XXXVI. Experiment.

The wolves began to leave, disappearing into the trees once more. A few of the Cullens had also begun to depart, not waiting around for the rest. Edward was discussing something with Carlisle before he came back over to me.

"Ready to go?" he asked as he placed a hand on the small of my back.

"Yeah," I confirmed with a nod of my head. I dreaded the moment Edward got me alone. I would have to come clean about what Alice was talking about. He wouldn't just let that go.

We turned to leave, but Edward haled and turned around as the same big dark brown wolf, who rolled his eyes at me, approached. Jacob stepped closer, his canine-like eyes on Edward.

"I've not quite figured out all the details yet," Edward spoke as he shook his head, staring back at Jacob. "It's more complicated than that," he argued and my eyebrows furrowed. It was hard to have a boyfriend who often engaged in one-sided verbal conversations. "Don't concern yourself, I'll make sure it's safe."

I looked up at Edward as my eyebrows furrowed even more. "What are you talking about?" I asked curiously as I looked between him and Jacob.

Edward shook his head dismissively as he glanced down at me. "Just discussing strategy," he replied as his arm snaked around my waist and pulled me closer.

The wolf in front of us growled softly and turned around, stalking into the woods. Edward sighed softly, remaining unmoving. It was just us, and Alice and Jasper left. Alice and Jasper lingered by the car, waiting for Edward who drove them here.

I looked up at Edward and raised my eyebrows again. "Aren't we leaving?" I asked him as my head tilted to the side.

Edward sighed again as he shook his head. "Jacob's coming back," he explained and I quirked a curious eyebrow at him. "He wants to be able to talk for himself," he explained and I nodded in understanding.

Seconds later, Jacob walked from the direction the wolf had disappeared into. Like always, even in this cold weather, he was wearing just a pair of jean shorts. "Okay, bloodsucker," he huffed as he glared at Edward ."What's so complicated about it?"

"I have to consider every possibility," Edward replied sharply and I looked between them in confusion, lost in the conversation. "What if someone gets by you?" he questioned.

"Okay, so leave her on the reservation," Jacob replied, and I immediately pieced that they were, in fact, talking about me. "We're making Collin and Brady stay behind anyway. She'll be safe there." he insisted.

I looked between the two as my lips parted. "Are you talking about me?" I questioned as I raised my eyebrows again. Edward nodded in confirmation.

"I just want to know what he plans to do with you during the fight," Jacob explained as he looked over at me while crossing his arms over his chest.

I gave Edward a look. "Just discussing strategy?" I repeated his previous words and he pursed his lips as he gave me an apologetic look. I turned to look between Edward and Jacob. "Do with me?" I questioned.

"You can't stay in Forks, Ana," Edward replied with a shake of his head as he gave my waist a gentle squeeze. "They know where to look for you there. What if someone slipped by us?" he explained.

My head turned and my eyebrows furrowed as I silently thought about it for a second. If they knew where I lived and they could follow my scent, they'd easily find me. But I wasn't the only person they'd find in the house. "What about my mom?" I asked with worry.

"Billy invited her and Charlie over; she'll be with them the whole day," Jacob explained as he gave me an assuring look, and I let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Hiding you is just a precaution," Edward assured me as his hand rubbed soothing circled onto my side. "We'll have no problem now. There won't be enough of them to keep us entertained." he mused softly as he shook his head.

"But what about keeping her in La Push?" Jacob suggested as he raised his eyebrows and both me and Edward tensed up.

Edward looked at Jacob, his face settling into a hard look. "Yeah after the last few encounters, I don't feel comfortable letting her go there anymore," he replied in a low voice as he shook his head. "She's been back and forth too much," he added. "She's left trails all over the place. Alice only sees very young vampires coming on the hunt, but obviously, someone created them. There is someone more experienced behind this. Whoever he-" he said before looking briefly down at me. "Or she is, this could all be a distraction. Alice will see if he decides to look himself. but we could be very busy at the time that decision is made Maybe someone is counting on that. I can't leave her somewhere she's been frequently. She has to be hard to find, just in case. It's a very long shot, but I'm not taking chances." he spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Just being overcautious,"

"So hide her here," Jacob suggested as he motioned to the woods around us. "There's a million possibilities, places either one of us could be in just a few minutes if there's a need," he explained.

"Her scent is too strong and, combined with mine, especially distinct. Even if I carried her, it would leave a trail." Edward argued, eyebrows furrowing as he shook his head. "Our trace is all over the range, but in conjunction with Ana's scent, it would catch their attention. We're not sure exactly which path they'll take, because they don't know yet. If they crossed her scent before they found us.. ." he mumbled, letting out a soft sigh. "You see the difficulties."

I looked up at Edward as I frowned. "If you take me out of Forks, they could just do what James did," I told him softly. Hunt me. That would just cause more trouble and effort.

"There has to be a way to make it work," Jacob insisted as he also frowned deeply.

