Breaking Dawn

      Emmett—on the sofa with Rose and holding the remote, of course—looked up and grinned in anticipation. “Excellent. The forest needs thinning.”
      Edward frowned at Emmett and then at me.
      “There’s plenty of time for that tomorrow,” he said.
      “Don’t be ridiculous,” I complained. “There’s no such thing as plenty of timeanymore. That concept does not exist. I have a lot to learn and—”
      He cut me off. “Tomorrow.”
      And his expression was such that not even Emmett argued.
      I was surprised at how hard it was to go back to a routine that was, after all, brand new. But stripping away even that little bit of hope I’d been fostering made everything seem impossible.
      I tried to focus on the positives. There was a good chance that my daughter was going to survive what was coming, and Jacob, too. If they had a future, then that was a kind of victory, wasn’t it? Our little band must be going to hold their own if Jacob and Renesmee were going to have the opportunity to run in the first place. Yes, Alice’s strategy only made sense if we were going to put up a really good fight. So, a kind of victory there, too, considering that the Volturi had never been seriously challenged in millennia.
      It was not going to be the end of the world. Just the end of the Cullens. The end of Edward, the end of me.
      I preferred it that way—the last part anyway. I would not live without Edward again; if he was leaving this world, then I would be right behind him.
      I wondered idly now and then if there would be anything for us on the other side. I knew Edward didn’t really believe so, but Carlisle did. I couldn’t imagine it myself. On the other hand, I couldn’t imagine Edward not existing somehow, somewhere. If we could be together in any place, then that was a happy ending.
      And so the pattern of my days continued, just that much harder than before.
      We went to see Charlie on Christmas Day, Edward, Renesmee, Jacob, and I. All of Jacob’s pack were there, plus Sam, Emily, and Sue. It was a big help to have them there in Charlie’s little rooms, their huge, warm bodies wedged into corners around his sparsely decorated tree—you could see exactly where he’d gotten bored and quit—and overflowing his furniture. You could always count on werewolves to be buzzed about a coming fight, no matter how suicidal. The electricity of their excitement provided a nice current that disguised my utter lack of spirit. Edward was, as always, a better actor than I was.
      Renesmee wore the locket I’d given her at dawn, and in her jacket pocket was the MP3 player Edward had given her—a tiny thing that held five thousand songs, already filled with Edward’s favorites. On her wrist was an intricately braided Quileute version of a promise ring. Edward had gritted his teeth over that one, but it didn’t bother me.
      Soon, so soon, I would be giving her to Jacob for safekeeping. How could I be bothered by any symbol of the commitment I was so relying on?
      Edward had saved the day by ordering a gift for Charlie, too. It had shown up yesterday—priority overnight shipping—and Charlie spent all morning reading the thick instruction manual to his new fishing sonar system.
      From the way the werewolves ate, Sue’s lunch spread must have been good. I wondered how the gathering would have looked to an outsider. Did we play our parts well enough? Would a stranger have thought us a happy circle of friends, enjoying the holiday with casual cheer?
      I think Edward and Jacob both were as relieved as I was when it was time to go. It felt odd to spend energy on the human faзade when there were so many more important things to be doing. I had a hard time concentrating. At the same time, this was perhaps the last time I would see Charlie. Maybe it was a good thing that I was too numb to really register that.
      I hadn’t seen my mother since the wedding, but I found I could only be glad for the gradual distancing that had begun two years ago. She was too fragile for my world. I didn’t want her to have any part of this. Charlie was stronger.
      Maybe even strong enough for a goodbye now, but I wasn’t.
      It was very quiet in the car; outside, the rain was just a mist, hovering on the edge between liquid and ice. Renesmee sat on my lap, playing with her locket, opening and closing it. I watched her and imagined the things I would say to Jacob right now if I didn’t have to keep my words out of Edward’s head.
       If it’s ever safe again, take her to Charlie. Tell him the whole story someday. Tell him how much I loved him, how I couldn’t bear to leave him even when my human life was over. Tell him he was the best father. Tell him to pass my love on to Renйe, all my hopes that she will be happy and well. . . .
      I would have to give Jacob the documents before it was too late. I would give him a note for Charlie, too. And a letter for Renesmee. Something for her to read when I couldn’t tell her I loved her anymore.
      There was nothing unusual about the outside of the Cullen house as we pulled into the meadow, but I could hear some kind of subtle uproar inside. Many low voices murmured and growled. It sounded intense, and it sounded like an argument. I could pick out Carlisle’s voice and Amun’s more often than the others.
