I COWERED INTO JACOBโS SIDE, MY EYES SCANNING THE forest
for the other werewolves. When they appeared, striding out from between the trees, they werenโt what I was expecting. Iโd gotten the image of the wolves stuck in my head. These were just four really big half-naked boys.
Again, they reminded me of brothers, quadruplets. Something about the way they moved almost in synchronization to stand across the road from us, the way they all had the same long, round muscles under the same red- brown skin, the same cropped black hair, and the way their expressions altered at exactly the same moment.
They started out curious and cautious. When they saw me there, half- hidden beside Jacob, they all became furious in the same second.
Sam was still the biggest, though Jacob was getting close to catching up with him. Sam didnโt really count as a boy. His face was olderโnot in the sense of lines or signs of aging, but in the maturity, the patience of his expression.
โWhat have you done, Jacob?โ he demanded.
One of the others, one I didnโt recognizeโJared or Paulโthrust past Sam and spoke before Jacob could defend himself.
โWhy canโt you just follow the rules, Jacob?โ he yelled, throwing his arms in the air. โWhat the hell are you thinking? Is she more important than everythingโthan the whole tribe? Than the people getting killed?โ
โShe can help,โ Jacob said quietly.
โHelp!โ the angry boy shouted. His arms begin to quiver. โOh, thatโs likely! Iโm sure the leech-lover is justย dyingย to help us out!โ
โDonโt talk about her like that!โ Jacob shouted back, stung by the boyโs criticism.
A shudder rippled through the other boy, along his shoulders and down his spine.
โPaul! Relax!โ Sam commanded.
Paul shook his head back and forth, not in defiance, but as though he were trying to concentrate.
โJeez, Paul,โ one of the other boysโprobably Jaredโmuttered. โGet a grip.โ
Paul twisted his head toward Jared, his lips curling back in irritation.
Then he shifted his glare in my direction. Jacob took a step to put himself in front of me.
That did it.
โRight, protectย her!โ Paul roared in outrage. Another shudder, a convulsion, heaved through his body. He threw his head back, a real growl tearing from between his teeth.
โPaul!โ Sam and Jacob shouted together.
Paul seemed to fall forward, vibrating violently. Halfway to the ground, there was a loud ripping noise, and the boy exploded.
Dark silver fur blew out from the boy, coalescing into a shape more than five-times his sizeโa massive, crouched shape, ready to spring.
The wolfโs muzzle wrinkled back over his teeth, and another growl rolled through his colossal chest. His dark, enraged eyes focused on me.
In the same second, Jacob was running across the road straight for the monster.
โJacob!โ I screamed.
Mid-stride, a long tremor shivered down Jacobโs spine. He leaped forward, diving headfirst into the empty air.
With another sharp tearing sound, Jacob exploded, too. He burst out of his skinโshreds of black and white cloth blasted up into the air. It happened so quickly that if Iโd blinked, Iโd have missed the entire transformation. One second it was Jacob diving into the air, and then it was the gigantic, russet brown wolfโso enormous that I couldnโt make sense of its mass somehow fitting inside Jacobโcharging the crouched silver beast.
Jacob met the other werewolfโs attack head-on. Their angry snarls echoed like thunder off the trees.
The black and white scrapsโthe remains of Jacobโs clothesโfluttered to the ground where heโd disappeared.
โJacob!โ I screamed again, staggering forward.
โStay where you are, Bella,โ Sam ordered. It was hard to hear him over the roar of the fighting wolves. They were snapping and tearing at each other, their sharp teeth flashing toward each otherโs throats. The Jacob-wolf seemed to have the upper handโhe was visibly bigger than the other wolf, and it looked like he was stronger, too. He rammed his shoulder against the gray wolf again and again, knocking him back toward the trees.
โTake her to Emilyโs,โ Sam shouted toward the other boys, who were watching the conflict with rapt expressions. Jacob had successfully shoved the gray wolf off the road, and they were disappearing into the forest, though the sound of their snarls was still loud. Sam ran after them, kicking off his shoes on the way. As he darted into the trees, he was quivering from head to toe.
