A/N: TW: brief discussion of food, weight, and abusive relationships.

Like with all my fics, all the vamps have fangs. I refuse to budge on this. I'm also not SMeyer, so please don't sue, I have a dog to support.

When I was a man I thought it ended
When I knew love's perfect ache
But my peace has always depended
On all the ashes in my wake

All you have is your fire
And the place you need to reach
Don't you ever tame your demons
But always keep 'em on a leash

- "Arsonist's Lullaby" by Hozier

Establishing a territory didn't take as long as I'd thought what with Forks being on the small side. I ran the perimeter of it, marking my territory with venom at regular intervals as an additional deterrent. Once I was done, I used my unexpected extra time to hunt down the scent of other vampires. When I came up empty handed, I returned to Bella's home, leaping up into the tree outside her window just as the sun crested the horizon.

Her father had already left for the day, leaving Bella still curled up in her bed, sound asleep. As much as I wanted to lay down next to her, I refrained, and climbed further up into the tree to keep guard until she awoke. I would not violate her privacy by invading her space uninvited.

She awoke early, and I remembered it was Monday. She likely had to go to school. I made a face and climbed down to the branch closest to her window and knocked gently on the glass.

She blinked blearily from her bed and perked up when she registered it was me, projecting both happiness and surprise. Did she really doubt that I would come back for her?

She slid the window up as wide as it would go and gave me a dazzling smile I couldn't help returning. "You came back!"

"I said I would. I'm a man of my word if nothing else." She stepped out of the way to let me climb in and it was then I registered just what she was wearing. The skinny strap of her tight-fitting tank top had slid enticingly off her shoulder, and her ratty sleep pants were slung low on her hips. My mouth filled with venom at the sight of so much exposed skin; I wanted nothing more than to mark her up with love bites. Her hair was a gorgeous tangled mess, and I could easily imagine fisting my hand in it as I bent her back to drag my fangs down the elegant line of her throat –

I cut that fantasy short before I embarrassed us both.

"I have to get ready for school soon," she said apologetically. "And I have a shift at Newton's right after. Charlie always works late on Mondays, but later tonight we can hang out for a bit. That is if you want to, you've probably got other things to do –"

"I'd like that," I cut in before she could send herself into a spiral. "What time?"

"Nine? We'll have to be quiet until he gets to sleep though."

"Ain't nothin' quieter than a vampire when he wants to be, sugar." I winked at her and I'm certain if my heart were beating it would have skipped a beat at the sight of the blush that bloomed in her cheeks.

I knew I was attractive; before my change I'd been rather handsome. Paired with my natural charisma and uncanny ability to read people, I never lacked for company when I was so inclined. Becoming a vampire had only enhanced those aspects of myself, making me very attractive even by vampire standards, and shaping that charisma into my gift.

My collection of scars however tended to scare off most potential partners. Bella hadn't been scared. In fact, I'd caught the small simmer of lust she was projecting when she was tracing my scars. Part of me couldn't help but preen a little – what male didn't want to know his mate found him desirable? I certainly found her more than a little beautiful and I knew once she became a vampire, all the other females would pale in comparison.

"I need a human moment," she said quickly. I watched with some amusement as she all but threw herself toward her closet, flipping through her clothes until she found what she wanted before slipping out of her bedroom, presumably to get ready for the day.

I went downstairs and settled in the kitchen to wait.

Thirty minutes later, I felt a sharp spike of anxiety when I heard her enter her bedroom. I tensed, nostrils flaring as I scented the air for any sign of intruders but found nothing before realization hit.

"I'm downstairs," I called, pitching my voice loud enough for her to hear me. Almost immediately her emotions eased, and she hurried to come down the stairs, tripping on the last one but managed to catch herself at the last second. I raised an amused brow at her as she blushed to the roots of her hair. She really was rather clumsy.

"I thought you left."

She was dressed similarly to yesterday, in dark jeans and a forest green Henley. Then I noticed the cowboy boots.

"I've had them since Arizona," my Bella said a little defensively. "I didn't start wearing them again until they… left because Alice wouldn't let me."

My good humor disappeared. "They had that much say over your life?"

She nodded. "I used to be so independent but then when I met Edward it's like I just lost it all. Can you believe he used to dictate when, what, and how much I ate?" She strode into the kitchen and pulled out a carton of what looked like juice from the fridge. "He had a couple of medical degrees and apparently that meant he was an expert on what humans were supposed to eat. Literally overnight, I was restricted to lean meat, fruit, greens, grains, and water. Absolutely no caffeine, saturated fat, or artificial sugar." She blew out an irritated breath and reached into a bowl on the counter and pulled out a grapefruit, neatly cutting it in half and grabbing a spoon. "Granted I lost some weight, so it wasn't too bad, but still."

She was thin enough as it was, and in my opinion could probably stand to gain a little bit of weight. Her collarbones and hip bones stuck out in sharp relief, almost worryingly so. I refrained from saying anything, as it wasn't my place to voice my opinions on her body. If she was happy and healthy, then that's what mattered.

My thoughts quickly turned to what she'd said about how she'd suddenly lost her independence. I had my suspicions on why that was, but I wanted to hear it from her first. "What do you think made you defer to them so much?"

