Russet Noon Preface

My arms and knees forced me into a defensive stance. I was in complete darkness. Couldn’t see
a thing. I knew I was being followed, but I was trying really hard not to move. I knew if I did, I
would phase.

That’s what I was here to do. To phase before the eyes of my enemies. I had been set up and
now I was their prisoner.

I thought I had learned to control it by now. But I was wrong, and my enemy knew it all too well.
It knew I was most vulnerable when I was a werewolf, because all the minds of my pack could be
read at once. My werewolf mind would be an open door to destroy us all. That’s why they
wanted me. I was the Alpha. I was the key to their victory.

I fought to hold it in, but it was ripping me apart from within. This battle with my own self. I
awaited a slow and excruciating death in the hands of the most vicious, the most dreadful thing
that not even Alice could have seen coming. Something powerful enough to block all our powers.
Something that could destroy us all at once in the fraction of a second.

The wolf within me would be the end of me. The end of all my people, as well as the vampires.

I was a ticking bomb. I felt a surge of adrenaline igniting like acid through the walls of my veins. I
saw the lights in my head, the miniature explosions of my neurons firing a million miles a second.
I was pure instinct, pure beast, ready to fight even at the expense of my own life. I couldn’t see,
but I knew what was after me. It was not a werewolf, but it wasn’t a bloodsucker either.

It was something far stronger. A whole army of us together couldn’t take it down. Something no
clan we knew had seen before anywhere around the world. No vampire or werewolf knew such a
thing existed for real. How ironic. We thought we were the only ones.

Hiding from the ever unsuspecting, the ever oblivious, human eyes. All our powers combined
were useless against this. I suddenly felt something move, really close to me, almost touching
me. All the hairs in the back of my neck stood up. I couldn’t understand how I hadn’t phased yet.
Had I finally learned to control it?

But why now? Why at the moment of death?

Chapter 1: Fireworks in La Push

I’d been having the same dream for several days now. It was like a cycle, repeating itself over
and over endlessly. Nothing ever changed in it. Everything happened exactly the same every
time I dreamed it.

The Elders of the Quileute Nation often warned us about this type of dream. They said that
recurring dreams were not really dreams. They were mystical visions sent by our wolf ancestors,
most likely to warn us about impending danger.

Only the medicine people were able to understand the meaning of these visions. Everyone else
in the reservation was very secretive if they had them at all. We all talked about them like a thing
of the past, something only our ancestors experienced. No one ever admitted to having mystical
visions for fear of being called crazy.

Quite a predicament I was in. If the dream continued repeating, I’d have to tell Sam about it.
Sam Uley would be the person to ask if someone didn’t want to consult the healers. He knew all
about the mystical secrets of the Quileute Nation.
The only obstacle was how fiercely Sam protected this sacred knowledge. He was extremely
hesitant to discuss it with anyone, even the members of his own pack.

It would be hard to get Sam to trust me enough to reveal what he knew. His attitude had
changed drastically the moment he found out I had imprinted on Renesmee. My friendship with
him had ended that day, exactly five years ago.

Now, he was forced to trust me as his fellow werewolf, but he’d probably never trust me as his
friend again. My only hope would be to convince him that my vision might, in fact, be a warning.

As the alpha of my pack, I felt a great burden of responsibility to protect my people. I always tried
to be ahead of the game when it came to preventing a possible attack. For this reason alone, I’d
have to swallow my pride and go to Sam for advice.

I caught him walking out of Emily’s house just before nightfall. He was surprised to see me when
he opened the door and saw me standing next to his car.

“Hey, Sam,” I mumbled under my breath, barely looking at him.

He scratched his head and laughed, then, was about to say something, but quickly changed his
mind. Emily came out to see what he was laughing about.

I waved at her. “Hi, Emily.”

“Hey, Jake.” She hugged Sam goodbye and closed the door.

Sam advanced slowly in my direction. “What’s going on?”

“We need to talk.” I made it a point to sound serious, but it wasn’t necessary.

Sam knew what was going on. It’s like he’d been expecting me to tell him all along. He glanced
over at me for a short time, deliberating. “Not here.” He opened the door to his car and got in.

I stood mesmerized for a moment. Looking at Sam’s ride always had a way of getting me
sidetracked. It was a masterpiece. He had restored it himself. Bought it for less than a grand
when he found it all beat up at a junkyard.

My dad and I laughed the day he brought it home last year. He had to tow it into his garage
because it didn’t even have an engine. No one believed he’d pull it off.

Now it was a real beauty. He’d sure had the last laugh. It was a 1962 Thunderbird turned into a
hot-rod racecar—state-of-the-art mods all across the board. He’d restored both its exterior and
interior from scratch, then, painted it metallic-blue. But what I envied the most was the painting of
a thunderbird he’d had custom-airbrushed on the hood.

In Quileute legends, the thunderbird was a mythical creature known for protecting our people in
times of trouble. Sam sketched a basic design of it on paper. It was turquoise in color, and its
wings spread out to the sides. He then had it airbrushed in aluminum-glitter paint on the hood. A
bit flashy, I know, but I wished I’d thought of that before he did.

Sam must have figured out I was drooling over his car, because he knew just what to say to make
me snap out of it. “Wanna take it for a spin?”

My jaw dropped as my entire body shook with anticipation. “Me?” This was a new one.
“See anyone else around?” he asked, sliding over to the passenger seat.

He didn’t have to tell me twice. The moment he tossed me the keys, I caught them in midair and
jumped in. I popped the clutch, revved up the engine, and the prodigy took off in a blaze of
impossible speed. Maybe Sam and I were still friends after all.

By the time we hit the 110 the sky had grown dark. I could barely see the road ahead. Even in
the middle of July, the highway to Forks lay covered in fog.

The danger lured me like a magnet; it seduced me. I contemplated the possibility of defeating
death and felt ecstatic. Gambling with my life was the thrill of my existence. I knew it was
contradictory, but I felt most alive when death stalked me.

I had no fear of dying, and driving fast under hazardous conditions was my way of showing it. As
the beach zoomed past us in a blur, I sped on, watching how the accelerator needle pushed
beyond a hundred miles per hour.

Sam hadn’t said a word since we got in the car. I figured it’d let him talk first, but he just sat
there, blasting some seriously bizarre music by an underground band he’d seen playing live in
Port Angeles. It was one of the weirdest hybrids I’d ever heard—thrash metal meets alternative
Goth with a little bit of rap vocals thrown in. Not my style at all but tolerable.

“Sam!” I finally yelled.

He turned off the stereo and turned around to face me. I gave him a few seconds to answer, but
he just waited in silence.

“There’s something I need to ask you.” I paused and was about to continue.

But he interrupted me. “It’s the girl, isn’t it?”

He caught me off guard. “What girl?”

“The one haunting your dreams.”

Yep, he knew about it, alright. Just like I’d thought. “You’ve seen her, too, haven’t you?”

He smirked. “Maybe.”

His careless attitude really pissed me off, so, in the spur of the moment, I decided to test the
deity’s drifting capability a bit. I stepped on the brakes and decelerated a little, then flicked the
steering wheel slightly to the right just enough to make the car’s tail swing wide. The whole car
shook as its back tires locked and screeched, a dense cloud of white smoke swirling upwards
from underneath it. Not bad for my first attempt, I thought proudly.

Sam didn’t take it so well, though. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“How do you know about the girl?” I demanded.

“Pull over.” He was furious.

But I did just the opposite. I floored it. “I want answers, Sam. I need to know what’s going on.” I
hated doing this to him, but I was desperate. If we crashed at this speed, it would probably take
us a really long time to recover, super-fast healing powers and all.

He was so enraged, so agitated, that I thought he might phase right then and there. But he didn’t.
Instead, he closed his eyes and gradually slowed down his breathing. Leaning back on his seat,
he went into a deep meditative state.

I’d never seen Sam do this sort of thing before. The way I was driving would’ve sent even the
most self-disciplined of monks into a frenzy. Obviously, my attempt to scare him into telling me
what he knew had failed. I’d have to come up with a better strategy.

Sighing with resignation, I slowed down and pulled over to the shoulder nearest the beach. Sam
remained in his blissful trance and ignored the noise when I opened the door to get out.

I felt the cool ocean breeze on my face as I strolled across the shore, my thoughts racing. The
crescent moon hung low above the water, emanating a silver glow through the fog that enfolded
it. Perfect night to go on a hunt, I thought. We hadn’t had much action lately, but I had a feeling
things weren’t going to stay quiet for much longer.

I hadn’t walked more than a few yards when I suddenly heard Sam’s voice close behind me.

“She’s a vampire,” he said.

A bit startled, I stopped walking and turned around to find him standing just a couple of feet from
me. He had the stupid habit of getting in my face every time he wanted to scare me. It never
worked, but it annoyed me to no end.

I flinched backwards as a reflex and almost lost my balance. But I recovered quickly, inflamed by
the sudden urge to beat the crap out of him. I steadied myself by throwing my upper body
forward, then, started taunting him, snarling low in my throat, ready to attack.

Sam ignored my reaction with cold indifference and went on. “She’s not the kind of vampire we’re
used to dealing with. She’s a hybrid, part vampire and part something else.”

I sensed a very subtle vacillation in his voice when he finished talking, and it made me realize he
was just as worried as I was.

I felt ashamed, trying to fight while he was about to give me the information I needed. I
composed myself and acknowledged what he’d just told me. “You mean like Renesmee?” I
asked.

He shook his head no. “Renesmee is half human. Most vampires were born human and then got
changed. But this girl,” he paused, swallowing hard. “This girl is not human at all. She never
was.”

“Well, what is she mixed with then?” I asked impatiently.

“I don’t know what her other half is,” Sam answered with frustration, “but I intend to find out.”

“How?”

“First we need to find out what she wants from us,” he announced, a tinge of urgency in his voice.

I felt relieved when he included himself in the objective. This might turn out to be a lot easier than
I’d thought. “Okay, so what do we do?”

He didn’t hesitate. I could tell he’d been thinking about his answer for a while now. “We go to the
Spirit Warriors.”

I almost went mute from the shock. My relief had been premature and had crumbled just as fast.
He can’t be serious, I shuddered. How dare he even consider this possibility?

But my bewilderment only seemed to strengthen his determination. “Listen, Jake. There are a lot
of things the elders don’t tell you until you’re ready.”

I scoffed unintentionally, then, adopted my serious tone again. “If you’re suggesting that we do
spirit traveling, you are seriously delusional, man. I’ll never let you do it. I’ll warn the elders.”

“It’s the only way to find out what the girl is trying to do to us,” Sam continued unaffected by my
resistance.

“We have to go up to the mountains, just like our ancestors did—”

I didn’t let him go on. “It’s forbidden,” I declared firmly.

The practice of spirit traveling had been banned many years ago by our ancestors, because it
was extremely dangerous. It involved resting one’s body in a secret place in the forest and then
letting the spirit travel alone without the body.

Taha Aki, the last of the Quileute Spirit Warriors, had prohibited this practice after his body was
stolen while his spirit was away traveling.

Sam interrupted my thoughts. “This inhuman creature, this monster, is infiltrating our dreams,
Jake. Do you honestly think it’s a coincidence that you and I are both having the exact same
dream at the exact same time everyday?”

My defenses weakened the more he insisted. As absurd as his logic sounded, I had to admit, if
only to myself, that Sam had a point. If the hybrid had found access to our dreams, we had to
find out how and, most importantly, why she was doing it. “Are you saying she’s a spirit warrior,
too?”

“She’s more of a sorcerer, I think. She conjures up evil spirits from the Underworld and
manipulates their energy.” Sam knew just the right bait to set for me.

I was almost buying it, but, still, I wasn’t entirely convinced. “It’s too risky. We could wind up
stuck in the Spirit World like Taha Aki.” I knew his resolve was unshakeable, but I just didn’t want
to give in that easily. “What if it’s a trap? She could be setting us up to leave our bodies behind
so she can steal them.”

“We’re doing it to protect our people, Jake. And, besides, the pack will watch over our bodies the
whole time we’re gone.”

“Great, now you want to involve the pack, too.” I desperately searched for some leverage. “Does
Emily know about this plan of yours?”

Sam’s features changed instantly, making me realize I’d just dealt him a low blow. I could
practically see the retaliation taking shape in his head, so I averted my eyes, getting ready to
block him if he tried to hit me. Whatever he was about to do, I’d have to take it like a man.

I knew better than to bring up Emily, the girl Sam had imprinted on. She was everything he lived
for, so I expected he’d be furious about my remark. Yet, once again, his newly found discipline
blew me away.

He took a few deep breaths and then spoke in a calm tone again. “I’m gonna do it with or without
you. Tell the elders if you want, but I’m still gonna do it, and you won’t be able to stop me.”
I knew he meant it. There was no point in raising objections. “Fine, I’ll do it.” I paused for a
second, then, reconsidered. “But I need to know what—”

I was about to bombard him with more questions when a faint stir in the bushes forced us both to
go silent. Sam and I reacted briskly, then split up to follow the noise trail. But by the time we
came close to the bushes, everything was perfectly still again.

I looked at Sam, and he pressed his index finger to his lips. As we both stood there, trying not to
make a sound, I picked up on an unusual scent. I could tell by the look on Sam’s face that he
had detected it, too, but he didn’t say a word about it. Instead, he raised his open palm for
silence.

Before I could figure out what was going on, a sudden explosion of images hit me all at once,
striking me with such intensity, that I got dizzy and had to find a nearby rock to lean on.

Sam rushed to my side as he saw that I was about to lose consciousness. “Stop all your
thoughts,” he whispered in my ear.

I managed to speak in spurts. “What’s . . . hap . . . pening to . . . me?”

“She’s attacking you. Don’t allow yourself to think and you’ll be fine.”

Easier said than done. I could understand what he was saying, but I couldn’t react anymore. My
body shook involuntarily as the beach seemed to spin in circles around me. My mind felt like a
stormy sea of thoughts and emotions colliding against one another. I had never experienced
such a thing in my life.

