Chapter 5
A police car and two squad trucks arrived on the scene within minutes to take the group into custody. Carter was relieved to see the officers file into the alley and made it to his feet. He tried to pass by the group of vampires, but the one who attacked him earlier let out a growl in warning.
"Say anything and you're dead," hissed the vampire and Carter gulped. Zach grabbed the vampire's arm and pulled him away from Carter.
"Leave him alone," warned Zach as the vampire tried to jerk away from his hold.
"You absurd boy, he is going to expose us. These humans will be of no concern if the Volturi hears of this," whispered the vampire and Josh glared at him.
"You should've thought of that before you lured him here," said Josh and the vampire scoffed.
"I hunt how I want to hunt. Not even you Cullens or your pups can get in the way of that. This is your doing and I will make sure the Volturi knows that when they come for us. For now, I suppose we wait," said the vampire as the police officers rushed over to the group. The vampire casually placed his hands behind his head and allowed one of the officers to handcuff him. Natalie gritted her teeth in frustration as officers surrounded them.
"We have to go with them. Anything else would be too conspicuous," she conceded as she surrendered her hands to be handcuffed. Allie glanced over at Zach and Josh as the officers approached.
"I guess I'm adding getting arrested to the list of things I never thought would happen to me," said Allie as she held her hands out to an officer. Josh nudged Zach.
"Do something," he whispered. Zach looked around at the scene playing out before him. The other vampire was already being taken into one of the squad trucks. Carter was placed in the police car. The helicopters above them kept their spotlights trained on the group as the officers made arrests.
"I'm so grounded after this," he muttered to himself and held his hands out as well. Josh was shocked as his friend surrendered to the police officers, but followed suit. As soon as the group was handcuffed, the helicopters turned off their spotlights and disappeared into the night. Zach, Allie, Josh, and Natalie filed into the last squad truck and Josh smiled sheepishly as the door was slammed behind them.
"Well, at least they kept us together," he tried to comfort and Zach let the back of his hand rest on the wall behind him. They spent the entire ride to the police station in stunned silence and Zach replayed the events that led to their arrest. The minutes felt like hours as they were transported to the station. An officer led them through a backdoor and over to the empty jail cell. Nothing else registered in Zach's mind as he entered and sat down on the hard bench. Josh sat down beside him and their mates began to whisper to one another to try to devise a plan. The two women were going over their options as the metal door to the cell clinked shut, but all Zach could do was sit there in disbelief.
"Z, it is going to be okay. Look, they even let us keep our phones," assured Josh as he waved his device in front of his best friend's face.
"We're criminals," mumbled Zach in a daze and Josh rolled his eyes.
"No, that vampire was a criminal. Where is he anyways? He should be in here, not us, and where did they take Carter," questioned Josh. Zach placed his face in his hands.
"My mom is going to kill me," he whined and Natalie smirked.
"Not if the Volturi kill us first," she warned.
"Not helping, Natalie," said Josh. Allie sat down beside her mate and kissed his cheek.
"We are going to be okay. This is all pretty weird though. Can any of you hear or sense Carter or the other vampire," questioned Allie. They began to listen out into the small police station they were taken into and frowned in confusion.
"I don't hear anything, not even guards anymore," said Zach and Natalie peered through the bars of the cell.
"That's really strange. We are the only ones here. Something is up," said Natalie and Josh slowly nodded as he began to look around.
"Maybe we should just get out of here then. They didn't take our IDs or anything and these bars are pretty flimsy for us. Let's just make a run for it and disappear before anyone gets back. No harm, no foul," suggested Josh, but Zach shook his head.
"So now you want to add breaking out of jail to the list of what we did wrong tonight," he challenged and Natalie rolled her eyes at him.
"You have got to stop being such a goodie-goodie. This is a minimum security jail with very few obstacles. We can easily pop the lock on the door and be out of here before anyone comes back. Stop being dramatic, Zach," said Natalie. Zach hopped to his feet.
"We are in jail! I think we are past the point of thinking this is all an overreaction," he exclaimed as he flailed his arms about in exasperation. Allie smiled sympathetically at her mate.
"Zach, breathe," she suggested.
"I don't need to breathe. I'm a vampire," he grumbled as he crossed his arms in a pout and began to pace. Josh chuckled at him.
"Z, chill, we got this. Nat, can you get us out of here with minimal damage? I highly doubt we need to add suspiciously morphed bars and a broken jail cell to things. Any ideas," asked Josh. She slid her hands over the bars of the jail cell to inspect them.
"I should be able to morph my body enough to slip through them. I'll go find the system and override it to free…" Before she could finish, their senses perked up and Zach gulped.
"Someone's coming," he whispered and Natalie nodded in agreement.
"Definitely a vampire, you think that guy took out the guards," questioned Natalie, but Allie shook her head as she listened to the footsteps drawing near.
"I know the sound of that walk, it is a very particular gait," whispered Allie.
"You can tell who someone is by their walk now," asked Josh and she shushed him.
"The sounds of walking are like a pattern and each person is unique."
