| "Don't laugh ¡ª but how can you come out during the daytime?"He laughed anyway. "Myth.""Burned by the sun?""Myth.""Sleeping in coffins?""Myth." He hesitated for a moment, and a peculiar tone entered his voice."I can't sleep."It took me a minute to absorb that. "At all?""Never," he said, his voice nearly nike shox outletinaudible. He turned to look at mewith a wistful expression. The golden eyes held mine, and I lost my trainof thought. I stared at him until he looked away."You haven't asked me the most important question yet." His voice was hard now, and when he looked at me again his eyes were cold. blinked, still dazed. "Which one is that?""You aren't concerned about my diet?" he asked sarcastically."Oh," I murmured, "that.""Yes, that." His voice was bleak. "Don't you want to know if I drinkblood?"I flinched. "Well, Jacob said something about that.""What did Jacob say?" he asked flatly."He said you didn't¡ hunt people. He said your family wasn't supposed tobe dangerous because you only hunted animals.""He said we weren't dangerous?" His voice was deeply skeptical."Not exactly. He said you weren't supposed to be dangerous. But theQuileutes still didn't want you on their land, just in case."He looked forward, but I couldn't tell if he was watching the road or not."So was he right? About not hunting people?" I tried to keep my voice aseven as possible."The Quileutes have a long memory," he whispered.I took it as a confirmation."Don't let that make you complacent, though," he warned me. "They'reright to keep their Women Nike Shox NZdistance from us. We are still dangerous.""I don't understand.""We try," he explained slowly. "We're usually very good at what we do.ometimes we make mistakes. Me, for example, allowing myself to be alonewith you.""This is a mistake?" I heard the sadness in my voice, but I didn't knowif he could as well.A very dangerous one," he murmured.We were both silent then. I watched the headlights twist with the curvesof the road. They moved too fast; it didn't look real, it looked like avideo game. I was aware of the time slipping away so quickly, like theblack road beneath us, and I was hideously afraid that I would never haveanother chance to be with him like this again ¡ª openly, the walls betweenus gone for once. His words hinted at an end, and I recoiled from theidea. I couldn't waste one minute I had with him."Tell me more," I asked desperately, not caring what he said, just so Icould hear his voice again.He looked at me quickly, startled by the change in my tone. "What more doyou want to know?""Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people," I suggested, my voicestill tinged with desperation. I realized Women Nike Shox OZmy eyes were wet, and I foughtagainst the grief that was trying to overpower me.¡¡¡¡"I don't want to be a monster." His voice was very low."But animals aren't enough?"He paused. "I can't be sure, of course, but I'd compare it¡¡It doesn't completely satiate the hunger ¡ª or rather thirst. But it keensus strong enough to resist. Most of the time." His tone turned ominous."Sometimes it's more difficult than others.""Is it very difficult for you now?" I asked.He sighed. "Yes.""But you're not hungry now," I said confidently ¡ª stating, not asking.Why do you think that?""Your eyes. I told you I had a theory. I've noticed that people ¡ª men inparticular ¡ª are crabbier when they're hungry."He chuckled. "You are observant, aren't you?"I didn'tWomen Nike Shox R4 answer; I just listened to the sound of his laugh, committing itto memory.Were you hunting this weekend, with Emmett?" I asked when it was quietagain."Yes." He paused for a second, as if deciding whether or not to saysomething. "I didn't want to leave, but it was necessary. It's a biteasier to be around you when I'm not thirsty.""Why didn't you want to leave?""It makes me¡ anxious¡ to be away from you." His eyes were gentle butintense, and they seemed to be making my bones turn soft. "I wasn'tjoking when I asked you to try not to fall in the ocean or get run overlast Thursday. I was distracted all weekend, worrying about you. Andafter what happened tonight, I'm surprised that you did make it through awhole weekend unscathed." He shook his head, and then seemed to remembersomething. "Well, not totally unscathed.""What?""Your hands," he reminded me. I looked down at my palms, at thealmost-healed scrapes across the heels of my hands. His eyes missednothing."I fell," I sighed.¡¡¡¡"That's what I thought." His lips curved up at the corners. "I suppose,being you, it could have been much worse ¡ª and that possibility tormentedme the entire time I was away. It was a very long three days. I reallygotMen Nike Shox R4on Emmett's nerves." He smiled ruefully at me.Three days? Didn't you just get back today?""No, we got back Sunday.""Then why weren't any of you in school?" I was frustrated, almost angryas I thought of how much disappointment I had suffered because of hisabsence."Well, you asked if the sun hurt me, and it doesn't. But I can't go outin the sunlight ¡ª at least, not where anyone can see.""Why?""I'll show you sometime," he promised.I thought about it for a moment.