A/N: Not long to go now. After this one, there's only three chapters left! I can't believe it's almost over.

Enjoy! xxxx

– Jasper's POV –

I've got no fuckin' clue what my mate just did, but it was sure as hell fuckin' powerful!

I felt her anger surge as everyone was debating the likelihood of our daughters being used and manipulated or worse, taken by someone like Carlisle who's only after power. Then, all of a sudden, I'm airborne!

I crashed into somethin'. The back wall, I assume. And went skiddin' across the garden lawn on my ass! Snow was flyin' every which way! It happened so quickly that it left me feelin' disorientated and that wasn't a feelin' I was used to!

Scattered across the lawn, the family was on their assess or flat on their backs, lookin' just as shocked and bewildered as I felt. There was a fuckin' massive hole in the side of the house, exposing the living room to the elements. The roof and the room above the living room looked ready to crumble. There was debris and furniture littered across the garden, and further out into the surrounding forest.

Charlie crashed into the kid's swing set. They were obliterated.

Eleazar went face-first into the yellow slide, which shattered on impact and was now beneath him in the snow bank across the field. A good fifty feet from the house!

Carmen was hanging upside down from one of the trees.

I couldn't see Vicky, Kate, Pete, or Char.

I was tryin' to get my bearings when I heard one of the twins scream. At first, I thought the Cullens had returned. I was up and runnin' back into the house before anyone could stop me.

But what I found wasn't much better.

My mate was unconscious. Her lap was soaking wet. Blood was comin' from her nose and ears. The girls were freaking out. Fuck, I couldn't blame them. I was freaking out!

The back half of the house was destroyed. Rubble and chaos surrounded my girls. Their momma was unresponsive. Bleeding.

Charlie was the first to recover. He found Vicky in the forest and then ran to the house to check on Bella.

Unsure if they were hurt, gingerly, I handed him Lottie and then Jas. They wanted to stay with their momma. They were scared, shaken, but thankfully unharmed. Vicky and Carmen distracted them while I attempted to get Bella out of the house.

Kate appeared as I was climbing through the rubble. She joined me and checked Bella over before I moved her in case she was injured.

"Her waters broken." She determined. "We need to get her back to the Denali house. Run with her Jasper. I'll be right behind you."

Pete appeared as I lifted my mate into my arms. He was soaking wet and looked a little like a pissed-off cat. Char had found him in the lake. I told them to stay with the girls and get them to the Denali house as soon as possible, then took off with my mate in my arms.

That was forty-five minutes ago!

What the fuck was taking so long? The Major snarled in the back of my mind.

As soon as we arrived at the Denali home, Kate and Tanya ushered me into a bedroom and instructed me to lay Bella on the bed. Then they pushed me out of the room! I tried to fight them, needing to be with her, but they were persistent women! Irina appeared to help her sisters and Laurent grabbed my shoulder, insisting I let the girls work and take care of my mate. Apparently, they knew what they were doing.

Since when are the Denali sister's doctors?

"Tanya's studied all kinds of things over the years, Major," Laurent told me. "When Irina and I decided we wanted to have children, and asked Bella to be our surrogate, Kate and Tanya trained to be her midwives. Tanya has several degrees in various medical fields. She just never felt the need to practice like Carlisle. It was something to fill the time, I guess. Lord knows they've lived a long time!"

That was true.

When we came to visit, I often wondered what they got up to. I know many nomads visit the sisters when they're passing through. And the Cullens visit twice a year. But what do they do in between? I asked Alice once and she made it seem like the girls did nothing but shop, fuck, and hunt. I thought then how boring that sounded.

When the bedroom door opened, I spun around to face Kate and Tanya. "Well?" I demanded. "What's wrong? Is Bella all right? Is it the baby?"

"Bella's fine," Kate answered, her voice calm. "Exhausted and drained. She's going to need to eat a little something and maybe you could convince her to take a nap between contractions."

"She's still in labor?" I asked. "That means the baby's fine, right? She's still coming? She's not hurt?"

Tanya smiled and laid her hand on my arm. "She's perfectly healthy, Jazz."