The growling and snapping was fading into the distance. Suddenly, the sound cut off and it was very quiet on the road.
One of the boys started laughing.
I turned to stare at himโmy wide eyes felt frozen, like I couldnโt even blink them.
The boy seemed to be laughing at my expression. โWell, thereโs something you donโt see every day,โ he snickered. His face was vaguely familiarโthinner than the others. Embry Call.
โI do,โ the other boy, Jared, grumbled. โEvery single day.โ
โAw, Paul doesnโt lose his temperย everyย day,โ Embry disagreed, still grinning. โMaybe two out of three.โ
Jared stopped to pick something white up off the ground. He held it up toward Embry; it dangled in limp strips from his hand.
โTotally shredded,โ Jared said. โBilly said this was the last pair he could affordโguess Jacobโs going barefoot now.โ
โThis one survived,โ Embry said, holding up a white sneaker. โJake can hop,โ he added with a laugh.
Jared started collecting various pieces of fabric from the dirt. โGet Samโs shoes, will you? All the rest of this is headed for the trash.โ
Embry grabbed the shoes and then jogged into the trees where Sam had disappeared. He was back in a few seconds with a pair of cut-off jeans draped over his arm. Jared gathered the torn remnants of Jacobโs and Paulโs clothes and wadded them into a ball. Suddenly, he seemed to remember me.
He looked at me carefully, assessing.
โHey, youโre not going to faint or puke or anything?โ he demanded. โI donโtย thinkย so,โ I gasped.
โYou donโt look so good. Maybe you should sit down.โ
โOkay,โ I mumbled. For the second time in one morning, I put my head between my knees.
โJake should have warned us,โ Embry complained.
โHe shouldnโt have brought his girlfriend into this. What did he expect?โ
โWell, the wolfโs out of the bag now.โ Embry sighed. โWay to go, Jake.โ
I raised my head to glare at the two boys who seemed to be taking this all so lightly. โArenโt you worried about them at all?โ I demanded.
Embry blinked once in surprise. โWorried? Why?โ โThey could hurt each other!โ
Embry and Jared guffawed.
โIย hopeย Paul gets a mouthful of him,โ Jared said. โTeach him a lesson.โ I blanched.
โYeah, right!โ Embry disagreed. โDid youย seeย Jake? Even Sam couldnโt have phased on the fly like that. He saw Paul losing it, and it took him, what, half a second to attack? The boyโs got a gift.โ
โPaulโs been fighting longer. Iโll bet you ten bucks he leaves a mark.โ โYouโre on. Jakeโs a natural. Paul doesnโt have a prayer.โ
They shook hands, grinning.
I tried to comfort myself with their lack of concern, but I couldnโt drive the brutal image of the fighting werewolves from my head. My stomach churned, sore and empty, my head ached with worry.
โLetโs go see Emily. You know sheโll have food waiting.โ Embry looked down at me. โMind giving us a ride?โ
โNo problem,โ I choked.
Jared raised one eyebrow. โMaybe youโd better drive, Embry. She still looks like she might hurl.โ
โGood idea. Where are the keys?โ Embry asked me. โIgnition.โ
Embry opened the passenger-side door. โIn you go,โ he said cheerfully, hauling me up from the ground with one hand and stuffing me into my seat.
He appraised the available space. โYouโll have to ride in the back,โ he told Jared.
โThatโs fine. I got a weak stomach. I donโt want to be in there when she blows.โ
โI bet sheโs tougher than that. She runs with vampires.โ โFive bucks?โ Jared asked.
โDone. I feel guilty, taking your money like this.โ
Embry got in and started the engine while Jared leapt agilely into the bed. As soon as his door was closed, Embry muttered to me, โDonโt throw up, okay? Iโve only got a ten, and if Paul got his teeth into Jacob . . .โ
โOkay,โ I whispered.
Embry drove us back toward the village.
