What's this? A mid-week update? I know, I'm shocked too. It boils down to a) the chapter was done, and b) I'm busy this weekend. So while I had a bit of time tonight, I figured I'd bust out the editing and not make you wait any longer.

Quite a short one, although pretty much in line with New Moon in that regard. Some interesting stuff to come in the next few chapters though, and as always I hope to get them to you soon.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Chapter 12: Intruder

Beau and I were completely frozen, just staring at each other in utter terror. It felt like my whole body had turned to ice, my mind too muddled by exhaustion to even start to formulate a plan. Visions of Victoria and Laurent clinging to the side of the house broke through the fog; in my mind's eye, one was at my window, scraping the glass just to frighten me more, while the other crept nimbly around towards Charlie's room. Panic rose up in my throat. If Beau went now, could he get to our father first? Would he be able to convince him to leave, and did they have any hope of getting away? Would Victoria be satisfied with taking her revenge on me and leave my family alone?

Beau abruptly stood up, and at first I thought he'd had the same thought as me. But instead of hurrying towards the door like I wanted him to, he began inching in the direction of the window.

I grabbed hold of his arm before he could get out of my reach, shaking my head frantically when he turned back to look at me. For once, I wished he really could read my mind like he always claimed, just so he would get himself and Charlie to safety.

Instead, he just laid his hand over mine and gave what he obviously meant to be a reassuring squeeze. But I was far from comforted, especially when the squealing scraping sound came again from the window. My head whipped towards it, and Beau tried to use the distraction to keep moving across the room. I wasn't about to stand for that, though; If he was suddenly suicidal, the least I could do was go to my death along with him. We'd entered this world together – it only made sense for us to leave it together, too.

So as he went to the window, I kept my grip on his arm and followed along behind him. He didn't fight me; perhaps he knew it would be useless, perhaps he simply appreciated the company. Either way, it made me feel just a little braver to be facing this with him by my side.

Still, I had to stifle a scream behind my hand when we got close enough to the window to see the dark shape that loomed outside, swaying back and forth, then suddenly launching forward like it was about to come crashing straight through the glass. I froze, and Beau stiffened too, whether reacting to my stress or because he was just as scared, I couldn't tell.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar female voice, only just audible as she hissed through the glass.

"Bella! Ow, damn it… Bella!"

I exchanged one shocked look with my brother before he hurried forward and pushed up the window. "Jules? What the hell are you doing?"

Sure enough, when I edged forward, there was just enough light from the cloud-shrouded moon to let me see Jules clinging precariously to the top of the spruce that stood in our front yard. The upper branches had bowed under her weight, swinging her drunkenly in all directions and scraping against the side of the house.

Jules, seemingly unbothered by the fact that she was currently a good twenty feet off the ground, regarded my brother with confusion. "Beau? Why are you in Bella's room?"

"Why are you in a tree?" Beau shot back, thoroughly exasperated.

"Get down from there!" I chimed in, any relief that it was not the homicidal vampires intent on my death quickly replaced by worry for my friend. "You're going to fall and break your neck!"

Jules just grinned back at the both of us. "Move out of the way, then."

Before I could ask what on earth she meant, she adjusted her grip on the tree trunk and began shifting her weight back and forth so that the swaying gained purpose and direction. Her legs pumped like a child trying to get higher on a swing, and I could see immediately what she was trying to do.

So did Beau, who shoved me backwards as he shifted himself to the side of the window. I stumbled, my feet getting tangled with each other, and toppled over, thankfully landing on the air mattress and escaping any serious injury. Seconds later, Jules swung through the window frame, her back arched like a high jumper going over the bar, and landed lightly on the balls of her feet in the small bit of open floor space between the window and my bed. Everyone seemed frozen for a moment as we waited to see if the low thump had disturbed Charlie. But after a moment, his distinctive snore echoed through the walls, and we all breathed again; if my screaming had woken him up, he was firmly asleep again now.

