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14. PACK
(FAMILY)
We stood beside the Rabbit, our eyes watching the forest as we waited for the rest of the pack to appear. On my left, Josie had leaned back against the car, her feet crossed at the ankles. She seemed completely relaxed, as if this was nothing out of the ordinary and meeting a pack of werewolves on the side of the road was an everyday occurrence. Then again, for her, maybe it was.
Turning to my right, I could see that Jacob, too, had adopted a more leisurely stance. It made sense, in a way. Acting nervous or defensive would only leave the impression that we had done something wrong. If we kept things casual, maybe they would give us a chance to explain before assuming the worst.
Maybe . . . but probably not.
I glanced back toward the forest just in time to see Sam step out of the underbrush, Embry and the others following close behind. I watched as their gazes sought out Jacob, then shifted to Josie, but as they recognized me, their hands clenched into fists. The fury in their eyes came on so suddenly, so fiercely that it took every ounce of self-control I had to resist the urge to step back against the car. Only Sam, at the front, seemed to keep his emotions in check, but his anger was clear.
"What have you done?" he demanded.
"I didn't do anything, Sam," Jacob answered, his voice calm and reasonable. "You know I can't."
Sam's eyes measured Jacob for a moment, seeming to weigh his words before shifting away. He studied me for less than a second before moving on to the girl at my side.
Josie lifted her chin. "I didn't break my promise, Sam. You know I'd never do that."
The anger in Sam's eyes was beginning to cool, his initial reaction giving way to the realization that his orders hadn't been broken, that he hadn't been lied to. I could see some of the others beginning to calm as well, but not everyone was following Sam's lead. One of the guys in the back pushed past Sam, taking several steps toward us.
"How do we know you aren't lying?" he asked furiously. "Is he more important than the tribe? Than people getting killed?"
Jacob took a deep breath, then let it out. "He can help, Paul," he said.
"Help?" Paul fumed, his voice growing louder still. I could see his hands beginning to shake. "Oh, that's likely! I'm sure the leech-lover is just dying to help us out!"
"Hey!" Josie yelled. She took a small step forward, and I reached out to grab her arm. I appreciated that she was offended on my behalf, but it wasn't worth starting a fight with a werewolf.
Paul was shaking harder now, the tremors moving up his arms toward his shoulders.
"Paul, relax!" Sam commanded.
Something about the look in Paul's eyes terrified me even more than the memory of the wolves in the meadow. He was clearly struggling with . . . something. Was he trying to calm himself, to push back against his own anger . . . or was he trying to fight Sam's command?
"Jeez, Paul," I heard one of the others mutter, "get a grip."
Paul's lips curled back, and he whipped his head around to glare at the one who'd spoken—Jared, I guessed, by process of elimination—before turning his attention back to us. His eyes were wild. Something inside them was growing more dangerous with each passing second. Jacob took two careful steps away from the car, trying to place himself between us and Paul, but at the sight of that movement, Paul's last strand of control seemed to snap.
"Right, protect them!" he roared in outrage. An actual growl ripped from between his teeth, and he shuddered, convulsions racing through his body.
"Paul!" Jacob and Sam shouted, but even I could see that it was already too late. Paul was shaking violently. He seemed to . . . throw himself forward, but before he could hit the ground, the air was broken by a strange tearing noise . . . and suddenly Paul wasn't Paul anymore.
He exploded—I could think of no other way to describe it. First, there was Paul, and then the image of fur and something increasing massively in size, and before I could fully comprehend what was happening, the human being in front of us had disappeared, replaced by an enormous wolf more than five times the size of the person who'd been standing there only a second before. And the wolf was angry, crouched and ready to spring.
Another growl ripped out though its clenched teeth, shaking the ground at my feet. Its eyes were moving rapidly, shifting between Jacob, Josie, and me as if it couldn't decide where to focus.
But there was something else happening. As one part of my mind was registering that Paul had become a giant . . . and enraged . . . werewolf, another part was beginning to register that Jacob was no longer standing in the road in front of us. He was running straight toward the wolf.
It seemed to happen in a single motion. I watched as a shudder ran down Jacob's spine, and he dove headfirst toward the silver wolf, but as his feet left the ground, as his arms stretched out into the air, there was another ripping sound, and Jacob exploded, replaced by a huge russet brown wolf that I remembered seeing in the meadow. The brown wolf met the silver wolf head-on, the sound of their collision crashing through the forest.