“Jake, look at me.” Sam grabbed my face and forced my eyelids open. “Do not think, you hear
me? Block all your thoughts.”

His words came out muffled. Everything slowed down. He may as well have been speaking a
different language for all I knew. My ears buzzed with the barrage of questions flooding my mind.
Is she here? Is she spying on us? How much did she hear about what we just said? Can she
hear our thoughts?

I was doing just the opposite of what Sam had said to do. I was thinking, and the more I thought,
the more vulnerable I became to her attack. I was losing control of my thoughts and perhaps
even my free will.

Sam’s voice seemed to have vanished. All I could hear now were random noises and echoes. I
felt myself drifting fast into oblivion. This must be a small taste of what madness felt like—an
overwhelming sense of helplessness, very similar to drowning.

“Stop thinking!” Sam’s voice commanded again.

I tried to follow his advice but failed miserably every time. If there was a way to stop myself from
thinking, I didn’t know how to do it, so I stopped trying and let go. Before I knew it, a dark shadow
engulfed me and I was out.

The very last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was a hallucination. It had to be, since my
eyes were closed. I wasn’t awake and yet I wasn’t asleep, so it couldn’t have been a dream. It
may have been a vision, but I’ll call it a hallucination, as it lasted less than a second.

I saw her. I caught a fleeting glimpse of my attacker. She showed herself to me briefly, as an
apparition, much like in the dream. She was the vivid image of death, a young girl, about fifteen
or less, with ashen skin and shiny black hair.
Around her neck hung a talisman that I recognized from the dream. It looked like an ancient relic
and had a round, clear stone in the center, a precious stone of unknown origin. The stone was
reddish brown in color and appeared perfectly polished. It shone brightly like the sun. My eyes
were drawn to it like it was a magnet.

But the girl appeared as fast as she disappeared, and then everything went dark again.

I’m not sure how long I was out, but I later realized that I had at least one hour unaccounted for.
The first thing I remember hearing as I recovered my awareness was a lot of random noise here
and there.

Right before I opened my eyes, I felt an uncomfortable pressure, like something tightening around
my arm. Using my other hand, I reached to remove it, but someone slapped my hand lightly to
keep me from doing it.

“Jake, let go,” a familiar female voice called out next to me.

I immediately opened my eyes to look at her and I couldn’t believe it. Sitting next to me, with a
blood pressure cuff in her hand, was Leah Clearwater.

“Long time no see!” I gave her a bear hug as soon as I saw her.

The cuff came undone and slid off my arm as I hugged her, so she protested and pushed me
aside, pretending to be annoyed. But I knew her all too well. We’d grown up together, so I could
tell she was just as excited to see me as I was to see her.

“When did you get here?” I smiled widely, wondering what I was doing on her brother Seth’s bed.

“Last night.” She returned my smile as she velcroed the cuff back around my arm and began
pumping air into it to tighten it again.

“I’m fine, Leah.” I really did feel perfectly fine, maybe just a tad dizzy, but I let her check my vitals
anyway just to make her feel important. Always a good move when dealing with females.

“Yeah, that’s why Seth almost had to dump a bucket of cold water on you to wake you up.”

“Nah, he wouldn’t do that. He knows better,” I assured her with a playful wink. “So you’re done
with school?” I asked, forgetting she’d been done for more than a year.

“Jake!” she complained as she removed the cuff from my arm.

After graduating high school, Leah had moved out of her mom’s house to attend nursing school in
Seattle. I remember the day she left, she told the pack she wanted to get away from La Push for
a while.

Some of her high school friends were moving there, too, so they got an awesome bachelorette
pad together. Leah was dying to spread her wings to fly from the nest, so she applied to nursing
school, got accepted, packed up her bags and left La Push without looking back.

“Sorry. I really wanted to send you a graduation present. I really did, I swear,” I lied in vain.

She didn’t believe a word I’d just said, so she smacked me over the head with the cuff. “Always
the same bad liar.”

“Ouch!” I protested.
She was about to hit me again but I dodged her just in time, so she just laughed it off and went to
get a thermometer out of her bag. “I still have to take your temperature, so open your mouth and
say ‘ah’.”

“But, wait.” I suddenly remembered. “How did I wind up here?”

I had to ask even though I doubted Sam would have the nerve to show up to this house. It had
been many years since he’d dumped Leah, but the awkwardness between them probably
continued still, even after so long.

“Embry helped Sam carry you in here,” Leah explained.

“Embry was here, too?”

She nodded, turning away when I said Embry’s name, but I still noticed the shy pout she was
trying to hide.

I’d always suspected Embry liked Leah, but I never asked to avoid embarrassing him. I
wondered if he might have finally worked up the courage to ask her out now that she was back.
After all, neither one of them had imprinted yet.

Leah raised one eyebrow at me, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What happened tonight,
Jake?”

I paused, trying to remember. And then it hit me. The bloodsucker had attacked me on the
beach. I sprung up from the bed as I realized that Sam had a lot of explaining to do. I frantically
searched my pockets for my cell phone but couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Here,” Leah said, handing me my cell. “It fell out of your pocket when they brought you in.”

“Thanks.” I checked it, and it was turned off, so I powered it back on, my hands shaking with
nervous anticipation. This is when I realized I’d been out for at least an hour.

“What’s going on, Jake?” Leah asked, a dubious tone in her voice.

I was about to answer her when I spotted the alert message on the screen. I had three missed
calls, all of them from Bella. Bella was Renesmee’s mom and also my future mother-in-law—if I
played my cards right.

“Bella’s been trying to call me. Sorry, Leah, I have t—”

“Go ahead and call her back,” she cut me off mid sentence. “But, after you’re done, you and I are
gonna have a serious talk.”

I nodded and shrugged my shoulders, unsure of what to answer.

But Leah wasn’t the type who forgets things. “Jacob Black, are you hiding something from me?”
Looking me straight in the eye, she stood in front of me, a half smile forming in her lips.

I glanced at my cell and nodded again, this time walking towards the door. Hopefully she’d get
the urgency of the situation.

“I’ll be waiting.” She was going to hold me to it, so I had no other choice but to prepare for her
interrogation.
Standing outside on the porch, I dialed Sam’s number first, hoping to find a way out of this
predicament. Great. No answer. It went straight to voicemail, so he was either on the phone or
he’d turned it off for the night. I was so pissed at him, that I was going to hang up without leaving
a message, but then I changed my mind.

“Sam,” I hissed. “Call me as soon as you get this. Bye.” I figured it’d be better to keep it brief.
He’d know what I was talking about.

Wonderful. Now, here I was in Sue Clearwater’s house, alone and at Leah’s mercy. Not even
Seth was home. He’d probably left with Sam and Embry. Everyone on the rez knew Leah was a
force to be reckoned with if she got angry.

And yet, knowing Sam, I felt pretty sure that he’d done this with a specific purpose in mind. I just
wished I’d known what it was before coming here. It certainly wasn’t because Leah was a nurse.
No, that couldn’t be it. There was something else. I could feel it in my bones.

Sighing, I dialed Bella’s number. It was past eleven already. I hoped Edward didn’t mind me
calling his wife this late at night. Good thing they were vampires, so they didn’t have to sleep at
all.

“Hello?” Bella’s voice sounded uptight. Something was up.

“Hey, Bella. Sorry I couldn’t call you sooner. Is there anything wrong?”

“Jake, I need to talk to you.”

Awesome. Yet another female wanting to talk to me, and not because of my charming looks.

“Shoot,” I said.

“No, not now. Tomorrow, after we get there,” she muttered.

I found it odd that she’d talk so low in a house full of psychic vampires. “Bells, I don’t mean to be
rude, but it’s been a really long night and I’m exhausted. Please tell me everything’s okay, unless
you want me to catch the next ferry to Canada.”

She forced a chuckle. “We’re fine. We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning and should be there in the
afternoon.”

Along with the rest of the Cullens, Bella and Edward had moved to Victoria, on Vancouver Island,
after Carlisle was offered a promotion at a hospital there. It was close to a four-hour trip one way
to get from La Push to where they lived, but I had no problem with that.

First and foremost, I cared about the well being of Nessie and her family. “You sure it’s nothing
urgent?” I insisted.

“Jake, please stop worrying.” Bella knew full well that I’d do just the opposite, but she still had to
leave me hanging.

“We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

The Cullens were all coming down to La Push to celebrate Nessie’s fifth birthday with us. Her
birthday was in September, but she loved the Quileute Days Celebration we had every July on
the beach. The fireworks and bonfires were her favorite, so, for the past few years, it had
become a tradition of sorts to celebrate Nessie’s birthday in July instead of September.
“Is Nessie okay?” This time, I couldn’t hide the anxiety in my voice anymore.

Bella chuckled again. “I’m her mother, Jake. Let me worry about her, alright?” After saying that,
her tone of voice suddenly changed.

“I gotta go. Talk to you tomorrow.” She hung up before I could ask her anything else.

I was officially worried now. Judging by the way Bella had just talked to me, it sounded like she
was trying to hide her conversation from someone. But who was it? Sure it couldn’t be Edward.
It had to be someone else.

The way things were going, my chances of getting a good night’s sleep were slim to none, so I
figured I may as well have coffee with Leah and get it over with. Grab the bull by its horns once
and for all, the story of my life.

Coffee would’ve been nice, especially when you don’t feel like staggering around half asleep like
a zombie. But no such luck. Leah always had to do things the unconventional way. Nothing to
be surprised about, considering she was the first female werewolf in Quileute history.

Instead of sitting down to have a normal conversation at a café like I’d suggested, she insisted on
driving us up to the rain forest for a midnight hike.

“There’s something up here I want to show you,” she explained as she led me up a steep trail.

“Let me guess,” I interjected. “You haven’t phased in a long time and you can’t wait to do it
again.”

In a flash, her expression changed from laid-back nonchalance to utter panic. She shook her
head frantically and stopped walking. “There will be no phasing tonight, Jake.”

Now this last one really threw me off. “No phasing? What do you mean, no phasing? I thought
you were going to race me.”

She glowered at me. “I’m serious.”

“I’m serious, too,” I fired back. “When was the last time you phased?”

“That’s not what we’re here for.” She resumed her climb up the trail.

I rolled my eyes, following her reluctantly. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Leah. I
passed out, probably from exhaustion, but I feel fine now.” But even I couldn’t convince myself of
what I’d just said. The more I tried to downplay the incident, the more it aggravated her.

We continued advancing deep into the rain forest, veering off the trail until we arrived at an area
dense with mossy trees. Leah kept silent the whole time, her eyebrows knitted like she was
pondering something.

After about two miles of off-roading, Leah finally dropped the bomb on me. “Jake,” she began in
a solemn tone. “You should be happy you’re still alive. And you better not say I’m exaggerating.”

This last one really caught me off guard. “What are you saying?”

“You survived a major psychic attack tonight.”

Still baffled by her remark, I asked, “So . . . Sam told you everything, then?”
“Not everything, but I’m pretty familiar with the symptoms of psychic attacks.” She tried to sound
reassuring, but now the tables had turned, and she was the one under interrogation.

“So that’s what knocked me out? A ‘psychic’ attack?”

“Yes,” she replied. “The hybrid used your own thoughts against you.”

I sighed in frustration. “And what does this have to do with us phasing?”

A sarcastic chuckle escaped her lips. “Isn’t it obvious, Jake? What do you think would’ve
happened if she had attacked you while we were all werewolves?”

Leah was right, of course. The attack would have disabled us all at once. At last, things were
starting to make sense. The leech wanted to take out the entire pack, that’s why she had
infiltrated the minds of the Alphas.

“Okay, I get it now,” I declared. “No phasing.”

“Good,” Leah agreed, sounding relieved.

I still wasn’t satisfied, though. It gave me the impression that Leah had something else up her
sleeve, so I set out to corner her until I got her talking. “But why did we have to drive all the way
up here then?”

Leah checked her watch and was about to open her mouth to answer, when a male voice called
out from a distance.

“I asked her to.”

Recognizing Sam’s voice, I spun around to make sure I wasn’t hearing things. Just a few yards
from us, Sam, Embry and Seth emerged from behind the trees, each of them holding a lit torch.

“What are you guys doing here?” I wasn’t sure whether I should be mad or thankful for the
surprise rendezvous they’d planned without my consent.

“There’s someone you need to meet,” Sam announced, then, turning to Leah, he said, “Lead the
way.” He lit up two more torches and handed them to us. Next, he motioned for everyone to
follow Leah.

“Whoa, wait a second. Where are we going?” If they wanted me to follow, they’d have to tell me
what this was all about first. “And what’s with the torches, man?”

Sam checked his watch. “We don’t have much time. Can we talk along the way?”

“Let’s get moving,” Leah demanded, “we’re still quite a ways from there.”

“From where?” I insisted.

“The Blindfolded Hermit’s house,” Seth replied and gave me a nudge to join them. “C’mon, Jake,
we’ll tell you all about it.”

I went ahead and followed them, still feeling a little skeptical. “Who’s that?”

Leah seemed to be the best informed. “He’s a monk from Spain. He fled from Europe hundreds
of years ago to escape a death sentence.”
“Hundreds of years? Please tell me he’s not another leech,” I sighed.

“He’s an alchemist,” Seth explained. “Leah and I used to come up here to spy on him when we
were little.”

Noticing that Embry was much too quiet, I tried to find out if he was in on it. “You knew about the
monk, too?”

Embry shook his head and sped up his pace to walk next to Leah. “Only what Leah has told me.”

Leah flashed him a half smile. “Embry came up here with us once, but the hermit wasn’t home
that day.”

As for me, I couldn’t take the curiosity any longer. “But why is it so urgent to go up there?”

“The blindfold,” Sam answered matter-of-factly. “He made it to protect himself from psychic
attacks.”

“Oh, I see,” I pointed out, snickering. “So he’s just going to hand it over if we ask nicely.”

My remark must have ruffled Sam’s feathers, because he jumped at the chance to get even right
away. “You’re the one who dragged us all into this mess in the first place, so it’s your
responsibility. You figure it out.”

“So we’re playing the blame game now, huh? How am I suddenly responsible for everything?”

