Beau?" said a soft voice from behind me.
I turned to see Edythe spring up lightly onto the porch. Her long bronze hair was windswept from her run, and I noticed she moved with unnaturally fluid grace—as though for the moment she was beyond trying look human. Her expression was calm, and yet, as she wordlessly pulled me into her chilly embrace, her body felt rigid with suppressed tension.
I blinked and was startled when I suddenly felt her icy lips against mine. One of her delicate hands gripped my shoulder, so tightly I felt the cold of her fingers through the material of my jacket. It didn't feel like a normal kiss—it felt desperate, tinged with fear and dread.
For just a moment, memories I hadn't thought of in a long time returned to me—the two of us parting, as Edythe prepared to go after Joss, that night after my eighteenth birthday, when Edythe had first made up her mind to leave me.
I felt a shiver down my spine. Seeing Edythe so shaken brought the reality of the situation home—the threat to my life and now to her entire family. Even if she wouldn't come out and say it directly, she was worried. Afraid.
I pulled away slightly, my gaze dropping from hers. For the next few hours, I had a graduation party to focus on, and I had to act normal. Thinking about all that now wouldn't help anything.
"Well, I guess we better go in," I said, forcing an unnatural note of joviality into my tone, even though I still didn't quite meet her eyes. "Might as well get the torture over with."
I started to turn back to head on inside, but I felt Edythe's hand tighten briefly around mine. I glanced back to find her gazing up at me with an earnest expression.
"Beau," she said softly. "I want you to know, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."
I hesitated. "You know I'm not the only one in danger," I pointed out. "I'm not the one I'm worried about."
"And why am I not surprised by that?" Edythe muttered, giving me that familiar look of mingled disapproval and incredulity.
Edythe drew a deep breath, then forced a smile. "Well then, are you ready to celebrate?"
I sighed like a martyr, but grudgingly turned back to the door, resigned.
"That's the spirit," she encouraged, laying a hand lightly on my arm.
I pushed open the door and had gotten a half step over the threshold before I froze. My hand slipped from the door, and the only thing that stopped it from swinging around and hitting me in the back was Edythe, who caught it and held it open, while I continued to stare in complete disbelief.
At last, I turned slowly to look down at Edythe. "Do you ever think maybe you have a crazy brother?" I wondered.
"I've spent years investigating potential psyche wards," she said seriously. "But none of them would take him."
"Ha ha, you're a riot." Archie appeared from behind a gigantic speaker taller than he was, and he was giving Edythe a look, like he wasn't sure whether to laugh or throw something at her.
"Sorry," Edythe said, not looking all that apologetic. "I guess that was low."
His eyes narrowed to slits, then suddenly his teeth flashed in a wide grin. "Well, I guess I can forgive you, if you tell me what you think of what I've done with the place." He spread his arms wide, to indicate the entirety of the Cullen's front room.
The interior of the house had been utterly transformed. I felt like I'd stepped into a high-end night club, with an assortment of expensive foods set out on tables, and strobe lights flickering across the room in an array of red and purple. To complete the image, Archie was decked out in a pair of black leather pants and matching jacket, which had had the sleeves shorn off.
"Impressive," Edythe said, taking another look around the room. Her eyes returned to the speakers. "What are you planning to do about music?"
Archie gestured to a pair of towering stacks of CDs nearby. "That's what I'm trying to decide. What do you think? Familiar and comforting, or should we work on educating Forks' taste in music?"
"Comforting," Edythe answered. "Educational usually backfires. The public's tastes are what they are."
Archie nodded seriously, then took one stack and began tossing them into a box.
Of course, Archie didn't need any help from a slow, awkward human, so mostly I just lounged around on the couch and watched Archie's blur as he shot from one task to the next. However, as Edythe wouldn't let me out of her sight for a second, she dragged me along when she went to find Carine and Jessamine to tell them about my theory of what the enemy's probable target was. They both seemed skeptical at first, especially Jessamine, but Edythe quickly brought them around.