Eyes still glued to the two wolves in front of us, I reached out blindly for Josie's arm, but it wasn't at her side. Ripping my eyes away, I found that her hands were lifted in front of her, clenched into fists as if she, too, were getting ready to throw a punch, but there was a fierce grin on her face. Fire danced in her eyes.
"Don't worry, Edward," she told me. "Jake's got this."
As I turned back toward the fight, I could see that the others had moved away, forming a circle around the wolves. The excitement in their eyes was clear, but Sam had his hands lifted in the air, palms facing outward, a silent order for no one else to get involved.
It sounded ferocious. It looked deadly. I couldn't imagine how this would end without one of them killing the other, but as the sounds of snarls and snapping teeth continued to fill the air, I realized that the brown wolf—Jacob—was larger than the other wolf. He seemed to be faster and stronger, as well, and as the seconds ticked by, it became clear that he was going to win this fight. He wasn't completely out of control the way Paul seemed to be, either. Subtly, carefully, with well-placed shoves and snaps, Jacob was maneuvering the fight toward the forest, away from the road and the risk of discovery by a carload of unsuspecting tourists.
"Take him to Emily's," Sam shouted as Jacob and Paul disappeared into the trees. I could still hear them fighting in the underbrush. Sam was already beginning to shudder as he kicked off his shoes and disappeared into the forest where they'd vanished. The snarls and snaps continued for several more seconds and then cut off abruptly. The sudden silence was almost deafening.
And then Embry began to laugh.
"Well, there's something you don't see every day," he snickered in our direction. Still stunned by what I'd seen, I turned numbly toward Josie to find her grinning back at Embry.
"I do," Jared grumbled. "Every single day."
I stared at him. Was this . . . normal?
"Aw, Paul doesn't lose his temper every day." Embry wasn't laughing anymore, but the grin was still wide on his face. "Maybe two out of three."
Two out of three? If this was a nearly daily occurrence, did that mean no one would be hurt? That had been a real fight, and if the wolves could take out a vampire, surely that meant they were strong enough to hurt each other . . .
Jared had stopped to pick something up from the ground. It was white, and my brain told me I should be able to identify the limp strips in his hand, but I hadn't quite regained my bearings just yet. Beside me, Josie sighed.
"Shredded," she said, disappointment in her tone. "That was his last pair, too."
"I guess Jacob's going barefoot now." Jared shook his head.
"This one survived." Embry held up one white sneaker. "Jake can hop." He laughed as he lifted one foot and hopped toward Josie on the other.
Frowning, Josie pushed away from the Rabbit and started across the road to help Jared pick up pieces of fabric from the dirt. Clothes, I realized as my brain struggled to function again. Paul's and Jacob's clothing had shredded when they'd phased.
"Get Sam's shoes, will you?" Jared said as he and Josie finished picking up the remaining bits and pieces of fabric that littered the ground. Embry picked up Sam's shoes, which he'd left just outside the treeline, and disappeared into the forest. "All the rest of this is headed for the trash."
Jared jerked his chin toward me as Josie picked up the last piece of clothing. "Is he going to be okay with this?" he asked quietly.
"He'll be fine," Josie said with a small smile. She sounded like she was bragging or something. "He's used to monsters, remember?"
Jared shrugged.
"You two could have warned us, at least," Embry said as he reappeared with a pair of cut-off jeans. "Well, the wolf's out of the bag now," he said as he winked at Josie. She rolled her eyes.
"So, who do you think was winning?" Jared asked.
"Nobody won," Josie reminded them. "Sam cut it off as soon as he phased."
"Well, I hope Paul gets a mouthful of him," Jared said. "Embry's right. You two should have warned us."
Josie scowled and reached up to shove Jared lightly on the arm. It was a comfortable gesture, the sort of thing she'd do to her brother, and Jared's answering laugh was equally familiar.
"Trust us on this one, okay?" But I didn't see Jared's reaction to her request.
"No way Paul gets a bite out of him," Embry was saying. "Did you see Jake? Even Sam couldn't have phased on the fly like that. He saw Paul losing it, and it took him, what? Half a second to attack? The boy's got a gift."
"Paul's been fighting longer," Jared insisted. "Ten bucks he leaves a mark."
