A/N: Thanks so much for the response to the last chapter! This one may be short, but it's huge for the story. I'm excited and really nervous about it at the same time. I hope you enjoy!

Blood Moon

~Chapter Fourteen~

Master Plan

Renesmee woke up slowly, fading in and out of consciousness. She blinked and turned her head to the side. Her vision was blurry, but she didn't recognize anything around her. She took a deep breath and attempted to sit up. She was too weak to move much. Confused, she tried to remember what had happened.

She had realized that she was still in love with Jacob and wanted to tell him. Just when she was going to, he'd growled and looked to the woods like there was a Bloodsucker around. She didn't wait to see what was going on; she'd closed and locked the window before getting in her bed, terrified for Jacob. She'd held Ephraim close and prayed her Shifter would be okay. A few moments later, she'd heard a click and a snap then her window slid open. She had thrown the covers off, hoping that it was Jacob. Of course it was too much to wish for. The white-haired Bloodsucker stood staring at her with a sadistic smirk. She drew in a breath to scream. He had streaked across the room and put his freezing palm over her mouth.

"Hush," he said. His voice was little more than a hoarse whisper. "I can't have you alerting the Shifters yet. Don't worry; I won't hurt you much." He pulled a syringe from his cloak and smiled again. Renesmee whimpered and tried to wriggle away from him, but his arm was immovable. She closed her eyes tightly and screamed as best as she could when he pushed the needle into her bicep. He put the syringe away and stood up with her. Her head was clouded by the time he reached the dresser. She saw him take out a piece of paper and set it on top. He smiled at her again. His face became blurry, then everything went dark.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it and understand more. The space around her was still unfocused, but she was able to see objects more clearly. She was in what looked like a room in a log cabin. It was empty aside from her, a metal cart with various things set out, and the table she'd been laid out on. She took a slow breath and noticed the scents of alcohol, wood, and something sweet she couldn't place. She tried again to sit up. When she couldn't, she lifted her arm. It felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. She looked at her hand for a moment before she put it back down and closed her eyes. Aside from the weakness, she seemed to be okay physically. She wasn't in any pain, at least. She sighed and thought of Jacob. She had to trust that, somehow, he would find her.

~*~Blood Moon~*~

Jacob followed the scent trail, dedicating every vengeful though to the Bloodsucker and what he was going to do to it once it was found. The letter kept running through his mind. What had the Bloodsucker meant by I will do my best to make sure she does not die at my hands? If Jacob found her in anything less than perfect condition, he would make damn sure the Bloodsucker suffered as slow and painful a death as he could give.

Found anything yet? Quil asked. It was hard for him to focus with his alpha's thoughts and the strongly conflicting emotions attached to them. He knew exactly how much Renesmee meant to Jacob; he'd be just as lost if it had been Claire.

No, but I still have a trail. Simply following the trail was just as easy as Jacob had imagined it would be. The damn Bloodsucker had left several scent trails. It was up to Jacob and his pack to find the right one. You guys?

I lost my trail a few yards back. Still looking for anything else, Seth answered.

I still have a trail, too, but I haven't found anything. Embry sniffed the air again and grunted. Fuck. Scratch that; lost another one. He stopped and sniffed around, hoping for anything that resembled Renesmee's scent.

Jacob growled. If he didn't actually need every Shifter to find his imprint, he would have castrated Embry and sent him to another country. He'd already promised to do just that if Renesmee was harmed. Jacob couldn't help but think of all the possibilities that could have happened if he'd gone back himself. He could have protected her.

Or maybe you both would have been killed, Quil thought. It wasn't his fault, Jake.

Jacob growled again.

I got something else, Seth announced. He followed it east.

When we do find her, the fucker is mine, Jacob said harshly. And if he's done anything to her, none of you will touch her. That is an order; I'm not having any of that first imprint bullshit. He shivered at the thought that she could have been bitten. It didn't seem like something the Bloodsucker would do if he wanted to play with Jacob. He was probably torturing her instead. Jacob shook himself and sniffed again to keep his trail.

~*~Blood Moon~*~

Renesmee listened intently to the silence around her. It was eerily quiet. Her whole life had been filled with noise. Even in quiet moments, there was always some noise around her. In Chicago, it was the sounds of cars, trains, airplanes, or people chattering in the distance. Here in Washington, it was the sounds of birds singing or insects chirping. She had taken all those sounds for granted; they were always there like background music. Now, as she listened for even the tiniest flutter, there was nothing but the sound of her own breathing. The silence was deafening.

She had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been hours or days before she finally caught the faintest of sounds. It was a creak so miniscule she wouldn't have heard it if she hadn't been concentrating so hard. She opened her eyes and gasped at the sight of the white-haired Bloodsucker standing on the other side of the room next to the door.

"Good morning," he said in a soft, musical voice. It seemed nothing like the raspy whisper from the last time she remembered seeing him.

"Who are you and what do you want?" she demanded.

He smiled and came closer. She tried to jerk away when he put his hand on her ankle, but he held her securely. "Renesmee . . . that's an interesting name. I know a lot about you, you know. I know you came from Chicago with your parents. I know you did well in school and that you were considering staying in Forks for the Shifter. Your grandfather, now that was a surprise for me. Who knew the one person who could prove my point the clearest is the granddaughter of the first person I ever took from Jacob. It's almost too perfect, isn't it? He did tell you about me, didn't he?"

