"Safe," Esme called in a calm voice.
Emmett's team was up by one — Rosalie managed to flit around the bases
after tagging up on one of Emmett's long flies — when Edward caught the
third out. He sprinted to my side, sparkling with excitement.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"One thing's for sure, I'll never be able to sit through dull old Major
League Baseball again."
"And it sounds like you did so much of that before," he laughed.
"I am a little disappointed," I teased.
"Why?" he asked, puzzled.
"Well, it would be nice if I could find just one thing you didn't do
better than everyone else on the planet."
He flashed his special crooked smile, leaving me breathless.
"I'm up," he said, heading for the plate.
He played intelligently, keeping the ball low, out of the reach of
Rosalie's always-ready hand in the outfield, gaining two bases like
lightning before Emmett could get the ball back in play. Carlisle knocked
one so far out of the field — with a boom that hurt my ears — that he and
Edward both made it in. Alice slapped them dainty high fives.
The score constantly changed as the game continued, and they razzed each
other like any street ballplayers as they took turns with the lead.
Occasionally Esme would call them to order. The thunder rumbled on, but
we stayed dry, as Alice had predicted.
Carlisle was up to bat, Edward catching, when Alice suddenly gasped. My
eyes were on Edward, as usual, and I saw his head snap up to look at her.
Their eyes met and something flowed between them in an instant. He was at
my side before the others could ask Alice what was wrong.
"Alice?" Esme's voice was tense.
"I didn't see — I couldn't tell," she whispered.
All the others were gathered by this time.
"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asked with the calm voice of authority.
"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the
perspective wrong before," she murmured.
Jasper leaned over her, his posture protective. "What changed?" he asked.
"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," she said, contrite,
as if she felt responsible for whatever had frightened her.
Seven pairs of quick eyes flashed to my face and away.
"How soon?" Carlisle said, turning toward Edward.
A look of intense concentration crossed his face.
"Less than five minutes. They're running — they want to play." He scowled.
"Can you make it?" Carlisle asked him, his eyes flicking toward me again.
"No, not carrying —" He cut short. "Besides, the last thing we need is
for them to catch the scent and start hunting."
"How many?" Emmett asked Alice.
"Three," she answered tersely.
"Three!" he scoffed. "Let them come." The steel bands of muscle flexed
along his massive arms.
For a split second that seemed much longer than it really was, Carlisle
deliberated. Only Emmett seemed unperturbed; the rest stared at
Carlisle's face with anxious eyes.
"Let's just continue the game," Carlisle finally decided. His voice was
cool and level. "Alice said they were simply curious."
All this was said in a flurry of words that lasted only a few seconds. I
had listened carefully and caught most of it, though I couldn't hear what
Esme now asked Edward with a silent vibration of her lips. I only saw the
slight shake of his head and the look of relief on her face.
"You catch, Esme," he said. "I'll call it now." And he planted himself in
front of me.
The others returned to the field, warily sweeping the dark forest with
their sharp eyes. Alice and Esme seemed to orient themselves around where
I stood.
"Take your hair down," Edward said in a low, even voice.
I obediently slid the rubber band out of my hair and shook it out around
me.
I stated the obvious. "The others are coming now."
"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please."
He hid the stress in his voice well, but I could hear it. He pulled my
long hair forward, around my face.
"That won't help," Alice said softly. "I could smell her across the
field."
"I know." A hint of frustration colored his tone.
Carlisle stood at the plate, and the others joined the game halfheartedly.
"What did Esme ask you?" I whispered.
He hesitated for a second before he answered. "Whether they were
thirsty," he muttered unwillingly.
The seconds ticked by; the game progressed with apathy now. No one dared
to hit harder than a bunt, and Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper hovered in the
infield. Now and again, despite the fear that numbed my brain, I was
aware of Rosalie's eyes on me. They were expressionless, but something
about the way she held her mouth made me think she was angry.
Edward paid no attention to the game at all, eyes and mind ranging the
forest.
"I'm sorry, Bella," he muttered fiercely. "It was stupid, irresponsible,
to expose you like this. I'm so sorry."
I heard his breath stop, and his eyes zeroed in on right field. He took a
half step, angling himself between me and what was coming.
Carlisle, Emmett, and the others turned in the same direction, hearing
sounds of passage much too faint for my ears.
===========================================================================
18. THE HUNT
They emerged one by one from the forest edge, ranging a dozen meters
apart. The first male into the clearing fell back immediately, allowing
the other male to take the front, orienting himself around the tall,
dark-haired man in a manner that clearly displayed who led the pack. The
third was a woman; from this distance, all I could see of her was that
her hair was a startling shade of red.
They closed ranks before they continued cautiously toward Edward's
family, exhibiting the natural respect of a troop of predators as it
encounters a larger, unfamiliar group of its own kind.
As they approached, I could see how different they were from the Cullens.
Their walk was catlike, a gait that seemed constantly on the edge of
shifting into a crouch. They dressed in the ordinary gear of backpackers:
jeans and casual button-down shirts in heavy, weatherproof fabrics. The
clothes were frayed, though, with wear, and they were barefoot. Both men
had cropped hair, but the woman's brilliant orange hair was filled with
leaves and debris from the woods.
