15 WAGER. 17 ALLIANCE

15 WAGER

I STARED AT HIM FOR A LONG MINUTE, SPEECHLESS. I could not think of one thing to say to him.

As he watched my dumbfounded expression, the seriousness left his face.

“Okay, ” he said, grinning. “That’s all. ”

“Jake –” It felt like there was something big sticking in my throat. I tried to clear the obstruction. “I can’t – I mean I don’t. . . I have to go. ”

I turned, but he grabbed my shoulders and spun me around.

“No, wait. I know that, Bella. But, look, answer me this, all right? Do you want me to go away and never see you again? Be honest. ”

It was hard to concentrate on his question, so it took a minute to answer. “No, I don’t want that, ” I finally admitted.

Jacob grinned again. “See. ”

“But I don’t want you around for the same reason that you want me around, ” I objected.

“Tell me exactly why you want me around, then. ”

I thought carefully. “I miss you when you’re not there. When you’re happy, ” I qualified carefully, “it makes me happy. But I could say the same thing about Charlie, Jacob. You’re family. I love you, but I’m not in love with you. ”

He nodded, unruffled. “But you do want me around. ”

“Yes. ” I sighed. He was impossible to discourage.

“Then I’ll stick around. ”

“You’re a glutton for punishment, ” I grumbled.

“Yep. ” He stroked the tips of his fingers across my right cheek. I slapped his hand away.

“Do you think you could behave yourself a little better, at least? ” I asked, irritated.

“No, I don’t. You decide, Bella. You can have me the way I am – bad behavior included – or not at all. ”

I stared at him, frustrated. “That’s mean. ”

“So are you. ”

That pulled me up short, and I took an involuntary step back. He was right. If I wasn’t mean – and greedy, too – I would tell him I didn’t want to be friends and walk away. It was wrong to try to keep my friend when that would hurt him. I didn’t know what I was doing here, but I was suddenly sure that it wasn’t good.

“You’re right, ” I whispered.

He laughed. “I forgive you. Just try not to get too mad at me. Because I recently decided that I’m not giving up. There really is something irresistible about a lost cause. ”

“Jacob. ” I stared into his dark eyes, trying to make him take me seriously. “I love him, Jacob. He’s my whole life. ”

“You love me, too, ” he reminded me. He held up his hand when I started to protest. “Not the same way, I know. But he’s not your whole life, either. Not anymore. Maybe he was once, but he left. And now he’s just going to have to deal with the consequence of that choice – me. ”

I shook my head. “You’re impossible. ”

Suddenly, he was serious. He took my chin in his hand, holding it firmly so that I couldn’t look away from his intent gaze.

“Until your heart stops beating, Bella, ” he said. “I’ll be here – fighting. Don’t forget that you have options. ”

“I don’t want options, ” I disagreed, trying to yank my chin free unsuccessfully. “And my heartbeats are numbered, Jacob. The time is almost gone. ”

His eyes narrowed. “All the more reason to fight – fight harder now, while I can, ” he whispered.

He still had my chin – his fingers holding too tight, till it hurt – and I saw the resolve form abruptly in his eyes.

“N –” I started to object, but it was too late.

His lips crushed mine, stopping my protest. He kissed me angrily, roughly, his other hand gripping tight around the back of my neck, making escape impossible. I shoved against his chest with all my strength, but he didn’t even seem to notice. His mouth was soft, despite the anger, his lips molding to mine in a warm, unfamiliar way.

I grabbed at his face, trying to push it away, failing again. He seemed to notice this time, though, and it aggravated him. His lips forced mine open, and I could feel his hot breath in my mouth.

Acting on instinct, I let my hands drop to my side, and shut down. I opened my eyes and didn’t fight, didn’t feel. . . just waited for him to stop.

It worked. The anger seemed to evaporate, and he pulled back to look at me. He pressed his lips softly to mine again, once, twice. . . a third time. I pretended I was a statue and waited.

Finally, he let go of my face and leaned away.

“Are you done now? ” I asked in an expressionless voice.

“Yes, ” he sighed. He started to smile, closing his eyes.

I pulled my arm back and then let it snap forward, punching him in the mouth with as much power as I could force out of my body.

There was a crunching sound.

“Ow! OW! ” I screamed, frantically hopping up and down in agony while I clutched my hand to my chest. It was broken, I could feel it.

Jacob stared at me in shock. “Are you all right? ”

“No, dammit! You broke my hand! ”

“Bella, you broke your hand. Now stop dancing around and let me look at it. ”

“Don’t touch me! I’m going home right now! ”

“I’ll get my car, ” he said calmly. He wasn’t even rubbing his jaw like they did in the movies. How pathetic.

“No, thanks, ” I hissed. “I’d rather walk. ” I turned toward the road. It was only a few miles to the border. As soon as I got away from him, Alice would see me. She’d send somebody to pick me up.

“Just let me drive you home, ” Jacob insisted. Unbelievably, he had the nerve to wrap his arm around my waist.

I jerked away from him.

“Fine! ” I growled. “Do! I can’t wait to see what Edward does to you! I hope he snaps your neck, you pushy, obnoxious, moronic DOG! ”

Jacob rolled his eyes. He walked me to the passenger side of his car and helped me in. When he got in the driver’s side, he was whistling.

“Didn’t I hurt you at all? ” I asked, furious and annoyed.

“Are you kidding? If you hadn’t started screaming, I might not have figured out that you were trying to punch me. I may not be made out of stone, but I’m not that soft. ”

“I hate you, Jacob Black. ”

“That’s good. Hate is a passionate emotion. ”

“I’ll give you passionate, ” I muttered under my breath. “Murder, the ultimate crime of passion. ”

“Oh, c’mon, ” he said, all cheery and looking like he was about to start whistling again. “That had to be better than kissing a rock. ”

“Not even remotely close, ” I told him coldly.

He pursed his lips. “You could just be saying that. ”

“But I’m not. ”

That seemed to bother him for a second, but then he perked up. “You’re just mad. I don’t have any experience with this kind of thing, but I thought it was pretty incredible myself. ”

“Ugh, ” I groaned.

“You’re going to think about it tonight. When he thinks you’re asleep, you’ll be thinking about your options. ”

“If I think about you tonight, it will be because I’m having a nightmare. ”

He slowed the car to a crawl, turning to stare at me with his dark eyes wide and earnest. “Just think about how it could be, Bella, ” he urged in a soft, eager voice. “You wouldn’t have to change anything for me. You know Charlie would be happy if you picked me. I could protect you just as well as your vampire can – maybe better. And I would make you happy, Bella. There’s so much I could give you that he can’t. I’ll bet he couldn’t even kiss you like that – because he would hurt you. I would never, never hurt you, Bella. ”

I held up my injured hand.

He sighed. “That wasn’t my fault. You should have known better. ”

“Jacob, I can’t be happy without him. ”

“You’ve never tried, ” he disagreed. “When he left, you spent all your energy holding on to him. You could be happy if you let go. You could be happy with me. ”

“I don’t want to be happy with anyone but him, ” I insisted.

“You’ll never be able to be as sure of him as you are of me. He left you once, he could do it again. ”

“No, he will not, ” I said through my teeth. The pain of the memory bit into me like the lash of a whip. It made me want to hurt him back. “You left me once, ” I reminded him in a cold voice, thinking of the weeks he’d hidden from me, the words he’d said to me in the woods beside his home. . . .

“I never did, ” he argued hotly. “They told me I couldn’t tell you – that it wasn’t safe for you if we were together. But I never left, never! I used to run around your house at night – like I do now. Just making sure you were okay. ”

I wasn’t about to let him make me feel bad for him now.

“Take me home. My hand hurts. ”

He sighed, and started driving at a normal speed, watching the road.

“Just think about it, Bella. ”

“No, ” I said stubbornly.

“You will. Tonight. And I’ll be thinking about you while you’re thinking about me. ”

“Like I said, a nightmare. ”

He grinned over at me. “You kissed me back. ”

I gasped, unthinkingly balling my hands up into fists again, hissing when my broken hand reacted.

“Are you okay? ” he asked.

