Kate probably didn't understand, never having known for herself the passion of a mother for her child. She must
not have realized just how far past too far she'd already gone. I was so furious that my vision took on a strange reddish tint, and my tongue tasted like burning metal. The strength I usually worked to keep restrained flowed through my muscles, and I knew I could crush her into diamond-hard rubble if she pushed me to it.
The rage brought every aspect of my being into sharper focus. I could even feel the elasticity of my shield more exactly now - feel that it was not a band so much as a layer, a thin film that covered me from head to toe. With the anger rippling through my body, I had a better sense of it, a tighter hold on it. I stretched it around myself, out from myself, swaddling Renesmee completely inside it, just in case Kate got past my guard.
Kate took another calculated step forward, and a vicious snarl ripped up my throat and through my clenched teeth.
"Be careful, Kate," Edward cautioned.
Kate took another step, and then made a mistake even someone as inexpert as I could recognize. Just a short leap away from me, she looked away, turning her attention from me to Edward.
Renesmee was secure on my back; I coiled to spring.
"Can you hear anything from Nessie?" Kate asked him, her voice calm and easy.
Edward darted into the space between us, blocking my line to Kate.
"No, nothing at all," he answered. "Now give Bella some space to calm down, Kate. You shouldn't goad her like that. I know she doesn't seem her age, but she's only a few months old."
"We don't have time to do this gently, Edward. We're going to have to push her. We only have a few weeks, and she's got the potential to - "
"Back off for a minute, Kate."
Kate frowned but took Edward's warning more seriously than she'd taken mine.
Renesmee's hand was on my neck; she was remembering Kate's attack, showing me that no harm was meant, that Daddy was in on it....
This did not pacify me. The spectrum of light I saw still seemed tainted with crimson. But I was in better control of myself, and I could see the wisdom of Kate's words. The anger helped me. I would learn faster under pressure.
That didn't mean I liked it.
"Kate," I growled. I rested my hand on the small of Edward's back. I could still feel my shield like a strong, flexible sheet around Renesmee and me. I pushed it farther, forcing it around Edward. There was no sign of a flaw in the stretchy fabric, no threat of a tear. I panted with the effort, and my words came out sounding breathless rather than furious. "Again," I said to Kate. "Edward only."
She rolled her eyes but flitted forward and pressed her palm to Edward's shoulder.
"Nothing," Edward said. I heard the smile in his voice.
"And now?" Kate asked.
"Stillnothing."
"And now?" This time, there was the sound of strain in her voice.
"Nothing at all."
Kate grunted and stepped away.
"Can you see this?" Zafrina asked in her deep, wild voice, staring intently at the three of us. Her English was strangely accented, her words pulling up in unexpected places.
"I don't see anything I shouldn't," Edward said.
"And you, Renesmee?" Zafrina asked.
Renesmee smiled at Zafrina and shook her head.
My fury had almost entirely ebbed, and I clenched my teeth together, panting faster as I pushed out against the elastic shield; it felt like it was getting heavier the longer I held it. It pulled back, dragging inward.
"No one panic," Zafrina warned the little group watching me. "I want to see how far she can extend."
There was a shocked gasp from everyone there - Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya, Garrett, Benjamin, Tia, Siobhan, Maggie - everyone but Senna, who seemed prepared for whatever Zafrina was doing. The others' eyes were blank, their expressions anxious.
"Raise your hand when you get your sight back," Zafrina instructed. "Now, Bella. See how many you can shield."
My breath came out in a huff. Kate was the closest person to me besides Edward and Renesmee, but even she was about ten feet away. I locked my jaw and shoved, trying to heave the resisting, resilient safeguard farther from myself. Inch by inch I drove it toward Kate, fighting the reaction that fought back with every fraction that I gained. I only watched Kate's anxious expression while I worked, and I groaned quietly with relief