โHey, how did Jake get around the injunction anyway?โ โThe…what?โ
โEr, the order. You know, to not spill the beans. How did he tell you about this?โ
โOh, that,โ I said, remembering Jacob trying to choke out the truth to me last night. โHe didnโt. I guessed right.โ
Embry pursed his lips, looking surprised. โHmm. Sโpose that would work.โ
โWhere are we going?โ I asked.
โEmilyโs house. Sheโs Samโs girlfriend…no, fiancรฉe, now, I guess.
Theyโll meet us back there after Sam gives it to them for what just happened. And after Paul and Jake scrounge up some new clothes, if Paul even has any left.โ
โDoes Emily know about…?โ
โYeah. And hey, donโt stare at her. That bugs Sam.โ I frowned at him. โWhy would I stare?โ
Embry looked uncomfortable. โLike you saw just now, hanging out around werewolves has its risks.โ He changed the subject quickly. โHey, are you okay about the whole thing with the black-haired bloodsucker in the meadow? It didnโt look like he was a friend of yours, but . . .โ Embry shrugged.
โNo, he wasnโt my friend.โ
โThatโs good. We didnโt want to start anything, break the treaty, you know.โ
โOh, yeah, Jake told me about the treaty once, a long time ago. Why would killing Laurent break the treaty?โ
โLaurent,โ he repeated, snorting, like he was amused the vampire had had a name. โWell, we were technically on Cullen turf. Weโre not allowed to attack any of them, the Cullens, at least, off our landโunless they break the treaty first. We didnโt know if the black-haired one was a relative of theirs or something. Looked like you knew him.โ
โHow would they go about breaking the treaty?โ
โIf they bite a human. Jake wasnโt so keen on the idea of letting it go that far.โ
โOh. Um, thanks. Iโm glad you didnโt wait.โ
โOur pleasure.โ He sounded like he meant that in a literal sense.
Embry drove past the easternmost house on the highway before turning off onto a narrow dirt road. โYour truck is slow,โ he noted.
โSorry.โ
At the end of the lane was a tiny house that had once been gray. There was only one narrow window beside the weathered blue door, but the window box under it was filled with bright orange and yellow marigolds, giving the whole place a cheerful look.
Embry opened the truck door and inhaled. โMmm, Emilyโs cooking.โ Jared jumped out of the back of the truck and headed for the door, but
Embry stopped him with one hand on his chest. He looked at me meaningfully, and cleared his throat.
โI donโt have my wallet on me,โ Jared said. โThatโs okay. I wonโt forget.โ
They climbed up the one step and entered the house without knocking. I followed timidly after them.
The front room, like Billyโs house, was mostly kitchen. A young woman with satiny copper skin and long, straight, crow-black hair was standing at the counter by the sink, popping big muffins out of a tin and placing them on a paper plate. For one second, I thought the reason Embry had told me not to stare was because the girl was so beautiful.
And then she asked โYou guys hungry?โ in a melodic voice, and she turned to face us full on, a smile on half of her face.
The right side of her face was scarred from hairline to chin by three thick, red lines, livid in color though they were long healed. One line pulled
down the corner of her dark, almond-shaped right eye, another twisted the right side of her mouth into a permanent grimace.
Thankful for Embryโs warning, I quickly turned my eyes to the muffins in her hands. They smelled wonderfulโlike fresh blueberries.
โOh,โ Emily said, surprised. โWhoโs this?โ
I looked up, trying to focus on the left half of her face.
