The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Page 0,42

caught up enough to see Riley ahead and fol owed at a distance until he got to Raoul's team. The scent made it hard to keep my mind on the things that mattered.

"Raoul!" Riley yel ed.

Raoul grunted, not turning. He was total y absorbed by the sweet scent.

"I've got to help Kristie! I'l meet you there! Keep your focus!"

I jerked to a stop, frozen with uncertainty.

Raoul kept on, not showing any response to Riley's words. Riley slowed to a jog, then a walk. I should have moved, but he probably would have heard me try to hide. He turned, a smile on his face, and saw me.

"Bree. I thought you were with Kristie."

I didn't respond.

Chapters 14

"I heard someone get hurt - Kristie needs me more than Raoul," he explained quickly.

"Are you... leaving us?"

Riley's face changed. It was like I could see his shifting tactics written on his features. His eyes widened, suddenly anxious.

"I'm worried, Bree. I told you that she was going to meet us, to help us, but I haven't crossed her trail. Something's wrong. I need to find her."

"But there's no way you can find her before Raoul gets to the yel ow-eyes," I pointed out.

"I have to find out what's going on." He sounded genuinely desperate. "I need her. I wasn't supposed to do this alone!"

"But the others..."

"Bree, I have to go find her! Now! There are enough of you to overwhelm the yel ow-eyes. I'l get back to you as soon as I can."

He sounded so sincere. I hesitated, glancing back the way we had come. Fred would be halfway to Vancouver by now. Riley hadn't even asked about him. Maybe Fred's talent was stil in effect.

"Diego's down there, Bree," Riley said urgently. "He'l be part of the first attack. Didn't you catch his scent back there?

Did you not get close enough?"

I shook my head, total y confused. "Diego was there?"

"He's with Raoul by now. If you hurry, you can help him get out alive."

We stared at each other for a long second, and then I looked south after Raoul's path.

"Good girl," Riley said. "I'l go find her and we'l be back to help clean up. You guys have got this! It might be over by the time you get there!"

He took off in a direction perpendicular to our original path. I clenched my teeth at how sure he seemed of his way. Lying to the end.

But it didn't feel like I had a choice. I headed south in a flatout sprint again. I had to go get Diego. Drag him away if it came to that. We could catch up with Fred. Or take off on our own. We needed to run. I would tel Diego how Riley had lied. He would see that Riley had no intention of helping us fight the battle he'd set up. There was no reason to help him anymore. I found the human's scent and then Raoul's. I didn't catch Diego's. Was I going too fast? Or was the human's scent just overpowering me? Half my head was absorbed in this strangely counterproductive hunt - sure, we would find the girl, but would we be ready to fight together when we did? No, we'd be clawing each other apart to get to her.

And then I heard the snarling and screaming and screeching explode from ahead and I knew the fight was happening and I was too late to beat Diego there. I only ran faster. Maybe I could stil save him.

I smel ed the smoke - the sweet, thick scent of vampires burning - carried back to me on the wind. The sound of mayhem was louder. Maybe it was almost done. Would I find our coven victorious and Diego waiting?

I dashed through a heavy fringe of smoke and found myself out of the forest in a huge grassy field. I leaped over a rock, only to realize in the instant I flew past it that it was a headless torso. My eyes raked the field. There were pieces of vampires everywhere, and a huge bonfire smoking purple into the sunny sky. Out from under the bil owing haze, I could see dazzling, glittering bodies darting and grappling as the sounds of vampires being torn apart went on and on.

I looked for one thing: Diego's curly black hair. No one I could see had hair so dark. There was one huge vampire with brown hair that was almost black, but he was too big, and as I focused