"Little One's gift seems to be developing a lot sooner than the twins," Kate said, frowning. "I'm not sure if that means anything." She shrugged. "She was able to break through Bella's protective shield and allow me to examine her, something I've never been able to do during one of Bella's pregnancies."

I frowned. "Bella's shield is so powerful you've never been able to do a sonogram?"

How fuckin' powerful was her shield? She blew the whole fuckin' house apart! Tossed all of us around like we were ragdolls! She can block a sonogram! What else can she do?

Kate shook her head. "What with Bella's shield and, when she's carried full vampires, there's a layer of venom protecting her belly, making it impossible to see what's going on inside of her."

"We didn't even know she was carrying twins until she delivered Louie and Eli," Tanya told me. "Charlie said it was the same with Noah and Alex. Then she had George and we weren't sure if she'd have another set of twins!"

Holy hell. Does that mean our mate is carrying twins?

"Wait," my eyes widened, "does that mean . . ."

Kate laughed. "No." She patted my arm. "There's only one in there this time, Major. But multiples are more common in supernatural pregnancies, so maybe next time." She grinned.

If I'm being honest, I couldn't wait for there to be a next time. If Bella wanted a dozen more, I wouldn't say no. As long as they're all happy and healthy, and their momma's able to carry them, I'd give her anythin'.

"Go see your mate, Major." Kate smiled. "Tanya and I will be back to check up on her in a bit."

"Don't forget about the nap!" Tanya smiled brightly as she followed her sister down the stairs.

Wasting no more time, I went to my mate. The room she was in was big but still warm. Directly in front of me was a massive wall-to-ceiling window. There was a sofa in front, with a rocking chair and chest of draws. My beautiful Belle was lying in a hospital bed, looking out the window as it began to snow again.

As soon as I entered, her head snapped up. "Where are the girls?"

I smiled. "With your Dad, Vicky, Peter, and Char. Perfectly safe and protected. I spoke with Peter ten minutes ago, they're on their way here. Should be arrivin' in the next hour or so. Yer dad is refusin' to run with the girls, somethin' about motion-sickness, so they're travelin' by car."

She nodded. "Their little bodies can't handle going that fast yet."

Made sense.

"You wanna tell me what happened back there, Darlin'?"

She shrugged. "I lost my temper."

"Has that ever happened before?"

She shook her head, then cringed as the pain shot through her temples. "No. But then, my girls—" she sighed, "—our girls . . . I should stop thinking of them as just mine . . ."

I looked down at the bed, debating with myself. Do I sit? Or ask her first? Maybe she needs space? Or maybe she'd prefer to be close . . .

Oh. Fuck this.

I toed off my boots, took off my jacket, and crawled into bed with her. I wasn't gonna ask permission to be her mate.

Apparently, I made the right decision, because as soon as my ass was sat, she curled into me, puttin' my hand back on her belly.

"They've been just yours for a long time, Darlin'. It'll take time for us to adjust. But there's no rush." I assured her. "I ain't goin' nowhere."

"I suppose." She said softly.

"Tell me what's goin' on, Darlin'," I asked. "Why did you blow up like that?"

"Everyone was looking at our daughters like they were going to morph into little monsters and start terrorizing the world!" She growled out.

Damn. That sound was sexy.

No.

Bad Jasper.

Focus.

There'll be plenty of time to ravage her later. When she's not in labor!

"I don't think anyone was thinkin' that, Belle. But there is reason to be concerned." I told her honestly. I wouldn't lie to her. I was worried. And she should be, too.

Across the room, the medical supplies began to rattle.

"Easy, Darlin'." I sent her a small dose of calm and wrapped her up in my arms. "All I meant is, with the kind of gifts they possess, anyone seeking power could come for them."

"I think I've sufficiently demonstrated what will happen if anyone tries to come for our children." She hissed. "The words 'crushed to dust' come to mind."

She hesitated, so I gave her a moment to process what I'd just told her. She huffed and shifted against me. "Someone like who?"

"Anyone seeking power." I shrugged. "Carlisle, for instance. The Volturi. The Romanians. After my days in the Southern Wars, I have many enemies who might come looking to make a name for themselves. God forbid, Maria ever found out about them. She's been lookin' for someone to replace me. Three little shields, who're all young and could be trained, would be a great advantage for her."