¡¡¡¡"You might have called me," I decided.He was puzzled. "But I knew you were safe.""But I didn't know where you were. I ¡ª" I hesitated, dropping my eyes."What?" His velvety voice was compelling. "I didn't like it. Not seeing you. It makes me anxious, too." I blushedto be saying this out loud.He was quiet. I glanced up, apprehensive, and saw that his expression waspained.¡¡¡¡"Ah," he groaned quietly. "This is wrong."I couldn't understand his response. "What did I say?""Don't you see, Bella? It's one thing for me to make myself miserable,but a wholly other thing for you to be so involved." He turned hisanguished eyes to the road, his words flowing almost too fast for me tounderstand. "I don't want to hear that you feel that way." His voice waslow but urgent. His words cut me. "It's wrong. It's not safe. I'mdangerous, Bella ¡ª please, grasp that.""No." I tried very hard not to look like a sulky child."I'm serious," he growled."So am I. I told you, it doesn't matter what you are. It's too late."His voice whipped out, low and harsh. "Never say that."I bit my lip and was glad he couldn't know how much that hurt. IMen Nike Shox R6 staredout at the road. We must be close now. He was driving much too fast."What are you thinking?" he asked, his voice still raw. I just shook myhead, not sure if I could speak. I could feel his gaze on my face, but Ikept my eyes forward.Are you crying?" He sounded appalled. I hadn't realized the moisture inmy eyes had brimmed over. I quickly rubbed my hand across my cheek, andsure enough, traitor tears were there, betraying me.No," I said, but my voice cracked.I saw him reach toward me hesitantly with his right hand, but then hestopped and placed it slowly back on the steering wheel.I'm sorry." His voice burned with regret. I knew he wasn't justapologizing for the words that had upset me.The darkness slipped by us in silence.¡¡¡¡"Tell me something," he asked after another minute, and I could hear himstruggle to use a lighter tone.Yes?""What were you thinking tonight, just before I came around the corner? Icouldn't understand your expression ¡ª you didn't look that scared, youlooked like you were concentrating very hard on something.""I was trying to remember how to incapacitate an attacker ¡ª you know,self-defense. I was going to smash his nose into his brain." I thought ofthe dark-haired man with a surge of hate."You were going to fight them?" This upset him. "Didn't you think aboutrunning?""I fall down a lot when I run," I admitted."What about screaming for help?""I was getting to that part."He shook his head. "You were right ¡ª I'm definitely fighting fate tryingto keep you alive." I sighed. We were slowing, passing into the boundaries of Forks. It hadtaken less than twenty minutes.Will I see you tomorrow?" I demanded.Yes ¡ª I have a paper due, too." He smiled. "I'll save you a seat atlunch."It was silly, after everything we'd been through tonight, how that littlepromise sent flutters through my stomach, and made me unable to speak.e were in front of Charlie's house. The lights were on, my truck in itsplace, everything utterly normal. It was like waking from a dream. Hestopped the car, but I didn't move."Do you promise to be there tomorrow?""I promise."I considered that for a moment, then nodded. I pulled his jacket off,taking one last whiff.You can keep it ¡ª you don't have a jacket for tomorrow," he reminded me.I handed it back to him. "I don't want to have to explain to Charlie.""Oh, right." He grinned.¡¡¡¡I hesitated, my hand on the door handle, trying to prolong the moment."Bella?" he asked in a different tone ¡ª serious, but hesitant."Yes?" I turned back to him too eagerly."Will you promise me something?""Yes," I said, and instantly regretted my unconditional agreement. Whatif he asked me to stay away from him? I couldn't keep that promise.Don't go into the woods alone."I stared at him in blank confusion. "Why?"He frowned, and his eyes were tight as he stared past me out the window.I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there. Let's leave it atthat."I shuddered slightly at the sudden bleakness in his voice, but I wasrelieved. This, at least, was an easy promise to honor. "Whatever yousay.""I'll see you tomorrow," he sighed, and I knew he wanted me to leave now.Tomorrow, then." I opened the door unwillingly.Bella?" I turned and he was leaning toward me, his pale, glorious facejust inches from mine. My heart stopped beating."Sleep well," he said. His breath blew in my face, stunning me. It wasthe same exquisite scent that clung to his jacket, but in a moreconcentrated form. I blinked, thoroughly dazed. He leaned away.¡¡¡¡I was unable to move until my brain had somewhat unscrambled itself. ThenI stepped out of the car awkwardly, having to use the frame for support. thought I heard him chuckle, but the sound was too quiet for me to becertain.He waited till I had stumbled to the front door, and then I heard hisengine quietly rev. I turned to watch the silver car disappear around thecorner. I realized it was very cold. |