I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

Cheryl, Noles, and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

Ch. 1

The lights flashed to the beat of the music throughout the club. The smell of sweat and sex filled the air as the inebriated humans paired up and gyrated against one another.

Little did they know not all of them would make it home safely tonight.

I sipped on the warm O-Neg in my glass. To an observer, they would think it was a deep port, but only a select few knew the dark truth.

As I watched behind the glass in the VIP area above the dance floor, I searched the minds below to weed out the rapists and abusers. Unfortunately, there always seemed to be a few, but we took care of them before they could do any further harm. My family liked to think of it as we were doing a good deed, compared to the rest of our sins.

In reality, we were vampires. And my coven, or as we preferred to be referred to as family, were one of the strongest of our kind. Several of us had special abilities that aided us. We weren't just any coven, but also one of America's most powerful crime families.

My roaming eyes landed on a petite brunette. She was beautiful compared to the humans around her. Her long hair hung in waves around her shapely figure. The blue dress she wore was almost too short to even be considered a dress. The beauty was dancing seductively against another patron; however, her gaze seemed to be locked on me. Which was impossible for a mere human to do through the opaque glass. When I tried to see into her mind, I was blocked.

I frowned and drained my drink. "Riley, get down to the dance floor and bring me the brunette in the blue dress. She's over by the column next to the bar, dancing with the Miami Vice reject."

He came to my side. "She's pretty hot."

"I didn't ask for your opinion of her. Bring her to me now without any more commentary," I snapped.

"Yes, boss," he responded immediately and took off for the lower level.

I crossed my arms and observed as he weaved his way through the crowd. Riley paused beside them and bent his head to talk to her. She nodded and stepped away from her companion. Vice grabbed her arm to stop her; but before Riley could intervene, the asswipe dropped the girl's arm like he had been shocked. I furrowed my brows as she followed behind my goon with a small smirk on her face.

I turned to face the doorway as they reached the top of the steps. Her brown eyes locked with mine, and I felt a familiar tug on my dead heart.

"Everybody, out!" I demanded.

"But, Boss," Peter, another one of my men, complained.

I broke my gaze and turned to let him have it.

"You heard him, get out," a soft but commanding voice spoke.

I watched as everyone's eyes glazed over; they stood and robotically left the room. Once they were out, the beauty flicked her hand lightly and the door slammed shut.

"Hello, my mate. It's been a long time," she said musically, walking toward me.

"Isabella." I returned the greeting.

Her nose wrinkled. "Bella."

"What are you doing here, Isabella?" I refused to call her by some ludicrous nickname.

She frowned before placing her hand on my chest, rubbing up and down. "I think it would be rather obvious. We are mates and belong together. Why aren't you more happy to see me? You clearly remember me."

I ignored the feelings the coursed through me and captured her hand. I kissed it then let it drop. "Of course, I remember you. You've grown into a beautiful woman. However, you shouldn't be here, it isn't safe. Go home."

Her eyes narrowed, suddenly we were no longer at the club but in my house. Isabella walked away from me and scanned the room; she scowled in disapproval.

"Seriously, Edward, I know you're a vampire and all, but this house looks like a crypt. Would it kill you to have any color or anything that says someone lives here? How about some earth tones, at least."

"Isabella—"

"Bella." She sounded annoyed.

"Isabella, when I said go home, I was talking about to your father in Forks. He agreed not to unbind your powers without consulting me first," I said angrily.

Isabella spun around and glared at me; her eyes started glowing purple around her irises. "You knew my powers were kept from me? I thought he was keeping us apart like some twisted Romeo and Juliet thing. But you're telling me you knew where I was this whole time and stayed away."

"It was for your safety and still is. This is not up for discussion, go home to your father, immediately," I ordered.

Fury took over her beautiful face, and she looked ready to fight me. But after a moment her face went blank, and her shoulders dropped in defeat. "You don't know how wrong you are," she said cryptically before vanishing on the spot.

I yanked my phone out of my pocket and hit the first speed dial on my list. "Charlie, it's Edward. Call me back a.s.a.p. I demand to know why Isabella was here, and why she has her powers. I thought we were united on this."

I hung up and waited for him to call me back. He probably had his hands full with the hellcat that turned up here. However, we needed a new game plan now that Isabella had her powers, and she seemed determined to be with me rather than the safe haven we created for her years ago.

It had been years since I last saw my mate. My mind started to wander. I still remember the day my pseudo sister, Alice, rushed in to tell me she'd found my mate. I journeyed to get her, only to discover Isabella was an infant. At first, I was disappointed, and a little disgusted by the situation. However, I came to terms with it, and my family set up nearby so we could be close as she grew up.

What I hadn't counted on, was that the Swan family lineage was a long line of witches. Charlie and his wife, Renée, figured out my intentions sooner than expected. They weren't happy that I was a vampire, or that my coven was considered mobsters. However, they knew we were mated, and it was an impossible bond to break.

When Isabella was three, I faced my worst fear. The Volturi family, our biggest rivals, paid a not too friendly visit. They attacked the Swan family in hopes to use my mate as leverage. Isabella was saved, but Renée lost her life. After that I had an agreement with Charlie for Isabella's safety. He was going to move to a remote area of the country and bind Isabella's powers for her protection. I, in turn, would keep my distance until we both agreed it was safe.

Daylight broke, and I still hadn't heard from Charlie. I picked up my phone, again, and this time I called the police station where he worked.

"Chief Swan, please," I asked when the receptionist picked up.

"May I ask who is calling?" she asked.

"Anthony Masen," I informed her.

"Mr. Masen, we spoke the last time you called. I'm sorry to inform you, but there was a tragic incident a few weeks ago. Chief Swan lost his life in an animal attack while camping with his daughter," she explained, sounding upset.

I stiffened and clenched my phone, almost breaking it. This couldn't be any accident—a witch wouldn't lose their life so easily. "And his daughter, Isabella?"

She gave a shuddering breath, sounding like she was crying. "While Chief Swan's body was found, hers wasn't. They've been searching for two weeks and just called off the search a day ago. They're presuming she's dead since there was so much blood at the scene."

"I'm so sorry to hear. Please let me know if there's anything I can do," I told her before hanging up.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a small growl. She should've told me her father died. I dropped my hand to my side in frustration, but then I really didn't give her the chance either.

I had to find her and fast.

She wasn't safe on her own.

A/N: If you're just joining in, I will update once a week on Fridays.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.