Werewolf pups should know better.
Jacob stared at me for one short moment, and then turned to catch his pack brothers’ eyes where they stood in the entry, awkward and uncomfortable. When they took in his expression, they started moving, weaving their way agilely through the partiers, almost like they were dancing, too. In half a minute, they stood on either side of Jacob, towering over me.
“Now. Explain,” Jacob demanded.
Embry and Quil looked back and forth between our faces, confused and wary.
“Jacob, I don’t know everything.” I kept searching the room, now for a rescue. They had me backed into a corner in every sense.
“What you do know, then.”
They all folded their arms across their chests at exactly the same moment. It was a little bit funny, but mostly menacing.
And then I caught sight of Alice descending the stairs, her white skin glowing in the purple light.
“Alice!” I squeaked in relief.
She looked right at me as soon as I called her name, despite the thudding bass that should have drowned my voice. I waved eagerly, and watched her face as she took in the three werewolves leaning
over me. Her eyes narrowed.
But, before that reaction, her face was full of stress and fear. I bit my lip as she skipped to my side.
Jacob, Quil, and Embry all leaned away from her with uneasy expressions. She put her arm around my waist.
“I need to talk to you,” she murmured into my ear.
“Er, Jake, I’ll see you later . . . ,” I mumbled as we eased around them.
Jacob threw his long arm out to block our way, bracing his hand against the wall. “Hey, not so fast.”
Alice stared up at him, eyes wide and incredulous. “Excuse me?”
“Tell us what’s going on,” he demanded in a growl.
Jasper appeared quite literally out of nowhere. One second it was just Alice and me against the wall, Jacob blocking our exit, and then Jasper was standing on the other side of Jake’s arm, his expression
terrifying.
Jacob slowly pulled his arm back. It seemed like the best move, going with the assumption that he wanted to keep that arm.
“We have a right to know,” Jacob muttered, still glaring at Alice.
Jasper stepped in between them, and the three werewolves braced themselves.
“Now. Explain,” Jacob demanded.
Embry and Quil looked back and forth between our faces, confused and wary.
“Jacob, I don’t know everything.” I kept searching the room, now for a rescue. They had me backed into a corner in every sense.
“What you do know, then.”
They all folded their arms across their chests at exactly the same moment. It was a little bit funny, but mostly menacing.
And then I caught sight of Alice descending the stairs, her white skin glowing in the purple light.
“Alice!” I squeaked in relief.
She looked right at me as soon as I called her name, despite the thudding bass that should have drowned my voice. I waved eagerly, and watched her face as she took in the three werewolves leaning
over me. Her eyes narrowed.
But, before that reaction, her face was full of stress and fear. I bit my lip as she skipped to my side.
Jacob, Quil, and Embry all leaned away from her with uneasy expressions. She put her arm around my waist.
“I need to talk to you,” she murmured into my ear.
“Er, Jake, I’ll see you later . . . ,” I mumbled as we eased around them.
Jacob threw his long arm out to block our way, bracing his hand against the wall. “Hey, not so fast.”
Alice stared up at him, eyes wide and incredulous. “Excuse me?”
“Tell us what’s going on,” he demanded in a growl.
Jasper appeared quite literally out of nowhere. One second it was just Alice and me against the wall, Jacob blocking our exit, and then Jasper was standing on the other side of Jake’s arm, his expression
terrifying.
Jacob slowly pulled his arm back. It seemed like the best move, going with the assumption that he wanted to keep that arm.
“We have a right to know,” Jacob muttered, still glaring at Alice.
Jasper stepped in between them, and the three werewolves braced themselves.