[BamaFan121s]

"I love you, Mommy," she whispered, just before pulling back.

"I love you too, sweetheart." I brushed a stray curl from her forehead and stared back into her deep, chocolate eyes. "I promise, this will be the last time that I leave you."

It was at that moment that I heard a twig snap in the trees beyond the clearing. I kissed Renesmee's forehead and stood back up, taking her hand again. I trained my eyes in the direction of the noise and searched the woods for the approach of the pack. Just then, the wind shifted and my body tensed of its own accord. Whereas I had expected to be met with the nauseating, woodsy smell of Jacob's brothers, my senses were met with a very different, unexpected scent. A very sweet, yet spicy scent. Too sweet. The scent of a vampire.

The sound of someone approaching steadily grew louder. I pulled Renesmee behind me and crouched protectively in front of her as I stared across the field towards the trees. At last, a large figure slowly emerged. The moonlight glinted off the luminescent skin of a vampire easily twice my size as he stepped forward, his crimson eyes boring into mine. Demetri. A feral snarl clawed at my chest and ripped its way through my lips. He stopped, an amused smirk playing on his lips.

But even though he'd stopped, the sound of approaching footsteps did not. Slowly, I saw another figure step forward out of the clearing behind him. I had been right - Demetri had brought company with him to Forks. A second vampire came up to flank Demetri. He was much smaller in stature than Demetri, with pale, white blonde hair. He seemed to follow Demetri's lead.

"Ah Bella," Demetri spoke in a mockingly playful tone. "I was so hoping to run into you here." He took a casual step forward, mirrored by his comrade. "Of course, I suppose it really shouldn't come as a surprise to you. I know that Chelsea mentioned to your family that I was in the neighborhood. Her confession of that was...her last, regrettably."

"You killed her," I spat at him.

He pulled his face into a fake grimace and cast a quick side glance at his partner. "Yes, sadly Chelsea went against her better judgment and betrayed my master." He shrugged indifferently. "It was her choice to forfeit her life. It's really too bad all her efforts were in vain." His mouth pulled upward into a wicked smile.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," I hissed through gritted teeth.

"Oh come now, Bella. Surely you and your beloved Edward hadn't honestly fooled yourselves into thinking that I wouldn't be able to find you?" He shook his head in mock disbelief. "I'll admit, your talent is rather impressive, but let us be realistic."

He took another step towards me, leaving only about twenty yards between us - a distance that could be closed in a single leap at any moment should he choose to. I knew I didn't stand a chance of defeating him alone in a fight without even factoring in his assistant. I knew that he was well aware of that fact too. He was just drawing it out, toying with me. My mind was reeling trying to come up with a way to distract him - to give the pack a chance to get here.

Suddenly, he held his hand up towards the vampire beside him. "Don't waste your efforts, Gavrill. She is immune to your talents." Gavrill? So this was one of the new additions that Chelsea had mentioned. "Of course, Bella and I are old acquaintances, so I don't think you'd begrudge me the honor?"

Gavrill spoke in a thick Russian accent. "Of course not, Demetri." I stole a quick glance at him, not wanting to take my eyes off of Demetri, who stepped closer still for too long. His face seemed alight with amused entertainment.

I set myself deeper into my crouch and countered Demetri's every step as he began to feint to the side, carefully keeping myself between him and my daughter. "Oh, but don't worry, Bella. I'm not going to kill you right away." With his head, he gestured behind me to Renesmee, causing a wild, protective growl to build deep in my chest. "First, I'm going to kill your abomination of a daughter, while you watch, then I'm going to take my time with you."

Gavrill's maniacal laugh rang through the clearing like a bell. However, it was cut short. Far off in the woods, the piecing howl of a wolf ripped through the cool, night air. In the distance, I could hear the sound of the rapidly approaching wolves crashing though the woods.

Demetri heard it too. His mouth turned downward in an angry frown. "Then again, maybe we'll have to cut this reunion shorter than I'd hoped." He crouched down and tensed his muscles to pounce. I braced myself for impact. The wolves were coming, but they would never make it in time. My only hope was to defend my daughter long enough for them to reach the clearing and save her.

One thing was certain - Edward had greatly misjudged Demetri's ability to track me. Now I faced him alone...and I was going to die.