I groaned and then whispered, “You might change your mind about that.”
我痛苦地呻吟着，接着轻声说道：“你可能会改变对此事的看法。”
“That will never happen. I won’t allow it.”
“那永远都不会发生，我不许。”
“He went to fight,” I mumbled into the floor.
“他去打仗了。”我对着地面咕哝道。
“Are you all right?” he murmured, his voice anxious.
“你还好吗？”他轻声问道，语气中充满担忧。
“Where’s Jacob?”
“雅各布去哪里了？”
Jacob had left the little camp joyfully — with a cheerful “I’ll be right back” — running full tilt for the clearing, already quivering as he prepared to shift to his other self. By now the whole pack knew everything. Seth Clearwater, pacing outside the tent, was an intimate witness to my disgrace.
雅各布兴高采烈地离开了宿营地——带着“我会回来的”喜悦之情——全速赶往那片空地，准备变成另一个他自己的时候已经开始颤抖了。到现在为止，整个狼群都知道了一切。塞思·克里尔沃特在帐篷外走来走去，是我的耻辱的鲜活的见证人。
I lay facedown across the sleeping bag, waiting for justice to find me. Maybe an avalanche would bury me here. I wished it would. I never wanted to have to see my face in the mirror again.
我脸朝下横躺在睡袋上，等待着正义的审判。或许雪崩会把我埋葬在这里，我希望它会，我再也不想在镜子里看见我自己。
“No. I want to die.”
“不好，我想要死。”
Edward was silent for a long moment. “Oh,” he finally said.
爱德华沉默了许久，“哦。”他终于说道。
There was no sound to warn me. Out of nowhere, Edward’s cold hand stroked against my knotted hair. I shuddered guiltily at his touch.
没有声音提醒我。爱德华不知道从哪里出现在我身边，用冰冷的手轻轻地抚摸着我纠缠在一起的头发，他的抚摸使我内疚地颤抖起来。
The tone of his voice worried me that my avalanche wasn’t coming fast enough. I peeked up at him and, sure enough, his eyes were unfocused as he listened to something I’d rather die than have him hear. I dropped my face back to the floor.
他的语气让我担心我的雪崩不会很快到来。我抬头偷偷地看着他，足够确信他在听一些我宁愿死也不愿意让他听见的东西，他的眼睛没有集中在特定的事情上。我把目光放回到地面上。
“Edward,” I whispered to the rough nylon. “I… I… I’m –“
“爱德华，”我对着粗糙的尼龙轻声说道，“我……我……我——”
It stunned me when Edward chuckled reluctantly.
爱德华不情愿地轻声笑了笑，这让我大吃一惊。
“Bella, did you really believe he was that noble? That he would go out in a flame of glory just to clear the way for me?”
“贝拉，你真的相信他那么高尚？他会带着胜利的荣耀全力以赴地为我让道？”
“And I thought I fought dirty,” he said with grudging admiration. “He makes me look like the patron saint of ethics.” His hand brushed against the part of my cheek that was exposed. “I’m not mad at you, love. Jacob’s more cunning than I gave him credit for. I do wish you hadn’t asked him, though.”
“我还以为我竞争得不光彩呢，”他耿耿于怀，却又不无欣赏地说道，“他使我看起来像卫道士一样。”他的手轻轻地抚摸着我没有掩藏起来的那部分脸颊，“我不生你的气，我爱。雅各布比我想的还要狡猾，尽管我的确希望你没有要他那么做。”
“Shh,” he hushed me, his fingers soothing against my cheek. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that he would have kissed you anyway — even if you hadn’t fallen for it — and now I don’t have an excuse to break his face. I would have really enjoyed that, too.”
“嘘，”他让我别说话，手指轻轻地抚摸我的脸，“我不是那个意思。只是不管怎样他都会吻你的——即使你没有上当——现在我没有借口打碎他的脸了，我本来也会很享受那样的。”
I raised my head slowly to meet his patient gaze. His expression was soft; his eyes were full of understanding rather than the revulsion I deserved to see.
我慢慢地抬起头，正视他耐心的凝视。他的表情很温柔，眼睛里充满理解，而不是我活该看见的厌恶。
“Fallen for it?” I mumbled almost incomprehensibly.
“上当？”我几乎不可思议地咕哝道。
“Yes, I did believe that,” I muttered, and then looked away. But I didn’t feel any anger at Jacob for tricking me. There wasn’t enough room in my body to contain anything besides the hatred I felt toward myself.
“是的，我的确相信了。”我小声说道，接着看向别处去了，但是我并没有因为雅各布欺骗我而生他的气。除了对我自己的憎恶之外，我的身体里面没有足够的空间容纳其他东西。
Every cell in my body ached to deny it.
我身体里的每个细胞都痛苦地否认这一点。
“You love him,” he murmured gently.
“你爱他。”他轻轻地低语道。
“That’s the most miserable defense I’ve ever heard.”
“这是我曾听见过的最悲惨的辩护。”
Edward laughed softly again. “You’re such a bad liar, you’ll believe anyone who has the least bit of skill.”
爱德华又轻轻地笑道：“你那么不会撒谎，你会相信伎俩最蹩脚的任何人。”
“Why aren’t you angry with me?” I whispered. “Why don’t you hate me? Or haven’t you heard the whole story yet?”
“为什么你不生我的气？”我轻声问道，“为什么你不恨我？是不是你还没有听完整件事情？”
“But you are human, Bella. And, as much as I might wish otherwise, so is he… There are holes in your life that I can’t fill. I understand that.”
“但是你是人，贝拉，就算我可能想得相反，他也一样……你的生命中有些我无法填补的洞，我理解这一点。”
“You’re only human,” he whispered, stroking my hair again.
“你是个人。”他轻轻地说道，再次抚摸我的头发。
“I think I got a fairly comprehensive look,” he said in a light, easy voice. “Jacob makes vivid mental pictures. I feel almost as bad for his pack as I do for myself. Poor Seth was getting nauseated. But Sam is making Jacob focus now.”
“我想我相当全面地看了看，”他轻描淡写，从容地说道，“雅各布脑子里的情景非常生动。我几乎为他的狼群感到难过，就像我为我自己一样。可怜的塞思感到很恶心，但是山姆现在让雅各布集中精力了。”
“I love you more,” I said. It was the best I could do.
“我更爱你！”我说道，我能做的就只有这些了。
I closed my eyes and shook my head in agony. The sharp nylon fibers of the tent floor scraped against my skin.
我闭上眼睛，痛苦地摇头，帐篷底部坚硬的尼龙纤维摩擦着我的皮肤。
“But that’s not true. That’s what makes me so horrible. There are no holes.”
“但是那不是真的，没有洞，那样让我变得那么可怕。”
“I want you to call me every bad name you can think of, in every language you know. I want you to tell me that you’re disgusted with me and that you’re going to leave so that I can beg and grovel on my knees for you to stay.”
“我想你骂我你能想到的一切坏话，用你所知道的任何语言。我想你告诉我你讨厌我，你要离开我，这样我就会祈求你，卑躬屈膝地跪在地上求你留下来。”
“Yes, I know that, too. But… when I left you, Bella, I left you bleeding. Jacob was the one to stitch you back up again. That was bound to leave its mark — on both of you. I’m not sure those kinds of stitches dissolve on their own. I can’t blame either of you for something I made necessary. I may gain forgiveness, but that doesn’t let me escape the consequences.”
