Read Online The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephenie Meyer
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with fancy trim and finials on every conceivable edge. It was
the kind of thing I would have laughed at in a more relaxed situation.
Riley was nowhere in sight, but Diego had come to a complete stop below, so I assumed this was the end point of our pursuit.
Maybe this was the replacement house Riley was preparing for when the big log cabin crumbled. Except that it was smaller than
any of the other houses we’d stayed in, and it didn’t look like it had a basement. And it was even farther away from Seattle
than the last one.
Diego looked up at me, and I signaled for him to join me. He nodded and retraced his trail a little ways. Then he made an
enormous leap—I wondered if I could have jumped that high, even as young and strong as I was—and caught a branch about halfway
up the closest tree. Unless someone was being extraordinarily vigilant, no one ever would have noticed that Diego’d made a
side trip off his path. Even still, he jumped around in the treetops, making sure his trail did not lead directly to mine.
When he finally decided it was safe to join me, he took my hand right away. Silently, I nodded toward the gingerbread house.
One corner of his mouth twitched.
Simultaneously we started edging toward the east side of the house, keeping high up in the trees. We got as close as we dared—leaving
a few trees ascover between the house and ourselves—and then sat silently, listening.
The breeze turned helpfully gentle, and we could hear something. Strange little brushing, ticking sounds. At first I didn’t
recognize what I was hearing, but then Diego twitched another little smile, puckered his lips, and silently kissed the air
in my direction.
Kissing didn’t sound the same with vampires as it did with humans. No soft, fleshy, liquid-filled cells to squish against
each other. Just stone lips, no give. I had heard one kiss between vampires before—Diego’s touch to my lips last night—but
I never would have made the connection. It was so far from what I’d expected to find here.
This knowledge spun everything around in my head. I had assumed Riley was going to see
her
, whether to receive instructions or bring her new recruits, I didn’t know. But I had never imagined stumbling across some
kind of… love nest. How could Riley kiss
her
? I shuddered and glanced at Diego. He looked faintly horrified, too, but he shrugged.
I thought back to that last night of humanity, flinching as I remembered the vivid burning. I tried to recall the moments
just before that, through all the fuzziness…. First there was the creeping fear that had built as Riley pulled up to the dark
house, thefeeling of safety I’d had in the bright burger joint dissolving entirely. I was holding back, edging away, and then he’d
grabbed my arm with a steel grip and yanked me out of the car like I was a doll, weightless. Terror and disbelief as he’d
leaped the ten yards to the door. Terror and then pain leaving no room for disbelief as he broke my arm dragging me through
the door into the black house. And then the voice.
As I focused on the memory, I could hear it again. High and singsong, like a little girl’s, but grouchy. A child throwing
a tantrum.
I remembered what she’d said. “Why did you even bring this one? It’s too small.” Something close to that, I thought. The words
might not be exactly right, but that was the meaning.
I was sure Riley had sounded eager to please when he answered, afraid of disappointing. “But she’s another body. Another distraction,
at least.”
I think I’d whimpered then, and he’d shaken me painfully, but he hadn’t spoken to me again. It was like I was a dog, not a
person.
“This whole night has been a waste,” the child’s voice had complained. “I’ve killed them all. Ugh!”
I remembered that the house had shuddered then, as if a car had collided with the frame. I realized now that she’d probably
just kicked something in
the kind of thing I would have laughed at in a more relaxed situation.
Riley was nowhere in sight, but Diego had come to a complete stop below, so I assumed this was the end point of our pursuit.
Maybe this was the replacement house Riley was preparing for when the big log cabin crumbled. Except that it was smaller than
any of the other houses we’d stayed in, and it didn’t look like it had a basement. And it was even farther away from Seattle
than the last one.
Diego looked up at me, and I signaled for him to join me. He nodded and retraced his trail a little ways. Then he made an
enormous leap—I wondered if I could have jumped that high, even as young and strong as I was—and caught a branch about halfway
up the closest tree. Unless someone was being extraordinarily vigilant, no one ever would have noticed that Diego’d made a
side trip off his path. Even still, he jumped around in the treetops, making sure his trail did not lead directly to mine.
When he finally decided it was safe to join me, he took my hand right away. Silently, I nodded toward the gingerbread house.
One corner of his mouth twitched.
Simultaneously we started edging toward the east side of the house, keeping high up in the trees. We got as close as we dared—leaving
a few trees ascover between the house and ourselves—and then sat silently, listening.
The breeze turned helpfully gentle, and we could hear something. Strange little brushing, ticking sounds. At first I didn’t
recognize what I was hearing, but then Diego twitched another little smile, puckered his lips, and silently kissed the air
in my direction.
Kissing didn’t sound the same with vampires as it did with humans. No soft, fleshy, liquid-filled cells to squish against
each other. Just stone lips, no give. I had heard one kiss between vampires before—Diego’s touch to my lips last night—but
I never would have made the connection. It was so far from what I’d expected to find here.
This knowledge spun everything around in my head. I had assumed Riley was going to see
her
, whether to receive instructions or bring her new recruits, I didn’t know. But I had never imagined stumbling across some
kind of… love nest. How could Riley kiss
her
? I shuddered and glanced at Diego. He looked faintly horrified, too, but he shrugged.
I thought back to that last night of humanity, flinching as I remembered the vivid burning. I tried to recall the moments
just before that, through all the fuzziness…. First there was the creeping fear that had built as Riley pulled up to the dark
house, thefeeling of safety I’d had in the bright burger joint dissolving entirely. I was holding back, edging away, and then he’d
grabbed my arm with a steel grip and yanked me out of the car like I was a doll, weightless. Terror and disbelief as he’d
leaped the ten yards to the door. Terror and then pain leaving no room for disbelief as he broke my arm dragging me through
the door into the black house. And then the voice.
As I focused on the memory, I could hear it again. High and singsong, like a little girl’s, but grouchy. A child throwing
a tantrum.
I remembered what she’d said. “Why did you even bring this one? It’s too small.” Something close to that, I thought. The words
might not be exactly right, but that was the meaning.
I was sure Riley had sounded eager to please when he answered, afraid of disappointing. “But she’s another body. Another distraction,
at least.”
I think I’d whimpered then, and he’d shaken me painfully, but he hadn’t spoken to me again. It was like I was a dog, not a
person.
“This whole night has been a waste,” the child’s voice had complained. “I’ve killed them all. Ugh!”
I remembered that the house had shuddered then, as if a car had collided with the frame. I realized now that she’d probably
just kicked something in
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