โBella Swan,โ Jared told her, shrugging. Apparently, Iโd been a topic of conversation before. โWho else?โ
โLeave it to Jacob to find a way around,โ Emily murmured. She stared at me, and neither half of her once-beautiful face was friendly. โSo, youโre the vampire girl.โ
I stiffened. โYes. Are you the wolf girl?โ
She laughed, as did Embry and Jared. The left half of her face warmed. โI guess I am.โ She turned to Jared. โWhereโs Sam?โ
โBella, er, surprised Paul this morning.โ
Emily rolled her good eye. โAh, Paul,โ she sighed. โDo you think theyโll be long? I was just about to start the eggs.โ
โDonโt worry,โ Embry told her. โIf theyโre late, we wonโt let anything go to waste.โ
Emily chuckled, and then opened the refrigerator. โNo doubt,โ she agreed. โBella, are you hungry? Go ahead and help yourself to a muffin.โ
โThanks.โ I took one from the plate and started nibbling around the edges. It was delicious, and it felt good in my tender stomach. Embry picked up his third and shoved it into his mouth whole.
โSave some for your brothers,โ Emily chastised him, hitting him on the head with a wooden spoon. The word surprised me, but the others thought nothing of it.
โPig,โ Jared commented.
I leaned against the counter and watched the three of them banter like a family. Emilyโs kitchen was a friendly place, bright with white cupboards and pale wooden floorboards. On the little round table, a cracked blue-and- white china pitcher was overflowing with wildflowers. Embry and Jared seemed entirely at ease here.
Emily was mixing a humongous batch of eggs, several dozen, in a big yellow bowl. She had the sleeves of her lavender shirt pushed up, and I could see that the scars extended all the way down her arm to the back of
her right hand. Hanging out with werewolves truly did have its risks, just as Embry had said.
The front door opened, and Sam stepped through.
โEmily,โ he said, and so much love saturated his voice that I felt embarrassed, intrusive, as I watched him cross the room in one stride and take her face in his wide hands. He leaned down and kissed the dark scars on her right cheek before he kissed her lips.
โHey, none of that,โ Jared complained. โIโm eating.โ
โThen shut up and eat,โ Sam suggested, kissing Emilyโs ruined mouth again.
โUgh,โ Embry groaned.
This was worse than any romantic movie; this was so real that it sang out loud with joy and life and true love. I put my muffin down and folded my arms across my empty chest. I stared at the flowers, trying to ignore the utter peace of their moment, and the wretched throbbing of my wounds.
I was grateful for the distraction when Jacob and Paul came through the door, and then shocked when I saw that they were laughing. While I watched, Paul punched Jacob on the shoulder and Jacob went for a kidney jab in return. They laughed again. They both appeared to be in one piece.
Jacob scanned the room, his eyes stopping when he found me leaning, awkward and out of place, against the counter in the far corner of the kitchen.
โHey, Bells,โ he greeted me cheerfully. He grabbed two muffins as he passed the table and came to stand beside me. โSorry about before,โ he muttered under his breath. โHow are you holding up?โ
โDonโt worry, Iโm okay. Good muffins.โ I picked mine back up and started nibbling again. My chest felt better as soon as Jacob was beside me.
โOh, man!โ Jared wailed, interrupting us.
I looked up, and he and Embry were examining a fading pink line on Paulโs forearm. Embry was grinning, exultant.
โFifteen dollars,โ he crowed.
โDid you do that?โ I whispered to Jacob, remembering the bet. โI barely touched him. Heโll be perfect by sundown.โ
โBy sundown?โ I looked at the line on Paulโs arm. Odd, but it looked weeks old.
โWolf thing,โ Jacob whispered.
I nodded, trying to not look weirded out. โYouย okay?โ I asked him under my breath.
โNot a scratch on me.โ His expression was smug.
โHey, guys,โ Sam said in a loud voice, interrupting all the conversations going on in the small room. Emily was at the stove, scraping the egg mixture around a big skillet, but Sam still had one hand touching the small of her back, an unconscious gesture. โJacob has information for us.โ
Paul looked unsurprised. Jacob must have explained this to him and Sam already. Or…theyโd just heard his thoughts.
โI know what the redhead wants.โ Jacob directed his words toward Jared and Embry. โThatโs what I was trying to tell you before.โ He kicked the leg of the chair Paul had settled into.
โAnd?โ Jared asked.
