Somewhere in the wilderness, a wolf howled.
I felt a shudder rip through me at the sound. The howl seemed so full of agony...it reminded me of the day the Cullens and the werewolves had fought in the woods, trying to protect me from Victoria and her newborn army. Edward and I had been in the tent , discussing our recent engagement. Jake had heard, and howled like the anonymous wolf just had.
"Jake..." I whispered, closing my eyes as his name sent waves of pain racking my body.
Edward stiffened beside me. I knew he hated any reminders of his natural enemy, of the boy who had competed for me and caused him grief. Despite this, he managed to be anxious when he asked if I was all right.
"Yes," I choked, the lump in my throat constricting my air. He started humming my lullaby and I calmed down after a moment. I opened my eyes again and realized that Alice and the others had gone.
"We need to catch up," I said, walking in the direction Carlisle had taken.
"You'll need to go a bit faster than that," Edward replied. I could hear the smile in his voice.
Even though I had been blessed with unmatched (by human standards, at least) grace, I was apprehensive. Running never had been my forte. I tried anyway, seeing where it would take me.
And then I was flying.
It was exactly like the multiple times Edward had run with me, except my eyes were open and I was the one in control. I felt free and light as a feather as the forest ran by me like paint running on canvas.
"Stop here," someone whispered. Startled, I stopped suddenly and pitched over a boulder, landing hard some twenty feet away. I heard quiet laughter. I rolled over and looked up. Edward stood over me, smiling.
"You achieve grace equal to that of Alice, and you still manage to trip over every obstacle in your path," he murmured. "What am I going to do with you, Bella?"
"You could start by helping me up," I replied sourly. He grinned wider and offered his hand. I took it and stood, glaring as I brushed debris from my clothes.
After I had straightened myself out I found Alice standing next to me.
"You're just in time," she whispered. "We found a pack." She pointed at something.
With my new enhanced vision I could clearly see at least 12 mountain lions in a gap between the trees. They seemed agitated and tense, prowling around the forest floor, yellow eyes glinting in the low light. A cloud that had been passing over the moon cleared and I suddenly became aware of my surroundings.
Emmett and Jasper were behind the pack, spaced ten feet apart. They were crouched and ready to spring, lips curled over their gleaming white teeth. Carlisle stood on the left, motionless. Rosalie and Esme were on the right, in the same positions as Jasper and Emmett. Alice, Edward and I made up the front. Alice and Edward took a few steps forward, then Alice motioned me closer. I stepped tentatively and stood beside Edward, who took my hand. That was when the smell hit me.
It was not the rust-and-salt smell I remembered from the multiple times I had injured myself, but a dark, murky, earthy smell. Wilder. It sparked the thirst I had felt earlier, only created the sensation about ten times stronger. Instinct took over and I snarled, surprising myself. In that instant, I became a vampire.
"Now," I heard Carlisle whisper, too soft for the mountain lions to hear but loud enough for us.
Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Esme sprang. Alice ran in shortly after, growling as she took off.
"The primary attack differs in participants," Edward said softly, explaining the situation. "Tonight I'm here. You're supposed to observe us so you might be helpful next time." He chuckled. I snarled at him and made a move for the mountain lion pack. Edward's expression darkened and he took hold of my waist. I glared at him and snarled again, trying to escape.
"I knew this was going to happen," he muttered, tightening his hold on me. I writhed and caught a glimpse of Carlisle running in to help. A mountain lion yelped as someone bit into its neck, then was quiet.
The luring smell of the blood grew stronger and stronger. I fought against Edward, trying to bite him, just to break free. My mind was almost completely taken over by instinct...
"God, Bella, you look like you're having a seizure or something," Emmett laughed, shaking his head. I stared at him, my stare turning excited when I saw he had a dead mountain lion in his hands.
"Don't worry, we left you the juice. Alice took it upon herself to kill it for you."
Edward released me and I eagerly sprinted for the corpse. Emmett placed it on the ground and walked away to rejoin the fight, still laughing.
I dug my teeth into its neck, savoring the warm liquid that spread out over my tongue. The woody taste became more pronounced as I drank. I felt the thirst subside.
"Feel better?" Edward asked, squatting next to me. I nodded, even though I was still just a little thirsty. He smiled.
We continued through the mountains, until Alice foresaw the rangers telling the locals the mountain lion problem had been solved. I ran back to the cars, feeling content.
Once we were back on the road, I turned to Edward.
"I'm sorry I lost control out there," I apologized. "It was the strangest feeling-like I wasn't me anymore, like I was watching while someone who looked just like me squirmed and writhed around."
"I know," he replied. "All newborns are exactly like that in the beginning. I was. We all were." I smiled, comforted by the fact that even Edward, the master of self-control, had lost it once.
We traveled the rest of the way home in silence.