We were on the hunt or we might not have noticed it at all. I paused, Carlisle and Esme stopping a few yards behind me. "Do you smell it?" I asked them.
"Yes." Carlisle circled the small clearing, zeroing in on a patch of ground. As he drew near, I noticed the earth there had been freshly disturbed, though whoever had dug it up tried to cover their tracks.
"They still smell warm. A fresh kill," Esme said softly, "drained of blood."
But they're caribou! Carlisle looked up at me. "Edward, are any of our family nearby? Perhaps they strayed to the west while hunting."
Esme and Carlisle cleared their minds, allowing me to listen more closely. I heard a small group of hikers two or three miles to the south, but none of my brothers and sisters. On the very edge of my hearing, I caught one faint thought. Now on to sweeter prey!
"There is another vampire, further to the west. It's not a mind I recognize."
Carlisle's eyes turned westward. "How far?"
"It's difficult to tell, maybe eight miles. No more than ten. I could barely hear her."
"Her?" Esme did her best, but I caught the hopes that suddenly darted through her mind. When would she figure out I was simply happier without a mate? "Another 'vegetarian' vampire?"
"So it would appear." Carlisle looked at us indecisively. "Would you two prefer to hunt? I think I'll go meet our neighbor."
"You'd find her faster if I came along," I pointed out. There were more than half a dozen caribou in that pit, more than even a desperately thirsty vampire would need. Whoever this female was, she didn't hunt alone. I didn't want Carlisle waltzing off by himself to meet another coven. They may have hunted caribou this time, but that didn't mean they were necessarily nice. We'd avoided trouble with other vampires for a long time, mostly because we were such a large family.
"Yes, I'd like to meet this female too." Esme didn't even bother trying to hide her thoughts this time. I gave her an annoyed look. She shrugged. Alice and Jasper were a delightful surprise. Perhaps this female will be too.
"Are you certain?" Carlisle asked us.
"Yes." Esme used her firm mother's voice, the one that brooked no argument.
"Very well. Edward?"
I led the way west, listening carefully as I ran through the Alaskan wilderness. We'd been here for more than a year and I was completely in love with the rugged terrain, the deep forest, the crisp air. Even better than all this was the solitude. I could actually run far enough to be alone with my own thoughts.
We were drawing near a larger group of minds, maybe a village or an unusually large camping expedition. I sifted through the voices, slowing my steps until I knew where we needed to go.
I'll never get that
project finished in time. Mom, I don't want to go to
bed! There just isn't enough money this month. But
there's no challenge to hunting in DC!
It was the vampire voice we were looking for. I led the way toward a two-story house set to the north of the village, deep in the trees.
Oh, you can find a virtuous man in DC. This was a different mind, but still female.
"They're talking about hunting," I whispered to Carlisle and Esme. "In Washington D.C., I think."
Yes, but you have to go through a good dozen a night to find even one with any kind of staying power. I think we'll have better luck in the Midwest.
We were close enough to overhear their conversation now.
"Since when are hayseeds more of a challenge than our virtuous elected representatives?" a third voice said.
"There are a lot more Hispanics in the Midwest now. Good Catholic boys. They always present a delicious challenge." The explicit images that went through her head would have made me blush if I were still human.
Esme looked up at me. What on earth are they talking about?
I was not going to tell my mother what I'd just seen. "They don't hunt to kill. They hunt to... seduce."
Esme huffed. Then they're definitely NOT your type of girls.
"You want good Catholic boys, then go to a monastery," a male voice said dismissively. "You females fret over this far too much. They all crack sooner or later. Aro and Caius weren't much of a surprise, but even Marcus couldn't resist for more than a few months."
Carlisle's jaw dropped.
"They hunt male vampires too?" Esme hissed. "No wonder Alice was against us coming here."
"Oh, it was a surprise to Aro," the fourth female voice purred, "let me assure you."
Carlisle put a hand over his eyes. I can't believe I'm hearing this.
"I can't believe I'm seeing this!" I hissed. Carlisle gave me a weak, sympathetic smile.
"Are we going to introduce ourselves or not?" Esme whispered. For the first time in the eight decades I'd known her, Esme was spoiling for a fight.
"They'll find out about us sooner or later." Carlisle hesitated, undecided. "Frankly, I'm amazed we haven't stumbled across each other before now. And we don't want to give offense by hunting game in what they perceive as their territory." And they're like us! All these centuries, not a single vampire who would refrain from human blood, and here's an entire household!
"Right." Esme looped her arm possessively through Carlisle's and marched — marched — toward the house. "First impressions are lasting impressions."
I had a bad feeling about this.
Esme rapped firmly on the door, and my breath caught when it opened. The elegant female who stood there would rival Rosalie for beauty. Her black hair fell in soft curls to her shoulder, and her eyes were golden.
"Visitors!" Her face lit up with delight. "Do come in!" Two males and one female. Lucky girl.
"Welcome!" said another female — small and slender with just a hint of auburn in her brown hair. She lounged on the couch, leaning against a rather sturdy-looking male. They both had a Latin look about them. Even though the female was in such a casual pose, the word that came to mind was sultry. That female has a tight grip on her mate. Just when things were looking boring, we find some fun in our own front room.
Another dark-haired female sat cross-legged on the floor, her rounded cheekbones giving her a very young look. She rested her elbows on the coffee table, an open atlas in front of her. Their eyes! "Do you abstain too?"
Esme's reaction to the word 'abstain' wasn't coherent enough for words, but I had never imagined her so disposed toward violence.
"Yes," Carlisle said, diplomatically ignoring Esme. "We do not drink human blood. In fact, that is how we found you. We were hunting game this evening and came across your kill to the east of here. We were... intrigued."
"As are we," said another female, her sharp features more proud than fierce. She stood straight and tall, her flowing black hair falling past her waist.
Lady Godiva.
"I am Tanya. These are my sisters — Irina, Kate, and Carmen — and Carmen's mate Eleazar. And you are?"
Delicious. Mine. A
challenge. Trouble.
"I am Carlisle, and this is Esme and Edward."
"We've never met another coven who abstained. Where do you hail from?"
"We moved here from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan about a year ago. I have a position at the hospital."
"At the hospital?" Carmen, Eleazar's mate, was incredulous. "What do you do there?"
"I am a physician in the emergency room."
A creature of unsurpassed willpower. Tanya eyed him speculatively. "I am in awe."
Carlisle smiled and shrugged. "It's a good living."
"And he has many to provide for." Esme carefully kept the satisfaction out of her voice. "There are four more in our family." Don't even think about trying anything. We outnumber you!
"Really?" Kate, the fresh-faced female, asked brightly. "We'd love to meet them!"
"And I'm sure they would love to meet you," Carlisle answered carefully. "But the reason we barged in on you today was to discuss hunting ranges."
"We would never dream of infringing on your territory." Esme's double meaning was clear, and Tanya picked up on it at once.
"Oh, we share and share alike around here. Hunt whatever you desire." And I shall do the same, my little Bantam hen.
Bantam hen? Bantam hen!
Esme didn't hear the insult, but she may as well have. I stepped forward before she could speak the rude things forming in her mind. "We appreciate your generosity. We shall hunt then without fear of giving offense. Good evening to you all."
Carlisle looped his arm through Esme's and quickly led her from the house.