“是的，我也知道，但是……当我离开你，贝拉，我让你流血了。雅各布是那个再次让你缝合起来的人，那一定会留下记号——在你们两个人身上。我不确定那种缝合是否会自己溶解，我不能因为由我造成的后果来责备你们两个中的任何一个。我可能会获得宽恕，但是那并不能让我避脱后果。”
“I should have known you’d find some way to blame yourself. Please stop. I can’t stand it.”
“我本应该了解你已经找到一些自我责备的途径的，求你别这样，我无法忍受。”
“I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I can’t do that.”
“对不起，”他叹息道，“我不会做那样的事情。”
“What would you like me to say?”
“你想要我说什么呢？”
I nodded slowly. “You’re right. Keep on being too understanding. That’s probably worse.”
我慢慢地点点头：“你是对的，一直都善解人意，那可能会更糟糕。”
He was silent for a moment, and I sensed a charge in the atmosphere, a new urgency.
他沉默了片刻，我感觉到一阵紧张的气氛，一种新的急迫感。
“At least stop trying to make me feel better. Let me suffer. I deserve it.”
“至少别试着让我良心感到好受一些，让我痛苦吧，我活该。”
“No,” he murmured.
“不。”他低声说道。
“It’s getting close,” I stated.
“快到了。”我说道。
“Yes, a few more minutes now. Just enough time to say one more thing…”
“是的，现在只有几分钟了，剩下的时间只够再说一件事情……”
I pushed off the floor, shoving myself up onto my knees.
我手撑着地面，让膝盖跪在地上。
I waited. When he finally spoke again, he was whispering. “I can be noble, Bella. I’m not going to make you choose between us. Just be happy, and you can have whatever part of me you want, or none at all, if that’s better. Don’t let any debt you feel you owe me influence your decision.”
我等待着。他终于再次开口说话了，这一次是耳语：“我可以很高尚，贝拉。我不打算让你在我们之间作选择。只要你幸福，你可以拥有你想要的我身上的任何部分，或者什么也不要，如果那样更好的话。不要让你觉得欠我什么债，让这种想法影响你的决定。”
“Dammit, stop that!” I shouted at him.
“该死，别这样！”我对他叫道。
His eyes widened in surprise. “No — you don’t understand. I’m not just trying to make you feel better, Bella, I really mean it.”
他惊讶得睁大眼睛，“不——你不了解。我不是想让你感到好受一些，贝拉，我是认真的。”
I scrambled into his lap, throwing my arms around him.
我爬到他的腿上，用胳膊搂住他。
“How?” he asked, and his eyes were ancient with their sadness.
“怎样做？”他问道，他的眼睛像它们的悲伤一样那么苍老。
“I don’t care that it’s cold here. I don’t care that I stink like a dog right now. Make me forget how awful I am. Make me forget him. Make me forget my own name. Fight back!”
“我不在乎这里很冷，我不在乎我现在闻起来像狗的味道。让我忘记自己有多么可怕，让我忘记他，让我忘记自己的名字。反击！”
“I know you do,” I groaned. “What happened to fighting back? Don’t start with the noble self-sacrifice now! Fight!”
“我知道你是认真的，”我痛苦地呻吟道，“为什么不反击？现在别以高尚的自我牺牲开始！反击！”
“Careful, love,” he murmured under my urgent kiss.
“小心。我爱。”他在我急切的亲吻中低语道。
I didn’t wait for him to decide — or to have the chance to tell me he wasn’t interested in a cruel, faithless monster like me. I pulled myself against him and crushed my mouth to his snow-cold lips.
我没等他作决定——也没让他有机会告诉我，他对像我这样残忍不忠的魔鬼没有兴趣，我把自己向他拉近，用我的嘴巴压在他雪一样冰冷的嘴唇上。
“No,” I growled.
“不。”我低声吼道。
He gently pushed my face a few inches back. “You don’t have to prove anything to me.”
他轻轻地把我的脸推开几英尺：“你不必向我证明什么。”
“Perhaps this isn’t the best moment for that,” he suggested, too calm for my liking.
“或许现在不是这样做的最佳时机。”他建议道，他太冷静了，不是我喜欢的那样。
“I’m not trying to prove something. You said I could have any part of you I wanted. I want this part. I want every part.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and strained to reach his lips. He bent his head to kiss me back, but his cool mouth was hesitant as my impatience grew more pronounced. My body was making my intentions clear, giving me away. Inevitably, his hands moved to restrain me.
“我没试图证明什么，你说过我可以拥有我想要的你身上的任何地方。我想要这里，我想要每个地方。”我用胳膊环抱住他的脖子，绷直身体去吻他的嘴唇。他低下头回吻着我，但是随着我的烦躁不安越来越强烈，他凉爽的嘴唇变得犹豫不决起来。我的身体使我的意图清晰明了，出卖了我。不可避免地，他的手转而制止了我。
“Why not?” I grumbled. There was no point in fighting if he was going to be rational; I dropped my arms.
“为什么不？”我抱怨道。如果他打算理智处理的话竞争就没有意义了，我放下胳膊。
“Firstly, because it is cold.” He reached out to pull the sleeping bag off the floor; he wrapped it around me like a blanket.
“首先，因为很冷。”他伸出手，把睡袋从地面上拉了起来，像被子一样裹在我身上。
As he spoke, Seth howled stridently outside the tent.
他说的时候塞思在帐篷外刺耳地咆哮起来。
“It’s going to be fine, Bella,” he promised. “We’ve got skill, training, and surprise on our side. It will be over very soon. If I didn’t truly believe that, I would be down there now — and you’d be here, chained to a tree or something along those lines.”
“会没事的，贝拉，”他保证道，“我们有技巧、训练，还有出其不意，很快就会结束了。如果我不是真的相信这一点，我现在早已经在山下了——而你则会待在这里，绑在一棵树上，或诸如此类的某个东西上。”
“This is a very long list,” I muttered.
“这个清单太长了。”我嘀咕道。
I cringed, and buried my face against his shoulder.
我退却了，把脸埋在他的肩膀上。
He chuckled. “All right, I’ll give you that. The cold is second. And thirdly… well, you do actually stink, love.”
无他轻声笑道：“好吧，权且当你是对的。寒冷是第二点。第三点……好吧，你实际上的确很难闻，我爱。”
“Wrong,” I said. “First, because you are bizarrely moral for a vampire.”
“错，”我说道，“首先，因为你对于吸血鬼而言品行出奇的端正。”
“Fourthly,” he murmured, dropping his face so that he was whispering in my ear. “We will try, Bella. I’ll make good on my promise. But I’d much rather it wasn’t in reaction to Jacob Black.”
“第四，”他的声音很轻，低下头在我耳边低语道，“我们会努力的，贝拉。我会兑现我的诺言，但是我倒宁愿这不是因为雅各布·布莱克而产生的反应。”
He wrinkled his nose.
他皱着鼻子。
“And fifthly…”
“第五……”
My body stiffened to the sound. I didn’t realize my left hand was clenched into a fist, nails biting into my bandaged palm, until Edward took it and gently smoothed my fingers out.
听见这个声音我的身体僵直。我没有意识到自己的左手紧紧握成了拳头，指甲掐进了布满绷带的手掌里，直到爱德华拉住它，把它轻轻地掰开。
I sighed.
我叹气了。
He laughed. “Yes, but did you want to listen to the fight or not?”