"You're on. Jake's a natural. Paul doesn't have a prayer."
As they reached out to shake on the bet, Josie thrust Jacob's remaining shoe in front of their faces.
"Since you two are in such a gambling mood, how about another wager? If we're right, and Edward can help us, you two owe Jacob a new pair of shoes. If he can't help us, I owe each of you a week of chores at Emily's."
"Okay, but only if you aren't cooking," Jared laughed.
I watched all of this dumbly, still trying to figure out how much damage Jacob and Paul might have been able to inflict on each other before Sam had stopped the fight. It must not have been too bad, I told myself as I watched the three of them shake on the second bet. They didn't seem very concerned.
"Let's go see Emily. You know she'll have food waiting." Embry turned toward the Rabbit. "Mind giving us a ride?"
"I think I'll go on foot." Jared handed the ball of shredded clothing he'd been carrying to Josie. "That car's pretty small, and I'd rather not have to sit on Embry's lap."
"Suit yourself," she said as he turned to jog into the trees. She opened the car door, tossing the shredded fabric—and Jacob's remaining shoe—into the back seat before stepping aside to let Embry climb in. I sat down in the passenger's seat as Josie and Embry shared a pointed look in the rearview mirror.
"You are going to be okay, right, Edward?" she asked, glancing across the car as she turned the key in the ignition.
"Come on, Josie, he's got to be tougher than that. He runs with vampires."
I nodded slowly as Josie pulled out onto the road.
"I'm okay," I said, considering my answer carefully. "It's just . . . knowing something is a bit different than actually seeing it in action."
"True enough," Embry agreed, leaning forward to stick his head between the two front seats, "but if you two are right about Edward being able to help, and if Paul got his teeth into Jacob . . . well, I've only got a ten." He turned to Josie.
"Hey, I know Sam made you promise not to tell, and Jake couldn't, so how did you two do it? Did you lie to Sam?"
Josie scowled at him in the rearview mirror, clearly offended by the accusation.
"Okay, okay, so how did you guys get around the injunction?"
"Injunction?" I asked.
"The . . . um . . . order. You know, to not spill the beans. How did they tell you about this?"
"They didn't. I just . . . figured it out." I guessed it was true, technically. The twins hadn't told me anything recently, and they hadn't explained the whole truth that long ago day at First Beach, either. I'd pieced it together myself . . . with a little encouragement.
"Really?" He paused to consider. "I suppose that would work, but . . . how?"
"I saw you in the forest. You're obviously not normal wolves, and when you already know about vampires, werewolves aren't exactly a stretch."
"I guess not," Embry said thoughtfully.
Something, some movement in the shadows outside the window caught my eye, and I turned to study the trees beside the road. It took me a moment to see that there was something large and brown and furry moving through the forest, easily keeping pace with the car. Jared, I realized, following along beside the Rabbit in wolf form.
"Who's Emily?" I asked.
"Sam's fiancee," Josie explained. "She's great. And as long as you're hungry, she'll absolutely love you."
"We meet at her house a lot," Embry continued. "Sam likes to be there, and she doesn't mind feeding us."
"So, she knows, then?" I asked, pulling my eyes away from the window.
"Yeah. And hey, don't stare at her. That bugs Sam."
I glanced questioningly toward Josie, but she was suddenly very interested in the pavement in front of the car. I turned to look at Embry, hoping he would explain what he'd meant, but he, too, looked uncomfortable.
"It's like you saw just now," he finally said. "Hanging out around werewolves has its risks." But that was all he seemed willing to say. He changed the subject.
"Hey, are you okay about the whole thing with the black-haired bloodsucker in the meadow? It didn't look like he was a friend of yours, but . . ."
"No, he wasn't a friend."
"That's good. We didn't want to start anything, break the treaty, you know."
I thought back to the treaty, to what little I knew about it, but I couldn't imagine how Laurent could possibly be involved.
"Why would killing Laurent break the treaty?"
"Laurent." He snorted as he said the name. Whether it was the thought of a vampire having a name or the name itself, I couldn't be sure. "Well, we were technically on Cullen turf. We're not allowed to attack any of them—the Cullens, at least—off our land unless they break the treaty first. We didn't know if the black-haired one was a relative of theirs or something. It looked like you knew him."
"I knew him, but he was definitely not my friend."
