Carlisle and Rosalie were off in a flash, darting upstairs. I could hear them debating whether they should warm it up for her. Ugh. I wondered what all house-of-horrors stuff they kept around here. Fridge full of blood, check. What else? Torture chamber? Coffin room?
转眼，卡莱尔和罗莎莉都冲上了楼梯，不见了。我听到他们在争论是不是要把血弄热了给她喝下去。额，他们都在这儿藏了多少恐怖的东西啊。一冰箱的血，还有什么？刑具房？棺材室？
No, it wasn’t gooey, but that only made it harder to watch.
是的，这一点也不缠绵，但是却让人不忍再看下去了。
Edward stayed, holding Bella’s hand. His face was dead again. He didn’t seem to have the energy to keep up even that little hint of hope he’d had before. They stared into each other’s eyes, but not in a gooey way. It was like they were having a conversation. Kind of reminded me of Sam and Emily.
爱德华还是在原地，握着比利的手。再次面如死灰。之前那个希望的火种似乎再也燃不起一星半点。他们四目相对，但是丝毫不做作。就好像他们之间在进行一场对话。让我想起了山姆和艾米丽。
I knew what it was like for Leah, having to see that all the time. Having to hear it in Sam’s head. Of course we all felt bad for her, we weren’t monsters — in that sense, anyway. But I guess we’d blamed her for how she handled it. Lashing out at everyone, trying to make us all as miserable as she was.
我终于体会到利亚的感受了，一天到晚要看到这样的画面。还要从山姆的思想中听到。我们也不是真的野兽，当然多少也为她感到难过。但是我们也为她处理这件事的方式有些意见。见人就哭诉，想让人觉得她有多么可怜。
I would never blame her again. How could anyone help spreading this kind of misery around? How could anyone not try to ease some of the burden by shoving a little piece of it off on someone else?
我以后再也不会责怪她了。心中积郁着这样的不幸，怎么能不找人诉苦呢？周围的人见了又怎么忍心不分担掉些她的苦痛呢？
“Not clear, Rosalie,” Edward murmured. He rolled his eyes.
“不要让她听见了，罗莎莉”爱德华动了动嘴唇，睁大眼睛。
Rosalie darted downstairs after a second, flying through the room like a sharp breeze, stirring up the burning smell. She stopped inside the kitchen, and I heard the creak of a cupboard door.
一小会儿后罗莎莉冲下了楼梯，一阵风地穿过房间，搅起了一阵刺鼻的气味。她直奔厨房，我听到了碗柜的门开关的声响。
And if it meant that I had to have a pack, how could I blame her for taking my freedom? I would do the same. If there was a way to escape this pain, I’d take it, too.
如果我能做的就是去统领一支狼群，那么我又怎么舍得怪罪她剥夺了我的自由呢？要是我也会做同样的事情，如果有其他方式可以逃避这份苦痛，我也会选择的。
“Don’t blame me for this one. Your vampire was just picking snide comments out of my head.”
“这件事不能怪我。你的吸血鬼正好把我脑海中最阴暗的想法给挑了出来。”
Rosalie blew back through the room and disappeared again.
罗莎莉又一阵风地穿过房间，不见了。
Bella looked curious, but Edward just shook his head at her.
贝拉好奇地张望，但是爱德华冲她摇了摇头。
She smiled a little. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”
她微微一笑。“我本不指望还能再见到你。”
“This was your idea?” Bella whispered, her voice rough as she strained to make it loud enough for me to hear. Forgetting that I could hear just fine. I kind of liked how, a lot of the time, she seemed to forget that I wasn’t completely human. I moved closer, so that she wouldn’t have to work so hard.
“这是你的主意？”她的声音听起来有些粗，为了让我听见她说的话，所以努力拔高了声音。她忘了我能听得一清二楚。很多时候我都很奇怪她怎么能忘了我并不是一个彻底的人类。我走得更近些，这样她就不用这么辛苦。
“Yeah, me, either,” I said.
“是啊，我也是。”我说。
“And Seth,” she whispered.
“还有塞思，”她轻声说。
I laughed once — more a bark than a laugh.
我笑了一声——说吠可能更为贴切一些。
“I hate causing you trouble.”
“事实上，他很高兴能帮上忙。”
It felt weird just standing here, but the vampires had shoved all the furniture out of the way for the medical setup. I imagined that it didn’t bother them — sitting or standing didn’t make much difference when you were stone. Wouldn’t bother me much, either, except that I was so exhausted.
老是站着也不是办法啊，但是吸血鬼们为了医疗设置把所有的家具都移走了。我想这对他们应该没多大区别——对一块石头来说坐着还是站着没有分别的。虽然对我来说也不是什么大事儿，但是站久了总会累的。
“He’s actually happy to help.”
“事实上，他很高兴能帮上忙。”
“S’okay. It was probably only a matter of time till I snapped over something Sam wanted me to do,” I lied.
“没事。山姆一直希望我能这样做，只是早晚的问题。”我撒了个谎。
“Edward told me what you had to do. I’m sorry.”
“爱德华告诉了我你的无奈之举。我真抱歉。”
She breathed a faint sigh. “I guess that’s nothing new, is it?”
她浅浅地叹了口气。“我想没什么新消息可说的，是吗？”
“I don’t really have anywhere else to go,” I told her, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. “The wolf thing is a lot less appealing since Leah joined up.”
“我无处可去，”我告诉她，尽量让语气显得云淡风清。“狼人的事情自从利亚加入以后就没那么好玩了。”
“No, not really.”
“不，也不尽然。”
I could leave. It was probably a good idea. But if I did, with the way she looked right now, I could be missing the last fifteen minutes of her life.
我可以离开。这也许是个好方法。但是以她现在这个样子，如果我走了，就可能会错失她人生的最后15分钟。
“You don’t have to stay and watch this,” she said, barely mouthing the words.
“你没有必要呆在这里看着的，”她说这话的时候几乎都没张嘴。
“Leah’s not going to bug anyone.” But me. “She’s in my pack” — I grimaced at the words — “so she follows my lead.” Ugh.
“利亚没有打算来打扰任何一个人。”除了我。“她在我的队伍里”——说到这个词的时候我做了个鬼脸——“所以她听从我的领导。”额。
“Yeah,” I grunted. “She understands that you’re gonna die and she doesn’t care, s’long as she gets her mutant spawn out of the deal.”
“是啊，”我咕哝着说。“她明白你就快死了，而她一点也不在乎，只要她能得到那个异形小畜生。”
“You didn’t tell her?” I asked Edward.
“你没告诉她吗？”我问爱德华。
“You’re scared of Leah, but you’re best buds with the psychopath blonde?”
“你害怕利亚，却能让那个金发的精神变态女人做你的闺中密友？”
“But Leah hates us,” she whispered.
“可是利亚恨我们，”她轻声地说。
Us. Nice. I could see that she was afraid, though.
我们。听上去很不错。虽然我能看得出她在害怕。
“Leah?” she gasped.
“利亚？”她吃惊地说。
“Why?” she breathed.
“为什么？”她喘了口气，然后问。
I didn’t want to get into the whole novel-length version. “To keep an eye on Seth.”
这说来话长，我可不想这么干。“看着塞思呗。”
There was a low hiss from the second floor. Cool, she’d heard me.
二楼立刻传来了一阵低沉的嘘声。酷，她听到了。
Bella frowned at me. “Don’t. Rose… understands.”
贝拉朝我皱皱眉。“别这样。罗莎……她明白的。”
Bella didn’t look convinced.
贝拉好像还不相信。
Bella didn’t take it so lightly. It looked like it was bad news to her.
贝拉却不这么认为，对她来说这像是个坏消息。
He just shrugged without moving his eyes from her face. I could see it wasn’t very exciting news to him, not something worth sharing with the more important events that were going down.
