CHAPTER 4:

CATALINA'S POV:

We are driving away from the movie theater when I ask Jaden, "So, what's the plan? How are we going to find them?"

"I have something in mind, but you may not like it," he says cautiously.

"Tell me," I order.

"We'll get into the details later. First, I need to make a quick stop somewhere," he says. 'Patience' I think to myself. We drive about ten minutes before he parks in front of the mall.

"What are we doing here?" I ask.

"My order is in, I just need to pick it up," he says while getting out of the car. I've always hated waiting in the car, so I step out and follow him in. We walk through the mall until we get to a store called 'My Hero!'. It is a comic book shop that also sells ninja weapons and collectibles. The guy at the counter knows Jaden and they greet each other. Jaden then introduces me, "Hey Levi, this is my friend Catalina. Catalina, this is Levi."

"Hi Catalina," Levi says, shaking my hand with a smile. "I'll just go back and get your order Jaden,"

"He's a friend of yours?" I ask Jaden skeptically.

"I told you I don't hang out with vampires. All my friends are human," he tells me.

"Do any of them know what you are?" I ask curiously.

"Only the ones that let me feed off them," he says. I shudder and walk over to a glass case that has some Sais in it. Jaden follows me over and asks, "See anything you like?"

"No, these are a joke. The ones I have are better made," I tell him.

"I know, I've seen them. Over my shoulder, while running for my life," he says. I laugh and Levi comes back to the front of the store holding a package. Jaden is acting excited as we leave the store.

"What's in there?" I can't help asking. He's acting like a little kid on Christmas. He opens the package and shows me, "It's just a comic book," I tell him.

"It is not 'just a comic book'. It is the first of the Anita Blake series, signed by both the author Laurell K. Hamilton and the woman who adapted it into a comic book," he says.

"Whatever," I say rolling my eyes.

Jaden suddenly grabs my hand and starts pulling me in a new direction, "What is it?" I say startled. "Are we in danger?"

Jaden laughs, "No, but there is a photo booth over there! Come on!"

I roll my eyes and follow him. He puts in the money and shoves me inside. I stand there awkwardly until he sits down and pulls me onto his lap, "Jaden!"

He ignores me, "It's about to start taking pictures, smile Kitty Cat!" I sit there feeling weird. The last man's lap I sat on was my father's. When I was a little kid. When we are done, we stand outside the booth, waiting for the pictures to develop. Jaden snatches them before I can and starts laughing.

"What?" I ask, trying to snatch the pictures out of his hand.

Finally, he holds his hand out and I grab them. Oh my god! I'm going to kill him. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I didn't even notice what he was up to behind me. The first picture is the normal bunny ears behind my head. The second picture is him giving me horns. However, in the third picture he is pretending that he is about to lick my ear and in the last picture he has his fangs out, pretending that he is about to sink them into my neck.

"I'm gonna kill you Jaden!" I shout at him.

"Now, where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, from you," he says, laughing.

Just then, I hear someone call out "Catalina!"

I turn around and see a group of girls I went to high school with. Oh great. They come up to me and a girl named Marie says, "I haven't seen you since graduation! What have you been up to?"

I can hear Jaden laugh behind me. Asshole. "Um, you know, just hanging out and stuff."

Marie looks Jaden up and down and for some reason that I don't even want to think about, it bothers me. She says, "Hey, I'm having a party tomorrow night, since a bunch of us that went away for college are home from college for Labor Day weekend. You and your boyfriend should come."

"Oh, he's . . ." I say before Jaden cuts me off.

Jaden puts his arm around my waist and says, "We'd love to come."

I grind my teeth together and say goodbye to Marie and the others. Once we are out of earshot from them, I ask, "What do you think you're doing? We are not going to that party."

"I say we are. I haven't been to a high school party since I was high school age. And they were a little different back then," he says.

"I'm not in high school anymore. I graduated last spring," I remind him.