Jules straightened out of the slight crouch she had landed in and smiled down at me triumphantly, as if expecting applause. But this wasn't the old smug Jules, showing off her engineering prowess; this was Sam's Jules, self-important and almost cocky. It put my back up immediately, and as soon as I'd heaved myself to my feet, my arms were crossed defensively.

I'd spent the last few weeks worrying about this girl, potentially risked life and limb to check on her and try to give her a warning about something I thought was a danger to her, only to be met with hostility, dismissed and essentially rejected. And now here she was, standing in my room like none of it had ever happened, as if she hadn't yanked her friendship away so harshly that it had torn a new hole in my already compromised chest. Not to mention that her entrance reminded me sharply of all the times Edward had climbed in through that same window, though of course he had been far more quiet and graceful about it. Still, all that combined with the pure exhaustion of several weeks of interrupted sleep and the fact that my nerves were stretched thin fretting about possible vampire attacks at any moment meant that my patience for any kind of attitude from her was exactly zero.

Her face fell as my mood registered. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" I had just barely enough presence of mind to hiss the question instead of yelling it like I wanted to. "You really have the nerve to ask me that?"

To my satisfaction, she looked immediately chagrined. "Okay, yeah, stupid question. But that's why I'm here, to apologise, to make it right."

I quirked an eyebrow at her. "And what makes you think I want to listen, let alone forgive you? Unless you can actually give me some kind of explanation this time…" I only had to look at her face to get my answer. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"I want to," Jules insisted. "Really, I do. But I… I can't."

"Why not?" Beau demanded, moving to stand next to me with matching crossed arms. "What's stopping you?"

She looked abruptly exhausted, like she was carrying an immense weight and she could no longer hide how much she was struggling with it. "So many things. You can't imagine how tight I'm bound with this."

"By Sam?" I challenged, knowing I sounded petulant and too tired and annoyed to care.

She frowned a little. "I told you, this isn't Sam's fault." Then she pursed her lips and reluctantly admitted. "But yeah, he did say I couldn't tell you."

I gave my brother an 'I told you so' look; he just rolled his eyes back and continued pressing Jules. "Well, Sam's not here now. There's just the three of us, and I won't tell if you don't."

Jules shook her head, looking tired and hopeless again. "No, he'll know. I can't hide anything from him, from any of them. They'll be mad enough knowing I've been here."

"Screw them," I spat. "I hate them."

Her mouth twisted into a small, wry smile. "I guess I see why. But please, Bells, don't be mad at the guys. They're as stuck in this as I am, and we really are just doing everything we can to help each other."

I scoffed. "Right, because none of this is their fault. It's all down to the Cullens, isn't that what you said?"

Beau's eyes went wide, and I remembered I'd never got around to telling either him or Edythe what had transpired in my conversation with Jules earlier. Luckily, he recovered from his shock quickly and let out an amused bark of laughter. "Seriously? You're going to try and blame your little reservation cult on them when they never go there and they've been several states away for months?"

"That's what I said," I quipped, feeling unreasonably vindicated. I blamed the sleep deprivation making me loopy.

Jules huffed in frustration. "Look, just forget about all that for a minute, okay?" She leaned forward, suddenly getting intense. "Haven't you ever had a secret, something so big you couldn't tell your dad?" Her eyes shifted to Beau. "Something you couldn't even tell each other, something that wasn't yours to tell?"

Reflexively, I glanced at my brother, and he was giving me the same slightly panicked sideways glance.

Jules' face was knowing and just a little triumphant. "Yeah, I thought so. Well, this secret I have, it's like that. I can't give it up, because it's not just about me. There's so much that could go wrong if I let it get out, and I know you both understand that."

I understood, of course I did. But it couldn't be the same; Jules had talked about being bound, not being able to tell even if she had wanted to. It sounded to me like she was being forced to keep her secret, whereas Beau and I had kept ours out of love – misplaced, ultimately one-sided love on my part, but love all the same.

Abruptly, the exhaustion and irritation overwhelmed me completely, and it was all too much for my poor frazzled brain to handle.