"With the kind of power our girls have, there's always going to be a target on their backs, Darlin'," I told her. "It'll be easier to protect them when they're older and trained, but right now, they're vulnerable. Easy prey, if we aren't careful."

"And yes," I sighed, "in the wrong hands, they could bring this world to its knees. They could, potentially, be very dangerous and do a lot of damage. If Carlisle succeeded or anyone else . . . I have no doubt the world as we know it, would be over."

She took a moment to think over everything I'd just told her. "I think," she said softly, "In a couple of months when this one is a little older, you should turn me."

Fuck no. Absolutely not!

"Not a chance." I smiled. "I was promised a son. And as soon as you're able and it's safe, I plan to call in that promise."

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "Don't you think it's more important to protect the children we have, rather than adding to our lot?"

"No," I smirked, gently pulling her closer to me. "You have me. And I am not going to let anythin' happen to my girls. Ever." I promised. "As long as you're able and willing, I would very much like to have another child with you, Isabella. I want to be there for every moment, to experience it all with you, just as I should have been from the beginning."

Plus, there's no way I was going to turn her while our girls are still so young. If she's anythin' like a normal newborn, she may not be able to be with them for at least six months, maybe a year. While they're all still so little, that's a chance I'm not willin' to take.

Jas gets upset when one of us leaves the room fer ten minutes. Can't imagine leavin' our sensitive little girls fer a year! As long as we can wait, we should. Unless there's a problem.

I agreed with him.

For now, we were able to live a relatively normal life. And as long as Bella doesn't spontaneously begin aging again, or suddenly begin to transition, we had time.

She smiled. "You make it very difficult to resist you, you know that, right?"

I leaned forward so that my lips were centimeters from hers. "I know." I grinned and then kissed her, loving the way her body leaned into mine.

It was wonderful to have her in my arms. So warm and gentle. I never wanted our kiss to end. Though, it did, when she gasped and grabbed hold of my hand as she had another contraction.

"I'm here, Darlin'." I breathed. "I'm right here."

– XOXO –

For the next few hours, between contractions, Bella dozed. When the twins arrived at the Denali home, they were too hyped up to lay quiet with their momma so Irina and Laurent watched over them with the five boys.

Belle's contractions were a little closer together now but she'd only been in labor a few hours and both she and Kate insisted it would be a while longer.

Kate and Tanya returned when Belle insisted she was finished nappin'. She wanted to get up, get changed, and eat somethin'. They shooed me out of the room. I didn't want to leave, but they weren't taking no for an answer. Pushy women.

I couldn't bear to go far, so I paced outside the bedroom door, listenin' to everythin' they were doin'. Kate said Belle was 3 cm dilated.

What the fuck does that mean?

Is that good?

How much more dilated does she need to be?

Another ten minutes passed before the sisters allowed me back inside and I got answers to my questions. Bella's cervix was only dilated 3 cm. To allow the baby to be born, she needed to be dilated 10 cm. That could take hours.

"Don't worry, Major. Everything's right on schedule." Kate assured me.

"Earlier than anticipated," Tanya noted.

"But that's not unusual in supernatural pregnancies," Kate added quickly before I could begin to worry. "Anywhere from thirty to forty weeks is normal. Little vampires develop more quickly than humans."

"Don't worry, handsome," Belle smiled, taking my hand in hers and placing it on her belly, "our little one is perfectly fine."

Well, that was a relief, I guess.

With the girl's help, Belle changed into a grey and white polka dot knee-length dress, a cream-colored cardigan, and a pair of thick socks. Her long hair was pulled back in a braid and she looked refreshed.

She insisted on being closer to the girls, so I swept her up into my arms and carried her out of the room.

"If this is what you're like during labor, what are you going to be like during an entire pregnancy?" She asked, smiling. I could feel her amusement flowing off her.

"If I have anythin' to say about it, yer feet will never touch the ground," I told her.

She laughed softly and kissed my cheek. "Silly man."

The twins were playin' in the den so I took Belle into the living room where most of the family were quietly discussing the Cullens. As soon as we entered everyone went quiet.

