Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer not me.
Author/Note 1: This story is the sequel of Our Dawn 5. For the ones who don't know anything about Our Dawn Series, you can always read Our Dawn 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and Our Dawn Series Specials but if you don't want to bother I have a resume on my profile page. As it would be expected this is a next generation story and as such, it's focused on Jake and Leah's children.
A/Note 2: A huge thank you for everyone who reviewed Our Dawn Series so far.
A/Note 3: I'm not a native English speaker so I'm sorry for my grammar and spelling. Thank you for reading.
Alpha
Book III – The Challenger
Interlude
Jacob Black
47. Hunting Season – part 3
"You're not thinking about accepting their proposition, are you?" Harry asked me. I could feel the desperation on his voice.
We were all gathered outside my father's house so that Sam could join the meeting. His wound had stopped bleeding but we didn't want him to take unnecessary risks that could harm his full recovery.
The Romanians' had proposed us to give them Season and in return they would give us Lex back and they would leave our lands immediately. If we accepted, all wolves would be safe and unharmed. That was the deal.
I wanted nothing more than to tell the vampire called Ivan to shove his proposal up his ass but I had to think about my pack's safety first.
Ivan and the others had found out our weakness: our younger members. If we didn't cooperate Ivan would order a synchronised attack on Danny, Jay and Quinn. I was sure that even with the help of the White pack, we would not be able to ensure the kids' safety because I knew some of the vampires had not showed us their true strength yet.
"We should wait for the Cullens." Quil tried to present a third option.
To negotiate with vampires was always easier when the Cullens were around. Edward and Jasper's powers were quite useful and usually the Cullens knew a lot more about the enemy than we did. But now they weren't here.
"We can't count on them for this and I don't think that we can stall these bastards until the Cullens come back. We don't know where they are or what happened to them. Alice tried to call Jasper but she got no answer. I don't even know where she is now…" I confessed.
"What's your suggestion then?" Sam asked me.
"I don't think we have a choice." I avoided looking at Harry when I said that. I didn't intend on giving them the girl and stay put. I was planning on allowing them to leave and then plan Season's rescue after finding out what had happened to Embry and the Cullens.
"You have to be joking!" Harry opposed. "We're protectors! We can't let them take her!"
I knew Harry would react like this but I also knew that we couldn't afford to lose Danny, Jay or Quinn. I would never forgive myself if they died.
"Hear me out Harry." I asked my son. "They need Season. She's only useful to them if she's alive and well. That means she won't be harmed."
"You can't guarantee that." Harry contradicted.
"Your father's right, Harrison." Leah backed me up. "Right now we need to help Lex because she has no use to them. She'll be killed if we refuse to give them what they want. That's the only reason they're keeping her alive for now."
Harry's eyes flew to the floor. He wanted to help Lex but not at Season's expenses.
"Besides, we can always get her back." I announced. "When Carlisle and the others return, we'll be able to do something to help her."
"How?" Harry asked me.
"We'll draw a plan. Edward and Jasper will know how to deal with the vamps and we'll fight if we have to."
"Then let's fight now!"
"If we fight now, we'll lose. Some of us will die. We have to chose carefully when to attack. We need a plan first."
"Season doesn't know anything about us or vampires, we can't let her go with them."
"Then tell her the truth. You have my permission."
"Now?"
"Yes."
"And what will I tell her exactly? That she's going to be taken by a coven of vampires that want to use her to fight other vampires and rule the world?"
As a Native-American girl, Season probably knew some of the legends that the Elders of her tribe used to tell the younger generations, so it wouldn't be a complete shock when Harry confirmed the veracity of some of those legends. It would be a lot harder to believe she possessed a power that allowed her to remove gifts from powerful vampires though.
I guess I was hoping she would understand and forgive us for what we were about to do.
"Stop whining, Harry." EJ said suddenly. "I've heard she's not even your real girlfriend. Just give her up to the vamps so they can leave us the hell alone. I'm sure Will also wants his girl back, right?"
William was torn. He wanted to save Lex from the Romanians but he knew that her safety depended on the sacrifice of his twin brother's girlfriend.
"I don't want to give them Season… but Lex should be our priority right now." Will said.
"Why? Because she's your girlfriend?" Harry inquired a bit aggressively.
