Chapter 15

The following morning, we all gathered on the clearing near the Cullens' house. All of the vampires that arrived yesterday stayed with the Cullens. It didn't surprise me, though. Their home is so big it could probably house the wolf pack too, if they wanted to. Besides, I don't think the Cullens trusted the others not to hunt in Forks if they were ever close enough to civilization.

Just like before, we were all grouped by kinds. The vampires were standing near the center, all talking comfortably with each other. The pack members were all standing near the edge of the forest where they could all transform into wolves if they needed to. Patch, Vee, and I were standing the farthest from the others, closest to the house.

Carlisle had stepped forward as their leader and spokesperson. He smiled warmly at us before turning to the others. Yet the tense air couldn't be hidden. It was apparent the moment the Denali coven had arrived and only thickened when the Amazonian coven got here.

"Welcome, friends and family. As we all know, there is a threat that hangs over our heads," Carlisle began, waving his hands about like a musical conductor. "It is brought upon people who have the power to inflict misery upon their kind. They have discovered a great power that no one can hope to control. It is our responsibility to stop this threat to protect ourselves and our families. We are not doing this to gain for ourselves power that we do not deserve nor have the ability to maintain."

He waved towards us. "Our fallen angel and Nephilim friends have offered a treaty between vampires and werewolves alike. We agree to help them and they promise not to let power fall in the wrong hands. We offer our secrets and they share theirs in cooperation. We live as long as they help us. Let us help them help us."

He smiled again and looked directly at Patch. "I understand you are not going to share anything you don't want to unless we share something first. Since I believe distrust makes friends grow far from each other, I suppose I have to prove that we mean no harm, as we've been trying to prove from the very beginning.

"You see, our kind is very durable but not indestructible. Of course, destroying one of us requires more than tremendous strength. It requires speed and the ability to think three steps ahead your opponent. However, destroying us is pretty basic. If you want to kill a vampire you must break him or her into pieces, literally, before setting him or her on fire before he or she reassembles again.

"There are only two kinds that could destroy us: werewolves and other vampires. That is why a lot of vampires travel alone or as a small group of nomads. A coven isn't rare but it is uncommon. Furthermore, I would say that it is in a vampire's nature to want to fight others of our kind for territory and prestige. There was a time where the whole continental United States were under war because of vampires. A coven that was both peaceful and vegetarian did not exist at the time and it was only when the Volturi had stepped into power that all war for territory stopped. We would still have some battles here and there but as long as the vampire who started it all didn't threaten the humans or didn't threaten to expose our kind, the Volturi would let it pass.

"The Volturi are powerful in strength and in intellect. Besides being the largest gathered coven, they also have the most vampires with special abilities. These characteristics make them formidable enemies. But they can be killed in the very same way as other vampires."

"What about werewolves?" I found myself asking. I felt Patch's eyes on me and I knew the thought of Seth imprinting on me bounced around his head. I ignored his gaze and pressed on. "You said the werewolves are one of the two creatures that could kill you. How is that so?"

At this, Carlisle glanced at Jacob before stepping aside. My eyes followed his to the pack's leader who did not move an inch. "It's because, like vampires, we have the strength and intellect to kill them. We are made natural enemies from the very beginning when our ancestors had first taken the shape of the wolf. Both creatures detest each other in every way possible, especially through smell. Werewolves associates vampires with a stinging sweet smell that is almost too unbearable to stand while vampires associates us with a wet dog odor. Also, young Quileute tribe members phase when a vampire moves in near them.

"When we phased, our strength alone can kill any vampire but it's through our unity that we withstand any battle with their kind." He grinned. "We heal very quickly too."

"And what could kill a werewolf?"

Jacob glanced at my question. "Vampire venom."

Well that's ironic. But then I remembered almost every classic novel that has Dracula and the wolf man in it have them pegged against each other. So the real irony here is that the werewolves have a friendship with their sworn enemy.

"So you see why an alliance between vampires and werewolves is very unlikely, almost unheard of. We both can kill each other."

"It's your turn to tell us how to eliminate a fallen angel," I heard Seth say from his spot.

I gave him a disgusted look as Patch stepped forward, closer to the two groups. His gait was still relaxed and a slight dark grin was forming on his lips. "You can't kill a Nephil and you can't kill a fallen angel."

