Trials of Introductions

Cullen Residence

The next morning, the Cullen family heard a familiar person enter their home. She didn't speak to them, and they didn't speak to her; she was entirely too focused on the eraser board in the living room that she brought up from Carlisle's lab.

"Are we going out of the country," the small brunette Newborn asked.

"These are covens that we'll need to convince to join the fight."

"That's a lot of vamps," Riley remarked.

"Not really, but they each have at least one gifted vampire in their coven. I should probably send for Nahuel's coven, too."

"Is he that Brazil guy?"

"Yeah."

"Do you wanna talk about yesterday?"

"Are you asking me to talk about my feelings?"

"It's giving my stone-cold body goosebumps just doing it, but yeah."

"I don't really want to. I want to finish this before the pack gets here. Besides, I already talked to Charlie."

"You could talk to us," Rosalie expressed. "We're family." The coven had come out earlier as Edie began to explain what she wrote on the whiteboard to Bree and Riley.

"There really isn't anything to talk about. Jacob is having a baby," she replied to her aunt, definitively. Then, she heard a familiar couple. "Speak of the devil. When is the pack getting here?" Just as well, the other wolves descended upon the Cullen residence. "Never mind." Half of the pack looked subdued while the other appeared submissive. The subdued half looked ready to work, but cautious and the submissive half didn't have the nerve to disagree with anything. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you, but you guys are here really early."

"We're ready to get to work," Paul responded.

"Where do we start," Seth yipped.

"What do you mean?"

"Training. For the Volturi?"

Edie's eyebrows nearly reached her hairline. "Yeah, right. I just have one question; what happened after I left, yesterday? I'm only asking because you guys are acting like someone kicked your puppy."

Did she forget? The Coven Pack wondered. Is this why she's so nonchalant? The gifted ones searched for any sign of that but found no evidence. Edward smoothly cross-examined, "There was a disagreement yesterday."

"About the baby?"

"Yes," Edward trod lightly.

"Man, I knew I should've stayed behind. The baby isn't going to hurt Jacob. He's, what? Five or six months pregnant? He's been okay all this time. He'll be fine to fight or do whatever he wants. The sooner we forget this idiocy; the sooner we can get on our new schedule."

"What's with the board," Collin queried.

"They're the places we're going to go," Alice answered for Edie. "Why do you want to ask for their help?"

Edie bluntly spoke, "Because there is no way that any of you will survive on your own. Unless you plan to run away? If you are, then good luck."

"You don't have any faith in us," Jasper alleged.

"Jasper, you are one of the most skilled fighters I have ever seen. Paul, a lot of your power comes from your aggression. Come with me." They were led outside to one of the open spaces on the property.

"You'll have us duel each other?"

"If I did that, then I wouldn't be able to prove my point. Bree to Paul; Handicap Three."

"Give the guy some dignity," Riley snorted.

"Riley to Jasper; Handicap Two," Edie said without pause. The two students attacked their opponents ferociously. Bree bested Paul without her right arm and left leg and Riley had defeated Jasper within three minutes. Edie handed Bree back her limbs. "Do you understand now?"

Embarrassed, Jasper admitted, "We could've been ready if we had taken your regimen seriously."

"I wasn't trying to humiliate you or make you feel bad about not listening to me," Edie addressed the Coven Pack. "Though, I do admit that seeing you in your place does give me a giddy feeling." Her smirk had made Jasper recall many occasions in which Edward had used his smirk.

He found it odd and unsurprising that he was able to recall such things now that he knew the true connection Edie shared with their family.

Once Paul was dressed, he went inside with everyone else. They were gathered around Edie's board. The list on it read: Irish, Egypt, Nomads, Tacuna, Amazon, and Denali.

"I was thinking about sending for help from our network of friends."

"Most of them will not be willing to fight against them, and I won't ask them to," Carlisle lectured.

"I know that. Alice, what do you think about my plan?"

The psychic was just coming out of her vision when she heard this. "It's not a bad one. I just don't know how I feel about lying to them."