他大声笑道：“是的，但是你到底想不想听一听战斗的情况？”
“He’s just angry that he’s stuck here with us. He knows the pack kept him out of the action to protect him. He’s salivating to join them.”
“他只是很生气自己被卡在这里和我们在一起，他知道狼群不让他去战斗是为了保护他。他想要和他们一起战斗，想得都要垂涎欲滴了。”
He chuckled. “That might be a problem… if it were possible for someone to catch her.”
他轻声笑道：“那可能是个问题……如果抓住她的人想要这么做的话。”
“Alice is so small,” I moaned.
“爱丽丝那么娇小。”我满腹牢骚地说。
Seth started to whimper.
塞思开始哀鸣了。
I struggled to do what he asked. I could hear Seth’s heavy panting just outside the tent wall, and I tried to keep my lungs on the same even pace, so that I wouldn’t hyperventilate.
我挣扎着按照他说的做了。我能听见塞思就在帐篷外面喘着粗气，努力让自己的肺保持匀速，这样我就不会用力呼吸了。
“The first group is in the clearing. We can hear the fighting.”
“第一队到空地了，我们听得见他们打斗的声音。”
“What’s wrong?” I demanded.
“怎么啦？”我追问道。
I scowled in Seth’s general direction.
我愁容满面地朝塞思所在的大致方位看了看。
“The newborns have reached the end of the trail — it worked like a charm, Jasper’s a genius — and they’ve caught the scent of the ones in the meadow, so they’re splitting into two groups now, as Alice said,” Edward murmured, his eyes focused on something far away. “Sam’s taking us around to head off the ambush party.” He was so intent on what he was hearing that he used the pack plural.
“新生儿已经到达踪迹的尽头了——这起作用了，就像魔法一样，贾斯帕是个天才——他们已经闻到草地那里的气味了，所以，他们现在要分成两队，正如爱丽丝所言，”爱德华低声叙说着，他的眼睛注视着远处的某个东西，山姆带着我们在四周绕一圈准备拦截伏击纵队。”他如此专心地倾听他听见的事情，不知不觉使用了狼群的集合复数形式“我们”。
Suddenly he looked down at me. “Breathe, Bella.”
突然他低头看着我：“呼吸，贝拉。”
My teeth locked together.
我的牙齿紧紧地咬合在一起。
I made myself take another breath with Seth.
我让自己和塞思一起又吸了一口气。
He laughed once. “We can hear Emmett — he’s enjoying himself.”
他大笑了一声：“我们能听见埃美特的声音——他很享受呢。”
“The second group is getting ready — they aren’t paying attention, they haven’t heard us yet.”
“第二队已经准备好了——他们没有注意，他们还没有听见我们的动静。”
Edward growled.
爱德华低吼了一声。
“They’re talking about you.” His teeth clenched together. “They’re supposed to make sure you don’t escape… Nice move, Leah! Mmm, she’s quite fast,” he murmured in approval. “One of the newborns caught our scent, and Leah took him down before he could even turn. Sam’s helping her finish him off. Paul and Jacob got another one, but the others are on the defensive now. They have no idea what to make of us. Both sides are feinting… No, let Sam lead. Stay out of the way,” he muttered. “Separate them — don’t let them protect each other’s backs.”
“他们在谈论你，”他的牙齿紧紧地咬在一起，“他们应该确保不让你逃跑……干得漂亮，里尔！嗯，她非常快，”他小声地赞许道，“一个新生儿闻到我们的气味，里尔在他还没来得及跑之前就把它干掉了，山姆正帮她结果他呢。保罗和雅各布遇到另一个，但是其他的现在全在防御了，他们不知道我们是怎么构成的。双方都在佯攻……不，让山姆带队，别挡道，”他低声说道，“分散他们——别让他们保护彼此的后方。”
Seth whined.
塞思呜呜地叫了起来。
“What?” I gasped.
“怎么啦？”我大吃一惊。
“That’s better, drive them toward the clearing,” Edward approved. His body was shifting unconsciously as he watched, tensing for moves he would have made. His hands still held mine; I twisted my fingers through his. At least he wasn’t down there.
“那样好多了，把他们赶到空地上。”爱德华赞许道。他密切注视的时候身体不自觉地移动着，肌肉因为他会做的下个动作紧绷起来。他的手仍然握着我的，我用手指紧紧地扣住他的，至少他不会下山到那里去。
I stopped breathing, too — too frightened to even make my lungs work as I realized that Edward had frozen into a block of ice beside me.
我也屏住呼吸——意识到爱德华在我身边僵硬得就像一根冰柱，我大惊失色，甚至不敢让我的肺活动起来了。
The sudden absence of sound was the only warning.
声音突然不见了，这显然是个警告。
The deep rush of Seth’s breathing cut off, and — as I’d paced my breaths with his — I noticed.
塞思短促而低沉的呼吸声戛然而止，而且——因为我和他的呼吸步调一致——我注意到了。
So quickly that I wasn’t exactly sure how it happened, I was on my feet and the tent was collapsing in ragged shreds around me. Had Edward ripped our way out? Why?
一切发生得那么快，我并不十分确定是怎么发生的，我已经站了起来，帐篷被撕成碎片，在我身边坍塌下来。是爱德华撕裂开了让我们出去的吗？为什么？
Who had been lost? Theirs or ours? Mine, all mine. What was my loss?
损失了什么？他们的还是我们的？我的，都是我的，我的损失是什么？
Oh, no. No. No.
哦，不，不，不。
I blinked, shocked, into the brilliant light. Seth was all I could see, right beside us, his face only six inches from Edward’s. They stared at each other with absolute concentration for one infinite second. The sun shattered off Edward’s skin and sent sparkles dancing across Seth’s fur.
我对着耀眼的阳光眨了眨眼睛，惊恐万状。塞思是我唯一能看见的，就在我们身旁，他的脸离爱德华的只有六英寸。他们注意力绝对集中地互相盯着对方，像没有尽头一样看了片刻。阳光洒在爱德华的皮肤上，从他身上散发出的光芒散落在塞思的毛上闪闪发光。
And then Edward whispered urgently, “Go, Seth!”
接着爱德华紧急地轻声说道：“赶快去，塞思！”
The huge wolf wheeled and disappeared into the forest shadows.
大狼旋即转身消失在树荫里。
Had two entire seconds passed? It felt like hours. I was terrified to the point of nausea by the knowledge that something horrible had gone awry in the clearing. I opened my mouth to demand that Edward take me there, and do it now. They needed him, and they needed me. If I had to bleed to save them, I would do it. I would die to do it, like the third wife. I had no silver dagger in my hand, but I would find a way —
整整过去了两秒钟吗？感觉就像几个小时一样。知道空地上可怕的事情出错了，我因害怕而感觉恶心到了极点。我张开嘴巴命令爱德华带我到那里去，现在就去。他们需要他，他们需要我。如果我必须流血来挽救他们的话，我会这么做的。我愿意以死相救，就像第三个妻子一样。我手中没有银匕首，但是我会想到办法的——
Before I could get the first syllable out, I felt as if I was being flung through the air. But Edward’s hands never let go of me — I was only being moved, so quickly that the sensation was like falling sideways.
我还没喊出第一个音节，感觉自己就像被抛到空中了一样，但是爱德华的手没有放开我——我只是被移动了，动作那么快，那种感觉就像从山坡上摔下来一样。
I found myself with my back pressed against the sheer cliff face. Edward stood in front of me, holding a posture that I knew at once.