“I did not. ”

“I think I can tell the difference. ”

“Obviously you can’t – that was not kissing back, that was trying to get you the hell off of me, you idiot. ”

He laughed a low, throaty laugh. “Touchy. Almost overly defensive, I would say. ”

I took a deep breath. There was no point in arguing with him; he would twist anything I said. I concentrated on my hand, trying to stretch out my fingers, to ascertain where the broken parts were. Sharp pains stabbed along my knuckles. I groaned.

“I’m really sorry about your hand, ” Jacob said, sounding almost sincere. “Next time you want to hit me, use a baseball bat or a crowbar, okay? ”

“Don’t think I’ll forget that, ” I muttered.

I didn’t realize where we were going until we were on my road.

“Why are you taking me here? ” I demanded.

He looked at me blankly. “I thought you said you were going home? ”

“Ugh. I guess you can’t take me to Edward’s house, can you? ” I ground my teeth in frustration.

Pain twisted across his face, and I could see that this affected him more than anything else I’d said.

“This is your home, Bella, ” he said quietly.

“Yes, but do any doctors live here? ” I asked, holding up my hand again.

“Oh. ” He thought about that for a minute. “I’ll take you to the hospital. Or Charlie can. ”

“I don’t want to go to the hospital. It’s embarrassing and unnecessary. ”

He let the Rabbit idle in front of the house, deliberating with an unsure expression. Charlie’s cruiser was in the driveway.

I sighed. “Go home, Jacob. ”

I climbed out of the car awkwardly, heading for the house. The engine cut off behind me, and I was less surprised than annoyed to find Jacob beside me again.

“What are you going to do? ” he asked.

“I am going to get some ice on my hand, and then I am going to call Edward and tell him to come and get me and take me to Carlisle so that he can fix my hand. Then, if you’re still here, I am going to go hunt up a crowbar. ”

He didn’t answer. He opened the front door and held it for me.

We walked silently past the front room where Charlie was lying on the sofa.

“Hey, kids, ” he said, sitting forward. “Nice to see you here, Jake. ”

“Hey, Charlie, ” Jacob answered casually, pausing. I stalked on to the kitchen.

“What’s wrong with her? ” Charlie wondered.

“She thinks she broke her hand, ” I heard Jacob tell him. I went to the freezer and pulled out a tray of ice cubes.

“How did she do that? ” As my father, I thought Charlie ought to sound a bit less amused and a bit more concerned.

Jacob laughed. “She hit me. ”

Charlie laughed, too, and I scowled while I beat the tray against the edge of the sink. The ice scattered inside the basin, and I grabbed a handful with my good hand and wrapped the cubes in the dishcloth on the counter.

“Why did she hit you? ”

“Because I kissed her, ” Jacob said, unashamed.

“Good for you, kid, ” Charlie congratulated him.

I ground my teeth and went for the phone. I dialed Edward’s cell.

“Bella? ” he answered on the first ring. He sounded more than relieved – he was delighted. I could hear the Volvo’s engine in the background; he was already in the car – that was good. “You left the phone. . . I’m sorry, did Jacob drive you home? ”

“Yes, ” I grumbled. “Will you come and get me, please? ”

“I’m on my way, ” he said at once. “What’s wrong? ”

“I want Carlisle to look at my hand. I think it’s broken. ”

It had gone quiet in the front room, and I wondered when Jacob would bolt. I smiled a grim smile, imagining his discomfort.

“What happened? ” Edward demanded, his voice going flat.

“I punched Jacob, ” I admitted.

“Good, ” Edward said bleakly. “Though I’m sorry you’re hurt. ”

I laughed once, because he sounded as pleased as Charlie had.

“I wish I’d hurt him. ” I sighed in frustration. “I didn’t do any damage at all. ”

“I can fix that, ” he offered.

“I was hoping you would say that. ”

There was a slight pause. “That doesn’t sound like you, ” he said, wary now. “What did he do? ”

“He kissed me, ” I growled.

All I heard on the other end of the line was the sound of an engine accelerating.

In the other room, Charlie spoke again. “Maybe you ought to take off, Jake, ” he suggested.

“I think I’ll hang out here, if you don’t mind. ”

“Your funeral, ” Charlie muttered.

“Is the dog still there? ” Edward finally spoke again.

“Yes. ”

“I’m around the corner, ” he said darkly, and the line disconnected.

As I hung up the phone, smiling, I heard the sound of his car racing down the street. The brakes protested loudly as he slammed to a stop out front. I went to get the door.

“How’s your hand? ” Charlie asked as I walked by. Charlie looked uncomfortable. Jacob lolled next to him on the sofa, perfectly at ease.

I lifted the ice pack to show it off. “It’s swelling. ”

“Maybe you should pick on people your own size, ” Charlie suggested.

“Maybe, ” I agreed. I walked on to open the door. Edward was waiting.

“Let me see, ” he murmured.

He examined my hand gently, so carefully that it caused me no pain at all. His hands were almost as cold as the ice, and they felt good against my skin.

“I think you’re right about the break, ” he said. “I’m proud of you. You must have put some force behind this. ”

“As much as I have. ” I sighed. “Not enough, apparently. ”

He kissed my hand softly. “I’ll take care of it, ” he promised. And then he called, “Jacob, ” his voice still quiet and even.

“Now, now, ” Charlie cautioned.

I heard Charlie heave himself off of the sofa. Jacob got to the hall first, and much more quietly, but Charlie was not far behind him. Jacob’s expression was alert and eager.

“I don’t want any fighting, do you understand? ” Charlie looked only at Edward when he spoke. “I can go put my badge on if that makes my request more official. ”

“That won’t be necessary, ” Edward said in a restrained tone.

“Why don’t you arrest me, Dad? ” I suggested. “I’m the one throwing punches. ”

Charlie raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to press charges, Jake? ”

“No. ” Jacob grinned, incorrigible. “I’ll take the trade any day. ”

Edward grimaced.

“Dad, don’t you have a baseball bat somewhere in your room? I want to borrow it for a minute. ”

Charlie looked at me evenly. “Enough, Bella. ”

“Let’s go have Carlisle look at your hand before you wind up in a jail cell, ” Edward said. He put his arm around me and pulled me toward the door.

“Fine, ” I said, leaning against him. I wasn’t so angry anymore, now that Edward was with me. I felt comforted, and my hand didn’t bother me as much.

We were walking down the sidewalk when I heard Charlie whispering anxiously behind me.

“What are you doing? Are you crazy? ”

“Give me a minute, Charlie, ” Jacob answered. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back. ”

I looked back and Jacob was following us, stopping to close the door in Charlie’s surprised and uneasy face.

Edward ignored him at first, leading me to the car. He helped me inside, shut the door, and then turned to face Jacob on the sidewalk.

I leaned anxiously through the open window. Charlie was visible in the house, peeking through the drapes in the front room.

Jacob’s stance was casual, his arms folded across his chest, but the muscles in his jaw were tight.

Edward spoke in a voice so peaceful and gentle that it made the words strangely more threatening. “I’m not going to kill you now, because it would upset Bella. ”

“Hmph, ” I grumbled.

Edward turned slightly to throw me a quick smile. His face was still calm. “It would bother you in the morning, ” he said, brushing his fingers across my cheek.

Then he turned back to Jacob. “But if you ever bring her back damaged again – and I don’t care whose fault it is; I don’t care if she merely trips, or if a meteor falls out of the sky and hits her in the head – if you return her to me in less than the perfect condition that I left her in, you will be running with three legs. Do you understand that, mongrel? ”

Jacob rolled his eyes.

“Who’s going back? ” I muttered.

Edward continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “And if you ever kiss her again, I will break your jaw for her, ” he promised, his voice still gentle and velvet and deadly.

“What if she wants me to? ” Jacob drawled, arrogant.

“Hah! ” I snorted.

“If that’s what she wants, then I won’t object. ” Edward shrugged, untroubled. “You might want to wait for her to say it, rather than trust your interpretation of body language – but it’s your face. ”

Jacob grinned.

“You wish, ” I grumbled.

