We crossed the next Highway on our trek north. I stopped in Gold Bar at a sporting and hardware store for a canteen, well four actually, and some water purification tablets. I also grabbed a small enamelled pot.

"Long hike?" the guy behind the counter asked, noting my lack of pack.

"No. Lots of day trips," I claimed.

He nodded and I hoped the schmuck wouldn't remember me at all. Marcus was eyeballing everything in the place. He seemed to not know what any of it was and handled several objects trying to divine their use. I saved him on a couple of occasions. When he picked up the calf teat, though, I just had to leave him to his own imagination. It would no doubt be better than anything I could come up with.

I also made a quick stop in the food mart. I grabbed some crap coffee, a bag of rolled oats and multivitamins. Jake didn't seem to have any health effects from two weeks on an all meat diet, but I wanted to be prepared, just in case.

Finally, I stopped in the cafe for my last human meal for who knew how long. I drank my properly brewed coffee and dug into one of the best beef dips I'd ever had. It was actually bison dip – someone had a ranch in the area. Marcus looked a little uncomfortable as people approached us, but generally nonchalant. Maybe we'd be back in towns, if not cities, more often than I thought. I'd never been a city girl, but the idea of having access to a reliable source of beans was definitely appealing.

I took us a little further east after lunch, aiming for Mount Baker. I hadn't been there in years, but I knew it was a desolate place. It was one of those few untouched areas. We could probably stay there for a while, if Marcus liked it at all.

Marcus continued to drill me on my mundane human existence. I talked about fishing and hunting with my Dad and uncles, the last time I'd been out in this park. I wanted to ask him more questions, but I was afraid. What could he tell me except stories about draining the life from humans? I shuddered at the thought.

Finally the day got the better of me again. "I think I need to call it a night," I told him while we were still just south of the border.

"I understand," he said with a smile. Those seemed to be coming more easily to him all the time.

"You don't have to stay with me," I reminded him as I ducked behind a tree to change and phase.

"I like being with you," he said smoothly. I wish I could have seen his face when he said it, it sounded sincere. Then again, with these stone faces I might not know any more by looking at him. I closed my eyes, trying to find my inner bitch. She didn't come easily tonight. I was too calm, too content. I remembered that Marcus still was a vampire, even if he had stopped hunting humans. That did it.

I picked my clothes up carefully in my teeth and carried them out with me.

"I'll pack those away for you," Marcus said, taking them from me.

While he was squatting I rubbed myself along his back, turning and returning to his side. He sat down and I put my head in his lap, giving a wolf grin.

He kissed my head.

Ewwwww.

Oh shut up, I complained to the pack now in my head. They'd been relatively quiet. I looked through their eyes and saw it was only one young wolf, Amos. He was on the Cullen property watching Suplicia.

How's she doing?

Not bad. She's been hunting a couple times. She doesn't like it, they tell me. He gave me the images from the pack that had been on high alert at the time. He had been in class. She had been tentative and missed the first two prey. I barked a laugh with Amos at her ineptitude. Her eyes were changing color too, though no faster than Marcus's, the same orange.

Hasn't been near any humans since she got here, well except Ness, but she doesn't count. Ruby keeps threatening to stop in and Joe keeps running her off. Why that girl is taking an interest, I do not know.

Joe's imprint, Ruby, was a girl after my own heart. Attitude to the core. She'd mellowed since her father had been removed from her life, but she still had some serious inner bitch. I couldn't fathom any more than Amos why she'd take an interest in a centuries old vampire looking to turn a new leaf.

Well, I'm only phased to sleep. Keep it down, Okay? I teased.

Party! Party! He started playing some awful dance music in his head until I sent him an image of Marcus and I up against a tree.

Ewwww! You play dirty! Sleep well, Leah.

I closed my eyes in Marcus' lap and let his gentle stroking lull me to sleep.

I woke with the sun. Wow, I'd slept all night. I arched my back and shook out my coat. Then I rolled my back and repeated the shake. Aaah, that felt better. As I looked around, I found another reason I had been awakened by the light. The clouds were sparse today and Marcus was shining. It was startling. I'd never really seen them like that, it being cloudy so much of the time in Forks.

"Sweet dreams?" he asked.

I rubbed my cheek to his. No dreams are the best dreams in my opinion.

What are you talking about? These are the best dreams.

I almost gagged as Eli showed me his new girlfriend.

Oh you are so gonna get it, pup. I started undressing Marcus in my mind, hard, marble body, sparkling in the sun now.

Ow, ow, ow! I'll quit! I promise!

What a whiner.

Marcus was still looking at me. I got a bad idea.

Oh yeah, totally! Eli encouraged.

I leaned into my back legs and plowed forward, knocking Marcus to the ground. His arms closed on my ribcage before I had a chance to sprint away.

"Oh, you want to play?" he asked.

I scrabbled against him, trying to slide out of his grip. He rolled on top of me pinning me to the ground. I felt my breath push out of me under his weight. Was he made of stone too?

Their heads have to be, Eli thought.

He seemed to realize he was crushing me and lifted himself slightly. I shimmed out from under him, flipped over and jumped on his back to leap frog into the trees.

He chuckled and picked up the bags as I circled around again. We started hiking again. Our pace was much quicker today as I didn't feel the need to phase back. I was happy in the wolf. How long since that had been the case?

Really? Eli intruded again. Being a wolf is the best! You can run forever, you can see and smell so much more. Speaking of which, peeeeyuuu, how do you stand being around him all the time?

Please, he's not as bad as the one you're watching.

I grant you that, but that is not a nice smell.

Agreed. It's growing on me.

Sticking to you more like.

I laughed with him on that one.

"I do wish I could hear you like Edward does," Marcus mused, looking at me and my chuckling. I nudged him in the hip. He wasn't missing anything, really.

