Los Angeles at night was definitely something to behold. Cate had thought Santa Carla was weird, but this topped it.

David led the way, glancing left and right lazily, as if he was leisurely strolling along a buffet table. He tried to look indifferent, but she could see his limp had gotten progressively more noticeable. In fact, it had been doing so over the past few days. She was sure it had something to do with feeding. She tried testing out her senses to see if she could feel any other vampires near…but with no success. She still had a long ways to go in terms of that kind of training. Paul brought up the rear, winking and whistling at anything in a skirt.

The length of the skirt was inversely proportionate to the volume of his catcalls.

It had been about half an hour, and Cate was having trouble distracting herself. She was beginning to realize just was bloodlust was. It wasn't a conscious desire, it was almost an instinct, like the instinct to breathe. It wasn't her stomach growling, it was her veins. Control it. You can control it. You need to learn.

"There." David said quietly, halting. Cate followed his eyes to a small group of youngsters, about seventeen or eighteen years old. They were all dressed in their own unique style, but there was definitely a common thread: black. Black pants, black collars with silver studs, black fishnets, black hair…the only thing that stood out was the paleness of their faces and garish makeup. They were loud and raucous, leaning against the brick wall near one of the many bars, harassing anyone who happened to come too close.

"There what? Those idiots?"

"They're vampires. Young, stupid, badly dressed, but vampires."

"Won't they sense you?"

David snorted. "Are you kidding? They're babies. They couldn't recognize one of the undead if it bit them."

Paul giggled at the joke.

"Ok, so here's the plan…Paul, you're the decoy. Keep the majority of them busy, make them think they have a kill in the making. Act stupid. I'll go for the blond, Cate, you can go for the guy next to her. Chat em up, lead em off, make em think they have us cornered…and then…" David's clicked his teeth together. "Dinner. We come back, rejoin Paul, they realize 'oh, shitballs!' and we walk away with full bellies."

"Aye aye, Cap'n!" Paul mock saluted.

Cate rolled her eyes but the anticipation of feeding overpowered her good sense. She was having trouble keeping her fangs in, despite their small size. They were nowhere near as distinct as David's, but seemed to be sharper. She could easily cut her tongue on hers, while he could click and clack his around like he had elephant tusks in his mouth. She wondered if it had something to do with the fact that she was female. Her face also didn't change as radically as David's did, or as any other male vampire's had done that she had seen, for that matter. Did all of that make her more or less deadly? Interesting. But her mind quickly turned back to the matter and hand. "Fine, let's do it."

David caught her and gave her a sharp, hard nip disguised as a kiss on the shoulder. "Hold on a second there."

"Hey!"

"I'm pulling rank. Remember, I'm the sire in this picture. Just watch me work, and you'll have yourself a kill."

She glowered at him, but took her place following behind him along with Paul. Infuriating. But he had right to. They walked up to the pack unhesitatingly.

"Hey there." David smiled disarmingly, looking pointedly at a girl with dreadlocked blond hair and a barely-there leather tank top. She stopped picking her nails and looked up at him out from under fake eyelashes so dark and thick you could swear she had to develop extra eyelid muscles just to hold them up. The group slowly turned, one by one, and looked the newcomers up and down. A few smiles passed between them, and the oldest boy, a remarkably ugly one with a tattoo across his forehead, spoke first. "Hey yourself. New in town?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because usually people don't go around introducing themselves to strangers in LA."

The blond was returning David's looks, playing with one of her locks foxily. She spoke, never moving her eyes. "But we like new people. Fresh blood, know what I mean?"

David pretended to be slightly self-conscious at her bold return stare and fiddled with his gloves. Cate had to admit, he was very good at what he did. The perfect actor, perfect hunter. Laying a trap so crafty that even his own kind couldn't sense it. She was too hungry to feel jealous that the girl was checking David out like a prime cut of steak. She focused on the boy she had been assigned, a tallish, rather awkward one with lank black hair that seemed to constantly find its way from behind his ears back to the front of his face. She lowered her eyes and smiled, mouthing silently, Hi. The boy seemed surprised, but returned her greeting with a nod and awkward smile.

