A/N: I am not Stephenie Meyer...in case you were wondering...

This story has two different POVs, which I have labeled for you. James POV is in third person, the OC POV is in First person. The POVs occasionally overlap the same time period, but I think it should be easy enough to follow.

If you're wondering where in the hell this came from: it was a request from a forum/imdb buddy of mine...which I was more than happy to write...I love James!!

The Tracker

JPOV

A dark shape paced quickly through the serene streets of a small town. The scent was everywhere. It was heavier in some places than others, and the tracker intended on following these stronger trails to discover the source of this unbelievable fragrance. If he had been human, he would have found the sultry warmth of the night unbearable in his heavy leather jacket. As it was though, he was far from being human, and the only fact that he registered about the night was how well it cradled the aroma in the air.

He would find it. He always found it.

LPOV

I was paranoid. I was delusional, and now had bruises to show for it. I had been so sure that I was being followed that I hadn't paid close enough attention to my footing and had slipped off of the sidewalk and into a patch of mud. I glanced in my bathroom mirror at my muddy clothing. Well, maybe I wasn't bruised…but my ego sure as hell was. I was grateful no one had seen my disgraceful tumble. I sighed to myself and turned on the water for a shower. Normally I wasn't easily spooked, but my parents were gone on a month long vacation, and what had seemed like not a big deal, me staying by myself—I was eighteen after all, now made me uneasy. I supposed most people would have stayed with friends, but I just wasn't that close to anyone. Also, I was trying to prove my maturity to my parents, who were putting a lot of trust in me. They'll only be gone another three weeks…I can handle this, I thought to myself. Noticing the room filling with steam, I opened the window. It wouldn't help much, I knew, with the muggy air outside almost as humid as the air in the bathroom. The suspicious person that I was being, I glanced out of the window, scanning the tree line for any potential threat. I looked straight down. The window was three stories up, and unless an intruder wanted to bring an industrial sized ladder with them, no one would be able to scale that height. I shook my head to clear away the paranoid musings, and walking to the bathroom counter turned on my music. I stripped out of my clothing and glanced at my reflection. My hair was brown and about down to my waist, my eyes were green, and my skin was a warm tan that echoed my Spanish roots. My lips were full, and my features were straight, but I didn't think of myself as gorgeous. Pretty, yes, but I wasn't beautiful by any reasonable standards. I did a few poses in the mirror, set to my music, before laughing and jumping into the shower. I inhaled and sighed deeply, enjoying the hot water as it tumbled through my hair and down my body, slightly reddening my skin with the heat. I washed off all of the mud from my figure and then relaxed into the warmth, listening to the beats of the music that seemed to match the rhythms of my pulse.

JPOV

The anticipation was incredible. The street narrowed and the houses were spaced further apart. Whoever was responsible for that irresistible scent lived on this road. James was sure of that now. He slowed to an almost human pace as he walked up to the first house. He inhaled deeply, and then dismissed the place as not being the one. He continued to hunt, stalking through the night, imagining the taste of the hot blood that would fill his mouth and sate his hunger. He circled each house, sampling the air before rejecting them. He laughed when he looked to the next house. "It would have to be the last," he laughed quietly to himself. "It's always the last place you look." He slowly crept along the side of the house, his anticipation almost unbearable as the scent strengthened. He came to a stop to collect himself. He would do this slowly. He would not rush it, because the sensations were too good not to savor. He listened carefully and heard water rushing in pipes, and music playing. There was also a heartbeat, breathing, and the sound of blood rushing quickly through veins. James thought for a moment, about how best to draw out the feeding. He would have to create a smaller injury than he normally would, one that wouldn't allow much blood to pour freely. He would have to work that kind of wound harder to draw out the blood, but it would serve the purpose of playing the experience out longer. A brief thought flitted through his mind, that whoever his prey was, she was going to be in no small amount of pain. The thought didn't bother him, but he wasn't excited by it either. He frowned slightly. If the female was going to provide him with what was probably the best tasting blood he had ever had, then perhaps he could repay that her by making her death as easy as possible. Knocking her out would be simple enough, he decided. He could easily do that, and then whoever the female was, she wouldn't suffer as much. He would still make his presence known, allow the fear to spike the taste of the blood, to make the heart race so that the blood would rush easily enough to his waiting mouth, but after that he would knock her out, so that she wouldn't suffer needlessly. He wasn't cruel, after all.

James walked to the back of the house, where the scent was strongest; looking a few stories up, he saw an open window. The jump was child's play, and he easily pulled himself into the house.