"Who is it," asked Zach, but before Allie answered, the main door to the room opened and Lena strolled in.
"You three, stay. You, with me," instructed Lena as she pointed at Zach and his eyes widened.
"Me," he squeaked out and she gave a curt nod before inputting a code into the keypad on the cell. The door slid open and Natalie frowned in confusion.
"How do you have the code to…" Natalie stopped speaking when Lena gave her a look in challenge. The Volturi guard walked over to Zach and crossed her arms.
"Are you really going to make me ask again," she questioned and Zach hopped up as he shook his head.
"No ma'am," he said quickly and followed her out of the cell. Lena glanced over her shoulder at the other three as the door slid shut behind her and Zach.
"Sit tight," she called and Josh smirked the moment Lena and Zach were gone.
"Way to stick up for your mate, Al," teased Josh and Allie frowned at him.
"I didn't exactly see you coming to his defense. Besides, I trust Lena. She isn't going to hurt Zach," defended Allie and Natalie shook her head in disbelief.
"You put way too much trust in those people. They are the Volturi and we exposed ourselves to humans. All bets are off and we need to think quicker on our feet about this," she said as she began to pace. Allie and Josh glanced at one another and tried to listen out to see if they could hear Zach.
Zach felt like he had been walking for hours with Lena, but it was only seconds as he followed her into another room of the station. He quickly realized he was in an interrogation room and she pointed to a seat beside the steel table in the middle of the room.
"Sit," she ordered as she closed the door. He hurried over to the seat and sat down.
"I'm sorry. We didn't…" She shushed him and held her finger up to halt his apology. She pulled a small remote from her pocket and pressed a button. He winced as an annoying buzzing filled his ears.
"Sound distortion device, a bit unpleasant, but it means your mate and friends won't be able to hear us from that distance," she informed and he let out a nervous chuckle.
"Why, you don't want them to hear my screams," he asked and she smiled slyly at him as she sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the table. She did not say a word and simply leaned back in her chair as she eyed him.
"Lena, please say something." She remained silent.
"I know we messed up, but it wasn't our fault. What were we supposed to do? Let that vampire kill Carter?" She simply crossed her arms and he huffed.
"We couldn't do that. I mean sure, the guy imprinted on Josh's mom and that would've been an easy way out of that whole weird wolfy gene situation, but it wouldn't be right. What if Carter was telling the truth and that guy killed his sister? She was a kid. That's who you need to be looking into. There has to be some rule about killing kids, you know? If not, then what's the point of rules! Will you please say something," he pleaded and she arched an eyebrow at him.
"Did you tell my parents? Actually, that is the only question I need you to answer. Did you? If you did, they are probably on their way here to yell at me and ground me for life but if you didn't…" He trailed off and gulped as he began to eye her cautiously. She noticed his sudden unease.
"If I didn't, then what," she asked with amusement evident in her voice.
"Lena, are you here to kill us for exposing what we are to Carter," he asked and she rolled her eyes.
"You really think that little of me," she challenged and he huffed.
"Well you aren't exactly saying much and you are currently isolating me from my mate and friends, so what else am I supposed to think," he exclaimed and she giggled.
"I chose to speak to you alone because I know you will tell the truth, unlike your mate, who will try to overanalyze the situation. Josh would simply lie and Natalie would probably go on the attack and try to escape."
"True, she's probably trying to decide how to impersonate you to get out of here as we speak," admitted Zach. Lena shook her head in amusement.
"That one is going to be a headache for a while. I can tell."
"You aren't exactly putting her at ease with all of this or me for that matter. Can you…maybe…let us go and pretend like this never happened," he asked hopefully and she smirked.
"Your parents have already been contacted and we are to take you back to the island where we can speak with you. Marcus and Didyme are already heading there. You know, you are lucky Gavin kept digging and that Tess was so quickly available," informed Lena and Zach frowned in confusion.
"Wait, what," he questioned, but before he could ask again, Tess entered the room and shook her head in amusement.
"Nico thought I was exaggerating when I said the supernatural youth these days were a handful, but maybe he will believe me now," teased Tess. She giggled when Zach darted over to hug her.
"Tess, I'm so happy you are here! You have to help us…wait, why are you here," he questioned and Tess peeked over his shoulder at Lena.
"You want to tell him or should I," she asked and Lena gave her a wink as she stood to leave.
"Put him out of his misery. I am going to get the others. I'm sure your power will lose its hold on the officers soon." Tess waved her off.
"I sent them out for donuts. The nearest place is fifteen minutes away. We will be fine," she assured and Lena shook her head in amusement as she left. Tess made a show of looking him over and fixing his hair.
"They didn't hose you down? I thought they did that with prisoners."
"Tess, what is happening," he exclaimed and she giggled.
"Calm down, you are fine. Well, for the most part anyway, I mean, I can't control what your mother or Alice are going to do when they see you. Not even I am that bold, but the Volturi's number one rule is still intact…for the most part."
"How? We were exposed to humans. Carter knows what we are and we got arrested!"