"Good. We didn't know how close we could play it. I mean, he hadn't bitten you yet, but nobody was keen on letting it go that far."
Bitten, Jared had said, not killed. It seemed like an important distinction, the way he'd said it.
"Thank you for not waiting."
"Our pleasure," he said. The smile that spread across his face hovered somewhere between delighted and menacing. I couldn't decide how creepy it was.
We drove past the easternmost house on the highway, and Josie turned off onto a narrow dirt road. I couldn't see Jared through the trees anymore. I wasn't sure if I was just missing him or if he'd gone on ahead and left us behind. We drove to the end of the lane, finally stopping in front of a little house with faded gray paint. The blue paint on the door was weathered, as well, but the window box beneath the single narrow window was overflowing with flowers, making the place seem cheerier than it might have been otherwise. There was a sense of warmth and welcome to the little house.
Embry took a deep breath as Josie opened the driver's side door. "Mmm, Emily's cooking." And then he nearly ran over Josie on his way out of the car.
I climbed out slowly, not sure how warm my welcome would be. As I came around the front of the Rabbit, Josie reached over to take my hand and led me up the single step into the cabin.
Like the outside of the house, the kitchen seemed brighter, cheerier than I might have expected. Tiny glass jars were placed here and there, their bright colors leaving the impression that a rainbow had shattered, leaving pieces of itself strewn about the room. A pitcher overflowing with wildflowers sat at the center of a small round table, and the smell of something delicious filled the air. My eyes came to rest on the counter, where a beautiful woman was filling a basket with homemade rolls. I remembered vaguely that Embry had told me not to stare at her, and I was just getting ready to look away when she turned her face toward the door, and I realized what Embry had meant.
"You guys hungry?" she asked.
I pulled my eyes away from her smile—her smile that covered only half of her face. The right side, the side that had been facing away from the door when we'd first stepped into the kitchen, was marred by a trio of thick, red scars. Whatever had happened to her had only just missed taking out her right eye completely. One of the scars sat against the edge of her mouth, pulling the corner of her lips into a grimace, but those were the only details of her appearance that I managed to take in before pulling my eyes away. I glanced around the kitchen, trying to focus on the snowy white cupboards and the little table where Jared and Embry were already seated.
"Oh," Emily said, surprised. "Who's this?"
"Edward Masen," Jared answered. "Who else?"
I risked a glance back toward Emily, trying to focus on the left side of her face so she wouldn't think I was staring. Judging by her expression and by the way Jared had said my name, I could only assume I'd been a frequent topic of conversation in this little kitchen.
Emily's gaze slid away from my face, toward Josie, and she let out a little sigh. "Leave it to the two of you to find a way around," she murmured. There was a slight frown on her lips now, making both sides of her mouth seem more symmetrical. "So, you're the vampire boy," she said, her gaze meeting mine again.
I shrugged, wondering how to respond. At least she hadn't called me a leech-lover. But she seemed nice, and I didn't want to leave a bad first impression. I gave her the most roguish grin I could manage under the circumstances.
"I guess so. I mean, I've been called worse."
One corner of her mouth lifted, and she chuckled faintly before turning back to Josie. A knowing look passed between the two of them, and then she turned to set the rolls on the table.
"Where's Sam?" she asked.
"Jacob, Josie, and Edward . . . surprised Paul," Jared explained carefully as he reached toward the basket. Considering the events of the last several hours, I wouldn't have expected to have much of an appetite, but I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and the rolls smelled really good.
"Ah, Paul," she sighed. "Do you think they'll be long? It should be ready."
Embry grinned, a roll in each hand. "Don't worry. If they're late, we won't let anything go to waste."
"No doubt," she agreed as she opened the refrigerator and reached for a large dish of butter. "Are you hungry, Edward? Go ahead and help yourself to a roll."
"Thank you." I reached toward the basket, not realizing how big the rolls were until I already had one in my hand. I stared down at it, wondering how I'd eat it all when I wasn't even sure if I was hungry. Beside me, Josie grinned at my expression and reached for a roll of her own. Following her lead, I took a tentative bite and discovered I was hungrier than I'd realized . . . or maybe it was just the roll. Emily had a gift.
"Save some for your brothers," I heard Emily say as she smacked Embry on the head with a spatula. Judging by the fresh roll in his left hand and the fact that the two he'd had before had already vanished, I could only surmise that he was on his third.
