Simon breathed in the earthy scents of the forest, his muscles loosening as the smell of moist dirt and warm rain wafted through the air around him. The hairs on his arms and the nape of his neck raised from the energy that flowed through the air, a strong sign that a thunderstorm was rolling in from the west coast.

Thunder crackled through the sky, but he knew the sound to be too controlled to have originated from the raging storm. Simon cursed lowly beneath his breath as his small coven changed the direction of their hunt.

His group was small, consisting of three people, excluding himself. James was the tracker, always leading their hunts with his tawny-brown hair messily tied back. Victoria was always attached to him at the hip, never leaving his sight unless necessary. Her flaming curls bounced behind her as she ran, floating in the wind as she laughed in delight. Her carefree nature was entertaining in the rather serious tone of their little group. Laurent was the last of the coven, sticking to his own silence as he drifted by Simon's side.

Laurent strode to the lead, with Simon close behind. James and Victoria fell back, allowing the two brunets to take control of the situation. They broke through the treeline, slowing to a stop as they caught sight of the large coven in front of them. Simon cocked his head to the side, his posture remaining casual as Laurent assessed the situation. His pitch-black eyes were fierce, contradicting the aura he gave out as he studied the people in front of him.

His gaze scanned faintly through the Olympic coven as Laurent stepped forward, drawing the attention onto himself.

"I believe this belongs to you," Laurent spoke up, holding up the baseball that Victoria had so eagerly caught as it shot through the trees before he tossed it to the blond who seemed to be their coven leader. "I am Laurent. This is Victoria and James. And he is Sama."

Simon's shoulders sagged ever so slightly, relief filling his entire being as Laurent used the nickname they all used when introducing him to new groups.

"I'm Carlisle. This is my family," The blond man from before spoke, gesturing to the group around him. Simon's brows furrowed as his eyes scanned over them once more, curious as to why the male didn't introduce his family individually as Laurent had. "I'm afraid that your appetite has caused us quite the trouble as of late."

"Our apologies," Laurent was quick to answer, casting Simon a brief side-glance. "We were not aware that the territory had been claimed."

"We maintain a permanent residence nearby," The blond countered, not taking his eyes off of the coven that stood before him.

"Really?" Laurent questioned, looking to James for help for a brief second. He regained his composure, turning back to the blond. "Well, we won't be a problem any longer. We were just passing through."

"They were tracking us, but we led them east," Victoria spoke up, drawing all eyes to her fiery body. "You should be safe."

"So," Laurent cut in, redirecting the direction of the conversation, "Could you use four more players—three? Just one game." He corrected himself at the small shake of Simon's head.

"Sure, why not?" Carlisle decided as his family looked to him for an answer. "A few of us were leaving, anyway. You can take their place. We'll bat first."

Simon's gaze landed on a brunette woman as Victoria caught the ball thrown to Laurent. His brows furrowed with confusion at the sight of her. He couldn't say for certain if he recognized her or not. He silently sniffed the air, only to receive his fangs pricking his lip as he breathed in her floral scent. It was tempting, but not the way he was used to. He could tell she was human, judging by the warmth he could feel coming from her. Yet, her blood wasn't something he wanted. It wasn't as appealing as he would normally find it. It was only her presence that he found enticing.

Edward and Emmett started to move with the brunette woman, only for the wind to shift directions. It carried her scent across the field, directly to Simon and the other nomads. The nomads instantly crouched in defensive mode as hisses ripped from their throats. Simon, not caring for their dramatics, didn't move. He stood standing, his posture relaxed as his arms crossed over his broad chest. His attention was peaked, curiosity filling his mind as he watched the large coven protect the woman.

"You brought a snack," James sounded out, a smirk forming on his face. "Willing to share?"

Simon watched as Carlisle's coven tensed and the bronze-haired boy shoved the woman behind himself.

"The girl is with us," Carlisle spoke firmly, his gaze turning cold as he stared at the nomads. "I think it best if you leave."

"The game is over, we will go now," Laurent promised, his gaze flickering over to Simon as he started to retreat back to the trees without another word.

