Kate wakes up to find herself lying on a bed, her arms secured to the bedpost behind her. Moving her head side to side, she surveys her surroundings. It looks like she's in the master suite, which is oddly familiar like the rest of the mansion. She gives herself a mental shake. Now is not the time to focus on her past - not when Scott, Richie and Seth are in trouble. She starts twisting her arms to loosen the knots when Carlos swaggers inside the room.
The sight of him alone makes her skin crawl and that feeling of disgust intensifies when he licks his lips and takes a seat on the bed.
"Sweet, sweet Kate, you've given me a lot of trouble."
She shoots him a hateful glance while simultaneously gauging the area behind him. With one swift kick she can take him down but her arms are still restrained which means she wouldn't get very far. Ugh.
"Whatever it is you're thinking, I would not do it," he warns. "My patience is coming to an end."
"Guess what, Carlito. So is mine. So why don't you stop being a chump and loosen these ropes?"
"You sound like those pendejos. You're very close with the brothers, aren't you?" he asks snidely.
"Must suck to get your ass kicked by them over and over again, huh?"
He doesn't respond, instead peering at her with a solemn expression before a cruel smile shapes his face. "Jennifer was a beautiful woman."
Her mother's name on his lips is enough to make her lose it and so she clenches her jaw, determined not to take his bait.
"She would be so disappointed in you."
She glares at him.
"But then it runs in the familia. She was a disappointment herself."
Kate lunges forward to attack him but he shifts away quickly, laughing at her. He pulls up a chair, plants it a few feet away so he's no longer within her reach, and takes a seat.
"Would you like to know about her, Kate?"
"I don't want to hear your lies."
"No lies, just the sad truth. She was meant for great things, but she was a coward. She couldn't handle her destiny so she ran, she ran and found a weak, pathetic useless man to hide behind."
"Shut up!"
"This was her home when she was a teenager. She grew up here."
Kate stills, stunned. Was that why this place felt so familiar? But that still didn't make sense. Why would she have memories of a place she never visited? As far as she knew, her mother had no family.
"I was ordered to watch her from afar and keep my distance but I couldn't stay away. She was too beautiful."
"You sick bastard!"
Carlos grins. "We made love for the first time in this house, in her bedroom. She was shy, nervous, afraid her father was going to catch me in her room. She was so gullible, she actually thought I loved her."
"I don't want to hear this anymore."
"Too bad, Kate. Because you have to. She had her first vision because of me. I triggered it by making love to her, but the Lords didn't tell me that. They lied, they told me I had snuffed out the very thing that made her valuable. They punished me by giving me to Narciso. I was his master and then they made me his slave. And now they'll pay for it." He sends her a menacing sneer.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Did you really think it was by chance your paths crossed with the Geckos? I thought I was doing it for Santanico, pushing you guys together, but fate knew there was something else in store for me. My destiny isn't to be someone's slave, I'm meant to rule the world, the Lords, and that's what I'm going to do now."
"You really think these Lords are going to let you do that?"
"They can't stop me. I have you, the Geckos, and the ring, and tomorrow night this world will be mine."
He stands up, walks languidly to the door before giving her one last look over his shoulder. "Now I must go thank your brother. Scott has been very helpful these past few days."
Her stomach turns as Carlos disappears from sight. What the hell did the asshole mean? And he knew her mom? He slept with her mom? Kate dry heaves at the thought. Apparently her mother was not who she claimed to be, and possessed some kind of mysterious vampire connection - one that bore a striking resemblance to her relationship with Richie. The first time Kate remembers having a strange vision was with Richie. And what the hell was this whole prophecy thing about? Kate remembers all the nightmares she's had, visions of her parents threatening her to keep away from the Geckos. Were they even her parents? Or was it the Lords? And Scott... a sudden wave of panic surges through her. How is he involved? She had to beg Richie to give up the ring because she thought Scott's life was in danger - was that a ruse too?
She shakes her head vehemently, chastising herself for her momentary feelings of doubt. No matter what, she refuses to give up on Scott. Her whole life may have been a lie but her relationship with Scott has always been real. He's the only family she has left and she's not going to let Carlos jeopardize that.
Agitated and fuelled with determination, she starts rubbing the binds against the headboard furiously when a sharp pain strikes the back of her head.
When she comes to next, Kate finds herself on the floor in a cold, dark room. It takes a few seconds for her eyesight to adjust to the darkness while she struggles to undo the binds.
"Kate, are you alright?"
Relief surges through her upon hearing Richie's voice, but then she remembers it could very easily be Carlos. That bastard's special skill for transformation has already messed her up once.
"Kate, say something," Seth's voice growls in the dark.
"How do I really know it's you guys?"
"Are you kidding me? We don't have time for your goddamn twenty questions right now," Seth barks.
Going by his irritated tone, Kate already knows it's the real Seth. "I'm not saying anything until I know Richie's really himself."
"Fine. Ask me something only you and I would know."
"What did we talk about the first time we met?"
"By the pool? I asked you if you were okay. You looked like you were floating in your blood, you were in pain, and I didn't know why."
She remembers that moment all too well. It was the second time that day her world had shifted.
"We talked about your dad, you asked for a smoke."
"Great. Are we done reminiscing now, guys?" Seth asks.
"And then you asked me to take off your bikini."
"What? That never happened!" Kate argues, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.
"Seriously? She was jailbait back then, Richie."
"She was flirting with me too," Richie insists.
"Maybe I was, but I didn't ask you to take off my bikini."
"Guess I hallucinated that part."
Despite their horrible circumstances, she can't help but smile at Richie's wry tone. At least she isn't alone anymore, and just being near Seth and Richie makes her feel stronger. Until she's reminded of the prophesy and its connection to the three of them.
"Carlos is planning to do something to us in a few hours," Kate warns, urgency striking her once again.
"No shit, Sherlock," Seth mutters in the dark.
"Did you speak to him? What did he say to you?" Richie demands.
"There's some kind of prophecy, something that involves the three of us." She scrunches up her face in disgust when she remembers more of Carlos' words. "And he slept with my mom."
"He really is one slimy motherfucker."
"Really, Seth? Now is not the time," she snaps.
"What about the prophesy? What else did he say?"
"Nothing, except that he was going to get everything he wanted because of us. And he implied the Lords weren't happy with him."
"When we get out of here, I'm going to rip that asshole apart," Richie says with absolute conviction.
"Get in line, buddy," Seth mutters.
"And then I'm going to kill that little bitch of his."
"Santanico?" Kate asks.
Silence lulls in the air for a second before Richie's low, threatening growl fills the space around her.
"Scott. He has to die, Kate. There's no way around it."
a/n: As always, thank you for reading :)