"This is so stupid!" I burst out, just about remembering not to shout. "We're dancing around the truth, trying to keep our secrets when we all know them already! Why can't we just drop the act and be honest?"

"What an excellent idea, Bella," came a sudden new voice from the window, making me jump half out of my skin even as my admittedly fuzzy brain connected it to its owner in seconds. Edythe sat on the windowsill, silhouetted in the faint moonlight, one leg still hanging outside and the other propped up, her arm draped casually over her knee.

Beau swore and shot her a glare completely devoid of heat. "Babe, do you have to do that? I swear you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days."

Edythe ignored him, her dark golden gaze locked on Jules as she climbed over the sill and stood calmly beside the window. There was nothing hostile in her posture, but there was a new tension abruptly crackling through the room that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

For her part, Jules had moved away from Edythe as much as the limited space allowed and was glaring at her with what could only be described as murderous hatred. "You told them about us? You aren't allowed to do that," she gritted out through her teeth, her voice just a fraction short of a snarl; I noticed that her hands were balled into fists and shaking ever so slightly.

Edythe remained unperturbed. "That agreement goes both ways, little pup, and you broke it first. Twice, if I recall." And she nodded significantly towards Beau and I.

That seemed to bring Jules up short but did nothing to cool her anger; she bared her teeth (there was really no other way to describe her expression) and was really growling now as she fumed, "That doesn't count! I didn't know I was telling them the truth. The treaty-"

"Do not attempt to lecture me on the finer terms of the treaty, Julia Black." Edythe cut her off, her voice now hard as the stone her flesh resembled; her eyes had turned to gemstones, which was bringing up memories that only made me feel more unsettled. She was still speaking, and I focused on her words to keep from falling apart in front of so many witnesses. "I was there when it was forged. I watched my mother and your great-grandfather hash out every word, before you were even a dream of a possibility. It was agreed that the Cullens and the Quileutes would keep each other's true nature a secret – nothing was ever specified about the rules only applying to the pack, just as the protections afforded to us do not extend to others of our kind. But we let your transgressions slide precisely because you were none the wiser. All of which is to say, I believe you owe us."

"Now you listen here, you filthy leech…" Jules took a step towards Edythe, her hands still shaking like crazy, and something about the obvious intent in the movement finally broke my shocked paralysis.

I hurried forward to stand between the two of them, holding out a warding hand to each. "Okay, okay, let's not do anything rash. May I remind you both that we have a parent within hearing distance who is going to have a whole lot of troublesome questions if he sees any of this?" I turned to Jules. "If we're going to get technical, you told me about the wolves, too. It was all the same story. The only thing that's a surprise is you being part of it." And I was very sure now that I'd been right about that; just like with Sam before, my dream tonight had told me what my subconscious already knew, and the way she and Edythe were talking was just confirmation. She was the fifth wolf, like I'd suspected.

Jules opened her mouth to argue, then stopped short and stepped back, seeming almost to deflate as a frown creased her forehead. "Damn, why didn't I think of that? Could have found a way around Sam's gag order."

"Sam Uley is your leader, then?" Edythe said, quirking one perfect eyebrow with a smirk on her face that could almost be called nasty. "That part doesn't pass down through the family, too?"

Jules glared at her across my head. "If you must know, I'm too new to be the Alpha. So yeah, Sam's in charge, what about it?"

"Tell him I would like to have a talk with him, on neutral ground of his choosing, naturally. This whole mess ought to have been sorted out long before now, and we need to talk it through properly in the interests of keeping all of us safe."

"I'm not your messenger girl," Jules snarled.

The eyebrow went up again. "You'd like me to come down to La Push and tell him myself?"

"Don't even try it," came the answering growl.

"Please don't fight," I moaned, my eyes closing in frustration and exhaustion. "My room can't handle it."

"Why don't we all just take a breath?" Beau piped up, a much-needed voice of reason in the mounting chaos. "Look, Jules, if you're that against being a go-between, then just tell Sam to call us and we'll organise everything. Either way, we're not going to achieve anything here and now, not when we're all so wound up and worn out."