他只耸耸肩，连视线都没从她脸上移开。我看得出这条新闻对他来说没什么可大惊小怪的，与接下去发生的事情相比，甚至没有分享的意义。
“Stop being a jerk, Jacob,” she whispered.
“不准再闹别扭了，雅各布，”她虚弱地说。
Bella tried not to smile back for a second, but she couldn’t help it in the end; her chalky lips pulled up at the corners.
贝拉想要屏住不笑，但是最后她还是忍不住了；还是咧开了嘴角。
She looked too weak to get mad at. I tried to smile instead. “You say that like it’s possible.”
她似乎虚弱到都不生气了。我试着用微笑来回应。“你说的好像真的一样。”
And then Carlisle and the psycho in question were there. Carlisle had a white plastic cup in his hand — the kind with a lid and a bendy straw. Oh — not clear; now I got it. Edward didn’t want Bella to have to think about what she was doing any more than necessary. You couldn’t see what was in the cup at all. But I could smell it.
说曹操，曹操到。那个精神变态狂和卡莱尔出现在了那里。卡莱尔手里拿着一个白色的塑料杯子，上面还有个盖子和插了一个弯曲的吸管。噢——看不清，我明白了。爱德华不想让贝拉对于眼下要做的事情产生任何不必要的联想。你看不出来杯子里装了什么。但是我能闻到。
“No,” Bella whispered. “No, I’ll try this first. We don’t have time…”
“不，”贝拉用很轻的声音说。“不，让我先试试。我们没时间了……”
Carlisle hesitated, the hand with the cup half-extended. Bella eyed it, looking scared again.
卡莱尔拿杯子的手刚伸了一半，就有些犹豫了。贝拉看了一眼杯子，又有些害怕了。
Bella reached out and took the cup from him. Her hand shook a little, and I could hear the sloshing from inside. She tried to prop herself up on one elbow, but she could barely lift her head. A whisper of heat brushed down my spine as I saw how frail she’d gotten in less than a day.
贝拉伸出手从他手中接过杯子。颤巍巍的手引得里面的液体一阵晃动。她勉强用一边的手肘撑起身体，但是却几乎连头都抬不起来。一天不到，她就已经是这副一碰就要碎的样子，无名的火又开始沿着脊椎窜了上来。
At first I thought she’d finally gotten a clue and was worried about herself, but then her hand fluttered feebly against her stomach.
一开始，我还以为贝拉终于清醒点了，开始担心自己了，但是她无力的手还是护住自己的腹部。
“We could try another method,” Carlisle said quietly.
“我们可以尝试其他的途径，”卡莱尔安静地说。
Rosalie put her arm under Bella’s shoulders, supporting her head, too, like you did with a newborn. Blondie was all about the babies.
罗莎莉把自己的手枕在贝拉的肩膀下，就像对一个新生婴儿般，支起她的脑袋。她做的都是为了孩子。
“Thanks,” Bella whispered. Her eyes flickered around at us. Still aware enough to feel self-conscious. If she wasn’t so drained, I’d bet she’d’ve blushed.
“谢谢，”贝拉轻声说了一句。她的目光在我们一圈人之间飘忽不定，意识依然非常清醒。如果她不是那么枯槁的模样，这种时候她一定会害羞地红了脸。
Still. While I wasn’t going to claim responsibility for this idea, I didn’t want to jinx it, either.
还有，既然这个馊主意也有我的份，我就不应该做出扫兴的事。
“Don’t mind them,” Rosalie murmured.
“别在意他们，”罗莎莉对她耳语说。
It made me feel awkward. I should’ve left when Bella’d offered the chance. I didn’t belong here, being part of this. I thought about ducking out, but then I realized a move like that would only make this worse for Bella — make it harder for her to go through with it. She’d figure I was too disgusted to stay. Which was almost true.
这让我觉得浑身不自在，刚才贝拉让我走的时候我就应该离开的。我不属于这里，不应该掺和进这件事。我想过悄悄地躲开，但是随后我就意识到如果这样做只会让贝拉难做。她会认为我是因为太恶心了而待不下去。虽然这点倒是真的。
“Bella, sweetheart, we can find an easier way,” Edward said, holding his hand out for the cup.
“贝拉，亲爱的。我们可以找个更容易的方式的，”爱德华说着也把手放到了杯子上。
“Plug your nose,” Rosalie suggested. She glared at Edward’s hand like she might take a snap at it. I wished she would. I bet Edward wouldn’t take that sitting down, and I’d love to see Blondie lose a limb.
“捏住鼻子，”罗莎莉建议她。她恶狠狠地瞪着爱德华的手，好像随时准备反扑一样。我倒希望她真能这样做。我打赌爱德华一定不会这样坐着，如果那个金发芭比能够缺胳膊少腿的话，我会很高兴的。
Bella lifted the cup to her face and sniffed at the end of the straw. She flinched, and then made a face.
贝拉把杯子举要眼前，嗅了嗅吸管的末端。她缩缩脖子，做了个鬼脸。
“No, that’s not it. It’s just that it –” Bella sucked in a deep breath. “It smells good,” she admitted in a tiny voice.
“不，别误会。只是这个……”贝拉深吸了一口气。“这闻起来很可口，”她用极细的声音承认说。
I swallowed hard, fighting to keep the disgust off my face.
我艰难地做了个吞咽动作，继续挣扎着不让表情看起来觉得很恶心。
“That’s a good thing,” Rosalie told Bella eagerly. “That means we’re on the right track. Give it a try.” Given Blondie’s new expression, I was surprised she didn’t break into a touchdown dance.
“那是件好事，”罗莎莉热切地告诉贝拉。“那说明我们摸索对了方向。那就试试吧。”带着崭新的表情，她就差跳舞助兴了。
Edward and I stepped forward at the same time. He touched her face. I clenched my hands behind my back.
爱德华和我同时上前一步。他伸出手抚上她的脸，而我只能把手紧紧箍在背后。
“Bella, love –“
“贝拉，我的爱人……”
Bella shoved the straw between her lips, squeezed her eyes shut, and wrinkled her nose. I could hear the blood slopping around in the cup again as her hand shook. She sipped at it for a second, and then moaned quietly with her eyes still closed.
贝拉将吸管塞进唇瓣之间，紧紧地闭上眼，皱起鼻子。我可以听到杯子里的血因为她颤抖的手而发出的晃荡声。她浅尝了一口，随即发出轻微的呻吟，眼睛依然没有睁开。
“I’m okay,” she whispered. She opened her eyes and stared up at him. Her expression was… apologetic. Pleading. Scared. “It tastes good, too.”
“我很好，”她轻声说。她睁开眼，含情脉脉地凝视着他。她的表情……充满着歉意。恳求。忐忑。“它的味道尝起来也很好。”
Acid churned in my stomach, threatening to overflow. I ground my teeth together.
胃酸在我的胃里搅动，随时都有可能会涌上来。我紧紧地咬住牙。
“That’s good,” Blondie repeated, still jazzed. “A good sign.”
“那很好，”金发妞儿又重复了一遍，依然带着爵士的音调。“一个好兆头。”
“How’s your stomach? Do you feel nauseated?” Carlisle asked.
“你的胃有没有什么反应？有没有感到想吐？”卡莱尔问道。
Bella gulped another mouthful of blood. Then she flashed a look at Edward. “Does this screw my total?” she whispered. “Or do we start counting after I’m a vampire?”
贝拉又吸了一大口。接着她看了一眼爱德华。“这杯会算进总数里吗？”她小声地说。“或者我们是从我变成吸血鬼以后才开始计数？”
“Just talking to myself,” he lied smoothly.
“只是在跟自己说话，”他顺溜地撒了个谎。
Rosalie beamed. “Excellent.”
罗莎莉欣喜地说。“太棒了。”
“What?” Bella whispered.
“什么？”贝拉问。
“No one is counting, Bella. In any case, no one died for this.” He smiled a lifeless smile. “Your record is still clean.”