“You’ve been responsible all along,” Embry blurted out.

Ever so loyal to me, Seth protested through gritted teeth, “Embry!” and elbowed him hard on the
arm.

Leah gripped her brother’s elbow, yanking him towards her. “You stay out of it, Seth.”

Sam shot Embry and Seth a fierce look, then scowled at me, “Own up to it, bro. You’re the link
between the vampires and the werewolves.” He paused, allowing the muscles in his face to
relax, then, rested his hand on my shoulder like he was giving me his condolences. “Jake, you’re
the target.”

Brushing off his hand, I came to a screeching halt. “Leave the Cullens out of this. They have
nothing to do with it!”

Seth was about to talk, but Leah beat him to it. “Sam, we don’t know that for sure yet.”

“You’re the one who told me about Bella’s phone call,” Sam said to Leah.

Taking Sam’s bait, I lashed out at Leah. “Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?”

“No, Jake,” Leah confessed, shaking her head nervously. “I just told him she’d called you. That’s
all—”

But I didn’t want her excuses. I felt betrayed. “Why would you do that?”

Embry stood in front of Leah in a protective gesture. “Stop yelling at her, Jake. She’s just trying
to help.”

Just then, Sam raised his voice and yelled, “Alright, that’s enough! Everyone shut up!” He waited
until he had our attention and went on. “We’re giving the leech exactly what she wants, don’t you
see? I bet she’d be delighted to hear us bickering like this. We’ve got to stay together.”

Feeling defeated, I hung my head in shame and went silent. Maybe Sam was right about Bella’s
phone call. Maybe the Cullens were connected to this puzzle somehow.

Leah wrapped her arm around my back, gently encouraging me to follow her. “Please trust me,
Jake. We need that blindfold to protect the pack.”

My heart told me that Leah meant well, so I decided to trust her and go along with the plan.
“Alright, let’s go for it then. Just tell me one more thing.”

“Ask away,” she said, already advancing in long strides. “But we need to keep moving. We don’t
have much time.”

I rushed to catch up with her. “How am I supposed to see with a blindfold on?”

“It’s no ordinary blindfold, Jake,” she declared emphatically. “Take the hermit, for instance. He’s
blind, but when he wears it, he can see everything.”

Then, Sam added, “They say it opens the eyes of the soul and it lets you see things that human
eyes cannot perceive.”

Nodding in agreement, Leah continued. “That’s how it helps you dodge psychic attacks. It lets
you see them coming before they hit you.”

As farfetched as their story sounded, it seemed to be our only hope to fend off the hybrid’s
attacks. And, for that reason alone, I decided it was worth the try. There was nothing I wanted
more right now than to nail the leech once and for all.

A blanket of haze descended upon the forest as we approached the hermit’s house. The place
wasn’t even a house like I’d imagined. It was just the abandoned remains of an old stone
building, grey and dilapidated with a thick layer of moss all over it.

Leah and Seth were right. The hermit really was an alchemist. His lab, if it could be called that,
was in plain sight, only partially hidden by a broken wall. It amounted to all sorts of dust-covered
glass bottles laid on a wooden table. It’d be interesting to know which one contained the elixir of
life that had kept him alive for centuries.

Sam checked everyone’s torches to make sure they were all lit. Next, he went on to explain his
strategy to surround the place. “Embry, you take the east side of the ruins, and Seth, you take
the west. Leah will guard the north side, and I’ll take the front entrance.”

Yet, while Seth and Embry went to take their positions, Leah didn’t move.

She stayed behind to give me a warning. “Whatever you do, keep the torch burning. He won’t be
able to see you as long as there’s fire close by.”

I nodded with visible impatience. “Okay. Here goes nothing.” I inhaled deeply and made a dash
for the ruins.

As I approached what remained of the front entrance, I felt chills running up and down my spine.
I’m not afraid, I thought to myself. He’s just a frail old man. Just a frail old man. I kept repeating
it in my head like a mantra until I reached the spot where he slept.

The first sight of him filled me with guilt. How miserable he must be, all alone in this cold, humid
forest with no one to talk to. I couldn’t imagine what terrible crime he must have committed to
deserve a death sentence. He looked so harmless, lying there on the cracked floor, wearing a
hooded robe in tatters. I wondered why he’d want to continue living this lonely life for centuries to
come.

I stood there motionless, just staring at him and feeling extremely torn. Who was I to deprive this
wretch of his only defense? There had to be another way.

After all, Sam had suggested the possibility of spirit traveling, so we could do that instead. Sure,
it was risky, but it was much better than stealing from a poor old man, alchemist or not.

I had just made up my mind to go back out empty handed, when a sudden gust of wind blew
violently in my direction, almost putting out the torch. In my desperate attempt to keep the flame
ablaze, I turned my back on the wind, but failed to see a metal pipe protruding from the floor
directly behind me.

As I pivoted on my feet, I accidentally tripped on the pipe and fell right smack on my butt. I made
such a loud thud when I went down, that I woke up the hermit.

With all the commotion, I didn’t notice that a pile of dry leaves next to me had come in contact
with the torch. The flames spread within seconds, and the hermit started screaming in terror,
flailing his arms wildly in the air. It was clear that he was unable to see, but I was sure he could
feel the heat and smell the smoke.

“Jake, the blindfold!” Leah called out.

Acting on impulse, I snatched the blindfold from the hermit. What I saw when I uncovered his
eyes gave me the shock of a lifetime. It shook me to the very core.

Remorse didn’t even begin to describe how I felt when I looked at that face. The area below his
forehead and all around his eyes was completely disfigured by gnarly scars. There were so
many, that they looked like tree branches entangled with one another. I could barely see what
was left of his eyes through all the scar tissue. He had no pupils, only a grayish white film
covering the front part of his eyes.

It was a hideous sight, revolting to behold, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to look away. Before I
knew it, Sam and the boys were dragging me away from the growing fire. As we got away, I
could still hear the hermit screaming to the top of his lungs.

We had only traversed a few yards, when I stopped dead in my tracks.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Sam complained.

“We can’t leave him there alone to burn.” I didn’t wait for them to respond.

Turning around, I went back to the ruins and found the hermit. He was about to collapse from
inhaling the smoke by the time I reached him, so I scooped him up, flung him over my shoulder
and carried him out to safety.

“My books! Please save my books!” he pleaded in a thick Spaniard accent.

The moment I put him down on the ground, Seth and Leah came over to sit next to him. As Leah
checked his pulse, Seth offered him some water from a bottle to help him stop coughing.

“He’s going to be fine, Jake, don’t worry,” Leah assured me as she read my concerned
expression.
But Sam was not a happy camper. “We need to get out of here.”

I glowered at him in disbelief, then, ran back to the ruins to try and put out the fire.

Fortunately, the hermit had so much junk lying around, that I didn’t have to search long. As soon
as I found a blanket, I used it to smother the flames.

That’s when I realized I wasn’t alone. Sam and Embry had decided to help me out after all.
Together, we put out the fire in no time and were able to save most of the hermit’s books.

By the time we emerged from the ruins, the sun had started to come out. A great peace came
over me when I saw Leah and Seth chatting with the hermit like he was an old friend. We had
found an ally, alright. And not just any ally, but an alchemist, of all things. Already I could tell that
this new alliance would come in handy in more ways than one.

My joy only grew stronger when Leah announced that the hermit had accepted her invitation to
Nessie’s party. It was then that I remembered I still had his blindfold, so I knelt down in front of
him and gently tied it around his eyes. The moment a smile brightened his face, I knew he could
see me.

I smiled back at him, but then remembered what I’d done and felt awful about it. “Please forgive
me. I was just trying to help my people—”

“Your friend Leah explained everything to me, son. Your repentance has absolved you.”

I bowed in gratitude and took his hand to help him up.

“Okay, boys,” Leah chimed in. “We have party preparations to make. The Cullens will be arriving
in La Push this afternoon. We have to get those fireworks ready.

Chapter 2: Renesmee’s Party

A myriad of colorful lights exploded in the sky above La Push as the fireworks began. Excitement
filled the air all around us. The beach was crowded with newcomers, many of them carrying
cameras to take pictures of the spectacle illuminating the night sky.

Besides the Quileute people, many tourists from countries worldwide as well as visitors from
other states would come join the celebration every summer.

Everyone gathered in groups around the bonfires, where the Quileute elders performed traditional
dances and chanted ancient mantras for the earth.

My favorite part of the celebration was the sacred drumming. Old Quil Ateara said it was meant
to put the dancers in a trance so they could receive healing visions from the ancestors.

Old Quil Ateara was the elder who had lived the longest among our people, so we all had great
reverence for him. He was a wise old man with many secrets.

As a matter of fact, most of what Sam knew about the hidden Quileute knowledge had come from
Old Quil.

I didn’t know much about these secret truths, because I was still considered unworthy. I had yet
to prove myself as a true Alpha in the eyes of the elders who guarded this knowledge. But I could
tell that whatever they knew gave them great power to sway the emotions of those around them.
They seemed to be surrounded by a field of magnetic electricity. Just by watching their
silhouettes moving in circles around the fire, you were immediately drawn in.

The magical sound of the sacred drumming affected everyone there. It worked on anyone who
participated in it, not only on the Quileutes. No matter what color their skin may be, or what
culture or country they might come from, the drumming was like a universal language that united
us all.

Some people would laugh, others would cry, while others would just stare like they were watching
a freak show. The practice had been passed down from generation to generation ever since the
Spirit Warriors had seen what was beyond the world of the living. That’s where they’d learned all
the secrets that today we called the hidden Quileute knowledge.

I checked my cell to see if Bella had called, but she still hadn’t. I felt the anxiety building up in the
pit of my stomach, so I tried hard to enjoy the fireworks, but I couldn’t get our last conversation
out of my head, especially after the psychic attack I had suffered.

After all, I knew Edward could read my thoughts but only if he specifically made it a point to tune
in to them. He may have been tuned in to someone else’s thoughts at the time when it happened,
and, if he had, then he would’ve missed everything.

And yet somehow I couldn’t help but wonder why Bella had called me three times in one hour,
and not just at any random time, but precisely during the hour I’d been unconscious.

I glanced around me and spotted Leah and Embry somewhere in the crowd, dancing. They
weren’t even touching, but I could tell from the way they gazed into each other’s eyes that maybe
they were in love.

But what did I, of all people, know about love? Sure, I couldn’t deny that I usually got a decent
amount of female attention, but my feelings for Nessie always held me back. I was destined to
remain a virgin, at least until Nessie was old enough to mate with me.

It was confusing to think of Nessie in that way, knowing she was barely turning five this year. In
human years, she was five, but in vampire years, she was already a fully developed teenager,
curves and all.

I felt conflicted to say the least, and for that reason, my friendship with Bella had grown stronger
from the moment Nessie was born. I somehow felt that only Bella understood how I felt about her
daughter.

Edward had been pretty cool with it, too, but he and I could never be close friends.

After all, Bella and I had shared a kiss once—a long time ago, before she married Edward. Back
then I’d been stupid enough to believe I was in love with her. I couldn’t have been more wrong all
along. Bella was Edward’s wife and she would always be. As for me, I was destined to be with
Nessie someday.

Yet, I couldn’t help but sense every time I was around Bella that it was an awkward situation for
Edward to have to accept.

I couldn’t complain about Edward. His attitude towards me had gone from hatred to respect, and
even maybe a little loyalty, for having stood by his family’s side against the Volturi.

Ever the gentleman, Edward had always been very polite and friendly with me since that day. But
there was often a really subtle tinge of animosity that his eyes betrayed when I went anywhere
near his wife.

This is probably part of the reason why the Cullens had moved to Canada. Bella never admitted
to it, but something told me she was well aware of this uneasiness eating away at her husband’s
cold marble façade.

I myself never dared to bring it up either. I figured I was lucky enough to be allowed to visit
Nessie once a month until the time came to be with her forever.

My consolation every time the longing hit me hard was to call Bella and find out how Nessie was
doing. Sometimes Bella would let Nessie come to the phone, but not nearly as often as I’d hope,
especially when Edward was home.

Edward had accepted the fact that I had imprinted on his daughter, at least to a certain extent, but
he had set limitations to our friendship. Something about him wanting to let Nessie have a
“normal” childhood before she awakened to the temptations of romantic love.

Whatever. He was the father. I had to obey his rules no matter how much it hurt to be away from
her.

As I dug my bare feet into the sand, the anxiety came screaming out of my gut again. And, only
seconds later, I realized it had been a premonition. My cell vibrated inside my pocket, sending a
sudden chill up and down my spine. It was a short text message from Bella. “We’re here,” it read.

I hardly had enough time to finish reading it when I saw them. Looking perfectly chiseled and
airbrushed like sculptures, the Cullens made their grand entrance.

My heartbeat quickened the moment my eyes met Nessie’s. The birthday girl was here, and the
party had just begun.

Before I saw Nessie for the first time, I used to think the whole idea of imprinting was a stupid
myth, an irritating epidemic that had infected almost half the boys in the pack. Little did I know at
the time that I, too, would be sucked into its irresistible whirlwind.

Now I understood why Quil, Old Quil Ateara’s grandson, wouldn’t date at all. Like me, he had
imprinted on a young girl and now was stuck having to wait until she was a grown woman.

Claire, the girl Quil had imprinted on, was eight years old, almost nine. She was Emily’s niece,
and Quil was head over heels for her, but only in a big brother kind of way, at least for the time
being.

Of course, Quil’s situation was very different from mine. Claire was fully human, so there was no
confusion there. She actually looked her age and was much too innocent yet to realize what
Quil’s adoration for her ultimately meant. As a result, Quil found it easy to be around her without
potentially offending her folks.

I wish I could say the same about Nessie and me. Being around her was a great relief in a way,
but at the same time, it also filled me with guilt and made me feel like a total weirdo.

I could see in her eyes that she, too, was attracted to me. But, instead of putting me at ease,
being aware of her attraction made me feel torn between two opposing, and equally strong
forces. I simply didn’t know how to behave around her, even more so when Edward was near.