Feelin' her agitation, I set Belle down on the couch and made sure she was comfortable with pillows and a blanket in case she got cold.

"You know, while I don't have vampire hearing," she tilted her head towards me, "my mate does." Her eyes went to her dad and Vicky, "and I believe we promised not to keep secrets from each other. So, out with it."

"We just don't want to put any more pressure on you, sweetie," Vicky said.

Belle smiled. "I'm giving birth, I'm not defusing a bomb."

"Bells, you blew up our house!" Charlie yelled.

"Only part of it." She huffed. "And what do you expect? You were all looking at my children like they were going to start terrorizing the world. They're just little girls!"

Against my skin, I could feel her shield beginning to pulse with her anger. "Easy, Darlin'." I sat beside her, bringin' her into my arms, hopin' that would calm her without havin' to use my gift to alter her emotions. She needed to learn control. That wouldn't happen if I kept calmin' her with my gift.

"Uh, Lil Bit," Pete smirked, "have you considered if ya lose control again and blow up the Denali homestead, the only place we can take ya to give birth, is Jazz's place . . . where the Cullens live . . ."

Belle's eyes widened. I thought it might push her over the edge but it seemed to do the trick. She took a deep breath and leaned into me. Just bein' close was enough to comfort her and reassure her without me having to manipulate her emotions.

Everyone was looking at each other, concern billowin' outta them. The only ones who didn't seem in the slightest bit worried were Pete and Char.

"Eleazar asked if I knew what Carlisle was up to, Lil Bit," Pete told her, speaking to her like she was a grown woman, not treatin' her like a child as the others were suddenly doin'.

How did they expect her to react when we were tellin' her our three-year-old twins and our unborn daughter have a massive target on their backs and could potentially destroy the world as we know it?

Fuck. I was pissed off, too. But I know how to control my temper and my gift. I have experience, where my young mate doesn't. She's still learning to harness her gift and handle her emotions. It'll take time and practice. Right now, while she's in labor, ain't the time!

"As it so happens," Pete continued, "I do. But as this conversation concerns you, The Major, and yer little ones, I was debatin' whether it would be wise to wait until you've given birth before we deal with the coming shit storm."

"How long does labor typically last?" Charlotte wondered.

"Depends." Belle smiled, rubbing her belly. "With Noah and Alex, I was in labor for almost nineteen hours. With Eli and Louie, it was quicker, only about ten hours. With George, though, it was slower, about seventeen. Our girls came fast; that was only about nine hours."

So, we had some time to go. By my count, she'd only been in labor for three, maybe four hours.

"Right now, Bella is only in early labor," Kate told us. "She's experiencing mild, irregular contractions. Once she's dilated to about 6 cm her contractions will begin to get worse, lasting about 45 seconds to a minute, and allowing her only three to five minutes between."

"Once her cervix is at 10 cm, the real fun begins," Tanya smiled brightly.

"Oh yeah, real fun." Bella panted as another contraction hit. She squeezed my hand, leaning into me for support.

"Once we get closer to the baby coming her contractions will be more powerful with little time in between." Kate went on. "That's when all this needs to stop and she needs to focus on giving birth. Until then, talking could help keep her mind off what's coming."

"Any idea when the baby will be here, Peter?" Eleazar asked.

Shaking his head, Pete said, "Too risky to predict birth, Eleazar. Anythin' could happen between now and when Lil Bit delivers. Could be an hour. Five. Or ten. She'll come when she's good and ready and not a moment sooner."

Bella shifted against me, breathing a sigh of relief when the contraction began to fade. "Where are the girls?" She asked.

"In the den with the boys," Tanya answered. "Carmen, Irina, and Laurent are with them. I think Laurent said something about story time and trying to get them all to nap."

Bella nodded. "The girls could use a nap." She turned back to Pete, then. "Okay, Pete, talk to me," she said. "Tell me what you know about Carlisle. If Alice thought I was dead, she can't have been the one keeping me and Jasper apart all these years. But The Agency told me they spoke to Jasper . . ."

"They spoke to Carlisle doin' a great impression of The Major," Pete told us. "When The Major left the Cullen Coven, Carlisle didn't report the change to the official channels. So, nobody knew he'd come back to us."