"You guys look like you own this strip, huh?" Paul had begun to get the attention of the rest of the group, adding just a touch more "stoned surfer dude" tone into his voice. "Pretty sweet. We're just lookin for some people to hang with, y'know? Maybe catch a few drinks, take a few rides, smoke some high-class stuff….well, whatever ya'all are into, it's all good."

"Oh yeah, we know." The blond stood and walked up to David, still sizing him up from his boots to the top of his bleached hair. She grinned and stuck the tip of her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, and began playing with the buttons on his trenchcoat. Again, David acted so captivated by this girl that Cate could swear he almost was. Ok then, great white hunter. Two can play that game. She sidled up to the dark-haired boy herself, maintaining only the minimum distance needed to avoid moving too quickly. He seemed to enjoy her presence. Good. She looked at his neck. Long, pale…an easy target. She could practically see the vein jumping out. Her mouth went dry at the sight of it.

The blond had positioned herself practically against David's chest. "My name's Asha."

"David. This is Paul, and that's Catherine."

"David, huh? Kind of a boring name for such an interesting looking guy."

The bait was right there and she'd almost taken it. David sealed the deal by leaning down to her ear and whispering in his roughest, lowest, most seductive voice. "You can call me anything you want."

And she was hooked.

He leaned back up so the rest could hear, and nodded to Asha and the dark-haired boy. "Why don't you guys give us a tour of your area…Paul can treat the rest of you to some drinks while we're gone, sound good?"

The group nodded and exchanged even bigger smiles. Free drinks AND free food.

"Sounds peachy." Asha licked her lips, sliding her hand around David's arm. Cate started walking with them, giving a soft, sexy glance back over her shoulder. Like a puppy being baited with a piece of liver, the boy hurried to catch up. By now her mouth was almost twitching. She strolled around the corner of the bar, into an alleyway in between the buildings. He followed. About twenty seconds later, and only a few startled struggles from her prey, Cate was feeling quite a bit better. It was amazing the difference you felt. So much warmer, so much more…alive. It was like a drug. The body of the boy slipped lifelessly to the concrete and began to smoke slightly. She watched the slow disintegration, and for a moment reminded herself that she hadn't just fed, she had killed a vampire. Like 'normal.' This is normal. You're doing the right thing, it just happens to be benefiting you more now. But it still felt extremely strange…and slightly wrong. She peeked back out of the alley so see Paul had managed to move the rest of the group off about twenty yards. They weren't watching. She sniffed the air and reached out with her mind. David's was closed. He refused to let her in, but she could smell him. He hadn't gone far. It was only a few more alleyways down the block before she saw him.

And, just as she suspected, he was taking his time. He hadn't even bitten her yet. He had allowed the little nappy-haired skank to get him up against the back wall and his trenchcoat off, laying his neck open for easier access. Her amateruishly tattooed arms were sliding up his chest and up around his shoulders. Cate, with her senses afire from feeding, almost trembled with jealousy as she saw that her lips were practically locked against his. David sensed her presence and opened one blue eye slightly, and grinned slyly around the girl's mouth. What? Just playing. His hands moved to the girl's lower back and pulled, pressing her hips against him, still looking at Cate. It's all a game to you, isn't it? She moved just out of sight behind one of the alleyways dumpsters, but kept an eye on him. In the darkness, she was all but invisible. The girl moved her lips to his collarbone, and upwards towards his neck. David didn't move. Cate saw the glint of her fangs emerge. Still, he did nothing. He didn't even move his arms

Just before Cate was about to storm in and do the business herself, he opened both eyes and gave her a lazy, half-lidded stare. You move too fast, child. Enjoy it.

Don't call me that. I don't enjoy it. It's just necessary.

You enjoy killing. You just haven't learned to enjoy feeding yet.

