The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Chapters 14

I heard someone get smart Kristie needs me more than Raoul, he explained quickly.Are you leaving us?Rileys face changed. It was corresponding I could chance his shifting tactics written on his features. His eyes widened, suddenly anxious.Im worried, Bree. I told you that she was expiry to meet us, to serve well us, but I havent track her trail. Somethings wrong. I need to find her.But theres no way you can find her before Raoul gets to the yel ow-eyes, I pointed give away.I have to find tabu whats going on. He sounded genuinely desperate. I need her. I wasnt supposed to do this aloneBut the othersBree, I have to go find her Now there are enough of you to overwhelm the yel ow-eyes. Il get punt to you as concisely as I can.He sounded so sincere. I hesitated, glancing back the way we had come. Fred would be halfway to Vancouver by now. Riley hadnt even asked about him. Maybe Freds talent was stil in effect.Diegos down there, Bree, Riley express urgently. Hel be part of the first attack. Didnt you catch his scent back there?Did you not get close enough?I shook my read/write head, total y deep in thought(p). Diego was there?Hes with Raoul by now. If you hurry, you can help him get out alive.We stared at each other for a long second, and then I looked southwestward after Raouls path.Good girl, Riley said. Il go find her and wel be back to help clean up. You guys have got this It might be over by the time you get thereHe took off in a direction orthogonal to our original path. I clenched my teeth at how sure he seemed of his way. Lying to the end.But it didnt feel like I had a choice. I headed south in a flatout sprint again. I had to go get Diego. Drag him away if it came to that. We could catch up with Fred. Or purpose off on our own. We unavoidable to run. I would tel Diego how Riley had lied. He would see that Riley had no intention of helping us fight the battle hed set up. There was no reason to help him whatsoevermore. I found the humans sc ent and then Raouls. I didnt catch Diegos. Was I going too fast? Or was the humans scent just overpowering me? Half my head was absorbed in this strangely counterproductive hunt sure, we would find the girl, but would we be ready to fight unitedly when we did? No, wed be clawing each other asunder to get to her.And then I heard the snarling and screaming and screeching explode from ahead and I knew the fight was happening and I was too late to stir up Diego there. I only ran faster. Maybe I could stil save him.I smel ed the smoke the sweet, thick scent of vampires burning carried back to me on the wind. The sound of havoc was louder. Maybe it was almost done. Would I find our coven victorious and Diego waiting?I dashed through a heavy fringe of smoke and found myself out of the forest in a huge grassy field. I leaped over a rock, only to realize in the instant I flew past it that it was a headless torso. My eyes raked the field. There were pieces of vampires everywhere, and a huge bonfire smoking purple into the sunny sky. Out from under the bil owing haze, I could see dazzling, gleam bodies darting and grappling as the sounds of vampires being torn apart went on and on.I looked for one thing Diegos curly black tomentum. No one I could see had hair so dark. There was one huge vampire with brown hair that was almost black, but he was too big, and as I think I watched him tear Kevins head off and pitch it into the fire before leaping on someone elses back. Was that Jen?There was another with straight black hair that was too smal to be Diego. That one was paltry so fast I couldnt tel if it was a boy or a girl.I scanned quickly again, feeling awful exposed. I took in the faces. There werent nearly enough vampires here, even counting those that were down. I didnt see any of Kristies group. There must have been a draw play of vampires burned already. Most of the vampires stil lasting were strangers. A blond vampire glanced at me, meeting my gaze, and hi s eyes flashed gold in the sunlight.We were losing. Bad.I started backing toward the trees, not moving fast enough because I was stil looking for Diego. He wasnt here. There was no sign he had ever been here. No trace of his scent, though I could do it the smel s of most of Raouls team and many strangers. I had made myself look at the pieces, too. None of them belonged to Diego. I would have recognized even a finger.I turned and real y ran for the trees, suddenly positive that Diegos presence here was just another of Rileys lies. And if Diego wasnt here, then he was already dead. This fel into place for me so comfortably that I thought I must have known the truth for a while. Since the moment that Diego had not fol owed Riley through the basement door. Hed already been gone.I was a few feet into the trees when a force like a wrecking bal hit me from behind and threw me to the ground. An arm slipped under my chin.Please I sobbed. And I meant please gobble up me fast. The arm hesit ated. I didnt fight back, though my instincts were urging me to bite and claw and rip the enemy apart. The saner part of me knew that wasnt going to work. Riley had lied about these weak, older vampires, too, and wed neer had a chance. But even if Id had a way to beat this one, I wouldnt have been able to move. Diego was gone, and that glaring fact kil ed the fight in me. all at once I was airborne. I crashed into a tree and crumpled to the ground. I should