“没人在计数，贝拉。不管怎么样，没有人因此死去。”他扯出一个黯淡的笑容。“你的记录还是清白的。”
“I think it’s a bit early for that, Rose,” Carlisle murmured.
“这么说还有些早，罗莎，”卡莱尔含糊地说了一句。
They’d lost me.
他们把我搞糊涂了。
Edward just pressed his hand to her cheek, curling his fingers around the shape of her fragile bones.
爱德华的手紧贴着她的脸颊，手指沿着她那易碎的脸颊骨弯曲着。
“I’ll explain later,” Edward said, so low the words were just a breath.
“我等一下给你解释，”爱德华低声说，声音轻得好似呼吸。
If he succeeded with this, if Bella lived, Edward wasn’t going to be able to get away with so much when her senses were as sharp as his. He’d have to work on the honesty thing.
如果这次他成功了，如果贝拉活了下来，凭借她敏锐的直觉，爱德华才不会那么容易就过关呢。他必须得老老实实的。
Bella sighed and put her lips to the straw again. She took a real pull this time. The action wasn’t as weak as everything else about her. Like some instinct was taking over.
贝拉叹了一口气，又咬住了吸管。这次她使劲吸了一大口。动作看起来也不像她的其他部分那样虚弱了，看起来好像本能占了上风。
Bella shook her head. “No, I don’t feel sick,” she whispered. “There’s a first, eh?”
贝拉摇摇头。“不，我不觉得反胃，”她轻声说。“这是第一杯，恩？”
Jeez, how did anyone stand living with him? It was really too bad he couldn’t hear Bella’s thoughts. Then he’d annoy the crap out of her, too, and she’d get tired of him.
见鬼，怎么有人可以容忍和他一起生活？他无法读到贝拉的思想真是不幸。那样的话，他就会被她满脑袋的浆糊思想搞得不耐烦，而她也有一天会厌倦他的。
Edward’s lips twitched, fighting a smile.
爱德华勾起嘴角，忍住不笑出来。
Bella chugged a few more ounces, staring past us toward the window. Probably pretending we weren’t here. Or maybe just me. No one else in this group would be disgusted by what she was doing. Just the opposite — they were probably having a tough time not ripping the cup away from her.
贝拉又咕咚咕咚地喝下了几盎司，越过我们盯着窗外。假装我们都不在那里，或者说假装我没在那里。除了我之外这里没有人会对她现在做的事情感到恶心反感。恰好相反——他们现在正压抑着不让自己夺过她手中的杯子。
Edward chuckled once. Bella’s eyes flicked to him immediately, and she half-smiled at the humor in his face. I would guess that wasn’t something she’d seen in a while.
爱德华清了一下嗓子。贝拉的目光一下子就回到了他身上，半微笑地对着他那张搞笑表情的脸。我猜想那一定是她不怎么见得到的表情。
Edward rolled his eyes.
爱德华瞪圆了眼睛。
“Something funny?” she breathed.
“有什么好笑的？”她问道。
Great, now I was the court jester. “Bada bing,” I mumbled in weak rim-shot impression.
很好，现在我成了一个跳梁小丑了。“Bada bing”我咕哝着发出喉音。
“Jacob,” he answered.
“是雅各布。”他回答。
She looked over with another weary smile for me. “Jake’s a crack-up,” she agreed.
她看向我，露出苍白的微笑。“杰克快受不了了。”她赞同地说。
She smiled again, and then took another swig from the cup. I flinched when the straw pulled at empty air, making a loud sucking sound.
她又笑了起来，然后又是牛饮了一口。当液体见底吸管吸入空气后，发出响亮的“喀喇”声，我不禁向后退了一步。
“As soon as possible,” he promised. “Honestly, they aren’t doing that much good where they are.”
“会尽快的，”他答应说。“老实说，它们插在那里也没有多大帮助。”
“I did it,” she said, sounding pleased. Her voice was clearer — rough, but not a whisper for the first time today. “If I keep this down, Carlisle, will you take the needles out of me?”
“我做到了，”她说到，听起来还很高兴。她的说话声更清晰了——嗓音还是粗哑的，但是显然不是今天一开始那种虚弱的状态。“如果我把这喝了下去，卡莱尔，你能把我身上的针管拔掉吗？”
Edward flashed a glare at Rosalie before he spoke to Bella. “You don’t have to drink more right away.”
爱德华给了罗莎莉一个白眼，然后对贝拉说。“你现在不需要喝更多的了。”
Bella’s shoulders slumped.
贝拉的肩滑落下去。
And anyone could see it — the cup full of human blood had made an immediate difference. Her color was returning — there was a tiny hint of pink in her waxy cheeks. Already she didn’t seem to need Rosalie’s support so much anymore. Her breathing was easier, and I would swear her heartbeat was stronger, more even.
是人都看到了——一杯人血下肚马上就大不同了。她正在恢复血色——蜡一般的脸颊下透着淡淡的粉红。她也不怎么需要罗莎莉的扶持了。她的呼吸也变得更为顺畅，我打赌她的心跳也变得更强健了，更甚于从前。
Rosalie pulled her thin, sharp fingers through Bella’s lank hair. “You don’t need to be embarrassed about that, Bella. Your body has cravings. We all understand that.” Her tone was soothing at first, but then she added harshly, “Anyone who doesn’t understand shouldn’t be here.”
罗莎莉用她那细长，带着尖尖指甲的手指梳理过贝拉柔软平直的头发。“那没什么好害臊的，贝拉。你的身体在渴望。我们都很明白这一点。”她的语调一开始还很柔和，但是紧接着她又不客气地加了一句，“任何不明白这个道理的人，都没有资格留在这里。”
That ghost of hope in Edward’s eyes had turned into the real thing.
曾在爱德华眼中掠过的希望之光，如今变成了现实。
“Yeah, I know. But… I want to,” she admitted glumly.
“是的，我知道。但是……我想喝。”她胆怯地承认。
Rosalie patted Bella’s forehead, and they exchanged a hopeful glance.
罗莎莉拍拍贝拉的前额，她们交换了个充满希望的眼神。
“Would you like more?” Rosalie pressed.
“你还想来点吗？”罗莎莉推了她一下。
Everything accelerated.
每一件事都在加速。
I thought about that for a second. “Huh. I’m not actually sure.”
我想了一下。“嗯。没印象了。”
Bella stared at me while he disappeared.
他走开后，贝拉就一直望着我。
“Get some rest, please,” she went on. “There’re a few beds upstairs — you’re welcome to any of them.”
“去休息一下，好吗，”她接着说下去。“楼上有几张空余的床——你想挑哪张睡都可以。”
“Look who’s talking.”
“看看谁在说话呢。”
“Aw, Jake. Now I’m messing with your health, too. Don’t be stupid.”
“嗷，杰克。现在我又拖垮了你的身体。别犯傻了。”
Carlisle took the cup from Bella’s hand. “I’ll be right back.”
卡莱尔从贝拉手中接过杯子。“我马上就回来。”
“Thanks, Bells, but I’d rather sleep on the ground. Away from the stench, you know.”
“谢谢，贝拉，但是我宁愿睡在外面地上。远离臭味，你知道的。”
“Seriously — when’s the last time you slept?”
“严肃点——你上次睡觉是什么时候？”
I gritted my teeth. She was allowed to kill herself for a monster, but I wasn’t allowed to miss a few nights’ sleep to watch her do it?
我咬咬牙。她为了一个怪物就可以不惜自己的生命，而我就不允许牺牲几夜的睡眠看着她？
Meant for me, obviously, but I wasn’t going to let Blondie get to me. I was glad Bella felt better. So what if the means grossed me out? It wasn’t like I’d said anything.
很明显，是冲着我说的，但是我可没打算让这个金发芭比就这么得逞。我很高兴贝拉觉得好些了。所以还有什么好对我不满的？我可半句牢骚都没发过。
The look on Rosalie’s face made it clear that I wasn’t welcome to one of them. It made me wonder what Sleepless Beauty needed a bed for anyway. Was she that possessive of her props?
