James watched the still empty house. The father was gone all day. He would leave early in the morning and returned after dark. But the father didn't interest him. Sure, if he got hungry the father would make for a wonderful meal. His blood was sweet, much like hers. But it wasn't hers. Her blood would be the sweetest he ever tasted. And that was his real prize.
He didn't care what Edward said. He would have the girl if it was the last thing he did. This would be his most exciting hunt. A coven of vampires ready to defend a useless human. A delusional vampire that wants the human. And him, the perfect predator, ready to kill anyone that got in the way.
The girl wasn't there. James knew that. But eventually she would have to return to her house and that was when he would strike. He knew all about her protectors. The dogs and the vampires. But he wasn't worried. He was the hunter, not them. And she would be his.
James settled into the tree. It would be a long night but he had plenty of time. He could wait.
"Again," Emmett demanded. He dusted himself off and prepared to attack Jasper again.
Jasper smirked. No matter how many times he failed, he would continue to fight. It was both annoying and endearing. "Not yet," he told his brother. He glanced at Bella, who looked terrified watching her brothers fight each other. "Rose, Alice," Jasper called.
Rosalie kissed Bella's cheek before walking over to Jasper's side. She knew exactly what Jasper had planned. Thanks to Peter and Charlotte's training for the hours before Bella returned, she could hold her own. She would never be able to take any of the Whitlock's, Jasper included, but she could survive for a bit. It helped that Edward wasn't much of a fighter. He relied too much on his gift.
The purpose of this demonstration was to prove to Bella that Rosalie would be okay in a fight. Jasper could feel how worried Bella was for Rosalie's safety. The others…while they didn't have Jasper's gift, they could also see it in Bella's eyes.
"Alright, we're going to go slow so Bella can see," Jasper told Rosalie and Alice. He waved over Peter. "Two on two. You two versus us."
All four vampires crouched down. Bella shivered as she watched Rosalie and Alice fight Jasper and Peter. Paul plopped down next to Bella and wrapped and arm around her. She leaned against the wolf. "You okay Bella?" he asked concerned.
"I hate this," Bella said softly. Her nails dug into her palm as she watched Rosalie fly into a tree.
"It's needed," Paul said gently. He glanced at Angela, who was busy talking to Seth. Angela seemed to really like him. Something about how he reminded her of her younger siblings. "She needs to be prepared. We all need to be prepared."
"Do you think this will all be needed?" Bella asked curious. She knew Paul wouldn't lie to protect her feelings.
"Do you want the truth?" Bella nodded. "I think so. At the very least there are nomads around that need to be dealt with. Edward may think he has control of them but I can guarantee he doesn't. As for Edward… I don't know," he said honestly. "But if you're family is worried, then maybe it's smart to be worried."
The fighting stopped after a minute and the eyes of all the vampires went to Bella. Paul frowned and then it hit him. The smell of blood. Bella's blood. She had dug her nails into her skin so hard that she was bleeding. "Bella," he muttered. "Stay back."
Rosalie was by their side in a blink of an eye. "Bella, love," Rosalie said stepping toward them. Paul studied Rosalie, making sure she was under control before stepping aside to allow Rosalie to approach her mate. "They won't hurt her Paul." Rosalie gently took Bella's hands, trying to relax them so she could see the damage. "Bella, love. I'm right here. I need you to breathe and open your hands."
Bella glanced at Rosalie's face and opened her hands. There was blood but not much. Just a few drops. "I'm sorry," Bella muttered, moving into Rosalie's arms.
"It's okay. You're okay," Rosalie said hugging her mate close. "I'm going to take her home," Rosalie told Jasper. He nodded. The others stopped practicing so they could watch Bella and Rosalie. "Come on love."
Rosalie lifted her into her arms. "Bella," Angela called, worried for her friend. She ran over to Paul, Rosalie and Bella. "What happened?"
"She's okay," Rosalie told her. "She's just overwhelmed and worried about us. She wouldn't be Bella if she wasn't worried about all of us," she said fondly.
