reunion

Beau

It was a long journey. However, I was sure the combination of my new vampire senses and the inferno in my throat made it feel a thousand times longer.

I could have asked Sulpicia why we didn't all just get out and run—surely, in spite of all the speed limits Cato was currently smashing, we would get to Alaska in half the time. However, even with the blazing agony in my throat, I didn't want to talk to her anymore than I absolutely had to. She probably had some reason, however obscure.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, minute by minute, hour by hour, wishing I could shut out the sound of Jules's pumping heart. Her smell was still not in anyway appealing—I would sooner be tempted by rotting carrion—but the sound constantly reminded me of what I knew would make delicious prey. The fire was like a screaming, writhing animal, a molten snake covered in spikes, and the only torture that could have compared to it was the all-consuming blaze of my transformation.

I didn't ask Sulpicia if I might get out for a quick hunt. Even if I'd thought she would let me, I wouldn't leave Jules alone with these people for anything, and right now I thought I'd rather die than ask Sulpicia for a favor.

Jules never awoke during the journey. Every now and again, Tacita would shift forward, to quickly inject something into Jules's arm, a tranquilizer of some kind. Jules's body evidently burned it off so quickly they needed to keep administering it. I knew it was probably necessary—Sulpicia didn't need to explain to me why it would not be a good thing if Jules awoke right here, in a car surrounded by vampires—but it didn't stop my hands from clenching, tendons standing out on my wrists, every single time.

I tried to distract myself thinking about what Sulpicia had told me. A vampire uprising, the desertion of two key Volturi members, Jonathan and Alexa. If true, it was serious—and yet, at the same time, it all still felt so far away. There seemed a disconnect between me, Edythe, and Jules, and this. It felt like this was something Sulpicia and her people ought to know how to deal with without dragging regular people like us into it. I already had my doubts any plan that involved me would have the slightest chance.

It wasn't until, quite a while after the car had turned off the main highway, and run along a network of under-serviced back roads filled with potholes—the suspension of the Mercedes somehow miraculously kept us from being jostled too much, and I had a feeling Jules would have had to resist fawning over it if she were awake—that Sulpicia finally spoke.

"We're getting close now," she murmured, her eyes half closed as though on the verge of falling asleep. "Or at least, the end of the first leg of the journey."

"Denali?" I said stiffly, speaking for the first time in hours.

Sulpicia smiled. "No, we won't be going all the way into the park. It's a little too close to the main coven, and I asked the two coming to meet us not to tell the others of what we were doing. So they will wait for us at a point near the eastern tip of the Alaska Range. It's not quite so populated as the center of the range."

I paused at this. I had figured when she said Alaska that we would be going somewhere fairly remote, but that made it sound like there might still be a stray hiker here or there. If I picked up the scent of human at the wrong moment, was there a chance I might go berserk like I had in Colorado? I knew Edythe would have done everything she could to stop me doing anything I'd regret, but I doubted Sulpicia would do the same. She'd only care if there was a chance that the killing would somehow risk vampire exposure—and out in the wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, that didn't seem too likely.

I forced my tensed shoulders to relax. I just had to keep my concentration up. Make sure I never gave myself over to my instincts too fully, even when I was hunting. Sulpicia and the others weren't going to watch out for me, so I had to make sure I kept a firm grip on myself.

"There," said Sulpicia, speaking to Cato. "That will do. We will stop here."

Cato obediently slowed and turned the wheel, pulling off onto the shoulder.

"We will keep the car in between that rock formation over there, on the west side. That should keep it out of sight, and from attracting attention from anyone who drives through here. Though activity along this particular road is rare."

We all got out. Tacita picked up Jules—her mouth twisting, and holding Jules's limp form away from her the way she might a particularly toxic bag of sludge.

I felt my jaw tighten, but I forced myself to turn away to glare at the horizon—the sun had already set. It seemed even in mid-August, the days in Alaska were already getting shorter.

Cato didn't drive the car over the uneven landscape to the rocks, rather he simply picked it up over his head, and carried it over to the spot Sulpicia had specified. He then picked up a few more rocks and pulled up some foliage by the roots to arrange around the car to further obscure it. To my eyes, it still looked way too obvious it was there, but at least it wasn't visible from the road, and perhaps weak human eyes might be more likely to be fooled, at least at a distance.

"We will be proceeding the rest of the way on foot," Sulpicia announced. "It's not far." She glanced at me, then nodded at Tacita.

Tacita, who had now left Jules in a heap on the ground, turned toward me, and I saw she had drawn from the car a neatly folded pile of dark material. She held it in front of her, then shook it out to reveal it as a smokey gray Volturi cloak.

I knew immediately what Sulpicia expected of me, and I felt my lips curl back from my teeth.

"I'm not wearing that," I snarled.

Tacita's eyes narrowed, but Sulpicia was serene as ever.

"It is dark now, but the sun will be coming up eventually," she explained patiently. "Having even a little skin exposed could attract the attention of human eyes, even at a fair distance."

I glared at it, then turned my eyes away sharply to scowl fiercely at the rock formation. "Aren't we going somewhere away from humans?" I spat. "How will you expect me to concentrate on my...training?" I didn't try to argue that the dark cloaks could make us more visible in the light, especially against the pale, snowy landscape. Sulpicia only cared about being seen in an otherworldly, inhuman way—or maybe she just wanted to prove to me again who was in charge.

"Yes, we will be in a very remote part of the range," Sulpicia replied soothingly. "However, this is just a precaution."

"I'm not wearing it," I repeated through gritted teeth. I turned away, ready to start, though I didn't yet know which direction we'd be going.

I saw out of the corner of my eye as Tacita knelt down. I tried to keep my gaze looking straight ahead, but the movement drew my attention, and I turned partway—just in time to see Tacita's lightning fast hand strike Jules across the face.

It wasn't a hard hit for a vampire—I knew if Tacita had wanted, she could have hit Jules hard enough to smash in her skull. However, I stared, shocked at the sudden red welt on Jules's cheek.

A red tint seemed to fall over my vision. A feral roar of rage tore from my mouth, echoing over the vast, desolate tundra, and my back bent, in automatic preparation to spring.

Brenden flinched back, but everyone else simply watched me, unreacting. Tacita's eyes were cold, almost daring me to try to attack her.

Sulpicia sighed slightly. "Now, see, Beau, you will make things much easier on yourself—and your friend—if you simply cooperate. We are all on the same side. Though you must admit, Tacita, that was a little impolite."

Tacita didn't reply, only continued to eye me without emotion.

I wasn't at all fooled by the almost apologetic look Sulpicia was now directing my way. Maybe she was going to try to make me think that Tacita was the overzealous, violent one, while Sulpicia was all kind benevolence. But I got the sense from Tacita she wouldn't so much as pull a dandelion without Sulpicia's say-so, and very likely she was following orders Sulpicia had already given her. I could almost hear the words in my head—If he's uncooperative, use the dog and make him cooperate.

I didn't look at either of them as, glaring furiously, I strode forward and snatched the cloak still dangling from one of Tacita's hands, undoing the clasp and wrenching it around my shoulders.