      Edward parked in front of the house rather than going around to the garage. We exchanged one wary glance before we got out of the car.
      Jacob’s stance changed; his face turned serious and careful. I guessed that he was in Alpha mode now. Obviously, something had happened, and he was going to get the information he and Sam would need.
      “Alistair is gone,” Edward murmured as we darted up the steps.
      Inside the front room, the main confrontation was physically apparent. Lining the walls was a ring of spectators, every vampire who had joined us, except for Alistair and the three involved in the quarrel. Esme, Kebi, and Tia were the closest to the three vampires in the center; in the middle of the room, Amun was hissing at Carlisle and Benjamin.
      Edward’s jaw tightened and he moved quickly to Esme’s side, towing me by the hand. I clutched Renesmee tightly to my chest.
      “Amun, if you want to go, no one is forcing you to stay,” Carlisle said calmly.
      “You’re stealing half my coven, Carlisle!” Amun shrieked, stabbing one finger at Benjamin. “Is that why you called me here? To stealfrom me?”
      Carlisle sighed, and Benjamin rolled his eyes.
      “Yes, Carlisle picked a fight with the Volturi, endangered his whole family, just to lure me here to my death,” Benjamin said sarcastically. “Be reasonable, Amun. I’m committed to do the right thing here—I’m not joining any other coven. You can do whatever you want, of course, as Carlisle has pointed out.”
      “This won’t end well,” Amun growled. “Alistair was the only sane one here. We should all be running.”
      “Think of who you’re calling sane,” Tia murmured in a quiet aside.
      “We’re all going to be slaughtered!”
      “It’s not going to come to a fight,” Carlisle said in a firm voice.
      “You say!”
      “If it does, you can always switch sides, Amun. I’m sure the Volturi will appreciate your help.”
      Amun sneered at him. “Perhaps that isthe answer.”
      Carlisle’s answer was soft and sincere. “I wouldn’t hold that against you, Amun. We have been friends for a long time, but I would never ask you to die for me.”
      Amun’s voice was more controlled, too. “But you’re taking my Benjamin down with you.”
      Carlisle put his hand on Amun’s shoulder; Amun shook it off.
      “I’ll stay, Carlisle, but it might be to your detriment. I willjoin them if that’s the road to survival. You’re all fools to think that you can defy the Volturi.” He scowled, then sighed, glanced at Renesmee and me, and added in an exasperated tone, “I will witness that the child has grown. That’s nothing but the truth. Anyone would see that.”
      “That’s all we’ve ever asked.”
      Amun grimaced, “But not all that you are getting, it seems.” He turned on Benjamin. “I gave you life. You’re wasting it.”
      Benjamin’s face looked colder than I’d ever seen it; the expression contrasted oddly with his boyish features. “It’s a pity you couldn’t replace my will with your own in the process; perhaps then you would have been satisfied with me.”
      Amun’s eyes narrowed. He gestured abruptly to Kebi, and they stalked past us out the front door.
      “He’s not leaving,” Edward said quietly to me, “but he’ll be keeping his distance even more from now on. He wasn’t bluffing when he spoke of joining the Volturi.”
      “Why did Alistair go?” I whispered.
      “No one can be positive; he didn’t leave a note. From his mutters, it’s been clear that he thinks a fight is inevitable. Despite his demeanor, he actually does care too much for Carlisle to stand with the Volturi. I suppose he decided the danger was too much.” Edward shrugged.
      Though our conversation was clearly just between the two of us, of course everyone could hear it. Eleazar answered Edward’s comment like it had been meant for all.
      “From the sound of his mumblings, it was a bit more than that. We haven’t spoken much of the Volturi agenda, but Alistair worried that no matter how decisively we can prove your innocence, the Volturi will not listen. He thinks they will find an excuse to achieve their goals here.”
      The vampires glanced uneasily at one another. The idea that the Volturi would manipulate their own sacrosanct law for gain was not a popular idea. Only the Romanians were composed, their small half-smiles ironic. They seemed amused at how the others wanted to think well of their ancient enemies.
      Many low discussions began at the same time, but it was the Romanians I listened to. Maybe because the fair-haired Vladimir kept shooting glances in my direction.
      “I do so hope Alistair was right about this,” Stefan murmured to Vladimir. “No matter the outcome, word will spread. It’s time our world saw the Volturi for what they’ve become. They’ll never fall if everyone believes this nonsense about them protecting our way of life.”
