Chapter 25

I went from feeling sick to feeling like hell. I literally felt like hell. My whole body shook with sudden tremors. I was sweating like crazy and Jacob told me my skin was hotter than his.

Jacob sat with me on the bed. He looked tortured and I wish that he didn't have to see me this way but I was too selfish to tell him to go. I didn't want to be alone I was so scared. "Nessie sweetie what is wrong?" He begged.

"I don't know." I whispered. "I'm so cold." It was so hard to remain conscious and to talk normally.

"How can you possibly be cold? You're hotter than I am."

"Jacob, I don't know anything and I'm so scared." Tears overflowed and ran down my cheeks.

"I know but you don't have to be, I swear to you we will figure it out. Nothing will happen to you. You're dad on his way with your mom and Carlisle. I'm going to have to go soon."

"No, please don't." I begged holding on to him with all the force I had. Just the thought of him being away sent me into a panic attack.

"I have to. I won't let them go alone. I will protect you at all cost." The way he said it didn't please me it felt like he was saying he was going to die and I don't care how sick I was, I was not going to allow that.

"Swear you'll come back to me."

He nodded. "I will always come back to you. But you have to promise to hold in there, wait for me."

"I will. I just wish I knew what was wrong with me, I feel so horrible like I don't…..like I want to come out of my skin."

He looked concerned. "That's not good." He held me close to his chest. I could hear his heartbeat.

The door creaked open and Seth came in. "It's 2 hours till sundown, you want me to do anything."

Jacob didn't look up. "Gather the pack, I'll join you guys when Edward and Bella arrive."

Seth nodded. "I'm sorry man. I wish I could do something for her."

"I do too." He put his chin above my head and held me there. "Baby, Nessie I'd give the world not to see you like this." He said with his warm voice and against my will I drifted into unconsciousness.

"Renesmee." My mother's voice was what brought back to reality. I struggled to open my heavy lids. My mother hovered over me.

"Jacob what's going on?" My dad asked.

"You think if I knew I would be sitting here doing absolutely nothing for her." He snapped.

"Jacob." I mumbled.

He kissed me on my forehead. I was still in his arms. "I'm right here." He whispered.

"Jacob, lie her on the bed I need to check her out." My grandfather asked. I looked around the room, everything was blurry and unclear.

"I have to go." I heard Jacob say. "Anything new?"

My dad sighed. "They're here, they turn into…their forms in half an hour max. When in their forms they'll follow the scent here."

The door creaked open but I couldn't see who it was, my dad and my grandfather blocked my view. "Jacob, I need to talk to you." I recognized Paul's voice.

"Just tell me now, right here." Jacob replied. Paul came into view.

"I don't know how you're going to react but you have to understand I have my priorities, I have to take care of my own."

"Say it!" Jacob hissed.

"I don't think Nessie and Maribel should be here….that's puts Rachel and Jeremiah at risk and I won't allow it, I can't." He spoke with regret. My eyes shifted to look at Jacob who remained silent. "Sorry."

Jacob looked up. "No I get it. You're right but I just don't know where to take them."

My dad looked over to them. "Our house is still empty and our scent lingers, take them both there." He turned to my mother "Stay with her there. I have to go with them so I can see what their plan is." My mother's eyes widened. "Bella I will be perfectly fine, I promise you nothing will happen to me or our daughter. Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Edward I…." My mom began.

He put his hands on either side of her face. "Do you trust me?" she nodded. "Then stay with her."

She took a deep breath. "Just….be careful."

"I will."

"I'll take her to the house and Seth will take Maribel." Jacob began. "Paul go meet the pack and tell them that the Cullen house is off limits, let no one cross that perimeter. Push them back as far as possible and let no one through, keep track of them there are nine." He looked over to my dad for reassurance.

"More or less I can't know their true numbers, Javier couldn't tell me. But nine sounds about right."

Jacob turned back to Paul. "Avoid getting cut by them."

"It won't infect you but it will make you weaker for a period of time but that's all no other change will happen." My dad explained.

"I'll meet ya'll by the river behind the house. There I will choose two to stay behind with Nessie and Maribel, the youngest." He came over to me and picked me up without effort.

"I'll meet the pack." My dad walked over to me. I had missed them so much all I wanted to do is hug them both.

