Child of the Moon~ Child of the Night

Again

So this chapter is pretty long and this whole story is longer than the previous two. I personally think it's the best one. I hope you're enjoying the series so far and I'd love to hear what you think as we go along!  Cheers!

Her curiosity got the better of her and soon Renesmee found herself upstairs, following her father and Jacob's voices down the hall. She didn't want to eavesdrop, but when she heard Jacob say, "Have you told Ness yet?" she couldn't ignore it.

"Told me what?" she asked as she stepped into the room.

"Nothing," Edward said quickly. "It's nothing, sweetheart."

Renesmee crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't believe him for a second. She looked to Jacob.

Jacob glanced from her back to Edward. "It's something. And she deserves to know."

"We don't have all the information, it would only frighten her."

"I won't lie to her!"

"I am not a child!" Renesmee shouted over both of them. "Stop talking about me like I'm not here," she said once she had their attention, "and tell me what is going on. I can handle it."

Jacob stepped toward her and Edward groaned when he heard his thoughts. Jacob ignored him. "Your dad and your aunts and uncles went looking for the blonde vampire."

Renesmee's eyes went wide, looking to her father. "And? Did you find her?"

Edward sighed. "No. She's gone. She left by way of the ocean again so we wouldn't be able to track her. Then Alice..." he shook his head.

"What about Auntie, Dad? Did she see something?"

Edward sighed, and Jacob stepped in before he could respond. "She needs to know."

"Then you tell her."

Renesmee turned back to Jacob, communicating through his thoughts. They were going to be married. They couldn't keep things from each other. They never had before and she didn't want to start now.

"You're right, I know," he nodded. He took her hands and ran his thumbs over her knuckles in gentle circles. "Alice saw where she went. She's working for the Volturi, Ness.  Apparently her name is Olivia. She's been reporting back to them this whole time."

"The Volturi?" she cried. "Please tell me you're joking!  Why wouldn't you tell me this?"

Edward rubbed his hand along the back of his neck and shrugged. "I didn't want to worry you. We're not even sure about all of this yet..."

"What else is there, Dad?" Renesmee fumed. What would it take for her father to stop treating her like a child?  "Is she coming back?  Why was she here to begin with?  Will the Volturi come back?"

"Nessie, honey, relax," Jacob said softly, pulling her into his warm embrace. He held her tightly and she sighed, still angry though calmer than before. "It's gonna be okay."

She shook her head. "Everyone keeps telling me that like I'm the only one who needs protecting. But what about you guys?  I almost lost you, Jake," she said, "I can't go through that again. You guys have to let me help."

Jacob kissed her head and looked over at Edward. "She's just as stubborn as Bella was. Maybe more. We can't keep her on the sidelines. Between the two of us we can keep her safe. We kept Victoria from Bella. We can keep Olivia away from Nessie."

Edward rolled his eyes and groaned. "I hate it when you're right."

Renesmee looked pointedly between the two of them. "No more secrets?"

"No more secrets," Edward agreed, however reluctantly.  Like Jacob said, they'd done it before with Victoria, they could do it again. He was willing to do anything to keep his family safe.

*~*~*

"Finally out of that house," Jacob groaned, dropping to sit at the base of a tree deep in the woods were he and Renesmee had been hiking.

"Finally alone," she sighed, sitting down beside him. He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned back against him.

"Amen to that." He pressed a kiss to her unruly curls. "You're beautiful, Renesmee Cullen."

Renesmee felt her cheeks grow hot as they became an embarrassing shade of red. "You're biased."

Jacob shrugged. "I dunno. I've seen the way the guys in town look at you. Gawk may actually be the more accurate word."

"Really?" she laughed. Women, and a few men, certainly gawked at Jacob, but her?

"Yep," he nodded, remembering one time a guy in her class had inappropriate thoughts about Renesmee and Bella had to stop him and Edward from tearing the guy apart.

"Well, I know why they only ever look from afar. Not everyone has a massive Quileute warrior watching over them. Most are probably too scared to do anything else."

"They should be."

"You know you're the only man I could ever love," she grinned, and he wrapped both arms around her in a warm embrace.

"And you know I love you. More than anything. I'd be..." he stopped himself and shook his head. "I don't wanna think about how I'd be without you."

She squeezed his arms tighter around her. "You never have to worry about that."

He turned her head so he could kiss her and she melted beneath his touch. She would never get enough of him.

A sound from somewhere in the trees broke her from her pleasant trance. "Did you hear that?"

Jacob frowned. "Hear what?"

"Something in the trees," she said, both of them getting to their feet and scanning the area, listening.

"I don't hear anything," Jacob growled, "but I can sure smell something."

"Renesmee," a voice echoed through the woods. Renesmee turned to Jacob to see if he'd heard it too, or if she was just going crazy. The angry set of his jaw told her he had.

"Step back, Ness," he said, taking a few steps away from her as well. The wolf inside him needed to protect his mate, and he wasn't about to deny that instinct. Not even bothering to step out of his clothes, he rolled his shoulders forward and phased into his wolf form.

"Renesmee," the voice taunted again, followed by laughter that left chills racing down her spine. She ran over to Jacob who lowered his head so she could climb on his back.

"Renesmee," the voice called, this time louder as Jacob began to run back toward the Cullen's house. The voice grew louder and louder, and Jacob swore he saw a flash of blonde hair as he ran, finally tapering off into peaks of laughter before fading completely by the time the mansion was in sight.