It was almost instantaneous. David's hand came up and grasped the back of the girls head, wrenching it away from his neck. He waited only half a second, just barely long enough for her to see his fangs, see his eyes, and to snap away the spiked choker from her neck. Then came the terrifying realization that she'd been tricked. The long-lashed amber eyes widened as she opened her mouth the scream, little pearly fangs shining. But the sound never came out as he drove into her neck with such force that the artery almost exploded into his face. It wasn't the deft, clean kill that Cate herself had made. This was violent. The blood flowed down the girls' neck, down her chest…it was flowing so much that he couldn't possibly drink all of it, and Cate realized with a funny feeling in her stomach that he wasn't just killing for food. He was killing for pleasure. He enjoyed the feeling of blood on his face, enjoyed feeling the life pump out of another, even if the other was technically already dead.

Suddenly, the warmth of the kill didn't feel quite so good anymore.

She turned away as David left the girl's neck and the body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud. Paul was standing in the alleyway. "Paul? Did you leave them?"

"Um…they decided to just go off…I don't think the rest of them were hungry…" he spoke to her, but his eyes were directed towards David, whose face had changed back and was sporting a satisfied sneer, the entire side of his body slick with blood. "See something you like?"

Paul laughed nervously.

Cate glanced back and forth between them, her eyes hardening. Now she knew what he had been up to. David was wiping his face marginally clean on the arm of his trenchcoat, like a cat cleaning itself after a kill, when her conscious came slamming down on top of his without warning.

God damn it!

"Christ!" David winced and grabbed both sides of his head. "What the hell?"

She didn't dignify him with a verbal response.

You're trying to turn him!

Paul was completely confused. But he didn't really try to figure it out. It was probably some mental thing, some sire-child disagreement. But his eyes didn't stray from the now-smoking body.

Cate flew past him in a rage, heading back towards the motel.

"What was that, man?"

"Lover's quarrel." David gingerly removed his hands from his head and popped the cramped bones in his neck.

"Huh….well anyway…I, uh…"

"Yes?" I've got you….

Paul's voice was low and shaky, almost frantic. "I need to go back, Dave. It's driving me crazy. I can't take it, it's like I'm not me anymore, it's like I got shoved onto the set of the Brady Bunch or something."

Vampire and human stared at each other for a long time. People walked back and forth across the alleyway entrance like a merry-go-round background. David crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Paul. Now it was serious. Fun and games were over, and the decision was at hand. "You know that I'll do it. I don't play around with this. And you know you can't go back."

"I know."

"And you know that Cate will absolutely, positively, flip out. And I mean flip out with all four sets of claws blazing. There's a chance she might even kill you."

Paul chuckled weakly. "Well…least I woulda tried, right?"

Now even David was beginning to rethink his plan. It had been a game, an exercise in manipulation, to push Paul this far. But now he wasn't quite so sure he wanted to do it. Oh hell. It's his decision. You're not his babysitter.

David picked up the spiked collar which had once been around Asha's neck, now lying in a pile of ashes. With devastating slowness, he pushed the point of one of the spikes into his forearm, and with barely a twitch of his face, dragged it downwards in jerky movements towards his wrist.

"Your call."

A desperate phone call to the Los Angeles fire department came in about half an hour later. There had been some sort of huge commotion in one of the back alleys, and someone had smelled smoke. The firefighters arrived in record time, but found only a large pile of ashes, jewelry, and the tattered remains of black clothing. Missing posters went up the next day for six teenagers, last seen on the strip near Gillie's bar.

David's odds were getting better.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Mesita was quiet when they arrived just before dawn broke. Adrian directed them to park their bikes in a small garage behind the house, and then they they filed in, Cate unlocking the door and leading the way, followed by David , Adrian, and Paul, with Michael bringing up the rear.

They came through the main room and Cate turned to them, speaking quietly. "Michael, you're welcome to a room of your own. We have plenty. The last one on the left down that hallway is open. Paul, the second on the left down that way is also free. I'm in the first on the right down the back hallway if you need me for anything."