Sulpicia seemed satisfied. "There now, that wasn't so difficult. Let us move on then."

Tacita had bent again toward Jules—clearly she was the designated carrier.

I might have been able to put up with it if it were Cato, but I didn't want Tacita touching her again, especially as her mouth tightened and nose wrinkled with disgust. Before her hands made contact, I stepped forward.

"I'll do that," I said stiffly.

Tacita's narrowed eyes flickered down to Jules, nose still wrinkled, then back up to me. She said nothing.

Sulpicia glanced at me, looking thoughtful for a moment. Then she nodded permission at Tacita. "Mind your newborn strength," she told me mildly.

I knelt down and, very gingerly, concentrating hard on what I was doing, I reached forward. Sliding my forearms ever so carefully beneath her, I stood back up, raising her to chest height. She dangled limply, head lolling against my arm.

Although I never would have told her, I'd always thought Jules was kind of heavy for a girl, especially considering how lanky she was. I'd figured it must be a wolf-thing—all that dense muscle compacted into wiry limbs. However, with my new strength, she felt almost disconcertingly light. As I stared down into her face, I noticed she looked a little thin. I wondered when had been the last time she had eaten.

I started to follow Sulpicia, as she turned in the direction of the mountains to the west, but I paused.

"Um," I began uncertainly. "Do you think she'll...wake up soon?"

"Very likely," Sulpicia answered. "The last injection will be wearing off before long, and we are close enough to our destination that we will not be administering another, at least for the present. I never intended to keep her unconscious permanently, I only thought it was best for travel."

I didn't reply, not sure whether I ought to be relieved or anxious. Instead, I turned my eyes briefly to the landscape around us. My throat was screaming, flames that made my entire head feel like it was on fire. Considering I may be coming in proximity of hikers at some point, I knew I couldn't let my pride get in the way anymore.

"I need to hunt," I said abruptly. I would just have to take my chances with leaving Jules with them, Sulpicia wouldn't let anything happen to her as long as she was still useful to keep a grip on me, or so I hoped.

Sulpicia smiled indulgently. "Of course. You are still so new—I admit I've been in quiet awe of your control on the journey here, I was certain you would have to be restrained. I haven't known any newborn but Carine to be able to hold out so long without succumbing to madness. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to hold out a bit longer, but once we arrive I will have Tacita fetch something for you. Your friends we are meeting have told me there is a variety of options for one of your particular diet, grizzly bears being the main... ah, delicacy."

I was relieved Sulpicia wasn't going to try to force me into eating like they did, but at the same time I stared at her a moment in vague disbelief. I wondered if she honestly thought I was a flight risk after all this. For some reason, the thought of waiting around for Tacita to bring me a dead carcass of something was revolting—or worse, her dragging in some poor beast still alive.

"I can hunt myself," I said, corner of my mouth tightening slightly. "You know I won't run."

"Oh yes, I know," replied Sulpicia. "But I would prefer if neither you nor I were separated from your wolf friend, for the time being. You see, I rather suspect your friend Archie will still be looking for us, you especially. Were you suddenly to reappear he would know your location. And if Archie knew, your Edythe would likely also know soon after. I think you would agree it would be in both our interests for that not to happen."

She knew she had me, and I saw her point. Whatever Edythe was thinking now of what I had said, I didn't want her to know where I was and come find me. Sulpicia had said she didn't want harm to come to Edythe anymore than I did, but I wasn't sure I trusted that, and I didn't want Edythe anywhere near Sulpicia if I could avoid it. However, I folded my arms anyway.

"And how do you know he isn't watching Tacita's future?" My voice came out a little more petulant than I meant.

Sulpicia nodded thoughtfully. "That is a risk. However, I think it unlikely for two reasons. First, there is a limit on the things he can be watching for at once. Watching someone's future for any decision, any time consumes quite a bit of concentration, of which there is a limited supply, and no doubt he is watching for both of us. Even if he thinks to look at Tacita's future, I doubt he would maintain a constant focus on her. Second, I think he would find it difficult to keep consistent tabs on someone he knew so little from such a distance. He has likely not spent much time looking for Tacita's future, and so it would take a great deal more effort to keep the same level of attention he can give to us. I doubt he would see watching for her as worthwhile, considering Tacita's future has also been blacked out by your friend up to now."

For a second, I could only stare back at her. Of course, Sulpicia had seen into Archie's mind, and knew how his power worked. However, it was still unsettling to realize she had a more complete and intimate knowledge of Archie's sight than I did, in spite of how long I had known him. It was disturbing—and irritating.

With the conversation over, Sulpicia and the others turned for the woods. And, one by one, we all set off.

Running, as with everything physical, was easy now, even with a werewolf in my arms. At first, I was careful, trying not to jostle her, but then I realized my run was naturally almost perfectly smooth even without any special effort on my part. Not that she would be very happy if she did wake up, finding herself in the grips of a vampire.

As if reading my mind, Jules gave a slight shudder. I realized then that my hand was touching her bare shoulder, and I shifted the sleeve of my cloak so it would shield her from me. I wouldn't have admitted it, but I was glad of the cloak now.

We raced silently along the dark tundra. The night was surprisingly balmy for Alaska, somewhere in the forties, I would have guessed—I don't know how I could still sense the temperature when it didn't really affect me, but somehow I did. Apparently, even Alaska had a summer. I was glad—as much as Jules might go on about being able to stand in snowstorms, she was still human.

We came upon the edge of the mountains—the eastern tip of the Alaska Range Sulpicia had mentioned, I supposed. We powered as a tightly knit group up into the dense forest of black spruces.

Once or twice I found my head turning just enough to, out of the corner of my eye, glance back at Sulpicia—there was something almost too bizarre about seeing her racing through the forest with the rest of us. I realized I had never seen her do anything really active; when I saw her, she was always sitting, majestic and serene, like a queen on her throne. Her skin looked so fragile, like glass, and though her body was young, her misty eyes gave the distinct impression of an old woman whose sight was failing. Running beside Tacita and the others, her black cloak billowing out behind her—it was surreal.

I expected Sulpicia to run at the center, the most protected spot of the cluster, but she kept further to the back, with only the boy Renatus running behind her, keeping one hand clutched around the material at her back. If either of them found running that way uncomfortable or unnatural, they didn't show it.

Tacita, rather than sticking with Sulpicia, kept close to me. Every foot I shifted, either to the right or left, she moved with me, like my shadow, making me wonder if Sulpicia had really been telling the truth about not being afraid I would try to make a break for it. Of course I wasn't an idiot. I may have Jules in my hands, but I would never be able to outrun all four of them—in fact, if it was Tacita alone, I wasn't sure I'd even have been able to get away from her, even without Jules's slight weight to slow me down.

There was something about Tacita that, as far as my newborn instincts were concerned, set my teeth on edge. She would kill anyone who threatened Sulpicia without a second thought, so fast they wouldn't even know it happened. She seemed the perfect lieutenant for Sulpicia, the outward expression of everything Sulpicia was, but hid behind a genteel smile.

Only when we had been running for some time did Tacita's expression change. Her mouth tightened, and she turned her head abruptly, staring off at something in the distance. She shared a brief look with Cato. He nodded once, and Tacita abruptly fell back.