“Yes, he does, ” Edward murmured.

“Well, if you’re done rummaging through my head, ” Jacob said with a thick edge of annoyance, “why don’t you go take care of her hand? ”

“One more thing, ” Edward said slowly. “I’ll be fighting for her, too. You should know that. I’m not taking anything for granted, and I’ll be fighting twice as hard as you will. ”

“Good, ” Jacob growled. “It’s no fun beating someone who forfeits. ”

“She is mine. ” Edward’s low voice was suddenly dark, not as composed as before. “I didn’t say I would fight fair. ”

“Neither did I. ”

“Best of luck. ”

Jacob nodded. “Yes, may the best man win. ”

“That sounds about right. . . pup. ”

Jacob grimaced briefly, then he composed his face and leaned around Edward to smile at me. I glowered back.

“I hope your hand feels better soon. I’m really sorry you’re hurt. ”

Childishly, I turned my face away from him.

I didn’t look up again as Edward walked around the car and climbed into the driver’s side, so I didn’t know if Jacob went back into the house or continued to stand there, watching me.

“How do you feel? ” Edward asked as we drove away.

“Irritated. ”

He chuckled. “I meant your hand. ”

I shrugged. “I’ve had worse. ”

“True, ” he agreed, and frowned.

Edward drove around the house to the garage. Emmett and Rosalie were there, Rosalie’s perfect legs, recognizable even sheathed in jeans, were sticking out from under the bottom of Emmett’s huge Jeep. Emmett was sitting beside her, one hand reached under the Jeep toward her. It took me a moment to realize that he was acting as the jack.

Emmett watched curiously as Edward helped me carefully out of the car. His eyes zeroed in on the hand I cradled against my chest.

Emmett grinned. “Fall down again, Bella? ”

I glared at him fiercely. “No, Emmett. I punched a werewolf in the face. ”

Emmett blinked, and then burst into a roar of laughter.

As Edward led me past them, Rosalie spoke from under the car.

“Jasper’s going to win the bet, ” she said smugly.

Emmett’s laughter stopped at once, and he studied me with appraising eyes.

“What bet? ” I demanded, pausing.

“Let’s get you to Carlisle, ” Edward urged. He was staring at Emmett. His head shook infinitesimally.

“What bet? ” I insisted as I turned on him.

“Thanks, Rosalie, ” he muttered as he tightened his arm around my waist and pulled me toward the house.

“Edward. . . , ” I grumbled.

“It’s infantile, ” he shrugged. “Emmett and Jasper like to gamble. ”

“Emmett will tell me. ” I tried to turn, but his arm was like iron around me.

He sighed. “They’re betting on how many times you. . . slip up in the first year. ”

“Oh. ” I grimaced, trying to hide my sudden horror as I realized what he meant. “They have a bet about how many people I’ll kill? ”

“Yes, ” he admitted unwillingly. “Rosalie thinks your temper will turn the odds in Jasper’s favor. ”

I felt a little high. “Jasper’s betting high. ”

“It will make him feel better if you have a hard time adjusting. He’s tired of being the weakest link. ”

“Sure. Of course it will. I guess I could throw in a few extra homicides, if it makes Jasper happy. Why not? ” I was babbling, my voice a blank monotone. In my head, I was seeing newspaper headlines, lists of names. . . .

He squeezed me. “You don’t need to worry about it now. In fact, you don’t have to worry about it ever, if you don’t want to. ”

I groaned, and Edward, thinking it was the pain in my hand that bothered me, pulled me faster toward the house.

My hand was broken, but there wasn’t any serious damage, just a tiny fissure in one knuckle. I didn’t want a cast, and Carlisle said I’d be fine in a brace if I promised to keep it on. I promised.

Edward could tell I was out of it as Carlisle worked to fit a brace carefully to my hand. He worried aloud a few times that I was in pain, but I assured him that that wasn’t it.

As if I needed – or even had room for – one more thing to worry about.

All of Jasper’s stories about newly created vampires had been percolating in my head since he’d explained his past. Now those stories jumped into sharp focus with the news of his and Emmett’s wager. I wondered randomly what they were betting. What was a motivating prize when you had everything?

I’d always known that I would be different. I hoped that I would be as strong as Edward said I would be. Strong and fast and, most of all, beautiful. Someone who could stand next to Edward and feel like she belonged there.

I’d been trying not to think too much about the other things that I would be. Wild. Bloodthirsty. Maybe I would not be able to stop myself from killing people. Strangers, people who had never harmed me. People like the growing number of victims in Seattle, who’d had families and friends and futures. People who’d had lives. And I could be the monster who took that away from them.

But, in truth, I could handle that part – because I trusted Edward, trusted him absolutely, to keep me from doing anything I would regret. I knew he’d take me to Antarctica and hunt penguins if I asked him to. And I would do whatever it took to be a good person. A good vampire. That thought would have made me giggle, if not for this new worry.

Because, if I really were somehow like that – like the nightmarish images of newborns that Jasper had painted in my head – could I possibly be me? And if all I wanted was to kill people, what would happen to the things I wanted now?

Edward was so obsessed with me not missing anything while I was human. Usually, it seemed kind of silly. There weren’t many human experiences that I worried about missing. As long as I got to be with Edward, what else could I ask for?

I stared at his face while he watched Carlisle fix my hand. There was nothing in this world that I wanted more than him. Would that, could that, change?

Was there a human experience that I was not willing to give up?

16 EPOCH

“I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR! ” I MOANED TO MYSELF.

Every item of clothing I owned was strewn across my bed; my drawers and closets were bare. I stared into the empty recesses, willing something suitable to appear.

My khaki skirt lay over the back of the rocking chair, waiting for me to discover something that went with it just exactly right. Something that would make me look beautiful and grown up. Something that said special occasion. I was coming up empty.

It was almost time to go, and I was still wearing my favorite old sweats. Unless I could find something better here – and the odds weren’t looking good at this point – I was going to graduate in them.

I scowled at the pile of clothes on my bed.

The kicker was that I knew exactly what I would have worn if it were still available – my kidnapped red blouse. I punched the wall with my good hand.

“Stupid, thieving, annoying vampire! ” I growled.

“What did I do? ” Alice demanded.

She was leaning casually beside the open window as if she’d been there the whole time.

“Knock, knock, ” she added with a grin.

“Is it really so hard to wait for me to get the door? ”

She threw a flat, white box onto my bed. “I’m just passing through. I thought you might need something to wear. ”

I looked at the big package lying on top of my unsatisfying wardrobe and grimaced.

“Admit it, ” Alice said. “I’m a lifesaver. ”

“You’re a lifesaver, ” I muttered. “Thanks. ”

“Well, it’s nice to get something right for a change. You don’t know how irritating it is – missing things the way I have been. I feel so useless. So. . . normal. ” She cringed in horror of the word.

“I can’t imagine how awful that must feel. Being normal? Ugh. ”

She laughed. “Well, at least this makes up for missing your annoying thief – now I just have to figure out what I’m not seeing in Seattle. ”

When she said the words that way – putting the two situations together in one sentence – right then it clicked. The elusive something that had been bothering me for days, the important connection that I couldn’t quite put together, suddenly became clear. I stared at her, my face frozen with whatever expression was already in place.

“Aren’t you going to open it? ” she asked. She sighed when I didn’t move immediately, and tugged the top of the box off herself. She pulled something out and held it up, but I couldn’t concentrate on what it was. “Pretty, don’t you think? I picked blue, because I know it’s Edward’s favorite on you. ”

I wasn’t listening.

“It’s the same, ” I whispered.

“What is? ” she demanded. “You don’t have anything like this. For crying out loud, you only own one skirt! ”

“No, Alice! Forget the clothes, listen! ”

“You don’t like it? ” Alice’s face clouded with disappointment.

“Listen, Alice, don’t you see? It’s the same! The one who broke in and stole my things, and the new vampires in Seattle. They’re together! ”

The clothes slipped from her fingers and fell back into the box.

