Chapter 1

Everything is fuzzy, everything is wrong. I know that something has happened to me, something that I'm not sure is good or bad at the moment. I sit up and my head whirls, I look down at my blood covered shirt and wondered what has happened to me? I look at my arms and my legs; there is no marking of where the blood has come from. I put my hand to my neck, where most of the pain seemed to be coming from at the moment, my fingers gently touched two small holes in my neck and I try my hardest to think of what happened the night before. I lost a lot of blood I notice, and I began to wonder how I'm still alive.

Everything at that moment feels new, everything is different. At that moment a sudden power of thirst rises above everything else. A thirst so strong I feel like I'm going to go crazy from it, my throat tightens and my mouth aches. It is such a deep, pulsing need. I get to my feet in the dirty, New York Alley that I have found myself in. I have lost my brand new high heels, but the feeling of broken glass under my feet does not bother me as I know it should. I look up at the building and see a broken window. That's when the memory hits, stronger than the thirst.

I was entering a night club with my two best friends; I was in a new outfit. Short red skirt and a too tight white tank top, my friends forced me into it. I felt like I couldn't breathe. This wasn't me, when I went out I wore jeans and a nice t-shirt. I wasn't about looking sexy, but my friends told me that I needed a one night stand. So I let them gunk of my face with make-up, put me into too tight of clothes, and push me into the loudest nightclub around.

We got some beers, which we had in our hands the whole time while we danced against each other on the dance floor. We got looks from all the men around us, for the first time that night I felt good. I gave some of the men sexual looks, just to make them stare more. Finally we split up; Ally went to dance with some guy in a tight white shirt that I swore was gay. Jenna went to the rest room and I went to get a beer. That's when this man, a man unlike any other man I have ever seen before caught my eye. He sat across the club from me in a booth with some sexy red head wearing fewer clothes than me.

I stared until his eyes connected with mine; I moved them away and stared at the wall in front of me that was lined with mirrors. There I was, boobs hanging out, face covered in sweat, yet my hair was still looking perfect and my make-up looked like it was done minutes before. I jumped it seemed like two feet in the air when I felt something cold on my shoulder. I spun around on my stool and found my eyes staring at a very nice sculpted chest. I slowly raised my eyes to find an even better looking face.

"Come sit with me." A voice so musical, so hypnotizing that it didn't faze me that I followed him to the booth that he was just sitting in with the red head.

"Who are you?" my voice was quiet, I was sure I was going to have to repeat my question over.
"My name is Athan; I saw you looking at me not that long ago now be polite and tell me your name?" God, I was so lost to him at that moment, that second. He was so well perfect.

"Lily, my name is Lily DalMore." He smiled as I said my name; he smiled even more as his hand skimmed my warm leg under the table.

I took a good long look at him then. How his black hair fell across his face, such a weird contrast against his pale white skin. His lips a pale pink were formed into a smile that made my heart beat ten times faster than it should probably for a man I've only met 6 minutes ago. He reminded me of a Greek god that I was studying in one of my college classes. His cheek bones were strong and his nose perfect. But what held my attention the most was his eyes, they were a bright blue with purple swirls, they scared me just a little more than I should have been comfortable with.

"You look a little unsure of me Lily, a little scared," He smiled again, "Come with me." He was out of the booth too fast for my liking; it was like he had the super power to move at a super fast speed.

He held out his hand and without a thought I put my hand so eagerly into his. He pulled me lightly out of the booth and began to lead me across the night club at such a speed I didn't know how I was keeping up. I saw Ally talking up a different guy at the bar, I wanted to stop and tell her to call my phone when she was ready to go, but for some reason I didn't, for some reason I kept going, kept following.

He lead me to a room above the night club, it was a dark and gothic looking room; the bed was wrought iron, purple silk sheets with black lacy pillows. The windows were covered with dark black sheets that I could tell even at night they would not let the sunlight in at morning. There were no dressers, no chairs, and no other furniture. Just the large bed in the middle of the room, he lead me to it and moved just perfectly so that my back was facing it.

