A/N: This is just a short little story I wrote for Novel Novice Twilight's March/April fanfic contest. It's my take on how Riley and Victoria first meet and how that leads up to his transformation. Thanks for reading!

First of an Army

I saw her out of the corner of my eye as she moved silently into the bar. I had seen her there the night before while I was shooting pool with my frat brothers and I couldn't get over how strikingly beautiful she was. I know it may sound odd, but I have always found myself drawn to red-heads and the fiery orange/red of her hair had made me keep my eyes on her the whole time she was in the bar.

Sadly, she had left before I had gotten up the courage to buy her a drink or even talk to her. She had walked in, spoken to one of the bartenders (who had looked scared shitless watching her leave) and then she was gone. Faster, it seemed, than the blink of an eye.

It would have been a lie to say that I had gone back to the bar for any reason other than the hope of bumping into her again. Of course I didn't tell my boys that. But there was something about the way that she carried herself that was full of sexy confidence that was different than any of the girls I had met at Seattle Pacific University. The mysterious redhead had intrigued me into going back to the bar that night in hopes that I would find myself running into her again.

I was on my fourth beer and I could feel the buzz starting to form a haze on my mind. I had decided that if she didn't show up by the time I was finished with that one, I would leave. I would have been a little disappointed but no worse for wear. And that's when I saw her from the corner of my eye as I took a long swig of beer. She moved with more grace and stealth than I would have thought possible at the same time. There was something almost wild about the mixture of her hair and the way she moved. Wearing a long, formfitting black shirt and equally dark black skinny jeans, I found it difficult to tear my eyes away from her curvy figure. She paused just inside the door, took a deep breath in through her nose and then her eyes quickly centered on me alone.

I instantly turned my head, refocusing all of my attention on the basketball game on the TV above the bar. I swallowed hard and could feel my heart rate quicken. The last thing I wanted was for this beautiful creature to know that I was checking her out. I might not have been the smoothest player in the Phi Kappa Phi fraternity but I wasn't a complete moron when it came to women. And if there was one thing I knew, it was that you never let a woman know you're interested.

"See something you like, sugar?" Her voice was low and melodic and I could feel her cool breath against my ear. I inhaled her scent in the next breath- before I was able to speak- and found myself almost intoxicated as the earthy fragrance of a meadow and wildflowers swirled around in my head, making it difficult to think let alone speak.

"I…uh…" I stuttered like an idiot. The air around us felt like it had an almost electric charge and I turned to look at her then, to take in the beauty that was this red-haired woman.

She quickly moved to the other side of me, keeping me from seeing her face and she whispered in my other ear, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand. "I saw you staring at me last night. I thought you looked like you could use some adventure. Follow me."

I cleared my throat. I had certainly never expected this woman to give me a second glance let alone be so forward with me. I felt my chest puff out a little at her words. Yeah, maybe I was cocky; but god this girl was gorgeous.

"Why don't you sit down and let me-" I turned my head to finally get an up-close look at her to find that she was halfway to the door. "…buy you a drink." I finished to the empty space beside me.

My brow furrowed involuntarily and I pulled my wallet out, threw a 20 dollar bill on the counter for my beers, and took off after her. I pushed out into the chilly evening air and caught a glimpse of her red hair rounding the corner to the alley next to the bar.

"Hey!" I called. "Wait up." I jogged to where I had just seen her disappear and found myself being pushed up against the wall of the brick building. My mind was hazy and thick from the alcohol in my system, but I was pretty sure I wasn't being mugged.

Her lips were at mine instantly, cold and hard and demanding. Her eager hand on the back of my neck sent a shiver down my spine as she pulled herself close to me. My head was swimming and I was finding it nearly impossible to breathe but she kept our mouths connected. I placed my hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, surprised when she didn't budge an inch at my insistence.

"Wait…" I said breathlessly, tearing my lips from hers, attempting to catch my breath. I swear a low growl escaped her lips as she took a step back. I rubbed my temples as I attempted to regain my composure and some sense of sobriety. "I don't even know your name…" I said quietly, glancing up at her.

"Victoria," she practically spat. Her voice was high and somehow almost song-like. And even though I knew the tone of her voice was meant to be menacing, I was more intrigued than anything. It was then, under the pale moonlight, that I caught my first glimpse of her crimson colored eyes.

My blood ran cold and I know my gasp was audible; the way she looked at me- like I was more of a snack than a make-out partner- made my heart race uncontrollably.

She giggled, and her long fingernails grazed my bare arm until she was pushing up the sleeve of my black t-shirt. "Don't worry, handsome. It will only hurt for a minute. I have some big plans for you."

I shook my head. "Listen, I'm down for a lot of crazy stuff. But I don't do the whole 'hurt so good' crap." I took a couple steps back from her and gave her a strained smile. "And the name's Riley."

"Well, Riley," she whispered, taking my earlobe gently between her teeth causing me to shiver again. And how had she even gotten that close to me so fast? A second ago I was three feet away. "How'd you like to help me be the leader of a group far more exciting than your little frat?"

I cocked a brow at that. This Victoria woman was really a piece of work. I was having a really difficult time figuring her out, which was rare for me. I could usually pick any woman out of the crowd and know her story. But Victoria was definitely something new, something exciting.

"I don't know…" I began quietly, questioning her with my eyes. I felt my heart thump loudly in my chest as I met her gaze, realizing again just how distinct and bright red her irises were. They almost glowed in the dim light of the alley. I knew that I should run. There was something in my brain, an alarm going off perhaps, telling me to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. But there was something else that had me frozen in place. I'm not sure if it was attraction or intrigue that kept my feet from moving, but I was acutely aware of the fact that I should be doing anything within my power to get away from her.

She sighed and tapped her foot, looking as if she was growing impatient. Her hands slid up to my shoulders and she snaked them around my neck, pulling me closer to her. Her lips melded with mine again, a little gentler this time, but with far more passion. She pulled back abruptly to look me in the eye.

"You should know I don't take no for an answer."

I felt my entire body tense as the words sunk in. She gave me an almost evil grin before kissing me again, eager and intentional. She kissed a line down my jaw and to the hollow of my neck. The first nip at the sensitive flesh had startled me. A second later there was a sharp pain in the same place which quickly spread throughout my entire body.

"Don't worry Riley…" I heard her coo gently in my ear as I hit the ground with a thud. Her hand was clamped securely over my mouth, keeping my scream from being anything but muffled. "I'm going to take you to places you've never imagined."

The fire within my body burst hotter until it consumed every part inside and out. I screamed until I felt my throat ignite in flames and squelch my voice and stop my breath. I heard her say something that sounded like "James was never this weak," but the words didn't seem to make sense and they barely even registered on my radar as the flames licked and burned my skin and organs. And then there was nothing but darkness. And then there was nothing at all.