"Carter is one human and that is being handled. As for the rest, well, Gavin called me and said you needed my help. Why I didn't get a call from you when you were in trouble will be a very long, tense discussion for another time…"
"I didn't want to get you involved in anything…"
"Another time, so Gavin called me and said you could use my help. He tracked the four of you here and Alexander, Lena, and I came to intercept. While they made sure everything was kept under control, I made sure we had the police at our disposal."
"So, you managed to manipulate an entire police department to do your bidding," he asked in astonishment and she waved him off.
"They are humans, that part was easy. We used their helicopters and Gavin monitored them from Volterra. I simply handpicked a few cops that were easily susceptible to my power to come along for the ride and suggested the others take a well-deserved break. The only human who actually knows about who you are is Carter," revealed Tess and Zach's jaw dropped.
"You did all of that for me," he asked and she sighed as she cupped his cheek.
"Oh dear boy, you really do not know the affection so many of us have for you." He smiled and leaned into her touch.
"Thank you, Tess," he said, but jumped when she smacked him upside the back of his head.
"Ow, what was that for!"
"Next time, you call, understood," she scolded and he rubbed the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly.
"Understood," he said with a nod.
"Good, now let's get out of here. I need to get back to Nico. Cancun in March is horrible, way too many young people swarming. They smell delicious, but the alcohol taints the blood."
"Tess," he exclaimed and she giggled.
"It was over a century ago. Don't judge me for living." He chuckled and followed her out of the interrogation room, feeling quite relieved that he had so many loyal friends when he needed them.
The relief was short-lived and Zach looked nervously over at Allie, Josh, and Natalie as he landed the stealth jet on the island. His parents, Leah, Jacob, Alice, and Jasper were waiting on them. The Volturi stealth jet Alexander was flying landed beside them and Lena, Gavin, and Alexander filed onto the island. Edward, Bella, Renesmee, Nahuel, and Kaya greeted them to take them inside where Marcus, Didyme, Carlisle and Esme were waiting. Seth jogged over to Zach and Josh.
"Arrested, seriously," he whispered to them and Zach pointed at Josh.
"Don't look at me. This is his fault," he whispered back and Josh's jaw dropped.
"Z," he exclaimed. Jasper approached them with his arms crossed and Seth quickly got out of dodge. Zach gulped as Jasper circled the group to inspect them. Allie smiled nervously at him as he eyed her.
"You had something to do with her cracking the system. We'll be in touch about that soon," accused Jasper and Allie cringed.
"Yeah, that's fair," she conceded. He turned to Natalie and held out his hand. She pointed to Zach.
"He has the key to the stealth jet, not me," she informed, but stiffened when Jasper let out a low growl. She quickly pulled a clear microchip from her pocket and handed it to him.
"Nat," said Josh and Zach threw his hands up in exasperation.
"What did you take now," asked Zach and she shrugged.
"You needed me to get the stealth jet, so I got the stealth jet. I just didn't mention it meant dismantling the entire security system in the process," she admitted and Jasper gave a curt nod.
"The system is back up with a few enhancements now. Try to remove the chip again and we may have to find out if a vampire's hand can work as well after being crushed by reinforced steel," informed Jasper before heading inside and Natalie winced.
"Noted," she called. Alice marched over to them and the group braced themselves for her rant as she began to pace.
"The utter disrespect you have shown tonight is not only infuriating, but hurtful. I told you what happened in my vision and you totally disregarded me! What were you thinking," shouted Alice and Josh stepped forward.
"I know about Carter," announced Josh and Jacob sighed as Leah looked down in shame.
"Josh…"
"I'm not letting him destroy our family, mom," added Josh. Emmett cringed and put his hands up in surrender.
"Yeah, this got too awkward for me. I'm out," said Emmett before darting into the house. Rosalie gave Alice a look and Alice laughed nervously.
"Oh, right, Carter…well that's…um…coming, Jazzy," said Alice before running inside as well. Rosalie smiled sympathetically at her best friend.
"Zach, Allie, let's give them some privacy," suggested Rosalie. Zach sighed in relief and nodded in agreement. Natalie reached for Allie's hand, who quickly slapped it away.
"Don't leave me here," Natalie whispered harshly as Allie followed her mate and Rosalie inside. Josh crossed his arms.
"Don't worry, Nat, we aren't staying long because there isn't much to say. Mom, I don't know what's going on between you and this guy, but I'm not sorry I went after him. If he is going to blow up this family, I have a right to have a say too. I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand, but if this Carter guy is really your imprint, I wanted to make sure he knows if he gets in the way, I'm not just going to take it on the chin. You should've told me," said Josh.
"Josh, we were going to, but everything just happened. I need you to know I love your father and you very much. That hasn't changed," assured Leah.
"Imprinting changes everything, mom. It always has. Nat, come on, let's go inside and make sure we didn't screw things up too much with the Volturi." Natalie followed him inside the house, more than happy to end the conversation, and Jacob stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"He's right, you know," said Jacob and Leah slowly nodded.
