Eclipse (Twilight Saga #3)(114)

Edward shook his head. "Her scent is too strong and, combined with mine, especially distinct. Even if I carried her, it would leave a trail. Our trace is all over the range, but in conjunction with Bella's scent, it would catch their attention. We're not sure exactly which path they'll take, because they don't know yet. If they crossed her scent before they found us . . ."

Both of them grimaced at the same time, their eyebrows pulling together.

"You see the difficulties."

"There has to be a way to make it work," Jacob muttered. He glared toward the forest, pursing his lips.

I swayed on my feet. Edward put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer and supporting my weight.

"I need to get you home-you're exhausted. And Charlie will be waking up soon . . ."

"Wait a sec," Jacob said, wheeling back to us, his eyes bright. "My scent disgusts you, right?"

"Hmm, not bad." Edward was two steps ahead. "It's possible." He turned toward his family. "Jasper?" he called.

Jasper looked up curiously. He walked over with Alice a half step behind. Her face was frustrated again.

"Okay, Jacob." Edward nodded at him.

Jacob turned toward me with a strange mixture of emotion on his face. He was clearly excited by whatever this new plan of his was, but he was also still uneasy so close to his enemy allies. And then it was my turn to be wary as he held his arms out toward me.

Edward took a deep breath.

"We're going to see if I can confuse the scent enough to hide your trail," Jacob explained.

I stared at his open arms suspiciously.

"You're going to have to let him carry you, Bella," Edward told me. His voice was calm, but I could hear the subdued distaste.

I frowned.

Jacob rolled his eyes, impatient, and reached down to yank me up into his arms.

"Don't be such a baby," he muttered.

But his eyes flickered to Edward, just like mine did. Edward's face was composed and smooth. He spoke to Jasper.

"Bella's scent is so much more potent to me-I thought it would be a fairer test if someone else tried."

Jacob turned away from them and paced swiftly into the woods. I didn't say anything as the dark closed around us. I was pouting, uncomfortable in Jacob's arms. It felt too intimate to me-surely he didn't need to hold me quite so tightly-and I couldn't help but wonder what it felt like to him. It reminded me of my last afternoon in La Push, and I didn't want to think about that. I folded my arms, annoyed when the brace on my hand intensified the memory. 

We didn't go far; he made a wide arc and came back into the clearing from a different direction, maybe half a football field away from our original departure point. Edward was there alone and Jacob headed toward him.

"You can put me down now."

"I don't want to take a chance of messing up the experiment." His walk slowed and his arms tightened.

"You are so annoying," I muttered.

"Thanks."

Out of nowhere, Jasper and Alice stood beside Edward. Jacob took one more step, and then set me down a half dozen feet from Edward. Without looking back at Jacob, I walked to Edward's side and took his hand.

"Well?" I asked.

"As long as you don't touch anything, Bella, I can't imagine someone sticking their nose close enough to that trail to catch your scent," Jasper said, grimacing. "It was almost completely obscured."

"A definite success," Alice agreed, wrinkling her nose.

"And it gave me an idea."

"Which will work," Alice added confidently.

"Clever," Edward agreed.

"How do you stand that?" Jacob muttered to me.

Edward ignored Jacob and looked at me while he explained. "We're-well, you're-going to leave a false trail to the clearing, Bella. The newborns are hunting, your scent will excite them, and they'll come exactly the way we want them to without being careful about it. Alice can already see that this will work. When they catch our scent, they'll split up and try to come at us from two sides. Half will go through the forest, where her vision suddenly disappears . . ."

"Yes!" Jacob hissed.

Edward smiled at him, a smile of true comradeship.

I felt sick. How could they be so eager for this? How could I stand having both of them in danger? I couldn't.

I wouldn't.

"Not a chance," Edward said suddenly, his voice disgusted. It made me jump, worrying that he'd somehow heard my resolve, but his eyes were on Jasper.

"I know, I know," Jasper said quickly. "I didn't even consider it, not really."

Alice stepped on his foot.

"If Bella was actually there in the clearing," Jasper explained to her, "it would drive them insane. They wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but her. It would make picking them off truly easy . . ."