      “At least when we ruled, we were honest about what we were,” Vladimir replied.
      Stefan nodded. “We never put on white hats and called ourselves saints.”
      “I’m thinking the time has come to fight,” Vladimir said. “How can you imagine we’ll ever find a better force to stand with? Another chance this good?”
      “Nothing is impossible. Maybe someday—”
      “We’ve been waiting for fifteen hundred years, Stefan. And they’ve only gotten stronger with the years.” Vladimir paused and looked at me again. He showed no surprise when he saw that I was watching him, too. “If the Volturi win this conflict, they will leave with more power than they came with. With every conquest they add to their strengths. Think of what that newborn alone could give them”—he jerked his chin toward me—“and she is barely discovering her gifts. And the earth-mover.” Vladimir nodded toward Benjamin, who stiffened. Almost everyone was eavesdropping on the Romanians now, like me. “With their witch twins they have no need of the illusionist or the fire touch.” His eyes moved to Zafrina, then Kate.
      Stefan looked at Edward. “Nor is the mind reader is exactly necessary. But I see your point. Indeed, they will gain much if they win.”
      “More than we can afford to have them gain, wouldn’t you agree?”
      Stefan sighed. “I think I must agree. And that means… ”
      “That we must stand against them while there is still hope.”
      “If we can just cripple them, even, expose them . . .”
      “Then, someday, others will finish the job.”
      “And our long vendetta will be repaid. At last.”
      They locked eyes for a moment and then murmured in unison. “It seems the only way.”
      “So we fight,” Stefan said.
      Though I could see that they were torn, self-preservation warring with revenge, the smile they exchanged was full of anticipation.
      “We fight,” Vladimir agreed.
      I suppose it was a good thing; like Alistair, I was sure the battle was impossible to avoid. In that case, two more vampires fighting on our side could only help. But the Romanians’ decision still made me shudder.
      “We will fight, too,” Tia said, her usually grave voice more solemn than ever. “We believe the Volturi will overstep their authority. We have no wish to belong to them.” Her eyes lingered on her mate.
      Benjamin grinned and threw an impish glance toward the Romanians. “Apparently, I’m a hot commodity. It appears I have to win the right to be free.”
      “This won’t be the first time I’ve fought to keep myself from a king’s rule,” Garrett said in a teasing tone. He walked over and clapped Benjamin on the back. “Here’s to freedom from oppression.”
      “We stand with Carlisle,” Tanya said. “And we fight with him.”
      The Romanians’ pronouncement seemed to have made the others feel the need to declare themselves as well.
      “We have not decided,” Peter said. He looked down at his tiny companion; Charlotte’s lips were set in dissatisfaction. It looked like she’d made her decision. I wondered what it was.
      “The same goes for me,” Randall said.
      “And me,” Mary added.
      “The packs will fight with the Cullens,” Jacob said suddenly. “We’re not afraid of vampires,” he added with a smirk.
      “Children,” Peter muttered.
      “Infants,” Randall corrected.
      Jacob grinned tauntingly.
      “Well, I’m in, too,” Maggie said, shrugging out from under Siobhan’s restraining hand. “I know truth is on Carlisle’s side. I can’t ignore that.”
      Siobhan stared at the junior member of her coven with worried eyes. “Carlisle,” she said as if they were alone, ignoring the suddenly formal feel of the gathering, the unexpected outburst of declarations, “I don’t want this to come to a fight.”
      “Nor do I, Siobhan. You know that’s the last thing I want.” He half-smiled. “Perhaps you should concentrate on keeping it peaceful.”
      “You know that won’t help,” she said.
      I remembered Rose and Carlisle’s discussion of the Irish leader; Carlisle believed that Siobhan had some subtle but powerful gift to make things go her way—and yet Siobhan didn’t believe it herself.
      “It couldn’t hurt,” Carlisle said.
      Siobhan rolled her eyes. “Shall I visualize the outcome I desire?” she asked sarcastically.
      Carlisle was openly grinning now. “If you don’t mind.”
      “Then there is no need for my coven to declare itself, is there?” she retorted. “Since there is no possibility of a fight.” She put her hand back on Maggie’s shoulder, pulling the girl closer to her. Siobhan’s mate, Liam, stood silent and expressionless.