The confused looks and the murmurs sounded throughout the small clearing. "It's not that you can't do it, it's simply impossible to do so," I clarified.

"What do you mean, Nora?" Carlisle asked, egging me on to explain.

I held up three fingers high enough for them to all see. "You need three things to kill a Nephilim. First of all, you need to find the female descendant of the Nephilim vassal you have."

"The last time I checked, only fallen angels can have Nephilim vassals so since neither of you are one, let's cross that one off the list," Patch said. He directed his grin at me before wrapping his arm around my waist. "Besides, do you know how long and how hard it is to find the direct female descendent of your vassal? It took me centuries to find Nora."

I rolled my eyes but pressed on, putting down a finger. "Second, you need to ask an Archangel to disable a Nephil's immortality. But that only happens if you are in direct communication with an Archangel. You also have to think of the deliberation Archangels will make for this favor because they only do this for special instances."

Yeah, like to kill the leader of a secret Nephil society who happens to be your biological father as well.

"That's also impossible for everyone because we are in collaboration with the Archangels right now," Patch inserted. "Asking them to kill Nora or Vee would signal them you want that Devilcraft harnessed. There is no way the Archangels would talk to the Volturi either."

I placed another finger down. "Lastly, you will need a weapon infused with Devilcraft to kill a Nephil. Since we have banished Devilcraft from earth the last time and it's safely locked inside hell, then that wouldn't also be a possibility."

"And what about you, Patch?" Edward asked. All the others shifted their gaze from us to him.

His grin couldn't be any wider or any darker. "When angels are caught doing something illegal, Avenging angels would come to them and rip their wings off."

With this, Patch took off his leather jacket before peeling off his shirt. He turned around and showed the v-shaped scars that ran from his shoulder blades to the bottom of his spine. He turned around again to look at the vampires and the werewolves.

"When angels fall, the Avenging angels would keep one of the fallen's feathers for safekeeping. On the other hand, the fallen would have several feathers that fell with them. The fallen angel needs to make sure those feathers do not go to the wrong hands."

"And why is that?"

"Because if it goes to the wrong hands, they can burn it and chain the fallen angel that owns that feather to hell. That's how you…eliminate someone like you."

I became nervous. I knew Patch needed to tell them how to destroy us so we could win their trust. I really didn't care about the vampires knowing how to destroy Nephils because they can't. But there is a possibility they could take away Patch from me. If they know where I was hiding Patch's feather, they could get to it and chain him to hell. I wasn't willing to let that happen. I protected my thoughts, making sure I put up my shield around the information I needed to protect the most.

"Very well, that would be enough information," Edward said and I felt myself sigh in relief. "All we needed to know is exactly how and you have provided that much. Asking you the specifics is a little too much."

Patch nodded as he picked up his shirt from the ground and put it on. "But there is a way to momentarily hinder us. Both the Nephilim bodies and the fallen angel bodies act somewhat similar to the human body. We have strength similar to yours, that's for sure, but if you inflict enough pain to a Nephil or a fallen angel, their bodies could go into shock. That's how you would stop a fallen or a Nephil.

"Fallen angels have another disadvantage. We may not need sleep or get tired easily. We also do not feel anything in the physical sense. But we do have an Achilles' heel, as to speak. Our scars are the most mystical thing on our body. If you ram anything against it, you can paralyze any fallen angel for a few hours, depending on the injury."

"So what we need to do is protect you enough from pain and make sure no one rams anything against your wing scars," Emmett summarized.

I nodded unconsciously. My thoughts already on what was going to happen next. "So for our training, we need to focus on each other's weaknesses. You need to focus on ours to know where you need to protect us and we need to focus on yours to know how to defeat the Volturi."

"Very well," Carlisle agreed. "But this time, use every advantage you can against your opponents. Everything is free to do, except of course, going for the kill."

"Hang on, don't you think we're at a slight disadvantage here," Vee suddenly spoke out, her hand shooting up.

"You mean your numbers?"

"Yeah. There's only three of us here."

"We'll have to learn in that disadvantage," I told Vee. "It's not going to do us any good if we're stagnant. We need to be prepared for everything the Volturi might throw at us."

