"Release her," Caitlyn demanded of a shirtless male vampire who was holding a terrified young woman in front of himself. He couldn't be burned when he was so close to a person, and Caitlyn needed to be able to see him more clearly to be able to successfully work any kind of magic on him. Besides, she wanted a hand-to-hand kill this time. She was itching for a good physical fight. He was standing on the second-floor balcony of a fire-escape. The girl's jumper was torn at the shoulder but she hadn't been bitten yet.

The vampire grinned, baring his extended fangs. He had short, coppery-blonde hair, was clean-shaven and was tall and slim, with a sinewy build. Caitlyn would have found him attractive if he'd had a pulse and some colour in his skin. He had a tiny scar on his right eyebrow, the old wound meaning that he hadn't been born a vampire. He was barefoot, but wearing dark cargo pants.

He said, "Well, hi there, kitten," and then abruptly threw the girl at Caitlyn, who jumped and caught her mid-air, setting her down on her feet.

"Run home," she said, and the girl obeyed, not even sparing a backward glance. Her footsteps pattered around a corner, but neither Caitlyn nor the vampire spared her another glance.

"You're pretty strong," the vampire said conversationally, his eyes locked on the huntress, taking her in, inch by inch. "You know, for a…"

"For a girl?" Caitlyn said coldly, an eyebrow raised. Likewise, her gaze didn't flicker from his. She drew her blade, twirled it menacingly, and stood ready.

"For a human," he said, still grinning. He crouched a little.

"Not quite right," Caitlyn said, taking a step forward.

He sprang across to the roof of the building behind her. Caitlyn jumped to the balcony with one strong leap as he watched. She turned and jumped after him as he took off over the rooftops.

"Cocky bastard," Caitlyn muttered as he glanced back, still grinning, still running, increasing his speed as he saw that she was keeping up.

They soon ran out of buildings as the vampire launched himself out across six lanes of traffic.

"Caitlyn, I don't think you can make…" Caulder said in her ear as she followed. Caitlyn sailed through the empty air over the fast cars below. She knew before she was halfway that she would only just fall short, but she could grab onto one of the windowsills of the building and haul herself up. If the vamp thought she'd fallen she'd be able to surprise him.

She saw the vamp blowing her a kiss as she dropped below the building line. She grabbed and gripped the top edge of the top floor windowsill. Before she knew it he'd reached down and seized her left wrist, the one holding the blade. He yanked her up and pulled her close. He took a handful of her hair in his other hand, deliberately crushing the earpiece. He held hard and shook the blade from Caitlyn's left hand. He then used his grip on her head and her arm to hold her in close as he violently met her lips with his own. He was kissing her hard and hungrily, and clutching her close to his body.

'What the?' was all Caitlyn had time to think before she reflexively kneed him in the groin. She raised her free hand and wrapped vines around his legs from up the side of the building. They were weak because she couldn't see him fully.

She pulled back as he let go of her, and struggled to keep her balance as she almost walked backward off the edge of the building. The vines shrivelled as she lost all concentration. Her left leg was lifted a little in her attempt to regain balance, and the vampire grabbed it and yanked her back, off her feet. She hit her backside and her head on the cement roof and groaned. The broken earpiece fell from her ear. She was just trying to sit up as he crouched by her left side. He wrapped his left arm around her knees and his right arm around her lower ribs, gripping her shirt and pulling it upwards so that he could sink his fangs into the exposed flesh of her waist. She inhaled sharply, gritting her teeth.

Caitlyn was more angry than worried. She knew she'd survive a bite because she was immune to vampire infection and a vamp wouldn't take too much of her blood. But she was angry with herself for letting it happen and she was angry with the vampire for what he was doing to her.

She took a fistful of his hair in her left hand and yanked his head back from her wound. She couldn't kick him and it was a bad angle for a punch but she hit him anyway. He loosened his grip a little and she tried to roll away.

He was stronger than her, and he dragged her back until they were face to face. He kissed her again, getting the taste of her own blood in her mouth. He bit down firmly on her bottom lip so that she bled there too. He was holding her wrists and ignoring her knees hitting his midsection.

She bit him back, hard, in an effort to make him withdraw, but he growled deep in his throat with excitement, his grip on her hands and on her lips tightening in response. He didn't stop, so she head-butted him.

He recoiled in pain, but he was laughing as she scrambled up and away from him. 'Damn fighting him hand-to-hand, the bastard can burn', she thought. She raised her hand above her waist, visualising the focussing of her power, and clenched her fist, but he did not ignite. She took another step away and tried again as he got to his feet.

