Bella woke up as a vampire by the ocean.

Before she even opened her eyes after her heart gave its final 'thud', she could tell that much. The smell of salt lingered on the air with the underlying scent of fish. All of those fishing trips that Charlie dragged her on had, at the very least, made her intimately familiar with the odor.

Moss and clumps of soft dirt spilled over her fingers as she flexed them, feeling each muscle and tendon shift. Taking a lung full of unnecessary air, Bella tasted salt and something else that she could only identify as clean. It was different than Forks, with the trees and all that green never quite leaving your nose, or Phoenix, where you can practically taste the heat and gasoline on the merciful breeze. Here, the air just tasted fresh in a way that Bella had never experienced.

The sound of waves crashing startled Bella from her inner musings, and for the first time in her new life, she opened her eyes.

Light beamed down at her as the sun overhead caught her immediate attention. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and Bella found herself staring directly into that harsh light for several moments before finally tearing her eyes away as a bird sailed across her view. Her newly red irises tracked the animal, and when she focused, Bella could see each individual feather overlapping each other on the fragile body above her. She caught herself counting each barb on a single feather as it soared.

Before long, her attention waned on the flying creature, as she took stock of her surroundings.

Bella lay in the middle of a narrow strip of land that stretched and grew wider into a sudden barrier of trees above her head, but thinned to a point at her feet. The thought entered her mind to stand before she was suddenly on her feet, and Bella was once again distracted as she got used to her new body. A sprinkling of wetness on the side of her face broke her from her reverie.

It seemed that along with better senses and a supernaturally strong body came a small attention span.

Looking around from her standing position, Bella could see that she was on a thin cliffside that rose high up from the churning waters below. The last few waves were so harsh that they just barely managed to climb halfway up the steep rock. Trying to see beyond the horizon proved a fruitless effort for Bella. All she could see in every direction was that same deep blue water. The sparkling waves reflected the sun's light, bouncing off the clear water and back onto Bella.

Bella looked down and saw diamonds.

Her skin glittered like a precious stone from the light all round her, and Bella's hand drifted up to her face as she stood, mesmerized by the sight.

A flash of color in the corner of her vision caught her eye, and Bella's head whipped down as she reached to pull the collar of her shirt into her line of sight, accidentally tearing the fabric in her grip a bit in her haste. Her white shirt was stained with a sort of rusty brown, and it only took Bella a moment to identify the source as she took a breath with the material held up to her face.

Instantly, vibrant red eyes were swallowed whole as her pupils dilated. The scent was a bit faint, but there was no mistaking the sudden intense burning in her throat.

Blood.

Bella was almost hypnotized as she stared at the dried blood. Bringing the fabric closer to her face, the sound of tearing snapped Bella out of the haze she had been put into by the tempting smell.

Bella could tell from the color that the blood was a few days old, and her horrified speculations about having killed someone in some sort of blood crazed frenzy died as the realization took over.

It was her blood.

Bella quickly recovered from her shock as she tried to draw some conclusion about how she had ended up here, on some strange cliffside, by the ocean, stained by her own blood.

It was the same place, of that Bella was instantly sure.

She'd never seen another clearing so symmetrical. It was as perfectly round as if someone had intentionally created the flawless circle, tearing out the trees but leaving no evidence of that violence in the waving grass. To the east, she could hear the stream bubbling quietly.

The place wasn't nearly so stunning without the sunlight, but it was still very beautiful and serene. It was the wrong season for wildflowers; the ground was thick with tall grass that swayed in the light breeze like ripples across a lake.

It was the same place, but it didn't hold what Bella had been searching for.

The disappointment was nearly as instantaneous as the recognition. She sank down right where she was, kneeling there at the edge of the clearing, beginning to gasp.

What was the point of going any farther? Nothing lingered here. Nothing more than the memories that she could have called back whenever she wanted to, if she was ever willing to endure the corresponding pain—the pain that had her now, had her cold. There was nothing special about this place without him. Bella wasn't exactly sure what she'd hoped to feel here, but the meadow was empty of atmosphere, empty of everything, just like everywhere else. Just like her nightmares. Her head swirled dizzily.