He chucks me under the chin and says, "That's right, my little Kitty Cat is all grown up. It seems like just yesterday when you chased me with a stake for the first time. It was so hilarious, this angry little sixteen year old girl, threatening me. It was love at first sight," he says with a dramatic sigh.

"You are so ridiculous. And immature!" I say while holding up the photo booth pictures in his face. He snatches them away and puts them into his jacket pocket. "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm twenty-two," he tells me.

"That's how old you were when you were changed into a vampire. I want to know what year you were turned into a vampire," I tell him.

"Asking a vampire his age is like asking a woman her age. It isn't polite," he tells me.

"Whatever you say, old man," I say.

"Okay little girl," he replies.

When we get back to the car, I ask him, "So, what is this brilliant plan of yours?"

He turns in his seat to face me, "Like I said before, you may not like it. But, it is the easiest way to find out where to find Jonathan and Daniel."

I know that whatever his idea is, it is probably going to piss me the fuck off. "Okay," I tell him carefully, "What does it involve?"

"It involves you becoming my blood slave," he says quickly.

"What the fuck Jaden? No way in hell am I doing that!" I yell at him.

Jaden holds up his hands defensively, "Hey, if you don't want to find Jonathan and Daniel, then fine. We could always wander around downtown in the hopes of running into them, but that could take months."

Shit, he's right. Doesn't mean I'm not angry, "Tell me everything that being a 'blood slave' involves."

He looks at me for a few moments, then says, "We would go to the underground clubs, where you would pose as 'slave' and I would pose as 'master'. You would have to dress and act the part. So would I. We would mingle with other vampires and slaves to get information on Jonathan and Daniel."

"Fine," I say reluctantly. I'll go through this humiliating charade for the sake of vengeance.

He looks at me seriously, "Catalina. You need to tell me everything. Why you are after them. Everything."

I don't usually talk about this with anyone but Noah. I start shaking and put my head in my hands. Jaden says, "Catalina, I'm sorry. It's just that I need to have all the information if we are to make it through this alive."

I life my head up and say, "It's okay. I just don't usually talk about this. I mean, the others know, because they were there, but Noah is the only one I talk about it with."

Jaden gets a blank look on his face and says, "Noah?"

"Oh yeah, he's my best friend. He saved my life. I guess I should start at the beginning. Four years ago, I snuck out of the house to go to a party. That's where I met Jonathan, Daniel and Cyrus." I tell him.

He interrupts, "I remember Cyrus. I heard he was killed by hunters."

I continue with my story, "They walked me home from the party, but when they got there, they pushed their way into the house and killed my entire family. My mom, my dad and my older brother Mason," I stop talking because I am trying to fight back tears.

"They laughed at me and allowed me to run to my aunt's house that wasn't far away. I didn't know they had followed me and they killed her that night too. They told me that they would kill anyone I went to for help. I was so young and naïve that I thought that surely the police could help me. Even if they were vampires. So, I went to the police station the next day, still covered in my family's blood, screaming about how vampires had killed my family. They treated me like I was insane. My family's bodies had been found by a neighbor and my aunt's house had been burned down. At first they thought I did it, but the coroner said that it would be physically impossible for a petite girl of fourteen to commit the murders with the way they had been done. They thought I'd had some sort of mental breakdown and I overheard them talking about committing me temporarily."

"I'm sorry Cat," Jaden says sympathetically.

"It didn't end there, I ran away from the police station, but I didn't know where to go. I knew the police would have me committed and I knew I couldn't go to friends or family for help, because I would just get them killed like my aunt. So, I snuck back into my house after the police had left and packed a bag. I didn't have much money and I was only a kid, so I mostly just wandered around the city, finding places to stay the night. But, they weren't finished with me. Every few nights, they would find me. I don't even know how, but they would taunt me. For some reason, they never drank from me. They would just laugh and call me a scared little cow. They would make me relive the details of my family member's deaths."

I can't hold back the tears anymore and they start streaming down my face. Jaden places his hand over mine.

