❝ leaving at dawn ❞

            Cataleya was getting real tired of being blind-sighted.

After being shoved into the backseat without any knowledge of why or where she was headed – once again in a situation she could've avoided if they left her back at that liquor store – she vowed to kick those brothers' asses to kingdom come.

She remembered walking out into the parking lot and turning to see Seth bursting from the front doors, only to have a bag thrown over her face before she could even call out to him. The rough black fabric encasing her head scratched at her skin during the bumpy car ride. The driver didn't heed street warnings, if there were any at all, because she'd fallen into the lap of whoever was next to her for the third time.

Cataleya would groan at the crude remarks he'd make and curse him under her breath.

"Fall down there one more time and you'll just have to blow me," he'd cackle.

The man sitting on the other side of her would laugh and give an equally disgusting comment in reply.

Cataleya tried wholly to ignore them, and instead concentrated on trying to see out between the tight threading of the fabric obscuring her view. While the ride was smooth she was able to make out some things through the dusty windshield; rotting wooden structures, abandoned building projects, and sand. Lots and lots of sand.

She huffed from beneath the bag. Fighting her way out of things had become so ingrained that it became her default setting. She knew she'd get away at some point, but when that would be there was no telling.

She lurched forward as the car came to a halt, the muffled sound of other car doors opening and slamming shut alerting her to the fact that they weren't alone. That meant there were many men like the ones sitting beside her, and that made her nervous.

What if these were Amancio's men? What if he finally found me somehow, just like Santanico warned?

The men's words did nothing to reassure her.

"Yeah, the boss wanted her. Don't know why. She's kind of a bitch. Almost broke my damn nose when she headbutt me back there..."

Cataleya smirked to herself beneath the cover.

"I don't know, I can see why he'd want her. She's sorta hot."

His rough hand started to drag along her thigh before she stomped her foot. His yelp signaled that it landed where she intended it to. He must've raised his hand to strike her because the other issued him a warning.

"Remember what Carlos said?"

Carlos? So it wasn't Amancio's men.

"No?"

"It was literally the one thing he said not to do, you fucking idiota," he grumbled. "No. Marks."

"Oh, right."

Cataleya heard the other man sigh in frustration. Based on what she'd just heard, these two were as base-level as they came. And that gave her the perfect opportunity to escape.

She leaned to her side until she toppled into one of the men's laps. She suppressed a groan as she fell, not taking into account how her hands being bound behind her back would pull at her injured arm.

The other man laughed. "Looks like you're gonna get that blow job after a–"

Cataleya kicked at what she thought was his face, the bottom of her boot harshly striking the man's cheek. The loud crack that sounded as his head hit the window made Cataleya hope he'd been knocked out cold, because now she had the other one to deal with.

He pulled out his gun and placed it on the side of her head.

"Try something again and you're dead."

Cataleya chuckled from under the fabric as she reached into her back pocket. She slipped out Richie's knife, unsheathing it and slowly working it back and forth on the ropes binding her hands.

"I thought you weren't supposed to leave marks."

The man scoffed. "Oh, we got a smart one." He shoved the gun harder against her temple as she sawed at the ropes. "You think you're cute, huh. You think you're funny?"

Cataleya sliced through the last thread before she shoved the knife back into her pocket. She stared through the small holes in the bag, making out his face and the unused seat belt beside him. "I think I'm hilarious."

She grabbed the gun and pushed it away from her head, the closeness of the shot making her ears ring. She roughly bent it backward, breaking the man's finger before wrapping the seat belt around his neck. The man clawed at her hands as she held the belt around his throat. She watched his eyes flutter closed as he blacked out, slumping backward in the seat.

"There we go, big guy, sleep tight."

Cataleya panted, taking a deep breath after pulling the covering from her head. It surprised her that no one had come to investigate. They obviously would have heard the gun go off. Yet she was still alone, the two men previously restraining her out cold.

She clambered to the front seat to peek out all while trying her best to quiet her breathing. She listened for anything coming through the small crack of the left open window.

"–provided many services to the Lords," a muffled accented voice spoke, "among them, catering." It went quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Get the girl."

Cataleya assumed that was her, so she jumped to the passenger side and threw the door open. Her rushing caused her to tumble to the ground, and her scrambling to stand and run did nothing to aid her escape. Three men surrounded her, two grabbing an arm while the third pointed a gun in her direction. There was no getting out of this one. Not by herself.