Cato took her place running at my side, too close for comfort, but my eyes followed Tacita, to where she had fallen into stride beside Sulpicia. She reached over and touched two fingers to Sulpicia's wrist—communicating some information.

Sulpicia sighed. "I suppose it can't be helped. They must have known something was amiss. At least this way, the other two won't feel they are under any particular time constraints."

Tacita didn't reply, at least not aloud, and she pushed ahead to come run next to me again. However, Sulpicia noticed me looking, and she smiled.

"Just a small wrinkle," she said. "I told you we were meeting two, but it seems there will be a few more than that. But, I wouldn't worry. It makes little difference, except perhaps you may have a slightly bigger audience."

On the contrary, I did find this a worry—I didn't think I needed any bigger audience than I already had to my likely failure. However, I didn't answer.

I breathed in, and for the first time I tasted on the wind the scent of two different vampires. I breathed in again, trying to detect if there were any others, but while I picked up a few old trails, I didn't smell anything fresh. I wondered if I was missing something, but I supposed I would see when we got there.

We ran, and the two scents grew stronger, until my eyes finally caught sight of a clearing ahead, through the thick dark trees.

Our formation shifted, Tacita and Cato pulling in closer, forcing us into an even tighter group. Brenden pulled up to my left side, also running closer than could possibly be comfortable. I was forced back toward Sulpicia and Renatus, leaving me at the center. I gripped Jules's limp form a little closer to my chest.

Tacita and Cato broke the trees first, and we were barely a fraction of a second behind. There we all came to an abrupt stop.

Just as my senses had told me, I saw only two vampires. The ground stretched out empty between us, flat, pale gray stone gouged and potmarked with erosion. It seemed to abruptly disappear not far behind them, what I assumed to be the dropoff of a sheer cliff. They stared back across at us with the golden eyes of vampire vegetarians.

Although the last time I had seen these two had been as a human, I recognized them immediately. One was female, with an olive skin tone beneath her chalky pallor, and close-cropped black hair. Elena—one of the Spanish couple of the Denali coven. The other had long hair the color of pale sunlight, which hung to his shoulders. Kirill, if I was remembering his name right, or Ki, as his brother Tanvir had called him.

Kirill stood a little behind Elena, and it was clear who was going to be acting as the spokesperson and decision-maker. I was a little surprised—from what I remembered at our wedding, Elena had seemed one of the quieter members of the coven, hanging a little in the background. Now she stood straight and tall, her face solemn.

My eyes flickered about the clearing, but still I didn't see or smell any other vampires. I doubted Tacita could be mistaken—they must have some way they thought they might avoid detection.

I expected Tacita to start hurling accusations right off, but she remained silent and I was taken aback when Sulpicia, Renatus still clinging to the back of her cloak, immediately strode forward, delicate fingers extended to shake.

"Elena," she said warmly. "It's so good to see you again, it's been too long. Thank you so much for coming, we very much appreciate it."

Elena hesitated only a second before she reached out her own hand, clasping her fingers around Sulpicia's—and giving Sulpicia every single thought and memory she had ever had.

"I am more than happy to be of assistance, if I can," Elena said softly, though I thought I saw, as she watched Sulpicia, a kind of wariness in her tawny eyes.

"It was really such a shame when you left," Sulpicia said, sighing. "I was always sorry to have let you get away."

I watched Elena from where I stood with the others, and wondered what sort of gift she might have that would have made her useful to Sulpicia. It was hard to imagine her in a dark cloak, standing beside Tacita.

Elena let go first, drawing her hand back, and Sulpicia didn't stop her. Instead, Sulpicia turned, offering her hand to Kirill next.

He looked even more reluctant than Elena. His hand clenched in an involuntary fist, before he uncurled his fingers and stiffly stretched out his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Kirill," said Sulpicia. "Although I'm afraid it's not under much more pleasant circumstances than the last."

Kirill didn't respond.

Sulpicia glanced down at their joined hands, then withdrew hers.

"Well," she said, smiling, "it seems you are both unaware that you've had some tagalongs following you at a distance."

A gasp escaped between Elena's teeth, and Kirill's eyes widened.

"Two miles to the north," said Sulpicia, "upwind. Just close enough that your friends can make out most of what we say on the breeze, and of course, they can all smell us as well. Since they are here, it would be rude not to extend an invitation."

Elena had gone very still, her olive complexion bone-white. Kirill was tense, fists clenching again. "The fools," he muttered furiously under his breath.

"It's understandable," Sulpicia said sympathetically. Her eyes flickered to Elena. "I suppose when you abruptly wanted to go hunting on your own, when you and Carlos always go together, it was natural they suspected something unusual was afoot. And Kirill wanting to go hunting alone at the same time... you have very good friends. They worry about you."

Elena relaxed slightly, though her eyes remained wary. Kirill still looked agitated.

Elena paused, then said hesitantly in her soft voice, "From what I understood from your message—the situation sounds grave."

Sulpicia nodded. "Indeed, the position we find ourselves now is as dire as any we've faced. We need your help, more perhaps than we ever have before."

Elena nodded, though she regarded Sulpicia with a mix of uncertainty and apprehension.

Still smiling, Sulpicia said, "Beau? Please step forward."

At hearing my name, Elena started. Her eyes flickered over our group, first coming to rest on Brenden, then finally on me. Even though my hood was up, I knew she could see my features clearly.

Tensing, I clutched Jules closer to my chest for a second. Then, slowly, I bent to the ground, and carefully laid her down, next to where Brenden stood. I took a slow step forward, passing between Tacita and Cato. I stood there awkwardly, arms dangling at my sides.

"What do you see?" Sulpicia murmured. Her voice was suddenly low and eager.

Elena recovered from her brief moment of shock, and even though I knew she had to know exactly who I was, she didn't comment. Instead, she raised her eyes to my face, and studied me closely, squinting, as though trying to make something out. Then at last she sighed and shook her head.

"He's certainly a shield," she answered. "But beyond that, I can't see anything about his power. His ability is blocking mine—it must be a powerful one."

Sulpicia nodded. "I suspected as much. So far, he's proven capable of blocking out almost any gift that affects the mind—my power, Cato and Tacita's powers, even Jonathan's had no effect. And that was while he was still human. As I told you, we must find out if, now that he has been turned, there's a possibility he may be able to share it with someone else."

Elena eyed me speculatively, but her eyes were doubtful. "Anything is possible. But, with a power this strong, it's also possible it could be like Jonathan's, and can only be focused on one subject at a time. But... with training, it's possible he might be able to do more."

Sulpicia nodded. "Indeed, that is what we must discover, which you and Kirill are uniquely gifted to help us do. You, Elena, are after all an expert when it comes to ferreting out the full potential of great talents. And you, Kirill..." Something changed subtly in her smile—a sudden unpleasant gleam in her milky eyes. Without turning her gaze, she reached out a hand to beckon me.

"Beau," Sulpicia said. "Will you come here for a moment? I would like you to shake Kirill's hand. After all, you will be working quite a bit together."