"Finally, after three weeks, I had given up. I didn't want to fight or run anymore. I figured I deserved it for getting my family killed. So, I stayed two nights in an abandoned house. On the second night, they found me. They knew I wouldn't run anymore, so they decided to finish me off. Cyrus was holding me against the wall and about to rip into my throat when all of a sudden a stake went through his chest from behind. Noah had shot it through the window with a crossbow and he burst into flames and then ash. Jonathan and Daniel got away, even though the others went after them. Noah picked me up off the floor that night and took care of me from that night on. He's been the one to hold me and teach me. I've sworn since then that I would find Jonathan and Daniel and kill them myself." After I am done talking, I look at Jaden and see an indecipherable look on his face.

He says, "Do you think Jonathan and Daniel will recognize you?"

"Um, I don't think so. It was a long time ago. I was just out of junior high. I was shorter, my hair was shorter and I had it dyed a dark red back then. I was all-around much smaller. I didn't wear make-up back then either. I have bangs now too, which I didn't have then. It was summer time, so I had a really dark tan at the time from swimming in our pool," I know his question is important and thinking about it, I think the only thing I'll need to change is my name.

"Good, then this should work. We'll pick a fake name for you and with the clothes and make-up I have in mind, they definitely won't recognize you," Jaden says.

"Do I even want to know?" I ask him.

"No, you don't. Let me worry about it. I'll just need your clothes and shoe sizes. After we go to your friend's party tomorrow night, we will go to an underground vampire club called 'Red Death'. I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow. I haven't fed for a few days, so I need to take you home now," he says as if he is just talking about stopping by a restaurant.

"She's not my friend and we are not going to that party. And, that's gross," I tell him and he just rolls his eyes.

"It's a fact of my life Catalina, get over it. Fine, we won't go to that party," he says and I can tell that he is irritated with me.

"Well, as long as you don't try to feed off me," I say and he shoots me a weird look. I really don't want him to feed off me, but I can't help but wonder who he will feed off of tonight. And, why does the thought of it being another girl bother me so much? I am lost in my own thoughts and don't notice that Jaden has driven straight to my house. He parks in front of the gates and I ask, "How did you know where I live?"

He looks guilty and says, "I followed you home one night."

"I guess I should be glad that you are a good vampire and not a bad one, otherwise I and all of my friends would be dead right now, huh?" I tell him.

"So, you think I'm a good vampire?" he asks with a hopeful look on his face.

"Maybe," I answer and give him a quick peck on his cheek before stepping out of the car. I punch the code into the gate and walk up the driveway. When I get into the house, I have a big grin on my face. I actually had fun with Jaden tonight.

"Looks like someone had a good time. You have a look on your face like you just got laid," I look towards the stairs and see Noah sitting on the bottom steps.

"Fuck off Noah! It's none of your business," I tell him and step around him to go up the stairs. He gets up and follows me.

"So, how was your date? Do I know him?" he asks.

I go into my room and before I can slam the door on his face like I really want to, he is in my room sitting at my desk. I cross my arms and stand in front of him. "No, you don't know him and it was wonderful. We have another date tomorrow night," Okay, so it might not be a date, but Noah and his bitchiness are getting on my nerves.

"I think I should meet him," he says.

"And I don't," I tell him back.

"Cat, why now? I have waited years for you to be ready for a relationship. Who is this guy that you are ready all of a sudden, without me realizing it?" Noah asks with a hurt look on his face.

I sigh and sit down on the bed, "It's not a relationship Noah. He and I are just hanging out as friends." If the rest of them knew it was Jaden I was hanging out with, they wouldn't be happy.

Noah exhales loudly and stands up. "Cat, when you are ready, I'll be here waiting." He leans down and kisses me softly on the lips and leaves my room.

I go to bed feeling guilty about not telling him everything that is going on. But, I know he will try to stop me and I have enough to worry about. Like tomorrow night.