Disclaimer: This world belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I do not own anything, even though I wish I did :)

AN- Hello everyone! *Throws cookies and confetti* I am happy to announce that this chapter and the next hold A LOT of answers to big questions that May has been wondering. This chapter is very exciting and it was a blast to write!

So, at the end of this chapter, please leave me a REVIEW with your theories and thoughts. Let me know what you think! Inform me of any questions you may have. Let me know if you're confused by something!

Thanks to all of you that left reviews, followed, and favorited "Searching". It means the world to me! *hugs*

Chapter 13

The air in my bedroom seemed to shift and move as if a breeze had suddenly swirled through an open window.

Soft fur brushed against my side, alerting me to Embry's change in form yet again. I hesitantly removed my hands from over my eyes and was relieved to see his wolf filling up the space. He strode over to the wall of windows and I followed. I glanced down to see the Cullens, sparkling magnificently under the sun's rays, and eight of the wolves were together gathered below us on the lawn of the property.

Everyone had their heads snapped to attention at the tree line. Alice had a look of stern anticipation on her doll-like face, Jasper was in a sturdy defensive stance, Edward appeared to be in deep concentration, Rosalie's eyes were narrowed menacingly, and Emmet cracked his knuckles as he prepared to fight.

Sam's giant black wolf lead both packs while Jacob held things down in La Push. Right now, the wolves were coiled springs, ready to act in a millisecond. Ears flat against their skulls, lips drawn back in a snarl. The fur along their backs was raised, their haunches poised to propel bodies forward for attack.

Lastly, I looked to my left at Embry. His giant wolf head was bowed downwards, at the same level with mine. He glanced to the same exact spot in the trees as everybody else. Eyes focused, intent on whatever plan coursed through his mind. He only broke his stance to give me one sidelong look, reassuring me that we would be okay, and then he turned back to the window.

At this moment, my breathing stopped. The air seemed to grow stagnant—still and unmoving. An electrical static buzzed in my ears as one sole figure stepped out of the trees.

He was tall with a muscular build, but smaller than Emmet. Hair the color of a wheat field fell to his cheekbones in the front, and then was cropped shorter towards the back of his head. He wore a plain white tee-shirt and dark pants. As he left the shade of the forest, the sun glinted off of his skin like a rich jewel.

Strolling towards the group below me at a slow, leisurely human pace…he spoke. "Salut, mes amis!" he called out. The vampire was French? I knew a majority of the language thanks to Ted. He taught me a good portion of Italian, French, Spanish, and English—of course as I grew up.

When the stranger was approximately twenty yards from the group, the wolves snarled a warning at him. He raised his hands up in mock surrender and muttered "Les loups stupides…"

Carlisle was the next to speak. "You can stop right there, that is fine. I'm sorry, but we have not met before. I am Carlisle, the leader of this coven." He offered a polite smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Carlisle. I am Arnaud Renard" he answered with a heavy accent. 'Arnaud Renard'? In English, his name could be translated as…Arnold Fox? Fox…the Fox coven was on the West edge of Europe. Ted had done business with them a few years ago. He had to leave me under the care of a Volturi guard member for three whole days when I was physically twelve years old.

"What brings you to Forks? The area is claimed, you cannot hunt here" Carlisle inquired.

"Ah, but I am not after your measly humans" he spoke, silencing the 'H' in 'humans'. He glanced at Edward with a haughty ignorance. Was he…gloating?

Arnaud chuckled "You'd better give up, mind reader. My gift informs me of other gifts around and allows me to manipulate them."

Edward took a step forward and replied with an intimidating smooth voice "So you turned off my ability, then?"

"Precisely. Alas, it only shuts off when you try to read my thoughts, but you can still listen to the minds of your little coven" he stated, feigning dismay. "You cannot kill me, because you want information, oui? If I were to be dispatched by one of your silly wolves, without giving away all of my secrets…that would ruin your plans, would it not?"

My eyes flitted nervously over the people below. The Cullens looked to each other for assistance. Edward seemed to silently be speaking with the other family members and the wolves. As he listened to their different thoughts and opinions, he would reply with nods of approval or a simple shake of his head in dismissal. Nobody uttered a single word aloud. It was completely nerve wracking. Finally, when the silence was bordering on intolerable, Carlisle spoke up. "We will not kill you—yet. But if you become hostile we will not hesitate to act. Is that understood?"

