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HUNTERS OF THE NIGHT

∞...EMMETT...∞

That Rosalie was hot. Smoking hot. The way she held Laurent, like she wasn't using any force at all, well, it made me want to know just what she could do if she tried.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was tall, curvy, blonde and sassy. I'd never had a type before, but she was it.

The brunette, Bella, was blocking Edward! That was great. I thanked her and Edward thanked her, too. He said at least with me, if I thought it, I said it. But he got tired of listening to me twice, like he had to. I got tired of him listening to my thoughts, too. Some of them were private, if you get what I mean.

Wanting to get closer to Rosalie, I went to her side and asked if she'd like me to hold the scum for her. When she glared at me, I let her know that I didn't doubt her abilities, I just wanted to have some of the fun, too.

My unbeating heart nearly stuttered when, after I got my arms around Laurent, she stood up on the toes of her red stiletto clad feet and kissed me on the cheek. I nearly let him go, but not quite. I had the feeling that she'd be annoyed, and I didn't want that.

The little one, Alice, started squealing as my brothers came up with a truly devious idea. That's when the three captives really started to thrash around. They didn't take any comfort from the idea that our sire would approve of this plan.

We'd need three crates and Alice searched with her heebie-jeebie gift and found that they could find them at the wine shop on the main street. Jasper and Alice ran off to get them. Don't think I didn't notice the way they were looking at each other either. It was the way Edward and Bella were giving each other the side-eye…and the way that I was watching my Rosie.

Yeah, she was going to be mine, I know it!

Edward dazzled the two co-eds into thinking that we were in the middle of some game and he and Bella trotted them off to the well-lit dance that was still going on a couple of blocks away. They'd be safe enough there.

When Jasper and Alice got back with the crates, some nails and some UPS labels, that's when the fun really began.

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∞...Epilogue...∞

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Gianna signed the bill of lading for three crates. The UPS guy was in a hurry to leave the foyer. He didn't know what was up with this place, but he hated coming here and was grateful that it didn't happen often. The people he saw here were just freaky. He was glad to have the containers out of his truck, too. Something about them gave him the creeps. In a rush, he turned and left as fast as was humanly possible.

Demetri and Felix were walking by her desk and stopped to look at the three large boxes. Their superior sense of smell told them that there were vampires inside. But it was odd; the scents of three vampires were spread pretty much evenly between the three boxes.

"Who are these from, Gianna?" The pretty human handed over a letter that had accompanied the boxes to Demetri and he read out loud, "From the Cullens to Aro Volturi." With a laugh, the two male vampires picked the crates up and carried them to the throne room where the ruling triad was holding court.

All conversation stopped when they entered the room and dropped the boxes onto the floor in front of Aro. With a reverent nod of his head, Demetri offered the letter to his leader. Aro took it and began to read. Soon laughter overcame him and everyone stopped to watch this strange occurrence. Once he caught his uneeded breath, Aro read aloud:

My dear Aro, he began in his musical voice, It has been a long time and I hope this finds you well. My family has grown as my three sons have recently found their mates. No worries, we are all living apart as it's hard to be around newly mated couples, as I'm sure you know. I don't see us living together as a family in the near decades.

I've sent some nomads your way who have been trying to become a part of the Guard. They seem to think that they are special, when, in fact, they are merely annoying.

In the crates you will find a coven that called themselves, THE HUNTERS OF THE NIGHT.

James is their leader and he thinks he's a tracker of the highest ranking. I'm sure that Demetri will like hearing that he's compared himself to that Guard and his inexhaustible talents.

At that point, Demetri growled and smacked the crate nearest him as everyone else laughed at the audacity of anyone who thought they were better than the Guard's own tracker. When the laughter dwindled away, Aro continued:

James had two coven members with him. They also had dreams of grandeur. The female, Victoria is quite adept at evasion, but her personality leaves much to be desired. Also, Laurent seems to think he's, per his own words, "hotter than any other vampire in existence."

Since they were too shy to approach you directly, we paid their airfare and have sent them to you ourselves.

They annoyed my children and there was a slight altercation. The three cases include all of their parts, but they are not together. We did try to put an equal amount in each crate. I'm sure that if you pour them in a pile, they will eventually sort themselves out.

Please deal with them as you see fit.

We really should get together some century. Until then, be well.

Yours,

Carlisle Cullen

Thanks, so much, for reading my HUNTERS OF THE NIGHT.

Again, thank you for your contributions to the FANDOM GIVES BACK COMPILATION. Your $$$ make miracles happen!

I started thinking about this story...based on this song...a couple of years ago. I started writing it, thinking that it was going to be a more serious piece with lots of Jasper and Alice. And then it took a different turn...and this came into being. Hope you enjoyed it!

Kathie