Bella frowned. "Official channels?"

"These days when you form a Coven, you must report it to the Volturi," Vicky explained. "When I met Charlie and we mated, I informed the Volturi and made sure they knew I'd turned him."

"And if there are any changes within the Coven they must be documented." Eleazar finished. "It's their way of keeping an eye on the covens and making sure nobody's drawing too much attention to themselves."

Bella nodded. "Like the Cullens."

"Exactly." Pete grinned. "Carlisle never informed them The Major and Alice joined his Coven in the fifties. So, he never had to tell 'em The Major had left."

"As far as the Volturi know, The Major is out roamin' the world someplace. Nobody's seen or heard from him since he disappeared from the Southern Wars." Charlotte told us.

Belle smiled and leaned into me, kissing my jaw. "You're a myth."

Huh. I guess I am.

"Char and I are registered as nomads," Pete shrugged. "They've got no idea The Major is our leader or how loyal we are to him."

"As far as the Volturi are aware then, the Cullens are a Coven of five, not seven." Eleazar frowned.

"More like four." Pete corrected. "Carlisle, Esme, Edward, and Emmett. Rosalie is unregistered, likely due to her gift. Carlisle wouldn't want Aro gettin' hold of her. The other three willingly lose if Aro came knockin'."

My guess is, they don't even know Rosalie was turned. If she ain't registered with a Coven, it's unlikely Carlisle informed Aro he'd turned someone else. He'd already turned Esme and Edward, and then Emmett. That, in itself, is rare. Outside of the Southern Wars, most of us don't go around turning people. Unless we find our mate in a human.

"I should've taken care of it myself," I sighed. "When Alice and I joined the Coven, Carlisle said he'd deal with the Volturi, and, back then I believed him. I was wary of the Volturi after everythin' I'd already been through with Maria and the wars."

Bella shifted and snuggled in closer to me, taking my hand in hers to offer comfort and calm.

"Fuck, when I left, I trusted he'd take care of all the paperwork," I said. "It ain't somethin' I've ever had to do so it never occurred to me to handle it myself. It didn't even cross my mind that he'd be lyin' to me!"

"You didn't feel the lie?" Charlie asked.

"We spoke over the phone," I told him. "Much easier to lie to me that way. Usually, I can hear the emotion in their voices but Carlisle is an excellent liar."

"So, let me make sure I got this." Charlie ran a hand through his hair. "Carlisle is a psychopath."

"Yes." Peter nodded.

"When Jasper joined the Cullen Coven in the fifties, he took various samples from him, including his sperm and venom. To test, experiment on, research, or whatever the fuck he does."

"Correct."

Charlie nodded. "And instead of disposing of said samples, he kept them for six decades. Then the Volturi brought vampires into the light. We merged with humans. Mate testing became popular. Vampires could suddenly have babies via a surrogate. And suddenly, Carlisle produces these samples and donates them to The Agency, under the guise of being Major Jasper Whitlock, so that Bella would become pregnant with her mate's child."

Peter nodded. "That about sums it up."

"What are you thinking, Charlie?" Eleazar wondered as Laurent and Irina came back into the room, each of them carrying one of the girls.

"They wanted to nap with momma." Irina smiled happily, laying Lottie between me and Bella and Jas curled up on my lap.

"Are the boys okay, Hun?" Vicky asked.

"Oh yeah, they're fine. Watching Iron Man again." Irina laughed. "Sorry, we interrupted. You were talking about Carlisle?"

"Mm." Charlie nodded. "I was wondering why he kept the samples he took from Jasper. Did he know beforehand that he'd need them? Or is this just one big coincidence?"

"He knew," Pete answered. "Carlisle spent roughly six years with Alice in the asylum. As soon as he realized how valuable her gift was, he began studying her and training her to hone her ability."

"That's six years of training as a human before she's changed," Char added. "Six years of experiments. Six years of her gift being pushed to its limits as her body is raped and tortured."

"Six years of hell," Bella whispered, cuddling Lottie.