"No, Harry… because she's just an innocent girl tossed into the middle of this crap!"
"So is Season!"
"Season's a tough girl. She'll manage. Besides, dad's right. The Romanians need her alive. As for Lex, they won't hesitate to kill her if she's not useful to them. Do you really want to have Lex's death on your conscience? She's your friend too, isn't she?"
"Of course she's my friend."
"We'll get Lex back and then we'll do everything we can to rescue Season from those bastards." William promised.
In the end we didn't need to vote. The decision was made from the beginning. As far as we could tell the Cullens hadn't been able to rescue Lex so this was our only chance to get the girl back safely.
Then we'd focus on Rhea and Season.
"I'll try to arrange a deal that will allow us to stay in touch with Season frequently." I promised Harry and he finally nodded.
The Romanians would take Season into a stronghold. Somewhere no one could reach, somewhere she couldn't escape from. But that didn't mean they would forbid her to use a computer or a phone. They could not just take a human girl and shove her into a dungeon. I was almost one hundred per cent sure they would treat her well enough and try to keep her quiet and happy until the day they'd decide to attack the Italians.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" Leah offered.
"I can do it." Harry said firmly. "It's better if she knows it from me."
"What are you going to tell her?" Leah asked.
"I don't know yet."
"What now?" EJ inquired when Harry entered the house to speak to Season in private.
"Now we wait. We still have forty minutes until the leeches come back." I announced. "Paul, Brady, Collin, I need you to search the perimeter for Alice. I need to know what happened to her."
Paul, Brady and Collin phased and ran to the woods immediately.
"Sam, can you take Danny inside so my dad can have a look on his wound?"
"Sure." Sam said. "Come on, boy."
Danny followed Sam silently. EJ, Quinn and Jay followed them too.
"I'm going back to the Cullen's house. I have to keep watching the footage Alice recovered." Will said.
"Okay. Quil and Isaac are going with you."
I did not want William walking around alone. The boy had a short fuse and I couldn't risk him having another breakdown. Besides, Isaac could help him with the footage and Quil could try to make contact with the other Cullens.
The rest of the pack morphed and made a circle around the house, ready to protect us from the enemies. Leah and I were finally alone.
"Am I doing the right thing?" I whispered to Leah who was standing right next to me.
"We don't have a choice." She supported me.
"Harry won't forgive me for this. I'm sacrificing his girlfriend... if something happens to her…"
Leah held my hand and then hugged me. "Nothing will happen to her. We'll make sure of it."
"If things go on like this, I'll have all of our kids hating me before the end of the year." I complained.
"No one hates you Jacob. They're just too young to understand things."
"I hope you're right."
The White pack never returned. Apparently there was an emergency with another young boy who had just phased and they had to head back home to control the damages. They wouldn't be able to help us anyway so their presence wasn't really necessary.
I looked at my watch. Five more minutes and the leeches would be back to know our answer. Five more minutes and we would have to give Season Marsh to the vampires. It was the right thing to do to avoid a battle but it felt wrong.
In that precise moment we all felt the horrible stench of Ivan and his friends. They came out of the forest silently like ghosts.
All of them stopped a few feet away from us, at a safe distance. I watched them carefully. Sixteen vampires. Valerya wasn't amongst them which gave me hope of finding Alice still alive even though Paul, Brady and Collin had come back empty handed after a quick search.
The group of vampires was formed by six women and ten men. None of them seemed to fear us but they weren't keen on attacking either.
Ivan approached me alone.
"I hope you have a positive answer for us." He said.
"We have conditions." I replied.
"Conditions?" He supressed a laugh. "You really think you can make your own terms on this?"
"Yes. We want a guarantee that she won't be harmed in any way."
"We don't want to kill her." He explained. "We're not monsters." He grinned.
"We know that, but we want to be able to talk to her whenever we want."
"Fine, dog… you can contact her whenever you like." He agreed. "But she'll be supervised, of course."
"When you attack the Volturi, what will happen to her?"
"She'll help us kill them all and when it's over I guess we won't need her."
"What will you do to her then?" Harry asked.
"We'll let her go." He said dismissively. "She can stay with us or come home. It doesn't really matter what she does afterwards."