"It's not lying. We're asking for their help. We can ask them what for when they get here. Now, we can call Siobhan and the Denali to come here; we just need someone to go to Egypt, Brazil, and someone needs to pick up Garrett."

"You want Garrett on our side," Rosalie groaned disbelievingly.

"Who's Garrett," asked Seth.

"According to Edie, he's this vampire from the Civil War or something," Riley answered.

Seth was impressed, to say the least. "American Revolution, actually," father and daughter chorused. Edward's gaze shifted away from her.

"That's even cooler."

"Rose and I will get him," Emmett volunteered. "Do you want anyone else?"

"Thanks, and no. There's no one else. None that I know, anyway. Alice, Jasper, would either of you mind going to Brazil?"

"No problem, just the Amazon then," Jasper assumed.

"There's another coven I need you to find. I'll send you their coordinates. If that doesn't help, then use your blind spots."

"Got it."

"I guess that means we'll take Egypt," Esme figured out for herself and Carlisle.

"It's settled then, we'll leave now. You should get going, Edie," the psychic suggested.

"Where? I'm not going anywhere…No. Absolutely not. We're calling the Denali."

"They'll cooperate more if you go in person. It'll speak to the urgency of the situation."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, I'll go."

"We'll go with you," Jacob spoke for the first time.

Denali, Alaska

In the end, the small family and Riley left in a car to Alaska. Bree stayed with the pack in Forks; she is working with them on agility and striking precision. Edward tried to break the silence in the car with his music. He saw that Jacob had his arms around his middle. Though, whether that was a conscious decision or not, he didn't know.

Riley poked Edie on the shoulder, "So, what's your deal with the Denali coven?"

"It's not a… it's…the Denali coven was there when I first started out in this world. They protected me, and then, Tanya and I had a falling out."

"I heard she was your ex." The Volvo suddenly came to a screeching halt. "Jeez, Cullen! You're carrying precious cargo." Edward murmured an apology.

"That falls into the category of none of your business."

"Which means yes."

They arrived at the snowy peak of the Denali mansion. Having heard them approaching, the Denali coven waited for them outside their home. Edward and Jacob got out of the car cautiously. At that moment, the couple was grateful that Jacob hadn't started showing yet.

"Edward, what brings you and your mate, here?" The Denali leader stood closer to them than her coven. "And Ms. Black Swan," the pitch of Tanya's voice went higher. "You're here as well. Who is your friend? I didn't see you at the wedding."

"I'm Riley. I got there late." Riley instinctively stood in the way between Tanya and Edie. In a common social setting, this would show possession of the romantic kind. However, Riley's possession of Edie was of the platonic kind, like one would have over a person they greatly admired. Though Tanya saw it as the former.

"Tanya, we're here because we need your help," Edward implored.

"What do you need?"

"We need you to come back with us to Forks."

"You could've called."

'That's what I said,' Edie pouted. Edward continued, "We felt it was necessary for us to come and express the urgency of the situation in person. The Volturi is coming for us and according to Alice's vision, they're bringing the wives."

Forks, Washington; Cullen Residence

They arrived at Forks less than a day later. When they arrived, the wolves were going at each other ruthlessly. Jacob almost broke them up until he saw that they were sparring, not fighting.

Bree went to Edie the moment she arrived. "I've had them on a cycle schedule since you left. Right now, were at the time where they're all awake."

"Why are they fighting as humans?"

"Well, I was thinking about what you said to me when my Gift started coming in. You said that I needed to know myself so I could have control over it. If we treat the shift like a Gift, then well, I don't have it completely figured out, but I thought it couldn't hurt to try it this way."

Edie patted Bree's head. "This was a great idea."

"Yeah," Jacob exclaimed. "I wanna get in there with them." And despite Edward's mental protest, he did. "Hey, so who's my partner?" No response. "Aw, come on. Just because I'm, you know, doesn't mean that I'm an invalid."

Edie walked away as if she hadn't heard them. "You won't train with your friends?" The Denali leader walked in-step with the hybrid.

"They're in good hands."

