The Banshee -Paul Lahote-

Chapter 58

"Really," Mavis raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to."

"I want to," he promised. "I do, really."

Mavis stared at him, "okay, yeah. Let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Falling back into rhythm with Paul was surprisingly easy, but it was still new. The restart of their relationship had only just begun, but Paul was determined to keep his promises.

Amun, Kebi, Benjamin, and Tia were the first vampires she met. Their red eyes were strangely captivating. Senna and Zafrina joined soon after. Slowly, more and more vampires would join. It was overwhelming to see the amount of red-eyed people walking through her home. The Cullens would bring vampires to their home only to leave again and find more.

It was strange to be inside a house that didn't feel like home. Mavis missed her parents more than anything, and she hadn't been able to contact them. Alice said she would text from an unknown number, but that had yet to happen.

Mavis wanted them back but trusted that they were gone for a good reason. In the meantime, she spent her time doing as told by the others.

She had reconnected with Paul, but figuring things out would take time. They couldn't jump back into their relationship as if nothing had happened. A lot had happened, but they were going to make it work.

Her eyes searched the area for Paul. He wasn't hard to find. He stood on the back patio with Jacob. They were both smiling, which was a good sign. Mavis smiled to herself as she stood in the kitchen. Paul was working on keeping his promises, and she appreciated that. It meant a lot to her that he was here now. It showed that he was genuinely willing to do better.

"He's cute," Tanya whispered in her ear. "I can understand why you stare at him all the time."

Mavis blushed and turned away from her boyfriend. Thinking of him as her boyfriend again caused her heart to race. "Stop it."

Tanya grinned. "I thought you two broke up?"

"We did," Mavis sighed. "But we're back together now."

"Good," she said. "I thought I would have to beat him up while we were here."

The young girl let out an airy laugh. "Yeah, because that would go over well with everyone."

"Mavis, you know I love you." Tanya pinched her cheek. "We would do anything for you."

"I know, I know." The Denali's were her family, and she loved them just as much as they loved her. "I'm glad you guys are here. It's really good to see you."

Tanya nodded, "I wish it were under better circumstances."

"I'm sorry about Irina."

"Yeah, me too."

A silence followed, but it didn't last long. Renesmee ran inside happily, her feet pounding against the floor. "Mavis, Mavis, Mavis."

The blonde turned towards her, "hey, Renesmee. What is it?"

"What are you making to eat?" Tanya took that as her cue to leave and silently slipped out of the room.

"Well," Mavis picked Renesmee up and sat her on the counter. "I'm currently making pasta sauce, but I definitely need a sauce taster. Are you up for the job?"

Renesmee nodded eagerly, "yes!"

Mavis chuckled and grabbed a wooden spoon. Dipping it in the sauce, she slowly lifted it to Renesmee's lips. The younger tasted the sauce. "So, what do you think?"

The girl tapped her chin as she attempted to think. "What about pepper flakes?"

"Pepper flakes," Mavis repeated. "In pasta sauce?" Renesmee nodded, "I knew hiring you was a good idea." She walked towards the cabinet and pulled out the spice needed. Mavis turned around and saw Renesmee dipping her finger into the pot. "Hey, missy. Save some for the rest of us." The girl giggled. "You're bad at sneaking too. We'll have to work on that." Mavis felt a pair of eyes on her and looked past Renesmee. At some point, Paul and Jacob had walked inside. Paul was staring at her with a complex look on his face. "I think Jacob's waiting for you." Mavis helped Renesmee jump back onto the ground. She watched the girl run towards Jacob, who opened the back door for her. Bella and Edward were out there with a few new vampire arrivals. "You okay?" She spoke to Paul as he approached her.

"Yeah. Just a lot of red eyes around here."

Mavis smiled and placed a hand on his bicep. "Thank you for coming. It means a lot."

"Yeah," there were a few people who seemed on edge with his arrival, but nobody said anything. "I promised I would be around your family more."

"Well, most of the people here aren't family." Paul shrugged, his eyes scanning over the new faces. "What were you talking about with Jacob?"

"He wants to work together," he began. "With all the vampires coming to town, more and more are turning." Paul was referring to Quileutes shapeshifting. "And he said there are even more coming."

"I forgot about that," Mavis hadn't thought about how it would affect the shapeshifters. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," he promised her. "It's not your fault."

Mavis let go of his arm to focus on the sauce that was still cooking in front of her. "This will be done in a moment. Do you want to get out of here after?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "Yeah, I would like that."