I paced the floor of the kitchen as my father talked quietly on the phone. Rem was busy cooking dinner, and Marcellus was silently polishing the silverware. I would've worn a path into the tiles of the floor if my father hadn't hung up the phone and turned to me.

"I'll have to leave soon," he said. He glanced at Rem and Marcellus.

Rem sighed and began to package the dinner into tupperware for later. Marcellus set down his work as well, and began to retreat from the kitchen.

"I'll bring the car around as swiftly as possible, sir," he said before vanishing.

Pleased, my father turned to me, a small frown gracing his handsome face. "Are you okay with me leaving for the night?" He asked, unsure.

"Yeah," I said. "Duty calls."

His lips pressed into a thin line as he thought. "I hate to leave you like this, with the rogue vampire running throughout the city," he finally said.

"I understand," I replied. "But I'll have Rem."

"You can invite some of your friends over, if you'd like," he said. "But be sure to have your phone on you all times. I'll check up on you every couple of hours."

"Will you be gone until tomorrow night?"

"Likely not," he answered, sighing. "At least, I hope we can wrap this thing up in a few hours, but you never know."

I nodded, and went up to my room to see who was available to come over. I called Aerin first, but she was babysitting. Then I called Vanessa, but she and her mom were leaving town for the Fall Break. Then Max, but he had sprung an ankle on his skateboard and his mom had grounded him for doing a double flip off of the garage. I went through all of my human contacts until none were left. All of them were either too busy or on house arrest because their parents were freaked out by the incident at the school.

A fingernail found its way between my teeth as I thought. Could I invite Claude and the gang? I hadn't told them where I lived yet, or who my father was. It could shock them, but I couldn't see how that would deter them from hanging out with me ever again. So, I called Kat, silently praying that she didn't have work. Sadly, she did.

"Sorry," Kat whispered into her phone. "I'm already at work and so are the boys. I would tell you to invite Tripp over, but he's busy repairing my laptop."

"It's okay," I mumbled into my phone. "I'll catch you guys tomorrow."

"We're meeting Claude and Rocco at work to hang for a bit tomorrow," Kat said. "You can come, if you want."

"Won't they get in trouble?" I asked.

"Nah, they're boss is cool," Kat said. I heard her shuffle her phone around before she whispered, "Here comes my boss, I'll talk you later."

Before I could get my goodbye out, she ended the call. I sighed. I silently left my room and went downstairs to see my dad bustling out the front door.

"Later, kiddo," he said, and whisked outside.

I waved from the door as the slick black car backed out of the driveway and disappeared into the night. I was completely alone.

Save for Rem. She continued to cook my dinner, making the steak extra rare as a treat. I kept her company in the kitchen, sitting on the granite counter tops as she cooked. We mostly talked about the rogue vampire, and how dangerously close I had been to the victim. Rem was sure that whoever the rogue was would be caught soon, but I wasn't.

As much as I hated to admit it, I was terrified of the rogue. They appeared to be a bloodthirsty phantom in the night, seeking out prey, almost invisible. The search for it had started as a string of murders with victims sharing a loose link; now it was thrown into a whole other realm, seeing as it had claimed Jesse as its latest victim.

That's why I was frightened of them. They had hit home on more than three occasions; scouring for victims in nightclubs, and bodies had been found at the skateboard park and my own school. All three places I frequented and carried out my daily life. What if someone I knew was next? What if it was me?

I gulped. If the murderer was a human, it would be different. I would have a fair chance of defending myself from a mortal, given my half-vampire status. But the chances of the rogue being a full-fledged vampire were astronomically high. The killings only took place at night, and the brute strength it took to mangle the bodies in the way they were found… it had to be a full vampire, there was no way it couldn't be.

A knock echoed throughout the house, pulling me from my thoughts. I turned to Rem, whose eyes were wide. Silently, she set down the spatula she was holding and wiped her hands on her apron. She motioned me to follow, so I hopped down from the counter and trailed behind her as she made her way to the foyer.

Another knock, and it sent my heart racing. Who would be at our door this late at night? None of my friends were coming over, so who could it be? Our talk of the rogue had put me on edge, as it had with Rem.

Her hands became tight fists as she approached the door. Her body was rigid, and if I could see her face, I was sure her eyes would be the color of blood. She was prepared to fight.

Slowly, she threw open the door and moved to strike. She stopped midway to her target and immediately lowered her hands, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good," she said, placing a hand over her fluttering heart. "It's you."