Quiet desperation was the best way to put it. My hands sweating, I took a few steps in their
direction.
I avoided Edward’s scrutinizing glare. I knew he was intently focused on reading my every
thought, so I made a strong effort to think of potato chips, or something silly like that. Knowing
my strategy would annoy him to no end, I suppressed a chuckle and tried to think about even
more outrageous things, like a talking Christmas tree or a crazy cat, running around in circles,
trying to bite its own tail.

Jasper and Emmett, Edward’s two vampire brothers, stepped forward in a protective manner and
stood motionless on either side of Edward. Together, the three of them shot me warning glances,
staring me down like they’d be willing to take me in a fight anytime if I crossed the line.

You have nothing to worry about, I thought, consciously projecting my thoughts into Edward’s
mind and fully aware that Jasper could pick up on my moods and emotions with pinpoint
accuracy. She’s just a child to me, I assured them.

I may not be psychic in my human form, but there’s one thing I’d become very good at since I
started dealing closely with the Cullens. I’d become an expert at reading their body language.

No matter how expressionless and stiff they might seem to others, I could still sense how they felt
about me. They didn’t trust me. That was clear, but I wouldn’t dare confront them for the sake of
Nessie.

The first one to speak was Dr. Carlisle Cullen, their adoptive father and clan leader. “Hello,
Jacob,” he said with a smile that appeared sincere.

Of all the males in that family, the one that knew how to break the ice in the most awkward of
situations was Carlisle. Stepping forward in front of his boys, he shook my hand, a wide smile on
his face the whole time. He actually seemed happy to see me.

I couldn’t describe how relieved I felt to find out that Carlisle didn’t perceive me as a threat. I
honestly wanted to get along with them, I really did. All of it for Nessie. My commitment to her
was so real to me that I wanted her to be happy at whatever cost.

As I’d suspected, the next one to approach me was Alice, Edward’s sister. According to Quileute
legends, every vampire supposedly had a super power. Hers was clairvoyance. She often had
visions of the future. Always the most cheerful of the Cullen females, Alice was also the most
talkative. “Hey, Jake, where are your shoes?” she asked in her usual fairylike voice.

After Alice gave me a hug, Bella and Nessie came towards me. I wished so much I could open
my arms to hold them both, but, instead, I controlled myself and remained standing there, trying
to show Edward I had no intention of disrespecting his family.

Yet, while Bella read my gesture clearly and limited her greeting to a nod and a shy batting of
eyelashes, Nessie couldn’t care less about what her family thought.

Looking like a goddess in a summer dress, she threw herself in my arms and pressed herself up
against me. “Jake!” she screamed in excitement.

I immediately pulled back, the quiet desperation about to explode in my chest. In my eyes,
Renesmee’s beauty was supernatural, but those were forbidden thoughts to me. Think of
potatoes, think of potatoes, I repeated to myself, trying to ignore Jasper and Emmett, who were
having a hard time keeping a straight face while reading me.

Oh well, it was better to make them laugh than to fight them, I figured. It felt awful to disappoint
Nessie. The last thing I wanted was to hurt her feelings, but with Edward there, I was walking on
thin ice. My only consolation was Bella’s loyalty to me. Somewhere inside of me I trusted that
she’d help me out.
Esme, Carlisle’s wife, must have picked up on how rotten I was feeling after pulling away from
Nessie’s embrace, because she came over and rested her hand on my shoulder. “It’s great to see
you, Jake.” Her eyes bright with motherly affection, she smiled at me and lightly kissed me on the
forehead.

The only one who kept a distance was Rosalie, Edward’s other sister, who remained in the
background, the whole time giving me the same you-better-watch-it glare as her brothers. Even
though she wasn’t exactly my favorite person, Rosalie loved and protected Nessie like she was
her own daughter.

Just for that, she had my respect. She was a devoted aunt, so, every time I felt tempted to dislike
her, I tried to look at her through Nessie’s eyes. I preferred to call her blondie instead of Rosalie.
She was a tough cookie. I dare say she loved Nessie as much as she disliked me. I could tell
she hated the idea of Nessie dating me someday, even though she never said a word about it.

Not that she ever talked to me, anyway. Most of the time, when she wasn’t looking daggers at
me, she’d pretend I wasn’t even there. The good thing about it is she was easier to tolerate when
she ignored me, because I could just ignore her right back.

Tonight she’d decided to acknowledge me, but only to remind me how much she disapproved of
me. As I tried to break free from the stare lock she had me in, I noticed that Nessie went over to
stand next to her.

For a second there, the two of them glared at me, and I thought I saw resentment in Nessie’s
eyes. Unfortunately, I knew that look very well, having grown up with two older sisters. Either I
was being way too paranoid, or Blondie had been brainwashing Nessie to drive her away from
me.

After all, I was the one who had imprinted on Nessie, and not the other way around. When a
werewolf imprinted on someone, he was fully committed to that person for as long as he lived. It
wasn’t always the same for the other person, though. Imprinting couldn’t override anyone’s free
will. Unlike me, Nessie would always have a choice, and Blondie knew it all too well.

I didn’t even want to imagine what would become of me if Nessie were to choose someone else
when the time came. The thought was much too painful to consider, so I had to brush it off if I
wanted to stay sane.

Just then, I heard Leah’s voice calling out from behind me. “Alice!”

“Hey, Leah!” Alice responded with the same excitement.

Two girls who were supposed to be natural enemies—Alice for being a vampire, and Leah for
being a werewolf—had actually become the best of friends in the past few years.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Seth and Leah approaching. Seth had always been friendly
with the Cullens, but it had taken Leah a while to warm up to them. That’s until Alice had
somehow managed to get her excited about planning parties. From that point on, Leah’s attitude
towards the Cullens had changed for good.

“Welcome back.” Leah greeted Alice with a hug and then went on to give hugs to the rest of the
family.

Seth, too, was as thrilled to see the Cullens as they were to see him. Everyone liked Seth, and
the pack had nicknamed him White Dove, because he was the only pacifist among us. “Let’s go
guys,” Seth called out, wearing his signature grin, “the elders are waiting.”
My dad Billy and Old Quil invited Carlisle and Esme to sit next to them at the head of the circle.
Sam and the Blindfolded Hermit were also asked to take a place next to the elders, along with
Bella’s dad Charlie and his fiancé Sue Clearwater, mother of Seth and Leah.

According to Quileute traditions, it was a great honor to sit next to the elders, and only those who
had earned a position of leadership were invited to join.

I, too, someday would be recognized as a leader, but right now, I wasn’t very sure I wanted the
responsibility. Along with the rest of the Cullens, I sat with Seth, Embry and Sam’s girlfriend,
Emily. We formed a circle around the bonfire, while the other guys in the pack, Paul, Quil and
Jared were somewhere in the crowd, watching the fireworks with their girls.

Edward sat next to Bella, his back propped up against a rock, while Bella gazed silently at the
flames dancing in front of her. As the burning wood crackled, and the smoke billowed upwards
into the sky, Bella’s eyes seemed to move along with the tiny embers that flew in all directions.

I could tell something was bothering her. She didn’t have to tell me. I was pretty sure it had to do
with her phone call from the night before. Another thing that worried me was her skin tone. It
looked so pale it was almost grey. Should be normal for a vampire, but none of the other Cullen
females appeared as corpselike and unhealthy as Bella did.

With everyone all mellow, no one was saying much, except for Leah and Alice who kept going on
an on about fashion designers in Seattle.

“Speaking of Seattle,” Leah suddenly announced, “you should see what I got you from there,
Nessie.”

Opening her eyes widely, Nessie sprung up from the folding lawn chair where she’d been
lounging and clapped her hands in excitement. “I want to see it. Where is it?”

“At my mom’s house,” Leah replied.

“Mama,” Nessie said to Bella, “can I go to Sue’s house, pleeeeease?”

Before Bella could answer, Alice chimed in, “I’ll go with them.”

“Me, too,” added Rosalie.

Bella exchanged looks with Edward, probably projecting her thoughts into his mind.

Edward shrugged and nodded indifferently. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”

As the four girls left the circle, it occurred to me that Seth should go with them just to be safe.
“Seth,” I muttered.

“Huh?”

I nudged him. “Go with your sister.”

“Geez, Jake, Leah knows how to take care of herself.”

“Yeah, but everyone’s at the beach right now, and it’s already dark. Go with them, Seth. C’mon.”

“You owe me one.” Kicking some sand my way, Seth got up reluctantly and took off after the
girls.
This was the perfect opportunity for me to talk to Bella, but I’d have to get past Edward first. I
made it a point to get Edward’s attention right at the moment when I was taking a huge bite out of
my steak. “Hey, Edward.”

“Yes?” he asked, staring at the half-cooked blood dripping from my steak.

“Hungry?” I took another juicy bite and offered him a piece even though I knew quite well that
vampires never eat.

He waved his hand and said, “No, thanks,” then smiled, like I’d just said something funny.

“So, Edward,” I began casually, “Bella tells me you guys have been learning ballroom dancing.”

Falling right for it, Edward smiled proudly and bragged, “I’m taking her to Argentina in the summer
to learn the tango. Isn’t that right, love?” He barely looked at her as he said that.

“I thought you said Brazil first,” Bella replied, mirroring his attitude of detachment.

That’s when I jumped at the chance. “You wouldn’t mind her teaching me a few steps. Would
you, Edward?”

He smiled in complete confidence, not a single trace of jealousy in his eyes. “Not at all! Show
him what you got, love,” he told Bella as he kissed her hand.

I offered Bella my hand to help her up, but, before I knew it, she was already standing next to me.

“Sure you want to do this?” she asked with a cocky smile like she was about to bring it.

“Positive.” I took her in my arms, and she suddenly started showing off a few of her impressive
ballroom moves.

Bella as a vampire behaved very differently from the clumsy human girl she used to be before
she’d moved to Forks, before she’d graduated high school.

Before Edward had changed her.

Now as a vampire, she moved with great precision and agility. She’d become very picky about
her hairstyle, makeup, shoes and clothes. In her own undead sort of way, she looked just as
elegant and provocative as any Maxim babe.

“You said you needed to talk to me,” I reminded her.

“First of all, I want you to know that I got it all taken care of, alright?”

Just the opposite of what she was saying, but fine. I didn’t mind playing along. “Okay?”

She swallowed hard and looked at me. “Edward wants to send Nessie away to Europe.”

The news hit me so hard, I was frozen for a few seconds. “Europe,” I repeated without thinking.

“Paris,” Bella added.

“What the hell’s in Paris?” My anger just burst out of me without warning. I was losing it.

“The Occult School of Vampires.”

I knew I hadn’t heard wrong. My super hearing sense had never failed me, even in my human
form. “Geez,” I sighed, shaking my head. “I hate to ask you this, Bells, but has Edward
completely lost it?”

“He says she’ll be safe there.”

“Safe from what?” I jumped.

“From the Volturi,” was her answer. She wasn’t joking.

“Why is he so paranoid?” And then it dawned on me. “Bella,” I said, holding her gaze. “Is there
something going on that you’re not telling me?”

She shook her head. “I’m not trying to hide anything from you. I’m telling you everything.”

I knew she was being honest, but I still had to test her. “And this is what you say you got all taken
care of?”

“I don’t need your help, if that’s what you’re trying to say.” Great, now she was on the defensive.

“Have the Volturi made a move?” I had to ask.

“No.” She paused for a moment and then added. “Not yet.”

“Not yet?” I said shocked.

“You want the truth, I’m telling you the truth. They haven’t made a move, Jacob.”

“Then why is Edward so afraid for Nessie?”

Her eyes watered a little. A mother’s suffering in Bella’s eyes that I’d never seen before. “She
has no self control.”

I didn’t want to bring it up, but I just couldn’t fight the urge to ask. “Has she killed humans?”

Biting her lower lip, she avoided my eyes. “Jake, please.”

I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her in frustration. “Tell me.”

She shook her head no, then, exploded. “I don’t know yet, okay?”

“But you suspect she may have, don’t you?”

That’s when she finally blurted it out. “Edward suspects.”

Now I was the one swallowing hard. I sure didn’t see this one coming. Balling up my fists, I
declared, “Well, he’s wrong.”

“We don’t know anything for sure yet,” Bella insisted.

“Dammit, Bells, she’s your daughter. You should believe her.” I was so lost, I didn’t even know
what I was saying.

“Jake, that’s all I try to do, but—”

“You asked me to get away from her. You’re the one who convinced me to wait ‘till she was
older.” I myself couldn’t understand why I was punishing her like this. She was just trying to tell
me the truth, and all I could do was put the blame on her.

And yet it was obvious that she felt guilty, because she kept trying to make excuses. “Edward and
I just wanted her to have a normal childhood.”

All of a sudden, I was trapped in this argument with her and I couldn’t find a way out. “Listen to
yourself, Bella. Normal? Like that South American kid who killed his mother at childbirth? That’s
what you call normal?”

“Nessie’s not like Nahuel,” she protested.

“She’s half-vampire, half human, just like him.” I couldn’t stop myself from sounding vicious.

So, as I should have expected, she threw it right back at me. “Oh, yeah, and she would have
turned out so different if we hadn’t asked you to leave, right?”

The blow disabled me for a moment, but I knew had it coming. “I never said that,” was the best
defense I could come up with.

“It’s everyone’s fault,” Bella said in a fatalistic tone, like sighing out her last breath. My words had
wounded her, too, and now she was drained.

“Nessie hasn’t killed any humans, okay? We’ll leave it at that.” It felt comfortable being in denial.

But Bella wasn’t going to let it slide that easily. “What if she has?”

“Bella!” I protested.

“Edward might be right. He says two years in Paris will teach her self-discipline, plus . . . the
Volturi can’t touch her if she’s there.”

“The Volturi require evidence to prosecute. If there’s no evidence of her crime, then she’s
innocent.”

“Jake, I can’t believe you’re so blind.” Even she could see it, but I didn’t care.

“So you believe it, too, then? You think Edward has reason to suspect?”

“No, it’s not that, Jake, I—”

“What, then?” I pried.

