Izzy didn't wait for an answer. She ripped my hands from the ledge, and my entire body went limp in her grasp. My feet scraped the rock wall, trying to find a footing. With impossible strength, she stood with me in her grasp, dangling me over the edge of the quarry. Vertigo and adrenaline hit me at the same time. Bile rose in my throat as a scream sprouted from my lips. A violent shake from Izzy quickly silenced me.

"Shut up," she hissed harshly. "You scream again, and I'll let go."

I stared up at her, my brows knit in confusion. Izzy's vice-like grip cut off all circulation, and my hands began to feel icy and numb. "Don't do this," I croaked.

Izzy shook me again, harsher and angrier than before, and I choked back all of the vomit that tried to come up. "Silence," she snapped. "If you cooperate, I'll make this painless."

My head swam, bright stars dancing across my vision. The music grew louder, swelling in my ears like a funeral dirge. My breathing became labored, the air around me heavy. Sweat collected on my brow, running down my face in streams. Izzy swung my body around, throwing me carelessly to the rocky side of the quarry. My hands instinctively reached out to catch myself. The knife-sharp stones that protruded from the wall cut into my palms. My legs crumbled beneath me, as if made of paper.

"Shit," I hissed, wincing from the abrupt spark of pain. I stared in horror as I turned my hands over to see the gashes covering them, the beads of blood that budded on my palms running down my fingers. Gravel crunched under Izzy's boots as she stepped towards me, and I whipped around to peer into her bright red eyes. My heart skipped a beat.

"Please, Izzy," I whispered, curling closer to the steep side of the quarry. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, fearing that if I did, she would attack. My bloodied hands blindly searched for something, anything that would help me. "Don't do this."

Izzy smirked. Her lips curled over her razor-sharp fangs in a demeaning smile."I'm sorry, Lucy," she said, running a hand through her bleached locks. "I don't expect you to understand, but fresh blood is hard to come by these days."

I swallowed past the lump that formed in my throat. "Because of the Coffin Club?"

Izzy stared at me hard. "Why would you think that?" She asked slowly, almost hesitant. It was as if that she had forgotten about our fight.

"I know about the rogue."

Izzy looked shocked. "Who told you about that?" She demanded. "How do you know about the rogue?"

"The guy I'm looking for is a vampire. He told me about them," I quickly lied. "He told me about the council, why the clubs were shutting down, everything."

She eyed me queerly. "Claude," she whispered, remembering the name I had shouted earlier. "Claude Sterling is who you were with?"

I nodded. "And he's going to keep looking for me until he finds me, and he will find me," I stated. "If you let me go, I won't tell him about this."

The red-eyed vampire didn't miss a beat. She cruelly laughed, stepping closer. "You think I'm afraid of a Sterling?" She asked, mocking. "Nothing about that loser-wannabe vampire scares me."

I bit my lip, thinking of another way to intimidate her. "He'll tell the council, then."

Izzy clicked her tongue. "Is that so? Perhaps Claude hasn't fully elaborated on the terms and conditions that we vampires operate upon. We're allowed to feed in humans, even kill them if so be it. But we're told to keep our kill numbers contained, given hunting grounds to maintain the damage, and we have to report any deaths to the council. The only thing different about the rogue is that they kill needlessly, publicly, and their identity is completely unknown to the council. It's not the deaths of humans that concerns the elders, Lucy," Izzy chuckled darkly. "They have someone that they cannot control, and that is the only thing they hate the most."

My head reeled. I couldn't believe what she had just said, about the council allowing the deaths of humans. As the weight of her words crashed down on me, I didn't notice Izzy was close until she was inches away from my face.

"It's so silly that the council actually believed that shutting all of the clubs down would help cut down on the murders," she said. "All it does is make it worse. Now, with all these shit-brained kids throwing parties in the middle of nowhere, hunting is so much easier."

She wrenched one of my hands from the ground. I groaned as I tried to resist, pulling as hard as I could. But my efforts were useless. She smirked as she examined my palm smeared with blood and dirt.

"I wouldn't even doubt it if the rogue was here tonight," she mused. "If it wasn't going to be me doing this, it would've been him. Because, truth is, you're just human, Lucy. And that makes you incredibly stupid. Even the fact that you trusted Claude makes you foolish. He would've helped himself to your blood soon enough." She gazed at my blood-smeared palm. "If he hasn't already, that is."

Izzy's grip on my hand tightened as she rolled up the sleeve of my jacket, revealing the thin blue-green ribbons that weaved under my skin. Her crimson eyes glowed brighter, the promise of fresh blood her main focus. She was too concentrated on the thrill of feeding to notice anything else, even my free arm extended behind me, resting on a pile of jagged stones.