"We won't hand over the girl without seeing Lex first." I announced.
"She's already here. Send your men to search on the place her car was found. She'll be there."
"William, Quil, Jared, go! Howl if you find her." I ordered and three wolves emerged immediately and left running.
Ivan was grinning. Everything was going according to his plans. If Lex really was where he had said she'd be, we would have to give them Season.
"When will you attack the Volturi?" I knew they wouldn't tell me but I asked anyways.
"Soon." He replied.
"Do you know who you'll have to face to win the war?"
"Yes."
"Do you know Alec and Jane?"
"The witch twins." He spat. "We know all about them."
"And Scarlett?"
"We know her too."
"Good. Because you'll die if you go ahead with your stupid plan."
"Some of us might die. But in the end, we will win."
A howl erupted then.
"They found her." Ivan smiled. "Like I promised. Now… give her to us."
I hesitated. I didn't want to do this. Season was an innocent girl. She didn't deserve to be delivered like a piece of merchandise to those vampires.
"Is there anything else you wish to request?" Ivan asked mockingly.
"Yes." Harry stepped forward. "I'm going too."
"What the…" I didn't finish my sentence because Harry took a few more steps forward and went to stand in front of our enemy. Their bodies were an arm apart.
"I'm not asking your permission dad." He said never diverting his eyes from Ivan. "And I'm certainly not asking yours either."
The vampire observed Harry attentively.
"The Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf." He whispered amused. "We don't need you, mutt. You're not invited."
"Harry!" Leah called beside me. "You can't go."
"I won't stay here without her so either we both go or none of us will."
"We can't have a mutt like you around."
"Why not? Are you afraid of me?"
"Afraid?" Ivan laughed loudly. "This has nothing to do with fear."
"So what's the problem, leech? You'll be in control the whole time. My only job is to make sure she's safe and bring her home to her family when everything is over."
Ivan looked back to his mates. "Casimir, Alana." He called. A man and a woman came forward, both of them were carefully studying my son.
"I don't want him in our house, Ivan." The vampire named Casimir said. He had short dark hair, large ears and a sharp nose. "He stinks and I never liked dogs. My father had a dog when I was a kid and one night the stupid mutt killed my brother. He bit his throat and he was going to do the same to me but dad killed him first…"
"Your presence will make things harder for us." The woman said placing a soothing hand on Casimir's arm preventing him to speak. "What you're trying to do is very noble but we don't need you."
"Yes, you do." Harry said with a grin.
"What do you mean?" Alana asked.
"Just like you, the Volturi will know about Season's power soon and Aro will send an army to find her. They have the vampire who bit her with them so they'll be able to find her no matter where she is."
The three leeches exchanged a worried look. If the Volturi found Season before they executed their attack on the Italians, they would be in trouble. They needed time to form an attack plan and they couldn't afford losing their secret weapon before that.
"There's only one way to hide Season from the Volturi."
"And what way is that?" Casimir inquired.
"A wolf's scent can mask hers. If I stay close to her, the Volturi won't be able to find Season and you'll have time to plan your attack."
Things weren't that easy. As far as I remembered the only way Gustaf would not be able to find Season was if she had a different blood type and that would only happen if she was pregnant with a wolf's child.
But the Romanians didn't have to know that. Harry's only goal was to make them believe that his presence would be a benefit for everyone. And by the look on their faces, it was working.
"You'll not be treated as a guest in our house, dog." Casimir spat.
"If we find out you're lying or trying to trick us, we won't hesitate to torture the girl and kill you." Ivan added. "Is that clear?"
"I'm not lying." Harry said calmly. "We need a few minutes to say goodbye to our families."
"Ten minutes. That's all you get." Ivan announced and they removed themselves to join the rest of the leeches.
"Harrison! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Leah asked reaching our son.
I knew what he was doing because I'd do the exact same thing if the leeches wanted to take Leah.
"You gave me no choice." Harry replied.
"You can't just… leave us."
"Mum… I'm not going to let them take her and do nothing about it. She's been through a lot on her own."
"Leah… I think he already made up his mind." I said.
I wasn't pleased with Harry's decision but there was nothing we could do to stop him. I knew my son well enough to know that he would do everything in his power to protect this girl.