It took all of my energy to open my eyes, but when I did I saw there was a look of disgruntled resignation on Jules' face. "Fine. I'll give Sam your number. Just don't let Charlie pick up the phone."

Beau gave her a withering look. "Obviously. This isn't my first supernatural rodeo, you know."

For some reason that I was too tired to figure out, that seemed to make Jules uncomfortable, but she just nodded. "Well, I guess that's it for now. Hopefully we'll talk soon." She gave Edythe another sharp look and gritted out a very reluctant, "Excuse me."

Edythe smirked and moved to sit on my bed, blatantly acting as if she owned the place with a look that said she knew exactly what she was doing; Jules had to shift back even further to avoid touching her and retreated quickly towards the window as soon as the path was clear.

"You're not going out that way!" I protested, seeing her intention immediately. "You'll break your neck!"

"What a tragedy," Edythe commented under her breath; I barely heard her, but by her narrowed eyes, I was sure Jules had somehow picked up on it. Edythe didn't seem to care if her smugly nonchalant expression was anything to go by. Beau, for his part, looked mildly disturbed.

"Use the stairs," I insisted, choosing to ignore the vaguely homicidal aside, at least for the moment. "Charlie's got to be deep asleep by now, he won't hear you."

Jules shook off her irritation and smiled again, and it was almost the smile I remembered from before all this started. "Come on, Bells, have a little more faith in me than that. But if you're really so worried…"

She abruptly reached out and grabbed my hand – still able to reach me in the cramped quarters of my room – and pulled me into her for a bone-crushing hug. I realised for the first time that she was wearing only a thin tank top and jean shorts, but the cold air coming in through the window didn't seem to bother her. Her skin was blazingly hot where it touched mine, all those new muscles wrapping around me in a hold that was at once secure and suffocating.

"One more for the road," she murmured into my hair, squeezing impossibly tighter.

"Jules," I gasped. "Can't- breathe!"

"Oops." She let go at once, but didn't look exactly sorry. "Get some sleep, okay? You look half dead."

Before I could comment on that being partly her fault, she had swung one leg over my windowsill, then the other, and vanished into the darkness. I stumbled to the ledge to look out, expecting to find her in a crumpled heap in the middle of the front yard. Instead, I just caught her gentle landing and watched her sprint lithely across the grass into the treeline, melting into the darkness in seconds. Overcome with exhausted annoyance, I yanked the window back down and threw the latch across for good measure.

Silence hung heavy in the air in the wake of Jules' departure, until finally Beau spoke up, his quiet voice like a hammer against glass in the stillness. "So… she really is a wolf?"

"Indeed she is." Edythe was still maddeningly calm. "We really must stop doubting Bella's deductions. Even I'm losing count of how many times she's been right."

I knew I was being complimented, but whatever wisps of energy I had been drawing on were rapidly evaporating, and I was simply too tired; I leaned heavily on the windowsill, my head dropping almost between my shoulders and only held up by my forehead pressed against the glass.

When a long moment had passed and I hadn't said anything, my brother awkwardly changed the subject. "Anything new from that camping site?"

Edythe sighed. "Not much, unfortunately. The pack had already been there by the time I arrived, and their scent was all over everything. I couldn't pick up any trail except theirs, but… I caught a hint of something I recognised."

"Victoria?" Beau guessed, and even the name sent an involuntary shiver up my spine.

"Yes," Edythe murmured. "As I say, the scent was very faint and muddled, but I'd put a hefty wager on the fact that she's back in town."

"So what do we do?" Beau asked.

"Right now, you two need to sleep." Edythe was decided on this. I could hear it in her voice, and though Beau protested, she quickly shushed him. "There's nothing more we can do tonight, my love. You look exhausted, and your poor sister is dead on her feet." A hand touched my back and if I'd had more energy, I would have jumped a mile. But of course it was just her; when I opened my eyes, she stood beside me, her expression full of sympathy. "Come on, Bella, let's get you to bed."

