21. A FAMILY AFFAIR

There was a clap of thunder rumbling out in the distance. The rain began to pour down on me in cold, smoky ribbons of gray and white, my low panting making wisps in the freezing air as I searched the night sky. My eyes settled on the brightest twinkling star and a part of me wondered if that was really Dad watching over me. Would he know what to do? What I should do? I kneeled down on my paws and let out a whimper.

Dad? Are you there?

The star shined a little bit brighter.

What should I do now when I know how this will end?

Another glimmer.

Maybe I didn't know how this would end.

Maybe I can still change things.

Maybe I can still stay by his side.

The star burned even more brightly above me and I rose.

Thanks.

I turned around and I ran, ran, ran. The rain soaked my fur through, chilling me to the bone and the wind howled out in my ears.

…

When I finally found myself on that familiar stretch of road which the Cullens' house sat on, I came up to the glass doors. They were unlocked and I let myself in. Hanging on a coat rack was a small white towel like they were expecting me, and I patted myself dry with it before throwing it over my shoulder. I walked into the living room – it seemed everyone had left already.

Well, everyone except Beau and Edythe. They were on the same couch he and I had shared earlier today.

Beau was already asleep with his head on her lap and she was stroking his hair with her fingers. Was I really gone that long? Sensing my presence, Edythe turned to look at me.

"You came back." I heard her say in a quiet voice. "Thank you."

"I'm not here for you." I answered through my teeth.

"You don't have to be." Was all she said, shaking her head. "But I am grateful, nonetheless."

I didn't answer her.

"You're keeping it, huh?" I said quietly. She looked absolutely horrified I'd even asked such a thing.

"Obviously."

I sighed. "Well, what are you all going to do about it?" She was about to speak again but Beau stirred a little.

"Jules?" He reached his hand out to me, but his eyes were still closed.

"I'm right here." I gave his fingers a squeeze and I thought the tiniest hint of a smile flashed across his sleeping face. Edythe let out a breath.

"We were thinking of asking our cousins for help."

"Cousins?"

"Yes. The Denali Clan." I thought about what she was saying and then my mouth fell agape remembering what happened to Lauren.

"That's a freaking terrible idea." I thought of how she almost killed Beau; how we ripped her to shreds easily for it. Oh yeah, I'm sure Ivan would just love to see us.

"Perhaps." She sucked in a breath through her teeth. "But we're willing to take our chances. Archie saw something; a possibility – he said that they know something. That they'll be able to help us; to keep our secret. It is essential for us to have allies in this situation, Jules. They're family after all - I know they'll come around." She said rather optimistically given the circumstances.

"You better hope so." I muttered. "When exactly are you planning to leave?"

"First thing tomorrow. I hope it wasn't presumptuous of us, but we got you a ticket too."

Great. Even more bloodsuckers.

"Beau's coming?"

"Of course."

"I'll be there."

"I thought so." Edythe almost smiled then. I looked away.

…

I left a note for my mom back home and filled up a small bag with clothes before meeting up with the Cullens at their place. From there, we quickly hurried to the airport together to catch our flight. It was three to a seat so I got the highest honor of sitting beside the boy I love and his wife. It only made me want to burn my eyes out a couple hundred times or so. We were up in the air for what seemed like a very long time to me until I felt the lurching turbulence of the plane as it worked to touch down to earth again, like we were descending through Dante's nine layers of Hell. Or maybe it just felt that way because I was surrounded on all sides by bloodsucking demons – you know, especially the one who was eating my best friend's face off when she thought I wasn't looking. Yeah, that must be it. Did I mention it made me want to retch? After what felt like another whole eternity and a half, a world of white started coming into view as I looked out an open window from across the aisle. We were finally on solid ground now but the snow was coming down in flocculent wisps of white, fluttering down past the panes of tempered glass. I got up out of my seat and Beau and then Edythe followed along behind me while I followed behind Carine and Earnest. Everyone else was behind Edythe. By the time we got inside the airport, the snowing had already stopped. We hurried to baggage claim, reuniting with our luggage there. Once outside, I was blinded by the brightness of the sun reflecting off the new-fallen snow - I have to admit, it looked pretty nice. Peaceful, I guess. Carine led us to a large black van and we all climbed into it. Edythe wanted to drive, but Carine wouldn't let her. I tossed a glance at Beau and saw him clasping his hands together, mouthing the words "Thank you" when Carine won that argument. I snorted.

"Big fan of your wife's driving, huh?"

"Not at all." He said in a cheery voice. I had to laugh again.

Carine started the car, the engine purring to life. Reading the GPS, I saw that she was heading up to the Denali Mountains where her cousins must live. The trip wasn't too long, some two hours or so - I stared out the window most of the time, taking in all the scenery from the snowcapped trees as we got up higher and higher in elevation to the shining deep blue lakes few and far between the glistening old-growth forests where flecks of green burst through the white of the snow. I even saw a deer once running through a snow-covered valley clearing in a world that seemed untouched by man and I wondered what it would have been like to run alongside him, feeling the cold wind slamming into me as I sprinted through the snow and having the snowflakes melt on the tip of my nose. I never got a chance to do that when I came here during my time away from home, so it was a little lonely – they wouldn't trust me. I guess that made them pretty smart, though. Sighing, I rested my cheek on my hand.

