Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer [83]
Jared cleared his throat, and then he nodded to me. White flag of truce, Jake. Were here to talk.
Think its true? Seth asked.
Makes sense, but
Yeah, Leah agreed. But.
We didnt relax.
Jared frowned. It would be easier to talk if I could hear you, too.
I stared him down. I wasnt going to phase back until I felt better about this situation. Until it made sense. Why Collin? That was the part that had me most worried.
Okay. I guess Ill just talk, then, Jared said. Jake, we want you to come back.
Quil let out a soft whine behind him. Seconding the statement.
Youve torn our family apart. Its not meant to be this way.
I wasnt exactly in disagreement with that, but it was hardly the point. There were a few unresolved differences of opinion between me and Sam at the moment.
We know that you feel strongly about the situation with the Cullens. We know thats a problem. But this is an overreaction.
Seth growled. Overreaction? And attacking our allies without warning isnt?
Seth, you ever heard of a poker face? Cool it.
Sorry.
Jareds eyes flickered to Seth and back to me. Sam is willing to take this slowly, Jacob. Hes calmed down, talked to the other Elders. Theyve decided that immediate action is in no ones best interest at this point.
Translation: Theyve already lost the element of surprise, Leah thought.
It was weird how distinct our joint thinking was. The pack was already Sams pack, was already them to us. Something outside and other. It was especially weird to have Leah thinking that way-to have her be a solid part of the us.
Billy and Sue agree with you, Jacob, that we can wait for Bella to be separated from the problem. Killing her is not something any of us feel comfortable with.
Though Id just given Seth crap for it, I couldnt hold back a small snarl of my own. So they didnt quite feel comfortable with murder, huh?
Jared raised his hands again. Easy, Jake. You know what I mean. The point is, were going to wait and reassess the situation. Decide later if theres a problem with the thing.
Ha, Leah thought. What a load.
You dont buy it?
I know what theyre thinking, Jake. What Sams thinking. Theyre betting on Bella dying anyway. And then they figure youll be so mad
That Ill lead the attack myself. My ears pressed against my skull. What Leah was guessing sounded pretty spot-on. And very possible, too. When if that thing killed Bella, it was going to be easy to forget how I felt about Carlisles family right now. They would probably look like enemies-like no more than bloodsucking leeches-to me all over again.
Ill remind you, Seth whispered.
I know you will, kid. Question is whether Ill listen to you.
Jake? Jared asked.
I huffed a sigh.
Leah, make a circuit-just to be sure. Im going to have to talk to him, and I want to be positive there isnt anything else going on while Im phased.
Give me a break, Jacob. You can phase in front of me. Despite my best efforts, Ive seen you naked before- doesnt do much for me, so no worries.
Im not trying to protect the innocence of your eyes, Im trying to protect our backs. Get out of here.
Leah snorted once and then launched herself into the forest. I could hear her claws cutting into the soil, pushing her faster.
Nudity was an inconvenient but unavoidable part of pack life. Wed all thought nothing of it before Leah came along. Then it got awkward. Leah had average control when it came to her temper-it took her the usual length of time to stop exploding out of her clothes every time she got pissed. Wed all caught a glimpse. And it wasnt like she wasnt worth looking at; it was just that it was so not worth it when she caught you thinking about it later.
Jared and the others were staring at the place where shed disappeared into the brush with wary expressions.
Wheres she going? Jared asked.
I ignored him, closing my eyes and pulling myself together again. It felt like the air was trembling around me, shaking out from me in small waves. I lifted myself up on my hind legs, catching the moment