Tanya was back by my side in an instant. "What do you mean Charlie?" she urged.

"Well, it's hard to explain," he said rubbing the back of his neck. "It comes and goes, you know. One minute there's a tugging sensation and then it's gone and I feel…"

"Empty," Tanya finished, having known exactly how it feels. There's nothing quite like that feeling of emptiness.

"Yeah, I guess so," Charlie said with a nod. "Does this mean I'm mated to a vampire?"

"It certainly seems like it," Tanya said. "The question is who?"

A sudden wave of nausea hit me when I thought of the possibility of Charlie being mated to Irina or Kate. Tanya turned to me. "No," she said quickly. "It's not possible for him to be mated to Irina or Kate. The pull to a mate is instant. It wouldn't have developed so late."

I sighed in relief. I could not handle having my father mated to the sister of my mate. Especially not after accepting Tanya.

Charlie choked on his pizza. "Irina or Kate?" He looked horrified at the thought.

"Not them," Tanya reassured him. "You would have noticed when you first met them. It's someone else. Someone new. A nomad most likely."

Do nomads come here often?

"It does happen on occasion," Tanya said. She pulled out her phone. I watched as her fingers flew across the keys of the phone. "Irina and Kate are on their way. If there's a nomad nearby we need to know about it, mate or not."

"Now wait a minute, you're not going to hurt her… er, it is a her, right?" Charlie asked looking back and forth between us.

I rolled my eyes as Tanya answered, "yes, your mate is female. Bella never would have been mated to me if she wasn't attracted to females on some level."

I blushed and she raised an eyebrow at me. Rosalie, I confessed. When I first saw the Cullens, I couldn't decide if Edward or Rosalie were more attractive.

"Yes, Rosalie has that affect on people, until she starts talking," Tanya muttered. I snorted. "Rosalie isn't the nicest person around," Tanya explained for Charlie's sake. "She has a general disdain for everyone around her, especially humans."

"Right," Charlie said.

The front door opened and in walked Irina and Kate. "Do we know anything about the nomad?" Kate asked. For once she was taking this seriously.

"Right now, not much," Tanya told her. "All we know is the nomad is mated to Charlie. She is not to be harmed." Tanya looked at Kate as she said it.

Kate held up her hands. "Charlie's family, which means this nomad will be family as well. I won't hurt her. Maybe a light zap to get her to the house."

Tanya sighed but didn't say anything. I took her hand and she pulled me against her. "Find her," Tanya instructed her two sisters. They nodded and left the house. "Charlie, I need to know what you want to do about this."

Charlie frowned. "Do I have a choice? I thought it was pretty clear as to what is supposed to happen."

"You have a choice Charlie," Tanya said. "You may feel the pull but you aren't tied to your mate the way she is to you."

"So Bella has a choice to be with you?" Charlie asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"Bella has a choice," Tanya said firmly. "She chose me. But she can change her mind at any time." I shook my head. That wasn't going to happen. I wasn't one to change my mind once I decided.

Charlie sighed. He knew Tanya was right but I could tell he still wasn't thrilled with the idea of me being tied down to a vampire. It was unlikely he would ever get over it. Although, maybe with him being tied to a vampire himself, it would help him understand better. I wondered if he would fight the bond or if he would end up giving in like I did.

It would be nice if Charlie had someone in his life. He'd been alone for so long. He deserved some happiness, though I was a little concerned about who this vampire was. Would a random human drinker care that their mate was human? Would she try to kill him because she didn't care about humans? Or would she change… for him? I wanted a chance to talk to Tanya about it, without Charlie around.

I should go put away my things, I signed to Tanya. I want to talk to you, in private.

Charlie was watching us but he didn't seem to understand what I signed to Tanya.

"She wants to go unpack some of her new things," Tanya explained to him.

Charlie nodded. "Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

I glanced at Tanya before shaking my head. I have a lot of homework, I signed.

Charlie recognized the sign for homework as I used it a lot. "Alright," he said. "Well, I'll be down here if you need anything. Don't worry about dinner, I'll eat leftover pizza or figure something out. Tanya?"

"I'll make sure she eats something," Tanya promised.

Charlie went to the living room, probably to watch some game. I headed upstairs with Tanya right behind me. She didn't say anything until I had shut the door behind us.

"What's going on?" Tanya questioned.

I'm worried about this vampire. What if she hurts Charlie?

"She won't," Tanya told me. I shook my head. I didn't realize I was shaking until she wrapped her arms around me. "She won't hurt him," she repeated. "The mating bond for a vampire is stronger than a human. For you, feelings are there but you have a choice to act on them. The bond doesn't create love in humans, only an attachment. For vampires, it's like love at first sight. The other person, human or vampire, becomes our whole world instantly."