Rosalie carried Bella back to the Cullen house. They went straight to Rosalie's room. Rosalie gently set her on the bed and rummaged around the dresser for clothes for Bella. She thought about going through Bella's own clothes but decided her mate would be more comfortable in her clothes, with her scent.
"You don't have to do this," Bella protested weakly.
Rosalie turned around, clothes in hand. She sat them down on the bed next to Bella. She knelt down in front of Bella. "I don't have to," she agreed. "But I want to. I love you and I want to help you in any way I can." She touched Bella's cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Bella bit her lip. "I know you were training and I know it was needed. But every time Jasper or Peter threw you into a tree or a boulder… all I could think about was, what if that happened with Edward. What if he tried to kill you? I… can't handle that. I can't handle losing you."
"Bella," Rosalie said softly. "Look at me love." Bella met her eyes. "I promise you; nothing is going to happen to me. Edward will not hurt me. These nomads won't hurt me. And I won't let Edward hurt you again."
Tears fell down Bella's cheeks. "You can't promise that," she muttered brokenly.
"I can't," Rosalie agreed. "But I will do everything in my power to keep that promise. I will always come home to you." She pressed the clothes into Bella's hands. "You're tired. You should change. Do you want me to leave?"
Bella shook her head. "Stay here," she begged.
"Okay," Rosalie agreed.
Bella stood up. Rosalie moved closer in case Bella needed her. She was careful not to touch Bella as she stripped off her clothes and changed into Rosalie's pajamas. The pants were too long and the tank top a little baggy but they fit well enough. Rosalie frowned. Bella was losing weight and that wasn't a good thing.
Rosalie pulled the covers back and tucked Bella into bed. "I'm going to change really quick," she told her mate. She studied Bella's face. She could see the panic. "I'll be right here Bella. I just have to grab clothes from the dresser." Rosalie walked over to the dresser and pulled out the first pair of pajamas she could find. She quickly changed and threw her dirty clothes in the corner. She would deal with them later.
Once changed she went straight back to the bed. She climbed under the covers and pulled Bella into her arms. She grabbed the remote and looked for something for them to watch. "Thank you," Bella said softly.
"For what?" Rosalie questioned, settled on some cartoons. Something happy that would hopefully help Bella sleep.
"For being here," Bella said. She snuggled closer to Rosalie. "For always being there for me."
Rosalie kissed her cheek. "I'll always be here for you," she said. "Get some sleep love. We have school in the morning."
Bella groaned. "You sure know how to kill the mood," she laughed.
Bella settled into the bed and closed her eyes. She was asleep within minutes.
About an hour after Bella fell asleep there was a knock on Rosalie's door. "Come in," Rosalie muttered low enough that Bella wouldn't hear. Bella was having enough trouble sleeping. She didn't want to make it worse.
Jasper walked inside. He glanced at Bella, fast asleep in Rosalie's arms. "How is she?" he asked concerned. Rosalie raised an eyebrow at him. "Alice wouldn't tell us anything. Just that you were taking care of her."
"She's scared," Rosalie answered. "We need to deal with Edward and these nomads as soon as possible. I don't know how much more Bella can take."
Jasper nodded in understanding. "We're doing everything we can," he said. "Emmett and Peter are patrolling now. Charlotte and I will swap later so Emmett can hunt before school. Carlisle is more open to talking now. He called me from work. I'm going to talk to him later. He knows about the nomads and he knows Edward is responsible. He can't stand by and do nothing anymore."
Rosalie tightened her grip on Bella. "I'm going to kill him," Rosalie swore. "It doesn't matter what Carlisle says. I can't allow him to live after everything he has done."
"I agree," Jasper said. He stepped further into the room. "He put this entire town in jeopardy. Not to mention us. If these nomads start murdering humans and the Volturi gets involved…" He shook his head. He didn't want to think about that. "They all need to die. The nomads and Edward."
