Growls erupted from Tanya's small form. Her back was less than an inch from my body. Black eyes were locked on Jacob's form, ready to attack and defend if needed. The last time I had seen a vampire like this was when James tried to kill me. Somehow this was far more terrifying.

I grabbed a fistful of Tanya's shirt. It wasn't like I could stop her from attacking if she wanted to but it was reassuring.

"Vampire," Jared spat when he and Sam caught up to us. Sam held his hand up, stopping Jared from moving forward. "Sam, there's a vampire on our land. We have to kill…"

"Jacob almost killed Bella," Sam said glaring at Jared. "I will speak to the vampire and decide what needs to be done. But I am not condemning this vampire for doing what we should have done, protect humans."

He backed away from Jared and Emily. I turned away as he stripped off his shorts. "Bella," he called. I reluctantly turned to face him. I kept my eyes locked on his face. "Tell the vampire I mean no harm. This is the only way I can get to Jacob."

With those words he exploded into the black wolf. At the same time Jacob lunged for Tanya and I screamed. Jacob never made contact. Sam had jumped in and took the attack, throwing Jacob into a tree in the process.

Jacob got up and limped toward Sam. The two wolves circled each other. Once in a while one would take a step forward and then move back again. It seemed like they were talking to each other.

Tanya growled and bared her teeth anytime one of them got too close. "Leave Sam alone," I pleaded. Tanya turned slightly, so she could look at me but still keep an eye on the wolves. "He's trying to help."

Tanya gave a short nod and focused on Sam and Jacob again. Jacob had lunged for Sam. Sam moved out of the way. Jacob was flying toward Tanya and I. In the blink of an eye we were on the other side of the clearing and I was in Tanya's arms.

She repositioned us so, once again, she was in front of me, ready to defend.

The two wolves continued to fight. Every time it looked like Jacob was gaining the upper hand, Sam would knock him back down.

After what seemed like forever Sam had Jacob pinned down, teeth at his throat. "Don't hurt him," I whispered. I didn't expect Sam to hear me. It was entirely possible he didn't hear me. He did, however, release Jacob.

Jared jogged toward them with two pairs of shorts just as Sam and Jacob shifted back. Emily ran over to Sam's side and hugged him close. I was jealous of them, of their relationship. I thought I had that with him but I was wrong. Now I had no one.

I glanced at Jacob. He looked worn out but he didn't have any marks on him. He glared at me, or maybe he was glaring Tanya. It was hard to tell with Tanya so close to me.

"I need to speak to the vampire—"

"Tanya," I interrupted. I didn't like how he called her vampire. It was like he wasn't acknowledging he as a person.

Sam looked at me and nodded. "Tanya," he corrected. He looked at Tanya. "We need to talk, in private."

Jared and Jacob both started to protest but a glare from Sam silenced them.

"I'm not leaving Bella alone with him," Tanya snarled.

"Emily?" Sam called.

"Of course Sam," Emily said answering his unspoken question. "Bella and Emily will come with us."

"Sam, you trust this filthy leech around—" Jacob started angrily.

"We are in this mess because you almost killed Bella," Sam roared. I shrank into Tanya's side. She wrapped her arms around me but didn't seem concerned by his anger. "I trust her a hell of a lot more than I trust you right now. Go home Jacob and stay there." Jacob dropped his head and walked away. Sam turned his attention to Jared. "I need you to patrol with Paul and Embry." Jared nodded and took off running.

"Come, I'll make us something to eat," Emily said, leading us back to her house. She glanced at Tanya. "Sorry. I don't have anything for you."

"I'm fine," Tanya said dismissing her apology.

"Your eyes are black," Sam noted. "I thought they were only like that when you needed to feed."

"Not the only reason," Tanya disagreed. Sam looked genuinely curious. "Lust, anger, hunger all cause our eyes to be black. It will fade away and I will hunt later."

"What will you be hunting?" Sam questioned.

"Do you really think I would defend Bella if I was a human drinker?" Tanya countered. "Or that Bella would be comfortable around me?"

Sam held up his hands in surrender. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's… it's not easy being around a vampire. Every fiber of my being is telling me to kill you."

Tanya nodded. "I understand Sam. I have centuries more control than my cousins. Though I am not thrilled to be around you and your… pack, nor do I like Bella being around you all, I will not harm a member for your pack unless they attack first."

"Centuries?" I repeated. "How old are you?"

"Physically 22, in vampire years I'm over a thousand years old," Tanya answered. Sam's eyes widened in surprise. I was equally surprised. I knew she wasn't a new vampire but I never imagined she was that old.

Emily ushered us inside the house. We gathered around the small dining room table. Emily was in the kitchen cooking something. "Do you drink?" Sam asked Tanya.

"I do, although it has no affect on me," Tanya confirmed.

Sam got up and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. He poured two shots, one for him and one for Tanya. "Sorry Bella. I'm not taking you back to Charlie drunk. Maybe next time."

I shrugged. It didn't bother me in the slightest. I had never even tried alcohol before. They each took a shot of the whiskey. Sam winced at the taste but Tanya looked as if she was drinking water. "The taste doesn't bother you?" I asked her. Despite never drinking it before I knew it didn't taste good.