罗莎莉的脸色分明告诉我，无论睡哪张都是不被欢迎的。为什么睡美人会需要床呢？没有这个道具就不行了么？
“Jake, you look awful,” she croaked.
“杰克，你看起来糟透了，”她沙哑地说。
She grimaced. “Right.”
她扮了个鬼脸。“你是对的。”
She really was looking better. She pulled herself forward, being careful of the tubes, and scooted into a sitting position. Rosalie hovered, her hands ready to catch Bella if she sagged. But Bella didn’t need her. Taking deep breaths in between swallows, Bella finished the second cup quickly.
她真的看起来好多了。她又坐起来一点，小心地避过手上那些管子。罗莎莉的手在她背后护着，万一她跌下就可以接住。但是贝拉完全不需要她。她边吸边做着深呼吸，于是第二杯也很快就喝完了。
“Not sick. Sort of hungry… only I’m not sure if I’m hungry or thirsty, you know?”
“并没有觉得恶心。有点饿……我不确实是饿了还是渴了，你能明白我的意思吗？”
“Carlisle, just look at her,” Rosalie murmured, so smug she should have canary feathers on her lips. “This is obviously what her body wants. She should drink more.”
“卡莱尔，看看她”罗莎莉轻声的嘀咕，像只金丝雀般在那里洋洋得意地鸣叫着。“这很明显就是她身体需要的东西。她应该再多喝一点。”
Carlisle was back then, and Bella reached out for the blood, absentminded, like she was thinking of something else. With the same distracted expression, she started sucking it down.
说话间卡莱尔就回来了，贝拉心不在焉地接过血，好像在想着其他的事。带着同样茫然的表情，她开始吸起来。
“How do you feel now?” Carlisle asked.
“你现在觉得怎么样？”卡莱尔询问说。
“She’s still human, Rosalie. She needs food, too. Let’s give her a little while to see how this affects her, and then maybe we can try some food again. Does anything sound particularly good to you, Bella?”
“她还是人类，罗莎莉。她也需要食物。让我们先给喝下她一点，观察一下反应，然后也许再喂她点吃的。有没有什么特别想吃的，贝拉？”
“Eggs,” she said immediately, and then she exchanged a look and a smile with Edward. His smile was brittle, but there was more life on his face than before.
“鸡蛋，”她不假思索就回答了，然后和爱德华交换了个微笑。他的笑容看起来是那么不真实，但是他的脸上也确实平添了份生气。
“I do,” Edward agreed.
“是的，”爱德华表示同意。
I blinked then, and almost forgot how to open my eyes again.
我眨眨眼，眼皮沉得几乎再也睁不开。
“Jacob,” Edward murmured. “You really should sleep. As Bella said, you’re certainly welcome to the accommodations here, though you’d probably be more comfortable outside. Don’t worry about anything — I promise I’ll find you if there’s a need.”
“雅各布，”爱德华轻声对我说。“你真的需要好好睡一觉。就像贝拉说的，我们很欢迎你在这里留宿，虽然你在外面还会觉得更舒服些。什么都不用担心——我保证如果有需要我一定会来找你。”
“Sure, sure,” I mumbled. Now that it appeared Bella had a few more hours, I could escape. Go curl up under a tree somewhere… Far enough away that the smell couldn’t reach me. The bloodsucker would wake me up if something went wrong. He owed me.
“当然，当然，”我含糊地回答。现在看起来贝拉的命又可以延长几小时，我可以逃开一会儿了。可以去某棵树底下蜷一会儿了……远远地，直到闻不到这里的味道。如果有什么事发生，这个吸血鬼会把我叫醒的。他欠我的。
“Feel better,” I said.
“感觉好些了？”我说。
I nodded and then put my hand on Bella’s. Hers was icy cold.
我点了点头，然后把手覆在贝拉的手上。她的手冰凉刺骨。
“Get her a blanket or something,” I muttered as I turned for the door.
“给她盖一床毛毯或者别的什么，”我转身走向门口时默默地说。
“Dammit,” I snarled, and I threw myself through the door. I hurled my body off the porch, letting the fire rip me apart midair. There was a sharp tearing sound as my shorts shredded. Crap. Those were the only clothes I had. Didn’t matter now. I landed on paws and took off toward the west.
“该死的，”我暗自咒骂了一声，飞一般地冲出门去。我的身体几乎是水平地越过门廊，半空中任由自己的身体被窜上的热度吞噬。呲啦，我的短衫被扯成碎片时发出刺耳的撕裂声。见鬼。这是我仅有的一套衣服了。现在也无所谓了。我四脚着地，全速向西面奔去。
“Thanks, Jacob.” She turned her hand over and squeezed mine. I felt the thin band of her wedding ring riding loose on her skinny finger.
“谢谢，雅各布。”她将手从底下抽出，紧紧地握住我的。我能感到她精巧的婚戒在她纤细的手指上有所松动。
Before I made it, two howls pierced the still morning air. There was no mistaking the urgency of the tone. No misunderstanding this time.
还没等我到门口，两声嗥叫划破了早晨的静谧。传递的是准确无误的紧急情况。这次不是误会了。
Seth, do not challenge them. Wait for me.
塞思，不要随便挑衅他们。等我。
I’m running the line back to Seth at the speed of light, Leah promised. I could feel the air huffing through her lungs as she pushed herself to an incredible velocity. The forest whipped around her. So far, no other point of attack.
我正以光的速度跑回塞思身边。利亚向我这样保证。当她把自己推向一个不可思议的极限速度时，我能感到空气不断地被她的肺压缩、通过。整个森林在她的身边倒退。目前为止，还没有其他的攻击点。
Shh. Feel that?
嘘。感觉到了吗？
Feels like it, Seth agreed.
感觉好象是的，塞思同意说。
They’re coming, Seth said nervously. Slow. Walking.
他们要来了，塞思紧张的说。慢慢的，走过来。
Waiting for the rest of the pack?
他们在等队伍的其他人吗？
Incoming, Seth answered. At least three.
他们来了，塞思回答我。至少有3头。
What?
什么？
They’re slowing. Ugh — it’s so off not being able to hear them. I think…
他们慢下来了。额——听不到他们在想什么很不利。我认为……
Someone’s phasing?
有人在变身？
Got your back, bro.
逮到你了，兄弟。
Almost there, I told them. I tried to fly like Leah. It felt horrible being separated from Seth and Leah with potential danger closer to their end than mine. Wrong. I should be with them, between them and whatever was coming.
我就快到了，我告诉他们。我试着像Leah那样飞奔。当塞思和利亚身处潜在的险境，而我又不在他们身边时，这种感觉真是太可怕了。真是大错特错了。不管要来的是什么，我都应该挡在他们前面的。
Leah flew into the small open space where Seth waited. She raked her claws into the dirt, spinning out like a race car.
利亚飞身扑向塞思等待着的一小块空地。她的脚爪插入泥土，拉长的身子看起来像一部跑车。
What is it? I shouted in my head.
是什么？我在脑袋里大叫。
I absorbed his impressions. The faint, soundless shimmer in the air.
我全神贯注地感受着他的思想。空气中有什么在发出微弱、无声的光芒。
Did they split up?
他们分头来的？
I think they’ve stopped.
我认为他们停下来了。
Look who’s getting all paternal, Leah thought wryly.
看看谁又开始像个父亲一样说教了，利亚挖苦地想着。
Head in the game, Leah.
专注对付眼前的游戏，利亚。
Under my baby brother is not an upgrade.
处于我的弟弟底下可不是什么晋升。
Four, Seth decided. Kid had good ears. Three wolves, one man.
4个，塞思果断地说，这孩子的听觉还是很灵敏的。3头狼，1个人。
I made the little clearing then, moving immediately to the point. Seth sighed with relief and then straightened up, already in place at my right shoulder. Leah fell in on my left with a little less enthusiasm.