"I think they would be in better hands if they were in yours." Tanya grabbed Edie's hand gently and her pale russet knuckles with her snow-white thumb.

Quicker than Tanya liked, Edie removed her hand. "I taught Bree what she needs to know, and the pack is more than capable of doing whatever they put their minds to."

"Of course." She followed closely behind Edie.

"Listen, guys, what happened the other day…can we all agree to let it go? I don't want us fighting to be the reason that our pack splits up. I guess what I'm tryin' t' say is…"

"We get it, Jake." Embry stepped up. "I think we're all on the same page."

"We'll do anything to protect her." Seth's adamant voice cut through the pack.

"Which means we should stop wasting time," Sam interrupted. "We can't let a bunch of bloodsuckers show us up."

"Hell, no!" The pack chorused. They brought Jacob up to speed on what Bree had them working on. Soon, they sensed the overwhelming sickly-sweet stench of strange vampires. Immediately, all ten Quileute transformed into their wolf forms.

As they got closer to Forks, the red-eyed vampires that accompanied the coven or were sent by them caught the scent of wolves and charged in faster than their escorts.

"Uh-oh," Edward mouthed as he heard the approaching thoughts.

Both groups were at the point of attack, but they were stopped by an invisible wall. Ten wolves halted, and seven vampires were launched a hundred feet away.

'Thanks for the shield, Edie,' Seth exclaimed while the others murmured appreciatively.

"That wasn't me."

Edward took note of that and searched for the source. "Jake, it's you!"

'No, it's not me, it's…'

"What the bloody hell was that?" A tall vampire with eager eyes and long shaggy light brown hair tied with a leather strap got up first.

"It's a shield," Eleazar breathed.

The other red-eyed vampires quickly got up and went in again for the attack. This time, Edie took a stance; she pulled her shoulders back and swayed her neck. "Enough!" A familiar guttural voice escapes her mouth. Her eyes glowed neon green, her chest growled, and bundles of dirt started to levitate. Having seen that, Edie breathed in through her nose and out her mouth. "It's not polite to attack your hosts, especially on their land," her voice was passive and serene. The clumps of earth settled on the ground.

"This is Carlisle's land. Who are you?" The elder male Egyptian vampire.

Edward stepped forward, a foot's length from him. "Stand down Amun. She is part of our family."

"And the mutts?"

"They protect this land."

Rosalie and Emmett arrived in-time before the situation elevated further. Rosalie added, "Where is Carlisle? He was supposed to be with you."

"He told us he'd meet us here," a second Egyptian male approached with who appeared to be his mate. "This lovely woman is Tia, and I'm Benjamin, by the way."

"I like your style," Emmett commented with admiration. "My lovely wife here is Rosalie and I'm Emmett."

"Good to meet you, sir."

Meanwhile, the wolves shifted back and dressed. Jacob grazed his palm across his abdomen in amazement. 'Was that you, baby girl?' Jacob focused past his own heartbeat and solely on his baby's. Do, do-do, do-do. "I guess that's a yes."

"Was it really her," a member of the pack asked. Jacob didn't pay enough attention to know for sure.

"I think so; she wanted to protect me."

"It's like she's your armor. Like in Halo," suggested Collin.

"I guess," he mumbled.

"She's okay, Jake. I mean, we'd know if she wasn't, right?" Seth patted his alpha on the back as they watched Edie greet their guests.

"Yeah. I'm glad she is. Hey guys, you mind giving Seth and me a minute or two?" They shrugged and went inside the house.

"What's up, Jake?"

"Ed and I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Well, not that he needs it, y' know? Since the bad stuff kept me awake, we started talking about the good stuff. Stuff we wanted for Edie, for the future. We talked about the kind of people we wanted around her. We want people who'll protect her, obviously."

"Well, duh."

Jake shoved him playfully. "Then we realized that we have plenty of people who'll do that for us. So, we talked about what else we wanted for her. We want people who will keep her innocent for as long as possible. We want someone who'll have fun with her. Basically, we want someone to be her big brother."