"Hmm, I don't see any bite marks here," Izzy mused, running a cold finger over the length of my arm. She tugged at the collar of my shirt, and examined my naked throat. "Or here...", she remarked, seemingly joyful. "I guess Claude never got around to feeding off of you."

My hand closed around a cold hard object. "He cares about me," I spat. "He would never hurt me like that."

"Maybe so," Izzy sneered. Her eyes glimmered as she did, and the dragon tattooed above her brow appeared to be sneering along with her. "Or maybe he was too pussy to do it."

I didn't hesitate. I hurled the cold object in my hand towards her head. Izzy didn't have time to react or defend herself as the huge rock smashed into the side of her face, knocking her onto her back.

She howled in pain, but I didn't have time to watch her squirm in the dirt. I scrambled to the sheer edge of the quarry, and didn't think twice about jumping. I plummeted to the ground below, tucking my legs under me as my mind flashed back to all of the countless action movies scenes where the main hero rolled into a ball to cushion their fall. My attempt landed me in a cloud of dust, sprawled on my back in the gravel like an earthworm, but otherwise unharmed.

I groaned as I struggled my way up, shuffling towards the bright lights and the crowd in the center of the quarry floor. I ran as fast as I could with a busted knee, closer to drunk dancers and rabid ravers. I was only a couple hundred feet away from the crowd when I felt a cold hand wrap around my the back of my neck. I screamed, but it was quickly muffled by Izzy's freezing hand. She twisted me around, and I was met with her pretty face twisted in indescribable anger, her fierce red eyes narrowed. Blood matted her blonde bangs and trickled down her cheeks.

"You…" she snarled, her grip on me tightening. "You couldn't just let me feed peacefully, could you?"

I bucked and struggled, whipping my head wildly. If only I could get out one scream, to let someone know what was happening. But Izzy was relentless.

"I was going to let you live, y'know," she said cooly, breaking her fiery facade. "But you fucked up, Lucy. You really did."

Izzy dragged me along with her as she inched back towards the darkness that circled the pit. I dug the heels of my boots into dirt, trying to slow her down.

Izzy let out a quiet laugh. "I can see why Sterling kept a human pet like you," she said, amused. "You have fire in you. But that's going to end really soon, you mortal bitch."

We were near the rocky wall of the quarry when Izzy finally stopped. I felt absolute dread consume me. Izzy, in her manic state and trying to bury her fangs into my jugular, made her final mistake. As desperate hunger consumed her, her hand slipped from my mouth. This was my last chance of escape. I clamped my teeth around her stone-hard hand and bit as hard as I could. Blood seeped into my mouth, liquid fire that tasted like iron and cherries. Izzy screamed.

"Let go of me!" She roared as she flung her arm violently, trying to shake me off. I held on, my jaw constricting with so much force that I felt the muscles in my cheeks pop. My whole body whipped around as Izzy continued to free the hand that my teeth were embedded in.

Pain erupted from the top of my skull, and stars danced across my vision. Izzy's blow to my head worked as she had planned. I immediately loosened my hold on her and she was sent staggering back. I faced her, the brilliant flash of the strobe lights dancing with the stars that only I could see. Izzy held her hand against her chest, and I couldn't make out the expression on her face that was cast in darkness.

"What the fuck are you?" She whispered, staring at my bloodied face and ravenous eyes. "No... you couldn't be..."

I didn't respond, and instead spat a mouthful of her sweet-tasting blood onto the ground. I didn't want any of that monster's blood in me. It took a few moments to totally clean my mouth of crimson-colored spit and scrub my tongue with the edge of my tattered shirt. I glared at Izzy.

Her attempt to hunt was over. But I didn't want to run away yet. I was filled with so much rage and adrenaline that my body responded to my immediate thoughts before I could comprehend them. I moved towards Izzy, she took a step back. She turned to run as I pounced on her. Her cries filled the air but was drowned out by the shrill voice of Sid Vicious as I pushed Izzy to the ground. My fists wailed down on her, her body writhing underneath me like a trapped snake. My left hand delivered the blows as my right clawed away at her arms she put up to defend herself.

As I pinned down her injured hand against her chest and about to deliver a devastating blow, I felt someone pulling at my shoulders, dragging me away from Izzy. I feared the worst. That bitch of a vampire must've had an accomplice to her murderous exploits; backup for when she couldn't handle a victim by herself. I flailed my arms wildly, and landed a few blows on my assailant behind me. The only other thing I could do was kick my legs and whip my head back and forth, desperately trying to escape. I felt a pull on the collar of my jacket, and my unseen assailant effortlessly drug me away a few feet from where Izzy laid.

"Let go of me, bastard!" I screeched, my fingernails clawing flesh.

"Stop, Lucy!" A voice commanded. "I'm here to help you!"

