Love and Blood

A car horn sounded from outside my bedroom window and I smiled as I applied a final layer of lipgloss. I fluffed my dark brown hair as I did one last outfit check in the mirror and grabbed my purse before rushing down the hall and out the front door. "Chase is here! I'll be back later tonight!" I called to my parents on my way out. "Be safe!" my mother called back as I pulled the door closed. In the driveway sat a bright red convertible, with the world's cutest boy sitting in the driver's seat. Chase brushed his golden-brown curls off his forehead and smiled at me as I approached. "Hey, Winter. You look great," he complimented as I slid into the seat next to him. My cheeks flushed slightly. Chase and I had been friends since childhood, and though I had always secretly had a crush on him, it wasn't until now that he had shown me any interest. "Thank you," I beamed. He put the car in reverse and peeled out of the neighborhood. I laughed at his usual reckless driving. Chase liked to drive fast, but I knew he wouldn't endanger us. I trusted him with my life. "So, where are we going?" I asked after a few moments. His knuckles tightened around the steering wheel, but his smile didn't falter. "There's this new club on the outskirts of town. I heard it was a great place to let loose and I thought we could check it out together." I frowned at him. "Chase, you know I don't do well in big crowds." He reached over and put his palm on my thigh, sending butterflies straight to my stomach. "I know. I just figured it would be a good place for our first date so we could skip all of the awkward stuff. This is new territory for both of us, and I just want us to have a little fun." I melted from his words. With a sigh, I nodded my head. "Alright, I trust you." He squeezed my thigh and continued to speed down the highway. After a short drive, we pulled up in front of a dark building. The neon lights on the outside flashed red and I could feel the vibrations from the music through the pavement. My chest tightened as I saw the size of the crowd loitering outside. The line stretched over half a block! "Maybe we should go somewhere else," I half whispered. I could feel a cold sweat beginning to form on my brow. Chase captured my hand in his and squeezed it. "Don't worry. I have a special pass so we get to skip the line. Just hold onto me, everything will be fine." I took a deep breath and gripped his hand tighter as he led me to the front of the line. I tried to keep my eyes on the ground as I heard multiple people scoff at us as we passed by. "Hey, Dom. Powers. Plus one tonight," Chase told the menacing-looking bouncer at the door. He glanced at me with gleaming red eyes and my heart stopped. Dom nodded his head and moved aside, allowing Chase and me to pass. The music was blaring and crimson strobe lights flashed in all directions. The room was packed full of people in all corners, from the bar to the dance floor. I yanked Chase's arm down until his ear was right next to my face. "You didn't mention this was a mixed club!" I hissed. My skin crawled as I felt multiple pairs of red eyes on us, watching as we made our way to the VIP section. Chase pulled me forward until I was standing in front of him and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I'm sorry Winter. I didn't want to freak you out. There's strict protocol here though. Vampires and humans can interact, but they're not allowed to leave together. Besides, you've never had a problem with them before." "I've never been in a room full of them before," I snapped. And it was true. Although humans and vampires had coexisted within society peacefully for many years, the two species still tended to keep to themselves. There were places that humans weren't allowed to visit within the Dark District and vice versa, but there were many places like this one where both species could come and spend their time. The human and vampire governments had been working tirelessly to try and close the gap between the two worlds, but progress was still slow. To be honest, I was terrified. All I could think about were the news articles I had read about some rogue group of vampires that were stealing humans from off the street. Those humans were never heard from again. I gulped and focused my attention back on Chase. "A little heads up would have been nice," I scolded. He looked down at me, his blue eyes twinkling. "I just want us to have some fun Winter. I really like you and I want to do this right." I sighed and relented. "Fine. But I'm going to need a drink before we dance." Chase beamed at me and nodded. "Of course. Take a seat, I'll be right back." I hadn't realized that he had led me to a curtained lounge. There were a few human waiters buzzing about and three male vampires sitting around a table in the back, watching me. I nodded at them and took a seat on the other side of the room. I looked back to the doorway that I had seen Chase leave from, silently hoping that he would return quickly. I could still feel the gaze of the vampires on me. I risked a glance back and made eye contact with the one in the middle. He was attractive, with shaggy auburn hair and signature red eyes. A little stubble decorated his sharp chin and he was dressed in black slacks and a black button down, with the first two buttons undone. He flashed me a smile, his sharp fangs glinting in the red light. I swallowed and quickly looked away. I swear I heard him chuckle at me. My heart was pounding in my chest. Something about this felt very wrong and I just wanted Chase to come back so that we could leave. I listened as the vampires rose from their seats and made their way toward me, stopping right in front of my table. "Good evening, kitten. What's a pretty thing like you doing alone in a place like this?" I shuddered at his words. "I'm waiting for my... boyfriend. He's getting me a drink," I squeaked. I was hoping that mentioning I was here with someone would make them go away, but it didn't. Instead, they sat in the chairs across from me. My eyes shot up to them in surprise. The auburn-haired one was watching me closely, while the other two were casually glancing around the room. "Boyfriend, huh? A good boyfriend wouldn't leave his girlfriend alone to get snatched up." My breathing accelerated and my eyes flickered at the door. To my relief, Chase passed through with a tray full of drinks. I furrowed my brows in confusion. Wasn't he just getting two? He grinned as he approached the table. "Rowan! Good to see you again, my man. Here, got you your favorite," he said as he passed drinks around the table. He sent me a wink as he placed a colorful, fruity concoction in front of me. When he was done passing out the drinks, he slid in next to me and put his arms around my shoulders. "I see you've met Winter," he said to Rowan. Rowan nodded his head and flashed me another smirk. "We were just having a little chat. Didn't realize this was the girl," he replied. The girl? Has Chase talked about me to these vampires? How did he even know them? Chase threw his head back and laughed. "Yup, it sure is." His arm tightened around me slightly and I tried to catch his eye, but he was avoiding looking directly at me. The atmosphere of the room felt tense and I swear it had gotten darker. My mouth felt dry and parched, so I pulled my drink closer and took a big gulp. Rowan watched with interest as I swallowed it down and my face burned red. His attention then turned back to Chase. "You remember the details of our little conversation, then?" Chase stiffened as he took a sip of whisky. "I do." My head began to feel fuzzy and the room began to swirl. What kind of alcohol was this? I took another sip, hoping the cold would shock my body into focus. I glanced at Chase and saw him watching me as intensely as Rowan had been. "What?" I blurted out. He smiled at me with pity and stroked my cheek. I hadn't realized how warm I was, and I leaned into his icy palm with a sigh of relief. "Can we dance now?" I mumbled. Rowan laughed from behind me and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. When did he move? How did I not notice? I turned to face him and immediately shrunk back into Chase. Rowan held a needle in one hand, and a rope in the other. "What the hell is that for!" I screamed. "That really isn't necessary," Chase said. "She'll be out soon. She's a lightweight and I gave her double the dose." I looked between the two men incredulously. A double dose? Did Chase drug me? What was going on? My heart rate increased and my breathing became erratic. Rowan tilted his head toward me. "Oh well, she's mine now," he growled as he plunged the needle into my arm. I screamed as loudly as I could, but it was no use as the world around me dissolved into blackness.