Seth was puzzled. 'Not really sure where he's going with this.'

"Seth, will you be her godfather?"

"Whose godfather?"

"Edie's," Jacob replied patiently.

"Which Edie? That Edie," he pointed to the adult woman, "or that Edie?" He pointed to Jacob's stomach. "Wait! Which Edie are you talking about?"

"You're getting on my nerves, Seth," Jacob griped playfully. He gave Seth a noogie. "So, whatdaya say?"

"Yes, man!" They walked back. "So, who's the godmother?" A delighted scream was heard in the distance. "Rosalie?"

"Yup."

On the other side of the property, the vampiric guests were making their way inside the mansion. The vampires who had arrived first were Garrett the nomad, Amun and the rest of the Egyptian Coven (Kebi, Benjamin, and Tia), and two-thirds of the Amazon Coven (Zafrina, and Senna).

Edward got a text from Alice. "Alice says that Carlisle will be here in five minutes and she and her guests will be here in ten." It happened just like Edward recited.

Carlisle and Esme brought with them one more guest that wasn't on Edie's list; a vampire named Alistair. Alice and Jasper brought the missing member of the Amazon Coven, Kachiri, and two vampires that were strangers to everyone else minus Edie.

Putting that aside, Edie asked Alice, "When is Siobhan's coven getting here?"

"Now." A woman with a body that moves in smooth undulations and defines her lustful figure made her presence known. Siobhan had a muscular body with physical strength greater than the average vampire. She arrived with her mate Liam, and their adopted daughter Maggie.

Siobhan turned her attention to her old friend. "Carlisle, why did you gather us here?"

"Please take a seat, and I will explain." The vampires primarily sat on one side, and the wolves on the other. The two relative strangers stayed in the back of the room. Alice and Jasper stayed close to them to put them more at ease.

"I would like to thank you all for answering our call. For those who don't know, my name is Carlisle Cullen." The Patriarch introduced the rest of his family. "This is my wife Esme and our children; Jasper and Alice, Rosalie and Emmett, my first sire Edward and his husband Jacob. And of course, our newest edition, Edie."

"She's the one who chastised us before," Garrett interrupted.

"Perhaps she should do it again," Kate quipped flirtatiously, though she wouldn't admit it. "Since you clearly haven't learned your lesson."

"Perhaps you should be the one to teach me," Garrett answered with a sly smile. Edie smirked.

"Excuse me," Alice and Jasper's male guest voiced. He asked the time traveler. "You are…like me, are you not? Is that why you asked for us because we are the same?"

"What is he talking about, Carlisle," Alistair hissed.

"I brought you all here at Edie's request," Carlisle placated. There were protests all around from their guests.

A tall, dark woman with long straight hair focused her vision on Edie. Though her eyes crinkled when she didn't see terror or at the very least, confusion on the hybrid's face. "Please, Zafrina. I don't wish harm on any of you."

"You know my name," Zafrina accused. "What else do you know?"

"Let me show you." The vision Edie gave Zafrina showed the relationship they had as friends. Then, the Amazonian saw what the Volturi had done to her and her sisters.

Zafrina trembled. "Who are you? Why did you come here?"

"What did you see?" Siobhan demanded.

"Will you help me," Edie requested the Amazonian. "I need them to feel the experience to understand the graveness."

"How can I?" Zafrina felt two warm hands on her cheeks pulling her down. She rested her forehead on Edie's. The entire room transformed. The grass was dry and sparse, and the sky was painted black and red. At first, the vampiric guests saw what the Coven Pack had seen; a little girl sold to vampires with the compliance of her guardian. Then, the battle between the Olympic Coven and Jacob's previous pack versus the Volturi. Lastly, each person saw their demise first-hand; whether they died or were transformed into mutants.

Zafrina felt the warm palms slip away from her face. Everyone in the room became a bit shorter. No one spoke for fifteen minutes. The Coven Pack were contemplating what they had just experienced. It was one thing to hear the story or see it, it's another to experience it.

"How did you get all those memories," Emmett first spoke. "Were you there for all of it?"