I hoped it was Claude, but I knew it wasn't my gothic knight in chic leather armor. The voice had the same silky Transylvanian accent that Claude had, but the way they said my name…

All of the energy and rage I had suddenly zapped away, and my arms fell to hang uselessly against my sides as I felt my body relax. It almost felt as if I was fainting, the way my body went slack and tilted towards the earth. I would've cracked my skull open if an unseen figure hadn't caught me. As they gently cradled my body against their's, I felt a cold hand run over my blood-stained cheek.

"You're okay, Lucy," Jagger offered quietly, but I only closed my eyes in response, too tired to speak.

"What the fuck is this?" I heard Izzy say.

"Elizabeth," Jagger warned.

"She's not human," Izzy spat. "She's a fucking half-blood, an abomination."

"Elizabeth!" Jagger snapped.

"I wasn't really going to kill her, either," Izzy quickly stated, diverting the conversation. "I just wanted to get her blood pumping, that's all."

I felt Jagger's body tense behind me. "That's a new low, even for you," he said harshly. "You know there's plenty of willing donors out there. Preying on a bunch of drunk kids is pathetic, and torturing someone who shares our blood is unforgivable."

I opened my eyes to watch Izzy's face as it hardened, but quickly morphed into a look of shame, like a child who had just been scolded by their parent. She opened her mouth to speak, either another rebuttal or an apology, but Jagger cut her off.

"I'll deal with you later," he hissed. "I can't stand to look at you right now."

"Jagger," Izzy stammered. "I wasn't going to do anything bad, I was only going to—"

"Go!" Jagger barked. "And don't you dare tell anybody about this, Elizabeth, or I'll have your fucking head on a spike."

Izzy seemed to take Jagger's threat seriously, and I observed her shameful expression contort to visible fear. Without another word, Izzy faded into the blackness of the quarry. Our fight was finally over.

A moment's silence passed between Jagger and I. I couldn't think of a way to properly thank him for saving me from Izzy. I couldn't even begin to form a cohesive sentence to say. My thoughts were still fuzzy and trying to make sense of the events that just occurred.

"Lucy," I heard Jagger say. "Are you okay?"

I suddenly snapped out of my thoughts and back to the present, and realized he was still holding me in his arms. It that wasn't entirely uncomfortable, but definitely awkward. I nudged his arms away from my waist, and he complied. I stood and took a step forward, trying my best to support my weight on my one good knee.

"I'm fine," I lied, desperately trying to conceal my still-bleeding palms.

I didn't know what kind of expression I expected him to have, but as I turned to face him, the look that was cemented on his face surprised me. He looked sad, his mismatched eyes filled with an emotion I could only describe as sorrow.

He motioned to my hands beside me. "Let me take a look," he said softly.

I hesitated. Sure, he had just saved me from a blood-hungry vamp, but how could I really trust him? Jagger Maxwell was the same strange boy who had tasted my blood without asking not even a couple of weeks ago. How do I know he didn't chase off Izzy so he could feed on me instead?

Jagger eyed me strangely, but seemed to understand my dilemma. "I'm not going to hurt you, Lucy," he offered kindly, almost with a hint of warmth (if he was even capable of that). "I'm your friend."

Friend. Now that was different. I sucked in a deep breath, stretched out my hands so he could see the damage. He let out a low whistle.

"My, my," he chuckled. "You always seem to get yourself hurt somehow, don't you?"

"What does that mean?" I asked, irritated enough to try to wrench my hands away from him.

His hold on me was firm. "I didn't mean like that," he explained softly, still examining my wounds. "I only meant that you're prone to recklessness even if you're smart about it."

I stood quietly as I watched Jagger reach into his jacket pocket, and retrieve a small handkerchief embroidered with some sort of sigil. He tore the fabric into three strips and proceeded to wrap two of the pieces around my bloody palms. With the bandages snug, he began to wipe away the streaks of Izzy's blood that remained on my face, a ghost of a smile creeping on his lips.

"You know what?" Jagger said as he cleaned the last of the blood, "I'm kinda proud of you."

"Proud... of me?" I asked, stuffing my bandaged hands deep into the pockets of my coat. "Why?"

"I would've never thought in a million years that you could take on a full-fledged vampire," Jagger said. "But when I saw you fight off Izzy, I realized that I had severely underestimated you."

Jagger's words coaxed a smile out of me, surprisingly. But it faded quickly. "I could've killed her, though," I whispered. "And I would've if you hadn't come when you did."

Jagger's smirk faded back into his usually stony expression. He reached back into his pocket and retrieved a small cigarette lighter. He lit the corner of the blood-stained scrap of cloth and threw it to the ground. We watched as it ignited into a ball of flame. "You couldn't help it, Lucy. It's every living creature's instinct to preserve yourself. Anyone would've done the same."

