Forever Young

Chapter 24

I was frozen in horror, with no clue as to what I should do. Renesmee had realized that something was wrong, and had hurried to stand next to me at the window. But even as she scanned the treeline, somehow, she didn't notice the bright red eyes peering back at us.

"What is it?" she asked me frantically. "What's wrong?"

Shaking my head at her, I put a finger up to my lips. Maybe the vampire hadn't noticed us yet. Maybe we could back away, and run to get Nessie's parents. Or my parents. Or anybody.

It wasn't needed, though, because Edward suddenly appeared beside us, pushing Renesmee and I behind him as he scanned the forest. Carlisle and Jasper appeared, as well, and Jasper joined Edward at the window while Carlisle put his arms around me and Nessie.

"There's nothing there," Jasper mumbled, opening the window. "Not even a hint of a scent."

What? But how was that possible? The wind was blowing towards us.

Edward shook his head, glancing back at me. "No," he protested. "Camellia saw it. It was real."

"Edward, children imagine things-"

"It was real!" Edward and I said in unison. He sounded annoyed, but my voice came out as an aggressive hiss. Had the circumstances been different, I would have been in trouble for using that tone with Jasper. But nobody even glanced at me.

"Esme, Bella, take the children downstairs," he ordered aggressively. "Everyone else, outside. Surround the house. Nobody gets by."

Nessie and I were rushed downstairs by our Mothers, and sat down on the couch. Bella and Esme stood on either side of us, completely still as they listened sharply for any potential threats.

Renesmee intertwined her fingers with mine, her hand shaking.

We sat in silence for several minutes, waiting for the rest of the family to return. Or for a warning call. Or an intruder to suddenly shatter the window and grab us. Or anything.

Then Esme and Bella both fell into more relaxed positions, apparently hearing something that Nessie and I were a little bit too human to hear ourselves. "Oh, goodness," Esme sighed, glancing towards the front door. "He gave us quite a scare, didn't he?"

Carlisle walked in, with Edward, Jasper and Mike trailing behind him.

Why was Mike back? It had been implied that he had been a random visitor, who stopped by on a whim after catching our scents. What reason could he possibly have for coming back?

"Hello again, Mike," Esme greeted kindly. "You startled us! You have the power of invisibility, then?"

He nodded, taking off his hat as he smiled at her. "Yes, Ma'am. Sorry about that. I was passing through again, on my way back from Denali. You seem to have something of a wolf problem, though, so I thought it may be best to mask my presence as I came through the area. Suppose I should have made more of an effort to make myself known to you all, though. I apologize for the scare. Tanya and Kate send their love."

Everyone was more relaxed now, having realized that it was just the friend of an extended family member. Esme sat beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. Mike's eyes fell on me, and I squirmed uncomfortably. I was still not all that used to strangers, and apparently had strange reactions to them. I needed to stop being so silly.

But why had I been able to see him when nobody else could?

"Your mind is a shield," Edward noted. "My wife's is as well. I can't hear a thought from either of you."

Mike laughed, nodding in agreement. "Tanya told me plenty about your mind reading. She seems quite fond of your... daughter. A hybrid, is she? She told me quite a bit about your family. You're an extraordinary lot. And one of the bigger covens I've come across, in all my years."