I moved from behind Rem to see who it was, and was surprised as soon as they came into view. Because there, on my front doorstep, stood Jagger Maxwell.

His damp hair was pushed from from his pale angelic face, the metal studs in his ears and the rings that pierced his brow catching the light. A half-unbuttoned pinstriped shirt was tucked into his black skinny jeans, the opening of his shirt revealing the black tattoos that were inked onto his chest. His worn combat boots were untied, showing that he dressed in a hurry. A serious look was plastered on his face.

"I'm sorry, but Lucius is out for the night," Rem said, addressing Jagger. "He said he'd be back in a few hours, if you still want to see him."

"I'm actually here for Lucy," he said, his mismatched eyes overlooking Rem and pouring into mine. "We need to talk."

Rem glanced back at me, confusion twisting her features. "You two know each other?"

My eyes shot back and forth between the two vampires that were staring at me, unsure of what to say. "Uh," I swallowed hard, fighting the anxious feeling that had sprouted in my stomach. Ignoring Rem's question, I moved back from the door, opening it wider for Jagger and gesturing to the kitchen. "Come on, we'll talk inside."

He stepped in, and I guided him through the kitchen to the dining room. I felt his eyes piercing through the back of my head the whole time. As soon as we entered, I made a beeline to the record player that had been set up near the table, placing the needle on the vinyl disc as I cranked up the music. The soft voices of the Flamingos crackled from the ancient speakers, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

That'll fill in any awkward silences...

The table had been prepared for my dad's dinner, the candelabras in the corners lit. Jagger sat at my father's place at the head of the table, so I followed his lead and took my seat next to him. I folded my hands in my lap, my eyes glued to him. I couldn't help it, I couldn't believe Jagger Maxwell was in my house! After he had told me to stay away from him, I didn't expect to see him anytime soon, nonetheless in my own home. I considered it a small blessing; I had wanted to talk to him since my encounter with Luna, but wasn't sure when I'd see him next. I would have never guessed it would be this soon. But I couldn't jump to my interrogation about Luna yet, so I asked him why he was here.

"I mean, it's certainly a surprise," I said. "How did you know where I lived?"

He leaned back, his face cool and calm, arms crossed over his chest. "I've been over here plenty of times. My dad has a seat on the council, too. I'd come to a meeting every now and again."

"Oh," I said. "Then you've met my father."

"Of course," he replied.

I marveled at my own stupidity. That's how Rem knew him… A moment of silence washed over the room and left us staring at each other. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words couldn't come out. I clamped my mouth shut and reached for the glass of water that was set next to my empty plate. I gulped down its contents, settling the anxious feeling in my stomach.

A chuckle left him, a haunting sound that echoed throughout the vast room. A hand raked through his snowy hair, the skeleton rings on his fingers glimmering in the soft light the candles omitted. "Do I really make you that nervous?"

I was shocked by his perceptiveness, but decided to play it off. "I don't know what you mean."

"I can practically see your heart beating through your chest," he said, leaning forward. He placed his elbows on the table, cradling his face in his hands. A sly smile played on his cherry lips. "I must've made a good first impression."

I frowned. "Hardly," I scoffed. "But you didn't come here to talk about that. Why are you really here?"

His smile fell, and he reverted back to his previous position: leaned back and arms crossed. "Your father has ordered me to shut down my club."

"He did?" I asked, surprised. "Why would he do that?"

"Something about the vampire that's killing the townsfolk," he said. "Your father has this ridiculous notion that night clubs play a factor. That the rogue is using them to find their victims."

"Maybe they are," I reasoned.

"So what?" Jagger huffed. "That's not my problem."

I was baffled. "The death of mortals doesn't concern you?"

"That's not what I said," Jagger growled, sending a shiver down my spine. He quickly regained a calm exterior. "I don't see why closing the Dungeon or the Coffin Club would possibly help. Or any of the clubs in the city, for that matter. Especially seeing where the most recent body was found."

I looked away, the events of the this morning flashing through my mind. Jagger noticed.

"Did you know him?" He asked softly.

I shook my head. "Well, we went to the same school. I didn't know him personally."

Rem suddenly entered, pushing a silver cart through the doorway. As she dished out steaming vegetables and bleeding steaks onto the plates in front of us, Jagger politely declined his.

"Really, I didn't intend to stay lo-"

"It's no trouble," Rem interjected, refilling our water glasses.

Jagger hesitated, but finally relented and began cutting into his steak. Satisfied, Rem turned to leave, throwing me a wink before exiting with cart in tow.

