I forced my eyes — frozen wide open with shock — to move, so that I could not examine too closely the oval object wrapped in tendrils of shivering, fiery hair.

我强迫自己的眼睛——惊吓得目瞪口呆——动起来,这样我才不会过于仔细地看那个椭圆形物体,它裹在鲜红色毛发的卷须上,还在颤抖。

I could not go to him — I could not make my feet respond; they were bolted to the stone beneath them. But I scrutinized his every action minutely, looking for any evidence that he had been harmed. My heart slowed to a healthier rhythm when I found nothing. He was lithe and graceful as ever. I couldn’t even see a tear in his clothes.

我不能走到他身边——我无法让我的脚做出反应;它们都牢牢地拴在了石头上,但是我一丝不苟地审视着他的每个动作,寻找他受到伤害的痕迹。我什么也没发现,心跳才慢了下来,达到健康的节奏。他和以前一样敏捷、优雅,我甚至没在他衣服上看见破洞。

He did not look at me — where I stood frozen to the cliff wall, horrified — while he piled the quivering, twitching limbs and then covered them with dry pine needles. He still did not meet my shocked gaze as he darted into the forest after Seth.

他没有看我——我呆呆地站在崖壁上,惊恐万状——他则把颤抖抽搐的四肢堆起来,然后用干枯的松针把它们掩埋起来。他一个箭步跑到森林里找塞思的时候,还是没有正视我惊慌失措的眼神。

Edward was in motion again. Swift and coolly businesslike, he dismembered the headless corpse.

爱德华又动了起来。他动作敏捷,神情冷静,有条不紊地把那具没有头的尸体肢解了。

I didn’t have time to recover before both he and Seth were back, Edward with his arms full of Riley. Seth was carrying a large chunk — the torso — in his mouth. They added their burden to the pile, and Edward pulled a silver rectangle from his pocket. He flipped open the butane lighter and held the flame to the dry tinder. It caught at once; long tongues of orange fire licked rapidly across the pyre.

我还没有时间恢复过来,他们俩就都回来了,爱德华抱着一堆赖利的碎片。塞思的嘴巴里衔了一大块——躯干。他们把带回来的东西堆在那堆上面,爱德华从口袋里掏出一个银色的长方形。他砰地打开液体打火机,把火焰靠近干枯易燃的松针。火一下子就点燃了,长长的橘红色火舌迅速地吞噬了这堆火葬燃料。

Edward kept his eyes on his work.

爱德华的眼睛一直注视着他的工作。

I did not understand his expression. His eyes were as wary as if I were another enemy — more than wary, they were afraid. Yet he’d shown no fear at all when he’d faced Victoria and Riley… My mind was stuck, stunned and useless as my body. I stared at him, bewildered.

我不懂他的表情。他的眼睛很警觉就好像我是另外一个敌人一样——那不仅仅是警觉,是害怕。然而,当他面对维多利亚和赖利的时候没表现出丝毫的恐惧……我的思想堵住了,和我的身体一样惊呆了,毫无用处了,我迷惑不解地凝视着他。

“Nice teamwork,” Edward murmured.

“合作得很漂亮。”爱德华低声说道。

Edward stretched out his arm, his hand curled into a fist. Seth grinned, revealing the long row of dagger teeth, and bumped his nose against Edward’s hand.

爱德华伸出胳膊,手握成了拳头。塞思笑了笑,露出一长排像匕首一样的利齿,用鼻子撞击爱德华的手。

“Get every piece,” Edward said in a low aside to Seth.

“把每一片都找来了。”爱德华轻声地对塞思说了句旁白。

Together, the vampire and the werewolf scoured the campsite, occasionally tossing small lumps of white stone into the blaze. Seth handled the pieces with his teeth. My brain wasn’t working well enough for me to understand why he didn’t change back to a form with hands.

他们一起,吸血鬼和狼人一起搜索了整个宿营地,偶尔把一小片白色的石头扔进火堆里,塞思用牙齿咬住碎片。我的大脑运转的不够好,我想不明白为什么他不变回有手的外形。

And then they were done, and the raging fire was sending a pillar of choking purple toward the sky. The thick smoke curled up slowly, looking more solid than it should; it smelled like burning incense, and the scent was uncomfortable. It was heavy, too strong.

接着他们都做完了,熊熊燃烧的火焰飘到空中.形成一根紫色烟柱,散发出令人窒息的气味。浓烟滚滚,慢慢往上爬,看起来坚固得超过了本该有的程度;闻起来就像燃烧的香一样,气味让人觉得不舒服。烟很浓,太呛了。

Seth made that snickering sound again, deep in his chest.

塞思又在他的胸腔里窃笑了一声。

Seth coughed a laugh.

塞思咳嗽出一声大笑。

Then Edward took a deep breath, and turned slowly to face me.

接着爱德华深深地吸了一口气,慢慢地转过身面对我。

A smile flickered across Edward’s tense face.

一个微笑飘过爱德华紧绷的脸庞。

“Bella, love,” he said in his softest tone, walking toward me with exaggerated slowness, his hands held up, palms forward. Dazed as I was, it reminded me oddly of a suspect approaching a policeman, showing that he wasn’t armed…

“贝拉,爱,”他用最温柔的声音说道,朝我走过来的时候速度慢得有些夸张,他举起手臂,手掌向前。如我这般茫然,这让我古怪地想起一个嫌疑犯正慢慢地靠近警察,证明他没有武器……

“Bella, can you drop the rock, please? Carefully. Don’t hurt yourself.”

“贝拉,你能扔掉那块石头吗?求你了!小心一点儿,不要伤到你自己。”

“You don’t have to be afraid, Bella,” Edward murmured. “You’re safe. I won’t hurt you.”

“你不必害怕,贝拉,”爱德华低声说道,“你很安全。我不会伤害你。”

Edward hesitated a few feet from me, his hands still in the air, his eyes still fearful.

爱德华在离我几英尺的地方犹豫着,他的手还举在空中,眼里仍充满恐惧。

It took me a few long seconds to remember how to move my fingers. Then the rock clattered to the ground, while my hand stayed frozen in the same position.

我过了好一会儿才想起来怎样移动我的手指头。接着石头吧嗒一声落在地上,我的手僵硬地停留在原处。

I’d forgotten all about my crude weapon, though I realized now that I was grasping it so hard that my knuckle was screaming in protest. Was it rebroken? Carlisle would put me in a cast for sure this time.

我已经完全忘记我粗糙的武器了,尽管我现在意识到我正抓住它,握得那么紧,使我的关节一直在尖叫着抗议。它会不会又骨折了?卡莱尔这一次肯定会给我上夹板了。

Edward relaxed slightly when my hands were empty, but came no closer.

我手中空无一物之后爱德华稍稍放松了一些,但是他还是没向我靠近。

“It’s going to be all right, Bella. I know you’re frightened now, but it’s over. No one is going to hurt you. I won’t touch you. I won’t hurt you,” he said again.

“会没事的,贝拉。我知道你现在很害怕,但是已经结束了。没有人会伤害你了,我不会碰你的,我不会伤害你的。”他又说道。

The mystifying promise only confused me further. I stared at him like an imbecile, trying to understand.

这个莫名其妙的允诺让我更加迷惑不解了,我像个弱智似的盯着他,试图理解他的意思。

“Seth?”

“塞思呢?”

“I am absolutely fine,” he promised, burying his face in my hair.

“我绝对好极了。”他保证,把脸埋在我的头发里。

Edward chuckled. “More than fine. Very pleased with himself, in fact.”

爱德华咯咯地笑道,“不仅仅是好极了。实际上,对他自己非常满意。”

“Afraid of you? Why?”

“害怕你?为什么?”

I staggered forward another step, and then tripped over something — my own feet probably.

我摇摇晃晃地又向前走了一步,接着被什么东西绊倒了——很可能是我自己的脚。

I clung to him until I could breathe, and then I was kissing him — his chest, his shoulder, his neck — every part of him that I could reach. Slowly, my brain started to work again.

