“Blood, now,” Ezra demands the moment we are all back in the car. He is sitting up front whilst Devin keeps a hold of Rhain in the backseat. I glance over my shoulder at Rhain, the strain in his face obvious. He looks terrible.

“So, let me get this straight. You want me to drive you to a bunch of people so you can drain them of blood, whilst I sit in the car like some kind of getaway driver?” I say to Ezra, almost hysterical now.

“We won’t drain them, we never do. They will feel a little woozy for a while, but it won’t last long and they won’t remember either. We have ways to make them forget,” Devin says calmly.

I think about the blood bank at the hospital. It would be so much easier if I could get access to a few bags of blood rather than finding them actual people to drink from. The trouble is I don’t have direct access, and this isn’t the movies. I can’t just turn up and talk my way into getting a few bags of blood without someone getting suspicious. I have a reputation and a job to maintain, and I’d be damned if I lost both because of these three maniacs.

“It is preferable you take us someplace where we can maintain a level of privacy. Where it is not so obvious what we are doing. You understand what I mean?” Ezra says.

“We? I thought you weren’t taking blood?” I say.

“I am not taking your blood. I didn’t say anything about others. I need to maintain my strength until I return to Ever Vale. After that I will relinquish my responsibilities and accept my choices.” He looks me over before turning his face away.

Anger courses through me. “Fine,” I bite out. “I think I know the perfect place.” I steer the car out into the traffic. Despite the two glasses of wine I feel perfectly sober.

A few minutes later I pull up outside Ritzy, the local nightclub. I went in there once with an ex-boyfriend. It has a lot of dark corners and slutty women, ideal hunting ground for my newly acquired vamps.

We all get out of the car and head over to the entrance. I notice a gaggle of women ogling the men and find myself feeling unreasonably irritated by it. We don’t bother to queue, the bouncer just lets us in, no questions asked.

“Here we are,” I say as we walk down the stairs into the dimly lit club. “Knock yourselves out.”

Without a backward glance, Rhain and Ezra head off into the direction of the dance floor where at least a couple of dozen scantily clad women are gyrating to the music. I watch from the side as they move into the crowd, there is something incredibly predatory about them. The women on the dance floor seem to notice them both at once and begin to flock towards them. At one point, Rhain looks as though he is about to be overwhelmed by a few of them but he holds his hand up, pointing to one particularly stunning blonde, gesturing her over. The rest of the women make way for her as though they are all under his spell. I bite on my lip, not liking the way she sashays towards him, all long-limbed and perfect body. I feel entirely inadequate, my curvier body nowhere near as perfect as hers. Rhain decides to look up at me then and there is nothing but pure hunger in his eyes. I look away.

On the other side of the dance floor I spot Ezra walk off into a dark corner, a petite red-head following close behind. I wonder where Devin has got to, then almost jump out of my skin as he stands next to me.

“You okay?” he asks. I am startled by his genuine concern.

“Me? I’m just dandy,” I say, unable to keep the sarcasm from my voice.

“I apologise, it was a stupid question. They won’t hurt them. Ezra and Rhain are men of their word.”

“What about you? Have you hurt people?”

I turn to face him, catching the regret in his eyes.

“I have. For the first few hundred years I found it impossible to control my thirst. I killed many, Accacia.” Devin looks away. “If it wasn’t for Ezra, I would have continued on that path. It is thanks to him I am better. He is a good man, I don’t wish for him to die.”

“He doesn’t want my help,” I say helplessly.

“It is not your fault. He is a complicated man.”

I sigh; not sure what else I can say.

“What are you going to do about Rhain?” he says after a moment. “He needn’t suffer, and neither should you. I see the way you look at him.”

“What? I don’t look at him…” I insist.

Devin rolls his eyes. “I am not a fool, Accacia.”

