❝ baleful bloodlines ❞

Cataleya sat on the cold stone floor of the tunnels, breaths coming quick as she tried to calm herself. Seth sat beside her with his arms wrapped tightly around her, his chin resting atop her head.

He wanted so badly to ask what she'd seen, to know what had caused her to react this way. But that meant making her relive it again, and he wasn't about to ask that of her.

Cataleya willed herself to get up in fear of being cornered by a group of culebras. She knew they needed to keep moving, to find a way out, to get free. But each time she tried to move Seth would find a way to wind his arms tighter around her.

"I'm fine, now, really," she spoke, herself even noticing how unconvincing she sounded.

Seth ran a hand over her back once more before hesitantly letting her go. He pushed himself off the ground, offering his hand out to her and lifting her up from the stone floor. She dusted herself off as she reached down to pick up the nail-riddled bat she'd dropped.

"Never took you for the sappy type, Gecko," Cataleya weakly laughed, sniffling as she walked past him.

He frowned. There goes that wall again.

He caught up to her, almost running into her as she stopped suddenly to concentrate. She let her hand hover in mid-air like she'd intended for him to stop running.

"What?" Seth questioned.

"Something's wrong..." she breathed, turning around to face him.

And not far off, they heard a scream.

Cataleya grabbed his hand, pulling him along as she followed the shouts that continued to echo throughout the long tunnels. They found the rest of the group and she took in the panicked expression Jacob held.

"Kate. They took Kate," he rambled, hands wringing the stake he held in his hands.

They all turned as they heard more screams seemingly close by accompanied by deep growls that echoed loudly through the corridors. Cataleya dropped Seth's hand as he took the lead, ushering the group to follow him towards the sounds.

They rounded corner after corner, Kate's shrieks growing louder as they drew nearer.

"Hold on, girl, we're coming," Cataleya breathed, hand tightening around the handle of the wooden bat.

Seth spotted a creature raising its arms above its head, a knife clutched in its clawed hands. He shot out a stake attached to a chain that embedded itself right into the thing's chest.

Kate called out for help as the culebras surrounded her.

Seth announced the group's presence, shouting out, "Okay, chee-nans!"

"It's chanan," Tanner corrected.

"Okay, chin-ons!"

"No, it's a long ' N '. Chanan."

Cataleya rolled her eyes. "Seriously, dude, really not what's important right now."

"Whatever.... Professor, you go right. Jacob, go left. Sweetheart, you're with me," Seth spoke, pointing out as he gave direction.

Seth walked forward, Cataleya at his back as he shot out towards the creature. It grabbed his weapon, pulling it away from him and letting out a shrill screech.

"Alright, you wanna go?" Seth swung his fist as Cataleya swung her bat, the nails embedding into another culebra's chest.

The culebra Seth fought threw its own punch, its scaled hand colliding with his jaw. Seth shook his head, preparing to throw another punch. As he wound his arm back the monster tossed him into the wall and charged him, mouth gaping with ready fangs.

Seth held it off of him for as long as he could with his hand pressed onto its face to keep its mouth from getting anywhere near him.

Cataleya tightly gripped the handle of the bat, winding it back, and shouting out an exaggerated, "fore!" She swung her arm, the culebra's head making a sickening crack as the nails lodged themselves into its skull.

She pulled it out, moving to the side as Jacob rammed a stake through the creature's back.

Seth panted, letting out a breathless laugh as he looked at Cataleya. "Fore? That's golf."

She shrugged, glancing at the bloody baseball bat in her hand. "Never was a big sports fan."

"Help," Kate whimpered, calling out again.

"Oh my god, Kate," Cataleya muttered, immediately dropping the bat and running to her side.

Jacob had already started to untie her hands as the rest of the group surrounded her. Cataleya pulled Richie's knife from her back pocket, cutting away at the ropes that bound the younger girl's legs.

"Did you guys see that?" Tanner ranted, "They tried to sacrifice her. Even after all these years, they're still practicing their rituals."