She struggled to free herself as they dragged her towards the man that spoke, earning her a harsh blow to the stomach from one of them. She coughed as she doubled over from the pressure more than the pain, but still letting out groans.

"Ah, here she is," he announced, "the girl I've been hearing so much about."

She looked up to glare at the man, but instead her gaze fell on a wide-eyed Richie.

"You live up to the hype, Princesa... You smell absolutely–"

Cataleya flinched away from him as he pushed her hair back and dipped down towards her neck. He inhaled deeply before pulling away, grabbing her chin and forcing her to face him.

"–divine." He leaned in closer, his mouth almost touching her ear. "Pero escuché que tu sangre es para morirse."

The man laughed as Cataleya yanked herself from his hold.

How the hell did he know what her blood could do?

"Carlos, if you hurt her I swear–"

"Oh, I'm not going to hurt her. You are. I want to test a theory, Richard."

Carlos motioned for the men to drop Cataleya, and they threw her right into Richie's lap.

"Feast."

Cataleya gasped as she tried to move away from him. She couldn't let him feed from her or he'd die. She'd seen first hand what her blood could do, and despite not wanting to believe it, it was true. There was something wrong with her, and she didn't want Richie to fall victim of it.

"No," Richie growled, noticing the fear on Cataleya's face. He wasn't going to feed on her like some animal, no matter the consequence. Richie didn't want Cataleya to fear him any more than he assumed she already did.

Carlos pulled the gun from one of the men's hands before marching over to the girl. He yanked her to her knees in front of Richie before placing the gun to her head. "Feast."

Richie glared at the man with locked jaw. If looks could kill, Carlos would've been six feet under. He'd told himself he wouldn't feed on her, no matter the consequence, but her death was a consequence he wasn't ready to accept.

"Richie, please..." Cataleya choked out, shaking her head. She wouldn't know what to do if he was dead.

"Cata, I'm so sorry..." Richie whispered, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. He couldn't live with himself if she died.

He picked up her arm and brought it to his mouth, his fangs coming out at the sheer scent of her.

Cataleya gulped as he bit into her skin, waiting for the inevitable.

A smug grin painted across Carlos' face as he watched, waiting for exactly what Cataleya expected.

Richie groaned as her blood entered his mouth, the liquid burning down his throat like liquor. It was intoxicating, and for a moment he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop. But he forced himself away, dazed and drunk off of her as he sloppily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Cataleya let out a shaky breath as she cradled her arm to herself, both shocked and relieved that Richie was still alive. Her blood dripped down his chin as he looked at her, his eyes sending a silent apology between them.

Carlos' smirk dropped from his face. "How–"

A car skid to a halt, sending dust clouds in their direction. Cataleya coughed as she watched another Gecko step from the car. Two men crowded around him to pat him down.

"Okay, okay," Seth chuckled, "You guys look like you're about to get into an underwear-only pillow... fight..." His eyes wandered to the girl sitting across from his brother. "What the hell is she doing here - Sweetheart? What are you–"

When he noticed the way she held her arm close to herself and the dark red smeared along Richie's chin, he almost exploded.

He turned toward Carlos. "You know what, Carlito," he forced out, trying to contain the anger he felt, "the sun cannot come up fast enough on this day."

"Oh, you don't want to see the sun come up on your brother," Carlos teased, motioning for the men to pick both Richie and Cataleya up from the sand.

Seth sent daggers towards his brother, eyes flicking to the girl standing next to him. "You never know. But you know what's funny? This whole thing kind of reminds me of this job that we pulled about seven years ago, in Cheyenne," Seth gestured, "yeah... it didn't just go sideways, it went three ways. We pulled it off, though, didn't we, brother?"

Cataleya quietly sighed. She really didn't think this was the time for this.

Apparently, neither did some of the men.

"I don't give a shit about your past glories. Let's get this over with."

"Soon as you give me her and let him go, we'll talk."

"Let's see it."

"Don't go near him, Carlos," Richie warned, "He's gonna get us killed. He's gonna try something like Phoenix six years ago. That one was so crazy, you don't even want to know about it."

Seth raised his eyebrows at his brother. "It wasn't as crazy as–"

"Forget about–"

"–Cheyenne!"

"Enough," Carlos interjected. "Where are the bearer bonds?"

Seth motioned towards Cataleya and his brother as he walked off towards the car he'd arrived in. The men let the two go, shoving Cataleya forward. She shuffled away from them, turning around to face Richie.