I thought about our interactions when we first met. How we talked, how understanding she was over everything and how I told her how I wanted nothing to do with her. All that time and she said nothing about how she really felt. I didn't blame her, I couldn't after how I treated her.

All this time and you were…

"In love with you, yes," Tanya confirmed.

Why didn't you say anything?

"You weren't ready to hear it," Tanya told me. "You already had a lot of pressure on you, whether it was intended or not. I didn't want you to feel obligated. I don't want you to feel obligated to be with me."

I don't, I signed quickly. At first, I hadn't liked it. It felt like my choice was being taken away. But I was wrong back then. I didn't have to be with her, but I wanted to. I want you.

Tanya cupped my cheek. "I know." She dropped her hand. "Kate and Irina will continue to look for this vampire. Your dad will be safe, no matter what happens."

You said she wouldn't hurt him.

"She won't," Tanya said quickly. "To even attempt to hurt him would cause her pain. But she hasn't made herself known to him. That's making me wonder, perhaps she never learned about the mating bond. It's possible her creator never told her."

What does that mean for Charlie?

"Just that we need to keep a close eye out for her," Tanya replied. "While I'm certain she won't hurt him, if she doesn't know what is going on then she might act recklessly."

I pulled away from Tanya even though I didn't want to. I wasn't lying to Charlie. I did have a lot of homework to do and only today to get it all done.

"Do you want me to leave?" Tanya asked as I started pulling my notebooks from my backpack. I hadn't even bothered to empty it when I got home from school yesterday.

I looked up and shook my head. I want you to stay.

Tanya went over to my bed and sat down. She grabbed one of my books and made herself comfortable.

I ignored in the vampire in my bed and instead focused on getting my desk set up. I had two essays to do, one for History and one for English. I'm glad I did my math homework before the party yesterday or it was likely I would never finish.

My English essay was on Pride and Prejudice, a book I had read many times, so I got to work on the outline. I only needed an outline and rough draft for class. The rough draft didn't have to be an actual essay so I was going to do my introduction and conclusion with the outline focusing on the body.

An hour later, I leaned back in my chair and groaned. It was the longest hour of my life. Normally I enjoyed essays but right now, I wasn't in the mood. There was too much going on and school didn't have the same appeal that it used to when I was younger.

I got up and stretched. My chair was comfortable but not comfortable enough. It needed some extra cushioning. I would have to see about getting a cushion.

"All finished?" Tanya asked, setting the book down in her lap.

I shook my head. I still have a history essay to write. Can you look over my outline?

"Of course," Tanya readily agreed. Not that I expected her not to. She was always willing to help me, even if it was something as mundane as homework.

I grabbed my essay from the desk and took it over to her. It's a very rough draft. We're only required to do the outline and attempt a draft. I did the intro and conclusion and outlined the body.

That wasn't the easiest thing to sign. While I knew general signs for school related stuff, I didn't know words like draft and outline, so I had to spell them all.

While Tanya read that essay, I got to work on my last one. The history paper wasn't as long but a lot more in depth. It was also something I couldn't write in my sleep, I had to think about it.

I leaned back in my seat and glanced at Tanya. She was reading my outline slowly, slower than the average human. Her eyes met mine.

Were you here, in America, for all of the major events?

"Are you calling me old?" she teased.

I blushed. No, of course not. We have to write an essay about which of the three…I really needed to learn some new words. I was getting tired of having to spell everything out… government branches. I figured since you were alive then, maybe you could help me.

Tanya sat the book aside and walked over to me.

After two hours spent working on both essays, I had never been happier to have a mate that had been alive for centuries.

With Edward, we talked about music and books. If I wanted to talk about history, I would go to Jasper. But Jasper mostly avoided me so I only went to him when I had questions. Edward hated to talk about events that he lived through. He hated any references to how old he was, especially compared to me, except when it came to music.

Tanya was the opposite. She loved to tell me stories about things that had happened hundreds of years ago. She did limit the amount of stories about her previous relationships, or rather her previous hook ups, which I was grateful for. Although some of the female historical figures she had taken to bed were rather surprising. While I wasn't angry at her for having relationships before me, I didn't enjoy hearing about them.

Tanya's willingness to talk history with me meant a lot. I loved history, though not as much as I loved English. It was nice to share my interests with someone. Charlie tried but he struggled to show any enthusiasm for history, just like me and fishing. Which reminded me…

Charlie's birthday is coming up, I signed.

I had finished most of my school work. I had one worksheet for anatomy to do but my hand was hurting from all the writing. It would be easy enough to finish so I wasn't in a hurry. I could do it after work tomorrow.

Tanya ran her hand through my hair. We were laying on my bed. It was still light outside despite it starting to get late. That was the hardest thing to adjust to when we moved. It stayed light outside for so long. It was like I was sleeping during the day time.

