First Blood | Ed. Cullen & B. Swan

Prologue

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.