"James!" He exclaimed, ushering the man to follow him as Victoria retreated after Simon.

***

Simon knew that his plan was far from good. He was aware that he would likely get hurt in its execution. He found he couldn't stand the thought of James hunting this woman. He didn't know who she was, nor what her name was, but he knew that he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. And, knowing James, Simon knew how bad it could end.

Laurent had never truly been the leader of their little coven. It had always been James, but he was only in charge because Simon had turned down the role when their coven first formed. He let James lead, often growing uncomfortable with people under his control. Even so, his opinions often influenced the actions that their coven took.

He had talked Laurent into going ahead to warn the large coven, but he hadn't gone himself. He needed James to trust him enough to let him in on the plan. He stuck close to James, all while playing in the blind spots of the visions that the seer possessed.

James had changed his course long ago, and they were now in some ballet studio in Arizona. How James had gotten hold of the woman's records from the school, Simon was unsure. Simon remained up in the rafters, waiting for the woman to arrive. He now knew her name was Bella after listening to the tape that James had found of her mother, Renee, looking for her throughout the studio.

He looked down into the studio as footsteps echoed throughout the large room. He watched as Bella opened the closet where the old tape played.

Before Simon could comprehend what was happening, James had thrown her body across the room. Her head smacked against the pillar, and he inhaled sharply as the metallic scent of blood tainted the air. James recorded as he taunted Bella, reveling in the pleads she made. Her screams spurred Simon into action as they echoed through the room as her leg was shattered. He jumped down from the rafters, just as Edward arrived and tore James' body off of her.

Simon rushed over to her broken form, picking her up as carefully as he could.

"I'm sorry," He murmured as she gripped onto him, "I never should have let it get this far." He held her firmly to his chest as he stepped forward and jumped, aiming for the balcony near the entrance.

James launched Edward into the wall of mirrors. He caught sight of Simon trying to escape with Bella. James chased after him, grabbing hold of Simon's leg. He jerked them back down to the ground, landing Bella in the broken glass as she tumbled from his arms. He crashed to the floor, only for James to drag him back from Bella. James threw him into the wall, enraged at his coven mate.

"You were supposed to be on my side!" He snarled, glaring at the younger vampire.

"Change of plans," Simon muttered under his breath as he sat back up. His gaze locked with James as he took Bella's wrist in his hold. Simon snarled in turn as he watched James bite down on her wrist.

Edward ripped James away from her as Simon appeared at her side. He flinched at the sound of Bella's screams. He grabbed her arm as gently as he could, turning her wrist toward himself so he could examine the wound. He could smell the venom from the wound. His gaze flickered over to Edward as he fought with James across the room.

The rest of the Olympic coven appeared the next second. Alice rushed over to Bella as the Cullens helped Edward with James. Carlisle came over and tied a makeshift tourniquet around Bella's leg with Alice's belt. Edward traded spots with Alice, allowing her to go help her husband and brother destroy James.

"You could let her turn. Alice has said she's already seen it," Carlisle spoke quietly.

"No, Carlisle, what's my other option?" Edward pleaded with his adoptive father. "Carlisle, please, tell me there's another option!"

Simon looked between Bella, Edward, and James as his body was ripped apart and tossed into a fire. He wanted to be selfish. To allow Edward to suffer by losing someone he cared about. But as Simon looked back down at the screaming woman, he made his choice as Edward struggled to make a decision. He moved before they could stop him, bringing her wrist up to his mouth. He bit down as carefully as he could, and he flinched as her screams grew louder. He made quick work, sucking out as much of the venom as he could. He watched as her back arched off the ground in pain. He could hear the snarls around him and he felt Edward as he tried to pull him away from Bella, but he held firmly onto her wrist. He closed his eyes as he focused, stopping the second he began to taste her untainted blood.

"Now you owe me," He muttered as he looked up, his black eyes locking with Edward's golden pair. He stood up as he dropped her wrist, heading to the exit before anyone could stop him.

"One more thing: tell our beloved Esme I said 'hello,'" He called over his shoulder before he disappeared into the night.