Our story continues...

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Khains eyes hardly left her face, although he did look to see where they were going. He smiled and led her through the maze of streets. Well, he followed her actually; he hadn't made the decision to go night-clubbing. He smiled anyway. Up ahead, he could see the neon lights of the nearest club and the crowds and swarms of mortals clinging to the building. He gave her hand a light squeeze and smiled at her. They neared the building, anticipation high.

Rae smiled back. She hadn't been to a club in a while now, and she had missed it. It was never hard for her to sneak into clubs. She was 16, but she looked about 20; that was what all her..."friends" had said. She pulled a small fake I.D. Card out of her pocket. She chuckled. Club guards were blockheads. They never knew a thing. She quickly flashed it at the guard's face and passed on, waiting at the door for Khain.

Music, even from within the building, was pounding against Khain's eardrums. A smile flickered on his face as he watched Rae enter the building slightly. With the quick flick of his wrist, an I.D. appeared in his hand, he flashed a smile to the guard, who looked as if he had drank too much vinegar. As the guard let him in, Khain's smile turned into a vicious smile which showed his fangs; the guard didn't notice. He went to Rae and then nodded slightly.

Rae chuckled. She enjoyed being sinister much more than her boring old life. Yes, yes...there were ups and downs... But who the heck cared? She entered, seeing the familiar sight of bodies dancing and extremely loud, vulgar music playing. She saw a lot of things that teenagers shouldn't be allowed to see. Rae sighed. She had missed the night-life. She re-joined hands with Khain and they sat down at the bar to their right. Now, the best part is, since she got in as a 21-year-old, she could drink. She ordered three shots of vodka...her favorite.

His gaze drifted over the hundreds of mortal bodies, sheer delight shown clearly on his face. It had been a while since he had been to this club, but then, who could forget such profane dancing? Couples seemed to join as one, in their dancing, and the floor was stained in sweat and alcohol. He smiled, even at the light stench of sweat. He turned to Rae and smiled, as he adjusted himself in the seat. He wouldn't drink tonight, no, rather enjoy the time with Rae.

The bartender set down her shots before her. She picked one up and turned to Khain and smiled back, momentarily showing her fangs. "To vampiracy," she said. She didn't mind saying it outwardly, for she knew that unless she yelled, no one around them could hear her except Khain. Rae held up the glass in a toast, and then she tilted her head back and downed the vodka in one gulp, its bitter yet satisfying taste tingling down her throat.

Khain smiled at the bartender, barely noticing a woman brush past him on the chair next to him. He ignored the purposeful nudge she gave him. He rolled his eyes and then smiled at Rae. "To vampiracy," he agreed, eyes showing excitement. He watched her down the drink in one gulp and laughed aloud. He had never known someone, mortal or not, that had this much good company with him. He enjoyed her company well.

The strong drink sent shivers up her spine, and she felt dazed for a moment. Ah..." she said with relief as she rubbed her sinus points. "So!" she said suddenly, standing from her seat. She gave a tiny bow, and held out her hand. "Shall we?" She smiled. Then she looked down at herself. Sneakers...jeans...sports jacket. "I'm not exactly dressed for the part, though...am I?" She looked up at Khain and shrugged her shoulders.

He watched her with interest, eyes never leaving her body or face. He stood after her and smiled, bowing his head in agreement. "We shall..." came his reply. His eyes studied her outfit, and he could not help but to smile. He laughed and then shook his head. "No, but you look good all the same," he said while drawing close to her and planting a kiss on her cheek.

Rae smiled, her cheeks blushing ever so slightly. "Well, then 'Shall We Dance?'" She laughed, taking Khain's hand and leading him towards the dance floor.

He laughed. "So we shall," he said, while following her into the heavily crowded dance floor. He smiled, the fumes of blood almost too tempting, and with Rae so close, it seemed the night couldn't get any better.

Just as soon as their feet had entered the dance floor, the perfect clubbing song began to play: Brittany Spears' "Toxic". Rae heard the music. Though she wasn't much of a pop fan, music such as this appealed to her when dancing with someone she liked. She came close to him, giving a mischievous smile.

As soon as he heard the music, he smiled, the grin never leaving from his face. He looked around first, seeing the rough movements of the mortals, because of the lighting, as the lights above were flashing on and off repeatedly with a dazzling array of colors. He draped his arm around her waist, head swarming with music and beats, a smirk playing on his lips.

Rae smiled, and she began moving, mimicking the people around her; spinning and bumping and all that rot. She twirled around in his arms, and a feel of adrenaline and joy all mixed into one boat. She felt love, happiness, excitement, and she was a little drunk, since she hadn't had vodka in about a month and wasn't used to it. She was a little tipsy, yes. But this never hindered her movements for now, all of them in time and under the beat...but her head began to swim...the people blurred...the music throbbed like a headache...she felt faint...

He danced with her, laughing aloud at her antics, though he could admit, she could dance well, real well, even if drunk. The rush of the music was pounding in his head and on his eardrums. His emotions were set high, love and anticipation gripped him, as well as the music, and happiness above all grew in his heart. He studied her, while even dancing, the beat seemingly getting louder and louder. She seemed beautiful to his eyes, and he knew she was.