Not having the strength to argue anymore, I followed numbly as she led me back across the room. She had to give me a fair bit of support; I hadn't realised quite how wobbly I had got. I lost the battle with my heavy eyelids as soon as my head hit the pillow, and though I heard the low murmuring of Beau and Edythe's voices, I was asleep before my addled brain could make sense of what they were saying.

Unfortunately, my sleep wasn't any more restful than it had been before. I was running through the woods again, but this time, I had company – and lots of it. Lithe, lupine shapes dashed past me in all directions, their black and brown and grey and russet fur passing in and out of sight through the gloom-laden trees. Humanoid figures, pale as ghosts, flashed into split-second visibility, always in my peripheral vision, making it impossible to tell if the tiny notes of colour were blazing red curls or shining copper waves or thick black dreads. The forest echoed with snarls, growls and snapping teeth, and every so often an ear-splitting howl cut across it all, always too close for comfort, always making my breathing race and my blood go cold. The worst part of it all was that I didn't know who I was running away from or where I was running to. What little remained of my logical mind argued that there must be some safety, some protection, someone in all this deadly crowd who would be on my side. But if that were true, none of them were making themselves known to me, and when I finally woke, gasping and soaked in sweat, I was no closer to finding them than I had been in the beginning.

The light coming through my window told me it was early, but I heard the distant sounds of someone puttering about in the kitchen downstairs. My covers were tangled around my legs, a sure sign I'd been tossing and turning through my nightmare; I'd wound up facing the airbed, where I could see Beau was laid out, his feet hanging off the end, holding Edythe against his chest and still fast asleep. She had her eyes closed too, her body curled into him with one hand resting lightly over his heart. I felt a sharp stab of jealousy at how peaceful they looked, their togetherness making it all the more acutely obvious that I was alone. Did they have to flaunt it in my face like this, a constant reminder of what I had lost? It was so unfair.

Almost immediately, I felt bad for having the thought. It wasn't their fault that my great love had been ripped away from me, my happiness so thoroughly shattered that I had no hope of ever finding it with another person again. I couldn't begrudge them the way they clung to each other, not while I was here to show them what could happen if they ever let go. Not after I'd forced them to be apart – and not for the first time either.

I sat up as quietly as I could manage, intent on getting out of the room without disturbing them. But of course, Edythe was only performing her contented slumber (the sleeping part at least) and as soon as I moved, her eyes opened and her head twisted around so she could see me.

"Another bad dream?" she asked, her whisper only barely audible.

I just nodded.

"Anything I can do to help?"

I shook my head and changed the subject, gesturing to my sleeping brother. "Does Charlie know he's in here?"

As if instinctually knowing he was being talked about, Beau sighed and mumbled something unintelligible. Edythe smiled indulgently, shushing him and caressing his check with one snow-white hand. The jealous monster attempted to rear its ugly head again, but I beat it back savagely.

"Your father checked on us when he got up," Edythe murmured, answering my question. "Given that he didn't make any complaints about what he saw, I must assume he guessed that it was needed." She turned back to Beau, a soft but slightly sad look on her face. "This one simply refused to go back to his own room after you fell asleep. Something about wanting to be here if you needed him."

I sighed, my eyes dropping to my feet. As if I weren't feeling guilty enough, now my brother was so worried about me that he couldn't even sleep in his own bed. Was there ever going to be a day when I wasn't causing problems for everyone around me?

Edythe sat up slowly, detangling herself from Beau's grasp; he grumbled drowsily but didn't wake up, settling down as she ran her fingers gently through his hair. Satisfied that he was still sleeping, she gave me a stern look. "Now, I know that face. Whatever you're thinking, stop it."

"But…" I tried to protest, but she shook her head firmly, cutting me off.

"No, Bella. Believe it or not, there are people in this world who care about you, and we will do whatever we need to in order to make sure you are safe and well and some measure of happy."

I couldn't help the humourless laugh that fell out of me. "I hate to disappoint you, Edythe, but if that's what you're aiming for, then you're destined for failure before you start."