“She’s been sleepwalking at night. We’ve lost track of her for several hours and on more than
one occasion. Happy now?”

Great. I hadn’t even recovered from the first one yet, and now she hits me with more. “Why didn’t
you tell me that before?”

“I was trying, but you wouldn’t let me talk.”

“You should have stayed in Forks, Bella. Close to the reservation, where the pack can protect
Nessie and all your family.”

“Humans were getting suspicious,” she retorted.

I knew she wasn’t going to budge, but neither was I. “Oh, so if she attacks a human in Canada,
they won’t notice?”

“Not if Rosalie is with her, they won’t. Rose is an expert at disappearing evidence.”

I gawked. “You mean Blondie’s in on it, too?”

“Nessie won’t let anyone else look after her.”

“But you’re her mother!”

Her eyes boring into mine, Bella met my gaze, and I noticed her pupils were beyond black with
hunger. She hadn’t hunted. I was sure of it. Now it was all starting to make sense. That’s why
she looked much more like a corpse than any of her fellow vampires. The thirst for human blood
was killing her, too. Animal blood just wasn’t satisfying enough for her.

“It’s not that simple,” she said after a long silence.

I scratched my head, still struggling to process all the crap she’d just dumped on me. “So I guess
the whole ‘vegetarian vampire’ lifestyle isn’t working too well for you guys, is it?”

“Would you give up meat altogether just to eat vegetables, Jake?”

She had a point there, I had to admit.

“Yes, but—.” A chuckle escaped me accidentally, like what I was about to say was totally obvious.
“We’re talking about human lives here.”

“Edward killed humans when he first got changed.”

I felt sick to my stomach. And yet, bracing myself for an answer I didn’t want to hear, I had to ask
the inevitable. “Have you?”

But the answer was in her face. Already I could tell that she hadn’t. “No,” she confirmed, shaking
her head.

All this time, I’d been so focused on our conversation that I hadn’t noticed what was going on
around us. I was in such confusion, trying to sort it all out, that I didn’t hear the voices calling out
to us. Then, I suddenly heard a commotion coming from the circle where the elders were sitting
with the Cullens. Bella froze in place, so I grabbed her hand and pulled her along with me
towards the circle.

By the time we got there, Jasper was screaming out “Alice, Alice!” His eyes wild with what I could
only describe as madness, he flopped around violently like he was having a seizure. He’d lost it,
and no one knew why.

Carlisle and Emmett struggled to restrain him, but they seemed to be having a real hard time
getting him to calm down. Jasper was beyond himself.

“Alice is in trouble,” Edward said to Bella and me. “He’s under the influence of her mood right
now. Something’s really wrong.”

“We have to go over there. She’s with Nessie.” I hadn’t finished talking, when I heard someone
calling my name.
It was Seth. “Jake!” he called from a distance. He’d left Leah’s house to come warn us.

“Why did you leave the girls alone?” I scolded.

“It’s Alice, isn’t it?” Edward asked Seth.

Without saying a word, Seth nodded.

“I thought you could hear her thoughts,” I complained to Edward.

“Yes, but I’m not hearing anything right now. It’s like she’s unconscious or something,” was
Edward’s reply.

At that point, the hermit rushed towards us, his voice trembling. “Take me to her.”

“What’s happening to them?” I asked him, still in a daze.

But Bella interrupted me. “There’s no time for questions, let’s go!” Leaving everyone behind, she
grabbed a motorcycle she found parked at the beach and jumped on it. As the bike’s engine
roared to life, Bella took off to Leah’s house.

Chapter 3: Vanished

I heard the screams as I sped towards Leah’s house with the hermit in tow. It was heart
wrenching and downright torturous to hear a girl scream like that. The wolf inside me threatened
to awaken at any second. It was reacting to the adrenaline rush.

I could hear Leah’s words echoing inside my head, “There will be no phasing tonight . . . no
phasing . . . no phasing.”

Taking deep breaths, I tried to get my mind to shut up even though I didn’t think I was going to be
strong enough to fight it, especially if it came down to protecting Renesmee.

But it was Alice who was screaming. My ultra-sensitive hearing was capable of detecting even the
subtlest of differences between familiar voices, so I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that it
was Alice. She sounded like she was writhing in pain. My tolerance for pain and discomfort was
extremely high, and yet the sound of those screams made all the hairs on my skin stand on end.
I didn’t even want to imagine the agony she must be going through.

I could hear Bella’s voice inside Sue’s house. “My shield is not working,” she was telling Leah
just as the hermit and I made it to the front door.

Right behind me were Edward and Seth, while the others had stayed at the beach, trying to figure
out how to help Jasper. The first thing I saw when we walked in was Alice squirming violently on
the living room floor. Kneeling down beside her, Bella and Leah held her down, a look of sheer
panic on their faces.

Then I noticed Blondie standing in a corner, her gaze lost in the distance. She was frozen solid
and didn’t react at all to anything going on around her.

Taking off his blindfold, the hermit quickly covered his face with his hood and then handed the
blindfold to Leah. “Put it on her,” he instructed.

The moment Leah blindfolded Alice, the screaming stopped, and everything suddenly made
sense to me.
“Where’s Nessie?” I asked, looking around, the wolf howling within me.

Bella surged up from the floor and desperately searched everyone’s face for an answer.

We all looked at each other, puzzled as hell.

Nessie was nowhere to be found.

Rosalie remained in her zombie trance, reacting to nothing.

“Rose!” Edward yelled in her face, but she didn’t move. “Rose, talk to me!” he insisted, this time
shaking her to make her snap out of it.

Nothing.

“Everything happened so fast,” said Leah.

“Where’s Nessie, Bella?” I asked her. “Did you see her when you got here?”

Her eyes bouncing back and forth between mine and Leah’s, Bella shook her head no. Tears
welled up in her eyes as her maternal instinct kicked into full gear. “Can you hear her?” she asked
Edward, her voice shaking with urgency.

Lowering his head in defeat, Edward shrugged his shoulders. “No,” he murmured.

“We were all so focused on helping Alice,” said Leah.

Just then, a wave of guilt swept over me without warning, and I started thinking to myself, This is
all my fault, I should’ve warned them about the hybrid! I could’ve prevented this—

“What hybrid?” Edward screamed and came at me, fuming like a raging bull.

My super werewolf speed was a pretty good match for his vampire speed, even in my human
form, but I was so damn worried about Renesmee that I didn’t react fast enough to dodge him.

Before I knew it, he punched me square on the jaw, and the impact of his fury sent me flying
backwards into a wall.

I was putting so much effort into keeping the wolf at bay, that I could barely hear Bella yelling in
the background, “Edward, stop it!”

Right as I got up, I saw his marble fist heading towards my face again, but this time I knew what
to expect, so I leapt up in a flash and moved aside just in time.

He missed me by less than an inch, and his rock hard fist went crashing through the wall instead.
Growling like a wild beast, he pulled his arm out of the hole he had just made on the wall.

He was getting ready to tackle me when in walked Carlisle followed by his boys, Emmett and
Jasper.

“Edward!” Carlisle called out.

I could already feel myself phasing. Only a miracle would be able to stop me at this point. My
self-control could only go so far, and, if Edward attacked me again, I’d have to fight back.
The miracle I needed so badly came from Carlisle. Somehow, the kind doctor’s compassion had
a strange power over me. It lulled me down and made me feel calm. Hadn’t it been for him, the
wolf in me could have easily ripped out the throats of all three of his boys at once.

But Carlisle cornered Edward much faster than I could have anticipated, knowing full well that his
son would never disobey him. “Get a hold of yourself, Edward,” he scolded in a gentle, yet firm
voice.

Meanwhile, Emmett and Jasper formed a barrier in front of me, their faces silently showing that
I’d have to get past them first if I wanted to go anywhere near Edward.

“Jake, are you okay?” Bella asked when she saw me plucking off the pieces of wall that still hung
from my clothes.

“It’s my fault,” I admitted, still breathing hard. “I deserved it.”

“There’s no reason to blame yourself, Jake. We’re all under attack here,” Leah declared as she
helped Alice up.

By now, Billy, Old Quil, Chief Swan and Sam had come in along with Esme and Sue.

Emily had remained standing in the doorway, shyly looking in. As far as I knew, this was
probably the first time she ever set foot on the Clearwaters’ property since she had started dating
Sam.

Reading the expression of shock on everyone’s faces, Esme headed straight for the couch were
Leah had just sat with Alice. “What’s going on?” she asked, her eyes quickly surveying the living
room. “Where’s Nessie?”

“She just . . . vanished,” explained Leah with obvious hesitation.

Raising my voice defensively, I asked her, “What do you mean she vanished?”

Bella placed her ice-cold hand on my arm and talked to me in a reassuring tone. “I told you she’s
done this before.” She sighed with resignation, then added, “Several times.”

Bella’s comment must have shaken Blondie out of her stupor, because she cut right in like
someone had just stuck a needle in her perfect Barbie face. “She wasn’t sleepwalking this time,
Bella—”

“You were supposed to be watching her,” Edward interjected, coming to Bella’s defense.

Suddenly furious, Blondie snapped back at Edward. “Something happened to us, you moron!
Didn’t you hear Alice screaming?”

“Rose, please let me handle this,” Carlisle told her as he began examining Alice.

“What about you, Leah?” I asked. “This whole thing was your idea.” I tried hard not to sound
incriminating but somehow I couldn’t avoid it.

Naturally, Leah’s defenses went up. “You were just blaming yourself a minute ago. What is your
problem, Jake?”

“The attack on Alice was a decoy,” Sam pointed out as he took a step toward me.

He waited for someone to contradict him, but everyone went silent instead. No one seemed to
object to his theory. I myself had to admit that he was the only one making sense right now.

Without hesitation, Chief Swan took out his cell phone and announced, “I’m calling the station, we
need to send out a search party right away. She can’t be far.”

But, just as he started dialing, Bella darted toward him and made him hang up. “Wait, dad. I don’t
think that’s a good idea.”

Shocked, Chief Swan stared at Bella like she’d just lost her mind. “Why?”

Then, Carlisle interfered, “Charlie, we really appreciate your offer, we really do, but I agree with
Bella. There’s no need to involve the police.”

“Trust me, dad, it’s better if we do the search ourselves. We can split up into groups and—”

“Bella!” Chief Swan interrupted. “What is wrong with you? Your daughter’s missing, for crying out
loud. We need K-9 units and a helicopter at the very least.”

I didn’t want to say anything, but I knew why the Cullens were so dead set on leaving the police
out of this. They couldn’t risk being exposed, especially with the suspicions they had about
Nessie. If she really was out there hunting for human victims, it would be disastrous if the cops
caught her in the act.

All of a sudden, I remembered the time when I had phased in front of Chief Swan only to show
him just how deep the rabbit hole goes. He’d been so thrown off by this you’re-not-in-Kansas-
anymore realization, that he didn’t want to ask any more questions.

I knew just what I had to do to get the Cullens out of this pickle, so I pulled the chief aside and
whispered in his ear, “Believe me, Chief, this is one of those situations you don’t want to dig into.”

That’s pretty much all it took to stop the argument, at least on his end, but he got visibly frustrated
by the whole ordeal. “Alright then,” he said, letting out a sigh of resignation. “No need to explain
anything else. I’m going back to the station just in case there’s any reports about this.”

Bella winked at me. It was her silent way of thanking me. She gave her dad a hug and walked
him out, accompanied by her soon-to-be step mom, Sue.

The moment he saw them leave, Edward came up to me, a somber look on his face. “You know
something you’re not telling us, Jacob. What is it?”

I wasn’t interested in hiding anything from them, so I told them all about the strange dreams Sam
and I had been having about the hybrid, the talisman, and the psychic attack I’d suffered the night
before.

Having heard my explanation, Alice finally spoke. “It’s the same thing that happened to me. She
used my own visions against me. It’s like I lost control of my mind, and all these visions flooded
my mind all at once. Not even Bella’s shield could protect me against it.” She was still wearing
the blindfold, probably afraid that the madness would come back if she removed it.

“I’ve seen that talisman,” Blondie announced.

Taken aback, I asked her, “So you’ve been having the same dream, too?”

She shook her head no. “Nessie projected the image to me several times. It’s exactly the same
talisman you’re describing.”
I lowered my head, wondering if Nessie’s connection to me might be harming her. I didn’t care if
Edward heard my thoughts. All I wanted was Nessie’s happiness, even if it meant having to
sacrifice my own life to save hers.

Then something seemed to dawn on Carlisle. “That explains a lot. Maybe that’s the reason she’s
been sleepwalking in the first place. She must be under the influence of the hybrid.”

“The dark side can be very seductive,” the hermit replied, his face hiding under the dark shadow
of his hood. “It sounds to me like she’s being lured.”

“We have to find her now,” I urged them, “there’s no time to lose.”

“But someone needs to stay here and watch Alice,” protested Leah.

“We’ll stay with her,” Old Quil offered as he and Carlisle helped my dad out of his wheelchair so
he could sit closer to Alice.

The hermit then added, “I’ll stay with them also. I don’t want to slow you guys down.”

Edward glowered at Blondie, obviously in response to something she was thinking. “No, Rose.
You’re better off staying behind.”

“I’m perfectly fine,” she retorted through gritted teeth. “You need me anyway. If Nessie decides to
show anyone what’s been happening to her, it’ll definitely be me. I’m her confidant.”

Just as she said that, I noticed Bella had been standing by the doorway, God only knows for how
long. And judging by the look in her pitch-black eyes, I knew how deeply Blondie’s words had cut
her. I literally had to bite my tongue to keep myself from cussing Blondie out.

Rushing past me, Edward came over to stand by Bella’s side. Probably, he was hoping she
hadn’t heard what the little biatch had said, but the despair on Bella’s face was impossible to
ignore.

“We’re going to find her, love. Don’t you worry, okay?”

As he embraced Bella, Edward turned to Carlisle. “If you let Rose come, I don’t want her in our
group.” Edward was barely done talking when it happened.