"Yeah, when did he get so grown up?"
"He just stole a stealth jet, had to be apprehended by the Volturi, and was in jail. He's still a boy who needs his parents. You should've told both of us though and stuck around to let us deal with it."
"There isn't a manual for this, Jake. I was trying to defuse the situation."
"By dropping that on me and then leaving?" Leah sighed.
"I'm sorry. I was trying to cause the least amount of hurt. Carter left, so I didn't think Josh needed to be ambushed with that."
"Where is Carter now, anyway," asked Jacob and Leah's eyes widened as realization dawned on her.
"I actually don't know," she said before running into the house and Jacob frowned in confusion as he jogged after her.
"Leah, what…"
"What did you do with him," yelled Leah as she burst into the living room of the house to confront Marcus and Didyme. Alexander and Lena stood up, but Didyme held her hand up to stop them from stepping in.
"Leah, we promise you have nothing to worry about. Esme and Carlisle explained the situation to us and we all agreed it is not our choice to make. Carter is your imprint. He would have eventually known about the supernatural and our world anyways. As such, he is a human that falls under the gray area of our rule, just like Sue and Charlie," informed Didyme.
"We've always made exceptions when the threat from the human is no longer an issue," added Marcus and Leah sighed in relief.
"Good, I guess that at least solves that. Where is he then," asked Leah and Alice raised her hand.
"That's actually on me. We need to talk for a minute. Excuse us," said Alice as she grabbed Leah's hand and dragged her out of the room. Edward shook his head at Jacob's unspoken concerns.
"You know that's not true and Alice has your best interest at heart," reminded Edward and Jacob gave a curt nod.
Alice did not say a word until the two of them were out of earshot and by her favorite location on the island. The waves crashed beneath the cliff below and Leah took in a deep breath as she braced herself for whatever Alice was about to say. Alice noticed her tense demeanor and planted her hands on her hips.
"Do you seriously still not trust me," accused Alice.
"Alice, I've seen you do a lot of amazing things. No one likes to admit it, especially me, but your meddling works wonders most of the time. It can't change this though. He is my imprint and that means something."
"You wolves and your temperament, the boys are right about the wolfy gene. It is ridiculous, but there is something you aren't considering. You are so focused on thinking you are cursed that you keep forgetting that you and Carter have a choice in all of this."
"No, Carter has a choice. I don't. It's the reason I was terrified when I thought the Volturi did something to him. He has this hold on me now."
"Look, yes, Carter will forever be someone you are connected to now, but that doesn't mean you have to give up everything for him and he certainly doesn't want to give that up for you. It is still blurry, but no longer blank. I think it is because you are both deciding your paths again. You do have a say in this, Leah. Sure, you feel protective over him, but that doesn't mean you see him as your mate."
"So what am I supposed to do? He knows about our world now. I can't very well let him keep digging."
"Precisely," said Alice with a victorious smile before furiously typing a message into her phone. Suddenly, Connell and Tia appeared with a very flustered Carter. Connell held him upright as the man stumbled.
"There, there, you will get used to it," said Connell and Carter tried to jerk away from him.
"What the hell are all of you people? Let go of me," shouted Carter and Connell shrugged. He let him go and Carter immediately tripped over his own feet. He fell on the ground and Alice threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Connell!"
"What, he told me to, you heard him," said Connell with a shrug and Leah knelt down beside the man. He scrambled away from her as he tried to slow his racing heart.
"What are you going to do to me," questioned Carter and Leah held out her hand to him.
"Hey, look at me," she said and he gulped when their eyes locked. He began to calm down as she scooted closer to him.
"You know deep down that you can trust me, don't you," she asked and he nodded.
"Yeah, maybe," he mumbled and she smiled at him.
"Then trust me," she assured. He slipped his hand into hers and she helped him to his feet.
"Where am I? Am I dead or something? That vampire must've killed me. Is this some strange purgatory," asked Carter and Alice giggled.
"Of course not, silly, this is our home. You are right though, we are vampires. Well, obviously not Leah. Connell has the ability to teleport and he brought you here to give you what you have always wanted. You are very stubborn, you know. You really aren't going to make a decision until you finish this once and for all, are you," asked Alice and he frowned in confusion.
"What," he asked and Leah sighed.
"She's confusing even to us. Alice, why is he here," questioned Leah.
"Because he needs to hear this too, come on, everyone inside," instructed Alice. Carter hesitated, but stayed close to Leah as they walked to the main house.
"What is this place," he asked and Leah smiled warmly at him.
"This is where my son's friend and his family live."
"On some sort of island? This place is huge. Who are these people?"
"Friends, you can trust them. You really shouldn't go around trying to track down vampires though, just so we are clear." He looked down.
"Well, I'm not stopping until that vampire is dead. He got away. Didn't he?"
"I honestly don't know. My concern was making sure Josh and his friends were safe and you weren't harmed by anyone. Why are you after this vampire anyways?"