The underlying excitement with which he spoke unsettled Cataleya. He seemed all too fascinated by how little Kate was almost killed. She shivered, finding Tanner creepier the longer she was around him.

"That's interesting, Spock, let's just get out of here," Seth quipped, picking up his previously discarded weapon and turning to growls that emanated from behind them. "Shit!"

The group huddled around Kate as she shouted out, "What do we do?!"

Tanner smirked, "It's ch–"

"If you say chanan-stop action," Cataleya threatened, "I swear to god I will throttle you."

"–anan-stopaction," Tanner rushed his statement, mumbling it quietly for he had no doubt the girl would follow through on her threat.

Everyone's attention turned toward a large explosion, the culebras crawling from the doorway disintegrating as Sergeant Frost appeared.

"There's a passageway just beyond the altar," Frost pointed, cocking the shotgun he held. "Move, God damn it! Go!"

The group ran towards the exit, and Cataleya snatched up her bat from the stone floor before hopping over the altar.

"Frost!" Kate yelled out, gasping as the man started fighting back against the attacking culebras.

"Go! Find your brother!"

One last explosion followed them as Seth shoved Cataleya and Kate in front of him through the opening, the screeching and growls of the creatures going silent as the smoke cleared.

Kate ran ahead, head turning back and forth as the group hit dead end after dead end. She ran into another corridor, groaning as she threw her hands up in defeat. "It's another dead end!"

Tanner felt along the walls, fingers walking over the etchings in the stone. "Only the beginning..."

"We went a big circle?" Seth exclaimed.

Cataleya sighed in frustration while pulling her fingers through her hair.

"No, no, no. The inscription," the professor explained, "it's the beginning of the ancient words. It's a reference..."

Cataleya and Kate shared a look before turning back to Tanner.

"...to the creation myth in the Popol Vuh. Rebirth," his hands followed the writing, "renewal. Rebirth, renewal..."

Cataleya grew nervous. "Could you maybe not touch things, in here?"

But she watched as Tanner pushed the two pieces he previously read together, causing the tunnels to start to rumble and shake.

Kate held her hands over her head to shield herself from falling rocks. "What did you do?"

"What the hell did you do?" Seth echoed Kate, his back against the wall with his hand thrown across Cataleya.

Tanner laughed excitedly as a portion of the wall started to crack. Seth ran over to inspect it. "Do you see this?" He leaned against it, trying to shove it open. "Cat, help me out."

Cataleya walked over, leaning her back against it and pushing it backward. She strained, using all of her strength along with Seth's to push the door open further.

"There's stairs," Seth began.

"They go up," Cataleya finished.

"Up is good, right?"

"It's better than down," Jacob replied.

"Yeah," Seth breathed, "fuckin' A."

Seth climbed the stairs with Cataleya and the rest following close behind. He opened another door, quickly finding that it lead outside.

"Oh, finally," he breathed, eyes finding a familiar face walking towards the R.V.

Cataleya caught sight of him too, eyebrows furrowing as she recognized him.

"Richie?" Seth and Cataleya spoke simultaneously, glancing at each other before turning back towards him.

"He's... still alive," Cataleya spoke, disbelief coating her tone.

Jacob hummed in response. "He looks pretty good for a guy that just got shot."

Richie stood by the R.V. door like he was waiting for someone. Cataleya felt her blood boil when she realized that someone was Santanico. The woman walked into the camper with Richie following and shutting the door behind them.

Seth groaned, "Oh, son of a bitch." He sighed, turning back to face Jacob and his daughter. "What are you waiting for? We're free, let's get outta here."

"We can't leave without Scott," Kate replied, shaking her head.

"I'll stay behind," Tanner offered, "I can help out."

Jacob silently handed Seth a stake, nodding as the man stalked toward the R.V.

Cataleya smiled at Kate. "I'm gonna miss you, kid." She leaned down, enveloping the smaller girl in a hug. "And I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I hope I never see you again."

Kate laughed, hugging the older girl back tightly. "Good luck," she whispered before pulling away from Cataleya.

"I hope you find your son, Jacob."