Hey, Eli, report? Whoa! Leah! Blind me with a bloodsucker. How you doing?

The grand Alpha graces us with his presence. I'm good, Jake. Just south of the border. We should be in Canada tomorrow.

Sweet. Any guesses where you're stopping?

Nope, going where the wind takes us. Maybe far enough I can get all of YOU out of my head.

Good luck with that. South America worked, but you aren't going that far.

Eli's thoughts broke into our stream. Sup's been fine. All quiet in Cullen land. Rose and Emmett have her under lock and key.

Sup? Lucia, come on. Give her a name if you're going to give her a name, I argued.

Lucia, I like that. Course I like 'crusty leech' better, Jacob thought.

That works too, Eli agreed.

I shook my head. Marcus was not crusty.

Yeah yeah, sure he's not.

Eli totally deserved the image that was replied with.

Dang, Leah, really? You want me to talk to Edward or something? Jake asked.

Ah, crap. I hadn't meant for that much to make it out.

Nah, Jake, we'll manage. I'm thinking a bed might help.

We all laughed at that.

"Every time you bark like that you make me more curious," Marcus complained. Then we caught a scent.

Oh, yeah, freshly woken bear. Have a blast Leah!

And we did. Marcus was going to need a new shirt the next time we got to any sort of center.

"Hmmm, bears have a longer reach than cougars," he commented.

I snickered. Then I phased back to answer him. "Especially when you take them face on! Here, I have a sewing kit in my bag, I'll fix that a bit."

I pulled the shirt off his shoulders. He turned and put his hands to my hips. His lips came to mine.

I was gasping when I pushed him away. "Been waiting for the chance to do that?" I teased.

"Yes, your teeth are less frightening this way," he said with another smile.

I threw my head back, laughing. I had had a couple of boyfriends since going wolf, but none had known my other shape. It was fun to be so completely myself, no secrets. I felt Marcus's lips on my neck and my laughter cut off abruptly. Ice spread down my neck as his mouth moved to my collarbone. At the same time, fire flooded through my face and down through my breasts. My breath heaved as all my nerves began to tingle.

I put my hands to his bare shoulders. I opened my eyes letting them run the lines of his deltoid, his arms, his back. "Marcus," I whispered.

He froze and I chuckled. "No, it doesn't hurt. The opposite."

"I'm glad," he murmured against my skin as he continued to kiss his way over my skin. Everywhere his hands and lips weren't touching was on fire now. His hands were at the small of my back and buttocks, his lips were on one of my breasts and I was sure I was melting away from my own heat.

I ran my hands through his hair and he continued his descent, moving to his knees now. He looked up at me for a moment and I saw the new color in his eyes. They were now a beautiful apricot color, even lighter than before. Then his mouth was on my navel and I gasped in pleasure.

"Yes," I encouraged him. "I'm so warm, so hot."

"Like fire. I feel like I should be consumed," he murmured his mouth moving lower still.

I put hands to his shoulders as my legs began to wobble. My knees were not responding properly anymore. Especially not when the cold ice licked into my hot lips. I screamed in surprise.

Marcus held my hips tightly and backed up again, looking to me.

"No, it's good. it's too good." I shook my head; I couldn't believe how good it felt. The cold smothering me. My hands moved to his shoulders, holding myself up.

He kissed my lower lips again and I moaned.

I felt one cold hand slide under my buttocks and another behind my knee. He pulled me down and I sat with a thump on the forest floor.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

I laughed. "No, there's a root in my back, but that's unavoidable." I pulled him up to my mouth and kissed him again. I felt him rub against me and cried into his mouth. He was cold and his pants were rough. I reached down to try to release him. I still didn't understand where this need for him had come from. His company had been enough a few minutes ago, but it wasn't any longer. I needed more. I needed all of him.

His brow furrowed and he broke our kiss, meeting my eyes again. "You're sure?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes, we'll be gentler this time, right?" I smiled at him and kissed him again. Then I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him to me. The ground, still frosty in the early spring and him over me, stole all my heat away. I felt just the right temperature for once. Not too hot, not too cold. Except in one place. Inside, I was still burning. I reached down to grab his hips as he continued to hesitate. I pulled him into me and he relented, sliding slowly.

Just as before that moment was ecstatic bliss. Perfect union, cool balm to my raging heat, a feeling of wholeness, completeness. He slid his hands under my arms and lifted my shoulders very gently from the carpet of needles. Then he pulled out and back in, watching my face every second. When I closed my eyes and moaned, I hoped he knew he hadn't hurt me. He must have because he did the same again.

"Oh, Leah," he murmured. "I haven't felt this way. Not exactly this way."

I didn't want to hear about Didyme now. I bit into his neck and he gasped, growling. He thrust faster, farther.

"Yes," I groaned, moving with him. I was glad he had lifted me somewhat. I could feel scratches forming on my lower back where I was still connected to the ground but ignored them. His hands stayed gentle on me, no bruising, no crushing, nothing like the last time.

I kissed him again just before I fell apart under him. The fire inside me was beyond control now and I started to scream again. My legs locked tightly on his waist as I thrust into him with abandon. He had stopped moving, probably concerned, but it didn't deter me at all.

After a few seconds, my body began to relax and I fell back to the ground. "Wow," I murmured.

His smile was broad and divine. "Wow, indeed," he said putting his lips to my ear, flicking my lobe with his tongue. I shuddered and clutched him.

"Now you can tell me exactly how that made you feel." I said while rolling my eyes. I was in a much better mood now.

He hung his head. "I am sorry, Leah. That was insensitive of me." At least he knew he'd made a mistake.

"Don't do it again," I whispered in warning, putting my tongue inside his ear. He shook and I laughed.