我依靠在他身上,直到我能呼吸,接着我开始吻他——他的胸口,他的肩膀,他的脖子——每个我能够到的地方。慢慢地,我的大脑又开始运转了。

Edward caught me, and I buried my face in his chest and started to sob.

爱德华扶住我,我把脸埋在他的胸口开始啜泣。

My eyes blinked furiously, and I found my voice. “Why do you keep saying that?”

我飞快地眨了眨眼睛,终于找到我的声音:“为什么你一直那么说?”

“What’s wrong?” I whispered. “What do you mean?”

“怎么啦?”我轻声问道,“你是什么意思?”

His arms tightened around me. “I’m so sorry,” he murmured again and again.

他的胳膊紧紧地抱住我,“我非常抱歉。”他一次又一次地低声说道。

“I’m fine,” I gasped. “I’m okay. I’m just. Freaking out. Give me. A minute.”

“我很好,”我喘着气说道,“我很好,我只是,吓坏了。给我,一分钟。”

I took an unsteady step toward him, and he leaned away from my advance.

我朝他踉踉跄跄地走了一步,他躲开正在往前走的我。

“Are you okay?” I demanded between kisses. “Did she hurt you at all?”

“你好吗?”我在吻他的间隙问道,“她有没有伤到你?”

“Bella, Bella, I’m so sorry. It’s over, it’s over.”

“贝拉,贝拉,我非常抱歉,结束了,结束了。”

“Are you…” His golden eyes were suddenly as confused as I felt. “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“你……”他金色的眼睛突然和我感到的一样迷惑不解起来,“难道你不怕我吗?”

My family and my friends were safe. Victoria was never coming after me again. It was over.

我的家人和朋友都很安全。维多利亚再也不会来追杀我了,都结束了。

“I’m sorry,” he said, apologizing yet again — for what? I had no idea. “So sorry. I didn’t want you to see that. See me like that. I know I must have terrified you.”

“我很抱歉,”他说着的时候又道歉起来——为了什么呢?我不知道,“非常抱歉我不想你看见那样的事情。看见我那样,我知道我肯定吓到你了。”

“The others? Alice, Esme? The wolves?

“其他人呢?爱丽丝,埃斯梅?狼人?”

“Tell me why,” I insisted. “Why did you think I would be afraid of you?”

“告诉我为什么,”我坚持问道,“为什么你认为我会害怕你呢?”

“All fine. It’s over there, too. It went just as smoothly as I promised. We got the worst of it here.”

“都很好,那边也结束了。事情很顺利,就和我向你保证过的那样,这里的情况是最糟糕的。”

But I couldn’t completely take in the good news while I was still so confused.

但是我仍然如此迷惑不解,无法完全理解这个好消息。

I let myself absorb that for a moment, let it sink in and settle in my head.

我让自己慢慢领会他的意思,让它渗透进去,停留在我的脑海里。

We were all going to be fine.

我们全都会平安无事的。

I had to think about that for another minute, about the hesitant way he’d approached me, his hands in the air. Like I was going to run if he moved too fast…

我不得不再思考片刻,关于他向我靠近时的犹豫不决,他的手举在空中,就像如果他走得太快的话我就会跑掉似的……

“Seriously?” I finally asked. “You… what? Thought you’d scared me off?” I snorted. Snorting was good; a voice couldn’t tremble or break during a snort. It sounded impressively offhand.

“此话当真?”我终于问道,“你……什么?认为你会把我吓跑?”我气得喷出来,喷鼻子好极了;喷鼻子的时候声音不可能颤抖或断断续续,听起来就像令人印象深刻的即席表演一样。

He put his hand under my chin and tilted my head back to read my face.

他用手托起我的下巴,让我向后偏着头以便读懂我的表情。

“I wanted to help… Seth was hurt…”

“我想要帮忙……塞思受伤了……”

“Oh.”

“哦。”

“Seth was only feigning that he was hurt, Bella. It was a trick. And then you…” He shook his head, unable to finish. “Seth couldn’t see what you were doing, so I had to step in. Seth’s a bit disgruntled that he can’t claim a single-handed defeat now.”

“塞思只是假装受伤了,贝拉,那是个骗局。接着你就……”他摇摇头,没法说完,“塞思看不见你在做什么,所以我不得不插手。塞思有些耿耿于怀,他现在不能声称是单打独斗打败敌人的了。”

His suddenly livid expression made my voice fade out.

他的脸突然变得青黑,这让我的声音渐渐消失了。

Edward nodded sternly.

爱德华严厉地点点头。

His furious glower made it hard to answer.

他勃然大怒让我难以回答。

“Bella, I just –” he hesitated and then forced the words out. “I just beheaded and dismembered a sentient creature not twenty yards from you. That doesn’t bother you?”

“贝拉,我刚刚——”他吞吞吐吐,接着挤出几句话,“我刚刚在离你不到二十码的地方拧掉了一个有感觉的生物,还把它给肢解了,那没让你感到不安吗?”

He frowned at me.

他眉头紧皱地看着我。

I shrugged. Shrugging was good, too. Very blase. “Not really. I was only afraid that you and Seth were going to get hurt. I wanted to help, but there’s only so much I can do…”

我耸了耸肩,耸肩也很好,非常厌烦这样的享乐:“不是真的。我只是担心你和塞思会受伤,我想帮忙,但是我能做的只有那么一点点……”

We both looked at Seth, who was studiously ignoring us, watching the flames. Smugness radiated from every hair in his fur.

我们俩都看着塞思,他装做没注意我们,专心地看着火焰,他身上的每根毛发都散发出自呜得意的神情。

“Yes,” he said, his tone clipped. “Your little stunt with the rock. You know that you nearly gave me a heart attack? Not the easiest thing to do, that.”

“是的,”他用清晰明确的口吻说道,“你手里拿着石头的小绝活儿。你知道你差点儿就让我心脏病发作了,那样的事情,做起来并不是最容易的。”

“Seth was… faking?”

“塞思是在……假装?”

“Well, I didn’t know that,” I said, on the offense now. “And it’s not easy being the only helpless person around. Just you wait till I’m a vampire! I’m not going to be sitting on the sidelines next time.”

“好吧,我不知道这些,”我为自己辩护道,“作为这里唯一一个最无助的人并不容易。你只要等到我成为吸血鬼!下次我不打算袖手旁观了。”

“With my luck? Who knows?”

“像我这样的运气,谁知道呢?”

Or… was it?

或者……是不是?

A dozen emotions flitted across his face before he settled on being amused. “Next time? Did you anticipate another war soon?”

各种各样的表情掠过他的脸庞,然后他才决定要摆出愉快的脸色:“下一次?你这么快就预计要有下一次了?”

Edward’s eyes flickered back to Seth, and they exchanged a loaded glance.

爱德华的眼睛扑闪着回到塞思身上,他们沉重地瞟了对方一眼。

He rolled his eyes, but I could see that he was flying — the relief was making us both lightheaded. It was over.

他转了转眼珠子,但是我看见他心情飞扬——如释重负使我们俩都显得很傻,都结束了。

“Hold on. Didn’t you say something before –” I flinched, remembering what exactly it had been before — what was I going to say to Jacob? My splintered heart throbbed out a painful, aching beat. It was hard to believe, almost impossible, but the hardest part of this day was not behind me — and then I soldiered on. “About a complication? And Alice, needing to nail down the schedule for Sam. You said it was going to be close. What was going to be close?”

“等一等,你之前是不是说了些——”我畏惧了,想起之前确切的情况是什么样的——我要跟雅各布说些什么呢?我支离破碎的心脏悸动着,心跳既痛又悲。很难相信,几乎不可能,但是今天最艰难的一幕对我来说还没有过去——接着我迎着困难继续问道,“由于事情复杂,爱丽丝需要为山姆查核计划。你说过会很接近,什么会很接近?”

He pursed his lips for a second, deciding what to say. And then he glanced abruptly at Seth, as if the wolf had called him.

他嘟了一会儿嘴巴,斟酌着该说些什么。接着他突然扫了塞思一眼,仿佛狼在叫喊他一样。

He started to pull me into place on his back, but I stiffened and drew away.

他开始把我往他背上拉,但是我绷紧身体后退了。

“What’s she doing?” Edward asked.

