I woke up the next morning around 9 to 5 text messages.
Jake: I want pictures of you two making out!
Seth: Good luck on your date!
Leah: Don't forget to swing by sometime today so we can approve
Paul: Good luck on getting lucky! Ignore, even though his words brought a blush to my face.
Catt: Good morning beautiful Choosing to ignore allother messages I focus only on hers,
Me: goodmorning Catt her response came almost immediately,
Catt: I apologize for the early message, especially after keeping u up late.
Me: Its fine don't worry I didn't mind.
Catt: do u happen to be busy this afternoon I was hoping to push our date up since I will be sharing you later and I would like some time with you to myself
Me: That sounds good, what did you have in mind? I could be ready in 30.
Catt: Great! I need to close the garage clean up and change and I can be there 11:30?
Me: Perfect il see you then .
I set my phone down before throwing the covers off and heading for the shower. I dried off quickly before tearing my closet apart looking for something to wear. My room looked as if a tornado blew through it when my dad came up, "Everything alright bells?"
"Huh? Oh yah fine dad just looking for something to wear. Catts on her way." I answered absentmindedly. I could see him leaning against the door way regarding me for a moment, "Right, well I'll let you get back to it then." I heard him stomp his way down the stairs and the TV come on. I finally settled on some tight light blue jeans and a black v neck sweater and my brown boots. God I really have to go shopping. The thought brought a slight pain to my chest as the face of a pixie flashed behind my eyes, only lasting a moment. I heard the sound of her Camaro not 5 minutes later and checked the time to see she was right on time 11:30. I tried to get to the door before Charlie practically flying down the stairs only tripping twice as she knocked. I threw the door open and locked my eyes with her emerald ones filled with mirth, her hair framed her face in curls blowing in the wind like flames. Damnit did she hear that? I let my eyes roam her body, she was wearing tight light blue jeans as well that ended at black high heeled boots, a plain black v neck shirt under her leather jacket showing me a perfect view of her chest that I admit my eyes paused on until she cleared her throat. I looked up as my faced warmed to see her red lips lifted in an amused smirk. "while I have no objections, I doubt you want your father to see you ogling another woman's chest in your door way." She purred out lowly just as I heard him walk up behind me. "You must be Catt." I watched as her smirk went from amused to a genuine smile toward him. "Yes sir, you must be Chief Swan. Bella has spoken highly of you." His face lit up with his own blush as he scratched the back of his neck, "Yah that's me, you can call me Charlie though, considering what you have done for my daughter getting her back to her old self and what not." He sent me a sideways glance but I was to focused on the dark emotions that passed behind her eyes her smile slightly more strained. "Well it's the least I could do sir, she to has done quite a bit for me."
"Good that's good. What you girls have planned for the day."
"Well for starters if Bella does not object, I was thinking lunch?" she sent me a questioning look as if I would say no, "sounds good."
"Great, I'm starving" she whined out it was adorable even Charlie let out a chuckle, and it wasn't even an awkward chuckle, "well Bella said you were new around Forks so I'd give the diner a try if you haven't already, it's pretty good food."
"Yes sir, just moved down a few months ago to Port Angeles so I haven't had the chance but it sounds perfect thank you."
"Sure, I'll let you girls get to it then Bella be safe and don't stay out to late, it's a school night."
"Sure dad, I won't." I shut the door behind me and followed her to the car where she held the door open for me, her small smile slightly shyer then earlier as I thanked her. "I think he likes me" she stated proudly, "of course, what's not to like?" she sent me a beaming smile. "You look lovely by the way." I looked down trying to let my wavy hair hide my blush "Thank you, so do you."
"Thank you. So this diner, where is it cause I truly am starving." I chose not to tease her on the slight reddening of her face and gave her the direction, she pulled into the parking lot next to one of the only 4 cars there. She once again grabbed the car door for me as well as the diner door before we were seated in a booth across from each other. It was hard not to laugh as the waitress did a double take listening to her order, I was use to it since the wolves ate a ton of food, they said it was a metabolism thing. When the waitress questioned if she really wanted 5 waffles she put on a most offended face, "I'm eating for two thank you very much!" the waitress stumbled her way through an apology and walked off to put in our order. "Is that the excuse you usually use when you eat out?" Lifting a shoulder, "I actually don't eat out much, but her face was totally worth it."
