Dead eyes stared out the window into the woods, looking for what she knew was there. They always were. Glowing eyes of her 'new protectors'. She couldn't stop the snort at the thought. Protector was a bit of a stretch for what they were. Edward was a protector. These mother fuckers were little more than assholes that stalked her every move. They never got too close, so she never knew which one of the three was outside. Maybe if she did, she would be a little happier about it.

Yeah... Right.

Happy was nothing but a bullshit concept. Happy would be having her vampire in bed next to her, but he wasn't, and he never would be again. She would never see any of them again, and it was her fault.

Why she ever thought she would have her forever with the man she loved she didn't know. It was doomed from the start, but for whatever reason, she always held out hope Edward would change his mind about her humanity, even knowing it was a pipedream and would never happen. They all hated what they were, trying so hard to be human, so why would he ever change her?

With a hard sigh, Bella set her forehead on the cool glass. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. They were all dead, and the ones that weren't, wanted HER dead. She couldn't blame them. She was the reason they lost their mates. She would want her dead, too, were she Esme and Rosalie.

Which brought her thoughts back to the mutant wolf in the woods beyond her yard.

They have been a silent pain in her ass since they pulled her out of the ballet studio James left her to die in. Why or how they came to be there, she still didn't know, and they refused to talk to her about it. Actually, they flat out refused to talk to her at all. She had no idea what their problem was either. The way she saw it, if they didn't like her, they had no need to protect her like they did. She knew Rose was around. The bitch made sure she did, as did James himself, but only once, and it was when she first came home.

How he survived, that was the one thing Bella didn't know. The Cullens had numbers on their side. There were five of them and one of James, but the last thing Bella saw before she blacked out completely was James' smirk before he vanished. He didn't leave fully intact, but he did walk away from the blaze. She woke up two days later in a hospital with someone she only knew in passing sitting in a chair on the other side of the room talking to her mother.

At the thought of her mother, Bella's mood went even further south. What kind of mother wouldn't let her child come live with them? She all but begged her to let her go to Florida, but Renee said no, that Bella had school and she was hardly ever home anymore since Phil was signed and she was always traveling with him. What a twat. Being nearly 18, it wasn't like she needed constant supervision, or that Renee was ever very good at providing it.

That was a month ago, and now here Bella was, being stalked by even more vampires than before, and protected by radioactive dogs.

If not so fucked up, it would nearly be funny how shitty things have turned out. Her love was dead. Her second family was gone. She was the charity case of the town. She didn't know how things could get worse than they were.

When she finally found the glowing canine eyes on the woods, her own eyes narrowed in irritation and anger. They should have left her there to die with her vampires. Opening her window, she made the wolf lock his eyes with hers.

"You should have let me die."

She should have kept her mouth shut. Eyes widening, she gasped at the sight of just how big the wolf was when he exited the woods and trotted across the grass. Wow... big doggy... She followed him with her eyes and jumped back from the window when his human form appeared just outside.

His lips were twisted in a smirk and his voice was smooth and off hand. "Probably. But, I promise you, me and my brothers are going to ensure you live for a very, very long time. Now, get some sleep. You look like shit."

Bella scoffed. "Rude."

Paul shrugged. "True. When was the last time you actually got a full night?" The look on her face gave him all the answer he needed. "Thought so. Believe it or not, we're pretty damn good at what we do. Close the window, lock it, and go back to bed. Sam wants to talk to you in the morning, and it would be a really good idea if you're actually awake enough to participate."

Bella's lip curled in the corner. "You have had nothing to say to me in the last month. Why now?"

Paul shrugged again and made ready to drop back down to the ground. "We didn't have anything to tell you for the last month. Now we do. I'll meet you at the front door at eight, and you better answer. I expect breakfast, by the way."

Bella crossed her arms. "You expect a lot."

At that, Paul grinned. "Hey! I'm risking my life here. The least you can do is feed me."

Bella opened her mouth to respond, but Paul was gone before she had the chance, leaving her to glare at the window. "What an asshole."