      Almost everyone else in the room looked mystified by Carlisle and Siobhan’s clearly joking exchange, but they didn’t explain themselves.
      That was the end of the dramatic speeches for the night. The group slowly dispersed, some off to hunt, some to while away the time with Carlisle’s books or televisions or computers.
      Edward, Renesmee, and I went to hunt. Jacob tagged along.
      “Stupid leeches,” he muttered to himself when we got outside. “Think they’re so superior.” He snorted.
      “They’ll be shocked when the infantssave their superior lives, won’t they?” Edward said.
      Jake smiled and punched his shoulder. “Hell yeah, they will.”
      This wasn’t our last hunting trip. We all would hunt again nearer to the time we expected the Volturi. As the deadline was not exact, we were planning to stay a few nights out in the big baseball clearing Alice had seen, just in case. All we knew was that they would come the day that the snow stuck to the ground. We didn’t want the Volturi too close to town, and Demetri would lead them to wherever we were. I wondered who he would track in, and guessed that it would be Edward since he couldn’t track me.
      I thought about Demetri while I hunted, paying little attention to my prey or the drifting snowflakes that had finally appeared but were melting before they touched the rocky soil. Would Demetri realize that he couldn’t track me? What would he make of that? What would Aro? Or was Edward wrong? There were those little exceptions to what I could withstand, those ways around my shield. Everything that was outside my mind was vulnerable—open to the things Jasper, Alice, and Benjamin could do. Maybe Demetri’s talent worked a little differently, too.
      And then I had a thought that brought me up short. The half-drained elk dropped from my hands to the stony ground. Snowflakes vaporized a few inches from the warm body with tiny sizzling sounds. I stared blankly at my bloody hands.
      Edward saw my reaction and hurried to my side, leaving his own kill undrained.
      “What’s wrong?” he asked in a low voice, his eyes sweeping the forest around us, looking for whatever had triggered my behavior.
      “Renesmee,” I choked.
      “She’s just through those trees,” he reassured me. “I can hear both her thoughts and Jacob’s. She’s fine.”
      “That’s not what I meant,” I said. “I was thinking about my shield—you really think it’s worth something, that it will help somehow. I know the others are hoping that I’ll be able to shield Zafrina and Benjamin, even if I can only keep it up for a few seconds at a time. What if that’s a mistake? What if your trust in me is the reason that we fail?”
      My voice was edging toward hysteria, though I had enough control to keep it low. I didn’t want to upset Renesmee.
      “Bella, what brought this on? Of course, it’s wonderful that you can protect yourself, but you’re not responsible for saving anyone. Don’t distress yourself needlessly.”
      “But what if I can’t protect anything?” I whispered in gasps. “This thing I do, it’s faulty, it’s erratic! There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Maybe it will do nothing against Alec at all.”
      “Shh,” he hushed me. “Don’t panic. And don’t worry about Alec. What he does is no different than what Jane or Zafrina does. It’s just an illusion—he can’t get inside your head any more than I can.”
      “But Renesmee does!” I hissed frantically through my teeth. “It seemed so natural, I never questioned it before. It’s always been just part of who she is. But she puts her thoughts right into my head just like she does with everyone else. My shield has holes, Edward!”
      I stared at him desperately, waiting for him to acknowledge my terrible revelation. His lips were pursed, as if he was trying to decide how to phrase something. His expression was perfectly relaxed.
      “You thought of this a long time ago, didn’t you?” I demanded, feeling like an idiot for my months of overlooking the obvious.
      He nodded, a faint smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. “The first time she touched you.”
      I sighed at my own stupidity, but his calm had mellowed me some. “And this doesn’t bother you? You don’t see it as a problem?”
      “I have two theories, one more likely than the other.”
      “Give me the least likely first.”
      “Well, she’s your daughter,” he pointed out. “Genetically half you. I used to tease you about how your mind was on a different frequency than the rest of ours. Perhaps she runs on the same.”
      This didn’t work for me. “But you hear her mind just fine. Everyonehears her mind. And what if Alec runs on a different frequency? What if—?”
      He put a finger to my lips. “I’ve considered that. Which is why I think this next theory is much more likely.”
      I gritted my teeth and waited.
      “Do you remember what Carlisle said to me about her, right after she showed you that first memory?”
      Of course I remembered. “He said, ‘It’s an interesting twist. Like she’s doing the exact opposite of what you can.’”
      “Yes. And so I wondered. Maybe she took your talent and flipped it, too.”