There was some satisfaction in the fact that she had no answer for that, but it wasn't a good feeling.

She stood smoothly and moved to join me on the bed, her arms going around me in a tight hug.

"Oh, Bella," she sighed, pulling me in gently so my head rested on her shoulder. "My brother really made a mess of you, didn't he?"

"You have no idea," I whispered, leaning into her embrace and taking what little comfort from it that I could.

Edythe made sympathetic noises and gave me a squeeze. "I can relieve him of a few limbs next time I see him if you like. Give him a taste of his own medicine."

"It's not exactly my limbs that are bothering me," I muttered, slowly sliding my hand across my front; this was a dangerous line of conversation, and I could already feel myself splitting at the seams. Still, since we were already on the subject… and his name was at least manageable now… "What… what has he been up to? I think… did you say something to Laurent about tracking?"

She let out a frustrated sigh that bordered on being a groan. "He's been trying, but he's awful at it. Or perhaps it's just that Victoria is exceptionally good at hiding. It was rather difficult to keep track of her last time she was here, too."

I frowned. "He's really trying to find her?"

"Of course." Edythe gave me a sideways look. "Did you think I was just bluffing for Laurent's benefit?"

"Maybe." I shrugged. "I mean, why would Edward still care about hunting down Victoria?"

It was the first time I'd said his name out loud, and while it stung, it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I felt something like pride.

Edythe, meanwhile, was wide-eyed with surprise, her eyebrows so high they were practically in her hair. "May I ask what's brought this on? Your brother seemed quite convinced you were going to avoid all mention of Edward for the rest of your life, yet here you are, asking about him, saying his name…"

I gave a weak half-shrug. "I guess I was. And then… last Saturday…" Her shocked look turned to understanding, and I knew I didn't have to elaborate. "Yeah. So, if the end of my life could happen anytime, and it's going to hurt regardless, why not embrace it?"

"You aren't going to die, Bella," she said admonishingly. "I plan on making sure of that. But, to answer your question, I think my dear brother had some idea that Victoria might do exactly what it appears she's doing now, and he wanted to get her out of the way before she did. There was a lot of talk about keeping you safe while we were running around various desolate stretches of the American South."

Perhaps I was just still delirious from lack of sleep, but something in her statement didn't quite compute. Before I could ask, though, my brother stirred again, this time stretching so that he seemed to momentarily take up half the room, letting out an enormous yawn, then relaxing back into the mattress and blinking fully awake.

"Morning," he mumbled, smiling dopily for a second until he registered the mood in the room and his face fell into a frown. "What happened? What did I miss?"

"Just a little girl talk, my love," Edythe replied breezily, standing up and moving to give him a sweet kiss on the top of his head.

Beau didn't look entirely convinced, but didn't push, patting his hair in a self-conscious attempt to tame it. "Alright. Dad up yet?"

"Yes, and we probably ought to make an appearance before he comes up here." She helped him to his feet, as usual seemingly unbothered by his weight, playfully flicking a lock of hair out of place as soon as he'd tidied it. He made a face at her, but the ire didn't last long as he dived in for a proper kiss. That was when I hit my limit and had to look away, turning to straighten my bed clothes. It was awkward with only one arm; my torso wasn't feeling quite together enough for me to let go just yet, so I kept my grip.

Edythe was out of the room and Beau at the door by the time I turned around again, and my brother was watching me with a wariness that was frustrating but not exactly surprising.

"You coming?" he asked, holding out an inviting hand.

I nodded. "In a minute. You go ahead."

The sceptical look was still firmly in place, but he left without further argument. I finished making my bed, focusing only on each pull and shift of fabric, and by the time I was done, the slashes in my chest had settled enough for me to release the hold I had on my torso and get dressed.

As I left my room, I heard Charlie talking in the kitchen.

"This latest one was right up by the resort near the hot springs, and the victim's wife is swearing up and down it was a wolf she saw, not a bear." He sighed. "Not to mention she insists it was grey, so either everyone's been wrong about this thing being black, or there's more than one of them."