我发现自己背对着陡峭的崖壁。爱德华站在我前面，摆出我立即就知道的姿势。
Relief washed through my mind at the same time that my stomach dropped through the soles of my feet.
如释重负涤荡了我的心，与此同时我的胃则沉到我的脚底下。
I’d misunderstood.
我理解错了。
Relief — nothing had gone wrong in the clearing.
如释重负——空地上没发生不测。
Horror — the crisis was here.
恐惧——危机就在眼前。
Something was coming for us.
“有人冲我们来了。”
Edward held a defensive position — half-crouched, his arms extended slightly — that I recognized with sickening certainty. The rock at my back could have been the ancient brick walls of the Italian alley where he had stood between me and the black-cloaked Volturi warriors.
爱德华摆出防御的姿势——半蹲着，手臂稍稍伸展出去——我一下子就认了出来，心中的确定让我难受不已。我背后的岩石可能就是意大利小巷里那些古老的砖墙，在那里爱德华就站在我和身穿黑色披风的沃尔图里武士之问。
“Who?” I whispered.
“谁？”我轻声问道。
The words came through his teeth in a snarl that was louder than I expected. Too loud. It meant that it was far too late to hide. We were trapped, and it didn’t matter who heard his answer.
他怒斥着从牙缝中挤出这些话，声音很大，超过我的预期。太响了，那意味着躲起来已经为时已晚。我们被困住了，谁听见他的回答已经不重要了。
“Victoria,” he said, spitting the word, making it a curse. “She’s not alone. She crossed my scent, following the newborns in to watch — she never meant to fight with them. She made a spur-of-the-moment decision to find me, guessing that you would be wherever I was. She was right. You were right. It was always Victoria.”
“维多利亚，”他吐出这个词，就像诅咒一样，“她不是一个人。她闻到我的气味，跟着新生儿进来观看——她从来就没有和他们一起战斗的意思。她不假思索地决定找到我，猜想无论我在哪里你就会在哪里。她是对的，你也是对的，一直就是维多利亚。”
Relief again. If it had been the Volturi, we were both dead. But with Victoria, it didn’t have to be both. Edward could survive this. He was a good fighter, as good as Jasper. If she didn’t bring too many others, he could fight his way out, back to his family. Edward was faster than anyone. He could make it.
又一阵如释重负。若是沃尔图里家族，我们都会死，但是是维多利亚，我们不必都死。爱德华能够经受住。他是个好战士，和贾斯帕一样。如果她带来的人太多，他可以拼出一条路，回到他的家人身边。爱德华比谁都快，他可以做到。
She was close enough that he could hear her thoughts.
她离我们足够近，这样他就能听见她的想法。
I was so glad he’d sent Seth away. Of course, there was no one Seth could run to for help. Victoria had timed her decision perfectly. But at least Seth was safe; I couldn’t see the huge sandy wolf in my head when I thought his name — just the gangly fifteen year old boy.
我如此高兴他送走了塞思。当然了，塞思没有人可以求助。维多利亚作决定的时间安排得天衣无缝，但是至少塞思是安全的；我想到他的名字时脑海中看不见那匹巨大的沙砾色狼——只是一个身材瘦长的十五岁男孩。
Edward’s body shifted — only infinitesimally, but it told me where to look. I stared at the black shadows of the forest.
爱德华的身体移动了一下——动作幅度非常小，却足以告诉我该往哪里看。我盯着森林的黑色阴影。
They glistened like diamonds in the sun.
他们在太阳下闪闪发光，像钻石一样。
Two vampires edged slowly into the small opening of our camp, eyes intent, missing nothing.
两个吸血鬼从我们宿营地的小空地那边慢慢走过来，他们目光专注，不放过任何东西。
I could barely look at the blond boy — yes, he was just a boy, though he was muscular and tall, maybe my age when he was changed. His eyes — a more vivid red than I had ever seen before — could not hold mine. Though he was closest to Edward, the nearest danger, I could not watch him.
我几乎无法正视那个金发男孩——是的，他只是个男孩，尽管他肌肉发达，身材高大，或许当他改变的时候跟我一样大。他的眼睛——比我曾经见过的更加鲜红——无法让我长久地注视。尽管他离爱德华最近，是最近的危险，我还是不能注视他。
Her orange hair was brighter than I’d remembered, more like a flame. There was no wind here, but the fire around her face seemed to shimmer slightly, as if it were alive.
她橘红色的头发比我记忆中的更加鲜艳了，就像火焰一样。这里没有风，但是她脸四周的火焰似乎微微发亮，仿佛点燃了一样。
It was like having my nightmares walk forward to greet me.
就好像让我的噩梦朝前走过来迎接我们一样。
Her eyes were black with thirst. She did not smile, as she always had in my nightmares — her lips were pressed into a tight line. There was a striking feline quality to the way she held her coiled body, a lioness waiting for an opening to spring. Her restless, wild gaze flickered between Edward and me, but never rested on him for more than a half-second. She could not keep her eyes from my face any more than I could keep mine from hers.
她的眼睛因为饥渴而黑黢黢的。她没有笑，和她一直在我噩梦中的表情一样——嘴唇紧紧地闭在一起形成一条线。她蛇形的身躯有一种鲜明的猫的特征，就像一只伺机纵身跃起的母狮子一样。她烦躁狂野的眼神在我和爱德华之间移来移去，但是在爱德华身上停留的时间不超过半秒钟。她无法把眼睛从我身上移开，就像我无法把视线从她身上移开一样。
Because, a few feet to the side and a few feet back, Victoria was staring at me.
因为，在另一边，在他身后只有几步之隔的地方，维多利亚怒目圆瞪地看着我。
My death.
我的死亡。
Her plan was as obvious as it was practical. The big blond boy would attack Edward. As soon as Edward was sufficiently distracted, Victoria would finish me.
她的计划和其实际可操作性一样昭然若揭，那个金发大男孩会攻击爱德华。一旦爱德华的注意力被充分分散了，维多利亚就会结果我。
Tension rolled off of her, nearly visible in the air. I could feel the desire, the all-consuming passion that held her in its grip. Almost as if I could hear her thoughts, too, I knew what she was thinking.
紧张从她身上滚滚而来，在空气中几乎看得见。我能感觉到她的欲望，那种吞噬一切的热情牢牢地攫住了她。几乎就像我也能听见她的思想一样，我知道她在想什么。
It would be quick — she had no time for games here — but it would be thorough. Something that it would be impossible to recover from. Something that even vampire venom could not repair.
一切会很快——她在这里没时间耍花样——但是会非常彻底。有些东西不可能被恢复，有些东西甚至连吸血鬼的毒液也无法修复。
She’d have to stop my heart. Perhaps a hand shoved through my chest, crushing it. Something along those lines.
她会让我的心脏停止跳动，或许一只手会击穿我的胸口，沿着这些裂痕把它撕得粉碎。
She was so close to what she wanted — the focus of her whole existence for more than a year now was just so close.
她如此靠近自己一直想得到的东西——一年多来她处心积虑想要做的事情现在就在眼前。
My heart beat furiously, loudly, as if to make her target more obvious.
我的心狂乱地跳动着，声音很大，似乎使她的目标更明显了。
An immense distance away, from far across the black forest, a wolf’s howl echoed in the still air. With Seth gone, there was no way to interpret the sound.
