Chapter 3

Jake, I thought urgently while silently backtracking towards the house with Leah, whose hackles were bristled in anger. A vampire is coming, and he wants to kill me.

Incoming! he shouted furiously in my head. I knew that most of my family would be right on his heels. They'd always been intent on protecting me. Edward had once told me that it was because of my grandmother Renée, but he never shared the details. Leah and I were flying through the trees, my paws barely making a sound, when we stopped dead on our tracks. Three more vampires were approaching, circling the Cullen house. I could hear them now. Apparently, it was free-for-Cullen day.

Crap! Jake shouted again. We're under attack here. Edward says they are mercs, recruited by the Volturi.

I could guess as much from the thoughts of the one closest to Leah and me. It seemed like Aro and Caius felt threatened by the existence of half-vampires, and didn't want us to mingle with humans. And what they thought made me shudder. They had a point.

It's true we could change the fate of mankind by creating bonds, Jake, I had to admit. If the half-vampires like me have kids, they'll never be full humans. Would we create an entirely new species? Maybe...

Cut it out now! Edward's voice reached me, fury consuming him. Mankind has always evolved with new genes and progress, and if vampires have their say, then that's the way it is. You're not an anomaly, Nessie! And if you want to have children, then you'll have children. The Volturi are just a bunch of scared old fools, cowering in their dungeon since too many millennia. We won't be afraid of humans the way they are.

But I'm not supposed to exist, Dad, I thought with a heavy heart. Maybe the Volturi are right. Maybe we would change mankind in the long run, and how can this be right?

Nessie, Edward replied, hearing my thoughts through Jacob, if I have learned one single thing since I've met your mother, it's that we cannot foresee the future, and all we think we know about right or wrong is an illusion. What is right for you is wrong for somebody else, and so on. Maybe mankind needs to evolve that way, maybe not. But what happens happen. You must follow your heart, your instincts, and not some old withering Italian bats. All this, all your future is up to you. I just don't want your life be controlled or ended by the Volturi. So, for now, we fight. Debate's for afterwards.

Thanks, Dad, I said gratefully. Need a hand here, maybe.

Jake's on his way. I'll take care of the rest here with our family. I don't want to end in dog chow.

Wouldn't want to harm my father-in-law, Jake sneered. Leah huffed in annoyance next to me. I wanted to smile. My father was overprotective, but for that matter he was neck-to-neck with Jacob, and I knew my future boyfriend wouldn't want to be away from me for much longer.

The vampire behind us caught the scent of the Cullens, but he didn't know about us. The werewolves. I wondered about my own scent now. Was it marred by my new werewolf status?

Jake? I asked him as the vampire was only a half-mile away now. How is my scent? Can he smell me?

No, he answered me, only a few hundred yards away. You're a werewolf, so you smell like one. Only your fur betrays you. And I don't think he'll recognize you with only a glittering coat.

How...? I started uneasily. He guessed at my anxiety.

Just let the wolf in you forward, he explained while finally reaching Leah and me, huge with his large paws and sharp teeth. I noticed with astonishment that I was taller than him in wolf-form, but he was far bulkier. Your instinct will take over. Only your teeth can harm a vampire, so be careful. Vampires are strong and fast.

Uncle Jasper taught me how to fight, I told him, wanting to sound smug but failing badly. Our enemy was two hundred yards away.

Good. But stay behind Leah and me, please, and help us only if we need it.

Got it.

So I took a few steps back and let him and Leah attack the very surprised vampire. I watched their moves intently, learning fast, and when the blond vampire, obviously more a scout than a fighter, tossed Leah aside with a powerful punch on her ribcage, I lunged. Jake had his teeth around his left elbow, and the vampire roared in pain. He was about to hit Jake when I closed my jaws around his throat. Without thinking, instinctively, I crushed his neck, severing his head neatly. The vampire's body collapsed, but it was still twitching.

I don't have a lighter, Jake said, grabbing the body with his teeth and dragging it towards the house. Take the head.

Revulsed, I ignored the wave of nausea and took the head in my mouth. A few yards away, Leah was already on her paws, looking battered but good. She grabbed the last piece, a hand, then the three of us made our way through the trees.

Is Leah okay? I asked Jake.

She's fine. Her ribcage's already healed.

Nessie? Edward asked, relief in his voice. Everything's all right?

Yes, Dad, I said, knowing that he would hear my answer through Jake. We got him.

All right here, too. Jasper is starting the bonfire.

A few seconds later we tossed the remains of our assailant into the fire, and Jacob came right in front of me. We caressed our heads together, the way wolves do, and his nose gently nudged my neck, my head. It was most bizarre, but strangely good too. For the first time since the bite this morning, I felt better.

Then my family gathered around me. Bella and Edward stood next to me, still looking tense, and I turned my head towards them.

"You're beautiful, Nessie," Mom said with a smile, caressing the fur on my neck, and I sort of purred. The feeling was exquisite. "But I prefer you on two legs."

