A/N: Sorry I forgot to update this yesterday! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

RED

Chapter Six

Renesmee finished the last of her meal and stood up, wiping her mouth with a napkin. She was nervous about what Jake wanted to ask her. She didn't understand why he didn't want to ask her in thought. She put the carcass aside to bury it later and walked back to the window. Peeking out, she saw Jake and Jared lying on the ground in the tree line, just as they were when she entered the house. Jake looked up when the curtain moved and met her eyes. She stared at him for a moment, trying to decide why his pack couldn't hear her. Although the trust she had in him was growing, she was nervous about what Sam and the others might think of her. She didn't know how the wolf pack worked, and she wondered what exactly Jake had meant when he said that Sam couldn't go against an order. Jake may have ordered Sam to leave her alone, but was Jake physically able to stop an attack if the rest of his pack went against him?

She sighed and stepped back from the window, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. She crawled the few feet to the door and reached out her mind.

I'm done, Jake.

Perfect. Can I come up there again? He didn't want to make her feel intruded on.

Yes.

He stood up and walked back into the woods to phase back. Once phased, he pulled on his shorts and petted Jared's head.

"I'll be right back; I'm just going up on the porch."

Jared grunted in acceptance and watched as Jake made his way up to the porch and sat down, tapping lightly on the door.

Renesmee opened the door only wide enough to see Jake. She could see the other wolf still in the tree line and opened the door a little wider, relieved that it was only Jake.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"My pack and I are concerned about something," he started, hoping he didn't offend her in any way. "When the vampires come back, they're going to smell us all over here. I wanted to ask you a favor."

Renesmee understood. "You want me to stop them from attacking you and your pack." It wasn't a question.

Jake heard the slight sarcasm in her tone, as though even she thought what he was asking was impossible. "I'm just asking you to explain to them why we were here, because I doubt any of them would listen to any of us."

Renesmee considered his request and sighed, looking up at him. "If they'll listen to me, I'll try."

Jake smiled. "Thank you."

"But what if they come back and catch your scent before I'm able to talk to them? They won't come here if they think they're being ambushed." She bit her lip and tried to think of something she could do to get the vampires to listen to her before going ballistic on the wolves.

"We should go back as soon as possible, then. The scent will fade."

She nodded, but an inexplicable sadness washed over her at the thought of him leaving. "What if they come back soon? Your scent is still strong, and they'll pick up on it if they come back within the next few years."

Jake pursed his lips and looked down at the wood on the porch, considering her point. He wanted to stay, even though he had accomplished the initial mission of finding out what she was and why she was here. Now he wanted to know why he could hear her when his pack couldn't even through his thoughts, and why he was so attracted to her. It couldn't be healthy to be attracted to a woman who was half-enemy, no matter how beautiful she was.

"If they come back soon, and we're still here…" he didn't finish the sentence, not sure how to.

"They'd kill you," she finished it for him. No matter their strength, two wolves would be nothing against eight vampires.

"I'd call back up."

She sighed and nodded. "It would be even then, wouldn't it? Eight vampires against eight wolves."

Jake looked up at her and furrowed his brow. "You wouldn't join them?" he asked.

She shivered and shook her head. "I couldn't. I'm not strong enough… and I don't think I could fight you even if I was." She looked up at him, afraid of what she was letting him see. Was it too much?

Jake smiled sadly, understanding. "I couldn't fight you either, you know."

She smiled, staying silent as she looked into his eyes. They shone with sincerity and she knew he was telling her the truth. He wouldn't fight her, even if she was the aggressor, just as she wouldn't fight him. She looked down briefly at his hand on the porch, close to the threshold as he rested his weight on it. She reached out tentatively and touched the skin over his knuckles. She looked back up at him, meeting his eyes and asking silently, without direct thought, if this was okay. His eyes showed trust and hope as she put her palm down on the back of his hand. He shifted his weight slightly; enough to rest his back against the door jamb and turn his hand over, curling his fingers around hers. She smiled again, running her thumb over his knuckles and memorizing the calluses.

Jake's head jerked up when Jared growled and leapt to his feet. Renesmee gasped and immediately pulled her hand back from Jake's, watching the wolf closely with wide eyes. Jared growled again before looking at Jake with a whimper.