"Put me down." I mumbled.

"Nessie are you sure?" Jacob asked. I nodded, reassuring him. Reluctantly he helped me to my feet though he kept one arm on me in case I lost my balance which was likely.

I reached my mother first. She hugged me tightly. "I missed you mom."

"I did too. Everything is going to be okay." She promised.

Next I hugged my dad. "I missed you too." He replied knowing what I was going to say. "You'll be fine." He assured me. With that accomplished I let Jacob keep me up. My knees wobbled beneath me, my breath was hitched. I had never felt this way. The only time I felt even close to this was Halloween night.

"Nessie look at me?" My dad requested. I did what he asked, confused as I was. He looked into my eyes. "Carlisle her eyes are darkening."

"Wh-what does that m-mean?" I struggled but I got it out. He looked away as did my grandfather. "Dad, what does that mean?" I said in a stern voice.

"Edward, just say it." Jacob was just as inpatient to know.

"Edward, please." My mother begged.

"Their eyes are onyx colored." He said almost inaudibly. That didn't help me at all but apparently my grandfather knew exactly what he was talking about. My mom and Jacob still seemed confused.

"Who are they?" She asked.

He looked unsure, like he didn't want to say it. "Them. The Children of the Moon." It hit me hard. That only means their venom is still in me, that means……..that I'll be one of them.

"No! This can't….no, no, no! I can't please no, dad!" I began to shake uncontrollably and my words began to slur. I was sobbing. "Dad, please don't let me become that." I struggled to catch my breath. I buried my face into Jacob who was frozen in shock. "Dad, do something?"

"Nessie I don't know what to do." He said through his teeth.

"Bite her." Jacob said in a hurry. No one could believe what he was saying not even I.

Naturally my dad was about to object but was cut off by someone storming into the house. Jesse came in wearing only some jeans. "They're here. If you're going to take them I'm pretty sure you've got one shot before they catch the scent."

"Where is everyone?" Jacob asked.

"In the clearing, where they're supposed to be." Jesse replied.

"How many of us are they're?"

"Eleven including you and me there are eleven.. Seth is –" I was sure he was going to announce Seth's arrival but there was no need to, he came in just at the right time.

"Emmett, Rose, Alice, Jasper, and Esme are minutes away." My dad announced.

"Let's go." In one swift moment Jacob lifted me into his arms. "Seth, take Maribel to the Cullen house. Jesse, escort my sister and her baby to Sue's then meet us back by the river, five minutes Jesse, go. The moon is already up." Jesse disappeared with Seth behind him. Seth came back with Maribel.

My dad began to give out the rest of the plan. "Carlisle the family will show up in about 5 minutes I can hear their thoughts tell them to meet us by the river. Tell someone to stay with Sue just in case."

Jacob was out the door first and everyone followed him out. He didn't phase he ran in his human form.

I hung onto him. My hands gripped his shirt with as much force as I had. I felt the cool air pass me by. We ran for a few minutes until he slowed to a walk. I looked up and we had arrived to our house. Well our old house. Behind us my dad walked up to the door and gave the knob one turn and it opened, apparently there was no key.

"Take her upstairs to the second door on the left." My father said. The house was relatively empty. All the furniture was covered in white sheets and moved down to the basement.

Jacob took me into the room I remember as being the guest room it was one of the two rooms that didn't have a glass wall. The other room had the glass wall that looked over the river.

He sat me down on a black couch. My mother came in but kept a distance, sensing we wanted to say a few words to each other.

"I have to go." He said with reluctance. "But I will be back, I will make good on my promise and you make good on yours, never let go, I know you can get through this." He whispered with his hands on either side of my face and his forehead against mine. "I will be back before dawn." Dawn. That wasn't too long but it would feel endless.

"I love you." I managed to say in a steady voice.

"I do too, I love you more than you'll ever know." He brushed his lips against mine before he rose to his feet. My mom approached us.

"Be careful." She said.

He nodded. "Take care of her." With that he was out the door. Outside the door I heard Seth and Maribel.

"Don't be scared they won't get to you." He assured her.

"I don't care about that I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine, I can take care of myself." He pecked her on the cheek and he opened the door for her to come in. She walked over and sat next me. "Bye."