LPOV

I knew that I'd have to get out of the shower soon; the hot water was all but gone. Damn. I sighed and shut the water off. I reached for the towel as I threw the curtain open, stepping out of the tub…and froze. There was a man facing the shower, leaning casually against the bathroom wall, seemingly lost in thought. Oh, god. I must've hit my head when I fell. I couldn't move. I pictured myself lying next to the sidewalk, unconscious and hallucinating. The man glanced at me and I could feel his eyes move over my body. I shuddered. He was inhumanly beautiful, his light hair banded at the back of his neck and pale skin, smooth and taut under a rough leather jacket. His features were strong and appeared sinister-his eyes completely black. I felt a slight compulsion to reach out and touch him; his presence was so utterly surreal. Somewhere in my head was the rational part of my mind, urging me to run, cover up—scream—anything! I felt my heart slow and knew that I had to be caught in a dream, nightmare, or hallucination of some sort. The man's eyes narrowed as he crossed the distance between us. I realized that I was still staring at his face, which was too suddenly only a few inches above mine. He had to be a foot taller than me. I gasped slightly at the speed with which he had crossed the distance between us, and tried to step back, but my leg hit the wall of the bathtub and I started to slip in the puddle of water I had left on the floor. I braced myself for the impact, closing my eyes…and nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see pale hands wrapped tightly around my upper arms. I was intrigued by the contrasts that I noted. My skin was still steaming from the hot shower, whereas his hands felt as though he had walked in from the cold. His pale, smooth skin made my warm, brown skin seem even more rich and dark. The look in his jet black irises was suddenly incredulous as his gaze fell to my face.

JPOV

James wasn't sure what to do. He had glanced up so slowly, ready to allow a moment for her to scream, a second for her heart to speed and then he had met her gaze with his own. She had a slight build, chocolate hair that was plastered to her shoulders and trailing down her back, and bronze skin that was still beaded with water. Her eyes were jade green, searching, and he noted that she didn't seem to be afraid. He had moved to within a few inches of her-to tell her exactly why she should be afraid, when she slipped and he had unthinkingly caught her. He stared at her, wondering why she wasn't panicking.

LPOV

"This is usually when people start screaming," the man said, holding me immobile. I couldn't shrug, so I tilted my head slightly before speaking.

"I try not to be afraid of hallucinations," I stated somewhat seriously, looking up at him.

His eyebrow arched. "I can promise you—I am very real." His voice was low and dangerous, and I felt a small trickle of fear slip down my spine. He smiled and leaned in toward me.

I had to know if he was real. I moved my head and instead of his lips hitting…whatever he was aiming for…they collided with mine, immobilizing us both. I attempted to move my head back and speak, but I think the action was misinterpreted, as the mouth suddenly pressed harder and opened my lips with the pressure. As I felt his tongue press into mine, the thought occurred that I must have a raging fever, because his mouth was as icy as his hands. Unable or unwilling to suppress it, a slow moan escaped me as my tongue moved with his. This seemed to excite him, and he was abruptly pressed against me, the rough fabric of his clothing stimulating my exposed flesh. The rational part of my head was yelling again…this couldn't be happening, how did he get in, why is he here—this is dangerous…right? I tried to clear my head and think, but I was swimming through a multitude of sensations that didn't make any sense. I was so strongly attracted to him, to the feel of his skin pressing into mine, to the intensity of the look in his eyes, even, as odd as it seemed, to the smell of him. He smelled like the wind before a storm, like a deep forest, like earth and rain. The word feral came to mind, and as I heard a growl deep from within his chest I knew it was true. The thought came instantly and unbidden—he wasn't human at all. Another spike of fear shot through me as I searched my mind for an appropriate term. He had cold flesh, dark eyes, was able to break into a house completely unnoticed, and…had tried to bring his lips to my neck. Vampire. The truth of that one word chilled me, and I pulled my head back to meet his eyes. He glared down at me and growled again.

JPOV

James growled and tried to collect his thoughts. What was he thinking? Moreover, what was she thinking? He tried to understand what was happening and could not put it together. She was distracting him, and he knew that if she was expecting anyone, then he would have to rush taking her blood, and lose some of the enjoyment, but perhaps, if there was time…there was something else to be enjoyed. He focused on her expression, trying to read her reaction. She was afraid now, and the scent perfumed the air and nearly ended his will, but he mastered it with an inconceivable amount of effort and resisted killing her on the spot. Still gripping her arms tightly, he asked, "Do you believe that I'm real now?"

He was pleased when she nodded frantically. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, unintentionally moving herself against him and nearly breaking his will again. He snared his thirst once again, beating it back with difficulty.