"Jacob! He'll be alone with a coven of bloodsuckers. He won't have anyone to protect him if the leeches decide to..."
"I know how to defend myself mum. Plus they need me to avoid Season being discovered by the Volturi." Harry said with confidence.
In that moment all we could do was to trust him.
When Harry and Will first left La Push to work for Joe Kitt Autosports they were eighteen years old. They were young and it was the first time they were leaving home to stay in a big city but we wanted them to have a chance to live their lives the way they wanted so after considering things thoroughly we let them go. There was no tearful farewell because we knew they'd be close by and because we knew it wouldn't be permanent.
But this was different. Harry was probably going to another continent, to a place no one knew about with a coven of vampires and a girl he would have to protect. I wanted nothing more but to alpha command him to stay. I wanted him to be safe but if I ordered him to stay I would be going against our nature and our mission.
Wolves existed to protect humans from the Cold Ones and that was what Harry was doing.
The pack had already said goodbye, wishing him good luck and giving him advices to deal with the leeches. Sue and my father tried to persuade him to stay but he was resolute on his decision.
Now it was just our family.
"How long are you going to stay in Germany?" JJ asked. Leah had to pick him up at Seth's place so he could say goodbye to his brother. We had fabricated a story to tell people about Harry and Season's sudden absence.
"I don't know yet, but it won't be long."
"Will you be here for my birthday next month?"
"Of course." Harry promised hugging JJ. "Don't worry little brother, we'll be home soon."
JJ smiled with Harry's answer and went back inside.
"You're a quick learner and you have awesome leading skills. Try to be more resilient in your decisions." Harry told Isaac who hugged him. "And kick EJ's ass whenever you want."
"I will."
"Keep an eye on Sarah for me, will you?"
"Yes."
Leah and Sarah were almost crying when Harry turned to them to say goodbye. He instructed Sarah to study and behave until his return and kept telling Leah that he was going to be fine and there was no need for her to worry.
"I'm your mother, Harrison. Of course, I'll worry." She said trying to keep her tears at bay but failing miserably. "I don't want you to go."
"I'll be back before you notice I'm gone."
"Stop sugar-coating things. I know what's going on, and I know the dangers you're facing. If I don't get any news from you for more than two days, I'll go find you. If they so much think about hurting you, I'll kill them all."
Near the tree lines the vamps laughed at Leah's threat. She glared at them and I had to grab her so she wouldn't do anything stupid.
"Be careful, Harry." I pulled my son into a tight hug. "Don't forget you won't have anyone to back you up. You won't have a plan B… you'll be on your own."
Harry nodded.
"Don't worry, dad."
"Of course I worry but at the same time I'm very proud of you and what you're trying to do. I just don't want you taking unnecessary risks. Don't be the hero, don't play their games. Just focus on coming home with the girl safe and sound."
"That's my goal."
"You didn't tell her the truth, did you?"
"Not yet. But I will."
I finally let him go. I was scared but at the same time incredibly proud of my firstborn. He was everything a father could wish for.
Now, Harry and William were face to face in a moment that anyone dared to interrupt. They were not just two siblings saying farewell. They were two halves of a whole, trying to keep a strong façade for each other's sake.
"I can go with you." Will whispered, his voice shaking with fear of losing his twin brother.
"We both know you can't." Harry told him. "I know you want to, but you can't. Not now that Lex is here and Rhea's still missing."
"Don't do anything stupid."
"I should be the one saying that. That's your department, isn't it?"
Will laughed a bit.
"I'm coming back soon." Harry promised. "In the meantime just stay out of trouble. Make sure you keep your cool and try to help the others."
"I promise."
"And find Rhea. She's counting on you."
Will nodded and they both stared at each other. Then they hugged.
"You'll always be on my mind, William." Harry said and winked. William copied him and then, the moment we didn't want to come, finally arrived and Harry went to the porch to get a small backpack and Season who was saying goodbye to her family.
We faked enthusiasm because Hannah and the rest of Season's family thought Harry and Season were going on vacation to Europe when in fact they were going as hostages of a vampire coven.
Hidden amongst the trees, the Romanians prepared to leave as they had promised.
"I'll talk to you soon, okay?" Harry waved at us and locked eyes with his twin brother.