At least she'd come alone. Bella felt a rush of thankfulness as she realized that. If she'd discovered the meadow with Jacob… well, there was no way she could have disguised the abyss she was plunging into now. How could she have explained the way she was fracturing into pieces, the way she had to curl into a ball to keep the empty hole from tearing her apart? It was so much better that she didn't have an audience.

And she wouldn't have to explain to anyone why she was in such a hurry to leave, either. Jacob would have assumed, after going to so much trouble to locate the stupid place, she would want to spend more than a few seconds here. But Bella was already trying to find the strength to get to her feet again, forcing herself out of the ball so that she could escape. There was too much pain in this empty place to bear—she would crawl away if she had to.

How lucky that she was alone!

Alone. Bella repeated the word with grim satisfaction as she wrenched herself to her feet despite the pain. At precisely that moment, a figure stepped out from the trees to the north, some thirty paces away.

A dizzying array of emotions shot through Bella in a second. The first was surprise; She was far from any trail here, and she didn't expect company. Then, as her eyes focused on the motionless figure, seeing the utter stillness, the pallid skin, a rush of piercing hope rocked through her. She suppressed it viciously, fighting against the equally sharp lash of agony as her eyes continued to the face beneath the black hair, the face that wasn't the one she wanted to see. Next was fear; this was not the face she grieved for, but it was close enough for Bella to know that the man facing her was no stray hiker.

And finally, in the end, recognition.

"Laurent!" Bella cried in surprised pleasure.

It was an irrational response. She probably should have stopped at fear.

Laurent had been one of James's coven when they'd first met. He hadn't been involved with the hunt that followed—the hunt where she was the quarry—but that was only because he was afraid; Bella was protected by a bigger coven than his own. It would have been different if that wasn't the case—he'd had no compunctions, at the time, against making a meal of her. Of course, he must have changed, because he'd gone to Alaska to live with the other civilized coven there, the other family that refused to drink human blood for ethical reasons. The other family like… but she couldn't let herself think the name.

Yes, fear would have made more sense, but all Bella felt was an overwhelming satisfaction. The meadow was a magic place again. A darker magic than she'd expected, to be sure, but magic all the same. Here was the connection she'd sought. The proof, however remote, that—somewhere in the same world where she lived— he did exist.

It was impossible how exactly the same Laurent looked. Bella supposed it was very silly and human to expect some kind of change in the last year. But there was something… she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Bella?" he asked, looking more astonished than Bella felt.

"You remember." She smiled. It was ridiculous that she should be so elated because a vampire knew her name.

He grinned. "I didn't expect to see you here." He strolled toward her, his expression bemused.

"Isn't it the other way around? I do live here. I thought you'd gone to Alaska."

He stopped about ten paces away, cocking his head to the side. His face was the most beautiful face she'd seen in what felt like an eternity. Bella studied his features with a strangely greedy sense of release. Here was someone she didn't have to pretend for—someone who already knew everything she could never say.

"You're right," he agreed. "I did go to Alaska. Still, I didn't expect… When I found the Cullen place empty, I thought they'd moved on."

"Oh." She bit her lip as the name set the raw edges of her wound throbbing. It took her a second to compose herself. Laurent waited with curious eyes.

"They did move on," She finally managed to tell him.

"Hmm," he murmured. "I'm surprised they left you behind. Weren't you sort of a pet of theirs?"

His eyes were innocent of any intended offense.

Bella smiled wryly. "Something like that."

"Hmm," he said, thoughtful again.

At that precise moment, she realized why he looked the same—too much the same. After Carlisle told them that Laurent had stayed with Tanya's family, she'd begun to picture him, on the rare occasions that she thought of him at all, with the same golden eyes that the… Cullens—she forced the name out, wincing—had. That all good vampires had.