Seth scoffed. "I can't believe you sold us out to get in bed with these freaks. And you fed on Cat? You sick f–"

"Not my fault you can't see the big picture brother."

"Trust me," Seth yelled back, pulling a briefcase from the backseat and walking back towards his brother, "I'm learning. Fast!"

"You don't learn. You can't learn. You're never gonna be more than a small-time hood, just like dad."

"Guys!" Cataleya spoke up, raising her eyebrows as she looked between the brothers. They stared back at her, Seth sending a small inconspicuous wink before continuing his argument.

That was when Cataleya knew they had a plan.

"What do you care about Dad anyway, you little shit? You killed him!"

"He beat you on the daily, and you give him a pass and not me?"

"He's blood."

"You asshole!" Richie's eyes flickered yellow as he leaped out at Seth and knocked him to the ground before biting into his neck.

Cataleya jumped back in shock, her eyes pulling away from the struggling brothers as she noticed the man standing beside her go down. She looked around and noticed women emerging from the shadows, throwing wooden spears towards them. Cataleya smirked before she turned to the man that punched her and shoved where Richie had bitten into his mouth.

"Suck on this," she shouted, smearing the blood across his lips. When she pulled away he'd already started to frantically wipe at his face. But it was too late. The red liquid darkened to onyx and sizzled before the man crumbled into ash.

Richie watched this in shock before ducking a punch, turning away from the girl to return it.

Seth jumped from the ground and charged Carlos, throwing a sloppy punch the other man easily blocked. Seth threw another harder punch that sent the both of them reeling backward. Carlos turned away from him, his face transforming from flesh to scales.

"Shit!" Seth exclaimed, backing away from a slowly approaching Carlos. "Listen... Woah–"

Cataleya tackled the man that forced Richie to feed from her, yelling out as she did so. Cataleya struggled to get to her feet as Carlos grabbed at her ankles.

"Where do you think you're going, Princesa?" He laughed before Cataleya kicked out, making him loosen his grip.

Richie swung a wooden board into his face, knocking the man completely off of Cataleya. He pulled her along before grabbing his brother who'd been reaching for the briefcase. He threw them behind a stack of metal bins to shield them from the barrage of gunfire one man sent their way.

"I am not getting shot again," Cataleya breathed, taking her chance at sprinting towards the car.

The brothers soon followed, Richie and Cataleya haphazardly tangled in the passenger side of the two-seater car.

Seth groaned as he tilted his head. "Did you really have to bite me?"

"Relax, I didn't pump any venom into you."

"I had a plan, Richard. Why couldn't you just trust me?"

"Because in Cheyenne we had an argument. It needed to be more than that. In Phoenix, the pricks thought I killed you."

"Well, in Phoenix, you weren't a goddamn succubus, were you?"

"You taste like shit by the way."

"I don't even want to know what I tasted like, " Cataleya joked, the adrenaline coursing through her not allowing her to process why he hadn't died.

"Actually, you tasted amazing," Richie admitted. Her blood burned like pure alcohol running down his throat, but the taste... it was like drinking sunlight.

He watched the girl inspect her bite marks, and for some reason, he couldn't quite get the image of that other man turning to ash out of his head. She'd killed him. With her blood. So why wasn't he dead?

"Yeah? How nice. The other freak that bit her probably thought so too," Seth huffed. He stared ahead at the road, face slack as he pulled into the Twister's parking lot.

Cataleya's eyes widened, hand flying to her neck as she remembered the other marks.

"What?" Richie questioned, moving her hand and pushing her hair back. He turned her head to inspect the area and found nothing but a smear of dried blood. "Seth, what are you talking about?"

"When those things first came out, Cat got jumped. I saw the bite marks on her neck."

"There's nothing here."

"What?"

"Look."

Seth turned towards the girl, studying the blood smeared skin void of any marks. "Sweetheart, did you–"

"No. I didn't turn," she replied, hand covering the place Santanico had smoothed the blood. "Santanico did something. She said she wanted to help me and..." Cataleya cut herself off, shaking her head as she climbed over Richie to push open the door. "I don't know. We'll figure it out later."

The brothers didn't want to drop it, but by now they knew she couldn't be pressed to answer anymore. She built her walls back so high not even she could climb back over it.

The three walked back into the bar, a beat up bunch rubbing and groaning at the injuries they'd gained.

"Richard. You're safe," Santanico breathed as they walked through the door. Her eyes fell on Cataleya then, walking over and picking up her arm. "Oh, mi orquídea, who did this to you?"

