"Klaus! Is that really you?" James asked.

"Yes, it is really me. Now I believe you owe me your mate. You try and hurt mine and I'll destroy her in front of you before I destroy you piece by piece… You know which piece I'm going to start with, don't you?" Klaus said, looking at James right in the eyes as the red eyed Cold one relaxed.

Bella was confused, why was Klaus smiling while giving out threats? Why was James smiling when receiving them?

"You're friend with him?" Edward started to ask in an offended tone before Carlisle whispered:

"Don't son. Let it go."

Well, that explained things for Bella who relaxed immediately. She guessed that Edward listened to his father's advice when he didn't say anything else.

"Sorry Klaus, I didn't mean any harm to you or yours." James said as Victoria held on to his arm and Laurent talked with Carlisle about another coven like then in Alaska.

"Her name is Bella. She's my mate." Klaus informed James in an almost menacing growl.

"Then I'm sorry Bella. I promise I won't try to drink you anymore." James said with a little curtsey meant to be funny.

Bella giggled, so did Victoria, Klaus, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett.

"Why did you want to go after her anyway James? We just fed two hours ago. You can't possibly still be hungry after drinking that big rapist..." Victoria asked.

Edward's head snapped up as he gasped. Bella really was starting to think the guy needed to learn the meaning of privacy of the mind.

"The small brunette one with short hair…" James started.

"My name is Alice."

"I've met her before." James said but was once more cut off by the pixie like brunette:

"No you didn't. I don't remember you!"

"Well, Alice, I'm not surprise you don't remember anything… But I did meet you before…you're the only one who ever escaped me." James explained.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked.

"I was hunting near Biloxi when I came across a scent so mouthwatering that I just had to have it. I found you, Alice right?...in a dark, window less room in an asylum. I was about to grab you and make my dinner out of you when another Cold one interrupted me, grabbed you and ran. He was really old and seemed to have some sort of affection for you. You didn't really seem conscious of your surrounding world… It was like you were in your own world. Anyway, he ran with you for a while but I easily found the two of you. I fought him and managed to kill him rather quickly. After disposing of his remains I was about to feed on you when I realized you were changing. I left." James explained.

"So you just left her there? Why didn't you help her?" Edward asked.

"Why would I have done that? I'm a tracker, I like to play. She held no more interest to me." James explained while Edward and Jasper comforted Alice.

"What's the big deal here?" Victoria asked.

"Alice woke up to this life with absolutly no memory of her human life… Now she knows why." Carlisle explained.

"She was in the dark… There was nothing to remember." Bella said in realization. She suddenly felt bad for Alice and understood better the girl's need to have her way all the time… She wanted to experience all the things she didn't remember.

"And now you want Bella to become your next game!" Edward shrieked.

"I did when I saw her here, right next to my one and only failure. It was like a gift of nature to repair what I had lost so long ago. But among the very few people I respect, there is Klaus and if she's his, then I won't harm her." James said as Edward grabbed Bella by the arm and pulled her closer to him.

She had stepped out of Klaus' embrace earlier and the hybrid was distracted, talking with Victoria.

"Come Bella, I'll hide you. I promise you'll be safe." Edward whispered in Bella's ear.

"Let me go!" Bella demanded in a voice that didn't hide her pain.

"Let her go!" Klaus growled.

"Edward don't be stupid!" Emmett said.

"Alice needs you right now, you need to show her support." Esmee told him.

"Don't anger Klaus more than you already have son, we won't be able to stop him from killing you!" Carlisle said.

"I personally won't even try." Jasper added.

Edward's hold tightened on Bella's arm and she yelped in pain.

"Ouch Edward, you're hurting me stop this!"

Klaus saw red and moved faster than he ever had. He ripped the arm that held Bella out. The finger loosened and Bella was able to walk out of the Cold One's grasp.

"Go stand with James Love." Klaus advised her in a tone that she didn't want to try and defy.

She listened and watched him ripping Edward in pieces. It looked so easy when Klaus did it. It was like Edward was a big block of cheese just begging to be put in pieces. At least it looked that way to Bella.

She was surprised when none of the Cullen tried to defend Edward but she understood that James, Victoria, Laurent and Jasper would join Klaus' side if they did. They knew they would loose so they stayed out of this.

"Please Klaus… Show him mercy… We'll get him under control…" Esmee begged, looking absolutly broken.

When Edward was just a pile of pieces, Klaus brought Edward's still moving head in front of his face and said:

"This is my last warning. Next time I'm adding a light match to the pile. Touch her one more time and you'll be a pile of ashes."

Klaus threw the head to Carlisle who caught it like it was a ball and asked everyone to grab the pieces. They ran off to their house without another word said. Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie nodded gently toward Bella before they left.

"Well, that was entertaining." James joked as Bella ran again in Klaus' arms.

"You're okay Love?" He asked as he examined her.

"I'm fine." She replied.

"She has bruises on her arm." Victoria informed him, willing to remain on the powerful man's good side. She didn't want to be the next pile of ashes.

"Here, drink up." Klaus said gently as he gave Bella access to his opened wrist. She drank a couple of mouthfuls before she pulled away.

"What do you say we head back to my place to talk a bit?" Klaus suggested to the three nomads.

"If you don't mind, I think I'm going to run up to Denali, see if I can learn something from this coven… Their ways intrigue me." Laurent said.

"Drinking animal blood?" Victoria said in disgust.

"It does allow your kind to have more humanity and to interact with humans." Klaus said.

"It also make us weaker..." Victoria added with a frown on her pretty face.

"I'd like to try it out." Laurent said.

"We'll join you up there when we're done." James said before they shook hand and Laurent ran off.

"Bella, do you want me to drive you back home or do you want to come with us?" Klaus asked her.

"I'd like to come if it's not too hard for your friends…" Bella said.

"Don't worry, it won't be too hard for us, we can deal." James replied.

Klaus took Bella into his arms and he ran toward his house, showing James and Victoria the way up to it.


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Lorelei Candice Black