She knew what David had done. She could smell Paul. He gave her a small thankful look and slunk away down the hall. Michael wordlessly shouldered his bag and followed.

"Are you going to be all right?" Adrian said quietly to Cate.

"She's fine." David replied, not bothering to restrain himself from showing his teeth. Cate was already pissed at him, no use trying to play nice now.

A deep growl, much deeper than any David could make, reverberated like thunder in Adrian's throat. But the lycanthrope did nothing, only turned and went towards his own room, his topline stiffened. David turned back to Cate and found she wasn't there. She had already taken off to her room and only the sound of the door slamming told him where she went. Now he faced the decision of either trying to make amends, or saying "screw it" and going to sleep. He stood alone in the huge room and exhaled loudly. Cate? He walked slowly down the hall, trying to be quiet. The last thing we wanted was for anyone else to wake up and see him all bloodstained. Cate. Let me in. He stood in front of her door and stared as if he could bore through the wood with his eyes. Child. Let me in.

DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He only barely managed to stifle a yelp and grabbed his head again, his knees almost buckling. She sure as hell had gotten good at this mental communication thing. It was scary how strong she was in that respect already.

Cate, open the door.

No response. She wasn't just being petty. She was seriously angry. Angry enough to not even speak to him, angry enough to probably even kick him the hell out of the house, angry enough to never even look at him again. For the first time he began to definitely doubt he had made the right decision. He couldn't really give a shit that these hunters were coming under attack. That wasn't his business. But it WAS his business if Cate was going to be in trouble. And if she threw him by the roadside, he wouldn't be there in case something happened. Something like what? Something like what happened before? Do you remember how that felt, when Sorscha made you kill her? When you saw her lying there? His resolve faltered as he remembered how hollow her chest had felt, how quiet it had sounded, and how a scream had forced its way up through his mouth, borne of a fury and emotion so powerful he couldn't even begin to describe it, and he had thrown himself headfirst at an enemy twice his strength.

Cate? Please?

The door opened a crack, just as far as the chain lock would allow. She had locked it? Locked the door against him? Christ. What did she think he was going to do?

"Give me one minute."

"You have thirty seconds. Go." Her voice was flat and eyes hard.

"I want my pack back. I'm sick of being low man on the totem pole in yours. I signed on to be with you, to hunt with you, not to play nice with everyone. It's like you've just ignored what we have in order to play messenger for people I don't even know, let alone care about. But for the record, I changed Paul because he asked me to, not just for some power trip."

"But that was part of it."

"Like I said. I had a pack once, and now I don't have anything."

The door closed in his face, and he thought he had just lost the argument. But then the sound of the chain lock sliding came to his ears, and the door opened again, this time wider. But Cate still blocked the entrance. "David, I'm going to ask you one final time. If you care so much about me, can you put aside that monstrous ego of yours before it gets its own zip code?"

That was it. THAT WAS IT. He was sick of being asked that question. His whisper came out in a hoarse, furious rush. "No. I'm not. And you know why? Because you LOVE me for it. You LOVE me because I don't give a rat's mangy ass about anyone but you. You LOVE me because I'm a killer. You love me because I LIKE to kill, and because you do too, except now you're backsliding and won't admit it. You love me because if anyone even LOOKED you in a way you didn't like, I'd string them up by their own guts. And if I turned into some little fang-hunter who was at everyone's beck and call in this house, you WOULDN'T love me anymore. I can guarantee that. I don't presume to be able to tame you, so you sure as hell shouldn't presume to tame me."

He was almost out of breath by the time he finished. Cate was unable to do anything but stare. So it had finally been said. And the worst part was that he was right.

You love me because I'm a killer.

"After meeting you, I can't spend my life with anyone else. There'd be no fucking point. You're the be-all and end-all of it, Cate, no matter how much I could hate you, or you could hate me." He spoke quietly, the anger gone from his voice. He had made his point, and had nothing more to say. Now it was up to her. "Can I come in?"