"He killed my baby sister. I don't have much proof, but he confessed in the alley. He hunts kids. They probably all do, but…"
"No way, my friends don't even kill humans, let alone kids. We are going to help you, Carter. We will make sure of it, but I need you to stay safe in the process, okay?"
"Why do you care anyways," he asked and she stopped to face him before they could go into the house. She waited until Alice, Connell, and Tia went inside before speaking again.
"Carter, vampires aren't the only supernatural beings that exist."
"Okay, what else, I already saw a werewolf tonight. Are there ghosts, witches…"
"No ghosts or witches, and I am not a werewolf, I am a shapeshifter. I can phase into a wolf whenever I want though."
"Wait, are you serious," he asked as his eyes widened.
"Yes and I know this is a lot to take in, but there is more."
"So all that stuff in that book was right? Quileutes are werewolves?"
"Shapeshifters, there is a difference, and only some of us can do it. On top of that, some of us can do this thing that we don't really understand. It is called imprinting."
"And what's that exactly," he asked. She began to fidget.
"It is complicated but it essentially means there is someone out there who changes everything for us when we see them. All a wolf wants is for their imprint to be happy and safe."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"You are a smart man, Carter. You tracked the man who killed your sister. You found out about the supernatural. Why am I telling you this?" He thought for a moment and swallowed thickly when realization dawned on him.
"Wait, you think I am your….whatever? No, that's impossible. Plus, you have a kid who…that's why he tracked me down. Not because of an affair, but because he thinks I am important to you now," he said as he sat down on the porch steps and Leah did as well.
"I'm sorry. I am sure this is all very confusing for you and overwhelming. I never wanted to imprint. I never thought I would."
"I can't deal with this right now. I don't know what you want me to say," he admitted and she nodded her understanding.
"I just wanted you to know. Come on, Alice wants you here for a reason, so let's go see why," she suggested and he blankly. Leah sighed when they entered the living room and Jacob averted his eyes from her. Natalie wrapped an arm around Josh as he glared at Carter.
"Why is he even here," asked Josh and Alice scoffed.
"There's no need for all of that, Joshua. Calm down. Marcus, go ahead," said Alice and Marcus smiled warmly at Carter as he stood up.
"Hello Mr. Jones, I am sure this is all quite confusing, but I need to ask you a few questions about the vampire that attacked you tonight."
"Carter, you can just call me Carter." The man relaxed as Jasper sent him a wave of calm and Didyme walked over to him with her aura of happiness in full throttle.
"Well Carter, you have our sincere apologies for what you have been through and while we cannot control the beings in our world, we can step in when they cross a line. Please tell us what you know about this vampire," encouraged Didyme and Carter looked down.
"Not much, but I found out he killed my sister. No one believes me but I knew she was taken. It didn't make sense though at first. She was supposed to go to her friend's apartment right down the hall from ours. When she didn't show up, they called me. I went looking for her and found nothing but an open window at the other end of the hall. We lived ten stories up. There is no way someone could take her that route and someone would've seen or heard something if they took the stairs. I searched for years with no luck. I checked every sex offender database, asked everyone I could, but nothing made sense. I was finally able to find some blurry images of a man I didn't know lurking around our building that night and matched them to other databases. There was nothing though, no ID, no explanations, just a few blurry images of him. He'd popped up all over the world, but I started to see a pattern. He had certain places he frequented. I thought I was tracking a serial killer, but one thing didn't make sense. No one could've gotten out that cleanly, unless it wasn't someone, but something. The guy was essentially invisible, so I did some internet searches, but much didn't come up. It was a lot of myths and urban legends about ghosts and sorcery. There were some forums with chatter though."
"Forums," questioned Marcus and Gavin nodded.
"I found them. They have been scrubbed," assured Gavin and Carter continued.
"They mentioned a few things I didn't really believe, but also indigenous tribes with supernatural histories. Cold ones came up a lot and I started putting pieces together. It was just a hunch, but it was all I had. I searched for years until finally making it to La Push to see if any of the blanks could be filled in."
"Why did you go to Cancun after," asked Alexander.
"Because if vampires existed, that meant my database searches were too limited. I was searching for identification of the man from this century. The moment I opened my search, I saw a picture that looked eerily similar to the ones I had. It was a man from Puerto Juarez from the 19th Century and it fell into place from there. I knew I needed to head to Cancun because one of the first buildings established there was one he lived in. I thought I could find clues," explained Carter and Lena nodded.
"That lines up with Miguel's retelling as well. He knew a human was searching for him and says he wanted to lure him someplace secluded to kill him. In his mind, that meant he was defending himself and our world against Carter," added Lena.
"How did he know Carter was looking for him," asked Marcus.
"It appears Carter was closer than he thought and almost stumbled upon a few of Miguel's hunting territories in the past. It made him suspicious," informed Lena.
"Wait, you know the guy? Do all vampires know each other," asked Carter and Alexander shook his head.
"Vampires are just like humans, there are too many for us to fully keep track of, but we have rules to follow and while Miguel assures us he didn't, it seems he has broken at least one that we most certainly enforce," said Alexander as he glanced over at Marcus. Edward's eyes widened.