"Oui" Arnaud replied.

Carlisle took an unneeded breath and asked "What brings you to our home, then?"

Arnaud scoffed and gave him a knowing look. "La petite sirène" he simply answered with a cocky grin.

More silence fell upon the group. Apparently, this was not good news. Confused, I tried to think about what he said. I recalled all of the French that Ted had taught me. 'Sirène' meant 'mermaid'. 'La petite sirène' was…'the little mermaid'. What relevance do mermaids hold in this conversation?! I wracked my brain for answers until it finally clicked.

Oh.

Siren.

Sometimes, people refer to mermaids as sirens, and vice versa. In certain mythologies, sirens used to lure sailors towards rocks with their voices. This rogue was calling me a siren. I now remember that one of the vampires that had attacked me in the parking lot weeks ago had called me 'Little Siren'. The Cullens looked to be rather puzzled. I was sure that most of them knew enough foreign languages to know what Arnaud meant, but they failed to see the connection to anything relevant. Yet, at the discovery in my thoughts, Edward growled "What is she to you?"

I could see the light bulbs flicker on behind their eyes as the group realized what Edward's comment referred to. The sounds of low snarls and rumbles of disagreement began to reach my ears from outside. Embry whined next to me.

"She is nothing more than a special…dessert for me. It is said that her blood enchants one like a melodious siren song and one drop is worth more than a ton of gold. A true delicacy" he elaborated. Embry began to produce a growl that I could feel vibrating through the floorboards. Carlisle didn't seem to be buying Arnaud's statement. "Her blood brings no allure to us. You lie" he warned.

Arnaud smirked, "Then bring her to me as proof. See for yourselves my reaction once I catch a whiff of her scent. I will even tell you what my masters have told me about her. I know she is here, you cannot hide her from me." As if that statement didn't make my skin crawl enough, things really got creepy next. Tilting his head eerily slowly up to the window, like some freaky clown doll in a horror movie, his blood-red eyes locked onto mine. A wide, toothy grin crept onto his face. "Bonjour" he offered up to me.

A small squeak snuck its way from my lips.

I fell backwards from my sitting position and landed on the floor with a thud. My long ponytail swayed as I immediately started to shrink away from the window, out of range from his prying eyes. I crawled behind Embry, his enormous wolf body shielded me from sight. Lacing my fingers through his fur, I clung to him.

"I thought you said he couldn't see me?" I hissed as quietly as I could into a pointed ear. He nodded his head upwards, motioning at the sky. The sun was now overcast by the clouds, diminishing the bright glare that bounced off of my windows. I was greatly counting on that glare to hide Embry and I. It seems, I failed to notice that the vampires outside had stopped shimmering moments ago.

Hiding behind Embry, I tried to jump back into snooping on the conversation, through listening alone and abandoning sight. As much as I wanted to see what was happening down there, I didn't want that creep to see me in return.

"We can't make that deal with you. We will not put her in harms way, just for a piece of information!" I heard Alice's high voice counter his suggestion.

"Not even for an answer as detailed and valued as the one I am currently thinking of? All you'd have to do is bring her down to me" he drawled out. "I guess you'll never know then" Arnaud teased.

"We can always torture you. Rip your limbs off. Tear you apart, piece by piece" Emmet suggested as he huffed and shuffled his feet. He was probably rolling his shoulders right now, readying for an all out brawl. The wolves growled in agreement and I could picture the pack approaching the arrogant visitor. I sighed into Embry's silvery fur. We seemed to be getting nowhere, stuck at an impasse. I wished that I could just throw my sock down there instead of potentially getting eaten. I mentally giggled at the thought.

"May, that's a wonderful idea!" Edward called up to me. I paused my current thoughts and focused instead on what Edward just said. I peeked around Embry's shoulder to give Edward a dubious expression. He wants me to throw my socks out the window?

"Ah, so the lovely siren's name is May?" Arnaud teased. I caught Bella send him a surprisingly threatening glare and he fell silent.

"Well, anything with a concentrated amount of your scent on it will be sufficient" he answered. I stood up from my hiding spot behind Embry and looked around my room. I could toss down my pillowcase? Or my shirt? I fiddled with the ends of my ponytail as I contemplated the option. Finally, I got it!

