"No harm done," I insisted with a shrug.
He moved. His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between the fingers of his right hand.
"Bella," he whispered. "Do you have any idea how close I came to crossing the line today? To breaking the treaty and coming after you? Do you know what that would have meant?"
I gasped and his eyes opened. They were as cold and hard as night.
"You can't!" I said too loudly. I worked to modulate the volume of my voice so Charlie wouldn't hear, but I wanted to shout the words. "Edward, they'd use any excuse for a fight. They'd love that. You can't ever break the rules!"
"Maybe they aren't the only ones who would enjoy a fight."
"Don't you start," I snapped. "You made the treaty - you stick to it."
"If he'd hurt you -"
"Enough!" I cut him off. "There's nothing to worry about. Jacob isn't dangerous."
"Bella." He rolled his eyes. "You aren't exactly the best judge of what is or isn't dangerous."
"I know I don't have to worry about Jake. And neither do you."
He ground his teeth together. His hands were balled up in fists at his sides. He was still standing against the wall, and I hated the space between us.
I took a deep breath, and crossed the room. He didn't move when I wrapped my arms around him. Next to the warmth of the last of the afternoon sun streaming through the window, his skin felt especially icy. He seemed like ice, too, frozen the way he was.
"I'm sorry I made you anxious," I muttered.
He sighed, and relaxed a little. His arms wound around my waist.
"Anxious is a bit of an understatement," he murmured. "It was a very long day."
"You weren't supposed to know about it," I reminded him. "I thought you'd be hunting longer."
I looked up at his face, at his defensive eyes; I hadn't noticed in the stress of the moment, but they were too dark. The rings under them were deep purple. I frowned in disapproval.
"When Alice saw you disappear, I came back," he explained.
"You shouldn't have done that. Now you'll have to go away again." My frown intensified.
"I can wait."
"That's ridiculous. I mean, I know she couldn't see me with Jacob, but you should have known -"
"But I didn't," he broke in. "And you can't expect me to let you -"
"Oh, yes, I can," I interrupted him. "That's exactly what I expect -"
"This won't happen again."
"That's right! Because you're not going to overreact next time."
"Because there isn't going to be a next time."
"I understand when you have to leave, even if I don't like it -"
"That's not the same. I'm not risking my life."
"Neither am I."
"Werewolves constitute a risk."
"I disagree."
"I'm not negotiating this, Bella."
"Neither am I."
His hands were in fists again. I could feel them against my back.
The words popped out thoughtlessly. "Is this really just about my safety?"
"What do you mean?" he demanded.
"You aren't . . ." Angela's theory seemed sillier now than before. It was hard to finish the thought. "I mean, you know better than to be jealous, right?"
He raised one eyebrow. "Do I?"
"Be serious."
"Easily - there's nothing remotely humorous about this."
I frowned suspiciously. "Or . . . is this something else altogether? Some vampires-and-werewolves-are- always-enemies nonsense? Is this just a testosterone-fueled -"
His eyes blazed. "This is only about you. All I care is that you're safe."
The black fire in his eyes was impossible to doubt.
"Okay," I sighed. "I believe that. But I want you to know something - when it comes to all this enemies nonsense, I'm out. I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures. Jacob is family. You are . . . well, not exactly the love of my life, because I expect to love you for much longer than that. The love of my existence. I don't care who's a werewolf and who's a vampire. If Angela turns out to be a witch, she can join the party, too."
He stared at me silently through narrowed eyes.
"Switzerland," I repeated again for emphasis.
He frowned at me, and then sighed. "Bella . . . ," he began, but he paused, and his nose wrinkled in disgust.
"What now?"
"Well . . . don't be offended, but you smell like a dog," he told me.
And then he smiled crookedly, so I knew the fight was over. For now.
Edward had to make up for the missed hunting trip, and so he was leaving Friday night with Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle to hit some reserve in Northern California with a mountain lion problem.
We'd come to no agreement on the werewolf issue, but I didn't feel guilty calling Jake - during my brief window of opportunity when Edward took the Volvo home before climbing back in through my window - to let him know I'd be coming over on Saturday again. It wasn't sneaking around. Edward knew how I felt. And if he broke my truck again, then I'd have Jacob pick me up. Forks was neutral, just like Switzerland - just like me.
So when I got off work Thursday and it was Alice rather than Edward waiting for me in the Volvo, I was not suspicious at first. The passenger door was open, and music I didn't recognize was shaking the frame when the bass played.
"Hey, Alice," I shouted over the wailing as I climbed in. "Where's your brother?"