside, they took off their jackets, Nate having dried off after running so fast. 

Seeing Bella Nate offered to help"Here, let me help," he said, assisting her with the jacket.

"Thanks," she said shortly as she sat down on the couch. Nate was about to head upstairs to his room to get the medkit he always carried with him, mentally exhausted from everything that had happened.

"Nate," he heard Bella call out as he was halfway up the stairs. He turned to look at her, seeing her reading a text on her phone.

"Some of my friends from school invited me to go see a movie. Would you be interested?" she asked. Nate thought about it for a moment, his gaze drifting to her bandaged forehead.

"Yeah, alright, no problem," he said shortly, not realizing that he agreed because he didn't trust her to go alone.

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Hey everyone,

Author here!

Apologies for the lack of updates—I've been on vacation in Rome, Italy, and it was an incredible experience! Now that I'm back, I'm excited to dive into this story again and will be updating as often as possible, even while working on a larger project on the side.

This chapter was a bit of a whirlwind, not going to lie—felt like a challenge to write, but I hope you enjoy it! The plot is really starting to move forward, and I'd love to hear any ideas or suggestions you have in the comments.

See you all in the next chapter