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someone I didn't have to pretend for someone who already knew everything I could never say.
"You're right," he agreed. "I did go toAlaska . Still, I didn't expect& When I found the Cullen place
empty, I thought they'd moved on."
"Oh." I bit my lip as the name set the raw edges of my wound throbbing. It took me a second to
compose myself. Laurent waited with curious eyes.
"They did move on," I finally managed to tell him.
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"Hmm," he murmured. "I'm surprised they left you behind. Weren't you sort of a pet of theirs?" His eyes
were innocent of any intended offense.
I smiled wryly. "Something like that."
"Hmm," he said, thoughtful again.
At that precise moment, I realized why he looked the same too muchthe same. After Carlisle told us
that Laurent had stayed with Tanya's family, I'd begun to picture him, on the rare occasions that I thought
of him at all, with the same golden eyes that the& Cullens I forced the name out, wincing had. That
allgood vampires had.
I took an involuntary step back, and his curious, dark red eyes followed the movement.
"Do they visit often?" he asked, still casual, but his weight shifted toward me.
"Lie," the beautiful velvet voice whispered anxiously from my memory.
I started at the sound ofhis voice, but it should not have surprised me. Was I nor in the worst danger
imaginable? The motorcycle was safe as kittens next to this.
I did what the voice said to do.
"Now and again." I tried to make my voice light, relaxed. "The time seems longer to me, I imagine. You
know how they get distracted& " I was beginning to babble. I had to work to shut myself up.
"Hmm," he said again. "The house smelled like it had been vacant for a while& "
"You must lie better than that, Bella," the voice urged.
I tried. "I'll have to mention toCarlisle that you stopped by. He'll be sorry they missed your visit." I
pretended to deliberate for a second. "But I probably shouldn't mention it to& Edward, I suppose " I
barely managed to say his name, and it twisted my expression on the way out, ruining my bluff " he has
such a temper& well, I'm sure you remember. He's still touchy about the whole James thing." I rolled my
eyes and waved one hand dismissively, like it was all ancient history, but there was an edge of hysteria to
my voice. I wondered if he would recognize what it was.
"Is he really?" Laurent asked pleasantly& skeptically.
I kept my reply short, so that my voice wouldn't betray my panic. "Mm-hmm."
Laurent took a casual step to the side, gazing around at the little meadow. I didn't miss that the step
brought him closer to me. In my head, the voice responded with a low snarl.
"So how are things working out inDenali ?Carlisle said you were staying with Tanya?" My voice was too
high.
The question made him pause. "I like Tanya very much," he mused. "And her sister Irina even more&
I've never stayed in one place for so long before, and I enjoy the advantages, the novelty of it. But, the
restrictions are difficult& I'm surprised that any of them can keep it up for long." He smiled at me
conspiratorially. "Sometimes I cheat."
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I couldn't swallow. My foot started to ease back, but I froze when his red eyes flickered down to catch
the movement.
"Oh," I said in a faint voice. "Jasper has problems with that, too."
"Don't move," the voice whispered. I tried to do what he instructed. It was hard; the instinct to take flight
was nearly uncontrollable.
"Really?" Laurent seemed interested. "Is that why they left?"
"No," I answered honestly. "Jasper is more careful at home."
"Yes," Laurent agreed. "I am, too."
The step forward he took now was quite deliberate.
"DidVictoria ever find you?" I asked, breathless, desperate to distract him. It was the first question that
popped into my head, and I regretted it as soon as the words were spoken. Victoria whohad hunted
me with James, and then disappeared was not someone I wanted to think of at this particular moment.
But the question did stop him.
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