"I hope you enjoy your staying in Europe." Isaac waved back as my son and Season were finally walking to the forest to join the vampires.
"I hope you get laid." William joked. "A lot…"
"I'd say the same but you already did." Harry retorted.
"I'll kick your ass when you return." William took a step forward. He wanted to go after his brother but he knew he couldn't. "Harrison?" He called one last time.
"What?" Harry turned back.
"You're my brother."
"Not by choice." Harry joked.
"I… I…"
"I love you too Will. I'll see you soon."
"Why are they going to the forest? Wouldn't it be easier to call a taxi to take them to the airport?" Questioned Hannah. Fortunately we were spared to explanations because Hannah's children called out to her and she went inside to check on the young girls.
"I'm going to make sure they leave our lands without incidents." William announced.
"Will…"
"Don't try to stop me, dad."
"I'm not, I'm coming with you."
"Me too." Isaac said.
"And me." Quil said behind us.
Suddenly all of the wolves were there. Even Sam.
"Let's go." Leah said and we all phased.
Running side by side we followed Harry, Season and the vamps carefully because we didn't want them to see us as a threat. Fortunately they realised we were just trying to say goodbye to our pack mate. We escorted the group from afar until they reached three vehicles parked in a secondary rood. They were travelling with a human so they had provided proper means of transportation. We halted when the vampires stopped.
Two cars were white Toyota Prius. Ivan entered the first one while Alana and Casimir entered the second. In the middle of the white Toyotas there was a black SUV. We watched in silence as Season and Harry were led to the SUV. Harry turned back for a split second and our eyes met. My muscles wanted me to move. I wanted my boy back but that would lead to a war so I stayed put and soon the cars were on the move.
William howled and all the wolves copied him. Inside the SUV, Season tried to watch the origin of all of those howls while Harry just muttered a 'goodbye'. We only abandoned our positions when the cars were no longer visible.
'Jared? Can you still see them?'
Jared had the best eyesight in the pack.
'No.' He confirmed my suspicions. 'I'm sorry Jake. They're gone.'
'They're not really gone.' William stated. 'He'll be back soon. I can feel it.'
No one said otherwise because we really wanted William's words to be true.
When we finally arrived at my father's house, Sue came running towards us and handed me a cell phone.
"It's Alice." She announced. I sighed in relief. Alice was alive after all.
"Hey, Pixie… where the hell are you?"
"Somewhere in North Dakota. Are they gone?"
"Yes."
"I saw it… I saw their proposal and I knew you would give them the girl."
"You could've warned us sooner. Plus Harry is gone too."
"I'm sorry about that but I didn't have time."
"Why are you in North Dakota?"
"I'm going to Maine. To get the others back. They're in danger."
"What kind of danger?" I asked and suddenly everyone was looking at me expectantly. "We had sixteen vampires threatening to kill our youngest members and you just bolted so can you please elaborate?"
"Turn your TV on." Alice said.
We all went inside the house and followed her instructions. And when the TV was switched on we realised what kind of danger our friends were facing.
Two entire blocks in Norway, Maine were on fire. A local reporter was saying that the fire had started an hour ago and it had escalated quickly though no one knew yet how it started or even where. The fire brigade was trying to contain it but too many houses were already lost. They didn't know if there were casualties.
"I got a text message from Embry when I was following Valerya. I was forced to let her get away when I read the message."
"Is Embry alright?"
"I don't know for sure. I think they're inside one of the houses that were set on fire."
That didn't sound good.
"What did the message say?"
"It said 'We're in the basement.' I've made a quick research on my way and only three houses in those two blocks have basements, so I'll find them."
"You should've asked our help, Alice. I could've sent someone with you."
"I'll manage, Jacob. I'm fast, I'm strong and I'm really smart, so… don't worry. I'll bring them back."
I sighed. I knew she was capable of bringing our friends back home. If things were really serious she would never go to Maine alone. Alice was peculiar but she was cautious too.
"I'll contact you as soon as I find them."
"Are you sure you don't want me to send anyone? The Romanians are gone."
"The danger we're facing right now is exposure. I don't need more wolves around."
"Okay fine. Just call us if something happens."
"I will."