"I'm pretty sure the Volturi won't throw in werewolves on the mix," Seth remarked. I heard several of his pack members agree.

"You're right. It's highly unlikely that the Volturi somehow gotten a hold of werewolves in the past few years," I turned my gaze back to him. "But isn't it also true that werewolf's strength is equal to a vampire's? Your pack would give us enough physical challenge that could be used as a substitute to what the Volturi have the capacity to do."

"So what exactly do you propose?" Bella asked, looking from me to Patch to Vee.

"Two against one," I announced. "One werewolf and one vampire against one of us. To make it fair for us, mental ability is fair game."

"Seth can't fight Nora," the woman from Jacob's pack, the one that had chosen to remain silent ever since I met her, finally spoke up. "He can't do any harm to the woman he imprinted on."

My face heated up out of nowhere, embarrassed at the sudden announcement. No one had told me about Seth imprinting on me before Patch had said anything and I was hoping they would never do. Perhaps if they acted as if nothing had happened, I could pretend I knew nothing. It was easier to ignore the whole situation rather than acknowledge it. I stared at her for a few seconds in utter disbelief. There was something in her voice I sensed. Perhaps malice? Her eyes met mine and something sparked in them as if she was enjoying my discomfort.

"Leah!" Jacob's right-hand man, the guy I recognized as the oldest one of them, warned her.

She placed her hands up innocently. "What? It's true, isn't it, Seth?"

"Fine," I interrupted just as Seth was about to open his mouth, realizing the last thing I want to do is make this about me. "Fine. I'll fight someone else from the pack."

"Then I volunteer to fight you," the woman, Leah, smirked.

"Leah," Seth hissed but Leah ignored him.

"What, it's a wonderful occasion to finally be going toe to toe against my future sister-in law."

I flinched at the term "sister-in-law" but chose to ignore it. Vee, however, stepped forward, looking angrily at Leah.

"Are you satisfied now, reject?" she shouted, the words spilling venom I never heard her use to anyone except Marcie. I wasn't sure what Vee meant but it clearly had an effect on Leah. She blinked a couple of times before opening her mouth to retort.

"Enough!" Jacob ordered. He glared at Leah before she backed away, closing her mouth.

"This isn't what we came for," Carlisle stepped between them. "We really need to stop opposing each other. Instead, we need to work together. Our safety is our main priority."

Vee's face was flushed with anger but she backed away as well. I sighed heavily, realizing the other vampires were watching the discord in front of them. I must have imagined it but I swear I saw the corner of Tanya's face turn up a bit. But it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"I will be her other opponent," Tanya spoke up, stepping in front as well. She neared our group, walking with ease. "I suppose she has seen most of you fight, so it would be kind of useless to put her against someone she would be able to read."

"Tanya," Edward called softly. "The last thing you want to do is underestimate your opponent."

She smirked. "Fine, I'll be careful."

"What about Patch and Vee?" I asked Carlisle.

"I'll face Vee," Zafrina spoke. "I think it would be rather enjoyable. What about from the pack?"

"I'll take on Paul," Vee sneered towards them, smirking. "It's about time you pay up for cornering Nora that night."

In response Paul chuckled, cracking his muscles in the process. Besides Emmett, Paul was the biggest guy in this little circle. He was menacing and strong. I have been on the receiving side of those heavy knuckles.

"Patch?"

I knew what was about to happen even before anyone said anything else. "I don't want Seth to fight Patch," I intervened just as Seth opened his mouth to volunteer. Heaven knows I don't need them to fight just to prove one of them is the better choice for me. I need my companions in this battle to be more than a couple of fighting baboons.

"I'll do it," Jacob volunteered. He walked over to the forest where Leah and Paul followed him.

"I suppose I should take on that challenge as well," Eleazar stepped forward as well. "Carlisle had told me you wanted to be informed about the Volturi's style of fighting."

"The rest of us would watch how they would face each other and maybe learn something from them."

A moment later, three large wolves appeared from the forest that Jacob, Leah, and Paul had disappeared to. One had dark gray fur, another was small and had a lighter gray fur, while the last to walk in back the clearing had a dark russet tint on its fur. I momentarily wondered who Leah was until the smallest wolf with the light gray fur had stepped in front of me. Its fangs were already showing through a vicious snarl. Okay, well that answers my question.

