The blaring noise of the club was deafening as Seph downed another drink. Even the alcohol could make her hands stop shaking. She could see her sister grinding with her friend on the dance floor and her step-brother trying to hit on a stripper on her break, who seemed uninterested in Seph's mind.

God, did she not want to be here.

But she had to be. Her mother would be pissed if she left her siblings alone. Especially her newly twenty-one year old sister. She sighed and gestured to the female bartender, whose name was lost to her, for another drink. She didn't even really understand why she was in charge, Alex was the same age as her. But, of course, her mom and step-dad, who always bend to Allie's will, gave her two-hundred bucks to have fun on her birthday and gave all the responsibility on Seph. It's not like it was the first time, it certainly wasn't the last, but, of course, her sister had to choose the club Eve's Serpent. It was meant to be a compromise, good alcohol for Allie and strippers for Alex.

But why did her little sister have to pick her club?

"FeFe!"

Speak of the devil.

Allie came from behind her and she could smell the alcohol on her breath, "There you are! Are you having fun?"

"Not really-" Seph began before being cut off by her sister.

"Great! Look, me and Zane are going to bounce. Cover for me with Mom and Dad?" Allie practically begged. Of course she needed something from me.

The female bartender placed her drink in front of her and she gave her a grateful look. She quickly took a sip. Or five.

"Look," Seph started, "You do that and I tell Mom-"

"But it's my birthday!" Allie whined, stumbling a little closer to her sister, "Plus you did it for me before!"

Seph rolled her eyes and sighed roughly, "Yeah, and I got my ass chewed out for it! I won't cover for you again! Not like they'll punish you anyway-"

"That's not fair!" Allie reached for her and grabbed her necklace. She used it to try to pull her closer, but only succeeded in breaking the chain. Seph felt her heart break as Allie threw it to the floor.

"What the hell, Allie!" Seph quickly got to her hands and knees to grab the necklace. She sighed with relief as she found that only the chain had been damaged. The pendant was unharmed. She gently picked it up and stuffed it in her pocket. When she got to her feet, she noticed that her sister was gone.

She looked at the male bartender who looked at her with disinterest. He nodded to the side exit, "She went that way." Before Seph could follow her, the bartender stopped her, "The money?" Seph sighed and dug out a little more than necessary and slammed in down harder than she needed to.

"Keep the change," She told him with a mocking smile and he returned it.

"See ya tomorrow." She flipped him off before rushing after her sister.

As she went through the exit and into the alley, all she saw was her sister's friend speeding away in his car. She heard her phone get a notification and checked her phone. It was from her sister.

See you tomorrow

"Fuck you, Allie." Seph cursed. She turned around to go back inside and tell Alex what happened. She tried to open the door, but it was shut. She kept trying to open it over and over and over, but it wouldn't open.

"Fuck!" She kicked the door and went to grab her phone when she heard a voice.

"Josephina Solace." The voice was croaky and hoarse, as if the owner hadn't used it for years. She turned towards the voice.

He was thin, pale and looked like he could fall over by a slight breeze. He had long, wild and inky black hair. His eyes looked wild.

"Josephina Solace." He repeated, his unused voice sounding more delighted than before.

"How the hell do you know my name?" She demanded, trying to bite back the fear rising in her gut.

He gave a weird smile and took a step closer. Seph took a step back. He said, "Mistress said your blood would lure me to you." Another step forward and another step back, "I didn't think she meant literally." Forward, back.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Seph said as he stepped forward again. When she stepped back, her back hit the wall, "Is this some sort of kink thing? Gotta say, really bad first impression."

In a blink of an eye, he was right in front of her. He pulled her head to the side and kissed the pressure point on her neck, "I'm sure Mistress won't mind if I have just a little." He whispered.

"What are you-get off-" She couldn't even finish her sentence before he bit down. Her scream was loud, sharp and high-pitched. It felt as if he had bit down to her bone. Then, surprisingly, came pleasure. Her whole body turned lax and limp. It felt good and her body and mind told her to give in, but something in her bared and gnashed its teeth . Somehow, her body moved on its own and pushed him away. Hard.

It was like he flew back, but stayed standing. Both of them were panting and stood their ground.

He chuckled, licking the blood on his mouth, "I do love a fighter." His voice sounded different, as if he had a glass of water.

Seph snarled, "Fuck off!"

His eyes seemed to darken as he went to approach her again, but someone pulled him back.

"You heard the woman," The person, a man, told her attacker in a dark, deep and rich voice that would have made her swoon in any other situation.

Damn it! Now was not the time!

"She's my prey-" Her attacker was thrown against the wall and held him there.

"This is my territory, you little fanged fucker." The man growled.

Her attacker hissed, "I don't give a shit, you mangy mutt."

She didn't understand what they were saying or why. Suddenly, Seph didn't feel so strong. Her legs collapsed beneath her. She heard a distant thud before her savior kneeled before her. She looked up and into warm and concerned brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" His voice sounded muted despite being right in front of her.

Her mouth moved on its own, "He bit me." Her vision blurred and she fell forwards.

Her whole world went black.