All seemed blurry to Rae. The music started to fade away...she couldn't feel her limbs. What was this? She knew it wasn't the alcohol; it would never affect her like this. But she thought, as well as she could. Was it possible that the bartender had put something in it? Then suddenly, her thoughts broke. All was black. She fell.

Khain abruptly stopped as soon as he saw Rae fall. He almost yelled out a cry of despair but instead he knelt by her and picked her up. The feet of mortals nearly crushing her, he hissed at them and carried her outside. The guard paid no mind to him; Khain's actions grew panic. He carried her to a nearby bench and laid her there. "Rae?" he whispered near to her, voice almost cracked in emotion.

Her black world swirled around her. In a distant sound, the beats of the music faded away. She heard a faint hiss of a whisper, almost like water flowing. She thought it was her name, but couldn't make it out. Her head swam and was filled with pain. Her gut felt jumbled, and her mouth felt dry. What had that idiot bartender done to her?

Khain searched for the reasons of how this could've happened. Thinking back on the events, the only event that seemed plausible was the bartender. He would handle him later, the thought made him smile bitterly. But now he must tend to Rae. "Rae," he said louder, almost demanding her attention. "Don't leave me..." the last words were spoken softer, as he pleaded her to stay.

Again, Rae heard the swirling sound of a voice...but this time she made it out. It was Khain, calling her name. Unconscious, she made an effort to respond. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She reached farther with her mind... Suddenly her eyes flew open. She sat up straight, eyes wide and breathing hard. She looked around and saw Khain's worried face. Her stomach gave a lurch, and her muscles gave way. She fell back onto the bench, but lay there conscious, looking at Khain. "...Khain..." she said faintly.

His hand moved to brush away the stray strands of hair from her face, tenderly and caringly. He prayed silently for her to not leave him; though for centuries he had never prayed to any god. He saw her open mouth and he drew nearer to her, gripping her hand steadily. He noticed her eyes fly open, and panicked when she tried to sit up and fail. When hearing his name, he squeezed her hand lightly. "Yes, I'm here," he said to her, gazing down at her.

Rae looked into Khain's eyes, but everything was still blurry. Her stomach churned. "What did he do to me?" Rae was now fixed upon the idea that the bartender had poisoned her with some intoxicating drug. She, of course, wasn't sure, but she knew something was wrong with her health. Rae's stomach lurched again, and she winced.

He gazed down at her softly, worrying ceaselessly. He thought to himself about what could've caused it, but he couldn't make head or tails of it. "I don't know..." he admitted. "Did you know the bartender at all?" He asked the question, though he was still in doubt, he wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't take her to the hospital, they would think it more than weird when they found out she had no heartbeat and was still living.

"Yes..." said Rae softly. "He and I would talk a lot-" She stopped abruptly as her head gave a horrible pain. "Urgh...he and I would talk a lot about my life and how sad it was..." She closed her eyes, only because the blurriness around her was making her feel sicker than she already was.

He listened quietly, though his worried eyes never left her face. As he listened, he grew angrier. "I'll kill him for this," he swore aloud, looking up towards the building. Then noticing her eyes shut, he let in a sharp breath. "Don't leave me, not now," he pleaded in a whisper. He held her hand and kissed it every so often.

Rae smiled and opened her eyes. "Relax a little, Khain." She patted his hand. "I just needed some rest..." Much like an old granny who has just been told she can't do something, Rae supported herself with an arm and pushed up until she was in a sitting position on the bench. "I'll be fine..." But even then, her eyes had begun to droop from exhaustion of sickness.

He made a pouting face, which would have been quite funny if not for the circumstances. "No, you're not fine..." he started, but then sighed. "But...I guess I can't stop you from doing what wills you." He looked at the building and scowled. He nodded when turning back to her. "Yes, I'll make sure you'll be fine, love." He went and sat beside her, holding her hand in protection.

Rae adjusted herself; she felt stronger. The toxins, whatever they were, were now leaving her body. Her acute vision returned, and her head cleared. She cleared her throat and put a hand to her head. "Ah..." she said with relief. "Do healing powers come with the package?" she asked humorously. She felt normal again.

He watched her at first with bleary eyes, but soon, he smiled, seeing her look stronger and better. He angered himself for getting so distraught with emotions that he had forgotten the healing powers, though he never had to deal with them, except for minor paper cuts. He laughed softly, more of a relieved laugh though. "Yes, yes," he said with a jovial smile, "I suppose I forgot about them, so sorry to worry you dear."

"No need to apologize..." she said softly, putting her hand on his. She looked up at him lovingly. But soon, her eyes turned a deadly scarlet, and she grinned maliciously. "Now..." she said, stroking his neck with one finger. "Let's go take care of business with that bartender, eh?"

He grinned, picking up her hand and kissing her fingertips, looking at her. Hearing her words, he smiled mischievously and diabolically. "It would be my pleasure, m'love..." He stood, stretching his legs and flexing fingers, eyes flashing demonically.

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Oooooh... That bartender is in TROUBLLLLLLE... Watch out. :K