I watched Jessamine, and she seemed tense. If anything, she seemed even more tense than Edythe. And as the quiet, urgent conversation progressed, and Jessamine explained that they had been unable to reach any of their other potential allies, it became increasingly clear to me that Jessamine felt that the odds were not in their favor. The battle would a gamble—and no one had to tell me just how high the stakes were.
I could feel my own tension mounting. It was all becoming too real. This was a war council, and soon they'd be marching off to battle. The thought of me sitting somewhere safe and useless while they all went off to fight was like a twisting hot knife in my stomach. I couldn't stand it—surely there had to be something I could do.
However, when at last the doorbell rang and the first guests arrived—a suburban-full of our school friends, Jeremy, McKayla, Taylor, Colleen, Aubrey, among a few others—everything was abruptly, almost surreally normal. Carine's and Earnest's smiles betrayed no hint of strain as they smiled warmly and welcomed them in. Archie had turned the music up, so loud the fast beat made the floor tremble.
I could tell my friends from school were impressed as they took in their surroundings, which Archie had made to look like some kind of chic rave. They'd all been curious about the mysterious and reclusive Cullens, and Archie had assured me to my dismay that curiosity alone would ensure everyone he invited came.
I forced my mind from the impending attack to play my part as one of the hosts—I greeted each of my friends as they came in, reminiscing a little about old school times with Jeremy and McKayla, and went to greet Allen and Becca when they arrived, and Erica and Kyle were just behind them. Even Logan was there, his usually disdainful eyes taking in the place with something like wonder.
I found I didn't have time to freak out, as I had to throw all my concentration into being upbeat and friendly. I noticed I seemed to be the primary target for congratulations, even though it was supposed to be an event for the three of us. Although Edythe and Archie had both gone a long way to bridging the unspoken wall between the Cullens and other ordinary people in the last year and a half I'd been here, people still seemed to find them intimidating. The dim lighting and flashes of red and purple playing off their slightly inhuman skin didn't help.
In the end, I considered the thing a success. People were a bit edgy being around the Cullens, but I rather suspected that might have just added to the thrill and mystique. The food disappeared so fast I figured that must have been good, and though it looked like the entire senior class along with quite a few of the juniors were there, the room never felt overcrowded or claustrophobic. Bodies swayed to the beat that trembled under the soles of their feet, the atmosphere buzzing with excitement, but never wild or out of control.
In fact, the whole thing wasn't so bad as I'd expected. Maybe all that dread had somehow prepared me for it. The casual chatting and mingling as I moved from one person to another came more easily than usual, and the people I spoke to, for their part, seemed delighted with the whole thing and easy enough to please. Archie was grinning with obvious triumph.
I circled around the room, going from one group to the next. The entire time Edythe stuck to me like glue, clearly having no intention of leaving me alone. Consequently, my suspicions were immediately aroused when Edythe abruptly slipped her arm out of mine, and pulled slightly away from me.
"You stay here and keep talking," she murmured in my ear. "I'll be right back."
I wanted to ask her what was up, but Jeremy was in the middle of saying something and the most I could do was watch her out of the corner of my eye as she gracefully slipped away through the crowd, without seeming to come into contact with any of the close-packed bodies.
"You think so, right?" Jeremy prompted.
I blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, yeah," I said distractedly. "Definitely."
"Right?" Jeremy said enthusiastically. "This summer, all the guys. I was thinking we all could..."
I was barely listening as I surreptitiously followed Edythe's progress to the kitchen entrance. I noticed another figure standing there, but it was too dark to make out who it was immediately. However, as I squinted, a red light flashed across Edythe's back, and I saw the red light reflected off Archie's sleeveless leather jacket. For a fraction of a second, I saw his face, and I knew that look.
"Give me a minute, Jer," I murmured, and without looking to see his reaction, I turned and headed straight toward the kitchen doorway, weaving and ducking to find my way through the dancers.
By the time I got there, Edythe was already gone, but Archie was still there. The blank, glassy-eyed look I'd seen a moment before was gone, but his face was white, bleak. He was gripping the door frame to the kitchen as though he needed support.
"What?" I said urgently. "What did you see?"