"You knew it was possible," questioned Edward and Marcus gave a curt nod.
"Yes," he admitted.
"Knew what," asked Carlisle and Marcus sighed.
"Zach, Allie, was there anything different about the vampire you encountered," asked Marcus and Zach nodded.
"He was super strong, like oddly strong. I've never been hit like that before, not even by my dad," informed Zach and Didyme groaned.
"We have to stop this before word gets out," warned Didyme.
"I agree, Lena, Alexander, give the order under Violation Zero Twenty," instructed Marcus and Lena nodded as she tapped her earpiece.
"On it," she said before leaving the room.
"What is going on," asked Carter.
"We would like to know as well," said Carlisle.
"It appears Carter stumbled on a dark secret in our world. It is highly frowned upon and forbidden, so much so it is not even spoken as to not tempt our kind. When a vampire drinks the blood of a human child, it can make them much stronger than any of our kind. This was found out by a particularly evil man centuries ago who came to the realization after preying on children. He found them to be easier targets in his territory. Aro had the vampire eliminated and mention of such things became forbidden," explained Marcus as the others looked at him in shock.
"Why did you never mention such a thing to me before," asked Carlisle.
"For what purpose? Most of our kind have a code of sorts. Feeding on a child is unheard of," defended Marcus. Jasper nodded in agreement as he crossed his arms.
"And you want to keep it that way, wouldn't want word getting out and tempting a few desperate enough to try it these days," said Jasper.
"It has never been truly an issue except for a few rogue attempts and in the past, vampires with such desires were eliminated swiftly. No one needs to know of such things," assured Marcus.
"So this vampire will be killed," asked Carter.
"Immediately, Lena is giving the order now. We do not allow such atrocities in our world, Carter. Many of us abstain from human blood these days, but those that do not know there are strict rules to follow. Rules are of the utmost importance to us," explained Marcus and Didyme walked over to Carter.
"Speaking of which, Connell, will you do the honors," asked Didyme and Carter stepped closer to Leah as Connell disappeared from the room. He reappeared with Maggie, who smiled and waved.
"Alright, let's make this quick and Tia, you owe me a trip out of this," said Maggie and Tia giggled at her friend.
"Of course, Carter, this is Maggie. She is just going to ask you a question and then you are free to go," said Tia, but Carter frowned.
"I doubt that, but okay, what is it," he asked as Maggie eyed him carefully.
"Promise not to tell anyone who we are or what you know about the supernatural," she questioned and he gulped as he looked around the room. He was surrounded by vampires and wolves and was very much aware of how fragile he was as a human in that moment.
"It's okay," assured Leah as she placed her hand on his shoulder and he slowly nodded.
"I promise," he vowed and she smiled.
"Works for me. He's telling the truth," said Maggie and Edward nodded in agreement.
"He has no reason to expose us. All he wanted was justice for his sister. He received that tonight," added Edward and Marcus gave Carter a warm smile.
"Excellent, then Leah, this is now a wolf issue and no longer our concern," informed Marcus. Leah gulped as she looked over at Jacob and Josh, who had matching scowls on their faces.
"Great," she mumbled and Carter began to fidget.
"Uh, can we get out of here please," asked Carter. Connell took a step toward him, but the man hid behind Leah.
"I'm not doing that again," said Carter quickly and Leah pulled him away from Connell.
"We'll figure something out. We should talk again, alone," she suggested and Carter nodded. Leah walked over to Jacob and kissed his cheek.
"Trust me," she whispered in his ear and Jacob begrudgingly nodded as Leah and Carter exited. Renesmee smiled sympathetically at Jacob and pulled him in for a hug.
"It will work out. I'm your imprint and we aren't together either, remember," she reminded.
"But I wanted to be with you, I felt the impossible pull of it, you chose," reminded Jacob and Josh gritted his teeth.
"I hate that this guy has that power over us. He shouldn't get to decide that for our family," said Josh and Alice stomped her foot.
"Will you two have just a little faith in me? My goodness! I understand it more from Jacob because well…history….but I have been nothing but amazing to you, Joshua," she scolded.
"Alice, I'm not…"
"Nope, no shopping trips with me for a month," she announced and his jaw dropped.
"I didn't even do anything," he exclaimed.
"You mean besides use your mate as a weapon against me and end up in jail," she challenged and his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Can we at least do online shopping," he whined and she smiled.
"Obviously."
"Okay," he chuckled and gave her a hug.
"Promise this will all be okay, little pixie," said Jacob and Alice winked at him.
"You know I would meddle until I couldn't meddle anymore if it wasn't," she assured.
Carter followed Leah over to the Cullen's stealth jet and she leaned against the hood of it as the awkward silence seeped into the space between them.
"So um, sorry, but I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around all of this."
"That's fair. You are taking this better than most humans would," she conceded.
"So I'm your what, now?"
"My imprint, it's supposedly like a soul mate for a wolf or something."
"And that's what you are, a wolf, but not an actual werewolf?"
"Technically a shapeshifter," she corrected and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he began to pace.