"Yah that was pretty funny, so the metabolism, is that an animal thing?"
"…..did you just call me an animal?" My face turned to horror as I repeated the words back in my head, "Oh my god no that's not what I meant! I-" her laughter stopped my explanation in its tracks as well as gained a few awestruck looks from others, "relax Bella I was kidding, I know what you meant." She reached over to squeeze my hand with her warm one, "and to answer your question, yes it's an animal thing. I assume your referring to the wolves having high appetites, mine is not truly different, at least not in those aspects." I squeezed her hand back when I noticed her hesitance choosing to keep in mine though im sure if she wanted it back she wouldn't have any trouble. "What do you mean?" she looked down at our hands momentarily, "are you sure this is something you wish to know on our first date?"
"I want to know you, so yes." I answered without any hesitance, if it was something I wasn't going to be able to handle I wanted to know now before we continued this, it wouldn't be fair to her. "As you wish, as I stated before, the wolves have no true beast inside of them, they are not true Weres but simple shifters, I'm not knocking what they are as they are your friends, but tis simple truth. I am Were, part of me is animal, beast, and said beast is a blood thirsty one." The end of her sentence was whispered out right before the food was brought to our table. I swear her eyes lit up for a second. "Shall I wait until after we have eaten to continue?"
"Probably a good idea."
As we ate we spoke of normal non-bloody things and she demolished all 5 of her waffles minus the few bites I took, to which she gave me a playful growl at, and I'll be damned if her growling wasn't extremely hot. We had finished our food and she paid, against my arguments with a "my date my rules" and sticking her tongue out at me like the few thousand years old adult she was. We walked out the door and I slammed right into a body, I felt Catt's hands steadying me as I reached to steady the person in front of me. "Bella?"
"Lauren? I thought you were in California?"
"I was, just got back last night, whose this?"
"U this is Catt, Catt this is Lauren, I go to school with her, well I did."
"And you will again, I'll be there tomorrow, it's nice to meet you Catt."
"You as well." Her eyes shot down to where Catt's hands were still on me back up to my face with a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow Bella, we have a lot to catch up on so I'll meet you before class." And with that she slid past us and into the diner. Once we were in the parking lot her hands slid from my waist but she took one of mine into hers lacing our fingers, "is this ok?"
"yah, yah its good." I murmured looking down at them. She opened the door for me to slide in, "so I had initially planned on us going cliché move and dinner and whatnot, but since we are going to the reservation would you rather go somewhere and talk?"
"That sounds perfect actually."
"Great, how about the same spot? With the waterfall?"
"Yah I like that place."
"Then it is now ours." We drove I silence down the dirt road her hand rubbing circles on mine, the closer we got the more nervous she seemed though. She parked and flashed to my side to grab my door for me, I love how she doesn't feel the need to hide that from me. "would you like me to carry you?"
"Yah that way I won't slow you down."
"you could never slow me down Bella, that I promise." She practically whispered out. Once on her back she ran us toward the waterfall at a slightly slower pace then before as if she was buying her time. She sat me down at the waters edge before plopping down next me staring at her reflection. I could tell she wasn't going to be the one to bring it back up, "So, blood thirsty?" had I not been staring at the side of her face I would have missed the tiny flinch. She took a deep breath and let it out before turning so her body was facing me. "Yes."
"Care to elaborate?"
"hmmm, I am no vampire, I do not need to feed regularly, but once a month, near the full moon, I do need blood, I would lose control with out it."
"So you hunt? Like the Cullen's would?"
"No" her voice became hoarse and I had to strain to hear her next words, "I cannot live off of animal blood."
"….you hunt people?" Her eyes widened, mouth opened in horror "Dear goddess no! I-I use blood bags."
"Ohh. Ok."
"ok? That's it? no horror? No disgust?" Is this why she was nervous? She thought I would have a problem with her? "No, you're not killing anyone Catt. Your not even hurting anyone, right?"