"Do you wish to do something for him?" Tanya questioned.

I nodded. He loves fishing. He hasn't had a chance since we moved. I frowned. This was Alaska and winter was approaching. Can you even fish here in the winter?

"You can," Tanya confirmed. "If the lake is frozen over, he could always go ice fishing."

That was something to look into. I wasn't sure if Charlie would be interesting in ice fishing. I wasn't even sure what ice fishing was. I could get him stuff for ice fishing so he could at least test it out.

Where would we go for that stuff?

"There's a few places in Anchorage," Tanya responded. "In fact, there's a place there that is mostly tailored toward fishing. I could take you?"

I nodded. I wanted to go to Anchorage anyway. This was a good reason to go. When?

"Whenever you want," Tanya replied.

Friday, after school? Or is Saturday better?

"Saturday would be best," Tanya said after a minute. "It would give you more time to explore the city like you wanted."

It's a date, I signed. Tanya beamed.

She checked the clock. "You should eat."

I wasn't really hungry but Tanya was right. I needed to eat. Some of the paella?

Tanya nodded. She leaned over and kissed my forehead before getting up to go get my food. I could have gotten the food myself and I would have, but I knew Tanya. She would have insisted. Since she was heating my food for me, I decided to work on my anatomy worksheet. With any luck I could finish it tonight.

I got through three of the twenty questions by the time Tanya returned with my food. I could smell it across the room. My stomach growled but I ignored it. I wanted to answer at least two more questions. Five out of twenty questions wouldn't be bad. The rest could easily be done tomorrow.

"Bella," Tanya said from right beside me. She sat the bowl next to me. "You don't need to finish that. You did a lot tonight."

Two more questions, I told her. Besides the paella needs to cool.

She didn't try to stop me so I assumed she agreed.

The two questions I ended up doing took a bit longer than expected. They were short answer questions and I had to refer to my textbook for the answer. But it worked out well because the paella was the perfect temperature when I started to eat it.

I managed to sneak in a few more questions while I ate. The food was just as good as before. I would be more than happy to have Carmen continue to cook for me. She was an excellent cook.

When I finished eating the bowl disappeared. I rolled my eyes and put my things away for the night. It was still a bit early but I was tired and ready to go to bed. I would have to get up early for work anyway.

I grabbed my pajamas before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I decided to shower now so I wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. I took my time in the shower. The hot water felt great.

After my shower, I brushed my teeth and headed back to my bedroom. Tanya was on my bed waiting. I dumped my clothes into the hamper before crawling into my bed beside her. I pulled the blankets up and rolled into Tanya's arms.

Charlie?

"He came in to say goodnight while you were in the shower," Tanya answered. "I think he's starting to get used to the idea of me being here."

I snorted. He still hates it though.

"He definitely does," Tanya confirmed. "But he's noticed the changes in you. He likes that you're moving on." She ran her hand through my hand. "He loves you so much. He would do anything for you, even if that means tolerating me."

We had this conversation before but the more she said it, the more I started to believe she might be right. I doubted Charlie would ever genuinely like Tanya, or the fact that she was a vampire. But he didn't see as upset about Tanya being in my room every night. Though I felt like that was more because he knew we weren't doing anything inappropriate. I blushed at the thought.

Tanya tilted her head as she noticed my blood rushing to the surface. "What?" she questioned.

I shook my head. I was just thinking, Charlie's probably happy because he knows we're not doing anything inappropriate in here.

Tanya laughed. "That has certainly earned a few points in my favor," Tanya agreed.

I yawned. It was barely 8 but I was so tired. "You should sleep srček," she muttered in my ear.

I cocked my head at the unfamiliar word. What does that mean?

"It's Slovakian for sweetheart," Tanya explained. "I'm sorry, I should have asked."

I kissed her cheek. I like it.

"Sleep," Tanya said softly.

I shifted to make myself more comfortable and closed my eyes. I was asleep in seconds.

I didn't want to get up in the morning. I had slept plenty. Ten hours with no nightmares. I couldn't remember the last time I slept that long. Before I moved in with Charlie at the beginning of the year.

"Bella," Tanya muttered. She knew I was awake. She knew before I did.

I shook my head and rolled over, into her, to try and sleep longer. Tanya chuckled. "Would you like me to call Irina and tell her you can't come in today?" she offered.

I groaned and sat up. I would never let Tanya use my position as her mate to get me out of work. But I was considering talking to Irina about working only four days a week, or not on Sundays. I usually worked five to six days depending on my plans with Tanya.

I'll talk to Irina about working less days, I decided.

Tanya nodded. "That's a good idea," she commented. "I admire your dedication to work, but you're going to burn yourself out, especially with the amount of school work you have."

Are you going to hang out at the shop today?