Jacob pat the girl's back before she jogged off after Seth, the door groaning as it closed behind her.

She followed as Seth barged through the R.V. door, gun raised in Richie's direction.

"Where is she?"

Richie stared back stoically.

"Okay, Richie, look. I know it's not your fault," Seth rambled, turning to look around the R.V., "she played you, okay? Just tell me where she is."

Cataleya rummaged through the R.V. alongside Seth, trying to find the monster that had lead her here; the monster that tried to kill her brother. She turned at the sound of hissing and looked down to find Richie crumpled at her feet.

"Cata?"

She looked up again, eyebrows knitting together at the sight of another Richie, his thick glasses missing from his face. "What the fuck?"

Seth grabbed his brother by the collar and slammed him up against the cabinets. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm trying to get us into El Rey," Richie groaned as Seth shoved him into the cabinets again.

He looked around his brother at Cataleya, Seth's berating falling on deaf ears as he studied her. She was safe. Donning a few new scrapes, but safe. He noticed confusion still etched itself into her expression as she watched him inspect her, her hand timidly moving up to push a strand of hair behind her ear.

Cataleya stared back at Richie, her lips not forming the words she intended to say. How are you still alive? She had a hard time believing he was actually here, his blood still marking parts of her skin from when he was shot. She was broken out of her musing as Seth slammed him against the cabinets again, pressing the stake he held to Richie's chest.

"Maybe in death I can finally give you the peace that I can't seem to give you in life," Seth's voice shook as he spoke, the wooden stake in his hand unsteady.

Cataleya didn't want to believe it, but she should've known. He wasn't really here, she thought, because technically the Richie she knew was dead. This Richie was a culebra. He was finally the monster she feared he always was.

"Seth, please," Richie begged, "just let me explain, please."

Seth lowered the stake.

"Just please listen to me and let me explain."

Seth pushed away from his brother, pulling Cataleya behind him to shield her from the creature his brother had become. "This is a trick," Seth gestured, waving wildly as he spoke. "No... this whole thing is a trick."

Seth pushed open the R.V. door, ushering Cataleya out first before turning back to his brother. "You can say goodbye to the money, Richard, because I am out. No more tricks..."

Cataleya looked around, her confusion seemingly ever-growing as she noticed they were no longer at the bar. Her new surroundings resembled a large parking garage, with tall cement beams stretching in rows as far as she could see. "Uh... Seth?"

"You gotta be kidding me."

"No more tricks, Seth Gecko."

Cataleya stiffened at the sound of her voice.

"But there will be games."

Seth raised his gun again as he started backing away from Santanico. Cataleya stood her ground, nails digging into her palms as she let anger surge through her at the sight of the woman.

"Put that down, Seth," Richie warned, "unless you never wanna leave this temple."

Cataleya shook her head. "No, we're out of the temple. We walked out a door into the parking lot."

"You stepped through a door, yes, but you entered the Ahk'abbih," Santanico explained, her voice smooth.

Cataleya grit her teeth. She reached her hand into her back pocket, feeling Richie's knife still there and ready to use.

"The who?" Seth questioned.

"It's a labyrinth," Richie began, "it's like a maze, it's just a little differe–"

"Yes, Richard, I know what a labyrinth is, okay, it's like the hedges in The Shining except I don't see any goddamn shrubbery around here," Seth replied frantically, gun pointing between Santanico and Richie.

"'Cause it's a labyrinth of the mind. It was placed here by the Lords of the Night. And there is only one path, but it's blocked..." Santanico paced, her gaze shifting between Cataleya and Seth, "by rompecabezas, puzzles," she walked closer, "games. And the only way to reach the center is to win."

"Oh yeah? What's the prize?"

"Me."

"You? Yeah, no, thanks!"

"Look, it's not just a temple, Seth," Richie spoke, "it's a prison."

Cataleya shook her head, an empty laugh leaving her mouth as she looked back up at him. "A prison? And what would she know about prison, huh?"

Santanico let her gaze wander to the girl, her eyes slightly saddening. "More than you think."

