The Vampire's Love (Otherworld Series #3)

16.Cold Blood

Pius held Peter in one arm and my hand in his other hand. We walked down the street like a normal couple. Laughing and talking. Pius had been quiet at the beginning but then he started asking me question. And eventually we started playing twenty questions. 

I was wearing a white halter neck top and blue denim jeans that clung to my legs. I was matching Pius in the shoes department. 

We were both wearing boots.

Baby Peter was wearing a blue onsie and cute blue matching beanie to cover his little head. He was laughing and coeing, pointing at passerbys, who were stopping to pinch his cheeks and let him hold their fingers.

"So have you always been a blonde?" Was Pius' next question.

"Yes, I have. Though I had to colour my hair brown to hide my identity." I said, remembering the time I had to stay away from my brother.

"Why did you hide your identity? " He asked.

"Hey, it's my turn to ask a question." I whined.

"Tell me, why then you can as me two questions." He said as we entered a local resturant and I grinned.

"My brother, Jason, wanted me to stay with my abusive father. He met a girl and wanted to go stay with her in Canada or something like that. I wasn't tagging along. Dad was the closest family. I didn't want to stay with him so I ran away." I said sipping water and opening the menu.

We were sitting near the floor length windows of the nice little homey restaurants, Peter was starting to fuss and point towards me.

I held my hands out and Pius handed him to me.

"So, you coloured your hair so that he couldn't recognised you?" He asked.

I nodded. "Him and the PI's he put behind me."

"May I get your order?" A red haired, middle aged waitress asked us.

She smiled down at our son and stroked his cheek.
"Your baby is an angel." She commented and I gave her a warm smile. Pius smiled too, his pride and satisfaction shone in his eyes.

Pius ordered a burger and a coke. "What would you have?" He asked me.

"I'm in the mood for some salad." I said, removing the beanie from Peter's head. He started fussing and tried to take the beanie from me. I gave it to him and he started inspecting it.

I laughed at his antics and Pius smiled again.

"I never knew you had a brother. "

"You mean to say that you forgot that I had a brother,  I'm pretty sure I told you that about a year ago." I said signing.

"Catra...I'm really sorry your brother left you...and I'm really sorry I left you too...I never realised how alone you must have been. I'm sorry." He said and took my hand in his to kiss my knuckles. 

"Oh, Pius. That's sweet. " I said. "But it's not your fault. You were taken from me. Did you ever find out who burnt down our house?" I asked.

"That's your first question. To answer that, no, but I will soon." He said smugly.

"Smart ass." I said, laughing. Then suddenly Pius' face became serious.

"I met Hanes this morning. He says that some unknown vampires raided a Demon warehouse. One of them was a guard. Is it true?" He asked.

I nodded. "I gave Hanes the news myself. Nikolai Shizkov thinks we have a traitor in the castle."

"It could be true. But the people in the castle are not allowed to go out so this guard, whoever he is, must have been on the outside already. " He said and nodded again.

"Anyway, tell me about this Shizkov guy. He looks like a shady character,  Hanes doesn't like him. I don't like him either. The enmity between the Vampire's and the Demon's has always been there but after the exchange it got less. But we still don't see eye to eye. "

"Like a Cold War." I said.

"Like a Cold War." Pius confirmed.

"Nikolai acts okay. He flirts a lot though." I said and Pius, who was taking a sip of water, coughed.

"He was what?" He asked incredulous.

"Nothing. You still owe me a question." I said, smirking and trying not to laugh at the jealous look in Pius' beautiful blue eyes.

Peter fussed and tugged at my shirt. I looked down to see him try and reach towards the fork that was set on the table.

I reached to the fork before him and shook my head at him when he looked at me.

The sun reflected in the fork and shone in my eyes. I looked into it and felt my skin crawl.

A building was reflected in the fork.

A rifle poked out a window. I turned my head to look at it. The gun was pointing towards my lap,  where my son sat, oblivious to the threat.

"Catra? What's wrong? " I heard Pius ask but I didn't reply.

Sitting there at the restaurant, breaking out in cold sweat was the first time in my life that I felt real fear. Real skin crawling fear.

I hear the assassin pull the trigger and screamed blood murder. 

My first thought was to protect my son. I turned towards the other side and pushed my precious boy into my chest as I felt the impact of the bullet in my back.

Relief flooded me, along with pain and the surrounding chaos.

I saved my son. But will I live?

Pius was holding me and shaking me. Peter was still on my chest, squirming and crying. People screamed and glass broke. 

"I'm calling the ambulance! " Someone shouted.

"Catra! Look at me." Pius said cupping my face.

I looked at his panicked face. I saw real horror and fear in his eyes. Another first, Pius was scared.

The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth and I gave Pius a shaky smile.

"I saved him." I said, coughing.

Pius nodded. "You saved him. Keep your eyes open. Please." He said and picked me up a little to hold me close. Pain exploded in my right shoulder and I winced.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry for everything. Your going to be fine. I swear. You have to live Catra. Peter needs his mother."

I nodded and hugged Peter closer. I have to live. But somebody needed to tell my body that. I could feel my blood pool under me and I started feeling dizzy from bloodloss. 

"Take care of him." I managed to get out before the world became dark and all noises faded out. 

Pius hugged his wife and son close to his chest as he waited for the ambulance to get there. Tears were making his throat heavy but he refused to let them fall.

Images flooded his mind and he let them.

Catra lying in a pool of blood and him slipping over the blood. Him nursing her back to health. Catra making him his mother's cookies.

Him taking Catra for a date. A resturant. The flirty waitress. The ride back home. His realisation that he loved her.

Them signing the legal contract accepting Catra into the race. Them having sex in the evening before the party. Dancing with Catra. Making her his own. And finally their separation. 

Emotions flooded him.

Love. Hate. Fear. Horror. Sadness. Anger.

Love towards his Catra. 

Hate towards himself for treating her like shit.

Fear for her life.

Horror at what happen.

Sadness for not remembering earlier.

And anger towards the people that did this to her.

One lone tear fell through his lashes.