Disclaimer: Only the new storyline is mine, the rest is Stephenie Meyers.

Previous chapter:

I nod as Jasper and Peter leave the room and turn to face Char. She opens her arms to hug me. "Don't you worry, sugar, they will be just fine."

I give her a small smile, but I know it doesn't reach my eyes. I plop back on the couch and pick another movie, but I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. It almost feels like we're being watched.

Bella - BPOV

The movie is playing, but I can't seem to concentrate. I shift my position for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes, and Char lifts her brow questioningly. "What's wrong, sugar? Are you thirsty?" I shake my head as I keep staring at the TV screen. Char looks at me for a second, clearly worried. "Please, Bella, tell me what's bothering you."

"I feel like we're being watched. I'm certain that someone's out there. It's starting to freak me out."

"Okay, sugar, just act like nothing's wrong. Keep watching the movie, and I'll text the guys in the meanwhile. If someone's out there, we can't let them know, we're on to them." I nod in agreement and continue to stare at the TV. Char quickly texts Peter and Jasper and shifts closer to me on the couch. She gives me a comforting smile, and I lean my head on her shoulder as she says: "Nobody messes with the Whitlocks, Bella. Whoever is out there watching us is going to regret that very soon, trust me."

Jasper – JPOV

I run at high speed toward the spot where Peter picked up the scent yesterday. I nod contently as I register that the scent is almost gone. Peter comes to a halt beside me and peers into the distance. "My knower is still telling me to stay vigilant. Something is coming."

"Can you be any vaguer, Captain?"

"Probably, I'm not a freakin' eight ball, Major, you know that. I just know the things I know."

"Okay, let's run the borders. I don't want to leave the girls alone for too long."

He nods and we take off in the same direction as this morning. We're almost halfway our run as Peter receives a text on his cellphone. I receive one too, only a few seconds later. That can't be a good sign. We both pull out our phones and growl as we read Char's message. I raise my hand to stop Peter from rushing home. He raises his brow questioningly. "Why aren't you moving, Major?"

"I thought I learned you better than to charge into an unknown situation without a plan, Captain. We don't want this person to run, we need to capture whoever is out there, and we want him to talk. So calm down for a second, and let's discuss this."

Peter nods and says: "You're right. The girls are in the living room, the window is faced to the south. We're almost at the southern end of the property. The creep must be hiding somewhere in between us and the girls."

"Indeed, Captain. Let's find the son of a bitch that's bothering our mates. But remember: I want him alive. I want to know what's coming our way. I need to keep my Bella safe." I start to run toward the house while continuously scanning my surroundings for a shift in emotions. I'll find the fucker that is lurking in the shadows watching my reason for existing. How long has he been out there? A sudden burst of smugness hits me and I come to an immediate halt. Peter stops right beside me and follows my gaze up into a large pine where a vampire is sitting perched upon a branch peering at our house.

I hold out my hand to stop Peter from attacking as I recognize the stalker. Fuck, that's Laurent, the nomad that traveled alongside James and Victoria. What the hell is he doing here? Didn't he go to Denali and get all cozy with Irena? We watch as he pulls his cellphone from his pocket and places a call. I cringe as I hear a childlike voice answering his call. God, that voice is worse than nails scraping along with a chalkboard.

'Talk to me, Laurent!'

'You were right, Victoria. The little bitch is a vampire. She won't be so easy to kill now, and she's got a heavy security detail. I think one of the males, that is with her, is that Jasper Hale from back in Forks, the scarred one, but he uses the name Whitlock now. Your scent at the northern border is distracting them. Only the two girls are at the house while the men run the borders. They were talking about teaching her to fight. They seem to know that something is up. What do you want me to do now?'

'Meet me at the warehouse in the morning. Riley is gathering the newborns there. I don't care how big her so-called security detail is, that bitch will pay for what happened to my James. It's payback time.'

'Of course, Victoria, I'll be there.'

Fuck! I slap myself mentally as the puzzle pieces click together. Peter gives me a questioning look, and I give him the signal to capture Laurent. There's no way he's meeting up with the red-haired witch that wants to harm my Bella. He's going to answer any question I have, and then he's going to burn.

Bella - BPOV

I sigh relieved as the freaky feeling vanishes. I smile at Char and hug her as I say: "I think Jasper and Peter found whoever is out there, or maybe he just left. I no longer feel as if someone is trying to pick holes into my shield."

"That's great news, sugar. I can see why Aro was so intrigued by your gift, Bella. I wonder if we could get Eleazar to come and visit. He is gifted and can determine the exact nature of someone else's gift. He can tell us exactly what your gift is and how to develop it properly. He used to work for the Volturi but lives in Alaska with his wife now. We can ask Jasper and Peter when they get back. Now let's find out how this movie ends. I bet she is going to run off with the brother. I know I would, he is way hotter."

I snicker as Char hits the play button again. I lean back on the couch, finally able to relax now that the continuous strain on my shield is gone. I can't remember what this movie was about, but I must say that Char is right. The brother is hot. Char squeals, as they actually run off together. She stands up and does a weird kind of happy dance while chanting: "I called it" over and over again. I shake my head at her antics and look out of the window. I hope Jasper returns soon. I'm getting thirsty, but Jasper told us to stay inside until they return, so there's no way I'm leaving this house to feed as long as he's not back to go with me. I'll just have to ignore the burn in my throat until then.