I cautiously walked up to the glass and peered down at Edward. I sent him thoughts of my idea and he nodded in approval. I gave him a tight smile and searched for a way to open the windows. Each window pane was about a square yard in size. Eventually, I found a latch that allowed me to crack one of them open. Glancing nervously down at the group for reassurance, I pulled on my hair-tie and undid the ponytail. My long, dark tresses fell around my back at the exact same time my eyes locked onto Arnaud's.

Inside, I was screaming. Everything about him made me want to shrink and crawl up under a rock. In spite of that fact, I put on a brave face and dropped the elastic band out the window. Rosalie held out her hand and it landed in her waiting palm. She appraised it with her eyes and sniffed it. Then she gave me a curt nod, telling me that my scent was strong on the item. It probably helped that a few strands of my hair had been yanked out and tangled around the band when I removed it.

Rosalie walked slowly up to the stranger and handed it to him hesitantly. He smirked at her as he took it from her grasp and she took a few steps back, distaste written clearly over her flawless features.

He brought the small, black circle up to his face and breathed deeply through his nose. He murmured "Absolutely decadent."

I shifted uncomfortably at the comment. "Already, her scent has bewitched me like a spell" he paused and inhaled another breath from the air, closing his eyes to savor the experience.

Suddenly a gasp came from Edward and everything changed in an instant. Before I could blink in surprise, Edward already had Arnaud pinned to the ground by his neck. Emmet and Jasper weren't far behind, following Edward's lead, and the two held the rogue's arms securely. A circle of wolves surrounded them, preventing any slim chance of escape.

"He dropped his guard! He plans to take her the moment he gets an open opportunity. I heard it! Her scent is driving him absolutely mad!" Edward revealed to us all. I froze and my blood ran cold in my veins.

"What?! But why is her blood having these effects on other vampires, and yet we feel nothing? Could you find out anything?" Bella cried while Edward held the struggling vampire down.

"Not yet, he shut me out again…but not before he thought of you, dear" he answered, his tone velvety and soft when speaking to his mate.

"Me?" Bella gasped skeptically.

"His gift, it doesn't allow him to block out my ability on his own. His gift lets him manipulate others, that part is true. He used your shield without your knowledge in order to protect himself" he snarled down at Arnaud "And he's back to using it now."

"Bella, you're going to have to back off to the cottage for now, I'm afraid" Carlisle spoke in his signature calm, soothing voice. "Perhaps you, Embry, and May could all go while we thoroughly interrogate Arnaud?"

She nodded grimly and reluctantly flashed into the house to meet us. I wrinkled my brows, not fully agreeing with Carlisle's comment. I wanted to stay! This involved me and I wanted to be present for what was to come. I needed closure or some answers at least.

"May, go! Now" Edward roared. I turned towards my bedroom door to see Bella waiting urgently with a hand outstretched for me. I hesitantly placed my hand in hers and she flashed down the stairs. My half-vampire speed barely prevented me from tripping and falling on my face. "Wait, where's Embry?" I asked, my voice rose slightly higher in pitch with worry. I tried to turn back to find his silver wolf, but then warm hands on my shoulders appeared out of the blue.

"I'm right here. I would never leave you" he reassured me, his breath brushed my neck. His soothing voice behind me helped to calm my anxiety. I wanted to turn and give him a thankful smile, but I remembered that if he could currently talk, he was human…and therefore without clothes.

We made it out of the house and Embry's touch disappeared from my skin. His wolf sped up to run alongside me. As the three of us increased our distance from the chaos, I could hear the familiar sounds of metallic screeching as vampire skin gave way. Wolves whined and barked in anticipation. Emmet's booming voice shouted out "What else? Who sent you?"

I grimaced and Bella squeezed my hand gently for comfort. My hand never left hers the entire run to the cabin.

XXX

I currently sat on a coffee colored couch at the cabin, well—the main cabin, that is.

Apparently there were three total cabins spread throughout the woods around the Cullen house. Bella had described to me half an hour ago that the main, larger cabin was the one that she, Edward, and Renesmee lived in. The other two were for the wolves to get supplies from and any needed rest between patrols. I had no idea where these other two were apparently located, but she assured me that they weren't far.