"Pig," Jared said, but Embry just grinned at them both.
Josie and I leaned back against the counter, enjoying our rolls as we waited for the others. I could see the warmth in Emily's expression as she glanced toward the table, where Jared and Embry were teasing each other about how many rolls they'd each eaten and whether or not either of them should forego the rest of the meal for a salad. As she smiled at their banter, something about the image shifted in my mind. Emily no longer seemed like a woman with two werewolves sitting at her kitchen table. She seemed more like a mother wolf, watching with attentive affection as her cubs growled and play-wrestled in front of her. The cheery sense of welcome didn't just come from the little touches Emily had placed around the room, I realized. It came from Emily, herself, from her absolute contentment in caring for this half-grown pack of werewolves.
I was laughing at something Josie had said to Jared when Emily opened the oven door to peer inside, but the laughter died in my throat as she pushed the sleeves of her shirt up to her elbows, and I realized the scars I'd thought covered only her face ran all the way down the length of her right arm, finally ending on the back of her hand. I glanced away quickly, forcing the smile back onto my face as Emily reached into the oven to pull out several large aluminum foil pans. I thought back to what I'd seen that morning, to how I'd watched two werewolves explode into existence. I didn't want to think about how Emily had gotten her scars, but I was very much afraid I already knew.
Behind me, I heard the front door open, and I turned to see Sam step into the cabin. Five people waited inside the kitchen, but his eyes skimmed over four of us, searching for the only person he needed to see.
"Emily," he said, crossing the room to kiss her. Something about the way his face softened when he looked at her and the reverence in his voice when he said her name felt like a knife plunging into my gut. I remembered how it felt to love someone like that, how it felt to have the girl who was the center of your universe look back at you the way Emily was looking at Sam now. I lowered my eyes to study the floor, but the knife had started to twist. I swallowed the last bite of bread I'd been chewing. It went down like a rock.
"Hey, none of that," I heard Jared complain. "I'm eating."
"Then shut up and eat," Sam told him, but then he went back to kissing Emily. He acted like he hadn't seen her in weeks.
"Ugh," Embry groaned.
I was studying the scuff marks on my sneakers when Jacob and Paul came through the door. I looked up, relieved that they both appeared uninjured, but my relief turned to confusion at the sound of their laughter. I watched as they exchanged a few good-natured elbow jabs and punches before Paul headed toward the table. Jacob grabbed two rolls from the basket and came to stand beside us at the counter.
"Oh man!" I heard Jared wail. He and Embry were studying Paul's arm, where I could just make out a fading pink line.
"Ten dollars!" Embry exclaimed in triumph.
"I don't have my wallet on me . . ." Jared began. Josie leaned toward her brother.
"Did he get one on you?" she whispered to him behind my back.
"Not a scratch," he answered smugly. They reached behind me to exchange a fist bump.
I studied the mark on Paul's arm. It didn't look fresh. It looked like it was weeks old. "Did you do that today?" I asked.
"I barely touched him. He'll be perfect by sundown."
"Sundown?"
"Wolf thing," Josie explained quietly. I pondered the implication of their words. Apparently there was some kind of accelerated healing factor involved. Should I really be surprised?
"Hey, guys," Sam said. The small conversations taking place around the room drifted into silence. Emily had turned back to one of the pans she'd removed from the oven, but Sam still rested one of his hands on her back. It was a natural, comfortable gesture. I doubted either of them even noticed.
"Jacob and Josie have information for us."
All eyes turned toward the counter where we stood. Jacob took a step toward the table.
"We know what the redhead wants," he explained. He kicked the leg of Paul's chair. "That's what we were trying to tell you before."
"And?" Embry asked.
"She is trying to avenge her mate," Jacob continued, growing more serious, "only it wasn't the black-haired leech we killed. The Cullens got her mate last year, and she's after Edward now."
Paul and Jared didn't seem surprised by this news, but Embry and Emily were staring at Jacob. Apparently Jacob had already explained it to Paul and Jared . . . or he'd thought about it while they were all still in wolf form. Embry had missed out because he'd been in the back seat of the Rabbit.
"Edward?" Embry asked.
"I didn't say it made sense, but that's why the bloodsucker's been trying to get past us. She's been heading for Forks."