Their sharp eyes carefully took in the more polished, urbane stance of
Carlisle, who, flanked by Emmett and Jasper, stepped guardedly forward to
meet them. Without any seeming communication between them, they each
straightened into a more casual, erect bearing.
The man in front was easily the most beautiful, his skin olive-toned
beneath the typical pallor, his hair a glossy black. He was of a medium
build, hard-muscled, of course, but nothing next to Emmett's brawn. He
smiled an easy smile, exposing a flash of gleaming white teeth.
The woman was wilder, her eyes shifting restlessly between the men facing
her, and the loose grouping around me, her chaotic hair quivering in the
slight breeze. Her posture was distinctly feline. The second male hovered
unobtrusively behind them, slighter than the leader, his light brown hair
and regular features both nondescript. His eyes, though completely still,
somehow seemed the most vigilant.
Their eyes were different, too. Not the gold or black I had come to
expect, but a deep burgundy color that was disturbing and sinister.
The dark-haired man, still smiling, stepped toward Carlisle.
"We thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed voice with the
slightest of French accents. "I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James."
He gestured to the vampires beside him.
"I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and
Alice, Edward and Bella." He pointed us out in groups, deliberately not
calling attention to individuals. I felt a shock when he said my name.
"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked sociably.
Carlisle matched Laurent's friendly tone. "Actually, we were just
finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you
planning to stay in the area for long?"
"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the
neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."
"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional
visitor, like yourselves."
The tense atmosphere had slowly subsided into a casual conversation; I
guessed that Jasper was using his peculiar gift to control the situation.
"What's your hunting range?" Laurent casually inquired.
Carlisle ignored the assumption behind the inquiry. "The Olympic Range
here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent
residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near
Denali."
Laurent rocked back on his heels slightly.
"Permanent? How do you manage that?" There was honest curiosity in his
voice.
"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk
comfortably?" Carlisle invited. "It's a rather long story."
James and Victoria exchanged a surprised look at the mention of the word
"home," but Laurent controlled his expression better.
"That sounds very interesting, and welcome." His smile was genial. "We've
been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the
chance to clean up in a while." His eyes moved appreciatively over
Carlisle's refined appearance.
"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from
hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you
understand," Carlisle explained.
"Of course." Laurent nodded. "We certainly won't encroach on your
territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway," he laughed. A shiver
ran up my spine.
"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us — Emmett and Alice,
you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep," he casually added.
Three things seemed to happen simultaneously while Carlisle was speaking.
My hair ruffled with the light breeze, Edward stiffened, and the second
male, James, suddenly whipped his head around, scrutinizing me, his
nostrils flaring.
A swift rigidity fell on all of them as James lurched one step forward
into a crouch. Edward bared his teeth, crouching in defense, a feral
snarl ripping from his throat.
It was nothing like the playful sounds I'd heard from him this morning;
it was the single most menacing thing I had ever heard, and chills ran
from the crown of my head to the back of my heels.
"What's this?" Laurent exclaimed in open surprise. Neither James nor
Edward relaxed their aggressive poses. James feinted slightly to the
side, and Edward shifted in response.
"She's with us." Carlisle's firm rebuff was directed toward James.
Laurent seemed to catch my scent less powerfully than James, but
awareness now dawned on his face.
"You brought a snack?" he asked, his expression incredulous as he took an
involuntary step forward.
Edward snarled even more ferociously, harshly, his lip curling high above
his glistening, bared teeth. Laurent stepped back again.
"I said she's with us," Carlisle corrected in a hard voice.
"But she's human," Laurent protested. The words were not at all
aggressive, merely astounded.
"Yes." Emmett was very much in evidence at Carlisle's side, his eyes on
James. James slowly straightened out of his crouch, but his eyes never
left me, his nostrils still wide. Edward stayed tensed like a lion in
front of me.
When Laurent spoke, his tone was soothing — trying to defuse the sudden
hostility. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."
"Indeed." Carlisle's voice was still cool.
"But we'd like to accept your invitation." His eyes flicked toward me and
back to Carlisle. "And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We
won't hunt in your range, as I said."
James glanced in disbelief and aggravation at Laurent and exchanged
another brief look with Victoria, whose eyes still flickered edgily from
face to face.
Carlisle measured Laurent's open expression for a moment before he spoke.
"We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" he called. They gathered
together, blocking me from view as they converged. Alice was instantly at
my side, and Emmett fell back slowly, his eyes locked on James as he
backed toward us.
"Let's go, Bella." Edward's voice was low and bleak.
This whole time I'd been rooted in place, terrified into absolute
immobility. Edward had to grip my elbow and pull sharply to break my
trance. Alice and Emmett were close behind us, hiding me. I stumbled
alongside Edward, still stunned with fear. I couldn't hear if the main
group had left yet. Edward's impatience was almost tangible as we moved
at human speed to the forest edge.
Once we were into the trees, Edward slung me over his back without
breaking stride. I gripped as tightly as possible as he took off, the
others close on his heels. I kept my head down, but my eyes, wide with
fright, wouldn't close. They plunged through the now-black forest like
wraiths. The sense of exhilaration that usually seemed to possess Edward
as he ran was completely absent, replaced by a fury that consumed him and