"No, I stole them from Aro. Some he experienced, others he received from his minions."

"That is the power of your Memory Manipulation," Eleazar questioned Edie.

"Some of it, yes. I can look into other's minds and see what they've seen and through that process, their memory can become mine."

"That is a very powerful gift. Can you also use telekinesis? I saw the earth move when you confronted the others."

"Why are you asking her, it is your 'gift' to know for sure," Amun accused.

"It is, but she is blocking me. She is the first one to do it." Eleazar sounded mostly impressed.

"I'm only able to block you because I know you exist," Edie faced the Spaniard. "Your gift is so rare; after you died, I stopped blocking that part of me. It left me vulnerable to the next Ability Identifier, and that's why I left the Volturi as soon as I did. They discovered my mental power and Aro wanted to take me back to the dungeons."

"What were you doing there in the first place," Alistair interrogated.

"When Aro was made aware of my existence, he began hunting me down. I made the mistake of resisting Chelsea's influence."

"Why was that a mistake," Paul breathed.

"It only made him want me more. At the time, I was traveling with Esme and Jacob. He thought that I was going to be a powerful immortal. When he couldn't get me as a child and raise me, he changed his plans. After Esme died, I lasted thirty years until they captured me." She gave a slight chuckle. "I was pissed drunk! I didn't fight them when I was chained up. It wasn't until I was sober that I contemplated breaking out, but I still didn't leave."

"Why not," Seth asked.

"Mengele dosed me with powerful sedatives."

"That's a lie," Maggie from the Irish Coven proclaimed.

"You're right, it is. I will not tell you my reasons for staying."

"Why?"

"I am oath-bound by the customs of my tribe. And it's also none of your business." She toyed with her leather necklace. "My reason for bringing you here is because, at one point in time, we were all friends. Except for Amun. I don't particularly like him."

"If you didn't want Amun here," Benjamin inquired, "then how were you sure that I would come?"

"I wasn't. I hoped your curiosity would get the better of you."

"This has been enlightening," Amun stood. "We are leaving."

"Where would you go?" Edward's velvet tones cut through the room. "What's stopping them from going after Benjamin? Or Zafrina or anyone else with a gift? Their goal is power. Acquisition."

"If you are thinking about somehow using what you learned here as an advantage, then you're out of luck," Edie said to the back of the Egyptian's head. "Recently, I came into some knowledge about my ancestry, and I have placed a spell outside a certain radius from here that erases any mental memory you gain from here."

"You're bluffing."

"I assure you, I'm not." She stood a breath away from his face. "I won't be used, Amun. Benjamin may tolerate your rules and commands, but I certainly won't." Then, she addressed the rest of the room. "I won't ask you to fight. I'm only asking you to stay long enough for me to show you how to defend yourselves."

"She may not ask you to fight, but I will," Edward declared. "For the sake of my family, but also for yours and for the way you way you want to live."

The thick tension was cut as Jacob affirmed, "The pack will fight. We've never been afraid of vampires."

"And you are…" it was Huilen who asked.

"I'm the Alpha of this pack. My friends and I protect these lands from your kind."

"You?" Amun belittled the wolves.

"I wouldn't laugh; they helped kill nearly a hundred Newborns," Carlisle defended.

"Listen," Jacob's voice cut through the uproar of disbelief. "We don't have time for all this chit-chat. We have a whole tribe to keep alive. Plus, a million other innocent people. Are you with us or not?"

After a side glance at her mate, Tia uttered, "We will join you."

"No!"

"We will do the right thing Amun," Benjamin held Tia's hand. "You may do as you please." Each coven and Garrett voiced their support of the Cullens, except for Alistair. Though Edward read in his mind that he would take advantage of the defense preparation Edie offered.

Deep inhale, loud exhale. "Finally." The resident hybrid flopped on the couch ungracefully (by vampire standards). "I don't know if any of you remember that burning sensation when you hold your breath for a long time, but damn, I'm so happy I don't have to hold it anymore."

"Were you waiting for us to agree?"

