 tucked the helmet under my arm and threw the jacket across the seat.

Do you have it all? Edward asked.

No problem, I assured him.

He sighed and leaned toward me. I turned my face up for a goodbye peck, but Edward took me by surprise, fastening his arms tightly around me and kissing me with as much enthusiasm as he had in the garage  before long, I was gasping for air.

Edward laughed quietly at something, and then let me go.

Goodbye, he said. I really do like the jacket.

As I turned away from him, I thought I saw a flash of something in his eyes that I wasnt supposed to see. I couldnt tell for sure what it was exactly. Worry, maybe. For a second I thought it was panic. But I was probably just making something out of nothing, as usual.

I could feel his eyes on my back as I pushed my bike toward the invisible vampire-werewolf treaty line to meet Jacob.

Whats all that? Jacob called to me, his voice wary, scrutinizing the motorcycle with an enigmatic expression.

I thought I should put this back where it belongs, I told him.

He pondered that for one short second, and then his wide smile stretched across his face.

I knew the exact point that I was in werewolf territory because Jacob shoved away from his car and loped quickly over to me, closing the distance in three long strides. He took the bike from me, balanced it on the kickstand, and grabbed me up in another vice-tight hug.

I heard the Volvos engine growl, and I struggled to get free.

Cut it out, Jake! I gasped breathlessly.

He laughed and set me down. I turned to wave goodbye, but the silver car was already disappearing around the curve in the road.

Nice, I commented, allowing some acid to leak into my voice.

His eyes widened in false innocence. What?

Hes being pretty dang pleasant about this; you dont need to push your luck.

He laughed again, louder than before  he found what Id said very funny indeed. I tried to see the joke as he walked around the Rabbit to hold my door open for me.

Bella, he finally said  still chuckling  as he shut the door behind me, you cant push what you dont have.



11. LEGENDS

ARE YOU GONNA EAT THAT HOT DOG? PAUL ASKED JAcob, his eyes locked on the last remnant of the huge meal the werewolves had consumed.

Jacob leaned back against my knees and toyed with the hot dog he had spitted on a straightened wire hanger; the flames at the edge of the bonfire licked along its blistered skin. He heaved a sigh and patted his stomach. It was somehow still flat, though Id lost count of how many hot dogs hed eaten after his tenth. Not to mention the super-sized bag of chips or the two-liter bottle of root beer.

I guess, Jake said slowly. Im so full Im about to puke, but Ithink I can force it down. I wont enjoy it at all, though. He sighed again sadly.

Despite the fact that Paul had eaten at least as much as Jacob, he glowered and his hands balled up into fists.

Sheesh. Jacob laughed. Kidding, Paul. Here.

He flipped the homemade skewer across the circle. I expected it to land hot-dog-first in the sand, but Paul caught it neatly on the right end without difficulty.

Hanging out with no one but extremely dexterous people all the time was going to give me a complex.

Thanks, man, Paul said, already over his brief fit of temper.

The fire crackled, settling lower toward the sand. Sparks blew up in a sudden puff of brilliant orange against the black sky. Funny, I hadnt noticed that the sun had set. For the first time, I wondered how late it had gotten. Id lost track of time completely.

It was easier being with my Quileute friends than Id expected.

While Jacob and I had dropped off my bike at the garage  and he had admitted ruefully that the helmet was a good idea that he should have thought of himself  Id started to worry about showing up with him at the bonfire, wondering if the werewolves would consider me a traitor now. Would they be angry with Jacob for inviting me? Would I ruin the party?

But when Jacob had towed me out of the forest to the clifftop meeting place  where the fire already roared brighter than the cloud-obscured sun  it had all been very casual and light.

Hey, vampire girl! Embry had greeted me loudly. Quil had jumped up to give me a high five and kiss me on the cheek. Emily had squeezed my hand when wed sat on the cool stone ground beside her and Sam.

Other than a few teasing complaints  mostly by Paul  about keeping the bloodsucker stench downwind, I was treated like someone who belonged.

It wasnt just kids in attendance, either. Billy was here, his wheelchair stationed at what seemed the natural head of the circle. Beside him on a folding lawn chair, looking quite brittle, was Quils ancient, white-haired grandfather, Old Quil. Sue Clearwater, widow of Charlies friend Harry, had a chair on his other side; her two children, Leah and Seth, were also there, sitting on the ground like the rest of us. This surprised me, but all three were clearly in on the secret now. From the way Billy and Old Quil spoke to Sue, it sounded to me like shed taken Harrys place on the council. Did that make her children automatic members of La Pushs most secret society?

I wondered how horrible it was for Leah to sit across the circle from Sam and Emily. Her lovely face betrayed no emotion, but she never looked away from the flames. Looking at the perfection of Leahs features, I couldnt help but compare them to Emilys ruined face. What did Leah think of Emilys scars, now that she knew the truth behind them? Did it seem like justice in her eyes?

Little Seth Clearwater wasnt so little anymore. With his huge, happy grin and his long, gangly build, he reminded me very much of a younger Jacob. The resemblance made me smile, and then sigh. Was Seth doomed to have his life change as drastically as the rest of these boys? Was that future why he and his family were allowed to be here?

The whole pack was there: Sam with his Emily, Paul, Embry, Quil, and Jared with Kim, the girl hed imprinted upon.

My first impression of Kim was that she was a nice girl, a little shy, and a little plain. She had a wide face, mostly cheekbones, with eyes too small to balance them out. Her nose and mouth were both too broad for traditional beauty. Her flat black hair was thin and wispy in the wind that never seemed to let up atop the cliff.

That was my first impression. But after a few hours of watching Jared watch Kim, I could no longer find anything plain about the girl.

The way he stared at her! It was like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Like a collector finding an undiscovered Da Vinci, like a mother looking into the face of her newborn child.

His wondering eyes made me see new things about her  how her skin looked like russet-colored silk in the firelight, how the shape of her lips was a perfect double curve, how white her teeth were against them, how long her eyelashes were, brushing her cheek when she looked down.

Kims skin sometimes darkened when she met Jareds awed gaze, and her eyes would drop as if in embarrassment, but she had a hard time keeping her eyes away from his for any length of time.

Watching them, I felt like I better understood what Jacob had told me about imprinting before its hard to resist that level of commitment and adoration.

Kim was nodding off now against Jareds chest, his arms around her. I imagined she would be very warm there.

Its getting late, I murmured to Jacob.

Dont startthat yet, Jacob whispered back  though certainly half the group here had hearing sensitive enough to hear us anyway. The best part is coming.

Whats the best part? You swallowing an entire cow whole?

Jacob chuckled his low, throaty laugh. No. Thats the finale. We didnt meet just to eat through a weeks worth of food. This is technically a council meeting. Its Quils first time, and he hasnt heard the stories yet. Well, hesheard them, but this will be the first time he knows theyre true. That tends to make a guy pay closer attention. Kim and Seth and 