When the movie ended, I gathered up my purse and smoothed the wrinkles from my black dress. I leaned back into Caleb as the crowd thinned out, and a sea of sparkling dresses and tuxes headed into the main lobby for the reception.

“Surprisingly good movie,” Caleb said.

“Yeah, not bad.” I loved watching Owen on screen as Caleb brought me to climax. But now, those same thoughts about Owen made me feel guilty. Why, when I was at my happiest with Caleb, had Owen resurfaced into my life?

Caleb examine my face, and noted my serious expression. “Everything okay, Abby? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m good.” I tried my hardest to close off my mind to Caleb. I was worried he’d see my thoughts and find out about Owen. Still, I couldn’t wrap my head around what just happened. I’d moved on from Owen years ago. So, why did my heart suddenly beat for him? I was in love with Caleb. Hell, I’d given up my humanity for Caleb. Or had Caleb taken my humanity? Did I ever have a choice?

I pushed those thoughts from my head, and looked around the busy theater lobby. Champagne swirled in crystal flutes as celebrities, producers, and photographers mingled.

“Don’t look so serious, angel. You’ll have time to fuck me later.”

I squeezed his hand. He’d already made me come once tonight, but I was game for a sequel.

Just then, I heard a high-pitched laugh from across the theater. When I looked up, I saw Natalie and Drew Savage, hand in hand, walking towards us. They’d slipped off together somewhere during the second half of the movie. Seems they’d gotten cozy quickly.

“Enjoy the movie, Abby?” Natalie winked at me.

I rocked back on my heels. “Yeah, it was okay.” I brushed my hair from my eyes and looked around the lobby nervously. Since this was a movie premiere and Owen was the star of the film, he was probably here. I didn’t want to see him. Or rather, I didn’t want him to see me. If I saw him in person, I was sure my emotions would be plastered on my face for both Caleb and Owen to see. I didn’t like feeling so bare and exposed.

Caleb started to make small talk with Drew, while Natalie led me towards the open bar.

“Why didn’t you tell me Owen was in the film?” I whispered to her, as soon as we were out of Caleb’s earshot.

“I tried to,” Nat said.

“You did not.”

“Okay, I didn’t. But if I’d told you, you never would have come. Abby, I know you love Caleb, but do you think he’s healthy for you? You know, because of who he is?”

I bit down on my lip. “What, because he’s a vampire? Just because you had issues with Ansel, don’t project that on me and Caleb.”

Natalie crossed her arms in front of her chest. “There was more to it than that. I don’t discriminate against vampires, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I hope not,” I shot back at her. “Did you ever think maybe Drew is a vampire, since he owns Venom, you know…Club V?”

Natalie narrowed her eyes at me. “Who? Drew? No. Not possible. I have excellent V-dar.”

“V-dar?”

“Yeah. I can spot a vampire coming from miles away. You don’t understand, Abby. I’m that good.”

I clucked my tongue. “Sure, Nat.” This would be the perfect moment to tell her that I was a vampire. How dare she not tell me about Owen starring in the film? I wanted to lash out at her and drain her neck. I shook my head, shocked at my inner impulses. I’d never felt violent towards Natalie before, but something inside me snapped.

“Abby?” Natalie waved her hands in front of my eyes. “You okay? You went kinda catatonic there for a minute.”

“It’s nothing.” I knew I had to stay calm, otherwise my eyes would turn amethyst. Then, Natalie would know my secret, whether or not I wanted to share it. “I’ve got to hit the ladies’ room.”

As I walked towards the bathroom, I grabbed Caleb’s shoulder as I brushed past him.

“Caleb. I’ll be back in a few. I need to powder my nose.”

He gave me a concerned glance, and then squeezed my arm back. “Don’t be too long, or I’ll worry about you.”

I teetered across the plush red carpet in my black stiletto pumps, and made my way over to the ladies’ restroom. The line was at least twenty-five women long. I rolled my eyes as I glanced over at the adjacent line coming out of the men’s room. Two guys were waiting. No fair! Well, no matter. I just needed to check my face in the mirror and calm down before I faced Natalie again.

I pushed past the crowd and headed straight for the lavatory sinks. Above the etched porcelain basins hung an elaborate, gilded mirror. It was exquisite. I wondered how many famous starlets had powdered their noses over this very sink during the last hundred years.

Then, I caught sight of my face. My skin was unusually flushed, with slightly visible blood vessels under the skin. My eyes had a hollow, sunken look. A subtle amethyst in my eyes streaked past my pupils, and into the whites of my eyes. It had the effect of looking like they were bloodshot, except they were purple instead of red. My lips were dry, with a gray hue.

I looked like hell. Could it possibly be the bathroom lighting?

I checked out the reflections of the other women gazing into the mirror. They all looked normal, rosy even.