Seth looked between the two women before raising his gun back up to stop Santanico's slow approach towards Cataleya. "What if I say no?"

"You can't say no," Santanico spoke, head tilting in reply. "When you walked through that door, it closed behind you."

"Hey."

Cataleya backed away from Richie as he walked towards her, his hand held out for her to take. She glanced down at it, weary, before taking a step closer to Seth.

It wasn't that she was afraid of him; she was afraid of what he'd become. Above all? She was angry with him. Deep down Cataleya knew he would've died if Santanico hadn't turned him –something she definitely didn't want– but she couldn't ignore the twinge of betrayal that pricked at her heart.

Richie sighed sadly, dropping his hand and turning to his brother. "If we're gonna make it out of here, it has to be through the labyrinth."

Seth grabbed at Cataleya's hand, pulling her slightly behind him as he took a step closer to Richie.

The taller man clenched his jaw as he watched this, annoyed with how protective Seth seemed to act towards Cataleya. Who was he protecting her from? Him? Richie internally scoffed. He would never hurt her.

"So lemme get this straight: we go through this... labyrinth, and then I get to you," Seth confirmed, pointing to Santanico as he finished.

"Not to me. To my blood."

"What?"

"It's inside something you would understand to be a vault."

"A sarcophagus," Richie added, "when we get it, she'll be replenished."

"And then I can better help you."

She spoke directly to Cataleya then, her tone soft and almost motherly. Cataleya frowned. The only person Santanico would ever want to help was herself. Why else would she have called her here? She needed her for something. That's why. Santanico wanted to use her and discard her, just like everyone else.

"So what's gonna happen after you're 'replenished,'" Cataleya mocked, hands waving for emphasis, "gonna take your little murder show on the road? Kill from coast to coast? A little Mexican Horror Story?"

Seth sighed. "I don't know, Richard. This all seems like a long way to go to keep a," he turned, quickly glancing at Santanico, "showgirl in a cage."

"It's not just a prison, Seth, it's a test. Whoever has the purity of mind to pass the trials will be deemed worthy."

"Of what?"

"No one knows," Santanico interjected, "because in five centuries it's never been done."

"That's just great," Seth sighed again before reaching for Cataleya's hand. She let him take it as he looked back up to Richie. "Alright. When do we start?"

Richie's eyes flicked down to their hands before meeting Cataleya's. He swallowed the lump in his throat, knowing she must've been doing this on purpose. He knew she felt their connection. This was was just an attempt to convince herself that she didn't.

From the look on her face, he guessed it wasn't working.

Cataleya noticed the hurt in Richie's eyes and turned away. She didn't know why she let Seth grab her hand, but she did. Richie had Santanico now, she thought, ignoring the acidic feeling that rose in her throat.

"As soon as we leave."

"Woah, what do mean ' we '?" Seth forcefully asked, his grip on Cataleya's hand tightening as he pulled her closer.

"Cataleya and I can't go with you. The Lords would know, and... they don't like cheating."

Santanico grabbed Cataleya's other hand, her grip almost crushing.

"Let go of me!"

"Come on, cariño, we need to have a little... girl talk."

She yanked her hand from the woman's, ignoring the way she laughed as if Cataleya's unease amused her. She looked around, realizing they were back inside the temple. Cataleya hadn't even felt Seth let go.

"Oh, sweet, Cataleya..." Santanico mused, "I should've known they'd both be enthralled by you..." She seemed to be talking to herself, the words low and barely audible. "But it seems you've already chosen, whether you realize it or not."

"Chosen? What are you–What do you want from me," she spat, trying her best to keep a distance. Her hands clenched tightly into fists, ready to strike out if Santanico were to attack.

"You know what I want."

Cataleya shook her head. "No. No, I don't. You lead me here, to this," she laughed bitterly, "this blood bath, and for what? So you could turn me into a monster like you did Richie? Well, sorry, psicópata, not gonna happen."

"Cataleya." Santanico sat down, patting the seat next to her. She sighed when Cataleya ignored her and instead stayed rooted in the spot she still stood. "Do you remember the first time you heard me? What I said to you?"