There seemed to be some other meaning in Sulpicia's words, something else she wanted to see. But I couldn't begin to guess what it was, and so I just shuffled forward.

I noticed Kirill looked uncomfortable and reluctant. His eyes flickered to Elena. However, she didn't give him any sort of sign, just kept her eyes on Sulpicia.

I came to a stop beside Sulpicia, and cautiously extended my hand. Kirill hesitantly stretched out his, but just before we made contact, Sulpicia looked up, and her smile widened slightly. "Ah, and here your friends come now."

Beneath the hum of the wind through the trees, I heard the quiet tamping of feet on stone, the whisper of near silent breathing. A moment later, a figure appeared over the ledge, coming to stand just on the edge. He casually swept his red-blond hair from his eyes to look at us. He stared at us for a long moment, taking us and our dark cloaks in, before he suddenly flashed a brilliant smile.

"Hey," Tanvir said brightly, giving a casual wave. "Sorry to crash the party. But, my plan worked—it looks as though we got ourselves invited."

A second later, two other figures appeared up over the edge of the cliff, coming to a stop on either side of their brother. One had dark hair and a chalky olive complexion like Elena's—Carlos—and the other was a vampire I had never seen before, with light blond hair like Kirill's. That could only be Ivan.

Neither was looking as relaxed or cheery as Tanvir. Carlos immediately started for Elena's side, though moving cautiously, eyes darting. Ivan didn't look quite as jumpy as Carlos, but as he scanned over us, he suddenly blinked in confusion, then tensed, eyes narrowing to slits.

It was startling to see the entire Denali clan, all here together. Especially considering Edythe wasn't here to meet them with me.

As I stared back at them, a sudden, dangerous thought struck me. They didn't know I was essentially being held prisoner here—if they did, would they be willing to help us? Even if Sulpicia herself knew how to fight, we would still have her and her guards outnumbered. Tanvir had said he regretted not aiding the Cullens in the fight against Victor. Would they be willing to help a Cullen now?

My eyes focused on Tanvir, the leader as Carine was for us. I wondered how I might go about signaling him. Of course, according to Sulpicia the entire world was liable to go up in flames without my help, but could I really trust that? I didn't doubt Sulpicia was used to telling all the lies she had to in order to get the results she wanted, and depending on what her actual goals were, I might find out I was helping her do something horrific. If I had the chance to get Jules and I away from these people, surely I had to try.

Still, I hesitated a moment. While I stood irresolute, Tanvir caught my gaze and gave a broad grin.

"So," he said, "you're one of us now. Nice. I figured Edy would have to change you soon. Where is she? You didn't leave her alone on your honeymoon, did you? She has a tendency to get lonely, you know. What if someone else comes along and snatches her up?"

I stared back at Tanvir's perfect gleaming smile, so incongruous in this dark forest during this dark meeting. Dumb a thought as it was to be having at a time like this, I was suddenly glad that he was here and not with Edythe, trying to soothe her broken heart.

"Is something wrong?" Sulpicia asked politely.

For a second I thought she was talking to me, but when I glanced back I noticed her gaze was on Ivan. He was bent nearly double, nostrils flared.

Tanvir casually reached over and gripped his brother's shoulder. "Come on, Ive. Don't be rude." Though his voice was still cheerful, for the first time, I detected tension in his frame. He wasn't quite so cool around the Volturi as he was pretending.

"That's quite all right," Sulpicia said generously. She smiled. "What's wrong, Ivan?"

Ivan's eyes blazed, and a tremor ran through his frame. He was staring, not at the Volturi, but a spot just beyond us—the spot, I suddenly realized, where I had left Jules.

Sulpicia paused, evidently realizing the source of Ivan's demeanor as well, if she hadn't already known it all along. With a dismissive wave she said airily, "This one's just here to help with Beau's training as well." She added pointedly, "She is also a friend of the Cullens."

Ivan didn't respond. His eyes never moved.

Not all that long ago, the wolf pack had killed a vampire named Lauren, who had been about to eat me. However, Lauren had been staying with the Denalis for a time, and it turned out that Ivan had gotten himself involved with her. As a result, when the Cullens had asked for help in the battle against Victor and his army of newborns, they had said they would only if the Cullens granted them permission to hunt the wolves as vengeance. Of course Carine wasn't about to agree to that.

It had seemed easy to forgive them back at the wedding when Tanvir was apologizing. But here, now, with Jules lying not ten feet away, defenseless—

I felt myself go very still. I stared back at Ivan, watching his every twitch.

And then, as though she sensed the atmosphere, as though intentionally meaning to time it exactly wrong, Jules gave a muffled groan in the grass behind Tacita and Cato. Holding her head as though from a hangover, she sat up and opened her eyes blearily.

Everything was still for a long, frozen moment.

Jules stared back—and then she was instantly in a crouch. Her eyes darted wildly about the clearing, her every feature on high alert.

Tacita and Cato both tensed, and Brenden raised his arms partway, perhaps preparing to cast one of his bubble shield-cages around her. However, after a long moment of silence, to my shock, Jules slowly relaxed.

Jules threw herself back down on the ground, sprawling herself out, propping her head up on one arm like she was back at home at La Push, lounging on the floor in front of the television. Her eyelids sank, unimpressed.

"Wow," she drawled. "A surprise party. You really shouldn't have. I mean, I didn't even have a chance to get my makeup ready."

Tacita's mouth was razor thin, as though she had been putting up with this for awhile. Cato sighed.

A hiss escaped from between Ivan's teeth. His fists clenched at his sides, knuckles showing white through the skin. He said, lips barely moving, "That—thing. It's one—one of those that killed her. Lauren."

Tanvir's grip on his brother's shoulder tightened. "It's okay, Ive," he said quietly. "Keep it cool."

Ivan's posture didn't change, his furious eyes never moving from Jules.

"Hmm, Lauren," Jules said lazily, cleaning out her ear with a pinkie. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

She examined the wax on her little finger before flicking it away, then squinted at Ivan. "Yellow eyes, huh? Then that must make you... annoying, apparently do-gooding bloodsucker nest number two. Except, of course, when your mates come down into our territory to pick people off for a snack. Oh yeah, it's coming back to me now. Not much of a runner, Lauren, didn't give us much of a chase. She was quite a screamer, though." The corner of her lip twitched in a nasty half-smile.

Ivan gave a wild, animalistic howl of rage, and before anyone could think to react, he ripped free from Tanvir's grip and hurled himself across the clearing, straight at Jules, heedless of the Volturi guards standing in his way.

Elena looked on with shock and horror, while Tanvir and Kirill both lurched forward, arms out to try to stop him.

However, neither of them reacted as fast as I did. Before Jules had even finished speaking, I saw what was coming, and in an instant I was there.

Ivan was so focused on Jules he didn't see me coming, and didn't so much as raise an arm to defend himself before I struck him hard. A single, lightning fast punch to the gut.