“她在做什么?”爱德华问道。

And then Edward gasped, “No!” and one of his hands flew out as if to grab something that I couldn’t see. “Don’t –!”

接着爱德华喘着粗气道,“不!”他的一只手飞快地伸了出去,好像要抓住我看不见的什么东西一样,“不要——”

Edward fell to his knees at the exact same moment, gripping the sides of his head with two hands, his face furrowed in pain.

爱德华就在同一时间跪在地上,双手紧紧地抱住头的两侧,脸痛苦得皱了起来。

Seth whined; it was an anxious, uneasy sound. It made the hair on the back of my neck rise.

塞思哀鸣起来,他的声音焦急不安,这使我后颈项上的汗毛竖了起来。

“It’s nothing, really,” Edward said quickly. “But we do need to be on our way…”

“没什么,真的,”爱德华飞快地说,“但是我们确实需要上路了……”

Edward took my face between his palms. “We only have a minute, so don’t panic, all right? I told you that you had no reason to be afraid. Trust me on that, please?”

爱德华用手掌捧着我的脸:“我们只有一会儿的时间,所以别惊慌失措,好吗?我告诉过你没有理由害怕。信任我这一点,求你了!”

I nodded, trying to hide the sudden terror — how much more could I handle before I collapsed? “No reason to be afraid. Got it.”

我点点头,试图掩饰住突如其来的恐惧——在我崩溃之前我还能应付多少事情呢?“没有理由害怕,知道了。”

A spasm rocked through Seth’s body, and a howl, blistering with agony, ripped from his lungs.

一阵痉挛使塞思的身体摇晃起来,从他的肺部传出一声咆哮,声音凄苦万分,哀痛欲绝。

Everything was dead silent for one endless second.

在无尽的一秒钟里一切都死一般寂静。

“Well?” I asked.

“那么?”我问道。

“Define nothing.”

“什么是没什么,请你说清楚。”

“It’s okay. We’re going to be fine. It’s –” He broke off, and winced again.

“没事,我们会没事的,这是——”他突然停了下来,又疼痛不已地退缩了。

“No!” Edward ordered. “You go straight home. Now. As fast as you can!”

“不!”爱德华命令道,“你直接回家,以你最快的速度!”

His eyes focused on me; with obvious effort, he pulled his clenched teeth apart.

他的眼睛凝视着我,他明显地挣扎着分开紧闭的牙齿。

Seth was crouched, still tensed in agony, looking as if he meant to launch himself into the forest.

塞思蹲了起来,身体仍然因为痛苦紧缩在一起,看起来他想要冲进树林里。

“Seth!” Edward shouted.

“塞思!”爱德华大声叫道。

“Edward! Edward!”

“爱德华!爱德华!”

And I realized in that instant, when he said Sam’s name, that he was not speaking of himself and Seth. No unseen force was attacking them. This time, the crisis was not here.

就在那一刻当他说到山姆的名字时,我意识到他不是在说自己和塞思。一股看不见的力量正在袭击他们,这一次,危急的情况不在这里。

“We’re fine. We’re going to be okay,” Edward gasped. “Sam — help him –“

“我们没事,我们会没事的,”爱德华大口地喘着气,“山姆——帮帮他——”

He was using the pack plural.

他使用的是狼群的复数形式。

“What’s happening?” I cried out while Seth howled in anguish.

“发生什么事了?”塞思也在痛苦不已地嗥叫着,我大声地喊道。

I’d burned through all my adrenaline. My body had nothing left. I sagged, and Edward caught me before I could hit the rocks. He sprang to his feet, me in his arms.

我的肾上腺素灼热地涌遍我的全身。我的身体里空无一物,什么都没留下。我失去支撑力,跌落下去,在我撞在岩石上之前爱德华一把接住了我。他一跃而起,我已经在他的怀抱里了。

I screamed once in bewildered terror, and dropped to my knees beside him. Stupidly, I tried to pull his hands from his face; my palms, clammy with sweat, slid off his marble skin.

我迷惑不解,惊恐万状,大叫一声,然后跪倒在他身旁。我愚蠢地想要把他的手从脸上拿开,我的手掌满是湿淋淋的汗水,从他大理石般的皮肤上滑落下来。

Seth whimpered, shaking his great head from side to side.

塞思呜咽了一声,不停地左右摇晃着他的大头。

“Seth. Trust me.”

“塞思,相信我。”

“We have to go back to the clearing,” he told me in a low voice. “We knew there was a good probability of this happening. Earlier this morning, Alice saw it and passed it through Sam to Seth. The Volturi decided it was time to intercede.”

“我们得回到空地,”他小声地告诉我,“我们早就知道发生这种事情的可能性。今天早上早些时候,爱丽丝看见了,并把消息传递给山姆,然后由山姆传给塞思了。沃尔图里家族确定此刻是调解的时候了。”

Edward cradled me tightly against his chest, and then we were also hurtling through the shadowy forest, taking a different path than the wolf.

爱德华紧紧地把我护在胸口,接着我们走了一条与狼人不同的道路,从树影斑驳的森林里呼啸而过。

The huge wolf stared into Edward’s agonized eyes for one long second, and then he straightened up and flew into the trees, disappearing like a ghost.

巨狼久久地凝视着爱德华痛苦的眼神,然后站立起来,蹿进树林,像幽灵一样消失不见了。

Too much. My mind refused to make sense of the words, pretended it couldn’t understand.

太多了。我的头脑拒绝弄明白这些话的含义,假装不能理解。

“Edward.” I fought to force the words through my constricted throat. “What happened, Edward? What happened to Sam? Where are we going? What’s happening?”

“爱德华,”我的心提到了嗓子眼里,我迫使自己挤出几句话来,“发生了什么事,爱德华?山姆怎么啦?我们要去哪里?发生了什么事?”

The Volturi.

沃尔图里家族。

The trees jolted past us. He was running downhill so fast that it felt as if we were plummeting, falling out of control.

树林摇晃着从我们身边掠过。他往山下跑得如此之快,感觉我们就像在垂直下落一样,完全失去了控制。

“Don’t panic. They aren’t coming for us. It’s just the normal contingent of the guard that usually cleans up this kind of mess. Nothing momentous, they’re merely doing their job. Of course, they seem to have timed their arrival very carefully. Which leads me to believe that no one in Italy would mourn if these newborns had reduced the size of the Cullen family.” The words came through his teeth, hard and bleak. “I’ll know for sure what they were thinking when they get to the clearing.”

“别紧张,他们不是冲我们来的。这只是一支护卫分遣队,他们通常都会清理这种糟糕的局面。没什么重大的事情,他们只是在例行公事。当然啦,他们似乎周密地计划了到达的时间。这使我相信,要是这些新生儿减少了卡伦家族的人数的话,意大利没有人会悲伤。”这些话从他的牙缝中挤出来,严厉而阴冷,我一定要知道他们到达空地的时候在想些什么。”

I didn’t want to think that name. I didn’t want to see that blindingly exquisite, childlike face in my head. A strange sound came out of my throat.

我不想去想那个名字。我不想在我的脑海中看见那个令人目眩的精致的娃娃脸,一个奇怪的声音从我的喉咙里传了出来。

“It’s part of the reason. Mostly, it will be safer for us to present a united front at this point. They have no reason to harass us, but… Jane’s with them. If she thought we were alone somewhere away from the others, it might tempt her. Like Victoria, Jane will probably guess that I’m with you. Demetri, of course, is with her. He could find me, if Jane asked him to.”

“这是部分原因,多半是因为此时组成联合战线对我们而言会更安全。他们没有理由围攻我们……但是简和他们在一起。如果她认为我们孤立无援,没跟其他人在一起的话,很可能会诱惑她。就像维多利亚一样,简很可能会猜到我和你在一起。当然,德米特里也和她在一起。他可能会找到我,如果简要他这么做的话。”

“Shh, Bella, shh. It’s all going to be fine. Alice can see that.”

“嘘,贝拉,嘘。会没事的,爱丽丝能看见这一点。”

Alice could see? But… then where were the wolves? Where was the pack?