Alice focused now, her voice suddenly sharp. “Why do you think that? ”

“Remember what Edward said? About someone using the holes in your vision to keep you from seeing the newborns? And then what you said before, about the timing being too perfect – how careful my thief was to make no contact, as if he knew you would see that. I think you were right, Alice, I think he did know. I think he was using those holes, too. And what are the odds that two different people not only know enough about you to do that, but also decided to do it at exactly the same time? No way. It’s one person. The same one. The one who is making the army is the one who stole my scent. ”

Alice wasn’t accustomed to being taking by surprise. She froze, and was still for so long that I started counting in my head as I waited. She didn’t move for two minutes straight. Then her eyes refocused on me.

“You’re right, ” she said in a hollow tone. “Of course you’re right. And when you put it that way. . . . ”

“Edward had it wrong, ” I whispered. “It was a test. . . to see if it would work. If he could get in and out safely as long as he didn’t do anything you would be watching out for. Like trying to kill me. . . . And he didn’t take my things to prove he’d found me. He stole my scent. . . so that others could find me. ”

Her eyes were wide with shock. I was right, and I could see that she knew it, too.

“Oh, no, ” she mouthed.

I was through expecting my emotions to make sense anymore. As I processed the fact that someone had created an army of vampires – the army that had gruesomely murdered dozens of people in Seattle – for the express purpose of destroying me, I felt a spasm of relief.

Part of it was finally solving that irritating feeling that I was missing something vital.

But the larger part was something else entirely.

“Well, ” I whispered, “everyone can relax. Nobody’s trying to exterminate the Cullens after all. ”

“If you think that one thing has changed, you’re absolutely wrong, ” Alice said through her teeth. “If someone wants one of us, they’re going to have to go through the rest of us to get to her. ”

“Thanks, Alice. But at least we know what they’re really after. That has to help. ”

“Maybe, ” she muttered. She started pacing back and forth across my room.

Thud, thud – a fist hammered against my door.

I jumped. Alice didn’t seem to notice.

“Aren’t you ready yet? We’re gonna be late! ” Charlie complained, sounding edgy. Charlie hated occasions about as much as I did. In his case, a lot of the problem was having to dress up.

“Almost. Give me a minute, ” I said hoarsely.

He was quiet for half a second. “Are you crying? ”

“No. I’m nervous. Go away. ”

I heard him clump down the stairs.

“I have to go, ” Alice whispered.

“Why? ”

“Edward is coming. If he hears this. . . ”

“Go, go! ” I urged immediately. Edward would go berserk when he knew. I couldn’t keep it from him for long, but maybe the graduation ceremony wasn’t the best time for his reaction.

“Put it on, ” Alice commanded as she flitted out the window.

I did what she said, dressing in a daze.

I’d been planning to do something more sophisticated with my hair, but time was up, so it hung straight and boring as on any other day. It didn’t matter. I didn’t bother to look in the mirror, so I had no idea how Alice’s sweater and skirt ensemble worked. That didn’t matter, either. I threw the ugly yellow polyester graduation robe over my arm and hurried down the stairs.

“You look nice, ” Charlie said, already gruff with suppressed emotion. “Is that new? ”

“Yeah, ” I mumbled, trying to concentrate. “Alice gave it to me. Thanks. ”

Edward arrived just a few minutes after his sister left. It wasn’t enough time for me to pull together a calm faç ade. But, since we were riding in the cruiser with Charlie, he never had a chance to ask me what was wrong.

Charlie had gotten stubborn last week when he’d learned that I was intending to ride with Edward to the graduation ceremony. And I could see his point – parents should have some rights come graduation day. I’d conceded with good grace, and Edward had cheerfully suggested that we all go together. Since Carlisle and Esme had no problem with this, Charlie couldn’t come up with a compelling objection; he’d agreed with poor grace. And now Edward rode in the backseat of my father’s police car, behind the fiberglass divider, with an amused expression – probably due to my father’s amused expression, and the grin that widened every time Charlie stole a glance at Edward in his rearview mirror. Which almost certainly meant that Charlie was imagining things that would get him in trouble with me if he said them out loud.

“Are you all right? ” Edward whispered when he helped me from the front seat in the school parking lot.

“Nervous, ” I answered, and it wasn’t even a lie.

“You are so beautiful, ” he said.

He looked like he wanted to say more, but Charlie, in an obvious maneuver that he meant to be subtle, shrugged in between us and put his arm around my shoulders.

“Are you excited? ” he asked me.

“Not really, ” I admitted.

“Bella, this is a big deal. You’re graduating from high school. It’s the real world for you now. College. Living on your own. . . . You’re not my little girl anymore. ” Charlie choked up a bit at the end.

“Dad, ” I moaned. “Please don’t get all weepy on me. ”

“Who’s weepy? ” he growled. “Now, why aren’t you excited? ”

“I don’t know, Dad. I guess it hasn’t hit yet or something. ”

“It’s good that Alice is throwing this party. You need something to perk you up. ”

“Sure. A party’s exactly what I need. ”

Charlie laughed at my tone and squeezed my shoulders. Edward looked at the clouds, his face thoughtful.

My father had to leave us at the back door of the gym and go around to the main entrance with the rest of the parents.

It was pandemonium as Ms. Cope from the front office and Mr. Varner the math teacher tried to line everyone up alphabetically.

“Up front, Mr. Cullen, ” Mr. Varner barked at Edward.

“Hey, Bella! ”

I looked up to see Jessica Stanley waving at me from the back of the line with a smile on her face.

Edward kissed me quickly, sighed, and went to go stand with the C’s. Alice wasn’t there. What was she going to do? Skip graduation? What poor timing on my part. I should have waited to figure things out until after this was over with.

“Down here, Bella! ” Jessica called again.

I walked down the line to take my place behind Jessica, mildly curious as to why she was suddenly so friendly. As I got closer, I saw Angela five people back, watching Jessica with the same curiosity.

Jess was babbling before I was in earshot.

“. . . so amazing. I mean, it seems like we just met, and now we’re graduating together, ” she gushed. “Can you believe it’s over? I feel like screaming! ”

“So do I, ” I muttered.

“This is all just so incredible. Do you remember your first day here? We were friends, like, right away. From the first time we saw each other. Amazing. And now I’m off to California and you’ll be in Alaska and I’m going to miss you so much! You have to promise that we’ll get together sometimes! I’m so glad you’re having a party. That’s perfect. Because we really haven’t spent much time together in a while and now we’re all leaving. . . . ”

She droned on and on, and I was sure the sudden return of our friendship was due to graduation nostalgia and gratitude for the party invite, not that I’d had anything to do with that. I paid attention as well as I could while I shrugged into my robe. And I found that I was glad that things could end on a good note with Jessica.

Because it was an ending, no matter what Eric, the valedictorian, had to say about commencement meaning “beginning” and all the rest of the trite nonsense. Maybe more for me than for the rest, but we were all leaving something behind us today.

It went so quickly. I felt like I’d hit the fast forward button. Were we supposed to march quite that fast? And then Eric was speed talking in his nervousness, the words and phrases running together so they didn’t make sense anymore. Principal Greene started calling names, one after the other without a long enough pause between; the front row in the gymnasium was rushing to catch up. Poor Ms. Cope was all thumbs as she tried to give the principal the right diploma to hand to the right student.

I watched as Alice, suddenly appearing, danced across the stage to take hers, a look of deep concentration on her face. Edward followed behind, his expression confused, but not upset. Only the two of them could carry off the hideous yellow and still look the way they did. They stood out from the rest of the crowd, their beauty and grace otherworldly. I wondered how I’d ever fallen for their human farce. A couple of angels, standing there with wings intact, would be less conspicuous.

I heard Mr. Greene call my name and I rose from my chair, waiting for the line in front of me to move. I was conscious of cheering in the back of the gym, and I looked around to see Jacob pulling Charlie to his feet, both of them hooting in encouragement. I could just make out the top of Billy’s head beside Jake’s elbow. I managed to throw them an approximation of a smile.

Mr. Greene finished with the list of names, and then continued to hand out diplomas with a sheepish grin as we filed past.

“Congratulations, Miss Stanley, ” he mumbled as Jess took hers.