Her voice gently eased into his consciousness. "What—um, why are you here? How did you get in?"

"The window," he stated, answering the second question, "and do you really want to know why I'm here?" His glare at this was enough to terrify most humans, who sensed his kind on a subconscious level, so he was surprised at her reaction. Her beautiful eyes narrowed, and she glared back.

"Yes, I think I want to know! It does affect me pretty intensely, I'm guessing." She crossed her lower arms as well as she could, unaware of the fact that she had gathered her breasts and proffered them like some kind of buffet…It took every ounce of will in his being not to take what was offered and bite her then and there. Instead he looked straight at her and spoke casually, telling her exactly what he was here for. Her eyes widened, and she finally seemed panicked. "You're going to kill me?" She asked, as her lower lip trembled delicately.

James sighed exasperatedly and pulled slightly away from her. "It's how I survive." He tried to be nonchalant about it, just coolly stating facts. "I was planning on using your life to sustain my own."

She looked as though she might be sick. "Will you hurt me?"

He sighed again, wondering why it should matter at all to him. It would be the easiest thing in the world to just move one hand up and force her head to collide with the wall, knocking her out and allowing him to enjoy his meal. He looked to her face again, and for some unknown reason continued to answer her questions. He tried to reason that if she was brave enough to ask them, that he could be generous enough to answer them. He noted that she was shaking. "I was planning on you being unconscious," he stated simply. She nodded.

"Why me?" The question was not unfamiliar to his ears, though the tone of her quiet voice made the question seem unusually important to him.

He looked across the room, studying her reflection in the mirror as he tried to collect his thoughts. "Your scent…is unbearably intoxicating. I knew that I had to have you." Her face reddened slightly and he cocked his head and raised a questioning eyebrow.

She answered, stammering slightly, "I…I was actually noticing your scent, before I realized what you were."

James let out a low chuckle at this. "Did you want to bite me, human? You might hurt yourself in the attempt."

She reddened even more, and the sight of the blood flowing to her cheeks was agonizingly painful to his tenuous control, but he did enjoy the effect that he was having. He came to the sudden conclusion that he did not want her cold, and dead in the ground. The thought was staggering, and he tried to shove it violently from his mind. Of course he would kill her! Within the next hour her body would be cooling in the darkness of the thick forest that surrounded the area. An unknown feeling clawed through him, and he knew that he didn't want that for her, but what other choice did he have?

LPOV

I was going to die. Worse, I was going to be used and tossed aside as an old food wrapper. I felt tears spring to my eyes and beat them back, unwilling to try to beg for my life. The vampire was thinking about something, and I wondered if I could run out of the bathroom and barricade the door quickly enough to escape. I then mentally smacked myself, if he was powerful enough to jump three stories, then he could probably move faster than I could even see. I also reasoned that if he was a natural predator, then the last thing I should do is run or panic. My gaze started to once again trace over his lines and contours, I studied his face, and jaw line, mentally running a hand over the smooth surface. I wondered what it would be like to wrap my arms around him as our bodies connected and moved. I tried in vain to clear these thoughts from my head, but was unable to do so. I started crying then, utterly frustrated and confused as to how to react. The vampire's head turned quickly to my face and I saw a brief flicker of regret in his eyes. He reached with one hand, freeing my left arm, and brushed a tear from my cheek. My free arm reached out, seemingly of its own volition, and grasped the front of his jacket, pulling me closer. He inhaled deeply, and I embarrassingly knew that he could most likely smell my arousal. It appeared that he did, and he casually moved his body to press harder into mine. I gasped and would have collapsed if I had been able to. As it was, my body was pressed into the wall next to the bathtub.

The vampire looked at me curiously, and then seemed to come to a decision. He brushed a hand down my side-leaving a freezing trail, and placed it on my hip, then he pushed one of his legs between mine, pressing his thigh hard against me. With his other hand he gripped my face and turned it up to meet his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was deeper, and he was shaking slightly, as though it was taking a great deal of effort to speak. "Do…you…want…this?"

I spoke with great difficulty myself. "I don't want to die…but I do want to be with you, yes."

His voice was rough as he answered me. "I'll try not to kill you, I give you my word."

I felt my eyes widen with relief. He pressed against me harder. "Wait," I choked out. He looked at me incredulously as I continued my question, "what is your name?"

He blinked his eyes before letting out another low chuckle. "I am James. You?"

"Adalira," I answered, "or just Lira."

He considered that briefly, and then slid his hand lower, slipping it between my legs and caressing my folds gently. He abruptly halted this movement, and locked onto my gaze again. "Lira," he began, his breathing erratic, "I will ask, one more time. Do you want this?" At each spoken word of his question he slid a finger into my core and back out.

