CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, beating a furious rhythm against my rib cage. Sweat plastered the cotton material of my shirt to my back, and stray strands of hair had escaped my tight plait. I relied on my magic to warn me of the incoming attack, the vampire too fast for me to actually see rush towards me, and I let my magic explode out of me, defending me from the incoming predator.

A brilliant shield burst into existence, and Jasper collided with it, an instinctive snarl escaping him as it sent him back. A hasty twist of my wrist, fingers clenched tight around my wand, had the shield expand, surrounding me like a vortex. I could see Jasper prowling in a circle around my shield, his features even more inhuman then usual through the shimmering silvery defense. My heart was still pounding wildly in my chest as adrenaline raced through me, and a bead of sweat rolled down my hairline.

"Enough," Jasper finally said, standing back up straight, the veneer of predator stalking its prey falling away as his golden eyes fixed, evaluating, onto my own. I let the shield fall and my wand arm lower. Edward darted over, his hand brushing my shoulder in comfort, helping ease the tenseness. I leaned into his touch, and he wrapped a supportive arm around my waist.

"You can defend yourself against an attacking vampire," Jasper said, his golden eyes still assessing my reactions, "and against me, at that, which means that defending yourself from Victoria, should she show up, would not be a problem for you. The problem is that you cannot let your shield spell drop, which means that you can defend, but you can't attack her- it's a stalemate."

"Let's try something new, then," Luna says, stepping forwards. Her dirty-blonde hair is gleaming silver under the light of the waxing moon, and her skin looks almost luminescent. Luna had explained the traces of fae blood that ran through the pale blue veins I could trace along her thin arms, but it was never more obvious to me then when I looked at Luna under the moonlight, and saw an almost entirely different being. She had always looked ethereal under the moonlight.

Luna takes her place beside me, and Jasper gives no warning before he disappears again, in a movement so fast I don't even register it, don't even try to register it. Magic is... unpredictable. There are few true laws in which magic can be contained, barely any limits that magic itself cannot break. It is the person in control of the magic that limits its capabilities, whether that is because of their resolve and belief or their power levels. Magic in and of itself is sentient in a way. It will react to ensure its survival and the survival of its user. Vampires move fast and my spell needs to react faster then my mind can actively form the spell, so my magic reacts to the intentions I form in a split second, casting a silently summoned shield to encompass Luna and I, the shimmering barrier springing into existence, wrapping around us, in time for Jasper to once again hit it.

Unable to reach us, to breach the shield, I could almost see the humanity bleed from Jasper, his movements becoming more feline, the black dominant in his golden eyes. He stalked in a circle around us, while Luna twisted her wand, her lips mouthing something I couldn't hear. The brilliant beam of light left an afterimage behind my eyelids, a lingering visual impression. Jasper blurred, too fast for the spell to hit him, and then Luna twirled her wand, spinning in a graceful movement. A beam of vivid red light whipped around us, almost like a ribbon, the spell trailing from Luna's wand, almost giving the impression that Luna was a rhythmic gymnast, with her wand as the handle, and the brilliant, thin scarlet beam of light her satin ribbon.

Jasper lets out an instinctive loud, furious growl as the ribbon spell tangles his wrist, forming a shackle, holding him in place. His agitation is visible as he tries to rip through the 'ribbon', only to let out an even louder snarl as every time his fingers try to touch it, they go straight through the spell like it's not even there.

"Stalemate," Alice says loudly, stepping forwards, in front of her mate. Luna's 'ribbon' dissipates, and Alice rests her hand against Jasper's cheek, giving him a moment to regain control.

I don't let the shield fall until Alice nods, confirming the agitated vampire has calmed.

"If Luna could use more permanent spells, then we'd have won," I point out to Alice.

"Maybe," Alice says, "but you're not leaving this clearing until you can defeat Jasper- without using lethal spells."

"Well, if I'm protecting and Luna's restraining, then a third witch or wizard can do the... finishing touch." I say, and then turn to a quiet Malfoy. "Are you going to be there, on the mountain with us?" I ask, bluntly.