“Congratulations, Miss Swan, ” he mumbled to me, pressing the diploma into my good hand.

“Thanks, ” I murmured.

And that was it.

I went to stand next to Jessica with the assembled graduates. Jess was all red around the eyes, and she kept blotting her face with the sleeve of her robe. It took me a second to understand that she was crying.

Mr. Greene said something I didn’t hear, and everyone around me shouted and screamed. Yellow hats rained down. I pulled mine off, too late, and just let it fall to the ground.

“Oh, Bella! ” Jess blubbered over the sudden roar of conversation. “I can’t believe we’re done. ”

“I can’t believe it’s all over, ” I mumbled.

She threw her arms around my neck. “You have to promise we won’t lose touch. ”

I hugged her back, feeling a little awkward as I dodged her request. “I’m so glad I know you, Jessica. It was a good two years. ”

“It was, ” she sighed, and sniffed. Then she dropped her arms. “Lauren! ” she squealed, waving over her head and pushing through the massed yellow gowns. Families were beginning to converge, pressing us tighter together.

I caught sight of Angela and Ben, but they were surrounded by their families. I would congratulate them later.

I craned my head, looking for Alice.

“Congratulations, ” Edward whispered in my ear, his arms winding around my waist. His voice was subdued; he’d been in no hurry for me to reach this particular milestone.

“Um, thanks. ”

“You don’t look like you’re over the nerves yet, ” he noted.

“Not quite yet. ”

“What’s left to worry about? The party? It won’t be that horrible. ”

“You’re probably right. ”

“Who are you looking for? ”

My searching wasn’t quite as subtle as I’d thought. “Alice – where is she? ”

“She ran out as soon as she had her diploma. ”

His voice took on a new tone. I looked up to see his confused expression as he stared toward the back door of the gym, and I made an impulse decision – the kind I really should think twice about, but rarely did.

“Worrying about Alice? ” I asked.

“Er. . . ” He didn’t want to answer that.

“What was she thinking about, anyway? To keep you out, I mean. ”

His eyes flashed down to my face, and narrowed in suspicion. “She was translating the Battle Hymn of the Republic into Arabic, actually. When she finished that, she moved on to Korean sign language. ”

I laughed nervously. “I suppose that would keep her head busy enough. ”

“You know what she’s hiding from me, ” he accused.

“Sure. ” I smiled a weak smile. “I’m the one who came up with it. ”

He waited, confused.

I looked around. Charlie would be on his way through the crowd now.

“Knowing Alice, ” I whispered in a rush, “she’ll probably try to keep this from you until after the party. But since I’m all for the party being canceled – well, don’t go berserk, regardless, okay? It’s always better to know as much as possible. It has to help somehow. ”

“What are you talking about? ”

I saw Charlie’s head bob up over the other heads as he searched for me. He spotted me and waved.

“Just stay calm, okay? ”

He nodded once, his mouth a grim line.

In hurried whispers I explained my reasoning to him. “I think you’re wrong about things coming at us from all sides. I think it’s mostly coming at us from one side. . . and I think it’s coming at me, really. It’s all connected, it has to be. It’s just one person who’s messing with Alice’s visions. The stranger in my room was a test, to see if someone could get around her. It’s got to be the same one who keeps changing his mind, and the newborns, and stealing my clothes – all of it goes together. My scent is for them. ”

His face had turned so white that I had a hard time finishing.

“But no one’s coming for you, don’t you see? This is good – Esme and Alice and Carlisle, no one wants to hurt them! ”

His eyes were huge, wide with panic, dazed and horrified. He could see that I was right, just as Alice had.

I put my hand on his cheek. “Calm, ” I pleaded.

“Bella! ” Charlie crowed, pushing his way past the close‑ packed families around us.

“Congratulations, baby! ” He was still yelling, even though he was right at my ear now. He wrapped his arms around me, ever so slyly shuffling Edward off to the side as he did so.

“Thanks, ” I muttered, preoccupied by the expression on Edward’s face. He still hadn’t gained control. His hands were halfway extended toward me, like he was about to grab me and make a run for it. Only slightly more in control of myself than he was, running didn’t seem like such a terrible idea to me.

“Jacob and Billy had to take off – did you see that they were here? ” Charlie asked, taking a step back, but keeping his hands on my shoulders. He had his back to Edward – probably an effort to exclude him, but that was fine at the moment. Edward’s mouth was hanging open, his eyes still wide with dread.

“Yeah, ” I assured my father, trying to pay enough attention. “Heard them, too. ”

“It was nice of them to show up, ” Charlie said.

“Mm‑ hmm. ”

Okay, so telling Edward had been a really bad idea. Alice was right to keep her thoughts clouded. I should have waited till we were alone somewhere, maybe with the rest of his family. And nothing breakable close by – like windows. . . cars. . . school buildings. His face brought back all my fear and then some. Though his expression was past the fear now – it was pure fury that was suddenly plain on his features.

“So where do you want to go out for dinner? ” Charlie asked. “The sky’s the limit. ”

“I can cook. ”

“Don’t be silly. Do you want to go to the Lodge? ” he asked with an eager smile.

I did not particularly enjoy Charlie’s favorite restaurant, but, at this point, what was the difference? I wasn’t going to be able to eat anyway.

“Sure, the Lodge, cool, ” I said.

Charlie smiled wider, and then sighed. He turned his head halfway toward Edward, without really looking at him.

“You coming, too, Edward? ”

I stared at him, my eyes beseeching. Edward pulled his expression together just before Charlie turned to see why he hadn’t gotten an answer.

“No, thank you, ” Edward said stiffly, his face hard and cold.

“Do you have plans with your parents? ” Charlie asked, a frown in his voice. Edward was always more polite than Charlie deserved; the sudden hostility surprised him.

“Yes. If you’ll excuse me. . . . ” Edward turned abruptly and stalked away through the dwindling crowd. He moved just a little bit too fast, too upset to keep up his usually perfect charade.

“What did I say? ” Charlie asked with a guilty expression.

“Don’t worry about it, Dad, ” I reassured him. “I don’t think it’s you. ”

“Are you two fighting again? ”

“Nobody’s fighting. Mind your own business. ”

“You are my business. ”

I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go eat. ”

The Lodge was crowded. The place was, in my opinion, overpriced and tacky, but it was the only thing close to a formal restaurant in town, so it was always popular for events. I stared morosely at a depressed‑ looking stuffed elk head while Charlie ate prime rib and talked over the back of the seat to Tyler Crowley’s parents. It was noisy – everyone there had just come from graduation, and most were chatting across the aisles and over the booth‑ tops like Charlie.

I had my back to the front windows, and I resisted the urge to turn around and search for the eyes I could feel on me now. I knew I wouldn’t be able to see anything. Just as I knew there was no chance that he would leave me unguarded, even for a second. Not after this.

Dinner dragged. Charlie, busy socializing, ate too slowly. I picked at my burger, stuffing pieces of it into my napkin when I was sure his attention was somewhere else. It all seemed to take a very long time, but when I looked at the clock – which I did more often than necessary – the hands hadn’t moved much.

Finally Charlie got his change back and put a tip on the table. I stood up.

“In a hurry? ” he asked me.

“I want to help Alice set things up, ” I claimed.

“Okay. ” He turned away from me to say goodnight to everyone. I went out to wait by the cruiser.

I leaned against the passenger door, waiting for Charlie to drag himself away from the impromptu party. It was almost dark in the parking lot, the clouds so thick that there was no telling if the sun had set or not. The air felt heavy, like it was about to rain.

Something moved in the shadows.

My gasp turned into a sigh of relief as Edward appeared out of the gloom.

Without a word, he pulled me tightly against his chest. One cool hand found my chin, and pulled my face up so that he could press his hard lips to mine. I could feel the tension in his jaw.

“How are you? ” I asked as soon as he let me breathe.

