Crescent • A Twilight Story

Broken Glass

"Rory!" I ripped the door off. Little cuts from broken glass, I held my breath.

Duke came around, reluctantly allowing me to help move her away.

The other girl groaned.

"Careful."

We set Rory straight on the ground, and I scrambled for my phone.

"Any way you can get here now? There's been an accident."

"Her heart, Ward." I explained the situation, telling Duke to start compressions.

He touched an unmarked spot along her jaw. Dad catching up to us, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Carlisle's on foot now." He nodded at me, as we watched Duke begging her to keep fighting. My heart was on the brink of collapse, guilt surging as I realized who really was to blame.

The others ran over to the girl, yanking her out of my trashed SUV.

"Isn't this the leech from last night?" I glanced over, uncertain if Harry was right. "Impossible."

The girl spat out blood, laughing.

"Is she dead?" I leapt to my feet, charging.

"For your sake, you better hope she makes it."

"But if I don't make it, you're all dead anyway." She held her middle, shirt soaked in red.

Starting to lose consciousness, Quill shook her. I rolled my eyes, heading back to her side.

"You good?" Dad looked between us. I hated him knowing this, how there was a twinge of disgust in the way he asked. He went to examine the other.

"You're sure this was the one from last night?" We all nodded.

"Oh my," Mom drove around, covering her mouth. Dad went to work with us, setting Rory gently in the back. Duke hopped in beside her, continuing compressions.

"Come on, Rory. Come on!"

He motioned at the wreck to the guys.

"Try to keep her alive until we come back." Didn't like that.

I ran on foot behind them, all the way to the old Cullen manor.

My grandparents were already out front, hair disheveled.

"Carlisle's inside, getting things ready."

Gran reached to hug me.

"You okay?" I nodded, feeling a little fuzzy. "You want some privacy?"

"Not carrying any state secrets here, Gran." I tapped my head.

It still felt weird calling her that, after all this time. But she was old enough to fit the name, even if she didn't look the part.

"Let's get your friend inside." They helped Duke with her, dad peeling out in the direction we came.

We carried Rory up with ease to the room Carlisle had prepared. He was already in doctor mode, asking us a series of questions. He patted himself, Gran handing him a light.

She fell into the roll of nurse easily, having as much control as her father in law. If not more.

I envied that. Them.

He opened up her eyes, flicking the light back and forth.

"She's unresponsive."

The moment he moved away, she began to convulse.

"Get her on her side."

"Come on." Mom reached for Duke, pulling him to the door.

"I'm staying." I'd planned to do the same, imprint or not. But then Duke collapsed on his knees, screaming at them to do something. To help her.

"Ward." My grandfather said, as they strained to keep him back.

"Come on, Duke." I willed every ounce of strength I had as alpha, turning the suggestion into a command. "Let's take a walk."

We drifted down to the kitchen, my mom getting on the phone with the others, giving an update. Out the back and down some steps, Duke spun on me.

"Why was she out with you?" I settled in to my usual ease, offering only a small shrug. "Did you tell her about us?"

I smirked. "I told her everything." His entire body began to tremor once more, his teeth bared. "Might have warned her about your family history with temper too. I wonder, will you be able to mate with someone too afraid to be touched by you?"

"You had no right!" He spat, raising his fists in the air.

"Enough." My grandfather said, standing between us. "She's stable for now, Duke. Collect yourself. She'll need you." He huffed off, running back toward the house.

Golden eyes flickered back toward the house.

"Convulsions have ceased." That didn't make me feel any better. "Want to talk about it?"

Nothing to say.

He frowned.

"Duke has every reason to be upset. He's spent a considerable amount of time preparing to expose Rory to this world." He slipped his hands in his coat. "And you took that from him today."

Yeah, well, he'll take her from me.

The truth sat between us, and I waited for the disgust, the disapproval.

"I suspect you feel an ownership to her. That because her blood calls to you, because you've fought the most to keep her alive, she belongs with you."

They look at me as if I'm a monster. Dad too now.

"You're not a monster, Ward. But you have acted selfishly. Irresponsibly. And if you,"

"I get it, gramps." He rubbed his mouth. "How is she now?"

"I can't hear her." A shake of the head. "Deja vu."

I mulled it over, as we headed back for the house.

Mom wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on his chest.

"I might have been apprehensive about her. But I hoped at least we could have given her a better life." He closed his eyes, hugging her back.

"Maybe you did." He flashed a warning look to me. "Maybe you still can."

He listened in some more, his brows furrowing.

"They think it's a severe concussion, but she's already showing signs of self repair." He offered us a cautious smile. "Her body seems to be healing at an expedited rate."

But would it be enough?