爱丽丝能看见吗?但是……那么狼人们在哪里?狼群在哪里?

“The pack?”

“狼群呢?”

“They had to leave quickly. The Volturi do not honor truces with werewolves.”

“他们得很快离开,沃尔图里家族并不遵守和狼人之问的停战协议。”

I could hear my breathing get faster, but I couldn’t control it. I started to gasp.

我听得见我的呼吸变得急促起来,但是我控制不住,我开始大口地喘气。

“Is that why we’re going back?” I whispered. Could I handle this? Images of flowing black robes crept into my unwilling mind, and I flinched away from them. I was close to a breaking point.

“这就是我们为什么要回去的原因吗?”我轻声问道。我能面对这一切吗?迎风飘舞的黑色长袍的形象偷偷地潜伏进我不甘愿的头脑,一想到它们我就不寒而栗,我已经到达崩溃的边缘了。

“I swear they will be fine,” Edward promised me. “The Volturi won’t recognize the scent — they won’t realize the wolves are here; this isn’t a species they are familiar with. The pack will be fine.”

“我保证他们会没事的,”爱德华向我保证道,“沃尔图里家族认不出他们的气味——他们不会意识到狼人在这里;这不是他们熟悉的物种,狼群会没事的。”

I couldn’t process his explanation. My concentration was ripped to shreds by my fears. We’re going to be fine, he had said before… and Seth, howling in agony… Edward had avoided my first question, distracted me with the Volturi…

我无法思考他的解释,我的注意力被我的恐惧撕得四分五裂。我们会没事的,他以前这样说过……塞思,痛苦的咆哮……爱德华回避我的问题,用沃尔图里家族来分散我的注意力……

“What happened?” I whispered again. “Before. When Seth was howling? When you were hurt?”

“发生了什么事?”我又轻声地问道,“之前,塞思在咆哮的时候?你受伤的时候?”

Edward hesitated.

爱德华犹豫了。

The trees were a racing blur that flowed around him like jade waters.

树林在他身边飞驰而过,像碧绿的波浪一般模糊不清。

I was very close to the edge — just clinging by my fingertips.

我已经濒临崩溃的边缘了——只有手指尖还抓的紧紧的。

“Edward! Tell me!”

“爱德华!告诉我!”

“It was all over,” he whispered. I could barely hear him over the wind his speed created. “The wolves didn’t count their half… they thought they had them all. Of course, Alice couldn’t see…”

“已经结束了,”他轻声说道,他的速度产生的风声使我几乎听不见他的声音,“狼人没有计算他们对付的那一半有多少人……他们以为已经把敌人全都消灭了。当然啦,爱丽丝看不见……”

“What happened?!”

“发生了什么事?!”

“One of the newborns was hiding… Leah found him — she was being stupid, cocky, trying to prove something. She engaged him alone…”

“一个新生儿躲了起来……里尔发现了他——她很愚蠢,过于自信,想要证明什么,她独自一人跟他作战……”

“Jacob,” he said.

“雅各布。”他说道。

“Yes,” he whispered.

“是的。”他轻声答道。

I was able to nod once.

我还能点一次头。

I stared at him for a long second.

我久久地盯着他。

It took him a long moment to answer me.

他过了很久才回答我。

The trees were slowing around us as we came to our destination.

我们到达终点的时候树林在我们身边慢了下来。

Automatically, my eyes followed his. There was a dark purple cloud hanging low over the trees. A cloud? But it was so abnormally sunny… No, not a cloud — I recognized the thick column of smoke, just like the one at our campsite.

不自觉地,我的眼睛也跟随着他。一片黑紫色的云朵低低地笼罩在树上。一片云?但是天气晴朗得如此不正常……不,不是云——我意识到是浓烟滚滚的烟柱,和宿营地上的那个一样。

“Edward,” I said, my voice nearly inaudible. “Edward, someone got hurt.”

“爱德华,”我说道,声音几乎听不见,“爱德华,有人受伤了。”

“Of course,” I whispered.

“当然。”我轻声说道。

“Leah,” I repeated, and I was too weak to feel shame for the relief that flooded through me. “Is she going to be okay?”

“里尔,”我重复道,我太虚弱了,无法为涌遍我全身的欣慰感到羞愧,“她会没事的吗?”

Of course I did. Of course.

我当然知道,当然。

“Leah wasn’t hurt,” Edward mumbled.

“里尔没有受伤。”爱德华低声说道。

I’d heard Seth’s agony, seen the torture in Edward’s face.

我听见了塞思的痛苦声音,在爱德华的脸上看见了剧痛。

“We’re almost there,” Edward said, and he stared at a fixed point in the sky.

“我们就快到了。”爱德华说道,他凝视着天空中的某一点。

“Who?” I asked, though, of course, I already knew the answer.

“谁?”我问道,虽然我当然已经知道了答案。

And then I slipped off the edge I was clinging to inside my head.

接着我从我头脑中紧紧抓住的边缘上滑落下去。

Sam — help him — Edward had gasped. Him, not her.

山姆——帮帮他——爱德华曾惊呼道。他,而不是她。

I was first aware of the cool hands touching me. More than one pair of hands. Arms holding me, a palm curved to fit my cheek, fingers stroking my forehead, and more fingers pressed lightly into my wrist.

我首先意识到的是触摸我的冰冷的手,不只一双手。胳膊抱着我,拱起手掌捧着我的脸,手指轻轻地抚摸我的额头,更多的手指轻轻地压着我的手腕。

Everything went black.

一切都变作漆黑一团。

Then I was aware of the voices. They were just a humming at first, and then they grew in volume and clarity like someone was turning up a radio.

接着我意识到有声音。它们起初都是嗡嗡声,接着声音越来越大,越来越清晰,像有人开大收音机的音量一样。

“Carlisle — it’s been five minutes.” Edward’s voice, anxious.

“卡莱尔——已经五分钟了。”爱德华的声音很焦急。

I felt totally disconnected from my body. Like I was caged in some small corner of my head, no longer at the controls. But I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t think. The agony was too strong for that. There was no escape from it.

我感到完全与自己的身体分离了,仿佛我被困在我头脑中的某个小小的角落里一样,不再受支配,但是我对此无能为力。我无法思考,痛苦来得太强烈了,无处遁寻。

“She’ll come around when she’s ready, Edward.” Carlisle’s voice, always calm and sure. “She’s had too much to deal with today. Let her mind protect itself.”

“她准备好了之后会醒过来的,爱德华,”这是卡莱尔的声音,总是镇定自若,肯定无疑,“她今天应付的事情太多了,让她的大脑自我保护一下吧。”

But my mind was not protected. It was trapped in the knowledge that had not left me, even in unconsciousness — the pain that was part of the blackness.

但是我的大脑还没有受到保护,它困在尚未离我而去的意识里,即使在毫无知觉的状态下——在四周一片漆黑中,我也能感受到痛苦。

“Jacob.”

“雅各布。”

“Jacob.”

“雅各布。”

“No, no, no, no, no…”

“不,不,不,不,不……”

I watched his eyes carefully for some sign that he was placating me, but they were perfectly clear.

我注视着他的眼睛,仔细地寻找他在抚慰我的蛛丝马迹,但是它们清澈透明,完美至极。

From farther away, Alice’s voice. It was brightly chipper. “Another five minutes. And Bella will open her eyes in thirty-seven seconds. I wouldn’t doubt that she can hear us now.”

从更远的地方传来爱丽丝的声音,那是个生气勃勃,清脆悦耳的声音,“还有五分钟。贝拉在三十七秒钟内会睁开眼睛,我不会怀疑她现在可以听见我们说话了。”

Then cool lips were at my ear, and Edward was speaking the words that allowed me to escape from the torture that had me caged inside my own head.

接着冰冷的嘴唇在我耳边诉说,痛苦使我被困在自己的大脑中,爱德华说出的话使得我从中逃离出来。

“Yes, I’m here.”

“是的,我在这里。”

“He’s going to live, Bella. Jacob Black is healing as I speak. He’ll be fine.”