没多久我就到达了那块空地，立刻就站到了自己的位置上。塞思如释重负地松了口气，接着立刻挺直腰板，占据了我右侧的位置。利亚有些兴趣却却地站到了我的左侧。
First come, first served, Seth thought smugly. ‘Sides, you were never an Alpha’s Third before. Still an upgrade.
先到先得嘛，塞思得意地想。而且你从前还没有阿尔法第三把交椅的地位呢，现在还算给你晋升了。
They came into view a few seconds later, walking, as Seth had thought. Jared in the front, human, hands up. Paul and Quil and Collin on four legs behind him. There was no aggression in their postures. They hung back behind Jared, ears up, alert but calm.
几秒钟后他们就进入了我们的视野，如同塞思想的那样，慢慢走来。贾里德领头，以人类的姿态，双手举起。保罗，奎尔和柯林以狼的形态跟在他后面。从他们的姿态来看没有想要进犯的意思。他们在贾里德身后显得踌躇不前，耳朵竖起，保持警惕但又很平静。
Shh! I complained. I don’t care where you stand. Shut up and get ready.
嘘！我抱怨起来。我不在乎你们谁站哪儿。闭上嘴，做好准备。
So now I rank under Seth, she grumbled to herself.
现在我的地位都没塞思高了，她喃喃的自言自语。
But… it was weird that Sam would send Collin rather than Embry. That wasn’t what I would do if I were sending a diplomacy party into enemy territory. I wouldn’t send a kid. I’d send the experienced fighter.
但是……想不通的是山姆竟然派柯林来，而不是恩布里。我是不会派这样的外交官去敌方的阵营的。我不会派一个小孩去。而是派一个经验老道的战士。
Should I warn the Cullens? Seth wondered.
要不要我去警告卡伦家？塞思问。
Jared frowned. “It would be easier to talk if I could hear you, too.”
贾里德皱皱眉。“如果我能听到你，那么谈起来就容易多了。”
All the while, Jared and the three wolves stared at us, waiting. It was eerie not to hear what Quil and Paul and Collin were saying to one another. Their expressions were blank — unreadable.
整个过程中，贾里德和另3头狼盯着我们，耐心等待着。听不到保罗，奎尔和柯林相互之间在说些什么感觉有些怪怪的。他们的表情里什么都看不出来。
Sam wouldn’t be so stupid…, Leah whispered, fear jagged in her mind. She was imagining Sam attacking the Cullens with only the two others beside him.
山姆不会那么笨……，利亚小声地说，她的心中恐惧正呼之欲出。她正想象着山姆和另外两头狼在攻击卡伦一家的情景。
What if the point was to divide us? I asked. The Cullens know something’s up. They’re ready.
如果他们的目的就是要分散我们呢？我问。卡伦一家知道会有事情发生，他们做好了准备。
No, he wouldn’t, I assured her, though I felt a little sick at the image in her head, too.
不，他不会的，我向她保证，虽然我对她的想象画面还是有些心悸。
Yeah, Leah agreed. But.
是的，利亚也赞同我。还有但是。
I stared him down. I wasn’t going to phase back until I felt better about this situation. Until it made sense. Why Collin? That was the part that had me most worried.
我居高临下地盯着他。除非我有十足的把握，否则我是不会变身回去的。直到一切都能讲得通为止。为什么是柯林？这是让我最为不安的地方。
Were Sam, Embry, and Brady making a move alone? That didn’t seem likely.
是不是山姆，恩布里，和布雷迪在独自行动了？看起来不像啊。
Think it’s true? Seth asked.
你觉得这是真的吗？塞思问我。
Makes sense, but…
讲得通，但是……
Jared cleared his throat, and then he nodded to me. “White flag of truce, Jake. We’re here to talk.”
贾里德清了一下嗓子，然后对我点头示意。“我们举白旗停战，杰克。我们到这里是来和你谈谈的。”
Want me to check? I can run the line and be back in two minutes.
要不要我确定一下？我可以沿地界跑一圈，两分钟后就回来。
A diversion? Leah thought.
调虎离山吗？利亚想。
We didn’t relax.
我们没有放松警惕。
It was weird how distinct our joint thinking was. The pack was already Sam’s pack, was already “them” to us. Something outside and other. It was especially weird to have Leah thinking that way — to have her be a solid part of the “us.”
我有些诧异地发现我们的思考方式竟然转变地如此顺畅。狼群是山姆的狼群，已经是“他们”了。已经是外人了。最不可思议的是，利亚竟也有了这样的想法——紧紧地和“我们”团结在了一起。
“You’ve torn our family apart. It’s not meant to be this way.”
“你已经让我们这个大家庭四分五裂了。不应该是这样的。”
I wasn’t exactly in disagreement with that, but it was hardly the point. There were a few unresolved differences of opinion between me and Sam at the moment.
这句话我倒是不怎么反对，但是这不是关键。眼下，在我和山姆之间就几件事情存在着不可调和的分歧。
Sorry.
抱歉。
Translation: They’ve already lost the element of surprise, Leah thought.
翻译过来就是：他们已经失去了先机。利亚这样想着。
Seth, you ever heard of a poker face? Cool it.
塞思，你知道什么叫做面不改色吗？冷静点。
“Okay. I guess I’ll just talk, then,” Jared said. “Jake, we want you to come back.”
“好吧。我想就还是我来说吧，”贾里德说。“杰克，我们希望你能回去。”
Quil let out a soft whine behind him. Seconding the statement.
好像为了附和般，奎尔在他身后发出一串哀怨的嗥叫。
“We know that you feel… strongly about the situation with the Cullens. We know that’s a problem. But this is an overreaction.”
“我们了解你……对于卡伦家目前的处境表现出强烈的感情。我们知道那会是个问题，但是你的反应有些过度了。”
Seth growled. Overreaction? And attacking our allies without warning isn’t?
塞思叫喊起来。我们反应过度？难道毫无预兆地攻击我们的盟友就不是反应过度了？
Jared’s eyes flickered to Seth and back to me. “Sam is willing to take this slowly, Jacob. He’s calmed down, talked to the other Elders. They’ve decided that immediate action is in no one’s best interest at this point.”
贾里德的眼珠子在塞思身上打转，接着又回到了我的身上。“山姆决定从长计议了，雅各布。他已经冷静下来，和其他的长辈也恳谈过了。他们都觉得这种时候采取立即的进攻对谁都没有好处。”
“Billy and Sue agree with you, Jacob, that we can wait for Bella… to be separated from the problem. Killing her is not something any of us feel comfortable with.”
“比利和苏都同意你的看法，雅各布，我们可以等到贝拉……之后，这样问题就可以被区别对待了。杀了她不是我们任何一个人愿意去做的事情。”
Though I’d just given Seth crap for it, I couldn’t hold back a small snarl of my own. So they didn’t quite feel comfortable with murder, huh?
虽然才教训了塞思一番，但是现在连我自己都忍不住发出小声的咒骂。所以他们对于背上谋杀的罪名感到不舒服了，是吗？
Ha, Leah thought. What a load.
哈，利亚想。瞧这蠢话说的。
Jared raised his hands again. “Easy, Jake. You know what I mean. The point is, we’re going to wait and reassess the situation. Decide later if there’s a problem with the… thing.”
贾里德再次举起了手。“放松，杰克。你知道我的意思。关键是，我们可以等，并且重新评估一下事态。稍后再决定那……东西是不是个麻烦。”
You don’t buy it?
那么你不买账？
I know what they’re thinking, Jake. What Sam’s thinking. They’re betting on Bella dying anyway. And then they figure you’ll be so mad…
我知道他们是怎么想的。山姆是怎么想的。他们打赌贝拉不管怎么样都死定了。然后他们就可以说你是怎么怎么失去理智……
That I’ll lead the attack myself. My ears pressed against my skull. What Leah was guessing sounded pretty spot-on. And very possible, too. When… if that thing killed Bella, it was going to be easy to forget how I felt about Carlisle’s family right now. They would probably look like enemies — like no more than bloodsucking leeches — to me all over again.