"And the two of us are supposed to be what to each other? I mean, don't get me wrong. You are beautiful, downright gorgeous, I wouldn't have asked you for coffee if I didn't think so. I just…I'm not looking for…and you have a family and…oh boy…" He managed to ramble as he continued to pace and Leah eyed him curiously as she caught on.
"I don't want to put words in your mouth or anything, but it sounds to me like you aren't exactly looking for any of this. Is that fair to say," she asked and he chuckled nervously.
"I don't even believe in soulmates. I just think with billions of people in the world, the idea that there is only one out there and that one may or may not be found by you is far-fetched. In fact, that seems more far-fetched to me than the supernatural. I always kind of figured we weren't alone, you know?"
"So vampires, wolves, definitely, but soulmates, not so much," she asked.
"And aliens, I totally believe in aliens," he added and she giggled.
"Well, I have seen some pretty impressive beings but no aliens."
"Yet," he teased and she shook her head.
"Trust me, I think we have more than enough to worry about without aliens."
"Yea, they probably take a detour away from this planet. I know I would," he chuckled.
"Me too, so does that mean you are okay if you and I aren't the whole love at first sight and undying devotion thing," she asked hopefully.
"Most definitely, I mean sure…you are really pretty….and sexy and…"
"Carter," she interrupted.
"Please God, no, not really looking for that," he said. She sighed in relief and let out a laugh.
"I think that's the nicest thing you could ever say to me," she confessed and he slowly nodded.
"So, you aren't mad," he questioned and she quickly shook her head.
"No, not at all."
"Good because today has been insane. I found out vampires really exist, tracked down the one that killed my sister, almost was killed by him, found out there is an entire vampire world with an entire set of rules, oh and that I am apparently an imprint. All I want is to call my mom and tell her justice has been served so I can find a way to move on with my life," he admitted and she smiled sympathetically at him.
"I think that's fair. What will you do next?"
"I don't know. Giving my family closure has been the only thing I've thought about for years."
"Being stuck in the past can make it hard to think about the future. I know that for sure. What will you tell your family?"
"That I found Shayla's killer and he was killed after messing with the wrong people. I was always the one that needed to know exactly what happened. Are you sure he is dead?"
"The Volturi can be quite terrifying when they want to be. He is gone. I am so sorry about your sister. My kind exists to protect our land from vampires like that. We are natural-born protectors, which brings me to one caveat to this whole imprinting thing. Don't worry, I think based on what we both want, it may work for us." He slowly nodded.
"Okay, I am all ears. No soulmate stuff, right?"
"You know, I am starting to take your aversion to being with me forever personally," she teased and he laughed.
"Sorry, continue, what is the caveat?"
"While most wolves become mates with their imprints, ultimately, they are whatever their imprint needs them to be, a lover, a friend, or in our case, just a protector," she informed and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously again.
"And does that have to be a constant thing," he questioned.
"Or from a distance," she giggled and he sighed in relief.
"Good, I like that option. Don't get me wrong, you are great, but I only wanted to learn about the supernatural to find Shayla's killer. You helped me do that. I've spent over a decade searching and no one ever believed me. Meeting you brought justice for her and that brings me peace. I'm not really into all this other stuff though," he admitted and she held her hand out to him.
"Then maybe that's all you needed me to be for you," she informed. He shook her hand and nodded.
"I like the sound of that."
"I will always be here if you need something though. I'll give you my number. Don't hesitate to call me if you ever need me, Carter. I'm serious about that," she warned and he pulled her in for a hug.
"I guess it isn't so bad knowing there's someone on my side who can do the things you can do and knows the things you know. In another life, I think you and I would've made quite the couple. Your husband is a lucky man."
"I'm pretty lucky myself," she assured and he smiled charmingly at her.
"So, can this thing fly me anywhere? No ticket needed," he asked and she nodded with a smile.
"Where to," she asked and he thought for a moment.
"How about Italy? I think I could use a vacation after all this supernatural stuff, you know, someplace away from all that," he said and she cringed.
"Um…Italy….I wouldn't…."
"They are there too," he asked in shock and she tried not to laugh.
"Main headquarters, Carter, main headquarters."
"Aw, come on," he whined and she laughed at his bewilderment.
"What about Greece," she suggested and he chuckled.
"Free trip to Greece sounds like a good deal to me."
The Volturi parted soon after Leah and Carter left and many of the Cullens went to hunt since they'd spent the past days on the island under strict orders from Alice. Edward and Bella went on their trip to Isle Esme and Renesmee, Nahuel, Seth, and Kaya returned to Denali to catch the extended family up on what interfered with Alice's visions. Carlisle and Esme were enjoying the peace and quiet in the main house, but could not help but chuckle at the scolding Zach, Allie, Natalie, and Josh were getting from Rosalie and Alice.
"What part of stay put was hard for you to understand, Zachary," scolded Rosalie and Zach groaned.
"Mom, it isn't my fault. What was I supposed to do," he questioned.