Archie didn't look at me, instead staring away. I followed his gaze to see Edythe, standing on the far side of the room. Their eyes met briefly, and Edythe's face was flat, devoid of emotion. Without so much as a nod, she turned and disappeared into the shadows under the stairs.
I opened my mouth to repeat my question again—more insistently—but just then, the doorbell rang.
Archie looked startled for a second, before his expression turned to a scowl.
"Oh, that's just what we need," he grumbled. "Well, the wolves are officially in the house. I don't remember putting them on the guest list." He raised an accusing eyebrow at me.
"I added them," I admitted. Not that I'd really imagined she would ever come here, of all places.
"Well, just go and un-add them, then," he said. "We don't have time for this. I've got to go talk to Carine."
"Wait—" I began, but he was already gone.
This was it, I was sure of it. The vision Archie had been waiting for. I had to know what was happening.
Gritting my teeth with frustration, I turned my back on the door and the insistent doorbell. I scanned the crowd, looking for where Archie had gone. Of course I didn't see him, so I turned in the direction of the stairs.
"Hey, Beau!"
Somehow, Jules's voice carried over the crowd and the pounding of the music, and I couldn't stop myself automatically glancing back at the sound of my name. I grimaced.
Jules, having let herself in, wasn't alone—she was flanked on either side by Quil and Emma. The two of them were both absolutely rigid, eyes darting about the room like they expected a swarm of bats to swoop down on them at any moment. Emma stayed back, remaining in the open doorway and looking ready to bolt any second. Quil, by contrast, was bent forward slightly, shoulders squared, like a pit bull ready to charge.
Jules alone seemed relatively relaxed, grinning and waving at me, though I noticed her nose was wrinkled slightly.
I curtly waved back once, then ducked through the crowd, keeping my eyes peeled for Archie.
Before I had time to process or see quite how she did it, Jules was suddenly beside me. She caught me by the arm and dragged me back toward the shadow by the kitchen, pointedly ignoring my attempts to pull free.
"Is that how you treat all your guests?" she wanted to know. "Especially ones you specifically invited."
"After a couple days ago, your name was crossed off the guest list," I answered shortly, trying unsuccessfully to pry her fingers off my arm.
"Aw, come on," she said. She finally let go of me, and fixed me with a pleading expression. "Okay, I admit it, I stepped over the line. I guess I'd convinced myself that really you kind of secretly wanted me to, but—seriously, sorry. I mean it. Forgive me?"
I wasn't really looking at her, my eyes still looking for Archie. He'd probably found Carine already and were discussing whatever Archie had seen as we spoke. If I was going to find out what it was, I would have to hurry.
"Look, let's talk about this later, I'm kind of in a rush right now."
Jules frowned. "But I brought you a graduation present."
I shook my head impatiently. "Later, okay?" My eyes still scanned the room for Archie.
"Okay," Jules said, in a very different voice. She sounded subdued, almost hurt.
I paused, and this time her tone forced me to finally turn back to her. Her gaze had dropped, and she wasn't looking at me.
I let out a frustrated sigh and grumbled a little. I didn't like to make her feel bad.
"Yeah, I forgive you," I said reluctantly. When she still didn't look up, I added, "And if you have to give me something, hurry up and give it to me."
Jules brightened. "I made it myself," she said, reaching into the pocket of her jeans. She pulled out a small pouch of loose-woven, multicolored fabric, held shut by a leather drawstring. She handed it to me.
"Wow," I said, trying to make my voice enthusiastic. "That's really..."
Jules rolled her eyes. "The present is inside, Beau."
"Oh."
I fumbled with the drawstring for a few seconds, before Jules finally took pity on me and took it, opening the bag with one deft pull of the right cord. I held out my hand for the bag, but instead of giving it back to me, she turned the bag over and shook it lightly, until something tumbled out onto my palm.
I held it up between my fingers and I saw it appeared to be a leather bracelet, the kind you could adjust the size by pulling the strings, and there was a feather attached to a string of beads hanging from it. There was something else, too.
I squinted and looked closer, and saw a small wooden figurine hanging beside the feather. I realized it was a detailed carving of a wolf, made of a red-brown wood that matched the color of her skin, and the russet color of her fur when she phased.
