Mary & James

Mary was many things—tenacious, sharp, occasionally unbearable when she got fixated on something—but she was never wrong when her gut told her a story was brewing.

And right now? Her gut was screaming.

She leaned against the counter in James's apartment, arms crossed, her expression locked somewhere between furious and deeply, deeply intrigued. James, for his part, looked like he was trying to decide if it was worth arguing or just letting her spiral.

"You're telling me," Mary began, voice clipped, "that Bella—our Bella—was having a cosy little coffee date with one of the blondes?"

James, perched on the arm of the couch, sipped his beer and shrugged. "Wouldn't call it a date. They were just talking."

Mary threw up her hands. "You're useless."

James smirked. "Love you too, babe."

Mary wasn't in the mood. "Describe her."

James took another sip, clearly milking his position as the sole witness. "Tall. Blonde. Hot."

Mary smacked him on the arm. "More. Details."

"Fine, fine!" He held up his hands in surrender. "You remember Carmen and Eleazar, right?"

Her eyes narrowed. "The rich, too-charming suppliers that are buying up anything for sale in Denali? Yeah, what about them?"

James pointed his beer bottle at her. "She looked like she belonged with them. Same vibe. Too elegant, too smooth, like she was cut from the same 'effortlessly rich and vaguely unsettling' cloth. Actually, was she there with them at one of the quiz nights? She seemed a little familiar"

Mary stilled.

"That's…" She exhaled sharply, her mind racing. "That's not normal. That's not Bella. She avoids people, James. She avoids relationships. And now she's hanging out with someone that fits into that weird-ass group?"

James watched her, waiting.

Mary grabbed her phone, already pulling up her notes. "I'm going to figure out who she is."

James groaned. "Mary."

She ignored him. "Bella's involved in something. First, she's all weird about Carmen and Eleazar. Now she's getting cosy with one of their associates?"

James sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

"You absolutely should have," she shot back, typing furiously. "Because now I am going to find out what's going on."

James rubbed his temples. "God help us all."

Mary barely heard him, already diving down the rabbit hole of research and relentless obsession.

And when she got an answer?

She'd be having words with Bella Swan.

Tanya

Tanya had stared at her phone for an embarrassing amount of time before sending a text that was too casual for the way she felt.

"I had a great time last night. Let me know when you're next free."

It was direct but not too eager—at least, that was what she told herself. She'd read it over twelve times before pressing send.

Now, she was waiting. It had only been nine hours.

But Tanya Denali did not wait for anything. She had spent a thousand years taking what she wanted, when she wanted, with an air of confidence that made resistance seem ridiculous. Yet here she was, checking her phone again, because Bella Swan had reduced her to a lovestruck teenager.

She wasn't proud of it.

"Shall we find something to distract you dear? You are beyond fixated."

Carmen's voice drifted over from the couch, where she was pretending to read while very obviously watching Tanya's slow descent into madness.

"I am not," Tanya lied, gripping the phone tighter.

"You absolutely are," Kate chimed in, appearing in the doorway with the smuggest grin Tanya had ever seen. "You're like a Victorian maiden waiting for a letter from her betrothed."

Tanya scowled. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kate mock-gasped. "Oh, you're right! I must have been imagining things. That wasn't you pacing the hallway, checking your phone, looking like you were about to combust?"

"Do you have something I can help you with Kate?" Tanya snarked, shoving her phone in her pocket.

Kate flopped onto the couch, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "Just here to make sure our fearless leader hasn't completely lost it over her tiny human."

Tanya opened her mouth to retort, but then—her phone buzzed.

The room fell dead silent as both Kate and Carmen leaned in.

Bella: " Got your message from last night. Want to meet up ?"

A slow smile crept across Tanya's lips.

"Finally," Kate groaned. "I was about to stage an intervention."

Carmen simply chuckled. "Where are you meeting?"

Tanya typed her response quickly.

" Wherever you want. "

She pressed send, then glanced at her sisters, daring them to make another comment.

Kate raised her hands in surrender. "Look, I'm happy for you. You're just… impossibly entertaining right now."

Tanya rolled her eyes, but before she could snap back, Bella's reply came in.

" There's a bookstore café near campus. I'll send you the address. "

Tanya's stomach fluttered. She ignored Kate's knowing smirk as she grabbed her coat and headed for the door.