The sudden appearance of purple smoke in the forest to the south has me up and out of my seat. I give Char a worried look as I move to stand in front of the window. My thirst is forgotten as worry flows through my body. Char moves to stand beside me, and she gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze. I can hear her telling me not to worry as she leads me back to the couch. I can't stop staring at the sky as we sit there; waiting for some sign that tells me Jasper is okay.

Jasper - JPOV

Peter and I wait until Laurent ends the call before moving toward him to capture him. I hit him with an insane amount of lethargy as Peter moves underneath the tree to capture him. Laurent turns around in surprise as he notices our presence. He tries to crouch down into a defensive stance but succumbs to the onslaught of emotions and falls out of the tree. Peter smirks as he takes a step back as Laurent falls down and lets him hit the ground, before taking him in a death grip. "It's raining retards, Major."

"It seems like it, Captain. Hold on to him. Laurent and I have some urgent matters to discuss when he regains consciousness."

Peter nods as he tightens his grip on the nomad. I can feel that he has questions, so I give him a quick rundown of my previous encounter with Laurent. It doesn't take a genius to figure out Peter's state of mind as I near the end of my explanation. He growls lowly as he says: "So this poor excuse of a vampire walked away with his tail between his legs as his coven members hunted my little sister and almost killed her. And now, for some reason, he is back, and he wants to hurt her again?! Oh boy, they don't make them any dumber than this one. Are you awake yet, nomad? I want you to feel what I'm going to do to you. No one hurts my little sister."

I smirk as I feel the fear that is building inside Laurent as Peter laughs almost maniacally. Peter may be pissed after what I told him, but that's nothing compared to what I'm feeling. I've never in my whole existence been this angry. The Major is out for blood or venom in this particular case. It's time to get the answers I need so that I can end his life for good this time.

"Laurent, why are you here?" His eyes snap up to look at me, but he stays silent. Oh, goodie, he's going to make this fun. I sent him a burst of compliance while Peter increases the pressure in his grip. "Laurent, why are you here?"

"Victoria sent me here."

"I heard that, but why did you leave Denali? Why risk everything you build there by listening to Victoria?"

He smiles at my words and says: "Risk everything I build? Don't make me laugh. I can't, for the love of God, understand how you can live on animal blood alone. It's revolting. I need human blood to keep me sane. I'll admit that I like Irena and that I enjoy to perks of being mated to a succubus but staying in one place for so long, that's not who I am. I'm more ambitious, I'm drawn to the ones that hold power. Victoria calls to me; I would do anything for her."

"Even run straight toward your demise, so it seems. What's the location of the warehouse where you're meeting her?"

"You're going to kill me anyway so you can go and suck my dick. I'm not talking."

Peter snickers and increases the pressure on Laurent's neck as he growls in his ear: "Do you know who you're talking to, moron? Do you know the stories about the Major of the Southern Wars, the God of War? I know you do. The tales are legendary, and so is he. Do you know what his real name is? I'll tell you because I can imagine talking is hard with me almost strangling you. His name is Major Jasper Whitlock. Believe me when I say: You're going to talk."

I smirk as I feel the tremendous amounts of fear and panic that erupt from Laurent. My reputation will always come in handy. I push another dose of compliance his way and say: "We can do this the easy way where you answer my questions and we grant you a swift death or we can do this the hard way where we remove body part after body part until you tell us what we want to know. So, I'll ask again: what's the location of the warehouse where you're meeting her?"

Laurent stares at me for a minute as if he's trying to determine if I'm bluffing. Peter is looking at me, and I give him a quick nod. We need to speed things up a bit so it seems. Peter tears Laurent's left arm from his body and throws it onto the ground in front of him, before saying: "That's one, and do you know what the best part is? I can reattach it and tear it off again and again. Think faster, moron."

Laurent nods and says: "Okay, the warehouse is located outside of Spokane. She turned a guy from Forks named Riley, and he's been turning more people into vampires for months now. He's gathering the newborns at the warehouse, and Victoria wants to attack you as soon as possible. She's been planning this ever since James died. I don't care who you are. Not even the God of War can stop a newborn army on his own. You can kill me, but your days are numbered too. I hope Bella was worth it."

"She will always be worth it. She's my mate, after all. Say hello to James from me, tell him Victoria will join him soon."

I give Peter another nod and pull out my lighter. Peter takes of Laurent's head as I take the severed arm and light it aflame. I throw the burning arm on top of the dismembered vampire and watch as the purple smoke makes its way into the night's sky. Peter moves to my side and says: "Never a dull moment when you're around, Major. A newborn army sounds like fun, but maybe we should call in some help."

I nod in agreement. There's no way to know how many newborns will be coming our way, and I'm not going to endanger my coven by being overconfident. I pull out my cellphone and select the number I didn't want to call so soon after their departure, but he would kill me if I didn't.

"Major, what's wrong?"

"Master Caius, it seems that a nomad named Victoria is building a newborn army with the sole purpose of killing my Bella. I would like to ask for your help in disposing of this threat."

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