He gripped the back of my neck with his icy cold hand that sent shivers went down my spine. My breathing picked up a notch and I wondered if this was going to be the one night stand that my friends were talking about. He pressed his lips on to mine with a fiery passion that made my body feel like it as bursting into flames, my lips as well felt like they were on fire as I kissed him back. He slipped his other hand on to the small of my back under my shirt, his hand was so cold and I pressed myself against him more and more until there was no room for even air between us.

He pushed me down on to the bed and was on top of me without even stopping the kiss. I felt him raise my tank top until he got to the point where he had to stop the kiss to take it all the way off. This was the point of time that I started to wandered if I actually need this one night stand with a man I didn't know. But when he stopped the kiss to get my tank top off, he didn't return to my lips, he instead kissed the nape of my neck and trailed his tongue to the bottom of my jaw. A moan escaped my mouth, he stopped to kiss the part of my neck I knew where you could feel and see my pulse.

"Lily…" He muttered my name as I let out of scream of pain; I knew it wouldn't be heard over the music.

There was a piercing pain in my throat right where his lips were touching and I tried to push him off I was kicking and punching whatever part of him my small hands could reach. But instead of me hurting him, my fists were burning from where I was hitting him, his body was so hard. A warm liquid was soaking the back of my neck as the silk underneath me was somehow becoming soaked in I don't know what. Finally he pulled away from me and I sat up pushing him away from him, he barely moved an inch, but moved away from me with an evil laugh.

"YOU'RE A BASTARD! AN EVIL FUCKING BASTARD!" I screamed, my hands searching for my tank top around me. All I felt was wet silk, he tossed me my tank top and it hit me in the face. I pulled it over my head and tried to fight the dizziness as I pulled it down over my stomach. "What did you do to me?"
"Nothing, now stand," I pushed my body out of the bed, but wasn't able to stand, my legs buckled underneath me and I slammed to the ground, even my arms were to slow, they stayed were they were by my sides as I slammed into the ground."You are a pitiful fragile human; well I best put you where you won't make it past morning."

Before I could protest at all my body was being lifted from the ground like I weighed nothing at all. I didn't like this feeling of floating or how the sounds of the nightclub were sounding a million miles away, even though it was right underneath me. I felt like I was drowning, there was something pulling me under and I couldn't find anything to pull me up and above this drowning sensation, this sensation of something filling my lungs, cutting off my air.

"Good bye Lily." He whispered making me shiver in fear as a feeling of flying took over the feeling of drowning.

There was a loud crash as something small bit my skin around me, I looked down at my body, it was a blur as little cuts of blood begin to move their way down my arm. The flying feeling stopped with a thud and the smell of rotten food. I looked around me as glass hit the ground and random parts of my body, I was lying in a pile of trash bags right under the window of room that just seconds before I was standing in. Without a second thought I moved my sluggish body over and buried my body in the trash bags.

Now here I was, the next night missing for at least twenty-four hours, I knew I needed to call Allison and Jenna to have them come get me, I had lost my favorite purse the night before and it had all my money and credit cards inside. So I pushed on the side entrance of the club and was shocked when it swung open. I stepped inside and looked around, for some reason that I couldn't even explain I knew I could not cross paths with Athan. I walked down a dark hallway and heard a tinkling of glass and voices that sounded like male and female. I took a few more steps and knew that the female voices belonged to Allison and Jenna. I thought that if I could hear the voices so well that I would be very close to where ever they were. But I kept walking faster and faster, it seemed like I wasn't getting any closer, but still the voices were getting louder and louder, that's when I finally actually paid attention to the conversation.

"She's short, about 5'2 with straight black hair that hangs to the middle of her back, bangs that hide her face." Jenna was snapping her fingers while trying to describe me to whoever she was talking to.

"SHE HAS BIG BLUE EYES! That's something; she was wearing a really hot outfit, white tank top, short tight red skirt. She had on black heels that made her at least 5'5. Come on please you say you remember her. She would never stay away this long, I didn't see her anywhere in the club after we split up, please just tell us you saw her!" Allison was pleading with someone; I slowed my paced and ran my fingers along the wall making my breathing quiet so I could hear what the person was going to say.

