The faint scent rolled uphill, coming and going on the breeze. It was more savory than bacon, sweeter than strawberries. The piny smell of the forest only intensified that luscious scent. I instantly turned toward it.

"Emmett!" Rosalie pleaded, grabbing my hand. "Carlisle?"

I shook her off irritably. I was starving and there was food just over there.

Edward was suddenly in front of me, and I shoved him hard. He staggered back against an oak, splintering the trunk like a cannon-ball.

"Emmett. Stop." Carlisle stood commandingly on the trail, blocking my way. Esme stood just behind and beside him, and Edward stumbled forward to flank his other side.

"Why should I stop?" I bellowed, fierce hunger filling me with rage. "Are you my pa?"

Rosalie's voice was pained. "Don't..."

Carlisle smiled wryly at me, but a wary light lingered in his eyes. "No, Rosalie, it's a valid question." He drew himself up straight and tall, and next to any man but me, he might have been intimidating. Then he looked me straight in the eye. "You shouldn't stop on my say-so, Emmett — not out of any sense of obligation to me."

I jerked back in surprise. I wasn't expecting that. "Then why'd you tell me to stop looking for whatever it is that smells so damn good?"

"You're a vampire. What smells so good is a living, breathing human being. A person. Someone who has never done you any harm."

I considered that. His words made sense, but my nose was telling me otherwise. My entire body was tense in anticipation of food, breath quickening in desperation. "I killed living, breathing creatures for dinner while I still had a heartbeat. How's this any different?"

"You tell me, Emmett. How is this different?"

My gut clenched in hunger. "It ain't."

He flinced as though I'd slapped him.

"Don't give me that," I snarled, and I liked the sound. I'd never felt stronger in my whole... well, ever. "All you holy men are the same. You talk up rules and commandments and sacrifice and loving your fellow men, but you lie and lust and glut and hate as good as anyone. You ain't any better than the rest of us."

"He's different," Esme said quietly. "He's never harmed a human being."

"How old is he?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at her. "How long have you been with him? How do you know he's not a liar?"

"I would know," that civil Edward said.

"How do I know you ain't lying, too?" I snarled.

"Emmett," Rosalie cooed, "Edward's my brother. He wouldn't lie to any of us. And Carlisle — he's a doctor. He works at a hospital. His eyes have never been red. You can't lie about that, about not drinking human blood."

I glowered at him. "Never?"

He frowned slightly, but his eyes danced. "That's not entirely true, Rosalie."

Esme drew a sudden, surprised breath, but Edward only looked vaguely annoyed.

"My eyes were once as red as yours, Emmett, with my blood. I'm a vampire, too, and I'm no better than anyone else. I have no right to rule over you."

"Well then. You're no better than me, and we've come back to the beginning." I took a looming step toward him. "Dinner time."

"Give me another round, then," Carlisle said, standing his ground. "Best two out of three. That woman isn't going to get away in another ten minutes' time."

"Woman?" I asked. "What makes you think it's a woman?"

"The scent."

I breathed deep, trying to catch the scent again, but it was gone. I could remember it clearly, though. How could that scent be a woman?

Carlisle searched my eyes, then cocked his head, his brow furrowing. "Why were you hunting a bear, Emmett?"

I shrugged. "We needed the meat. There's a lot of fat on a bear, you know."

"Hogs are fat, too," he shot back.

"Hogs are owned by somebody." And ma would skin me alive if I fed the family stolen pork.

A flash of triumph lit his eyes, but his face remained somber. "I think it's because you liked the challenge. Deer weren't good enough. A wild hog, that wasn't much of a challenge either. Now a bear, that was something worth hunting."

I half-nodded. "Maybe. But I would have taken a wild hog if I'd seen one."

"That woman down there, she's got less fight to her than a pet rabbit," Carlisle said, a challenging edge to his voice. "Rabbits can run and hide. You're stronger and smarter — "

I snorted. "Smarter? You can't know that."

"Emmett, if you wanted to learn two languages tomorrow, you could," he said, positively feisty this time. "You have lifetimes ahead of you to do whatever you wish — worlds of knowledge, hundreds of opponents to test your mettle against. Real opponents, too, other vampires and not some frail human. This woman isn't challenge enough for you."

That brought me up sharp. It wasn't sporting.

Carlisle took a steadying breath, then continued more calmly. "If you decide she's dead, there isn't a thing in the world she can do to stop you. And I won't lie to you; we wouldn't be able to stop you either."

They couldn't stop me. All four of them together couldn't hold me back. I looked down at my powerful, rock-hard hands.

"I won't make up the rules for you, Emmett — even if I could — because this life that I have chosen is one that must be chosen. It is too difficult a path to follow for someone else's sake. If you're not up to it..."

My head jerked back up. Calling me yellow wouldn't sway me. "I'm not that stupid."

"Not everyone can live this way," he answered with a shrug. "But why not give it a try? The world is full of helpless humans. If it becomes too tough for you, you can always give up and quit. Why not come with us now and take down a bear with nothing but your hands?"

I had to admit, the thought was appealing, almost as appealing as that woman's scent. Me against a bear — and me winning for a change. I crossed my arms. "What's to stop me from taking a meal first and then hunting me a bear?"

He thought about that for a moment, his eyes studying me. Edward shifted, looking intently at Carlisle, but Carlisle never glanced his way. Finally, Carlisle said, "If there was one bean left in the whole house, would you let your mother eat it, or would you take it from her?"

Maybe he was right about being smarter, because I understood then exactly what he was saying. This woman down there, she was helpless. Would I kill her just to fill my belly? Or would I be a man and take care of those weaker than me?

For the first time ever, I wasn't sure that I would. I wasn't sure that I even could. "That's hitting below the belt, Carlisle."

"No," he said with a suddenly-warm smile. "It's finding the rules you'll want to live by."

I didn't mind hymning every now and again, but I wasn't one for sermons. I didn't need to pay somebody to tell me what was right and wrong. I knew. It was born in me, like all the folks around here. Take care of your kin, keep your word, and fight for your family's honor. And never, ever hurt a kid or womenfolk. Anything else was just some busy-body's opinion. I was salivating, my throat raw with thirst, but I knew deep down that the right thing to do was to let this woman be. This time, anyway, it was enough. "Okay, you win today. But I ain't going to lie to you; I'm just in it for the bear right now."

"We'll make it the best three out of five tomorrow, then," Carlisle grinned. Then he walked past me and up the trail, away from the woman.

I met Rosalie's eyes for a fleeting second.

Then I followed him.