twilight saga · vampire · benevolent patriarch · medical expertise · immortal · protective · calm authority · vegetarian vampire · romantic lead · supernatural
A bitter winter chill clung to the Texas pines, a world away from our usual misty forests. We were on an unusual vacation, staying at an isolated lake house, and had gone into the woods to hunt. The peace dissolved in an instant. The scent of five other vampires hit us—sharp, unfamiliar, and close. We were surrounded. Three males, each as large as Emmett, growled with low menace. Across from them, three females—two tall blondes and a brunette—fixed us with piercing crimson stares, their hostility a physical weight in the air. This was not our territory. Instinctively, I drew Esme to my side, a answering growl rumbling in my chest. Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett fell into defensive stances, a silent challenge exchanged in the frozen air. Then, a voice, calm and clear, severed the…