Emily, who had been standing outside on the porch, suddenly started screaming, calling Sam’s
name. “Sam! Sam!”

Sam bolted to the front door in an instant. Less than a second later, Seth and I were at the door
to help him out if he needed us.

When I looked at Emily, she was in a state of panic like I’d never seen her before. She was
hysterical, trying to talk between sobs, but she couldn’t even speak. The only thing she could do
was point forward repeatedly to an overgrowth of bushes near the back of the house.

Sam scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside. What an irony that this had to happen
here at the Clearwaters’ house.

But in an emergency situation, no one has time to think of ironies, so both Carlisle and Leah
responded on instinct and went to attend to Emily. They checked her for any wounds or signs of
physical injuries, but she appeared fine.

Then Sam interrupted them. “She’s not hurt. She saw something outside.”
Hearing Sam’s voice seemed to calm Emily down, so she found the strength to tell us what she’d
seen outside. “It was a huge black dog with fiery glowing red eyes. It came out of the shadows
behind the bushes, growling and drooling, like it was about to attack me.”

As soon as she described the beast she’d seen outside, the hermit gasped in horror. “How close
did it get?” he asked Emily.

Still shaking, Emily explained how the dog seemed to have a strange charming power in its eyes,
similar to a snake. She said she froze in place when she saw the fiery red eyes glowing through
the brush. She then told us how she tried to move but, for a split second, she felt like she had
lost control of her body.

“It was feeding off your fear,” the hermit spoke from inside the dark shadows that his hooded
habit cast upon his face, concealing his hideous scars. The confident tone in his voice showed
us all that he knew just what the animal was.

“A watchdog,” added Carlisle, also sounding like he knew what was going on.

By now, I was sure that something was trying to keep us all trapped inside the house so we
couldn’t go look for Nessie. It’d been the perfect setup, and we’d all fallen for it. No one had to
tell me what that beast out there was. The knowledge of it just dawned on me instinctively.

Edward turned to look at me. He had heard what I was thinking yet again.

“A hellhound,” we both said at the same time.

“What’s a hellhound?” Emily asked, her eyes still wet from the tears.

“Hellhounds aren’t real,” Jasper broke in. “They’re just a myth.”

“Oh but they are,” the hermit contradicted. “They act as a gateway between the world of the dead
and the world of the living.”

I’d hardly taken a step outside when Sam grabbed me firmly by my forearm and told me, “Jake,
wait!”

“Sam, you need to be with Emily right now,” I replied, freeing my arm from his grasp.

“Dammit, Jacob, you’re putting us all in danger!” He sounded really pissed off this time.

But he wasn’t going to intimidate me.

I was going to stand my ground. “No one’s asking you to come with me.”

“Who says I’m coming? I’m talking about you taking Seth. If that animal attacks, you will both
phase for sure.”

“You wouldn’t say that if Emily was out there alone,” I protested. “You would go save her no
matter what.”

“We can do this safely, without giving the hybrid what she wants—”

“There’s no time for strategies!” I reminded him.

“Don’t you get it? If what Emily saw is really a hellhound, it’ll tear you apart before you can find
Nessie.”

“What would you do if Emily was missing?” I challenged him.

“I would deal with the evil spirit directly, not with its animal form.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

“The same as our warrior ancestors—”

Without letting him finish, I scoffed and sharply turned my back on him. Then, I walked away,
mumbling under my breath, “Nice try, Sam.”

Then, as I saw that Seth was about to come outside with me, I said, “Seth, you stay with Sam.”

“But, Jake—” he was about to insist, but I didn’t let him.

I looked him straight in the eye and told him, “Don’t even think about it.”

He must have seen my determination in the way I looked at him, because he simply took a few
steps back and lowered his head.

I hated to disappoint him, as he was the one pack brother whose loyalty to me had never faltered,
but I didn’t want to take anyone down with me. If the dog attacked, I’d deal with it by myself.

I should have known better. Right as I approached the bushes where Emily had seen the dog, I
clearly heard several people running behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw that it was
Emmett, Jasper and Edward.

Just what I needed, I thought, rolling my eyes.

“We’re coming with you,” said Edward.

And I thought I’d gotten rid of the main problem by getting Seth to stay home. Now I was stuck
with the Cullens.

“We should split up into pairs to cover more ground,” Jasper suggested.

Nodding in agreement with Jasper, Edward said, “Emmett, you go with Jacob. If there’s a
confrontation, you’ll take over. We can’t risk letting him phase.”

“I can take care of myself, Edward,” I argued.

“Let’s not take unnecessary risks.” I swear Edward was starting to sound like Sam.

But at this point I didn’t have the time or energy to be proud. I wasn’t going to waste any more
time arguing, plus it’s not like they were going to listen to me, anyway.

Just when we were about to go separate ways, I heard a sudden noise coming from the trees
directly above us. “Wait!” I alerted them.

Judging by the baffled look on their faces, I was pretty sure no one else had heard the noise but
me. None of the Cullens were capable of detecting the subtle sounds my ears could pick up on.

I signaled for everyone to be quiet and listened even closer. Nothing.

Of course it had to be Emmett who broke the silence. “It’s probably just a squirrel, dog,” he
laughed.

“Wolf. Not dog. Wolf,” I repeated, trying to look fierce, then turned around to leave.

I hadn’t walked five feet when I heard the noise again, this time closer. And then I saw it. Before I
could warn them, a dark figure leapt down from the treetops and landed right next to the Cullens.
I took off like a bat from hell to see what it was, but by the time I got there, the beast was already
at Edward’s throat.

Chapter 4: The Hellhound

In a matter of seconds, the hellhound had pounced on Edward, violently pinning him down to the
ground. Blood spurted out in all directions as the ravenous beast sank its teeth into the side of
Edward’s neck. I never thought it’d be possible for Edward’s skin tone to get any paler than it
already was, but I’d been dead wrong. This was a whole new level of pale.

The hellhound was draining Edward’s body of blood and it was doing it fast.

“Get Carlisle!” Emmett screamed, his eyes darting wildly back and forth between Jasper and I.
But he must have noticed that we were just as bewildered and fresh out of ideas as he was,
because he simply went in for the kill, or so he thought.

He hadn’t even touched the hellhound, when its tail suddenly lifted him up in the air and smashed
him into a tree trunk several feet away.

I didn’t need to see yet another display of the hellhound’s mighty combat capabilities to figure out
that we were the ones at a disadvantage here, but Jasper apparently disagreed with me.

Wasting no time, he let out a loud battle cry and threw himself at the beast, clearly aiming for its
neck. But, just as I’d suspected, the creature had other plans for him.

With just one swing of its tail, the hellhound stopped Jasper’s momentum and hurled him across
the air. Jasper crash-landed with his back against a rock, and I’m pretty positive I heard his bones
breaking.

Meanwhile, Emmett had partially recovered from the attack, so he shot up from where he’d
landed and raced towards his brother’s attacker with the force of a stampede. Still, it was no use.
The hellhound seemed to have eyes in the back of its head, because it didn’t even have to turn its
head to see Emmett coming.

Before we knew it, Emmett was soaring towards the trees again. Only this time, he wasn’t so
lucky. Now, he’d wound up impaled on a sharp branch that jutted out from a tree nearby and, by
the looks of it, he’d lost consciousness instantly.

As for Edward, he appeared limp on the ground beneath the hellhound’s claws, his skin grey and
shriveled from the loss of blood. Watching Edward powerlessly lying there, all I could think of was
Nessie. She’d never forgive me if her dad were to die like this.

At this point, I knew phasing was inevitable. I wasn’t just going to stand there and let the
hellhound take out the Cullens one by one. I’d seen more than enough to realize that the
vampires were no match for this demon, so I couldn’t look back. I had to save Nessie’s family or,
at the very least, die trying.

I braced myself for what might turn out to be the last battle of my existence and pictured Nessie’s
face as I surrendered to the fury of the wolf within.

Time seemed to slow down during the instant it took me to phase. I thought of what my choice
entailed. I knew I’d just chosen to sacrifice my own life and the life of my pack just for a chance to
save the Cullens. All I could hope for now was to have enough time to slaughter the fiend.

My skin now fully covered in fur, I got down on all fours and howled to get the hellhound’s
attention. My heartbeat felt like a thousand battle drums thumping loudly against my ribcage, and
my blood boiled thick with adrenaline.

Then, just as I was ready to strike, the fiend spun around in a flash, and its fiery red eyes bore
into mine. Now I understood what Emily meant, since I started experiencing exactly what she’d
described. My entire body succumbed to the power of the hellhound’s gaze, and I couldn’t move,
no matter how hard I tried. Like Blondie, I was frozen solid, too. For a moment, I assumed that my
sacrifice had been in vain and that I’d betrayed the pack for nothing. At least until something
interrupted my thinking, that is.

Jake! A voice suddenly called out. It was Sam’s voice, but I wasn’t hearing it with my ears. I was
hearing his thoughts, which could only mean one thing. He had phased as well.

Sam, what the hell are you doing? I replied in my head.

The pack is safe, he explained. The hermit found a way to protect us all, but you have to come
back in the house now before it’s too late.

Even though I was relieved to find out we were safe, I was still paralyzed from head to toe. And
even if I’d been able to move, I refused to leave the Cullens behind to be torn apart by Satan’s
spawn. There had to be a way to defeat this monster, and I was determined to find out how.

By then, Sam must have heard my intentions, because he stopped insisting and simply said, Find
its weakness, Jake. Call upon the ancestors for help.

When he mentioned the ancestors, something dawned on me. I suddenly remembered that Old
Quil had once said during a bonfire that true warriors must learn to stop the inner dialogue inside
their heads in order to receive guidance from the ancestors. Finally it all made sense to me.
That’s what Sam had been trying to tell me all along when he said to stop thinking.

By then, the hellhound had started pacing around in circles around me. And, judging by the look
in its eyes, I could tell it was listening in on my conversation with Sam. The damn beast could
read my thoughts, I was sure of it.

But now I knew what I had to do. If I couldn’t fight with my body, I was going to have to use the
only weapon I had left—my mind.

Instead of trying to resist my inability to move, I took a deep breath and cleared my head of all
thoughts. Accomplishing such a task had seemed impossible when Sam had first mentioned it,
but, under the circumstances, I knew it was my only chance to win this battle, so I stood there and
focused all my energy on silencing my mind.

Still pacing around me, the fiend shook its head slightly but never looking away. I could see
Edward’s blood dripping from its fangs. Strangely, I realized that, by blocking my thoughts, I had
also blocked my ability to experience fear. No matter how much the demon tried to intimidate me
by making me think I was trapped, I couldn’t bring myself to fear it, because I wasn’t thinking at
all.

Is that what it all comes down to? I asked myself. Is fear just a thought that provokes an
emotional reaction?

The hellhound took a couple of steps toward me and sniffed around, apparently searching for a
scent that wasn’t there. As I held its gaze, it gave me the impression that my strategy might be
working, because it appeared confused.

I then remembered what the hermit had told Emily. “It was feeding off your fear,” he’d said.
That’s the scent the hellhound was looking for. The scent of my fear. I found it hard to believe at
first. But then, as I felt my heartbeat slowing down, I realized the stiffness in my muscles had
slowly started to give way. I’d been wrong all along. It wasn’t the hellhound’s eyes that had
paralyzed me. It was my own fear. The hellhound was merely using my fear against me, reflecting
it back as though its eyes were mirrors or, rather, shields that deflected attacks by sending them
right back to where they’d come from.

Still staring intently into my eyes, the fiend stopped pacing around, and a growl escaped through
its bloodied fangs.

Something told me it was more a growl of frustration than an attempt to intimidate me, so I boldly
took a step forward to test out my theory. And sure enough, just as I’d suspected, I had regained
full control of my body and now I could move freely. But even such a victory couldn’t compare to
how empowered I suddenly felt. The rush spread throughout my body like a drug shooting right
into my vein. I was on a power high like I’d never been before in my life. Without a doubt, the
tables had turned, and now I was the one feeding on the hellhound’s fear.

Just then, the beast drew back, shifting its weight onto its hind legs.

I wasn’t sure whether it was getting ready to fight or preparing to flee, but I stood my ground all
the same. Bring it on, you coward, I thought, deliberately taunting it. But just in case it couldn’t
hear what I was thinking, I went ahead and howled fiercely just to show it I was ready to rip out its
throat.

I wanted to tear that fiend apart so bad I could taste it. In wolf form, I was very different from my
human self. As a wolf, I was a savage murderer. Pure beast. Pure adrenaline. A killing machine. I
swore if that monster had done anything to hurt my Nessie, I’d fight to the death to avenge her. I
was ready for everything, even if it meant dying just so Nessie could live.

But the hellhound didn’t seem that eager to fight anymore, especially when the rest of the pack
showed up without warning.

To my surprise, the boys who had remained at the beach to watch the fireworks were suddenly
emerging from the shadows, each of them now a full-fledged werewolf. Paul, Embry, Jared and
Quil had come to our aid. Sue and Charlie must have rounded them up when they went to pick up
Charlie’s car from the beach.

I kept my eyes fixed on the hellhound as the other wolves surrounded it. Watch its tail, I warned
them, knowing they could all hear my thoughts when they phased into wolf form.

We all gathered in a circle around the hellhound and were ready to take it down, when, out of
nowhere, the fiend transformed into a woman. All dressed in black and with the talisman hanging
from her neck, the hybrid of my nightmares materialized before us, glaring at me with the same
fiery red eyes I’d seen in the hellhound just a minute ago.

None of us moved, and the others seemed to be waiting for me to greenlight the attack. But I was
so dumbfounded by her sudden transformation, that I had to stand back for a moment just to
catch my breath. What the hell were we dealing with? Could it be that she was a shapeshifter,
too, just like us?
Still, I was about to charge at her, but then she spoke my name and made me come to a
screeching halt.

She said, “If you kill me, you’ll never find out where Renesmee is.”

I didn’t know what to feel at that point. The confusion hit me in the head like a ton of bricks, and I
was at a loss for words. But if the hybrid wanted to talk, I was going to listen. Whatever it took, if it
meant she’d tell me how to find Nessie.