"So who'll go first?" I heard Emmett ask from the distance.

"I guess that's decided for me," I nodded towards Leah's wolf form. I glanced up to see Tanya walking towards me with a smile on her face. I knew she was going to play with me and I was absolutely certain she'll make sure she'll enjoy it.

Great, I'm facing an angry shape shifter and a jealous vampire. What a wonderful day.

"You look worried, Nora," Tanya smirked just as Leah growled.

I wiped whatever trace of unease I have on my face. "Just thinking about how fast this is going to take me."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll make it quick."

"Stop stalling, Tanya!" I heard one of the Denali members scream out.

She smiled before pouncing in the air. Leah had also darted towards me. Within seconds, the two of them were coming down on me. Without hesitating, I ran towards them before jumping above Leah. At that exact time, Tanya had flown over her. I took the opportunity to grab her waist, spin the two of us in mid-air, and hurl her towards Leah below.

I watched them crash below before I fell hard to the ground myself. I had only a moment to lie before I saw a shadow above me. Out of instinct, I rolled to the right just as Tanya's fist had plummeted to the ground, spraying snow and dirt all over. I quickly rolled to a kneeling position, ready if she was about to attack again.

"You're quick, Nora," she called out, whipping her face towards me, her blonde hair flying above her head. "Pretty impressive. But not good enough. You need to watch your back and your front."

I heard the growl before I was hit from behind. I flew a few yards to the front, landing solidly in front of Tanya's shoes. She grabbed me by the collar and lifted me off the ground. She grinned widely, examining me as if I was some kind of bug in a test tube.

"Enough!" I heard someone say from behind but Tanya ignored him or her as she sent her fist against the middle of my stomach.

The air was forced out of my lungs. Something warm and sticky crawled from the pits of my stomach to my throat. I spat it out to the side and saw the warm blood on the snow white ground. Tanya's attention was on it, hissing on the small red puddle. It was the exact distraction I needed. I quickly let my guard down and assaulted her mind. Her eyes whipped back to me as she realized my presence inside her head.

"Rule number one," I whispered both out loud and in mind speak. "Never underestimate your opponent, especially if you're against a Nephilim."

I commanded her to let go of me, making sure her consciousness bore witness to what she was about to do. She turned towards Leah, stepping over the puddle of blood on the ground. I noticed her strong attraction to it but I forced the distraction out.

In her mind, I had painted a powerful illusion. Leah was now the enemy, one of the Volturi. While I painted myself as Carmen. At the mention of the Volturi, her mind had opened up to all the memories of their encounter. I saw a young, beautiful, blonde-haired vampire, barely younger than I am, in most of them. Tanya was extremely intimidated by her the most so I used this information against her. Slowly, I distorted Leah's wolf image and turn her into this young woman.

The fear in Tanya's eyes was almost apparent. With just one spark, I knew I could turn her against Leah. Immediately, I found that push. Since it wasn't our objective to kill each other, I didn't want her to think this vampire she was extremely intimidated to was about to kill anyone she cared for, I made the illusion that this vampire was about to hurt one of her sister.

It worked almost immediately. She had sprung towards Leah, swinging her arms towards her. Leah jumped back in surprise and confusion. She tried to go around Tanya to attack me. Tanya hooked her arm around Leah's stomach and hurled her a few yards away from me, who she thought was Carmen.

Tanya stood over Leah's form, panting angrily. I smiled, knowing my illusion had worked better than I thought. I snapped my fingers, waking her up from her trance. She panted a few more times before her body seem to freeze. She ran towards Leah to help her up but Leah growled and snapped her jaws at her.

"Mind trick is a powerful thing," I walked towards them, my grin never leaving my face. "Illusion is vital if you want to keep your neck out of trouble. Besides, the entertainment your opponents bring is…well, priceless. From here, I can make you do things against your will like, let's say, rip each other's throats off."

I stopped for a second, realizing what I was saying. It was in the same area as Chauncey's words. The fact that I was repeating Chauncey's words made me sick to my stomach. I pushed the thoughts out of my head and walked towards them. I saw the anger in Tanya's eyes and heard the fury in Leah's growl.