Seth, and even Richie, looked at the two in disbelief.

"Richie, actually," Cataleya chuckled, pulling her arm away from the woman. She was still unsure of her.

Santanico playfully smirked. "Can you believe me now?"

Cataleya noticed how the woman repeated the question from their earlier discussion. The girl shrugged before looking down at the bite marks again. "I don't know, maybe."

Santanico took a step back. "Alright boys, it's ti–"

A knife flew into Richie's chest, cutting off Santanico's words. And none other than Cataleya's brother was jumping over fallen tables to reach Richie.

Freddie brought a stake to his chest, glaring up at him."You're gonna pay for the trail of bodies you left behind today," he threatened, "going all the way back to Earl."

Earl. Cataleya knew she'd recognized the older Ranger. Her heart saddened. He'd been like a grandfather to her.

Seth took a cautious step toward her brother only for him turn and snap at the other Gecko.

"Step back! Or I'll put a stake through his goddamn heart."

"Freddie, what are you doing?" Cataleya asked incredulously, hiding the bitten arm behind her back.

Her brother sighed. "What I need to, Leya. Trust me, this is for the both of us."

"Kill him," Santanico deadpanned.

Seth furrowed his brow. "What, are you nuts?"

"Why are you hesitating, Rinche, hm? Kill him. That's what your bloodline is begging you to do, yet you can't do it. Why?"

"Maybe he doesn't have the stones," Richie teased, glaring down at the man.

"Maybe you just don't want to pay the price, do you? You want to save your family from what's coming? Margaret? Billy? Little Leya?"

Margaret? And who's Billy?

Freddie turned his glare on Santanico then.

"You're making a big mistake, Ranger," Seth threatened, pointing at the man while his other hand held a napkin over his neck.

The Ranger struggled to go through with it, the conflict evident on his face as he held the stake pressed against Richie's chest. "All right," he spoke, "this is what's gonna happen. I'm gonna drop this stake and I'm gonna walk out of here, and none of you freaks better come after me and my family, ever, or so help me God, I will find you and I will rip your hearts out with my bare hands."

"You have my word," Santanico raised an eyebrow as she replied.

Seth shrugged. "Vaya con Dios."

"I'm cool if you're cool," Richie breathily chuckled, leaning away from the stake.

Freddie stuck his arm towards Seth while keeping his glare trained on Richie. "Gimme the keys to the R.V."

The man went to fish them from his pocket before remembering he'd already given them up. "Kate has 'em."

Freddie nodded. "Come on, Leya. Let's go." He started for the door but stopped once he realized Cataleya wasn't following him. "Leya. Let's go."

Cataleya hesitated, looking between the brothers, Santanico, and her own brother. Each held their own distinct expression. The brothers looked at her with saddened ones, half expecting her to leave and half wanting her to stay. Cataleya turned to Santanico. The woman held a small smile, one of confidence in whatever Cataleya chose to do. If she chose to leave, she knew what she'd have to handle: a lifetime of nothing but running.

And then her own brother. He looked at her expectantly as she stood rooted where she was. Horrible circumstances had somehow thrown them back together after all these years, and she missed him. She missed her family.

"I..." She sighed.

"You said when this was all over, you were out," Richie spoke up, "so if you want to go, go." He didn't want her to, but as he let his eyes scan over the various injuries she'd earned today – the new scars that would probably form over old ones he'd seen be made when he drank from her – he'd understand her wanting to leave him behind.

Cataleya nodded, a sad smile pulling at her lips as she turned away from them and followed her brother out the door.

"I'm glad you're coming home, Leya. You can stay with me and Maggie while you get back on your feet."

Cataleya recalled the name that Santanico spoke. "Who's Maggie?"

Freddie stopped walking and turned to face her, almost forgetting they hadn't seen each other in over six years. He smiled. "Maggie, uh, Margaret's my wife."

Cataleya smirked, softly punching his shoulder. "Well, look at you."

"And Billy, that's my daughter. They're gonna love you."

Cataleya couldn't help but notice the loving expression Freddie bore as he spoke of his wife and child. She'd missed so much, not just of her own life, but his as well.

She thought back to what Santanico said about Amancio Malvado, how he'd never stop searching for her. She couldn't put her family, or Freddie's, in danger like that. Cataleya's new future included running, and only running.

"Freddie... I'm sorry, but I can't go with you."

His smile faltered.

"I'm mixed up in something right now. I can't go home. It'd only be putting you and your family in danger. That's why I changed my name. To keep the heat off of you and mom if anything like this ever happened."

