I thought he would be thinking of Harry, but then he spoke, and his tone was apologetic.

"Sorry. I know you don't feel exactly the way I do, Bella. I swear I don't mind. I'm just so glad you're okay that I could sing – and that's something no one wants to hear."

"Yes... I know how he feels," Edward said.

He laughed his throaty laugh in my ear.

My breathing kicked up a notch, sanding the walls of my throat.

Wouldn't Edward, indifferent as he might be, want me to be as happy as possible under the circumstances?

"Yes... this is what I hope for...or, at least, the thought that you could be okay," Edward said.

"She's not..." Alice countered.

"I know," Edward said before she could even finish, "but I still wouldn't begrudge her this."

Wouldn't enough friendly emotion linger for him to want that much for me? I thought he would. He wouldn't begrudge me this: giving just a small bit of love he didn't want to my friend Jacob. After all, it wasn't the same love at all.

Jake pressed his warm cheek against the top of my hair.

If I turned my face to the side – if I pressed my lips against his bare shoulder...I knew without any doubt what would follow. It would be very easy. There would be no need for explanations tonight.

But could I do it? Could I betray my absent heart to save my pathetic life?

"When she puts it like that, there's really is only one choice," Alice grumbled.

Butterflies assaulted my stomach as I thought of turning my head.

And then, as clearly as if I were in immediate danger, Edward's velvet voice whispered in my ear.

"Be happy," he told me.

"Er... that's what I would say... but why would the voice tell her that now?" Edward looked shocked.

"Well, she did say 'to save my pathetic life'," Alice said, frowning at the words. "Her body must know that being with the pup is the best way to get rid of these delusions and that it's the only way to stop her from doing some other crazy stunt that might get her killed."

"Right," Edward said, still looking puzzled.

I froze.

Jacob felt me stiffen and released me automatically, reaching for the door.

Wait, I wanted to say. Just a minute. But I was still locked in place, listening to the echo of Edward's voice in my head.

Storm-cooled air blew through the cab of the truck.

"OH!" The breath whooshed out of Jacob like someone had punched him in the gut. "Holy crap!"

"What is it?" Edward asked, suddenly anxious.

He slammed the door and twisted the keys in the ignition at the same moment. His hands were shaking so hard I didn't know how he managed it.

"Keep your cool or get out of the truck," Edward commanded.

"What's wrong?"

He revved the engine too fast; it sputtered and faltered.

"Vampire," he spit out.

"Crap! Get her out of there!" Edward hissed.

"Edward... it might not be a bad vampire," Alice said thoughtfully.

"We're not coming back, Alice," Edward groaned, but he looked almost hopeful.

"You must be crazy now without her... so you might come," Alice said. "You wouldn't know that the wolf could smell you, or more precisely, that he would even be there to smell you."

The blood rushed from my head and left me dizzy. "How do you know?"

"Because I can smell it. Dammit!"

Jacob's eyes were wild, raking the dark street. He barely seemed aware of the tremors that were rolling through his body. "Phase or get her out of here?" he hissed at himself.

"Get out!" Edward said ignoring what Alice had just said.

He looked down at me for a split second, taking in my horror-struck eyes and white face, and then he was scanning the street again. "Right. Get you out."

The engine caught with a roar. The tires squealed as he spun the truck around, turning toward our only escape. The headlights washed across the pavement, lit the front line of the black forest, and finally glinted off a car parked across the street from my house.

"Stop!" I gasped.

It was a black car – a car I knew.

"It was one of our cars... see, it's us," Alice cheered.

"I would not bring a car... I wouldn't just go and see her," Edward hissed. "I wouldn't ruin her like that as long as I still believed that she was in danger because of me!"

"Then maybe it's not you!" Alice hissed back. "You're not the only one that cares about Bella, you know!"

I might be the furthest thing from an autophile, but I could tell you everything about that particular car. It was a Mercedes S55 AMG. I knew the horsepower and the color of the interior. I knew the feel of the powerful engine purring through the frame. I knew the rich smell of the leather seats and the way the extra-dark tint made noon look like dusk through those windows.

It was Carlisle's car.

"Stop!" I cried again, louder this time, because Jacob was gunning the truck down the street.

"What?"

"It's not Victoria. Stop, stop! I want to go back."

"What if it's a trap?" Edward asked.

"Argh," Alice groaned, rolling her eyes. Overprotective idiot.

He stomped on the brake so hard I had to catch myself against the dashboard.

"What?" he asked again, aghast. He stared at me with horror in his eyes.

"It's Carlisle's car! It's the Cullens. I know it."

"Crap... he's not going to like that," Edward said, now worried about something else entirely, but something that seemed more reasonable (to them at least). "Keep calm pup!"

He watched dawn break across my face, and a violent tremor rocked his frame.

"Hey, calm down, Jake. It's okay. No danger, see? Relax."

"Yeah, calm," he panted, putting his head down and closing his eyes. While he concentrated on not exploding into a wolf, I stared out the back window at the black car.