"God, James…yes, please!" I fell toward him and gripped his shoulders as he continued sliding a cold finger in and out of my entrance. He grinned and pressed me back, against the wall, holding me there with one hand as his other worked between my legs. When I thought I might go insane from the building pressure he withdrew his hand and pressed his leg against me once again. I moaned in desperation, but was pinned against the wall, unable to move. James smiled at me again and grasped one leg behind the knee, and lifted, placing my foot on the side of the tub, before kneeling in front of me. I put both of my hands on his shoulders as he placed his own hands: one at my hip, securing me to the wall, and the other on the inner thigh of my uplifted leg. His mouth moved forward and he met his lips to my lower lips. I cried out as an icy tongue entered me, moving sensuously and slowly. His grip on my hip intensified and he was shaking slightly. James moved evilly, teasing and licking me, tracing cold circles around my clitoris before taking the small nub in between his lips, rhythmically rolling it before sucking gently and causing me to shudder with pleasure. I was so close. His mouth moved away, causing me to moan a protest.

JPOV

He was going to kill her, drain her on the spot if he didn't move his mouth away from her core. He heard her moan and knew that if she realized why he had moved his head away, she'd probably be grateful. He growled as her body undulated against him nearly breaking his self control again...if she had any idea. James grasped her wrists and forced them up above her head, forcing her to her toes. He reveled at the sight of her breasts lifting as her back arched and she tried to maintain her balance. He hungrily put his mouth on one of her nipples and growled again taking it in and sucking on it roughly as it tightened. Lira gasped and moaned loudly in response to this and arched further from the wall, trying to press against him harder. His free hand gripped his own jacket and ripped it off easily, and he discarded it. He watched as her eyes grew wide and she inhaled sharply. He pressed himself to her fully, still holding her wrists securely, and placed his other hand at the small of her back. He felt her hot mouth on his neck licking him and slowly grazing him with her teeth. The sensation was incredible. He slid his hand down lower, cupping her ass and lifting her a few inches. She wrapped her legs around his waist and strained to free her hands. He let them go and one immediately grasped the back of his neck as the other reached for his pants. He grunted and gripped her ass tightly with his hand as he felt her fingers fumble at the zipper and button below his naval. She writhed in response, grinding herself against him as his control broke. He grasped her wrists again and pressed them into the wall with one hand as he finished opening his pants and took out his throbbing length. The scent of her arousal clouded his thoughts and the feel of her soft legs wrapped around his waist tightly was too much. He growled and surged into her.

LPOV

I was aware of a low, feral growl filling my ears as I struggled with James's zipper, when suddenly I was being squeezed into the wall, shocked at finding my hands once more pressed above me as James nearly ripped his zipper off, revealing his erection. I was as prepared as I could be, and grateful beyond words that I wasn't a virgin, because otherwise I knew that he would hurt me with his size. I felt his next growl before my ears registered it and I shivered with anticipation. I felt him thrust roughly up into me, and cried out at the intense sensations that coursed through me causing my inner muscles to tighten and climax around James's shaft as he buried himself deep inside of me. I moaned as he began to withdraw himself and then shoved back in, the waves of pleasure at the orgasm still rolling through me. He continued slowly, pulling out almost entirely before forcefully pushing his way back inside of me. I was shuddering in pleasure as his pace quickened and he began thrust into me with more force, our hips impacting with each thrust. He brought his lips harshly onto mine and separated them forcibly, shoving his tongue into my mouth as I felt consumed by his fervor. He growled again and started moving even faster, building an unbearable tension in me as I simply held on and tried to breathe. He removed his hand from my wrists and planted it on the wall behind me. I saw a slight movement and watched in shock as his hand tore through the wall, leaving a gaping hole and mass of wood and plaster in his wake. I felt fear snake into my consciousness as he broke away from our kiss and his head dropped to my neck. His tongue snaked along my skin and his icy lips pressed hard against me.

JPOV

James continued thrusting into her small warm body as he brought his lips to her throat, practically tasting the fear and coppery warmth through her skin. All it would take is the slightest amount of pressure and the perfect taste would flood, scalding into his mouth as he moved with her. He shoved violently away from the wall, falling through the locked door into the bedroom and onto the carpeted floor, cradling her closely. He rolled her so that he was lying over her, having not even broken his rhythm as he pressed her hard into the carpet keeping his mouth locked shut. Instead of his mouth he put a hand around her throat, squeezing gently as the blood rushed through that thin layer of skin below his fingers. Her legs remained wrapped around him as he pounded into her, one hand resting on her neck, the other on the floor, holding his weight off of her. Her eyes were wide and she put a hand on each of his arms gripping him with all of her human strength. Moving his hand from her neck, he pulled one of her legs from around his waist and placed it on his shoulder moving even deeper inside of her as she moaned again, her face flushed and breathing erratic. He brought both of his hands to her midsection and lifted her into each thrust. He felt her shudder again and her sex gripped him tightly as she cried out. He grunted and continued thrusting as she gripped his wrists with her small hands. He leaned once more to her neck, tasting the thin layer of skin there.