His body snapped back so fast when his back struck stone the rock crumpled beneath him like drywall. He skid along the edge of the cliff, kicking up dust and chips of stone in his wake. He hadn't even come to a stop when I launched myself after him, wild snarl echoing off the cliff faces, all thought forced from my mind by the overwhelming instinct to fight, and win.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw motion—Kirill wasn't going to let me attack his brother without responding. I paused and started to turn, readying myself for a rain of blows too fast to block, but Kirill only reached out to lightly brush one of my exposed wrists. Was that really the best he could do?

The long sleeves of my cloak swirling around me, I stretched out with both hands and shoved Kirill hard in the chest. Surprise flitted across his face—a second before he flew back, as hard and far as if he had been hit by a truck. His back struck a tree on the edge of the forest a hundred yards away, and the trunk split with a resounding crack.

Ivan was on his feet again. His eyes were wide, and he looked nearly demented. He seemed to realize the only way he was getting at Jules was through me.

Elena was shouting something at him, her face taut with mingled anger and terror. But Ivan was beyond reason. With a feral roar, he took off straight for me.

I couldn't believe that it had dissolved into a fight so quickly. Even less that, a moment before, I had almost been hoping for one, and hoping to help the Denali triumph. Now I couldn't afford to let that happen. If the Denali won out, I didn't know what would happen to Jules—maybe Tanvir and the others had apologized, but I knew that was only because they wanted to be reconciled with the Cullens. Their grudge against the wolves was far from gone. Jules's chances with the Volturi might not be good, but they were better than with the Denali.

Kirill was up, and he came charging back in a blur.

My head snapped back, and as Ivan came barreling at me from one side, Kirill from the other, I saw out of the corner of my eye both Tanvir and Carlos stepping forward too, in spite of Elena's increasingly urgent, pleading shouts for them to stand down. They seemed to realize there was little hope of diplomacy to smooth this out now. I backed up a step, eyes darting, trying to calculate who best to focus on.

I whirled to face Ivan. Kirill had barely touched me before when he'd had the opening, and so I hoped maybe he might be some sort of pacifist as well as vegetarian, or at least more reluctant to fight a Cullen. However, that didn't change the centuries experience gap between me and any member of the Denali coven. I knew without the element of surprise I probably didn't stand a chance. Yet, I raised my arms anyway—if I couldn't protect Jules, at least I'd go down fighting.

For one brief second, out of the corner of my eye I noticed Sulpicia for the first time, still standing next to a horrified Elena. Her features were, as always, perfectly serene.

As Ivan bore down on me, face contorted with fury, two figures suddenly appeared on either side of me, as though teleported there by magic—Cato and Tacita.

Cato lunged first, straight for Kirill, while Tacita readied to handle Ivan. In the heat of battle, I'd almost forgotten them.

While they were occupied, I turned my attention to Carlos and Tanvir. Elena had now physically seized Carlos about the neck, and with effort was holding him back. However, Tanvir was still free, and he had started toward us, more cautiously than Kirill, but mouth set in a firm line of determination.

I spun for him, launching myself forward—only to have my forhead slam into something hard.

I was thrown back a foot, and I snarled furiously in confusion until I realized I could just make out something in the air—a curve of something like glass.

I turned to see Brenden standing just behind me. His eyes were slightly wider than usual as he watched the battle. Like me, he was new, and obviously didn't consider himself one of the fighters of the guard.

"Let me out!" I snarled at him. I didn't see either Sulpicia or Renatus stepping in, and without them it was three on two, four if Carlos managed to get away from Elena, and more still if Elena realized there was no other way to save her coven than to fight. And even if Cato and Tacita could handle it, all it would take was Ivan slipping through for a second to get at Jules. However, Brenden acted as though he couldn't hear me, just kept his eyes on the battle.

I turned just in time to see Cato make contact with Kirill. Kirill stretched out one hand, and though he seemed to barely brush Cato's exposed hand, I watched with horror as Cato dropped instantly like a stone, twitching, face contorted in pain.

Tacita was alone now, three on one. Carlos was struggling, desperately trying to join his brothers, but Elena had him in a chokehold and, having abandoned all composure, was screaming at the others in a rapid mix of English and Spanish.

I pounded a fist against my prison in frustration, as the three closed in on Tacita, who was still facing Ivan.

I felt something icy plunge into my stomach. Jules, I thought.

However, Sulpicia, standing off to one side, still looked completely unconcerned. She only sighed a little, like a mother watching her misbehaving children.

My eyes went back to Tacita.

The entirety of this fight had barely taken seconds, from the time it had exploded to now. Yet I hadn't had trouble following it. In an instant, that changed.

My new vampire eyes were sharp enough to pick out the single flap of a hummingbird's wings, the fall of each individual raindrop in a rainstorm. But when Tacita moved, she was little more than a streak of black.

Ivan had raised his arms to strike, but suddenly Tacita was in front of him. Tacita seized him by both arms and, so fast I could barely follow it, with a single powerful kick to his chest ripped both arms free from their sockets.

She didn't stop there. In the same movement, she spun on Kirill and, though he stretched out a hand to touch her as he had Cato, she ducked beneath him and instead used his brother's arms like weapons, first striking Kirill on the back of his neck, driving him to his knees, and following up with another blow to his back, making him collapse to the ground.

Tacita turned toward Tanvir next, her grotesque tools still dangling in her hands. Tanvir, still some distance away, halted his advance. Instead, he backed up a step, hands raised.

Sulpicia said mildly, "In terms of skilled fighters, you might think you have us outnumbered—a miscalculation, if so. But you should know I count Tacita as three of any of my guard. Tacita's sense of tracking is so precise at this range that she could disbatch all three of you with her eyes closed. So you might do well to take that into consideration."

Meanwhile, Cato had gotten back to his feet.

Carlos, who had been fighting to pull free of Elena's grip, had stopped moving. Tanvir backed up another couple of steps. Ivan was on his knees, and though the mad fury had not left his face, it was now mixed with pain, and he didn't try to move. Kirill climbed gingerly to his feet, but he kept his eyes down, and his will to fight seemed sapped out of him.

"Good," said Sulpicia, sighing a little. "I'm glad we have that settled." Her eyes shifted to Tacita.

Tacita turned toward where Ivan knelt, standing over him. In one movement, she let both his arms drop twitching to the stone on either side of her. Then, in a swift motion she produced something from inside the folds of her cloak. It flashed silver in the sunlight.

Elena let out a low, desperate cry, and Kirill's listless frame suddenly tensed again. However, Cato stepped sideways to block him, this time concealing his hands inside the sleeves of his cloak to avoid skin contact.

"Please," Elena whispered, turning to Sulpicia, head bowed. "My lady, you must understand... losing a mate... he's not been rational. Please..."

I realized what the glint of silver was, and I felt something cold drop in my stomach. I hadn't wanted the Denalis to win, for Jules to die at Ivan's hands. But I didn't want this either. I didn't know any of them well, and had never seen Ivan before today—but I was a Cullen, and they were all family.

Tacita flicked the lighter open in a single practiced movement, and a tiny flame appeared—all that was necessary to set the exposed venom of a dismembered immortal alight and burn them to ashes. She raised it above Ivan's head, but did not bring it close enough to begin the process. Waiting for the final signal from Sulpicia.