Cataleya reluctantly nodded, remembering the woman's voice clearly. "You told me not to be afraid, and, like an idiot, I believed you."

"Can you believe me now?"

"No," Cataleya swiftly answered. She crossed her arms across herself defensively, looking down at her dirty boots. "I don't think I could believe anything you say ever again. Not after you tried to kill my brother. And definitely not after practically leading me here to die."

Santanico stood and walked closer to Cataleya, ignoring how the girl slowly backed away. "Your brother hurt Richard, something I know we both didn't want."

Cataleya couldn't deny her words.

"And I was very clear about keeping you alive. No one would've killed you. No one could've killed you."

Cataleya reached up to her neck, her fingers hovering over the still painful wound. She vaguely remembered what the culebra had said... I can't kill you, but maybe just a taste...

And she remembered the way it clawed at her throat after drinking from her, choking on the liquid that turned black in its mouth. Somehow, Cataleya's blood had killed it.

"Please, let me help you with those," Santanico offered, gesturing to the hand that covered the bites. She walked over to a large tub and held her hand out towards Cataleya, motioning for the girl to come closer.

Cataleya, against her better judgment, slowly walked towards it. Upon closer inspection, Cataleya realized the tub was filled with blood. She groaned in disgust, taking a step back.

Santanico reached in, dipping two fingers into the thick liquid before walking towards Cataleya. The girl stiffened before taking another nervous step back.

"Stay still, Cataleya, I'm only trying to help," the woman slightly scolded as she grabbed the girl's arm. Santanico carefully moved the hair away from Cataleya's neck and smoothed the blood over the wounds, much to the girl's disgust.

"What I want," Santanico took a step back, "is for you to be free."

Cataleya scoffed. "So you trap me in a temple with a bunch of killer creatures? Ever heard of logic?"

Santanico softly smiled, ignoring the harshness of the girl in front of her. "Richard is helping me by finding my blood in the labyrinth. After being trapped for over five hundred years, if the Geckos make it out, I'll finally be free."

Cataleya watched the woman walk around the expanse of the stone room, her fingers gliding over the belongings she must've gathered over the years of being stuck here. Cataleya couldn't help but feel suspicious. Santanico was a monster, so why was she being so kind?

"Being inside your head all these years, I've gotten to know you. I probably know you better than you know yourself. You think you are free, but as we speak you are a slave to your past. Your memories still give you nightmares, do they not?"

"Stop it." Cataleya hated to think about her nightmares; the cold sweats she woke up in, the tremor her body held for hours afterward, the painful memories that lay behind them.

"You wake up not being able to remember if it was a memory or some sick thing your brain conjured up, but it doesn't matter because you know that he's still out there looking for you. And if he finds you, those sick things could very well become a reality."

"Stop it!" Cataleya shouted. Her eyes started to water as a barrage of memories came to the forefront of her brain. Santanico was using her own mind against her.

"He is relentless, Cataleya. And he will never stop searching for you. He will kill, and maim, and torture anyone who gets in the way of finding his precious orquídea," Santanico's voice held a calm rage as she spoke.

Cataleya felt her hands tremble, and she hid them behind her back as she toyed with her ring.

Santanico stepped closer, close enough to reach out and twirl a strand of the girl's hair around her finger. "You and Richard... You have a special connection. Something that goes far beyond what he and I share," Santanico murmured, "and he will finally set you free. Free of your past... Free of the man who will never stop searching... Free of your mortality..."

"Free of my... What are you even talking about?" Cataleya exclaimed, slapping the woman's hand away. "Richie wouldn't turn me. He wouldn't want to, so if you're looking to make me into a freak why don't you just do it yourself."

"Because I can't. Your blood..." Santanico sighed, her sentence trailing off much to the confusion of Cataleya. "You're special, Cataleya. More special than you know. That's why he wants you back. He wants to use you, like he used me."

"What do you mean, ' like he used you ' ?" Cataleya asked slowly.