Malfoy's steel-colored eyes flick over to Luna, and determination sets in his pointed features. "Yes." He answers, quiet but decisive. He stands up, walking over so he's standing beside Luna, who's now in between us.

"Third time lucky," I say, before letting my shield once again flare into existence. My body feels heavy, drained from the use of magic; non-verbal, half-instinctive, 360 degree shield charms aren't exactly easy.

Luna acts quicker this time, snagging Jasper as he collides with the shield, taking advantage of the brief moment of disorientation to bind his arms to his sides. Malfoy uses a prank spell to apply the final blow- a red paint ball, that explodes on Jasper's chest. It looks sickeningly like blood, the paint-staining rapidly spreading on the ivory shirt Jasper is wearing, and dripping down onto the forest below.

And then Malfoy stumbles, gasping for air, and I spin to look at him. He looks terrified, his eyes darting from side to side, his entire body shaking.

Flashback, I realize, and sympathy washes over me. As Malfoy stumbles to his knees, Luna drops to the ground beside him, reaching out to touch him. He wildly swings, whacking her arm away. She tries again, and this time its his fist that hits her, and I yank her backwards, barely noticing as the shield drops.

Kneeling between Luna and Malfoy, my back to my best friend, shoving her back when she tries getting around me, I reach out and slap Malfoy's face– twice. I can see the moment his eyes refocus, his body still shaking violently. Steel-grey eyes widen in horror as he looks behind me, and I look over my shoulder at Luna. She looks pale and there are unshed tears swimming in her eyes.

"Luna," he says, sounding broken.

"It's okay," Luna says, and when she tries to move past me again, this time I let her. She cradles his face in her thin, pale hands, and places a soft kiss on his forehead. "It's okay, serce."

I look away from what feels like an intensely private moment, and Edward appears beside me, gently helping me up to my feet.

"Are you alright?" he asks, voice low.

"Yeah, I- yeah." I nod. My heart is beating too quickly and I'm tired and shaken, but more then anything, I feel... sick. Sick because I've been reminded, once again, that Malfoy is, well, human. That it's not just those of us who fought for the Light who have been damaged by the War. And that as whole as we pretend to be, there are barely stitched together scars under the surface of our skin, threatening to rip right open and bleed our grief, our fear, our heartbreak.

"So, looks like three on one is the answer," I say, turning attention away from Malfoy's flashback, and back to what actually lead to trigger it.

"Safety in numbers," Edward agrees. The corners of my mouth turn down.

"Numbers do make the difference," I agree, "and I know that seven of you can kick newborn arse, but... like you said, safety in numbers."

"We'll be fine, Bella," Edward says, gently. I shake my head, unhappily.

"I know that you should be fine, but there's always a chance, Edward. Are you sure that there aren't any other vampires you can get into contact with? You mentioned cousins, once, in Denali- surely they would be happy to help out if you consider each other family!"

"Ah," Edward says, looking... uncomfortable. I frown.

"What is it?"

"Well, we did contact the Denalis- you were in a coma at the time," Edward says, hesitantly, though I can see the glimmer of anger in his eyes. "There's a... complication."

"Complication?" I demand.

"Yes, it turns out Irina, one of the three sisters, was... closer to Laurent then we realized. They want revenge- they'll only help us if we help them kill the wolves, who they believe are responsible for Laurent's death—Bella? Bella? Are you okay?"

I'm not okay. I'm actually shaking, and my face feels cold as the blood drains, going white with fury, pure fury. One of the trees around the clearing makes a loud crack as a branch breaks off, falling to the ground. I can practically feel my magic, turbulent, thrashing under my skin, wanting to be let out.

Jasper's calm envelopes me like a cool blanket, dousing the burning flames of my rage. I take several deep breaths and when my hands aren't shaking quite so badly, I hold out my hand. "Give me the phone." I demand.

"Bella?" Edward asks, cautiously. Another branch snaps, crashing into the undergrowth.