"What's your name, sweet thing?" he asked, cleaning the blood from his mouth and licking his fingers. He wasn't smiling as arrogantly now, it was more a suggestive leer. His mouth was still open, tempting, as he ran his finger over his lips, the tips of his fangs pink and deliberately visible. His stare was constant, focussed and bright, his ice-blue eyes attempting to hold her there.

Caitlyn couldn't believe that a vampire was actually unnerving her. Her long knife was on the ground behind him. She took a stake from among those belted at her thigh. She threw it at his heart but he reacted and caught it, millimetres from his skin. She had anticipated that he would avoid it in some way, she'd somehow known that he wouldn't be killed by her tonight. The point of her attack was in fact to distract him so she could gather up what was left of her earpiece and leave.

She heard him give a low chuckle as she put distance between them. She had to find out why she couldn't make him burn. She ran, not slowing until she was sure she couldn't feel his presence anymore. She knew he'd let her go without pursuing, which made her even more bewildered.

He gazed at her retreating back with a sneaky smile. "I'm gonna find you, kitten," he promised softly. He took a step forward and went to one knee to retrieve the knife from the ground, testing the blade's sharpness with his finger. The girl was out of sight now, but he used the knife to salute in her direction, then he walked away.

The sun was still a couple of hours from rising when she came into Kevin's line of sight. She slowed down, and let him see clearly that it was her before she got too close, and he waved her in.

"You're bleeding," he commented as she approached, looking at her mouth. A dribble of blood ran from the left corner of her mouth to her chin.

"Yeah, a little," she said, lifting her shirt so he could see the bite mark. There was some drying blood around the wound, but it was already closing.

"Did you get him, or her, at least?" he asked, his eyebrows raised questioningly, as his gaze switched from her stomach to her face.

"Him." Caitlyn said, her mouth set in a hard line, not looking in Kevin's eyes as she let go of her shirt.

"I take it from the expression that he got away."

"No, I ran away." Caitlyn said, shaking her head. "Kevin, I couldn't burn him, I don't know why. He was playing with me," she was angry still, but a little uneasy, too. "Dammit, I didn't even give him a good fight. The bastard's probably laughing right now."

"At least you don't need a cure," Kevin said. "Cheer up. You'll be fully recovered by tomorrow and we can hunt him down." He touched his guns. "If he won't burn, we'll get him the old fashioned way."

Caitlyn huffed, and Kevin could see that she was still annoyed, or upset, or both. Then she straightened, and brought her emotions under control, retaining her focus, and meeting Kevin's eyes again.

"Did my wounded guy get here all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, Caulder was gonna drive him home as soon as you got back."

"Hmm, Caulder," she said with a mock grimace.

"What?"

"He might be a little annoyed with me; the vamp broke my earpiece right before he started the kissing and biting." She felt for the pieces in her coat pocket.

"The what?" Kevin took her arm, thinking he hadn't heard her right.

"That's why my mouth is bleeding." Caitlyn shrugged, putting a finger to the corner of her mouth and looking at it as if to make sure. "The second time he kissed me he bit my lip. I think he just enjoyed making me taste my own blood, like he was trying to make me feel helpless or something. It was about this time that I tried to burn him, and I couldn't.

"It was freaky," she continued, "like he was expecting me to be fast and strong, but he was still so arrogant, not the least bit scared of me, toying with me. He didn't even look surprised when I jumped the highway, even though he knew I was human…well, almost human anyway."

"You jumped the highway?" Kevin was surprised again.

"Just about. If I work on it I think I'd make it next time. I'd just never tried something that big before. But still, he knew I hadn't fallen, he yanked me back up to the roof. Ohh, dammit." Her face screwed up in consternation as she recalled what he'd done next.

"What is it now?" His voice was gentle, coaxing.

"My knife! I had to leave it behind. Whoever-he-is probably has it, my favourite weapon. This wasn't my night." She sighed deeply, and gripped his shoulder in friendly affection. "Thanks, Kev."

"What for," he asked innocently, understanding her. They'd been friends for a while.

"You know," she smiled, "for letting me rant at you, and get it out of my system. I'll see you inside when your shift's over."

"Yeah, okay," he said. She walked past him as he added, "And Cait'?"

She looked back at him.

"We'll get him." Kevin finished as reassuringly as he could.