I lifted my eyes. Right up ahead, I saw a large wooden cabin set with a tall chimney stack from which a plume of gray smoke billowed out of. As we pulled into the front lot of the place – I couldn't tell the driveway from the main road beneath all that white – I saw five tall figures in long gray wool coats standing there together, obviously having expected our arrival today. The sun was just beginning to set, but the world around us was still bright. After Carine brought the car to a stop, everyone climbed out. Beau, Edythe and her family started slowly towards the five figures while I stayed behind, Carine walking up first to them.

"Welcome to our home." The first figure was a man with pale blond hair and full lips. Medium build, but you could tell he was strong and had a pretty commanding presence. He brought Carine's knuckles to his lips and kissed them, doing the same to all the girls and shaking hands with all the guys.

"It's so nice to see you all again, Kirill." Carine started with a smile.

"The pleasure is all ours." He answered her with a bow of his head. Another man, tall and with light blond hair, stepped forward and held his hand out for Carine to take. That must be Dimitri. Afterwards, Kirill cast a glance over his shoulder at the other blond figure, the one with the wavy hair. "Ivan? What would you like to say to our guests?" He came out from behind the others, showing the Cullens a tight smile. But then he sniffed at the air before his gaze flicked in my direction and he narrowed his eyes at me, his jaw clenched so tight behind his lips that you could see the whites of his teeth in the glower he gave me. I curled my lip at him in return, letting out the lowest hint of a growl. He flinched.

"I see you've brought the dog with you." Dimitri started. His tone was polite, but his words? Not so much.

"She's a friend." Carine assured them. Huh, was I now?

"Is everything alright? What may I ask brings you here on such short notice?" someone else was speaking now. His short brown hair was curly and his face was an olive-tan hue, but his defining feature for me were his kind eyes. Going off of that, I think this was Carlos. I vaguely remember Edythe telling me about her cousins around the time we destroyed Lauren.

"I think Elena may already know." Edythe began in a quiet voice. Elena… she must've been the woman standing next to Carlos; the one at the far right. They're husband and wife, if I remember correctly. She had long, curly brown hair which fell and fanned over her shoulders like a waterfall. She almost looked like an older version of Edythe, which may or may not have made me automatically dislike her. She hadn't said a word up until now and I noticed she had her right hand out in front of her which hovered in the air and shook a little, like she was… I don't know, feeling for something; something that no one else can see.

"Your husband… he has not been turned. I feel his shield resisting me the same as I have the first time we met." She said, not as a question but simply a statement though her tone sounded a little confused. "But there is something more…gifts. Different gifts then what I am already accustomed to sensing in your family." She shook her head and touched a finger to her temple, closing her eyes. "Thought projection… and something I'd like to call shield penetration. They are new." There was no way those gifts Elena sensed could've been a coincidence. I could see my suspicions slowly being confirmed with that look in Edythe's widening eyes - I knew we were coming to the exact same conclusion.

"Is that you, Edythe?" Elena asked, taking a step closer to her.

"I'm counting on it." Edythe answered, her voice all quiet like she still couldn't believe it herself. Maybe even … I don't know, kind of scared. I guess I couldn't fault her for that, could I?

"How you've acquired these new gifts," Elena bit her lip a little in concentration, "but they are not your gifts… how strange." She dropped Edythe's hand and her eyes widened a little. "May I?" Elena asked in the sort of voice a teacher would use to coax a shy kid into letting her see a picture she was drawing. Edythe's cheeks buckled, but she nodded her head very slightly. Inhaling a small breath, Elena pressed a trembling hand to where Edythe's wool peacoat parted, on the white of her shirt. She was blinking now; a calm-yet-puzzled expression tugging up at the outer-most edges of her lips.

"They come from inside of you." Her brows knit together, shocked. It wasn't making any sense to her, I could tell. It definitely confirmed what we were all thinking, though; that this was for real. I felt really cold just then, like a sword of ice was pressed down my back but I tried not to shudder.

"And that is exactly what we've come to talk to you about." Carine began, pulling Edythe's arm through her elbow. "We have reason to believe that Edythe may be pregnant." I had to strain my ears a little because Carine's voice got so quiet then. From what I could make out, she was telling them about everything that's been happening back home - Edythe getting sick, what Archie can and can't see, how Edythe can read the thoughts of whatever it was that was inside of her. I could just see Beau's cheeks flushing twenty shades of red when I heard them bring up his part in all this and I almost laughed. I noticed their cousins still looked pretty confused, though.

"Impossible." Carlos breathed. Elena nodded. The blond brothers on the other hand stiffened up just a touch and gave each other this strange, unreadable look. I had to wonder about it.

"Yes, it is for myself and my other daughters." Carine explained matter-of-factly like she was going over drug facts about a patient's prescription medicine with them aloud. Jessamine and Eleanor confirmed that train of thought with a quick nod of their heads.