Embry had shifted back and was now wearing some spare clothes that Bella gave him from Edward's closet. He sat on the other end of the couch, with Bella in between us. He was quiet and things felt slightly awkward with us. When he was a wolf, it was easy for me to forget that he was, well, Embry. We were working on just being friends and then I had to go get all touchy-feely with his fur. I had practically climbed all over him back at the house. And let's not forget that I fell asleep on him…

Bella snapped me out of my embarrassing thoughts. She looked at me earnestly, eyes shinning like liquid gold. "I know it's hard to just leave like that. I wish we could have stayed too, May. But believe me when I say that things will go a lot smoother without us."

I sighed "Yeah, now we just have to sit here and worry ourselves to death until they come get us, hopefully bearing good news."

Embry snorted, amused by my remark. Bella chuckled lightly and replied "I used to feel like you are now, plenty of times back when I was human. Everyone else always seemed to be off fighting for the greater good, while I stayed behind and hoped for the best. But now," she sat up a little straighter and gave me a grin "I have taken out quite a few ferocious vampires myself."

"You have?" I asked in wonder.

"Mm-hmm. In fact, a few years back, Nahuel needed our help to protect one of his younger sister's from a particularly violent stalker. The poor girl was just a few months older than Renesmee! Nahuel didn't even know that she and her twin sister existed until after the Volturi found them while hunting down their father, Joham." She shook her head sadly and then went on "Anyways, some creep of a vampire was so obsessed with her beauty, he claimed that they were destined to be mates. She hardly knew him at all and when a few of us went down to South America to offer support, Edward heard his thoughts. He found out that the vampire was hostile, possessive, and no good could come from him" she explained.

Embry listened silently, eyes focused on Bella as he pondered her words. "So then what happened?" I asked her.

"We had to take him down. The guy was going to hurt Nahuel's little sister. Just her scent was enough to drive him insane. That vampire was one of the first I dealt with in such a manner. Edward says I can swing a pretty good punch… I cracked the guy's jaw" she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

I giggled, but then became more serious in order to ask her my next question. "Why haven't the twin sisters ever traveled up here to visit Renesmee? I mean, you said that they're only a few months older than her. That must mean they're about a year older than me. We could all be friends right now. Why aren't they here?"

Bella frowned "They were left pretty terrified after the Volturi found them. Aro had their father killed right in front of their eyes. They were physically no older than seven at the time. Nahuel was given custody of one twin, the one I had met, by Aro. Her name was Josie."

Sighing, Bella moved on to tell me more. "The Volturi decided to keep the other twin, I believe Nahuel told me her name was Arianna, close to Volterra in Italy. They wanted to monitor her as she grew and Nahuel just couldn't leave his home in South America to go care for her. Nahuel was furious, he wanted to raise them both together. Eventually, one of his older sisters, Serena, came forward and decided to raise Arianna under certain rules that Aro gave her—one of them was to stay within city limits of Volterra. Now, the twins live so far away from each other and they're scared of anyone outside of family. They refuse to travel anywhere, actually."

My eyebrows pulled together with worry as I pondered what Bella told me. There were two other girls just like me this whole time? One of them was placed under the careful watch of Aro, hidden somewhere in Italy. I wondered just how close I lived to her. Shock went through me as I realized that I too, was monitored by the Volturi. Ted used to work for them, and he raised me!

Embry leaned around Bella's back to give me a knowing look. He probably had the same thoughts as I did. What was Aro up to?

Just then, the first wave of people came flying through the door. Alice, Rosalie, and Esme flitted into the living room of the cabin. We greeted them with hopeful smiles and raised eyebrows, questioning the situation.

"So, we have good news and not so great news. What would you like to hear first?" Alice proposed as she sat cross-legged on the rug in front of us.

Bella looked to me, allowing me to choose. "Good news, please" I replied, holding back a shudder as I buried my troubling thoughts.

Alice took in a deep breath and spoke "Well, Arnaud will definitely not be bothering you anytime soon…he's dead." I looked at her incredulously.

"The guys took him out to a clearing in the woods to light him ablaze. They're going to let the smoke billow up out of an open space in order to warn the other rogues. Kind of like lighting off a flare. It was Emmet's idea" Rosalie chimed in.

"Wait, what?! Other rogue vampires?" I asked, eyes practically popping out of my head.

