Authors Note: I can't stop thanking everyone for the reviews, especially the ones who have been reviewing since the first chapter. This is the first time I've used Cato's point of view, and I tried hard to get his personality right, so please let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Chapter Four

Cato's POV

I had the Capitol eating out of my hand by the time our chariot stopped moving. This was way too easy. Clove on the other hand looked completely out of place standing next to me, but I knew as soon as she got a knife in her hand everyone would know not to mess with her. I snuck a glance down at my bare arm where there was a deep scar running from my wrist to the middle of my forearm, a reminder of the true damage Clove could do. My prep team had wanted to remove it but I had argued until they had agreed to leave it for old time's sake. I sniggered and it didn't go unnoticed.

"What?" My young tribute partner growled at me, tentatively waving to the crowd as they roared back even louder than before.

"Oh, just thinking about that time I let you overpower me for a second. You were so easy to restrain, I got bored."

"You mean when I beat you." Clove evilly smirked in reply.

"Whatever." I said out of the corner of my mouth, blowing a kiss to the Capitol crowd and catching a rose that was thrown back.

I left the chariot as soon as it came to a stop back in the warehouse. Clove looked like she wanted to say something to me, but I had something else I wanted to do first. I strode past the other chariots and saw the tributes on them step back or shy away. I grinned at their fear of me; I knew I was going to dominate this competition. But it was always good to have some fun first, right?

Ever since I'd seen her during prep she hadn't left my thoughts, and in her parade dress she was looking fine. It'd be nice to play with her before I had to kill her. She was standing on her own by her chariot, her tribute partner nowhere to be found. I felt kind of sorry for her for a second, it was a bit like watching a girl ditched on prom night, but then a smirk spread across my face and I decided to make it my duty to 'cheer her up' a bit. I silently came up behind her; she was oblivious to me.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when I wrapped one arm around her waist and placed my other hand possessively on her collarbone. Spinning around in fright, she ended up getting tangled in my arms, and when she figured that I wouldn't remove my hands from her body she stared up at me with a dark glare.

"Oh, it's only you. For a second I thought it would actually be a threat." She spat, and it put even me to shame. This attitude was hot.

"I wouldn't make that assumption so quickly." I replied, and for a second I saw her gaze falter as she looked up at me. She was quite tall, she would tower over the other female careers Clove and Glimmer; but I was muscled and I don't think she was used to having someone dominate her.

As she tried to come up with a snarky remark, I pulled her closer to me and put my cheek against hers. I could feel from her body language that she was trying to resist me but failing.

"So what do you think about my proposition?" I whispered in her ear. She pulled back from me and laughed in my face. I knew it was meant to be a cruel laugh, but she couldn't fool me.

"You mean the career alliance? Or the fact that you've thrown yourself at me? I know what you want," She smirked, "And obviously you have no manners, because you haven't even introduced yourself." I laughed out loud as she shrugged out of the last of my grip and folded her arms. I let her.

"Well that makes my job easier. Now I don't have to go through that whole speech about how amazing you are and how I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you. I'm Cato. And you are?" She shook her head in a dismissive gesture, covering the hurt in her face very well. There was a pause, and then quietly, "Grey. Now leave me alone."

I smirked at this Grey girl. Taking her chin in my hand I pressed my face close to hers and she didn't back down.

"Fine. But next time I wont be so easy to get rid of, because to be honest, I know you want me." I grinned and kissed her on the cheek. She whirled on her heel and stalked away, leaving behind a sweet fragrance and just a touch of glitter on my hands.

Grey's POV

Ugh. What a jerk Cato was. I wanted nothing at all to do with him, end of story.

But I did want him and we both knew it. I hated that he was so self-conceited but that was also what drew me to him. I had entered the elevator and basically collapsed against the door in a fit of teenage desire. Walking past him I hadn't realised how strong and toned he actually was, but in person he towered over me in muscle and I could imagine his strong arms holding me and protecting me. I-

"Grey?" Thank goodness it was Finnick calling me and not Spens. I would never hear the end of it if Spens had seen Cato wrapped around me, but luckily I could see his door was shut in a universal 'leave me alone' sign. I brought my attention back to Finnick who was standing in front of me with a sympathetic expression on his face. I must have looked somewhat ruffled, and thinking about it, so did he. I was quite naïve about how much effort our mentors really were putting in for us, planning our motives and how we would play this whole game while we paraded around like children. But right now I just wanted it to be about me, and I thought I deserved it, I was going into a death rally after all.

"Cato." I said simply, and he held out his arms to give me a hug.

"I remember being a career like that."

"But you turned out okay, right?" Finnick and I were sitting on the couch together; Domitia our escort had been out all day I was glad for the privacy. He laughed but it came out forced and didn't do anything to make me feel better.

"That's for you to decide I suppose. But I'd be careful with him because the other mentors were telling me he has an explosive temper." I felt hairs prick on the back of my neck, just thinking about being in the way of Cato in a rage made me squirm. He would snap my neck in a second of anger; I didn't doubt it at all. Finnick noticed my discomfort and his expression warped into something that sat between concern and unease.

I wrung my hands and pondered a reply.

"I know he's dangerous. But… I feel like he could be a helpful ally, maybe if we were in the arena together he'd protect me. At least for a while. It's like you said when we first met, I have to have options."

"Yeah, that sounds like something I would say." Finnick replied, running a hand through his short brown hair. We sat looking at our hands silently for a while, before he got up. He left me with a cryptic parting comment.

"The games are never just games anymore. My advice? Try and think of what someone close to you would do in your situation. When I was in the games that's the maxim I followed." Before I could ask who the person close to him was, he had disappeared.

Dinner passed quietly without a hitch. Only Domitia, Finnick and I were present, as Spens had requested to eat in his room. I heard Domitia mutter something about "manners" and "boys" before giving up and agreeing. After our talk Finnick had been unnaturally quiet and our escort stayed silent as well, knowing something important was going down. I thanked them for the meal, taking in Domitia's nod of approval, and locked myself in my room. I started thinking about what my friends would say if I told them my situation. What would Titus, my best friend say? 'Don't trust the tall skinny boy. Don't fall for the sword welding career.' Was I with the wrong crowd?