"We could just fight," I told them, shrugging. It was the signal. They pounced without warning but I was ready myself. I punched, kicked, dodged, and fought to protect myself against the fury. After giving and receiving hits, I began to laugh. I wasn't sure why. I just started to laugh. I realized I was enjoying myself. Soon, I wasn't alone. I heard Tanya's melodic laughter and even heard a little guffaw coming from Leah. I rolled on the snow, clutching my stomach.

"Jasper," Tanya gasped, crawling towards me. "No fair. Stop using your powers."

"Well, I just thought it would be about time to turn down the anger, don't you?" he replied, grinning despite himself.

My eyes met Tanya's and Leah's and something happened quickly before it disappeared again. We didn't need to acknowledge it. The millisecond we shared fueled by Jasper's freaky emotion controlling ability was enough to confirm that we were now okay with each other. I got up and brushed the snow off my shoulders, feeling Jasper's emotional enhancements wearing off but the feeling of mutual respect I had established with my former enemies still remained.

"Well, that's that," Tanya shrugged. She was still smiling as Leah ran back to the woods to transform to her human self.

I retreated to Vee's and Patch's side. "What was that all about?" Vee raised her eyebrows.

"They're not our enemies and it really isn't to our advantage if we start fighting among ourselves when there are bigger things happening around us," I shrugged.

I spied Patch smiling but he said nothing else. He stepped forward, stretching his arms as he went. His eyes were on Eleazar and Jacob. Without a word, the three engaged into battle quickly. Patch had managed to throw Jacob's huge wolf body out of the way and disarm Eleazar. He had gone for his neck first, explaining how he would have broken it before going after his extremities. Jacob had recovered and pounced on Patch who managed to sway out of the way just in time. But it was hypothetically too late for Eleazar. Carlisle had stopped Patch and Jacob when Eleazar waved his hand enough.

"You are fast, my friend," he said as Patch helped him up to his feet. "Very fast. The only creature I've known to move like that is Edward. You are going to be a formidable opponent to the Volturi. I apologize if I didn't prove to be such a worthy or informative opponent."

He shook his head and grinned. "You did well, Eleazar. Do not worry."

"Very well," Vee stepped forward. "I guess it's my turn."

She faced her opponents, Zafrina and Paul. It interested me how Zafrina was moving: delicate, exotic, yet there was a deadly edge in her every movement. Paul kept looking back at her then to Vee, clearly impatient for the signal to pounce. But she was estimating Vee, carefully sizing her up. Then I felt it something hover in the air, directed to Vee. She blinked for a second and her eyes glazed over. I saw Zafrina's lips break into a grin. She turned towards Paul who ran towards Vee without hesitation.

I realized Zafrina did something to Vee and I hurriedly casted my mind out to my best friend.

"VEE!" I screamed in mind speak just as Paul closed in on her. "Put your shield up, now!"

She blinked and shook her head a little as if she was trying to ward off flies. She frowned a bit and I noticed her eyes began to turn back. She turned towards her opponents and her eyes widened just as Paul reached out his huge claws towards her. The blow had made Vee spin in mid-air. She staggered to get up just as Paul readied himself to pounce again.

But this time, Vee was prepared. Recovering quickly, she planted her fist firmly on Paul's forehead, bringing him down with force. Then she hoped over his huge body and went after Zafrina. She frowned as she screwed her face even more, concentrating hard. But whatever illusion she can do was futile. Vee was ready. She swerved her closed fist towards Zafrina but she dodged it just in time.

I saw the flash in Zafrina's blood-red eyes before she attacked. With deadly speed, she weaved all around Vee, eluding her every attempt to attack. I saw it too, a split second before Zafrina took the chance. As Vee tried to avoid her blows as well, she had left her right side unprotected. She clenched her right fist to jab Zafrina but she cleanly avoided it. That was when Zafrina took her opportunity. She firmly grasped Vee's neck and ran towards the nearest tree. I saw Vee's head whiplash against the tree before her whole body turned limp.

"VEE!" I screamed as I ran to where they were. But I didn't get to them first. With their freakish lightning speed, the vampires were already crowded around them. I was about to push through them but they quickly departed, running away as far as they could. It was only when I saw the blood oozing from Vee's hairline did their sudden aversion made sense.