I washed my hands in the sink, trying to buy time before I headed back to the lobby. As the warm water washed over my fingertips, sweat beads formed at my temples. When I stared back into the mirror, I saw the hint of two white teeth protruding below my top lip.

Fangs.

Since my transformation, I’d felt every emotion from weak to powerful, sad to invigorated. But never had I felt the need for human blood and revenge the way I did when Natalie teased me about Owen. I don’t know what it was –maybe that she’d played a trick on me that could have ruined my relationship with Caleb. Or maybe it was the next shift in my vampire evolution.

I smelled the air around me. The scent of perfume mixed with the sweat and natural smells of the women in the restroom. I tucked my teeth back under my lips. A voice inside my head told me that I wanted to feed on them.

I closed my eyes, and images started to come to me. Flashes of scenes ran through my head from the other women inside the ladies’ room. Their emotions – whatever was nearest to the surface—popped out at me. The sensations overtook me. I put my hands under the cold water in the sink, and then splashed my heated cheeks to cool myself down. I couldn’t escape my thoughts. I wished I could outrun my own mind, but the harder I tried, the worse I felt.

I quickly left the glamorous bathroom and headed back into the lobby. If I could find the exit, I could excuse myself and catch some fresh air outside. I slipped off my high heels and put them inside my black satin purse. As I walked barefoot around the perimeter of the busy lobby, Caleb saw me and waved me over.

“I’m going outside,” I mouthed to him from across the crowd. By the time I looked up, he was standing next to me.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No, it’s okay,” I protested. “I just need a minute alone.”

“You look flushed, angel.” His hand lightly touched my forehead. “Do you have a fever?” His demeanor changed from boyfriend to a concerned caregiver.

“I’m fine. I just need a little fresh air. The room is a little hot, don’t you think?”

“I’m going with you.”

“I said I don’t need you to come with me.” My eyes widened, and I tried to keep my voice low, not to draw attention to myself or our heated conversation. I pulled my hair into a loose chignon and ran my fingers over my heated cheeks.

“Of course.” Caleb looked at me with a hint of amusement. “Haven’t you figured out that I don’t take no for an answer so easily?”

“Fine, follow me.” I made my way through the crowd, a sea of black tuxes and rhinestone clad dresses. The sparkle alone as enough to blind my sensitive eyes. With every step, I felt more nauseous. Caleb gripped my hand as I led him anxiously through the crowd. When we were a few feet from the front door, he squeezed my hand and pulled me back. He’d seen someone in the crowd he wanted to talk to. Now was not the time.

My sweat-soaked hands slipped from his grasp, and I escaped through the front door of the grand theater. Outside, the city smelled like hot asphalt and car exhaust. I covered my nose, all my senses heightened. Awakened. What was happening to me?

I rounded the corner into the dark alley. The moon had retreated behind a dark cloud, making the night sky an inky navy blue. The path in front of me was lit only by the flickering neon of the surrounding buildings. The Harlowe Theater was glamorous from the front, but the sides of the building were cloaked in darkness. My bare foot stepped in a muddy pool of water in the broken concrete alleyway. A stray piece of glass pierced my skin, and I started to bleed.

“Fuck.”

I limped over to the side of the alleyway, and pushed my hands against the cool brick siding of the historic building. The cool breeze brushed against my skin, and for a moment, I had goosebumps. My skin prickled. Something else was about to happen; I could feel it.

A flame ignited down the long alleyway. I turned towards it, my eyes naturally drawn to the bright light under an otherwise dark sky. My body froze when I saw Owen Masters lighting up a cigarette with his antique Zippo lighter. The wind blew against the flame, but it didn’t extinguish. The flickering light of the fire lit his face, and for a moment, I was transported back to a time long ago. Time stopped as I remembered all that we shared. The good and the bad. But it seemed like only the good crept forward in my memory.

When I leaned back against the brick wall so he wouldn’t see me, my bare foot struck down on the shard of another glass bottle. The sharp edge pierced my skin and lodged in the fleshy pad of my foot. I yelped, an involuntary reaction to the pain shooting through me.

Owen looked up from the flame of his lighter, and called out towards me.

“Who’s there? Are you okay?”

My identity still hidden under a cloak of darkness, I managed to eke out an answer.

“I’m fine.”

Owen walked towards me. His muscular arms and his lean body swaggered as he swooped in to save the day. He was always the hero. That much hadn’t changed.

When he came closer, he held out the Zippo lighter in front of his face. The light from the flame caressed my face, lighting up my features for him to see.

“Abby?” His voice suddenly weakened, and his demeanor became tender, vulnerable. He stretched his arms towards me, as if he were searching for a ghost in the darkness. “Is it really you?”