在无边的远处，在黑森林远远的那一头，一匹狼的咆哮在停滞的空气中回荡。塞思走了，没有办法解读这个声音。
“Riley,” Edward said in a soft, pleading voice.
“赖利。”爱德华语气轻柔，诚恳地说道。
He was young in more ways than one. I guessed from his brilliant crimson irises that he couldn’t have been a vampire for very long. He would be strong, but inept. Edward would know how to fight him. Edward would survive.
他很年轻，不超过一岁。从他闪闪发光的深红色瞳孔判断，他当吸血鬼的时间不可能很长。他很强壮，不过也很笨拙。爱德华知道如何跟他打斗，他会应付得了。
Confusion swept across Riley’s face.
困惑不解的表情扫过赖利的脸庞。
The blond boy froze, his red eyes widening.
男孩惊呆了，红色的眼睛瞪得大大的。
The blond boy looked at Victoria from the corner of his eye, waiting on her command.
金发男孩从眼角看着维多利亚，等待她的命令。
Victoria jerked her chin toward Edward, wordlessly ordering the boy forward.
维多利亚朝爱德华伸了伸下巴，一言不发地命令男孩向前。
“She’s lying to you, Riley,” Edward told him. “Listen to me. She’s lying to you just like she lied to the others who are dying now in the clearing. You know that she’s lied to them, that she had you lie to them, that neither of you were ever going to help them. Is it so hard to believe that she’s lied to you, too?”
“她在对你撒谎，赖利，”爱德华告诉他，“听我说。她在对你撒谎，就像她对那些现在在空地上就快死去的其他人一样。你知道她对他们撒了谎，她让你对他们撒谎，这样你们两个就不会去帮他们，相信她也对你撒谎会如此困难吗？”
Edward shifted a few inches to the side, and Riley automatically compensated with an adjustment of his own.
爱德华往旁边移动了几英寸，赖利也不自觉地让自己调整到相应的位置上。
“She doesn’t love you, Riley.” Edward’s soft voice was compelling, almost hypnotic. “She never has. She loved someone named James, and you’re no more than a tool to her.”
“她不爱你，赖利，”爱德华轻柔的声音很有吸引力，几乎有催眠效果，“她从来都不爱。她爱过一个叫詹姆斯的人，你只不过是她的工具。”
Riley cast a frantic glance in her direction.
赖利朝她的方向狂暴地看了一眼。
“She knows that I will kill you, Riley. She wants you to die so that she doesn’t have to keep up the pretense anymore. Yes — you’ve seen that, haven’t you? You’ve read the reluctance in her eyes, suspected a false note in her promises. You were right. She’s never wanted you. Every kiss, every touch was a lie.”
她知道我会杀死你，赖利。她想要你死，这样她就不需要再伪装了。是的——你明白了，是不是？你读懂了她眼中的不情愿，怀疑过她承诺中虚假的语气。你是对的，她从来都不想要你。每个吻，每个爱抚都是谎言。”
When he said James’s name, Victoria’s lips pulled back in a teeth-baring grimace. Her eyes stayed locked on me.
当他说到詹姆斯的名字时，维多利亚的嘴唇向后拉，脸部扭曲，露出牙齿。她的眼睛仍然紧紧地锁定在我身上。
“Riley?” Edward said.
“赖利？”爱德华说道。
Edward moved again, moved a few inches toward the boy, a few inches away from me.
爱德华又移动了，朝这个男孩靠近了几英寸，离我则远了几英寸。
Victoria’s gaze zeroed in on the gap between us. It would take her less than a second to kill me — she only needed the tiniest margin of opportunity.
维多利亚的眼神全部集中在我和她之间的距离上，现在我们两个人之间只有一步之隔。赖利在太远的地方转圈儿，这一次反应过度了。维多利亚脚跟抬起，纵身向前。
Riley automatically refocused on Edward.
赖利不由自主地重新看着爱德华。
“You don’t have to die,” Edward promised, his eyes holding the boy’s. “There are other ways to live than the way she’s shown you. It’s not all lies and blood, Riley. You can walk away right now. You don’t have to die for her lies.”
“你不必死，”爱德华允诺道，眼睛盯着男孩。“还有其他的生活方式比她指示给你的多。”。这不全是谎言和鲜血，赖利。你现在可以走了。你不必为她的谎言而死。”
Slower this time, Riley repositioned himself.
“最后一次机会，赖利。”爱德华轻声说道。
“Last chance, Riley,” Edward whispered.
“最后一次机会，赖利，”爱德华低声说。
Edward slid his feet forward and to the side. There was a foot of space between us now. Riley circled too far, overcompensating this time. Victoria leaned forward onto the balls of her feet.
爱德华把脚向前滑到一边。我们之间有一段距离。赖利绕得太远，补偿这一次。维多利亚向前靠在她的球上。
Riley’s face was desperate as he looked to Victoria for answers.
赖利满脸绝望地望着维多利亚想要答案。
“He’s the liar, Riley,” Victoria said, and my mouth fell open in shock at the sound of her voice. “I told you about their mind tricks. You know I love only you.”
“他才是骗子，赖利，”维多利亚说道，听见她的声音我吓得目瞪口呆，“我告诉过你他们脑子里的把戏的，你知道我爱的只有你。”
Her voice was not the strong, wild, catlike growl I would have put with her face and stance. It was soft, it was high — a babyish, soprano tinkling. The kind of voice that went with blond curls and pink bubble gum. It made no sense coming through her bared, glistening teeth.
她的声音不是我想的那种与她的脸庞、身姿相匹配的声音——响亮、狂野，像猫的咆哮声一样。相反，她的声音轻柔而尖细——像女高音稚气的丁零声。那种声音总是和金黄的鬈发，粉红色的泡泡糖紧密相连的。根本没有道理从她那裸露在外，闪闪发光的牙齿缝中发出来。
Victoria’s body seemed to be trembling, she was so tightly wound. Her fingers were ready claws, waiting for Edward to move just one more inch away from me.
维多利亚的身体似乎在颤抖，她弦绷得太紧了。她的手指变成了爪子，随时等待爱德华从我身边再移开一英寸。
Riley’s jaw tightened, and he squared his shoulders. His eyes emptied — there was no more confusion, no more suspicion. There was no thought at all. He tensed himself to attack.
赖利绷紧下巴，挺直肩膀，他的眼睛很空洞——不再迷惑，不再怀疑。一点儿思想都没有，他绷紧身体准备攻击。
The snarl came from none of them.
咆哮声不是从他们那里发出来的。
A mammoth tan shape flew through the center of the opening, throwing Riley to the ground.
一团猛犸般的棕褐色飞过空地的中央，将赖利扳倒在地。
A yard and a half in front of me, the huge wolf ripped and tore at the blond vampire beneath him. Something white and hard smacked into the rocks by my feet. I cringed away from it.
在我面前一码半的地方，一匹巨大的狼在他身下扯裂金发吸血鬼，把它撕成碎片。某种白而坚硬的东西拍打在我脚下的石头上，我后退一步躲了过去。
Victoria did not spare one glance for the boy she’d just pledged her love to. Her eyes were still on me, filled with a disappointment so ferocious that she looked deranged.
维多利亚看都没看那个刚才她还口口声声对其表达爱意的男孩。她的眼睛仍然盯着我，充满了如此强烈的失望，以至于她看起来已经疯狂了。
“No!” Victoria cried, her baby voice shrill with disbelief.