"I brought clothes for you," aunt Alice trilled, features still anxious. I saw in her head that she was distressed, not having seen the attack since it had targeted me, and down from having to abstain from touching me. We usually embraced each other a lot, and the absence of these gestures of love and comfort would be painful. But I never wanted to have her gift. It would be awful.

I heard that the thought crossed Edward's mind, but he dismissed it quickly, to my intense relief. Maybe I would be able to see my future, but being assailed by visions every single minute of my life would drive me insane. I put my head under my Mom's outstretched hand, and let my father caress me too.

"Your fur is soft," he said, tightly controlling his thoughts. "I never would've thought that it could suit you."

"Some half-vampire!" uncle Emmett snorted with a grin, still joyous from the fight. "What do we do with you, little one?"

I didn't know that myself. Aunt Rosalie snapped at her lover, eyeing me with concern but sending me a small smile, then I stared at uncle Jasper. He was hesitating, but he finally relaxed his stance.

"You're in control, Nessie," he told me gently, engulfing us in a wave of calm which soothed me. "But we need to talk, so..."

I think your good uncle doesn't want to see you naked, but I wouldn't mind, Jake thought mischievously. The mere idea made me bark in laughter, but fortunately my blush was lost under the thick fur. And of course Edward punched Jacob lightly on the shoulder, growling. My future boyfriend – or not so future now, I guessed – leaped out of his reach, smiling his wolf smile with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

"Off you go, too, Jake," Bella said, shooting daggers at him. "I'll stay with Nessie."

Jake nodded, and he and Edward led the way to the house, all the others following except Leah, who ran north without a backwards glance, maybe to La Push. I heaved a sigh, sank to the ground, then closed my eyes. Being with only my mother was restful, since I couldn't hear her thoughts. And I didn't really need to know them, anyway. I let myself breathe deeply, chasing away the wolf instinct, and a minute later I phased back.

"Welcome back, sweetheart," Bella sighed with a small smile.

I rose unsteadily and she was already there, holding me in her icy arms. I wanted to say something, anything, but instead I dissolved into tears. Huge sobs racked my chest, and I shivered from the bitter wind blowing through the leaves. Without a word but with gentle movements, she picked up my clothes and helped me dress, just like when I was little. And then I sobbed and sobbed, my face on her cold shoulder, her arms around me in the comforting gesture I knew so well.

We spend several minutes like that, and she didn't move an inch except for caressing my hair and sometimes kissing my forehead. Finally my sobs eased, and I pulled back a little.

"I"m sorry, Mom," I said thickly, my throat tight. "I..."

"The least thing you should feel is being sorry, sweetheart," she said kindly, her golden eyes in mine and her hand on my cheek. "Don't forget that I was human not so long ago, and I lived through quite a few strange things myself. And I know how you must be lost now. But even if I don't like what you're going through, Nessie, I'll always be there for you."

"Thank you, Mom."

"Now," she said with a serious face. "About the shield. I discovered that being really angry, focusing on my fury, like when defending my family, helped me control it. It's like a thin film around me, covering me, and I can extend it to huge distances or push it away, temporarily. I'm sure, after today, that you can find enough anger in you to learn all about yours. Now, I understand if you want to do it alone. But I'm here, should you need me."

"You start speaking like Dad," I chuckled weakly, and she smiled in return. "I'll try."

I concentrated on my anger at having being attacked, at my new unwanted talents, at my appearance as the most shiny wolf on the planet, at everything bad that had happened to me during the last twenty-four hours, and then I saw it. A film, just like my mother had described it, tinted red by my vision. I felt it around me, flexible and rippling, and I projected it. It enveloped Bella, and then it snapped back around me. I was panting but happy.

"I did it," I said, breathing heavily. "Got it around you."

"Excellent," she beamed, her eyes glinting. "And know that if it recoils back around you, then it's because you're reluctant to project it too far. It's quite useless to be so apprehensive, but I shouldn't tell. I was afraid at first when I tried to project it. And only in front of the Volturi did I discover that my fear was meaningless. I can project my shield about two hundred yards around me now."

"Seriously?" I was awed. I tried to project without frightening myself, and my film shot around me a good twenty yards before I pulled it back. No panting this time.

"See?" she said, still smiling. "Once you know it will protect you no matter what, it's quite easy."

"Yes, looks like it. Thanks a lot, Mom."

"You took Edward's talent too, then?"

She was more serious now, and I nodded. She pursed her lips, then said calmly "I don't think it's a bad thing, but brace yourself. You probably don't want to hear everything you're going to hear around you from now on. But it can't be helped. Edward is okay with it since he's so used to it, but I think it'll take you some time to adapt. Go see him and talk to him about it, he'll be able to help you."

"I will. Mom, about the Volturi..."

"We'll talk about it with the others, but I agree with Edward. You'll live your life as you see fit, Nessie. And if you and Jake have children in a few years, then who knows? Maybe they'll just be little wolves and nothing vampire will linger in them. Don't torment yourself, sweetheart, and don't dwell on it too much yet."