I held it up to eye level to get a better look. "Wow," I marveled, really meaning it this time. "Did you really..."
"Yeah, I carved it," she said, shrugging. "It's something a lot of the tribe learns how to do. Bonnie's been teaching me since I was a kid."
"Wow," I said again, turning the wolf around in my fingers, viewing it from all angles. "This is amazing. You're good, Jules."
"You aren't going to complain I'm giving you jewelry?" she asked, grinning.
"No way," I said. I pointed to the leather cord. "Obviously, this is man jewelry. And I like homemade stuff."
Jules's grin widened. "I know." Then her expression clouded and she glanced away. "Well, I figured I should give you something to remember me once in awhile later. You know—out of sight, out of mind."
I decided to ignore the bitterness in her tone, and I concentrated on trying to get it put on. I put it on my left wrist, thinking my right hand might be more dexterous in getting it tightened. However, after a minute trying to figure out which string to pull, Jules rolled her eyes and reached forward, again tightening it to the perfect size with one easy move.
I lifted my wrist up to look at it. "Thanks a lot, Jules. I mean it, this is awesome."
"You'll really wear it?" she asked.
"Course I will."
Jules really smiled then—the brilliant, happy smile of the old Jules, that held no tinge of anger or resentment.
I found myself grinning back for a second—then I suddenly remembered reality and my eyes flickered reflexively around the room, searching out some sign of Edythe or Archie.
"What's wrong?" she asked, frowning. "You're acting weird." She added suspiciously, "Is something going on?"
I hesitated a beat too long, then quickly shook my head. "No—no, nothing, don't worry. Anyway, gotta run, but thanks so much for the present, it's awesome."
I started to turn, intent on pushing my way through the crowd, but Jules sighed and casually reached out and snagged me by the wrist.
"When are you going to figure out you really suck at lying?" she asked. "Whatever it is, you should tell us. We need to know these things as much as they do."
I hesitated a second again, but I realized she was right. "Honestly, Jules, I'm not sure myself right now. I need to find Archie."
Understanding lit her eyes. "The little dude saw something?"
I nodded. "But I didn't get a chance to ask him anything yet."
"Is this related to that bloodsucker that was in your room?" she asked, pitching her voice below the thrum of the music.
I paused. "It's kind of related."
Jules read my expression and her eyes widened slightly. "You know something else," she said. It was a statement, not a question.
Jules always saw through my lies, so I admitted, "Yeah."
Jules stared back at me for a second, then turned to catch Emma and Quil's eyes, where they still lingered by the doorway, looking jumpy and uncomfortable. However, when they caught her expression, they immediately began to wade through the crowd, weaving and slipping through impossible gaps without without ever seeming to come into contact with anyone, before in a moment they were standing on either side of Jules.
In spite of Emma's willowy form and Quil's small, slender one, I could see the muscles of their arms through their jackets, and with their matching glares, I couldn't help but think if Jules was the leader of her own gang, these two could be her enforcers. As though to reinforce the image, the two of them folded their arms across their chests at exactly the same moment.
Jules must have sensed I was still reluctant to talk, at least here and now, and I could tell this was her way of telling me she wasn't going to let me go.
"Okay, now spill," she demanded, jabbing a finger in my chest. "What's really going on?"
I shook my head, eyes automatically scanning the crowd again. "I don't really know everything yet...Like I said, I need to talk to Archie."
Jules's expression was unyielding. "We'll take what you do know then."
I hesitated. My gaze went back to the crowd, and this time I was relieved when I caught sight of Archie, slowly making his way back down the stairs. His expression was troubled...maybe even afraid.
I felt myself tense for a second, then forced myself to breathe.
"Archie," I muttered. My quiet voice was drowned out by the thudding base, but I knew he would hear me anyway.
Sure enough, his eyes flickered immediately to meet mine. For just a moment, they were devoid of emotion—dead. Then his gaze shifted and he took in the werewolves, whose gazes had all followed mine to stare at him. His expression turned to a frown.