She took a bite of her grapefruit and thought for a moment. Swallowing, she said, "I don't really know. I remember that I was drawn to him, and it only increased the more time I spent around him. He'd dazzle me and I'd cave to whatever he wanted."

I frowned, bringing my hands up to rest my chin on them, elbows on the table and fingers interlaced. "What do you mean when you say he'd 'dazzle' you?"

"It's what I called it. At first it was his eyes and his presence. But later when our relationship went to the next level, his kisses would leave me dizzy and make it hard to think. Before I knew it, I was agreeing to whatever we'd been arguing about. Alice did it too, but without the kissing."

I nodded. "What you call 'dazzling' we call enthralling. Usually, we only use it when our prey is being particularly resistant to us. But there are some out there who use it for… other purposes."

She took a sip of her water and asked, "Like what?"

I glanced at the clock on the wall behind her. "Are you sure you want to hear this now?"

She nodded. "I can handle it."

"Never thought you couldn't. It's just not a pleasant topic this early in the morning." Or ever really.

She shrugged and took another bite. "If there's anything I've learned about vampires so far, there's really not a whole lot about your world that's pretty, at least by human standards. But," she took a sip of her juice, "I can't really look at your world through a human lens. You're a different species, even if you were human once. That means you play by different rules." She pointed her spoon at me. "I'm sure there's aspects about humanity you find strange or unpleasant."

I stared at her in astonishment, once again stupefied and enthralled by the workings of her mind. I couldn't sense any trace of deceit or fear in her emotions either.

"And before you say it, I know I'm a strange human," she added with a rueful smile. "Even though I don't really think I'm all that strange. It just seems like common sense."

"You'd be hard pressed to find anyone else who shares your views," I told her, shaking my head with a soft smile. "It's strange, but also very refreshing."

Bella shrugged and looked away, clearly uncomfortable. She was going to have to get used to compliments eventually. "You said enthralling can be used for other things?"

I sighed heavily through my nose; I really didn't want to tell her, but she deserved to know. "It's rare, but some vampires are known to keep human pets. Usually, ones who have especially enticing blood. They enthrall them and feed from them slowly, sometimes over the course of years. The more… responsible ones do try to keep them healthy, but most don't make that effort."

I tensed as I watched she absorbed the information and could see the moment realization set in. "I was his singer," she whispered, horrified. "You mean… he was trying to keep me healthy to feed from me?"

I shrugged. "I couldn't say. You said he was committed to feedin' from animals like rest of his coven."

"He didn't always," she replied shakily, looking down at the remains of her breakfast. "Carlisle told me he'd had a sort of vampire teenage rebellion where he left the family to hunt humans for a while. Only criminals, but still." She let out an uneasy breath. "So, I know for a fact he had a taste for human blood."

"We all do, sugar," I said calmly. "It's our nature to feed from humans."

She looked up and pinned me with a nervous stare that had me frozen in my seat in case I frightened her. "Even you? Do you want my blood?"

"Yes," I said, because she deserved the truth and I'd be damned before I gave her anything less. "Your scent is…" My eyes slid to half mast as I took an involuntary breath, "incredible. My throat's on fuckin' fire just bein' around you."

She visibly tensed but didn't make any move to leave. "Are you going to kill me?"

I was, but not in the way she was thinking. However, now was not the time to have that conversation. "No. I meant it when I said you're safe with me." She'd probably never been safer in her life, but she'd learn that in due time.

I looked up at the clock and upon noting the time said gently, "You should probably start thinkin' about headin' out soon."

She twisted in her seat to check the clock and gasped. "I'm going to be late!" In a flash she was out of her chair and threw away the remains of her breakfast, grabbed her bag and keys from the hook by the door. She stopped when she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned to look at me. "You're still coming over tonight, right?"

Relief flooded through me at her earnest expression. I'd thought for sure she'd want me to stay away and I'd never been happier to be wrong. "I said I would. Man of my word, remember?"

She nodded and I followed her out the door to wait by her truck and opened her door for her. She gave me a funny look; they said chivalry was dead, but back in my day it'd been a normal part of life. I had no plans to smother her – she was a modern woman through and through, but I saw no harm in the little acts of chivalry.

Before she could close the door however, I braced one hand on the door and the other against the roof. "Promise me somethin'."

"What?" She cocked her head, her hair falling over her shoulder in a chocolate waterfall, and again I was struck with the desire to tangle my fingers in it.

"I'm goin' to be chasin' down this Victoria's scent while you're at school today, and won't be close enough to hear you if somethin' goes wrong." I heard the creaking of metal and loosened my grip before I warped the door. "Try to be safe while I'm gone?"

"I'll try, but I make no guarantees," she said. "I'm kind of accident prone."

"I've noticed," I replied with a smirk. Her indignation made me want to laugh but I tamped it down; she really was adorable when she was mad.

"I'll leave my window open tonight, just in case I'm downstairs or something."

"Thank you kindly," I said and this time didn't stop myself from reaching out to brush the back of my knuckles along her jawline. "Have a good day, darlin'." I closed the door of her truck and shoved my hands in my pockets as I walked around her house toward the forest, replaying the sound of her breathy gasp and feeling of pleased surprise in my mind.

I waited until the sound of her truck faded somewhat before shifting my focus to the matter at hand.

The hunt was on.