"There's a vampire here," Jake explained, getting to his feet hastily. Renesmee stood and held on to the door to steady herself.

"What do I do?" she asked, not sure how to speak to these new vampires.

"I don't know yet. Hang tight, talk to me in thought." With that, he jumped off the porch and ran to Jared, phasing on the way.

Renesmee immediately reached out to him. Jake, be careful. Please!

Jake turned to look at her and nodded once before turning back to look for the vampires Jared had picked up on.

Renesmee watched as the wolves sniffed the air and searched, standing so they were facing the opposite direction of one another. She sniffed the air as well and caught a scent different from any that she'd smelled so far.

Everything was quiet and still for a few seconds as everyone tried to figure out where the vampires were. Renesmee's heart was pounding; she was terrified that these were the owners of the house and they wouldn't listen to her before attacking. How long would it take Jake's reinforcements to show up? Long enough for the vampires to obliterate Jake and Jared, she had no doubt. She had to stop them, even for a second, to make them listen to her.

There was a slight rustle of wind as a new body flew into the clearing and stopped ten feet from the wolves. Renesmee looked at the vampire; it was not one that she recognized, even from Joham's thoughts. This one was a tall but heavy-built female with long black hair pulled back into a pony tail at the base of her neck.

Red eyes, Jared thought. Not one we have a treaty with.

Jake agreed and snarled at the vampire as another appeared, stopping beside the female. The second vampire was a male, just as tall with wild blonde hair that went to his shoulders.

Jake! Renesmee was terrified of what would happen if he started getting defensive before they had a chance to talk.

Renesmee… Jake was going to explain to her that these were not the vampires they needed to worry about, but before he had a chance, the black-haired female crouched down, getting ready to spring.

Renesmee drew her mind back in a panic and bolted down the steps to put herself between the vampires and the wolves.

"Wait!" she screamed, holding her hands out. "Please don't hurt them!"

The female stood back up straight, amused at this girl's attempt to stop her. She took a breath and stopped, her smile fading.

"You're human?" she asked, her voice low but beautiful.

"Half. I'm half vampire. Please, just don't hurt the wolves. They're my friends."

"You have blood in your veins. It smells good."

Jake growled, baring his teeth, and took a step closer to Renesmee.

Renesmee was shocked, taking a step back toward Jake. "But I'm not really human."

The blond man shrugged. "It doesn't matter," he said, his voice rougher than Renesmee would have thought a vampire's voice should be. "It's still blood."

The two vampires crouched down, preparing to spring. Jake didn't wait for either to move. He pushed Renesmee out of the way and launched at the female vampire. Following his Alpha, Jared attacked as well, going after the male.

Renesmee hit the ground a few feet from the base of the steps and sat up as quickly as she could. She couldn't take her eyes off the scene in front of her as Jake and Jared ripped limbs from the vampires. She'd never seen anything so vicious and she felt her throat begin closing with fear that either of the wolves would get hurt, especially Jake.

It was over almost as quickly as it had begun and Renesmee reached out to Jake as he looked over at her over a pile of rubble.

Are you okay?! she demanded.

Jake nodded. Don't worry about me. Do you have something to start a fire?

She blinked at the odd question and shook her head. There might be something in the house.

She forced herself to stand up and move up the steps, searching the drawers for something; a lighter, a box of matches, anything. She finally found a small box of matches and took it out to him.

Go back inside, please, and wait for me.

She nodded and went back inside, closing the door behind her. She sat down and pulled her knees up to her chest. She felt a strange shift in the presence in her head and almost panicked.

Jake? she asked.

Still here. I just changed back to human. Don't come outside, please. Stay inside.

She acknowledged the request and hugged her knees tighter.

What happened? I was trying to talk to them? She was confused about why the vampires thought she'd be food.

She could practically feel his heavy sigh. They were not the vampires that we had a treaty with. The ones we have a treaty with have gold eyes. These guys had red eyes. It means that they hunt humans, and we're free to kill them. I tried to explain, but I don't think you heard me.

She shook her head. I panicked. I'm sorry.

Don't worry about it.

She took a deep breath to try to calm her heart down. She heard the fire begin crackling and smelled the burning vampire flesh, but she still didn't dare move. A minute later, the presence in her mind shifted again and she knew he'd changed back to a wolf.

You can come out now if you want.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I'd love to know your thoughts.