She wasn't sure how to respond to him. She licked her lips and tried to sit up. He pushed her back down and chuckled.

"Don't try to get away, Renesmee. I'm surprised that he didn't tell you about me." He clicked his tongue and placed his hand on her knee. "My name is Caius. I grew up in Roma, Italy in the late eighteenth century. My sire—the one who changed me—once believed he could control me, but of course I was the one with all the power. I defeated him easily and went on my own. I've always had a heart for science. I studied the effects of the venom and why it had changed me as it had. I did countless experiments to try to find an antidote just to say I had one. I've come close, but my subjects died instead of turning back to human.

"In my wanderings and discoveries, I learned of the Quileute Shifters and came to study them twelve years ago. Your boyfriend and his puppy killed my fellow scientists, but I escaped. It was so much fun teasing him." Caius stepped over to the metal crate and picked up a vial and a syringe. "I studied them from afar instead and watched their movements. I read their histories, and the more I learned, the more intrigued I became. An immortal with a heartbeat and ability to heal themselves quickly? What a fantastic thing. I've enjoyed my experiments, and it would only be better if some of my subjects regenerated as quickly as the Shifters could." He filled the syringe with the liquid and tapped the air out. "So I've spent the last ten years perfecting this. My failed attempts were sent to your Shifters in one form or another. Now I believe it is ready, and who better to run the final test on than the alpha's imprint?"

Renesmee's eyes widened. A million thoughts ran through her head at once. She remembered the bonfire, and Jacob's words before the stories were told. The Quileute people believe that sometimes a man just knows when he meets that one woman. You're my one woman. Had he been telling her then that he'd imprinted on her? It seemed so obvious now; the way they'd fallen in love so quickly and how hard he fought for her . . . Her eyes watered. How could she have put him through all that?

"Jacob's going to kill you," she spat. "He'll rip you apart."

Caius chuckled. "I highly doubt that, dear Renesmee. I've bested him for twelve years. He's too late anyway." He took her arm and pushed the needle through her skin. She gasped and tried to pull away. "When he sees you again, you'll either be dead or immortal. It'll be interesting to see if he or his puppies kill you. If they don't, and you survive, you'll thank me later. Why would you want to live your life as a mortal? Disease, famine, and death; you don't have to worry about these things as an immortal. And with a heartbeat, you'll be much more fun to play with." He put the needle down and looked at the door. He was silent for a second before his face turned into a sneer and he hissed. "Seems we're going to have company ahead of schedule. Damn that dog."

Renesmee clutched at her arm and cried out. It was already beginning to burn. Dull heat spread from the area up her arm to her chest. She heard the growl before the door crashed down and the huge russet wolf came through.

"How nice to see you again," Caius said with a sneer.

Jacob's eyes went to Renesmee on the table. She looked at him with an expression of pained terror that made his stomach heave.

Focus, Jacob, Quil said. You want him, you got him, but do it now.

Jacob shook himself and growled again. Quil, Embry, help me get him. Seth . . . He wasn't sure he could trust any of his pack to take care of Renesmee until the Bloodsucker was dead.

I got this, Jake. I'll get her somewhere safe. Trust me. Seth stepped up beside his alpha. Trust me.

"You're too late," Caius said with a calm façade. He moved slowly around the table, putting it between himself and the Shifters. "She's already been injected. Is it really worth it now? Very soon, she'll either be dead or a half-human Bloodsucker. A few days perhaps will tell us if it's worked."

Jacob couldn't let himself look at her again. Not when all he wanted to do was shift and carry her away himself. It was too dangerous still. He shook himself again and lowered his ears. Quil, Embry, follow my lead. Seth, get her out of here as soon as we've got the fucker out of the way.

The pack acknowledged the command. Seth stepped back and let the others do their job. Caius' smile disappeared when the shifters came toward him. He jumped to the ceiling and dug his fingers into the wood, clawing a hole to slip through. Pieces of lumber fell to the floor, just missing the table Renesmee was on. Jacob cursed. He wasn't going to let Caius get away again. The three Shifters went after him, catching up easily this time.

Once they were out of the room, Seth shifted and walked over to Renesmee. She was crying silently, holding her arm as though it were broken. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she jerked away, looking up at him with frightened eyes.

"Hi," he said. "Remember me? I'm Seth. I'm going to get you out of here." He picked her up. She was shaking and tense. "You're safe now, okay?"

Renesmee could just barely make out what he was telling her. She knew who he was and that he wanted to help her. She tried to relax, but the burning had already spread through most of her body. It hurt in a way she had never experienced before, like she was literally bursting into flame on the inside. Seth carried her out of the cabin. In the distance, she heard the Bloodsucker's screams. She cringed and tried to cover her ears. She pressed one ear to Seth's chest and listened to his heart. The rhythmic thumping didn't do much to block out the other sounds. She wasn't sure where they were going or how long it would take to get there. As the pain spread further and deeper, she began to feel woozy. Her head started to spin. She clutched at Seth's arms to keep from falling, even though he had a steady hold on her.

"You're okay, Ness," he told her. "I've got you."

It was the last sound she heard before everything went black.

A/N: Soooo . . . thoughts? Was it what you were expecting?

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