The Cullens remained surrounded around the others, however. Rosalie was holding Zafrina back but she was thrashing around to free herself. The wild look in her eyes had intensified and I knew it was because of the blood.

"Take Zafrina away from here," Carlisle ordered Rosalie who obeyed. She turned towards the woods, still keeping a firm grip on the thrashing Zafrina. They were both gone in a blink of an eye.

"I'll carry her," Emmett volunteered, moving towards Vee's limp body. He lifted her from the ground, his face straight and his eyes ahead. But I noticed his clasped fist.

"I-I don't know if you should do that," I told Emmett. I gently touched his arm to stop him but he merely grinned.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to your friend."

"It's not that. It's… I don't want you to go through anything that might make you throw away everything you worked hard for."

He grinned again. "Like I said, don't worry about it. This is good exercise."

I watched him carry Vee up to the house. I heard footsteps from behind me and saw Carlisle approach me. He looked a bit worried but I wasn't sure if it was because of the blood. But he didn't seem too bothered by it, compared to the others. I guess this was the perks of being a doctor.

"She's going to be fine," Carlisle told me.

"I know," I said distractedly. My eyes were still following Vee.

"I'm going to check just in case," he continued on and again, I just nodded. "Look, Nora, I'm sorry about that. Zafrina had just been carried away. She and her sister are just a bit…wild. I hope you don't take it as any offense."

I knew there was nothing to be mad about. Vee knew what she was getting to, that's true. But my worry about my friend had won over any possible anger. "I know. At least we know what we're dealing with. Maybe next time, we'd be prepared enough."

He nodded before following Emmett inside the house. The others glanced at me apprehensively as well as if I was a time bomb that was about to explode. But they said nothing as they made their way to the house.

Later that night, I didn't bother joining the others downstairs. I remained by Vee's side inside Carlisle's office. It was turned temporarily to a hospital room, complete with monitors and even a hospital bed. I didn't want to ask where they got it, unsure if I wanted to know. Vee was still out but the bleeding from her head had stopped. It would only be a matter of time until she woke up.

I must have dozed off because I second later, I whipped up, fully awake. I turned around, sensing the presence of another person behind me. Standing in the darkness was Seth's silhouette. I placed my hand on my chest and exhaled loudly.

"Seth, you scared me!" I hissed.

He stepped forward and I saw he was carrying a tray of food on his hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine." I ran my hands on my face and my eyes landed on the tray he was carrying. "Vee will wake up any minute. I'll give the food to her once she does."

"Oh, I brought it for you," he replied, shyly.

Oh right, imprinting.

I inhaled sharply, deciding to ask him. "Is it true…that you imprinted on me?"

He settled the tray down on a table. I noticed he was careful to avoid my eye as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't be. I waited for his reply patiently. I knew it wouldn't help if I forced the answer from him.

"Yes," he said finally when he didn't have anything else to do beside answer my question.

I knew I shouldn't have been surprised or reeled at the answer because I did ask the question. But his answer was definitely the one I was hoping not to hear. I sighed loudly and got up, closing in on the distance between us. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder, making him look up.

"I'm sorry, Seth. I don't know how these things usually happen. I know it isn't my fault and it isn't yours either. But I can't be with you. I don't know how this imprinting thing works. I don't know what happens if a woman declines the wolf that has imprinted on her. But I can't reciprocate what you feel for me the way others had with their mates. It's Patch and it will always be Patch."

He blinked a few times before he opened his mouth to say something. But he never got the chance to. At that moment, the door opened again and Patch walked inside the dark room. I quickly stepped back and hid my hands inside my pocket.

He strode over to us as if nothing has happened but his eyes were hard like onyx. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Seth replied, turning towards the door. "I was just leaving. I'll talk to you later, Nora."

I couldn't trust myself to speak since my heart was on my throat at that moment so I just nodded. I turned towards Vee again hastily and noticed the slight grin on her lips. She was definitely awake but pretending to still be asleep. How long was she awake? Did she hear the whole thing going on between Seth and me? Of course she did. She wouldn't be smiling like she was right now and now, she's just waiting for the drama to unfold right in front of her.

"Hey," Patch greeted but it was anything but warm. "You didn't come down for dinner."

"I was looking after Vee," I told him, subtly giving the bed a little push.