Emily and Embry were staring at me now.
"We've got bait," Jared said, a smile spreading across his face.
"Edward is not bait," Josie growled beside me.
Jared frowned. "You know what I mean."
Sam continued on, ignoring their argument. "We'll try leaving a few holes and see if she falls for it. We'll have to split up, and I don't like that, but if she's really after Edward, she probably won't try to take advantage of our divided numbers."
"Quil's got to be close to joining us," Embry added softly. "Then we'll be able to split evenly."
A shadow seemed to fall across the room. The air went cold, and everyone looked down. No matter how much they seemed to enjoy this easy camaraderie, no one wanted to wish this fate on another person, especially a friend.
"Well, we won't count on that," Sam said gently before continuing. "Paul, Jared, and Embry will take the outer perimeter, and Jacob and I will take the inner. We'll collapse in when we've got her trapped."
Emily's eyes moved toward Josie, and they shared a look. I knew what they were thinking. Sam and Jacob would be in the smaller grouping, with fewer wolves to back them up. They didn't like Sam's plan, but there was nothing they could do. Not without Quil, at least.
"Jacob thinks it would be best if you spent as much time as possible here in La Push," Sam told me. "She won't know where to find you so easily, just in case."
"What about Mom?" But as soon as the words were out, I felt terrible for bringing it up. They were already stretched too thin.
"When is she working?" Jacob asked.
"Tonight and tomorrow night, then she's off until . . ." I trailed off, trying to remember the schedule posted on the refrigerator door. "She goes back Thursday, but she's on days then."
"Maybe we can get her here while she's off," Josie said, thinking aloud, "at least some of the time."
"March Madness is still going," Jacob added. "If Harry is watching the games at our house with Billy, maybe we can get Sue to convince Lizzie to come over while Harry's out of the house."
Sam nodded, then turned to me. "What do you think, Edward? It's your decision. You should weigh the risks of both options very seriously. You've seen how easily things can get dangerous here, how quickly they get out of hand. If you choose to stay with us, I can't make any guarantees about your safety."
I knew what he wasn't saying. I'd seen the fight between Paul and Jacob, seen how quickly things had escalated out of control. And we were all too conscious of Emily as she stood beside the oven, of the scars that marked her forever.
"If there was somewhere else you felt safe . . ." Sam continued carefully.
But where else could I go? My father was on a "business trip" in Europe, so he would be safe for the time being. But even without him there, I didn't relish the idea of going to Phoenix again. Even if I could somehow convince my mother to come with me, hiding in the same place two times in a row would never work. It hadn't even worked the first time. And would trying to run from Victoria be any more successful than running from James had been? She'd eventually figure out I wasn't in Forks anymore, and then she'd start looking elsewhere. We'd have to stay one step ahead of her, to keep moving . . . forever, maybe . . .
Could I really expect them to protect me if I stayed? This was my fault, after all. I was the reason Victoria was here, and Laurent had come as a favor to her, so I was the reason he'd been here, too. The missing hikers, the campers who'd vanished over the last few weeks—they were all because of me. I was responsible for every one of their deaths.
"I can't ask you to do this. This is all my fault. People have already died because Victoria was looking for me. Because Laurent was helping her."
"No!" Sam shook his head, a scowl crossing his features. "This is not your fault. You are not responsible for what she is or what's been done." He paused to take a breath, his scowl fading. "But this is what we do. This is what our ancestors have done for centuries. It's why we exist."
His words echoed in my head, and I remembered Jacob saying something similar only an hour earlier. I couldn't accept that I was blameless, but I also knew I had to do something. If I didn't, innocent people would continue to die while Victoria tried to find a way to get to me.
I glanced toward the others. They were all watching me, their heads held high, their shoulders squared. They wanted to help. They wanted this to end as much as I did, and even though they may joke about it, they, too, saw it as their solemn duty.
They'd already killed Laurent. Maybe, just maybe, they could kill Victoria, too.
"If I stay here, if I spend as much time as I can in La Push, and if we can get Mom to do the same, can you end this?"
Sam nodded. "Yes."
I turned to glance at the other faces around me, at the concern in Emily's eyes and the absolute conviction in everyone else's. I didn't want to think about any of them trying to kill Victoria. I didn't want to be responsible for any of them getting hurt. . . . or worse, but I didn't want to think about any other missing hikers, either. What choice did we have?