I ignored the puzzled look on my fellow wolves’ faces and phased back into my human form.
Then, I tried to speak to her in as calm a voice as I could muster up. “What do you want with
Nessie?”

“She summoned me,” was her answer.

“Really?” I asked, not believing a single word she’d just said. “And why would she do that?”

“Nessie’s not the happy child you think she is, Jacob.”

Her reply filled me with so much rage, I swear I would’ve strangled her right then and there, but I
knew I had to control myself, as this was starting to sound like a hostage negotiation. “Tell me
where she’s at.”

Her eyes glowing with satisfaction, she smirked and shook her head like she was mocking me.
“You really don’t think it’s going to be this simple, do you?”
It took an enormous amount of self-discipline to keep myself from phasing again, but I knew I had
to play by her rules or else I’d never get the answers I was looking for. I should’ve known it from
the moment Nessie disappeared. She wasn’t out hunting for human victims. She’d been captured
by a monster that wreaked havoc everywhere it reared its ugly head. But what did the hybrid want
with Nessie?

“Just tell me what you want in exchange for her,” was all I could think of saying. Pretty lame, I
know, but I was desperate. I glanced over at my fellow wolves and didn’t need to hear their
thoughts to know how frustrated they were with me.

In the mean time, the hybrid continued to torment me with this sadistic little game of hers. “She
asked me to take her with me out of her own free will, Jacob. She begged me for the birthday
present her parents denied her.”

“What present?” I snapped through gritted teeth, already dreading her answer.

The fiend must have anticipated my reaction to what she was about to tell me, because she held
up her talisman and declared, “Nessie wants to be a full vampire like the rest of her clan.”

I barely had a chance to phase again and charge at her, when a bright white light exploded out
from the stone at the center of her talisman, blinding us all at once. By the time I regained my
bearings and was able to see clearly again, I realized the explosion had sent us all flying
backwards with the same force the hellhound’s tail had hit Emmett and Jasper.

As each of us got back up from the ground, I noticed the hybrid had vanished along with the light.
I looked around, still stunned from the explosion, but couldn’t find her anywhere. She was gone,
and so was my only hope to find Nessie.
I took the lead phasing back to my human form, and the other wolves followed suit. With
everything that had just happened, I was in no mood for hearing the complaints about to rain
down on me for the way I’d handled things, so I turned around and headed back to Leah’s house.
I’d had enough confrontations for one night and was drained of energy. The last thing I wanted at
this point was another argument.

But leave it to Paul to try and provoke me . . . as usual. Chasing me down, he cut in front of me
and got all up in my face. “Hey, man, what the hell is your problem?” he demanded, shoving my
shoulder.

“Get out of my way,” I retorted, then pushed him aside just in time to dodge a jab that could’ve
easily dislocated my jaw.

Paul had the quickest temper of the entire pack and was always picking fights, especially with
me. Sadly, I was doomed to have him as a brother-in-law someday, since he had imprinted on
my sister Rachel. I guess this wasn’t reason enough to stop him from challenging my authority
every chance he got, so I’d about had it with him.

Under different circumstances, I would’ve gladly broken his nose again like I’d done one day he
showed up to my house uninvited. But tonight I wasn’t going to let him faze me. Fortunately for
me, our past fights had taught me well. I’d learned to anticipate his every move, predict his every
thought, and figure out his plan of attack before he even came up with one.

“Why don’t you make yourself useful and go check on Rachel, you loser?” I told him as I reached
Leah’s porch. Then I delivered my blow. “Hey, hasn’t she told you about the weak spot she has
for male European tourists? You know the ones: blonde, golden tan, blue eyes, fat wallets. I bet
she’s taking pictures with them right now.”

Paul stopped dead in his tracks and growled loudly, fists up in the air. My remark had scored
bull’s eye, all right, just below the belt where I’d aimed it.

Before making a beeline for the beach, he spit on the ground and hollered, “This isn’t over yet,
ass-wipe!”

I could’ve told him where to stick his stupid insults, but I didn’t want to disrespect Bella, who’d just
stormed out of the house, frightened out of her wits. Not too far behind her came Blondie,
Carlisle and Esme. Sam, Seth, Leah and the others had remained inside, probably looking after
Alice and Emily. Whatever the hermit had done in there had saved our lives, although I wasn’t
too sure about Edward.

“Jake, what was that blast?” Bella asked, her eyes gaping with panic. “Where’s Edward?”
Walking right past me, she spotted him on the ground and cringed at the sight of his condition.
She turned away like she couldn’t bear to look at him, but soon after that, she seemed to gather
up enough strength to come face to face with what was left of her hubby. “Edward, talk to me,”
she screamed as she shook him frantically. “Edward, please!”

Meanwhile, Blondie helped remove the branch out of Emmett’s chest, and Esme went to check
on Jasper, who was conscious but couldn’t move from the waist down.

As for Carlisle, he remained pretty calm given the circumstances. After all, that’s exactly what
he’d been trained to do in these types of situations. He surveyed the scene from the porch, and I
could practically hear the wheels turning in his head just by the pensive look on his face.

I figured he must have been assessing the damages so he could then decide which of his sons
needed his attention the most. And sure enough, just as I’d suspected, he came over to kneel
beside Edward and began examining the wounds on his neck.

I sat next to Bella to show her my support, but decided to keep my mouth shut, as all her attention
seemed to be focused on deciphering Carlisle’s expression.
A silent foreboding hung over us like a cloud. It was the silence of knowing—just knowing—that
something tragic was happening. Edward didn’t look well at all. His eyes were closed, and he
wasn’t moving. All the blood in his body was gone. Sucked dry. Drained to the bone. The wilted
shell that lay before us was but a shadow of the Edward we knew.

“It was the hellhound, wasn’t it?” Carlisle asked me as he hovered low over the teeth marks on
Edward’s neck.

My blank stare lost in the darkness beyond, I nodded without saying a word. Not only had I lost
Nessie, but I’d also failed to save Edward. I was embarrassed to even look at Bella, so I did what
any worthless coward like me would do. I hid my face away from her and tried hard to suppress
the urge I felt to crawl up into a hole and eat some worms.

“He’s gonna be okay,” Bella murmured in an unconvincing tone. “He can’t die unless he’s ripped
to pieces and . . . burned.” Her voice trailed off into a whisper when she noticed the look of
despair on the good doctor’s face. “Isn’t that right, Carlisle?”

“We need to give him a blood transfusion as soon as we possibly can. He’s got no blood left in
his body.” Carlisle’s reply sounded like bad news to me. “Jake, help me carry him inside, would
you?” he continued.

Without asking questions, I did as Carlisle told me, although I got the distinct impression that he
was holding something back. I stole a glimpse at his clenched jaw and noticed his whole body
tensing up as we lifted Edward off the ground.

Bella followed after us and exchanged glances with me. She appeared unsatisfied with Carlisle’s
explanation, too. “What happens when a vampire is drained of blood?” she asked.

Carlisle opened his mouth to speak, when all of a sudden Emmett and Jasper showed up with
Esme and Blondie to check on Edward. By then, the two brothers were up and running as if
nothing had happened.

Vampires were naturally endowed with an ultra-fast healing ability, much the same as us
werewolves. They could put themselves back together even after getting their body parts
chopped off. Literally. That’s why it wasn’t enough to tear a vampire apart if you wanted to kill it
for good. You had to burn its pieces and bury the ashes in seven separate “graves,” as the
ancient Quileute wolves used to call them.

These, of course, weren’t graves in the traditional sense of the word, but rather unmarked holes
we dug up in the mountains to keep the ashes of any one single vampire from fusing back
together. It was just a preventive measure, but an important ritual all the same. Our kind had
practiced it for generations anytime the pack finished off a leech. The undead were extremely
hard to kill, so we had to make sure the ones we took out actually stayed dead.

Ever since I’d discovered I could shapeshift into a werewolf, I’d felt a little too confident about the
knowledge passed down to us by our wolf ancestors. I’d come to believe we knew pretty much
everything there was to know about the cold ones.

Never did I realize how naïve I’d been until tonight.

What the hellhound had done to Edward came out of left field for me. And, by the look of things,
it also had the same effect on Carlisle, who appeared just as thrown off as me, if not more.

I led the Cullens back into Leah’s house, hoping that either Old Quil or the hermit might be able to
shed some light on this mystery. And, boy, did I get more than I’d bargained for!
The Clearwaters’ living room had changed so much during the brief time we’d spent outside, that
I had to rub my eyes just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. All the lights were out, and the
furniture had been moved around to make room for a wide circle drawn with red powder on the
floor. The only source of light emanated from a few candles lit around the circle.

At first sight, the place looked like a witch’s lair, complete with a pentagram drawn within the
boundaries of the circle. Alice sat Indian-style at the center of the pentagram, while Leah, Seth,
Sam, Emily and the hermit had positioned themselves uniformly along its circumference. Holding
hands and facing in towards the center, each of them stood on one of the five tips at the end of
the pentagram spokes.

They all remained perfectly still, even after we barged in with Edward slung halfway between
Carlisle and me.

The whole thing looked just plain creepy if you asked me. But then again, what did I know?
Somehow, I’d managed to snooze through all my Edgar Allan Poe readings back in high school,
so I couldn’t exactly consider myself an expert in the occult.

“It’s a circle of protection,” Bella explained, reacting to the stunned expression on my face.

Then I noticed Sam was wearing the blindfold instead of Alice. At least now I understood what
he’d meant earlier when he told me it was safe for the pack to phase again.

“But what about Alice?” I objected.

Leah must have been anticipating my question, because she quickly replied, “She insisted on
giving Sam the blindfold, so we had to find a different way to protect her mind.”

“As long as she remains inside the circle, she’ll be safe from any psychic attack, no matter how
strong it may be,” the hermit added.

Either way, this meant Alice had been willing to sacrifice her own sanity just to give us a fighting
chance, and I had let her down, too. If I’d felt rotten before, I felt even worse now.

Still, I nodded my head at her in gratitude and said, “Thanks, Alice. You saved the pack.”

“Anytime, Jake,” she chirped through her signature pixie smile.

Yet, even her optimism couldn’t help me see the light at the end of this tunnel. “Wish I could say
the same thing about me, though,” I confessed bitterly.

“Oh, c’mon, Jake,” Bella muttered. “Give yourself some credit for once. You were very brave to
go out there.” She paused, probably noticing how annoyed I looked, but I could tell by the way
her lips were moving that she still had a lot more left to say.

I stopped her before she could go any further, though. “Save it, Bells, I don’t wanna hear it.”

Knowing Bella, I was pretty sure she had the best intentions at heart and was only trying to show
me some sympathy. Yet, somehow, her tone of voice actually came off as patronizing, almost
motherly. It got me so frustrated, that my knuckles went white from balling my fists up so hard. I
didn’t want anybody feeling sorry for me, especially Bella. She meant well, I knew it, but I still felt
like crap, and that was something she couldn’t fix. Not in a million years. Not unless she could
tell me where to find Nessie.

I helped Carlisle lay Edward’s body down on the first sofa we could find and then I slumped out to
the porch, sulking over my shame.

The instant I set foot outside the house I sensed an odd chill in the air. Goosebumps crept all
over my skin, and a shiver ran up and down my spine. An eerie sensation loomed over me,
making me feel like I was being watched.

I scoured my surroundings inch by inch and started all over again a second time, then, again
once more.

Nothing.

The only movement I detected was that of the tree leaves rustling in the breeze and the branches
creaking like an abandoned pirate ship. Here and there, a cricket would chirp or a dog would
bark in the distance. The music came through in waves from the beach, its volume undulating
from loud to faint and then back up to loud again, as if the sound itself were swaying along with
the tide.

Nothing registered as out of the ordinary with my super-sensitive hearing. As for my sixth sense?
Well, that was a different story. The survival instinct of the wolf within me was sensing a
presence nearby. I couldn’t shake the vibe that someone—or something—was watching me, or
even worse, stalking me.

Still on my guard, I sat on the front steps, elbows on my knees, and chin on the palms of my
hands. Even though I’d left the door closed, I could still hear through the walls of the house as
clearly as if I were inside.

“Where is he going?” Bella whispered, and I heard footsteps approaching the front door.

The footsteps suddenly stopped as Esme spoke next. “Give him a moment, honey. He’s been
through a lot tonight.”

Ever the prima donna, Blondie complained, “We all have.” How predictable! She couldn’t handle
anyone else being the center of attention.

Stop talking like I can’t hear you, I thought to myself, wishing I could say it to her face. Instead, I
brushed it off and turned my attention back to listening for any strange noises. Blondie had such
a hollow skull anyway, that talking to a chimp would’ve been more productive. At least chimps
had a brain.

For a short time, I didn’t hear anyone else talk. The silence made my skin crawl, reminding me of
how useless I felt sitting there, soaking up the stench of my defeat.

Then, I heard another set of footsteps different from the ones I’d heard before. They were much
slower than Bella’s, like the shuffle of an old person dragging their feet.

“I’ll talk to him,” Old Quil declared as he opened the front door and stepped outside.

“Thanks for your concern, Old Quil,” I said disgruntled, “but please save the lecture. I know I
should’ve killed the leech while I had the chance.”

Having closed the door behind him, Old Quil held on to the wooden railing and slowly sat down
on the stoop next to me. “And who says I’m here to lecture you?” he asked, placing his hand
gently on my shoulder.

All of a sudden, I felt like a little kid who needed comforting after the hissy fit he’d just thrown. “I
know I’m a coward, but I don’t
need anyone’s pity,” I grumbled.

“The only one here feeling sorry for himself is you, Jacob.” I swear it would’ve hurt less if he’d
taken off his leather moccasin and slapped me across the back of the head with it.

“What am I supposed to do?”

The lines on his face became more prominent when he smiled. “What are your options?”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Old Quil, I’m asking for your advice, and all you do is
answer my questions with even more questions!”

“One of us better start coming up with some answers, then.” He paused and waited. “Right?”

“Okay,” I gave in and did a quick mental review of everything that happened. Before long, the
answer came to me, just like that.

