Author's Note: Okay, I know this chapter is kinda short, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back to this if I didn't upload it now. Also, for herokenz: for some reason, I couldn't message you, but to answer your question, I do plan on doing other pairings eventually once I get ideas for them. This story is going to be pretty long with a lot of story arcs so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to get to other stories, but I'm planning on eventually doing a Bella/Irina story, Bella/Leah, Bella/Tanya, Bella/Rosalie...maybe even Bella/Jane. I just need to get the ideas flowing first, and maybe find some more time for writing, and I'll post them if I get to them, although I can't guarantee the insane updating I've been doing now. Sorry for the long author's note everyone, and thanks for reading!

Chapter 21

Realizing that there had actually been outside of their bedroom was bad enough, but learning that three vampires, plus her own mate, hadn't been able to detect any sounds, smells, or even anything unusual besides what had happened to their bedroom door had B freaking out in a way that even she had never felt before. The only thing that kept her clinging to her sanity was Kate, who was holding on to her tightly, kissing her cheek, neck, and head and assuring her that they were going to find this thing and take care of it, and that they'd all be safe. B had to believe that, not just because she already couldn't imagine anything happening to any member of the family, but because it was Kate saying that. Kate, who was a fighter. Kate, who would never let anything happen to not just B, but to her entire family.

These vampires were strong. There's no way anything could happen to them.

"B," Tanya's calm, kind voice broke the shifter out of her desperate thoughts, and B looked up from her hands into Tanya's warm golden eyes. "We're going to keep you safe," the vampire promised. "But you're going to have to stay here for a while until we get things sorted out, okay?"

B nodded, but then came to a realization. She looked up at Kate and asked, "Are you sure you're going to be able to handle that?"

"Handle what?" Kate asked, her brow scrunching in confusion.

"Me, unmarked, being around your entire family...them getting to see me naked…"

"Nobody is going to see you naked in this house, do you hear me? Nobody!" Kate snarled, eyes suddenly black but alight with an instinctive overprotectiveness as she tightened her hold on Kate.

"Not even half naked?" Kate growled and viciously shook her head. "Promise? Even if you try to change your mind?" B persisted as she absently took Kate's hands, tracing patterns on the back of Kate's hands with her thumbs.

"Fucking hell I promise, and there's no way in fuck that I'm changing my mind! No one is seeing you naked. Got it?" The last question was directed at the other four vampires in the room, who all nodded, Irina dryly holding her hands up in a defensive way.

"Okay, so that means nobody, including Kate, is allowed to see me naked while I'm in this house. Good to know...but I wonder how long Kate is going to be able to survive like that…" B mumbled, pretending to herself, but with an evil glint in her eyes. She knew when Kate realized what had just happened because Kate's grip on her slackened, and the other vampires were clearly trying, and failing, to hold in their laughter.

"But...but...I take it back, no one but me. No one but me is allowed to see you!" Kate tried to backtrack, but it was too late.

"Sorry babe, you promised," B said, relaxing into Kate as she consolingly patted Kate's hands. Looking up and seeing Kate's horrified expression had B cracking up, and it felt amazing. Even facing the most terrifying thing in the world, just being with Kate, messing with her, made everything feel like it was going to be okay.

"Come on! That's not fair!" Kate protested.

"You walked right into that, didn't you Kate? Maybe now you'll learn to think before you speak," Irina teased, making Kate turn to glare at her.

Then she turned that glare on B. "It is on, you get me?" Kate murmured, making sure to keep her mouth against B's ear. "I'm going to have you begging for mercy in all sorts of ways by the time I've finished with you."

B shivered, but didn't back down. "It's about time you show me the big bad vampire that you claimed to be. I wouldn't have it any other way." Their eyes met and held, electricity arcing between them. In that moment, nothing else existed out of their own competitive bubble.

"The other problem is that Kate wasn't able to hear anything even when...whatever it was came right up to your bedroom door." At Tanya's words, Kate's head snapped up, a snarl tearing out of her throat. "We have no idea when or how the thing is getting so close, and it seems like the only one able to sense and hear the thing is you."

B grimaced. "Right."

"So what do we do?" Kate asked, strangely serious as she turned to her family. "It's not like B can just not sleep until we catch it."

"That's what we're working on. For one thing, we don't know if whatever this is is actually after B or you, or if it simply came across you by chance. We're going to have to ask B to keep an eye and ear out, and Kate, if she seems to even feel a little uneasy while she's sleeping, you will wake her up."

Every moment B spent around them, B would find herself understanding more about their family. As for right now, B was understanding more and more about why Tanya was the leader. It wasn't just about age, it was about her ability to handle situations and keep everyone calm, or at least keep them on track. Of course, she'd have to be strong, having Kate as a sister for all of those years.

"Here you go, mija," Carmen murmured, handing B a plate of food. B felt everyone look at Carmen for a long moment, and realized the Spanish woman looked embarrassed, almost as if she had said something she hadn't meant to. Deciding to just find out what mija meant on the internets thingy, B filed the word away for a better time and thanked Carmen for the food before digging in.