“Not so great, ” he murmured. “But I’ve got a handle on myself. I’m sorry that I lost it back there. ”

“My fault. I should have waited to tell you. ”

“No, ” he disagreed. “This is something I needed to know. I can’t believe I didn’t see it! ”

“You’ve got a lot on your mind. ”

“And you don’t? ”

He suddenly kissed me again, not letting me answer. He pulled away after just a second. “Charlie’s on his way. ”

“I’ll have him drop me at your house. ”

“I’ll follow you there. ”

“That’s not really necessary, ” I tried to say, but he was already gone.

“Bella? ” Charlie called from the doorway of the restaurant, squinting into the darkness.

“I’m out here. ”

Charlie sauntered out to the car, muttering about impatience.

“So, how do you feel? ” he asked me as we drove north along the highway. “It’s been a big day. ”

“I feel fine, ” I lied.

He laughed, seeing through me easily. “Worried about the party? ” he guessed.

“Yeah, ” I lied again.

This time he didn’t notice. “You were never one for the parties. ”

“Wonder where I got that from, ” I murmured.

Charlie chuckled. “Well, you look really nice. I wish I’d thought to get you something. Sorry. ”

“Don’t be silly, Dad. ”

“It’s not silly. I feel like I don’t always do everything for you that I should. ”

“That’s ridiculous. You do a fantastic job. World’s best dad. And. . . ” It wasn’t easy to talk about feelings with Charlie, but I persevered after clearing my throat. “And I’m really glad I came to live with you, Dad. It was the best idea I ever had. So don’t worry – you’re just experiencing post‑ graduation pessimism. ”

He snorted. “Maybe. But I’m sure I slipped up in a few places. I mean, look at your hand! ”

I stared down blankly at my hands. My left hand rested lightly on the dark brace I rarely thought about. My broken knuckle didn’t hurt much anymore.

“I never thought I needed to teach you how to throw a punch. Guess I was wrong about that. ”

“I thought you were on Jacob’s side? ”

“No matter what side I’m on, if someone kisses you without your permission, you should be able to make your feelings clear without hurting yourself. You didn’t keep your thumb inside your fist, did you? ”

“No, Dad. That’s kind of sweet in a weird way, but I don’t think lessons would have helped. Jacob’s head is really hard. ”

Charlie laughed. “Hit him in the gut next time. ”

“Next time? ” I asked incredulously.

“Aw, don’t be too hard on the kid. He’s young. ”

“He’s obnoxious. ”

“He’s still your friend. ”

“I know. ” I sighed. “I don’t really know what the right thing to do here is, Dad. ”

Charlie nodded slowly. “Yeah. The right thing isn’t always real obvious. Sometimes the right thing for one person is the wrong thing for someone else. So. . . good luck figuring that out. ”

“Thanks, ” I muttered dryly.

Charlie laughed again, and then frowned. “If this party gets too wild. . . , ” he began.

“Don’t worry about it, Dad. Carlisle and Esme are going to be there. I’m sure you can come, too, if you want. ”

Charlie grimaced as he squinted through the windshield into the night. Charlie enjoyed a good party just about as much as I did.

“Where’s the turnoff, again? ” he asked. “They ought to clear out their drive – it’s impossible to find in the dark. ”

“Just around the next bend, I think. ” I pursed my lips. “You know, you’re right – it is impossible to find. Alice said she put a map in the invitation, but even so, maybe everyone will get lost. ” I cheered up slightly at the idea.

“Maybe, ” Charlie said as the road curved to the east. “Or maybe not. ”

The black velvet darkness was interrupted ahead, just where the Cullens’ drive should be. Someone had wrapped the trees on either side in thousands of twinkle lights, impossible to miss.

“Alice, ” I said sourly.

“Wow, ” Charlie said as we turned onto the drive. The two trees at the entry weren’t the only ones lit. Every twenty feet or so, another shining beacon guided us toward the big white house. All the way – all three miles of the way.

“She doesn’t do things halfway, does she? ” Charlie mumbled in awe.

“Sure you don’t want to come in? ”

“Extremely sure. Have fun, kid. ”

“Thanks so much, Dad. ”

He was laughing to himself as I got out and shut the door. I watched him drive away, still grinning. With a sigh, I marched up the stairs to endure my party.

17 ALLIANCE

“BELLA? ”

Edward’s soft voice came from behind me. I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, just like he had in the parking lot, and kissed me again.

This kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine – like he was afraid we only had so much time left to us.

I couldn’t let myself think about that. Not if I was going to have to act human for the next several hours. I pulled away from him.

“Let’s get this stupid party over with, ” I mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

He put his hands on either side of my face, waiting until I looked up.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. ”

I touched his lips with the fingers of my good hand. “I’m not worried about myself so much. ”

“Why am I not surprised by that? ” he muttered to himself. He took a deep breath, and then he smiled slightly. “Ready to celebrate? ” he asked.

I groaned.

He held the door for me, keeping his arm securely around my waist. I stood frozen there for a minute, then I slowly shook my head.

“Unbelievable. ”

Edward shrugged. “Alice will be Alice. ”

The interior of the Cullens’ home had been transformed into a nightclub – the kind that didn’t often exist in real life, only on TV.

“Edward! ” Alice called from beside a gigantic speaker. “I need your advice. ” She gestured toward a towering stack of CDs. “Should we give them familiar and comforting? Or” – she gestured to a different pile – “educate their taste in music? ”

“Keep it comforting, ” Edward recommended. “You can only lead the horse to water. ”

Alice nodded seriously, and started throwing the educational CDs into a box. I noticed that she had changed into a sequined tank top and red leather pants. Her bare skin reacted oddly to the pulsing red and purple lights.

“I think I’m underdressed. ”

“You’re perfect, ” Edward disagreed.

“You’ll do, ” Alice amended.

“Thanks. ” I sighed. “Do you really think people will come? ” Anyone could hear the hope in my voice. Alice made a face at me.

“Everyone will come, ” Edward answered. “They’re all dying to see the inside of the reclusive Cullens’ mystery house. ”

“Fabulous, ” I moaned.

There wasn’t anything I could do to help. I doubted that – even after I didn’t need sleep and moved at a much faster speed – I would ever be able to get things done the way Alice did.

Edward refused to let me go for a second, dragging me along with him as he hunted up Jasper and then Carlisle to tell them of my epiphany. I listened with quiet horror as they discussed their attack on the army in Seattle. I could tell that Jasper was not pleased with the way the numbers stood, but they’d been unable to contact anyone besides Tanya’s unwilling family. Jasper didn’t try to hide his desperation the way Edward would have. It was easy to see that he didn’t like gambling with stakes this high.

I couldn’t stay behind, waiting and hoping for them to come home. I wouldn’t. I would go mad.

The doorbell rang.

All at once, everything was surreally normal. A perfect smile, genuine and warm, replaced the stress on Carlisle’s face. Alice turned the volume of the music up, and then danced to get the door.

It was a Suburban‑ load of my friends, either too nervous or too intimidated to arrive on their own. Jessica was the first one in the door, with Mike right behind her. Tyler, Conner, Austin, Lee, Samantha. . . even Lauren trailing in last, her critical eyes alight with curiosity. They all were curious, and then overwhelmed as they took in the huge room decked out like a chic rave. The room wasn’t empty; all the Cullens had taken their places, ready to put on their usual perfect human charade. Tonight I felt like I was acting every bit as much as they were.

I went to greet Jess and Mike, hoping the edge in my voice sounded like the right kind of excitement. Before I could get to anyone else, the bell rang again. I let Angela and Ben in, leaving the door wide, because Eric and Katie were just reaching the steps.

I didn’t get another chance to panic. I had to talk to everyone, concentrate on being upbeat, a hostess. Though the party had been billed as a joint event for Alice, Edward, and me, there was no denying that I was the most popular target for congratulations and thanks. Maybe because the Cullens looked just slightly wrong under Alice’s party lights. Maybe because those lights left the room dim and mysterious. Not an atmosphere to make your average human feel relaxed when standing next to someone like Emmett. I saw Emmett grin at Mike over the food table, the red lights gleaming off his teeth, and watched Mike take an automatic step back.

Probably Alice had done this on purpose, to force me into the center of attention – a place she thought I should enjoy more. She was forever trying to make me be human the way she thought humans should be.