Bella took an involuntary step back, and his curious, dark red eyes followed the movement.

"Do they visit often?" he asked, still casual, but his weight shifted toward her.

"Lie," the beautiful velvet voice whispered anxiously from her memory.

Bella started at the sound of his voice, but it should not have surprised her. Was she not in the worst danger imaginable? The motorcycle was safe as kittens next to this.

She did what the voice said to do.

"Now and again." She tried to make her voice light, relaxed. "The time seems longer to me, I imagine. You know how they get distracted…" She was beginning to babble. She had to work to shut herself up.

"Hmm," he said again. "The house smelled like it had been vacant for a while…"

"You must lie better than that, Bella," the voice urged.

Bella tried. "I'll have to mention to Carlisle that you stopped by. He'll be sorry they missed your visit." She pretended to deliberate for a second. "But I probably shouldn't mention it to… Edward, I suppose—" She barely managed to say his name, and it twisted her expression on the way out, ruining her bluff "—he has such a temper… well, I'm sure you remember. He's still touchy about the whole James thing." She rolled her eyes and waved one hand dismissively, like it was all ancient history, but there was an edge of hysteria to her voice. She wondered if he would recognize what it was.

"Is he really?" Laurent asked pleasantly… skeptically.

She kept her reply short, so that her voice wouldn't betray her panic. "Mm-hmm."

Laurent took a casual step to the side, gazing around at the little meadow. Bella didn't miss that the step brought him closer to her. In her head, the voice responded with a low snarl.

"So how are things working out in Denali? Carlisle said you were staying with Tanya?" Her voice was too high.

The question made him pause. "I like Tanya very much," he mused. "And her sister Irina even more… I've never stayed in one place for so long before, and I enjoy the advantages, the novelty of it. But, the restrictions are difficult… I'm surprised that any of them can keep it up for long." He smiled at her conspiratorially. "Sometimes I cheat."

Bella couldn't swallow. Her foot started to ease back, but she froze when his red eyes flickered down to catch the movement.

"Oh," She said in a faint voice. "Jasper has problems with that, too."

"Don't move," the voice whispered. She tried to do what he instructed. It was hard; the instinct to take flight was nearly uncontrollable.

"Really?" Laurent seemed interested. "Is that why they left?"

"No," Bella answered honestly. "Jasper is more careful at home."

"Yes," Laurent agreed. "I am, too."

The step forward he took now was quite deliberate.

"Did Victoria ever find you?" She asked, breathless, desperate to distract him. It was the first question that popped into her head, and she regretted it as soon as the words were spoken. Victoria—who had hunted her with James, and then disappeared—was not someone she wanted to think of at this particular moment.

But the question did stop him.

"Yes," he said, hesitating on that step. "I actually came here as a favor to her." He made a face. "She won't be happy about this."

"About what?" Bella said eagerly, inviting him to continue. He was glaring into the trees, away from her. She took advantage of his diversion, taking a furtive step back.

He looked back at her and smiled—the expression made him look like a black-haired angel.

"About me killing you," he answered in a seductive purr.

Bella staggered back another step. The frantic growling in her head made it hard to hear.

"She wanted to save that part for herself," he went on blithely. "She's sort of… put out with you, Bella."

"Me?" She squeaked.

He shook his head and chuckled. "I know, it seems a little backward to me, too. But James was her mate, and your Edward killed him."

Even here, on the point of death, his name tore against her unhealed wounds like a serrated edge.

Laurent was oblivious to her reaction. "She thought it more appropriate to kill you than Edward—fair turnabout, mate for mate. She asked me to get the lay of the land for her, so to speak. I didn't imagine you would be so easy to get to. So maybe her plan was flawed—apparently it wouldn't be the revenge she imagined, since you must not mean very much to him if he left you here unprotected."

Another blow, another tear through her chest.

Laurent's weight shifted slightly, and she stumbled another step back.

He frowned. "I suppose she'll be angry, all the same."