"No," she said shaking her head. "Centuries of practice. It's not a pleasant taste but its better than human food."

Sam took one more shot before getting to the point of this meeting. "I don't know if you are aware of this but we had… have a treaty with the Cullens." Tanya wrapped her arm around me. The pain was there but not as bad as it normally was.

"I heard about the treaty," Tanya said. "Alice told me." Alice. She had talked to Alice again. Was she regularly communicating with my former best friend? Why wasn't Alice trying to talk to me?

Sam furrowed his brow in confusion. "You knew about the treaty yet you still broke it?"

"The treaty was for my cousins. It technically didn't apply to me," she said with a shrug. "I stayed at the treaty line, until I heard what was happening. Then I acted."

Sam sighed. "You are correct. The treaty doesn't apply to you since you're not a Cullen. We normally don't let vampires on our land. If it was any other day you would have been killed on the spot. But these are extenuating circumstances."

"I understand," Tanya said with a nod. "Protecting Bella is my number one concern. I knew what I was risking when I came here to protect her."

"No," I whispered, horrified by what I was hearing. Was she really offering her life as payment for breaking the treaty?

"Relax Bella," Tanya said stroking my head. "He won't kill me. He wants something from me."

Emily placed a plate of pancakes, bacon and eggs in front of me and an even larger plate in front of Sam. I was too nervous to eat. The thought of Sam killing Tanya was too much.

"How many of you are there?" he asked. The thought of killing Tanya didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.

"In my coven there's five including me," she answered.

"There is something you can do for me," Sam said setting down his fork. "None of us have killed a vampire before and there's a red-headed leech running around on our land. I want you to train us, teach us to kill the vampires threatening our tribe."

"Victoria," I breathed. They were trying to kill Victoria. The wolves, however many there were, were going to die.

"What do you know about Victoria?" Tanya asked, running her finger along the top of the shot glass. Just a bit more pressure and Tanya would shatter that glass. I can tell she's trying very hard not to do that.

"Next to nothing," Sam admitted. "Just that she has been running around in Forks and coming through our land. We can't catch her. No matter how close we get, she manages to slip away."

"That would be her gift," Tanya informed him. "You know vampires have gifts correct?" Sam nodded. "Victoria's is enhanced self-preservation. It will make catching her difficult, for both sides." Tanya sighed. "Very well. My family and I will teach you to fight."

"What do you want in return?" Sam asked suspicious.

"Nothing," Tanya replied leaning back in her seat. "Victoria is after Bella. I want Bella safe. With you and your wolves, plus my family, hunting her Bella will be safer."

"Very well," Sam said. He poured two more shots. "Here's to a truce."

They clinked their glasses and downed the shots. "Can I assume that I am forgiven for breaking your treaty?"

Yes, I silently begged Sam. "Technically you're not part of that treaty," he said echoing their previous words. "I wouldn't make a habit of coming here though."

I jumped when the phone rang. I had forgotten about the outside world. "Sam, it's Billy," Emily said handing the phone to Sam.

"Hello," Sam said. "Yeah Bella is here… We had an incident... Yeah with Jacob… He almost killed Bella… I'll talk to him later… I'm finishing up with the vampire… Don't give me that Billy. If not for this vampire Jacob would have killed Bella… Alright… Yeah… Bye."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Charlie's wondering where you were," Sam replied. "They ordered pizza and when Jacob showed up without you Charlie got worried. It seems Jacob filled Billy in on what happened but left out the part where he tried to kill you. Billy is not happy."

"I should go back," I said sadly. I would make rather stay with Sam and Emily… and Tanya.

"I'll walk you there," Sam offered, standing up.

Tanya kissed my cheek. "I need to hunt. I'll be by before you go to sleep," she told me. "Call me if you need me. Oh, and Sam," Sam looked at her, "if Jacob ever does something like that again I will kill him."

Sam nodded. "If he ever does something like that again he will be banished from the tribe and the pact," Sam informed her.

"Why?" I asked. Why punish him if it was an accident?

"Because, while he did lose control, he had a choice. He had time to run away before he hurt you. He could have avoided it but he let his anger take over," Sam explained. "Come on. Let's get you back to Billy's."

The walk back to Billy's was silent. Emily chose to stay home and finish cooking for the others. That left me and Sam to make the trip back to Billy's. "Thank you," I told him. Sam stared at me. "For not killing her for breaking the treaty."

"Anytime Bella," Sam said. "As far as vampires go, Tanya isn't… terrible." He acted like it pained him to make that confession.

"Bella," Charlie yelled coming outside to meet Sam and I.

"Hi Dad," I greeted. He didn't look mad. That was a good sign.

Charlie studied Sam, as if he was trying to figure out who he was. "Sam?" he questioned. Sam nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I walked Bella here," Sam told him. "She had a fight with Jacob, so she hung out with me and Emily for a while. I hope she's not in trouble."

"No, of course not," Charlie said quickly. There was no doubt in my mind that he was happy I was making friends. "Billy ordered pizza. You should eat."

I shook my head. "Emily cooked while I was there," I said.

Charlie looked to Sam. Sam nodded. "Good, good," Charlie said. "Well we will be leaving soon. It was good to see you Sam."

"You too Charlie. I'll see you soon Bella," Sam said before jogging away.