"Yeah. I honestly like you guys. Every one of you has taught me things that helped me survive, really. I didn't want to have to send you away with the same probability of death." She stood and patted down her summer dress. Edie extended her hand to the elemental vampire. "I'm sorry if I was rude before. My grandmother wouldn't have approved of my behavior. I'm Edie Black Swan. It's a pleasure to meet you again, Benjamin."

"Likewise, Ms. Black Swan." He chastely kissed the back of her hand.

Edie then went to Tia and everyone else. Her last introduction was to Alice and Jasper's guests. "Hello, Nahuel. Huilen."

Nahuel saw her human eyes. "You are like me. Are you also my sister?"

"No. My father is American."

Carmen turns her eyes, full of pity, to Edie. "Tell me if I'm mistaken, but she's more solemn than we last saw her, is she not."

"Sunshine has had a tough time lately," Jacob answered. "We haven't made it easy for her to help us. Not that we even want that. I wish she would think about herself more."

"She will," Siobhan came to his right side. "Call it, mother's intuition. I believe that we are all looking for something better for our children. Forgive me for intruding. I couldn't help being drawn to you. You have a mother's heart. It could be because you have so many to care for."

"Yeah, maybe," Jacob wasn't convinced. Edward tucked his husband onto himself. At another glance, they saw that Edie had left.

"She'll be back," Alice assured them. "She just needed to tell Charlie that she's staying with us."

"What's up, Alice?"

"She's going to be gone a while. We need to talk. Edie thinks that Aro is still only after Edward and me, but she's wrong. They're after her now."

A cold shiver went through Jacob. "Why? She hasn't done anything. Right?"

"Jane's power didn't affect her, and she completely rebuilt Felix's arm after she disintegrated it."

"So, what?! She can do amazing things. Almost everyone in this room can do shit like that."

"Jacob, you know that she's special."

"No duh. Are you sure about this, Pixie?"

"Yes."

Jacob stripped off his plaid button-up shirt. His russet skin glowed. "Let's go guys. Call who you need to. I won't let her be taken from me." As he leaped out the doorway, Jacob transformed into his Alpha wolf self. It was left unsaid, but the words "we're not stopping" were clear in every wolf's mind.

"When will they come," Siobhan referred to the Volturi.

Alice predicted, "In more than a week, but less than a month. Edie wanted us together with enough time for us to become a cohesive team."

Edward shook his head fondly and still staring off at his wolf asked, "Are all of you still willing to fight?"

"Absolutely," was the consensus of the room.

"Well, then let's get started. They'll probably try to take me out first since I can anticipate their every move."

"If only we had a Shield," Garrett commented.

"We do, but we're trying to not involve her as much as possible," Carlisle answered.

"Who?" Realizing, "Wow! How many powers does she have?"

"That is not the topic right now," Rosalie stopped further discussion. "We need to create a barrier between us and the Volturi."

"I can help," Zafrina spoke. "I can create the illusion of a shield against the devil twins."

"You don't have to do that. I could do it myself."

"Bree, I thought you were with Edie," Esme assumed.

"I wanted to train with the wolves, but I'm glad stayed inside. Ms. Zafrina, was it? I can take care of Jane myself. The Volturi don't know about me and no offense, but since I'm smaller, I can hide better."

"Then what would you have me do?"

"We need the humans to stay away. Most of them will want to go camping since it's summer, so we need to give them a reason not to come to the national park."

"We need as many fighters as we can get."

"But what about Edie? She's a soldier. She won't let anyone keep her from the battlefield."

"This is about her safety, Jazz. That is our number one priority."

"But what about her number one priority? Our safety is what brought her here." Maggie, the lie detector, didn't believe that Jasper spoke the whole truth.

"Whatever her plans were when she came here, don't matter anymore."

"God, Edward. Do you hear yourself? I know what you're feeling–"

Edward didn't hear the rest, his wolf's thoughts interrupted them, 'Ed! Intruders! Heading to the house!'