Jacobโs face got serious. โSheย isย trying to avenge her mateโonly it wasnโt the black-haired leechย weย killed. The Cullens got her mate last year, and sheโs after Bella now.โ
This wasnโt news to me, but I still shivered.
Jared, Embry, and Emily stared at me with open-mouthed surprise. โSheโs just a girl,โ Embry protested.
โI didnโt say it made sense. But thatโs why the bloodsuckerโs been trying to get past us. Sheโs been heading for Forks.โ
They continued to stare at me, mouths still hanging open, for a long moment. I ducked my head.
โExcellent,โ Jared finally said, a smile beginning to pull up the corners of his mouth. โWeโve got bait.โ
With stunning speed, Jacob yanked a can opener from the counter and launched it at Jaredโs head. Jaredโs hand flicked up faster than I would have thought possible, and he snagged the tool just before it hit his face.
โBella isย notย bait.โ
โYou know what I mean,โ Jared said, unabashed.
โSo weโll be changing our patterns,โ Sam said, ignoring their squabble. โWeโll try leaving a few holes, and see if she falls for it. Weโll have to split up, and I donโt like that. But if sheโs really after Bella, she probably wonโt try to take advantage of our divided numbers.โ
โQuilโs got to be close to joining us,โ Embry murmured. โThen weโll be able to split evenly.โ
Everyone looked down. I glanced at Jacobโs face, and it was hopeless, like it had been yesterday afternoon, outside his house. No matter how comfortable they seemed to be with their fate, here in this happy kitchen, none of these werewolves wanted the same fate for their friend.
โWell, we wonโt count on that,โ Sam said in a low voice, and then continued at his regular volume. โPaul, Jared, and Embry will take the outer perimeter, and Jacob and I will take the inner. Weโll collapse in when weโve got her trapped.โ
I noticed that Emily didnโt particularly like that Sam would be in the smaller grouping. Her worry had me glancing up at Jacob, worrying, too.
Sam caught my eye. โJacob thinks it would be best if you spent as much time as possible here in La Push. She wonโt know where to find you so easily, just in case.โ
โWhat about Charlie?โ I demanded.
โMarch Madness is still going,โ Jacob said. โI think Billy and Harry can manage to keep Charlie down here when heโs not at work.โ
โWait,โ Sam said, holding one hand up. His glance flickered to Emily and then back to me. โThatโs what Jacob thinks is best, but you need to decide for yourself. You should weigh the risks of both options very seriously. You saw this morning how easily things can get dangerous here, how quickly they get out of hand. If you choose to stay with us, I canโt make any guarantees about your safety.โ
โI wonโt hurt her,โ Jacob mumbled, looking down.
Sam acted as if he hadnโt heard him speak. โIf there was somewhere else you felt safe . . .โ
I bit my lip. Where could I go that wouldnโt put someone else in danger? I recoiled again from the idea of bringing Renรฉe into thisโpulling her into the circle of the target I wore. โI donโt want to lead Victoria
anywhere else,โ I whispered.
Sam nodded. โThatโs true. Itโs better to have her here, where we can end this.โ
I flinched. I didnโt want Jacob or any of the rest of them trying toย endย Victoria. I glanced at Jakeโs face; it was relaxed, almost the same as I remembered it from before the onset of the wolf thing, and utterly unconcerned by the idea of hunting vampires.
โYouโll be careful, right?โ I asked, an audible lump in my throat.
The boys burst into loud hoots of amusement. Everyone laughed at me
โexcept Emily. She met my eyes, and I could suddenly see the symmetry underlying her deformity. Her face was still beautiful, and alive with a concern even more fierce than mine. I had to look away, before the love behind that concern could start me aching again.
โFoodโs ready,โ she announced then, and the strategic conversation was history. The guys hurried to surround the tableโwhich looked tiny and in danger of being crushed by themโand devoured the buffet-sized pan of eggs Emily placed in their midst in record time. Emily ate leaning against the counter like meโavoiding the bedlam at the tableโand watched them with affectionate eyes. Her expression clearly stated that this was her family.