In a moment, he was down the stairs and standing beside me, facing the trio of wolves.
Jules stood her ground, but Emma and Quil both backed up a step, eying Archie with uneasy expressions.
Archie gave them a look, then put a hand on my shoulder. "Got to talk to you, man," he muttered in my ear.
I tried to look apologetic as Archie turned to steer me toward the stairs, though I kept my eyes down.
An arm suddenly shot out in front of us, palm slamming into the wall inches from Archie's face, blocking our way.
"I don't think so," Jules whispered menacingly.
Jules was taller than Archie, and now she used the few inches of height to tower over him. She tilted her head back, so she was looking down at him further, leaning to one side in a deliberately careless way, that reminded me just a bit of a tough guy in a gangster film. She continued, "I think you're going to stay here, and fill us in on what's going on."
Before Archie could answer, Jessamine appeared quite literally out of nowhere. One second it was just Archie and me, standing on one side of Jules's arm, the next, Jessamine was standing on the opposite side. Her normally even, stoic expression was twisted in a feral snarl so unnerving that Jules straightened and withdrew her arm without so much as a sarcastic remark.
However, Jules wasn't about to back down. "We have a right to know," she said evenly, her hard eyes still focused on Archie.
Jessamine took a sideways step, so in an instant she was standing in front of Archie was a shield, lips still curled back from her teeth in an expression that wasn't even faintly human. All three werewolves were tense, readying themselves.
I was pale. If a fight broke out here...
"Hey," I said, my voice higher than usual. "Let's everybody calm down—"
Nobody seemed to notice me. However, Archie's brow furrowed and he looked thoughtful. "It's okay, Jess. Maybe they're right."
He deliberately turned toward me and said, as though the wolves weren't there, "The decision's been made."
I stared at him for a second. I forced myself to swallow.
"So..." I began, trying to keep it calm as I interpreted what he was trying to say. "That's it? You're all going to Seattle?"
Archie's expression didn't change. "No, not us."
I stared at him, then it hit me with the force of a ten-ton truck. "They're coming here," I whispered.
Archie nodded grimly. I was vaguely aware of the three werewolves watching us closely, watching the emotions playing across our faces. Their clenched fists were trembling slightly.
"To Forks," I said, so low I barely heard myself. I felt light-headed, I couldn't think. "Why...? I mean, did you see if it was..."
Archie knew what I was asking. He nodded once. "What you said before—it looks like you hit it dead on. They had your clothes."
I could barely breathe.
Jessamine shot a dark look at the wolves, obviously displeased with including them in sensitive military discussions, but she spoke up. "We can't let them come that far. There are not enough of us to protect the town."
Archie looked at her, and his expression was more serious than I had ever seen it—hopeless.
"I know," he said in a low voice. "But it doesn't matter where we stop them...there won't be enough of us to get them all. Not before some of them come here to search."
The boisterous babble of the party seemed to fade, and at his words I felt as though my head were suddenly underwater. My eyes turned, as though I were in a dream, to the people there. My friends, my neighbors, even the people I didn't like so well...all were laughing and chatting as they swayed to the music. Oblivious to the fact they may soon be about to face horror, danger, perhaps death. And all because of me.
My mouth was dry. "Archie," I said, voice hoarse as my hand clenched his arm like a vice. "Archie, I've got to do something. I've got to get out of here. They can't follow me here..."
Archie shook his head. "These aren't trackers we're dealing with. Even if you left, they'd still come looking here first."
I didn't know what to say. However, an image was playing in my mind. An image of one of the old Quileute legends, the husband of Taha Aki, as he ran out to meet the enemy, dagger in hand...
"This isn't just about your family anymore," I said quietly, firmly. "If there's no other option, we may have to consider...giving them what they're looking for."
Archie stared at me, his expression a mix of horror, and growing anger. "Listen, dude, do you have any idea how Edy—"
I cut across him. "There's too much at stake, Edythe will have to see that. If it's between me and the people of this town, then—"
"Hold it," Jules cut in, in a low, forceful voice. I'd almost forgotten she was there. "What is it? What's coming after Beau?"
