Jacob's Better End Book 2

Alliance

KARA'S POV

When Jacob comes over, I've set up the house like I'm just hosting friends. I have beer and popcorn out in the living room, nothing more nothing less. I answer the door, ready to show him inside but he pushes past me unapologetically. I turn to watch him with a face that I hope says 'this better be a joke.'

"The Cullens and I talked last night." he says. I follow him into the kitchen where he's opening and shutting my cabinets like he owns the place. I try not to think about how at one point he sort of did.

"And they told you to invite yourself in and rifle through my house?"

"No." he replies, pausing at the space above the oven. I falter, knowing exactly where this is going. "They told me...they were worried about you."

Slowly, he takes the bottles down one by one and puts them onto the counter.

"Well this seems healthy."

"It's none of your business." I reply.

"Honestly, Kara. Who has been taking care of you?"

"I have."

"Looks like you've been doing a great job of it." he replies. I straighten my back defensively and look him straight in the eyes.

"If you're going to try to come back and tell me how to live my life you can get out now." I say. "I'm only here to figure out what to do about Xavier. The Volturi."

"I just thought we should get the intervention out of the way first. But fine have it your way." he shrugs in a way that says he means the opposite. "Come outside with me."

"Why?" I ask slowly.

"Because it's time to do something. We can keep talking or we can make something happen."

I'm nervous. Even after all this time, I can tell when Jacob isn't being completely honest with me and I can feel something is off. But I'm also not afraid of him anymore. At all. So wordlessly, I follow him outside and don't bend to the pride of asking questions. Until,

"The woods? Really?" I ask, stopping at the edge. Ahead is the forest behind my house. I've explored it endlessly over the past year, but it's impossible to navigate completely without tools. Or supernatural senses Jacob has...that I don't.

"You don't trust me anymore." he says.

"That is the kind of thing that happens after..." I can't even say the words. And I hate myself for that.

"Just a little farther. What do you think I'm trying to do?" he asks.

"What are you doing?"

He doesn't reply. We stare at each other for a minute and I finally sigh.

"If I go, will you leave me alone about all this?"

"Yes. I will." He says immediately. I nod and we go into the woods, silent the whole way. I can't place why I feel so apprehensive, but I dread it the whole walk. For the first time knowing him, and knowing he wants something, Jacob doesn't say a word. And then, without any reason or circumstance, I freeze. I know exactly why he's brought me here.

It's the first time in months I have had any sort of vision or premonition at all.

"Fuck you." I breathe. He looks at me expectantly, so I say it louder. Just to make absolutely sure he's heard. "Fuck. You."

"So he's close. You saw it." he doesn't miss a beat.

And he's right. Xavier is here.

Either that or he is going to be very soon. There is no getting around it.

"Let's help him, Kara. Subtly. Me and you." he says quickly. "That way, if Aro wants to read the pack, he'll read Sam. Sam is the alpha. He'll have no idea about any of it and besides, he'll have bigger problems."

"And when he reads Xavier's mind?"

"We make Xavier think we're against him."

"And when Sam reads your mind?" I feel crazy that this line of questioning is completely normal. Jacob just grins.

"Give me something else to think about."

I'm about to refuse but he crosses the distance between us and pulls me into his arms. Then his mouth is crashing against mine and he's kissing me. It's so sudden I don't protest for a minute. Instead, I let his lips part mine and stand there, stunned. Then, I remember one of our first kisses on my balcony. We've always been good at hurting each other.

I ball my fists into his shirt and swing him around to shove his back against a tree. Then I kiss him back harder. He's surprised, but his hands don't stop for it.

"Stronger than you remember?" I breathe. He smirks and spins us back so it's me who is against the tree.

"Sure." he says, trailing his mouth down my neck. "Are you going to keep pretending like you don't want me?"

"I don't." I reply. And yet the way I press closer at his touch, I know he doesn't believe me just like I know it's not true.

"Not like I used to."

"I can work with that. Let me come back. Even if it's just for this." he murmurs.

"Why did you bring me here?" I manage to ask despite his touch slipping beneath the hem of my shirt.

"I don't want to talk about Xavier right now. I don't want to talk at all."

"We'll go back to the house in two conditions." I reply. He pulls back to look at me with an expression that says, let's hear this. I make him wait for a long moment before continuing.

"This isn't a relationship. It's not going to be a relationship again."

"Not friends, just benefits. Got it." he says drily. "What's the second condition?"

"We'll do your plan. Give the Volturi hell and get them out of our business. And then we're done."

"So you want to work together?" he raises an eyebrow. I don't answer him. I don't know. But when he kisses me again, this is the moment it doesn't matter.