Bella

The Paper Shoots café was wonderfully warm, a snug warren of bookshelves, potted plants, and inviting booths. It seemed Denali—at least this part of it—knew exactly what its patrons needed: shelter from the cold and a quiet place to linger. I sat tucked into a corner, my fingers wrapped around a mug of tea, watching the steam curl into the air like ghostly ribbons.

I had been waiting for Tanya for all of five minutes, but I already felt restless.

Not because I was impatient—though, if I was being honest with myself, maybe I was—but because I couldn't shake the feeling that things were shifting between us, in a way that was both thrilling and terrifying.

I had spent so long running from my past. But last night, with Tanya's hand in mine, I had realized I didn't want to run any more.

Something bright and blissful glowed in my chest. The door chimed, and even before I looked up, I knew it was her.

Tanya walked in like she belonged in every room she entered, effortlessly graceful, radiating warmth despite the cold. Her golden eyes landed on me instantly, and the slow smile that spread across her lips sent something dangerously close to happiness thrumming through my chest.

I rose as she approached, surprising both of us by closing the distance and pulling her into a hug before I could second-guess myself.

Tanya stiffened for half a second, then melted into the embrace, her arms circling my waist. Her touch was luxuriously cool and soft, the chill felt decadent on my slightly flushed skin.

"Hi," I murmured, my cheek brushing against hers for a moment, and then the soft wool of her coat.

"Hi yourself," she murmured back, the words barely a breath against my temple.

When I pulled away, she searched my face for a long moment, as if trying to memorise it. Then, without hesitation, she dipped her head and pressed the lightest kiss to my lips.

A slow warmth spread through me, and I could feel the smile blossoming on my face.

We sat down, and for the first time, I wasn't nervous about what came next.

Tanya

She was letting me in.

That realisation settled deep in Tanya's chest as she watched Bella reaching for her tea, taking a small sip before glancing at her over the rim of the mug. It was the kind of quiet intimacy Tanya had always envied in others—the kind she had never thought she would want for herself until now.

"Sorry I'm late," Tanya said, shrugging out of her coat and draping it over the chair. "Traffic was terrible."

Bella snorted. "Tanya, we're in Denali. The traffic is a moose crossing the road."

Tanya smirked. "Exactly. Terrible."

Bella rolled her eyes but smiled, setting her mug down. "So, tell me. Other than work, what exactly do you do when you're not gracing local cafés with your presence?"

Tanya tilted her head, amused. "Besides waiting for your texts?"

Bella flushed, but her smirk didn't waver. "Obviously."

"Hmm," Tanya mused, tapping a finger against the table. "I'd like to say I spend my free time doing something terribly exciting, but mostly, I just find ways to keep myself entertained."

Bella arched a brow. "That's vague."

Tanya grinned. "Is it?"

"It is," Bella confirmed. "Suspiciously vague. Makes me think you're either a secret agent or an art thief."

Tanya chuckled. "Would you believe me if I said neither?"

Bella pretended to consider. "Not really."

"Well," Tanya leaned in slightly, her tone conspiratorial, "maybe I just prefer a little mystery."

Bella snorted. "Oh, you are insufferable."

"And yet," Tanya smirked, "you seem to tolerate me."

Bella sighed, dramatically lifting her mug. "A personal failing, I'm sure."

Tanya's golden eyes sparkled. "Don't punish yourself on my behalf"

Their conversation wove between teasing and an effortless rhythm, each exchange pulling Tanya in deeper. She found herself watching Bella's hands, the way they moved when she talked, the way she bit her lip when lost in thought. Every little motion was unintentional, unguarded, and it was irresistible in a way Tanya hadn't expected.

She had spent centuries perfecting the art of seduction, of charming lovers with well-placed words and practised ease. But with Bella, it wasn't about skill or effort—it wasn't a game she was playing.

She wanted to charm her, but honestly. She just wanted to be here.

Then, Bella hesitated. A small, barely perceptible shift.

Tanya felt it before she even spoke.

"I never told you where I lived before Denali," Bella said slowly, tracing the rim of her mug.

Tanya went still.

"You mentioned Phoenix," she said carefully.

Bella exhaled, then met her eyes. "That was before. Before I moved to Forks."