"Then why not wait for her?" Bella choked out.

A mischievous grin rearranged his features. "Well, you've caught me at a bad time, Bella. I didn't come to this place on Victoria's mission—I was hunting. I'm quite thirsty, and you do smell… simply mouthwatering."

Laurent looked at her with approval, as if he meant it as a compliment.

"Threaten him," the beautiful delusion ordered, his voice distorted with dread.

"He'll know it was you," She whispered obediently. "You won't get away with this."

"And why not?" Laurent's smile widened. He gazed around the small opening in the trees. "The scent will wash away with the next rain. No one will find your body—you'll simply go missing, like so many, many other humans. There's no reason for Edward to think of me, if he cares enough to investigate. This is nothing personal, let me assure you, Bella. Just thirst."

"Beg," Her hallucination begged.

"Please," She gasped.

Laurent shook his head, his face kind. "Look at it this way, Bella. You're very lucky I was the one to find you."

"Am I?" Bella mouthed, faltering another step back.

Laurent followed, lithe and graceful.

"Yes," he assured her. "I'll be very quick. You won't feel a thing, I promise. Oh, I'll lie to Victoria about that later, naturally, just to placate her. But if you knew what she had planned for you, Bella…" He shook his head with a slow movement, almost as if in disgust. "I swear you'd be thanking me for this."

She stared at him in horror.

He sniffed at the breeze that blew threads of her hair in his direction. "Mouthwatering," he repeated, inhaling deeply. Distantly, Bella thought she could hear a howl carry to her from miles away.

"The Volturi!" The words poured out of her mouth as a last resort, but they managed to stop him in his tracks. He tilted his head curiously at her.

"Yes? What about them?" Laurent inquired almost hesitantly.

"They make the rules, right?" She spoke quickly, the panic having almost completely taken over and left her with nothing but half formed hopes.

Laurent nodded at her, looking put off by this interruption in his mealtime.

Bella swallowed the sob bubbling up her throat at the thought.

"Don't they have some sort of rule against this?" She rushed out. "Killing another vampire's mate? Otherwise they'd have desperate people asking them for justice all the time!"

Laurent simply stared at her for a moment, before a deep laugh shook him.

"The Volturi do not care for such matters! They are the ruling vampires in the world! Aro considers only power as his priority, he cares not for the pitiful whining of his subjects. If there was ever a more prudent example of a vampire not having a soul, it would be him." He laughed in her paling face even as he closed the distance between them.

He took a firm grip of her hair before gently, almost soothingly, tilting her neck back. His mouth hovered at her throat, but Bella had run out of pleas. Her trembling had stopped, and in its place a calm took her over. She had been waiting for this. This end to her suffering caused by vampires and a hole in her heart.

It was almost poetic, she thought as another howl sounded, this one closer than before, that she die in the arms of a vampire.

One niggling thought wouldn't leave her mind, even as his lips touched her neck.

"What kind of king doesn't care about the suffering of his people?"

Teeth pierced the side of her neck, and Bella cried out from the sharp pain. The edges of her vision grew fuzzy, and she belatedly wondered how he was able to get so much blood out of her so fast.

Lights appeared in the corners of her eyes, and the world blurred for a moment, tilting sideways before straightening itself again. And the teeth tore themselves from her neck.

"What on earth…" Laurent only just muttered the words before another howl sounded, this one almost reaching their position. His head snapped to the side, before taking another look in front of him Bella.

He seemed to deliberate for a moment, before gnashing his teeth together in frustration and taking off into the woods.

Bella barely noticed him leave, as the lights spread to swallow up the world around her. Her hands tingled, like she'd slept on them too long and the blood in her veins was just getting reacquainted with the room there. She could only spare a thought for the pain in her neck, slowly spreading like a fire inside her, before her knees gave out, and she tipped backward.

The ground rushed at her, and the world went white.

Bella dropped the fabric, and it hung loosely from the threads that still held intact.

"Fuck."