"The man you are running from is the same man that trapped me here, and I know how it feels to endure his abuse. I reached out to you not only because of your bloodline, but because I saw something in you. I saw a little of myself."

Cataleya shook her head, turning away from Santanico as she stressfully pulled her fingers through her hair. If what Santanico was saying was true, that meant Amancio Malvado was a culebra. It meant that the monster who kept her captive for years was just that: a monster.

"If he finds you, if he manipulates the power that is inside you, there's no telling how much death he could bring."

Cataleya stared at the ground, head shaking in disbelief. Santanico was giving her too much information at once; so much that she didn't understand. So she focused on the one thing that she understood.

"You saw a little of yourself in me?" Cataleya scoffed. "I'm nothing like you. I'm not a killer," she stressed, "and I never will be."

Santanico raised an eyebrow, tilting her head in amusement. This girl was fiery and stubborn and had something to reply to anything the woman said. But she had to admire her fearlessness, no matter how feigned. "What do you call what you did out there?" the woman teased.

"Those things weren't human. Getting rid of them doesn't make me a killer. It makes me a custodian, cleaning up after your mess," Cataleya defended, her hands quaking with anger that bubbled back to the surface.

"Oh, but it does, mi Orquídea. I'm in your head remember? Admit it. You liked it, taking out all that rage and despair," she walked closer, testing the girl, "hurting them the way so many have hurt you."

Cataleya had gone silent, palms stinging from the way her nails dug deep. She did like hurting them. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she liked it. Every culebra she watched crumble before her reminded her of every person that ever hurt her: Amancio, Tyler, even her father.

"Yes," Cataleya choked out, "I liked it. Is that what you want to hear?" Calm rage coated her tone as she spoke. Tears prickled her eyes; thick, heavy tears of anger. God, she hated being an angry cryer.

"That feeling when you inflict pain, that satisfaction... it's not your fault," Santanico spoke, "it's buried deep inside you, and always has been."

The more Cataleya reflected on this feeling, the more memories it made resurface. Her memories of the fights in Las Visiones. Fists flying, blood pouring, bones breaking... The painful fights thick with the stench of sweat and the metallic taste of blood. The fights she almost always won.

The woman frowned, almost as if she could see the nightmarish images playing within the girl's head.

Cataleya hated being forced to fight, but after she gained her taste for blood she learned to love the pain she wrought on others. The rush of adrenaline that would course through her as she held another person's life in her hands felt... electrifying. No, she wasn't a killer, but she could be. And that was what terrified her the most.

"Cataleya..." Santanico soothed, slowly inching closer. The girl backed away as she reached out, but she eventually let the woman pull her in and comfortingly wrap her arms around her.

"Death follows you cariña. It's in your blood. You can't control it yet, but that's why I brought Richard. He can help you–"

"No," Cataleya weakly protested, pushing Santanico away from her. In my blood? What the hell did that even mean?

"The power coursing through your veins will be the end of you, Cataleya, until you embrace it. You are more powerful than you know."

Cataleya's breath hitched in her throat, the familiar words echoing in her ears as she backed away from the woman. She'd heard those words before.

From Amancio.

The girl found a doorway and ran straight from the stone room, Santanico calling after her while the words repeated over and over in her head.

You are more powerful than you know.

Amancio had whispered these words into her ear after she'd won her first fight. He praised her, proud of the brutality with which she exerted on her opponent. She'd all but blacked out during the actual event, her mind going hazy as she threw the punches, coming to only to find him laid bloody and unrecognizable on the grimy floor of the cage. Her own fists were swollen and stained crimson with his blood.

"I'm testing you with these fights," he had said, tenderly wiping the blood from her busted lip. "You are more powerful than you know."

She felt nauseous as she ran, the simplest reminder of him like a punch to the gut. Her veins burned, her heart seemingly pumping acid as it beat quicker within her chest. She ran and ran and ran, but every corner she turned lead to a new tunnel even darker and deeper than the last.