I thought over his words. Finally, I asked, "How did you know where I was?"

"Claude was the one who asked me to look for you," Jagger said. "When he asked me if I knew where you were, I instantly knew you were in trouble."

I took the few steps between me and Jagger. "That doesn't really answer my question," I said. "How did you know where to look?"

Jagger's eyes flashed towards me. "Just a hunch."

I didn't like his answer, but decided to drop it. Maybe good luck is on my side after all, I thought.

"Earlier, when I was with..." I shuddered, incapable of saying her name, "Her... she said that the rogue could be here."

"It's possible," Jagger said. "The rogue is deadly when they're attacking clubs in the city, where anyone could catch them. Here, they're unstoppable."

"You admit it, then," I stated smugly. "The rogue was targeting clubs."

Jagger sighed, shaking his snow-white locks. "Is gloating to the person who came to your rescue really appropriate?"

I immediately dropped it, although I was secretly pleased with myself. But a sudden thought stopped my self-celebration short. "Do you think I stand a chance against the rogue?" I asked. "If they ever chose to attack me?"

Jagger chuckled. "What makes you think Izzy isn't the rogue?"

My mouth settled into a frown, annoyed that he was avoiding my answer. "She hesitated too much," I explained. "She made too many mistakes and she kept monologuing about how she was going to kill me. That doesn't sound like a seasoned killer to me."

Jagger finally turned from the crowd to face me. "What makes you think I'm not the rogue?"

My heart skipped a beat, and my gaze met his. I sensed a new tension from him. "I don't understand what you're trying to get at."

"What makes you think Claude isn't the rogue? Or Kat, for that matter? It wouldn't change a thing if you knew who they were," Jagger stated. "They will kill more at every opportunity. Even more will die while unsuspecting humans throw parties in the middle of nowhere."

I pressed my mouth into a hard line, my eyes narrowing. "They'll kill more people if the clubs remain closed, is what you're getting at," I said. Jagger nodded, and I felt a wave of heat burn into my cheeks.

"Just think of all of the ways they can get away with it, Lucy," he continued. "If the council would only reopen the nightclubs, it won't be the bloodbath that's bound to happen in the next few weeks. If only you would talk to your father—"

"Don't you dare," I snapped. "Don't you fucking dare pin this on me."

Jagger seemed shocked by my words. "What do you mean?"

I seethed, suddenly disgusted with the sight of him. I limped away, across the gravel pit, my eyes searching for any sign of Claude. "Exactly what I said," I snarled.

Jagger rushed in front of me, stopping my tedious trek. "What do you mean, Lucy?" He asked. "What did I say?"

"Who the rogue kills has nothing to do with me!" I barked. "And don't assume that I have a part in this because of who my father is. You act like you care if humans die, but you only care about your damn club!"

Jagger looked appalled. "I never implied anything of the sort, Lucy," he said.

"Move!" I tried to shove my way past him, but he was immobile, like a stone wall. I glared up at him, angrier than I had been in the fight with Izzy.

"Not until you explain what you mean," Jagger stated, calm as ever.

"I don't like what you're trying to do, Jagger," I hissed. "When we first met, you degraded me because I was a half-blood. You put me in danger when you decided to tell your sister about me. You risked my life when she threatened to expose me to my friends about what I am. Now your precious club is shut down and who do you come to?"

Jagger didn't answer. His eye contact never wavered, and neither did his shocked expression.

"Me," I said, my voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. I hadn't noticed the tears that stung my eyes until they were rolling down my face. "You came to me. Only because of who my father is. You want me to help you... but why should I?"

I had so much more to say. But the words wouldn't come out. I took another long moment to examine Jagger's face, to understand what he might be thinking. This boy is driving me fucking crazy, I suddenly realized. Ever since I had met him, every encounter was like a roller coaster of reactions and emotions that threw me through a confusing loop. I didn't understand any of it.

But after a long moment of silence I decided it was finally time to find Claude and get the hell out of this place. I needed sleep and a good cry, and my father's house was the only place I wanted to be.

I moved past Jagger, who stood cemented in place as I walked towards the ever-raging crowd. I didn't bother to take one last glance before I dove into the sea of bodies.

The only person I wanted to see was Claude.

Hello, all of my lovely readers! I'm very sorry for the horribly late update, but so much has happened! I won't give any excuses, but I'm happy to say that I've finished my last year of college and now have a degree! I'm so happy to return to this fanfic as an outlet of creativity as I wander through the many stages of post-graduate life . I hope you stick around for the next chapter in Lucy's story. As always, please leave any thoughts you have, I love to read the comments! Thank you and stay tuned!