The party was a clear success, despite the instinctive edginess cause by the Cullens’ presence – or maybe that simply added a thrill to the atmosphere. The music was infectious, the lights almost hypnotic. From the way the food disappeared, that must have been good, too. The room was soon crowded, though never claustrophobic. The entire senior class seemed to be there, along with most of the juniors. Bodies swayed to the beat that rumbled under the soles of their feet, the party constantly on the edge of breaking into a dance.

It wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it would be. I followed Alice’s lead, mingling and chatting for a minute with everyone. They seemed easy enough to please. I was sure this party was far cooler than anything the town of Forks had experienced before. Alice was almost purring – no one here would forget this night.

I’d circled the room once, and was back to Jessica. She babbled excitedly, and it was not necessary to pay strict attention, because the odds were she wouldn’t need a response from me anytime soon. Edward was at my side – still refusing to let go of me. He kept one hand securely at my waist, pulling me closer now and then in response to thoughts I probably didn’t want to hear.

So I was immediately suspicious when he dropped his arm and edged away from me.

“Stay here, ” he murmured in my ear. “I’ll be right back. ”

He passed gracefully through the crowd without seeming to touch any of the close‑ packed bodies, gone too quickly for me to ask why he was leaving. I stared after him with narrowed eyes while Jessica shouted over the music eagerly, hanging on to my elbow, oblivious to my distraction.

I watched him as he reached the dark shadow beside the kitchen doorway, where the lights only shone intermittently. He was leaning over someone, but I couldn’t see past all the heads between us.

I stretched up on my toes, craning my neck. Right then, a red light flashed across his back and glinted off the red sequins of Alice’s shirt. The light only touched her face for half a second, but it was enough.

“Excuse me for a minute, Jess, ” I mumbled, pulling my arm away. I didn’t pause for her reaction, even to see if I’d hurt her feelings with my abruptness.

I ducked my way through the bodies, getting shoved around a bit. A few people were dancing now. I hurried to the kitchen door.

Edward was gone, but Alice was still there in the dark, her face blank – the kind of expressionless look you see on the face of someone who has just witnessed a horrible accident. One of her hands gripped the door frame, like she needed the support.

“What, Alice, what? What did you see? ” My hands were clutched in front of me – begging.

She didn’t look at me, she was staring away. I followed her gaze and watched as she caught Edward’s eye across the room. His face was empty as a stone. He turned and disappeared into the shadows under the stair.

The doorbell rang just then, hours after the last time, and Alice looked up with a puzzled expression that quickly turned into one of disgust.

“Who invited the werewolf? ” she griped at me.

I scowled. “Guilty. ”

I’d thought I’d rescinded that invitation – not that I’d ever dreamed Jacob would come here, regardless.

“Well, you go take care of it, then. I have to talk to Carlisle. ”

“No, Alice, wait! ” I tried to reach for her arm, but she was gone and my hand clutched the empty air.

“Damn it! ” I grumbled.

I knew this was it. Alice had seen what she’d been waiting for, and I honestly didn’t feel I could stand the suspense long enough to answer the door. The doorbell peeled again, too long, someone holding down the button. I turned my back toward the door resolutely, and scanned the darkened room for Alice.

I couldn’t see anything. I started pushing for the stairs.

“Hey, Bella! ”

Jacob’s deep voice caught a lull in the music, and I looked up in spite of myself at the sound of my name.

I made a face.

It wasn’t just one werewolf, it was three. Jacob had let himself in, flanked on either side by Quil and Embry. The two of them looked terribly tense, their eyes flickering around the room like they’d just walked into a haunted crypt. Embry’s trembling hand still held the door, his body half‑ turned to run for it.

Jacob was waving at me, calmer than the others, though his nose was wrinkled in disgust. I waved back – waved goodbye – and turned to look for Alice. I squeezed through a space between Conner’s and Lauren’s backs.

He came out of nowhere, his hand on my shoulder pulling me back toward the shadow by the kitchen. I ducked under his grip, but he grabbed my good wrist and yanked me from the crowd.

“Friendly reception, ” he noted.

I pulled my hand free and scowled at him. “What are you doing here? ”

“You invited me, remember? ”

“In case my right hook was too subtle for you, let me translate: that was me uninviting you. ”

“Don’t be a poor sport. I brought you a graduation present and everything. ”

I folded my arms across my chest. I didn’t want to fight with Jacob right now. I wanted to know what Alice had seen and what Edward and Carlisle were saying about it. I craned my head around Jacob, searching for them.

“Take it back to the store, Jake. I’ve got to do something. . . . ”

He stepped into my line of sight, demanding my attention.

“I can’t take it back. I didn’t get it from the store – I made it myself. Took a really long time, too. ”

I leaned around him again, but I couldn’t see any of the Cullens. Where had they gone? My eyes scanned the darkened room.

“Oh, c’mon, Bell. Don’t pretend like I’m not here! ”

“I’m not. ” I couldn’t see them anywhere. “Look, Jake, I’ve got a lot on my mind right now. ”

He put his hand under my chin and pulled my face up. “Could I please have just a few seconds of your undivided attention, Miss Swan? ”

I jerked away from his touch. “Keep your hands to yourself, Jacob, ” I hissed.

“Sorry! ” he said at once, holding his hands up in surrender. “I really am sorry. About the other day, I mean, too. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. It was wrong. I guess. . . well, I guess I deluded myself into thinking you wanted me to. ”

“Deluded – what a perfect description! ”

“Be nice. You could accept my apology, you know. ”

“Fine. Apology accepted. Now, if you’ll just excuse me for a moment. . . ”

“Okay, ” he mumbled, and his voice was so different from before that I stoppd searching for Alice and scrutinized his face. He was staring at the floor, hiding his eyes. His lower lip jutted out just a little bit.

“I guess you’d rather be with your real friends, ” he said in the same defeated tone. “I get it. ”

I groaned. “Aw, Jake, you know that’s not fair. ”

“Do I? ”

“You should. ” I leaned forward, peering up, trying to look into his eyes. He looked up then, over my head, avoiding my gaze.

“Jake? ”

He refused to look at me.

“Hey, you said you made me something, right? ” I asked. “Was that just talk? Where’s my present? ” My attempt to fake enthusiasm was pretty sad, but it worked. He rolled his eyes and then grimaced at me.

I kept up the lame pretense, holding my hand open in front of me. “I’m waiting. ”

“Right, ” he grumbled sarcastically. But he also reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small bag of a loose‑ woven, multi‑ colored fabric. It was tied shut with leather drawstrings. He set it on my palm.

“Hey, that’s pretty, Jake. Thanks! ”

He sighed. “The present is inside, Bella. ”

“Oh. ”

I had some trouble with the strings. He sighed again and took it from me, sliding the ties open with one easy tug of the right cord. I held my hand out for it, but he turned the bag upside down and shook something silver into my hand. Metal links clinked quietly against each other.

“I didn’t make the bracelet, ” he admitted. “Just the charm. ”

Fastened to one of the links of the silver bracelet was a tiny wooden carving. I held it between my fingers to look at it closer. It was amazing the amount of detail involved in the little figurine – the miniature wolf was utterly realistic. It was even carved out of some red‑ brown wood that matched the color of his skin.

“It’s beautiful, ” I whispered. “You made this? How? ”

He shrugged. “It’s something Billy taught me. He’s better at it than I am. ”

“That’s hard to believe, ” I murmured, turning the tiny wolf around and around in my fingers.

“Do you really like it? ”

“Yes! It’s unbelievable, Jake. ”

He smiled, happily at first, but then the expression soured. “Well, I figured that maybe it would make you remember me once in a while. You know how it is, out of sight, out of mind. ”

I ignored the attitude. “Here, help me put it on. ”

I held out my left wrist, since the right was stuck in the brace. He fastened the catch easily, though it looked too delicate for his big fingers to manage.

“You’ll wear it? ” he asked.

“Of course I will. ”

He grinned at me – it was the happy smile that I loved to see him wear.

I returned it for a moment, but then my eyes shot reflexively around the room again, anxiously scanning the crowd for some sign of Edward or Alice.