His eyes lit up as he noticed the sudden change in my expression. “Well?”

“It’s the talisman!” I exclaimed. “That’s the source of her power. That’s what allows her to
shapeshift and disappear and mess with people’s minds.”

“Ah, the talisman, of course,” said Old Quil as though he’d known the answer all along.

I should’ve been mad at him for not telling me, but I was actually thankful that he’d forced me to
look inside myself to find the answer. “I know what I have to do,” I told him as I bolted up from the
stoop. “I have to take it from her.”

Chapter 5: The Talisman

My heart was bursting with excitement and anticipation. I couldn’t wait to embark on a quest for
the talisman, as I knew it would ultimately lead me to Nessie. For the first time in several days, I
knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I’d found the Achilles’ tendon of the hybrid.

Once I held that talisman in my possession, the hybrid would be forced to tell me where I could
find Nessie.

Only one possibility kept haunting me now. The possibility that time might be running out. And, if
I didn’t hurry, it would be too late. I refused to believe what the hybrid had said about my Nessie.
That she’d summoned the hybrid out of her own free will, so that she might change her into a full
vampire.

Just the mere thought of this happening made every hair on my body stand on end. It hung
around my neck like an albatross, weighing me down with horrible visions of Nessie drinking
human blood, her eyes crimson red, and her lips dripping wet with the evidence of her crime.

Sam and the rest of the pack would never tolerate it. If Nessie were to change into a full-fledged
bloodsucker with an appetite for human blood, the ancient treaty between the Cullens and the
Quileutes would be finished.

Especially now, with Edward’s fate so uncertain, the Cullens would be forced to extend their stay.
And if Nessie killed any humans in treaty lands, a war would be inevitable then. I’d find myself in
the middle of it. Forced to choose sides. Torn between defending the girl I loved and fulfilling my
duty to protect my people.
Clearly, failure wasn’t an option for me. The price for that would be too great, and I wasn’t willing
to pay it. That talisman had to be mine even if it meant going to the end of the world to find it.

I just had to make sure I did it all in time to stop Nessie from making the worst mistake of her
existence. I had to steal the talisman from the hybrid before she could change Nessie into a full
vampire, and there was only one way to do it.

Grabbing a hold of Old Quil’s arm, I tried to help him up from the stoop, but he chuckled, shaking
his head and waving his hand in a gesture of refusal.

“Let go, son,” he snickered benevolently, taking his time to get up on his own. “I might be the
most ancient among us, but I can still take care of myself. Go on inside.” He paused briefly as
he steadied himself and looked around. “The dawn is approaching.”

I didn’t like the way he’d lowered his voice as he spoke those last words. They carried a distinct
tone of apprehension that I sensed immediately. I could tell by the way his eyes were watching
the trees that there really was something out there, stalking us. It wasn’t just me being paranoid.

“What is it, Old Quil?” I asked just to double-check.

Instead of answering my question, he let out a high-pitched whistle that I knew all too well. Our
wolf ancestors had taught it to us so we could communicate with the pack anytime we were in
human form and couldn’t communicate telepathically. Each of us could hear it from miles away,
no matter how scattered we may be. Our people used it only in times of trouble, and it was
meant for gathering the pack.

“I’ll go get Sam,” I said, reaching for the doorknob.

Just then, the front door opened, and Bella came out with Sam following close behind her. He
was still wearing the blindfold, but seemed to have no trouble moving around, which meant he
could see perfectly fine.

As the two of them stepped out to the porch, I took a peek inside the living room and noticed Dr.
Cullen had taken Sam’s place in the circle. Then, right before Sam closed the door again, I
caught a glimpse of everyone’s faces inside. They’d all heard Old Quil’s whistle alarm and were
visibly upset by it, especially Seth and Leah.

I could tell they were dying to come outside, but, unless someone took their place in the circle,
they were going to have to remain there to protect Alice. The front door slammed shut, but I
could still hear the commotion inside. Their voices talked all together, and I could barely make
out who was saying what, so my defense mechanisms kicked in, and I had to tune them out.

“Jake, we need to talk right now,” Bella demanded as her eyes darted towards the wolves already
starting to gather round the house.

I hesitated. “But, Bells, there’s something out there. We have to go patrol the area.”

“Can this wait?” Sam asked, unable to hide his impatience.

“No, it can’t,” she snapped, then took my hand and pulled me close to whisper in my ear, “Did you
forget about Edward?”

Sam had the same super-sensitive hearing as I did, so I knew he’d heard what Bella told me.
Still, he ignored it all the same and asked, “Jake, you coming or what?”

I shot Bella a quick glance, and the anguish in her face really got to me. There was no way I
could say no to her. For an instant there, I realized just how deeply connected she and I were.
Literally, I found myself feeling her pain. And yet, at the same time, I hated having to ditch the
pack. So I simply stood there, weighing my options for a second.

Then, as I was finally ready to say something, Old Quil beat me to it. “I’m sure you boys can
handle yourselves just fine without Jacob,” he told Sam.

That’s all it took as far as Sam was concerned. Old Quil represented everything Sam strived to
become someday. Ever since I could remember, Old Quil had been Sam’s mentor, role model,
idol. You name it. Sam had put him on a pedestal from the day he’d found out that all the
legends about our wolf ancestors were actually true stories.

“No problem,” Sam muttered with a twinge of bitterness. “We’ll take care of it.” Avoiding our
eyes, he bowed his head at Old Quil to excuse himself and then went to join the pack with the tail
between his legs.

That was that at least for now. I knew I’d hear about it later, especially knowing Paul had it in for
me, too. They were going to gang up on me eventually, but I couldn’t afford to worry about that at
this point. I figured I’d deal with it when the time came.

Bella squeezed Old Quil’s hand, forcing the saddest smile I’d ever seen in a long time. “Thanks,
Old Quil. You’re very kind.”

Grinning with satisfaction, Old Quil replied, “We’re all in this together, child.” Then, he went back
into the house and left me alone with Bella on the porch.

“Here,” Bella said as she handed me the keys to the car she and Edward had rented in Port
Angeles.

I gawked as soon as I saw the label on the keychain. “Bentley GTC, huh?” Exotic sports cars
were my weakness, especially convertibles. I could just picture myself driving over 200 miles an
hour, outracing cops left and right, and going to the end of the world to find Nessie.

If only Bella had given me a chance to enjoy it for a bit longer than a second, though. What she
told me next almost made me puke all over the keys. “We need to go find a fresh human corpse,
Jake.”

I examined—more like scrutinized—her face, waiting for the punch line of what I could only hope
was her idea of a joke. But the punch line never came.

Bella was dead serious. “We need fresh human blood for the transfusion.”

I scratched my head. “But wait, why does it have to be human blood? Can’t we just go find him a
mountain lion somewhere? A bear maybe?”

“Carlisle says it has to be human blood.” She moved closer to me and deliberately inhaled my
scent. “Fresh human blood, Jake.”

I hadn’t realized just how thirsty she was for it herself. While before, it was only a suspicion I had,
now I knew for sure that this was the reason she hadn’t been hunting. Animal blood just didn’t cut
it for her. Her vampire body demanded the real deal, and it seemed to me that her self-control
was wearing thin.

“Okay,” I sighed with resignation. “Human blood it is.” I had to give into her even though I was in
a mad rush to go find the talisman. After all, what good would it do me to find Nessie if I was
going to bring her home to a dead father?
“Good,” Bella began, and before I could so much as blink, she went on to brief me on the details
of her plan. “Rose will lead us to the place. You just have to drop us off there, and we’ll call you
when we’re ready to load the body into the trunk—”

“Whoa, whoa, wait, hold it, Bells, back up for a second.”

“We have no time to waste! We have to go now!” Her voice trembled.

“Where exactly is this place, anyway?” I had to ask.

Her body language betrayed her before she could even make an attempt to explain. And, from
the look in her eyes, I could tell she knew I wasn’t going to like her answer. “That shouldn’t
matter to you, Jake. All I’m asking is that you take us there. Rose already made arrangements,
and they’re waiting for us. We have to hurry.”

“Listen, I know you think I’m dumb and all, but I’m not that dumb, Bells. I know what you guys are
up to.”

She rolled her eyes like I was the stupidest person she knew. “Oh, really? And what is that?”

“You’re going to a black market dealer. Very convenient, I know. You pay them an outrageous
price, and they do the dirty work for you. That way you don’t have to kill anyone per se, but
you’re still purchasing a freshly murdered victim.”

She scoffed at me. “You’ve had a long night, Jake. Go get some rest. I’ll ask Emmett to drive us
instead.”

“No!” I declared firmly, stomping my foot hard on the wooden floor. “There has to be a better way
that doesn’t involve killing humans. Directly or indirectly, it is still murder, Bella!”

One single look at her face was enough to show me that my words had gone in one ear and
come out the other. Nothing I could say or do was going to get through to her. I knew it just as
well as she did, and yet here we were again, pointlessly arguing in circles and getting nowhere.

She held out her hand and demanded, “Give me back the keys.”

“I can’t let you do this, Bells, I’m sorry.” Not that I was going soft or anything, but somehow what
I’d just said had come off as a sheepish plea. “You’re my best friend,” I added, practically
begging to avoid a confrontation that already seemed inevitable.

My refusal pissed her off so badly, though, that she started fuming like a furnace. “Give them
back, I said!” she insisted, her jaw clenched in a threatening gesture.

The idea of her even trying to intimidate me cracked me up inside, but I still managed to keep a
straight face, as I knew that laughing would only push her over the edge. My face stern, I shook
my head no and hid the keys behind my back. “Over my dead body.”

But Bella was in full attack mode by then, so she pulled her lips back over her teeth and snarled
as she lunged at me. I hadn’t seen her this angry since the day she’d tried to rip out my throat for
nicknaming Renesmee after the Loch Ness monster.

“Hey, whoa, you’re gonna ruin your pretty dress,” I warned jokingly.

But she didn’t seem to care. Before I knew it, she had fly-tackled me down the front steps, and
we were both rolling on the ground, wrestling over the keys. I knew she’d never hurt me, no
matter how ferociously she tried to act. So, as she pinned me down, I couldn’t hold it in any
longer and suddenly burst out laughing.

Let’s just say she didn’t take this kindly. Not in the very least. Next thing I knew, I was seeing
stars. She’d slapped me hard across the face and would’ve punched me, too, if I hadn’t
distracted her by flinging the keys far out into the bushes.

“Jake, you’re such an idiot!” she protested.

I took advantage of the second it took her to follow the keys with her eyes and pushed her off me.
Then, as I stood up, I felt a sharp sting in my arm. I glanced down at the spot where the sting
was coming from and realized what had caused it. I’d just cut myself, and now my arm was
bleeding.

I knew it would only take me a few minutes to heal, but, just to be sure, I quickly hid the wound
away, hoping Bella might be too distracted to pick up on the scent of my blood.

No such luck. As ravenous as she was right now, this was a scent she wouldn’t miss for the
world. Forgetting all about the keys, she turned towards me, her eyes boring into mine. She
gasped softly, almost longingly, and I took a step back, unable to peal my eyes off of hers.

“Stay back, Bella,” I cautioned her, all the muscles in my body tensing up.

“My venom can’t hurt you. Not if I don’t bite, right?” The raw yearning in her voice was
impossible to ignore.

“I wouldn’t know that.” My pulse quickened, making me feel way too vulnerable for comfort. By
now, I was breathing hard and feeling incredibly drawn to her. Where the hell were all these
sensations coming from? My knees weak, I almost didn’t want to talk anymore, I was so
ashamed.

“You know I’d never hurt you.” The tone of confidence in her voice made it all too clear. She was
well aware of the effect her thirst was having on me, and it was only making things worse for both
of us.
An enormous wave of guilt washed over me all of a sudden. “Don’t come any closer,” I said
halfheartedly. Only this time I didn’t move.One thing was what my words said, and a very
different thing was what my body showed. I felt an urgent impulse to make a break for it, just run
without stopping or looking back and put as much distance between us as I could.

Instead, I stood there and watched her advance slowly in my direction. It was pointless trying to
hide it anymore. How my chest rose and fell faster with every step she took towards me. How I
had to swallow hard, because my mouth was watering with anticipation. It shocked me to realize
that I wanted this to happen just as badly as she did. Something inside me just wanted to reach
out and grab her, to hold her and press her tightly up against me.

“Just relax, okay?” she whispered, her voice raspy with bloodlust.

“Bella.” A moan caught in my throat as I muttered her name.

She pressed her ivory finger gently against my lips and said, “Shhhh.”

My heart beat a million miles a minute as she took my wounded arm in her hands. Suddenly, all
these flashbacks came rushing into my mind, collapsing the fortress I’d built around me over the
years.

The night we’d spent in the tent, her body freezing and wrapped around the feverish heat of mine.
My face flushed red hot just remembering the fantasies I’d had about her that night. I thought of
the kiss she’d given me years ago, when she was still human, and we were alone up in the
mountains. How she’d told me that she loved me and meant every word of it.

She loved me still. I knew that for sure, only it was a different kind of love now.

Or was it?

Had I been fooling myself all this time, thinking that imprinting on Nessie had erased everything I
felt for Bella?

Time seemed to slow down as she lifted my bleeding arm towards her mouth. Her lips hadn’t
even touched my skin yet, and already I was feeling dizzy, intoxicated with the savage hunger I
saw radiating from her eyes. I wished I could lie down next to her like we’d done that night in the
tent.

I thought about taking her home to my room for some privacy. My house was just walking
distance from Leah’s, so we could’ve gotten there in no time. But in my desperate attempt to hold
on to that moment, I ended up ruining it.

I should have acted faster. I should have just grabbed her hand and taken her somewhere else;
somewhere we could be alone and undisturbed. But I guess some things are simply not meant to
happen regardless of what you do.

Just as Bella’s lips parted over my wound, the door swung open, and Blondie swept out of the
house, her lower lip quivering with rage.

“Oops, sorry!” she exclaimed sarcastically. “Am I interrupting something?”

TO BE CONTINUED . . .