have move to run, but Diego was dead. I couldnt get around that.The blond vampire from the clearing was staring intently at me, his body ready to spring. He looked very capable, much more experienced than Riley. But he wasnt lunging at me. He wasnt madden like Raoul or Kristie. He was total y in control.Please, I said again, wanting him to get this over with. I dont want to fight.Though he stil held himself ready, his face changed. He looked at me in a way I didnt total y get. There was a lot of knowledge in that face, and som ething else. Empathy? Pity, at least.Neither do I, child, he said in a calm, kind voice. We are only defending ourselves.There was such honesty in his rummy yel ow eyes that it made me wonder how I had ever believed any of Rileys stories. I felt guilty. Maybe this coven had never planned to attack us in Seattle. How could I trust any part of what Id been told?We didnt know, I explained, somehow ashamed. Riley lied. Im sorry.He listened for a moment, and I realized that the battlefield was quiet. It was over.If Id been in any doubt over who the succeeder was, that doubt was gone when, a second later, a female vampire with wavy brown hair and yel ow eyes hurried to his side.Carlisle? she asked in a confused voice, staring at me.She doesnt want to fight, he told her.The woman touched his arm. He was stil tensed to spring.Shes so frightened, Carlisle. Couldnt weThe blond, Carlisle, glanced back at her, and then he straightened up a little, though I could see he was stil wary.We have n o wish to harm you, the woman said to me. She had a soft, soothing voice. We didnt want to fight any of you.Im sorry, I whispered again.I couldnt make sense of the mess in my head. Diego was dead, and that was the main thing, the devastating thing. Other than that, the fight was over, my coven had lost and my enemies had won. But my dead coven was ful of multitude who would have loved to watch me burn, and my enemies were speaking to me kindly when they had no reason to. Moreover, I felt safer with these two strangers than Id ever felt with Raoul and Kristie. I was relieved that Raoul and Kristie were dead. It was so confusing.Child, Carlisle said, wil you surrender to us? If you do not try to harm us, we promise we wil not harm you.And I believed him.Yes, I whispered. Yes, I surrender. I dont want to hurt anybody.He held out his hand encouragingly. Come, child. Let our family regroup for a moment, then wel have some questions for you. If you answer honestly, you have nothing to fe ar.I got up slowly, make no movements that could be considered threatening.Carlisle? a male voice cal ed.And then another yel ow-eyed vampire joined us. Any sort of safety Id felt with these strangers vanished as soon as I saw him.He was blond, like the first, but tal er and leaner. His skin was absolutely covered in scars, spaced most thickly together on his neck and jaw. A few smal marks on his arm were fresh, but the rest were not from the brawl today. He had been in more fights than I could have imagined, and hed never lost. His tawny eyes blazed and his stance exuded the barely contained violence of an angry lion.As soon as he saw me he turn to spring.Jasper Carlisle warned.Jasper pul ed up short and stared at Carlisle with wide eyes. Whats going on?She doesnt want to fight. Shes surrendered.The scarred vampires brow clouded, and suddenly I felt an unexpected whizz along of frustration, though I had no idea what I was frustrated with.Carlisle, I He hesitated, then continued, Im sorry, but thats not possible. We cant have any of these newborns associated with us when the Volturi come. Do you realize the danger that would put us in?I didnt understand exactly what he was saying, but I got enough. He wanted to kil me.Jasper, shes only a child, the woman protested. We cant just murder her in cold bloodIt was strange to hear her speak like we both were people, like murder was a problematical thing. An avoidable thing.Its our family on the line here, Esme. We cant afford to have them think we broke this rule.The woman, Esme, walked between me and the one who wanted to kil me. Incomprehensibly, she turned her back to me.No. I wont stand for it.Carlisle shot me an anxious glance. I could see that he cared a lot for this woman. I would have looked the same way at anyone behind Diegos back. I tried to appear as docile as I felt.Jasper, I think we have to take the chance, he said slowly.We are not the Volturi. We fol ow their rules, but we do not take lives light ly. We wil explain.They might think we created our own newborns in defense.But we didnt. And even had we, there was no indiscretion here, only in Seattle. There is no law against creating vampires if you control them.This is too dangerous.Carlisle touched Jaspers shoulder tentatively. Jasper. We cannot kil this child.Jasper glowered at the man with the kind eyes, and I was suddenly angry. Surely he wouldnt hurt this gentle vampire or the woman he loved. Then Jasper sighed, and I knew it was okay. My anger evaporated.I dont like this, he said, but he was calmer. At least let me take charge of her. You two dont know how to deal with someone whos been running wild so long.Of course, Jasper, the woman said. But be kind.Jasper rol ed his eyes. We need to be with the others. Alice said we dont have long.Carlisle nodded. He held his hand out to Esme, and they headed past Jasper back toward the open field.You there, Jasper said to me, his face a glower again.