"They want to kill all half-vampires," I said with a shudder. She winced.

"Edward told me so. We have to think about what to do next. Are you ready to go back?"

I nodded, and we ran. I wasn't as fast as my mother, but she kept my pace easily enough. And running was good. I'd always enjoyed it. When I ran, I was free. Soon we flew over the lawn behind the Cullen house, and I stopped a few yards from the shattered doorframe. Edward and Jacob were waiting for us, but I had eyes only for Jake. His stare was so intense, I had to avert my eyes, my cheeks burning hot. And, curiously enough, it was Bella who snapped at him. "Now's not the time, Jake. Back off."

My would-be boyfriend, startled, looked at her, and I couldn't help it either. She seemed really pissed off, but Edward was trying very hard not to smile. I sighed and said, wanting tempers to cool down before they could set off "Let's go inside. I need to sit down."

Next to me Bella sighed too, but put a possessive hand on my shoulder and steered me inside. She didn't hit Jacob, lucky him, contrary to what he was almost expecting, but when passing him she hissed "Not in front of me if you don't want to end up roasting on a spit."

He jumped, baffled at the resentment in her voice, but I briefly gripped his hand when passing him. I knew the time hadn't come for us to move on to more serious things, but it was only minutes away. Better get things in motion with the Volturi first. But I was quite surprised to see that Bella was the hostile one. I would've thought that Edward would be the one voicing his dissent. But he was just enjoying himself immensely. I shot him a dark look, and he burst out laughing. Jake grumbled under his breath, and followed us into the living room.

"What's so funny?" asked Alice, a mischievous smile on her lips, her thoughts betraying her amusement.

"Nothing," Jake said quickly. "So, what do we do now?"

All the family went to sit on the deep sofas, and I noticed that Bella sat between Jake and me. He rolled his eyes, thinking disrespectful things towards her, and my father and I hissed at him simultaneously. Then we laughed together too, and Jacob made a face.

"I don't like your new talent," he told me, only half-serious. "Annoying enough having one vampire inside your head all the time, now you too..."

That sobered me at once, and I hung my head. He didn't hurt me on purpose, but it still hit home.

"She can't help it," Edward said immediately, defending me. "And it isn't enjoyable, hearing everyone's thoughts, believe me. I don't like it when I have to deal with pain, torments, vicious thoughts, or worse. It's not as cool as you think, Jacob, hearing what people have in mind. Not everyone on the planet has a mind as pure as yours."

I was astonished by this compliment, and so was Jake. But Jasper interrupted us.

"You'll have time to throw flowers at each other later. We need to discuss our strategy."

"What can we do?" asked Bella. "The Volturi aren't officially involved. We only learned about them thanks to Edward and Nessie."

"Yes, and I'm wondering about that," Edward said calmly, all lightness gone. "Don't you think it's a little strange that an enemy would be focusing so much on the reasons of the attack, and not the attack itself?"

"What do you mean?" Esme asked him with a frown.

"Esme, when they attacked, these vampires were almost shouting that the Volturi sent them, but when we defended ourselves, they didn't think about self-preservation at all! It was like a suicide mission, like I was hearing kamikaze thoughts again."

"You think they were sent to be killed by us?" Jasper inquired, eyebrows furrowed deep.

"Yes. And they were careful that I could read their minds. So I really doubt the Volturi are behind it, after all."

"Maybe they are, thinking that you'll be suspicious," said Rosalie. "They know all about your talent, Edward."

"Yes," he confirmed, scowling. "They know all about it, and a vampire who can copy every talent is sent here to kill Nessie. He doesn't really attack her except to bite her. He doesn't put up a fight when I attack him. It was much too easy. I don't like it."

"So, are the Volturi involved or not?" Emmett demanded. Always straight things for my brawl-eager uncle.

"I'd say not," Carlisle said at last with his calm voice. "Why would they send mercenaries when they have a strong guard?"

"A guard we can defeat," Jasper reminded him, shooting an admirative glance at Bella, who shrugged.

"They've had time to recruit other talented vampires," Alice said with an unusual scowl on her face. "This copy vampire, had he been with them, would've tipped the scales. And I didn't see them make a decision. Even if Nessie was the target, I think I would've seen a move from them, since they'd have to kill us first if they want her."

"And why bite me?" I asked, uneasiness growing in me. "I think that I would've died if Mom hadn't sucked the venom out. But why bite me instead of killing me?"

"They must have known that we would try to save you at any cost," Bella said, tightening her grip around my shoulders.

"And Aro knew about it," Edward frowned, "when he read my mind six years ago. He knew that I had already saved Bella that way."

"This story is common knowledge," Alice countered him, scowling deeper. "A lot of vampires know about it. It doesn't prove anything."

"You're right," Carlisle exhaled, looking ten years older. "But if it isn't the Volturi, then who is behind this, and why attack the half-vampires?"

And from what I heard around me, nobody had an answer.

Author's Note: Hey, thanks for reading! Hope you like this story, and please leave a review!