I turned my face away, as adrenaline coursed through my body. How could I face Owen, after what I’d become? I wasn’t the shy, nerdy girl he’d known back in high school. I’d changed into someone I didn’t even recognize anymore. A vampire.

I stood still, hoping that he’d think he made a mistake, give up, and walk away. I knew that within moments, Caleb would come outside to find me. I didn’t want to know what would happen if Caleb saw me with another man in the alleyway. His hyper-protective instincts might take over, and the dark vampire inside him would emerge.

“Abby.” This time Owen’s voice was stronger, as if he was sure it was me. I shuddered, embarrassed of my feelings that had re-emerged watching Owen on-screen.

“I’m not her…” I started to say as my words caught in my throat.

“Yes, you are. It’s been a long time,” he said slowly. His mouth curved into a mysterious smile.

As he drew closer to me, I smelled the intoxicating, familiar scent of his skin. I tried to block it from my senses. My mind raced, trying to remember why we’d broken up. I love Caleb, I told myself. Why did Owen have any sway on me after all these years?

“Hi, Owen,” I said as I turned my head towards him. A flood of emotions rushed back to me. I steadied myself against the wall to keep my knees from buckling.

He walked closer towards me, as if he was entering a dream. “I heard you’d moved to Hollywood. I hoped we’d meet like this, by accident. I’ve wanted to see you again for so long.”

My lips dried, and my throat went numb. How was I supposed to respond to him? I’d already forgotten about the pain shooting through my foot from the glass shards. All I could think about was Owen. He had the same magnetic pull on me he’d always had.

After all these years, nothing had changed.

I closed my eyes and thought about Caleb. There was no one who I’d ever been more attracted to, and who’d ever stolen my heart the way Caleb had. My relationship with Owen was in the past, and fell back into the shadows when I compared it to the bright, hot love I had for Caleb. Still, there was no denying that part of my soul still connected with Owen. I responded instinctually to the sound of his voice.

A group of Z-list actors and reality TV stars rounded the corner into the alleyway. Their loud, raucous laughter cut the tense mood in the air.

“I have to go.” I limped away from Owen towards the front of the movie theater. He followed me to the sidewalk.

“Why are you walking away from me, Abby?”

I turned back to him, as he stood in a pool of light from the overhead marquee. He looked more handsome than he had on screen, and even more beautiful than I remembered.

“Owen. Things are different now.”

“That’s not a good enough reason. Abby, what happened to you? Why did you stop returning my phone calls? I tried so many times, until you made me feel like a stalker. Why did you run away then, and why are you running away now?”

“Maybe I wasn’t that in to you,” I said coldly. How could I tell him that I’d grown tired of hearing about the other girls he’d cheated on me with when he went to college? I’d come to visit him one time, and I saw a girl in a hoodie rushing out of his dorm room as I turned the corner. She was only one of the many girls he’d bedded behind my back. I’d given him my virginity, and he’d trampled on it.

“You know that’s not it.”

I searched the front sidewalk for a sign of Caleb. He wasn’t there. It was just me and Owen, and the silence between us was deafening. On the other side of the ticket booth, a group of valets smoking cigarettes paid us no attention.

“What do you know?” I turned away from him, to go back inside the theater and find Caleb. As far as I was concerned, the night was finished, and we could leave now.

Owen grabbed my arm, and turned me to face him. He was taller and stronger than I remembered. His aggressive nature was one thing that always turned me on about him. He felt dangerous, and yet, I knew he’d never hurt me. When he drew me closer to him, I smelled something on his skin. The scent of animal-musk, an alluring, masculine scent that intoxicated my senses.

“Talk to me, Abby,” he growled.

“Owen…I…”

Before the words could escape my lips, he kissed me. His mouth was as luscious and as succulent as I remembered. His lips sealed over mine, and the warmth of his mouth melted me. When I realized what was happening, it was too late. His hold had tightened around me, and I couldn’t break free. I had to admit, part of me enjoyed every second of my captivity.

My lips kissed him back, as if they had a mind of their own. The attraction between us was natural, and as strong as ever. When I thought about the tattoo on his neck, and how he’d had it done even after we broke up, it made me weak in the knees. But then I remembered how he’d slept his way around the entire theater department on campus. That still stung, even after all this time.

Still, had I been on his mind all these years? Was I the one who got away?

The thought lingered on my mind for a brief moment. Then, I shook it off and realized that even if Owen was still in love with me, it didn’t matter. I was a vampire now, and I was in love with Caleb Crane. Owen could never understand my needs the way Caleb did.

I pushed away from him, surprised by my own strength. The moment he released me, I saw a streak from the corner of my eye.

Caleb Crane, fangs out, was at a dead run towards Owen. Caleb’s body leapt on top of the Golden Boy, and they both fell onto the sidewalk with a crash.