“不！”维多利亚大叫一声，婴儿般的声音中夹杂着难以置信的颤抖。
Riley was on his feet again, looking misshapen and haggard, but he was able to fling a vicious kick into Seth’s shoulder. I heard the bone crunch. Seth backed off and started to circle, limping. Riley had his arms out, ready, though he seemed to be missing part of one hand…
赖利又站了起来，看起来奇形怪状，形容枯槁，但是他还是能够纵身一跃撞向塞思的肩膀，我听见骨头断裂的嘎吱声。塞思后退一步，开始一拐一瘸地绕圈。赖利伸出胳膊，准备就绪，尽管他似乎丢失了手的一部分……
“No,” she said again, through her teeth, as Edward started to move toward her, blocking her path to me.
“不，”她又一次说，声音穿过她的牙齿，爱德华开始向她靠近，挡住了她的去路。
Only a few yards away from that fight, Edward and Victoria were dancing.
在离这场战斗几码远的地方，爱德华和维多利亚跳起舞来。
Not quite circling, because Edward was not allowing her to position herself closer to me. She sashayed back, moving from side to side, trying to find a hole in his defense. He shadowed her footwork lithely, stalking her with perfect concentration. He began to move just a fraction of a second before she moved, reading her intentions in her thoughts.
并不是像在绕圈，因为爱德华不许她的位置离我更近。她快步向后滑，从一边滑到另一边，试图找到他防线中的漏洞。他敏捷地挡住她的步伐，十分专注地悄悄向她靠近。他开始移动得比她快一点点，读懂她思想里的意图。
She showed her teeth and hissed at him, but she seemed unable to move farther away from me.
她露出牙齿，对他发出咝咝的声音，但是她似乎不能离我更远了。
Victoria was weaving through the tree trunks at the far end of the little opening now. She was torn, her feet pulling her toward safety while her eyes yearned toward me as if I were a magnet, reeling her in. I could see the burning desire to kill warring with her survival instinct.
维多利亚现在迂回地绕过小空地最那端的树干。她焦躁不安，脚把她拖向安全的地方，而她的眼睛眷恋不舍地看着我，仿佛我是一块磁铁，把她吸进来一样。我看得出那种熊熊燃烧的杀戮欲正在和她生存的本能相较量。
Seth lunged at Riley from the side, and something tore with a hideous, grating screech. Another heavy white chunk flew into the forest with a thud. Riley roared in fury, and Seth skipped back — amazingly light on his feet for his size — as Riley took a swipe at him with one mangled hand.
塞思从侧翼冲向赖利，响起一声骇人的刺耳尖叫，什么东西被撕裂了，另一片誓垩的白色大块轰的一声飞进树林里。赖利愤怒地咆哮着，用一只断裂的胳膊狠狠地向塞思击打过去，塞思则向后一跃——他那么大的身体能跳得那么灵活，真是不可思议。
“Don’t go, Victoria,” he murmured in that same hypnotic tone as before. “You’ll never get another chance like this.”
“别走，维多利亚，”他又用先前那种催眠的语气说道，“你再也不会有像这样的机会了。”
Edward could see that, too.
爱德华也看出来了。
“You can always run later,” Edward purred. “Plenty of time for that. It’s what you do, isn’t it? It’s why James kept you around. Useful, if you like to play deadly games. A partner with an uncanny instinct for escaping. He shouldn’t have left you — he could have used your skills when we caught up to him in Phoenix.”
“你稍后总能逃跑的”’爱德华咕噜叫道，“你有充足的时间。这就是你要做的事情，是呆葚？那就是为什么詹姆斯让你待在他身边的原因。有利用价值，麴墨堡零詈磊薮命游戏的话，一个有神秘逃生本能的伴侣。他本不应该离开你的——当我们在凤凰城追上他的时候，他本来可以利用你的技巧的。”
Please, I wanted to plead with Riley, but I couldn’t find the muscles to make my mouth open, to pull the air up from my lungs. Please, he’s just a child!
求你，我想恳请赖利，但是我找不到使我张开嘴巴的肌肉，让空气流进我的肺部。求你了，他只是个孩子！
Edward’s lips pulled up on one side as he tapped his temple.
爱德华扬起嘴角轻轻地敲打自己的太阳穴。
A snarl ripped from between her lips.
一阵咆哮从她的齿缝中猛烈地涌了出来。
“That’s all you ever were to him, though. Silly to waste so much energy avenging someone who had less affection for you than a hunter for his mount. You were never more than a convenience to him. I would know.”
“来过，你对他的全部意义仅此而已。把如此多的精力浪费在一个对你的爱不替过猎人对猎物的追求的人身上真的很傻，你对他而言不过是方便之需罢了，我就知道。”
Just then, Riley’s fist caught Seth’s flank, and a low yelp coughed out of Seth’s throat. Seth backed away, his shoulders twitching as if he were trying to shake off the pain.
就在那时，赖利的拳头击中了塞思的右侧，一声低沉的叫声从塞思的喉咙里喊出来。塞思向后移，他的肩膀骤然一抽，仿佛他想抖落疼痛的感觉一样。
Riley was closing the distance between them again, driving Seth toward the cliff face beside me. Victoria was suddenly interested in her partner’s fate. I could see her, from the corner of her eyes, judge the distance between Riley and me. Seth snapped at Riley, forcing him back again, and Victoria hissed.
赖利再次缩小了他们之间的距离，迫使塞思朝我旁边的崖壁移动。维多利亚突然对她的同伴的命运感兴趣起来了，我看见她从眼角判断我和赖利之间的距离。塞思猛地咬住赖利，迫使他又后退回去，维多利亚发出咝咝的声音。
Why hadn’t Seth run away? Why didn’t he run now?
为什么塞思刚才没跑开呢？为什么他现在不跑呢？
With a strangled screech, Victoria darted out of the trees again, feinting to the side. Edward responded, and the dance began again.
维多利亚发出一声被压抑的尖叫，又飞奔出树林，在另一侧佯攻。爱德华立即应对，舞蹈又开始了。
“Look more closely, Victoria,” he murmured, pulling at the threads of her concentration. “Is he really so much like the monster James tracked across Siberia?”
“再看仔细些，维多利亚，”他低声说道，用力把她的千头万绪拉向一个方向，“他真的那么像詹姆斯曾经穿越西伯利亚跟踪的那个魔鬼吗？”
She shook her head, fast and jerky, fighting his diversions, and tried to duck around him, but he was in place to block her as soon as she’d thought of the plan. Her face contorted in frustration, and then she shifted lower into her crouch, a lioness again, and stalked deliberately forward.
她飞快地猛摇头，想驱赶他的消遣，试图从他旁边弯腰溜过去，但是她一想到这个计划爱德华就挡在她面前了。她的脸沮丧得扭曲了，接着她压低身体，蹲了下来，又像一头母狮子了，故意地大摇大摆地前进。
Seth wasn’t limping anymore. His circling took him within inches of Edward; his tail brushed Edward’s back, and Victoria’s eyes bulged.
塞思不再一瘸一拐的了，他转着圈儿，使他离爱德华只有几英寸了；他的尾巴拂过爱德华的后背，维多利亚的眼睛鼓了出来。
“No, he won’t turn on me,” Edward said, answering the question in Victoria’s head. He used her distraction to slide closer. “You provided us with a common enemy. You allied us.”