"I didn't think wolves could get that big," Beau said, and I could hear the caution in his voice that I desperately hoped our father would interpret as nervousness. "Maybe it's not connected at all."

"Too much else is similar," Charlie explained as I made my way slowly down the stairs. "The guy vanished just a dozen yards from the road, nothing left but a little blood. And whether it's the same thing that took those other hikers or not, it's enough that the rangers have put out a reward for wolf carcasses and are heading out armed to the teeth. If we're not careful, it's going to turn into a game, people will get overexcited, and someone is going to get hurt." There was the creak of his chair shifting, and then his voice was coming closer. "I've got to get going, they need all the help they can get."

My dad appeared in the kitchen entryway right as I hit the bottom of the stairs. If there had been dread pooling in my stomach before, it was now a sharp ball of worry as I saw he was wearing his uniform, his gun at his waist and hiking boots on his feet. It was obvious what he was planning to do, even if I hadn't heard what he said.

"Don't go," I pleaded. "It's too dangerous, Dad." For a million more reasons than he would ever know.

Charlie put a hand on my arm that was clearly supposed to be reassuring, but which only made me more anxious. "Sweetheart, this is my job. People are disappearing in my town and I've got to help. Even if we can't find them, their families deserve some kind of closure." He rubbed my arm soothingly. "I'll be fine. You just stay out of the woods and keep yourself safe, okay? If you have to go anywhere, it's straight there and back, no stops, got it?"

I saw in his face that there was no convincing him, so I just nodded numbly and watched as he walked out, locking the door firmly behind him. It took a minute before I could move again; when I finally unlocked my limbs and stumbled into the kitchen, I found Edythe and Beau sat at the table, matching frowns on their faces. Edythe took one look at my face and stood, guiding me into an empty chair and sliding the bowl of cereal she had apparently been pretending to eat across to me. I stared down into the milky mess, unable to summon the energy to pick up the spoon and not sure how the food would mix with the unease in my gut, anyway.

"He'll be alright," Edythe murmured, retaking her seat and reaching over to take my hand gently. "They're all out chasing the wolves, and they aren't the ones hurting people. They're only showing up to investigate and ending up getting spotted because they aren't as good at hiding as they should be."

"Exactly," I choked out, something frantic beginning to bubble up inside me. "There's something way more dangerous out there, something all the guns in the world won't protect him from, something none of them will see coming." I screwed my eyes shut and shook my head, a horrifying realisation sinking in the more I thought about all the chaos that was unfolding in the shadows of the woods; the memory of those pale figures in my dream last night danced across the inside of my eyelids. "All those people who've already died… and now everybody out in the woods… all because of me, because Victoria wants me…" I felt a dash of wetness on my cheek, and realised I'd started crying, the tears seeping out through my closed eyelids uncontrollably.

"This is not your fault, Bella," Beau insisted, his voice so fierce that it almost made me believe him. When I opened my eyes, letting the trapped tears fall properly, his expression was just as determined. "What that psycho chooses to do has nothing to do with you."

"She wouldn't be here without me," I argued. "And alright, maybe she would be out there killing other people anyway, but the fact remains that these people in particular, who just wanted to hike or camp or enjoy a weekend in the woods, they've all died because she was here and not anywhere else. Not to mention," I went on as he opened his mouth to argue back, surging ahead and not giving him an opening. "If some hunter or ranger gets lucky and actually manages to shoot one of the wolves, that's yet another person hurt or worse. They're people, Beau. Those creatures we saw last week, they're Jules and Embry and those other boys. Whatever I feel about Sam, he doesn't deserve to get shot. None of them do."

"It will be their own fault if they get caught," Edythe cut in grimly. "They ought to be more careful, but their choices are their own, just as Victoria's are hers." She squeezed my hand, her eyes burning into mine with a new intensity. "She could have chosen to leave this alone, but she didn't, and there will be consequences for that choice. She will pay for all the hurt she has caused, I promise you that."