然后我就可以亲自发动攻击。我的耳朵紧贴着脑袋。利亚刚刚假设的很有逻辑。也非常有可能。当……那畜生害死了贝拉，要忘记我现在对于卡莱尔一家的感情就容易多了。他们也许在我看来就又是敌人了——同其他的吸血蚂蟥无异。
I huffed a sigh.
我有些愠怒地叹了口气。
I’ll remind you, Seth whispered.
我会提醒你不忘记的，塞思小声地嘀咕。
Leah, make a circuit — just to be sure. I’m going to have to talk to him, and I want to be positive there isn’t anything else going on while I’m phased.
利亚，你去巡逻值勤——以防万一。我还得和他谈谈，我要确保当我变身后不会有其他事发生。
Give me a break, Jacob. You can phase in front of me. Despite my best efforts, I’ve seen you naked before — doesn’t do much for me, so no worries.
饶了我吧，雅各布。你可以当着我的面变身的。我以前就看过你赤身裸体的样子，我努力了，但是好像还是对我没什么影响，所以没什么好担心的。
I know you will, kid. Question is whether I’ll listen to you.
我知道你会的，孩子。问题就在于我是不是听你的了。
“Jake?” Jared asked.
“杰克？”贾里德问。
Leah snorted once and then launched herself into the forest. I could hear her claws cutting into the soil, pushing her faster.
利亚不满地吼了一声，然后就纵身窜入森林中。我能听到她尖利的爪子划破泥土，加快了脚步。
I’m not trying to protect the innocence of your eyes, I’m trying to protect our backs. Get out of here.
我这么做不是想要保护你眼睛的纯洁，我这么做是为了我们不会被人从背后袭击。快离开这儿。
Nudity was an inconvenient but unavoidable part of pack life. We’d all thought nothing of it before Leah came along. Then it got awkward. Leah had average control when it came to her temper — it took her the usual length of time to stop exploding out of her clothes every time she got pissed. We’d all caught a glimpse. And it wasn’t like she wasn’t worth looking at; it was just that it was so not worth it when she caught you thinking about it later.
赤条条的确实很不方便，但是确是狼群生活不可避免的一部分。直到利亚到来前，我们甚至都没想到过这个问题。然后就很尴尬了。利亚对于自己脾气的控制并没有什么出色的地方——她花了和大伙儿差不多长的时间来控制如何不在脾气上来变身的时候撕破衣服。我们都或多或少的偷看到过。不是说她的身体没什么好看的，只是如果让她之后逮住你有这样想法的时候，就不值得了。
I thought that over for a minute while he waited.
他等着我考虑了一分钟。
Quil whined again.
奎尔又发出了一串哀嚎。
“Come home,” he said, leaning forward. Pleading. “We can sort this out. You don’t belong here. Let Seth and Leah come home, too.”
“回家，”他说着向前躬了躬身子。用恳求的语气说。“我们可以解决这个问题的。你不属于这里。让塞思和利亚也能回家。”
“Hey, Jared.”
“嗨，贾里德。”
“Where’s she going?” Jared asked.
“她去哪儿？”贾里德问道。
“Thanks for talking to me.”
“感谢你能和我谈话。”
“I don’t know if it’s that easy, Jared.”
“我不知道这是不是就像说得那么容易，贾里德。”
Jared and the others were staring at the place where she’d disappeared into the brush with wary expressions.
贾里德和其他人都带着谨慎的表情注视着她最后消失的那片灌木丛。
“Yeah.”
“是啊。”
“Oh,” Jared said. “Hey, Jake.”
“噢，”贾里德说。“嗨，杰克。”
“We want you to come back, man.”
“我们盼望你能回来，伙计。”
“I don’t know. But I’m not sure things could just go back to normal anyway, Jared. I don’t know how it works — it doesn’t feel like I can just turn this Alpha thing off and on as the mood strikes. It feels sort of permanent.”
“我不知道怎么说。但是我不知道事情能不能回复到原来的样子，贾里德。我不知道会发生怎么样的变化——但是我好像不能凭一时的心情就去当个阿尔法，或者让出这个位置。这种变化好像是永久性的。”
I laughed. “Right. Like I haven’t been begging them to do that from hour one.”
我笑了起来。“你说的对。好像我没从最开始就一直请求他们能够回去一样。”
Seth snorted behind me.
塞思在我身后不屑地喷着鼻息。
Jared assessed that, his eyes cautious again. “So, what now, then?”
贾里德评估了这一举动，眼神再一次变得谨慎小心起来。“那么，现在怎么说？”
I ignored him, closing my eyes and pulling myself together again. It felt like the air was trembling around me, shaking out from me in small waves. I lifted myself up on my hind legs, catching the moment just right so that I was fully upright as I shimmered down into my human self.
我无视他的问题，只是闭上眼睛，再次集中精神。只感觉到身边的空气开始战栗，一波又一波的气浪冲击着我。算准时机，我就用后腿直立起来。等到微光散尽，我就已经恢复了人的姿态。
I raised my eyebrows. “Two Alphas can’t belong in the same place, Jared. Remember how close it got last night? The instinct is too competitive.”
我耸了耸眉毛。“一山不容二虎，贾里德。还记得昨晚我们就差点打起来了吗？我们竞争的本能太强烈了。”
“You still belong with us.”
“可你仍然属于我们。”
Jared sighed. “Sam is sorry about what he did to you.”
贾里德叹了口气。“山姆一直为他对你做的事感到内疚。”
“So are you all just going to hang out with the parasites for the rest of your lives?” he demanded. “You don’t have a home here. You’re already out of clothes,” he pointed out. “You gonna stay wolf all the time? You know Leah doesn’t like eating that way.”
“所以你就选择和那帮寄生虫一起过下半辈子了？”他责问我。“你在这里没有家。你也没有衣服了，”他指出说。“你难道打算一直保持狼的样子了？你也知道Leah不喜欢用那个身体吃饭的。”
I nodded. “I’m not angry anymore.”
我点点头。“我也没有再生气了。”
“But?”
“但是？”
“But I’m not coming back, not now. We’re going to wait and see how it plays out, too. And we’re going to watch out for the Cullens for as long as that seems necessary.
“但是我不会回去的，不是现在。我们也在等着看事态的发展。只要还有必要，我们就会留心卡伦一家的。
Because, despite what you think, this isn’t just about Bella. We’re protecting those who should be protected. And that applies to the Cullens, too.” At least a fair number of them, anyway.
因为，除了你所想到的，这件事并不只是和贝拉有关。我们是在保护那些应该被保护的人。那条规则同样适用于卡伦一家。”要打，至少也要和他们的人数相等了再打。
“Leah can do whatever she wants when she gets hungry. She’s here by her own choice. I’m not telling anyone what to do.”
“利亚如果肚子饿了，想怎么做都成。她是自愿留在这里的。我从来都不命令对方应该做什么。”
Seth yelped softly in agreement.
塞思赞同地发出轻柔的欢呼声。
Seth whimpered.
塞思呜咽起来。
Jared turned to face Seth, concentrating on him now, separate from me. “Sue asked me to tell you — no, to beg you — to come home. She’s brokenhearted, Seth. All alone. I don’t know how you and Leah can do this to her. Abandon her this way, when your dad just barely died –“
贾里德又转向了塞思，现在集中做他的思想工作，想让他从我身边离开。“苏让我来告诉你——不，是求你——回家吧。她心都快碎了，塞思。她孤孤伶伶的一人。我真想不通你和利亚怎么忍心这么对她呢。就这样抛弃了她，要知道你们的父亲才死了没多久啊——”
“Not now. We’ll see how things go.”
“不是现在。我们可以走着瞧。”
“Ease up, Jared,” I warned.