I reached towards Vee's mind. "I know you're awake, Vee."

But Vee remained still and silent. The tray on the table caught Patch's attention. He strode over it and examined it as if it was his first time seeing Carbonara pasta.

"If I've known you wanted to eat somewhere more private, I would have joined you," he commented again, his voice had gone about a hundred degrees colder. "But maybe I was interrupting something."

"You weren't, okay?" I said, settling down on my chair a little harder than I should.

"That doesn't sound like any clean conscience I know."

"Fine, you were interrupting," I snapped. "I was telling Seth I didn't want to play the imprinted, chosen, selected mate part. If you excuse me, I think I would just like to throw up from disgust." I stood up and walked out of the room without another word. I bumped into something hard just as I hurried towards my room.

"Nora?" I heard Bella's voice from behind me. I whipped around to see her standing in the middle of the hallway. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"I think it's getting a little stuffy in this house, don't you?" she asked suddenly, glancing upwards and around as if she was observing the house's canvas for the first time. "Why don't we go to my house?"

"What?" I asked, not following through.

"Come on. I want you to meet someone."

I followed Bella out of the house and into the woods. I guess I agreed to go to her home because I just wanted to escape the others for now. But now that I'm trudging through overgrown plant life and snow, I knew it was a bit of a mistake.

"Is this the part where you kill me?" I asked her jokingly.

"No, too much trouble," she retorted, waving her hand dismissively.

We walked in silence again. It was already deep into the night but the darkness bothered neither of us. I heard the soft growls of several predators but I knew the most dangerous one was walking in front of me, bidding me to follow her. Soon, we reached a clearing where a quaint cottage house stood right in the middle. The pathway that led to the front door was decorated with an assortment of flowers ranging from all colors, alive and blooming despite the cold weather. The pathway itself was littered with pebbles and small rocks. Bella moved towards the front door, silent as a whisper. She fished her keys out of her pocket and opened the door.

If the house outside looks quaint and simple, inside was a completely different story. The space is still small but utilized very well. They opted to be more functional but the style wasn't completely void. The living room had only one white leather sofa with a couple of red decorative throw pillows. The color stood out in the blankness that it completely grabbed the attention, which was exactly the purpose. In the middle of the room was a round dirty white coffee table. In front of those furniture was a widescreen television hanging on the wall. Underneath the television is a fireplace.

Bella waved me towards the sofa and I settled myself down, looking around the room. I sensed there was another life in the house. I could feel the slight buzz and I wondered if it was another vampire I haven't met yet. But the buzz wasn't as strong as the vampires I have encountered.

A second later, I heard Bella speaking on the other side of the wall. Her voice was gentle and hushed but I heard it clearly. "Hi, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I was waiting for you and dad," replied a softer voice, like a child's. Then I remembered the beautiful half-human, half-vampire daughter. "Where is he?"

"He's over Carlisle's house. But he'll be home soon."

"What about Jake? I haven't seen him all day. I haven't seen anyone all day."

"Jacob is just patrolling like he normally does. But there is something I would like to tell you and it would be a lot easier to explain if you meet someone."

"More of your friends?"

"Sort of. But she's like no one you've met before."

I heard rustling and footsteps as Bella and her daughter emerged from the other room. The picture did not do this little girl any justice. She was exquisitely beautiful like her vampire mother. Her long brown hair fell to the small of her back. Her small face held innocence and wonder. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled brightly and her cheeks were slightly flushed. If there was a doll I wanted when I was a child, it would look something like her. She was in her pajamas and in her hand was a small book that I spied with the title, "The Tragedy of Macbeth". So apparently their daughter, who couldn't be more than ten, reads Shakespeare.

"Renesmee, I would like you to meet Nora Grey," Bella introduced. As she mentioned my name, I stood up and extended my hand to her. I wasn't sure why but I felt like this child deserved as much respect as an adult's. "Nora, this is my daughter Renesmee Cullen."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Renesmee," I smiled as she shook my hand slightly. I felt her quick pulse and her slightly cold hands. She may looked unnaturally beautiful but she was definitely part human.

"You aren't like Charlie," she frowned, studying me closely. "You aren't like my mom and dad, and you're not like Jacob. What are you?"