Cate looked hard into his eyes. Those dark blue eyes that had intrigued her so much, full of fierce loyalty and devotion, yet unimaginable cruelty. No one else could understand the smoldering need for violence, for dominance, the simultaneous lust for life and death, except him. It wasn't just love. Love was for puppies and teenagers. This was a bond even deeper than their blood bond. It was a fervent, dark, almost spiritual link. Her head dropped in a nod. His hands came to the sides of her face and he pressed his lips to hers, gently at first, but then harder as he felt her respond. Giving the door a nudge with her foot to close it, Cate felt like a huge mass of thoughts was slowly dissolving into nothing. It didn't matter right now. He was all that mattered right now. It was as if something snapped, and all her eyes could see was a blindingly white, straight line. All that was left was the bond, there was no one and nothing else around them. He took a quick, deep breath as she pulled his shirt up over his head and managed a quick "I love you" before she returned her mouth against his, pushing him towards the bed, his hands already at the buttons of her shirt and hers on his belt buckle. The bond vibration was rising to a fervent pitch, matching the temperature between their two bodies. The room was cold, and for the first time she appreciated how warm a recent kill made you.

What do you know. Hello there, Kitty Cat.

Cate froze. The voice came out of nowhere as she felt her back come in contact with the yielding softness of the bed, David on top of her, shielding his weight with one arm.

The voice came from inside her.

"David?"

His head was buried in her neck, kissing her jawline, not hearing her.

Fancy seeing you here.

She screamed and David jerked his head up and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, hissing "Cate! What? What the hell is the matter with you?"

We'll be seeing you again.

Cate tried desperately to block out the voice. She knew what and who it was now. Her heart suddenly froze solid and she rolled, falling off the bed and to the floor with a crash. David was next to her in a split second, holding her up and checking her for injuries. "Shit! Cate! What is it?"

"David."

Her voice was shaky, and he pressed her against his chest as tightly as he could without hurting her. Her heart was beating so hard he could practically feel it. "I'm right here, what is it?"

"David." She took in a shuddering breath. "Can we hear other…other vampires?"

"Sometimes. But what does that have to –"

"I know who is coming to Mesita."

Her eyes twitched, but she could not bring herself to blink. If she closed her eyes, she knew she would see it all over again. David tried to turn her towards him and she jerked away reflexively. "Who?" He tried to pull her to his chest again and she wrenched herself away, this time violently, bringing her knees up to her head. She couldn't bring herself to speak. Her jaw felt like it had suddenly become rubber. The fear, the rage, it was too much to articulate. She could only think.

They're coming

Who?

The ones that took me. When I was young.

Davi's recalled what Tobias had told him. A New Mexico pack, an attack on the clan, taking Cate and using her… 'for fun' he had said.

The ones that kept you and raped you.

Yes. Not just that. But yes.

He moved next to her and pressed his forehead against hers in their old sign of affection. Cate. If they're coming….I'm going to kill them for you. I swear to God I will.

Her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around her knees. Not if I kill them first.

There was a rapid, tapping knock on the door and they both nearly jumped out of their skins. A whispered voice hissed through the thin wood. "Hey! Cate! Pssst! Wake up!"

David got up and went to the door, slowly. His muscles tensed involuntarily, fighting blood roused. "Who is it?"

"David?"

"Paul?"

He opened it to find Paul standing outside, wearing only boxers, looking extremely shaken. "What are you doing here?" they asked each other in unison. But Paul answered first, stuttering. "I-I need to talk to Cate. You said that someone w-was coming, here, right? I think...I think I know who."

David looked back and forth between Cate and Paul "Seems like everyone here is getting the memo but me. Who?"

"I just heard a voice. In my head…I knew it." Paul's face was twisted in pain. As he looked at Cate.

"I heard it too."

"Just now?"

"Just now. Tell me his name." Her voice pronounced each word as if she was reading a death sentence.

" Lath. He isn't dead. It's Lath. And he doesn't just have a pack with him. He has a hell of a lot more than that."