Caterina Bianchi is a nomad. When an old friend is in need of help, she travels to Washington to stand as a witness against the Volturi. Seth Clearwater is everything Caterina should hate, but is he really?
[breaking dawn]
[caterina bianchi 1]
bega...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Seth Clearwater was a refreshing spirit to everyone around him. His bubbly personality kept spirits high where tension was also. The large group of vampires inhabiting the Cullen house for the time being seemed to love Seth. He truly believed there wasn't a being alive that he couldn't make a smile appear. Until Caterina. She refused to look at him, much less look him in the eye.
Edward told him not to take it personally. Seth did take it personally. Was it because he was a wolf? Or because he was Native American? It wasn't until the second week that Caterina was in Forks that she spoke to him. It was his most memorable experience.
"Don't be stupid," a soft voice called out. At first, he didn't even realize it was her who had spoken. She sat on the couch, a wool sweater encasing her frame as she read Frankenstein. Caterina had yet to look up from her book, confusing Seth. "It's not because you're Native American. It's because you're a shifter," when she didn't hear anything, she continued, "You imprint, right? I am not risking that."
"So you won't look me in the eye because you're afraid you'll have a connection with me?" he asked. Seth was beyond confused, Sam and Jacob said he may be too young to imprint anyway.
"Too young? Yeah, okay," Caterina didn't seem convinced. She knew the shifters looked older than they were but she figured there was no way Seth was under eighteen.
"What? I'm sixteen, Sam and Jake say it's too young," his dark eyebrows came together, forming a confused expression on his flawless face.
For the first time in her visit, Caterina looked a shifter in the eye. She was met with an unforgettable pull almost hurting her chest. After not feeling pain for two thousand years, Cat felt the worst ache she thought anyone could ever have. Seth fell to the ground on his knees as he looked into neverending crimson eyes.
Carlisle sighed as he listened to Caterina complain about being an imprint. No matter how much she complained, the ache in her chest deepened the longer she was away from Seth. She knew complaining would do nothing but the intense pull she was feeling scared her to her very core.
The nomad had no desire to have any ties to Forks, Washington. Some friends, sure, but nothing holding her back. She wanted to know if there was a way to get rid of it. Carlisle proceeded to inform her of rejecting the imprint. The words stung her. She felt pricks at her skin whenever she thought of rejecting Seth's imprint. Her face fell at the thought of having to stay in one place. Seth attempted to grab the blonde's attention to no avail. Though it hurt her, Caterina figured that ignoring her mate was the best option.
"You do know that won't work, right?" Edward asked her the next day.
"Leave me alone," her beautiful face was wrecked with sadness.
"Okay but just know that it doesn't work." Caterina sighed as she knew Edward was right. Even in a house full of vampires and shifters, she knew she could locate him just by following the pull. Thinking about it, she also considered how he didn't have the usual wet dog stench attached to him. He smelled more like sandalwood and mint to her. Cat rolled her eyes at herself as she thought about what he smelled like.
Seth's heart hurt more every time Caterina ignored him. He knew she felt the pull and was advised by Sam to give her time. He wondered how much time he would have to give her. His heart throbbed painfully at the thought that she might reject the imprint.
The next time he saw her, he felt the need to memorize her face. Wanting to take in every feature for fear that she might leave, he stared for as long as she'd let him. Caterina wanted so badly to look at Seth but feared the ache in her chest would only intensify. Edward attempted to convince her to talk to Seth but she only diverted the conversation to talk of training Bella in her shield.
Caterina distracted herself with training Bella, much to the newborn's dismay. The elder vampire focused Bella on being able to expand her shield while still being able to defend herself. Cat had met a shield many years ago and, having mastered the gift many years ago, could shield others without so much as thinking about it. While she knew they didn't have time to train Bella to that extent, Caterina would certainly try.
As the weather became colder, Caterina noticed a shift in surrounding emotions. What was once a joyful household now held nervous or even scared occupants. This caused a shift in the blonde's own emotions. She wondered if the pull in Seth's chest was as intense in his as it was in hers. Each time she would pass the tan boy, a small tug attempted to urge her toward him. Her thinking got the best of her and she refused to focus on anything else. She complained to Edward, unwillingly, about her nomadic moral dilemma. He only grinned and rolled his eyes.
Bella wanted nothing more than to spend what she thought could be her last days with her family. Caterina acknowledged this but had yet to understand it.
"Do you think it's because you don't have a family?" Edward asked the blonde one cold morning.
She shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe. Never thought about it." Cat didn't mind the lack of privacy she had around Edward, seeing as he was in the same situation with her. Though, she also knew how to shield her mind from the telepath, but didn't see a point. She loved an audience.
"You're part of our family," Renesemee hugged the taller vampire. Cat smiled and returned the hug. While Caterina knew that the hybrid was wise beyond her years, she also knew that her ignorance was her blessing, not her knowledge. Edward smiled at his friend's thought.
Seth's sadness rivaled everyone else's, not because he was more upset, but because Caterina could feel his sadness more than anyone's. His darker emotions grabbed and her heart and ripped it apart, again and again. The pull made her awareness of Seth so strong, Caterina thought she might cry, even though she knew she couldn't.
"Seth I just wanted to say that the ache in my chest for you is so intense, I think I might break. You have made me so fragile it scares me, and I don't do well in the face of fear. My entire existence has been spent with no emotion because I didn't need it. You make me feel like I need to feel every little thing. Every blip of happiness or sadness, I am obligated to feel in your presence. You make me feel alive," Caterina wanted to yell so badly. Unfortunately, she did not say it aloud and Edward and herself were the only ones to hear.