“放轻松点，贾里德，”我警告他。
Jared frowned. “I guess there’s nothing I can say to you, then.”
贾里德皱起了眉头。“这样的话，那我就没什么好跟你说的了。”
“Just letting him know how it is.”
“只是让他明白这点而已。”
I snorted. “Right.” Sue was tougher than anyone I knew. Tougher than my dad, tougher than me. Tough enough to play on her kids’ sympathies if that’s what it took to get them home. But it wasn’t fair to work Seth that way. “Sue’s known about this for how many hours now? And most of that time spent with Billy and Old Quil and Sam? Yeah, I’m sure she’s just perishing of loneliness. ‘Course you’re free to go if you want, Seth. You know that.”
我不耐烦地哼哼了一声。“是的。”我知道苏的日子比谁都过得艰难。比我父亲过得苦，比我过得苦。苦到她都可以以这个为杀手锏，让孩子回家。但是这样做对Seth不公平。“苏知道这件事情多久了？这段时间里她都和比利，奎尔老爹还有山姆在一起吗？是啊，我能肯定她只是害怕孤独罢了。当然咯，塞思如果你想走的话，这是你的自由。你知道的。”
Seth sniffed.
塞思嗤之以鼻。
Then, a second later, he cocked an ear to the north. Leah must be close. Jeez, she was fast. Two beats, and Leah skidded to a stop in the brush a few yards away. She trotted in, taking the point in front of Seth. She kept her nose in the air, very obviously not looking in my direction.
接着，他竖起一只耳朵转向北面。利亚一定离这儿不远了。见鬼，她也太快了。才两下心跳之后，她就在几码远的灌木丛来了一个急停滑行。她一溜儿小跑回来，站到了塞思跟前。她很明显地张大了鼻孔，但是却没有冲着我。
“Sam told me to beg. He told me to literally get down on my knees if I have to. He wants you home, Lee-lee, where you belong.”
“山姆让我乞求你。如果可以的话我甚至可以跪下来求你。他想要你回家，Lee—lee，你到底属于哪里啊？”
“Sorry,” Jared said. “Guess I shouldn’t assume. But you don’t have any ties to the bloodsuckers.”
“对不起。”贾里德说。“也许我不应该这样武断。但是你和那些吸血鬼没有任何的羁绊。”
She snarled at him. I gave her a warning glance she didn’t see. Seth whined and nudged her with his shoulder.
利亚不客气地吼了他一声。我充满警告意味地瞪了她一眼，不过她没有注意到。塞思呜咽了一声，用肩膀推搡了她一下。
“Leah?” Jared asked.
“利亚？”贾里德问道。
Jared didn’t seem surprised by her hostility. “Leah, you know you don’t want to be here.”
贾里德对她展现的敌意却并不吃惊。“利亚，你知道你不想待在这里的。”
Leah very deliberately looked at her brother and then at me.
利亚故意看看她的弟弟，再看看我。
“So you want to watch out for Seth, I get that,” Jared said. His eyes touched my face and then went back to hers. Probably wondering about that second look — just like I was. “But Jake’s not going to let anything happen to him, and he’s not afraid to be here.” Jared made a face. “Anyway, please, Leah. We want you back. Sam wants you back.”
“所以你想罩着塞思，我明白了，”贾里德说。他看看我，然后转回去看着她。第二眼看向她的时候有些好奇——就像我曾经那样。“但是杰克也不会让他有任何事的，而他也不害怕在这里。”贾里德做了个鬼脸。“不管怎么样，求你了，利亚。我们想要你回去。山姆想要你回去。”
Leah’s tail twitched.
利亚痉挛般地扯动了下尾巴。
I appreciated that.
我很感激她能这样做。
I saw Leah flinch when Jared used Sam’s old nickname for her. And then, when he added those last three words, her hackles rose and she was yowling a long stream of snarls through her teeth. I didn’t have to be in her head to hear the cussing-out she was giving him, and neither did he. You could almost hear the exact words she was using.
当听到贾里德说出山姆对利亚旧时的昵称时，我看到她向后退了一步。他最后又加了那三个字，于是她的鬃毛竖起，齿缝间挤出一阵长长的撕心裂肺的哀嚎。我不用读取她的思想也能知道她对他这个恳请的驳回，相信他也知道了。你能听到她几乎连用词都跟我想的一样。
She met his gaze, her muzzle pulling back a little over her teeth.
她对上他的目光，微微咧开嘴，露出尖尖的牙。
“Look, Jared, we’re still family, okay? We’ll get past the feud, but, until we do, you probably ought to stick to your land. Just so there aren’t misunderstandings. Nobody wants a family brawl, right? Sam doesn’t want that, either, does he?”
“看，贾里德，我们还是一家人，对吗？纷争会过去的，但是直到这一天的到来之前，你们都应该坚守在你们的领地上。这样就不会有误会了。谁也不想看到窝里反，对吗？山姆也不想那样，不是吗？”
Leah growled, but, as she was glaring at Jared, I figured it was in agreement.
利亚咆哮着瞪着贾里德。我想协议达成了。
I waited till she was done. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Leah belongs wherever she wants to be.”
我等到她发泄完了，才开口说话。“我可以在这里断臂起誓，利亚属于任何她想归属的地方。”
“Of course, not,” Jared snapped. “We’ll stick to our land. But where is your land, Jacob? Is it vampire land?”
“当然不想。”贾里德果断地说。“我们会坚守自己的领地。但是你的领地在哪里呢？就是这块吸血鬼的领地吗？”
“And what about you, Jake?”
“那么你呢，杰克？”
“No, Jared. Homeless at the moment. But don’t worry — this isn’t going to last forever.” I had to take a breath. “There’s not that much time… left. Okay? Then the Cullens will probably go, and Seth and Leah will come home.”
“不，贾里德，我现在算是无家可归吧。但是别担心——不会永远是这样的。”我得换口气才能往下说。“也没多少时间……剩下了。明白了吗？然后卡伦一家也许就会搬走的，到时候塞思和利亚就会回家了。”
Leah and Seth whined together, their noses turning my direction in synchronization.
利亚和塞思发出不情愿的嗥叫，鼻尖一同指向了我。
“Back to the forest, I think. I can’t really stick around La Push. Two Alphas means too much tension. ‘Sides, I was headed that way anyway. Before this mess.”
“回到丛林里吧，我想。我不能在拉普西附件再逗留了。两个Alpha会制造太多的紧张气氛。不管怎么样我本来就有了这个打算。在这场闹剧之前就有了。”
“Howl — but watch the line, ‘kay? We’ll come to you. And Sam doesn’t need to send so many. We aren’t looking for a fight.”
“用叫声吧——但是注意地界，好吗？我们会过来的。山姆也不需要派那么多人过来。我们又不是来打架的。”
“That’s not really your business anymore, Jake.”
“这已经不再是你该管的了，杰克。”
“I’ll pass that along.”
“我会转达的。”
“Thanks.”
“谢谢。”
I watched his reaction, still suspicious that something was going on. I saw knowledge flash in his eyes, but it didn’t look like the kind I was expecting.
我观察着他的反应，仍然认定一定发生了些什么事。我看到他的眼睛里掠过恍然大悟的闪光，但是和我预想的又不太一样。
“Guess not. Just curious.”
“也许吧。只是好奇罢了。”
“What if we need to talk?” Jared asked.
“那万一我们想找你说话呢？”贾里德问。
“Just wondering why Sam sent Collin.”
“只是有些好奇为什么山姆会把柯林派过来。”
I sighed. “Yeah. Bye, Jared. Hey, tell my dad that I’m okay, will you? And that I’m sorry, and that I love him.”
我叹了口气。“是的，再见了，贾里德。对了，转告我父亲我一切都好，好吗？还有我很抱歉，我爱他。”
Surprise crossed his face. “Embry? Sure, he’s fine. Why?”