"Not the whole time," Tanya replied. "I want to go to Kate's shop to check on your truck."

Will it be ready soon?

"I'm not sure," Tanya responded. "Hopefully in the next week. Kate's had help the entire time she's had your truck so she can only do so much with her speed."

I nodded. I would like my truck back soon rather than later but I was also enjoying having Tanya drive me around.

I miss my truck.

"I understand," Tanya said. She ran a hand through my hair. "Would you like one of Kate's extra cars for a few days?"

I thought about it. I did enjoy having Tanya drive me around but I did need to go to the grocery store. Something that I would rather do alone.

For one day this week, I signed. I need to go to the grocery store sometime this week and I like to go alone.

Tanya nodded. "I'll talk to Kate while I'm at the shop," she said. "I can do some patrols that day, unless we happen to find the nomad before then."

You're not mad that I want to do this alone?

"Of course not," Tanya said. She seemed almost offended that I suggested it. "It works out well. Grocery stores are repulsive."

I snorted. I hadn't considered how much a vampire would hate the grocery store. Esme went there so often I figured it couldn't be too bad. Okay. Wednesday work for you?

"Wednesday," she confirmed. "I'll have a car brought over Tuesday night. You can use it as long as you wish." She checked the time. "You'll be late if you don't start getting ready soon."

I sighed and got out of bed. I grabbed my worked clothes and headed to the bathroom. I'm glad I showered the night before. It would make getting ready much quicker.

Charlie was walking down the hall when I got out of the bathroom. "Morning Bells," he greeted. He eyed my outfit. "Getting ready for work?" I nodded. "What time do you think you'll be home?"

Around 2:30, I signed. I worked until two today and didn't really plan on staying later than necessary.

"Sounds good," Charlie said. "I figured I could grill up some of that chicken in the fridge. What do you think?"

Tanya stepped out of my room. She had the best timing as she could now interpret for us. Sounds good Dad. I can make some roasted veggies and baked potatoes. Is there anything else you would like?

"Maybe some biscotti's from the school?" he questioned hopefully. I laughed and nodded. "Have a good day at work. I'll see you when you get home."

I hugged Charlie before heading downstairs, with Tanya right behind me.

Work was slow. After the morning rush, which happened every morning as soon the shop opened until about ten, we had a handful of customers.

It was just after noon when Claire walked in the door. "Bella," she greeted with a smile. I waved at her.

Communicating with Claire wasn't the easiest, though my whiteboard was here so I could talk to her. I didn't need it anywhere else.

"How are you feeling after Friday night?" she asked concerned.

I'm okay. Slept a lot more than I expected and was nauseous for a while.

"Was that your first time drinking?" she asked. I nodded. "The first time is always the worst." She hesitated. "I…well I saw you and Tanya that night."

My face turned bright red. I had hoped I was lucky enough not to have Claire see that drunken display.

"Are you two together?" she asked curious.

I frowned. Would it matter if we were?

"No, of course not," Claire said quickly. "I was just curious and well, you were drunk and you're only eighteen. I wanted to make sure she wasn't taking advantage of you."

My chest tightened. She was worried about my safety. I appreciated her concern though it was unnecessary. It wasn't like we were doing anything wrong.

We are together, kind of. We're talking this very, very slow. She's not taking advantage at all. Thank you though.

"Okay," Claire said. "But if you ever need anything, I'm here for you."

Thank you.

The next two hours went by faster than I expected. There were a few customers but nowhere near as many as the morning. I knew it was almost two when I felt Tanya getting closer. She stayed away for the entire shift which helped to keep me from being distracted by her. I did miss her though. I always missed her when she wasn't around.

Tanya walked inside the shop at exactly two. I had no doubt she knew exactly what Claire had said when she arrived. Irina would have told her since she wasn't close enough to overhear. She didn't look angry. She was perfectly polite when she said hello. But I could see it in her eyes, she wasn't pleased.

You can't be mad at her for being concerned, I signed, suddenly very glad Claire didn't know sign language. As far as she knows you're a 25 year old trying to date an 18 year old. You have to admit that looks bad.

Tanya's face softened and she nodded. She hadn't considered it any more than I have. It made me realize we would have to be a little more careful.

She pulled me into her arms and I inhaled her scent. I was getting better with the distance between us. I think it had a lot to do with me accepting her as my mate. That didn't stop me from being really glad to see her.

"I missed you," she muttered in my ear.

I pulled away. I missed you too. Any news about my truck?

"Kate confirmed it will be done by the weekend," Tanya responded. "She's waiting on a part and it's supposed to be here by Friday at the latest."

Good. I like having you drive me around but I miss my truck.

I clocked out for the day and waved goodbye to Claire. I grabbed the bag of biscotti's I had set aside for Charlie and followed Tanya out of the shop.