Before I could recover from the force of her pronouncement enough to say anything else, the phone intruded sharply on our conversation, its shrill ring stabbing at my ears and making me jump. Beau stood up quickly, his chair scraping harshly against the linoleum as he hurried to answer it. Edythe kept hold of my hand, her thumb running soothingly across my knuckles, though her eyes followed my brother; I took the moment of reprieve to dash away the tears lingering in my eyes and take a few deep breaths.

"Swan residence, this is Beau." It was his standard greeting, something he'd been saying since he was about ten years old because it was how Charlie always answered the phone. In years gone by, there had been an eager grin on his face when he said it, an uncontrollable excitement at getting to do something so grown up. Now he was grim-faced, a hardened and mature version of my cheerful brother that I was still very much getting used to. His blue eyes tightened further as he listened to whoever was on the other end, responding with a curt, "Sure," and holding out the phone to Edythe. "It's Sam."

She stood with her typical grace, giving my fingers one more squeeze before she moved to take the receiver from him. It was as if a veil fell over her as she moved – or perhaps it was more accurate to say it fell away. The careful moderation of her image that she maintained almost as a matter of course, the human façade she kept up even with us so we would be more comfortable around her; all of it melted in moments, leaving only the vampire behind. She had become something truly otherworldly, and even though Sam couldn't see her, surely he would have to be intimidated by this cold, beautiful creature.

"Mr Uley," she said smoothly, polite and yet the furthest thing from friendly. "This is Edythe Cullen… Yes, that's right. I'm glad she passed along the message, she seemed rather opposed to being helpful last night… That's as may be, but I'm sure you can see that our cooperation in this matter is in everyone's best interest." There was a longer pause as she listened to whatever Sam had to say. When she spoke again, there was just a touch more steel in her tone, enough to make a shiver run up even my spine. "It is a rather more complicated situation than that, I'm afraid, one I don't feel comfortable discussing over the phone. As I told Julia, I believe a face-to-face meeting will be most beneficial. We need a solution, and we need it quickly. So, name the time and place and we shall parley. The sooner the better, if you don't mind." Another long pause, and then her expression shifted to a small but victorious smile. "Yes, I know it. An hour will be more than sufficient. Until then." She hung up the phone sharply, shaking her head in disgust. "Good Lord, I don't think I've ever had a conversation with a more frustratingly pompous man, and I lived through the Reagan administration. It is truly tragic how badly supernatural power will go to some people's heads."

"You're meeting with him, then?" Beau asked, looking like he wasn't a fan of that idea at all.

Edythe nodded. "We are. There's no way I'm letting either of you out of my sight now, not with two strikes in less than forty-eight hours."

"That could get awkward," Beau quipped, a weak shadow of a mischievous grin pulling up the corners of his mouth. "I mean, I think Dad might start to complain if we don't shower or change our clothes for a few days."

It was a terrible attempt at a joke, but Edythe giggled anyway. "Well, alright, perhaps I'll make an exception for that. Speaking of which, I think you might want to consider a different outfit, my love." She tugged playfully on the neckline of Beau's shirt. "While I appreciate the look, pyjamas aren't exactly the appropriate attire for this kind of meeting."

My brother turned pink in the cheeks, looking down at himself as if he'd forgotten he wasn't dressed yet, and hurried off the rectify the situation. I stood from the table, dumping out the cereal I still hadn't touched. Edythe gave me a mildly disapproving look, and I quickly fetched myself a granola bar, feeling unreasonably pleased by the small smile and nod I got in return. Despite my nervous queasiness, it felt better to have something in my stomach.

I swallowed hard. "Edythe, do you really think we can fix all this? Will the wolves be able to help with Victoria?"

"I don't know," she sighed, and although it wasn't the most reassuring answer, part of me appreciated the honesty. "I haven't ever truly seen what they can do, and this pack remains a complete unknown. It certainly can't make things any worse. We've all been running around chasing shadows – perhaps working together will be the key to finally catching them."

I couldn't do anything but chew my food and pray that she was right.