"Yah I remember your girl," my heart sped up at the sound of this new voice, it was strong and raspy, a way a man's voice should sound. "She was sitting at the bar before she went and sat with the owner. Yah I remember her, someone would never forget those blue eyes. They would have to be insane." As he spoke those words my left hand floated to my face and pressed near my eye, I never really thought of my eyes as anything special. I've seen many people with blue eyes.

"So she was with your owner? Where is she now?" Jenna snapped she didn't care to hear the guys praise about my eyes. Even though she had always been my best friend she was always a little mean when people said something about my looks.
"Listen if she was with the boss, don't waste your time. She's gone. The boss gives them what they want, if they want a way out of the city, they get out of the city. Money he gives them money. If your friend hasn't come home yet then she's never coming home, but would you please leave now. I have to clean up this bar before tonight." He sounded pissed and I heard clicks on the floor, my friends were wearing high heels, they never left the apartment without looking their best. I deflated when my friends gave up so quickly, it was worse than the pain in my neck and the ragging thirst.

There was finally a break in the dark hall and I saw the man that was talking to my friends, who where gone already. I walked towards him; he didn't see me until I was standing just two feet from the bar. I was standing there scratching the back of my leg with my foot, I really didn't have an itch, and it was just more of a nervous habit. His eyes searched my whole body, taking in the tore clothes, the bloodied body, before finally finding my neck, resting on the two pin points there until finally resting on my eyes.

"Thirsty?" He asked I simply nodded my head to afraid to speak because I was thirsty, beyond thirsty. There was something sweet in the air, it smelt so good that my mouth was watering and my teeth were burning, I wanted something, but I had no idea what it was.

"What's that smell? It smells so good, so sweet. For some weird reason, my teeth are hurting from it." The voice that came out of my mouth did not sound like me at all, my words came out like music, like I was trying to sing to this guy, though I was trying to impress him, but knew I wouldn't get very far with the way I looked.

"Me, do you even know what you are? And plus you shouldn't be here, like at all." He was pouring liquids into a blender already filled with ice.

"I'm female human, why not? I'm looking for Athan, I don't really like the fact he threw me out the window last or bit me so hard that I bled all over myself and I feel weird. Like really weird and I don't like it, and why did you lie to my friends?" I walked up to the bar and sat in the same seat I sat in last night.

"You may be female, but you're not a human anymore. Don't look for Athan, Lily, it will come to no good at all, you are not supposed to be sitting here, you're not supposed to be ALIVE, you feel weird because well you want blood and you're too new to know it yet. So drink this and then get out of here. But you can't go home, it wouldn't be smart for you to stay in a room with you two roommates looking like you do." I just stared at him as he placed a glass of red mix drink in front of me.

It smelled wonderful and my teeth felt like they were going to burst, I greedily grabbed the large glass from the man's hands and downed the sweet nectar. It was gone all too quickly, I set it down and my teeth pulsed for more, my body called for it. I looked at him unable to talk, I wanted more and I was going to get more no matter what. The man behind the counter smiled at me and dunked down to get whatever he needed and I glanced up into the mirrors and let out a scream.

He jumped back up and glanced at the mirror and then at me. His face fell and he jumped over the bar to cover my mouth, I guess I was still screaming. He took me by the arm and lead me down the hall way and slammed me into the wall and pushed his body against mine, his hand still on my mouth. I thrashed around for a little bit, but then just gave up, I stopped screaming, and he lowered his hand.

"WHERE WAS I?" I screamed at him, causing him to cover my mouth again.

"Listen, stop screaming, Athan is going to be coming down those stairs anytime, he usually doesn't wake up until about two hours after the sun goes down. But go to the this address, 456 Main Street, there's apartment there and go up to the third level and go into apartment 4B ok?" He took his hand off of my mouth and I just stared at him, "Go home get a change of clothes and then get out of there. Ok?"

"How am I supposed to get home if I have no money or anything? I think people are going to notice if a girl with blood all over her and no shoes is walking the streets of New York." I rolled my eyes at him, but my annoyance with him didn't stop the lust that was coming from being this close to him.

