Discover Twilight

chapter li

Dusk settled over the sky of Forks, Washington, blanketing the white freckled ground as our group set up camp for the evening before we were to fight for Renesmee's existence and the ultimate fate of the Cullen Clan. Needless to say it was hard for Paul, Leah, Seth, Jake and myself to be spending the evening with them, where the five of us and Renesmee would be the only one's sleeping and leaving ourselves vulnerable to our natural enemies. However, in the wake of an approaching war and the thought that this may be the last night we have to spend together depending on the Volturi, not one of us felt tired or even considered leaving each other until we could see our brothers tomorrow to protect this Coven.

As the hours ticked by, more soft snow fell on the camp and stuck to the ground as Alice promised. 

"I'm sorry we dragged you guys into this, I don't want anyone to get hurt because of this. It's not fair to any of you," I softly whisper, looking around the small clearing in the woods that was filled with vampires.

Paul rolled his eyes at me and Jake, who has felt horribly about pulling our Quileute brothers and sister into a fight to protect the Cullens, "Your family is our family, we protect each other. We may not like them or their kind but they're important to you so of course we're here."

"Thanks Paul. I'm gonna go get some wood to start us a bonfire," Jake announced, pushing himself off the log beside me to find some dry wood to burn.

Jake carries an armful of lumber over to the circle of fallen trees that Paul, Seth, Leah and myself were sitting on, dropping it hard on the ground. The moment my hand reaches into my pocket for a lighter, Benjamin uses his powers to produce fire from his fingertips and throws it on the woods to start the bonfire, him and Tia joining us around the fire. 

Jacob smiles at the Newborn approvingly, rubbing his hands together to generate some personal heat, "That's what I'm talkin' about. A little pre-battle bonfire. Telling war stories."

Jake takes the seat beside Benjamin, looking across the blazing fire and sees the other vampires standing erect and in their own factions. Paul follows his line of sight, pulling me closer to him as he keeps his heavy arm draped across my shoulders, "Or just standing there like frickin' statues."

Hearing his opportunity to tell his battle stories Garrett speeds over to us, sitting to the right of the Clearwater siblings, "Name any American battle. I was there."

"Little Bighorn."

Garrett took a long, deep breath, scowling at the memory of that Great Plains War of 1876, raising his hand to show the less than an inch of space between his index finger and thumb, "I came this close to biting Custer. But the Indians got him first."

"We prefer Native Americans but hey, thanks for trying to kill the bastard for us," I correct, smiling politely at the vampire I liked the most out of the group willing to fight with us. 

Then Kate speeds over from her conversation with Tanya and Rosalie, sitting next to Garrett, "Try Oleg's assault on Constantinople. He didn't win that one on his own."

"That was in 907 BC, right?"

Kate nodded to answer my inquiry, her golden eyes twinkling at the memories of that time many lifetimes ago. Seth shared a look with Paul, realizing how old some of these vampires are, "Wow, that was a really long time ago."

Like a wave, the Irish coven rushed over to join the group gathered around the bonfire. Liam, Maggie's mate, sat across the fire, smirking at Garrett and Kate, "If you're talking battles, you're talking the Eleven Years' War. No one does rebellion like the Irish."

"You lost the Eleven Years' War," Garrett and I correct, chuckling at the inflection of fondness in Liam's challenge.

Liam smirks, raising his hand up as though he were toasting an invisible champagne flute, "Aye. But it was one hell of a rebellion."

The rest of the Vampires joined them, sitting around the firelight to listen to Vladimir and Stefan tell stories from when they ruled. Vladimir stared into the dancing colors, remembering the time from nearly two thousand years ago, "When we ruled, everything came to us. Prey, diplomats, favor seekers. Such was our power. But we never put on white hats and called ourselves saints."

"We were honest about what we were."

Vladimir turned the stone over in the palm of his alabaster hand, staring absently at the dancing flames that the group surrounded, "We sat still for a very long time. We didn't notice we were beginning to petrify. Perhaps the Volturi did us a favor when they burned our castles. We've been waiting 1,500 years to return that favor. We have been ready to do battle for ages."

I looked up over the firelight, seeing Edward and Carlisle watching the group of vampires and wolves sitting around the campfire talking. Softly smiling at the father-son moment that sparked in the still before the storm that was to come, I pushed myself off the chilled bark and excused myself from the campfire stories that Jasper's friend was telling about the Civil War.

I want to say that I'm content with the choices I've made to bring me here, in the middle of the woods to prepare for a life-or-death battle, but never did I think that I would be spending Christmas with a gaggle of vampires trying to save my vampiric goddaughter from an Italian Nazi empire. Or that I would be an eighteen year old werewolf with the brother I never knew I had and the celestially selected soulmate I've come to love. But, I honestly don't know how I got here but if this is the last time I get to stand for my family, I'm happy to do it.

"Hey."

Breaking me out of my trance was Paul, smiling down at me with snowflakes frosting his raven hair. My lips part, turning up at the sides as I snake my arms around his neck, "Hey Lahote. Why aren't you with the others around the fire, staying warm?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Blondie. Why'd you leave me alone with two dozen Bloodsuckers?"

I raise my shoulders, ignoring the snowflakes that perched themselves in my eyelashes, "I needed some air. Had some things on my mind and didn't want any of them trying to read my mind."

"Edward can't read your mind, Kods. You know that, I know that, everyone sitting around that fire knows that. So, why don't you cut the shit and tell me what you're thinking about? You can tell me anything," Paul promised, pulling me closer to his warm chest.

As I slowly exhale, allowing my breath to create a smoke that fills the small space between us, I drop my hands from behind his neck. I don't want to tell him I had to excuse myself because I'm wondering how I let my life become so filled with supernatural drama, but I will because he'll hear them later through our mental link. "I was wondering how my life got here, how we sit here on the eve of a big battle between a vampiric empire and two dozen vampires that want to protect my goddaughter. How up until a year ago, I was a normal seventeen year old girl who played soccer and was angry at my mom for shipping me off to Forks... And now, now I'm an eighteen year old werewolf, who doesn't have a mom and a life I didn't plan for myself."

"Oh..."

I place my two, freezing hands on each side of his face, redirecting his dark eyes onto me, "But I wouldn't change anything. As long as I have you, everything is perfect."