She smiled sadly and watched him walk out the door.

Everyone was very silent. No one was quite sure what to say. We remained this way until my dad came in said goodbye to my mom.

"Jacob is going to send Jesse and Ethan. They shouldn't be long."

My mom nodded. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Yes, Jacob has a plan the family will follow it as well. The just is that we lead them far away and we must kill them before dawn. We'll be fine." Fine. It seems as if though that was the only word they could use. Jacob had said it and so had Seth, I just hope they're right.

"What about Nessie?" she asked in a lower voice though I could still hear her.

"I'll be back by midnight and we'll figure it out."

Minutes after he left Jesse appeared at our door. "Hi, I just came up to assure you Ethan and I are down below if you need anything." He wasn't his usual self, he seemed tense.

"You must be Bella." He said looking over to my mom.

"Yeah I am. I'm sorry I didn't get your name."

"Jesse."

"Well thank you very much Jesse." My mom replied.

"No problem."

The minutes went by ever so slowly. My temperature remained the same though my body didn't shake as often. I knew I wasn't getting better. The atmosphere was so intense no one spoke. At about 10pm my mother got up from her seat and went out the door. She left the door open and I saw her go into the office. I heard her shuffle through drawers and slamming cabinets.

"What's going on?" Maribel asked.

"I'm not sure." As I struggled to get to my feet I heard ferocious growls come from outside. I stumbled across the hall and into my mom and dad's old room. It had a glass wall, there I would see what was going on. Maribel followed close behind.

Down below I saw a white wolf and a dark brown wolf with a hint of gray. It was Jesse and Ethan but that wasn't what had my heart going out of control it was what was before them. It was a monstrous…thing. It was one of them, children of the moon. He was a black beast. I heard his threatening growl and it made me gasp in shock. He snapped his head up and looked me dead in the eye.

"Maribel go!" I shrieked. I tried to get back but stumbled over my feet in the attempt. When I looked up I saw the glass wall shatter. I ducked for cover.

I was afraid to look up again but I did. Standing before me was the werewolf. They carried the same surname but were in no way similar to the La Push pack. He stood tall with his nostrils flaring, his eyes a onyx black. He put his four feet on the ground and circled around me.

"Don't be scared, I won't hurt you, at least not yet." He said with the same growling voice. It was husky but quite understandable. I saw the smile on his face as he saw my fear. "I see you aren't completely immune. Maybe with a little extra help you'll be useful to me."

"What do you want?"

"Isn't it clear? I want you. I have to admit my first intention was to kill you, of course but seeing as you as so very rare how could I do such a thing? I want you to help me. To think what a part vampire and human could do just brings joy to my heart."

It felt like minutes had passed but it had only been seconds. My mother was the first to enter followed by the white wolf, Ethan at his heels. The large black wolf had a hold on me within seconds of their arrival. I couldn't fight against him. I was too weak to even stand up.

He had his arms around me. One of his hands fingered the almost gone scar on my neck.

My mother's eyes darkened as she crouched down.

"Well what do we have here? Vampire, perhaps." He mocked. My mother growled. "So defensive but yet very beautiful, you must be the mother of this astonishing creature." That did it for her she prepared for attack. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Violence isn't necessary. There is no need for a fight I've completed half of our mission. The other part can wait. I've got what I need."

Jesse made his approach. He circled around us.

"You are too a very interesting creature much like us but at the same time not so much." He held me as a shield to his body so no one could attack without hurting me. In the mist of it all deep in the forest I heard a wolves howl. Jacob.

"You're quite in demand my little lady." I could feel his too warm breath on my neck. I flinched.

"Let her go." My mother hissed.

"How I wish I could please such a beautiful individual but I regret to inform you that it will not be possible. You see I've gone to many extremes to reach this point and it would be….stupid of me to quit now." Growls came from all three. "How I wish I could stay but as it seems I have a few things to do tonight. I trust this won't be the last time I'll be seeing you." He backed us both to the broken wall.

Jesse and Ethan blocked our exit. "I will be as respectful as possible. Would you both kindly let us through." Jesse and Ethan made no attempt to move. "Let me make this easier for you to understand. Move or this dear one will pay." His right hand rose up to my neck.