他的脸上闪过一丝惊讶。“恩布里吗？当然，他很好。为什么这么问？”
“I’ll let Sam know about your… instructions. Goodbye, Jacob.”
“我会让山姆知道你的……指示的。再见了，雅各布。”
I saw a twitch from the corner of my eye, but I didn’t acknowledge it, because I didn’t want to give Quil away. He was reacting to the subject.
我眼角的余光看到奎尔一个抽动，但因为不想出卖他，于是我装作没有注意到。他是在回应我们的话题。
“C’mon, guys,” Jared said. He turned away from us, heading out of sight to phase because Leah was here. Paul and Collin were right on his heels, but Quil hesitated. He yelped softly, and I took a step toward him.
“走吧，伙计们，”贾里德说着转身离去。因为利亚在这里的缘故，他直到出了我们的视野才变身回狼形。保罗和柯林紧紧跟在他身后，唯有奎尔犹豫了。他温柔地叫唤了一声，我上前一步。
“Wait, Jared. Is Embry okay?”
“等等，贾里德。恩布里他还好吧？”
Jared scowled, but nodded. He didn’t like me setting conditions for Sam. “See you around, Jake. Or not.” He waved halfheartedly.
贾里德脸色马上沉了下来，但是还是点点头。他不喜欢我对山姆谈条件。“回见了，杰克。或者再也见不到了。”说着装模作样地挥了挥手。
Was that okay? I asked them. It worried me, speaking for them that way, when I couldn’t hear exactly what they were thinking. I didn’t want to assume anything. I didn’t want to be like Jared that way.
刚才那样做可以吗？我征询他们的意见。我有些担心，在没有听到他们心里到底是怎么想之前就替他们做了主。我不想妄下结论，不想像贾里德刚才表现地那样。
Did I say anything you didn’t want me to? Did I not say something I should have?
我有没有说了一些不该说的？抑或是漏了该讲的？
He whined.
他呜咽起来。
“Yeah, go home,” I told him.
“好了，回家去吧，”我对他说。
I ignored her.
我无视了她。
You did great, Jake! Seth encouraged.
你做得棒极了，杰克！塞思鼓励我。
Quil yelped again and then took off after the others. I’d bet Jared wasn’t waiting super — patiently. As soon as he was gone, I pulled the warmth from the center of my body and let it surge through my limbs. In a flash of heat, I was on four legs again.
奎尔又低唤了一声，就去追其他人去了。我敢打赌贾里德才没那么好耐心等他呢。他一走，我就把集中在身体中心的热量推散到四肢。闪电般的热力过后，我就又恢复了四脚着地的形态。
He nodded and then pressed his nose to my forehead. Leah snorted. Quil looked up, but not at her. He looked back over his shoulder at where the others had gone.
他点点头，然后将鼻尖点在了我的前额上。利亚嘶嘶地喷着鼻息。奎尔抬头看去，不过不是看她，而是扭过头看着其他人消失的地方。
Quil jogged over to me, his head hanging down morosely. I patted his shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”
奎尔轻轻地推着我，愁眉苦脸地耷拉着脑袋。我拍拍他的肩。“凡事都会好起来的。”
Thought you were going to make out with him, Leah snickered.
还以为你要和他虚情假意一番呢，利亚暗自窃笑地想。
“Tell Embry I miss having you two on my flanks.”
“去告诉恩布里我会怀念有你们两个在我左右的日子的。”
“Yeah, I miss you, too, bro.”
“是的，我也会想你的，兄弟。”
I guess we know why Embry wasn’t allowed to come, Seth thought.
我猜我们都知道了为什么他们不允许恩布里过来的原因了，塞思想。
You could have hit Jared, Leah thought. I wouldn’t have minded that.
你应该揍贾里德一顿，利亚想。我反正没意见。
I didn’t understand. Not allowed?
轮到我不明白了。不允许？
Really? You think? I doubt Embry would mind shredding some Cullens.
真的？你这样觉得？我还以为他是想撕烂某些卡伦家的人呢。
Jake, didya see Quil? He’s pretty torn up, right? I’d put ten to one that Embry’s even more upset. And Embry doesn’t have a Claire. There’s no way Quil can just pick up and walk away from La Push. Embry might. So Sam’s not going to take any chances on him getting convinced to jump ship. He doesn’t want our pack any bigger than it is now.
杰克，你注意到奎尔的神情了吗？相当的为难，不是吗？我压10美金恩布里甚至比他还彷徨。而且恩布里没有克莱尔这层羁绊。奎尔是绝对不可能收拾包袱，拍拍屁股从拉普西走人的，但是恩布里就有这个可能。所以山姆才不会让他有机会跳船呢。他不希望我们的队伍比现在更壮大了。
Well, I’m glad Sam kept him home, then. This pack is big enough. I sighed. Okay, then. So we’re good, for now. Seth, you mind keeping an eye on things for a while? Leah and I both need to crash. This felt on the level, but who knows? Maybe it was a distraction.
哈哼，这样的话我就很欣慰山姆能把他按在家里。这支队伍已经够壮大了，我叹了口气。那么好吧。从现在来看，我们就这样了。塞思，你介意值个班吗？利亚和我都需要去打个瞌睡。这件事看似现在尘埃落定，但是谁知道呢？也许这招是让我们掉以轻心。
I wasn’t always so paranoid, but I remembered the feel of Sam’s commitment. The total one-track focus on destroying the danger he saw. Would he take advantage of the fact that he could lie to us now?
我并不是个猜忌心很重的人，但是我知道山姆的固执。对于他所见到的危险就一根筋地想要去消灭。他现在可以对我们撒谎了，那么他会不会利用这个机会呢？
But he’s your best friend, Jake. He and Quil would rather stand behind you than face you in a fight.
但是他是你最好的朋友，杰克。在战斗中，他和奎尔更愿意坚定地站在你的身后，而不是面对你。
They caught the whir of images from my fried brain.
他们从我炸开锅的脑海中嗖嗖转换的画面里多少了解了大概。
Seth snorted. Funny. Why don’t you two shut up and sleep?
塞思不满地吼了一声。好好笑哦。你们两个为什么不闭上嘴然后睡个觉呢？
Both Leah and I stared at him.
我和利亚都惊诧地看着他。
Leah whipped her head back and forth like she was trying to shake the image out of her mind. That is easily the freakin’ grossest thing I’ve heard in my life. Yuck. If there was anything in my stomach, it would be coming back.
利亚不停地甩着脑袋，好像这样就能把那些画面驱赶出去。这是我有生以来听过的最滑天下之大稽的故事了。唷，如果我那时候胃里还有些东西的话，一定都吐出来了。
They are vampires, I guess, Seth allowed after a minute, compensating for Leah’s reaction. I mean, it makes sense. And if it helps Bella, it’s a good thing, right?
他们是吸血鬼，我想，塞思一分钟后终于缓过来，说了些公道话。我是说，这讲得通啊。而且如果这样做能够帮助贝拉，那就是一件好事，对吗？
What?
他脑子出什么问题了吗？
Mom dropped him a lot when he was a baby, Leah told me.
在他还小的时候，我们的母亲没少请他吃爆栗。利亚告诉我说。
Seth whimpered in surprise. Ew.
塞思吃惊地呜咽起来。呜。
I got it. I want to check things out anyway.
这个还是我来吧。不论如何我都想亲眼检查一番。
He used to gnaw on the crib bars, too. Lead paint?
他过去还喜欢啃婴儿床的栏杆。那床一定是用铅涂料刷的吧？
Looks like it, she thought.
看看他怎么想的就知道了。
On his head, apparently.
很明显，都敲在头上了。
No problem! Seth was only too eager to do whatever he could. You want me to explain to the Cullens? They’re probably still kinda tense.
没问题！塞思有着旺盛的表现欲。你想让我去跟卡伦家解释发生了什么吗？他们现在可能还处于警戒状态。
0 条评论