"Run, don't ask, just run with all your might to your apartment. Then get to my house, take a shower and I'll make you another drink when I get home. I don't have the night off so I only get to come home for a couple of hours to sleep." He shoved off of me and I resisted the urge to pull him back to me, but I realized it was foolish to imagine this, I didn't even know his name.

"What's your name? I know you know my mine, but I don't know yours." I took the key he pulled out of his pocket and held out towards me.

"Asher, my name is Asher. Now go, please? Just remember to run and don't be seen by anyone, if you don't have the key to your apartment climb the fire escape or whatever. GO!" He pointed a finger down the hall way and I went.

I didn't get by what he said about running, but I got it as soon I pushed off the wall and ran down the hallway. It was like my feet weren't even touching the floor, my hair didn't even fan out behind me, it was like I was going too fast for anything to actually move around me. I pushed out of the side door and ran out of the alley and down the sidewalk towards the way I knew my apartment was. Without even having to think about it I moved around the people on the sidewalk, I dodged things that were in my way, running this fast felt like it was second nature to me. A smile grew on my face as I realized that I could learn to love this new life, whatever it was.

Finally my apartment came into view and I ran to the side, I didn't have a key and I knew that Asher was probably right when he said that I shouldn't let my roommates see me, so I stopped under the stair way and realized I wasn't even gasping for breath. It was like I had just stopped from a slow walk down the sidewalk. I looked up at my fire escape and remembered that one of my ex boyfriends had broke the ladder. I was thinking about how to do this, when I got a sudden idea in my head. If I could run that fast, how high could I jump?

So I jumped, I got all the way up the landing right at my window, a smile grew on my face as I landed on the metal platform without even making a sound. I looked through my window and saw that my door was closed and no one was in there, but I saw that my closet door was open and my favorite jacket was messing. I pushed my window open with anger, the framed cracked and I quickly swung into my room. I listened for Allison and Jenna and heard them in the living room talking about me of course and how Jenna took my favorite jacket because she SO saw it first in the store. I rolled my eyes and pulled my army duffel bag out from under the bed.

I pulled all my jeans out of my drawer and shoved into the bag, I packed most of my shirts and my tank tops, I shoved handful of underwear and socks into the bag that wasn't even half way full yet. I had got the bag from my brother after he was done back packing through Europe. I shoved my favorite books inside and then my iPod and charger, I reached under my bed to grab my laptop carrier and then shoved my laptop into that as well.

I was getting ready to zip my bag until I remembered there were a few more things that I needed. I ran to my closet and pulled out my small ladder steps, at the top of the closet was a small tile that pulled away, I reached up and pushed the tile away and pulled out my small tin can that had over six hundred dollars inside. I put it into my duffel and I grabbed the stack of notebooks that were always in the small hole. I opened my door quickly so that maybe Jenna and Allison didn't hear it; I listened to their conversation for a little bit to make sure either of them was not coming this way.

"Do you think it would be cruel of me to say that I'm a little glad that she's gone? I mean she always took the guys I wanted, just because she's pretty, but I'm better than her in every other way. I know it." Jenna laughed and I felt sad suddenly, sad that someone I thought was my best friend was glad that I was gone.

"What's your problem Jenna? Lil was our best friend; she helped with everything and paid your third of the rent and when you couldn't come up with the money because you spent it on shoes. You know you're a bitch and I don't know why Lily ever wanted to be your friend in the first place." Allison slammed something down on the table and I quickly ducked into Jenna's bedroom before she saw me. I took my duffel bag with me, just in case she looked in my room.

I was smiling when I went through Jenna's clothes and shoes taking the ones that I always loved, I was glad that peace keeping Allison finally spoken up and told Jenna just what she thought of her. After I got the clothes and shoes I liked and then found my jacket I shoved them all into my duffel. Then I walked over to Jenna's desk and took everything she ever borrowed from me and found her stash of money and took all that she owned which ended up wiping her out completely. I ducked out of her room and went quickly into the bathroom, I grabbed my tooth brush, shampoo and the rest of the things that were mine, including the red silk robe that Jenna was always eyeing.

