I stared at Edward, my eyes stretched wide. "They're coming as wolves?"

He nodded, cautious of my reaction. I swallowed once, remembering the two times I'd seen Jacob in his wolf form - the first time in the meadow with Laurent, the second time on the forest lane where Paul had gotten angry at me. . . . They were both memories of terror.

"Oh," Edward said, "maybe she'll be afraid of him."

"Are you kidding me? She's not going to let that bother her," Emmett laughed.

"But, she just said..." Edward said.

"That they were memories of terror," Emmett said. "She was scared both times she saw them... this time would be different."

"Great," Edward groaned.

A strange gleam came into Edward's eyes, as though something had just occurred to him, something that was not altogether unpleasant. He turned away quickly, before I could see any more, back to Carlisle and the others.

"Prepare yourselves - they've been holding out on us."

"Oh," Emmett frowned. "I thought you might have just thought she would have been scared of them...but that doesn't seem the case now."

"No, it really doesn't, but I think we might like what they have been hiding," Carlisle said.

"In this case," Jasper amended, "now that they are on our side..."

"What do you mean?" Alice demanded.

"Shh," he cautioned, and stared past her into the darkness.

The Cullens' informal circle suddenly widened out into a loose line with Jasper and Emmett at the spear point. From the way Edward leaned forward next to me, I could tell that he wished he was standing beside them. I tightened my hand around his.

"Well, he normally is," Jasper said, "but it's understandable that he's not in this case."

I squinted toward the forest, seeing nothing.

"Damn," Emmett muttered under his breath. "Did you ever see anything like it?"

Esme and Rosalie exchanged a wide-eyed glance.

"What is it?" I whispered as quietly as I could. "I can't see."

"The pack has grown," Edward murmured into my ear.

"They're taller now?" Emmett said stupidly.

"Idiot," Rosalie said, shaking her head at him, but she looked wary. "I don't like the fact that there are more wolves."

"Nor do I," Carlisle said, but in a different tone. "I fear we have caused a lot of damage by coming here."

"Those poor boys," Esme added, wrapping an arm around Carlisle who seemed like he needed it.

"I think it's Victoria that is actually causing them to multiply like this," Edward said thoughtfully. "I doubt our family would fuel the need for this many wolves."

"Yes, you're probably right," Carlisle said, looking better than a moment ago, "and since we know that it won't happen this way, hopefully most of these wolves won't have to go through this."

Hadn't I told him that Quil had joined the pack? I strained to see the six wolves in the gloom.

"I'm sure you have," Edward said smiling.

Finally, something glittered in the blackness - their eyes, higher up than they should be. I'd forgotten how very tall the wolves were. Like horses, only thick with muscle and fur - and teeth like knives, impossible to overlook.