“不，他不会攻击我的，”爱德华回答了维多利亚头脑中的问题，并利用她分散注意力的片刻偷偷地向她靠近，“你使我们有了共同的敌人，你让我们结成了同盟。”
She clenched her teeth, trying to keep her focus on Edward alone.
她咬牙切齿，试图把注意力只集中在爱德华身上。
Her eyes popped wide open, and then began flickering wildly from Edward to Seth to me, around and around. “Not the same?” she snarled in her little girl’s soprano. “Impossible!”
她的眼睛霍地睁大了，接着开始疯狂地从爱德华扫向塞思，然后再扫向我，这样来来回回许多次，“不是一样的吗？”她用小女孩般的高音咆哮道，“不可能！”
“Nothing is impossible,” Edward murmured, voice velvet soft as he moved another inch closer to her. “Except what you want. You’ll never touch her.”
“凡事皆有可能，”爱德华用天鹅绒般的声音一边低语，一边又向她靠近了一英寸，“除了你想要的，你永远都别想碰她一下。”
Victoria was no inexperienced, instinct-driven newborn. She was lethal. Even I could tell the difference between her and Riley, and I knew that Seth wouldn’t have lasted so long if he’d been fighting this vampire.
维多利亚不是毫无经验、受本能驱使的新生儿，她具有毁灭性。即使我能说出她和赖利之间的区别，我知道塞思支撑不了多久，若他是和这个吸血鬼单打独斗的话。
The dance increased in tempo.
舞蹈的节奏加快了。
It was like Alice and Jasper in the meadow, a blurred spiraling of movement, only this dance was not as perfectly choreographed. Sharp crunches and crackings reverberated off the cliff face whenever someone slipped in their formation. But they were moving too fast for me to see who was making the mistakes…
就像爱丽丝和贾斯帕在草地上一样，形成一股让人目眩的螺旋式运动，只不过这种舞蹈的动作设计不是那么完美。刺耳的嘎巴声和噼啪声在崖壁下回荡，任何时候有人在各自的搏斗中摔倒了，就会传来这样的撞击声，但是他们移动得太快了，我看不清楚谁出错了……
Edward shifted, too, as they closed on each other, and it was lion versus lioness.
爱德华也移动了一下，当他们彼此靠近时就演变成了狮子和母狮子的对峙了。
Riley was distracted by the violent ballet, his eyes anxious for his partner. Seth struck, crunching off another small piece of the vampire. Riley bellowed and launched a massive backhanded blow that caught Seth full in his broad chest. Seth’s huge body soared ten feet and crashed into the rocky wall over my head with a force that seemed to shake the whole peak. I heard the breath whoosh from his lungs, and I ducked out of the way as he rebounded off the stone and collapsed on the ground a few feet in front of me.
赖利的注意力被激烈的芭蕾舞分散了，眼中流露出对他同伴的担忧。塞思猛地袭来，撕下吸血鬼的一小片。赖利怒吼着防守反击，重重的一拳实实在在地打在塞思宽阔的胸膛上。塞思硕大的身体飞出十英尺，撞在我头顶上的石壁上，力量大得似乎可以使整个山峰摇晃起来。我听见从他肺里传出来的嗖嗖声，他从石头上反弹出来，砰的一声摔在我面前几英尺远的地面上，我弯着腰躲开了。
Adrenaline jolted through my veins. I knew the brace was cutting into my palm. I knew the crack in my knuckle was protesting. I knew it, but I could not feel the pain.
肾上腺素摇摇晃晃地涌进我的血管。我知道矫形器割进了我的手掌；我知道关节上的裂缝正在抗议；我知道，但是我感觉不到疼痛。
Sharp fragments of gray stone showered down on my head, scratching my exposed skin. A jagged spike of rock rolled down my right arm and I caught it reflexively. My fingers clenched around the long shard as my own survival instincts kicked in; since there was no chance of flight, my body — not caring how ineffectual the gesture was — prepared for a fight.
锋利的灰色石块在我头顶上像雨点般洒落下来，擦伤了我暴露在外的皮肤。一块参差不齐的长石块从我的手臂上滚落下来，我条件反射地把它接住了。我的手指紧紧地握住这块长长的碎片，我自己求生的本能开始起作用了；既然没有逃走的机会，我的身体——不在乎这个举动有多么无效——已经准备好战斗了。
A low whimper escaped through Seth’s teeth.
一声低沉的哀鸣从塞思的牙齿里传出来。
Riley lurched toward me, his red eyes brilliant with fury. He glared at the limp mountain of sand-colored fur between us, and his hands — mangled, broken hands — curled into talons. His mouth opened, widened, his teeth glistening, as he prepared to rip out Seth’s throat.
赖利突然东倒西歪地向我走来，他的眼睛闪烁着愤怒的光芒。他气势汹汹地看着我们之间如山峰一般高的柔软的沙砾色毛团，他的手——撕裂的破损的手——缩成了魔爪。他的嘴巴张得很大，牙齿发出狰狞的光芒，准备撕开塞思的喉咙。
But which someone?
不过是哪一个呢？
Behind Riley, all I could see was the twisting flame of Victoria’s hair and a blur of white. The increasingly frequent metallic snaps and tears, the gasps and shocked hissings, made it clear that the dance was turning deadly for someone.
在赖利身后，我能看见的一切就是如扭曲的火焰般的维多利亚的头发和一团炫目的白色。频率越来越快的金属色叩击、划伤、大口地喘气声以及震惊的咝咝声，这表明舞蹈对某个人而言会是致命的。
Was I strong enough? Was I brave enough? How hard could I shove the rough stone into my body? Would this buy Seth enough time to get back on his feet? Would he heal fast enough for my sacrifice to do him any good?
我足够强壮吗？我足够勇敢吗？我能用多大的力气把这块粗糙的石头推到我身体里去？这会给塞思赢得足够的时间重新站立起来吗？他会恢复得足够快让我的牺牲给他带来一些优势吗？
My hand gripped the stone spike so tightly that a support in the brace snapped.
我的手紧紧地抓住石头，握得那么紧以至于矫形器上的支架突然断裂了。
I raked the point of the shard up my arm, yanking my thick sweater back to expose the skin, and then pressed the sharp tip to the crease at my elbow. I already had a long scar there from my last birthday. That night, my flowing blood had been enough to catch every vampire’s attention, to freeze them all in place for an instant. I prayed it would work that way again. I steeled myself and sucked in one deep breath.
我把石头的尖端举到我的胳膊上方，把厚厚的毛衣往上拉露出皮肤，接着把尖尖的头挤压进我手肘有伤痕的地方，去年过生日的时候那里已经有一条长长的伤疤。那一夜，我流淌的鲜血足以吸引每个吸血鬼的注意力，让他们顷刻间惊呆在那里，一动不动。我祈求这一次也会有用，我狠下心，深深地吸了一口气。
Both fights were too close. Seth was about to lose his, and I had no idea if Edward was winning or losing. They needed help. A distraction. Something to give them an edge.
两场战斗都势均力敌，塞思就要输了，我不知道爱德华会赢还是会输。他们都需要帮助，分散注意力，某种能够给他们创造机会的东西。
A second kick of adrenaline hit like an electric shock, and everything was suddenly very clear.