When I put the phone down, everyone was silent. The TV was still showing images of burning houses and a crowd watching from afar.
"Is Embry alright?" Leah finally asked even though she had heard my conversation with Alice.
"He sent a text message, so I guess he's okay. But I think they're trapped inside one of those houses."
"Can a wolf die in a fire?" EJ asked coming from the kitchen with a sandwich and a beer pack. He focused on the TV and plopped himself down on the couch.
"If his injuries are critical and his body can't regenerate, yes." Sam supplied.
"What about vampires?" He asked again.
"The only way to kill a vampire is to burn him." I replied. "But for that to happen you have to immobilize the vampire so the fire can consume him completely."
"I hope Alice Cullen knows how to put out a fire really fast because that shit seems pretty out of control in there."
EJ was right. Most of the houses in Norway were made out of wood and had begun to collapse. With two blocks completely consumed by the fire, the firemen were more worried trying to contain the fire perimeter and evacuating the remaining people than saving the empty houses from the flames.
"The night will be long and arduous." Said the reporter on the TV. I couldn't agree more.
It was funny that two hours ago the police was ready to charge my son with kidnapbut now Chief Cliff Bates was considering giving Will a medal. After making sure that Alexis didn't know anything about our secret, William took the girl to the Forks Police Station where he was received as a hero.
The police followed the procedures and an interrogation was conducted separately. The detectives came out empty handed though. Alexis was too confused (probably due to the drugs or sedatives the Romanians had given her) and was unable to supply details about her captor or the place she had been taken to.
Without the identification of Lex's captor, all the police had about this case were theories. Since Lex had been returned safe and sound, they concluded the kidnapper was an amateur and that he was probably after a ransom but for some reason he had been forced to call everything off.
William's interrogation didn't help either. He told the police he had kept looking for his girlfriend in the woods and had found her unconscious near the site where she was first taken. Chief Bates wasn't interested in anything else, so he congratulated Will and locked himself in his office to call the FBI and prevent them from coming since Alexis Han had been found. The rest of the officers in the police station praised Will's efforts and a few minutes later Lex and Will were finally released and sent home for a well-deserved rest.
Lex joined her father in the small rented room in TulipVille Inn and William came back to La Push and went straight to the Cullens manor to join Isaac who was still checking the footage Alice had brought home.
In the meantime I released everyone from night patrols. Now that the vamps were gone and William's girlfriend had been found, the pack could finally have a break.
Leah volunteered to stay with Becca until Embry returned. I had ordered Paul to keep an eye on his kids and I sent Jay home.
Quinn had gone to spend some time with his sisters at Gary's. After Cristine got admitted in the clinic, Gary and his wife, Skye were taking care of her children because Josh was practically staying at the clinic too. Unfortunately there was nothing more Josh could do except for staying there holding her hand.
He was going through a hard time. His mother, Aileen Spears had also died of cancer and now he was losing his wife to the same illness. It wasn't fair.
The house was silent that night. The Reservation was safe for now. Sarah and JJ were sleeping in their bedrooms. Will and Isaac were staying the night at the Cullens. I knew I should be thankful about how things had turned out.
I should be happy about it. After all we had faced the Romanians and didn't lose anyone.
Except for my firstborn. I thought miserably.
I was on the couch in our living room. I held my cell phone waiting for a call or a text message from Alice or Harry. I just needed to hear them telling me everything was fine. I drifted off to sleep at some point and when I woke up I saw a message on my cell phone's screener.
It read: 'We're on our way home. Embry's going to be okay. Alice.'
xxxxxxxxxx
It was a relief when I saw Embry getting out of Alice's car in one piece a couple of hours later. He was wearing an oxygen mask and seemed a little disoriented but apart from that, Carlisle assured me he was fine.
"Embry saved us." Edward answered my question before I could even voice it.
"Maybe you should start by the beginning." I said. I wanted to know all the details of their failed rescue mission.
"Is Becca alright?" Embry questioned removing the mask for a brief moment.
"She's fine. Leah's with her."
Embry nodded while Carlisle insisted with him to put the oxygen mask again.
"When we arrived to Stefan's house it was too late. They had left already with the girl and we found several human bodies in the basement." Bella started to resume the events. "They had been killed recently and used as meals for the Romanians."