“他会活下来的,贝拉。雅各布·布莱克在我说的时候就在康复了,他会好起来的。”

“Alice, how long do we have?” Edward demanded, his voice still tense; Carlisle’s soothing words had not helped.

“爱丽丝,我们还有多久?”爱德华追问道,他的声音依然很紧张;卡莱尔安慰的话不起作用。

As the pain and dread eased, I found my way back to my body. My eyelids fluttered.

随着痛苦和恐惧逐渐减轻,我找到回到自己身体的路了,我的眼睑扑闪扑闪地睁开了。

“Edward,” I whispered.

“爱德华。”我轻声说道。

I got my lids to open, and I stared into warm gold.

我张开眼睑,凝视着温暖的金色眼眸。

Yes, I was safe. Did that really matter?

是的,我很安全,那真的很重要吗?

“Bella, honey?” This was Esme’s soft, comforting voice. “Can you hear me? You’re safe now, dear.”

“贝拉,亲爱的?”这是埃斯梅温柔、令人欣慰的声音,“你能听见我说话吗?现在你很安全了,亲爱的。”

“Jacob is okay?” I asked.

“雅各布没事?”我问道。

“Yes,” he promised.

“是的。”他保证道。

“Oh, Bella,” Edward sighed in relief, and his lips touched mine.

“噢,贝拉。”爱德华如释重负地舒了一口气,他的嘴唇触碰到我的。

“What happened to him?” I whispered. “How bad are his injuries?”

“他出了什么事?”我轻声问道,“他的伤势有多么严重?”

“I examined him myself,” Carlisle said then; I turned my head to find his face, only a few feet away. Carlisle’s expression was serious and reassuring at the same time. It was impossible to doubt him. “His life is not in any danger. He was healing at an incredible rate, though his injuries were extensive enough that it will still be a few days before he is back to normal, even if the rate of repair holds steady. As soon as we’re done here, I will do what I can to help him. Sam is trying to get him to phase back to his human form. That will make treating him easier.” Carlisle smiled slightly. “I’ve never been to veterinarian school.”

“我亲自为他做的检查,”就在那时卡莱尔说道,我转过头找到他的脸,离我只有几英尺,卡莱尔的表情很严肃,同时又很令人安慰,怀疑他是不可能的,“他的生命没有任何危险。他恢复的速度快得难以置信,尽管他的伤势严重到他还需要几天才能恢复正常。我们一结束这里的事情,我就会尽我一切可能去帮助他的。山姆正努力让他变回到人形,那会使治疗容易一些。”卡莱尔微微一笑,“我从未上过兽医学校。”

“Leah,” I breathed.

“里尔。”我喘息着说道。

“Yes. He knocked her out of the way, but he didn’t have time to defend himself. The newborn got his arms around him. Most of the bones on the right half of his body were shattered.”

“是的,他把她踢了出去,但是自己却没有时间自卫,新生儿扯住他的胳膊。他身体右侧的骨骼大多数都破碎了。”

“Sam and Paul got there in time. He was already improving when they took him back to La Push.”

“山姆和保罗及时赶到,他们把他背回拉普西的时候他已经好一些了。”

Carlisle’s face was serious again. “Another wolf was in trouble –“

卡莱尔的脸色又凝重起来:“另一匹狼遇到麻烦——”

I flinched.

我不寒而栗。

I took a deep breath.

我深深地吸了一口气。

“Yes, Bella. He won’t have any permanent damage.”

“是的,贝拉,他不会有永久性的损伤。”

“He’ll be back to normal?” I asked.

“他会复原吗?”我问道。

“Three minutes,” Alice said quietly.

“三分钟。”爱丽丝平静地说道。

I stared at the scene in front of me.

我盯着眼前的景象。

I struggled, trying to get vertical. Edward realized what I was doing and helped me to my feet.

我耸了耸肩,想要坐正。爱德华意识到我在做什么,把我搀扶着站了起来。

The girl was curled into a small ball beside the flames, her arms wrapped around her legs. She was very young. Younger than me — she looked maybe fifteen, dark-haired and slight. Her eyes were focused on me, and the irises were a shocking, brilliant red. Much brighter than Riley’s, almost glowing. They wheeled wildly, out of control.

火焰旁边有个蜷缩成一个小圆球的女孩,她用胳膊抱着腿。她年纪很小,比我还小——看起来大概十五岁,有一头黑色的头发,身材瘦小。她的眼睛紧紧地盯着我,瞳孔是令人畏惧的鲜红色。比赖利的还要鲜红,几乎散发出炽热的光芒了。它们疯狂地转动着,完全失去控制了。

The Cullens stood in a loose semicircle around the bonfire. There were hardly any flames visible, just the thick, purple-black smoke, hovering like a disease against the bright grass. Jasper stood closest to the solid-seeming haze, in its shadow so that his skin did not glitter brilliantly in the sun the way the others did. He had his back to me, his shoulders tense, his arms slightly extended. There was something there, in his shadow. Something he crouched over with wary intensity…

卡伦家族的人围着火堆站成半个圆圈。几乎没有明显的火焰了,只有浓厚的黑紫色的烟,就像疾病一样笼罩在鲜亮的草地上。贾斯帕站在离如沙砾般的烟雾最近的地方,站在烟雾的影子里,他的皮肤没有像其他人那样在太阳下闪闪发光。他背对着我,肩膀绷得很紧,胳膊稍稍展开。那里有什么东西,在他的影子那里。某个他小心谨慎地蹲踞着应对的东西……

I was too numb to feel more than a mild shock when I realized what it was.

我太麻木了,当我意识到那是什么的时候,感觉到的不过是一阵轻微的惊讶。

There were eight vampires in the clearing.

空地上有八个吸血鬼。

The young female suddenly threw her head back like an animal and wailed shrilly.

年轻的女吸血鬼突然像野兽一样把头转了回来,刺耳地哀号起来。

Edward saw my bewildered expression.

爱德华看见我迷惑的表情。

“She surrendered,” he told me quietly. “That’s one I’ve never seen before. Only Carlisle would think of offering. Jasper doesn’t approve.”

“她投降了,”他平静地告诉我,“那是我从来没见过的一个。只有卡莱尔才会想到这样的提议,贾斯帕不同意。”

I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the scene beside the fire. Jasper was rubbing absently at his left forearm.

我无法移开自己的眼神,凝视着火焰旁的情景,贾斯帕,心不在焉地擦了擦左上臂。

“He was bitten?” I asked, horrified.

“他被咬了?”我问道,心里一阵害怕。

“Is Jasper all right?” I whispered.

“贾斯帕还好吗?”我轻声问道。

Alice grimaced toward her true love. “Overprotective fool.”

爱丽丝对着她的真爱做了个鬼脸:“过分保护的傻瓜。”

“He’s fine. The venom stings.”

“他很好,毒液有些刺痛。”

“He was trying to be everywhere at once. Trying to make sure Alice had nothing to do, actually.” Edward shook his head. “Alice doesn’t need anyone’s help.”

“他想要同时无处不在。试图确保爱丽丝没什么可做的,实际上,”爱德华摇摇头,“爱丽丝不需要别人的帮助。”

Jasper growled at her and she cringed back, but her fingers dug into the ground like claws and her head whipped back and forth in anguish. Jasper took a step toward her, slipping deeper into his crouch. Edward moved with overdone casualness, turning our bodies so that he was between the girl and me. I peeked around his arm to watch the thrashing girl and Jasper.

贾斯帕怒气冲冲地盯着她,她畏缩地后退了,但是她的手指像爪子一样刨进地里,头痛苦地来回摆动。贾斯帕朝她靠近一步,蹲得更低了一些。爱德华过分漫不经心地移动着,让我们转过身来,这样他就挡在我和女孩之间了。我绕过他的胳膊,偷偷地注视着浑身抽搐的女孩和贾斯帕。

“Have you changed your mind, young one?” Carlisle asked, calm as ever. “We don’t want to destroy you, but we will if you can’t control yourself.”

“你改变主意了吗,年轻人?”卡莱尔问道,声音一如既往地平静,“我们不想毁掉你,但是如果你不能控制自己的话,我们就会这么做。”

“How can you stand it?” the girl groaned in a high, clear voice. “I want her.” Her bright crimson irises focused on Edward, through him, beyond him to me, and her nails ripped through the hard soil again.

