The Twilight Saga isn’t safe from inconsistencies and plot holes, and one that had fans talking about it was all about the scene where Edward saved Bella from James’ bite in the first movie. Vampires and werewolves are some of the most popular and beloved monsters in pop culture and have gone through a variety of versions and adaptations to different media, but there are none like what Stephenie Meyer did in the Twilight book series. The core of the novels was the relationship between vampire Edward Cullen and mortal Bella Swan, with werewolf Jacob Black standing in their way various times.
Jacob’s love for Bella wasn’t the only obstacle Edward and Bella had to overcome, as they also had to deal with a coven of vampires known as the Volturi, who served as “royalty” in the world of vampires, and another, smaller group of vampires that weren’t too welcoming of the Cullens’ lifestyle and their relationship with Bella. This group was introduced in the first book and movie in the Twilight series and was formed by Laurent Da Revin (Edi Gathegi), Victoria Sutherland (Rachelle Lefevre), and James Witherdale (Cam Gigandet), and they were nomadic vampires who once they set eyes on Bella decided they wanted to feed off of her, especially James.
James was the leader of the group and his “superpower” was being an exceptional tracker, which allowed him to sense his prey’s moves and hunt them from a longer distance than other vampires. This is what made it possible for him to find Bella even though the Cullens did everything they could to send her far away from Forks. James found Bella’s old address in Phoenix, and after some quick research, he made her believe her mother was in danger and lured her into a trap at her old ballet studio. There, James attacked Bella and actually bit her, but once the Cullens arrived, Carlisle instructed Edward to drain James’ venom out of Bella’s body – and that created a big plot hole that fans are still trying to figure out.
Vampires in the Twilight universe are different from traditional ones in many ways, but the way they “infect” humans is pretty much the same. In Twilight, it only takes a bite from a vampire for them to inject their venom, which then goes through the body of the victim to change every living cell and thus turn them into a vampire. James’ bite could have transformed Bella had the Cullens not arrived on time, but by biting her in order to suck the venom out of her body, Edward should have also infected her, but he didn’t. Bella eventually became a vampire in Breaking Dawn (in the Twilight Saga, her transformation happened right at the end of Breaking Dawn – Part 1), where after giving birth to her and Edward’s hybrid child, Renesmee, Edward injected her heart with his own venom and bit her in several places in order to save her, as the birth of Renesmee almost killed her.
Following the “vampire logic” from Twilight, if James’ bite was close to transforming Bella, then Edward’s efforts to suck the venom out should have also transformed her. Stephenie Meyer hasn’t offered an explanation about this particular scene in Twilight as she has done with many others, so it’s up to every reader and viewer to decide if Edward sucking the venom out of Bella’s body would have also affected her or if there’s some lesser-known rule about vampires in the Twilight universe that can explain why he could do it without any risk (other than drinking too much and killing her, of course).