"Oh, yeah. About that…this is the not so good news. Edward got a few chunks of valuable information out of our little visitor. First, Arnaud was a scout. He was sent by his coven to locate you. Apparently, he was supposed to call back to them every day and fill them in on his progress. If his calls ever stopped, they would know that we killed him. Also, he was promised that if he could get to you, he could have you. This deal motivated him to put effort into his coven's plans" Rosalie explained.

Alice jumped back in the conversation "Second, Arnaud's coven will soon send two more scouts in the next few weeks, if not days. If they are taken out by us as well, then they will send three more in their place. This will go on until they eventually get to you. Their main mission is to drain you dry of your blood. Also, as if this wasn't bad enough—" I frowned at her remark and she sent me an apologetic look and then continued "this 'Renard' or 'Fox' coven, might not be the only one to come searching for you. Edward was able to pick up on how hurried and competitive Arnaud's thoughts were. It seems that his coven is under a lot of pressure to get to you first. We don't know the exact reason why different covens are fighting to reach you before others can. Jasper suggested that it could be for simple bragging rights, but it's not much of a lead."

My mouth opened and closed repeatedly as I struggled for words. Everyone wants to kill me! Eventually I just looked down at my shoes, horrified by the revelation. Was this ever going to end? Was I just fooling myself, thinking I could have a quiet and happy life here in Forks?

"But, why do they want my blood? You guys can't smell any difference" I managed to choke out.

Esme looked sorrowful and Alice chewed her lip, debating what to tell me. Rosalie broke the tension and relented with a sigh "May, the third thing Edward managed to get from that pathetic creep was pretty disturbing…but I think you need to know what it was." She paused and judged my expression to make sure I was okay for her to continue.

She went on "Apparently, Arnaud's coven seems to believe these rumors. The rumors that the Fox coven heard lead them to believe that the first year after a female vampire-human hybrid's eighth birthday, her blood becomes extremely potent with newly matured hormones and pheromones. For that certain window of time, she becomes any unmated male vampire's singer" Rosalie took in my confused face and elaborated "Well, it would make sense! None of us gals caught a difference in your scent…a—and none of the guys could either, because they had all found their mates! Also, Edward said that Arnaud had developed obsessive feelings over you, while simultaneously craving your blood like a drug addict after a dose of crack" she joked and gave a smirk in a small attempt to lighten the mood.

The couch was vibrating, I glanced at Embry and saw that he was shaking in anger. He bolted from the room, mumbling out a hurried "Excuse me."

I was frozen in shock. It felt like hours had passed while I took in the information, although it was only mere seconds. Questions buzzed through my mind, flying a mile a minute, and my skull felt like it contained a hive of angry bees.

I fought to pick out a single question from the dozens "What about Renesmee? She doesn't have this problem!" I cried.

Bella turned to me, speaking slowly and through a daze as she realized points in Rosalie's comment could actually be true. "Renesmee just turned nine a few weeks ago. Her scent would be calmed down by now. Before that, when she was still eight and going through that first, mature year, the only unmated male to come around here was—oh my gosh…Nahuel! That was the reason why he went crazy after catching her scent!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand.

At that moment, Alice inhaled a sharp breath and her eyes appeared unfocused. I had seen that look enough times now to know that she was having a vision. She gasped began clutching her head with a grimace. That, however,was not a normal part of the routine she went through when catching a glimpse of the future.

Esme crouched down and tried, to no avail, to comfort Alice as she cried out in pain. She was gripping the rug she currently sat on with a hold that was so strong, she made the fibers snap.

Finally, after a few seconds, she relaxed. Her breathing was accelerated and shallow. She kept her eyes closed and she tried to speak. "Nahuel is here, I saw him meet the guys out in the clearing."

Bella looked shocked and slightly puzzled, "A vision of Nahuel was enough to put you flat on your back?"

Alice shook her head weakly. "N-no. That was the first vision I had."

I swallowed nervously and hesitantly peeped out the question we all were wondering "What was the second vision, then?"

Alice was silent as she blinked back tears that would never fall. She licked her lips and managed to utter a single word.

"Volturi"

Translations:

-Salut, mes amis = Hello, my friends

-Les loups stupides… = Stupid wolves…

AN- Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Did it answer some of your questions? Do you have any theories? Do you have new questions?

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