"Stay put," yelled Rosalie and Alice in unison and Zach pinched the bridge of his nose. Josh shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed.
"Rose, Alice, please don't be mad at Z. He was just being a good friend to me and watching my back. I was freaked out when I found out my mom imprinted and I didn't know what to do," admitted Josh as he looked down and Alice felt her defenses falter.
"Well, to be fair, the wolfy gene is very strange and imprinting is just weird," acknowledged Alice and Rosalie nodded in agreement as she gave Josh a hug.
"Just be more careful next time please," added Rose and Zach's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Hey, why are you going easy on him? He is the reason we were even in that mess," reminded Zach and Rosalie giggled.
"He's had a rough night," she defended.
"Mom, I was arrested and interrogated by Lena!" Rosalie shrugged.
"Eh, you deserved that part."
"Mom," exclaimed Zach and Emmett chuckled.
"Be lucky you are getting off easy and the Volturi were looking out for you," advised Emmett as he clapped his son on the back and Zach smiled sheepishly.
"Yea, I need to thank Gavin and Tess for having our backs too. Come on, Allie," said Zach, but Alice turned her attention to Allie and Natalie.
"Not so fast, Allison McCarty Cullen and Natalie Daveed," exclaimed Alice. Allie and Natalie groaned and hung their heads in defeat.
"So close," mumbled Natalie and Alice smirked.
"See, it's that type of thinking that gets you into trouble. Do you really think you can get over on me for long," yelled Alice and Josh gave his mate a sympathetic smile as Alice unleashed her rant. Josh noticed his father waiting on the back porch for his mother to return and snuck away from an unamused Natalie to go sit beside him.
"Hey," said Josh and Jacob smiled over at his son.
"Hey," he said.
"So um, are you going to yell at us too," asked Josh. Jacob shook his head.
"Actually, no, Alice is right. Imprinting is weird sometimes and I am definitely not someone who has always handled it well. At least you didn't get someone killed because of it."
"You mean Paul, right," he asked and Jacob sighed.
"Yeah, I don't have the best track record with this stuff," admitted Jacob. Josh was about to console his father, but Alice skipped over to interrupt them.
"Let the past be the past, Jacob Black. It has nothing to do with the present or the future. Besides, I have seen it," assured Alice and Jacob frowned in confusion.
"I thought you couldn't see because of Carter."
"I couldn't see because Leah and Carter hadn't met yet and he wasn't her imprint. They needed to choose their paths once that pesky issue popped up and they both have. Hers leads right back to you," informed Alice. She kissed his cheek and went to spend time with her mate as Jacob sighed in relief. Josh wrapped an arm around his father.
"See, all is well," said Josh and Jacob slowly nodded. Suddenly, the sound of the stealth jet drawing near caught their attention and Jacob stood up as Leah landed the jet in the backyard. She smiled as she got out and walked over to her husband and son.
"Are my boys waiting up for me," she asked and Josh nodded as he hugged her.
"Carter gone," asked Josh.
"Yes, I dropped him off by a swanky hotel in Athens. I think he will be just fine and he has my number if he isn't."
"Ew, why," asked Josh and Leah rolled her eyes.
"Because he knows about the supernatural now and that could make him a target. He may not be my soulmate, but I still have vowed to be his protector whenever he needs me."
"I guess I can live with that," conceded Josh.
"Thanks for the permission," teased Leah.
"No problem, now if you will excuse me, I am going to save Nat from Alice. We are going to hang out with Z and Al for a bit and then head back to our place. You two stay out of trouble while I am gone. No more imprinting drama," said Josh and he chuckled when Leah playfully glared at him.
"Don't push your luck or I will have the Volturi arrest you again," called Leah as Josh walked away. She sighed in relief as Jacob pulled her into his arms.
"So, that was…." Before she could finish, he passionately kissed her and she melted into him as their lips meshed together. He pulled away with a victorious smile.
"Yep, still my girl," he said and she winked at him.
"I never stopped being your girl."
"I was worried there for a moment," he confessed and she rolled her eyes.
"Jake, do you really think you can get rid of me that easily?"
"No, but imprinting is…"
"Definitely weird and I kind of wish I never did it, but am also kind of glad I did so I could get it over with," finished Leah.
"Exactly. You know, we are kind of getting off easy when you think about it. I am surprised everyone isn't over here teasing us now. Rose was really nice, but you know Emmett is going to tease us about this later," he warned.
"Oh, Rose will too. She just knows how to pick her moments. So, what now," she asked and he ran a hand through her hair.
"We go home and lock ourselves in our bedroom to make up for the very weird past few days," he suggested.
"Home sounds amazing," she agreed. She laced their fingers together and kissed his cheek. It had been a tense few days, but they had their family and all was well.
AN: The End…For Now!
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to review, message, and/or comment. Your feedback on the story always gives me more ideas for another. Also, all those looking to escape into a new fantasy/romance should check out my debut book series Absolution: Book One by Rachelle Storm on Amazon and Goodreads! (ISBN: 979-8528023656)
Until next time, peace, love, and Twilight!