"How many?" I asked.
"Twenty-three." Edward answered.
"Bastards." I was unable to supress a growl.
"Then all of a sudden we heard the sirens and saw the smoke. We realised then that one of the vampires had probably stayed there to cover up their tracks and get rid of the bodies but curiously I was unable to detect him."
Edward could read minds so he should be able to read the mind of the enemy that had stayed behind.
"When we were about to leave the house we were attacked." Rosalie added. "He moved so fast…"
"He touched us and we couldn't move." Jasper informed. "He wore a hood so we don't even know how he looks like but we know for sure that he's a mental shield and has the power to immobilize other vampires."
"When Embry realised the house was on fire… he rushed inside to help us. Since we couldn't move he dragged us, one by one to the basement again because it was the only place in the house with walls made out of bricks instead of wood." Bella finished.
"And you stayed there until Alice arrived?" If that was the case they had stayed in that basement for a long time.
"Weren't you listening? We couldn't move." Rosalie said irritably. "We were stuck there and Embry passed out. When he woke up he was able to send a message to Alice and blacked out again."
"How long did it take for you to move again?"
"Hours." Jasper replied gravely. "It took us hours to move. If Alice hadn't arrived, Embry would probably die from smoke inhalation and we would've been found by the firemen."
Just like the pack, the Cullens had been lucky.
"I presume Alice told you what happened here, right?"
All the Cullens nodded.
"We're sorry about Harry and Season. I never thought the Romanians could revive their clan." Carlisle admitted. "For centuries, there were only two of them. After Sirenia's death, Stefan and Vladimir didn't make more attempts to out rule the Volturi. And I thought they would stay that way."
"Who was Sirenia?"
"Vladimir's mate. She was killed in the ninth century in the battle of Lake Balaton in Hungary." Carlisle explained. "Vladimir and Stefan had a raised an army of new-born vampires but against Jane and Alec they didn't stand a chance. Sirenia was killed and after that Vladimir and Stefan accepted the inevitable. But now…"
"There are twelve leaders again and probably an organised structure with personal guards, some of which have gifts." Alice informed. "And they have Season."
"So basically there are two major vampire covens now." I said. "As if the Italians weren't enough…"
"Are we going to war?" Embry asked taking his mask off again.
"No. This has nothing to do with us. If the Romanians and the Volturi want to battle for power, fine. But we won't be in the middle of this war like what happened when Joham tried to get rid of the Italians."
"And what are we going to do Jake?"
"We're going to get my brother, Season and Rhea back." Came a voice from inside the house. The eight Cullens turned around in the porch to look at William who had just joined us with Isaac.
"You found Rhea?" Alice questioned.
"Yes. She appears in the footage you recovered from Missoula International Airport in Montana. She was with a woman and boarded flight 945 to Montreal, Canada." Will said.
"That's great. Now we have something to work with." Alice said. Her optimism was back. "Let's get inside, we have things to do."
Alice pushed Will and Isaac towards the door but William turned to me before entering the house.
"Dad?" He called.
"What?"
"As soon as I get Rhea back, I'll go after Harry." He said confidently. "And I'm not asking for permission." He added.
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you Will." I told him. "But when that time comes, I'll definitely go with you."
"I'm going too." Isaac put in.
"And you can count on us as well." Carlisle announced. "Anything you need, just tell us."
I nodded. Last night dark had surrounded us completely but now the dawn was bringing hope.
"So… wo wants breakfast?" Esme asked with a genuine smile.
"Breakfast wouldn't hurt." Embry whispered and we followed the Cullens to the kitchen.
Thanks for the reviews: Guest(s), CentaurPrincess, brankel1, MelkiSihou, Island Mama, Weave the Magic, Kary G, almondbutter, rocklesson86, TheSlytherinQueenbee, nikkie owens, nene82743, Deadman'sGun, bonzgirl, Jazzmatazz30, sia-gomo01, FangsandDaggers, Sagal Farah, chemistrykim, Daughter of the earth, Gizmo60, Evangella Akriti, Sarah Blackwater, lory77, Beauty Eclipsed, tcpg02.
I'd also like to thank all the followers of this story and all the readers who added it to their favourites list. Thank you.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a great 2017.
Karisan