Chapter Eight
Grandpa
We stood to face each other across the room although I knew there would be little I could do if he attacked. Except perhaps give the others a chance to reach the truck and drive away, but that was only if he were alone and I had no way of knowing that. He was young and fit, strong like the guys who still rode the ranges although there was something different about him, something that set alarm bells ringing in my mind.
"What do you want? Get the hell out, this is my place."
He glanced at me without speaking and I got the strangest impression that it was a question he couldn't answer, he didn't know why he was here.
"Marie, take the baby, go back into the bedroom, and lock the door, now."
Then Renee spoke,
"It's OK Grandpa you can let him in, he's not here to hurt us."
I glanced at her to see she had swung her legs off the bed although she was too weak to get up. She looked at the stranger for a long time almost like she was reading his mind then she leaned back wearily,
"Please Grandpa, this is the man I felt was coming, he's going to protect Bella."
Reluctantly I moved aside, there was little else I could do anyhow, and the stranger took four long strides across to the bedroom door, his eyes fixed on my Grand daughter but then they turned to the newborn baby still in my arms and I stiffened again.
It had finally hit me what this was, not a man but one of the creatures we had been hiding from, this was a vampire standing here and I knew it was over, we had lost. I should have known better than to think I could hide my girls indefinitely, but I wouldn't give them up without a struggle. He had to know what I was thinking because he turned back to me and held his hands up,
"I mean you no harm. I haven't come to give you any trouble I promise."
Then he looked back at Renee as if asking her something and she looked at me and nodded,
"Give Bella to him Grandpa, he's a friend, not our enemy."
I wasn't sure I understood but when he held out his arms I hesitatingly placed the baby in them and he brought her close to his chest gazing down at her with such love and fascination that I knew Renee was correct. Whatever else he might do, he would not hurt the newborn infant in his arms. A sickening thought hit me as I stepped back, but Renee shook her head,
"He's not the one who attacked me Grandpa, but he is the only one who can keep her safe, they belong to each other, can't you see?"
Jasper
The sight that met me when I crashed through the door had me frozen in place. There were four people in the cabin, an older man and a woman who looked like she might be his daughter but I gave them scant regard, the ones that took my attention were firstly the young girl who lay amid bloody sheets quite obviously having just given birth and then the infant in the man's arms.
At the mother's bidding the man allowed me to take the infant in my arms, arms I found I had already stretched out beseechingly. I looked down at her and it took only one glance to understand what the infant meant to me although I had no idea how I knew. She was only minutes old yet this sweet innocent baby was destined to be my mate. Not only that but she held a secret, she may have been born to a human mother, but she was not human, at least not one hundred percent human but for now it didn't matter.
I sat in the small outer room with the infant in my arms, watched closely by the man while the older woman helped the younger cleanup.
"Who are you? Or should I say what are you?"
I glanced up at him although my thoughts were on the infant,
"You know don't you? Can I ask how? And who is the baby's father?"
"Yes, I know what you are although it took me a few moments to work it out. You already know the father is another of your kind. I wonder if you know who?"
I shook my head,
"Her mother isn't entirely human either though is she?"
I sat and listened as he explained their tragic story, a family who had been preyed upon by at least one and possibly more vampires. I thought he was right, that if it had been the same one then he would have sensed something when he attacked his own offspring. What I didn't understand was why the attacks at all, or at least why these kinds of attacks.
Vampires attacked humans for food mainly although there were those that preferred to play with their food first. But a vampire who attacked human women and left hybrid babies in the human world? That was both dangerous and foolhardy. If the Volturi found out the hybrids would be collected up and kept in Volterra and the vampire or vampires responsible would be executed for their sins.
Renee
I had known as soon as I saw him that this was the man who would keep my daughter safe when she grew up, he would be the love of her life and she his but something told me the years in between were going to be fraught with danger. There was still the bastard who had attacked me and the one who was responsible for my birth, they were still out there and if either found out about her or me, neither of us would be safe.
She was special, she would be even more special as an adult. I knew she would be safe, she would be able to keep us all safe but until then we had to tread very carefully. Knowing these things puzzled me because I had never shown any special sight, no seeing into the future but something told me I was right. What I felt was correct and we could trust this man even though he too was a vampire. Perhaps it was one of those strange gifts Grandpa had told me some vampires possessed, maybe my "father" had passed on a gift or activated one I already had hidden deep inside and my daughter's birth had allowed me to see clearly for the first time.
When I came out into the other room I saw my baby fast asleep in his arms as he rocked her gently, his eyes fixed on her crumpled little face as if it were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and she was, both to me and him. I had heard my Grandpa explaining our history to him and although I knew he was one of them there was something very different. His pale complexion gave a hint although he didn't have the rage in his eyes and they seemed lighter in color although it had been too dark to see my assailants eye color, they had seemed dark with a hunger that terrified me.
This stranger's eyes were like melted butter with just a hint of caramel and although they were watchful they were neither aggressive or angry. He stood up and waited for me to sit down on the couch beside him then handed me Bella with a hint of reluctance.
"Well, stranger at least you have some manners. Where did you come from? Have you been following us?"
"No, I had no idea you existed until I got this urge to run, to find something important. It led me to this cabin, to you and your family but this isn't your home either is it?"
Grandpa sighed heavily,
"It appears we don't have a home right now but then trying to hide two hybrids from the vampire world isn't exactly easy."
"I'm amazed you are still alive to be honest, especially if you have been researching vampires, it's not a safe topic."
"No, but it pays to know your enemy although I obviously don't know them as well as I thought. Do you have any idea who is responsible for this?"
He shook his head,
"No, I've never heard of it before although my own knowledge of my world is rather limited. I'd say it was highly dangerous for the vampire or vampires involved too, they are certainly breaking the law by allowing humans who know of our existence to live."
Grandpa stiffened and the stranger sat back and crossed his legs trying to look as nonthreatening as possible although his eyes lingered on Bella in my arms,
"I'm no threat to you and you know it or you would have tried something by now."
"Oh, I probably would have but I have no idea how to kill a creature like you."
"And you'll excuse me if I decide to keep that valuable information to myself for now."
I couldn't help a smile at that reply although Grandpa continued to bristle slightly.
Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers in the United States.