"Phone. Now." I growl, and he pulls the slim cell from his pocket, tapping the screen several times before handing it to me. Tanya's contact information is opened on the screen, and I don't hesitate to press the dial button.

The other Cullens are approaching, cautiously, as it starts ringing. Carlisle in particular looks like he wants to take the phone away from me, but Alice is smiling a fierce smile, and Rosalie's hard, angry eyes aren't directed at me, and her mouth quirks in approval as our eyes briefly meet, Emmett's arm draping over her shoulders.

"Edward?" an unfamiliar, musical voice answers, "this is a surprise. Carlisle sounded very firm about keeping to the treaty you created with those wolves- did you, perhaps, rethink your answer?"

"Actually, this is Bella Swan speaking, the target of the newborn vampire army. You might know me better as the human Edward's in love with, and is marrying."

"Bella," the musical voice is significantly cooler now. "My name is Tanya."

"I don't care who you are," I interrupt, "and I haven't finished introducing myself– I also happen to be the one who Laurent tried to kill."

"What?" Tanya's voice is flat, carefully void of emotion.

"I'm assuming you're aware of what happened with his coven mate James? Well, his remaining coven mate is the one who created the army. She wants revenge for James's death. When Laurent came to Forks, it was because of her- she asked him to check on me, and bring me to her if possible. Laurent cornered me in the forest. I was entirely defenseless and he told me that I should thank him- Victoria would have drawn it out, he'd do me the courtesy of killing me quickly. The wolves bursting into the clearing saved my life."

Nothing I'd just said was a lie. The distraction the wolves had caused Laurent by all leaping into the clearing had given me the opportunity to set the bastard on fire. I'd explain the 'witch' thing, but that was hard to do over the phone, and the Denalis would never believe me without a demonstration.

"Are you trying to convince us to change our mind?" Tanya asks, her voice still cold as ice, and I can hear soft, murmuring voices on the other end of the line, too quiet for my human ears to make out.

"No, not at all," I say, sweetly, "I rang to yell at you." I give a second pause to let her fully soak that in, before releasing the thin control I had over my fury. "You pathetic excuse for a carbon-based life form- I cannot believe you lot! I really, really just cannot believe- you call yourselves family to the Cullens; family you have known for at least a century, as far as I'm aware, and yet this vampire you knew for a mere handful of months is somehow important enough that you're willing to risk the deaths of Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Edward? Your supposed 'family'? Are you really that fucking petty? I would die before I let anyone hurt my family! I would gladly die before I let anyone lay a finger on them!

"You and your sisters and your whole fucking coven are despicable! You have no right to call the Cullens family! You'd see them all dead for not killing their allies, their allies who are actually willing to fight for them! You'd see your so-called family dead for not killing a pack of wolf-shifters who are just children, some not even fifteen years old yet, when their only so-called crime is to save the life of a seventeen-year-old human girl from a vampire who attacked her, a vampire who was your coven mate of a handful of months! Who actually admitted to me that he cheated on his animal diet anyway, which just goes to show just how high in regard he held you! And everything you stupidly, thoughtlessly told him about Alice's Gift, he told Victoria, and now she knows how to use the holes in her vision- if Victoria hadn't messed up, we wouldn't even know yet that we're going to be attacked!

"I'm not sure how it works in the rainbow world that you fly through on your magical unicorn of destiny, but here in reality that's not only the fucking dumbest oversight you bunch of idiots could make, but it's also a massive betrayal of trust! They trusted you; Alice trusted you, with information on how her Gift works, and you just went ahead and started spilling your guts, left and right– you owe the Cullens! You owe them for your frankly massive part in putting them all in such terrible danger! You fucking owe them, and what are you doing? You're just fucking abandoning them, in a time when they need you more then ever! You- you are stupid, pathetic, worthless and you don't deserve to call yourselves family- go burn in hell!"

I don't wait for any sort of reply, and once I've finished shouting into the speaker, my churning magic slips through my control and causes something in the phone to fry, and the screen goes black, a thin trail of smoke escaping the tiny speaker. I throw away the destroyed cell phone, still furious, my anger not even nearly placated.