"Okay," I conceded. "And . . . uh . . . thanks."
"No problem at all," said Jared.
"Our pleasure," Embry added, and then he, Paul, and Jared shared a round of back slaps and elbow jabs. Even Jacob stepped forward to join in. Emily and Josie remained silent, however, another careful look passing between them. I could see the concern on both of their faces, but as Emily shifted her eyes back to the pans she'd removed from the oven, I saw Josie turn her gaze toward her brother. The concern was still there, but I watched as she lifted her chin and took a deep breath. I could still see the worry in her eyes, but there was something else there, too. A sort of confidence came into her expression, an absolute faith that her brother could do anything he set his mind to.
"Food's ready," Emily announced, and they crowded around the tiny table, snatching at paper plates and devouring the pans of lasagna Emily placed in front of them, but Josie and I stayed at the counter, and as Emily looked out over the hungry werewolves—over her hungry werewolves—I could see the worry in her eyes.
After everyone had finished eating and we'd helped Emily clean up the kitchen, the wolves went back to searching the forest for Victoria, and Josie and I went back to her house to watch Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.
I called my mother as soon as I thought she'd be awake. I knew she would be wondering where I was, but mostly I wanted to make sure she was okay, even though Jacob, through his frequent check-ins with Josie, assured us there had been no sign of Victoria since the pack had encountered her near the hot springs the night before—and chased her halfway to Canada, if their version of the event could be believed.
"So, have you two sorted everything out?" my mother asked.
"I guess. I mean, we weren't really fighting or anything. Things just got crazy with Jacob being sick and her being so busy."
My mother hummed but said nothing. Maybe I should have let it go, but I knew she had the wrong idea.
"We mostly just hung out with some of Jacob's friends," I explained. "Embry and Jared and Paul and Sam. And Sam's fiancee, Emily."
"Oh, Emily Young. She's a sweet girl."
"You know Emily?" I asked.
"Of course. She used to spend a lot of time at Harry and Sue's. Her mother is . . . someone's cousin . . . Sue's maybe? I can't remember exactly, but she and Leah used to be really close." She paused for a moment. I was fairly certain there was something more to the story than what she was saying. "It's so sad what happened to her, though. Sam took it really hard."
I froze, forgetting for several seconds that my mother couldn't possibly know what had really happened. There had to be a cover story, I realized, and if I was going to be hanging around Sam or Emily, I should probably know what it was.
"He did?" I asked, knowing she would elaborate without me needing to ask for specifics.
"He blames himself. They were up north when it happened . . . a little over a year ago, I think. The two of them had gone hiking . . . or maybe they were fishing . . . but they ran across a bear. It attacked Emily before Sam could scare it off. He managed to get her away from it, but he's always blamed himself."
So I'd been right. I had suspected that Sam had been the one to give Emily her scars, but it was unsettling to have it confirmed. Was that why he was so devoted to her? Guilt? No, that hadn't been guilt on his face as he'd stepped into the kitchen. And the way Emily had looked back at him—that kind of love left no room for blame or resentment.
I had a lot to think about as I lay in bed that night. My mother had only two more shifts at the hospital before her days off, and Sue was already planning ways to lure her to La Push. Having my mother on the reservation would make it easier for the wolves, but there was still too much ground for only five of them to cover. I remembered what Embry had said about Quil. Would one more wolf make that much of a difference? They needed greater numbers if they were going to keep everyone safe—far greater numbers than only one more wolf would give them.
And that was when the idea came. It was a wild idea, and it was a crazy one, but maybe there was something I could do, a way for me to help. I would have to do everything perfectly, though, in order for it to work. The plan—and there would have to be a plan—would have to be formulated very carefully. The plan and the specific details surrounding it were the key.
It was long after midnight when I finally drifted off to sleep, but in my dreams it was evening, the fading light of twilight. The stars were just beginning to shine in the cloudless sky overhead, and I was chasing someone through the darkening forest. Over and over again I would glimpse them through the trees, but then they would vanish again. I didn't know who it was. Sometimes it was a chestnut-haired angel, and sometimes it was a girl with a long dark braid, but there was always a voice, a beautiful voice, carrying a message back to me on the breeze.
"Look for me," it said. "Look for me."
When I awoke the next morning, its haunting whisper still lingered in the air.