“Why’re you so distracted? ” Jacob wondered.

“It’s nothing, ” I lied, trying to concentrate. “Thanks for the present, really. I love it. ”

“Bella? ” His brows pulled together, throwing his eyes deep into their shadow. “Something’s going on, isn’t it? ”

“Jake, I. . . no, there’s nothing. ”

“Don’t lie to me, you suck at lying. You should tell me what’s going on. We want to know these things, ” he said, slipping into the plural at the end.

He was probably right; the wolves would certainly be interested in what was happening. Only I wasn’t sure what that was yet. I wouldn’t know for sure until I found Alice.

“Jacob, I will tell you. Just let me figure out what’s happening, okay? I need to talk to Alice. ”

Understanding lit his expression. “The psychic saw something. ”

“Yes, just when you showed up. ”

“Is this about the bloodsucker in your room? ” he murmured, pitching his voice below the thrum of the music.

“It’s related, ” I admitted.

He processed that for a minute, leaning his head to one side while he read my face. “You know something you’re not telling me. . . something big. ”

What was the point in lying again? He knew me too well. “Yes. ”

Jacob stared at me for one short moment, and then turned to catch his pack brothers’ eyes where they stood in the entry, awkward and uncomfortable. When they took in his expression, they started moving, weaving their way agilely through the partiers, almost like they were dancing, too. In half a minute, they stood on either side of Jacob, towering over me.

“Now. Explain, ” Jacob demanded.

Embry and Quil looked back and forth between our faces, confused and wary.

“Jacob, I don’t know everything. ” I kept searching the room, now for a rescue. They had me backed into a corner in every sense.

“What you do know, then. ”

They all folded their arms across their chests at exactly the same moment. It was a little bit funny, but mostly menacing.

And then I caught sight of Alice descending the stairs, her white skin glowing in the purple light.

“Alice! ” I squeaked in relief.

She looked right at me as soon as I called her name, despite the thudding bass that should have drowned my voice. I waved eagerly, and watched her face as she took in the three werewolves leaning over me. Her eyes narrowed.

But, before that reaction, her face was full of stress and fear. I bit my lip as she skipped to my side.

Jacob, Quil, and Embry all leaned away from her with uneasy expressions. She put her arm around my waist.

“I need to talk to you, ” she murmured into my ear.

“Er, Jake, I’ll see you later. . . , ” I mumbled as we eased around them.

Jacob threw his long arm out to block our way, bracing his hand against the wall. “Hey, not so fast. ”

Alice stared up at him, eyes wide and incredulous. “Excuse me? ”

“Tell us what’s going on, ” he demanded in a growl.

Jasper appeared quite literally out of nowhere. One second it was just Alice and me against the wall, Jacob blocking our exit, and then Jasper was standing on the other side of Jake’s arm, his expression terrifying.

Jacob slowly pulled his arm back. It seemed like the best move, going with the assumption that he wanted to keep that arm.

“We have a right to know, ” Jacob muttered, still glaring at Alice.

Jasper stepped in between them, and the three werewolves braced themselves.

“Hey, hey, ” I said, adding a slightly hysterical chuckle. “This is a party, remember? ”

Nobody paid any attention to me. Jacob glared at Alice while Jasper glowered at Jacob. Alice’s face was suddenly thoughtful.

“It’s okay, Jasper. He actually has a point. ”

Jasper did not relax his position.

I was sure the suspense was going to make my head explode in about one second. “What did you see, Alice? ”

She stared at Jacob for one second, and then turned to me, evidently having chosen to let them hear.

“The decision’s been made. ”

“You’re going to Seattle? ”

“No. ”

I felt the color drain out of my face. My stomach lurched. “They’re coming here, ” I choked out.

The Quileute boys watched silently, reading every unconscious play of emotion on our faces. They were rooted in place, and yet not completely still. All three pairs of hands were trembling.

“Yes. ”

“To Forks, ” I whispered.

“Yes. ”

“For? ”

She nodded, understanding my question. “One carried your red shirt. ”

I tried to swallow.

Jasper’s expression was disapproving. I could tell he didn’t like discussing this in front of the werewolves, but he had something he needed to say. “We can’t let them come that far. There aren’t enough of us to protect the town. ”

“I know, ” Alice said, her face suddenly desolate. “But it doesn’t matter where we stop them. There still won’t be enough of us, and some of them will come here to search. ”

“No! ” I whispered.

The noise of the party overwhelmed the sound of my denial. All around us, my friends and neighbors and petty enemies ate and laughed and swayed to the music, oblivious to the fact that they were about to face horror, danger, maybe death. Because of me.

“Alice, ” I mouthed her name. “I have to go, I have to get away from here. ”

“That won’t help. It’s not like we’re dealing with a tracker. They’ll still come looking here first. ”

“Then I have to go to meet them! ” If my voice hadn’t been so hoarse and strained, it might have been a shriek. “If they find what they’re looking for, maybe they’ll go away and not hurt anyone else! ”

“Bella! ” Alice protested.

“Hold it, ” Jacob ordered in a low, forceful voice. “What is coming? ”

Alice turned her icy gaze on him. “Our kind. Lots of them. ”

“Why? ”

“For Bella. That’s all we know. ”

“There are too many for you? ” he asked.

Jasper bridled. “We have a few advantages, dog. It will be an even fight. ”

“No, ” Jacob said, and a strange, fierce half‑ smile spread across his face. “It won’t be even. ”

“Excellent! ” Alice hissed.

I stared, still frozen in horror, at Alice’s new expression. Her face was alive with exultation, all the despair wiped clean from her perfect features.

She grinned at Jacob, and he grinned back.

“Everything just disappeared, of course, ” she told him in a smug voice. “That’s inconvenient, but, all things considered, I’ll take it. ”

“We’ll have to coordinate, ” Jacob said. “It won’t be easy for us. Still, this is our job more than yours. ”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but we need the help. We aren’t going to be picky. ”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, ” I interrupted them.

Alice was on her toes, Jacob leaning down toward her, both of their faces lit up with excitement, both of their noses wrinkled against the smell. They looked at me impatiently.

“Coordinate? ” I repeated through my teeth.

“You didn’t honestly think you were going to keep us out of this? ” Jacob asked.

“You are staying out of this! ”

“Your psychic doesn’t think so. ”

“Alice – tell them no! ” I insisted. “They’ll get killed! ”

Jacob, Quil, and Embry all laughed out loud.

“Bella, ” Alice said, her voice soothing, placating, “separately we all could get killed. Together –”

“It’ll be no problem, ” Jacob finished her sentence. Quil laughed again.

“How many? ” Quil asked eagerly.

“No! ” I shouted.

Alice didn’t even look at me. “It changes – twenty‑ one today, but the numbers are going down. ”

“Why? ” Jacob asked, curious.

“Long story, ” Alice said, suddenly looking around the room. “And this isn’t the place for it. ”

“Later tonight? ” Jacob pushed.

“Yes, ” Jasper answered him. “We were already planning a. . . strategic meeting. If you’re going to fight with us, you’ll need some instruction. ”

The wolves all made a disgruntled face at the last part.

“No! ” I moaned.

“This will be odd, ” Jasper said thoughtfully. “I never considered working together. This has to be a first. ”

“No doubt about that, ” Jacob agreed. He was in a hurry now. “We’ve got to get back to Sam. What time? ”

“What’s too late for you? ”

All three rolled their eyes. “What time? ” Jacob repeated.

“Three o’clock? ”

“Where? ”

“About ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger station. Come at it from the west and you’ll be able to follow our scent in. ”

“We’ll be there. ”

They turned to leave.

“Wait, Jake! ” I called after him. “Please! Don’t do this! ”

He paused, turning back to grin at me, while Quil and Embry headed impatiently for the door. “Don’t be ridiculous, Bells. You’re giving me a much better gift than the one I gave you. ”

“No! ” I shouted again. The sound of an electric guitar drowned my cry.

He didn’t respond; he hurried to catch up with his friends, who were already gone. I watched helplessly as Jacob disappeared.

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