Ivan didn't even look at Tacita, or try to move from where he knelt. Instead, he turned his head slightly to stare across the stone to Jules once again. His mouth twisted with the regret of unfulfilled vengeance.

"Please," Elena whispered.

Sulpicia was studying Ivan with a thoughtful expression. She exhaled softly, then murmured, "It is not an easy thing to lose a mate."

Then she added, in a voice still gentle, yet chilly as a winter frost, "But the madness of loss cannot be an excuse for injustice. He has attempted to kill a creature that is a friend of the Cullens, who destroyed his treacherous mate who meant to violate the oath of your clan, in the process raising his hand even against us—heedlessly exposing his own coven to our retribution. That is a type of selfishness that has no cure. For there to be no answering payment, no justice—that would leave open the door to chaos."

Her misty eyes gazed long at Ivan's bent form as she added, sighing, "Such a shame, that history must repeat itself. Your father died for an undeserving, misplaced love. I wish you might have learned the lesson. Be glad, Ivan, I will forgive the rest of your coven their loyalty to you."

Ivan didn't react. Some of the fury had faded from his features, but he betrayed no sign of fear. His back straightened, even as he dipped his head a little in acceptance. His eyes found Tanvir's for a moment, and he shook his head once very slightly to the side—as though to tell him not to strike out in vengeance when it was done.

Tacita raised the flame.

"Wait."

All eyes turned toward me. Swallowing, trying to inject more calm reason than I felt into my tone, I repeated, "Wait, you can't kill him."

Sulpicia closed her eyes briefly, as though hearing the one thing she had dreaded. Then, to my surprise, she abruptly raised a hand. Tacita halted, lighter still in hand.

Sulpicia turned reluctantly to look at me. Her face was smooth, yet something seemed to flash beneath the surface, like a simmering volcano. In a careful, measured voice, she said softly, "Can't I?"

I hesitated. I knew I was talking to the vampire who had ruled vampire kind for a thousand years, meting out justice as she saw fit, who commanded armies and wielded powers in complex political games beyond my comprehension. Rationally, I knew I couldn't touch that. But the Denalis were family, and I had to try.

"You need us," I said, grasping at anything. I glanced meaningfully back at Elena, then Kirill. "Need them. You can't afford to do something that might make messy emotions get in the way. Not now."

Sulpicia stared back at me for a long moment. The seconds seemed to stretch on and on, longer even than the hours trapped in the car with the sound of Jules's beating heart and my blazing thirst. However, she never once even glanced at Elena or Kirill, only me. At last she said softly, coolly, "Then what would you propose?"

I paused, too surprised to answer immediately. I hadn't expected to get this far. I slowly turned my eyes back to Ivan.

"I feel bad for you," I said to him at last. "Maybe if I were in your place, I would be the crazy one. But the truth is there wasn't a choice what happened, the wolves were just doing their jobs. If you leave here, then—then if you ever try that again, I'll kill you myself."

Ivan hadn't turned his head, but he was watching me out of the corner of his eye. His gaze shifted to Jules once again for a second, and his eyes narrowed with loathing. But then his eyes returned to me, and I thought I saw his head dip slightly, the barest hint of a nod.

Sulpicia glanced at Ivan once, before her gaze returned to me. Calculations seemed to whirr at lightning speed behind her milky eyes. At long last, she made a sharp gesture at Tacita.

Kirill snarled, while Tanvir gave a half-lurch forward, eyes wide.

But Tacita only raised a foot and kicked Ivan hard in the chest.

He collapsed on his back, armless unable to catch himself, or maybe he didn't try. A cloud of dust kicked up behind him as Tacita replaced the lighter in her cloak as quickly as it had appeared.

"Go, then," said Sulpicia, mouth tightening slightly with distaste. "It would seem that circumstances have conspired to save you. I hope you will use this second chance wisely."

Elena was almost crying with relief. Carlos, letting out a long, heavy breath, placed a comforting arm around her shoulders, and Kirill sagged where he stood.

Tanvir, taking a shakey breath, cautiously stepped forward. Never taking his eyes off Tacita, he gingerly retrieved Ivan's arms and made his way around to Ivan's side. He put an arm around Ivan's shoulders. Tacita watched them with cold, hard eyes.

"We'll... we'll just go then," Tanvir said, trying to force one of his jovial smiles. "Sorry for the trouble. Really sorry. Guess not one of my brightest ideas."

Carlos also hesitantly took a step back, reluctantly disengaging himself from his mate. Elena seemed to have recovered herself, though her face was still pale.

"Carlos," Sulpicia said suddenly, abruptly. He froze.

She turned her eyes to him, then said politely, "If you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate if you would go retrieve something to eat and bring it back here. Something one of your diet would like." She glanced briefly at me. "He is still new, and has not had the opportunity to feed in some time."

Carlos blinked, clearly still dazed after everything that had happened. However, at last he nodded once, then more vigorously. Glancing once at Elena, who nodded at him, he gave a hasty bow and then turned and disappeared into the forest.

Tanvir had gotten Ivan to his feet. Still holding one of Ivan's arms in each hand, he drew Ivan toward the forest line. Ivan hesitated a moment, and his eyes returned toward Jules briefly. Then he shook his head and turned away. Walking stiffly, though quickly, he followed Tanvir's lead, and soon they were gone.

A brief silence followed. Only to be interrupted by the last person who should have been talking.

"Well," Jules commented, raising a hand as though to stifle a yawn. "That was entertaining. Don't mind me, you all just go on trying to kill each other." Unbelievably, all through the fight, Jules had not moved an inch from where she lay.

Elena, who had been looking at Sulpicia, now turned her eyes slowly to Jules. Though her face remained smooth, I saw the muscles in her jaw tighten ever so slightly. Kirill's expression wasn't quite so subtle—his lip curled back from his teeth, the skin between his eyes buckling with suppressed fury. What had almost happened might not have happened at all without Jules doing her level best to push Ivan over the edge.

"I'm kind of disappointed right now, actually," Jules continued, oblivious to the sets of resentful eyes now watching her. "I mean, I consider testing leech's limits kind of my thing, but blondie's limits weren't high at all. He went and got his arms ripped off before I even got to tell him her last words."

Kirill's eyes narrowed dangerously, fists clenching convulsively at his sides, and I was sure it was only Tacita standing just a few feet away that stopped him launching himself at her just as Ivan had.

I glanced back at Jules, wishing I could somehow signal to her to stop talking. It was like she was trying to get her head ripped off. But, that was Jules for you, she wasn't going to cower in fear for anybody. She wouldn't take any advice—even if she had known who I was.

Sulpicia was still staring after the place where Ivan had gone, expression hard to read. "Leniency," she murmured, mouth twisting with distaste. "The greatest injustice of all." Then at last her gaze shifted to where I stood. She seemed to be talking more to herself than to me as she continued softly, "But for the sake of the greater objective, I suppose compromises must be made. And if the drive for vengeance does propel him to action again, I do not think I will be the one to regret it most."

I stared back at her unblinking, and didn't reply. However, I knew what she meant. Ivan had nodded his head at my words, but that didn't mean he agreed not to hunt the wolves again. He had nodded that he accepted that if he tried to kill the wolves, I would kill him. Which might still be a trade he was willing to make. By stepping in for Ivan, I'd kept the Cullen's sister coven intact, but Jules might still someday be in danger, or the rest of her sisters.