      I considered that.
      “You keep everyone out,” he began.
      “And no one keeps her out?” I finished hesitantly.
      “That’s my theory,” he said. “And if she can get into your head, I doubt there’s a shield on the planet who could keep her at bay. That will help. From what we’ve seen, no one can doubt the truth of her thoughts once they’ve allowed her to show them. And I think no one can keep her from showing them, if she gets close enough. If Aro allows her to explain. . . .”
      I shuddered to think of Renesmee so close to Aro’s greedy, milky eyes.
      “Well,” he said, rubbing my tight shoulders. “At least there’s nothing that can stop him from seeing the truth.”
      “But is the truth enough to stop him?” I murmured.
      For that, Edward had no answer.

35 DEADLINE

      “Headed out?” Edward asked, his tone nonchalant. There was a sort of forced composure about his expression. He hugged Renesmee just a little bit tighter to his chest.
      “Yes, a few last-minute things…,” I responded just as casually.
      He smiled my favorite smile. “Hurry back to me.”
      “Always.”
      I took his Volvo again, wondering if he’d read the odometer after my last errand. How much had he pieced together? That I had a secret, absolutely. Would he have deduced the reason why I didn’t confide in him? Did he guess that Aro might soon know everything he knew? I thought Edward could have come to that conclusion, which explained why he had demanded no reasons from me. I guessed he was trying not to speculate too much, trying to keep my behavior off his mind. Had he put this together with my odd performance the morning after Alice left, burning my book in the fire? I didn’t know if he could have made that leap.
      It was a dreary afternoon, already dark as dusk. I sped through the gloom, my eyes on the heavy clouds. Would it snow tonight? Enough to layer the ground and create the scene from Alice’s vision? Edward estimated that we had about two more days. Then we would set ourselves in the clearing, drawing the Volturi to our chosen place.
      As I headed through the darkening forest, I considered my last trip to Seattle. I thought I knew Alice’s purpose in sending me to the dilapidated drop point where J. Jenks referred his shadier clients. If I’d gone to one of his other, more legitimate offices, would I have ever known what to ask for? If I’d met him as Jason Jenks or Jason Scott, legitimate lawyer, would I ever have unearthed J. Jenks, purveyor of illegal documents? I’d had to go the route that made it clear I was up to no good. That was my clue.
      It was black when I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant a few minutes early, ignoring the eager valets by the entrance. I popped in my contacts and then went to wait for J inside the restaurant. Though I was in a hurry to be done with this depressing necessity and back with my family, J seemed careful to keep himself untainted by his baser associations; I had a feeling a handoff in the dark parking lot would offend his sensibilities.
      I gave the name Jenksat the podium, and the obsequious maоtre d’ led me upstairs to a small private room with a fire crackling in a stone hearth. He took the calf-length ivory trench coat I’d worn to disguise the fact that I was wearing Alice’s idea of appropriate attire, and gasped quietly at my oyster satin cocktail dress. I couldn’t help being a little flattered; I still wasn’t used to being beautiful to everyone rather than just Edward. The maоtre d’ stuttered half-formed compliments as he backed unsteadily from the room.
      I stood by the fire to wait, holding my fingers close to the flame to warm them a little before the inevitable handshake. Not that J wasn’t obviously aware that there was something up with the Cullens, but it was still a good habit to practice.
      For one half second, I wondered what it would feel like to put my hand in the fire. What it would feel like when I burned. . . .
      J’s entrance distracted my morbidity. The maоtre d’ took his coat, too, and it was evident that I was not the only one who had dressed up for this meeting.
      “I’m so sorry I’m late,” J said as soon as we were alone.
      “No, you’re exactly on time.”
      He held out his hand, and as we shook I could feel that his fingers were still quite noticeably warmer than mine. It didn’t seem to bother him.
      “You look stunning, if I may be so bold, Mrs. Cullen.”
      “Thank you, J. Please, call me Bella.”
      “I must say, it’s a different experience working with you than it is with Mr. Jasper. Much less… unsettling.” He smiled hesitantly.
      “Really? I’ve always found Jasper to have a very soothing presence.”
      His eyebrows pulled together. “Is that so?” he murmured politely while clearly still in disagreement. How odd. What had Jasper done to this man?
      “Have you known Jasper long?”
      He sighed, looking uncomfortable. “I’ve been working with Mr. Jasper for more than twenty years, and my old partner knew him for fifteen years before that.… He never changes.” J cringed delicately.