"no-no, it's all donated or from the blood banks. I-I am confused, you have no issues with this?" I reached between us and took her hands in mine, "No, because you don't have a choice, you need it to live, and you would be putting people in danger if you didn't. Plus you're not hurting anyone, so you're not doing anything wrong." She squeezed my hands back and tension seemed to leave her little by little. "Thank you Bella, that means a lot coming from you."
"Because I'm your mate?"
"Partially yes, the beast in me practically needs your approval. It would not do anything that could jeopardize that, however feeding is not something I can truly negotiate on, tis necessary for me to live. That and, you are my first actual friend in quite a while, so it means something for you to be so accepting, it brings back my faith in you humans." She joked out her last sentence, though I could tell it was not completely a joke. . "Can you shift at will? Like is it something I could see? Or is that to dangerous?"
"Your are in no danger from me Isabella. I can show you." She got up and took a few steps away from me and began to take her shirt off, it took me a second of staring at her in just a bra to snap out of it as her hand reached for her pants "What are you doing?" her eyes no longer human locked onto mine, these eyes clearly belonged on a feline, "I have not found a way to keep my clothes from ripping in the change yet, is this different for the wolves you know?"
"Uh-well no-I just didn't think- I mean-"
"You didn't think I would need to strip down right in front of you? Would you feel more comfortable if did so behind the trees?" all I could do was nod dumbly, cause I would definitely sound like a pervert if I said no now. "Ok." She tossed the shirt at me, it hitting me right in the face, by the time I pulled it off she was gone. Next thing I noticed was her pants flying out from between the trees followed by her bra. "Can you grab those please that's one of my favorite bras!"
"uhuh" was all I was able to manage as I tried not to think of her feet away naked. It wasn't long before I heard the rustling of the trees, the creature that stepped out was definitely larger than the wolves, and beyond gorgeous. Her emerald eyes took on a yellow tint to them, her huge paws padded silently toward me as her tail, much larger than when I saw on her person swished back and forth. She looked like any other panther in the world but bigger, more majestic, more dangerous. She stopped in front of me, my head only reaching up to her chest, and looked down at me, and then she just flopped ungraciously down onto her side. I let out as little laugh before sitting next to her, I raised my hand slowly before laying it on her side, her fur was incredibly soft, it felt almost like a velvet. Running my hand up and down her side I nearly jumped out of my skin when a deep rumbling purr came from her, her eyes were shut as she just laid there. That's how we sat for another hour, just enjoying each others company in near silence, "we should probably head for the reservation soon." I whispered out not wanting to disrupt the calm, one eye creaked open to look at me before she let out a little huff. She got up and stretched, I saw her claws extend as she kneaded the dirt, they were like knives. She picked up her clothes in her mouth and headed back for the trees.
She came back out on two legs still stretching as her shirt rode up revealing her tones stomach. "I suppose you are right, don't wana keep the pups waiting now do we."
"Pups really?"
"What? They are puppies compared to me." I shook my head at her before motioning for her to turn around so I could climb on to her back.
She seemed to be much less tense and in an even better mood after our talk and shifting. So we got into her car and I told her which way to get to the reservation, her hand in mine the entire way as we chatted idly. "does it hurt when you shift? The wolves said it doesn't but since you guys are different I was wondering if it does?"
"Yes and no. when I change, as I did today it doesn't really hurt, more like, for a split second its uncomfortable, but no real pain. When I do what I did the last time we were together there is no pain, no nothing it just is natural for me. The full moon however, when I take the form of a panther, there is no words to describe the, agony, the burning, blinding horrific pain. On the full moon, for 15 minutes every month, I beg for my death, as bones break and realign, as claws erupt from my finger tips so different then the ones I showed you, as the fangs I already have lengthen with my jaw. Someone could end my life then and there, and I would thank them." She finished in such a hoarse whisper that I squeezed her hand and brought her attention to me, though there was nothing I could say on the matter, nothing I could do to save her from the pain she has lived with for millenniums. I guess all those years doesn't help to get use to something like that. "Were here."