Still, I didn't regret it. I was glad to have helped save someone, and if Ivan did someday decide to cross me again, well, I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. If Jules and I were even still alive to worry about it then.

At long last, I turned slowly to face Jules. Counting the Denalis, I was just one of many new leeches she had seen today, and even without my Volturi hood, I barely resembled my old human self. With the immediate crisis averted, I knew I had to make a decision. To help Jules see who I was—or not.

I was the monster she'd been dreading, and she had just had a first-row seat to just how inhuman I was. I couldn't imagine what it would do to her to know the old Beau was gone, ahead of schedule, before she'd even had a chance to say goodbye.

It would be easy to spare her for the moment, until this was all over and done—all I'd need to do was turn and tell her a name, any name. I didn't doubt Sulpicia would follow my lead, if just to keep the peace. That would be the easiest thing on her right now; leave the truth until she had better time and space to deal with it properly, away from all this.

"Better scared," whispered Jules's voice in the back of mind, "than lied to."

I took a deep breath, and her burning, foul odor scorched down my nose. Of course, I already knew what Jules would do if our positions were reversed, what she would say if she had the choice. And so there was really only one option.

Brenden had already backed up from me, and was standing beside Jules again. I supposed to put up a barrier if she got ideas about trying to fight or get away.

I stared back down into her face. Though her posture was still relaxed, laying sprawled on her side with her head propped up on one hand, her eyes were tight, and her jaw betrayed just a hint of strain. She was a good actor, but it was an effort keep up this blasé and careless facade surrounded by vampires. There were dark circles beneath her eyes as though she hadn't slept in days, and the angles of her face were sharper than usual with lack of sustenance. I hated seeing her like this—and yet, she was still managing to find ways to strike back, even as a prisoner surrounded by vampires. She was still every bit the Jules I knew, and in that thought I felt a surge of unexpected warmth.

Jules noticed me staring at her and, lip curling, she eyed me up and down. "What?" she said. "You got something to say? If the queen was going to go out and pick up more spooky guards while I was out, I kind of thought she'd go for someone a little more impressive. Not much of a fighter, are you? Jacie Chan over there had to do all the work. I'd peg you as a little old adviser, but you don't look like you have brains enough to change a light bulb by yourself, let alone tell the queen of darkness anything she doesn't already know."

I had to bite back a laugh. Getting under vampire skin really was Jules's specialty. However, this wasn't a joke, and I forced my face back to neutral, my expression solemn. I took a couple steps closer.

"I'm not a guard," I said in a low voice. "I'm a prisoner, like you."

I knew she wouldn't recognize my voice, it was nothing like my old one had been. Yet I found myself holding my breath anyway.

However, her lip only rose another centimeter.

"Oh, poor you," she sneered. "So that's why you got all miffed when blondie wanted to take a bite out of me. You thought you were going to get a fluffy new pet. And if we get away, we'll just run off into the sunset and play fetch together. That it, leech?"

I crouched down in front of her. In a quick motion, I drew back my hood.

For a long moment I just stared at her, unspeaking. I wondered if she could possibly recognize me like this—it was stupid to expect her to, with my alabaster-white skin and vivid crimson eyes, but for some reason, some part of me hoped she would. That there was still enough left of the old me for her to pick out.

"What?" Jules said again, and for the first time she looked a bit unnerved. She pushed herself up on her arm, so that she could lean away from me. She eyed me suspiciously. "If you're expecting some kind of weird, prisoner-bonding thing to happen, you might as well save yourself the disappointment."

I didn't reply, just stayed crouched where I was. I folded my arms in front of me, letting the sleeves of my cloak fall against the ground. I hated it that I had to tell her this in front of all the others. This felt like it ought to be a private moment, so Jules could react however she felt like, without an audience of crimson eyes. But the most I could do was pretend the others weren't there—that it was just her and me.

Jules seemed slightly irritated now. "Get lost," she said. She waved her hands at me, like she might to scare off a stray dog. "Shoo."

I shifted my crouch to sit cross-legged on the ground instead. Not because I was uncomfortable—I could have crouched like that all day. However, I wanted to signal somehow that I wasn't going anywhere.

"Do you have a problem?" Jules asked, mouth twisting. "You know, I've never met a clingy bloodsucker before."

I knew I wasn't doing her any favors drawing this out. She had to come around to the truth sometime. However, her disinterested sarcasm was better than what was probably coming—shock, horror, pain.

I gave a very slight shrug of my shoulders. "First time for everything."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I can see why the queen of darkness wouldn't want you for a guard. You're kind of pathetic."

I shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Most pathetic vampire I ever saw."

"Probably."

"Probably get your arms ripped off in a fight faster than crazy-blondie."

"Yeah."

"And grovel on the ground if they so much as tweaked your pinkie finger."

"Guess so."

Jules's eyes narrowed further. Her mouth was pursed. "You don't even know what I am, do you?"

"A werewolf?" I guessed.

She raised an eyebrow. "And mortal enemies."

"I don't think it has to be that way."

She let out a half laugh of disbelief—and then she froze.

She stared at me for a long moment. Then, very slowly, she shifted her legs beneath her, and climbed unsteadily to her feet. She took a staggering step back.

"No," she whispered.

I didn't answer.

Her face was ashen, the muscles completely slack. "No," she repeated, louder this time.

Still I said nothing. My eyes dropped.

I heard, rather than saw her move. I heard the whistle of air past her body as she launched herself forward. She moved faster than a normal human, but I could have dodged her if I chose. Instead, I let myself fall backwards as I felt her slam into me. And I didn't resist, as I felt her hands close around my throat.

Tacita and Cato both tensed, but I saw out of the corner of my eye Sulpicia raise a hand to signal them to stay back. However, Brenden stepped forward, and I realized I could just make out the faint outline of a clear barrier behind Jules's back, and I realized how it was they had kept her from transforming from the moment she awoke—if she tried to change in a space this small, she would be crushed.

I felt the muscles in her hands and forearms strain at my hard neck—as a human, she didn't have a hope of hurting me, let alone suffocate me.

"You," she whispered. Her voice was shaking. "You—what did you do?"

I let myself stay completely limp, though my vampire instincts were raging at me to take some defensive action—inside Brenden's small capsule, her burning scent was nearly overpowering, trying to fill me with all the primal rage born of a centuries-old antagonism.

"I think you know," I said softly. Though her hands were around my throat, and she was squeezing as hard as she could, my vocal cords were unaffected. She might as well have been holding a column of solid stone.

She gritted her teeth and bent so our faces were inches apart. In the shadow, her eyes were solid black.

"Sorry," I whispered.

She stared down at me for a long moment. And then a short, sharp sound escaped her mouth—a sob.

She released my neck, and staggered back, until her back struck the barrier with a dull thud. She slumped forward, and pressed her hands to her face.

I slowly sat up. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to touch her arm, her shoulder—anything to comfort her, just like I used to, the way she would comfort me. But I knew that wouldn't do her any good now. Nothing was going to make this better.