      “Yeah, Jasper’s kind of funny that way.”
      J shook his head as if he could shake away the disturbing thoughts. “Won’t you have a seat, Bella?”
      “Actually, I’m in a bit of a hurry. I’ve got a long drive home.” As I spoke, I took the thick white envelope with his bonus from my bag and handed it to him.
      “Oh,” he said, a little catch of disappointment in his voice. He tucked the envelope into an inside pocket of his jacket without bothering to check the amount. “I was hoping we could speak for just a moment.”
      “About?” I asked curiously.
      “Well, let me get you your items first. I want to make sure you’re satisfied.”
      He turned, placed his briefcase on the table, and popped the latches. He took out a legal-sized manila envelope.
      Though I had no idea what I should be looking for, I opened the envelope and gave the contents a cursory glance. J had flipped Jacob’s picture and changed the coloring so that it wasn’t immediately evident that it was the same picture on both his passport and driver’s license. Both looked perfectly sound to me, but that meant little. I glanced at the picture on Vanessa Wolfe’s passport for a fraction of a second, and then looked away quickly, a lump rising in my throat.
      “Thank you,” I told him.
      His eyes narrowed slightly, and I felt he was disappointed that my examination was not more thorough. “I can assure you every piece is perfect. All will pass the most rigorous scrutiny by experts.”
      “I’m sure they are. I truly appreciate what you’ve done for me, J.”
      “It’s been my pleasure, Bella. In the future, feel free to come to me for anything the Cullen family needs.” He didn’t even hint at it really, but this sounded like an invitation for me to take over Jasper’s place as liaison.
      “There was something you wanted to discuss?”
      “Er, yes. It’s a bit delicate. . . .” He gestured to the stone hearth with a questioning expression. I sat on the edge of the stone, and he sat beside me. Sweat was dewing up on his forehead again, and he pulled a blue silk handkerchief from his pocket and began mopping.
      “You are the sister of Mr. Jasper’s wife? Or married to his brother?” he asked.
      “Married to his brother,” I clarified, wondering where this was leading.
      “You would be Mr. Edward’s bride, then?”
      “Yes.”
      He smiled apologetically. “I’ve seen all the names many times, you see. My belated congratulations. It’s nice that Mr. Edward has found such a lovely partner after all this time.”
      “Thank you very much.”
      He paused, dabbing at the sweat. “Over the years, you might imagine that I’ve developed a very healthy level of respect for Mr. Jasper and the entire family.”
      I nodded cautiously.
      He took a deep breath and then exhaled without speaking.
      “J, please just say whatever you need to.”
      He took another breath and then mumbled quickly, slurring the words together.
      “If you could just assure me that you are not planning to kidnap the little girl from her father, I would sleep better tonight.”
      “Oh,” I said, stunned. It took me a minute to understand the erroneous conclusion he’d drawn. “Oh no. It’s nothing like that at all.” I smiled weakly, trying to reassure him. “I’m simply preparing a safe place for her in case something were to happen to my husband and me.”
      His eyes narrowed. “Are you expecting something to happen?” He blushed, then apologized. “Not that it’s any of my business.”
      I watched the red flush spread behind the delicate membrane of his skin and was glad—as I often was—that I was not the average newborn. J seemed a nice enough man, criminal behavior aside, and it would have been a shame to kill him.
      “You never know.” I sighed.
      He frowned. “May I wish you the best of luck, then. And please don’t be put out with me, my dear, but… if Mr. Jasper should come to me and ask what names I put on these documents . . .”
      “Of course you should tell him immediately. I’d like nothing better than to have Mr. Jasper fully aware of our entire transaction.”
      My transparent sincerity seemed to ease a bit of his tension.
      “Very good,” he said. “And I can’t prevail upon you to stay for dinner?”
      “I’m sorry, J. I’m short on time at present.”
      “Then, again, my best wishes for your health and happiness. Anything at all the Cullen family needs, please don’t hesitate to call on me, Bella.”
      “Thank you, J.”
      I left with my contraband, glancing back to see that J was staring after me, his expression a mixture of anxiety and regret.
      The return trip took me less time. The night was black, and so I turned off my headlights and floored it. When I got back to the house, most of the cars, including Alice’s Porsche and my Ferrari, were missing. The traditional vampires were going as far away as possible to satiate their thirst. I tried not to think of their hunting in the night, cringing at the mental picture of their victims.