The name hit Tanya like a physical thing.

Forks.

And just like that, the missing piece clicked into place.

Isabella.

Bella.

Bella Swan.

Tanya barely moved, but her mind sharpened instantly, racing through a thousand images and memories at once.

Forks. The Cullen's. Edward. His singer.

The human girl who had nearly undone him.

And she was sitting across from her now, her mate.

Tanya had never considered her last name. She had never thought to connect her to Edward's Bella, because why would she? She had barely given it a second thought when Edward had come to Denali years ago, fraught and barely coherent, asking for help because he had been overwhelmed by a human girl's scent.

But now? Now, that human girl was sitting here, watching her with cautious curiosity.

Tanya did not give herself away.

Instead, she reached across the table and lightly covered Bella's hand with her own.

Bella's pulse jumped—Tanya could feel it, a soft flutter beneath her fingers—but she didn't pull away.

"Oh," Tanya said softly, a quiet understanding in her voice. "So, you know."

Bella's fingers curled slightly under hers. "Yeah," she admitted. "I know."

Tanya exhaled, and the tension that should have been there never came.

Instead, she turned Bella's hand over, threading their fingers together.

"And you still agreed to see me?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

Bella's eyes didn't waver. "I chose this. I knew what I was walking into."

For the first time in a thousand years, Tanya felt something in her settle.

She had spent weeks agonizing over how she would ever tell Bella the truth. And yet, here they were. It had never been hard at all.

Tanya smiled, lifting their joined hands and pressing a kiss to Bella's knuckles.

"I had no idea how easy it would be."

Bella's smile was small, but warm in a way that set Tanya alight.

"It's only easy because it's you," Bella murmured.

Tanya's thumb brushed over her knuckles, her expression soft but searching.

"There's still so much I want to know about you," she admitted.

Bella surprised her then. She tugged gently on Tanya's hand, and Tanya, bemused, let herself be pulled forward until she was settled into the booth beside her.

Bella curled up against her, taking Tanya's arm and draping it over her own shoulders.

Then, softly, she said, "Ask then. Ask me anything. I'm all yours."

Tanya pressed a kiss into her hair, letting the words sink in.

Laurent & Victoria

Laurent was not a fool.

He knew exactly what Victoria was capable of—had seen it first-hand when she tore through a man's ribcage without so much as breaking her stride. Seen it again when they hunted one of the last Children of the Moon in the rocky slopes of Siberia. And yet, standing before her now in the moonlit clearing, he couldn't help but marvel at just how singularly focused she was.

It was terrifying.

And, admittedly, a little impressive.

Victoria crouched near the riverbank, her wild red curls tumbling over her shoulder as she ran a hand through the icy water. "You're telling me," she murmured, "that the Cullen's have scattered?"

Laurent inclined his head. "Carlisle and Esme are in New Hampshire. The others… drifted."

"And her mate? Edward?"

Laurent let the pause stretch, deliberately weighing his next words. "Still in Forks."

Victoria's lips curled into something that barely passed for a smile. "Alone?"

Laurent nodded. "It appears that way."

She exhaled, low and satisfied, before rising in a slow, fluid motion. "Then he's protecting her. Alone."

Laurent knew better than to interrupt when she was piecing together a plan, so he simply watched as she turned her keen, predatory gaze on him.

"And your informant?" she asked.

He hesitated. Irina.

Irina, who was still steadfast in her ridiculous morals, refusing to cross the line that separated them from humans .

He thought of the way she looked at him, a little too long, a little too thoughtful. She was intrigued, not immune—but still, she resisted.

For now.

"She told me little," Laurent admitted, choosing his words carefully. "Only that the Cullens have gifts. A mind reader. A psychic. She didn't tell me the fullest the extent of their abilities."

Victoria studied him, her sharp eyes flickering with something unreadable.

"And she trusts you?"

He smiled, a slow, knowing smirk. "She wants to."

Victoria hummed, pleased.

"Good. Keep her close."

Laurent inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Then, without another word, Victoria turned her back to him, eyes sweeping over the darkened forest. The wind shifted, carrying with it the scents of damp earth and frostbitten leaves.

Laurent watched as her expression hardened into something viciously certain.

She was going to Forks.

And when she found Edward Cullen's little human?

She was going to finish what James started.