Bella POV

When we arrived at the hotel in Phoenix I was nearly bursting with questions because Alice wouldn't answer them on the plane and the drive in the taxi also didn't seem to be the right place.

Before I could ask anything at all I saw her eyes glaze over which was an indicator for her being in a vision.

Jasper visibly tensed next to her which made me forget everything I wanted to know so badly because if it was bad what Alice was seeing then everything else could wait.

"They lost James. How can you lose someone that is hunting you down in the middle of nowhere?"

Alice ran her hands through her hair and sighed deeply but I could see the panic in her eyes and before I could even think about what I was doing, I was hugging her and rubbing soothing circles on her back. Her reaction was instantaneous. She started purring and buried herself into my warm body as much as she could.

Jasper stood slightly awkward next to us and finally mumbled something about getting me food so that we could talk about everything that happened without having to pause somewhere in the middle.

While Jasper was gone my phone went off and after seeing Alice in yet another vision I silently left the room to stand in the corridor so that I wouldn't disturb her.

The male voice that answered me sent cold shivers down my spine and I instantly regretted leaving Alice's side. His next words however had me moving faster than I ever thought possible. He had my mother and was threatening to kill her if I didn't say exactly as he told me to. That involved getting away unseen and probably dying. I just hoped that Alice would see what was happening and would be fast enough to change me before I truly died. Although I couldn't be one hundred percent sure that she was my soulmate I had the strong feeling that she was and so I wouldn't destroy any possible future I might've had.

James had said something about my childhood, a place where I hated to go and that nobody of my vampire friends knew about. The only place he could mean was the ballet studio where I went for two years in hopes to better my balance problems. I guess I don't have to tell you that it epically failed and left me scared of big rooms full of mirrors.

When I reached the studio I was a little out of breath because I had borrowed a bike to get here faster and still wasn't sure how much behind Alice and Jasper were or if the other Cullen's had arrived yet.

Inside the studio I could hear my mother calling my name, her voice sounded from the supply closet and when I reached it I realized how foolish I had been. Inside the closet was an old recording from my childhood where my mother was searching for me. She had never been here and she had also never been in any danger.

As fast as I could I turned around and ran. I got as far as three steps before I crashed into a cold and very solid chest of someone. I stumbled back and landed on my ass on the ground, staring up into the pitch black eyes of James. An evil laugh tore from his throat and then he bent down as if to help me up but threw me towards the mirrored wall instead.

I pressed my eyes shut and prepared myself for the impact which never came. Instead I felt strong and warm arms catch me and carefully sat me to the ground again. The smell of woods and fresh rain washed over me and I knew who came to save me before I managed to open my eyes. Cori was standing slightly in front of me. One hand steadying me and the other formed into a claw that would be able to seriously injure James if what she once told me was true.

James roared and charged at her without asking who she was or what she was doing here. It seemed to not be important to him. He only saw something between himself and his meal, namely me.

Cori just had him pinned to the ground, snarling in his face when the doors to the studio burst open and my vampire family rushed in. Edward was at the front and seemed to be blocking Alice somehow because I was sure she long would have been by my side if it hadn't been for his angry glare directed towards her and his hand on her upper arm.

Cori POV

I was wandering through town when I suddenly smelled a familiar scent I never thought to smell here again. It was Bella's unmistakable freesia and lavender scent that washed over me. It was tinted with the scent of a female vampire that smelled like honey and almonds. It was a nice combination and the excited thought of Bella meeting her mate in rainy Forks popped into my mind. I knew she wasn't with her vampire right now so I might get the chance to freely talk to her without setting the mating instincts off.

I began following her scent and furrowed my brow in thought. What was Bella doing in this run down district of town, heading straight for one of those old industrial buildings? The feeling of something being awfully wrong here hit me and I sped up my walk towards the building. The smell of another vampire lingered in the air, it was definitely male and seemed to evaporate darkness.

Now very worried about Bella and her health I practically flew up the stairs and into the room where those two scents were strongest. I was right in time to see Bella fly towards a wall of mirrors. The glass would pierce her body and draw a great amount of blood which would make the already crazy vampire lose his mind completely. That was not something I wanted to witness so I quickly moved to catch her and then turned towards the vampire. He snarled and lunged at me. That was a bad idea because my body was already in the motion of changing and so I met him head on, slamming him into the ground. Then I felt the change take control and my body shift from that of a human into that of a very big and deadly wolf. Bella once told me that I looked cute but I don't think that was any of the thoughts running through the mind of the dirty blonde vampire beneath me.

I had him in little pieces littered across the room in a matter of seconds. He never really stood a chance. Then I suddenly smelled seven new alien vampire scents and moved my body between the threats and Bella. There was a bronze haired boy who stood in the front that began growling at me. He looked so pathetic that I just laughed, a rumbled animalistic sound and didn't move a muscle. Before the boy could do anything even more stupid than just growl at me a small, pixie-like vampire stepped around him with her hands raised in a sign of surrender and stated: "We will not hurt Bella. We came here to protect her from that vampire you just killed. For which I will be forever grateful because that probably saved my mate's life. If you would just change back then we could talk about everything?"

I raked my eyes over her petite form. She was definitely more dangerous than the boy who was now glaring heatedly at her but still no match for me. I tentatively sniffed the air and tried to decipher all the different smells that attacked my sensitive nose. One was nearly mouthwatering but it wasn't the smell I needed to focus on, so I tried again and then I could smell it. The honey and almond scent that I had smelled on Bella before. Maybe the short pixie was telling the truth.

I turned my eyes towards Bella, who nodded with a warm smile. "You can trust Alice and her family. They won't hurt me."

I nodded my big head and changed back. It was a bit hurtful without the full moon to help it along but due to my age it wasn't something that was impossible for me to accomplish.

I popped some joints once I was back in my human form and then I felt Bella squish me into a tight hug that I got scared she might hurt herself doing that.

"I missed you Cori. Thank god you came just in time to save me."

"I smelled your scent in town and got curious. You can count yourself lucky I decided to take a stroll at this time in the night and not in the morning. I don't even want to think about what would've happened to you. But I guess some introductions are in order."

Bella blushed and nodded a bit sheepishly. Then she tugged the short vampire to her side.

"This is Alice, my mate and the one fuming with anger would be Edward who tried to claim me as his."

At this notion I let out a loud growl and nearly ripped his head off were it not for the fearful expression on the face of a caramel haired female. She looked like the mother of the younger vampires and I knew that a mother would do everything to save their children even if they knew that what they did was wrong.

"The man with the short blond hair is Carlisle, leader of the coven and next to him is Esme his mate. Then there is Jasper, the guy with the golden hair, Emmet is the big guy with dark hair and then there is Rosalie. She is Alice's sister and I guess one of my friends."

The second my eyes met those of Rosalie I knew that she would be someone very important in my life. The imprint was even more powerful than I thought it would be but then I only knew about it out of stories. Rosalie's eyes grew in size so I guess she also felt the mating bond towards me. My heart pulled me towards her and arousal pooled inside my body and between my legs which made my current jeans a bit uncomfortable. I had to vehemently remind me that I had to concentrate on Bella and why a red eyed vampire had hunted her down in Phoenix. I had the feeling that there would be a lot that needed to be explained and this Edward boy could also pose a small problem if he didn't get himself and his moods under control any time soon.