“你们怎么可以忍受这样的事情?”女孩呻吟着,音调高而清晰,“我想要她。”她清澈的琥珀色瞳孔注视着爱德华,透过他看着我,她的指甲又把坚硬的土壤刨开了。

Carlisle was at Jasper’s side in an instant. He put a restraining hand on his most recent son’s arm.

卡莱尔倏地出现在贾斯帕旁边,他把一只手放在他最近才领养的儿子的胳膊上,制止他。

The girl clutched her dirt-encrusted hands around her head, yowling quietly.

女孩用沾满灰尘的手抱住自己的头,轻轻地咆哮起来。

“You must stand it,” Carlisle told her gravely. “You must exercise control. It is possible, and it is the only thing that will save you now.”

“你必须忍受,”卡莱尔神色严厉地告诉她,“你必须训练控制力,这是可能的,这是此刻唯一能救你的事情。”

“Shouldn’t we move away from her?” I whispered, tugging on Edward’s arm. The girl’s lips pulled back over her teeth when she heard my voice, her expression one of torment.

“难道我们不应该离她远一点儿吗?”我轻声问道,吃力地拖着爱德华的胳膊。那个女孩听见我的声音时嘴唇向后拉露出牙齿,表情十分痛苦。

“We have to stay here,” Edward murmured. “They are coming to the north end of the clearing now.”

“我们得待在这里,”爱德华咕哝道,“他们现在正从空地北面的终点赶往这里。”

My heart burst into a sprint as I scanned the clearing, but I couldn’t see anything past the thick pall of smoke.

我扫视空地的时候心脏骤然剧烈地跳动起来,但是滚滚浓烟之外我看不见其他豹东西。

I met the girl’s stare for a long moment. Chin-length dark hair framed her face, which was alabaster pale. It was hard to tell if her features were beautiful, twisted as they were by rage and thirst. The feral red eyes were dominant — hard to look away from. She glared at me viciously, shuddering and writhing every few seconds.

我正视着女孩瞪着我的目光,看了好久。长及下巴的黑发勾勒出她面部的轮廓,脸庞像石膏一样苍白。由于愤怒与饥渴让她的外表扭曲了,很难说清楚她是否美丽。凶猛的红色眼睛非常明显——让人难以把视线移开。她不怀好意地盯着我,每隔几分钟就痉挛一下。

Then Carlisle and Jasper began to back toward the rest of us. Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme all converged hastily around where Edward stood with Alice and me. A united front, as Edward had said, with me at the heart, in the safest place.

接着卡莱尔和贾斯帕开始回到我们中间。埃美特、罗莎莉和埃斯梅都急忙在爱德华、爱丽丝和我站立的地方聚集起来。正如爱德华所言,一道联合的防线,以我为中心,站在最安全的位置。

I tore my attention away from the wild girl to search for the approaching monsters.

我不情愿地让自己的目光从那个狂野的女孩身上移开,寻找即将到来的恶魔。

After a second of fruitless searching, my gaze crept back to the young female vampire. She was still watching me, her eyes half-mad.

徒劳无功地搜索了一会儿之后,我的眼神偷偷地回到这个年轻的女吸血鬼身上。她仍然注视着我,眼睛差不多都疯狂了。

There was still nothing to see. I glanced at Edward, and his eyes were locked straight ahead. I tried to follow his gaze, but there was only the smoke — dense, oily smoke twisting low to the ground, rising lazily, undulating against the grass.

还是没有什么可看的。我瞟了一眼爱德华,他的眼睛直勾勾地盯着前方。我努力跟随他的目光,但是还是只看见浓烟——浓厚得像油渍一样的烟雾在地面上盘旋,慵懒地慢慢升起,在草地上波浪起伏。

I stared at her, mesmerized, wondering if I were looking into a mirror of my future.

我盯着她,像被催眠了一样,不知道我是否透过这面镜子看见了自己的未来。

“Welcome, Jane.” Edward’s tone was coolly courteous.

“欢迎,简。”爱德华的声音从容不迫,彬彬有礼。

It billowed forward, darker in the middle.

它翻腾着向前进,在中间变得更浓黑了。

The dark shapes came closer, separating themselves from the haze, solidifying. I knew it would be Jane in the front — the darkest cloak, almost black, and the smallest figure by more than two feet. I could just barely make out Jane’s angelic features in the shade of the cowl.

黑色的形状越走越近,从薄雾中分离出来,越来越实在。我知道前面的会是简——颜色最黑的披风,几乎是黑黢黢的,不超过两英尺高,身材最娇小的那个,我只能勉强在蒙头斗篷的阴影中看出简天使般的容貌。

The four gray-shrouded figures hulking behind her were also somewhat familiar. I was sure I recognized the biggest one, and while I stared, trying to confirm my suspicion, Felix looked up. He let his hood fall back slightly so that I could see him wink at me and smile. Edward was very still at my side, tightly in control.

赫然出现在她身后的四个穿着灰色披风的人也有些熟悉。我确定我认出了块头最大的那个,当我目不转睛地想要确定我心中的疑虑时,费利克斯则抬起头看着我。他让头罩稍稍往后滑落一点儿,这样我就可以看见他对我微笑着眨眼睛了。爱德华站在我身边一动不动,紧紧地克制着自己。

Jane’s gaze moved slowly across the luminous faces of the Cullens and then touched on the newborn girl beside the fire; the newborn had her head in her hands again.

简的眼神徐徐地从卡伦家族的人光洁的脸庞上一一扫过,然后停留在火焰旁边的新生吸血鬼女孩身上;新生儿又用手紧紧地抱着头了。

“I don’t understand.” Jane’s voice was toneless, but not quite as uninterested as before.

“我不明白。”简干巴巴地说道,但是不像之前那么没有兴趣了。

“Hmm,” a dead voice murmured from the mist. I recognized the apathy at once.

“嗯。”突然从薄雾中传来一个冷漠的声音,我立刻认出这种冷漠。

Jane stared at Carlisle in consternation. She shook her head infinitesimally, and then composed her features.

简惊愕地盯着卡莱尔,她不着痕迹地摇了摇头,接着让自己的表情镇定下来。

Edward shrugged. “Carlisle gave her the option.”

爱德华耸耸肩:“卡莱尔给了她选择。”

Jane’s dark eyes flashed to his face. “Surrendered?”

简乌黑的眼睛刷地一下扫到他脸上:“投降了?”

“She has surrendered,” Edward explained, answering the confusion in her mind.

“她已经投降了。”爱德华解释道,回答了她心中的疑问。

“There are no options for those who break the rules,” Jane said flatly.

“对那些破坏规矩的人来说没有选择可言。”简坚决地说道。

Carlisle spoke then, his voice mild. “That’s in your hands. As long as she was willing to halt her attack on us, I saw no need to destroy her. She was never taught.”

卡莱尔接着开口说话了,他的语气很平和:“那是在你掌控之中的。只要她愿意停止攻击我们,我看不出有毁灭她的必要,她从来未受过教化。”

“As you wish.”

“随你所愿。”

“That is irrelevant,” Jane insisted.

“那根本毫不相干。”简坚持说道。

“Aro hoped that we would get far enough west to see you, Carlisle. He sends his regards.”

“阿罗本来希望我们会在西边更远的地方见到你,卡莱尔,他向你问好。”

Carlisle nodded. “I would appreciate it if you would convey mine to him.”

卡莱尔点点头:“如果你能代我向他问好,我会非常感激的。”

Felix and another shadow exchanged a quick glance.

费利克斯和另一个影子飞快地交换了一下眼神。

“Of course.” Jane smiled. Her face was almost too lovely when it was animated. She looked back toward the smoke. “It appears that you’ve done our work for us today… for the most part.” Her eyes flickered to the hostage. “Just out of professional curiosity, how many were there? They left quite a wake of destruction in Seattle.”