All in all, it wasnโt exactly what Iโd been expecting from a pack of werewolves.
I spent the day in La Push, the majority of it in Billyโs house. He left a message on Charlieโs phone and at the station, and Charlie showed up around dinnertime with two pizzas. It was good he brought two larges; Jacob ate one all by himself.
I saw Charlie eyeing the two of us suspiciously all night, especially the much-changed Jacob. He asked about the hair; Jacob shrugged and told him it was just more convenient.
I knew that as soon as Charlie and I were headed home, Jacob would take offโoff to run around as a wolf, as he had done intermittently through the entire day. He and his brothers of sorts kept up a constant watch, looking for some sign of Victoriaโs return. But since theyโd chased her away from the hot springs last nightโchased her halfway to Canada, according to Jacobโsheโd yet to make another foray.
I had no hope at all that she might just give up. I didnโt have that kind of luck.
Jacob walked me to my truck after dinner and lingered by the window, waiting for Charlie to drive away first.
โDonโt be afraid tonight,โ Jacob said, while Charlie pretended to be having trouble with his seat belt. โWeโll be out there, watching.โ
โI wonโt worry about myself,โ I promised.
โYouโre silly. Hunting vampires is fun. Itโs the best part of this whole mess.โ
I shook my head. โIf Iโm silly, then youโre dangerously unbalanced.โ He chuckled. โGet some rest, Bella, honey. You look exhausted.โ โIโll try.โ
Charlie honked his horn impatiently.
โSee you tomorrow,โ Jacob said. โCome down first thing.โ โI will.โ
Charlie followed me home. I paid scant attention to the lights in my rearview mirror. Instead, I wondered where Sam and Jared and Embry and Paul were, out running in the night. I wondered if Jacob had joined them yet.
me.
When we got home, I hurried for the stairs, but Charlie was right behind
โWhatโs going on, Bella?โ he demanded before I could escape. โI
thought Jacob was part of a gang and you two were fighting.โ โWe made up.โ
โAnd the gang?โ
โI donโt knowโwho can understand teenage boys? Theyโre a mystery. But I met Sam Uley and his fiancรฉe, Emily. The seemed pretty nice to me.โ I shrugged. โMust have all been a misunderstanding.โ
His face changed. โI hadnโt heard that he and Emily had made it official.
Thatโs nice. Poor girl.โ
โDo you know what happened to her?โ
โMauled by a bear, up north, during salmon spawning seasonโhorrible accident. It was more than a year ago now. I heard Sam was really messed up over it.โ
โThatโs horrible,โ I echoed. More than a year ago. Iโd bet that meant it had happened when there was just one werewolf in La Push. I shuddered at the thought of how Sam must have felt every time he looked at Emilyโs face.
That night, I lay awake for a long time trying to sort through the day. I worked my way backward through dinner with Billy, Jacob, and Charlie, to the long afternoon in the Blacksโ house, waiting anxiously to hear something from Jacob, to Emilyโs kitchen, to the horror of the werewolf fight, to talking with Jacob on the beach.
I thought about what Jacob had said early this morning, about hypocrisy. I thought about that for a long time. I didnโt like to think that I
was a hypocrite, only what was the point of lying to myself?
I curled into a tight ball. No, Edward wasnโt a killer. Even in his darker past, heโd never been a murderer of innocents, at least.
But what if heย hadย been? What if, during the time I that Iโd known him, heโd been just like any other vampire? What if people had been disappearing from the woods, just like now? Would that have kept me away from him?
I shook my head sadly. Love is irrational, I reminded myself. The more you loved someone, the less sense anything made.
I rolled over and tried to think of something elseโand I thought of Jacob and his brothers, out running in the darkness. I fell asleep imagining the wolves, invisible in the night, guarding me from danger. When I dreamed, I stood in the forest again, but I didnโt wander. I was holding Emilyโs scarred hand as we faced into the shadows and waited anxiously for our werewolves to come home.