"So," Charlie frowned, "human Alice had a vision that roughly a century into the future vampires would reveal themselves to the human world?" He asked. "And that Carlisle would have the opportunity to ensure my three granddaughters would be born? And with their birth, he'd gain enormous power?"

"Yes." Pete sighed. "Carlisle's done a damn fine job of keepin' the true extent of Alice's gift secret. You all think what she see's is nothin' more than decision-based visions."

"Which it is," Eleazar stated. "I've read her. I know her gift. It's decision-based precognition."

Pete smirked and looked over at Eleazar. "What do you think of Rosalie, Eleazar?"

His body reacted instantly. His shoulders slumped. Lust shot through him like a meteor. "Oh," he breathed, hardening at the mere thought of her. "Sweet, lovely Rosalie. She's so beautiful." His voice was full of devotion. "So kind and caring. And she's so pretty. I've never known anyone more beautiful. Even my . . . my . . . umm . . . I can't remember her name, whoever she was . . . she's nothing like my Rosalie . . . "

"You mean Carmen?" Pete said.

"Car—who?" Eleazar blinked.

"Carmen."

"Carmen. . . who's . . . Carmen!" A snarl left his lips as realization poured over him. "What the fuck was that!"

"It would seem," Carmen hissed at her mate, "that witch has a stronger hold on you than we thought, mate."

Eleazar cringed at the venom in his mate's tone.

"Mi Amor. . ."

"Don't you dare 'Mi Amor' me, Eleazar!" Carmen growled. "Until that woman is out of your head and no longer has an effect on your body," she glared at his obvious arousal, "you are no longer welcome in my bed!"

"Carmen! It's not my fault!" Eleazar tried.

"You couldn't even remember my name, Eleazar!" She growled. "That, that, witch is messing with our mating bond!"

"That's how he's kept the extent of Alice's gift a secret," Belle commented. "He just has Rosalie hypnotize or compel or whatever she does to anyone who knows about Alice's gift! It's pretty genius, actually!"

Genius. Or terrifying.

No wonder he doesn't want Aro to know about Rosalie. Think what the Volturi could do with her gift! If she can make Eleazar forget he's mated, forget the true extent of Alice's gift, and have him loyal to her, what the hell else can she do?

Eleazar hissed and turned to face Peter. "How do we fix this, Peter?" He demanded. "And why am I so aroused?"

"That would be Rosalie's hold on you," Pete answered. "From what I can tell, her limited mind control seems to have a sexual component to it."

Limited? This is limited mind control? What the fuck would she be capable of if her gift didn't come with limitations? And what the hell are her limitations?

"Unless that's the reaction she wanted," Bella suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"I think everyone in this room—and likely everyone who's ever met her—has been infected by Rosalie's mind control," Bella stated. "Limited as it may be, she's ensured her safety. Nobody is going to attack her when everyone believes she's the most beautiful, wonderful person in the world, are they?"

"From what I can tell, just from Eleazar, it looks like he's forming an obsession with her," Carmen growled. "Along with a deep physical attraction, both of which seem to be negating our mating bond!"

"Eleazar, if it came down to it, would you be able to harm Rosalie?" Charlie asked.

His response was automatic. "No." And unequivocal.

Shit.

"You think she's done this to everyone she's come across?" I asked my mate.

"What better way to ensure your safety?" She asked. "Maybe she doesn't trust Carlisle as much as he thinks. Or maybe she's ensured her safety with him, too." She shrugged.

"Can we fix this?" Tanya worried.

"And is there a way to figure out if Bella's right and we're all infected?" Kate asked.

Pete shook his head and sighed. "The only way to break Rosalie's hold is to kill her."

Eleazar suddenly roared. "Absolutely not!" His eyes turned pitch black. "I won't allow it! You can't kill my sweet, precious Rosalie!"

Sensing the threat to his mate, The Major snarled in the back of my head and before Eleazar could finish, I dropped him with enough lethargy to put an elephant on its ass.

His body slumped to the floor. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. And in seconds he was snoring.

"What?"

"How?"

"Why did . . ."

"If Eleazar comes around again, he'll intervene to try and save Rosalie." Pete sighed.

Tanya nodded. "Laurent, take Eleazar down to the basement. We have a secure safe room down there. Once he's inside, he won't be able to escape until one of us lets him out."