Surely, two uninvited guests arrived at the branches of the trees a mile from the Cullen back porch. Their skin was pale like every other vampire, but it was also petrified; it made them look sicklier rather than permanently stunning. Jacob and the wolves growled at them as the white-haired petrified vampire beckoned them as if the wolves were puppies.

"Vladimir, Stefan, you're a long way from home."

Under her breath, Kate voiced, "What are they doing here?"

"We heard the Volturi were moving against you, but you would not stand alone," the white-haired one, Vladimir, announced.

"Whatever you heard–"

"We do not care what you did Carlisle."

The brunet, Stefan, spoke. "We have been waiting a millennium for the Italian scum to be challenged."

Excitedly, Vladimir asked, "Has Aro started gathering his witnesses, yet?"

"Aro's witnesses," the male Spaniard vampire questioned. After the wolves changed back, Eleazar explained. "When Aro wants someone from a coven, it's never long before evidence turns up proving that coven committed some crime. It happens so rarely, I never realized it was a pattern."

"Apparently, he always pardons one person whose thoughts he claims are repentant," Carlisle furthered.

"This person always has an ability and they're always given a place with the guard."

"What are they accusing you of," Irina directed at the Cullen patriarch.

Alice instead said, "They haven't made up their minds yet."

"Who hasn't made up their minds?" Edie came into the living room with Riley and saw the solemn group. Then, she saw the Romanians and her face contorted. "Gunoi!" (Scum!) She grabbed the petrified vampires by their neck and threw them on the forest floor. The sun setting on Forks enhanced her colorful features. Her supernatural snarl kept them on the ground.

A girl in a light-yellow sundress growling at them was laughable in a normal setting, but with the wind acting as her strength, bending the trees, and moving the wooden patio, the Romanians thought it would be best to stay down. Stefan and Vladimir respected brute strength, that's how they got their kingdom in the first place.

Her nails sharpened into dagger-like claws, each nail bore inside the necks of her victims as she raised them above the ground. "Why are you here, parasites?" She searches their minds. "I see." She throws them back on the ground. "I shouldn't've sent you to Egypt," she sighed.

"It's not your fault. Vampires are natural gossips; someone must have seen us. There, there." Esme rubbed Edie's half-bare back soothingly. Red eyes peered at the scene. "Now, why don't you take a nap, it's been a long few days for you, little one."

"Esme, I'm not a child," she yawned. All the wolves and most of the vampires found it adorable. "Since you are willing to fight the Volturi, then I'll be lenient; if you abuse us, I'll only kill you," she said with a serene grin. Though the grimness of her statement was softened by a long yawn. "Fine, I see your point. Charlie said I needed a nap, too. Can I use your room, Esme?"

"Of course, my girl."

"I've got your nightgown ready for you." Alice waited for her at the bottom of the stairs.

"It's gonna be a long nap, then," Edie assumed. Rosalie joined them upstairs to do her hair. Leah did too, claiming to want to sleep as well.

Edward thought to his mate, 'Leah doesn't trust the others to stay away from Edie, so she's going up there to guard her.'

'Between the arrival of Dracula One and Two and that Nahuel guy, I don't blame her. Did you hear what he was thinking about? It's just freaking creepy. She's basically a fetus!'

'I don't want those two anywhere near her,' Edward motioned to Stefan and Vladimir.

'Ditto on that. Though, I don't think they'll be a problem.'

'Tanya?'

'Yup.'

Esme, Alice, and Rosalie left as soon as Edie was asleep. Jacob was waiting for Esme outside the room. Alice and Rosalie went to socialize. "She went down as soon as she hit the pillow."

"How do you do it, Esme? It's all so natural to you."

"I've always wanted to be a mother and that desire transcended when I became a vampire, but it wasn't always easy. When Edward started his rebellious period, I was just starting to act like his mother. I remembered believing that my change in roles somehow pushed him to do those things. That's the burden of every mother, believing in your heart that somehow, you're the cause of your child's pain."

"Ed loves you, though. He hates doing anything that might hurt you."

"I know. He's a sweet boy. And I'm sure she takes after him."

