ith anything?

Monsters are not a joke, Bella.

I stared at the headline again, and then up to his hard expression. A . . . avampire is doing this? I whispered.

He smiled without humor. His voice was low and cold. Youd be surprised, Bella, at how often my kind are the source behind the horrors in your human news. Its easy to recognize, when you know what to look for. The information here indicates a newborn vampire is loose in Seattle. Bloodthirsty, wild, out of control. The way we all were.

I let my gaze drop to the paper again, avoiding his eyes.

Weve been monitoring the situation for a few weeks. All the signs are there  the unlikely disappearances, always in the night, the poorly disposed-of corpses, the lack of other evidence. . . . Yes, someone brand-new. And no one seems to be taking responsibility for the neophyte. . . . He took a deep breath. Well, its not our problem. We wouldnt even pay attention to the situation if wasnt going on so close to home. Like I said, this happens all the time. The existence of monsters results in monstrous consequences.

I tried not to see the names on the page, but they jumped out from the rest of the print like they were in bold. The five people whose lives were over, whose families were mourning now. It was different from considering murder in the abstract, reading those names. Maureen Gardiner, Geoffrey Campbell, Grace Razi, Michelle OConnell, Ronald Albrook. People whod had parents and children and friends and pets and jobs and hopes and plans and memories and futures. . . .

It wont be the same for me, I whispered, half to myself. You wont let me be like that. Well live in Antarctica.

Edward snorted, breaking the tension. Penguins. Lovely.

I laughed a shaky laugh and knocked the paper off the table so I wouldnt have to see those names; it hit the linoleum with a thud. Of course Edward would consider the hunting possibilities. He and his vegetarian family  all committed to protecting human life  preferred the flavor of large predators for satisfying their dietary needs. Alaska, then, as planned. Only somewhere much more remote than Juneau  somewhere with grizzlies galore.

Better, he allowed. There are polar bears, too. Very fierce. And the wolves get quite large.

My mouth fell open and my breath blew out in a sharp gust.

Whats wrong? he asked. Before I could recover, the confusion vanished and his whole body seemed to harden. Oh. Never mind the wolves, then, if the idea is offensive to you. His voice was stiff, formal, his shoulders rigid.

He was my best friend, Edward, I muttered. It stung to use the past tense. Of course the idea offends me.

Please forgive my thoughtlessness, he said, still very formal. I shouldnt have suggested that.

Dont worry about it. I stared at my hands, clenched into a double fist on the table.

We were both silent for a moment, and then his cool finger was under my chin, coaxing my face up. His expression was much softer now.

Sorry. Really.

I know. I know its not the same thing. I shouldnt have reacted that way. Its just that . . . well, I was already thinking about Jacob before you came over. I hesitated. His tawny eyes seemed to get a little bit darker whenever I said Jacobs name. My voice turned pleading in response. Charlie says Jake is having a hard time. Hes hurting right now, and . . . its my fault.

Youve done nothing wrong, Bella.

I took a deep breath. I need to make it better, Edward. I owe him that. And its one of Charlies conditions, anyway 

His face changed while I spoke, turning hard again, statue-like.

You know its out of the question for you to be around a werewolf unprotected, Bella. And it would break the treaty if any of us cross over onto their land. Do you want us to start a war?

Of course not!

Then theres really no point in discussing the matter further. He dropped his hand and looked away, searching for a subject change. His eyes paused on something behind me, and he smiled, though his eyes stayed wary.

Im glad Charlie has decided to let you out  youre sadly in need of a visit to the bookstore. I cant believe youre readingWuthering Heights again. Dont you know it by heart yet?

Not all of us have photographic memories, I said curtly.

Photographic memory or not, I dont understand why you like it. The characters are ghastly people who ruin each others lives. I dont know how Heathcliff and Cathy ended up being ranked with couples like Romeo and Juliet or Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. It isnt a love story, its a hate story.

You have some serious issues with the classics, I snapped.

Perhaps its because Im not impressed by antiquity. He smiled, evidently satisfied that hed distracted me. Honestly, though, whydo you read it over and over? His eyes were vivid with real interest now, trying  again  to unravel the convoluted workings of my mind. He reached across the table to cradle my face in his hand. What is it that appeals to you?

His sincere curiosity disarmed me. Im not sure, I said, scrambling for coherency while his gaze unintentionally scattered my thoughts. I think its something about the inevitability. How nothing can keep them apart  not her selfishness, or his evil, or even death, in the end. . . .

His face was thoughtful as he considered my words. After a moment he smiled a teasing smile. I still think it would be a better story if either of them had one redeeming quality.

I think that may be the point, I disagreed. Their loveis their only redeeming quality.

I hope you have better sense than that  to fall in love with someone so . . . malignant.

Its a bit late for me to worry about who I fall in love with, I pointed out. But even without the warning, I seem to have managed fairly well.

He laughed quietly. Im gladyou think so.

Well, I hope youre smart enough to stay away from someone so selfish. Catherine is really the source of all the trouble, not Heathcliff.

Ill be on my guard, he promised.

I sighed. He was so good at distractions.

I put my hand over his to hold it to my face. I need to see Jacob.

His eyes closed. No.

Its truly not dangerous at all, I said, pleading again. I used to spend all day in La Push with the whole lot of them, and nothing ever happened.

But I made a slip; my voice faltered at the end because I realized as I was saying the words that they were a lie. It was not true thatnothing had ever happened. A brief flash of memory  an enormous gray wolf crouched to spring, baring his dagger-like teeth at me  had my palms sweating with an echo of remembered panic.

Edward heard my heart accelerate and nodded as if Id acknowledged the lie aloud. Werewolves are unstable. Sometimes, the people near them get hurt. Sometimes, they get killed.

I wanted to deny it, but another image slowed my rebuttal. I saw in my head the once beautiful face of Emily Young, now marred by a trio of dark scars that dragged down the corner of her right eye and left her mouth warped forever into a lopsided scowl.

He waited, grimly triumphant, for me to find my voice.

You dont know them, I whispered.

I know them better than you think, Bella. I was here the last time.

The last time?

We started crossing paths with the wolves about seventy years ago. . . . We had just settled near Hoquiam. That was before Alice and Jasper were with us. We outnumbered them, but that wouldnt have stopped it from turning into a fight if not for Carlisle. He managed to convince Ephraim Black that coexisting was possible, and eventually we made the truce.

Jacobs great-grandfathers name startled me.

We thought the line had died out with Ephraim, Edward muttered; it sounded like he was talking to himself now. That the genetic quirk which allowed the transmutation had been lost. . . . He broke off and stared at me accusingly. Your bad luck seems to get more potent every day. Do you realize that your insatiable pull for all things deadly was strong enough to recove