Freddie nodded. "I understand." He weakly laughed as he looked down at her, trying to let a playful tone leak into his voice. "And what kind of last name is Drake anyways."

"I read it in some book, I don't know," Cataleya breathily laughed in reply, "Means serpent or something."

"Ironic."

"You're tellin' me..." Cataleya let her eyes wander across the dark parking lot, and she spotted the younger girl sitting at one of the tables. She raised her hand to wave, overwhelmed with relief that little Kate had made it out alive. "Freds, take that girl home. Or somewhere close to it."

The man enclosed his younger sibling in a hug. "Call when you can, okay? Or better yet, come visit. I'll find a way to get you the address."

Cataleya sucked up a sob that threatened to leave her throat as she pulled away from her brother. She'd managed to lose him once, then get him back, only to lose him again. But she knew it was for his safety and the safety of his wife and little girl.

Cataleya put her hands up to her neck, pulling off the necklace she'd never parted from and setting it in Freddie's open palm. "Tell Billy to take care of this for me, alright?"

Freddie smiled as he closed his fingers over the necklace and placed it in his pocket. He knew how special that necklace was to her, which made her giving it to him for his daughter mean so much more.

"Love you, Freddie."

"I love you, too, Leya," he replied, giving her one last hug before walking across the parking lot and straddling a bike. She could see him talk to young Kate for a bit before she too sat on the bike. Cataleya watched the two drive off, sending a wave after them.

Cataleya dropped down onto the bar's steps, unsure of where she planned to go, what she would do, and how. She had no money, no car, no IDs. She was stranded and lost, both physically and mentally.

She stood and walked over to the R.V. before pulling the door open and walking in. She could only assume Kate's family hadn't made it, seeing as she'd been sitting out there alone. Cataleya pulled the family photo they had stuck on one of the visors and studied it before folding it and fitting it neatly in her back pocket. She sighed as she passed the bathroom, not wanting to look at what a wreck her reflection must be.

She sat down in the small back seats, pulled her legs up to her chest, and cried. She let every tear she'd suppressed throughout the day roll hotly down her face, the salt from them burning her cheeks.

She'd been kidnapped. She'd witnessed murder, again. She'd lost her brother, again. She'd been almost killed, again. She'd been hurt physically over and over again, and mentally as she relived her years worth of trauma. And to top it all, her world of monsters that were really just men turned out to not be so mundane. The monsters were real, and according to her blood, she was one of them.

She cried for what felt like hours. She cried until she had nothing left. And then she picked herself up, rinsed off her face, and rebuilt her wall.

Cataleya stepped out of the R.V. to witness the sun coming up over the horizon, a watercolor mix of pinks and yellows. After everything, she thought, she was glad there was still something beautiful about the world.

Seth threw open the door of that god forsaken bar and marched down the steps with his head hanging low. He angrily shrugged off his jacket, throwing it into the car with a sigh. He'd lost everything today.

"Hey."

Almost everything.

He looked up, both confused and relieved about why she stood in front of him. He watched her push her hair back out of her face, the bites on her arm still red and angry looking. Blood stained her once white shirt, scrapes covered almost every inch of her, and her boots were dirty. But after everything, he still thought she was beautiful.

"You want some company?" She'd made it clear to herself that she needed to forget him. To leave those Geckos behind and never look back. But now she found finally acting on those words more difficult than she originally thought.

He smiled, looking down as if he was thinking. But he didn't need to. This mysterious girl he'd met only a few hours ago somehow managed to get under his skin. She was in his head and just wouldn't get out. She'd asked if he wanted some company as if there was any way he'd say no. His automatic answer would always be,

"Yeah."

°°°

author's note;

Ah, the bittersweet feeling of endings. Part one is officially done and part two is coming soon!

How do y'all feel about the story so far? I have some crazy stuff planned for the next two parts, so get ready because it's gonna be a wild ride. I'm also wondering where y'all stand ship wise. Team Sleya, Team Catchie, some other ship? Lemme know!

I also wanted to say that updates may start to come slower. I start my first semester of college in like two weeks so most of my time will be dedicated to acclimating myself to that lol. I'll still be writing and updating, but it just might be slower than before.

That's it for now, so thank you all so much for the reads, votes, and wonderful comments. I started this book barely a month ago and it's already at 4k views !!! How crazy is that ?!?! I love y'all sm and I leave you with this :)

;tabitha