She walked down the rest of the way, leaving Jacob at the middle of the staircase, staring at the closed door. Downstairs, the rest of the pack was waiting on orders. "Go sleep. Come back in the morning at daybreak."

"If it's okay, I'd like to sleepover here," Seth requested.

"Of course, sweetie," Esme replied.

"Sure, kid. Anyone else?" Embry and Quil volunteered. Collin and Brady stayed too after they called their moms. The others went home to their imprints. "You sure you wouldn't be more comfortable at our place?"

"We're cool, Jake." The wolves made their space in Carlisle and Esme's bedroom.

"You should get some sleep, too," Edward suggested.

"I don't want to be too far away."

"The bed is still in my room."

"Why, Mr. Cullen," Jacob gasped and dramatically pressed his hand over his heart like a Southern belle. "I do believe you are makin' a pass at me. Impressionable young men such as I, don't just go to another man's bedroom. Especially, not one as virile as you."

Edward laughed through their kiss. "Just go upstairs. I'll be there in a minute, Mr. Black." He slapped his wolf's ass.

"Oh, the vapors!"

"It's a simple question: what are you?" Approaching the downstairs living room, Edward saw Huilen behind Nahuel with a cautious hand on his forearm. "You said you two were the same, so what are you? Can you do what she can do?" Kate leaned casually against the black piano in the corner of the room.

"I cannot. Neither I nor my sisters have such abilities."

"When were you bitten?"

"I was born this way."

"Impossible," the blonde scoffed.

"It's true," Huilen finally spoke. "He was born of my sister and on that day, he Changed me."

"I'm the only one who can. My sisters do not possess the ability to Change someone."

"Nahuel," Edward approached with an open book in his hands. "Is this your father?"

"No, but I have seen him recently. When I went to meet my sisters, they expressed their distaste in his eerie interest with my father's experiments. What is his name?"

"Mengele. Out of all the supposed Angels of Death, this guy truly is deserving of the title."

"Who would be crazy enough to make that guy into a vampire," Garrett exclaimed.

"Who cares?" Riley strutted to the middle of the room. "We're getting into formation outside. Bree, who do you wanna take?"

"I'll take Zafrina; we can learn from each other." Bree did her best imitation of her teacher.

"Cool. I'll be five miles West of here." Riley and his herd were greeted by large boulders. "There's like twenty-some of you an only one of me. I'll make this easy for you." Without his swords, Riley cut into one of the boulders. The result was the classic Vitruvian Man. "It's really simple; make a statue that doesn't fall apart. If you can't, you'll stay with me. If you can, practice hand-to-hand until sunrise."

Edward heard Riley's prideful thoughts, however, justified, they were still annoying. In the end, Jasper, Benjamin, Kate, Liam, Huilen, and Edward were the only ones able to complete the task out of 29 vampires. Edward opted out of hand-to-hand to be with Jacob. As he walked inside the house, he started hearing hushed tones. It sounded like a conversation. 'Jake?'

The telepath carefully stepped toward his old bedroom. On the other side of the door, he heard the thunderous snores of his beloved and the gentle heartbeats of his family. It didn't come from there. He followed the conversation to Carlisle and Esme's bedroom; the whispers stopped before he could reach it. He opened the door swiftly only to find that everything and everyone was exactly as they should be. The wolves were in the same area near the bed. 'Like a nest,' he thought. Edward stepped over Collin and squeezed between Seth and the bed.

He saw his grown daughter's steady breath. Her face was scrunched up like she was having a nightmare. The covers were at her waist and her teeth were grinding. Edward tugged in the sheets to cover her body. The vampire let himself push the loose strands away from her angelic face and in a moment of weakness, he grazed his thumb over her cheekbones. Edward left before he could see Edie's face relax because of his ministrations.

"That was close," whispered the russet apparition. "What took you so long?"

"I had to wait my turn. It's been a while since we've watched her sleep," the pale one replied.

"When you say it like that, we sound like creepers. Speaking of, I can't believe Dracula One and Two actually came."

"They go where the power is."