I peeked down the hall and saw that Allison was standing in the front of the door pulling on her jacket, she had night classes tonight. I smiled and pulled two hundred dollars out of my stash of money and placed it on her desk in her room, I wrote a little note and tucked it with the rest of her rent money. We both hid our money from Jenna, I had once caught stealing a hundred dollars from me, and I asked myself why I trusted her after that. I looked over the note just one more time. Ally, my rent for this month and next, I love you. Lil. I kissed it and then pulled the two hundred back out and quickly shoved it in the book I knew she was currently reading. I knew she would find it that night. I put her money back in her secret spot and went back to my own room.

I looked around several times looking for other things I knew I wanted to take with me, but there was nothing besides a few pictures of me and Ally that I really wanted to save. I tore the ones of me and Jenna and threw Jenna's part of the pictures away. I smiled once more at my room and all my memories before grabbing my lap top and then silently slipped out my window again.

***

I found Asher's apartment and let myself in, I climbed the steps quickly and got strange looks from people going down the stairs, some of the men stopped and stared I smiled kindly and finished going up the stairs away from them. I finally got to Asher's apartment and let myself in quickly because one of the guys had followed me up the stairs. I set my bags down by the door and looked around.

For a single guy living alone his place was pretty clean, but some rooms reminded me of room above the night club, just the colors of purple and black. I looked for the bathroom and finally found it toward the back of the apartment. I got my duffel bag and dragged it to the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and started the shower; I waited until it warmed up and started looking for a washcloth and towels. There was a cabinet next to the shower that was filled with towels and washcloths, I peeled off my clothes and laid them in the pile next to the door, they were ruined beyond any repair that could be done. I opened my duffel bag and pulled out my shampoos and the rest of my things. I set them on the counter away from Asher's and jumped into the shower.

I just stood there for awhile letting the hot water pelt my face and body, I looked down and watched as the red water slowly turned clear, I picked up my washcloth and squeezed some of my body wash on to it. I rubbed myself raw until I felt no trance of Athan on my body; I reached for my strawberry smelling shampoo and rubbing into my scalp and then rinsed. I did this with my hair conditioner and than just stood there for awhile until I felt bad about maybe using all of Asher's hot water.

I turned off the shower and quickly got out I dried myself off before pulling on my red silk robe. I decided to skip the whole blow drying of my hair and decided to let it go naturally, it wasn't like I couldn't make sure it looked ok since I wasn't all that visible in the mirror. I dug through my bag until I found my favorite shirt that I took from Jenna that she hadn't worn yet, I remembered it from the mall. I had told her I wanted it and she said no one would be caught dead in it, but that night when we were comparing what we bought she pulled out the shirt and said she had changed her mind.

It was a red and black halter top with thin strips tying behind the neck. There was lace-up detailing on the sides, silver tone grommets on the front right above the chest. And at the bottom of the tank top was red tutu. I pulled on a pair of underwear and a black strapless bra; I dug through my bag again and found my favorite pair of skinny black jeans. I had only worn them once; they were one of the few pair of super tight jeans that I wore. I tied the lace-up in the back and searched for shoes that would go with my outfit though I didn't have many. I pulled on one of the three pairs of heel highs I brought with me; they were just three inches and red with a peep toe.

I didn't do any make-up I didn't trust myself to not make myself look like a clown without a mirror. I wiped the water off of everything I used and then shoved everything back in my bag along with my silk robe. I took my bag out into the living room and sat it down next to the couch, I plopped myself down and looked for a remote. I didn't know how long it would take Asher to get home, but I figured I was would just get comfortable until he came and told me where to go.

The remote was easy enough to figure out and I flipped to some movie that was on Starz, until I noticed that it was 30 Days of Night and the main villains scared the shit out of me. They just seemed too familiar. I flipped it off and picked up a book off the coffee table next me, but of course it was just as bad and freaked me out just as much. I sat down Salem's Lot by Stephen King and stood up to look at the movies and jumped back from the bookcase.

"WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THIS VAMPIRE SHIT!" I screamed to no one but myself or so I thought.

"It's what the boss is, so I guess that makes you one to." Asher said from behind me.