Laurent scooped up Eleazar and carried him down to the basement with Carmen hot on his heels.

"I think it's a safe bet you're all infested with Rosalie's gift." Charlie sighed.

"You too, Dad," Bella said.

Charlie hissed at his daughter. "Enough, Isabella! I have my mental shield. I'm sure the beautiful Rosalie wouldn't be able to break through my gift."

I felt his emotions shift. He was angry with Bella. More than angry. Lookin' deeper, I found the underlying devotion that wasn't aimed at his mate. It was gettin' stronger, too. Along with his arousal and a great need to protect Rosalie.

Take him down. Now!

I did as The Major said, droppin' Charlie.

"What the fuck was that for, Jasper!" Vicky snarled and turned on me, I felt her emotions shift suddenly. She was annoyed, worried, and fearful. Then all of a sudden she was enraged and felt the same devotion to Rosalie as her mate and Eleazar.

I didn't hesitate.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as I sent her into a black oblivion.

"What the hell is going on?" Tanya shook her head. "What . . . what's . . ." She shook her head again. "I, uh. . . Rosalie . . . No! Rosalie is in danger!"

Shit.

I took down Tanya, too.

"Rosalie?" Irina suddenly whispered as Laurent came back into the room, his eyes black and locked on my mate. "They're going to hurt Rosalie!"

"You bitch!" Laurent snarled. "You're going to hurt my Rosalie! I'll kill you!"

Fuck!

Irina and Laurent fell, too.

"What the fuck is happenin'?" Pete hissed, jumpin' to his feet and pullin' his mate behind him as Carmen came chargin' into the room, snarlin' and growlin' like a mad woman. Venom dripped from her chin. Her black eyes were shiftin' between me and my mate.

"I won't allow you monsters to harm my Rosalie!" She snarled. "How dar—"

Yep. Down she went.

Fuck me. They're fallin' like toy soldiers!

"What the hell!" Kate hissed. Her eyes were still golden.

"You okay, Katie?" I asked, shiftin' closer to my mate as she had another contraction.

"Uh, kinda freaked out." Kate nodded. "But, you know, so far I'm not trying to kill you and Bella, so I guess that's a plus."

"They were all infected," I told the room.

"Yeah, kinda got that, Major." Pete hissed.

Fuck me. There were only four of us left to protect Bella and the kids!

I wonder if this was part of their plan. Leave Belle and all the kids vulnerable.

Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

"How the hell did Vicky get infected?" Bella asked. "I understand the others, they have a history with the Ice Queen. But Vicky only met her that one time on the baseball field."

"That we know of," Char suggested. "I ain't suggestin' Vicky's in cahoots with 'em or anythin' but maybe she doesn't recall meetin' Rosalie."

That was a possibility.

"Maybe I underestimated Ice Queen Barbie." Pete sighed, runnin' a hand through his hair. "Seems she's got a stronger hold on everyone than I thought."

Fuck. Pete looked worried. And that wasn't a good thing. Pete's never worried. When he starts worryin' you know yer in deep shit.

"How are you feelin, Major?" Pete asked. "Feelin' a need to proclaim yer sudden, undying devotion to the Ice Queen?"

"Not so far."

Truth be told, I wasn't sure I was unaffected. I've spent longer with Rosalie than anyone else here. She knows my history. She knows, if there's anyone who could protect her, it's me.

But . . .

I shrugged. "I feel fine."

"What now?" Char asked. "Why are Pete and I fine? Why Kate? Hell, why are you unaffected, Major?"

Everyone in the room looked at me. And . . . I had no idea what to tell them.

Allow me.

Deep inside my mind, I felt the moment The Major's cage door swung open and he stepped out.

It's time, Whitlock.

As The Major rose to the surface of my mind, and I began to sink into oblivion, Bella let out a loud, piercing scream . . .

The front door flew open and a low growl came from just outside the house.

"Oh shit."

A/N: I do love a cliffhanger, don't you?

So much happened in this one! I love it when Rosalie has a gift and, in my head, mind control just fit. She sure does have a strong hold on everyone!

I hope Bella's okay. And I wonder who's breaking down the door!