Cataleya stopped, the lactic acid burning in her muscles not allowing her to carry on running any longer. Her thoughts raced quicker than her legs had as she thought back to everything Santanico said, pondering the possibility that the woman lied. Cataleya didn't think she was special, and she didn't feel like there was anything particularly different about her bloodline. She didn't want to believe it. I'm just Cataleya, she told herself, a young girl who ran away from home who was forced to grow up a little too fast.

She sighed, rounding a corner and running right into the professor.

"Professor Tanner? What are you doing?" She noticed he was alone, and her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Where's Kate and Jacob?"

"Hey, Kitty Cat," he drawled, "I've been looking for them. We got separated a while ago."

Cataleya nodded, unsure if she should believe the man or not.

"What are you doing down here? I thought you'd run off with the wonder-bros?" Tanner questioned.

Cataleya ran a hand over her face, groaning. "It's a long story I'd rather not reiterate. Let's just find the others."

Tanner crookedly smiled. " 'Preciate the help, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that."

Cataleya let the man walk ahead, partly because she had no idea where she was going, but mostly because she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. Turning her back on him wasn't an option.

Tanner led the girl through the dark tunnels, Cataleya following closely behind and not understanding how he knew his way around. She barely remembered where they came from, let alone where they were going.

They passed an entryway before the professor backtracked and ushered Cataleya through it. The man stood beside her, hands on his hips as he studied the room where the culebras attempted to sacrifice young Kate.

"This is the most sacred room in the temple," he breathed, seemingly in awe.

Cataleya shuddered, turning her back for a split second to leave. "This place gives me the creeps... I highly doubt they're around here so let's g–"

A sharp blow to the side of Cataleya's head sent her falling to the ground, rendering her silent. As her vision slowly faded, one thought passed through her mind.

Sex Machine, you're so dead.

° ° °

"You know, human sacrifice really gets a bad rap."

Cataleya groaned, her head throbbing from receiving another hit to it. At this rate, she was surprised she hadn't suffered brain damage.

In all of about ten seconds, she realized what was happening.

"Listen to me and you listen clear, cabrón: if you don't get me off this goddamn table right now I swear to whatever gods you worship that I will make you regret ever being born," Cataleya threatened, harshly tugging at the ropes that bound her hands and feet.

Tanner laughed. "Look, I believe you, but we've all got our part to play. Are you ready to fulfill your destiny, Cataleya."

The professor tightened the ropes around her arms, the rough material scraping at her skin. The more she struggled, the more it burned, but still, Cataleya pulled against them.

"Vas a desear que estuviste muerto cuando te terminé." Cataleya spat in his face as he leaned over her.

He grimaced as he wiped it away. "You'll come around." Tanner began chanting, unsheathing Richie's knife he'd stolen from her pocket as he circled the altar. "Yajawil ahk'Abe'. Uyuumil muuyile'. Hulen tahjin..."

Cataleya twisted her wrists within the ropes as he spoke, finding them coming free. She held in a victorious laugh as she pulled a hand free and waited for the perfect moment.

"Oh, Kitty Cat..." He trailed the tip of the knife down her abdomen, stopping just above the hem of her shorts. "Your blood is gonna satisfy the nine lords for quite some time..."

Cataleya bitterly chuckled, slowly pulling her other hand free. "Yeah? Well, from past experience, my blood is gonna do a whole lot more than just wet their whistle."

"I guess we'll see."

Tanner raised the knife above her, the disgusting smirk plastered on his face disappearing as Cataleya threw her fist into his teeth with all the strength she could muster, sending him reeling backward.

Something mixed between a laugh and a groan escaped his bloodied lips as he held his face. "Playing hard to get. I like it."

Cataleya rushed to untie her legs as he neared her again. She rolled off the altar to escape the knife he attempted to swipe across her, rubbing at the red blotches that marked her wrists. She steadied herself, fists in front of her as she prepared to fight her way out.

Tanner took one step towards her before he was tackled to the ground.

Cataleya gasped. "Freddie!"

The two men wrestled on the ground before the professor threw Freddie off of him, pushing himself up to stare down at him.

"Welcome to the party, Sheriff."