“当然啦”,简微笑着说道,她的脸充满生机的时候几乎是非常可爱的,她回头看了看烟雾,似乎今天你们做了我们该做的工作……大部分。”她的眼睛飘忽到人质身上,“只不过出于职业的好奇心,有多少人?他们在西雅图留下不少毁灭的痕迹。”

“All brand-new,” Carlisle said dismissively. “They were unskilled.”

“都是全新的,”卡莱尔语气威严地说道,“他们没有任何技巧。”

Jane stared to the east for a long moment, and then examined the closer bonfire again.

简久久地凝望着东边,接着再次检查了近处的火堆。

“All?” Her voice turned sharp. “Then who was their creator?”

“全部?”她的声音变得尖锐起来,“那么谁是他们的创造者?”

Edward inclined his head toward the eastern forest. Jane’s eyes snapped up and focused on something far in the distance. The other pillar of smoke? I didn’t look away to check.

爱德华把头偏向东面的森林。简的眼睛倏地抬起来,立即盯着远处。另一根烟柱?我没转头跟过去看,去核实。

“Eighteen?” she repeated, her voice sounding unsure for the first time.

“十八个?”她重复道,她的声音第一次听起来不确定。

“Eighteen, including this one,” Carlisle answered.

“十八个,包括这个。”卡莱尔回答道。

Jane’s eyes widened, and she looked at the fire again, seeming to reassess the size of it. Felix and the other shadow exchanged a longer glance.

简瞪大眼睛,她又看了看火焰,似乎在重新评估有多少人。费利克斯和另外一个影子交换了一下眼神,这一次时间要长一些。

“Was?” Jane asked.

“曾经是?”简问道。

“Twenty,” Jane breathed. “Who dealt with the creator?”

“二十个,”筒吃力地说道,“谁对付的创造者?”

“Her name was Victoria,” Edward answered, no emotion in his voice.

“她的名字曾经是维多利亚。”爱德华回答道,声音里毫无感情。

“This Victoria — she was in addition to the eighteen here?”

“这个维多利亚——她是这里十八个之外的?”

“Yes. She had only one other with her. He was not as young as this one here, but no older than a year.”

“是的,她身边只有一个跟她在一起。他不像这里的这个这么年轻,但是不超过一岁。”

Jane’s eyes narrowed, and she turned to the girl beside the fire.

简眯起眼睛,转向火堆旁边的女孩。

“I did,” Edward told her.

“我。”爱德华告诉她。

Jane smiled back angelically.

简冲她露出一个天使般的笑容。

The newborn shot a baleful glare at Jane, her lips pressed tightly together.

新生儿邪恶地盯着简,嘴唇闭得紧紧的。

“You there,” she said, her dead voice harsher than before. “Your name.”

“就是你,”她说道,语气比先前更加缺少生气,“你的名字?”

“Your name,” Jane said again, her voice inflectionless.

“你的名字。”简又说道,她的声音毫无起伏。

Finally, it was quiet.

最后,一切终于安静下来。

The newborn girl’s answering scream was ear-piercing; her body arched stiffly into a distorted, unnatural position. I looked away, fighting the urge to cover my ears. I gritted my teeth, hoping to control my stomach. The screaming intensified. I tried to concentrate on Edward’s face, smooth and unemotional, but that made me remember when it had been Edward under Jane’s torturing gaze, and I felt sicker. I looked at Alice instead, and Esme next to her. Their faces were as empty as his.

新生吸血鬼女孩回应的尖叫声非常刺耳;她的身体僵硬地弓成扭曲、不自然的形状。我把脸别过去,抵抗着想要捂住耳朵的冲动。我咬紧牙关,希望能够控制自己的胃。尖叫声更加强烈了,我想把注意力集中在爱德华的脸上,但是那使我想起他以前在简令人备受折磨的眼神下的情景,我感到更加不舒服了。相反,我看着爱丽丝和她身旁的埃斯梅,她们的脸都和他的一样空洞。

Jane smiled, and the girl shrieked again. I held my breath until the sound of her agony stopped.

简笑了笑,女孩又尖叫起来,我捂住耳朵直到她痛苦的声音停了下来。

“Bree,” the girl gasped.

“布里。”女孩大口喘着气说道。

Jane looked up, sudden humor in her usually dead eyes. “Oh, I know,” she said to Edward, grinning at him before she turned back to the young vampire, Bree.

简仰着头,一直毫无生气的眼睛里突然闪过一丝幽默,“噢,我知道。”她对爱德华说道,对他露齿一笑,然后再转过头看着年轻的吸血鬼布里。

“She’ll tell you anything you want to know,” Edward said through his teeth. “You don’t have to do that.”

“她会告诉你你想知道的任何事情的,”爱德华的话从牙缝中挤出来,“你没必要那么做。”

“Bree,” Jane said, her voice cold again. “Is his story true? Were there twenty of you?”

“布里,”简说道,她的声音又变得冷酷起来,“他说的都是真的吗?你们有二十个吗?”

The girl lay panting, the side of her face pressed against the earth. She spoke quickly. “Nineteen or twenty, maybe more, I don’t know!” She cringed, terrified that her ignorance might bring on another round of torture. “Sara and the one whose name I don’t know got in a fight on the way…”

女孩躺在地上气喘吁吁的,她的一侧脸庞抵着地面。她飞快地说道:“十九到二十个,或许更多,我不知道!”她畏惧起来,害怕她的一无所知可能会带来另一轮折磨,莎拉和另一个我不知道名字的人在来的路上打了起来……”

“And this Victoria — did she create you?”

“这个维多利亚——是她创造你的吗?”

Jane’s eyes flickered to Edward, and then back to the girl.

简的眼睛闪烁到爱德华身上,接着又回到女孩身上。

“I don’t know,” she said, flinching again. “Riley never said her name. I didn’t see that night… it was so dark, and it hurt…” Bree shuddered. “He didn’t want us to be able to think of her. He said that our thoughts weren’t safe…”

“我不知道,”她说道,又畏惧起来,“赖利从来没有说过她的名字。那天晚上我没看见……天那么黑,那么痛……”布里颤抖起来,“他不许我们想起她,他说我们的思想不安全……”

“Riley told us that we had to destroy the strange yellow-eyes here,” Bree babbled quickly and willingly. “He said it would be easy. He said that the city was theirs, and they were coming to get us. He said once they were gone, all the blood would be ours. He gave us her scent.” Bree lifted one hand and stabbed a finger in my direction. “He said we would know that we had the right coven, because she would be with them. He said whoever got to her first could have her.”

“赖利告诉我们,我们得摧毁这个奇怪的黄眼睛,”布里噼里啪啦地说道,语速很快,而且心甘情愿,“他说这会很容易,他说城市是他们的,他们会赶来除掉我们。他说一旦他们消失了,所有的血就都是我们的了。他给了我们她的气味,”布里抬起一只手,手指指着我的方向,“他说我们会知道我们要找的团体,因为她会跟他们在一起。他说谁第一个找到她,谁就能得到她。”

Victoria had planned this well. If she hadn’t followed Edward, there would have been no way to know for certain that she was involved…

维多利亚把这一切计划得非常周详。要是她不跟踪爱德华的话,就不可能确切地知道她与此有关了……

“Tell me about Riley,” Jane said. “Why did he bring you here?”

“告诉我赖利的事情,”简说道,“为什么他把你们带到这里?”

“It looks like Riley was wrong about the easy part,” Jane noted.

“看起来赖利在很容易这点上是错误的。”简评论道。

I heard Edward’s jaw flex beside me.

我听见爱德华的下巴在我身旁收缩了一下。

Carlisle’s face was very smooth as he nodded. “We split up, too.”

卡莱尔的脸非常平静,他说道:“我们也分散了。”

Bree nodded, seeming relieved that the conversation had taken this non-painful course. She sat up carefully. “I don’t know what happened. We split up, but the others never came. And Riley left us, and he didn’t come to help like he promised. And then it was so confusing, and everybody was in pieces.” She shuddered again. “I was afraid. I wanted to run away. That one –” she looked at Carlisle ” — said they wouldn’t hurt me if I stopped fighting.”