They all watched us as Jules struggled to get her breathing under control. I wanted to tell them to go away, to leave us alone and mind their own business. But I just continued to ignore them, giving Jules all my attention.

Finally, she let her hands drop, and when she did, she stared at me with eyes flat and dead.

"I don't believe this," she said. "I really don't."

"Sorry," I said again. I didn't know what else to say.

She shook her head. "I thought there was still time."

"There was. But some things happened." I glanced once in Sulpicia's direction. She was watching us placidly.

Jules followed my look, eyes briefly circling around to the others, but if she cared that she was forced to have this audience, she didn't show it. She looked supremely uninterested in any of them. Her eyes finally returned to me.

"Where's your vampire girl?" she asked. "Didn't she come with you?"

I wasn't exactly sure how to explain everything that had happened very succinctly.

"I had to leave her behind," I said quietly at last. "I told you, I'm a prisoner too."

Jules stared back at me for a long moment. She was studying my face closely, as though reading it all in my expression alone. Then, with a deep sigh, she suddenly stretched out her legs—narrowly avoiding kicking me in the stomach—and laced her hands behind her head.

"So," she said, and her voice was abruptly casual. "How many?"

I frowned a little, eying her uncertainly. "How many what?"

"People have you killed so far."

I really did frown then. "None. I'm a vegetarian, remember?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sure you are."

Her gaze went back to me, and she studied me speculatively. Very slowly, she shifted around, so she was sitting on her knees. She leaned forward, until I felt her beating heart close to mine, her face inches away. Then, very deliberately, she breathed right into my face.

"Tell me," she said softly, and to my shock, a hint of a grin played about her mouth, "do you want to eat me right now?"

I nearly wretched at the sudden concentrated smell. "No," I said honestly, wrinkling my nose and trying not to breathe in. "In fact, you're kind of killing my appetite."

Unexpectedly, she laughed. "That bad, huh?"

I nodded. "That bad."

"Well, you don't smell so good yourself. Give me a basket of rotting eggs, carrion, and skunk any day."

"Thanks," I muttered.

She was still leaning in close, too close for comfort, but I didn't lean away as her smile faded, and she seemed to be studying me closely. At last, she pulled back, arms folded.

"What?" I asked.

She tilted her head to one side. "It's just, minus the smell, you actually don't seem that different. I wasn't really expecting that."

I didn't answer. I hoped she never saw me when I got downwind of a hiker.

Someone cleared their throat loudly. I didn't have to look to know it was Kirill.

"I thought we were on some kind of deadline," he said. Hey eyed the two of us with purest contempt. "Or are we going to stand around watching your new recruit flirt with this thing all day?"

I felt myself bristle slightly, but Jules didn't seem bothered. In fact, she grinned. She leaned over, throwing a casual arm around my neck. Her skin blazed against mine, so hot it almost burned.

"What?" she taunted. "Does this bother you, blondie? Get used to it, werewolf-bloodsucker friendship, it's a beautiful thing."

Kirill's eyes narrowed, and he looked at me with accusation and suspicion.

"All right then," said Sulpicia, evidently deciding to intervene before Jules could start any more fights. Her irritation over the Ivan episode seemed to have faded, and she was back her usual smiling, unflappable self. "Now that that's all taken care of, Kirill is right, I think it about time we begin."

Jules let go of my neck—I figured the touch of my skin must be as uncomfortable to her as to me—and turned her head to catch my eye. "Started?"

I nodded. "I guess they're going to be training me for something."

Jules pursed her lips. "For what?"

I shrugged. "They want me to help them fight this rebellion they've got to put down."

Jules snorted. "Fight a rebellion? You? Talk about delusions. You might be a bloodsucker now, but I bet your girlfriend could beat you up any day of the week. Even Sarah could beat you up."

I folded my arms. I wanted to point out how I'd taken both Ivan and Kirill down moments ago, however briefly, but decided it was better not to antagonize Kirill any more than we already had, and I didn't want to sound like a kid.

"I'm not going to be fighting," I explained instead. "Something to do with that thing I do, blocking Edythe out. I'm supposed to learn how to block other people too." I paused, then added more quietly, "And she's not my girlfriend anymore."

"Right," she said. "Course you're already married." She glanced down at my hand, then frowned when she found my ring finger bare.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. And... I've already left her." My voice was low. As I said it, I wished I hadn't. The crimson eyes were still watching us, and I didn't need this audience to my pain. But I couldn't keep the hollowness out of my voice.

Jules eyed me for a long moment. Her gaze flickered briefly to Sulpicia before returning to me. She nodded once, slowly, seemingly somehow to guess at what had happened, to digest the parts of the story I wasn't saying. The clearing was silent for a long minute.

Sulpicia seemed to decide she had left us enough time to catch up. She gazed out at the forest in the direction Carlos had gone for a moment, thoughtful, then said, "Perhaps we ought to begin now. If you think you can muster the concentration."

I glanced back at her. I hesitated, then shrugged one shoulder. My entire head felt like it was on fire, my mouth a scorched desert. Someone might have been shoving hot irons down my throat for all the pain I was in, and when I thought about the possibility of quenching the thirst, it became nearly unendurable. Yet at the same time, I'd been learning to live with it. When I had something else to focus on—like Jules being in danger, or what I had done to Edythe—I could almost forget about it for seconds at a time.

"I can try."

Sulpicia nodded. "Good. Excellent. Time grows short. If we are to hope to stop Dante De Luca before he makes his move, we must condense what would normally be months of careful conditioning into a matter of days—fortunately, I believe we have all the tools we will need." Perhaps I was imagining it, but I thought her milky eyes lingered just a little too long on Jules as she said that. But then her gaze returned to me and she added, "And given that I am sure that Edythe Cullen has by now worked out the true state of affairs, she will likely be in pursuit of us as well. That is a confrontation I would prefer to avoid, and I'm sure you would as well."

I glanced at her, surprised. In my head, I'd been picturing Edythe still standing in that forest, stunned at what I had done to her—but then, Sulpicia had called her to force her to change me. Maybe Edythe had already realized that couldn't be a coincidence. The thought that she didn't have to think I didn't love her—that I hadn't abandoned her by choice—felt like a sudden weight lifted off my shoulders. I almost could have cried—and yet I suddenly felt cold. Cold at the thought of Edythe really catching up to us. Fighting Tacita.

A shudder wracked my frame. More to reassure myself than anything, I heard myself saying aloud, "Because you couldn't afford to hurt her." Sulpicia needed my cooperation—I didn't want to push my luck, but if that was a bargain chip I had, I was going to use it for all it was worth.

Sulpicia nodded slowly. "That," she said lightly, "and I don't particularly want to face Edythe Cullen as an enemy at present. She could very well be as dangerous as Dante De Luca, in the end."

I stared back at her for a long moment, not sure what to think—if Sulpicia, ruler of all vampires, really thought that. I doubted it.

Sulpicia raised a hand to signal the others, and Tacita and Cato both stepped forward as one. Elena and Kirill watched from the background with uncertainty, their faces grim.

Sulpicia smiled softly. "Then let us begin."