I sighed softly, looking down to my feet. Edward's attention turned to me, giving my side another soft squeeze. "I need to get you home, you're exhausted," he said softly, not paying Jacob any mind as he leaned over and kissed the side of my head. "And Eleanor will be waking up soon..." he added.

"Wait a sec," Jacob called out before Edward could steer me in the direction of his car, where Jasper and Alice still waited. "My scent disgusts you, right?" Jacob questioned as he raised his eyebrows.

Edward silently stared at Jacob for a second before nodding. "Hmm, not bad. It's possible," he mumbled before turning to look over his shoulder. "Jasper?" he called out. Jasper, seemingly catching onto Edward and Jacob's train of thought, nodded as he and Alice approached. "Okay, Jacob." Edward agreed.

Jacob looked towards me as I frowned in confusion. "We're going to see if I can confuse the scent enough to hide your trail," he explained and I nodded in understanding. It wasn't a bad idea.

Edward turned to face me completely. He took my hands into his cold ones and gave me an apologetic look as he frowned. "You're going to have to let him carry you, Ana," he explained and my face fell as I tensed up.

Alice stepped forward, a frown seeping onto her face. "No!" she protested as she shook her head.

"No one was talking to you." Jacob snapped at Alice and it received him a pointed glare from both me and Jasper.

"You're not touching her after what you did the last time." Alice snapped back at Jacob as she shook her head. She stepped protectively in front of me and looked at her brother. "Edward!" she argued.

Edward huffed softly. He was frustrated, I could see and feel it. "We have to make sure she is safe and I'm out of options!" he yelled, his frustration seeping through his words. It was evident he wasn't too keen on this either but he truly was out of options on keeping me safe. He'd rather have Quil or any one of the other wolves carry me but Jacob was the only one here.

"Perhaps, this is Ana's decision to make," Jasper spoke up as he looked at me over Alice's shoulder, his hands clasped together behind his back.

I looked between the four of them before sighing deeply as I slowly nodded my head. "Okay." I agreed softly.

Jacob rolled his eyes and stepped closer, but Alice still remained protectively in front of me. Jacob merely ignored her and looked over at me. "Don't be such a baby about it," he told me as he shook his head and I squinted my eyes into a glare.

Alice's lips pulled into a snarl as she stepped right up to Jacob in a challenging manner."If you hurt her-" She began to warn and Jacob cut her off as he rolled his eyes once again.

"Yeah, warning received," he told her dismissively before sidestepping her and coming closer to me. We silently had a stare off for a second before Jacob easily scooped me up into his warm embrace. Awkwardly my arms wrapped around his shoulders.

Edward didn't look at us; he couldn't bring himself to. He clenched his jaw and looked at his brother. "Ana's scent is so much more potent to me. I thought it would be a fairer test if someone else tried." He replied to a silent question Jasper had asked in his head.

"I'll do it." Alice volunteered while sending a sharp glare at Jacob.

"No." Edward denied firmly and Alice looked at him with a frown. "You're not going to cause trouble," he warned as he pointed a finger at her. "Jasper will do it." he insisted.

Jacob didn't linger around longer. He took off, holding me against his warm chest as he took a path through the trees and up the mountain. He wasn't as fast as Edward but he was fast enough that I shrunk into his hold, tightening my arms around his shoulders.

A few minutes later, we came up to a clearing high in the mountains. It was colder up so high. If I wasn't so angry with Jacob, I would have taken comfort in his warmth but I was eager to get away from him.

"You can put me down now," I mumbled as I loosened my arms on him but his hold on me remained tight.

"I don't want to take a chance of messing up the experiment." He replied as he shook his head, tightening his hold when I tried to wiggle free.

"Put me down, Jacob," I demanded in a low voice as I pushed at his chest, glaring at him with a frown on my lips. Still, Jacob's hold on me remained tight and firm.

"Put her down." Jasper's thick southern accent called out from behind Jacob. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a demand. And a damn firm one at that.

Jacob scoffed softly and rolled his eyes before carefully lowering me onto my feet. I was immediately out of his arms, rushing to the vampire a few feet away. "Jasper," I whispered as he carefully caught me in his arms.

"You're alright Ana," Jasper assured, petting my hair while glaring at Jacob over the top of my head. "Let's go back." he insisted, carefully scooping me into his hard and cold arms. They were far more comforting than Jacob's.

How things turned out. I found more comfort in the vampire that wanted to kill me on my birthday last year, than with the man who was supposed to be my best friend, who had saved me so many times after my birthday.

"Well?" I asked Jasper, raising my eyebrows as he carefully began navigating the mountain back down with me in his arms. Jacob silently trailed behind us.

"As long as you don't touch anything, Ana, I can't imagine someone sticking their nose close enough to that trail to catch your scent," Jasper spoke tauntingly as he shot a glare over his shoulder at Jacob. "It was almost completely obscured." he huffed softly.