A/N: I'm not SMeyer, I just like to play in her sandbox every now and again. Please don't sue, I have a dog to support.

"Grief and fear cannot rule you;

let them be your faithful servants, protective of their mistress.

Loss serves a huntress like fuel serves fire."

-S. Theris, Mass Effect: Andromeda

There was a vampire outside my door. Possibly the same one I'd met in the garage the other day – Peter Whitlock, I recalled.

I knew when the vampire changed course because I watched Sadie's head slowly turn as she tracked them through the walls, fangs bared, and hackles raised. Animals were supposed to be afraid of vampires, but Sadie had always been a brave girl. I took comfort in her fierceness and made myself calm down, closing my eyes a moment to focus on the matter at hand.

I didn't know the intentions of Peter, but I did know of one vampire who had a bone to pick with me.

Victoria.

She was one of the main reasons I was angry with the Cullen clan for abandoning me; they'd rescued me from her mate, whom they'd also killed, then up and left me even though they knew she was still a threat. If it hadn't been for the efforts of the pack, I'd probably have been long dead. She showed up every now and again, but she was a coward, and unwilling to take on even just one of the wolves, so just having Jacob around was usually enough to suffice when I still lived in Washington.

It'd been so long since we'd heard from her, however, and it was safe to say that we'd gotten complacent when it came to her. I hadn't even considered her showing up in Texas because of the constant sunshine – and I had no protection if she decided to burst through the door and drain me like juice box.

I didn't let go of Sadie's harness as I walked as quietly as I could over to my nightstand, clenching my teeth as I pulled open the drawer to grab the gun stowed inside. Charlie didn't need to know I kept it loaded outside of a locked safe, and I sent him a mental apology as I slid the drawer shut. I checked the safety; a gun wasn't going to be much good against a vampire, but I felt better being armed, and a gunshot was a guaranteed way to draw attention – attention I was banking on said vampire not wanting. I held it in my offhand and whispered, "Platz." It'd been Seth's idea to train Sadie to respond to German commands after having seen a video about service dogs. I'd reached out to dog trainers in the area, and between them and I we got her perfectly trained.

Sadie slid silently to the floor, her eyes fixed on me as she waited for her next command, although her ears remained trained on the vampire that waited directly opposite of us. "Bleib."

She remained still as I crept around her, keeping my eyes trained on the wall, and backed up to the far wall. I couldn't hear the vampire move, but I knew they were following me as Sadie's ears swiveled as she tracked his movements.

I may not be able to get out of this alive, but I was going to be sure my Sadie girl at least did.

My heart was racing as I flicked the safety off and made my way to the front door. My hand hovered over the deadbolt and for a moment I wondered how it could be so still, when it was very likely I was about to meet a very gruesome end on the other side of the door. Perhaps it was because I had no regrets this time around. If it was Victoria, and she had indeed come for me, then she'd disappear once I was dead, her mission accomplished. She'd have no reason to stick around and could go back to whatever it was that nomads did.

I almost felt sorry for her in that instant; nomads were mostly solitary by nature, Edward had told me, rarely coming together unless they were a mated pair. A nomadic coven of three like James, Laurent, and Victoria was unusual.

But Laurent had died sometime during my senior year, torn apart, and set ablaze by the pack, just like how the Cullen's had dispatched her mate James not even a year before that.

"Finding a mate isn't the same as just finding a partner, Bella," Alice had explained in a hushed reverent tone, oh so long ago. "It's primal. Instinctual. Sometimes our will kind see each other once and never leave each other's side again."

"That more romantic than I was expecting," I'd admitted.

She'd just shaken her head before continuing, "It's not, at least not always. Sometimes it starts from something else to grow into something romantic, but even if isn't, the bond is one of the strongest things in existence. When we mate, we walk together, always, and forever. They are our hearts outside our chests. Not even death can take them from us. It's not uncommon for a mated pair to die within moments of each other, the bond between them too strong to let the other go."

At the time I'd thought it'd all been terribly romantic, something straight out of my beloved novels, even. I knew better now, though. All Victoria had left now was her revenge. Once I was dead, and her mission accomplished, I had no doubt she'd finally put herself to rest.

The problem in her plan, however, was I wasn't ready to die just yet.

I settled my hand on the deadbolt and flipped the lock.

I heard the sharp inhalation of a breath on the other side of the door, but before I could swing it open a loud booming sound like the crashing of boulders rang through the night, so loud and close I had to cover my ears to protect my hearing.

I scrambled away from the door and back to Sadie's side, hissing out "hier" as I threw myself under the bed, making sure to leave room for her. I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in the scruff of her neck as I strained to listen to the battle warring outside. Hisses and snarls and savage growls reverberated through the thin walls of my apartment.

It felt like hours but was only a few minutes before it was all over, the end punctuated by a sharp shriek that was abruptly cut off.

I waited, shaking, wondering, until I couldn't bear it anymore. "Sadie, fuss."

She fell into step beside me in a perfect heel as I crept back to the front door. Again, my hand hovered over the handle, but this time I was brave enough to swing it open and scurried down the private stairwell that led to the alley behind the bar.

The full moon left plenty of light to see by, even for my human eyes, as I stepped out into the night. I switched my gun to my right hand, and crept slowly around the trailer, head on a swivel for any other surprises. The distinct sound of vampiric dismemberment was just around the corner, and I was surprised I could hear it over the roaring of blood in my ears. I swallowed hard and kept going.

One step turned to two, which turned to three until I was pressed against the corner and peered around it.

Pale limbs lay in a disorganized pile at the feet of not one, but two vampires, one of which I recognized as Peter. The other had their back and began throwing the parts into the dumpster. They then patted at their pockets, presumably looking for something.

"Don't tell me ya fuckin' forgot it," Peter complained as he stared down at the vampire in front of him. "Of all the fuckin' things to forget, ya choose the most important one - "

"Maybe instead of bitchin' about it, you could make yourself useful and go find a fuckin' lighter," his companion snapped back.

My blood turned to ice in my veins. I knew that voice.

He hadn't spoken to me often, or anyone at all really, besides Alice of course, but I knew that voice anywhere. The southern accent that had haunted his words then was fully present now, and some startled part of me thought it suited him better.

Before I knew it, I'd taken a step forward and said, "I have one," and fished out the lighter I always kept in my back pocket and held it out to Jasper, who, in turn, stared back at me with wide bloody eyes.