LPOV

As the second climax continued to break over me I felt James lean again and sensed his icy tongue sampling the flesh of my throat. I froze and braced myself, biting my lip. As the intensity of his movements within me increased, I felt that same wicked pressure, again building inside of me. I was going to combust. The icy feel of his mouth on my neck and his cold body pressing me to the floor were driving me insane. His hips jerked erratically and I could tell that he wasn't far from losing himself completely. I bit my lip harder and felt warmth trickle from my mouth as I was pushed over the limits of my sanity, climaxing again. At the same moment James shuddered and growled out, thrusting into me once more, deeper than I thought possible. Still inside of me he suddenly pulled his head away from my neck and his gaze fell to my mouth. I realized he had smelled the blood coming from my lip, where I had bit it. He was suddenly there, drawing my lip into his mouth and sucking on it, locking my mouth to his and moving his lips tightly against mine.

JPOV

The taste was better than he had even imagined. He drew the blood slowly out of her lip as he pressed her frame to the floor, he felt her hands move to his chest and push slightly and frailly against him, but it didn't matter. The burning flavor flooding his mouth drove every thought from his head as he distractedly moved to grasp her wrists, once again moving them out of the way and holding them securely. He inhaled deeply, excited at the scent of sex, blood, and fear. There was something else too. He pressed more closely into her and named the fourth scent, tears. His mind returned suddenly and he ripped himself away from her and landed in what he guessed was the hall outside of her room. He fought violently to clamp down the raging thirst that was screaming at him to go back and continue what he had been doing. His mind raced. What if it's too late…how much blood had been taken? He couldn't move, for the concern that if he did it would bring him closer to her and the scent of that room. He waited as a war waged inside of him.

LPOV

Still shivering from the final climax I felt his mouth lock onto mine as he began to feed. I felt each pulse of blood pounding in my ears as fear gripped me. I tried to push on his chest, but he simply locked my wrists in his vice-like grip and continued to suck on the tiny wound on my lip. I felt a tear roll down my face as he leaned his body even closer to mine, when instantly and abruptly he was gone, and my bedroom door swung on its hinges. I continued lying on the floor for a moment, trying to calm myself. Instead of light from my lamp leaking into the shadowed hallway, it seemed more like the darkness was spilling into the bedroom. I shakily sat up and listened intently, not hearing anything but the music that still played in the damaged bathroom. I pushed against the bed and tried to stand. I felt light headed, and my legs were like rubber. I waited for a moment and was okay. I still didn't hear anything from the hall, but I had to know if he was still there. I walked slowly to the door.

JPOV

James heard her moving around, and thought that she was probably going to be alright. He tried to force himself to leave, just to back away slowly, but he remained frozen. The thirst inside of him was aching to charge back into the room and drain her of every drop of blood in her body, but that unusual part of him was torn at the idea of causing her death. He saw her shadow fill the doorway, and caught a glimpse of her eyes, before coming to the only decision that there ever was. He reached out and pulled her roughly against him, before pressing his razor-sharp teeth deeply into her throat.

Epilogue:

I raced through the darkness, trees blurring around me. I was still amazed at the speed with which I could navigate the dense woods. As I flew through a particularly thick area, I heard the sound behind me catching up. Impossible! I applied another burst of speed as I caught a glimpse of a lightening in the trees ahead. On a night with enough moonlight clearings were easy to spot. I reached the tree line in about two seconds time and paused, just as the dark shape behind me hurtled into me, grasping me as the force of the movement carried us several feet into the clearing. I landed on my back as the figure above me smirked.

"I told you that I will always find you, there is nowhere you can run that I cannot track you to." James casually leaned into me at these words, and brushed his lips against mine. I moaned and arched into him, feeling him smile. "Lira," he started, smiling evilly as he pulled away from me, "you're it." I gasped and sat up to see his retreating form disappear into the trees. I smiled easily. He was a better tracker, but I was faster, and he didn't have a good enough head start. I sped into the darkness after him.

The End

A/N: I love reviews, and requests!!