肾上腺素再一次击中我，就像遭到电击一般，一切突然都非常明朗了。
Victoria was distracted by the sound of my gasp. Her eyes, holding still for one tiny portion of a second, met mine. Fury and curiosity mingled strangely in her expression.
维多利亚被我大口喘气的声音分散了注意力。她的眼睛仍然只留恋了一小会儿时间，遇到了我的目光，狂怒和好奇奇怪地掺杂在她的表情里。
I wasn’t sure how I heard the low sound with all the other noises echoing off the stone wall and hammering inside my head. My own heartbeat should have been enough to drown it out. But, in the split second that I stared into Victoria’s eyes, I thought I heard a familiar, exasperated sigh.
周遭有那么多嘈杂声在石壁上回荡，在我的脑海里撞击，我不确定是怎么听见那个低沉的声音的。我自己的心跳本应该盖过它的，但是，就在我盯着维多利亚的眼睛的那一瞬间，我觉得我听见一声熟悉而愤怒的叹息。
Victoria had flown out of the blurred formation and smashed into a tall spruce about halfway up the tree. She dropped back to the earth already crouched to spring.
维多利亚飞出令人炫目的身体组织，撞在一棵高大的云杉上，飞弹得有半棵树那么高。她掉落到地面上，已经又蹲起来准备跃起了。
Simultaneously, Edward — all but invisible with speed — had twisted backward and caught the unsuspecting Riley by the arm. It had looked like Edward planted his foot against Riley’s back, and heaved —
就在同一时间，爱德华——速度快得几乎看不见——绕到背后，一把抓住毫无戒备的赖利的胳膊。看起来好像是爱德华狠狠地往赖利身上踢了一脚，然后举起——
In that same short second, the dance broke violently apart. It happened so quickly that it was over before I could follow the sequence of events. I tried to catch up in my head.
就在那同一个瞬间，舞蹈猛地中断了。说时迟，那时快，一切在我还没看清楚之前就已经结束了，我努力在脑海中跟上他们的节奏。
The little campsite was filled with Riley’s piercing shriek of agony.
这块小小的露营地上充满了赖利痛苦万分、刺耳的尖叫声。
At the same time, Seth leaped to his feet, cutting off most of my view.
同时，塞思一跃而起，几乎完全挡住了我的视线。
But I could still see Victoria. And, though she looked oddly deformed — as if she were unable to straighten up completely — I could see the smile I’d been dreaming of flash across her wild face.
但是我还是能看见维多利亚，而且，尽管她看起来奇怪地变形了——仿佛她不能完全直立起来一样——我看得见一抹我曾梦见过的微笑在她狂野的脸上一闪而过。
Something small and white whistled through the air and collided with her mid-flight. The impact sounded like an explosion, and it threw her against another tree — this one snapped in half. She landed on her feet again, crouched and ready, but Edward was already in place. Relief swelled in my heart when I saw that he stood straight and perfect.
她只飞到一半，某个娇小的白色物体呼啸着在空中飞过和她撞在一起。撞击力就像爆炸一样响，把她投掷到另一棵树上——这棵树被撞断成两截。她又站立起来，蹲伏下来准备进攻了，但是爱德华已经就位。我看见他笔直地站在那里，完好无损，一股欣慰之情在我心中升腾起来。
She coiled and sprang.
她蜷曲起来一跃而起。
Victoria kicked something aside with a flick of her bare foot — the missile that had crippled her attack. It rolled toward me, and I realized what it was.
维多利亚赤脚轻轻地踢开某个东西——那块破坏她进攻的导弹。它向我滚过来，我认出这是什么了。
The fingers were still twitching; grasping at blades of grass, Riley’s arm began to drag itself mindlessly across the ground.
手指还在抽搐，赖利紧紧地抓住草叶，胳膊开始无意识地拖过地面。
My stomach lurched.
我的胃一阵翻腾。
With an earsplitting metallic screech, Riley lost his other arm.
一声震耳欲聋的尖叫声传来，赖利又失去一只胳膊。
Seth rushed Riley, and the vampire was clearly off-balance. I saw Seth sink his teeth into Riley’s shoulder and tear, jumping back again.
塞思冲向赖利，吸血鬼明显的失去平衡。我看见塞思的牙齿咬进赖利的肩膀，用力一撕，又跳了回去。
Seth was circling Riley again, and now Riley was retreating. He backed away from the advancing werewolf, his face rigid with pain. He raised his one arm defensively.
塞思又开始和赖利绕圈了，现在赖利在撤退。他向后退，而狼则向前进，他的脸痛苦得扭曲在一起，他自卫性地举起仅有的一只胳膊。
Though she spared Riley no farewell glance, Victoria seemed to realize that she was on her own. She began to back away from Edward, frenzied disappointment blazing in her eyes. She threw me one short, agonized stare of longing, and then she started to retreat faster.
尽管维多利亚没有匀出时间跟赖利道别，她似乎意识到她现在只是孤身一人了。她开始撤退离爱德华远一些，疯狂的失望在她的眼中熊熊燃烧。她匆忙地朝我看了一眼，痛苦而恋恋不舍，接着她开始撤退得更快了。
Seth shook his head, flinging the arm into the woods. The broken hissing noise that came through Seth’s teeth sounded like snickering.
塞思摇摇头，把胳膊扔进树林。断断续续的咝咝声从塞思的齿缝中发出来，听起来像窃笑一样。
Riley screamed out a tortured plea. “Victoria!”
赖利喊出一声痛苦的请求：“维多利亚！”
Victoria did not even flinch to the sound of her name. Her eyes did not flicker once toward her partner.
维多利亚听见自己的名字也没退缩一下。
She wheeled and flew toward the refuge of the forest like an arrow from a bow.
她一转身，像弩箭离弦一样往森林的庇护所飞奔而去。
But Edward was faster — a bullet from a gun.
但是爱德华更快——像脱离弹道的子弹一样。
“No,” Edward crooned, his voice seductive. “Stay just a little longer.”
“别这样，”爱德华轻柔地哼道，声音有些引诱的意味，“再多待一会儿。”
Seth launched himself forward with the force of a wrecking ball. The thrust carried both Seth and Riley into the trees, where the metallic screeching was matched by Riley’s screams. Screams that abruptly cut off, while the sounds of rock being ripped to shreds continued.
塞思向前一跃而起，力量大得像破碎机一样。冲击力把塞思和赖利推进了树林，刺耳的尖叫声可以与赖利痛苦的叫声相匹配。尖叫戛然而止，石头被撕成碎片的声音此起彼伏。
He caught her unprotected back at the edge of the trees and, with one last, simple step, the dance was over.
他在树林边缘抓住了她毫无保护的后背，随着最后一个简单的舞步，舞蹈结束了。
And then the fiery tangle of hair was no longer connected to the rest of her body. The shivering orange waves fell to the ground, and bounced once before rolling toward the trees.
接着火焰般纠缠在一起的头发不再和她的身体连接在一起。颤抖的橘红色波浪掉落在地面，反弹了一下，然后向树林滚去。
Edward’s mouth brushed once across her neck, like a caress. The squealing clamor coming from Seth’s efforts covered every other noise, so there was no discernible sound to make the image one of violence. He could have been kissing her.
爱德华的嘴巴立刻扫过她的脖子，就像爱抚一样。塞思用力时发出的又尖又长的胜利号叫盖过了所有其他的嘈杂声，所以没有明显的声音使之看起来是一幅充满暴力的场景，他可能在吻她。
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