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"Ugh Tanya really? You're going to make me take her with me?" I complained as I tided up the living room and moved into the music room where Tanya was playing her guitar.

"Yes, Mabel. Someone needs to make sure Cleo stays out of trouble. The first years are so hard." Tanya continued playing her guitar shooting off rifts that would put Jimi Hendrix to shame. I grumbled as I stepped out of the large music room into the hallway. I stomped my feet a little as I walked down the large staircase into the basement.

"Hey Mabel! Where you headed to?" Garrett's accent always made me giggle a little. One would think that after all this time he would lose it but I guess he made it apart of him.

"To find Cleo. Tanya wants me to take her out for dinner. " I smiled big at him. He chuckled.

"Dinner huh? You Denali have a funny way of calling something dinner." Garrett was new to our ways but he was taking it surprisingly well. In the past three years, since I'd joined the Denali clan, he had only slipped up once. I suppose that also had to do with Kate's constant help and encouragement. "Did you want me and Kate to come with you?" His golden eyes crackled around the edges a bit due to his wide smile.

"I know you don't want to and you ate yesterday so stop joking." I pulled a strand of his long sandy hair and listened to his brass-sounding laugh. I stuck my tongue out at him and continued down the steps. "Cleo." I said as if she were in front of me.

"Down here." I sighed and trudged down the steps. Cleo sat in our large leather couch watching our movie screen. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire filled the room with the noise of a fire-breathing dragon. Harry always looked so stressed out in those films. Must be hard to be destructible. I could tell Cleo was only half-heartedly watching the film. She sat stroking her long red hair and gazing absentmindedly at the screen. Her onyx eyes turned to me and she forced a smile.

"Hungry?" I plopped down next to her. Cleo just nodded her head yes. "Well then lets go! I'm in the mood for wolf if you don't mind. We'll take the long way up to the northern mountain range, the one that's north of Mt. McKinley national park. Just so we wont have any problems." I could tell by saying that it made Cleo uncomfortable.

"Mabel, I'm ok really. I'm getting a lot better with this. It's been two year you know." Cleo stated.

"Ya, Two year's and four slip ups. It take's a lot of work. I mean I ran into this clan ten years before I finally decided to join them because of how hard this life style is." I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. Her face looked detached. I could tell that she was thinking about these past two years. "Ok well let's go." I stood up and took off out of the house. I could tell Cleo was only a few inches behind me. Running was one of those thing's I never got bored of with being what I was. The freedom of it was so invigorating. I laughed out loud and sped up a little. Then the scent of it hit me like a bag of bricks. I stopped my pace immediately and bent to a crouch. I could feel Cleo tense behind me. I would scold her so bad if she jumped to soon and made the pack take off. I turned my attention to the wolf scent that filled my nose. Something about wolves was so appetizing to me. I could see them laying down about 10 trees away from me. They were in front of their den. Two males sat licking themselves, one female was licking around another's eye and the whine of puppy's vibrated threw the cave that they made their den. I mentally made a note I would try to protect at least one male and the puppies and mother. Then Cleo took off. I groaned but took off after her. The wolves jumped up at the two females fled to the den while the males stood to face us. I blocked off the female's escape and watched as Cleo sank her teeth into one of the males. The wolf let out a blood-curdling howl but to me it just sent me into a feeding frenzy. I pounced on one of the females and sank my teeth into her neck. Her warm blood flowed down my throat quenching my long aching thirst. I purred. I could feel her heart pulsing quickly and although she struggled it wasn't anything to me. I was barely aware that the other female had run back into the den and another male had appeared at the front of the cave. The female I had was drained so I turned on the male. He was a bit more fun. He attempted to dodge me but when I placed my lips on his neck he tried to sink his teeth into my skin. To bad it was granite hard. Once I was done with him I turned to find Cleo. She was finishing off the other male. I walked over to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. Cleo bared her teeth at me and growled.

"Chill out love bug! I'm not going to take your kill!" I chuckled. Cleo looked embarrassed but turned back to her dinner. I lounged against a nearby tree and glanced at my surroundings. Alaska was really breath taking. Glancing around at the many trees and listening to the babble of a brook that was maybe 2 miles away really had me appreciating nature. I mentally was very happy that the puppies, mother and one female had survived. I chuckled to myself as a watched Cleo straighten up and attempt to wipe her mouth gracefully. I don't think any vampire could look polite wiping blood from their mouth. "Let's go find some bear's and then head home ok?"

"Sure sound's good to me." Cleo took off ahead of me. I smiled and followed. Cleo was so much more enjoyable when she wasn't moping around. Their scent burned my throat and for a minute I lost sight of Cleo. Three hikers suddenly were 5 mile's away from us.

"CLEO NO!" I picked up pace and chased her. She was headed straight for them and by the way she was moving I could tell she was hunting. She sank her teeth into an elderly man's neck and mayhem began. Screaming and pounding hearts filled my ears. I reached Cleo and she had moved onto the next victim. The lady scream and then gurgled as blood rose to her mouth. "Cleo get off!" I yanked her off but she jumped back on the women. I cursed and chased the last hiker and snapped his neck, careful not to spill any blood. "CLEO!" I turned to her with fury swelling through my body. She turned to me her eyes blood red. The bloodlust in them slowly faded and was replaced with grief as her action finally set with her.

"I… I'm so sorry." She let the lady's limp body fall to the forest floor. Cleo buried her head into her hands. I was shaking as I stared at her. I was waiting for sympathy to wash over me but it never did, I just kept shaking. "I can't do this Mabel. I'm not like the rest of you. I'm not strong enough."

"No Cleo, It's not that. It's that you don't want to be strong enough. You didn't even hesitate." My voice shook. Cleo looked at me, knowledge suddenly flooding into her crimson eyes.

"Your right Mabel. I don't want this life. I never have. I wanted to try it and… it… it didn't work out." Cleo sounded so detached that it snapped me out of my fury.

"What do you mean? Listen I'm mad but ill get over it. Help me pick up these bodies and lets go home." I bent down and picked up the two men and looked up. Cleo hadn't moved. She sat palms up and the forest floor staring at me.

"No. Tell Tanya I'm sorry." Cleo slowly stood up and picked up the women's body. "I'll take care of her. I'm so sorry Mabel." And with that Cleo took off. I stood there in shock. I could have chased her but something held me back. I had to tell Tanya and the others. I shook my head vigorously trying to get my head straight and them took off to dispose of the bodies and then tell Tanya what had just happened with Cleo.