The ranger struck out with the small sword he held in one hand, the metal sinking into the skin of Tanner's calf. The professor yelped as he backed away, allowing Freddie to clamber up from the floor.

"Leya!" Freddie caught the younger girl's attention, tossing her another sword he held.

Cataleya caught it, jumping over the altar to stand next to her brother. "Where the hell you'd get two swords?"

They stood side by side, weapons brandished in the professor's direction.

"I knew it!" The professor exclaimed, limping as he tried to circle the siblings. "That's why you didn't get affected by the queen's bite. You're otomi, baddest of the bad-ass ancient warriors."

Cataleya stepped away from Freddie, walking to block the exit from the stone room.

"I've read about you. You two've got one hell of bloodline there, compadres," Tanner stressed, stepping forward towards her brother. "But it looks like its gonna end here."

The professor lunged for Freddie, knocking the man to the ground. The small sword fell from Freddie's hand and clattered as it hit the floor. Tanner struggled to push himself off the ground and pick up the discarded weapon before holding it high above his head, intending to bring it down upon Cataleya's brother.

The girl appeared behind him and shoved her own weapon into his back. The sword in Tanner's hand again fell to the ground before Freddie grabbed for it, standing and impaling Tanner from the front.

"Touché, Sheriff," the professor choked out, hands holding the blade of the sword that pierced him through and through.

"He's not a sheriff." Cataleya and Freddie forced their swords deeper into Tanner, swiftly pulling them out and shoving the man backward onto the altar.

The siblings stared at the professor's still body, the only sound being their fast breaths that came and went.

Otomi. Was that what she was? If that was the case then why didn't Freddie's blood kill Santanico when she bit him like hers had killed the other culebra? Maybe it was different, she pondered, because Santanico was the queen. She shook the thoughts from her head as she looked to her brother.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Fine. You?"

"I'm good."

"Good."

Cataleya stared at her brother for a moment before dropping her sword and throwing her arms around him. He dropped his own sword, wrapping his arms around her in return.

They may not have gotten along all that well, but he was her brother, and god did she miss him.

"I missed you, Leya," he breathed, arms wrapping tighter around her. "More than you'd think."

Cataleya chuckled into his shoulder. "I missed you too."

Freddie pulled away from his sister to look down at her, annoyed with how much trouble she'd managed to get herself into. She never needed to search for it, because it always ended up finding her. "I never stopped looking for you, you know. Even when the trail went cold, I kept on searching."

No matter how many times they argued, and no matter how angry they were with each other, blood was blood. With the Gonzalezes family was everything, which only made her running away worse.

Cataleya frowned. "I'm so sorry, Freddie..."

"It's okay," he sighed, "it wasn't totally your fault." Freddie let his lips pull upward into a small smile. "But if you ever do something stupid like that again, I'm gonna shoot your other arm."

Cataleya shook her head as she playfully punched him. "Well, then, I'm glad you don't have a gun right now because I am about to do something so, so dumb..." She groaned. Maybe she did have that brain damage after all.

The little voice in her head told her to forget the two brothers and just go home, but deep down she knew she could never go home. Not really. Not with Amancio apparently still on her trail. Cataleya realized there'd be a whole lot more running in her future.

At some point, she'd chosen to believe everything Santanico told her, so she wanted to find those two idiots and do a little fact-checking.

Cataleya had some Geckos to catch.

°°°

author's notes;

ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT OF PART ONE!!

I honestly can't believe how far I've gotten in this book because normally I lose motivation very quickly. I truly have y'all to thank for keeping me going. All the wonderful comments and voting is what makes me want to write more than I already do. Speaking of, I'm already almost to 4k views and I couldn't be more ecstatic.

On another note... How'd y'all feel about this chapter? 🤔 Got a little more insight on Cataleya as well as where her relationship with the brothers stand. Any other thoughts?

I guess that'll be all for now! P.S. if you wanna know more about me (probably not bc I'm annoYING) I posted a getting to know me question thing in my misc book ' dazed and confused. '

Alright, that's it for real this time. Love y'all! Until next time...

;tabitha