"I was there this morning, when the cops were investigating," I continued. "I met his boyfriend, too. He was devastated."

"I'm sure he was," Jagger said, stabbing his fork through his steak. Ruby-colored juices seeped onto the plate. "But closing the Coffin Club or the Dungeon won't help stop the murders, that much is clear."

I sipped on my water, eyeing Jagger carefully. "Why are telling me all of this? Why not talk to my father?"

"I haven't had time and your father seems to be preoccupied," Jagger said, looking up from his food. "I'm telling you all of this so I can ask a favor."

"A favor?" I asked.

Jagger paused. He silently set down his utensils and leaned back in his chair. "Yes, a favor," he said. "I wanted to ask you to talk your father. Convince him to keep all of the clubs open."

Again, for what seemed to be the millionth time today, I was shocked. I stared at him, peering into his mismatched eyes, looking to see if he was joking. He wasn't.

"Why would my father listen to me?" I asked.

"I don't know," Jagger said. "Something tells me he would."

I laughed. "You'd be surprised," I said, returning my attention to my food. I stuffed a piece of steamed broccoli into my mouth as Jagger continued.

"Please, Lucy," he said. "I know we started on the wrong foot, but I'm serious. I would be grateful if you would talk to him for me." He paused, his eyes looking almost pitiful. "If not the Coffin Club, at least the Dungeon. It's so important to so many vampires in the city, not just me."

I looked at him, my face hardened with a stony expression. "Why should I? You banned me from there, anyways." To this, Jagger said nothing, and avoided my gaze to focus on his steak. My mouth set into a hard line as I glared at him. I rose from my seat as the record ended, and flipped it to the other side. I lowered the needle onto the disc slowly as I fumed and thought. Before the song could start, I turned to him and said, "Not to mention ordered your sister to harass me."

Jagger's eyes widened. "I didn't do that."

"Really?" I asked, striding back to my seat. "Then why did she feel the need to approach me and threaten to tell Claude that I'm only half vampire?"

Jagger was appalled. His angelic face grew sorrowful, his eyes pleading. "Lucy, I had no idea she did that," he said. "I only told her about you because I was pissed. Pissed about the Dungeon possibly being revealed to humans. I would never ask her to threaten you."

"My love must be a kind of blind love," the Flamingos crooned. "I can't see anyone but you."

I believed him, but I was still upset about the fact that he had told his sister about me. If she knew my true identity, half of the vampire population probably knew by now. "It doesn't matter," I said. "I'm not going to talk to my father about reopening your club. Besides, it's just temporary. Wait until they find the rogue."

"Are the stars out tonight? I don't know if it's cloudy or night," the words seeped into the air, heavy and unrelenting. "I only have eyes for you, dear."

I continued eating as Jagger sat in silence. Finally, after what seemed to be ages, he stood. Silently, he slid something across the table to me. I didn't bother to spare a glance at what it was, I continued to ignore him as I finished my meal.

"Think about your friends, Lucy" he said. "Think about what the Dungeon means to Claude and all of them."

My heart dropped at his mention of Claude. I wanted to call Jagger out for using him against me, but I had my fill of bantering for tonight. So, I shrugged, seemingly unphased by his remarks. I knew I was being cold, but I didn't care. Part of me wanted to protect innocent humans from being killed by a vampire. Another part of me wanted to get back at him for excluding me from his all-vampire club and telling my secret to his bitch sister.

Jagger sighed, and left the room without another word. I heard him thank Rem for the meal in the kitchen, the muffled footfalls of combat boots stalking towards the foyer, and finally the front door being shut. I stood from my seat, and again walked over to the record player.

"Maybe millions of people go by. But they all disappear from view. And I only have eyes for-"

"Such a serious young man," Rem remarked, striding in from the kitchen. She killed the power on the record player and the Flamingos crackled into silence. Rem began to collect the dishes and helped her clear the table. As I did, I picked up the small card he had left beside my plate. It was his business card. It was matte black with a pair of crimson fangs printed on it, along with a phone number. I flipped it over, and in flowing script was 'Think about it. Please.' written in white ink.

I sighed, stuffing the business card into my pocket. "You have no idea."

AN: Hello, all! Thank you for reading Chapter 14 of Shadow of a Half Blood, my little passion project. I really hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned! Things are about to really pick up :) Favorite, follow and review! I love reading the thoughts and comments you guys have, it really means a lot to me. Much love, and thank you! Have a great one.