“Better,” he allowed. “There are polar bears, too. Very fierce. And the wolves get quite large.” My mouth fell open and my breath blew out in a sharp gust. “What’s wrong?” he asked. Before I could recover, the confusion vanished and his whole body seemed to harden. “Oh. Never mind the wolves, then, if the idea is offensive to you.” His voice was stiff, formal, his shoulders rigid. “He was my best friend, Edward,” I muttered. It stung to use the past tense. “Of course the idea offends me.”