布里点点头,谈话不必那么痛苦地进行,这似乎让她觉得很欣慰。她小心翼翼地坐了起来:“我不知道发生了什么事。我们分头行动,但是其他人都没有来。赖利离开我们,他没有像他保证的那样过来帮助我们。接着,事情乱作一团,每个人都成了碎片。”她又战栗起来,“我很害怕,我想跑开,那个——”她看着卡莱尔,“——如果我停止打斗,他们就不会伤害我。”

Bree stared at her, not comprehending.

布里盯着她,不知道她是什么意思。

Jane looked at Carlisle. “Are you sure you got all of them? The other half that split off?”

简看着卡莱尔:“你确定把他们全都除掉了吗?分散的另一半?”

“Ah, but that wasn’t his gift to offer, young one,” Jane murmured, her voice oddly gentle now. “Broken rules demand a consequence.”

“啊,但是那不是他提供的礼物,年轻人,”简咕哝道,她的声音现在柔和得有些奇怪,“破坏规矩就要承担后果。”

Jane half-smiled. “I can’t deny that I’m impressed.” The big shadows behind her murmured in agreement. “I’ve never seen a coven escape this magnitude of offensive intact. Do you know what was behind it? It seems like extreme behavior, considering the way you live here. And why was the girl the key?” Her eyes rested unwilling on me for one short second.

简似笑非笑地说道:“我无法否认这令我印象深刻。”她身后的大影子低声表示同意,“我从来没见过一个团体逃脱如此巨大的攻击而毫发无损,你知道这之后是什么吗?”这似乎是极端的行为,考虑到你们在此的生活方式。为什么这个女孩是关键?”她的眼睛不情愿地停留在我身上,看了我一会儿。

“Victoria held a grudge against Bella,” Edward told her, his voice impassive.

“维多利亚对贝拉心存芥蒂。”爱德华告诉她,他的声音毫无感情。

“Would you please not do that?” he asked in a tight voice.

“你可不可以不要那么做呢?”他严厉地问道。

I shivered.

我一阵颤抖。

Edward stiffened. I looked at him in time to see his face turning away, back to Jane.

爱德华绷紧身体,我刚好看见他别开脸,目光回到简身上。

Jane laughed — the sound was golden, the bubbling laugh of a happy child. “This one seems to bring out bizarrely strong reactions in our kind,” she observed, smiling directly at me, her face beatific.

简大笑起来——声音洪亮,像开心的小孩幸福地笑开了怀一样,这个人似乎给我们的族类带来了离奇古怪的强烈反应。”她评论道,直勾勾地对着我微笑,脸上露出天使般的表情。

I shivered, deeply grateful that the strange glitch in my system — which had protected me from Jane the last time we’d met — was still in effect. Edward’s arm tightened around me.

我颤抖了,深深地感激我身体机制中奇怪的小故障——上一次我们相遇的时候它保护我免演戏简的伤害——现在仍然有效。爱德华的胳膊紧紧地抱着我。

“Well, it appears that there’s not much left for us to do. Odd,” Jane said, apathy creeping back into her voice. “We’re not used to being rendered unnecessary. It’s too bad we missed the fight. It sounds like it would have been entertaining to watch.”

“好吧,似乎没剩下什么需要我们来做的了,真奇怪,”简说道,冷漠又回到她的声音里,“我们不习惯被认为不需要,我们错过战斗实在是太糟糕了,听起来在一旁观战会很有意思。

Jane laughed again lightly. “Just checking. No harm done, apparently.”

简又轻松地大笑起来:“只是检查一下,很显然,没造成什么伤害。”

“Yes,” Edward answered her quickly, his voice sharp. “And you were so close. It’s a shame you didn’t arrive just a half hour earlier. Perhaps then you could have fulfilled your purpose here.”

“是的”爱德华迅速地回答道,声音很尖锐,“你们离我们那么近,没能提前半小时赶到简直是种耻辱。要不是那样的话,你们或许就能完成你们此行的使命了。”

Jane met Edward’s glare with unwavering eyes. “Yes. Quite a pity how things turned out, isn’t it?”

简坚定地注视着爱德华的目光。“是的。事情的结果很遗憾,不是吗?”

Edward nodded once to himself, his suspicions confirmed.

爱德华对自己点了点头,证实了他的猜疑。

Jane turned to look at the newborn Bree again, her face completely bored. “Felix?” she drawled.

简把目光又转向新生儿布里,脸上露出百无聊赖的神情,“费力克斯”她拉长语调慢慢地说道。

Jane raised one eyebrow, but Edward was staring at Carlisle while he spoke in an urgent voice. “We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn’t seem unwilling to learn. She didn’t know what she was doing.”

简挑起眉毛,但是爱德华目不转睛地看着卡莱尔,语气急切地说道:“我们会给这个年轻人解释规则的,她似乎不是不愿意学习,她不知道自己在做什么。”

“Of course,” Carlisle answered. “We would certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree.”

“当然,”卡莱尔回答道,“我们一定会准备对布里负责的。”

“The date is set,” Alice told Jane, speaking for the first time. “Perhaps we’ll come to visit you in a few months.”

“日期已经定好了,”爱丽丝告诉简,她第一次开口说话,“或许几个月之后我们会去拜访你们的。”

“Wait,” Edward interjected.

“等一等。”爱德华突然插话道。

Jane’s expression was torn between amusement and disbelief.

简的表情在有趣和不相信之间来回摇摆。

“We don’t make exceptions,” she said. “And we don’t give second chances. It’s bad for our reputation. Which reminds me…” Suddenly, her eyes were on me again, and her cherubic face dimpled. “Caius will be so interested to hear that you’re still human, Bella. Perhaps he’ll decide to visit.”

“我们没有例外,”她说道,“而且我们不给第二次机会,这对我们的名声不利。这使我想起来……”突然,她的眼睛又盯着我了,天真无邪的脸上露出酒窝,盖由斯会那么有兴趣地得知你还是人类的,贝拉,或许他会决定过来看看的。”

There was a deep, rumbling growl, and then a high-pitched keen that was horribly familiar.

四周响起一阵轰隆隆低沉的咆哮声,接着传来一声尖锐的惨叫,熟悉而令人惊骇万分。

I was only too eager to follow his instruction. I’d seen more than enough for one day — more than enough for one lifetime. I squeezed my eyes tightly together and turned my face into Edward’s chest.

我正求之不得听从他的指示。一天里我看得够多了——对一生来说都还嫌多。我紧紧地闭上眼睛,把脸埋在爱德华的胸脯上。

Edward’s hand rubbed anxiously against my shoulders.

爱德华的手不安地抚摸着我的肩膀。

But I could still hear.

但是我还是能听见。

The gray cloaks disappeared into the thick mist.

灰色的披风消失在浓浓的烟雾中。

“Take care of that, Felix,” Jane said, nodding toward Bree, her voice dripping boredom. “I want to go home.”

“处理也那件事,费力克斯,”简说道,朝布里点点头,她的声音变得毫无生气起来,“我想回家了。”

“Don’t watch,” Edward whispered in my ear.

“别看。”爱德华在我耳边轻声说道。

“Come,” Jane said, and I looked up in time to see the backs of the tall gray cloaks drifting away toward the curling smoke. The incense smell was strong again — fresh.

“走吧。”简说道,我抬头的时候,刚好看见高高的灰披风的后背朝着袅袅的烟雾慢慢走远了。熏香的味道又强烈起来——是新的。

Carlisle nodded, his expression pained.

卡莱尔点点头露出痛苦的表情。

Jane’s smile faded, and she shrugged indifferently, never looking at Alice. She turned to face Carlisle. “It was nice to meet you, Carlisle — I’d thought Aro was exaggerating. Well, until we meet again…”

简脸上的笑容顿时消失了,她漠不关心地耸耸肩,看也没看爱丽丝一眼。她转过脸看着卡莱尔:“很高兴见到你,卡莱尔——我本以为阿罗是在夸大其词呢,好吧,直到我们再次想见……”

That sound cut off quickly, and then the only sound was a sickening crunching and snapping.

那个声音很快就停了下来,接着唯一的声音就是令人作呕的嘎吱声和噼啪声。


yewandou

一个人要有坚强的毅力,否则他将一事无成

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