“Look, you can’t expect me to sleep with Rhain just like that,” I say, clicking my fingers. “I’ve known him, you, all of five minutes. You must understand how ridiculous this all is. I didn’t grow up in Ever Vale. I don’t understand the Claiming or your customs. I live here, in this world. Things are different here.”

Devin leans on the rail, looking over the dance floor. “It doesn’t seem so different to me,” he says, pointing to a couple who are wrapped around each other in a heated embrace. I feel a rush of blood warm my face at their intimacy. He’s right of course, people sleep with each other all the time. One-night stands are normal and yet, for me, it needs to mean more than that. “I’m not like everybody else,” I say eventually.

“I’m beginning to understand that.” He rests a warm hand on mine. “But that doesn’t mean to say you should deny your feelings, Accacia. There is nothing wrong in desiring a person, wanting them. How long you have known them is irrelevant.” He holds my gaze a little longer than necessary. I feel as though he wishes to say more, but he doesn’t. Instead, he steps away from me. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to feed.” I notice the tips of his teeth lowering as he presses his mouth against the back of my hand. The soft curls of his hair fall forward and I have the sudden urge to touch them.

“Sure,” I manage to choke out, confused by his words and my reaction to him. A moment later he is gone, lost to the sweaty throng below.

Having no desire to watch Devin choose his prey, I head to the bar and order myself a double vodka. The bartender, a young tattooed lad of no more than twenty, passes me the glass. When I go to pay, he shakes his head.

“Thanks,” I mumble, knocking it back in one go. I’m not sure why I’ve managed to get a free drink but I don’t bother questioning it. Half a minute later another double vodka is pushed in front of me. When I attempt to ask the bartender why he is giving me free drinks, he is called away by another reveller wanting his order.

Picking up my drink, I move away from the bar and wander over to a quieter area of the upstairs seating area. I sit down, grateful for the empty seat. Below me, the mass of writhing bodies seems to have doubled in size. I don’t see any of the men, clearly busy satiating their thirst. It isn’t long until my relative peace is disturbed by a rather drunken man making his way towards me. By the time I realise he has me in his sight, it’s too late to avoid a conversation. He sits down heavily on the arm of my chair.

“S’alright,” he slurs. “Haven’t seen you in here before. What’s your name, darlin’?”

“It’s not darling,” I mutter, instantly irritated. He reeks of beer, and there are sweat patches under his armpits. Just my luck that I manage to pull the biggest slob in the club.

“Darlene, is it? Well Darlene, can I get you another drink?” He points at my empty glass, spilling beer onto my lap.

“No,” I say, getting up. “I’m just waiting for some friends. In fact, they’ve been gone a while, I need to go and find out where they are. So, if you’ll excuse me.”

He stumbles to the side, falling on his arse. “Yep, well, okay then,” he says, before turning his head to the side and puking up the contents of his stomach.

I groan inwardly, step over his legs and head down the stairs to the dance floor. The ground appears to be undulating beneath my feet, and I instantly regret downing two double vodkas. Perhaps the wine from earlier is catching up with me after all? Everything starts to get increasingly blurry as I make my way around the edge of the dance floor and I find myself stumbling into the section of the club cordoned off for VIP’s. Hearing pleasurable moans, I turn and peer into one of the booths. Sitting straddled across Rhain’s lap is the leggy blonde, her head tipped to the side. Rhain’s mouth is pressed against her neck, his eyes closed as he drinks from her hungrily. Thin rivulets of blood drip down her back. He is completely unaware of my presence, and I’m unable to move my feet. I watch as he presses a hand against her lower back, pushing her closer to him. She gyrates her hips against him and lets out another low moan as her skirt rides higher, showing more perfect thigh. His other hand curls into her hair then he pulls his teeth from her neck and kisses her passionately. A sudden surge of jealousy surges through me and I let out a strangled cry. Rhain pulls away from the girl and stares straight at me as I ram a hand over my mouth. He makes no move towards me, instead he lowers his mouth back to her neck and bites, all the while watching me as I step back into the crowd.