"It's fine. I'm actually happy you feel that way, Carmen," B heard Kate whisper in an incredibly low and fast voice, and Carmen smiled at B in return. B wondered how they did that. She couldn't imagine saying something so quickly without getting tongue tied and making a fool of herself. Moving her mouth to attempt it, she was once again distracted, only this time by Eleazar.

"B, I would love to figure out how well you can hear. It would really help us in the long run," Eleazar said seriously, crouching down so he could capture the smaller girl's attention.

"Yeah, of course," B quickly agreed with a nod, before taking another bite of Carmen's food. She let out a happy moan; Carmen's food really was the best.

"Hey, I'm the only one allowed to make her moan like that," Kate joked with a playful glare at Carmen, making B choke on her food. As B coughed and struggled to swallow, Kate thumped her on the back, all the while looking at B with mischief in her eyes. "You okay there, Kitten?"

"Yeah," B muttered, giving Kate a look to warn her off of any future comments while she was eating. It looked to be that when Kate said it was on, she meant it was on in all ways.

To get back at her, B started to squirm and grind in Kate's lap as she ate, making sure to moan. "Mm, so good," she said in a breathy voice, and felt Kate's chest vibrate as she growled. "You're the best, Carmen."

"You do realize that's my wife, right? You can't have her," Eleazar said, but despite his poker face, his eyes sparkled, letting B know he was enjoying her messing with Kate almost as much as B was.

"Damn, are you sure?" B asked, feigning disappointment, which made Kate snarl and try to grab her so she could pull B back into her body. Instead, B hopped up, leaving a hot and frustrated Kate. "Too bad, then I better get to work. I've got ears to test, after all."

"You're going to pay for that, B, just you wait," Kate swore, but B just laughed it off.

"So, how are we going to do this thing?" B asked, looking at Eleazar as she walked outside, him following her.

"I'm just going to tell you how far I hear, and we're going to compare it to you," Eleazar explained. "I'll go first." Closing his eyes and expanding his senses, he started listening for everything and anything. "The farthest I can hear is about forty miles out. To the right of us is a herd of deer, about eighteen of them…"

"Six males, eleven females, and two fawn," B finished, and Eleazar opened his eyes to stare at B in shock. "Their weight and the racks of the males make different sounds when they walk," B said, answering Eleazar's unasked question. "There's also a wolf another thirty yards out, probably about to try and snag a meal."

"Right." Eleazar shook his head a little, clearly shocked. "Anything else that I need to know?"

"My kind tend to be weaker physically that vampires, but also a whole lot faster. We can still hurt and kill vampires in quite a few situations because our speed can give us an advantage. We're also a lot more flexible and acrobatic," B added, knowing that Kate was listening in. "We can use that to our advantage quite a bit, especially when it comes to wrapping around vampires to make it harder for them to grab us." Kate let out a snarl that had B choking on laughter. Eleazar tried to give B a disapproving look, but he couldn't fight down his smile. "We also have some magic at our disposal when it comes to shifting and the like. I'm sure Kate remembers what happened on the full moon…" B hopped into the air, flipping over Kate's head as Kate attempted to charge her. "You really need to work on your impulse control," B tutted as Kate turned, looking ready to charge her again.

"Well if you weren't such a damn tease, I wouldn't have impulse control problems," Kate grumbled.

"Yes you would!" Irina, Tanya, and Carmen all responded immediately from inside. B had to fight down laughter again as Kate threw a glare back towards the house.

"Traitors!" Kate shot back, then focused on B. "So, Isabella, do you wanna try wrapping yourself around me?"

"Tempting," B said, pretending to consider it. While it was quite tempting, B wasn't going to give in. No matter how much B craved Kate, Kate had to earn her. It was the way her people worked. "But no. I think I'd rather attempt wrapping around Eleazar first."

"Hell no!" Kate lunged, and B darted over the railing so Kate wouldn't destroy any part of the house. Soon B was running, Kate chasing after her with a strong determination, although both were keeping close to the house, just in case.

"Wait, what about training?" Eleazar called after them, but neither seemed to hear him, too focused on the game of chase and catch they were playing. Throwing his hands up in the air, he started to mutter about dangers and responsibilities, but Carmen placed a hand on his shoulder, calming the man as she turned him around to face her.

"They'll come inside eventually, my love. For now, just let them play. It's been a stressful morning for the both of them," Carmen murmured, running her hands through his hair and kissing him on the lips.

Eleazar relaxed, although he still seemed to be put out. "Fine. But we will start working on dealing with this threat. Today."

"Of course," Carmen agreed with a nod and a loving smile as Eleazar's arm wrapped around her waist. "But for now...how about we go upstairs?"

Completely focused on his mate, Eleazar let out a hungry growl, scooping up Carmen into his arms and rushing her to their room. It would be good, he reasoned, for he and his mate to have some fun as well. Besides, who was he to ever turn down his mate?