"Well, her mate is human. Maybe that can explain things." I heard Royal sniff in a disinterested manner, his voice almost angry. I trained my eyes back on Beau. Even from here I could see the patches of red shooting up the back of his neck and I covered my mouth with my hand trying hard to suppress my laughter at seeing him squirm.

"Please, come inside." Kirill held his hand, palm upturned, at the level of his waist and motioned to the front door with a gesture inviting them in. Beau asked them something about yours truly and, even though Kirill sighed about it, extended his invitation to me, too. "I will ask that you steer clear of Ivan, though." He cautioned, narrowing his eyes a little as he looked at me. I nodded and walked to the front door, letting myself in after everyone else was already inside. I could smell a fire burning in the hearth and the wood of the giant cabin smelled fresh-cut even when I knew looking at the pictures on the walls that it's been here for quite some time. The bloodsuckers were all gathered in the living room so I opted to sit in the dining room – huh, what use did they actually have for that? – and played with an orange I found in a fruit bowl left there for Beau, I think, because I wasn't so sure if they knew I was coming. I rolled it around on the table never eating it the entire time, listening in on the conversation in the other room. When the orange got boring, I rose to my feet and paced the hallways, running my hands along the walls. There were pictures hung of all five of them posing together, a couple with just the blond brothers, one with just Elena and Carlos. I passed by a small, jeweled picture frame just then and it stopped me in my tracks. Backing up a little, I looked at the picture, realizing it was actually a painting instead; a portrait of a woman. She was a fair, beautiful lady with long blonde hair that came down in loose waves over her shoulders. She was wearing this white lace dress and her eyes weren't gold or red or anything like that but a clear, pale blue.

"My aunt." My breath caught in my throat and I clutched at my chest. It was Kirill. The guy almost gave me a freaking heart attack.

"She's… very beautiful." I shrugged, lacing my fingers in front of me. He let out a sad, low chuckle.

"Yes, she was. I painted this portrait many years ago; how I remembered her to look when she was human. Sasha was her name – she had created Ivan, Dimitri and I."

"I see." I nodded, still looking at the portrait. "What happened?" I asked without thinking. He sucked a sharp breath in through his teeth and shook his head.

"I'm afraid that is a family affair." He said, not looking me in the eyes.

"Sorry." I mumbled, feeling my own cheeks flush a little.

"Don't be. The Cullens already know, I am not opposed to them relaying to you the story, it happened such a long time ago." Even though he said that, his face looked… I don't know, troubled somehow. Like the wound was still fresh.

"I know how hard it can be – losing a loved one, that is." I said, thinking of Dad. For a second there, I thought Kirill almost smiled at me.

"For a wolf-girl, you are not so bad."

"I could say the same about you, bloodsucker."

I heard him let out a quiet chuckle before he walked back into the living room while I continued to wait out in the hallway. I listened in on them again, careful to keep myself out of sight.

"You wish to keep this a secret? Are you sure that is wise, Carine?" I heard Ivan say as I peered in on them from behind the wall. There was a slight edge in his urgent voice when he said the word "wise" which I didn't quite like. I could tell though that he was genuinely afraid, and the words weren't spoken entirely out of malice.

What exactly did he mean by that? I know Edythe heard me thinking this and she touched Carine's shoulder. She said something to Carine but then shook her head, like she didn't want my question to get answered.

"There was a time in our world known as the Plague of the Immortal Children." Carine cast a discreet glance in my direction from over her shoulder.

Immortal Children?

"There was a time many years ago when our kind had created vampires out of humans who were barely older than infants." I felt my stomach lurch as I thought about that. "It is the ultimate transgression any vampire can commit in our world." She explained to Beau and me especially, but didn't go further into it than that, her lips pressing tight to each other so they made a hard line.

"What does this have to do with anything, Carine?" Edythe asked, blinking. She was looking away. I guess that meant she didn't like the story any more than the one telling it. "This baby won't be anything like those children. He'll be part human after all."

Carine shook her head, eyes looking down. "Half mortal… half immortal. It's still too early to say, Edy."

Edythe's lips parted and her eyes began to waver, like she was hurt. "I wish you wouldn't say that, Carine. How could you?" I heard her snap and she shook her head almost angrily, her voice rasping into a growl. "Earnest? Arch?" She looked from her dad to her brother, I guess hoping they'd take her side on the matter. They were all quiet for a really long time, just kind of staring at each other.

"Carine has a point. I can't see you and I can't see it, Edy. I don't know." Archie finally started in a shaky voice, throwing the palms of his hands out to either side of him so they faced up towards the ceiling. Edythe let out a scoff and rose to her feet.

"Sweetheart-" Earnest tried to grab her arm but she shook his hand off with a huff and disappeared in a blurry streak of white up the stairs. I felt the air rush out around me as she whizzed past where I stood.

Huh. I guess she really liked the kid.

"Edythe!" Beau followed after her, calling her name.

Standing alone at the bottom of the stairs, I looked up after them and let out a sigh.