"I give it an eight for content, a nine for creativity and a solid ten for delivery." Alice breaks the silence, with a smile that's all sweetness and sugar and hidden poison.

"I thought it was quite inspired, myself," drawled Rosalie, flashing her perfect, too white, sharp teeth in the sort of smile that was more threat then anything else.

"While the ending might have lacked originality, it was certainly not lacking on the emotional front- the Denalis have to be feeling the burn of that from all the way in Alaska." Alice agreed.

I can't help my laugh, and Edward wraps his arms around me. "It's been a long night, Bella," he says, gently. "Let's go home."

I let him carry me through the forest, travelling so quickly it feels like I'm flying. He takes me back to Charlie's, and I sleepily change into a pair of sweats, before half falling into bed. Edward slides down beside me, careful to keep the thick blanket between us so as not to freeze me, and I let myself just doze off.

-

When I wake up, I drew up from the bed gasping for breath. It came out in shallow huffs. Tasting blood, I let my hand touch my lips. I must have bitten it to muffle my screams. "Bollocks," I mumbled.

"Bella, love?" A cold hand gently brushes against my arm, and I turn to face my partner in bed. Edward is eyeing me with a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

"Just a nightmare." I told him. "I'll be fine."

"That's good to hear," Edward says, leaning forwards to press his icy lips to my over-heated forehead, before he pulls back. "Your phone call last night had an unexpected result." He says.

"What, they're joining forces with Victoria because she's promised to help them wipe out the shifters?" I ask, grumpily. He laughs.

"Actually, two of them came to help us- Carmen and Eleazar. Eleazar actually used to be part of the Volturi guard, so he can fight. The three sisters, Tanya, Irina and Kate are... well, they likely won't come."

"Nine is better then seven," I tell him, feeling lighter already.

"They want to meet you- I think they're amused by your chewing out of Tanya." Edward chuckles.

"Really?" I ask, surprised.

"Really," he nods, "they weren't happy with the decision to stay out of the fight in the first place, so they agree with what you say."

-

I apparate Edward and I to the front of the Cullen's manor-like home, and he leads me through the front door, to the sitting room.

Carmen and Eleazar are both standing together, Carmen's hand resting lightly on her mate's arm. There's a warm expression on her face as she talks to Esme, and Eleazar looks serious as he, Carlisle and Jasper discuss what I assume is the upcoming fight. Both of them looked Spanish, hints of olive tones to their chalky complexions. Carmen is shorter then him by about half a foot, and appears to be around Esme's age, perhaps older by a handful of years. Eleazar, I'd guess, was in his forties when he was changed.

They are beautiful, of course, Carmen with her heavy waves of dark brown hair, sweet smile and willowy figure, and Eleazar with his black hair, up to his collar and angular features.

Both of the Denalis turn to face me, as Edward and I walk through the adjourning doorway. Carmen's features brighten with delight, while Eleazar appears wary.

"You must be Bella," she says, her chiming voice accentuated with a Spanish lilt.

"And you're Carmen, I assume," I smile back at her. She glides over to me, Eleazar falling easily into step beside her, stopping before me. She holds out a slender hand, and I reach up to shake it. Her skin is icy cool, and Carmen looks even more delighted by my lack of fear.

"I am Eleazar," Eleazar says. He's still not smiling, but his expression isn't unfriendly, giving me the impression that his stoicism is the norm for him.

"It's nice to meet you- to meet both of you," I say, honestly.

"We apologize, both of us, for not immediately offering our aid to our most dearest friends," Carmen says, her beautiful face creased with her distress. "It was a rash decision on Tanya's behalf- and on our own, for not taking the initiative to come aid our family sooner. We hope you can forgive us." Her face is so earnest, any lingering traces of anger I hold towards her and her mate dissolve.

"You're here now, and that's what matters." I say, firmly, and Carmen smiles.

"We are, and we will fight by your side, because that's what family does."

A/N: In case it isn't blatantly obvious, the part where the Denalis refused to help the Cullens never sat right with me, so I decided to change it ~Cheshire Carroll