Archie turned his eyes to Jules. "Our kind," he said evenly. "Lots of them."
Her normally russet skin was pale, but she kept her voice calm. "Why?"
Archie shook his head. "We don't know that yet."
Jules was silent for a long moment. Then her mouth suddenly, incredibly, spread into a grim, fierce smile.
"Well," she said, with careless arrogance. "If there's too many for you...It just so happens I know a few people who know a thing or two about taking down bloodsuckers. I'd ask you to get down and beg—but if we get our teeth in a few leeches, that would be payment enough."
Archie stared at her for a second, then suddenly he was grinning as broadly as Jules. His features were suddenly alive with exultation, and the despair was gone. "You know, I guess even dogs have to have good ideas once in a while. Course, the entire future just completely disappeared, but that's fine by me."
"We'll have to work together," Jules said. "The others won't like it, but...well, it is our job to protect the town. That means doing whatever we have to do—Sam won't be able to argue with that."
Archie and Jules were leaning toward each other, identical lights of excitement in their eyes, noses both wrinkled against the smell.
I watched them. I didn't know what to feel—two different emotions seemed to be warring inside me. On the one hand, I'd always wanted both my families to learn to get along, maybe work together. And rationally, I knew this was the solution we had all failed to think of. With seven vampires on our side Jessamine had believed it would be about even in a fight, factoring in their abilities and experience, but six powerful, fast werewolves would tip the balance in our favor. And yet...
I felt something hard and icy drop into my stomach at the thought of Jules and these other girls—so young, still technically human—fighting monsters with wild, crimson eyes, and hard, lightning fast bodies.
"How many?" Quil asked, her tone eager, overcoming her aversion to the vampires in her sudden excitement.
Archie shrugged. "It changes. Twenty-one today, but it might go down by a few by the time they get here."
"Why's that?" Jules asked.
Archie shook his head, eyes suddenly darting around the room. "There's a lot to explain, and here probably isn't the place. We'll talk later."
"Tonight," Jessamine added. "We were already planning a strategic meeting. Three o'clock. There are specific ways that are the most efficient for fighting them, which I can demonstrate for you." Though Jessamine's demeanor was more composed than Archie's, I could see the eagerness in her eyes, too.
Jules didn't look happy at the thought of being taught by vampires, but she nodded. "Where do you want us?"
"Ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger station. Come from the west, and you'll be able to follow our scent in."
Jules nodded again, all business. "We'll be there."
As one, all three turned for the door, I didn't doubt to go inform Samantha of this development.
Just as Jules passed by me, before I consciously knew what I was doing, I reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
She turned back to look at me.
I'm not sure what my expression looked like. Wild, probably, almost panicked. My mouth was slightly open, as though to say something, but nothing would come out.
Jules studied me for a second, then snorted.
"What's with that look?" she asked. "A second ago you were all calm and talking about how you were going to walk out and let yourself get eaten—and totally betray your psycho vampire girlfriend. Now you look like you're about ready to freak out."
Part of that distracted me. I frowned. "Betray her? I wasn't going to betray anybody."
Jules rolled her eyes. "If she had a say, she wouldn't let you, even if she had to tie you up. So if you did manage to do it somehow, I'd call that a betrayal. Course, I wouldn't let you go either."
Jules sighed and shook her head. "Anyway, you should be happy. We're saving all your bloodsuckers' skins, and we're saving the town."
"I wouldn't go that far," Archie muttered. "Without us, you wouldn't be in too good a situation either."
"Without you, Beau wouldn't have half the vampires in the country gunning for him," she answered smartly.
I still hadn't let go of Jules's arm, and the desperation hadn't left my eyes.
Jules gently twisted out of my grip, but reached back to briefly squeeze my hand. "It'll be fine," she said in a low voice, smiling. "It would have been a disaster, but with us here, it'll be nothing. This is what we do—we're protectors."
I watched helplessly as she turned away from me, and made her way back through the crowd to catch up with Emma and Quil. My eyes never moved from her back, which was straight and sure, but at the moment, looked far too small for the burden she had just willingly taken.