"This way!" Bella heard Carlisle shout.
Emmett veered sharply to the left, and Bella's arm tightened around his neck once again. She pressed her cheek against his cold back, listening to the wind rush by. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears, punctuated by the staccato rasp of her breath. For a long time it seemed that was all she heard: rush, thump, rasp. But now a new sound was seeping through the odd cacophony. Sharp cries echoed in the distance. It took her a moment to identify the vaguely familiar sound. Wolves. Somewhere wolves were howling.
The baying grew louder quickly, and new sounds—snarling, snapping, yelps of pain—filled her ears. Very soon Bella felt Emmett come to an abrupt halt.
"Shit," he muttered. She felt him inhale abruptly.
Bella looked up. The clouds had cleared, and moonlight illuminated the scene before her. At first all she saw was the pale cliff side, but as her gaze moved about she realized that a deep shadow shrouded the area directly before her. Within the dimness, she glimpsed brief flashes of gold.
"In there!" Carlisle barked, pointing into the shadows.
Emmett's entire body tensed, and a deep growl rumbled in his chest. Rosalie flashed to his side, her hand closing over his arm.
"Wait," she cautioned, the single word heavy with meaning.
"No, we've gotta get in there!" Emmett shot back, unceremoniously lowering Bella to the ground.
This time his motions were rapid, and when her feet touched the damp earth she stumbled to maintain her balance. She was still trying to understand what was happening. She squinted into the gloom.
"Where's Edward?" she asked desperately, watching the faces of the three vampires. Their expressions reflected abject horror.
"Emmett!" she cried, tugging at his arm. "Where the hell is Edward?"
He didn't answer. In an instant he had shaken her off, sending her sprawling onto the ground as he darted forward. Releasing her grip on his arm, Rosalie she was running, too. Carlisle was already at the edge of the shadow. Suddenly Bella realized that she was looking at a cave. Edward and the wolves were inside…
Struggling to get back on her feet, her gaze remained fixed on the dim cavern. Something pale was now visible inside, and there was another flash of gold. Just as she regained her footing fully, a massive russet wolf emerged from the gloom. It was Jacob, she realized, a tiny spark of relief flickering in her chest. He was all right…
When she saw what he was dragging, however, Bella gasped. First she noticed the glint of bronze as the moonlight struck Edward's hair. His face was chalk-white, but there was a dark smear around his mouth. His eyes were closed. His limp body yielded completely to Jacob's motions as the wolf moved him outside.
"Edward!" Bella cried, stumbling forward to reach him just as Jacob released his gentle hold on Edward's shoulder.
Emmett and Carlisle were already crouched beside him. Rosalie stood a few feet away, her gaze darting between the cave and the still form lying before her. Bella fell to her knees and took Edward's hand in hers. She tried to see if he was hurt, to view whatever damage had left him so still, but tears had filled her eyes.
"Edward?" she asked. "Oh please, Edward…"
Carlisle's hands were moving over him, pausing at his chest. Bella swept her fingers over her eyes and lowered her gaze. Peripherally she was aware that the noises inside the cave were diminishing. A low, keening wail and warning growls were all she heard now.
"They've got that thing cornered," Rosalie said quickly. "It's afraid of them, but it's still fighting, still furious…"
Jacob had backed away, pausing at the mouth of the cave. Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw his huge lupine form shifting, fur smoothing out to skin. He took several long steps then knelt behind Bella.
Without preamble, he said, "You all have to leave. Your presence is enraging it. It can't stand that you're here; it wants to attack. But it can't get past us. It's probably going to hurt one of us in its attempts, though. Get out of here."
"Let us have the body after you kill it," Emmett spat.
Jacob shook his head. "We're not gonna kill it, not unless we have to."
"Why the hell not?" Rosalie demanded. "You can see what it did to Edward! It hurt Bella, too."
"I know," Jacob replied, eyes shifting back toward the cave. "But shit, look…"
To Bella, the sight was only a flash, but she realized that the vampires had seen the thing with perfect clarity. Three Quileute wolves blocked the entrance of the cave, but behind them she caught a glimpse of another figure. Although it stood upright, light fur seemed to cover much of its body. Its face was primarily canine, with an elongated nose, flat yet prominent ears, and wide, gold eyes. But what struck Bella most—the thing that would linger in her nightmares—was its mouth. Its lips were curled back into a ferocious snarl, revealing hideously sharp, ragged teeth.
She gasped in horror as the creature lunged forward. Emmett's massive arm shot out in front of her, but it was unnecessary. The wolves responded with fierce growls as their mighty bodies pushed it back deeper into the cave.
"What the fuck is that?" Emmett nearly panted.
"Something that we have to deal with," Jacob said. Then he leapt back toward the cave, his body shimmering briefly before his paws landed on the ground and he disappeared into the darkness.
"We need to go. Now," Carlisle said firmly.
"But Edward—" Bella began.
"Emmett," Carlisle instructed curtly, "you carry him. Rose, take Bella."
Rosalie did not appear particularly pleased, but she made no verbal objection. Without a word she pulled Bella away from Edward, sweeping her up onto her back. Bella watched as Emmett carefully lifted Edward's alarmingly pliable body into his arms.
"Rose," Bella said desperately, "is he dead?"
"Yes," she snapped, "just like he's been for the past ninety years."
Then Rosalie began to run, and everything became a blur. Bella knew nothing but the frigid rush of wind and the frantic thudding of her heart.