"Good. We're in agreement," Rosalie said, pleased she wouldn't have to fight with Jasper over that. She sighed. This created a whole other issue. "How are we supposed to find these nomads? We still don't know how many there are."
"We know there are at least two," Jasper said, though it didn't help. "Most nomads don't form groups. I guarantee there are no more than five."
"So, two to five vampires. Not including Edward," Rosalie said shaking her head. "That's not much to go on."
"I know," Jasper said sadly. "I'm sorry I can't be more helpful." He ran a hand through his hair. "We'll find these nomads Rose. I promise."
The front door slammed shut. Rosalie hissed as Bella shifted from the noise. It was Emmett and if he woke up Bella, she was going to kill him. Emmett appeared in Rosalie's room seconds after the door shut. The look on Emmett's face erased all of Rosalie's anger toward him. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Emmett glanced at Rosalie and then at Bella, sleeping peacefully in her arms. "Peter and I checked around town. We didn't find much." He took a deep breath. The burn he usually felt when near Bella was gone. Well, that wasn't turn. He still felt the burn but it was pushed so far in the back of his mind that he didn't notice it. Bella was his family and he cared more about protecting his family then he did about feeding on Bella. He sighed. This was going to break Rose. "We decided to check Bella's house. See if Edward went back. We found something…"
Rosalie's eyes narrowed at Emmett. "Was he in her room again?" she demanded.
"No," Emmett said. "There was no sign of Edward anywhere near her house. But we caught the scent of a nomad. A new nomad, not one of the two Paul and Jasper noticed. It looks like he watched the house for a while, recently too. The scent was fresh. We checked the house just in case and… he was inside the house Rose."
Rosalie growled. "Focus Rose," Jasper snapped. He nodded toward Bella and she quieted down. He turned his attention to Emmett. "Gather the others downstairs. I wonder if Edward knows one of the nomads went rogue," he said thoughtfully.
"I don't fucking care," Rosalie snarled. "Because of him Bella is being targeted."
"Bella was already being targeted," Jasper pointed out. "But this is worrisome. If he is hunting her, it may make our job easier."
"She is not bait," Rosalie hissed angrily.
"That's not what I'm suggesting," Jasper said calmly. "If he is targeting Bella that means he'll want to keep an eye on her and if he gets too close… that's when we attack."
"That's not going to work," Alice said coming into the room. "He's a tracker."
Jasper swore loudly. "Well that changes things," he said glaring at the wall. He was tempted to throw his hand through the wall but he wouldn't since Bella was sleeping.
"A tracker," Rosalie repeated with a frown. "I've never heard of a tracker."
"They're a special set of vampires with the ability to find anyone anywhere, based on their scent," Jasper said. "Demetri in the Volturi is the best tracker in the world. None of the others come close. But if this vampire is a halfway decent tracker we will be in trouble. He or she can find Bella anywhere once he catches her scent. Since he was at her house, he already has her scent. There's no hiding from a tracker and once they start a hunt they won't stop. Peter?"
Peter appeared instantly. "What's the plan Major?"
"Do you have a plan?" Jasper asked before giving his own opinion. He was referring to Peter's gift. He wanted to know what Peter did.
Peter shook his head. "I have nothing at the moment. But I do get the feeling this tracker is more dangerous than we think. Obviously, Bella shouldn't be left alone."
Jasper nodded in agreement. "I'll let the wolves know. We could use their help keeping on the town. I'll need Carlisle's permission first though. The wolves aren't supposed to be around town due to the treaty. Rose…"
"I'm not leaving her side," Rosalie said fiercely. "If she's being targeted by one of these nomads… I can't leave her." It was different when it was just Edward. Edward, in his own twisted way, didn't want to hurt Bella. In his mind he was protecting her. But this nomad didn't care what Edward wanted. This nomad wanted to kill her and Rosalie wouldn't allow that. She would kill him before he could kill her mate. Or she would die trying.