"I am a Nephil," I answered. But when her expression didn't change, I added, "Nephils are part fallen angels, part humans."

She glanced at her mother before letting go of her hand and approaching me. The wonder that filled her face reached her eyes and she gently touched my cheek. "I'm not completely human too."

I nodded, opening my mouth to tell her I know but suddenly I wasn't looking at her any longer. I was staring face to face at a disheveled, thin, and horribly gaunt Bella. It was like her skin was wrapped around her skull so thinly I could see its bulges and contours. Her eyes were deep in their sockets and they were extremely hollow. But someone was carrying me away. I found myself being carried and comforted by a cooing Rosalie. I heard the beeps of the monitors that surrounded Bella behind me and I wanted to know what was going on but I saw a hand push us out of the room.

I was suddenly thrown back to the present. Renesmee lifted her hand away from my cheek. Her chocolate brown eyes were on mine, anticipating for my reaction. I blinked a couple of times, realizing I was somehow transported to her memories. Whatever her powers are, it wasn't unlike when I touch Patch's wing scars.

"You can show me your memories?" I asked her.

She nodded and Bella added, "It's her main way to communicate with others. What did she show you?"

I thought for a second, remembering Bella's deformed self. I remember Edward telling us Bella almost died during childbirth and she needed to be turned to a vampire to save her. "I guess that was when she was born."

"It's your turn," Renesmee gently tugged the sleeve of my sweater. "I want to know what you are."

I glanced at Bella, asking for her permission. She nodded. I returned my attention to the beautiful little girl in front of me. "I can sort of do what you can but in a different manner. I'll show you but don't be afraid, okay?"

I reached out to her mind, noticing how smooth but translucent it was, like a pearl. I dug deeper and finally saw the small crevices I could pass through. When I was able to get in, I immediately accessed my own memories and showed her, not of course every detail of my life but the important ones. When I finished, she stared at me with amazement.

"You are really different. But where is Patch? I would like to meet him too."

"He's with your father at the Cullens' home," I told her, keeping the smile on my face though it felt a little fake.

"I would like to help in any way I can."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Aro has always been a bit fond of me. He sends a gift for my birthday every year. So if I was there with you, maybe I can help your cause," she replied enthusiastically.

I saw the hard glint in Bella's eyes and I knew hell would freeze first before she would let Renesmee into the battle. I know Jacob wouldn't be happy about it either. "I don't think so, Renesmee," I told her. "I'll be honest with you. It's too dangerous. Even though Aro is fond of you, I don't think he would listen, not when there's such great power at stake here. Besides, Jacob would need a companion and I was thinking you could do that for me."

She pouted but sighed. "I understand."

A few hours later, Bella and I headed back out of their door to return back to the Cullens' home. Bella had tucked Renesmee into bed and she was asleep in minutes. I was surprised at the depth of the child's wisdom. She wasn't anyone like I've met. She talked to her mother and me like she was an adult herself, giving opinions to certain issues and even suggesting some things we could say to Aro when the day comes we would have to face the Volturi.

I stopped suddenly in the middle of a clearing as a question came to my mind. Bella sensed it and she turned around. "What is it?"

"Why did you take me to your daughter? What would you have gained from it?"

She looked me squarely in the eyes but refused to answer right away. She answered, "Your trust." When I remained silent, she elaborated. "Look, Nora, I know at the back of your head there will always be questions and I need all of that to be gone. The Volturi can sense any weakness within a coven and has the ability to turn everyone against each other. I don't want that to happen to us with you. I know you really don't need my family into this. You have your Nephilim army and the demonstration you, Vee, and Patch showed today just proves you don't need us. But it is definite we need you. Renesmee is my future. I won't let anything happen to her so I need you to trust us and our family. You're the only hope she has."

"I trust you enough," I shrugged. There was no point in sugarcoating it. She was right, of course, that I didn't trust them completely. But what they showed us for the past few days is nothing but friendship. Bella didn't need to show me her daughter to gain a respectable amount of trust but if she thinks this would make a difference, then so be it.

"But I know there's something else, Bella," I pressed on. "I know you showed me Renesmee because you want to remind me that if I screwed up, I screw up her life too."

She was silent for a few seconds again before she answered. "Yes."

"Then let's make sure we don't mess up," I walked on, passing her.